Chapter 130

"Welcome, Teacher Li Bingbing, to the set."

After the Spring Festival, Li Bingbing finally joined the cast, and Yan Li gave her exceptional attention.

He personally drove to the airport to pick her up and held a small welcome ceremony on set.

This sparked whispered gossip among the seven fairies' female cast members.

Normally on set, Yan Li showed special favor only to Dong Xuan; toward the other young actresses, while not outright cold, he kept his distance and mostly dealt with them formally.

In contrast, male actors like Pan Yueming and Qiao Zhenyu got along well with Yan Li.

Now, with Li Bingbing suddenly receiving Yan Li's special attention—and with rumors swirling between them—how could anyone not speculate?

Even Hu Siyan, who had a bad relationship with Dong Xuan, began imagining the two fighting violently, and she sat back munching sunflower seeds to watch the show.

Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, who were close to Dong Xuan, grew anxious: if a fight broke out, should they step in?

Li Lin, who stayed neutral, now felt deeply relieved—thank goodness she hadn't gotten involved, or she'd be stuck in the middle.

Only Dong Xuan herself, along with Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing, remained calm.

They knew the truth and understood Yan Li's nature.

This guy was purely doing it for publicity, and since Li Bingbing had become a huge hit through "The Mobile Phone," he saw her as a way to boost "The Seven Fairies' Joyful Days."

Late last December, "The Mobile Phone" was released and dominated the entire New Year box office.

To date, "The Mobile Phone" has grossed over 50 million, officially becoming the 2003 box office champion.

In today's film and TV industry, if you want fame and money, you shoot TV dramas—but to elevate your status, you must make films.

This is the industry's unspoken rule and consensus.

No matter how successful or popular a TV drama is, it's still mass entertainment; film is high art.

Moreover, compared to TV, the film industry is more closed, with stronger barriers, and caters to a more elite audience.

As a result, top film actors command higher pay caps, enjoy broader roles, longer careers, greater industry respect, access to commercial resources, and opportunities to break into international markets.

These factors drive actors to flock toward film, intensifying competition for film resources.

Previously, the Four Little Fairies had risen above other rising actresses to stand in their own tier.

Most of them not only had popular TV dramas but also high personal popularity and strong film records, which greatly boosted their status.

Especially Zhang Yiyi—she never acted in TV dramas at all, relying solely on films to skyrocket her status; had "Princess Fragrant" not been so wildly popular and had she not made some films, she might have claimed the top spot among the Four Little Fairies.

Li Bingbing's TV drama record had been decent, but film was her weak point.

Now, with "The Mobile Phone" winning the 2003 box office crown, Li Bingbing naturally rode the wave upward.

Not only did she break past her previous image as a bold, straightforward female hero with her role as the third wife Wu Yue, expanding her range and earning recognition, but her fame, commercial value, and status all rose significantly, opening a bright future for her career.

This made Li Bingbing the most popular actor on the "The Seven Fairies' Joyful Days" set, aside from Liu Xiaoqing's special case.

With promotion and sales of the drama relying heavily on Li Bingbing, how could Yan Li not lavish attention on her?

If Hu Siyan and the others could bring Yan Li money, they'd see the same smiling, amiable Producer Yan.

…

"Enough already. Making such a fuss is just asking for trouble."

Li Bingbing couldn't deny she enjoyed the spectacle, but she was also a little uneasy.

Though famous, she wasn't so famous that she could ignore people like Fan Xiaopang, let alone Liu Xiaoqing, the giant on set.

Setting aside Hong Kong and Taiwan, among mainland actresses, aside from the older generation, very few could match Liu Xiaoqing's resume and honors.

She'd won three Hundred Flowers Awards, one Golden Rooster, and several Huabiao Awards.

This was only because many awards hadn't yet been created—or had just been launched—when she was at her peak, and there were still many barriers between Hong Kong/Taiwan and the mainland; otherwise, her trophy count would've been far higher.

Her fame and popularity need no elaboration—in the 1980s, Liu Xiaoqing was unquestionably the top female star on the mainland.

Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse, especially in an industry like film and TV that values seniority.

Even if Liu Xiaoqing was in a slump, it was still not Li Bingbing's place to act up or show off in front of her.

"Don't worry—Xiaoqing doesn't care about all this."

After over a month of filming together, Yan Li had come to understand Liu Xiaoqing a bit.

She truly had a broad mind!

If he were in her position, he wouldn't be completely broken, but he'd certainly be depressed and tormented for a while.

This woman, though affected, still had her fighting spirit; she ignored outside noise and focused solely on earning money to pay off debts.

So aside from acting, Liu Xiaoqing currently paid little attention to other nonsense—she didn't care or bother to dwell on how big Li Bingbing's welcome ceremony was.

"Still, better keep it low-key. So many people are watching me—why hold a welcome ceremony? Why not invite the press?"

"I already did. After tomorrow's makeup test, you've got three interviews: two print media ones for you alone, and one TV one with Xiao Fan."

Li Bingbing: "..."

She finally understood why Yan Li got rich!

After the welcome ceremony, Li Bingbing met her "sisters."

Regardless of their private thoughts, facing Li Bingbing—the eldest and most famous among them—all acted warmly and affectionately.

Of course, some were less enthusiastic—like Fan Xiaopang.

The more successful "The Mobile Phone" became, the deeper her resentment toward Li Bingbing grew; had things gone differently, this role and all its benefits should've been hers.

Not only did Li Bingbing snatch the lead in "The Mobile Phone," now she was coming to "The Seven Fairies' Joyful Days" to snatch again.

When Li Bingbing wasn't here, Fan Xiaopang was the most popular actress on set; now that Li Bingbing arrived, Fan's spotlight was stolen, even her name was taken.

Previously, she was the only "Bingbing" on set; now Li Bingbing was "Sister Bingbing," and she, the original Bingbing, felt like an imposter.

Fan Xiaopang disliked Li Bingbing; Li Bingbing disliked Fan Xiaopang.

These days, Yan Li and Wang Jinghua hadn't stopped promoting the "Two Bingbings" angle.

With "The Mobile Phone" hot, Li Bingbing's profile soared—but in doing so, she inadvertently gave Fan a share of exposure and boosted her status.

Though it was part of the plan and she'd mentally prepared, Li Bingbing still felt uneasy.

Honestly, the so-called "Two Bingbings rivalry" didn't need Yan Li to stoke the flames.

Given their personalities, names, and career entanglements, even if people tried to calm them daily, they'd still fight each other anyway...

…

Aside from clashing with Fan Xiaopang, Li Bingbing's attitude toward Dong Xuan was also worth noting.

Not outright hostile, but definitely not close—there was even a hint of scrutiny.

Dong Xuan, for her part, had a poor impression of her and had privately complained to Yan Li twice.

Among the seven fairies, she'd disliked Hu Siyan most, followed by Fan Xiaopang.

She disliked Hu for obvious reasons—caught trying to steal Yan Li, and not taking action or targeting her was already showing restraint.

She disliked Fan Xiaopang because she was too beautiful, and Yan Li clearly admired her beauty, triggering Dong Xuan's inevitable sense of threat.

Had Fan not been so indifferent toward Yan Li and shown no romantic interest, she might have ranked even higher than Hu.

Now that Li Bingbing had arrived, she seemed poised to surpass Fan Xiaopang.

After all, Dong Xuan's feelings toward Fan were mostly caution, mixed with a woman's instinctive aversion to her beauty—but she didn't truly dislike Fan, and sometimes even found her personality quite likable.

Li Bingbing? She simply couldn't get along with her.

Dong Xuan had even suspected that this woman had gotten so caught up in the rumors that she'd developed feelings for Yan Li—and now saw Dong Xuan as a rival.

So every time Dong Xuan faced Li Bingbing, she deliberately pulled Yan Li close to show affection.

The more she did this, the colder Li Bingbing became toward her, reinforcing Dong Xuan's suspicions and deepening her dislike and hostility toward Li Bingbing.

Yan Li noticed all of this.

Or rather, he didn't care much and had no time to observe the women's hidden currents—but the system kept reporting it to him daily.

He'd long known the "Two Bingbings" didn't get along.

Dong Xuan's resistance to Li Bingbing was understandable—he'd been involved in rumors with her, and Qin Lan privately held the same opinion.

But Li Bingbing's coldness toward Dong Xuan was somewhat unexpected.

And what left him baffled and speechless was that Li Bingbing's attitude stemmed from her sister.

What?

You keep telling me to stay away from your sister, but now that I've actually stayed away, you're annoyed by my girlfriend?

What's the point? Am I supposed to become a monk and stay chaste for Li Xue?

As for Li Bingbing's fantasies about Li Xue sleeping with him and then dumping him—Yan Li didn't care at all.

Empty talk is meaningless. What good are threats whispered between sisters? If they really want to sleep with him, go ahead—

————

With Li Bingbing joining the cast, some ensemble scenes in "The Seven Fairies' Joyful Days" could finally be filmed.

For example, the seven fairies dancing, soothing the Queen Mother, or fighting together.

The set's hidden costumes were brought out: the imperial gowns for the heavenly princesses, elegant and refined, exquisitely ornate; the rainbow battle armor for the final Seven Stars Alignment, sexy and heroic, yet fiercely sharp.

Especially the rainbow armor, which drew inspiration from anime and game designs—when the seven fairies first appeared, the set erupted in gasps.

Even Yan Li, the original designer, was stunned, thoroughly delighted by the sight.

He then resolved to secretly keep all seven sets of armor—perhaps they'd be useful later.

If not, he could let Qin Lan and Dong Xuan take turns wearing them.

Ahem, watching the third fairy wear the first or seventh fairy's armor? Definitely thrilling...

Yan Li and the crew enjoyed themselves, but the seven fairies' actresses were cursing under their breath.

It was still the first lunar month—the armor, designed for beauty, was thin and revealing, with metal elements that grew bitterly cold after prolonged wear.

Especially since they were filming the battle against Yin Shi Wang, hanging on wires and blasted by wind in midair,

The taste was simply unforgettable—sour and refreshing!

After finishing this scene, Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang looked at Yan Li with daggers in their eyes; the other actors also harbored deep resentment, even Dong Xuan, who usually sided with Yan Li, gave him a cold shoulder and joined in calling him "Yan the Skinflint."

Yan Li himself felt a bit embarrassed.

It wasn't that he was heartless—there were only a few actors available after the Spring Festival, for just a month or so.

Later, due to scheduling conflicts, actors taking leave, tight solo scenes, and a host of other complications, filming became much harder.

So, while everyone was still here, they had to rush through these large ensemble scenes to avoid unforeseen delays.

Time was limited, and weather had to be endured—it was already the best temperature he'd carefully picked; if they'd hit a cloudy or cold snap day, these people would've suffered even more.

But no matter what, after enduring such long freezing conditions, complaining a little and giving him the cold shoulder was perfectly normal.

If he had to wear a thin shirt and hang on wires for hours in the dead of winter on set, he'd curse the producer and director's ancestors up and down twelve generations.

The fact that these girls didn't quit, endured the cold, and pulled off this scene was already more than decent.

So Yan Li paid out of his own pocket to treat the actresses to dinner as thanks.

They didn't hold back—not even the studio's restaurant satisfied them; they dragged Yan Li straight to a high-end restaurant in Wushi's city center and ordered with ruthless extravagance.

Dong Xuan couldn't take it anymore: "That's enough—you're ordering way too much, we can't possibly finish it all."

"Just pack the leftovers."

Fan Xiaopang glared fiercely at Yan Li: "My legs are numb from the cold—I need to eat something good to make up for it."

Li Bingbing stood firmly with Fan Xiaopang: "Producer Yan's got deep pockets—he won't miss a single meal. Add a lobster congee."

The other actresses, afraid to directly attack Yan Li, all chimed in to persuade Dong Xuan.

Dong Xuan and Yan Li were family—she cared about money. But they didn't care at all; the more they spent, the better they felt.

"Let them order."

Yan Li had prepared himself to bleed when he invited them—he knew it was just one meal, no matter how much they ordered, it wouldn't empty his wallet.

To avoid watching them order, Yan Li turned on the TV in the private room and switched to the news.

After the dishes were ordered, the women feasted heartily; Fan Xiaopang wasn't satisfied and goaded Li Bingbing, Hu Siyan, and Jiang Xin into pouring drinks for Yan Li.

Yan Li didn't take it seriously at first, but once drinking began, he felt the pressure.

He'd seen Fan Xiaopang's drinking capacity in "The Treasure Basin"—it was impressive; he'd also drunk with Li Bingbing before and knew she was decent.

But he hadn't expected Hu and Jiang to be even stronger—especially Hu Siyan, who downed her glass in one go; even most men with good tolerance would collapse against her.

Yet Yan Li's capacity surpassed them all; even with all four teaming up, though the pressure mounted, he wasn't about to be defeated.

Unfortunately, Dong Xuan, Yang Xue, and Li Lin didn't drink—if they had, Yan Li would've gone all out and taken down these women.

Wei Xiaobao could charm six beauties in Lichun Courtyard; why couldn't Producer Yan, drunk and confused, sweep seven women off their feet in one night?

Doubtless, Dong Xuan and the others were wary of this possibility—after all, they'd all seen "The Deer and the Cauldron," not just Yan Li.

Even Li Bingbing and the others, surprised by Yan Li's unexpectedly high tolerance, realized that winning eight hundred while losing a thousand wasn't worth it, and all backed off.

It left Yan Li with a small sense of disappointment—there were too many people, he dared not show his intentions; if there'd been only one or two, with the alcohol flowing, he'd have had an 80% chance of pulling off "Yan the Demon Subduing the Fairies…"

(End of Chapter)