Chapter 492: Need Some Biceps (7,000-character update!)

The day before *Squid Game* aired, Yan Liang finally wrapped up *The Summit* and returned.

If Yan Liang was as thin as a skeleton when he returned from *The Gold Rush*, this time when he returned, he had a bit more of a sinister and twisted murderous aura about him.

Lu Yan He and Li Zhibai were both shocked.

Yan Liang didn't know what had happened yet. Facing the shocked eyes of Lu Yan He and Li Zhibai, he asked: "What's wrong with me?"

Only when he spoke did the murderous aura he had just given off disappear.

Li Zhibai said: "I almost thought you came back from killer training."

Lu Yan He nodded and echoed, "Too exaggerated, how come every time you come back from acting, you're like a different person?"

Lu Yan He and Li Zhibai basically didn't have this situation.

Yan Liang himself was completely unaware. "Really?"

Yan Liang's acting was always 100% invested. This investment was a clumsy method. He didn't get into character that fast, and his expressiveness wasn't that strong, so he could only keep himself in that character's state all the time, whether on set or after filming, back at the hotel.

This was why he still carried the character's feeling after wrapping up. But Yan Liang didn't realize why this was.

To welcome Yan Liang back, they went out to eat together.

Yan Liang asked Lu Yan He: "*Squid Game* airs tomorrow, why don't you have to run promotion today?"

"I've run everything I should run. I'm not an actor in this show, so I don't need to run so diligently," Lu Yan He said. "What about you? *Friends* Season 3 is also about to air, are you about to start running promotion?"

Yan Liang smiled with sarcasm, "That's not necessarily true."

"Not necessarily? What do you mean? They don't need you to run promotion?" Lu Yan He was surprised.

Yan Liang could be said to be the most popular actor in *Friends*, and not one of them, after all, besides this show, he also had his idol status in *Idol Era*, and the popularity brought by *Young Days*, which others couldn't compare to.

Or did Beijing TV feel that letting Zhang Lan run promotion alone was enough?

Yan Liang said: "No, they don't want to clash head-on with *Squid Game*. It seems they want to adjust the schedule, wanting to wait two weeks, wait for your *Squid Game* to finish airing, and then air *Friends* Season 3."

Li Zhibai was shocked, "Beijing TV is so cowardly? One is an exclusive broadcast on a TV station, one is an exclusive broadcast on a video platform, one is weekly, one is daily, they don't clash much, and they still worry about waiting for *Squid Game* to finish airing?"

"Yeah," Yan Liang said. "It is said that their internal evaluation of the third season is very low, all saying it's the worst of the three seasons. Of course, this is not surprising at all."

Lu Yan He: "..."

Li Zhibai: "What on earth are they thinking? After driving Yan He away, they drove Bai Jingnian away. I'm convinced."

Yan Liang: "They think anyone can replace them. They found a director with a very beautiful resume to direct the third season, but the script adapted with the screenwriter is more melodramatic than the family ethics dramas at 8 o'clock ten years ago."

Lu Yan He: "Who is the director of your third season? Why don't I have any impression?"

Yan Liang laughed and said: "Gao Bohua, you definitely haven't heard of him. He used to be an assistant director for some American TV shows in the United States. He's a returnee."

Lu Yan He: "Huh? American TV assistant director? Why did they want to find an American TV assistant director from abroad?"

"They said he was experienced and participated in the production of many sitcoms. In fact, I guess they couldn't find a first-line director in China to take this show. Who would want to take it? Bai, the great hero who filmed two seasons diligently, was kicked out by Beijing TV without mercy, making it so ugly. Your conflict with them is still being scolded by people. First-line directors, who lacks this project? Normal people wouldn't take it."

Yan Liang was full of anger when mentioning this.

Lu Yan He sighed lightly.

Yan Liang said: "I really don't want to film anymore. They asked me to sign the contract for the fourth and fifth seasons before, but I didn't agree."

Lu Yan He thought for a moment and said: "Don't be in a hurry to make a decision, wait and see, maybe there is a turning point."

"What turning point," Li Zhibai said immediately. "If it's already like this, I have to say, Yan Liang, you really shouldn't continue acting. You don't lack shows to act in now."

"Don't mess around. If Yan Liang didn't have the *Friends* series, how could Zhou Ping'an let him act as the second lead in two shows in a row," Lu Yan He said. "*The Gold Rush* and *The Summit* are both good acting opportunities, but if there was no *Friends* series, Zhou Ping'an definitely wouldn't let Yan Liang take them."

Zhou Ping'an's standard for taking shows was never whether the show was good or not.

Yan Liang said: "Zhou Ping'an, I don't know what happened to him recently, suddenly he became concerned about my career, taking a script for me to see every few days."

"Ma Zhiyuan is depressed, he has no one else under him but you," Li Zhibai pointed out sharply. "Now he finally realizes that you are the most popular and promising person under him."

Yan Liang: "Then he really has a conscience."

"He probably thinks that one day you will also leave him," Lu Yan He said. "After all, both Li Zhibai and I didn't break up with him particularly happily."

Yan Liang: "This is really true, and I don't feel like I will cooperate with him forever. He is right to have such thoughts."

"But now he needs you very much. At least, before another you appears, you are the only bargaining chip he has to trade with others," Lu Yan He said. "So, I left very easily, Li Zhibai chose to give up himself, you—you shouldn't be leaving now, right? It's quite troublesome if you want to leave now."

"Why should I leave now? Now he must support my work, I can enjoy his high-quality work," Yan Liang pouted. "When I stand firm and really don't need him, he won't be able to keep me even if he wants to."

Li Zhibai hooked Yan Liang's shoulder and said with a smile: "I really can't wait to see this day. When the time comes, you must call me, I want to see his expression with my own eyes."

Just after saying this, Li Zhibai laughed loudly.

Lu Yan He: "..."

Yan Liang: "..."

There weren't many people around them who could laugh loudly like this by themselves.

Sometimes, Lu Yan He really envied Li Zhibai's personality.

He wouldn't be depressed even if someone else was.

Lu Yan He suddenly remembered something and said: "By the way, since you are all here, I have a script to give you. It's not finished yet, but I've already written eight episodes. You can take a look first."

He went to the room, took out two scripts he had printed yesterday, and gave one to Li Zhibai and one to Yan Liang.

"*Chinese Paladin*?" Li Zhibai received it in his hand. "Oh my, after listening for so long, I finally saw this script."

Although, in the entertainment industry, the production cycle of a film and television project is far longer than some in literary novels, from preparation to script to filming, and finally to the broadcast, it may take three or four years or even longer. But the story of *Chinese Paladin*, from the first time Li Zhibai and Yan Liang heard about it to now that they finally saw the script, had also passed a few years. This was just the beginning of eight episodes, and it hadn't been finished yet.

"The role of Li Xiaoyao is prepared for Li Zhibai, and the role of Tang Yu Xiaobao is for Yan Liang," Lu Yan He said. "I play Liu Jinyuan."

"There are so many roles."

"Yeah, there is a protagonist group, the protagonist group has a total of six people, three men and three women," Lu Yan He said. "It's a fairy tale drama, leveling up all the way."

Li Zhibai: "Damn, so this show finally doesn't have to be sticky and talk about love with people?"

"There is still a love line, but it's quite different from those fairy tale ancient idol dramas now," Lu Yan He said. "It's more inclined to traditional fairy tales and strange stories."

Yan Liang said: "I was thinking, there are no shows left, I have to look at the script quickly, and now another script is coming."

"Then you should find a script for yourself first. I plan to film this show the year after next," Lu Yan He said. "My whole year next year is full. The shows I didn't act in this year are all arranged for next year."

Yan Liang: "So exaggerated, okay."

Li Zhibai asked: "How many shows are you going to film next year?"

"Don't know, but first I have to finish filming *Love Letter*, then start post-production, film the movie *Burning Fire* in the first half of the year, and film *Seventeen Layers* Season 2 and the movie *The Mist* in the second half," Lu Yan He said.

Li Zhibai nodded. "Three shows, a bit exaggerated."

Lu Yan He said: "Yeah, but it seems to be the rhythm for these few years, I'm already used to it."

Li Zhibai: "You also wrote so many scripts yourself."

"That's okay, writing scripts, I just write them when I have time, I don't have to stay in one place for a period of time like filming," Lu Yan He shrugged. "I can write wherever I am."

The day *Squid Game* aired, it was different from the broadcast time of traditional TV stations.

At 12:00 noon, its first episode went online.

The three of them didn't have work that day, so they sat together, turned on the projector, and watched the first episode together.

Lu Yan He had already seen the final cut.

So, he wasn't worried about the quality of the final cut.

North Star Video had indeed invested a lot in this show.

Whether it was the set, filming, or special effects, it was a quality that showed a lot of money.

Even Li Zhibai sighed: "The photography of your show really achieved a movie level?"

Lu Yan He said: "Yes."

Li Zhibai: "Tsk tsk, will *Chinese Paladin* also be filmed according to this standard then?"

"Should, maybe, possibly?" Lu Yan He laughed. "I don't know now, I don't even know who is doing it."

Li Zhibai asked: "Who are you preparing to give it to? This is a show the three of us act in, why don't you be the director yourself?"

"Don't do it," Lu Yan He immediately made a big cross with his arms. "You don't know how hard it is to be a director, like a wet nurse managing from beginning to end, I firmly won't do it."

Li Zhibai: "Then who are you preparing to find?"

He said: "Although you plan to film it the year after next, good directors also have to start booking schedules. Good directors' schedules are not emptier than ours."

Li Zhibai reminded Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He naturally searched among the directors he knew habitually.

However, it was a pity that he hadn't filmed a fairy tale drama himself, so he hadn't collaborated with a director who filmed fairy tale dramas. Oh, no, the director of *Seventeen Layers*, Lian Bei's first show was a fairy tale drama, and it also exploded.

Lu Yan He said: "I'll take a look first. I haven't even finished the script yet, and I haven't thought about the director and production team."

Li Zhibai: "I really want to know everything about this show right now. The three of us have never acted in a show together."

Yan Liang: "I have acted with Yan He."

"I'm talking about the three of us," Li Zhibai emphasized.

Yan Liang nodded, emphasizing: "Right, just you haven't acted with us."

"Damn," Li Zhibai took a deep breath and glared at Yan Liang.

Yan Liang laughed, "Don't be so impatient."

Lu Yan He said to Yan Liang again: "Yan Liang, remember to keep some martial arts training next year."

Besides this show, Lu Yan He had already thought about writing an action movie for Yan Liang.

Yan Liang was a bit puzzled, but still nodded.

Lu Yan He said: "The Tang Yu Xiaobao you act in has some action scenes."

Li Zhibai asked: "Don't I have any?"

"You have, but from the perspective of martial arts design, this part of Tang Yu Xiaobao is more solid," Lu Yan He said. "I will definitely arrange for everyone to enter the group to practice together before the crew starts filming. If Yan Liang can keep martial arts training in advance, we can design some martial arts actions with higher difficulty when filming later."

Lu Yan He didn't say that he would have a foundation when filming martial arts movies later.

Li Zhibai: "Damn, are you really looking down on me? You said you wanted to write a martial arts script for Yan Liang, but you didn't write one for me, and now you're looking at people and serving dishes, letting him keep martial arts training, and didn't mention me at all."

Lu Yan He looked at him speechlessly.

He didn't say anything either.

"Yan Liang, show your biceps," Lu Yan He said. "Roll up your sleeves and show Li Zhibai."

Yan Liang rolled up his sleeves helplessly and showed his arm muscles.

Li Zhibai's eyes were stunned.

Lu Yan He grabbed Li Zhibai's arm, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed his lean and well-proportioned arms.

"You tell me, is it me looking at people and serving dishes, or do you have no self-awareness? If you want to film, you practice your muscles first. I don't film those flowery fists and embroidered legs!"

Li Zhibai: "..."

"Damn!" he cursed.

Yan Liang then looked at Lu Yan He, "You still want to write a martial arts script for me?"

"Yeah, after watching *Nine Yin*, I wanted to write martial arts. There seems to be only you around me who has that kind of swordsman body like Teacher Zhou Yuning," Lu Yan He said. "You must leave the schedule for me."

Yan Liang nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll leave it for you."

Lu Yan He said: "Sigh, if the three of us really knew kung fu, I have a pile of martial arts stories in my mind."

Lu Yan He, who came from an era with stars like Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Wen Ruian, sighed in his heart, that was really a gold mine!

Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

Yang Guo and Little Dragon Maiden.

Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin.

Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min.

That was really Lu Yan He's childhood.

Li Zhibai rubbed his shoulders and said: "At worst, we'll go learn kung fu together."

"Are you serious? Do you know how much time it takes to learn kung fu and how hard it is?" Lu Yan He asked.

Li Zhibai: "If I really plan to prepare for filming in the future, it's not impossible to learn. If I can't learn it all at once, then practice slowly. Practice for four or five years, and we'll only be twenty-six or twenty-seven."

Lu Yan He: "That makes sense."

On the first day *Squid Game* went online on North Star Video, in six hours, the hot searches bought by the production team and various actor teams added up to more than 12, and there were 6 naturally formed hot searches.

This is data that can be mastered internally.

The number of viewers reached 7.5 million, the value was very high, reaching North Star's expectation for this show.

And the sophistication of the production, the gorgeousness of the star lineup, and the novelty of the worldview all formed great discussions on the internet.

Jiang Yuqian alone provided 8 hot search entries on the entire platform, and another popular young actor Liu Zefan was in second place with 6 hot search entries.

Both teams were trying their best to occupy more dividends in this show.

Fortunately, no matter which actor team it was, no one made trouble at this time.

The game level of "One, Two, Three, Wooden Man" exploded the whole network.

The game that almost everyone played when they were young actually became a terrifying murder game.

That huge murder doll also became one of the hottest existences on the internet.

Toy manufacturers immediately came to Lu Yan He's side and North Star Video's side, wanting to obtain authorization to develop murder doll toys.

Lu Yan He looked at everyone's discussion about this show with satisfaction.

Of course, it was within everyone's expectation that the first episode had such popularity and discussion. *Squid Game*, whether it was its own configuration or early promotion, made this show aimed at being the king of shows. With such high expectations, even a explosive start was not enough to make people lose their way.

The more critical thing was the viewing situation of the second episode tomorrow.

Such a huge number of viewers, only if they stay can it be considered a success.

And it wasn't just them waiting for the situation of the second episode, Xu Bin of Beijing TV was also waiting.

They were waiting for the situation of *Squid Game* to decide whether *Friends* Season 3 should change the schedule.

Don't go head-on.

Can't afford to clash.

For Beijing TV, the benefit of *Friends* Season 3 was something that could not be lost.

When the second episode went online the next day and the number of viewers in one hour directly exceeded 4 million, Xu Bin no longer hesitated and arranged to change the schedule of *Friends* Season 3.

Xu Bin clenched his fists angrily, wanting to smash his desk hard.

But when he wanted to smash his fist down, looking at his delicate skin and tender meat that he had raised for a long time, he didn't bear to smash it down.

He finally just cursed "Damn!" in his office.

"..."

Of course, no one responded to his office with only him.

Lu Yan He knew how popular the original version of *Squid Game* was.

It was so popular that many people questioned "why is it so popular", but no one questioned "is it really this popular?".

He had always wanted to know what kind of results this show could achieve in this space-time.

From the domestic situation, it was indeed a popular show, but if you ask if it reached the phenomenal level of the original space-time?

Lu Yan He didn't dare to say that.

Of course, the phenomenal nature of the original *Squid Game* was not achieved in China, but on a streaming media facing the whole world.

Ten days later, *Squid Game* would go online on Maxine.

Then we would know if this show could replicate the phenomenal success.

From Jiang Jun to Jiang Yuqian to Liu Zefan, the actors of the protagonist group all left all their time for the promotion of this show.

It could be said that the promotion schedule North Star Video prepared for this show was comparable to the treatment of a big movie.

They ran to fifteen cities in a row, held audience meetings with thousands of people locally, and went on various programs to advertise and promote *Squid Game*, covering audiences of all circles as much as possible.

North Star Video even linked up with several magazines to contact the cover shooting of first-line magazines for the starring group.

This was a degree that web drama crews had never achieved before.

Jiang Jun became popular overnight.

Jiang Yuqian and Liu Zefan didn't need to say more, their careers rejuvenated, climbed to the peak, and all data blossomed in an all-round way.

Effective broadcasting, this is what it means.

What is a real popular show?

Lu Yan He felt that at least there should be a standard, that is, whether this show has produced actors.

This producing actors refers to letting actors who were not known before be known, letting actors who might be outdated return to the line of sight, and letting actors who were originally in position A come to a higher position B.

*Squid Game* is undoubtedly like this now.

Moreover, it actually included all kinds of situations.

Unlike other shows, *Squid Game*, every actor team had already bet on a show, they wouldn't wait for the show to be popular before rushing to prepare various promotions for themselves, they were ready early.

Therefore, as this show really became popular, the promotion and marketing of characters and actors, North Star could directly withdraw.

Major brokerage companies and actor teams themselves were doing well, and they didn't need their video platform to touch a bit.

On the contrary, they could concentrate resources to do promotion for show production.

North Star Video concentrated promotion resources on director Yao Yuanzhi and screenwriter Lu Yan He.

Then, Lu Yan He frequently refused to cooperate.

"Don't promote me, I'm popular enough," Lu Yan He said. "Really, I'm not joking with you, nor am I being polite, you promote other aspects."

North Star Video people looked depressed.

"Hahahaha, oh, Mr. Liu, *Squid Game* indeed had the idea of a trilogy from the beginning, but now everyone is busy with the broadcast of the first part, no one has time to manage the second part."

After Lu Qingzhen knocked on the door and entered, she saw Chen Ziyan sitting in her chair, laughing and trembling—the more brilliant, the more business-like.

She shook her head, holding a box of cherries in her hand, eating while sitting by the bay window, waiting for Chen Ziyan to finish this call.

"With the popularity of *Squid Game*, your phone is lively again." Lu Qingzhen said with a smile.

Chen Ziyan: "This is not all having ideas, wanting to send people into the sequel."

Lu Qingzhen shook her head, "These people, they don't know how to contact North Star."

"How do you know they didn't contact?" Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "Anyway, where there is a way, walk around."

Lu Qingzhen said: "Our big client, Liu Min, just called me, wanting to play a major role in *Squid Game* Season 2."

The smile on Chen Ziyan's face slowly faded.

"These people's reactions are really fast, and their appetites are really big, opening their mouths is a major role."

Lu Qingzhen: "She said she is willing to give an eight-figure service fee."

"This is not a service fee, this is bribery," Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes. "Eight figures, is an opportunity to turn red only worth eight figures? She also underestimated the ability of artists to make money now."

Lu Qingzhen laughed, "Then people have been outdated for so many years, it's normal not to know the market."

Chen Ziyan: "*Squid Game* sequel, if there is a suitable role, we can help her strive for an audition, but wanting to take a role directly through the back door, don't even think about it, Lu Yan He's show is not so easy to get on. The service contract we signed with her doesn't include Lu Yan He's show, this was already made clear. If she wants to turn red, listen to our arrangements."

Lu Qingzhen asked: "Do you have any ideas?"

Chen Ziyan nodded: "There is a program on Icefield Video, I am preparing to contact her."

Lu Qingzhen: "She may not be satisfied."

Chen Ziyan said: "If she is not satisfied, she can refuse."

Lu Qingzhen: "Didn't Yan He say before that there are several program ideas? When will Yan He come to talk to us?"

Chen Ziyan said: "Wait a few days, he has been gathering with his classmates these few days."

"Huh?"

"It's their last winter vacation, and it's hard to get together usually."

"This great god really doesn't treat the promotion period as a promotion period."

"What promotion period does he need now?" Chen Ziyan said, "This year, I don't know how much promotion and marketing expenses were saved, all used to withdraw hot searches for him, I don't know why he can be on hot searches so much."

"Heaven-chosen entertainment industry worker," Lu Qingzhen laughed, "Why don't we contact a Daoist priest, do some magic, and divide his hot search constitution to Liu Min and the others."

Chen Ziyan: "Don't give such bad ideas, don't affect Yan He's luck."

"I thought you were going to scold me for feudal superstition."

"No matter what it is, as long as it's not good, don't come to touch us!"

In the entertainment industry, there are not many people who engage in superstition.

Chen Ziyan doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, but that doesn't mean she is indifferent to these practices.

Ask for monthly tickets! ===== CHAPTER 493 =====