Chapter 460: Crazy with joy! (12,000-character update!)

The next day, *Flowers on the Stars* saw the same steep drop as most films scheduled for the Qixi Festival—the second-day box office was only 13 million.

Even so, the film breaking the 100 million mark was a certainty.

Yin Xincheng's agent, Zhou Chi, asked him, "Even with this, you still won't take Yu Jiang's new film?"

Yin Xincheng said, "Didn't I already say? The schedules clash."

"Schedules can be coordinated," Zhou Chi said. "It's not impossible to ask for leave in the middle to go film. It's said that *Flowers on the Stars* only took twenty days to finish. These youth romance films are shot very quickly."

Yin Xincheng shook his head. "I don't want to overlap roles."

"Is that really why you don't want to overlap?" Zhou Chi asked with a smile. "You..."

Yin Xincheng said nothing.

"But this is fine too. It's true, you debuted with *Friends*. In everyone's eyes, Lu Yanhe is your benefactor, and you owe him. If you work with Yu Jiang now, you might be scolded by many for being ungrateful. The conflict between Yu Jiang and Lu Yanhe is known to everyone; you couldn't play dumb even if you wanted to."

After finishing, Zhou Chi sighed.

"It's just a pity. A film lead role—you could have used this film to step into the film circle first."

Yin Xincheng asked, "Are there no other film scripts looking for me?"

"Those are all scripts that popped out from who knows what corner; you can tell at a glance they're trash," Zhou Chi said. "Or they're scripts that claim to be art films but make no sense."

Yin Xincheng nodded. "If there's no good script, then I just won't do films for now."

"If you can enter the film circle as soon as possible, you should. Otherwise, if you keep acting in dramas, over time, the circle will define you as a drama actor, and it will be hard to get into the film circle later," Zhou Chi said. "An actor is least defined when they first debut; you must seize the opportunity."

Yin Xincheng said, "I'm not in a hurry. If I really hit a bottleneck later, I'll go find Yan He and ask for his help."

"If you go to him for help, will he help you?"

"Yan He is a very good person; he will help me."

"Will he give you a lead role?"

"Why must I play the lead?" Yin Xincheng said. "I don't mind starting from supporting roles."

"Are you crazy? You debuted in *Friends* as a lead, with such a high starting point, and now you're willing to play supporting roles?" Zhou Chi looked at him in shock.

Yin Xincheng said, "Look at Yan He. Does he mind playing supporting roles?"

"He is Lu Yanhe."

"Before he was the Lu Yanhe he is now, he also started from supporting roles," Yin Xincheng said. "He always says one thing that I think makes a lot of sense, and Yan Liang does the same."

"What thing?"

"The audience won't like you more just because you're the lead, nor will they like you less just because you're a supporting actor," Yin Xincheng said. "The two dramas Yan Liang acted in this year, *Gold Rush* and *The Summit*, were both second leads. He was the true main lead in *Friends*. If he can play a second lead, why can't I?"

Zhou Chi: "Yan Liang's image isn't as good as yours."

"If my image were good enough, I wouldn't have to worry about not making it if I play a supporting role," Yin Xincheng said. "Brother Chi, is being the lead really that important?"

Zhou Chi looked at Yin Xincheng in disbelief.

"Why do all of you who have worked with Lu Yanhe have this tone? What kind of soul-stirring soup did he feed you?"

"Because seeing him play supporting roles so well, winning several Best Supporting Actor awards in a row... and even without awards, every one of his supporting performances is equally loved and praised by everyone. Facts prove that in the current film and television environment, the charm of the character itself far exceeds the limitations of lead and supporting roles."

Zhou Chi was thoughtful.

He really wanted to say, "Yin Xincheng, if you had half of Lu Yanhe's acting skills, I would believe you."

But he didn't say it out loud.

First, it was too hurtful. Second, regarding acting, if you can't make a supporting role shine, how could you make a lead role shine even more?

When Zhou Chi chose scripts for Yin Xincheng, he basically chose those within Yin Xincheng's comfort zone.

So as not to expose his shortcomings—making the audience feel his acting was poor.

"By the way, that drama training camp I signed you up for starts in October, for fourteen days total. Don't forget," Zhou Chi said. "I saw you mentioned before that you wanted to go to Bingdao."

Yin Xincheng said, "Mm, I remember. I'll go to Bingdao at the end of the year, and after I get back, I'll join the *Prosperous Scenery* crew."

When Zhou Chi heard Yin Xincheng mention *Prosperous Scenery*, his brow furrowed.

If Chen Ziliang hadn't barged in, insisting on bringing capital into the crew and adding scenes for his own second-lead role, this would have been a truly great opportunity for Yin Xincheng.

"What? You want Chen Ziliang to act in it?"

Yu Jiang, who was riding high, heard the suggestion from Ruyi Pictures regarding the lead for her new film, and her expression immediately collapsed, turning ugly.

"Why do you want Chen Ziliang to act in my film? Don't you know his situation? Are you trying to ruin my film?"

Yu Jiang glared at the group from Ruyi Pictures sitting opposite her, very angry.

The people from Ruyi Pictures said, "Isn't it that we can't find a suitable male actor right now?"

Yu Jiang said, "That doesn't mean you can let Chen Ziliang act! Chen Ziliang ruins every film he's in. If you want to force him into the spotlight, that's your business, don't come and harm my film!"

The people from Ruyi Pictures were also somewhat annoyed by Yu Jiang's overbearing style.

"Teacher Yu, this film is indeed adapted from your book, and you are the screenwriter, but this film is produced by Ruyi; this is Ruyi's film," the Ruyi Pictures person said, holding back their temper. "Although Chen Ziliang has some negative reputation, the works he appears in don't perform poorly in terms of commercial return."

Yu Jiang said, "Really? Look at the box office of *Nineteen Years of Crime Records*. You call that a good commercial return?"

The Ruyi Pictures person said, "That film was profitable, and the problem with the film wasn't him."

"Truly laughable. Go tell that to someone else," Yu Jiang rolled her eyes. "I don't agree to let Chen Ziliang act in my film. Even if I have to find a newcomer, I won't use him!"

"The casting power is in Ruyi's hands, it's not up to you!" the Ruyi Pictures person said, very annoyed.

Yu Jiang: "Then there's no need for us to cooperate."

She sneered, arms crossed over her chest. "No wonder the films you produce get worse one after another. You still use actors like Chen Ziliang again and again. I'd like to see when you go bankrupt."

The faces of the Ruyi Pictures people turned green.

Yu Jiang was famous for being arrogant, making wild statements, having a big temper, and being difficult to serve... These were all well-known. She became famous young, was a bestselling author, and there had already been several film and television adaptations of her novels, all with decent results. Before cooperating with Yu Jiang, Ruyi Pictures had already mentally prepared for it. However, since the cooperation began, they had still been repeatedly irritated by some of Yu Jiang's attitudes and words.

How should one put it... this person, sometimes she was truly detestable, and she made people speechless in a very low-class way. Why did such a person become their collaborator? Why could such a person achieve the success she had now? Middle school students might not be as unscrupulous as her in making threats, yet she had an arrogant confidence as if the world revolved around her.

This time, the meeting between Ruyi Pictures and Yu Jiang ended in a very unpleasant way.

"Ruyi wants Chen Ziliang to act in Yu Jiang's new film, but Yu Jiang refused? Why?" Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Ziyan in surprise. After saying that, he realized his last "why" was ambiguous, and immediately added, "I meant why does Ruyi still want Chen Ziliang to act?"

Lu Yanhe had never understood why Ruyi Pictures supported Chen Ziliang so much.

Chen Ziliang wasn't even a signed actor of Ruyi Pictures; there was really no need to promote him like this, right?

Chen Ziyan said, "Chen Ziliang latched onto a big thigh, and this big thigh has a lot of say in Ruyi Pictures."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"The big thigh... is it a woman?"

Chen Ziyan: "Why are you asking so cautiously? Of course it's a woman."

Lu Yanhe suddenly understood.

"I heard Chen Ziliang is still in contact with *Idol Era*, wanting to sign a contract as a fixed performance guest for two seasons."

"Ah? He has never taken the idol route. He wants to go on *Idol Era* at this time?"

"Who told him his luck has been bad these past few years, and his career has collapsed across the board," Chen Ziyan said. "If he doesn't try every possible way to save himself in this situation, then he's really done for."

Lu Yanhe said, "Then Yu Jiang doesn't agree to use him. Will Ruyi Pictures listen to Yu Jiang's opinion?"

"That's really hard to say. Generally speaking, the say of a novel author and screenwriter is basically zero in front of a production company, but Yu Jiang... you have to admit one thing: she is crazy enough and wild enough that Ruyi Pictures, a production company that should be very strong, is also somewhat afraid to act rashly," Chen Ziyan said. "Even someone with high martial arts skills is afraid of a madman waving a kitchen knife, because the madman isn't afraid of death."

Lu Yanhe: "This is really..."

"And, *Flowers on the Stars* was a huge success. For this film, the director and lead actor weren't the most critical keyman; the keyman was Yu Jiang," Chen Ziyan shrugged. "So you see, if Yu Jiang strongly opposes it, it's really hard to say what Ruyi Pictures' attitude will be."

For a creator who can produce an eight-figure profit, no film company can ignore their opinions.

As they were talking, someone knocked on the door.

Jia Long had arrived.

He came alone, without bringing any entourage.

"Jia Laoshi!" Chen Ziyan stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Brother Long." Lu Yanhe also greeted Jia Long.

Jia Long took off his baseball cap, clicked his tongue twice, and said, "It's so hot today. I just walked from the parking lot to the elevator and my back is soaked with sweat."

He sat down with a full face of smiles.

"Traffic was a bit jammed on the way, sorry to keep you waiting."

"We just arrived a while ago. We originally scheduled it for 3:00 PM, and it's only 2:55," Chen Ziyan poured a cup of herbal tea for Jia Long herself and said, "This place is opened by a friend. If nothing else, the confidentiality is first-class. If you need it in the future, you can come here; there will absolutely be no one to disturb you."

Jia Long nodded and said, "I've already felt it. From parking to just entering the door, I didn't run into a single person on the way. This confidentiality measure is first-class."

"It's all one-on-one service; you won't run into anyone coming or going," Chen Ziyan said. "*Lost on Journey* was a huge success. Although the box office wasn't as brilliant as your past box office, not over a billion, the word-of-mouth is very good. The rating on Ye Mai is 8.2."

Jia Long nodded. "I didn't expect the audience word-of-mouth for this film to be so good. Ever since the news of the second part came out, people ask me every day when the second part will be filmed."

He looked at Lu Yanhe with smiling eyes and asked, "Yan He, how is the script for the second part coming along?"

"The first draft is already written, but I still need to polish it." Lu Yanhe wrote film scripts very quickly; they were all films he had seen, and the characters and story development were very clear. He didn't need a thinking process for this; he just needed to write the script in text. "The script for the second part isn't just two male leads anymore; I added one more, for a total of three leads."

Jia Long asked curiously, "Are you finally willing to join our *Lost on Journey* universe?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "No, I'm not acting. I can't play this lead role; it's a man around forty years old."

"Ah?" Jia Long was stunned, bewildered. "What's the situation?"

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "After all, we went abroad, so we need a villain who causes trouble to play along, then the story will be fun."

Jia Long shrugged his eyebrows in confusion. "Alright, although I don't know what kind of story you wrote, it must be a good story."

"Not necessarily, Brother Long. The story of the second part... I personally feel it doesn't have as many interesting lines as the first one," Lu Yanhe said. "The second part has more exaggerated parts."

Jia Long: "Regardless of what it's like, how are we going to handle the second part?"

"Try to keep the original cast as much as possible," Lu Yanhe said. "The main core is still the duo combination of you and Dashan. This point cannot change."

"Are you still willing to cooperate with Yannian Film and Television?" Jia Long asked.

Lu Yanhe said, "If it weren't for them this time, *Lost on Journey* should have been able to break a billion in the Spring Festival slot."

"Yeah, that's the most regrettable part," Jia Long said. "However, this kind of thing is the same no matter which film company it is. No company would abandon a sequel with a four-billion box office to distribute a new film."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"What kind of conditions are they willing to offer for the sequel?"

"They are willing to give a production budget of 150 million, not including publicity costs," Jia Long said. "Among them, you and I each get a package salary of 20 million, Director Jiang gets 10 million, Dashan gets 4 million, and you and I get another 4.5% of the box office profit share."

For a sequel film whose first installment took nearly 700 million at the box office, such a production budget and salary belong to the conventional level.

A salary of 20 million is also at the top in the country. Except for those few actors with the most box office appeal, the ceiling is 20 million.

The conditions are indeed very good.

However, this is not what Lu Yanhe is really considering.

"What about the Spring Festival slot?"

"Written into the distribution contract: if the film is completed and passes censorship, and cannot be released in the Spring Festival slot within two years and guarantee a first-day screening rate of more than 15%, Yannian Film and Television will pay 80 million in damages."

Lu Yanhe was surprised: "Will Yannian Film and Television be willing to sign? This condition is not generous."

"A sequel film that is a sure-fire money maker, they wouldn't refuse it no matter what," Jia Long said. "And, they offered a total of 30 million in investment shares to us. Of course, if we don't want it, they would be even happier."

The so-called 30 million investment share is equivalent to taking out one-fifth of the investment share from the 150 million budget film for them—if they want, they can completely convert their salary into investment and directly enjoy the profit sharing later.

Speaking of this, Lu Yanhe felt that Yannian Film and Television's sincerity was truly brought out.

This is equivalent to taking out one-fifth of the profits for them.

This is like the owner of a gold mine giving them part of the mining rights; it's a business that obviously makes money, and the risk is much smaller than other film investments.

Chen Ziyan said, "We must add a priority settlement right, and at the same time, we must send a finance person to the crew to supervise the flow of every fund."

Films are really too easy to cook the books.

Don't look at Yannian Film and Television giving such generous conditions now; they can completely play tricks during settlement, such as counting many of Yannian Film and Television company's expenses into the *Lost on Journey* sequel project's expenses, or covering up part of the *Lost on Journey* sequel's peripheral copyright income by adding publicity fees or bundling sales with other film projects, invisibly reducing the profits they could have enjoyed.

Chen Ziyan believes that they won't lose money in the end; they will definitely make money. But it is very likely that a project that could have earned 50 or 60 million will only earn 10 million after Yannian Film and Television cooks the books. After all, there is still a publicity fee that has not been calculated yet, and the tricks in there are even bigger.

The three of them sat in this hidden small clubhouse, discussing the *Lost on Journey* sequel project, reaching a consensus among themselves first, before they could go to negotiate with Yannian Film and Television.

Lu Yanhe felt he had learned a lot.

After the *Lost on Journey* sequel project was discussed, Jia Long said, "I'm planning to make a web drama for Dashan. The cost is not high. Are you interested in investing?"

Lu Yanhe was a bit curious and asked, "What subject matter?"

"Suspense, a murder case that happened in a village. A film script I liked many years ago. At that time, I wanted to develop it, but no one was willing to invest, so it was shelved. Now I'm not suitable to act in it anymore," Jia Long said. "I asked a screenwriter to change it into a web drama script for Dashan to act in. It can be considered a script tailored for him. The cost is not high, twelve episodes, a total cost of only 3 million."

Lu Yanhe said, "Sure, how much do you need me to invest?"

"300,000?" Jia Long said. "I'll take out half myself, and for the rest, I'm planning to ask friends."

Of course, it's not that Jia Long can't take out 3 million himself, but generally, in the investment of these film and television projects, one won't invest the full amount oneself. Splitting the investment, you invest a little, I invest a little—first, the risk can become smaller, no need to put all eggs in one basket; second, with more producer investors, if this project encounters any problems, there will be more people to help.

Therefore, you can see some big names appearing in the producer column in many Hollywood films. Some are just for name, some invested, and some gave other help. In short, one principle: the more friends you have, the more stable the project's assistance will be.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Sure."

Jia Long smiled and asked, "I thought you would refuse me. You specifically posted on Weibo before saying that you wouldn't invest in film projects recently. Are there many people looking for you for investment recently?"

Lu Yanhe said, "No, maybe that Weibo post really made many people misunderstand. It's not that I'm unwilling to invest in film and television dramas; that was an exception."

He told Jia Long the ins and outs of Zhou Changying and the *Behind the Golden Clothes* sequel project.

Jia Long suddenly understood.

"This is really helpless, hard to guard against," Jia Long said. "Heaven knows how many people outside are pulling investment under our banner. Now, for comedy projects, nine out of ten list me as a proposed actor."

Lu Yanhe laughed.

"No way, you are the pillar of comedy films."

"This is also very bad. Over the years, it has led to me not acting in a single non-comedy film," Jia Long said. "The acting path is too limited."

Lu Yanhe said, "Then Brother Long, you organize a project yourself and do it yourself."

Jia Long said, "As long as it has nothing to do with comedy, no one will invest."

Lu Yanhe was between laughter and tears.

The market, it's just like this.

On the third day of *Flowers on the Stars* release, the box office was only 8 million, and by Monday, a workday, the box office simply hit a Waterloo, with only a little over 2 million left.

Such a youth romance film harvested over 100 million in the first three days of its premiere, but from the fourth day, it suffered from public word-of-mouth and failed to stabilize the box office trend.

But Ruyi Pictures and Yu Jiang both said this is a very normal phenomenon.

"You just need to look at the films for Valentine's Day and Qixi Festival in the last three years to know that these two slots are like this. Basically, the box office on the day of release accounts for 70%-80% of the total box office, and only a very few films can walk a long line," the spokesperson for Ruyi Pictures said righteously. "*Flowers on the Stars* is already one of the best-performing films in the domestic youth romance genre this year, plus its strong overseas sales, its success is beyond doubt."

Yu Jiang's statement was even more confident.

"*Flowers on the Stars* performed poorly? A film without a famous director, and the male lead Lang Xia is also acting in a film for the first time, can sell the best results of domestic youth romance films this year. This is called poor performance? Then find me one that performed well."

A nosy reporter immediately provoked: "What if the box office of *Love Letter*, directed by Lu Yanhe, is higher than *Flowers on the Stars* in the end?"

"So what? Do you think it's strange that a film starring Chen Bige has a higher box office than a film starring Lang Xia? They use big-name stars, we don't have big-name stars," Yu Jiang said.

Then, Lang Xia's fans were not having it.

One by one, they ran under Yu Jiang's Weibo to question her—

——Lang Xia can carry such a high box office in his first film, shouldn't you be glad? Why is it that coming from your mouth, Lang Xia has become a small actor who took advantage of you? He was already a popular male actor before acting in *Flowers on the Stars*!

——How is Lang Xia not a big star? It's really bad luck to cooperate with you. To prove the success of *Flowers on the Stars*, you have to use the way of belittling the male lead.

——Without Lang Xia, who would watch this film.

The film *Flowers on the Stars* hasn't even been taken off the screen yet, and the male lead's fans and the screenwriter/producer Yu Jiang have already started fighting.

How could Yu Jiang's temper endure it.

She retorted one by one.

——At that time, only I dared to use him, who had never acted in a film, as the male lead. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't even be able to step into the film circle now!

——Does Lang Xia know you say that? Do you know how much respect he has for me?

——I have never said Lang Xia is not popular, but compared to Chen Bige, who has a bigger status and higher position, it's beyond doubt, right?

——With fans like you, which film party will dare to use Lang Xia as the male lead in the future? Is this how you repay me?

The cursing match between Yu Jiang and Lang Xia's fans hit the hot search.

She was furious and outputting crazily.

However, Lang Xia's fans were not so easy to fool.

No one's combat power was low.

In the end, Yu Jiang even broke the jar and cursed: Then I'll just give up the cooperation on my other film that already has Lang Xia as the lead!

Lang Xia's fans: Without Lang Xia as the lead, we'd like to see how much box office your film can sell!

Lang Xia, who had been silent the whole time, was suddenly put on the fire to be roasted.

He Yingzi, while cursing Yu Jiang in her heart—nowadays, how many public figures would curse people on social media? Who do you think you are? —still had to squeeze out a smile, call Yu Jiang, persuade her to calm down, and coax her with good words.

"Why should we be provoked by those black fans? It's not certain if they are really Lang Xia's fans. Which real fan doesn't know you are our Lang Xia's benefactor?" He Yingzi said. "Lang Xia starring in your film is a win-win."

"A dog can't change its habit of eating shit; three sentences and you can't leave stepping on others," Chen Siqi put down her phone, sat on the bed, and while drying her hair with a towel, said to Lu Yanhe, "Talking about *Flowers on the Stars* is fine, but you have to mention you, and say Chen Bige is a bigger star than Lang Xia. It's nothing more than wanting to say that even if *Love Letter* has a higher box office, it's Chen Bige's credit, and has nothing to do with you."

Lu Yanhe sat on the chair, eyes looking at Chen Siqi, who was only wearing a white suspender dress, and said "Mm."

Chen Siqi asked: "What time is it now?"

"Four-thirty."

"Oh my, then we have to hurry," Chen Siqi said. "Otherwise, we might be late."

Tonight, they were going to attend a charity gala held by a fashion magazine.

The editor-in-chief personally called to invite them both. Lu Yanhe had also cooperated with them several times before, and the relationship was good, so he agreed.

At this moment, the room doorbell rang.

It was the makeup and styling team.

Lu Yanhe went to open the door.

Wang Biao brought people in to style the two of them.

"Little Brother Lu, Chen Ziliang and Lang Xia will also attend the event tonight," Wang Biao whispered.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Charity galas in this line of work are never few. Everyone wants a false name, and no one is an exception. Lu Yanhe can't say he doesn't need it. However, his charity work is not at these events, but following Chen Ziyan, insisting on donating money and materials to children in mountainous areas.

Every time he and Chen Siqi appear together, they attract a lot of attention.

This time was naturally no exception.

However, they never expected to run into Liu Weian tonight.

The last time Lu Yanhe saw Liu Weian was back in high school.

After being with Chen Siqi, Lu Yanhe had never seen them either.

Chen Siqi's expression changed first, and then Lu Yanhe noticed why.

She actually came tonight too.

Lu Yanhe subconsciously looked at Chen Siqi, worried that Chen Siqi's mood would become bad at this moment.

"Siqi."

"It's okay," Chen Siqi immediately took a deep breath. "Let's just pretend she doesn't exist."

However, they wanted to pretend she didn't exist, but she didn't seem to have the same thought.

She was in an elegant long dress, walking towards them gracefully.

And Liu Weian was clearly not in a state of being a stranger at tonight's occasion.

Many people knew her and were paying attention to her movements.

At this moment, Lu Yanhe actually thought of many things.

For example, Chen Siqi's family background is not widely known yet. Maybe with Liu Weian's appearance tonight, this matter will be exposed on the internet in a serious manner.

For example, Liu Weian used her usual hypocritical face to stimulate Chen Siqi, and Chen Siqi couldn't help but lose her composure in front of everyone, having a conflict with Liu Weian.

Various thoughts kept emerging in his mind.

Liu Weian walked up to them and said, "Siqi, you don't go home even during summer vacation. Your father misses you so much."

She raised her right hand, seemingly wanting to gently place it on her shoulder.

Chen Siqi moved to the side, avoiding Liu Weian's action.

Liu Weian seemed to have expected Chen Siqi to avoid it, her movement didn't even have a moment of hesitation, and that hand suddenly turned in mid-air and landed on Lu Yanhe's shoulder.

Lu Yanhe didn't even have time to dodge.

"I've wanted to see you for a long time," Liu Weian looked at Lu Yanhe calmly and steadily, saying, "Big star."

Before Lu Yanhe could speak, Chen Siqi suddenly raised her hand and slapped Liu Weian's hand off Lu Yanhe's shoulder.

"Stay away from us," Chen Siqi lowered her voice, staring at Liu Weian with an ugly expression. "Don't you know we don't want to deal with you?"

Lu Yanhe knew she was going to explode when he saw Chen Siqi like this.

Lu Yanhe reached out, held Chen Siqi's hand, and squeezed it gently in her palm, signaling her to control her emotions.

Chen Siqi took a deep breath.

Lu Yanhe looked at Liu Weian calmly and asked, "Didn't Mr. Chen accompany you? Are you alone tonight?"

Liu Weian was stunned.

Lu Yanhe's attitude exceeded her imagination.

After the almost perfect expression on Liu Weian's face solidified for a moment, it immediately disappeared.

"Can't I come alone?" she asked back.

Lu Yanhe smiled faintly—the faintness was intentional.

"You can come, but if Mr. Chen really misses his daughter, it's better to come and tell her himself, don't use others' mouths, especially—don't use a stepmother's mouth, it's easy to cause misunderstandings," Lu Yanhe said with a calm tone and unchanged face. "The stepmothers in fairy tales are not very good images. We children who grew up reading fairy tales are inevitably influenced by them. You are so gentle and generous, you shouldn't mind, right?"

The corner of Liu Weian's eye twitched slightly.

Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise.

She seemed surprised that he could say such things to subdue Liu Weian.

Lu Yanhe said, "Since Mr. Chen is not here tonight, let's keep some distance. In case everyone knows my girlfriend is the daughter of the Chen family, they might also be curious why my girlfriend doesn't want to live at home during summer vacation, especially... will people who grew up reading fairy tales be moved by your hypocritical compassion like your hypocritical friends?"

Liu Weian: "Sure enough, you are well-informed, and your sharp tongue is even worse than back then."

"Facing enemies, you have to show the sharpest claws," Lu Yanhe said calmly. "I believe you are a smart person, Auntie. If the matter of you racking your brains to stop Siqi from going to Jiangguang University back then were exposed on the internet, you know how much criticism you would face without me saying it. And unfortunately, except for Mr. Chen, no one will believe your excuse that you just couldn't bear to let a little daughter leave her parents too far."

Every word of Lu Yanhe revealed a thick threat.

Liu Weian gritted her teeth, didn't show it on her face, and walked away calmly.

Chen Siqi breathed a sigh of relief, staring at Lu Yanhe with excitement.

"How are you so amazing?!"

The corners of Lu Yanhe's mouth raised slightly.

Chen Siqi said, "It's good that you were here today, otherwise I would definitely have been unable to help but explode."

"Control your temper, don't let yourself explode," Lu Yanhe said. "Liu Weian is not worth you exploding."

"No way, I can endure others, and I can self-hypnotize, don't care about them, but Liu Weian is not okay," Chen Siqi said. "You can't understand my mood when I see Liu Weian, I can't control myself."

"Then in the future, when you run into Liu Weian, you don't need to speak, leave it to me to deal with," Lu Yanhe said. "You just don't have a thicker skin than her. As long as your skin is thicker than hers, she is actually easy to deal with."

Chen Siqi laughed.

Today's charity gala, in addition to many star artists, of course, also invited many celebrities.

After all, they are here to donate money.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi will also donate tonight, donating 500,000 in the name of both.

It's not that Lu Yanhe doesn't want to donate more, but this kind of charity gala held by fashion magazines, to be honest, the show nature is far greater than the actual meaning of charity itself.

Lu Yanhe doesn't want to spend more money on this aspect. He would rather donate more to the children in the mountains, even if not many people know about the charity there, and he didn't take the initiative to publicize it.

And at tonight's charity gala, there are several performance programs.

Among them is Chen Ziliang going on stage to sing.

There is a song-request segment, and a daughter of a large group spent 200,000 to request a representative work of Chen Ziliang.

This 200,000 is naturally counted into tonight's charity fundraising.

There is also an auction segment.

The organizer had also contacted Lu Yanhe before, asking Lu Yanhe to provide an item for the auction segment.

Lu Yanhe thought for a long time and took out the draft of the handwritten lyrics of *Memory* back then.

Lu Yanhe went on stage to introduce the auction item he brought, saying, "This is the handwritten manuscript of the first song I wrote. At that time, Siqi and I were both in high school. I wrote the lyrics on paper and hummed the tune. Siqi added the score based on the tune I hummed. This is the only original manuscript of the song *Memory*. It has great significance to Siqi and me, and it should have some collection value—I hope it does, otherwise it would be too embarrassing if no one raises the paddle later."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Then it was the paddle-raising segment.

Chen Siqi was the first to raise the paddle.

50,000.

Everyone exclaimed.

What are you doing? You took out the auction item from your own house, and you bought it back yourself?

Fine, anyway, the auction money is charity money, you are willing to toss it in your own hands, whatever.

At this time, Chen Ziliang suddenly raised the paddle surprisingly.

100,000.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi both looked at Chen Ziliang with some surprise.

Chen Ziliang raising the paddle was something neither of them expected.

At this time, Liu Weian raised the paddle again gracefully.

150,000.

She is not a person in the entertainment industry, and many people don't know her.

But the celebrity circle of course knows her.

Some people know her relationship with Chen Siqi, whispering to the people around them, and subsequently, some people around showed a knowing look of "so that's how it is."

Chen Siqi raised the paddle again without hesitation.

200,000.

The whole audience was in an uproar.

Are you kidding?

It's fine if you raised the paddle for the first time to throw a brick to attract jade, but why are you still raising it now that others have raised it?

Do you really want to buy it home yourself?

At this time, Li Luzhi, who was also invited today, also raised the paddle.

250,000.

As Li Pengfei's father and the founder of the brand "Xueyou App" endorsed by Lu Yanhe, his act of raising the paddle was interpreted by many as supporting his endorser.

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Li."

A manuscript, auctioned to a price of 250,000, is already not low.

The host didn't expect this effect either.

But just at this time, Liu Weian suddenly raised the paddle again.

She had a smiling expression on the corner of her mouth, and her paddle-raising action was light and airy, as if she was just waving her hand casually.

The price of 300,000 was waved out by her as if it were nothing.

Chen Siqi rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Lu Yanhe knew that Chen Siqi definitely didn't want this manuscript to be auctioned back by Liu Weian.

300,000 is nothing to Liu Weian, but if this manuscript falls into Liu Weian's hands, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi will be disgusted for a lifetime.

Chen Bige suddenly raised the paddle.

350,000!

The host shouted in surprise, saying, "Miss Chen Bige raised 350,000. It seems that Yan He and Miss Bige's cooperation is very pleasant."

Chen Bige waved the paddle with smiling eyes.

Lu Yanhe immediately said, "I really have to thank Sister Bige, it's too powerful, I'm flattered."

Jia Long suddenly raised the paddle too.

"I'll join in the fun too," Jia Long raised the paddle, then took the microphone from the master of ceremonies next to him, and said with a smile, "Yan He and I are still going to cooperate on the sequel of *Lost on Journey*, I have to support my little brother."

400,000!

The discussion became even more intense.

No one expected that a manuscript of Lu Yanhe would attract so many people to raise paddles and compete.

Lu Yanhe immediately said, "If I had known, I should have brought the manuscript of *Lost on Journey*. The story of *Lost on Journey* was also written on a manuscript at the beginning."

The host immediately said, "Then I represent *Fashion* magazine to reserve this manuscript from you, as an auction item for our charity gala next year, how about it?"

Lu Yanhe nodded generously and said, "Sure."

Host: "Then we must invite Jia Laoshi Long next year."

Jia Long said with a smile, "This means I can't justify not auctioning it."

Host: "The original manuscript of *Lost on Journey*, if you don't auction it, it's really unjustifiable."

Jia Long: "Sure, as long as there is a manuscript of *Lost on Journey* next year, I will definitely come, even if I have to smash the pot and sell iron, I will auction it."

In the end, the manuscript of *Memory* was auctioned by Jia Long for 400,000.

This 400,000 will also enter tonight's charity fundraising.

Lu Yanhe returned to his seat.

Chen Siqi whispered in Lu Yanhe's ear, "Fortunately, others raised the paddle later. If Liu Weian really auctioned it, I would definitely not agree, I would definitely snatch it back."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Don't worry, if no one competes with Liu Weian in the end, I will auction it myself. I will say I can't bear to part with it and decided to auction it myself."

Chen Siqi: "That would be too embarrassing."

Lu Yanhe: "Nothing embarrassing, this is not a real auction, but just in such a form to increase a little fun and increase a little fundraising."

And after Lu Yanhe's auction item, Lang Xia's auction item also went on stage.

However, the stage was empty.

The people under the stage looked at each other, curious about what the situation was.

At this time, the host said: "The auction item provided by Lang Xia is—"

"Dinner with Lang Xia."

Chen Siqi heard the sentence said by the host, coughed directly, and looked at the stage in disbelief.

"What the hell?"

Lu Yanhe also looked at the stage in disbelief.

For a time, the scene was very quiet, and everyone was shocked by this auction item, having nothing to say.

The host probably didn't expect that the reaction of the whole audience to this auction item would be like this.

When the host announced that paddle raising could begin, within three seconds, no one even raised the paddle.

The whole audience was silent, making people embarrassed.

Lu Yanhe felt embarrassed for Lang Xia.

Fortunately, someone still raised the paddle politely.

It was a producer.

Starting price, 50,000.

The host was afraid of continuing the cold scene, and immediately started the chat mode.

"Mr. You raised the paddle. Mr. You wants the opportunity to have dinner with Lang Xia, is it because you want to cooperate with Lang Xia in a play later?"

Producer You nodded and said, "Yes, there is a play later that I want to cooperate with Lang Xia, just take this opportunity to eat and talk."

The host turned to look at Lang Xia, "Mr. You's sincerity is too full, right?"

Lang Xia also felt embarrassed. He didn't expect that this auction item he carefully prepared would almost have no response.

For this producer who helped him out of the siege, Lang Xia was of course also a bit grateful.

"Of course," Lang Xia laughed at himself, "I thought no one raised the paddle, and I was ready to raise it myself, haha, thank you Mr. You!"

Chen Siqi whispered to Lu Yanhe, "Almost embarrassed to the point of digging the floor with my toes."

Lu Yanhe said, "I think in the future, such auctions should find a shill. If no one auctions, it would be too embarrassing."

"Indeed," Chen Siqi nodded, "In the future, for such activities, I will come to accompany you, I will be your shill."

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, saying okay.

After the auction segment ended, it was the whole audience group photo segment.

All guests were invited to the stage one by one.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi were also people who were named.

"Let's walk slowly, we have to wait stupidly when we get to the stage," Lu Yanhe had rich experience, "When the video spreads out, you will see a group of people on the stage yielding the C-position to each other, awkwardly socializing and exchanging greetings."

Chen Siqi laughed, "The picture is very strong."

Lu Yanhe said, "Really, my experience is that the later you go on stage, the better. You don't have to socialize awkwardly with people, and you don't have to be yielded back and forth, just stand on the side."

Chen Siqi asked: "Won't standing on the side to take pictures be distorted? It is said that the closer to the side, the more distorted the picture looks."

Lu Yanhe: "For such a group photo, if it's distorted, let it be distorted, I don't care."

"Okay," Chen Siqi nodded.

The two were almost the last batch to go on stage.

As a result, as soon as they went on stage, they were invited to the middle.

Lu Yanhe waved his hand quickly, preparing to stand on the side.

Chen Siqi also had no interest in crowding towards the female stars.

However, the standing position of the group photo was very distinct between men and women.

The girls almost all stood in front, and the boys all stood in the back.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi had to separate.

Lu Yanhe just stood on the side, and the person next to him let him inside.

He waved his hand and didn't move, but the person directly hugged him with both hands and moved him a position inside.

Lu Yanhe was shocked.

Then, the second person who let him inside also followed suit, no matter how hard Lu Yanhe shook his hand, they insisted on pushing him inside.

Lu Yanhe was directly hugged up three times, and was sent to the C-position of the fourth row with a confused face.

Huh?!

The audience watching the live broadcast were all driven crazy by this scene.

——I have never seen Lu Yanhe so helpless.

——This scene is going to be deified, it is foreseeable that this GIF will spread crazily on the internet.

——Facts prove that when you belong to the C-position, you don't need to fight, don't need to grab, everyone will take the initiative to yield the C-position to you.

——Lu Yanhe is also too funny, C-position hostage.

——Hahahaha, goddamn C-position hostage.

——Chen Siqi, hurry up and save your boyfriend! Your boyfriend has been kidnapped!

——Seeing Lu Yanhe tonight, I deeply understand a truth: no traffic, heat, or popularity is as important as works and actual achievements. This circle, in the end, still depends on solid things.

——Looking forward to the Venice International Film Festival at the end of the month. Although it is not the main competition unit, the Horizons unit is also an official competition unit. I really hope Lu Yanhe can bring back an award this time!

——Bring back a Best Actor award!

——Shang Yongzhou is still there.

——Then wish them to bring back a double yolk!