Chapter 985

In August, Lu Yanhe returned to China and recorded a CCTV gala.

This was work Chen Ziyan helped him take on.

"There's a lot of messy news, and you've been in hiding for so long, you need a relatively formal appearance, and it needs to be positive, with less commercial flavor," Chen Ziyan said. "Recording the Mid-Autumn Gala, singing a song, without any interviews or other forms, just a performance, a signal, combined with some public relations, to convey a definitive impression to everyone: you're back."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Okay."

"For this gala, are you singing your own song, or letting the director team arrange it for you?" Chen Ziyan asked. "The director team is also asking if you have any new songs suitable for singing at the Mid-Autumn Gala."

Lu Yanhe shook his head.

"No, I haven't written any songs recently," he said. "For the Mid-Autumn Gala, I'll sing one song, let the director team arrange it for me, I'll practice it in advance."

"Okay," Chen Ziyan nodded. "Also, six of your endorsements are about to expire, and they have all proposed renewal conditions. The endorsement fees for several overseas brands have basically reached the ceiling and can't go any higher. These two domestic endorsements are both fast-moving consumer goods brands; they don't do overseas markets, and the endorsement fees can't go up either. I'm thinking about whether to take them all on for you. You have more than forty endorsements, it's too many, it affects your image."

"Which two are the domestic fast-moving consumer goods ones?"

"One is Baijia, the other is Niushelan."

The former is a stationery brand, the latter is a snack brand.

Both have been cooperating for many years.

Lu Yanhe said: "These two brands have basically been cooperating with me for over ten years. They want to renew, let's renew. We just won't take on new fast-moving consumer goods brand collaborations."

"We haven't taken on new fast-moving consumer goods brand endorsements for five years," Chen Ziyan said. "In fact, I don't really recommend you continue to renew endorsements for affordable brands."

"We've cooperated for so many years, and it's always been a pleasant cooperation," Lu Yanhe shook his head. "The image doesn't need to be shaped only by taking on high-end luxury goods. Moreover, these brands have also been investing in advertisements for 'Friends' and dramas produced by Linghe, and the support is very strong."

"I know, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't suggest an artist not renew an endorsement; only a fool wouldn't earn money," Chen Ziyan said. "Do you think I really don't care about these commissions? It's just that too many endorsements will indeed affect an artist's image. You are no longer completely on the superstar route; you have started to lean towards the image of an artist."

"Then I don't want to be an artist either," Lu Yanhe shook his head. "It would be fine if you didn't say this, but now that you've brought it up, I have a headache. I don't know why, but now the comment sections of all my social networking sites are unanimously asking me to do fewer commercial films in the future, saying I'm an artist and shouldn't be full of the smell of copper."

Chen Ziyan: "Don't pay attention to them when they say that. People, when they first like someone, it's worship, and then, their mindset changes, they think they are familiar, and start projecting what they think is right onto the other person. If the other person's actions don't follow their ideas, they get angry, or feel that the other person has betrayed them. Some of your fans are like this too; some fans hope you are aloof, hope you are an artist who sticks to art, and some fans hope you are always in a superstar position, with your commercial value firmly in the top position. Different people have different psychological projections; they don't actually care about you, but like manipulating a puppet, they care about the ideal personality that belongs to them projected onto you."

Lu Yanhe sighed.

"I understand the logic, of course, it's just that such voices are getting more and more intense, and it will affect me."

"Don't look at social media," Chen Ziyan said bluntly. "I thought you hadn't been looking at it recently; it's a mess."

"I'd like not to look, but I can't," Lu Yanhe said. "I'm not an artist, I'm a vulgar person."

Chen Ziyan: "By the way, it's your birthday next month, any plans?"

"No plans," Lu Yanhe shook his head. "No party this year, it's not appropriate."

"I think so too," Chen Ziyan said. "However, let's celebrate for you in our small inner circle; it's a birthday, once a year."

Lu Yanhe: "What small circle?"

"What other small circle could it be? How many small circles do you have?" Chen Ziyan asked back.

Lu Yanhe: "..."

That's true, his small circle had been connected eight hundred years ago.

"Fine, fine."

Chen Ziyan: "Don't just fine, fine me. You've been resting for a few months, it's time to come back."

Lu Yanhe: "Headache."

Chen Ziyan: "Still want to keep resting?"

"A little," Lu Yanhe said. "Staying by yourself, with not many people around who know you, just staying by yourself, how comfortable."

"Then I'll give you two months off every year in the future," Chen Ziyan said.

Actually, Lu Yanhe really couldn't continue to rest either.

He originally planned to return when the global promotion for "Men in Black" started, but the second film produced by Wan Qingqing, "The Uninvited Guest," had already finished post-production and was ready for release.