Chapter 122

Yan Li said he'd stay two hours, but he genuinely stayed over two hours at Li Bingbing's place before leaving.

When he left, he even took a bag of dried fruit with him.

The dried fruit was a specialty sent from Li Bingbing's hometown in Heilongjiang; Yan Li had praised it while eating, so Li Xue packed him a bag to take away.

Li Xue wanted to see Yan Li off, but her sister pulled her back; after Yan Li left, Li Bingbing stared sternly at her sister and warned:

"I'm telling you straight: don't even think about him—he's not someone you can rely on."

"He's young and successful, right in his arrogant phase; women won't be lacking around him. Be careful you don't get burned."

Li Xue gave a self-deprecating smile: "He's the one I like, but he doesn't even notice me. Sister, don't worry—I understand."

She had self-awareness: her looks weren't outstanding, she was several years older than Yan Li, and she didn't have the celebrity aura her sister did—what could she possibly offer to make a promising industry newcomer fall for her?

"You'd better understand."

Li Bingbing glanced at her sister; the girl was smarter than her, but smart people aren't immune to doing foolish things.

Sometimes, smart people dig themselves into a corner even more foolishly than the dumb ones.

Li Bingbing was so worried because her sister had suffered this before, and she didn't want Li Xue to endure the pain a second time.

But Li Bingbing had grown up with her sister since childhood; the two had supported each other for over twenty years, their bond deep, and seeing her sister suffer made her heart ache too.

The woman was truly bold—she smacked her forehead and bluntly declared:

"If you're still thinking about him, I'll help you sleep with him, satisfy your craving—but you must promise me: just play around, don't fall in love. That's like a moth flying into a flame."

Li Xue: "..."

She'd seen her sister act crazy more than once, but it still occasionally left her speechless.

She stared blankly at her sister, silently sidestepped Li Bingbing, and walked off to tidy the living room.

Li Bingbing thought her sister was angry and moved to apologize, then heard Li Xue ask softly, slightly embarrassed:

"How?"

Li Bingbing: "..."

She knew it—women in the Li family were never mild-mannered!

————

Beijing Film Studio Community

"Achoo~"

Yan Li sneezed; Dong Xuan handed him a tissue: "Caught a cold?"

"Maybe from the wind—we waited in the parking lot for a long time, it was freezing."

"I'll make you some ginger soup to warm you up."

"I'll do it."

Yan Li went to the kitchen himself; Qin Lan couldn't cook—she could only boil frozen dumplings or noodles. Dong Xuan was a bit better, but barely—she could make a few basic home dishes, and handled Northeastern cuisine slightly better.

Making ginger soup wasn't high-difficulty, but if you didn't know how, the taste was awful, unpleasant to drink, and ineffective—so Yan Li chose to do it himself.

Soon, the ginger soup was ready; Yan Li drank a bowl, and whether it was psychological or not, he felt thoroughly comfortable.

Then he added a bit of brown sugar and made Dong Xuan a brown sugar ginger tea—warming the stomach and nourishing the blood; her period had just ended two days ago, perfect for replenishment.

Dong Xuan cradled her cup of brown sugar ginger tea and asked for details about the gossip between Yan Li and Li Bingbing.

"Just holding hands? You didn't even kiss? Just release it as a headline—'Li Bingbing Returns Home with Millionaire Boyfriend, Impatiently Kisses Him in Parking Lot'—how much more buzz could you want?"

Yan Li looked at Dong Xuan strangely, unsure if she was being sarcastic or had developed a new trait.

Just moments ago she'd been frantically discussing strategies with her best friend, and now she was already fantasizing scenes herself.

Dong Xuan realized how bizarre her remark had sounded and blushed to defend herself:

"I'm just genuinely curious—it's my first time witnessing gossip firsthand."

And to prove her magnanimity, Dong Xuan added casually: "Besides, this is all acting. We're professional actors—we know kissing scenes and love scenes are just performance forms. This is child's play to me. I'm fine with it."

"Good."

Yan Li nodded, then said: "I was worried holding hands wasn't enough. How about adding a kiss scene later? What if we do an elevator kiss? Leak the elevator camera footage."

As he spoke, he made two gestures with his hands: "Should we add these too? Seems more realistic."

"Realistic your ass!"

Dong Xuan couldn't take it anymore—her good mood earlier came from hearing they'd only held hands and she'd just been putting on an act.

Now, with Yan Li's provocation, she imagined the scene—and she wanted to chop up that pair of bastards.

Her tolerance was higher than Qin Lan's, but that was out of pragmatic compromise—not because she didn't get jealous.

On the contrary, as mentioned several times before, Dong Xuan was a jealous person; even in school, when Yan Li played around with female classmates, she'd turn sour. If she could, she'd lock him at home so no other foxes could see him.

"Are you actually developing feelings for that Li?"

Dong Xuan eyed Yan Li suspiciously; he didn't waste words—explaining such baseless suspicions was too troublesome. Better to just (shui) him.

So he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom; she kicked her legs twice.

"I haven't finished drinking yet."

"Stop drinking—I'll feed you something better."

…

The next day, the weather warmed slightly

Zhao Chunling walked into the company with a cup of hot soy milk; just as she was about to return to her desk, she saw a crowd gathered around another desk, discussing loudly.

She loved gossip, so she pushed through immediately and asked curiously:

"Did Li Bingbing know? That 'Clever Little Ignoramus'—she's dating someone."

"I know, I know."

Zhao Chunling didn't even have time to drink her soy milk—she shoved it into the hands of the person at the computer, then snatched the mouse to browse the news.

The Beijing Entertainment News Exclusive — Popular Young Star Li Bingbing's Secret Romance Exposed!

By Reporters Cao Xuan and Ma Jin of This Newspaper

{On a biting-cold winter night in Jingcheng, our reporter caught popular young star Li Bingbing in the midst of a hidden romance! }

…The two walked hand in hand the entire time, cheeks pressed close; then the man personally tied a scarf around her neck to keep her warm, and Li Bingbing instinctively buried her frost-nipped, reddened face into the scarf, raising her eyes to reveal a sweetness that nearly melted the cold air of Jingcheng's winter night.

…

The man's identity revealed… Yan Li once played Wu Tian in The Conquest, is worth millions, young and accomplished…

Currently, Yan Li serves as producer of Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies, and Li Bingbing had previously confirmed her participation in the drama; it remains uncertain whether the woman is boosting the man's career, or the man is investing heavily to win the lady's smile.

…

Will this "Bing-Yan Romance" lead to a happy ending? Our newspaper will continue tracking it — stay tuned. }

Photo *8

(Photo by reporter Cao Xuan, taken in Chaoyang, Jingcheng)

Zhao Chunling opened the enlarged images and had to admit: Cao Xuan's photography did not betray Yan Li's trust.

From hundreds of photos, the best were selected, making these eight both clear, authentic, and aesthetically pleasing.

The man is handsome, the woman beautiful: Yan Li appears tall and rugged, with outstanding presence; Li Bingbing is spirited and graceful, adding a touch of tender shyness from new love.

Especially one photo of Yan Li bending down to adjust Li Bingbing's scarf stood out remarkably.

Due to the photo's angle, the two were extremely close — their noses nearly touching, as if exchanging whispers; one tender and considerate, the other soft and affectionate — no wonder the article described it so vividly; it truly had the feel of a real-life idol drama.

Zhao Chunling had no interest in Li Bingbing, but studied Yan Li's close-up: "He looks good — reminds me of Koji Takahashi."

"Who says that? I think he's more like a young Di Long."

"Who are Koji Takahashi and Di Long?"

"You're a Gen-Z kid — you wouldn't understand."

A glasses-wearing older woman glanced twice and nodded: "He's got real masculinity, tall too — far better than that little punk Xie Shengfeng."

A young girl immediately objected, defending her favorite Xie Tingfeng.

In today's era, it's hard to say who's the top male star on the mainland — Lu Yi, Li Yafeng, Huang Sanshi, Zhou Jie are all strong contenders.

But across the entire Chinese-speaking entertainment circle, the new-generation male star with the biggest name is still Xie Tingfeng.

Especially among younger audiences, they admire his rebellious, untamed personality,

Plus, Hong Kong's resources have poured relentlessly into him, enabling rapid growth across film, television, and music, amassing a huge fanbase.

Add to that his tangled love triangle with Wang Fei and Zhang Baizhi — two divas — and the constant media exposure, frequent top headlines, giving him considerable influence even among casual observers.

But big trees attract wind: many love him, many also hate him.

Especially conservative types and older generations look down on Xie, equating him with Hong Kong's "Gou Zao Zi."

In contrast, they admire Yan Li — rugged and upright, humble (in reality, unknown), achieving modest success at a young age.

Even opening the news comments, though many of Li Bingbing's fans exploded in outrage, many netizens expressed approval and blessings.

Talented man, beautiful woman: a popular female star plus a new producer — their careers complement each other; they seem well-matched.

Clearly, Yan Li's label of "worth millions" played a key role.

If he were just a minor actor, everyone would be mocking him as a gold-digger.

Now, beyond Li Bingbing's fans, among the general public, the dominant view is actually that Li Bingbing is older than Yan Li — suspicion of an older woman chasing a younger man.

Soon, the boss arrived, and Zhao Chunling and the others were forced to break apart, but their curiosity remained unquenched.

She sneakily glanced at the boss's office — he was working — so Zhao Chunling logged onto Tianya Forum to find like-minded netizens to continue the discussion.

At this point, Tianya Forum had already begun discussing the matter.

Compared to the news page, where fans slightly outnumbered others, here it was pure gossip.

Moreover, having consumed so much gossip daily, their observational skills and judgment differed from ordinary bystanders.

For instance, someone suggested this was likely a publicity stunt — both were from the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies crew, possibly to promote the new drama.

Or perhaps Li Bingbing's Mobile is about to premiere, and she's using this to generate exposure; Yan Li, as her new drama's producer, is collaborating for mutual publicity.

Others dug up old rumors, claiming Li Bingbing already had a boyfriend.

A mysterious billionaire? The Wang brothers of Huayi? Her old classmate Ren Quan? Suddenly appearing, this upstart Yan Li clearly looks fake.

Of course, this was only one side — many others believed the rumor was real.

The details felt authentic, not staged; they'd been photographed over half a year ago — would anyone stage a scandal with such a long setup? Their statuses matched logically.

As for claims that Li Bingbing already had a boyfriend—hard to verify; even if true, can't she break up?

Everyone voiced opinions, arguing endlessly — exactly what Yan Li wanted to see.

He didn't want blessings — he wanted attention; the more fiercely it was stirred, the higher the exposure, the more it would help Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies.

…

As a second-tier popular young star on the mainland, Li Bingbing's fame and influence were undeniable.

After The Beijing Entertainment News published the scandal, it was immediately republished by all major portals and print media, even some TV entertainment programs covered the news.

The name Yan Li received another concentrated wave of exposure.

Beyond his role as Wu Tian in The Conquest, some media delighted in recounting his rise to fame.

Yan Li himself received many interview requests — he ignored them all; Li Bingbing received even more, including from Hong Kong and Taiwan media.

Li Bingbing herself was somewhat surprised — she'd never avoided scandal-mongering.

Ren Quan was her longtime partner; when she needed exposure, she'd bring him along — last year, during Flower of the Year, rumors linked her to Lu Yi; this year, her drama Dynamic Passion also rode on Guo Tianwang's fame.

But except for Guo Tianwang — who was only a minor boost with little attention — the other two had less impact than Yan Li.

"…"

Li Bingbing and Wang Jinghua analyzed the situation and concluded the issue likely lay in money — and Yan Li's own superior image.

In this era, actors may be famous, but they aren't necessarily rich.

This year's Forbes Celebrity Income List has fewer than ten artists earning ten million a year, and most are from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

With the industry environment this way, the public perceives artists as wealthy, but not that wealthy.

Meanwhile, male celebrities and young billionaires are naturally seen as belonging to different tiers in the public's simple impression.

At the same time, many wealthy men and second-generation rich have dated female celebrities, but few are as physically outstanding as Yan Li; people are visual creatures, they like beauty, and a handsome man and beautiful woman dating is pleasing to the eye.

"Put simply, Lu Yi and his group are routine gossip—everyone's tired of them. Your and Yan Li's identities are fresher and offer more room for discussion."

Li Xue summed it up; Wang Jinghua was delighted—this gossip, if successful, would save countless PR expenses, and she grew eager.

"Should we add more fuel and do it again?"

Li Bingbing was also tempted; as a celebrity, seeing your name on the headlines every day, mostly with positive feedback—who could resist?

"Yan Li said, 'Too much is as bad as too little. Hold off, respond later, and no more paparazzi shots—they'll look fake.'"

Li Xue watched her sister and Sister Hua's expressions and made one remark; Li Bingbing heard it, exhaled, and pursed her lips.

"Listen to him."

Yan Li's gossip strategy succeeded greatly—it dramatically increased her exposure, and even the "Mobile Phone" production team benefited; Wang Zong from Huayi and Feng Xiaogang both called to offer their congratulations.

This also Ma Deli Bingbing trust Yan Li even more; coupled with her younger sister Li Xue seemingly opposing the move, Li Bingbing chose to obey.

Wang Jinghua nodded in agreement, but her eyes subtly swept over the Li sisters.

These two sisters seem to listen to Yan Li a bit too much…

————

PS: These past two days, maybe from staying up late, my eyes ache terribly—I can't look at my phone long without tearing up.

Requesting a day off to rest; if I recover tomorrow, I'll make up with two consecutive days of ten-thousand-word updates.

(End of Chapter)