351: Chapter 351 Reaching a Consensus

That one hour on the morning of the Lunar New Year really felt effective. With the new atmosphere of the Year of the Snake, Yanzi has been riding high lately.

Since the beginning of February, the first major event has naturally been the runaway box office success of "pegasus 2". Although the subsequent box office revenue sharing had nothing to do with him, this was, after all, the first film he had participated in for the Spring Festival Movie Season since his comeback. Coupled with the massive success of the New Year's slot film "a moment of romance", he had completely washed away the dark history of "hunting blue star".

In today's film industry, mention Lin Chuyan, and who wouldn't consider him a box office guarantee? Aside from being a bit pricey, he has no flaws. Besides, what kind of drawback is being pricey? Aren't other young idols just as expensive? Lin Chuyan has great Acting skills! He is a hot commodity, and countless directors have already set their sights on him.

Next came the final wave of buzz from the Spring Festival Gala—the ratings were out.

The ratings curve that night had three peaks: 10 PM for Ruan Xingyu's "as you wish", 11 PM for Lin Chuyan's "dragon fist", and midnight for "unforgettable tonight", followed immediately by Dong Peng's sketch.

In addition to the ratings, another poll had also released its results—the netizen-voted list of "My Favorite Spring Festival Gala Program".

Ranked first, to everyone's surprise, was... "as you wish".

Lin Chuyan's "dragon fist" only ranked second.

However, this was reasonable. To be honest, "dragon fist" ranking second was all thanks to Wawa's assist.

Following that, as expected, was Dong Peng's sketch. The seven programs after that included one crosstalk, one magic act, and the performance by the "0713 Re-employment Boy Band". The remaining four were Dance, two of which were from sub-venues.

Overall, this year's Spring Festival Gala received high praise from all walks of life, with approval ratings far higher than in previous years.

Whether it was having the Singers perform live, having Lin and Ruan lead "unforgettable tonight", or overcoming objections to finalize "dragon fist", everything afterwards proved Director Yu's sharp eye, decisive action, and correct decision-making... The effects and goals Director Yu wanted to achieve during rehearsals were basically all accomplished. This was a total win—he really hit the jackpot.

In a great mood, Director Yu immediately sent a WeChat message to Lin Chuyan: "Xiao Yan, let's do it again next year!"

Lin Chuyan was completely confused: "Director Yu, is it you again next year? Everything is decided so quickly?"

"Yes, it was decided in the last couple of days. It's still me."

Obviously. If it weren't, would he have come looking for him? Many people on the Spring Festival Gala list are decided half a year in advance. If he didn't act proactively, he was genuinely afraid that he wouldn't be able to book Lin Chuyan; after all, this kid was just too popular.

"Sorry, Director, I can't promise you such a big thing right away..."

This was the truth; after all, he was likely to be even busier this year than last.

"I understand, I understand. After all, the Spring Festival Gala just finished. I'm just letting you know; I'm saving a spot for you here regardless."

"Alright then."

Lin Chuyan understood: This wasn't a lie, but the premise was that he could continue to stay this popular and avoid any scandals.

Director Yu wasn't panicked. Many popular artists treated the Spring Festival Gala as a place to farm experience and honors, and after appearing once, they didn't want to go again. It was already a good sign that Lin Chuyan hadn't refused outright.

Anyway, there was still a year left, so what was there to fear? He could just come up with a plan when the time came. How simple! Didn't they do solo performances this time? Then he could arrange a duet; wouldn't these two be tempted? If they weren't, he could just add some new twists on top of the duet...

Director Yu wasn't one of those rigid, set-in-their-ways directors from the past, as his actions this time clearly showed. When the time came, he'd pull out a big move—would he really have to worry about Lin and Ruan not taking the bait?

After chatting with Director Yu, Lin Chuyan went back to his own business.

The third item on the agenda for the new year was the house that he and Ruan Xingyu were buying together.

Originally, the two couldn't make up their minds, discussing it back and forth, until one day they saw a news story about someone living in a luxury apartment worth hundreds of thousands per square meter, only to be driven to a desperate situation because of a fire downstairs. Only then did they finally reach a consensus...

Lin Chuyan was a "newly rich" person, so he didn't fully grasp the situation. But for Ruan Xingyu, her perspective was different. As she put it: "Sitting in a high-end apartment worth 200,000 per square meter, with an explosion and fire downstairs, being forced to jump from the upper floors—that feeling is just too desperate."

Lin Chuyan thought it made a lot of sense, so the two hit it off and decided to buy a detached house.

One in Beijing and one in Shanghai. The requirements were that the location had to be excellent, it had to be at least two stories, and the lot had to be large enough.

The price? The price didn't matter.

The latter two requirements were simple, but satisfying Lin Chuyan's requirement for a "good location" actually left a limited range of options. Now, they just had to see what was available for sale.

Ruan Xingyu had better connections in this regard, so he could just leave it to her to look into.

Besides house hunting, there was also a steady stream of good news from Wu Yue, who had specifically called him back to the studio to discuss it.

"Two things. Let's take them one by one. First, let's discuss your work schedule for this year."

Lin Chuyan interrupted him: "By the way, Brother Yue, Director Yu reached out to me again. He wants me to continue appearing on next year's Spring Festival Gala..."

"Did you refuse, or did you agree?"

"No, no. I wanted to discuss it with you first, so I just said I'd consider it."

"Hmm, no rush. If there's a suitable project, you can do it; if not, don't force it. Let's talk in six months. At worst, I'll clear your schedule for it." Wu Yue continued, "What are your thoughts for this year? I think you could hold at least two concerts."

"Two? Where?"

"One domestically, one abroad."

"Are there enough fans abroad? Is it feasible?"

"First, yes. Second, there will be people domestically who will snatch up tickets and fly abroad to watch."

Lin Chuyan shook his head: "That's not necessary... Couldn't I just hold a few more shows domestically?"

"You could, but no matter how many you hold, it wouldn't be enough." Wu Yue smiled. "I hope you can have some self-awareness regarding your current level of popularity. Instead of worrying about that, you should think about how to combat scalpers."

"Fine, let's do it. We can start preparing." This had been discussed since last year, and Lin Chuyan had talked about it privately with Ruan Xingyu. "The band members and stage production team for my girlfriend's tour are international-grade. She can help me get in touch with them; it shouldn't be a problem."

"Then let's not delay. You don't need to handle the negotiations yourself; just leave it to me. I estimate that by the time we finish talking, it'll be the second half of the year at the earliest. We still need to set aside time for rehearsals and coordination in the first half."

Lin Chuyan continued the topic of the concert: "Also, there should be a new album this year, but I need to wait until I've accumulated some more songs. In short, I need to clear out at least a month to record the album and shoot the MVs."

"Good. As for variety shows and the like, same as always, I'll turn them down for you. Since we've already successfully established this path, there's no need to 'downgrade' and take work away from others. Just focus on Acting!"

Lin Chuyan pondered for a moment: "In the first half of the year, I think we can slow down on pure commercial films."

Wu Yue nodded: "You used the word 'pure' well. We aren't rejecting commercial films entirely, but there's one condition: your roles must have depth and be able to showcase your Acting skills. Let's aim for some awards."

In this regard, the two quickly reached a consensus: while "a moment of romance" and "pegasus 2" were both very successful, it was a pity that, in all likelihood, neither would win Lin Chuyan any awards.

It was time for Lin Chuyan to be crowned with the title of Best Actor.