What no one expected was that the impact of this incident and how long it would last far exceeded their expectations.
Including Chen Ziyan and Wen Minglan.
While Lu Yanhe and his team continued to record the show "Young Days", the Internet was in an uproar because of this incident.
The fans of Zhou Lina had the most intense reaction to Wen Minglan's response.
The actress that Wen Minglan did not name in her response was claimed by Zhou Lina's black fans with great fanfare. They used this incident as an excuse to dig up Zhou Lina's negative material and spread it everywhere.
Zhou Lina's fans are not to be trifled with. As seasoned fans, they quickly organized themselves to fight against the haters. On the other hand, they also shifted the blame and questioned the authenticity of what Wen Minglan said. Their main points of attack were twofold:
1. Let Wen Minglan come out and explain clearly whether the actress is referring to Zhou Lina, instead of being so vague and letting everyone argue about it.
Second, even if the roles that were moved were given to Zhou Lina, this was the crew's behavior. The crew did this because they valued Zhou Lina's popularity and ability to carry the show. It's fine if you criticize the crew, but why do you criticize Zhou Lina?
Wen Minglan has not been in the entertainment industry for long and is usually very low-key. She is not the type of person who would cause trouble, so many people don't know her.
At the beginning, the battle was almost dominated by Zhou Lina and her fans.
However, the next day, Tomorrow Daily released a video of the filming of "Sanchakou".
In the video, Wen Minglan holds two pieces of paper, looking aggrieved and angry. She questions the people in front of her, asking: "Why are there flying pages again? From the time I joined the crew until now, I've been shooting flying pages every day. Where is the script I was shown before? Why aren't you shooting my scenes according to the script?"
A serious-looking man in his fifties standing in front of Wen Minglan said, "Minglan, don't get excited. This is a temporary adjustment we made based on the filming situation. The content of the script will be filmed later."
Wen Minglan: "But on today's notice, shouldn't the scene with Lina last week be mine? Why was it suddenly moved to hers?"
The man said, "It's just a similar scene, don't take it too seriously."
"I've been on the crew for a month, and I've been shooting flyers every day. Am I being too picky?" Wen Minglan's eyes were red as she glared at them. "Or are you just taking advantage of me because I'm a newcomer and think I'm easy to bully?"
The girl's face was full of grievance, and her eyes were as sad as a wounded little animal.
The scene was quiet for a moment.
"What's going on?" At this time, a fat man wearing a sweatshirt and cloth shoes came over.
"director."
"director."
…
A group of people greeted each other.
The fat man glanced at Wen Minglan, frowned in disdain, and said, "What's wrong? You act like we've all wronged you?"
Wen Minglan pursed her lips stubbornly and said nothing.
The man who had just spoken to Wen Minglan briefly explained to the fat man what had happened.
After hearing this, Fatty suddenly flew into a rage at Wen Minglan: "What's wrong with changing your play? Can't we change your play? You're making a scene over such a small matter, affecting the normal filming of the crew. Who do you think you are?"
Wen Minglan was scolded by the director for a full five minutes in front of everyone.
After watching the video, Lu Yanhe was stunned. He hadn't imagined Wen Minglan had been scolded like that before. Honestly, at first, Lu Yanhe had thought that, no matter what happened, leaving the set during filming was wrong. Couldn't they just talk it out? Now, after watching the video, Lu Yanhe just wanted to apologize to Wen Minglan for thinking that way.
Lu Yanhe also thought, no wonder Chen Ziyan said that what happened with Wen Minglan was just a small matter compared to his.
The fact that this video can be released today must be related to Chen Ziyan.
He has fully experienced Sister Zi Yan's methods.
Wen Minglan had been scolded all day yesterday, and her fame was getting bigger and bigger. If the video is released at this time, after watching it, those who scolded Wen Minglan will realize what Wen Minglan experienced in the crew and turn to sympathy - the information given in this video is already very solid and sufficient. Wen Minglan endured it for a month before she couldn't bear it anymore and had an attack, but the crew headed by the director didn't care about Wen Minglan at all, or rather, they didn't even take her seriously. Instead, they blamed her for delaying the crew's filming progress and scolded her for five minutes in front of everyone.
Sure enough, as Lu Yanhe expected, as soon as the video was released, the public opinion about Wen Minglan on the Internet changed instantly.
Public opinion turned to her side, and the crew, including Zhou Lina, were scolded.
Columnist and entertainment commentator Mao Yu directly criticized the crew of "Sanchakou": "I originally thought that it was the young girl Wen Minglan who didn't know the rules and caused damage to the crew, but I didn't expect it was the crew who didn't follow the rules, bullied the young girl, and turned the tables on her. Bah! Dirty things!"
Mao Yu's attitude can be said to represent the attitude of most media people.
The director in the video really went too far. His behavior was so bad that many young women felt the same way. When they talked about their own workplace environment and about when they were humiliated by their bosses, they felt the same way.
Everyone's criticism of "Sanchakou" fermented for most of the day, and by the evening, it had almost reached its peak.
Many people have started to boycott this drama.
-
The recording site of "Young Days".
Lu Yanhe found that everyone was a little absent-minded. They wanted to discuss the matter, but because of the camera, no one spoke.
However, the public opinion storm caused by this incident is no longer just a small incident in the entertainment industry.
Everyone's attention has even shifted to workplace bullying.
In the end, Song Linxin was the first one who couldn't help it.
She said, "Can we please turn off the phone for a while, or I'm going to suffocate!"
She didn't say what it was, but everyone knew what she was talking about.
They have been discussing this matter in the group chat.
The incident became such a big deal that no one in the entertainment industry was not paying attention to it.
Everyone looked at each other.
Peng Zhixing said, "How about we just discuss this matter openly?"
"Isn't this bad?" Liu Zhiyin was the first to object. "We don't know the cause or details of the matter. We just heard it online. Discussing it privately is fine, but discussing it on this show could easily lead to uncontrollable consequences and hurt others."
Lu Yanhe also nodded and said, "Many of you are actors and will be joining various crews in the future. This matter is more or less sensitive."
Song Linxin nodded and said, "So I said, I'll ask the director to turn off the camera for an hour."
Peng Zhixing: "How could the director agree to this?"
At this time, Li Zhenzhen came out.
She sat down with everyone and asked, "What are your concerns about not wanting to discuss this on the show? Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing, or are you afraid of offending people?"
Li Zhibai: "Yes, we all have concerns. This is not nonsense. If there were no cameras, we would have talked about it a long time ago."
"This incident has had a huge impact, and more and more people are participating in the discussion," Li Zhenzhen said. "I want to discuss this with everyone. Can we sit down and have a small forum to discuss this? I don't plan to include this segment in the main program, but rather make it a special feature that will be broadcast online tomorrow. After the recording, everyone can work with us to edit the video. If you feel that anything you say is inappropriate for broadcast, you can remove it."
"Ah?" Lu Yanhe looked at Li Zhenzhen in surprise. He didn't expect her to suddenly come up with such an idea.
Li Zhenzhen said, "I think this opportunity is actually quite rare. We just happened to encounter such an event, and since we are all young artists, if we can sit together and discuss this matter, it can also provide everyone with a richer perspective. We don't need to make positive or negative opinions, we can just express what everyone is thinking about this matter."
Lu Yanhe looked at Li Zhenzhen's serious expression and thought, okay, that idealistic and humanistic Li Zhenzhen is here again.
Can such a special be filmed?
Lu Yanhe was actually persuaded by Li Zhenzhen.
"Everyone, let's vote by raising your hands," Peng Zhixing said. "Or if you don't want to participate at all, just leave. I think Sister Zhenzhen is right. We shouldn't discuss the right and wrong of this matter, but simply express our thoughts on it. I think I still have something to say."
Li Zhibai shrugged and said, "I don't care. If the director wants to shoot, I'll shoot. Just remember to pay me more. Suddenly shooting a special episode wasn't written into the contract. Although I'm happy to say it, I don't want to work for nothing."
Li Zhenzhen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry after hearing what Li Zhibai said.
"OK."
Li Zhenzhen said, "Then I'll give everyone ten minutes. After ten minutes, I'll ask for everyone's opinions. If anyone is willing to speak then we'll prepare and record it directly."
Li Zhenzhen left immediately and returned to her studio. Her first move was to call the director of Bingyuan Video to discuss the special. First, it had to go online tomorrow, and second, they wanted more money. The director of Bingyuan Video was stunned, then said that if she could get the artists to come up with a special like this, he'd pay her the normal price for one more episode. Li Zhenzhen hung up the phone, satisfied.
Chen Biqiu waited until she hung up the phone and asked, "Don't you always dislike riding on the popularity?"
"This kind of thing everyone is discussing isn't just hype; it would be unusual for us not to discuss it," Li Zhenzhen said. "And I'm serious. Each of the artists on our show has bigger ideas than the last. They're all people who think a lot, and they all want to talk about this, but they're just hesitant. So I'll give them a push, and it's a win-win situation."
Chen Biqiu smiled and said, "No matter what you think, I have to say that this is a great timing."
Li Zhenzhen made a gesture.
-
The Wen Minglan incident is getting more and more serious, and more and more people are standing up to speak for Wen Minglan, but the "Sanchakou" crew and Zhou Lina have never responded to this matter, as if they want to drag down the heat of this matter with silence.
However, this matter was beyond their imagination.
When the popular show "Young Days", which had aired two episodes, suddenly announced that a special episode would be released in two hours, and the guests of "Young Days" sat together to discuss this matter, the already bubbling hot pot was instantly smashed through the bottom of the pot.
-
Chen Ziyan asked Lu Yanhe on the phone: "Are you speaking up for Minglan?"
"Not really," Lu Yanhe said. "We're not supporting either side. We're just discussing our attitude towards this kind of thing, the relationship between actors and crew, the professional bottom line that actors should abide by, and the rules that the crew should abide by."
"That's fine. Li Zhenzhen suddenly organized this special. I didn't want you to participate at first. It was too sensitive. You and Minglan are both artists I manage." Chen Ziyan sighed, "But Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are both participating. If you don't, it will seem abrupt."
"There are definitely controversies, but I think Sister Zhenzhen is right about what she said," Lu Yanhe said. "For an artist, the fear isn't about not having controversy, but about no one knowing or remembering you. If you're afraid of controversy and are hesitant to do anything when making a show, then you have too many things to worry about. You won't be able to do anything, and no matter what you say, it's going to offend some people. I think what she said makes sense. Furthermore, when a few of us sat together discussing whether or not to participate in the filming of this special, we finally reached a consensus. This incident is no longer just about Wen Minglan and 'Forking Crossroads.' Many people in the entertainment industry have spoken out in the past two days, and we also have our own stance."
Chen Ziyan: "Speaking up can bring about changes in the environment, but the first person to speak out may not be the one to benefit from the changes. The first bird to stick its head out gets shot. You should remember this. Don't be rash and speak without thinking. Li Zhibai has the confidence and capital to do so. He has been like this since his debut, outspoken. So even if he says something he shouldn't, people are very tolerant of him. But you are different. You are a top student, a student of Zhenhua. You have a very good image. This is also a constraint, because people will be even less tolerant of you."
Lu Yanhe hummed.
As soon as the special episode of "Young Days" was broadcast, it caused a huge uproar on the Internet.
Except for Song Linxin's agent who firmly disagreed with her participating in the recording of this special, all other guests of "Young Days" participated in the recording.
No one directly said whether they supported Wen Minglan or "Three Crossroads", they just talked about their own opinions, but the audience would interpret and associate them.
Almost every word of everyone was screenshotted and interpreted in various ways, and fermented.
Whether it is the program "Young Days" or artists like Lu Yanhe who expressed their own thoughts and opinions, they all became hot searches at the speed of a rocket.
Moreover, it stayed on the hot search for two or three days, and even after the recording of "Young Days" was completed, it still hadn't gone down.
No one expected this level of popularity.
What many people didn't expect was that a hot search term suddenly popped up: How long will "Sanchakou" continue to play dead?
"Is this the work of Sister Zi Yan?" Li Zhibai asked.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "I don't know, but it shouldn't be. Sister Zi Yan doesn't seem like the kind of person who would openly confront them."
Chen Ziyan's usual style is to resort to direct and ruthless tactics to force submission. While directly buying trending search terms to question the "Crossroads" crew might seem sharp, "Crossroads" has already been mocked online for days, so why should she be afraid of a new wave of ridicule? It's essentially the same thing: a lot of noise, little impact, which isn't Chen Ziyan's style.
Li Zhibai asked: "What would Sister Zi Yan do if she was the one doing it?"
Lu Yanhe said, "I don't know either. If I could guess what Sister Zi Yan would do, I could become a successful apprentice and wouldn't need an agent anymore."
Li Zhibai: "If you were Wen Minglan, what would you do?"
"I'm Wen Minglan?" Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask Sister Zi Yan to negotiate with the crew. Since we've signed the contract, we have the upper hand. They were the ones who violated the contract first. Whether we continue filming or not, if we communicate with them through Sister Zi Yan, maybe the matter won't escalate so drastically."
Yan Liang said, "But, after this incident, Wen Minglan's fans have increased by over two million. This can be considered a blessing in disguise. Now everyone supports her opinions."
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "There are two sides to this. The good side is, of course, what you're talking about, but there's also a bad side. Wen Minglan's way of handling things openly will put her on the risk list of many crews, which will affect her chances of getting other roles in the future. That's what Sister Zi Yan said."
Growing fame is, of course, a boon for an artist. But being capricious, flipping the tables when wronged and putting the crew on the spot, such a label, whether right or wrong, serves as proof of an actor's perceived difficulty.
-
As soon as the program was recorded, Lu Yanhe had to go back to school to attend classes the next day.
It just so happened that the class the next day was an elective sociology course, and the teacher mentioned the conflict between Wen Minglan and the crew in class.
When this matter was mentioned, everyone looked at Lu Yanhe with curiosity.
Lu Yanhe stared at the podium with a calm expression. He'd thought it was just a casual mention, but he'd unexpectedly assigned an assignment: write a commentary on the matter.
As soon as the get out of class was over, some classmates came to Lu Yanhe and asked about the details of the incident. They wanted to know things that had not been reported.
Lu Yanhe could only act innocent and say he didn't know.
Everyone felt a little disappointed.
Lu Yanhe packed his schoolbag and found a place to study.
It suddenly started raining halfway through the journey. Lu Yanhe had no choice but to turn and go to a nearby teaching building. Unexpectedly, he ran into Mao Jiayang.
"Hey, Yan He, what a coincidence, you're here for class?"
"I just finished class and was walking on the road when it started raining, so I came in to take shelter," said Lu Yanhe.
Mao Jiayang nodded, walked over to Lu Yanhe, and suddenly lowered his voice to ask quietly, "How's the matter with the Trojan horse that was installed on your computer last time? Have you found the person who implanted the Trojan horse in your computer?"
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I found it, but I didn't even have time to use the trap you set for me because I was careless and someone else saw it."
Mao Jiayang's eyes widened in shock. "Huh? They weren't caught in that little trap I set for you?"
"Yeah." Lu Yanhe still expressed his gratitude. "But luckily you found out first. That person lied and didn't admit to installing a Trojan horse on my computer. He only said that he wanted to steal some data from my computer."
Mao Jiayang suddenly understood, nodded, and said, "Okay, as long as we catch the person."
He waved his hand and said, "I have classes later, so I'll go up first."
"Bye-Bye."
Lu Yanhe found a classroom without classes, sat down in it, and took out his laptop from his bag.
I originally wanted to write a review article for the sociology course first, but after creating a new document, I couldn’t concentrate.
The person who implanted the Trojan horse into his computer was Chen Mo, but he was completely unaware of what happened next and left it all to Chen Ziyan to follow up.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but wonder, who was instructing Chen Mo to do this?
Will He Zhong know?
He Zhong hadn't replied to his messages. Lu Yanhe didn't send any more messages. He didn't necessarily need to get anything out of He Zhong. He didn't think he could do something that even Chen Ziyan hadn't managed. It was just that the feeling of sitting and waiting for news made him feel uncomfortable, like he was "waiting to die."
The phone buzzed twice.
Miao Yue sent him a message, asking if he was free at noon.
Lu Yanhe replied: At school, what happened?
Miao Yue said: I am going to meet a producer and would like to ask you to accompany me. He wants to buy the film adaptation rights of one of my novels, but I have no relevant experience and I am afraid of being cheated.
Lu Yanhe immediately replied with a "good" word.
Miao Yue was both his classmate and the author of "Jump Up". It was reasonable for him to accept Miao Yue's request after she expressed it to him.
He added: But I don’t know much about this matter. Where is your editor?
Miao Yue said: I am not signed to any company, and my editor is not responsible for these matters.
Unlike writers like Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin who signed cooperation agreements directly with Jiangyin Publishing House, although Miao Yue has published two books, he only signed a book contract, not a personal contract.
At that time, Miao Yue only signed a physical publishing contract with the publishing house, and all other copyrights were in her own hands.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said: We have a senior student, Xu Mingyue, who is currently interning at Jiangyin Publishing House. She should know more about this area than we do. Why not invite her to join us?
Miao Yue: I don’t know her. Can you help me invite her?
Lu Yanhe: Let me ask.
Unexpectedly, Xu Mingyue agreed immediately.
Xu Mingyue said: Miao Yue hasn’t signed with a publishing company yet?
Lu Yanhe said yes.
Lu Yanhe guessed that Xu Mingyue might be thinking of signing Miao Yue to Jiangyin Publishing House.
However, Xu Mingyue is just an intern now, and she should not have such authority. She has to find Xu Xiaoyin to guide her.
The rain stopped around 11:30.
Lu Yanhe met them at the east gate of the school.
Miao Yue called an online taxi to take them to the restaurant.
"Senior sister, Yan He, I'm sorry to bother you today." Miao Yue said.
Xu Mingyue said, "Why bother? We're all classmates from the same academy, so of course I'll help if I can. But, Miaoyue, I heard your mother is a writer. Wouldn't she be able to help you with this?"
Miao Yue shook her head and said, "My mother has always been a writer of traditional literature. When it comes to physical publishing and literary criticism, she knows quite a few people, but when it comes to film and television adaptations, she knows even less than I do."
Xu Mingyue asked, "What's the name of the producer who asked you out? Which company is he from?"
"Liu Bige, from Longyan Film Company," Miao Yue said. "My novel has been published for three years, and he suddenly contacted me and asked if I still had the film and television rights."
"Being able to sell the copyright is a good thing," Xu Mingyue said. "It can boost sales of your book, increase your popularity, and also earn you some money from the adaptation."
Miao Yue nodded and said, "Yes, I wanted to sell it too, but no one ever came looking for it, and it really wasn't very popular. I only sold 15,000 copies in total."
"What's the name? What's the subject?"
"'Late Spring' is actually the story of a few high school freshmen who met at a summer cram school," Miao Yue said. "It doesn't have a dramatic plot, just some everyday stories, based entirely on the people I met at that cram school."
"Are you in a relationship?"
"No." Miao Yue said, "Who would dare to fall in love at that time?"
"That's not a popular adaptation topic right now," Xu Mingyue asked. "You should be able to find an introduction to this book online, right?"
Miao Yue nodded, "Yes."
Xu Mingyue immediately checked it online on her mobile phone.
At that time, the publisher introduced the book as "a fleeting summer and a group of confused teenagers."
???
Xu Mingyue was stunned when she saw this line of words.
Is there any publisher that would write such a perfunctory copy? It's a wonder a book like this could sell!
Looking at the publishing house again, it was not a serious publishing house, and Xu Mingyue had never heard of it.
Xu Mingyue almost asked Miao Yue directly why she wanted to publish a book with such a publishing house - luckily, the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to hold back and not say anything she shouldn't have said.
Because Xu Mingyue has not read the original novel, it is difficult to say what the prospects for the adaptation of this book will be.
But according to Miao Yue, this novel is not the kind with a strong plot and is generally not very popular for adaptation.
But today we are just chatting, we don’t have to make any decisions, so the pressure is not that great.
-
When they arrived, Liu Bige was already there. He was the one who booked the restaurant. When Lu Yanhe came in with Miao Yue, Liu Bige was obviously stunned when he saw Lu Yanhe.
Liu Bige didn't know that Lu Yanhe would come today, which was a bit unexpected.
Miao Yue explained as soon as she entered the room: "Producer Liu, I brought two of my classmates here. Is that okay?"
Asking this question only eased Liu Bigo's surprise and confusion.
Miao Yue didn't tell him in advance just to leave Liu Bigo no room for refusal.
Liu Bige smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay, please sit down."
He smiled and nodded, saying, "I remember now, you also study at Zhenhua, you are classmates."
He said this to Lu Yanhe.
"Hello." Lu Yanhe greeted politely.
Liu Bigo stood up and took the kettle to pour water for the three of them.
Several people were flattered and hurriedly said, "We'll do it ourselves," but Liu Bigo still insisted on pouring water for them before putting down the kettle.
"You're welcome."
At this time, the waiter knocked on the door and came in to serve the dishes.
Liu Bige said, "Let's eat and talk. A friend brought me to this restaurant. She's still in school, just like you guys. She always says that the food I eat isn't what you young people like."
"You are only... around thirty years old, right?" Miao Yue asked hesitantly.
Liu Bige looks to be about thirty years old and still has a youthful appearance. If it weren't for his mature aura, the shirt and trousers he wears, and his hairstyle is younger, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is a college student.
He nodded and said, "Thirty-two."
"I can't tell." Xu Mingyue said, "Isn't it said that the entertainment industry is a very tiring place? It seems that in your case, it's the opposite."
Liu Bige smiled and said, "That may be because I am relatively free, not busy enough, and not under enough pressure."
"How could that be?" Xu Mingyue didn't know how to respond.
But Liu Bige had already answered the phone himself, saying, "But I did just come back from overseas not long ago. I was in France before."
"Um?"
"I studied film in France and worked as an assistant there after graduation," Liu Bige said. "I returned to China last year and joined Longyan Film Group. I haven't done any serious work, but I've been looking for projects for a long time. Then my friend recommended your novel to me."
Miao Yue looked very embarrassed and said, "I wrote 'Late Spring' when I was a sophomore in high school. It's not very mature."
Liu Bige said, "It's very well written, I like it very much, so I contacted you and wanted to discuss the film adaptation."
Miao Yue nodded.
"Have you ever considered adapting it into a movie?" Liu Bige asked Miao Yue.
Miao Yue: "Of course I have thought about it, but no one has contacted me. The publisher of this novel also recommended it to some film and television companies, but because the main plot is not very clear and most of it is about daily life, no company wants to shoot it."
Liu Bige nodded and said, "It's definitely not a good story for a commercial film."
"Then..." Miao Yue looked puzzled.
Xu Mingyue knew Miao Yue was hesitant at this moment, perhaps because she was not comfortable asking some questions, or perhaps because she did not understand Liu Bige's intentions. During this period, Xu Mingyue had seen many people and many things with Xu Xiaoyin, and she considered herself the most experienced among them. So she picked up the topic and said, "Producer Liu, what kind of movie do you want to adapt this novel into?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Liu Bige said calmly, "but I definitely can't expect to make money from it being released in theaters."
"Since there is no hope of making money, why do you want to develop it into a movie?" Xu Mingyue asked with some confusion.
"I'm just saying it can't be expected to make money in theaters. From what I've seen, there's almost no room for this type of film to survive in domestic theaters right now," Liu Bige said. "It can only be made into a low-budget art film, and that's the only way. As for why I wanted to develop it into a movie, the reason has already been explained. I love the novel, and I happened to be looking for a project, so I chose it."
A low-budget art film?
Before the three of them came, they had never thought about it in this direction.
Liu Bige said, "We're just chatting today, so there's no need to rush into a decision. I'll also state the conditions I can offer: exclusive filming rights for five years, and a licensing fee of 150,000 yuan. That's the conditions I can offer. Of course, in the end, Longyan Pictures will sign the contract, and the exclusive filming rights will belong to Longyan."
Miao Yue showed a look of surprise.
"150,000 yuan?"
"This price is much lower than the market price." Xu Mingyue said directly.
"Indeed, I know IP is popular now, and the copyright prices are generally over a million. But as I said earlier, those are all commercial adaptations, which don't quite apply to the situation of 'Late Spring.'" Liu Bige said, "Miao Yue, if you are willing to grant me the license, I will find a screenwriter to adapt it into a script, find a director, and set up a filming team."
Miao Yue was a little hesitant and wavering.
Of course, there is no way to make a decision right now.
Lu Yanhe then asked, "Producer Liu, can I ask a question?"
"Excuse me."
"If you were to adapt Late Spring into a movie, what would be your goal for the film?" Lu Yanhe asked. "I know it's an art film, and it can't be made for the purpose of making money. If that were the goal, you certainly wouldn't be making an art film. But other than that, what are your expectations for this film?"
Liu Bige smiled and said, "Of course I hope it can win awards at top international film festivals, but such verbal expectations are meaningless. It all depends on how well it turns out. If it does well, I'll look for my former colleagues in France. Perhaps getting it accepted into an international film festival would be a good idea."
Liu Bige gave Lu Yanhe a very strange feeling.
His every move was graceful and polite, but his words seemed to reveal a sense of carelessness, as if it didn't matter if he didn't get Miao Yue's authorization in the end.
Perhaps for him, Late Spring was just one of many options: if he got the authorization, he would do it; if he didn't, he wouldn't do it.
Liu Bige suddenly looked at Lu Yanhe and asked, "Would you consider acting in an art film?"
"Art film? Are you referring to 'Late Spring'?" Lu Yanhe asked subconsciously.
"I'm not referring to this particular film, I'm just chatting," Liu Bige said. "I've seen your name online quite a lot lately. You're quite popular, but it seems like the barrier between popular actors and art films is quite thick these days. It's rare to see a popular actor in an art film."
Lu Yanhe pondered for a moment and said, "If it's a script I like, I will act in it."
"Aren't you worried that art films won't do well at the box office and will have a negative impact on you?" Liu Bige suddenly asked pointedly. He then explained, "Since returning to China, I've been involved in several projects, mostly art films, and I've noticed an interesting phenomenon: any director without a masterpiece will ultimately reject the script, even if the actors love it when they read it. When asked, there are of course all sorts of reasons, but they're all worried about the film's poor box office performance and being labeled a box office flop. Generally, only lesser-known actors are willing to take the role."
Lu Yanhe: "I haven't played a leading role yet, so I haven't considered these aspects. But for me, I'm not really that famous. It's all just empty talk. People paying attention to me doesn't necessarily mean they like me. I don't have that much of a burden."
Liu Bige nodded. "Many actors told me the same thing when they talked to me, but in the end, they still refused when making the decision."
His expression suddenly became a little dull.
"This is what confuses me the most. Why can't we just tell the truth?"
"They're not necessarily lying to you. It's just that the market is huge and there are many choices. When they tell you they're willing to act, they're telling the truth. When they make a decision, they may have other options, or they may not be able to make a decision themselves and the company and agent may not agree to take the role." Lu Yanhe said, "If you think I'm saying one thing and thinking another, if there's a script that suits me and you want to contact me, just send me the script. Then you'll know if I'm telling the truth."
Liu Bigo looked at Lu Yanhe with some surprise. This was an answer he had not expected.
-
After chatting with Liu Bige, on the way back, Xu Mingyue said with some concern, "Why do I feel that Liu Bige is a little unreliable? I've also dealt with many producers and other people in film and television companies. Although people are all different, none of them are as... seemingly so unfocused as him."
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he came back from France." Miao Yue chuckled.
"What do you think?" Xu Mingyue asked Miao Yue, "He offered 150,000 yuan, which is certainly not high, but for an art film, it's reasonable. You can't say he was deliberately low-balling."
Miao Yue said, "I need to go back and think about it seriously. Money... Anyway, if he doesn't buy it, no one else will, so I won't consider it anymore."
"So what are you mainly considering now?" Xu Mingyue asked.
"I want to find out what kind of person Liu Bige is," Miao Yue said. "I'm afraid he's a scammer or that there's some kind of trap. If he's not, this is an opportunity. I still want to adapt my book into a movie."
Xu Mingyue nodded and said, "I can also inquire for you through my connections at the publishing house."
She looked at Lu Yanhe who was sitting in the passenger seat. The latter turned his head to look out the window, as if he was thinking about something, in a daze.
"Yan He, what are you thinking about?" Xu Mingyue asked.
Lu Yanhe came back to his senses and said, "I was thinking about what he just said to me about art films."
"What if he really sent you the script?"
"Then just read the script." Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "But as you all know, I have a lot of classes to attend. Between acting and school, I will definitely prioritize school these next few years. My agent said that he would find more supporting roles for me in the future. I won't consider the leading role for now. I really can't spare so much time for filming."
"If we're just making a movie, it shouldn't take much time to shoot, right?" Xu Mingyue asked.
"Not really. At least it will take one or two months," said Lu Yanhe.
At this time, Liu Bige, who had just been added as a friend, suddenly sent him a message: Liu Bige, Longyan Film.
Lu Yanhe saved the notes.
At this time, Chen Ziyan sent a message: "The Golden Era" released stills today, you need to cooperate with the crew to post your stills on the social platform.
This is followed by a promotional still produced by the crew.
It was the moment Lu Yanhe walked in from the front door of the classroom. His facial features all showed the clear and comfortable temperament of a young man. The golden sunlight bloomed behind him, and his eyes were bright, like the morning sun, like the breeze, like the early morning when the snow melted in spring.
Next to the character is a row of vertical words: Lu Yanhe plays Yao Yu'an.
Lu Yanhe clicked on the big picture in surprise and exclaimed in his heart.
He replied: OK!
He asked again: Should it be sent now?
Chen Ziyan said: Let’s send it together at 8 o’clock in the evening. Please set the timer.
Lu Yanhe immediately went to set it up.
Chen Ziyan: The quality of the stills is very good.
Lu Yanhe: Nodding frantically.
Chen Ziyan: You look very different in the stills than you usually do. The director really nailed your details. Your eyes are amazing. (End of this chapter)
