Soon, as the cicadas chirped more and more desperately, summer moved from July to August.
The hot weather covered everyone exposed to the air equally, drawing curses.
Lu Yanhe's time is also divided into three parts: one part is for "Jump Up", one part is for stage rehearsals, and one part is for fitness and "lying down" after fitness.
Well, I really can’t rest.
The performance on the evening of the Beijing-Taiwan Gala was live, with one cover and one chorus, and Lu Yanhe was under a lot of pressure.
This is the lack of confidence that non-professional singers have in themselves.
But when the contact person asked him if he wanted to return the audio, he still refused.
Although it was unprofessional, he was paid for his work after all, and his moral concepts and professional ethics did not allow him to lip-sync.
While he was busy rehearsing, Chen Siqi was not idle either, and was even busier than him. She was looking for typesetters and designers to make covers and layout designs. It is said that she stayed in the studio every day.
"For Mooks like us, other people can earn much more money by taking business orders outside. If I don't work harder and make myself familiar to others, why would they bother with me?" Chen Siqi has her own theory.
Lu Yanhe didn't ask her who she found. Anyway, he didn't understand this area. Chen Siqi had already taken charge of it, so he let her do it.
Lu Yanhe is now responsible for checking in on those who have not submitted their manuscripts every day and urging them to submit their manuscripts.
This afternoon, Lu Yanhe and Song Linxin made an appointment to rehearse.
Who knew that just before he was about to leave, Song Linxin suddenly sent him a message saying that there was an unexpected situation and the afternoon rehearsal had to be cancelled, and apologized to him.
Lu Yanhe said he was fine and asked what happened. Song Linxin didn't reply. Who knew that in the evening, Chen Ziyan suddenly called him.
"Hello? Sister Zi Yan, are you looking for me?"
"Yeah." Chen Ziyan's tone didn't sound very good. "Song Linxin's agent just called me and said they were sorry but the performance she was supposed to sing with you has to be cancelled."
"Cancelled?" Lu Yanhe was still stunned, not reacting. Bewildered, he asked, "What happened? Why was it canceled so suddenly? I was supposed to rehearse with her this afternoon, and she told me it was canceled at noon. Did something happen to her?"
"No." Chen Ziyan sighed softly on the other end of the phone and said, "Yan He, it's not that something happened to her. It's that Chen Ziliang contacted them again, and her agent decided to let her sing this song with Chen Ziliang."
Lu Yanhe was stunned.
"Didn't Chen Ziliang reject her before? So that's why he came to me for help?"
"I don't know what Chen Ziliang is thinking. Anyway, he has found her again. After all, Chen Ziliang's status and fame in the music industry are much higher than yours. I can understand why her agent made this decision. Don't take it too seriously. Just do your own thing." Chen Ziyan said.
A fire suddenly burned in Lu Yanhe's heart.
"I'm sorry, Sister Zi Yan, I can't help but take it to heart."
It would be fine if Song Linxin was just the girl who bought the cover rights of "Memories", but after more than a month of knowing, interacting and getting along with each other, from Song Linxin helping him write the script, to him helping Song Linxin complete this chorus work, rehearsing every now and then, meeting, chatting from time to time, and talking about each other's ideas for the future, Lu Yanhe already regarded Song Linxin as his friend, and he could not accept Song Linxin doing such a thing.
Just like he could accept Ma Zhiyuan stabbing him in the back, but he couldn't accept Li Zhibai and Yan Liang doing so, he had no trust in the former but did in the latter.
The same is true for Song Linxin.
Lu Yanhe was furious.
Chen Ziyan: "I know you may be a little angry now, but digest it well, don't do anything, and don't impulsively question Song Linxin why. Be smart, okay?"
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
"If I don't ask Song Linxin about this matter now, I don't know how to deal with her in the future."
"Let's deal with it the way it should be dealt with," Chen Ziyan said. "We'll talk about the rest later. You're angry now, and you won't listen to anything I say. I just hope you can calm down tonight and not do anything in anger."
"I see."
"You promised me."
"Um."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and finally suppressed his anger.
To be honest, this song was written by Song Linxin, and it was Song Linxin who invited him to sing it. Now that people don't want him to sing it, there is nothing wrong with it, and he hasn't lost anything.
But because of this month of getting to know each other and rehearsing, after such an incident happened, Lu Yanhe felt that he had gained a rare friend, but then immediately lost another one.
The feeling of being abandoned is like being slapped twice. The first reaction is not pain, but anger and shame.
-
Song Linxin's eyes were red as she looked at her agent Zhou Meng.
"Aunt Meng, you'll make me lose my friend Lu Yanhe."
Zhou Meng was helpless, but there was nothing she could do. "Lin Xin, this is what Beijing and Taiwan want. This is the evening party they are holding, and Chen Ziliang is the singer they want to promote. We can't afford to offend Beijing and Taiwan."
Song Linxin sat on the sofa hugging her knees, her eyes red as a rabbit, and said, "It was Chen Ziliang who disliked my song because it was too girly and refused to sing with me."
"It's not that the top management of Beijing and Taiwan dealt with him and then stuffed him back in." Zhou Meng squatted down in front of Song Linxin, touched her head, and said, "I know that you and Lu Yanhe have suffered a lot in this matter, but I'm sorry, if we stubbornly refuse Beijing and Taiwan's request, your future collaboration with Beijing and Taiwan, 'Songs Come to Response', will also be affected. You just debuted not long ago, and now is the time when you need exposure the most. There is no program more suitable for you than 'Songs Come to Response'."
Zhou Meng added, "Explain it to Lu Yanhe carefully. If he really considers you a friend, he will understand."
"If my friend did this to me, I would never talk to him again in my life."
Song Linxin stared at Zhou Meng with tears of grievance in her eyes.
"I can't bring myself to call him."
-
Lu Yanhe tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Angry.
However, I am no longer as angry as when I first received the call.
—Lu Yanhe, is it necessary for you to be so angry about something like this for so long? Are you petty?
A voice questioned him in his mind.
Lu Yanhe thought, you know shit.
By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been asking and answering these questions to himself for quite a while.
Lu Yanhe suddenly sat up. Unable to sleep, he simply turned on the lights, started a live broadcast, and read a book.
When I feel depressed, I read to calm myself down.
He was too lazy to get out of bed, so he just pointed the camera towards the head of the bed and sat on the bed reading a book.
Because the distance was close, his profile took up one-third of the screen.
This angle is rarely seen in normal times.
This surprised the fans who had been watching Lu Yanhe's live broadcast for a long time, and they wondered why the camera direction had changed today.
The book Lu Yanhe was reading today was published by another publishing house. It was not a novel, but a travelogue.
The main reason is that at this point in time, Lu Yanhe doesn’t want to read novels anymore.
After reading for a while, my phone buzzed.
He frowned in confusion, picked up the phone and saw that it was Chen Siqi calling.
"Hello?" Lu Yanhe answered the phone.
Chen Siqi: "You seem to be in a bad mood? Why are you suddenly going live at this time? Are you unable to sleep?"
Chen Siqi guessed Lu Yanhe's behavior and psychology.
He was silent for a long awkward moment before admitting, "Yeah."
As he spoke, he suddenly realized that he was broadcasting live, and quickly turned around to check whether the live broadcast was muted.
"You've muted it, don't worry." Chen Siqi said immediately.
Lu Yanhe was embarrassed and asked, "How come you can guess what I'm thinking?"
Chen Siqi: "That's because you can't hide the truth from your face."
Lu Yanhe: "Not really."
Chen Siqi: "If you say no, then so be it. However, if you're feeling down, you don't have to keep it to yourself. If you want to talk to someone, I'm on summer vacation anyway, so I'm quite free."
"It's nothing, actually. A female singer invited me to sing a song with her, and I've been rehearsing with her recently. But today, her manager suddenly told my manager that they're replacing me with someone else. Furthermore, she hasn't sent me a single message so far. She actually contacted my manager through her manager and didn't tell me in person."
"Female singer? Is she pretty?"
"Well, that's not the point."
"If she refuses to give a direct answer, forget it." Chen Siqi muttered, "This is indeed very infuriating, but think about it from another perspective. You don't need this performance opportunity. If she wants to collaborate with someone else, then let her go. After all, you have your own performance program."
Lu Yanhe: "Yeah, I used to think of this person as a friend, and it feels like I was stabbed in the back by someone I trusted."
"Why do you treat people as friends so easily?"
"When I needed her help, she was the first to agree." Lu Yanhe said immediately.
At the beginning, Song Linxin was indeed the first to agree and also the first to submit the manuscript.
Chen Siqi instantly guessed, "Could it be Song Linxin?"
Lu Yanhe: “…”
He now suddenly realized how advanced Chen Siqi's radar was.
"Looks like I guessed it right." Chen Siqi smiled. "If that's the case, then you can just give them a call and clarify things. Is there some misunderstanding that hasn't been made clear? Who knows if this is her intention? As you said, she's a very loyal person. Even if she wants to replace you and work with someone else, she should explain it to you clearly according to common sense."
Lu Yanhe sighed, "Maybe I was too angry when I answered Sister Zi Yan's call. Sister Zi Yan told me to calm down first and to wait until tomorrow when the anger has subsided before calling."
"Your agent is right."
"yes."
"But if you don't figure it out, you won't be able to sleep tonight, right?"
"Don't curse me, I just want to read for a while and then go to sleep."
Chen Siqi was happy and said, "Okay, then you can read. I won't disturb you anymore."
Chen Siqi said this and hung up the phone.
Lu Yanhe stared at the phone with wide eyes. Damn, he just hung up like that? He didn't even say goodnight!
Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe's profile on the computer screen, where he was frowning and staring at his phone, and laughed.
There was a sudden knock on the door.
As if by reflex, she moved her finger to the mouse, and the cursor, which had been resting on the close button, immediately resized the window of the live broadcast platform.
"Who is it? I'm getting ready for bed."
"Then go to bed early. Don't do it again like last night. I got up in the early morning to go to the bathroom and saw the light in your room was still on." Her father's voice came from the door.
Chen Siqi originally thought it was Liu Weian.
Because her father rarely knocks on her door.
"I was reading a manuscript yesterday," Chen Siqi said through the door. "You know I've been co-editing a book with a classmate."
She wondered if her father was still listening.
Two seconds later, there was no sound from outside the door.
A wave of disappointment flashed through Chen Siqi's heart. Suddenly, her father's voice came from outside the door again: "Just play with those things. Don't stay up late and hurt your health."
She was so angry that she wanted to retort, how could it be just a game? How could she finally do something she wanted to do, but in his eyes it became a game?
But she held it in. Chen Siqi took a deep breath, listened to the footsteps at the door fade away, and clenched her fists in anger.
She could only comfort herself and encourage herself, not to be a giant in words, but to make "Jump Up" and make "Jump Up" the best Mook, and see who dares to say that she is just "playing around"!
Originally, Lu Yanhe planned to contact Song Linxin the next day. No matter what, he had to hear from her in person what had happened.
However, Lu Yanhe did not expect that he would suddenly receive a call from Chen Ziyan early the next morning. Chen Ziyan said, "Something happened to Wang Yunfan."
"Ah?" Lu Yanhe was stunned. "What happened to him?"
"He was asking for trouble. He went out to record a variety show in the middle of filming, and he had an accident last night. He broke his leg during the recording process." Chen Ziyan said, "Now the rest of the filming of 'The Golden Era' has to be adjusted accordingly."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe asked, "Then how will we shoot his scenes? Should we wait until his leg injury heals?"
"He can't stand up for three months. How can we wait? Who has the time to wait for him?" Chen Ziyan's tone was full of annoyance, because Wang Yunfan's own problem delayed the progress of the entire crew.
"What should we do then?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Ziyan said, "Lei Shuangcheng contacted me half an hour ago and asked if I was free in August. I said I had a party recording and another program recording after the 20th, and he didn't say anything. But then I thought, Wang Yunfan had a problem, so he didn't have to call me to ask if I was free. Did he call me like that? Did Director Luo want to give you more scenes? Did he change the script and give you the role of Wang Yunfan?"
Lu Yanhe's eyes suddenly trembled. "No way? That's the second male lead."
"I also think it's unlikely, but Director Luo really likes you. And it's not like he's just going to let you play Wang Yunfan directly. He might ask the screenwriter to revise the script overnight and split his scenes among different people." Chen Ziyan said, "As soon as I thought of this, I called you immediately, Yan He. I want to ask you, if you give up filming 'Young Days', would you be willing?"
Lu Yanhe was stunned.
"Ah? Didn't we all sign the contract?"
Chen Ziyan asked, "Which is more important, a variety show or a more substantial role in director Luo Yuzhong's new film?"
She acted as if Lu Yanhe was particularly ignorant.
Lu Yanhe was silent, his doubts growing. After a moment, he said, "But if we've already signed an agreement with Young Days, I think we should have a spirit of contract."
Chen Ziyan: "We can still talk after signing the agreement. We can withdraw through friendly negotiation. The key is if Director Luo is really willing to give you more scenes, wouldn't you be tempted?"
Lu Yanhe frowned for a long time before he said, "Sister Zi Yan, I'm very moved, but... since I've already promised someone else, I don't want to break my promise."
Perhaps Chen Ziyan didn't expect Lu Yanhe to be so stubborn in this regard. She didn't know what to say for a moment. She was silent for two seconds and hung up the phone.
Chen Ziyan didn't know that after Lu Yanhe hung up the phone, he was full of confusion, because he felt that Chen Ziyan's attitude on the phone just now was inconsistent with her usual style.
In his impression, Chen Ziyan’s success in the entertainment industry is closely related to her ability to keep her promises and be trustworthy. So why would she persuade him to terminate his contract with "Young Days"?
-
"Although the agreement has been signed, there's still so much time before the show starts. I'm going to talk to the production team and ask them to introduce a popular idol star to join. Would Chen Biqiu and the others be unwilling?"
Chen Ziyan shook her head helplessly, looking at the man sitting in front of her. "Director Li, look, I just used Director Luo's 'Golden Era' to give him more scenes, but it didn't convince him to terminate his contract with 'Young Days'. What else can I do to convince him?"
Sitting in front of her was a deputy director of Beijing Taiwan, also a director with real power.
The latter is in his early fifties, but his temples are already gray.
He kept a slight smile on his face, waved his hand, and said, "Xiao Chen, don't try to use that on me. If you really want him not to appear on 'Young Days', you don't need such an excuse."
Chen Ziyan sighed, "Director Li, you really overestimate me. I'm just a small agent. Besides, it's not the era when we had the final say anymore. Nowadays, agents are just waiters working for artists. How could I possibly persuade them?"
Director Li asked, "Aren't you the one who gave him the advice behind the scenes and ultimately helped him stay at Star Entertainment?"
"Ah?" Chen Ziyan looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Director Li said, "I heard Mr. Ma say before that if you hadn't intervened, he would have terminated Lu Yanhe's contract long ago. Haha, of course, he was blind and didn't see that Lu Yanhe was such a rough diamond."
"You're too kind. I didn't stop them," Chen Ziyan said. "I just knew Zhou Ping'an wasn't going to take Lu Yanhe with him, and I saw some shining points in him, so I took him with me."
"Okay, I came to see you today because I wanted to catch up with you and invite this popular young boy to record a program on our station. Unfortunately, our schedules clash, so let's talk about it next time we have a chance." Director Li waved his hand and made a gesture to stand up.
"Look, my place is very simple, I don't have anything to offer you, I'll take you there."
"No need, please stay." Director Li waved his hand.
Chen Ziyan still insisted on sending the person to the elevator.
After everyone left, Chen Ziyan put away the smile on her face and became gloomy.
As soon as she returned to the office, she immediately called Lu Yanhe back.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Sister Zi Yan? I just rejected you. You're not angry, are you?" Lu Yanhe's voice sounded a little cautious on the phone.
Chen Ziyan: "I'm not angry. You answered very well just now. I really had no choice but to call you. I was forced to that point by a deputy director of Beijing TV. He used his words to say that Beijing TV wanted to work with you on a future program and asked you to terminate your contract with "Young Days". Due to personal reasons, I couldn't directly refuse him, so I could only say that I couldn't make the decision for you, so I found an excuse to ask if you were willing to terminate the contract."
Lu Yanhe was confused and couldn't figure out what the relationship was.
Chen Ziyan was silent for another two seconds, then said, "He seems particularly reluctant to let you appear on the show 'Young Days'."
"A deputy director of Beijing TV is particularly reluctant to let me appear on the program 'Young Days'?" Lu Yanhe asked, "What does this program have to do with Beijing TV?"
"No, this show is an online variety show, not broadcast on TV. That's what I find particularly strange." Chen Ziyan asked, "Do you know the deputy director of Beijing TV? His last name is Li."
"I don't know him."
Chen Ziyan didn't think Lu Yanhe could know her, she only asked to eliminate this last possibility.
"So is Wang Yunfan's broken leg true or false?"
"Really." Chen Ziyan said, "But Lei Shuangcheng didn't call me to ask if you had time. He came to complain to me as an old friend."
"What about the subsequent filming of The Golden Age?"
"With him in a plaster cast, only the upper body was filmed in profile shots, and only the double was filmed in full shots. That's the only way to go," Chen Ziyan said. "It's enough for a crew to encounter an actor like this. I'm sure he'll be blacklisted by Director Luo and his circle of directors in the future."
Lu Yanhe felt sad after hearing this.
"I always feel that Director Li from Beijing and Taiwan came here inexplicably, which makes me feel strange." Chen Ziyan continued, "I don't know why, but I have a strong intuition that this may be related to the incomprehensible things that happened to you before."
"Sister Zi Yan, are you talking about me being pushed into the river and being kicked out of the company?"
"Yeah." Chen Ziyan's eyes flashed with a strange light. "I even have some suspicions now, but I don't have any evidence. Let me investigate first. If I really have any clues, I'll tell you."
Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably nervous.
"I see."
Chen Ziyan: "It's okay, don't worry. No matter what, the more you act, the more famous you become, and the more attention you get, the more wary that person behind you will be. Speaking of which, I need to find you an assistant, preferably one who knows some martial arts. Having someone follow you around will keep you company and you won't be in danger again. I was really negligent in letting you film 'The Golden Era' alone. Luckily, nothing happened."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Ziyan said she would find one and immediately used her connections to look for a suitable assistant.
Originally, Chen Ziyan didn't want to find an assistant for Lu Yanhe so early. First, she didn't want Lu Yanhe to develop the bad habit of being served wherever he went. Second, Lu Yanhe's current income could not afford the assistant's salary. If she asked the company to pay for it, Vice President Ma would definitely not agree. She could only use her power forcefully, but it was not convincing at the executive meeting. After all, she had turned down so many profitable projects for Lu Yanhe, and all the projects he accepted were not very profitable.
But Chen Ziyan suddenly realized now that assigning Lu Yanhe an assistant was not just a simple matter of assigning him an assistant. It was also to ensure that he would not be left alone and would not appear to be vulnerable to others.
Although the last time Lu Yanhe was summoned to a remote riverside location when no one was around through an anonymous letter, who knows how he will act next time.
We must be on guard now!
——
Looking back at the backend: the average subscription has exceeded 3,000! It's reached the boutique level I expected when it was released. Thank you all for your support! I know this book is so unconventional, and it's so fast to reach the boutique level. Haha, I look forward to the day when the badge is hung!
