Chapter 907: Friends

In the eyes of the media and the public, Wen Minglan is actually a rather special existence.

She is very popular. From the moment she debuted, she and Lu Yanhe were seen as the "twin stars waiting to explode" for Chen Ziyan's return to the entertainment industry and her continued career as an agent. From then on, her name was bound to Lu Yanhe's.

Because Lu Yanhe's career skyrocketed, this binding was also a boost for her. For a long time, Chen Ziyan did not stop such voices.

She was the actress who signed the contract to appear in *Friends* directly because of Chen Ziyan, at a time when everyone was pessimistic about it—her pay was low (at least lower than her market level at the time), and the role she got wasn't even the one with the best character design; she played the character of Monica from the original version.

However, she never said a word of complaint. In fact, on set, she was the person Lu Yanhe needed to worry about the least, aside from Yan Liang. This is because the impression she has always given is one of calmness, stability, and gentleness.

Lu Yanhe has known her for a long time. Even for Bo Jin, Lu Yanhe specifically contacted her for that horror movie by Mukan, fearing she would miss the opportunity.

But for Wen Minglan, and for her career, because Chen Ziyan was her agent, he never intervened in the slightest.

Wen Minglan's popularity exploded thanks to *Friends*.

Since then, Chen Ziyan has also been managing her career in an orderly manner.

Domestic film and television dramas, some overseas cooperation projects, and so on.

She has always been popular and has maintained a good level of fame up to the present.

Everyone says that the gap between the former twin stars has become too wide, and the media will no longer mention the term "twin stars waiting to explode."

But, on second thought, where is Wen Minglan lacking?

Is she not popular enough?

As an actress who is only in her twenties this year, she is already outstanding enough.

It is just that the other person is too monstrous.

Because of their agent, because of *Friends*, and because of their shared work and social circles, Lu Yanhe and Wen Minglan meet often and interact more than many other friends, but they have always maintained a tacit social distance.

This tacit social distance began from the very beginning.

Lu Yanhe never thought about the reason behind this; he just felt that it was good this way.

However, looking back, in the first few years they knew each other, the reason they tacitly kept their distance was not because of anything else, but precisely because Wen Minglan and he had the same agent.

Aside from the two of them, the only other person Chen Ziyan personally managed was Tu Song, who focused on being a singer and was not on the same track as them.

The industry and the media... everyone called them the "Golden Boy and Jade Girl," which was out of trust in Chen Ziyan.

Intentionally or unintentionally, this created a feeling that the two of them would naturally end up together in the future.

It was probably because of that atmosphere that Lu Yanhe and Wen Minglan subconsciously and deliberately distanced themselves.

Yet, Lu Yanhe actually vaguely admired Wen Minglan in his heart. This emotion was very subtle. This admiration came from his accumulated understanding of Wen Minglan over time.

He knew that his success would inevitably bring huge pressure to Wen Minglan, and sometimes, the pressure comes from those who started at the same starting line.

If you start running a while before me and I fall behind you, the pressure wouldn't be that great.

Lu Yanhe's admiration for Wen Minglan lies in the fact that even though she was under immense pressure, she never let her emotions show. In fact, every time she saw Lu Yanhe, whether collaborating or chatting, she would express her congratulations and blessings from the bottom of her heart.

To do this is truly difficult.

Jealousy is involuntary; reason in the face of jealousy is like a person riding a horse with a violent temper—you must grip the reins tightly to keep it from running wild.

Chen Ziyan once told Lu Yanhe that there was a period when Wen Minglan really wanted to act in movies.

That was three or four years ago.

"She was also pressured by you," Chen Ziyan laughed.

How strong must a person's inner support be, along with correct and righteous values, to always choose to walk a path of upright competition under such intense pressure?

In fact, many people didn't even think she had the ability to compete with Lu Yanhe.

Yet, Lu Yanhe could inexplicably understand Wen Minglan's approach.

Li Yuefeng could directly ask him for a role.

Zhan Yun, Bo Jin, and the others could joke and laugh, saying that if there were suitable roles for them in his future film and television projects, he must save them.

Many people, even those not so close to Lu Yanhe, could say things naturally that she could not.

Many times, she must also have been silently pushing herself.

For a long time, among Lu Yanhe's many film and television projects, domestic and overseas, from Chen Bige to Jiang Yuqian, from Wang Jing to Yan Lingyu, one female role after another, Lu Yanhe never thought of Wen Minglan.

And Chen Ziyan only picked one of the three female leads in the movie *Source Code* for Wen Minglan.

—That was because Chen Ziyan hoped Wen Minglan could have a decent appearance in Hollywood.

Lu Yanhe believed that if Wen Minglan had really spoken to Chen Ziyan, Chen Ziyan would not have refused to help her, and if Wen Minglan had spoken to him herself, he would have helped her even more.

There would have been better roles, or even "golden finger" scripts tailored for her.

However, it never happened.

The first French movie Lu Yanhe knew about was one Chen Ziyan helped her get.

However, Lu Yanhe also knew very clearly that because French movies have limited local box office, even if you are a popular movie star and the absolute lead, the pay you can get is likely only a few hundred thousand dollars, not to mention a Chinese actress like Wen Minglan who is only known overseas for one show, *Friends*. Lu Yanhe didn't ask, but it was very likely that her pay for three French movies wouldn't be as high as one Chinese movie.

And as for winning awards? Unless it's a big director, a director affiliated with a film festival, French movies have limited influence.

Many Chinese actors who want to break into the international market don't head toward France.

But Wen Minglan shot two of them in one go.

She is still working hard to forge her own path.

Perhaps this is a faint little path, hidden in a place where no one goes.

She may not have gained anything, but she is still walking it with undivided attention.

Lu Yanhe finds it hard to explain this feeling clearly, but he feels he understands her thoughts.

That is France, not China, and not the United States.

She is walking a path that many people have not walked.

She may not be able to walk it very smoothly, but on this path of "unwilling to fall behind," she has not stopped, and she has not given up.

Actually, many times, Lu Yanhe is not just an actor, screenwriter, or producer; he finds himself increasingly liking—or rather—immersing himself in a state of observing others and putting himself in their shoes.

Including his friends around him.

He initially thought this was an occupational hazard, but later realized it wasn't; he simply acquired this hobby.

Why?

Unclear.

Lu Yanhe returned to China, rested for two days, read some books, watched some shows, and felt he had recovered from the shooting rhythm of *Men in Black*, so he packed his suitcase and went straight to the *Jump Up* headquarters in Lingyang District.

Chen Siqi usually rests there because it is convenient for work.

Because he returned, Chen Siqi had been driving back after work for these two days, which was very tiring.

He wasn't picky about where he stayed anyway, so he took his suitcase and went to Lingyang District.

In fact, he and Chen Siqi also have a small house there—not rented, but bought by Chen Siqi. If Lu Yanhe wants to meet people and chat, he can go to the *Jump Up* headquarters to look around; he knows all the editors and other staff there anyway. If he doesn't want to talk to anyone and just wants to be by himself, he can just stay in this small house.

Study, media room, swimming pool, small garden... everything is there. When decorating this place, Chen Siqi fully considered his usual needs. There was even a place specifically made with a spacious walkway, separated from the house by a glass sliding door, but the eaves were connected.

In a season like this, Lu Yanhe can lie directly on the spacious walkway, treat it as a wooden bed, and let the sunlight spill down through the lush branches and leaves outside the eaves, falling onto his body.

Literary youth Lu Yanhe.

In such moments, he very honestly enjoys the leisure brought by this identity, as well as the pleasure brought by self-mockery.

Lin Yu and Xu Zijun would also come over sometimes, and of course, sometimes Li Pengfei and Chen Qin, though the latter two didn't stay there for long and came less frequently.

Besides them, Zhou Mukai also came often, though he usually didn't come with them.

When he came, there was no need to sit together solemnly to do anything or talk about anything; they would say a few words, share interesting things that happened recently, sometimes stay for ten minutes before being called away by work calls, and sometimes watch a movie together, fall asleep directly on the sofa, and leave early the next morning.

Lu Yanhe knows he enjoys this kind of life very much.

However, he didn't expect that this kind of life would make him addicted.

One day, he saw a small patch of soil in the yard that wasn't planted with anything, so he wandered around nearby, found some plants that caught his eye, and transplanted them there.

Li Pengfei happened to come that day, and he shouted with a very loud voice: "Lu Yanhe, are you sticking your butt up there learning to pee like a dog!"

Lu Yanhe stood up with black lines on his forehead.

The image of literary youth Lu Yanhe shattered all over the ground.

Li Pengfei stood on the steps under the eaves, hands on his hips, laughing until his body leaned backward.

Lu Yanhe cursed "idiot," but he also laughed.

On the day of the gathering with the *Friends* group, Lu Yanhe drove alone to the place booked by Yin Xincheng to keep the appointment.

Yin Xincheng arrived early by himself.

Lu Yanhe was the second to arrive.

"Oh my, why are you..." Yin Xincheng stared at Lu Yanhe for a long time, "tanned?"

Lu Yanhe had been in the sun every day recently, so he was indeed tanned.

It was mainly because he didn't need to join a crew later, so without that pressure, he became lax in managing his image.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, saying: "I've been digging in the dirt lately."

Yin Xincheng looked at Lu Yanhe in disbelief and asked: "You aren't also learning from those rich people, planting vegetables in your own villa garden? Returning to a pastoral life?"

"I'm sick." Lu Yanhe shook his head, "I just had nothing to do recently, so I was tidying up the yard."

Yin Xincheng nodded, "Alright, I don't understand, but I Respect!"

Lu Yanhe asked: "Have you signed the divorce agreement with Huang Yunlan?"

"Signed." Yin Xincheng nodded, "Finally signed."

"Then there will be no relationship in the future, and you can make a clean break?" Lu Yanhe said.

"I hope so." Yin Xincheng shook his head, "Don't talk about her; every time I mention her, I feel unlucky."

Lu Yanhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Actually, the things that happened at your wedding, if written into *Friends*, would probably be very interesting."

"Spare me." Yin Xincheng shook his head vigorously, "I just don't want anyone to know that I've done such a stupid thing."

Lu Yanhe: "Just kidding, I won't write it into the script, but you really should be more careful."

"Don't say it, my mom already scolded me." Yin Xincheng let out a long sigh, feeling very uncomfortable.

Just as they were talking, Bo Jin and Wen Minglan arrived together.

"Why did you come together?"

"My driver asked for leave, so I asked Minglan to pick me up." Bo Jin had her sunglasses on her head, carrying a box in her hand. As soon as she sat down, she opened the box, and it was actually a takeout container, a box full of... pickled pepper chicken feet.

She said: "I tried making them myself, and I already had my movie crew buddies test them for poison, so you can eat them with peace of mind."

"When did you become interested in making this kind of snack?" Yin Xincheng asked in surprise.

Bo Jin said: "I had nothing to do on set, so I made them for fun. The rhythm of shooting a movie is much slower than shooting a TV series, and most of the time is spent waiting on set."

Lu Yanhe nodded: "That is indeed the case. A movie scene can take two or three days, or even six or seven days, while a TV series requires shooting two or three scenes a day, or even more."

Bo Jin: "Anyway, after shooting this movie, I've done what I promised the company."

"Can your schedule coordinate?" Lu Yanhe asked, "*Gudao Horror* starts filming in September, *Friends* starts filming at the end of November, and you still have to study."

Bo Jin: "I have already applied to defer enrollment for one year."

Lu Yanhe nodded: "Alright then."

Yin Xincheng said: "Then *Gudao Horror* must be prioritized; Bo Jin isn't going to be a scholar in the future anyway."

"Yes, I didn't hesitate at all." Bo Jin said, "Being able to act in Director Mukan's new film, what else do I have to hesitate about? I'm even a bit nervous, worried that my English level isn't good enough, so I've been constantly taking online classes and strengthening my spoken English practice recently."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"It's fine, Mukan's wife is Chinese, and he knows a bit of Chinese, so you don't need to be under so much pressure." Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "But if you can take this opportunity to strengthen your spoken English, that would certainly be best."

Bo Jin nodded, "That's what I think too, plus I'm going to study in the UK later, so better spoken English is always more convenient."

"Have you never filmed abroad before?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Bo Jin shook her head.

"Never." She shrugged her shoulders, "In fact, I have very little work abroad, and most of the time it's with you, with the *Friends* crew."

Lu Yanhe: "I've read the script for *Gudao Horror*, your character design is very good. With Mukan's ability, this movie should be able to attract a lot of attention. I'm now a bit doubtful whether you can enroll normally next year."

Bo Jin: "I originally thought that since I have to shoot *Friends* every year, I would take the opportunity to go to school for further studies. If there is such a rare opportunity, going to school must be put aside. I am an artist, not a scholar."

Bo Jin is still like this.

Rational, enthusiastic, frank.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

He agrees with Bo Jin's view.

Since you aren't really going to transform or change careers, there must be priorities for things in your life.

As a result, at this moment, Yin Xincheng suddenly said: "What do you guys think, should I go for a master's degree?"

Bo Jin took a breath and said: "First tell me, why do you suddenly want to go for a master's degree?"

"To change my current state." Yin Xincheng said, "I thought about it seriously, and I feel that I've done a lot of stupid things in the past few years because I felt my life had fallen into a bottleneck of spinning in place, so I need to improve my cognitive level."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

At this moment, Zhan Yun suddenly walked in.

She rolled her eyes in a way everyone could see and said bluntly: "I suggest you make an appointment with a world-class neurosurgeon to perform a craniotomy on you; that way your cognitive level can improve faster."

Yan Liang was following behind Zhan Yun. Hearing Zhan Yun finish these words, his eyes widened instantly, and he quickly found an empty seat and sat down, looking like he didn't want to be affected at all.

Yin Xincheng was retorted by Zhan Yun, opened his mouth, and stopped, wanting to say something but holding back.

"You're enjoying watching me make a fool of myself, aren't you?" Yin Xincheng asked.

Zhan Yun nodded vigorously.

"Of course!" She put her bag on the table, laughing unreservedly, her spirit flamboyant, "Seeing you do such a stupid thing, my mood is incredibly good!"

Yin Xincheng pursed his lips.

Zhan Yun raised a hand, covered her mouth, and laughed even more exaggeratedly.

"Hahahahahaha—"

She slapped the table while laughing.

She also kept sending signals to others with her eyes, "Right?"

Lu Yanhe and the others silently went about their own business.

Some rested their chins on their hands, some turned their heads to look out the window.

Yin Xincheng was annoyed and didn't want to be outdone.

"If you have the ability, don't have such stupid moments in the future."

Zhan Yun took off her coat without hesitation, put away her smile, but her tone remained sharp.

"Rest assured, the stupidest moment in my life was when I was dating you. Thank God, it's over."

Yin Xincheng's face flushed red. ===== CHAPTER 908 =====