Chapter 553: Attitude (7,000-word update!)

After a long flight, the plane Lu Yan He was on landed.

Lu Yan He saw the white expanse outside through the porthole.

Although the snow at the airport had been cleared, looking into the distance, as far as the eye could see, he could still feel a burst of killing intent rushing towards him from the deep gray and the cold white on the horizon.

The winter in the north is always like this.

The cabin was filled with dense notification sounds of receiving messages.

Various notification sounds rang out at the same time, and Lu Yan He realized that there were so many forms of mobile phone message notification sounds in this world, and they had already constituted the most familiar form of sound in life.

Lu Yan He drank some water, waiting for the plane to taxi slowly.

He didn't know which one it was ranked, judging from the speed, it should take a short time to wait until they could leave this cramped cabin.

At this time, Chen Ziyan prompted him to look at his phone.

Lu Yan He took out his phone.

Many messages.

Congratulations, comfort, indignation, all of them.

Lu Yan He ignored them first and looked at the message sent by Chen Ziyan.

It was a news report that D19 film company announced that it would apply for this year's Oscar for them and would invest seven-figure public relations expenses. This report was mainly based on Lu Yan He's performance being highly praised by the commentary circle as the opportunity for D19 to make this decision.

Chen Ziyan: D19 is really unscrupulous in order to hype up "The Mist," even fake news is reported.

Lu Yan He: Ah? Fake news?

Chen Ziyan: If they really want to do public relations for the Oscars for us, they must communicate with us first. If they think there is a play, how can they pay for this money themselves? They must ask us to pay the big head. After all, if we really get the nomination, the benefits are more for us, and they sent the news, but didn't contact us, not even a message, which means it's just "sending a news" to grab attention.

Lu Yan He: Tsk.

Chen Ziyan: Domestic media see this news, I guess they will carnival.

Lu Yan He: Then do you want to suppress the heat?

Chen Ziyan: Can it be suppressed? Not necessarily.

Lu Yan He: Then forget it, don't care, anyway, it has nothing to do with us.

Chen Ziyan: Qingzhen has already made the promotion plan for you this time in Europe and the United States. Do you want to see it? It is mainly based on your inspiration and success in the entertainment industry, wanting to weaken the impression point of your Asian identity. Everyone is worried that the current public opinion in Europe and the United States will continue, which will make Europe and the United States form a deep-rooted impression of you, an image of a victimized Asian, although it is conducive to improving your popularity, it is not conducive to your long-term development.

Lu Yan He: This should be listened to by you professionals.

The two of them were clearly sitting next to each other, but they were chatting on their phones because there were others in front.

These contents are not convenient for others to hear.

Chen Siqi walked out of the office with her bag.

"Zijun, I'm leaving first, call me if anything happens."

Xu Zijun was having a meeting with several people in the magazine editorial department in the public discussion area, and she nodded.

"Have you finished reading the manuscript for the March issue?" Xu Zijun asked.

"Well, the opinions have been fed back to your mailbox," Chen Siqi nodded, "Yan He has arrived at the airport, I have to hurry back."

Everyone's face showed a knowing smile.

But only Xu Zijun knew that the reason why Chen Siqi hurried back was not only because Lu Yan He had just returned from the United States, but also because he had to rush to the "Friends" crew early tomorrow morning.

Xu Zijun suddenly remembered something, "Don't forget, Valentine's Day planning, Lu Yan He's message hasn't been sent to us yet, you must bring the message back!"

Chen Siqi made an OK gesture and left.

It would take her about an hour to drive back to Huiziyuanqiao.

Fortunately, all kinds of services are very developed now.

Halfway through the drive, the phone rang, and the various ingredients she ordered had already been delivered to the door.

She specifically learned a few dishes and wanted to cook by herself.

In order to cook a few dishes, she really put in hard work to learn.

She didn't want the situation in idol dramas where the heroine's cooking is terrible and the hero needs to look at her with full love and praise her for being delicious.

Mainly because the time they can eat together is too little.

Chen Siqi hopes that at least when they can be together, there will be more truly comfortable moments.

The phone rang again at this time.

Seeing the caller's name, Chen Siqi frowned slightly.

The person calling was Wen Yang, the current executive chair of the Blue Ribbon Awards organizing committee.

Over the past few days, Wen Yang had already contacted her several times.

Wen Yang had been trying to invite her to attend this year's awards ceremony.

The turmoil surrounding the Blue Ribbon Awards had become a massive storm sweeping through the entire film and television industry.

Two factions were locked in a power struggle.

One side hoped for this year's awards ceremony to collapse, while the other insisted on reform, refusing to back down and striving to hold the ceremony together.

Everyone was forced to choose a side.

To go, or not to go.

Under such circumstances, if you chose to go or chose not to go, you were declaring a stance.

Clearly, the forces behind preventing everyone from attending this awards ceremony were immense.

Although most people could see that such reforms to the Blue Ribbon Awards meant fairer judging rules for an influential major award, currently, few dared to truly stand up and say they would definitely attend the ceremony.

At first, Chen Siqi didn't know why Wen Yang had come to her either.

It was likely still to get Lu Yan He invited.

If she agreed to go, they would then go to Lu Yan He and use that as a reason to persuade him.

In all fairness, Chen Siqi was actually quite willing to support the Blue Ribbon. But the current situation was intricate and complex, and Chen Siqi didn't want to easily enter the fray and cause unnecessary trouble for Lu Yan He. Previously, because Lu Yan He was in the United States attending the premiere of *The Mist*, she hadn't mentioned it, and now neither Lu Yan He nor Chen Ziyan knew yet.

Let's talk about it later.

Chen Siqi made up her mind and answered Wen Yang's call.

"Mr. Wen." Chen Siqi raised the corners of her mouth, letting a hint of a smile enter her voice.

Wen Yang: "Siqi, are you busy? Is it a convenient time to talk?"

"Mr. Wen, I'm driving, please go ahead."

"Regarding the awards ceremony we discussed earlier, how have you considered it?" Wen Yang asked.

"Mr. Wen, I'm still not sure on my end." Chen Siqi sighed with a smile, "You know, we are preparing for the International Film Critics Film Festival, there are too many things to handle. The New Year is next month, and we have to finalize the March issue and send it to the printing plant ahead of time, otherwise, we won't make the March release."

Wen Yang: "Siqi, we hope the Blue Ribbon can be a bit purer, a bit more objective, and become an award that truly speaks based on quality, just like the values embodied by the magazine *Jump Up*."

Chen Siqi: "Mr. Wen, our *Jump Up* is just a literary magazine; we wouldn't dare take on such a big label."

"You are the only editor-in-chief in recent years to have made print media a success, and in the field of popular culture, you are a rising new force." Wen Yang said, "I very much hope you can come to serve as a presenter for the Best Screenplay award. This also has extraordinary significance for the award itself. Including the International Film Critics Film Festival you are going to do later, you have an inseparable relationship with the film circle. If possible, I would be very happy to officially announce the activities of this film festival at the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony."

"Mr. Wen, thank you for your good intentions, but no need. Since it's our first time hosting such an event, we still hope to keep a low profile." After Chen Siqi finished speaking, she paused, then said: "Mr. Wen, I know what you mean, but give me a few more days to think it over carefully before giving you an answer, okay?"

"Siqi, there isn't much time left until the awards ceremony, and we need to finalize the list of presenters as soon as possible."

"Mr. Wen, I will give you an answer as soon as possible, I promise." Only after Chen Siqi said this did Wen Yang end the call.

Chen Siqi looked silently at the straight road ahead.

Perhaps because it was winter, people didn't really want to go out; the road, which was usually bustling with traffic, had few cars today, and with few traffic lights, it was very easy to drive.

She didn't know how Lu Yan He and Chen Ziyan were considering this matter.

Given Lu Yan He's status in the entertainment industry today, it would be very difficult for him to stay out of this.

Even many people were surely waiting for his stance before making their own decisions.

"Wen Yang came to ask us again."

On the way back from the airport, Chen Ziyan looked at the message on her phone and smiled helplessly at Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He was an idealist—Chen Ziyan had actually worried that Lu Yan He would stand on the side of idealism without hesitation.

But Lu Yan He had indeed matured a lot.

He also knew that once he rashly decided to attend, it could lead to many associated troubles.

It wasn't to say that one should abandon idealism and become a social sellout.

It was just that today, he could think more comprehensively, consider things more deeply, and then make his own decision.

Lu Yan He asked: "Sister Ziyan, do you think I should accept his invitation and attend this Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony?"

"To be honest, your relationship with the Blue Ribbon Awards isn't significant. Among the three major mainstream television awards, you won the Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Tripod Awards; you haven't won a Blue Ribbon. Reasonably and emotionally, you don't need to stand on this stage for the Blue Ribbon, especially since you will offend many people."

Chen Ziyan finished saying this, paused, and then said: "However, this is also an opportunity—just like what you have been doing. To put it grandly, we all hope our entertainment industry is better, that this industry is better. In fact, the trigger for this matter was the Blue Ribbon exposing some public relations nomination behaviors and canceling the original preliminary jury system. With a single-digit jury and a five-hundred-person public jury, the latter is harder to buy votes from; it's actually not hard to judge."

Lu Yan He asked: "But I think those who oppose the Blue Ribbon's reform also have a point. In the film and television industry, sometimes we must admit that there are indeed some 'hidden gems'—because of the subject matter, because the actors are unknown, they aren't known by many viewers. And sometimes, some dramas are just for hype and noise, and their artistic value isn't high. If you rely on five hundred public jurors of unknown origin to select the nomination list, it's very likely that the ones selected in the end will all be big productions with high volume, and those small productions will just disappear."

Chen Ziyan said: "Yan He, regarding this point, no current mechanism can solve it one hundred percent. How to strike a balance between the public and art is a problem that all entertainment professionals spend their whole lives exploring. Hidden gems are inevitable; there is no award without hidden gems. The problem now is that there is a clear phenomenon of unfairness, and it must be eliminated. As for whether the alternative plan is perfect, no one knows; it can only be adjusted slowly. If the alternative plan isn't mature or perfect enough, should we allow this unfair phenomenon to continue to exist? Do you think that's reasonable?"

Lu Yan He nodded, "I understand what you mean. I am the same as you, Sister Ziyan. Regardless, we must resist the practice of influencing the fairness of awards behind the scenes through personal connections and interests."

"If you stand up at this time and publicly announce that you will attend the Blue Ribbon Awards, you will face retaliation from that group of boycotters. This is the consequence you have to bear. But at the same time, you have lived up to the principles you insist on. Also, in this entertainment industry, you should know that there are many people who are actually just like you, with their own sense of justice in their hearts. Why does everyone want to win an award so much? It's because a clean award represents the entire industry's recognition of them. What people pursue must be true honor, not the trophy itself."

Lu Yan He didn't expect Chen Ziyan to actually persuade him to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards.

According to his initial thoughts, he thought he would be the one playing the role of the persuader in the end.

Lu Yan He had never doubted what he would choose.

He had only learned to let the bullets fly for a while, to let the situation become clearer, so that he could consider all aspects thoroughly and think of countermeasures, rather than rushing in recklessly and then being at a loss for what to do about everything that followed.

Chen Ziyan: "Your contribution to this industry and your influence in this industry were built up work by work, and also by the decisions you made at critical moments."

Lu Yan He nodded and said: "I understand."

Wen Yang held the list in his hand, not knowing for the how-many-eth time he was looking at it.

Behind every name were various symbols.

The meanings represented by those symbols were agreement, refusal, and also pending.

Up to now, the attendance list for the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony had no more than ten stars and artists confirmed to attend, and this included the nominees for this year.

The current situation was very severe.

Although Wen Yang had been warned long ago that if he insisted on changing the Blue Ribbon Awards' judging rules, he would definitely face a lot of retaliation, he ultimately still took that step.

Although everything he was facing now had been anticipated, the severity of the situation still made him feel an unprecedented sense of hesitation.

If very few people actually attended the awards ceremony for this recent Blue Ribbon Awards, then he, as the executive chair, would definitely have to bear the greatest responsibility.

The worst result would be being eliminated.

Wen Yang had originally thought that on this matter, he would be able to gain some supporters no matter what. In fact, long before holding the media meeting, he had already greeted many people, and at that time, everyone agreed readily that they would definitely support him and stand up for him.

Who knew that when the extent of the matter fermenting far exceeded their expectations, they retreated.

Everyone didn't want to offend him, but they didn't want to offend the other side either.

Wen Yang took a deep breath, lit a cigarette, walked to the window, and looked at the main color palette of the world outside the window, composed of gray, white, and black. They were silent and cold, just like his current situation.

At this moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Wen Yang turned around.

"Chairman Wen, Ning Xiulian's agent just called, wanting to withdraw from the jury."

Wen Yang was stunned.

"Withdraw?"

"Yes." The subordinate's face also looked very bad, knowing that this news was tantamount to adding insult to injury, "She said Ning Xiulian received an invitation for a foreign film and will start filming next week; the timing conflicts."

Wen Yang sneered, "Suddenly received a foreign film at this time?"

Besides sneering, there was actually a surge of anger rising from the bottom of his heart.

The jury was about to assemble to hold the judging meeting.

Leaving at this time!

At this time!

Without needing to ask, Wen Yang knew what was going on.

Wen Yang could only suppress his anger and dial the number of Ning Xiulian's agent.

As soon as the call connected, before he had said anything, she immediately started apologizing on the other end.

"I'm sorry, Chairman Wen, this time it really added trouble for you. I'm very sorry, but this opportunity is very precious; it's Director Slande's new work."

Wen Yang still had to hide his anger and said: "The judging is about to start. Teacher Xiulian withdrawing at this time will cause a lot of passivity. We had an agreement, didn't we?"

"Of course, of course, we also know that this will definitely cause you a lot of passivity, but this opportunity is really too precious for Xiulian. I'm sorry, we have to make this decision. I really hope we can make up for it in other ways."

Wen Yang took a deep breath and hung up the phone directly.

It had to be admitted that at this time, he had no countermeasures to stop Ning Xiulian from wanting to withdraw from the jury.

He couldn't even publicly condemn Ning Xiulian—under such circumstances, he couldn't let the situation get any worse.

He had to immediately find a judge who could replace Ning Xiulian.

"That was such a satisfying meal."

Lu Yan He put down his chopsticks, looked at the few dishes left on the table, and looked at Chen Siqi with pleasant surprise.

"Did you learn to cook specifically for this?"

"Yes." Chen Siqi nodded, "I learned very seriously. Before making it for you, I made it for Linyu and the others once and asked them to taste it. These dishes were all voted for by them."

Lu Yan He touched his slightly bulging stomach and said: "It's delicious, beyond my expectations."

"Were you worried I'd make you 'dark cuisine'?"

"Of course not," Lu Yan He said, "It's just that I usually do the cooking before. When I first started, it was always easy to make it too salty or burn it."

Chen Siqi: "If my grandparents knew, they would definitely be very jealous of you."

"Hmm?" Lu Yan He asked in surprise, "Why?"

"Because after they knew I was learning to cook, they kept talking about wanting to eat it, and they still haven't eaten it to this day."

"My honor."

"You are participating in the Spring Festival Gala recording this year. Do you know roughly when you will finish recording?" Chen Siqi asked.

Lu Yan He shook his head, "I don't know yet. Besides performing *Chinese Language*, the three of us might also have to participate in the recording of the opening song or the last song. Both of these segments have large choruses."

Chen Siqi nodded: "Let me know in advance when you know. If you can finish before nine o'clock, I'll wait for you to go to my grandparents' house together. If you can't finish until after nine o'clock, I'll go over first."

Chen Siqi wanted to accompany the elders to stay up for the New Year.

This was something she insisted on every year.

Lu Yan He nodded: "Okay."

They cleaned up the bowls, chopsticks, and dining table together, sat on the sofa together, and prepared to find a movie to watch together.

This was something they often did together when they were together.

While Lu Yan He was looking for a movie, Chen Siqi asked: "Did they invite you to this year's Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony?"

"They invited me." Lu Yan He turned his head to look at her and asked: "What's wrong?"

"Are you going?"

"I probably will."

Chen Siqi said: "They invited me too. Wen Yang called me several times, hoping I could serve as a presenter for the Best Screenplay award. But I haven't agreed yet. Recently, whether or not to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony has become a highly concerned issue in the entertainment industry. I thought you were hesitating too."

Lu Yan He: "I did hesitate for a while, but I discussed it with Sister Ziyan. On one hand, we both agree with this approach of the Blue Ribbon Awards. We both hope that this industry, especially top awards like the Blue Ribbon, can be cleaner and purer. On the other hand, considering my own image—my image in this industry—I must make the right choice."

Chen Siqi said with some surprise: "Honestly, I originally thought Sister Ziyan would advise you to play it safe. You could actually not step into this muddy water."

Lu Yan He nodded: "Indeed, I could have not stepped in, but why play it safe? I am now—saying this seems a bit arrogant, I must declare first, this isn't what I said, it's what Sister Ziyan said—do I still need to play it safe now?"

"At this stage, does Yan He still need the domestic film and television industry to support him?"

Chen Ziyan shook her head.

After returning from the United States, she made an appointment with her good friend Lu Qingzhen to get a Thai massage in the evening.

After the massage ended, the masseur left, leaving the two of them lying in the room, drinking red wine while chatting lazily.

Lu Qingzhen said: "No need. You're right. Yan He has already won several awards domestically. Given his age and the achievements he has made now, it doesn't really mean much for him to win major domestic awards within ten years. There is no room to go higher; he has already reached the top."

"He can write his own scripts, he has Arctic Light Video and Ice Field Video, and Yuehu Station as a partner, not to mention that overseas, he also has two major platforms, HP and Maxine—" Chen Ziyan said, "Even if those people in the domestic film and television circle block him—I'm talking about a very extreme situation, we all know this situation basically cannot happen. Even if this situation happened, Yan He could completely produce and sell his own work; he doesn't need to rely on anyone."

Lu Qingzhen nodded.

"Indeed."

"So, in this situation, setting aside personal interests and such, if he can make a contribution to this industry, I actually hope Yan He can choose to do it."

"You always say Yan He is an idealist, aren't you one yourself?" Lu Qingzhen teased with a smile.

"I am, but I have hidden this side for many years." Chen Ziyan took a deep breath, "It's just that it has emerged again recently because it doesn't need to be hidden anymore."

"Chen Ziyan, I really haven't heard you speak so confidently for a long time."

"Nonsense, which sentence of mine wasn't this confident?" Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes at Lu Qingzhen.

"You know what I'm talking about." Lu Qingzhen sat up and poured a little more red wine into their wine glasses, which had already reached the bottom. "Setting aside work, I admire you and Yan He for being able to decide to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony."

"You are on the same front as us, yet you speak as if you're so uninvolved." Chen Ziyan laughed.

"In the end, we are just employees; we don't have much decision-making power, especially on such critical choices." Lu Qingzhen said, "Do you know? For many employees who are not in decision-making positions, whether their work is walking on a path of glory largely depends on the company they are in and the team they are in. Therefore, every decision you make also affects us. You are righteous, we are righteous. You are petty, we are also petty."

Chen Ziyan: "This makes me nervous; the pressure is so high."

"I'm complimenting you."

Lu Qingzhen smiled gently.

The next day, the Blue Ribbon organizing committee announced: Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi will attend this year's Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony as presenters. At the same time, original judge Ning Xiulian will be replaced by famous director Liu Jian due to a scheduling conflict with overseas filming work. Director Liu Jian has directed a series of popular works such as *Landscape Home*; we welcome his joining.

The fact that Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi attended the Blue Ribbon as presenters only caused routine attention from the public. Instead, another piece of news stunned the marketing accounts.

As everyone knows, Director Liu Jian is the ex-husband of Best Actress Ning Xiulian.

An ex-husband replacing his ex-wife to serve as a judge?

What is this trying to do?!

When Ning Xiulian saw this news, the corners of her mouth twitched, and her face inevitably turned green.

And shortly after this news was released, the *Friends* crew also announced that producer Hu Siwei, director Bai Jingnian, and the six lead actors would also reunite at the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony.

That same evening, Li Zhibai tagged the Blue Ribbon organizing committee on Weibo, saying: Yan Liang is nominated for Best Actor, and Lu Yan He is going to present an award. Can the organizing committee also send me an invitation so I can go to the scene and see?