Chapter 120: Qin and Dong: What If the Gun Goes Off and the Fake Becomes Real?

Tuanjie Lake

Wang Ou opened the apartment she shared with others; a roommate in pajamas was in the living room and, seeing Yan Li enter behind her, immediately complained.

“You bring someone home and don’t even give us a heads-up?”

Another roommate, eating instant noodles, came over at the sound and glanced at Yan Li, his eyes brightening slightly.

“Not bad, Xiao Ou—where’d you hook up with this guy?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Wang Ou opened her mouth to explain, but Yan Li cut in: “Hello, I’m Yan. A friend of Wang Ou’s.”

“Oh, a friend.”

The roommate gave the two a meaningful look: “I’m Lisa, Wang Ou’s roommate.”

She pointed to the one in pajamas: “She’s Liu Qian—you can call her Qianqian.”

Yan Li exchanged polite pleasantries; Lisa was average-looking, barely meeting the standard of plain prettiness, while Liu Qian was slightly better, but too flat and too thin—he had no interest at all.

He’d originally assumed that with a beauty like Wang Ou as a roommate, the others would be attractive too; seeing them in person, he was somewhat disappointed.

But he could understand—he’d once shared an apartment with Lin Jiachuan and Zhang Songwen, and the three of them weren’t exactly in the same league.

Wang Ou didn’t want Yan Li to chat long with her roommates; she quickly pulled him into her bedroom.

The bedroom was small, barely enough space for a bed, a cabinet, and a little open floor.

Fortunately, it was a double bed; though small, it meant Yan Li wouldn’t have to leave after class late at night.

The room was slightly messy but not dirty; Yan Li hooked his pinky under a black… strip of fabric and stared at Wang Ou strangely.

She’s a model, all right—daring to wear this!

Wang Ou blushed and didn’t dare snatch it back, afraid Yan Li would overthink it, so she explained indirectly: “I bought this just the other day.”

So she bought it for him!

Yan Li’s eyes lit up, then he gave Wang Ou a slightly annoyed look—you bought it, so why not wear it? Otherwise, you just wasted your money.

Wang Ou felt slighted—it wasn’t the right moment yet; she’d planned to save it as a secret weapon.

“Wear this to class today.”

Yan Li’s tone left no room for argument—he was a thrifty, sensible kid.

Buying clothes and not wearing them? Wang Ou’s wasteful habit had to be corrected.

Wang Ou felt embarrassed, but under Yan Li’s urging, she changed into it, then obediently listened to his lecture.

“By the way.”

Yan Li remembered something: “Is your bedroom soundproof?”

Wang Ou looked up: “It… doesn’t seem very soundproof.”

“...”

Over an hour later, Liu Qian glared irritably at Wang Ou’s room.

“Fucking never ends!”

Lisa’s eyes flickered: “No wonder Xiao Ou brought him home—I thought at first she was just after his looks.”

After a while longer, silence finally fell; ten minutes later, the door opened and Wang Ou shuffled out, loosely draped in a coat, her steps unsteady.

Seeing both roommates awake, she was startled: “Why aren’t you two asleep?”

“You tell us.”

Liu Qian rolled her eyes impatiently and stomped back to her room; Lisa crept over mischievously and teased:

“Ou’er, don’t be too rough—you’ve gone hoarse?”

“Shut up.”

Wang Ou playfully shoved her, then went to the living room to fetch a kettle and cup, and slowly returned to her room.

…

The next day, when Wang Ou was fully awake, the room was empty.

She recalled—Yan Li had left early; she’d been too exhausted, mumbled a couple of replies, then fallen back asleep.

She pushed herself up, her body aching, touched the marks on her skin, and couldn’t help but scold silently.

Hmph—no mercy at all!

At that moment, she remembered something, opened the drawer beside her, and found two stacks of red bills casually resting atop her clutter; she vaguely recalled Yan Li’s words from last night.

“Take this for pocket money—run out, ask me for more.”

Uh…

Wang Ou decided to retract her earlier judgment of Yan Zong—Yan Zong wasn’t heartless; he was just unbothered by small things. It was her own weakness.

And… Wang Ou’s cheeks flushed.

Though she’d already witnessed Yan Li’s big ideas during lessons, she hadn’t expected that when Yan Laoshi truly taught, what he was really imparting was flight magic.

Holding the money, Wang Ou savored it for a long while before putting it away, wondering whether to move apartments—but then she remembered Yan Li’s behavior yesterday.

Hmm—no move!

Or maybe rent a separate place, keep this one, and let Yan Li choose.

Whistling softly, Wang Ou went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her hair, and shower.

Then she lay on the sofa, applying a face mask she usually saved only for photo shoots; after thinking, she added two more to her body and two to her feet.

This thigh was thick and powerful—she had to cling to it tightly…

————

Guanghua Li

Yan Li watched Qin Lan walking beside him, occasionally sniffing, and pinched her delicate nose in annoyance.

“Why don’t I strip naked and let you inspect me?”

Qin Lan shook her head, freeing her nose, and muttered softly.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Good girl.”

Yan Li hugged Qin Lan, kissed her twice, and whispered soothingly: “Everything I do outside is just acting—I’ve always ranked you as the second woman in my heart.”

Qin Lan sat up, her eyebrows slightly raised: “Who’s first?”

“My mom.”

“Oh.”

Qin Lan relaxed, leaning back into Yan Li’s arms—her man was filial; she wouldn’t fight over that, and couldn’t win anyway.

Yan Li smiled; his first woman was truly his mother, Zhang Hong, and Qin Lan was genuinely second.

But he never said there couldn’t be a tie for second place!

After soothing her for a while, Qin Lan returned to normal, though a shadow still lingered in her brow.

Yan Li stayed silent—he knew she’d been sensitive lately, not just Qin Lan, but Dong Xuan too.

It wasn’t because of Wang Ou—they didn’t even know about this fox girl; they were worried about Shuang Bing.

That’s right—if there was gossip, Yan Li had to give his family a disclaimer upfront, or the backcourt would catch fire.

Dong and Qin understood his explanation—that he was doing it for money, a necessary sacrifice—but that didn’t mean they felt no pressure.

Li and Fan were both beautiful, both top stars; even if it was just staged gossip, young men and women spending time together—what if something happened?

If it was just a slip-up, Dong and Qin could actually tolerate it.

After all, Yan Li’s status and wealth were clear—he was young and handsome, constantly traveling and socializing; occasional lapses, if cleaned up properly, they could pretend not to notice.

Especially Dong Xuan—she’d already been through the Huang Shengyi scandal and a breakup, so she had some psychological preparation and higher tolerance.

Qin Lan’s tolerance was lower than Dong Xuan’s; though she claimed to be prepared, when it happened, she still couldn’t help being jealous and angry.

Yan Li always prioritized caution—he never provoked or tested their limits, never invited trouble.

So even if it was just a slip-up, he had to be careful.

Not to mention this gossip with Shuang Bing lasted a long time, influenced by external media—over time, vague and ambiguous, what if it turned real?

That’s exactly what Dong and Qin truly feared!

Shuang Bing was beautiful; Yan Li’s conditions were also excellent—they feared he’d grow fond of her over time, and the act would become reality.

Faced with Shuang Bing’s fame and beauty, Dong Xuan and Qin Lan both lacked confidence; they’d even imagined scenarios where Shuang Bing manipulated Yan Li into kicking them out.

Seeing them so panicked, Yan Li considered calling it off—but Dong Xuan and Qin Lan refused.

The whole family depended on Yan Li; they couldn’t help, but they couldn’t drag him down over baseless suspicions either.

Letting a wolf in carries risk—but this strategy carries even greater risk.

If a wolf enters, they can still fight back with past affection—Yan Li, being sentimental, would side with them, and might even help drive the wolf away out of guilt.

But if they became a burden, they’d quickly drain Yan Li’s feelings for them.

Even if they blocked these two wolves, others would be watching—eventually, they’d be surrounded and replaced.

Dong Xuan had analyzed this with her advisors—Guan Yue, Yin Xu, and others; Qin Lan had figured it out on her own.

Not only was Qin Lan wise in disguise, sharp at critical moments—she also deeply trusted Yan Li, convinced he wouldn’t let her down.

Thinking of this, Yan Li buried his head in Qin Lan’s chest and mumbled:

“After the New Year, let’s buy a house.”

“Really?”

Qin Lan was surprised—she’d always wanted to buy a house, to truly settle down with Yan Li in Beijing.

But Yan Li had always dodged and deferred—she never expected him to suddenly agree.

"Buy it. You pick, I pay."

Yu Yanli spoke, then no longer hesitated: "Buy a better set, preferably fully renovated. If not, buy the raw shell and renovate slowly. We’ll live in this one—don’t think about appreciation; prioritize comfort and amenities."

"Mm-hmm."

Qin Lan nodded, stood up, and walked away from Yu Yanli to call the agent Xiao Zheng. Yu Yanli missed the soft, sweet girl, feeling a bit resentful, then pulled out his phone and sent Xiao Zheng a text.

[...Wait until your sister-in-law picks a house. Then find me another one of the same size and quality, but with the opposite orientation, and not too far away.]

After receiving a confirmed reply, Yu Yanli deleted the text and pulled out his laptop to study that day’s stock market.

Supporting two households isn’t easy—I need to earn well...

————

In late November, "The Seven Fairies of Joy and Celebration" entered its final preparation phase; both directors had already taken part of their crew to Wu City, Jiangsu Province, and were expected to begin filming next month.

Through deliberate arrangement, certain media outlets and online forums began mentioning and discussing "Shuang Bing" with consistent frequency.

Currently, aside from fan clashes, the mainstream tone still objectively compared the two men’s careers.

In career comparisons, Li Bing emerged without surprise as the winner; Fan Xiaopang seemed to lack equal standing.

But soon, someone introduced the concept of "potential" to analyze their future development, listing Fan Xiaopang’s many advantages and boldly predicting he would overtake Li Bing.

Li Bing’s supporters naturally objected: Can fame and career carry a mortgage?

But others found it reasonable; one spoke, another replied, each voicing their views, and the concept of "Shuang Bing" quietly, subtly gained acceptance among some.

At this point, feeling the timing was right, Yu Yanli arranged to meet Li Bing to begin the first wave of promotion...

————

PS: One more chapter coming before noon

(End of Chapter)