When Lu Yanhe was rehearsing in the evening, he found that everyone was looking at him strangely.
The bad thing about being involved in gossip is that once you become the protagonist of gossip news, people will stare at you wherever you go, like a gorilla in a zoo.
He went on stage for rehearsal. Since there was only one song to perform, there weren't any dance moves, just a few simple movements.
After completing it once, the director said it was OK.
Lu Yanhe was a little surprised when he heard it and asked, "Don't you need to sing it again?"
His rehearsal just now only allowed him to walk through the movements once, and he didn't even rehearse the performance.
The director said that there were many people waiting for rehearsal and his songs had already been heard in the recording studio.
Lu Yanhe felt strange and did not leave the stage. Instead, he looked at Chen Ziyan on the side of the stage.
Chen Ziyan folded her hands over her chest and looked at the director with a serious expression.
Lu Yanhe said, "Director, I still want to sing it live. It only takes three or four minutes."
When the director heard what Lu Yanhe said, his brows immediately frowned.
"I told you not to sing. I know you're a professional singer and can sing. You don't need to—"
"I need it," Lu Yanhe interrupted the director righteously, saying, "Any professional singer needs rehearsals, let alone someone like me who's not professional. Director, please be patient and let me sing. Tomorrow's live broadcast, and I'm worried about problems on set."
The other staff members at the scene looked at them in surprise.
Generally speaking, the director team asks the celebrity artists to rehearse to ensure that everything goes smoothly with the show.
What happened today?
Why is it the other way around?
Especially the director...why doesn't he want Lu Yanhe to rehearse?
The director glanced at Lu Yanhe impatiently and said, "Alright, if you want to sing, go ahead."
This impatient tone surprised the others, and also surprised Lu Yanhe, who was at a loss as to what to do. Was his request too much? Why was he treating him so strangely?
But after much persuasion, rehearsal finally began. Lu Yanhe sang normally, and the overall effect was pretty good. He then left and handed the microphone to the staff.
Chen Ziyan came over and said to Lu Yanhe, "Wait for me outside."
Lu Yanhe was a little surprised, but seeing Chen Ziyan's dark face, Lu Yanhe didn't ask any more questions. He nodded and left, going outside the studio.
-
Lu Yanhe sat in the corridor outside the studio waiting for Chen Ziyan.
People were constantly coming and going in the corridor, including both artist teams and on-site staff.
Lu Yanhe was sitting alone on a chair. When others saw him, they all looked puzzled, as if they didn't understand why he was sitting there.
After a while, Chen Ziyan came out of the studio and said to Lu Yanhe, "Let's go."
"Sister Zi Yan, did you say something to the director just now?"
"His attitude towards you is very unusual. I asked him a few questions," Chen Ziyan said. "But it seems he just has some personal grievances about you, not because of any instructions from higher-ups. Director Li's sudden interest in you made me wary."
Only then did Lu Yanhe realize that this was what Chen Ziyan was worried about.
He nodded and said, "What does that director have to say about me?"
"It seems he didn't understand the full story. He thought your fans were attacking the production team over the difference in lunch box treatment, and that made him very upset." Chen Ziyan waved her hand. "It's okay. If he's upset, then so be it. It's not important. It won't affect us. Tomorrow, you should perform seriously and don't let down your guard."
"No."
"I've been trying to find a suitable film or TV series to feature your song 'Childhood,' which would help spread the word," Chen Ziyan said. "I originally wanted to find a good stage for you to sing it for the first time, but now there's no chance. Don't worry, I don't plan on you becoming a singer. There's no need to rush into proving yourself on the singing stage. Honestly, your singing voice is only slightly better than the average person's. You're not good enough to be a professional singer."
"I know that too." Lu Yanhe nodded, touched his nose, and smiled sheepishly. "Indeed, I can sing alright, but I'm not sure how well I can sing. It all depends on talent."
This is how it is for singers, natural vocal conditions are very important.
Without a good voice, popularity alone wouldn't allow you to go far, unless you were truly single-mindedly committed to the idol path. But idols only last until you're thirty, and after that, things will inevitably decline. Chen Ziyan hoped Lu Yanhe would choose a more sustainable path, but from what she'd observed, Lu Yanhe wasn't particularly interested in singing, and his talent wasn't great; acting was more his forte.
Chen Ziyan: "You always have a clear understanding of yourself."
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but smile bitterly: "I don't think you are praising me at all, Sister Ziyan."
-
It was already ten o'clock in the evening when Lu Yanhe returned to the Hong Mansion.
Li Zhibai has returned.
When he saw Lu Yanhe, he immediately puffed his beard and glared at him, asking, "Did Chen Ziliang attack you?"
On his way back from the plane just now, he saw a GIF of Chen Ziliang rushing into Lu Yanhe's rest room. There were various analysis posts online, some saying that Chen Ziliang and Lu Yanhe had been at odds for a long time, and some saying that Lu Yanhe's fans had angered Chen Ziliang a little. Li Zhibai was furious when he saw this.
Lu Yanhe shook his head: "I didn't do anything. What do you mean by doing anything?"
"What did that idiot do tonight? Look at him rushing in to find you with such a rage on his face."
"He thought I was deliberately doing the live broadcast tonight to let everyone see the difference between his and my lunch boxes," Lu Yanhe explained. "He and I already had some grudges, and some of my fans saw this and were furious and stood up for me."
"This idiot." Li Zhibai cursed without any hesitation.
"Don't scold him. He's probably regretting it now. He acted impulsively and got himself scolded and became a hot topic again. Now more people are talking about him than me." Lu Yanhe didn't take it too seriously. "Aren't you coming back tomorrow? Why did you rush back tonight?"
Li Zhibai: "The drama I was filming is going to be aired tomorrow, and I was notified at the last minute that there will be a media meeting tomorrow afternoon and I am asked to attend."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Congratulations, your first drama is finally going to be aired."
"To the End of the World", filmed by Li Zhibai at the beginning of this year, is now broadcast online in August, which is considered to be a very fast broadcast.
Li Zhibai shook his head and sighed, "I'm very worried that this drama will be criticized after it airs."
"Why?"
"Because... to be honest, I'm being very hypocritical." Li Zhibai shook his head. "I didn't want to take this role at all, but Zhou Ping'an insisted. If I get ridiculed by everyone, I'll definitely take screenshots of all the insulting comments and send them to Zhou Ping'an, asking him to read them out word for word."
"Wouldn't it be humiliating to you if I read it out loud?" Lu Yanhe said speechlessly.
Li Zhibai: "To humiliate me is to humiliate him."
Lu Yanhe could see that although Li Zhibai expressed his dislike for the show, he was actually still looking forward to its broadcast.
This is his first time acting, and he certainly wants to know what kind of feedback people will have on his performance.
When Lu Yanhe saw Li Zhibai like this, he couldn't help but think about how he would feel after "The Golden Age" was broadcast.
There is no need to wait until that time. Just thinking about it now makes me feel uncontrollable excitement and excitement.
People in this industry all have a certain vanity of wanting to be seen and recognized. Lu Yanhe is no exception.
He said, "Then I'll rush back tomorrow night after my performance. When will your show be online?"
"Eight o'clock in the evening." Li Zhibai said, "I'm not here yet. I have to attend the premiere of Bingyuan Video. I will watch the premiere with Meng Li and the others."
Lu Yanhe: "Okay then."
"I will post some promotional information for my drama tomorrow. Please remember to forward it for me," said Li Zhibai.
"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded with a bright smile.
-
The next day, Lu Yanhe slept until he woke up naturally. As soon as he opened his eyes, he received a call from Chen Ziyan. The timing of the phone calls was so seamless that Lu Yanhe even thought Chen Ziyan had installed a surveillance camera in his room.
"Are you awake?"
It's actually only eight o'clock in the morning.
"I'm awake." Lu Yanhe sat up. "What's wrong, Sister Ziyan?"
"Last night, Chen Ziliang got drunk and went crazy, posting a status update. After fermenting overnight, it's now gone viral online." Chen Ziyan briefly explained the background before saying, "This incident has affected you."
Lu Yanhe was completely confused.
He exited the call interface and opened his social platform, but without searching deliberately, a casual scroll on the homepage showed the discussion about Chen Ziliang going crazy late last night.
Then, Lu Yanhe found the content of Chen Ziliang's madness:
You never know how much pressure I'm under! I desperately want your approval, but you're always drawn to new people. You once said you'd love and support me forever, but it was you who unknowingly left me! Lu Yanhe is young, handsome, and talented. Yes, I admit it, but am I any less than him? Why are you all condemning me for something as trivial as a lunch box? I've worked so hard for so many years, don't I deserve a more sumptuous lunch box than him?
Then, a selfie was attached.
In the selfie, he was sitting in a dimly lit street corner, probably squatting, with no makeup on his face, showing his most bare and unbearable side. His eyes were filled with unexplained drunkenness and unwillingness.
Lu Yanhe didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment.
It's like watching an arrogant swordsman suddenly turn into a funny clown. Besides being speechless, I also feel a sense of loneliness.
The change before and after was too sudden.
Lu Yanhe would rather watch someone perish arrogantly than watch someone despise himself in depression.
Chen Ziyan said: "There's a meme going around online right now. A lot of people are @ing you, asking if Chen Ziliang doesn't deserve a better lunch than you."
Lu Yanhe sighed speechlessly, looked at his backstage, and said, "I saw it."
"You'd better not respond to this matter," Chen Ziyan said. "I think Chen Ziliang's team must be going crazy now. They don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse to have such an artist."
Lu Yanhe said, "However, Sister Ziyan, this incident shouldn't have had any adverse effects on Chen Ziliang, right?"
"More than that, his reputation changed drastically overnight. If I hadn't known Chen Ziliang was genuinely drunk and that his agent had been banging on the door this morning, I would have thought it was the brainchild of a PR expert." Chen Ziyan said speechlessly, "Now everyone online thinks Chen Ziliang is quite genuine and feels quite wronged. Suddenly, he's become this arrogant little star who's actually pathetic. I don't know what to say. This entertainment industry, this public opinion field, huh!"
Hearing Chen Ziyan's disdainful "huh", Lu Yanhe couldn't help laughing.
-
Just as Chen Ziyan said, Chen Ziliang's reputation took a drastic turn overnight.
Even Chen Ziliang's team didn't expect this.
Chen Ziliang's agent Yan Wei was surprised, but he also immediately realized that this was an opportunity worth seizing.
It has been a long time since Chen Ziliang had such a big memorable moment.
As a first-line singer, just like an actor, if you are not seen by the audience for too long and only immerse yourself in the original fan circle, it is easy to be eliminated by everyone.
Chen Ziliang suddenly got drunk and went crazy late at night, but unexpectedly hit everyone's spot. Suddenly, he attracted the attention of the entire network and became a hit.
Moreover, everyone's evaluation of Chen Ziliang has undergone a major reversal. Previously, Chen Ziliang was condemned for his fierce look when he rushed into Lu Yanhe's live broadcast room, but now everything has turned into Chen Ziliang's grievances and his jealousy of Lu Yanhe.
Yan Wei immediately contacted the public relations team and seized the opportunity to start promoting Chen Ziliang as a "wronged but true-hearted male singer."
Lu Yanhe, who was accidentally involved in this turmoil, inexplicably became a meme.
When Lu Yanhe checked his Weibo at noon, he found that his Weibo comment section was almost flooded with comments, over 100,000 in total, all of which were memes.
— Doesn't Chen Ziliang deserve a better lunch than you? Forgive him.
Lu Yanhe looked at the people who came to his Weibo. He knew that many of them were just following the trend and making fun of the memes, but he still found it absurd.
Chen Ziyan repeatedly emphasized not to make any response.
Lu Yanhe turned off his phone and decided not to look at it anymore.
Before the official performance, Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe on the way, "When you get in front of people later, don't express any dissatisfaction. Nowadays, netizens like to play memes. If you keep a straight face, people will think you are narrow-minded."
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll hold it in."
Chen Ziyan: "The entertainment industry is like this, it changes rapidly. I never thought that Chen Ziliang would make a comeback so unexpectedly."
"What should I say when I see him later?" Lu Yanhe asked. "Should I greet him warmly?"
"Just a superficial greeting will suffice. There's no need to feign deceit." Chen Ziyan said, "What I mean is, there will definitely be a lot of cameras backstage today. Don't let them capture your scowl. If they post it online, it will be interpreted in all sorts of ways."
"I know that, I won't." Lu Yanhe said, "I'll laugh when we get off the car."
After hearing what Lu Yanhe said, Chen Ziyan couldn't help but say, "I didn't ask you to laugh as soon as you got out of the car. Don't laugh like a landlord's idiot."
Lu Yanhe: "I said I wanted to laugh, but you despised me."
"Don't be stubborn, you know what I mean."
-
Backstage, tonight was even busier and more chaotic than last night's rehearsal.
When Lu Yanhe arrived at his lounge, the corridor was crowded with people, all of whom were performers in various performance costumes.
Lu Yanhe was led over by Chen Ziyan. As soon as he entered, a makeup artist was already waiting there.
The clothes have been delivered, and a styling team is waiting to do his makeup for the performance later.
Lu Yanhe changed his clothes first, wearing a gray-blue suit.
Chen Ziyan’s only requirement for his styling and style was simple, generous, clean and refreshing.
Chen Ziyan wants to create such an impression for the public.
There won't be any exaggerated styling. When he appears in front of everyone, he doesn't need to be stunning, as long as he's just generally handsome.
At this time, Yan Wei suddenly came over.
He came specifically to see Chen Ziyan.
"Sister Zi Yan, thank you so much for today." Yan Wei's face showed an unconcealable joy.
The reason why he came to express his gratitude was because Lu Yanhe's side did not respond to Chen Ziliang's drunken behavior last night, which allowed Chen Ziliang to fight a brilliant comeback today.
Chen Ziyan raised her eyebrows and said, "No need to be so polite. I'll be thankful if you, Chen Ziliang, don't bother Yan He anymore."
"Don't worry, I will take good care of him!" Yan Wei said with a smile on his face, and said to Chen Ziyan, "Thank you for your generosity."
After saying that, Chen Ziyan thought Yan Wei was about to leave, but Yan Wei suddenly said, "Sister Ziyan, do you think you could arrange for Chen Ziliang and Yan He to take a photo together later today and post it on social media? This way, we can also make it clear to everyone that what happened in the live broadcast room yesterday was a misunderstanding."
Chen Ziyan's eyelids rolled up and she asked, "Is this a misunderstanding?"
Chen Ziyan's attitude seemed to be beyond Yan Wei's expectations. He looked at Chen Ziyan in surprise.
Chen Ziyan said, "Don't push your luck."
Yan Wei was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting Chen Ziyan to have this attitude.
He was stunned for two seconds before he reluctantly put away the smile on his face.
"Okay, let's talk about it next time we have a chance."
Chen Ziyan could see that Yan Wei was still somewhat dissatisfied.
Yan Wei's attitude today was completely different from last night's when he looked listless, helpless and frustrated.
It seems that Chen Ziliang's sudden popularity on the Internet today and his return to the focus of public opinion have changed Yan Wei's mentality.
Chen Ziyan narrowed her eyes and watched Yan Wei turn away unwillingly without any expression. She made another note of this person in the little notebook in her heart.
