Become Famous Another Day

Ning Xiulian should be 43 years old this year.

The man who appeared next to her looked to be in his early 30s, sunny and handsome, like a fitness instructor.

This is the feeling he gives people.

This kind of age difference can't help but make people think too much.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan looked at each other.

Chen Ziyan whispered: "Fortunately, when you greeted her just now, she was the only one."

Lu Yanhe whispered: "I was still thinking at the time, why was she alone? Didn't she bring an entourage?"

"Her entourage should all be outside. The production company of "Happy Days" would not be so generous as to buy first-class cabins for her entire team."

For actors to participate in film festivals, it's not just a matter of going.

It's not that simple.

The round trip expenses and local accommodation, food and drink are not cheap.

Of course, some people are more generous and bear the responsibility of their own team. For example, Lu Yanhe's trip. He also knew that "Path of Glory" was originally a small theatrical crew and the budget was tight.

And some actors, because they are not well-known and have little money themselves, can only rely on the crew to pay these expenses.

In China, if you have the opportunity to participate in a film festival, you won’t be short of funds.

But abroad, even an actor from a small country who has won a Best Actor title cannot return to his place of glory after a few years. He has to raise money to pay for his travel expenses.

"So close, they should be lovers." Chen Ziyan whispered to Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan: "This news has not been exposed, otherwise it would definitely arouse heated discussions."

The two people were talking quietly when suddenly, Ning Xiulian and the man next to her stood up and came towards them.

"Let me introduce you to Gu Zhao, my boyfriend." Ning Xiulian generously introduced to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan, "He is also an actor."

"Hello." Lu Yanhe shook hands with the man named Gu Zhao.

Gu Zhao seemed a little excited, and his eyes shone like he was seeing an idol.

This made Lu Yanhe a little surprised.

He hesitated a little. Could it be that Gu Zhao's look was because he saw himself?

Lu Yanhe couldn't be sure about this, so he looked at Chen Ziyan for help.

Chen Ziyan asked: "Sister Xiulian, did Gu Zhao also participate in "Happy Time"?"

Ning Xiulian nodded and said, "He plays a role in it. You can see it when it premieres."

Gu Zhao took out his mobile phone and asked: "Yan He, can I add you as a friend? I like your drama very much and I am your fan."

Lu Yanhe nodded flattered and said yes.

The two people added each other as friends.

Ning Xiulian said to Lu Yanhe: "Yan He, if there are any film and television drama projects that you usually work on that are suitable for him, please introduce them to him. He is a very good actor."

Lu Yanhe naturally said yes without hesitation - Lu Yanhe was already familiar with this kind of scene.

What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that the four of them were seated side by side, next to each other, with an aisle in the middle. Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan happened to be together, and Gu Zhao and Ning Xiulian were together.

Long haul flight.

Lu Yanhe prepared a book and a U-shaped pillow for himself.

Chen Ziyan holds a tablet in her hand.

She said she had a dozen scripts and plans to read.

Lu Yanhe felt dizzy when he heard this.

But this is Chen Ziyan’s basic work. She now has three artists, Lu Yanhe, Wen Minglan and Tu Song. Each of their work, no matter how big or small, must be reviewed by her, and she can only sign the contract with her nod.

After reading for a while, Lu Yanhe felt sleepy and prepared to flatten the chair and sleep.

Turning his head, he suddenly saw Gu Zhao unscrewing his water glass, taking a sip, and then bringing it to Ning Xiulian's mouth.

Ning Xiulian didn't even take the water glass into her hands, she just took a sip.

A little water leaked out.

Gu Zhao immediately wiped it off with his own hands.

The posture between the two of them is really intimate.

Lu Yanhe withdrew his gaze, suppressed his surprise, and thought, respect.

-

In fact, in the entertainment industry, there are quite a few couples with big age differences.

At a certain level, it is never uncommon for men to seek women, women to seek men, or even more chaotic situations.

It's just that these things are usually kept within a small area and will not spread.

Occasionally, if one or two things appear, it will cause an uproar.

Emotional relationships are the eternal gossip core of the human group.

-

The second time they came to Venice, because they were not in a hurry, they did not go to Lido Island as soon as they got off the plane, but instead walked around Venice together first.

There are many small shops here with many interesting things.

Lu Yanhe took a fancy to a pair of masks and planned to buy them back for Chen Siqi.

Lu Yanhe stayed at the Hotel Excelsior Venice, the official designated hotel of the Venice International Film Festival, and the Excelsior Venice Hotel.

Lu Yanhe lived in an exquisite suite, Chen Ziyan had a separate room, and Zou Dong and Wang Biao shared a room.

Lu Yanhe paid for the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the three of them by his own team and did not ask the "Road to Glory" crew for reimbursement.

Ning Xiulian and the others also stayed in this hotel.

Because of the film festival, the streets of Lido Island are now full of people. The crowds are so crowded that the usual calmness has been wiped away.

After Lu Yanhe and the others checked into the hotel, it was rare that they didn't have a busy schedule. They could walk around the island seriously before the opening of the film festival, mingle with the crowd, eat, drink, and try various snacks.

Although he is occasionally recognized by some movie fans, most of the time, Lu Yanhe can still walk in the crowd with everyone like an ordinary person.

"I think it would be great if we should have such a film festival in China sometime." Lu Yanhe said to Chen Ziyan, "Although the four major international film festivals have their own characteristics and are different, the atmosphere at the scene is very good. Everyone They are all discussing movies. Sometimes, I feel that international film festivals are not 100% fair, there are tendencies and biases, and there are many games and business rules, which are not as pure as I imagined. Every time I come to a film festival, I still put these things aside. No matter what, there is a place where so many people from all over the world gather at one time, just for a common thing like movies. , this atmosphere is very touching.”

Chen Ziyan nodded and said: "It's not that we don't have film festivals in our country, but the cultural heritage and influence are indeed not as good as those abroad. People have had traditions for hundreds of years. We have just started and have not yet established a network of relationships. Film festivals are very important. You need personal connections. You can see that some people at major film festivals are willing to communicate and contact you because you represent Chinese films—at least in their eyes, you are such a representative. They hope you can be. Their direct descendants can come often. When we hold a film festival, domestic stars can of course be star-studded. But if you want to do an international film festival, you can't just do it yourself. You have to invite some foreign stars. Filmmakers, right? But you relied on some connections to invite us here. What about the next one? People regard our film festival as just a show-off event. It’s not even as good as the ones in South Korea. At least it is very stable. It is held every year without fail and we try our best to keep doing it. We spend three days fishing and two days drying the net. The holding time is not fixed, the organizer is not fixed, and the organizer is not fixed. . There is a film festival where an artistic director has been working for decades, how can we have such a person.”

Lu Yanhe couldn't help but sigh after hearing this.

"Indeed, we have been changing generations too fast. Film festivals are a network of relationships, and the departure of a generation of leaders is a reshuffle." Lu Yanhe strongly agrees with what Chen Ziyan said.

In the domestic film industry, why do the Directors Guild or some related organizations, which clearly have no authority and rich resources, still exist in a special way and have a unique status and role in this industry? In fact, it has a meaning similar to this. Outside of the brokerage company, there is an organization within the industry that knits everyone together and prevents them from being like a piece of loose sand. When holding some industry events, they can use their power to bring together the power of the entire industry.

People themselves are a kind of resource, and the network of relationships is even more so.

The status of each film festival's artistic director in the industry often corresponds to the festival's status in the world of film.

At night on Lido Island, there is an occasional cool breeze.

Lu Yanhe could see many filming teams on the road.

It should be celebrities and entertainers from various countries, posing in various poses in the night scene.

Chen Ziyan saw it and said, "I didn't arrange any such work for you this time."

In the first year or two when Lu Yanhe debuted, he had a lot of work similar to filming, which was to increase exposure.

In the newcomer stage and the rising stage, continue to increase your popularity as quickly as possible.

Now that Lu Yanhe is not short of fame and popularity, he himself does not like this kind of shooting work very much, so Chen Ziyan accepts less of it for him.

Lu Yanhe smiled and said thank you to Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan: "I'm thinking about whether I should try to get an international production for you."

"Ah?" Lu Yanhe was stunned.

"Although the domestic film and television environment has improved now, and you can become a **** even if you don't get gold-plated overseas, but how can you say that if you go overseas for a while, your style will still be different." Chen Ziyan said, "After all, you are here The country has reached a point where it is impossible to get high and you can only slowly gain qualifications. It is better to go outside and expand your territory. Your foundation is here. "Six People" and "Seventeen Floors" are broadcast well on Maxine. In the past two years, you have become quite famous in international film festivals. At this time, you still have the capital to fight for roles overseas. Furthermore, if you play supporting roles in overseas film and television dramas, people will not be too disgusted with you, after all. You are young and have played so many supporting roles in China. But when you have grown up to the level of Shang Yongzhou in China, and you play supporting roles in overseas film and television dramas, with the current domestic public opinion direction, some people may directly say that you are arrogant. Self-deprecating."

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath, thought for a while, and said, "If there is a suitable role, I can play it."

"Well, of course, you still have to keep your character. Basically, I won't accept dramas for you." Chen Ziyan said, "You can refer to the route we planned for you at the beginning and work hard to appear in the films of various major directors. , the number of roles is not important, the main thing is to show your face and your personality. "

Lu Yanhe thought for a while and nodded, "Okay."

Although Lu Yanhe has a lot of idealism, one good thing is that he is not naughty and does not suffer from the youthful disease at critical moments.

If Lu Yanhe said at this time that he didn't want to be so utilitarian in acting, then Chen Ziyan would be really speechless.

In the actor's profession, if you want to reach the top position, utilitarian operations are absolutely indispensable.

-

On the day of the opening ceremony, Lu Yanhe walked on the red carpet wearing a brand endorsement and successfully completed his task as a tool man.

Directors Fu Kai and Shang Yongzhou have not arrived yet.

"Paths of Glory" is scheduled to be screened in a week. Shang Yongzhou came four days later, and Fu Kai came even later.

Lu Yanhe walked the red carpet alone and went to the Cinema Palace to watch the opening film.

When he came out of the movie palace, he learned from Chen Ziyan that the domestic Internet was going crazy.

Lu Yanhe asked what happened.

Chen Ziyan said: "Ning Xiulian and Gu Zhao walked on the red carpet with "Happy Time" together. The two of them held hands on the red carpet and kissed in front of the camera, directly making their relationship public."

Only then did Lu Yanhe react.

"Are you so awesome?"

Chen Ziyan nodded, "You should also know how controversial the age difference between the two of them will be in China."

Lu Yanhe: "Actually, I might be scolded for saying this. Although I have always said that love transcends age, but with such a big age difference, I feel a bit...unacceptable."

"It's human nature." Chen Ziyan nodded understandingly, "But you must not let this slip in front of the media."

"Yeah." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Lu Yanhe returned to the hotel and changed out of his formal clothes into something more casual. He was going to meet Director Yu Qin with Chen Ziyan.

As the only Chinese-language film director selected for the main competition section of this year's Venice International Film Festival, Yu Qin's schedule will be very busy later on. Therefore, as the film festival has just opened, Chen Ziyan took Lu Yanhe to meet Yu Qin first.

Yu Qin, like Wang Zhong before he won the Xituer award, is a "big director in the industry", but he is not well-known in a broad sense.

Moreover, her reputation is lower than Wang Zhong's. It's really because her output is too low.

The last time a person came out was several years ago. In an industry that changes so quickly, it is indeed difficult to be remembered all the time.

This meeting with Yu Qin was purely a meeting.

There is no cooperation to talk about.

However, when Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan came to where Yu Qin and the others were, they happened to bump into Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian arguing.

"You suddenly made this happen, and everyone's attention is focused on the two of you. This movie will be ruined by your news!" Yu Qin scolded Ning Xiulian angrily.

Ning Xiulian sat on the chair calmly and said, "Director Yu, the matter is not as serious as you said. Why bother to go online?"

"I'm going online? You and Gu Zhao held hands and kissed on the red carpet. Why didn't you tell us in advance? Now the domestic Internet is full of news about you and Gu Zhao, and everyone is talking about you. Do you know that this will happen? Bringing great public pressure to the movie?”

Ning Xiulian raised her eyes and looked at Yu Qin and said, "Then the crew shouldn't thank me? A movie that not many people paid attention to is now known to so many people."

Yu Qin: "I would rather not have it known to so many people in this way."

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan looked at each other at the door.

It seems they came at the wrong time.

The staff who received them looked embarrassed and smiled awkwardly at them.

Taking advantage of the temporary cessation of the quarrel between the two, the staff immediately said: "Director, Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan are here."

Yu Qin and Ning Xiulian looked at the door at the same time.

The expressions on each of their faces were somewhat complicated. Ning Xiulian took the lead to adjust her expression, walked towards the door, nodded to them as a greeting, walked past them and left.

Before Yu Qin could put away her anger, a forced smile appeared on her face.

"Zi Yan, Yan He, please come in." Yu Qin took two steps forward to welcome them, and then sighed, "I'm so sorry that I made you watch a joke."

Chen Ziyan did not answer the question, smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. I am very happy to see you come back with your work and compete at the Venice International Film Festival."

Yu Qin sighed, "I have indeed been away for too long."

"It doesn't matter, we are all waiting for you." Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "Even if you have been away for so long, as long as you come back to film, who won't pay attention. It's just that the director of your film was too mysterious, and it was astonishingly risky. Before it came out, no one had heard of it.”

Yu Qin smiled and waved her hand and said: "When I started filming, I didn't know if I could finish it. Maybe I wouldn't be able to finish it in the middle of the filming. Therefore, it was kept secret from the beginning. Everyone on the crew signed a confidentiality agreement. , it is not allowed to be spoken to the outside world.”

"All the crew's confidentiality work must be learned from your crew. This confidentiality work is done very well." Chen Ziyan smiled.

She turned the topic to Lu Yanhe.

"Yan He became a director for the first time last month, and he wanted to keep it a secret, but before filming started, many paparazzi caught wind of it and came swarming over." Chen Ziyan smiled and shook her head.

Yu Qin glanced at Lu Yanhe in surprise.

"Hey, you started directing at such a young age?"

Yu Qin doesn’t know yet.

Chen Ziyan said: "Because we funded it ourselves, we are giving it a try."

Yu Qin was surprised, "Did you finance the production yourself?"

"Yes." Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "It's the same reason as you just said. Because it was his first time as a director, Yan He was nervous and worried that he would screw up, so he just did it himself. If he screwed up, he wouldn't cheat others. This way I’m much less stressed.”

Yu Qin asked: "How much did you spend on this movie?"

"There are still winter parts that haven't been filmed. It's estimated that the total production cost will be around 20 million," said Chen Ziyan.

Yu Qin gave a thumbs up and said, "Then this is a big production. I spent 800,000 yuan to shoot "Happy Days."

"You paid for it out of your own pocket?" Chen Ziyan was surprised.

Yu Qin nodded, "Generally not many people are willing to invest in my movies."

Lu Yanhe was surprised.

He couldn't even imagine making a movie with 800,000 yuan.

Yu Qin seemed to see Lu Yanhe's doubts. She smiled and said: "I am the director, cinematographer, script and editor of this movie. Directors like us who are used to being poor can only learn eighteen kinds of martial arts by ourselves. In this way You can ask for less people.”

Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a little ashamed.

"Learn from you," he said.

Yu Qin shook her head, "Don't learn from me. I have no choice but to think of a way. The smaller the budget, the better when making a movie, so there will never be a movie director with a small budget. Who doesn’t want their movies to be of higher quality?”

Lu Yanhe nodded thoughtfully.

that's the truth.

Yu Qin laughed again, "Maybe I will ask you to invest in my next film. Don't turn me away then."

Chen Ziyan smiled and said: "How could it be?"

Yu Qin: "Then I'll take it seriously."

"You are serious." Chen Ziyan nodded, "I may not be able to get much, but supporting you is a matter of course for me. There are only a handful of directors in China who insist on making art films like you. In fact, you can apply. Directors Guild Support Fund.”

"Come on, I can't bear to rob young people's things." Yu Qin said, "If I really need some money, it's not that I can't find it, but I'm just too lazy to beg for help. If it really comes down to it, I have to ask for help." When looking for money, I can’t bear to lose my face.”

Lu Yanhe heard the helplessness and open-mindedness of an old director from Yu Qin's words.

In fact, the movies directed by Yu Qin are indeed not popular.

None of the films she has directed in the past have grossed more than one million dollars in theaters. It is impossible to recover the cost by relying on the box office of the theaters.

Generally, you have to rely on other channels to slowly gain some income.

Yu Qin asked Lu Yanhe about his future shooting plans.

Lu Yanhe said briefly.

Yu Qin immediately frowned.

"Why isn't it a sequel to a TV series, or a commercial movie?" Yu Qin looked at Chen Ziyan, "Why do you want to give Yan He these sterile scenes?"

Chen Ziyan and Lu Yanhe were startled at the same time.

Yu Qin waved her hand and said, "I'm a person worth talking about. Don't mind. If Yan He was just a third-rate actor, I wouldn't say such offending words. What room for Yan He to develop in these plays? ?"

Chen Ziyan explained with a smile: "When we accept a film, we will consider all aspects. There are reasons for taking these two films."

Yu Qin: "Okay, this is your consideration. However, is Yan He interested in starring in my future films? Now basically no stars are willing to star in small-budget films like ours."

"Director Yu, you are serious. A frequent visitor to international film festivals like you, there are many stars who are willing to come even if they are not paid." Chen Ziyan said, "Yan He's standard for acting does not depend on the cost. He only reads the script. , look at the role.”

Yu Qin curled her lips and said, "Then for him to accept a film like "Fire" shows that his vision for scripts and characters is not very good."

Lu Yanhe was sprayed until he couldn't laugh or cry.

-

After leaving Yu Qin's place, Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe: "Don't take it to heart what Yu Qin said just now. This is his style. Moreover, she has always looked down on commercial and genre films. She has said this on many occasions. These movies are trash and stuff like that.”

It’s not that such a director is a bigot. Not every director who pursues film art can objectively face the existence of other types of films. In the field of creation, literature is not the first, and it is normal to look down on each other. It is nothing more than a difference between admitting and not admitting.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I didn't take it seriously."

Chen Ziyan asked: "If Yu Qin really asks you to act in a play later, will you go?"

Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Ziyan with a smile and asked, "Didn't you already answer it for me?"

Chen Ziyan: "What I said was just for the occasion. I'm very curious, what would you choose?"

Lu Yanhe said: "Actually, as you said, I read the script and the characters to see if they impress me."

"But you have also seen that Yu Qin's temper is not very good." Chen Ziyan said, "On the set, she will directly curse people, very fierce."

Lu Yanhe said: "Yeah."

"Even so, are you willing to cooperate with her?"

"That depends on how much I want to act in the script she gave me." Lu Yanhe said with a smile.

Chen Ziyan gave Lu Yanhe a thumbs up.

After meeting Yu Qin, they had no other plans for today.

Chen Ziyan asked Lu Yanhe if there was anywhere he wanted to go.

Lu Yanhe said: "I saw someone recommending a place that screens films that have been submitted to the Venice Film Festival in the past few years. I want to go and see it."

Chen Ziyan said: "This is not my thing, so I won't go. You can take Zou Dong or Wang Biao with you, and I will go back to the hotel."

"You're not going back to work again, are you?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise.

Chen Ziyan: "Anyway, being idle is idle."

When it comes to workaholics, Lu Yanhe feels that Chen Ziyan is much better than him.

Lu Yanhe said: "We have already come to Venice, why are we still thinking about work so much? Let's go watch a movie."

Chen Ziyan said: "To be honest, I don't really like many such art films. There are many award-winning films. I know why it won the award and I also know why it is good, but I just can't watch it."

When Lu Yanhe heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry.

"For people like you who can really watch it and really like it, it means that you really deserve this bowl of rice." Chen Ziyan said, "Every time I see these movies, I only have one thought in my mind. If I bring If an actor comes to act, how well can he perform and what kind of awards can he try for?"

Lu Yanhe could only nod, "Okay, okay, then I won't advise you anymore. You can go back to work."

-

Lu Yanhe asked Wang Biao and Zou Donggan if they were interested. If they were not interested, there was no need to accompany him.

Zou Dong said directly: "Let me go and see it with you. Wang Biao can go shopping by himself."

Wang Biao immediately puffed up his chest with an expression of "Who are you looking down on?" and said, "Brother Lu, I'm going too. I want to be influenced by art. I can't watch these movies by myself." , but sitting in a movie theater, the environment is different. When I was taking a break, I went to the theater next to my home to watch a literary film called "Under the Ice."

Lu Yanhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "If you don't like watching it, you don't have to force yourself like this."

"As your assistant, how can I have no aesthetic appreciation for movies? It's embarrassing to tell anyone." Wang Biao was very conscious of being Lu Yanhe's assistant, "Really, after I watched "Under the Ice" that time, I went home I even made a special note later.”

Zou Dong and Wang Biao both went, and Lu Yanhe followed the navigation on his mobile phone and found the film museum where the screening was taking place.

There were quite a few people queuing up at the door to buy tickets.

"So many people?" Wang Biao looked at the long queue in front of him in surprise.

Lu Yanhe said: "It's okay, let's wait in line for a while."

There are quite a few Asians here.

Lu Yanhe had just queued in the queue for a while when someone recognized Lu Yanhe and came over to say hello to Lu Yanhe in surprise.

"Are you Lu Yanhe?" The person who recognized him for the first time should be a foreigner. Although he spoke Chinese, his pronunciation of Chinese sounded very "foreign" and poor.

"Hello." Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded.

"Wow, it's really you!" The other party was a little excited and took out his mobile phone, "Can I take a photo with you?"

"Of course." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Usually when everyone wants to take a group photo, Lu Yanhe is often in a hurry. Today, he is lining up here anyway, so Lu Yanhe agrees to everyone who comes.

This surprised many foreigners who didn't know who he was and curiously asked others who he was.

Yan He and the others bought a package ticket for two consecutive viewings. As for what movies will be shown, we don’t know, and we won’t notify them in advance, just like opening a blind box. This was Lu Yanhe's first experience with this blind box-like viewing experience.

After entering the screening room, by coincidence, Lu Yanhe met Ning Xiulian and Gu Zhao, who also came to watch the movie.

"What a coincidence." Ning Xiulian looked at him with some surprise, "I didn't expect to meet him here."

Lu Yanhe didn't expect such a coincidence.

"Teacher Ning."

"Don't call me teacher from now on. I'm not a teacher either." Ning Xiulian waved her hand, "You and Chen Ziyan just went to see Director Yu. What did she say to you?"

"We just had a casual chat," Lu Yanhe said.

Ning Xiulian asked: "She didn't complain about me to you?"

"No." Lu Yanhe shook his head, "It was mainly because he complained about the scenes I would take on later."

Ning Xiulian curled her lips, "That's how she is. She never cares what others think when she speaks. She just says what she thinks."

Lu Yanhe didn't know how to answer this.

Gu Zhao put his arm around Ning Xiulian's shoulders and said, "It is indeed our fault that we did not greet her in advance."

"It's about the two of us, why do we have to say hello to her in advance?" Ning Xiulian said confidently, "No matter how much discussion there is, it's not about her. She has brought so much attention to the movie. I can't figure out what she has." Very angry."

Lu Yanhe silently kept his mouth shut and did not speak.

There was only one voice in my mind that kept shouting: Don't tell me, don't tell me, I don't want to hear it.

Ning Xiulian told Lu Yanhe: "If you can, don't cooperate with Yu Qin in the future. She is too paranoid. I really regret filming her movie."

Lu Yanhe smiled awkwardly.

What was even more embarrassing was that Ning Xiulian and Gu Zhao were sitting diagonally in front of him.

Not long after the movie started, Ning Xiulian and Gu Zhao suddenly started kissing in the dark theater.

Others may not see it clearly, but this scene happened in front of Lu Yanhe, and the outline of his kissing posture was too clear.

It was so clear that even Lu Yanhe couldn't ignore it.

Lu Yanhe had a deep intuition. Although he had just met the two women from "Happy Time", these two women were probably not economical. (End of chapter)