Chapter 635: Not appropriate

They all debuted as idols and have released songs. Like the classic OSTs in *Chinese Paladin*, Lu Yanhe had decided from the very beginning that for the ones they could sing themselves, they would do so.

Of course, besides these songs, there are also "Sigh of the Carefree" and "Finally Understand."

However, Lu Yanhe hasn't produced "Sigh of the Carefree" yet, and the other song's reach and influence among the general public are not as great as these four.

Of course, there is one more crucial reason: Lu Yanhe himself doesn't know how the entire song "Finally Understand" goes; he only has a vague impression, and the Golden Finger cannot replicate it.

Therefore, apart from the three songs Lu Yanhe brought out himself, he definitely still needs to find others to do the OSTs, including the promotional songs.

Lu Yanhe is preparing to find Qin Zhi and Song Linxin, these two singer-songwriters, and commission one song from each.

And besides the two of them, Lu Yanhe also hopes this drama can have a few more upright and grand pieces of music.

Because in this drama, almost every major character sacrificed themselves to save the common people or to defeat the villain. In fact, the reason this idol drama, wearing the cloak of Xianxia, has been able to remain so stirring for so many years is that the characters' choices are the most important reason; every person's choice fell upon fulfilling others and protecting the common people.

This also allowed the drama, despite its overall style being "small love," to eventually sublimate into "great love." Through the tragedy of heading toward death to save the common people, these young characters forged an eternal monument in the hearts of young viewers.

Just as they were talking about the songs, Chen Ziyan mentioned that the Spring Festival Gala production team had sent another invitation.

This year, Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang, just like last year, each brought out a massive hit.

From *The Summit* in the first half of the year to *Can't Even Fake Death* and *Love Letter* in the second half, the three of them still firmly hold the top-tier seats for the young generation of male actors.

Many have launched assaults, but no one has succeeded in replacing them.

Coupled with their performance and the feedback from last year's Spring Festival Gala, which achieved excellent results, the Spring Festival Gala production team once again hopes for the three of them to reunite.

The Spring Festival Gala production team knows that the three of them still have a song, "Love," that has yet to be released.

Chen Ziyan said, "The problem is that next year's Spring Festival Gala is in early February. Under normal circumstances, you have to attend many rehearsals in January. You have several films to be released at the end of the year, from *Telephone* to *Lost in Thailand*, and you and Yan Liang also have to film *Friends*. If you accept the Spring Festival Gala—"

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "The schedule is very tight."

"Yes," Chen Ziyan nodded. "Even if the time can be coordinated, you will definitely be very tired. Especially this year, Yan Liang has to finish filming *Dragon Gate Inn* before he can join the *Friends* cast, which means *Friends* cannot start filming until December. The filming schedule is even tighter than last year."

Last year, *Friends* started filming at the end of November.

The more popular an artist is, the more precious their time and schedule become.

Lu Yanhe said, "If we can manage to coordinate it, I still want to go on the Spring Festival Gala. The response to that *Chinese Language* program was very good, and this year I haven't had a joint stage with the two of them either. We agreed back then that there should be at least one every year, so let's try to make it happen."

Hearing this, Chen Ziyan smiled and nodded. "Alright then, I'll coordinate it. However, are you sure Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both want to participate in this year's Spring Festival Gala? Especially Yan Liang; his schedule is the busiest at this time."

Lu Yanhe didn't hesitate and nodded. "I'm sure."

"Even if it's busy, it can be coordinated," Yan Liang said. "As for needing to attend rehearsals in January, we'll just try our best to coordinate the schedule. I will definitely be filming the second season of *Friends* in January. I'll discuss it with Yan He to see how to coordinate."

Zhou Ping'an said, "Yan Liang, not participating in the Spring Festival Gala for one year won't be a loss for you. You just participated once last year."

"This is my one joint stage with the two of them each year," Yan Liang said bluntly. "This year I barely appeared on the *Idol Era* stage, and I didn't release any songs. You promised back then to help me release two singles this year, but what about that?"

Zhou Ping'an: "Isn't it because you weren't satisfied with the songs you received? Besides, in the current music market, apart from film and television OSTs, there is almost no room for original music. Music variety shows are all just rehashing old stuff; there are no new songs."

Yan Liang: "We all know these facts, but two singles a year—that was signed into the contract when we renewed it later. No matter what method you use, you have to find songs that satisfy me."

Zhou Ping'an was a bit annoyed.

Yan Liang's attitude like this has appeared more and more frequently in their conversations recently.

Yet, Zhou Ping'an has no way to deal with Yan Liang.

Zhou Ping'an: "Besides the filming of the second season of *Friends* in January, you have several other jobs in contact. You know, usually, when it gets to the end of the year, there are many ceremonies and events."

"If there's a conflict with the time, then push those events away," Yan Liang said. "Brother Ping'an, my priority is the Spring Festival Gala. The fact that the Spring Festival Gala production team can invite us for two consecutive years is also recognition of us. These year-end ceremony events happen every year, but the Spring Festival Gala won't invite us every year."

Yan Liang's unquestionable tone made Zhou Ping'an realize that, in fact, no matter what he said, he couldn't change Yan Liang's mind.

"So it wasn't just Zhou Ping'an who didn't care much about this Spring Festival Gala; did Sister Ziyan also think it was better for you not to participate at first?"

When the three of them met and talked about the Spring Festival Gala, Yan Liang asked Lu Yanhe with some surprise.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Yes, perhaps from an agent's perspective, having participated in one Spring Festival Gala last year, continuing to participate this year means a high frequency, and it doesn't have any substantial help for our careers."

Li Zhibai said, "Lin Suyang said the same thing. Participating in the Spring Festival Gala is not just a matter of one night; it basically means at least a month or more of time needs to be invested. Rehearsals, then attending joint rehearsals, plus various supporting series of work before the official Spring Festival Gala, yet there is no pay. Of course, it doesn't matter to us, but for the team, this work means they also have no commission and no bonus."

Yan Liang: "They already earn enough from us usually. Work like the Spring Festival Gala has a different meaning in itself. Maybe after a year, whether it's exposure or acting, it looks very popular and hot at first glance, but for many people, these have nothing to do with them. Maybe at the end of the year, the only thing that lets them know who we are is that program on the Spring Festival Gala. Besides, we haven't collaborated on a new stage this year. We agreed before that there should be at least one collaborative stage a year."

Lu Yanhe nodded. "I said the same thing, so I insisted that since the Spring Festival Gala invited us this year, let's sing that song, 'Love,' from before."

Li Zhibai said, "Then let's sing it. This year, because of filming *Chinese Paladin*, we missed the recording of *Young Days*. We can't not even have a joint stage."

With just these few words, the three of them decided: Spring Festival Gala, we're going.

"Actually, if we add up the songs the three of us have released one after another, it's been over a dozen, right?" Li Zhibai suddenly remembered and asked.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Let's strive for more songs in the future, and the three of us will go and hold a variety concert together," Li Zhibai said. "I've always wanted to hold a concert, but I went down the wrong path; I didn't have many songs, so I couldn't hold one even if I wanted to."

"Sure," Yan Liang's eyes also lit up.

For them, wanting to hold a concert now is no longer about making money; it's just wanting to fulfill such a dream. After all, they all debuted as idols, and their initial contact with this industry was the stage.

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "Once these songs from *Chinese Paladin* come out, I reckon it'll really be enough."

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both still have their own songs.

"Very possible," Li Zhibai nodded. "I've always wanted to hold a concert; let's put this on the agenda."

The three of them were chatting lively when Wang Biao came over.

For the past few days, Wang Biao has been repeatedly thinking about what Zou Dong has said to him these few times.

He finally made up his mind to arrange two more assistants for Lu Yanhe and hand over some of the daily miscellaneous tasks.

The reason that finally forced him to make this decision wasn't that he realized himself that if he didn't find a new assistant for Lu Yanhe for one day, he wouldn't be able to get rid of these miscellaneous tasks for one day, but rather that Wang Biao knew that the days of him acting as both an executive agent and an assistant couldn't go on like this for long.

Lu Yanhe wouldn't say anything, and Chen Ziyan wouldn't agree to it.

Wang Biao didn't want to be forced to do this one day.

If he could, he would of course feel that only he and Zou Dong were enough by Lu Yanhe's side.

No one should come to steal his position.

Lu Yanhe also didn't expect that Wang Biao would find him two assistants in one go.

"Xing Lecheng, Yu Xiaoyan."

The two people who appeared before him were both very young, and even had a few pimples on their faces.

Both of them followed Wang Biao and called him Little Brother Lu.

Upon first meeting, the two were very respectful and very nervous facing Lu Yanhe.

And Lu Yanhe's first impression of them was that they were ordinary-looking, introverted, and taciturn, definitely not the proactive or enthusiastic type.

Actually, Lu Yanhe knew very well what Wang Biao was thinking and why he hadn't found another assistant to share his work for so long.

Precisely because he was clear about it, Lu Yanhe had never urged Wang Biao about finding an assistant.

Wang Biao had always taken on these tasks, and there hadn't been any mistakes—the fact that he could be responsible for so many things alone without any problems also showed how tight the strings he kept pulled every day were, and how much he wanted to prove his importance and ability.

Lu Yanhe didn't know how Wang Biao suddenly figured this out and even got him two assistants at once.

Xing Lecheng and Yu Xiaoyan had both gone out to work as soon as they graduated from high school. One had worked for a year, the other for half a year, and neither was twenty years old yet.

Lu Yanhe could basically conclude without asking that these two must be younger than Wang Biao.

After meeting them, Wang Biao let them leave first.

Wang Biao said to Lu Yanhe, "I've observed both of them for half a year. They were introduced by people from my hometown. I didn't know them before, but my parents seriously went to inquire about what their situation was like from childhood to adulthood, and what their personalities were like, in quite some detail. In general, they might not be very smart, but they are both very honest people. I considered that by your side, especially in the position of an assistant, the first priority is to be reliable, to be able to keep their mouths shut, be diligent, and be responsible, so I chose these two."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Wang Biao then said with some nervousness and unease, "However, Shi Huo also recommended a few people, but I didn't choose them. Will this make Sister Ziyan dissatisfied?"

Lu Yanhe looked at him with a smile.

"You thought Sister Ziyan might be dissatisfied at this moment?"

Wang Biao was a bit coy.

"No, it's mainly that when Shi Huo sent the list over, they also told me to pick and make the decision," Wang Biao said. "I thought about it seriously for a long time. Although the people recommended by Shi Huo were outstanding in all aspects, it was precisely because of this that I wasn't at ease. How could such people wholeheartedly do the job of an assistant? You don't lack smart people by your side; in all aspects of things, there will be the smartest people to help you make judgments together. But an assistant doesn't have such requirements. People who are too smart in such a position—foxes borrowing the tiger's might isn't even the main thing; I'm just afraid that someone will use this position to engage in underhanded dealings."

Listening to Wang Biao's explanation, Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh.

He nodded.

"Alright, you keep both of these two for now and try them out. If both are good, after half a year, let one go to the company; I don't need so many full-time assistants by my side," Lu Yanhe said. "One life assistant is enough. When there are large-scale events or work abroad that require more people, we'll talk about it then."

Wang Biao nodded.

"Good. Actually, I also let them both come together to see who does better, and then I'll keep that one," he said. "Back then, Song Jiang and Wan Qingqing only improved so quickly because of the sense of competition."

"Speaking of which, you should also pick one from the people recommended by Shi Huo," Lu Yanhe said.

Wang Biao was stunned.

Lu Yanhe said, "Just like cultivating Wan Qingqing and Song Jiang, you didn't understand Sister Ziyan's meaning. My management contract is represented by Shi Huo, and now Sister Ziyan is in charge of overall management. You are doing the specific docking as an executive agent, but you are not a signed agent of Shi Huo. Sister Ziyan is also very busy, and Shi Huo needs someone to do the specific docking for me. You find one from there, keep them by your side, and after they have done it specifically for half a year or a year, you can let this person return to Shi Huo. By then, this person will become my contact at Shi Huo."

Wang Biao suddenly realized.

"So that's what it meant. I was wondering, they always send people who graduated from prestigious universities to be assistants. Where does an assistant need such high academic qualifications? It's also easy for them to have high aspirations."

Lu Yanhe listened to Wang Biao's muttering, unable to laugh or cry.

After Chen Ziyan learned about Wang Biao's matter, she sighed, "He finally found a new assistant. I was still thinking that if he hadn't gotten this matter settled this year, I would have had to start interfering."

Lu Yanhe: "He is very afraid of being replaced."

"I know. In all fairness, it's already not easy for him to reach his current position at his age. However, this cannot be a reason to lower requirements."

Chen Ziyan said, "Since he is your executive agent, he cannot still look at these problems from the height of an assistant. If he cannot lead a team, then how can he be an agent? He can only be an assistant for his whole life. When necessary, you have to push him."

"He is doing very well now."

"Indeed, but staying in such a position by your side without such progress is also a waste of the opportunities and training brought by this position," Chen Ziyan said. "You have to set higher requirements for him, Yan He. I know you don't want to make things too difficult for him; you feel he has already worked very hard. But to tell you the truth, the requirements you set are just letting him do less useless work. People's time is limited, and their energy is limited. You have to tell him through your needs what aspects he should put effort into."

"Good," Lu Yanhe nodded.

He knew Chen Ziyan was right.

Lu Yanhe's filming for *Chinese Paladin* was also slowly approaching the wrap-up.

In the last week, Lu Yanhe's filming volume increased significantly.

It was time to rush the work.

Lu Yanhe said it didn't matter; if it couldn't be finished, he would come back and do some reshoots for a few days. Between December, he wouldn't need to join any other cast, and he could come back in the middle.

Although his saying this reduced the pressure on the crew, everyone was still thinking that it would be best if no reshoots were needed.

This drama, *Chinese Paladin*, had to be filmed in one go for over three months, and every day had its own tasks.

No one wanted it to need to exceed the filming schedule.

One afternoon, Lu Yanhe had eaten something and was preparing to take a nap when Deng Xiaoyuan suddenly knocked on the door to find him.

Deng Xiaoyuan didn't know where she had learned the news about *2 Broke Girls*, and she was self-recommending, wanting to come and fight for a role.

Lu Yanhe was a bit surprised.

Deng Xiaoyuan said, "This time you also saw how I act; I am definitely a good actor, Yan He. I just need an opportunity."

Lu Yanhe was astonished.

"Sister Xiaoyuan, this drama is still in preparation, and the script hasn't even come out yet."

"I know, I just want to recommend myself to you," Deng Xiaoyuan said with some helplessness. "I don't have a big company, nor do I have a powerful agent. I know that once the news of this project spreads, it will definitely be snatched up by everyone in the industry. By then, I might not even be able to fight for an audition opportunity."

"How could that be? Sister Xiaoyuan, as long as you are willing, you can come to audition for every one of my dramas in the future, anytime," Lu Yanhe said.

Just as Deng Xiaoyuan said herself, she is indeed a good actor who knows how to act.

Although she only played a small role in this drama with very few scenes, she is the type of actor who can seize the opportunity to shine.

Deng Xiaoyuan: "Really, as long as you are willing to give me a recurring major role in *2 Broke Girls*, I can forgo the salary."

Lu Yanhe waved his hand.

"Sister Xiaoyuan, I know your thoughts, but I don't want everyone to come and film my drama and end up not making money," Lu Yanhe said. "Sister Xiaoyuan, I'll tell you the truth: in *2 Broke Girls*, there are indeed two major roles that might be suitable for you, but I also don't know what the script will look like when it's finally written. In the end, it definitely has to depend on the audition."

Deng Xiaoyuan asked: "Is it really definitely going to depend on the audition? I have participated in many auditions, and many times, it wasn't my own problem; there were too many behind-the-scenes factors."

"I can't guarantee you that the audition effect will determine the result 100%, but it must be the main factor," Lu Yanhe said. "This drama will be controlled by our Linghe, so there will be much fewer external factors."

Hearing this, Deng Xiaoyuan nodded and said, "Good, then I understand. Please definitely give me an audition slot when the time comes."

"Good," Lu Yanhe nodded.

The scene of Deng Xiaoyuan coming out of Lu Yanhe's lounge at noon was seen by someone.

In a place like a film crew, this scene is often derived into some dirty rumors.

Even Lu Yanhe was not surprised.

Of course, these rumors could only be rumors in the end and couldn't be brought to the table.

It was just that after Li Zhibai heard the rumors, he was speechless.

When he was filming in the afternoon, with many people around, he rolled his eyes directly at Yan Liang and said loudly: "Even Yan He can be rumored like this; some people are really idle."

Li Zhibai's shouting made Luo Yuzhong a bit confused, and he asked: "What's wrong?"

Li Zhibai: "Nothing, Director. It's just that Sister Xiaoyuan came to Old Lu's lounge at noon to chat about something, and it was seen by someone, so they made up some rumors about the two of them flirting."

"What the hell?!" Luo Yuzhong said in a deep, angry voice.

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were both startled and taken aback by Luo Yuzhong's reaction.

Luo Yuzhong shouted on the spot: "Li Yu!"

His deputy ran over immediately.

"Director Luo, are you calling me?"

"Li Yu, go and check who in the crew is spreading rumors about Little Lu!" Luo Yuzhong's face was very ugly. In front of everyone, his tone was very severe, changing his usual gentle style. "I want to see who thinks their bowl of rice is too easy to eat and can't control their mouth from talking nonsense!"

Li Yu was a bit confused, not knowing what rumors Luo Yuzhong was talking about.

Of course, this was not important; he would know after asking later. Now, the main thing was to cooperate with Luo Yuzhong and perform this "warning scene."

Li Yu followed Luo Yuzhong, knowing Luo Yuzhong's temper. If Luo Yuzhong really got angry on set, it was definitely not because he couldn't control his temper, but because he thought it was necessary to show this anger to everyone.

Afterward, Li Yu came to find Li Zhibai and asked him about the specific situation.

Li Zhibai briefly explained it and asked again: "Brother Yu, why would the director get so angry?"

He hadn't even expected it.

Li Yu said: "Because this kind of rumor is very damaging to a drama. The fastest thing to spread in this world is this kind of yellow rumor about betraying a lover, but the hardest thing to clarify is also this kind of yellow rumor. Yan He's importance to the *Chinese Paladin* crew is self-evident. Now that the drama is still filming, someone is spreading such rumors. Once it spreads, if busybodies ferment it, no matter how we clarify it afterward, it's like a place stained with shit. No matter how many times you wash it, as long as there is another place you can sit, you will definitely not sit there. The shadow has been buried."

Li Zhibai suddenly realized and nodded.

"The person spreading the rumors is also really hateful."

"They might just have no gate on their mouths. In the crew, there are all kinds of people. You can't expect everyone to have upbringing and high quality. Sometimes, you can only kill the chicken to warn the monkey and deter others."

Thus, in the week when Lu Yanhe was about to wrap up, *Chinese Paladin* suddenly issued a statement.

The statement said that a staff member surnamed Huang in the crew was fired from the crew for privately spreading rumors and smearing the lead actor, Lu Yanhe.

A statement that came out of nowhere shocked everyone.

After issuing this statement, Li Yu gathered everyone in the crew and held a short meeting.

"I know that sometimes you just talk casually, make a joke, and don't use your brain, but think about it: once such rumors spread on the internet and cause a negative impact on Lu Yanhe, what kind of impact will that have on this drama?"

Li Yu said: "Don't think I don't know how many of you are muttering about this behind my back. I'll just say one thing: if I hear anyone spreading such rumors or similar rumors behind my back again, it won't just be being fired from our crew. We will report the names to all film and television companies in the industry. I want to see which crew will dare to use such people in the future."

Li Yu's words, threats plus warnings, killing the chicken to warn the monkey.

The atmosphere of the crew suddenly became a bit heavy.

In this matter, Lu Yanhe did not express his stance throughout.

Because it was not appropriate.

Instead, Deng Xiaoyuan even sent him a message privately to apologize, feeling that it was she who brought such trouble to Lu Yanhe.

Little did she know, what Lu Yanhe was thinking about was not these things at all.

He was thinking about another matter.

When filming *Love Letter* before, he heard two staff members discussing him behind his back, saying a lot of negative things about him.

At that time, he thought that as long as everyone could do their own work well, what they discussed behind his back wouldn't produce any impact. Plus, he didn't want to make himself seem too concerned about what others discussed about him, so he didn't even look at what the two people who discussed him looked like and didn't care.

This time, Li Yu's handling method was completely different.

Not only did he quickly ferret out the person spreading the rumors, but he also made such a public announcement to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, making this matter subside quickly—

Lu Yanhe was reflecting on his own handling method. He wanted to make himself seem "mature" and "tolerant" at the time, so he chose to "turn a blind eye." But was that really "mature and tolerant"? Was that right? Was it appropriate?

A choice from a long time ago became a boomerang, hitting him at this very moment.

Lu Yanhe reflected on himself; he must have been wrong at the time.

He shouldn't have done that at the time.