Chapter 975: Extra: Hot Summer (1)

July.

The sun is so hot that the number of umbrellas on the street is no less than on a rainy day.

About four months have passed since the "father-son storm" of Lu Yan He and Chen Pinhe.

After achieving the feat of winning the Xitu'er International Film Festival Best Actor for the second time before the age of thirty, he entered a state of "divine hiding."

It's not that he has no work.

On the contrary, his work rhythm is as tight as ever.

From March to April, he filmed "Burning Fire 3," but from the opening ceremony to the media visit, he didn't show up.

In May, he seamlessly connected and entered the group to film his scenes in "No God 2."

This month, his scenes were filmed intensively, and all filming revolved around his time.

In June, he gave himself a vacation. He went to Africa and stayed in a local wildlife park for two weeks. Staying with animals, he didn't have to face the crowd who knew him—he just had to stay in a quiet local manor.

This manor is the private property of Parameters'

After the Xitu'er film festival, Zebby Doyle called to say that if he needed a place to rest quietly for a while, he could provide one.

So Lu Yan He went.

Sometimes, it is indeed true that while running away is shameful, it is useful.

Although everyone said he had nothing to run away from.

Chen Ziyan's report to the police station about Chen Pinhe—it was like pouring a basin of water into a pot that was already boiling over.

The effect wasn't just a boiling pot; it was an explosion.

Although Chen Ziyan's report was more about form than substance.

Indeed, she had no concrete evidence of what Chen Pinhe had actually done; she could only prove that he was not as ignorant as he had acted, from the connections he had long established with He Yuan to the truth about how Feng Xiu and her son were taken out of the country—

But through all this, Chen Pinhe's image as a "hypocrite" was thoroughly cemented.

On a global scale, he was widely boycotted, and several film and television projects were directly halted or he was removed from them.

For example, the second season of *Seventeen Layers: Reboot* decided to simply write his character to death—

They didn't even need him to film the "death" scene; it was concluded directly through the dialogue of other characters.

Meng Li became the biggest winner of the second season of *Seventeen Layers: Reboot*.

Because thanks to Chen Pinhe's exit, this globally popular show changed its second season to feature her character as the primary lead.

Besides that, several of Chen Pinhe's overseas film projects all fell through because of this.

This was the effect Chen Ziyan wanted to achieve.

Chen Pinhe hadn't actually committed any crimes?

He used He Yuan to whitewash himself, portraying himself as an innocent who knew nothing?

Dream on.

The clamorous discussions were like a rainstorm on a midsummer afternoon.

It came rolling in, covering the sky and the earth, enveloping the entire world.

Lu Yan He either locked himself in the film crew, burying his heart and soul into the world of his character, or he ran off to a place with no people, keeping company with animals.

After the summer special of *Jump Up* hit the shelves, Chen Siqi's busy work came to a temporary pause.

She came to Lu Yan He's side and asked, "How long do you plan to stay in seclusion?"

Lu Yan He said, "*Men in Black* is being released in October; I'll come out then."

"Fine." Chen Siqi nodded, "As long as you have a plan for when you'll come out of seclusion. Some people in your entertainment industry have even asked me if you've retired for good."

"..."

Chen Siqi said, "There was a project that had been dead-set on your schedule, waiting for your reply. They waited from the beginning of the year until now, and seeing that they really couldn't lock you down, they went to Lang Xia instead."

"Went to Lang Xia?" Lu Yan He asked, puzzled, "Even if I don't act in it, there's still Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, Li Yuefeng, and Liu Zefan. Why would they go to Lang Xia?"

"Because Lang Xia has been very proactive in pursuing this project. Even though the producers' first choice was you, he didn't care at all; he even lowered his salary to show his sincerity."

"Well, there's nothing to say to that."

Chen Siqi: "Ma Zhiyuan tried to open a burner account to livestream two days ago, but he was reported in less than five minutes. There is absolutely no possibility of him coming back out now."

"He's still struggling?"

"Yeah." Chen Siqi laughed, "Back then, he went all-in on livestreaming to smear Zhou Ping'an, but Zhou Ping'an ended up perfectly fine. I heard he's already in contact with various companies."

"Where is he going?" "Don't know." Chen Siqi shook her head, "Ever since he resigned from Shijin, many places offered him an olive branch, but he went straight abroad and disappeared for a long time."

What surprised Lu Yan He was that Yan Liang actually wanted to hire Zhou Ping'an.

"My current team's ability is just average." Yan Liang said, "If I hire Zhou Ping'an to help me manage the team and improve their skill level, do you guys think it would work?"

"Not letting him continue as your agent?"

"Forget about him being an agent." Yan Liang shook his head, "I can't trust him, I just think he can help me train the team. My current team's level is a bit behind."

Lu Yan He said, "Zhou Ping'an's ability is definitely up to the task, but if you're only hiring him to help train your team, would he be willing?"

"He definitely wouldn't be willing under normal circumstances, but now..." Yan Liang blinked slyly, "That statement of his made his situation in the entertainment industry very difficult. Everyone is worried that he might expose some private matters if things go wrong—even if he did it for self-preservation, he still betrayed his former company and former boss, after all. Who can guarantee that they are clean? It won't be easy for him to return to the entertainment industry."

"The olive branch you're offering is a timely rain for him." Lu Yan He laughed.

"Exactly, that's what I think too." Yan Liang also nodded with a smile, "So, I'm planning to ask him for a meeting."

"Sure, your timing for this calculation is spot on."

Yan Liang's team was indeed holding him back a bit.

His current agent was his former assistant.

After his contract with Star Entertainment expired, he didn't sign with any other agency, but opened his own studio instead, with a team dedicated to his affairs.

This meant he had absolutely no support going forward and had to rely entirely on himself.

However, Yan Liang really didn't have to worry about resources right now.

One season of *Friends* per year was enough to guarantee his studio's financial stability.

Not to mention, the *Gold Rush* spin-off film starring Yan Liang grossed 800 million at the box office during the Spring Festival, an excellent result, and the second one was already on the way. Besides that, *Speed of Life and Death* would also be released globally this year. It looked like he would be in a period of rapid career growth for the next few years; he wouldn't be lacking in resources at all.

However, although he wasn't lacking in resources, the quality of one's team is still very important for someone who is already an international-level star.

Lu Yan He had Chen Ziyan at the helm, Li Zhibai had Lin Suyang carrying the flag, but Yan Liang lacked a strategist who could stabilize his rear.

Yan Liang hoped to let Zhou Ping'an help him cultivate such a strategist.

"Brother Ping'an, it was easy for you to just drop everything and leave back then, but I suddenly lost my agent overnight. Now you want to come back and be my agent again? Isn't that a bit absurd?"

Meng Li sat at the table, not even taking off her sunglasses, crossing her legs and meticulously tending to her nails.

Zhou Ping'an: "Back then, I cut ties with you immediately for your own good. Otherwise, Star Entertainment and the interests behind Ma Zhongquan would not only have retaliated against me, but also against you. Do you really want to see that happen?"

Meng Li gave a light huff.

"Come to think of it, this is trouble you brought upon yourself."

Zhou Ping'an: "I know you've hired a temporary agent, but are you satisfied with that agent's professional ability?"

Meng Li didn't speak.

She only said, "If you come back to be my agent now, won't Star Entertainment and the interests behind Ma Zhongquan retaliate?"

"The matter is already in the past; Ma Zhongquan's affair is a closed case, settled and done. Retaliating against me now serves no purpose other than venting anger. In reality, besides these things, I naturally have other things in my hands; they won't take action just to vent their anger." Zhou Ping'an said, "I was the one who pulled the strings for you to go to Shijin. The current person in charge of Shijin Entertainment definitely won't like you, but I still have some people left at Shijin. You should be able to feel that there are people at Shijin who are silently helping you."

Meng Li countered: "Why did you come to me?"

"Because the *Seventeen Layers* series was something I helped you bridge and build from the start. Now that Chen Pinhe is out, you have gained the support of both versions because you participated in the version produced by Lu Yan He, logically becoming one of the core characters of this series. As long as you don't anger Lu Yan He, you can use this IP to further increase your international fame."

"Hmm." Meng Li nodded, "You're right, but what does that have to do with me continuing to hire you as my agent?"

"Because without me, you can't maintain a long-term cooperative relationship with Lu Yan He." Zhou Ping'an said confidently, "That statement of mine back then, although it offended Ma Zhongquan, Star Entertainment, and Chen Pinhe, you also know why I did it—I was on Lu Yan He's side. Everyone says I had a falling out with Lu Yan He, but you know best whether I actually did."

Meng Li fell silent.

Everything Zhou Ping'an said really hit her weak spot.

At this moment, Zhou Ping'an's phone suddenly buzzed.

"Yan Liang is calling me." Zhou Ping'an showed the phone screen to Meng Li, "Think about it. I'm going to answer the call first. I hope you give me an answer as soon as possible; it's not like I have nowhere else to go."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and went to the side to answer the call.

Meng Li glared resentfully at Zhou Ping'an's back.

How did she feel like she had been cornered?!