Chapter 121: Yan Li: You Don

Cao Xuan is an entertainment reporter for the Jingcheng Entertainment News, commonly known in the streets as a paparazzo.

He hasn't been in the business long; in 2000, a fellow townsman introduced him to the field, and only last year did he barely make it into the newspaper's staff.

Since entering the industry, Cao Xuan has captured some scoops, but most were trivial and held little real value.

The most celebrated, and also the career-defining scoop of Cao Xuan's career, was earlier this year when he photographed the rumored affair between the popular young actress Fan Bingbing and a mysterious young man.

That article and those photos earned him praise from the editor, doubled his monthly bonus, and gave him minor fame within the industry.

Unfortunately, Fan Bingbing's side quickly issued a denial, significantly dampening public attention.

Even more regrettable for Cao Xuan was that he didn't know the identity of that mysterious man at the time, so he glossed over it.

Only later did he learn the man was actually an actor and a young billionaire—he kicked himself for missing it.

Had he known then that the man was Yan Li, a handsome man plus a wealthy celebrity, those sensational elements would have made that rumor explode several times over.

Unwilling to let it go, Cao Xuan later tried to stake out Fan Bingbing and Yan Li, hoping to catch some follow-up footage.

He had personally seen them fooling around together; their relationship seemed close, and given their statuses, he believed the odds of a romance were high, worth following.

But Fan Bingbing often traveled for filming, always accompanied by others, while Yan Li was too quiet and mysterious—his residence was impossible to pin down—and after multiple failed attempts, Cao Xuan gave up.

But unexpectedly, yesterday a mysterious person tipped him off, saying he'd seen Fan Bingbing and Yan Li appearing together at her residence.

Upon hearing this, Cao Xuan rushed over with his apprentice Ma Jin, sneaking into Fan Bingbing's parking lot to prepare for covert photography.

By the eleventh lunar month, the weather was freezing; because they were hiding, they dared not turn on the heater or air conditioning, and the parking lot was vast and empty.

Cao Xuan and Ma Jin huddled in the car, shivering from the cold; to distract himself, Ma Jin rubbed his hands and asked.

"Brother Cao, who's the one who tipped us off? Why did he tell us?"

"Probably Fan Bingbing's enemy."

Cao Xuan had been in the business longer and had seen more: "These stars fight viciously among themselves—there's no shortage of backstabbing. Maybe someone found something and is using us to kill with a borrowed knife."

"Could it be Fan Bingbing? I've seen online that the two of them have major conflicts."

"Maybe."

Cao Xuan didn't care who tipped them off—he only cared whether he could get the scoop.

Knowing someone's location doesn't guarantee you'll capture useful photos.

For example, maybe today Fan Bingbing comes home alone and Yan Li doesn't show up; or maybe because it's so cold, they don't linger in the parking lot, and you miss the shot because you're distracted;

or maybe you do get the shot, but it's bad—maybe they're just walking together, or there's no shared frame at all, making the effect weak.

They're friends—say they're just getting together for dinner—the paparazzi twist it out of context; whether netizens believe the explanation is one thing,

but the key is, without intimate shots, the evidence lacks credibility and won't go viral.

You need more than just them walking home or going to a hotel—you need something like hugging and kissing, holding hands, embracing, or playfully roughhousing.

Even something like returning home together, changing clothes, then leaving together again—indirect proof they might've spent the night—would work.

Cao Xuan worried he wouldn't spot them, then worried he'd capture useless footage; outwardly calm, inwardly he was frantic.

"Here they come."

At that moment, his apprentice Ma Jin let out a soft exclamation.

Cao Xuan instinctively ducked, peered through the car window, and readied his camera.

What he saw filled him with overwhelming joy.

Fan Bingbing was holding Yan Li's arm; he carried two shopping bags—clearly just back from shopping—and they walked slowly, as if Yan Li were on the phone.

"Perfect opportunity."

Cao Xuan stepped back, raised his camera, and clicked rapidly, laughing silently inside.

Hahaha, I'm rich now—I wonder how you two will deny this.

On the other side, Fan Bingbing shivered and nudged Yan Li: "Are you sure those two paparazzi are here? We're just freezing our asses off for nothing."

"My people saw them drive into the compound. It's freezing out, your building's security is solid—they can only shoot from the parking lot."

Yan Li put away his phone, looked at how cold Fan Bingbing looked, and couldn't help teasing her.

"You call yourself Bingbing, yet you're so sensitive to the cold."

"You call yourself Yan Li, yet you're not even polite—I've always hated the cold, sometimes even find showers too chilly."

You might have a cold constitution—go see a TCM doctor and get it regulated.

Yan Li told her to wait, ran back to the car, fetched a scarf, and wrapped it around her neck himself.

"This is a woman's scarf—where'd you get it?"

"Bought it for my girlfriend. Use it as a prop for now. Don't talk—look moved. Try to squeeze out some tears. This paparazzo has an excellent lens sense—maybe we'll land this as the year's top headline."

Fan Bingbing sighed: "You didn't say anything, I could've done it. Now you've ruined it—I can't cry on cue."

"You're a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and you still can't cry in a scene?"

As Yan Li smoothed her hair, Fan Bingbing obediently smiled slightly, rewrapped her arm around his, yet said:

"Acting scenes are easy to cry in—real life is too real and too fake for me to cry. Besides, this isn't my style—it's too melodramatic."

"True."

Yan Li agreed—it made sense. Fan Bingbing was already thirty; she wouldn't cry over something this trivial—it'd look fake.

"Forget it—I'll save this scene for Fan Xiao Fan. She might like it."

"Don't even joke—she's even more reckless than me. You'd have to propose with a ring and she still wouldn't cry."

"Hey."

Yan Li laughed in exasperation: "Are you two even professional actors? You don't follow the director's instructions."

Fan Bingbing couldn't take the cold anymore: "Enough already. Why not just hire people to stage it? Why go through all this trouble with real paparazzi?"

"You don't get it—this is authentic."

"What's authentic? It's still us acting."

Yan Li: "..."

What you said makes sense, but the paparazzi industry has terrible credibility; Yan Li simply doesn't trust them.

If you turn around and sell him out, not only might it ruin the hype effect, you could even end up branded as deceiving the public.

If that's the case, since it's all staged anyway, why not hire a real paparazzo? It's more secure and confidential.

"You're just stingy."

Li Bingbing figured Yan Li just wanted to save money—bribing a paparazzo required hush money, but hiring a real one cost nothing; if he was bold enough, he could even ask the guy for informant fees.

"Alright, that's enough. Staying longer would look fake. Let's go."

Yan Li didn't bother arguing with Li Bingbing; he figured there was no issue, and the two left.

After they left, Cao Xuan let out a long breath and slapped his apprentice: "Let's go back, pick the photos, contact the chief editor, and save me the front page."

Yan Li followed Li Bingbing to her home, where her sister Li Xue was also present; seeing them enter, she hurriedly asked.

"Did you get it done?"

Yan Li made an OK gesture, then handed over the bag he was holding.

"Here, a gift for your first visit."

Li Xue glanced at her sister, who immediately took the bag and opened it; earlier, when Yan Li got out of the car, he'd grabbed two bags, and Li Bingbing had assumed they were props—not realizing they were gifts for the two sisters.

"This is embroidery. What's this? Silverware?"

Yan Li explained: "I went to Dali, Yunnan Province, to shoot a drama and bought some local specialties. Thought I'd give you two a little something."

Li Xue happily accepted it, and Li Bingbing's frown softened: "Come to think of it, when we visited your place for the first time, we didn't bring anything."

"Who says that? Didn't I give you a film contract? I liked it."

Yan Li changed his shoes and sat on Li Bingbing's sofa. Li Xue chatted with him, while Li Bingbing went into the room to change clothes, then curled up beside him with a hot water bottle.

"You two don't live together?"

Yan Li was surprised—he'd always assumed the Li sisters lived together. Li Xue explained.

"I have my own apartment—my sister bought it for me. When we work together, I stay at my sister's. When we're busy with separate things, we each go home."

Yan Li could understand that; they were both past their youth, long settled into society—how could they cling together every day? Even sisters need their own space, and having boyfriends would be awkward otherwise.

Li Bingbing eyed Yan Li warily: "Why are you asking where my sister lives?"

Before Yan Li could speak, Li Xue protested: "Sis, he has a girlfriend. Don't overthink it."

Li Bingbing glared at her sister, then, knowing full well he had a girlfriend, still lingered in conversation, her hands rubbing the hot water bottle as she looked at Yan Li.

"Aren't you supposed to leave by now?"

Yan Li asked Li Xue: "How long have I been here?"

"Not quite half an hour."

Yan Li slumped back: "Then I'll stay a bit longer. I can't afford to look foolish if the paparazzi haven't left yet. Half an hour? I can't risk it."

"Pfft."

Li Bingbing glanced at him dismissively: "Don't brag too much."

Yan Li ignored her, instead looking at Li Bingbing with a hint of pity: "You've never had anything good. You've had it rough."

"Get lost."

Li Bingbing cursed, but Yan Li paid her no mind—he wouldn't leave unless it was under two hours.

Li Xue, however, glanced at her sister, then at Yan Li, and dropped a bombshell.

"Hey, seriously—how long can you last?"

Yan Li nearly choked on his saliva. Honestly, if Li Bingbing had asked, he wouldn't have been surprised—this woman was reckless.

But Li Xue had always struck him as intellectual and reserved; he never expected a quiet person to unleash such a rogue remark—she was even more vulgar than her sister.

"Private matter. Refuse to answer."

Yan Li disliked discussing bedroom matters with outsiders, but his evasion only stoked the sisters' curiosity; each chimed in.

"Refusing to answer—or afraid to answer?"

"I knew you were bluffing. You look strong, but turns out you're weak."

"Can you last ten minutes?"

He might not care if questioned about other things, but no man could tolerate this.

"Half an hour? That's just warming up."

Li Bingbing didn't believe him. Li Xue didn't either. Yan Li bristled: "Don't believe me? Let's challenge each other. Two against one—I'll take it. You lose, you call me Dad. I lose, one calls me Mom, the other calls me Aunt."

"Get lost."

"I knew you had something dirty up your sleeve."

Li Bingbing hurled the hot water bottle at him. Yan Li caught it in one hand and muttered softly under his breath.

"Xue'er, what did he say?"

"Didn't catch it."

Li Bingbing, farther away, asked again. Li Xue snatched the hot water bottle from Yan Li's hand and shot him a glare.

She'd heard him clearly—the bastard said he'd make them regret it someday...

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(End of Chapter)