Chapter 751: Private Gathering

Li Zhibai suddenly laughed and said: "I found that in the past, I didn't want to ask others for help with anything, especially those big shots. I always felt that if I asked them for help, I couldn't show my own ability. Now, I wish I had more thighs to hug."

Lu Yan He laughed when he heard Li Zhibai say this.

"Because it's really hard to accomplish many things on your own," Lu Yan He said, "But wanting to prove yourself is also normal. Who doesn't want to prove themselves?"

Li Zhibai: "Me."

"Ah?"

"I just feel now that hugging thighs is really good. I didn't struggle much in the past either; I have to admit this," Li Zhibai said, "I'm about the same as Li Pengfei, just a little better than him. At least I can still toss around with things I like. When I first met him, he told me he didn't even have things he liked."

"He's different now; he's tanned pitch-black," Lu Yan He said, "He spends time in the wild every three days, sometimes on the mountain, sometimes in the desert. He even thought about going to the rainforest, the tropical rainforest kind, but was later forbidden by his family and gave up."

Li Zhibai: "I saw some of the updates he posted; I felt very envious, but if I were to go myself, forget it. I can't do it."

Lu Yan He laughed loudly, "Me too."

Li Zhibai: "I am lazy and can avoid tossing if I can. You are lazy but can make yourself toss. Yan Liang is not comfortable if he doesn't toss. Essentially, you are still more like me."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment."

"Accept the truth."

Lu Yan He: "No, I want to struggle a bit. Essentially, I am the same as Yan Liang, not like you."

Li Zhibai: "I can only say that your struggle is self-deception."

"Shut up."

Subsequently, the Hexi Film Festival officially released the entry list for this year.

This time, the two films related to Lu Yan He, *Dragon Inn* and *Oh My Sea*, were both shortlisted for the screening unit.

This was a normal thing, but it led to a lot of discussion in the country.

Lu Yan He's films previously shortlisted were basically all in the main competition unit of the four major international film festivals.

How come this time, they all went to the screening unit?

The difference between the main competition unit and the screening unit is like the difference between the Spring Festival Gala and the supporting programs of the Spring Festival Gala.

If you ask if it's still lively, yes, the attention is still very high on this platform.

However, there is definitely a difference in importance.

*Oh My Sea* can be ignored; Lu Yan He is just one of the producers, and it doesn't have much to do with him in terms of actual creation.

But *Dragon Inn*... are you kidding? Director Liu Bige, screenwriter Lu Yan He, an all-star cast including Shang Yongzhou, Chen Bige, Liu Zi, Zhou Yuning, Yan Liang, etc. With this level, you tell me it only made it to the screening unit?

At the press conference after the Hexi Film Festival announced the list, artistic director Wu Yang was asked this question by the relevant media.

He had to smile bitterly and said: "*Dragon Inn* is indeed a very highly-watched film. We also had full communication with the film company Long Yan before, and finally placed *Dragon Inn* in the screening unit."

"Director Wu, do you mean that placing *Dragon Inn* in the screening unit was communicated with Director Liu Bige and Lu Yan He?"

"This involves some specific communication details, please allow me not to answer," Wu Yang said, "However, what I can say is that I have maintained a lot of communication with excellent Chinese filmmakers like Liu Bige and Lu Yan He. We are all looking forward to the premiere of *Dragon Inn* in the screening unit. Director Liu Bige and Lu Yan He will both attend this Hexi Film Festival and participate in the relevant itinerary for *Dragon Inn*."

"Why do you accept *Dragon Inn* going to the screening unit?"

One day at the end of April, Lu Yan He went to Ye Mai Net.

Ye Mai Net was going to do special activities for Children's Day, graduation season, summer vacation, etc., and invited Lu Yan He to be the activity ambassador.

Of course, this ambassador doesn't need to show up; it's just a title. He just needs to shoot some promotional materials, such as posters, VCRs, etc., and show his face.

Moreover, he is not the only ambassador.

Xin Zixing also grabbed her husband Huang Kai over.

When Lu Yan He went to shoot, it was the same day as Huang Kai.

It had been a while since they last met. As soon as they met, Huang Kai asked about *Dragon Inn*.

Lu Yan He said: "We studied it. Placing this film in the main competition unit, for the Hexi Film Festival, which is relatively less professional, *Dragon Inn*—whether it's the cultural background or the film's relatively commercial rhythm—is very easy to have its value ignored. You know, the films at the Hexi Film Festival are often dramas like *Love Letter* that look different from commercial films but are actually better to watch than real art films."

Huang Kai nodded.

"*Dragon Inn*, for audiences unfamiliar with the concept and setting of Chinese Wu Xia, is actually just a crime story, right?" Lu Yan He asked with a smile.

Huang Kai thought for a while and nodded, "It really is."

Lu Yan He said: "So, we think it will be relatively better to place it in the screening unit. Without participating in the competition, people watching this film will bring less utilitarian judgment. Of course, the most important thing is that it is convenient for Long Yan to sell the film. Entering the main competition unit and not winning an award is a different nature from not sending the film to the main competition unit."

Huang Kai: "But now everyone seems to think *Dragon Inn* was not selected for the main competition unit."

"Let them discuss it for now. Discussion is also a good thing. *Dragon Inn* going to the Hexi Film Festival for screening is for promotion," Lu Yan He said, "When we participate in the Hexi Film Festival promotion later, we will naturally have the opportunity to explain further."

Huang Kai nodded.

"Are you busy lately?"

"Running the promotion for *Hit the Nail on the Head*," Huang Kai said, "This film is scheduled for the May Day release."

"Ah, this film." Lu Yan He had helped look at the script for this film at the time.

Huang Kai brought two scripts, the other one called *Yesterday Reappeared*, and asked Lu Yan He which script he thought was better and which one he should choose. At that time, Lu Yan He recommended *Hit the Nail on the Head*. Although it was an ensemble cast and Huang Kai's scenes were not as many as in *Yesterday Reappeared*, Lu Yan He felt the script for *Hit the Nail on the Head* was better.

Later, after Huang Kai struggled with it himself, he also chose the script for *Hit the Nail on the Head*.

Now, *Hit the Nail on the Head* is about to be released, but *Yesterday Reappeared* has not only failed to start filming according to the original time due to various reasons, but it hasn't even started filming yet.

It seems the main reason is that they couldn't find a male lead that the investors were satisfied with. Finally, it was delayed, suffered from withdrawal of investment, and then triggered various problems.

"How is the pre-sale situation for *Hit the Nail on the Head*?"

"Not bad, the difficulty of breaking even should not be high," Huang Kai said and suddenly laughed, "Speaking of which, it's really funny. In the past, people in the film circle would talk about their films breaking one billion or two billion, but the film crews I meet now rarely talk about how high the box office of their films can be. They are all talking about the difficulty of breaking even."

"Probably for actors, compared to betting on a box office of over one billion or two billion, they are more afraid of losing their pants in the films they shoot. The former may not bring much improvement to their careers, but the latter can directly pull down their status in the film and television circle," Lu Yan He said, "I have seen this happen several times, especially for actors who are more traffic-oriented. Really, don't touch movies easily. Once you touch them, if the box office fails, you will show your true colors."

Huang Kai nodded.

"So the promotional strategy for *Hit the Nail on the Head* is also like this. In the past, everyone only wanted practical things, and nominal losses didn't matter. But now it's different. Whether it's film companies, directors, or actors, nominal losses will also bring actual losses," Huang Kai said, "The director said during promotion that as long as the film can sell 200 million, it can break even and make money, emphasizing this point very much."

Lu Yan He: "If a film like *Hit the Nail on the Head* overly raises the audience's psychological expectations, its own genre elements are too strong, and it will easily give everyone a feeling that the box office does not meet expectations."

Speaking of this, Lu Yan He thought of Bai Baihe.

After this actress had an incident, she made a comeback and filmed a movie called *Door Lock*. It wasn't a big movie, nor did it have a luxurious cast, but it sold 240 million. No matter how you look at it, it was a very good performance. As a result, a group of people sang about Bai Baihe, saying that she couldn't carry the box office after the incident.

Then a group impression was formed, as if Bai Baihe really couldn't carry the box office.

Then, Bai Baihe's resources really slowly shifted from the film market to the TV drama market.

"..." This is also why Lu Yan He always emphasizes controlling costs.

The film industry is indeed a business with high returns, and it is indeed possible to make a lot of money with one film.

For example, *Home Alone* and *Love Letter* were both box office miracles that exploded.

However, Lu Yan He has actually encountered the crisis of the "box office miracle" concept shattering several times. Once was *Road to Glory*. Although the long screening path finally pulled the film's box office to 200 million, if it weren't for repeatedly emphasizing the concept of "low-cost art film," with only millions or hundreds of thousands of daily box office at the beginning, it would be very easy for water armies and haters to smear it as a "box office failure."

There was another time, which was *Love Letter*.

Even now, there are people on the Internet constantly saying that Green Valley spent 6 million USD to buy the distribution rights for *Love Letter* in North America, but the North American box office was only over 8 million, and Green Valley lost a lot—

Some people are leading the rhythm, and many people don't know the truth, really feeling that *Love Letter* suffered a blood loss in North America.

They not only didn't realize how rare it was for *Love Letter* to get a box office of over 8 million in North American theaters, but they also didn't know that for Green Valley, being able to be bought for 6 million USD, Green Valley purely gave a high price out of copyright income in streaming media and home entertainment—

The theatrical box office was an unexpected joy.

Not to mention anything else, *Love Letter* alone earned Green Valley seven figures in revenue from paid, free TV stations, and screening channels.

Domestic films have suffered from the box office theory for a long time.

In fact, if the film industry really only relies on theatrical box office to make a profit, then every film company is doing a life-and-death business.

Of course, the Chinese film industry is currently doing this life-and-death business—the industrial chain has not been built up, and even streaming copyrights cannot be sold for a price.

Actors like Lu Yan He and Huang Kai must not let film companies "make big and empty" the box office expectations of a film.

Once expectations are not met, the film company might have made a lot of money by fooling the audience into the theater, but for the actors, it is a real "cannot carry" and "weak appeal."

"For *Hit the Nail on the Head*, are you the one carrying the box office?" Lu Yan He asked Huang Kai.

"As far as it looks now, yes," Huang Kai smiled helplessly, "Because I am the first lead."

"Then you must not be pitted. Now many film parties are really too pitted," Lu Yan He said, "What box office needs to exceed how many billions to break even, what you have paid for this film, the purpose is to incite your fans to watch the movie and pull the box office."

Huang Kai smiled.

"No, the production cost of *Hit the Nail on the Head* has already been disclosed, just 62 million," he said, "It was mentioned in the financial report of Wanhua World before."

"That's fine," Lu Yan He nodded.

They spent about half a day finishing the shooting and went to eat with Xin Zixing.

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Sorry, thank you both for your hard work," Xin Zixing said with a smile, "I'll treat you to something good later to apologize."

This time Lu Yan He came to shoot, he didn't take remuneration—

This kind of activity ambassador is generally honorary.

Huang Kai is the same.

It all depends on the network of the activity organizer.

The restaurant Xin Zixing booked is on the top floor of a hundred-story building.

A very famous "Cloud Restaurant."

Coming here at this time, there were not many people in the restaurant.

And the waiters in this restaurant are estimated to have received professional training, so they didn't show any particularly excited or agitated expressions when big stars came to dine.

I have to say, this environment makes Lu Yan He feel very comfortable.

Although it's not good to say so, excessive attention will indeed cause him some discomfort, especially during this kind of private itinerary and friend gathering.

Xin Zixing and Huang Kai got married in August last year. After they got married, Lu Yan He originally thought that the work rhythm of both would slow down a bit, but unexpectedly, the work rhythm of both accelerated unexpectedly.

Lu Yan He was a bit curious and asked: "Sister Zixing, when do you and Brother Huang plan to have children?"

"Let nature take its course," Xin Zixing didn't stutter, saying, "If we haven't conceived in the next year or two, then we'll use high technology."

Lu Yan He looked at them both in shock.

"High technology? Surrogacy?"

"It's not that far," Xin Zixing said, "Oh my, why am I telling you this now? You don't need to understand."

Lu Yan He: "... You suddenly said the words high technology, and my first reaction was that."

"You saw some news, so your first reaction was that, right?" Xin Zixing said with a smile.

Lu Yan He said to Huang Kai: "Brother Huang, you have to work hard."

Huang Kai: "No need for you to say."

Lu Yan He: "Haha."

Lu Yan He asked again: "However, Ye Mai Net has just restarted, so the work pressure should be very high."

"If you don't know how to lead a team, you can only work yourself to death," Xin Zixing said, "But if I keep working, work is not worth sacrificing my life for. However, I don't plan to delay too long for having children. I like children, and I like this work. Fortunately, after working hard for so many years, I can afford a team to share my work, and at home, there are parents, and I can afford a nanny to support the rear."

Lu Yan He nodded.

This is the truth.

Xin Zixing asked Lu Yan He: "What about you? Do you and Siqi have any plans?"

"No specific time is determined, but it should be in the next year or two," Lu Yan He said.

Xin Zixing asked in shock: "Are you planning to have children in the next year or two?"

Lu Yan He: "... I was talking about marriage."

"I said you are only twenty-five and having children..." Xin Zixing shook her head with a smile, "Fine."

Huang Kai: "How old are they? It's normal to wait a few more years. In fact, getting married in a few years is considered very early in our line of work."

Xin Zixing: "They met in high school and have been in love for so long. It's different from others."

Lu Yan He inexplicably felt a bit detached from his current situation.

Unknowingly, such topics have slowly and increasingly appeared in his life?

He is really getting older.

Lu Yan He thought of this and couldn't help but lower his head and smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Xin Zixing asked immediately.

Lu Yan He shook his head, didn't say, and asked: "Sister Zixing, will you go all out at Ye Mai Net next?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I go back," Xin Zixing said, "I want to make Ye Mai Net the best art platform."

"Art platform?" Lu Yan He was a bit surprised and asked: "Not just a social platform?"

"Comprehensive," Xin Zixing said, "In fact, Ye Mai Net's biggest feature before was a gathering place for art youth. I want to explore on this basis and establish more sections. Ye Mai Net's biggest representative content now, one is video, humanities recording content represented by *City Travelogue*; one is original art content represented by *Star! *; and another is community interaction content represented by work evaluation. These three added together are unique in China." ===== CHAPTER 752 =====