Chapter 817: A Duo

"It's really not easy for everyone to get together like this." Li Zhenzhen raised her glass, looking at everyone happily. She said, "But I'm especially happy to see everyone doing better and better. *Young Days* was the first time I acted as producer and director, leading a team solo to make a show. At the beginning, I really just wanted to make an experimental program. Who knew that the people I pulled in would eventually become the most popular stars in China."

"Mainly because this show made us famous," Peng Zhixing teased.

Li Zhenzhen shot him a glare. "If you have the guts, say that in an interview."

Peng Zhixing: "I was mainly talking about myself."

"This show has good feng shui," Yan Liang laughed.

"Maybe it really does," Xiao Yun also laughed. "Back when we first got together to record the show, apart from Li Zhibai, everyone else seemed pretty average, right? Was Qin Zhi popular?"

"No," Qin Zhi shook his head. "Basically, my work was just running music festivals; it wasn't any different from now."

"Oh my, 'not any different from now'—" Xiao Yun immediately made a funny face. "I don't know who it was that held a ten-thousand-person concert in Yuming this year, sold out in five seconds, and had not a single empty seat."

Qin Zhi: "That was mainly because I invited you as a guest performer; everyone came for you."

Xiao Yun: "Tsk tsk, your emotional intelligence... Did you only invite me? What about Sister Zhiyin? At a time like this, shouldn't you say it was mainly because of Sister Zhiyin?"

Liu Zhiyin smiled and shook her head. "Don't bring me into this. You two bicker; I'm not good with words."

Qin Zhi: "Sister Zhiyin is a competitor of mine in music. You're different; you're a joker. You help me tell jokes at the opening to liven up the atmosphere."

Xiao Yun: "So in your heart, I'm just a joker. I thought that in your heart, I was the best singer among actors."

Qin Zhi: "..."

He said to Su Xiao: "Does she usually brag about herself like this in front of you all?"

Su Xiao said with a smile: "Anyway, ever since she was a guest at your concert, she's been telling a lot of people that her singing skills were honed by being a guest performer at a ten-thousand-person concert."

Qin Zhi: "..."

Song Lin Xin also laughed.

"From now on, you are the witness to her singing skills."

Qin Zhi made a gesture of blacking out and raising his hand to his forehead.

Lu Yan He laughed out loud.

Qin Zhi was a singer-songwriter.

At first, many people thought he was just dabbling in the entertainment industry.

Later, others felt he was just selling his face to cash in.

That was until he released his own music at a rate of almost one album per year.

One after another.

He had appeared at almost every music festival in all of China. Later, he also participated in one season of *China's Good Songs*, a program Lu Yan He produced. Furthermore, he erupted with astonishing creative power and a creative repertoire in the show. When it reached the later stages and many people were already drained of inspiration, almost any song he pulled out was a mature one that could be taken to the stage.

Basically, the two singer-songwriters, Qin Zhi and Song Lin Xin, took on the creation of the theme songs for every season of *Young Days*.

Linghe had some film and television projects that would also invite them to create promotional songs.

Including the Wu Xia drama *Grass-Skipping*, which Li Zhibai was about to broadcast, Qin Zhi was specifically asked to create a fast-paced song with rap elements for it, used for some fast transitions in the drama to express the youthful spirit.

People who didn't like this show had all complained that it was becoming an exclusive promotional window for these artists.

But they weren't actually wrong.

Because for them, having such a fixed variety show was actually a very good thing.

Because it allowed for stable exposure and stable popularity.

When they had works, they would also be used by the production team in the show's segments as much as possible for promotion.

Some key projects, like *Grass-Skipping*, even had their trailers played directly during the show's segments.

And some popular singles by Liu Zhiyin, Song Lin Xin, and Qin Zhi even became music frequently used by *Young Days*.

Don't underestimate the exposure effect of a variety show with high national popularity.

Thanks to this show, many of their songs could be hummed along to as soon as the melody was heard.

"Yan He, do you have a movie coming out for the National Day slot?"

After the gathering ended, Li Zhenzhen specifically came to ask Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He shook his head and said, "No, why?"

"If you had one, we could bring the trailer over to play," Li Zhenzhen said with a smile. "We can also mention it on the show. This episode is expected to air on the last weekend before National Day."

"Not this year," Lu Yan He said with a smile, shaking his head. "Thank you, Sister Zhenzhen."

Li Zhenzhen: "Why be so polite?"

This episode had no guest stars because all the regulars were present.

As far as this show was concerned, everyone sitting together chatting was already something everyone found interesting to watch.

However, Lu Yan He noticed that Su Xiao seemed to be avoiding him throughout the process.

Everyone on *Young Days* knew that the movie *Ditto* this summer was initially intended for Su Xiao.

But because Su Xiao's agent had booked her for two idol dramas, the schedule couldn't be coordinated, so in the end, Su Xiao had to give it up helplessly, and it became Yan Lingyu who played the role.

The result was that Su Xiao could have stepped into the film industry with this movie, but she missed it.

At the time, Su Xiao apologized to Lu Yan He very sincerely.

Lu Yan He also understood and accepted it immediately.

Things like taking on roles were not something Su Xiao could decide for herself now. Similarly, scheduling was the hardest thing for artists to coordinate.

Lu Yan He believed that under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would absolutely not have given up on his movie.

Everyone knew that acting in his movie was a huge opportunity. Even Lu Yan He himself was very clear about this.

"Xiaoxiao might feel that this matter offended you."

During a break in the recording, Xiao Yun said to Lu Yan He.

"She doesn't dare to say anything to you either."

Lu Yan He: "What does that have to do with anything? Cooperation is about timing, location, and people. If it doesn't work this time, we'll just look for an opportunity next time."

Xiao Yun: "She had a huge conflict with her agent because of this, and the two sides have been unhappy for a long time."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Su Xiao isn't a small artist who can be pushed around anymore, but her agent has been using the point that Su Xiao was brought up by her personally to stand on the moral high ground, accusing Su Xiao of being famous, having grown wings, and wanting to fly solo, so she's deliberately picking on her. With things like this, Su Xiao feels embarrassed to completely burn bridges."

Lu Yan He showed a look of surprise.

"Bullying her like that?"

"It's not really bullying; how could she dare?" Xiao Yun said. "She just talks about it outside, creating public opinion pressure on Su Xiao. Like this time coming to record *Young Days*, it was her agent who personally sent her, constantly showing she's hands-on and showing her concern for her."

Lu Yan He: "..."

"Then I really don't know what to say," Lu Yan He curled his lip.

Xiao Yun: "Sigh, don't say it. The kind of thing Su Xiao encountered, if it were someone else, they would really have no way out either; it's all the same. Not to mention anything else, Su Xiao herself has a huge number of haters. After many of the male actors she has partnered with became famous, their fans would become toxic solo fans and attack Xiaoxiao. So, unlike you all, Xiaoxiao especially needs a company and a team, whether it's for public relations or daily travel. She used to act in idol dramas, and she still does now. Because it's very singular, the teams she works with are also very singular. In terms of connections and relationships in the industry, she really can't go against her own team."

Lu Yan He: "When you have a chance, tell Su Xiao not to worry about me. I'm not angry, and I've always considered her a friend. It's just one or two movies; if we missed it, we missed it. We will definitely be able to continue working together in the future. Also, if she really has an irreconcilable conflict with her team and needs help, she can come to me at any time."

Xiao Yun instantly put on her acting mode, starry-eyed, hands clasped together.

"Wow, Lu Yan He, you're so cool!"

Lu Yan He: "... You're so dramatic."

On the day the show finished recording, Lu Yan He met Su Xiao's agent.

Liu Ye.

A man who looked shifty-eyed. Lu Yan He knew it was his own problem, because his initial impression was bad, so his appearance was born from his heart—from his heart.

Lu Yan He originally had no intention of crossing paths with him, but Liu Ye took the initiative to come over, smiling enthusiastically, and introduced himself as soon as he came up.

"Mr. Lu, hello, I am Liu Ye, Su Xiao's agent."

Actually, Lu Yan He had worked with Su Xiao for so many years on *Young Days* that he had seen her agent long ago. It's just that at the beginning, it was always her executive agent accompanying her. Liu Ye, a big agent, generally didn't handle the specific affairs of the agent. He had been there a few times, and Lu Yan He had only crossed paths with him; the two hadn't even added each other on WeChat.

Lu Yan He nodded at him with a lukewarm attitude.

Liu Ye had already taken the initiative to speak, saying: "Mr. Lu, last time you invited our Xiaoxiao to star in *Ditto*, it's a pity that because we had already accepted two other dramas, the schedule couldn't be coordinated. Thank you so much for your love for our Xiaoxiao. Such a good script, such a good role, and you thought of Xiaoxiao."

His words were full of cadence and enthusiasm, making Lu Yan He feel embarrassed to keep a cold face.

Lu Yan He got straight to the point and said: "I told Su Xiao about this movie a long time ago that I would ask her to film it, and you didn't leave the schedule open."

Liu Ye said very embarrassedly: "I'm really sorry about this; it's entirely my problem. When Xiaoxiao debuted, in order to get her a lead role, we owed a lot of favors. When people came looking for her with dramas later, your movie didn't have a contract yet, and the start date wasn't set, so I really couldn't use that as a reason to refuse them."

Lu Yan He: "Does Su Xiao still have to film favor-based dramas now?"

Liu Ye: "There's no way around it. Back then, people gave her opportunities, giving Su Xiao a chance to become famous. We can't just ignore the kindness of those people after she became famous. What's more, their sincerity and everything were very sufficient: big IP, famous screenwriter, salary higher than the market price..."

Listening to this, Lu Yan He felt that what the man said was not wrong.

Liu Ye: "Mr. Lu, this time it's really our problem. Let me add you on WeChat. If you have any roles in the future that need Xiaoxiao, you can tell me at any time. I will definitely reserve the schedule in advance. You can set any conditions. Sigh, the child has been very upset during this time, crying many times, and didn't dare to tell you."

ooCO

The man had a look of unbearable embarrassment on his face.

Lu Yan He was stunned.

What the hell?

Why was it different from what he heard from Xiao Yun?

Looking at it, this agent didn't seem like the kind of person who would deliberately ruin things for Su Xiao.

"People are complex; everyone is a *Rashomon*," Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yan He. "Don't worry about what Liu Ye said in front of you. No matter how good or sincere it sounds, it's useless. Judge by actions, not by intentions."

Hearing this, Lu Yan He nodded.

"You're right."

"Don't delve into whether people's motives are pure. If they can do it, it's real; if they can't, they can't," Chen Ziyan said. "Liu Ye, his evaluation in the industry is complex. Some people like him, some don't. If you say he's no good, Su Xiao was indeed brought to fame by him. If you say he's really good, Su Xiao has developed to this point, and the dramas she takes are still idol dramas, still a traffic star."

Lu Yan He: "Indeed."

"No one is perfect. As a star, those who can reach your level are rare. As an agent, those who can reach my level are equally rare," Chen Ziyan said. "Zhou Ping'an is already the ceiling, let alone others. Who doesn't have their own little thoughts? Who dares to pat their chest and say that everything they do has no selfish motives and is entirely for others? Do you believe it?"

Lu Yan He: "Yes."

"When Su Xiao debuted, she could act in so many lead roles, so she must have owed favors, so Su Xiao has to pay back those favors now," Chen Ziyan said. "If you, as an actor, don't recognize past favor accounts once you become famous, that is the most undesirable thing."

"Yes, you're right," Lu Yan He nodded.

"Liu Ye is still smart. He ran directly to you to tell you that those two dramas were favor-based dramas. One is to explain in person why they gave up on *Ditto*, and the other is to tell you that he is a person who values favors," Chen Ziyan said. "He can abandon your movie for someone else today, and he can abandon other interests for your sake in the future."

"Ha!" Lu Yan He realized. "So that's what it means."

Chen Ziyan: "Yes, so, judge by actions, not by intentions. At your position, this is even more true."

Lu Yan He: "Learning, oh my, my sociology has a long way to go."

Chen Ziyan: "Live and learn."

Lu Yan He: "A duo's journey, Sister Ziyan as mentor."

"Pay the tuition," Chen Ziyan said. "You're paying for dinner later."

"Alright, alright."

The phone buzzed.

Chen Ziyan took it out and glanced at it, her originally relaxed expression suddenly vanishing.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yan He asked.

Chen Ziyan said: "Something happened to *Storm Calmer No. 1*."

"Ah?"

"The producer, Wei Chang, was exposed online for having made some inappropriate remarks, involving insults to revolutionary martyrs," Chen Ziyan said.

Lu Yan He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say. (End of chapter)