Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 29: Minor Conflict

After filming wrapped, Liu Yu's life returned to normal.

It's said to be normal, but it's not really normal.

He no longer has to get up before dawn every day to rush to the film set, no longer has to argue with the cinematographer about whether to do another take for a shot, and no longer has to squat in front of the monitor to watch the playback over and over again.

December is really not a peaceful month.

Not long after the assault incident, the internet was abuzz with discussion. Posts were deleted one batch only to reappear another, like cutting leeks – one crop after another grew back.

Liu Yu sat in his office browsing the forum, watching the posts disappear and reappear, and found it a little funny; the people deleting posts were exhausted, and the people posting them were exhausted too, everyone had a hard time.

Before the controversy surrounding the assault had even died down, the Huang Jianxin incident broke out.

This immediately exposed the unspoken rules of the entire entertainment industry to the public.

Some people posted long articles, some posted screenshots, and some dug up old posts from several years ago and dredged them up again and again.

It turns out that behind the glamorous image of people on screen, there are so many disgusting things.

The forum exploded, with posts flooding in like an avalanche.

Some were angry, some sighed, some coldly said "making a fuss over nothing," and some said "the entertainment industry is really messy."

Some people compared the assault incident with the Huang Jianxin incident, saying, "One is hitting a woman, and the other is messing with a woman. There isn't a single good man in the entertainment industry."

Someone immediately retorted, "You're being too absolute; not everyone is like that." And then another argument broke out.

Liu Yu leaned back in his office chair, crossed his arms over his stomach, and stared at the ceiling.

He's been in this industry for so long, what hasn't he seen?

There are some things that everyone knows, but they're never discussed openly. It's not that they don't want to talk about them, it's just that talking about them wouldn't make a difference.

You say it today, and you'll be blacklisted tomorrow. The day after, someone new will take your place and continue doing the same thing. The circle remains the same; people come and go, but the rules never change.

Now that the lid has been lifted, the smell is naturally unpleasant.

.....

Liu Min called him, and Liu Yu answered.

"Xiaoyu, are you alright over there?" Liu Min spoke much faster than usual. "I saw on the news that something big happened in the entertainment industry. Assaults, unspoken rules, all sorts of shady stuff. Will you get involved over there?"

Liu Yu held his phone between his ear and shoulder, answering while flipping through the documents on the table.

"It's okay, those things have nothing to do with me."

"It has nothing to do with you, but it does to your colleagues." Liu Min was worried, her tone like she was lecturing a child who couldn't take care of himself. "Be careful, don't get implicated. In your circle, who knows who's connected to whom? You have a meal with this person today, and tomorrow someone will put you on camera and say you're an accomplice. You'll never be able to clear your name, no matter what."

"Don't worry." Liu Yu closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and said, "I don't do anything underhanded."

"That's good. How's your new movie going?"

"The editing is almost done."

"How long is 'soon'?"

"Around March or April."

"That will take several more months."

"That's how movies are; you can't rush them."

Liu Min sighed on the other end of the phone, as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

"Then take care of yourself, don't stay up late all the time; come back early for the New Year."

"understood."

In the end, the matter was dropped.

We're not living in an era where there's a crime of hooliganism anymore. Some things are beyond the reach of the law, and morality doesn't really apply to them. After the argument and the commotion, everyone goes back to what they were doing.

The online debate raged for over a week, but the hype gradually died down, and new topics emerged.

That's how the entertainment industry works. Today you're on the front page, tomorrow someone else is, and the day after that someone else takes turns. Nobody loses out.

......

One afternoon a week later, my phone vibrated.

He picked it up and glanced at it; it was a text message from Yan Danchen.

"Liu Yu, I've taken on a role in a drama called 'Lotus Lantern,' which is produced by CCTV."

Liu Yu stared at the text message for a few seconds. The Lotus Lantern? That's not it… The image of the drama he'd watched in his past life immediately flashed into his mind.

Chenxiang saving his mother, Erlang Shen, Xiaotianquan, and Chang'e floating in the sky.

He picked up his phone, paused his finger on the keys for a moment, and then started typing.

Who are you playing?

After sending it out, he put his phone on the table and continued watching the edit.

"Chang'e".

Liu Yu stared at the two words for several seconds, his lips twitching slightly, but it was impossible to tell whether it was a smile or some other expression.

He took a deep breath, then exhaled, picked up his phone, and dialed the number directly.

The phone rang three times before Yan Danchen answered.

"Feed?" Her voice had a slightly upturned tone at the end, indicating that she was in a good mood.

Liu Yu skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Are you sure? Chang'e doesn't have many scenes, right? You're going to play a supporting role?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "His role is a bit small, but it's a good one."

Yan Danchen lowered her voice, as if explaining or making excuses for herself, "Chang'e, she's a classic character. Audiences all know her and have feelings for her."

"There are plenty of classic characters out there." Liu Yu's tone wasn't harsh, but each word he spoke was increasingly cutting. "Are you missing this one?"

Yan Danchen didn't speak; only breathing could be heard on the other end of the phone.

Liu Yu leaned back in his chair, turned it around a little, and faced the window. The sky outside was hazy and gray; that's how Beijing in January looks, like it's covered with a dirty veil.

"The schedule is right, the production team is reliable, it's a CCTV production, and the broadcasting platform is good." Yan Danchen's voice came through the receiver, her speech a little faster than usual, as if she were speaking in one breath, afraid of being interrupted. "Moreover, the audience has an emotional connection to the character of Chang'e. I think it's great."

"You think it's good." Liu Yu repeated the sentence, his tone calm, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"You've played leading roles before, and now you're playing supporting roles? And with barely any screen time, just a few appearances and you're gone. Are you really willing to accept that?"

"It's not a matter of whether I'm willing or not," Yan Danchen's voice softened, carrying a hint of grievance. "When an opportunity comes, you have to seize it."

"This isn't an opportunity," Liu Yu bluntly stated. "It's a trap."

How do you know it's a trap?

"I'm asking you, who's the screenwriter? Who's the director? How much of the script did you read? How much of Chang'e's screen time is there? Is there any risk of it being cut? Have you asked all these questions?"

There was another silence on the other end of the phone.

Liu Yu heard Yan Danchen sigh softly. The sigh was very light, like a feather falling on cotton, but he heard it very clearly.

"I asked. But some things are hard to clarify just by asking. They said, 'Don't worry, the role is great,' what can I do? I can't exactly ask them to write a guarantee."

Liu Yu turned his chair around to face the desk.

"What was your agent thinking? Getting you this kind of role?"

"He..." Yan Danchen paused for a moment, "He thinks it's great. CCTV dramas have a good platform and high exposure. No matter how big or small the role is, being on CCTV is a win."

"That's what he told you?"

"almost."

Liu Yu didn't respond. He wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back.

I don't know if Dan Chen's agent genuinely thinks the drama is good, or if he's just too lazy to find a better script for her.

But he knew one thing: for an actor, going from leading role to supporting role is a downward spiral.

Going downhill is easy, going uphill is hard. If you play a supporting role today, tomorrow when someone asks you to act, they'll think, "She played a supporting role last time, so let's give her a supporting role this time too."

Gradually, the protagonist's position will drift further and further away from you.

He didn't say it aloud; those words were too harsh to say over the phone.

Liu Yu opened his mouth, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again.

"Fine. You decide what to do."

The tone of the sentence wasn't harsh, but those familiar with him know that when he says "It's up to you," it basically means "I disagree, but I'm too lazy to argue with you."

Yan Danchen noticed that there was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before her voice came back up, much softer than before, as if she was afraid of disturbing others.

"Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry."

"You sound angry."

"That's how I talk."

"No, that's not it," Yan Danchen said softly. "You don't usually talk like this."

Liu Yuyu didn't reply. She picked up the thermos on the table and took a sip of water. The water was already cold and a little bitter.

Yan Danchen added, "After I finish filming this one, I'll take on a good one. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Liu Yu put down the thermos and tightened the lid. "You can make your own decisions. I'm not your manager."

He himself felt that what he said was a bit excessive. But he didn't take it back, nor did he add anything.

Yan Danchen was silent for several seconds on the other end of the phone. "Then I won't talk to you anymore."

Her voice was still soft, but there was something more to it than before, like a soft, muffled tone, "You go ahead and do your work."

"Um."

.......

Before the Spring Festival, the basic editing of "Speed ​​Scandal" was finally completed.

After the first playback, the end credits started rolling, and the editing room was so quiet you could hear the hard drive spinning.

"Director Liu, how is it?" Editor Lin turned to look at him, her tone a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Liu Yu didn't answer immediately. He crossed his hands on his stomach and stared at the black screen for a few seconds.

Which theme song was used?

"The song 'The Girl with Wings,' by Da Zui. We've already finalized the copyright."

Liu Yu smiled and nodded. "Okay. This is it."

"What about the other background music?"

"Let's do it the way we agreed last time. The opening section will be upbeat, the middle section where she goes to find her father will be piano, and the ending..." Liu Yu paused for a moment, "...will be strings. Nothing sentimental, just a subtle one."

Editor Lin made a few notes in his notebook, the pencil tip was sharpened to a fine point, and the words he wrote were delicate.

Liu Yu stood up and picked up his coat, which was draped over the back of the chair.

"Alright, that's enough for now. We'll fine-tune it after the New Year."

It was already dark when Liu Yu walked out of the editing room.

The lights in the corridor were voice-activated. He stomped his foot, and the lights came on, casting a pale white light on the gray walls.

He draped his coat over his arm, took out his phone and glanced at it. There was a message from Yan Danchen, sent two hours ago.

"Take care of yourself, I've joined the film crew in Hengdian."

He stood in the hallway, his finger hovering over the screen for a few seconds before typing: "Take care of yourself."