Chapter 157: The Empress Dowager Comes Calling

Gao Gao Yuanyuan, who entered with him, frowned slightly—she hadn't expected the tension to flare up right away.

The woman who removed her sunglasses wasn't stunningly beautiful.

But her striking bone structure gave her a sharp, androgynous charm, and her bright eyes added a touch of ethereal lightness—her looks, frankly, couldn't match Gao Gao Yuanyuan's.

Yet her aura completely overshadowed her.

She blurted out a line, lips pressed tight, staring at the man lounging boldly on the sofa.

Her first impression? Arrogant.

Handsome and arrogant.

After she entered, the guy remained seated on the sofa, utterly unmoved, calmly smoking a cigar.

Through his loose shirt opening,

you could see the powerful muscles of his chest.

The woman glanced once, quickly looked away, still maintaining a cold, detached expression.

"He's definitely arrogant."

The woman who entered with her also took off her aviators, her tone sharp as cracking ice: "No wonder you're the one who called me shameless—I didn't drive hours just to be ignored."

"Now I've seen it."

"Heh."

Li Luo flicked ash from his cigar, raised an eyebrow at the two women suddenly before him: "Why do I feel you two are even more arrogant, just for saying that one sentence?"

"I could throw you both out right now."

Their gazes clashed like lightning—the room's tension spiked further!

Wu Yu held her breath.

She couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

To encounter two pop divas here was shocking enough, but she never imagined her boss and they'd clash the moment they met—she sighed in admiration at Li Luo; today, anyone who showed up got roasted.

Gao Gao Yuanyuan inwardly groaned—being the mediator was truly hell.

"Listen, all of you."

She stepped forward from behind, helplessly spreading her arms: "Can you please not start fighting the moment you meet? Give me some face—each of you, just hold back a word or two."

In that brief moment, three more women entered the room.

Gao Gao Yuanyuan needed no introduction.

The other two were household names: the one with the delicate features was the fragile woman, the one who'd called herself shameless was the stubborn fish.

In the Chinese music scene, they were both women who, if they stomped their feet,

could shake the ground for miles.

Wang Fei stared steadily at Li Luo, then gave him a thumbs-up: "Didn't expect someone like you to exist—damn impressive."

"Since you don't want to play cards in Beijing, we came to you."

"Is that not sincere?"

"How about a few rounds?"

These two had been wildly popular since the 90s, always the media's obsession; their duet "A Date with 1998" on the Spring Festival Gala became a classic memory for many.

Driving hours from Beijing? That's serious respect.

"Fine."

Li Luo stood up, gesturing toward the mahjong machine: "Let's play a bit."

This situation clearly involved negotiations about today's incident—Wu Yu couldn't stay. She clenched her fist at Li Luo, silently mouthing "Go!" before quietly closing the door.

She moved beside the mahjong machine and shook hands with the two women she'd just met.

Everyone pulled out chairs and sat down.

Li Luo and Wang Fei faced each other, gong against gong, drum against drum.

Rules, stakes.

The other side explained them clearly and quickly.

Clearly an experienced player.

Singers earn big money, so they play big—bad luck could cost you ten or twenty thousand in one night.

The mahjong machine vibrated slightly; all four quickly drew their tiles. Gao Gao Yuanyuan neatly arranged the tiles, glanced left and right, then casually discarded a useless tile, her mind already turning to how to steer the conversation.

But she didn't need to worry about that.

"I'm curious about one thing."

Li Luo bit his cigar, staring at Wang Fei across from him: "Honestly, this has nothing to do with you—why are you stepping into this mess? Doesn't Li Li Erpeng even have the guts to come here himself?"

The mahjong was just a cover—the real purpose was to talk.

He might as well get straight to the point.

Gao Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help glancing at him—she hadn't expected this side of him.

Even now, he had to throw in another jab.

Clearly, he was truly enraged!

"I'm the class monitor."

Wang Fei looked at her tiles and said crisply: "When a classmate runs into trouble, stepping in to help isn't a big deal. I didn't let him come because I feared you'd start another fight."

"To be blunt, this is just a misunderstanding."

"I'm on good terms with Jiang Wen too—let's not have water flood the Dragon King's temple."

"Five dots."

"Kong."

Li Luo revealed three five-dot tiles, picked up the tile Wang Fei had discarded, and tossed it lightly: "Look me in the eye and tell me again—it's a misunderstanding."

His piercing gaze locked onto Wang Fei.

When a person's spirit is strong, their eyes become especially powerful.

They can create overwhelming pressure.

Wang Fei met Li Luo's gaze, lips twitching—but she couldn't bring herself to repeat the words.

"He was wrong," Wang Fei said, her expression odd as the game continued. "But your mouth wasn't kind either—you insulted Xiang Naying nonstop. Who's ever treated her like that?"

This was the first time she'd ever seen Xiang Naying so humiliated.

Right next to Li Luo's left-hand neighbor,

Xiang Naying clenched her tiles tightly, face cold, eyes clearly furious.

If Jiang Wen and Xu Qing hadn't stepped in, given her temper, she'd probably have been pointing at Li Luo's nose and screaming!

"Don't stare at me like that."

Even with the main party here, Li Luo wasn't fazed—he casually tossed a tile and spoke calmly: "If you're willing to sit and talk, I'll be direct—those who want to wade into murky waters

must be ready to get soaked in filth."

He looked at Xiang Naying and smiled faintly: "I think you understand this principle."

People who achieve fame young always carry an air of carefree confidence—Gao Gao Yuanyuan considered herself lucky, but in terms of early success, this guy outpaced even her closest friend.

At just twenty-one, he was already wildly famous.

His dramas were hot across the entire country.

A bit of temper? Not surprising.

She couldn't say anything, so she just soothed Xiang Naying with her eyes.

"Enough, both of you."

Shaking her head, Wang Fei drew a tile: "It's not a misunderstanding—but we're all friends, so let's let this blow over. Don't press your advantage!"

"Let's all have dinner sometime, clear the air."

"And you're welcome to join my Class 61—there are many industry friends there; we can even get together for gatherings."

"What do you say?"

She lifted her head, her bright eyes fixed on him.

Class 61.

What the hell was that?

But this woman—damn, she had real flavor.

Li Luo stared into those big eyes and thought of her movie "The King of Comedy" from last year—her look wasn't dazzling, but it was deeply alluring.

The way she sang Huangmei opera—utterly captivating.

"Li Luo?"

Under his unblinking stare, Wang Fei's eyelashes fluttered rapidly.

"Honestly."

Li Luo pulled his attention back, frowning at the uniquely charismatic singer: "I've always wondered—could you help me understand something?"

"Go ahead."

Wang Fei nodded.

"I just can't figure it out."

Slowly drawing on his cigar, Li Luo shuffled his tiles: "When you're in the right, the other side is wrong—you're the victim. Why should the injured party be the one to forgive?"

"Just because his face is bigger?"

"Self-draw"

While the women were lost in confused thoughts, he swept his fingers across the table, pushing all the tiles away: "Pure Suit."

Twelve bamboo tiles in hand—luck's really on your side.

"Makes sense."

Wang Fei steadied herself, then nodded slowly: "What's your demand?"

These words suited her nature—if she'd been in the same situation, she'd have made the same choice. But Li Li Erpeng was her friend; she couldn't just stand by.

The reason she came today.

Was because Jiang Wen had turned her down, saying it was useless to seek him out.

Fortunately, Gao Gao Yuanyuan from the Divine Doctor and Heroine cast was her good friend. Wang Fei was a loyal person; despite just returning to Jingcheng and feeling physically and mentally drained, she still chose to make this trip for Li Li Erpeng.

That thick-browed, big-eyed guy had always cared for her deeply.

She wouldn't pretend not to understand.

She was just hesitating inside.

Seeing Li Li Erpeng in trouble, she had to step forward and help.

"Yuan Yuan knows."

A new round of mahjong began. Li Luo bit his cigar and muttered: "I'm usually easygoing and reasonable, but I won't tolerate being cursed at for no reason."

"The demand is simple: publicly apologize to me personally."

"No vague wording."

"Stop playing coy. Act like a man."

"Don't be like today—betray your friend and then say nothing. Real guts!"

Hearing Li Luo lay it all out, everyone froze mid-motion.

At this moment,

he still couldn't resist teasing Li Li Erpeng.

Hearing this, Xiang Xiang Naying's face darkened. No matter right or wrong, he was still her friend. She cleared her throat: "It's not that we won't speak up—we just don't want the situation to escalate further."

"What good does this shouting do you?"

"It's satisfying."

Li Luo's tone was sharp and crisp.

"You!!!"

Xiang Naying, furious, glared with wide eyes.

This kid was really something!

One sentence left her speechless.

Wang Fei's brows knotted together. She'd come here to quietly bury the incident, but Li Luo's stance was so rigid—he wasn't giving an inch.

"Li Luo."

Gao Gao Yuanyuan hesitated, trying to reason with him.

"I think my demand is entirely reasonable," Li Luo waved her off, inhaling deeply on his cigar: "Of course, if you think you can easily crush me..."

"Fine by me."

"Just like he initially thought I was easy to manipulate," Li Luo exhaled thick smoke, coldly smirking: "Then let's keep going."

Seeing his firm attitude,

Xiang Naying fell silent.

If they could truly crush him, this whole mess wouldn't have happened!

Wang Fei searched his eyes for a hint of bluster, but saw only fierce confidence.

Not from external support.

Purely from inner strength.

She could feel it—even without Jiang Wen and his crew stepping in, this guy would still stand his ground.

Li Luo had every right to be confident.

In his view, Xu Qing and the others had indeed helped greatly.

But he wasn't weak either.

Forget The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber—The Heroes of Sui and Tang was another massive hit. For actors, the strongest backing is their work. As long as hit dramas keep coming, no one can easily suppress him.

If he could make money for the producers,

he had nothing to fear—people would keep coming to cast him.

Others saw him as part of the Jingcheng circle, but he didn't see it that way.

He could only say:

He had decent relations with some people in the Jingcheng circle.

Every single drama he'd done so far was earned through his own performance and hard work—that's why he spoke with such conviction.

That's also why Jiang Wen had stepped forward to support him without hesitation.

Only solid merit

earns genuine respect.

If he'd always just followed others' heels, even if they spoke up for him, they wouldn't have done so so decisively.

"I understand your meaning," Wang Fei sighed, pinching a tile and tapping it against the table: "If Li Erpeng is willing to come out and apologize, you'll drop the matter entirely, right?"

If this could end here, it would be the best outcome.

If not,

at least make sure they stop dragging him down.

News fades in a week—everyone forgets everything!

Losing a little face now is nothing compared to letting it drag on while others pile on stones.

Before coming, she'd clearly understood the situation.

Put plainly,

their side was in the wrong.

She had a poorer impression of that thick-browed, big-eyed guy—why provoke someone if you can't even control him? Now he had no confidence, stuck in a miserable position.

"Correct."

Li Luo smiled at Wang Fei, showing a hint of concession: "You all came all this way—I have to give you some face, right?"

Pushing further

might make him seem too aggressive.

So he'd step back a little.

As long as Li Li Erpeng publicly apologized, he'd win this round decisively.

This was already the ideal outcome—he couldn't destroy the man.

"Heh."

Wang Fei forced a half-smile, tossing her tiles down: "Didn't expect I still had some face with you—I thought you'd really throw us out!"

"I did have that thought."

Li Luo scratched his chin, dead serious: "Then tomorrow's headline would be 'Li Luo and Two Pop Queens Brawl in Room'—I'd be famous overnight."

"Wait."

He shook his head: "That'd turn into gossip—I'd be the one losing out!"

The three women stared at Li Luo, wide-eyed.

For a moment, they couldn't tell if he was joking or serious.

Only when he said the last line did Wang Fei and Xiang Naying clench their teeth in fury—what do you mean "losing out"?!

Gao Gao Yuanyuan knew his mouth was sharp, and couldn't help laughing.

That burst of laughter

instantly eased the tense atmosphere.

"Alright then."

Wang Fei, half-laughing, half-grumbling, tapped her tiles loudly: "No wonder you're so good at roasting people—you're a real joker. But I have to say, you're actually pretty easy to get along with."

"I don't get why Li Erpeng picked a fight with you."

"Sigh~"

Li Luo let out a heavy sigh, looking troubled: "It's because I'm good-looking. I've had this problem since childhood."

"I'm used to it!"

"Clack~"

Xiang Naying stared blankly at him, her tile slipping from her fingers.

It fell onto the mahjong table.

Then bounced and rolled into the pile.

"I win~"

Li Luo's eyes lit up—he immediately snatched the tile back.

"Hahaha!"

Gao Gao Yuanyuan and Wang Fei burst into full laughter.

Thank you, Old Brother Shiguang1979, for the 1000 coins! Appreciated!