Chapter 130: Wei Xiaobao Can Wear Seven Outfits at Once—What

"Welcome, Teacher Li Bingbing, to the production team."

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

He not only drove personally to the airport to pick her up but also held a small welcome ceremony at the set.

This stirred up quiet murmurs among the seven fairies and the other female actors.

Normally on set, Yan Li gave special treatment only to Dong Xuan; for the other young female actors, while not outright cold, he kept his distance and mostly dealt with them formally.

In contrast, the male actors like Pan Yue Ming and Qiao Zhenyu had good relations with Yan Li.

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

Even Huo Siyan, who had a bad relationship with Dong Xuan, began imagining the two fighting violently, and she was already cracking sunflower seeds, ready to enjoy the show.

Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, who were close to Dong Xuan, were deeply anxious: if a fight broke out, should they step in or not?

Li Lin, who had chosen to stay neutral, now felt immensely relieved—thankfully she hadn't gotten involved, or she'd be stuck in the middle now.

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

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

This guy was purely doing it for publicity, and since Li Bingbing had become a huge star through "The Mobile Phone," he saw her as a way to boost "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü."

Last year, near the end of December, "The Mobile Phone" was released and dominated the entire New Year season.

As of now, "The Mobile Phone" has grossed over 50 million, officially becoming the 2003 box office champion.

In today's film and television industry, if you want to become famous and make money, you shoot TV dramas—but if you want to raise your status, you must make movies.

This is the industry's ecosystem and consensus.

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

Moreover, compared to the TV industry, the film circle is more closed, with stronger barriers, and its audience leans toward elites.

As a result, top movie 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 roles, making competition for film resources extremely fierce.

Previously, the Four Little Fairies had broken away from the crowd of popular young actresses to stand alone in the top tier.

Most of them, besides having successful TV dramas, also had high popularity and fame, with strong movie records serving as major bonuses.

Especially Zhang Ziyi, who had never acted in a TV drama, relied entirely on movies to skyrocket her status; had Xiao Yanzi not been so overwhelmingly popular and also made some films, Zhang Ziyi might have claimed the top spot among the Four Little Fairies.

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

Now, with "The Mobile Phone" securing the 2003 box office crown, Li Bingbing's status naturally rose with the tide.

Not only did she break through her previous image as a heroic, straightforward female warrior with her role as the third wife Wu Yue, expanding her range and earning recognition, but her fame, commercial value, and status all improved significantly, with her career前景 glowing.

This Ma Deli Bingbing the most popular actor on the "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" set, aside from the special case of Liu Xiaoqing.

With promotional efforts for the drama heavily relying on Li Bingbing, how could Yan Li not lavish attention on her?

If Huo Siyan and the others could bring Yan Li money, they too would see his smiling, amiable face as the great producer.

…

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

Li Bingbing, seeing the spectacle, couldn't deny she enjoyed it—but she was also a little nervous.

Though she was famous, she wasn't famous enough to ignore people like Fan Xiaopang, let alone the giant Liu Xiaoqing 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 had won three Hundred Flowers Awards, one Golden Rooster Award, and several Huabiao Awards.

This was only because during her peak, many awards hadn't yet been established or had just begun, and there were still many barriers between Hong Kong/Taiwan and the mainland; otherwise, her trophy count would have been far higher.

Her fame and popularity need no mention—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 television that values seniority.

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

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

Having worked together for over a month, Yan Li had come to understand Liu Xiaoqing a bit.

She truly had a broad mind!

Put yourself in his shoes—if he'd faced this, he wouldn't have collapsed, but he'd certainly have been brooding and depressed for a while.

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

So aside from filming, Liu Xiaoqing currently paid little attention to other nonsense, neither caring nor bothering to dwell on Li Bingbing's grand reception.

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

"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 inner thoughts, facing Li Bingbing—the oldest among them and the most famous—everyone 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 have been hers.

Not only did Li Bingbing snatch the lead role in "The Mobile Phone," now she was coming to "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" to snatch again.

When Li Bingbing wasn't here, Fan Xiaopang was the most popular among the Seven Fairies; now that Li Bingbing had arrived, Fan's spotlight was stolen, and 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, and Li Bingbing disliked Fan Xiaopang.

These days, Yan Li and Wang Jinghua had not given up promoting the "Double Bingbing" angle.

With "The Mobile Phone" a hit, Li Bingbing's profile rose sharply, yet this inadvertently gave Fan Xiaopang part of the exposure and helped elevate her status.

Although it was within plan and he had prepared mentally, Li Bingbing still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Truly, the so-called "Two Bings in Conflict" needed no embellishment or incitement from Yan Li.

Given their personalities, names, and entangled careers, even if someone urged them daily to get along, they'd still fight each other…

…

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

It wasn't outright hostility, but certainly not closeness—there was even a hint of scrutiny.

Dong Xuan, for her part, held a poor impression of her and had complained about her to Yan Li twice in private.

Among the Seven Fairies, she had originally disliked Huo Siyan the most, followed by Fan Xiaopang.

The reason for disliking Huo needed no explanation—she caught Huo trying to steal Yan Li away, and not physically attacking or targeting her was already considered preserving the bigger picture.

She disliked Fan Xiaopang because Fan was too beautiful, and Yan Li greatly admired her beauty, which inevitably stirred feelings of insecurity in Dong Xuan.

If not for the fact that the two often bickered but had a mediocre relationship, and Fan Xiaopang showed no signs of interest in Yan Li, Fan might have ranked above Huo.

Now that Li Bingbing had arrived, she was subtly overtaking Fan Xiaopang.

After all, Dong Xuan's feelings toward Fan Xiaopang were mostly vigilance, mixed with a woman's instinctive aversion due to her beauty, but she didn't truly dislike her—sometimes she even thought Fan Xiaopang's personality was quite nice.

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

Dong Xuan had even once suspected whether this woman had become too engrossed in her own gossip and publicity stunts, setting her sights on Yan Li and viewing Dong as a rival.

So every time Dong Xuan faced Li Bingbing, she deliberately tried to pull Yan Li into public displays of affection.

The more she did this, the colder Li Bingbing became toward her, and Dong Xuan's suspicion solidified, deepening her annoyance and hostility toward Li Bingbing.

Yan Li saw all of this.

Or rather, he hadn't cared much and hadn't had time to observe the undercurrents among the women, but the system kept reporting it to him daily.

He had long known the Two Bings didn't get along.

Dong Xuan's resistance to Li Bingbing was understandable—he had fueled gossip with her, and Qin Lan privately held a negative view of Li Bingbing too.

But that Li Bingbing and Dong Xuan couldn't stand each other was somewhat unexpected for Yan Li.

And what left him baffled and speechless was that Li Bingbing's reason for this attitude was because of her sister.

What?

You keep telling me to stay away from your sister, but when I actually do, you start disliking my girlfriend.

What's the point? Are you expecting me to become a monk and guard Li Xue's chastity?

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

Talking without action is empty posturing. What good is it if the two sisters threaten each other in private? If they really want to, go ahead and sleep with him…

————

With Li Bingbing joining the cast, some ensemble scenes from Huan Tian Xi Di could now be filmed.

Such as the Seven Fairies dancing, soothing Wang Mu, or fighting together as a group.

The production team pulled out its most prized costumes: the imperial gowns worn by the heavenly princesses—elegant, dignified, exquisitely ornate; and the rainbow battle armor for the final Seven Stars Aligning—sensual, heroic, yet fiercely sharp.

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

Even Yan Li, the original designer who had personally participated in its creation, was momentarily stunned—his eyes feasted on the sight.

He then resolved to secretly keep all seven sets of battle armor—he might need them later.

If absolutely necessary, he could let Qin Lan and Dong Xuan take turns wearing them.

咳, the third fairy wearing the first or seventh fairy's armor? Absolutely thrilling…

While Yan Li and the others enjoyed the spectacle, the seven actresses were cursing under their breath.

It was still the first month of the year, and the armor, designed for visual appeal, was thin and revealing, with some metal components—after prolonged wear, it chilled the bones.

Especially since they were filming the battle against Yin Shi Wang, hanging on wires high in the sky, exposed to the wind.

The experience? Unbearably bitter and refreshing!

After filming this scene, Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang glared at Yan Li like daggers; the other actresses also bore 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 simply only a month or so after the Spring Festival before the full cast was available.

Later, due to scheduling conflicts, actors taking leave, or tight individual shooting schedules, filming became more difficult.

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

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

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

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

The fact that these girls didn't quit, endured, and pulled off this scene for him was already more than considerate.

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

The women didn't hold back—they wouldn't even eat at the film studio's restaurant; instead, they dragged Yan Li to a high-end restaurant in Wushi City and ordered with reckless abandon.

Dong Xuan couldn't take it anymore: "Enough already. You're ordering too much—we can't finish it all."

"Take the leftovers home."

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 with Fan Xiaopang: "Yan Boss has plenty of money—can't spare a meal? Add a lobster congee."

The other actresses, afraid of Yan Li, all chimed in urging Dong Xuan to let them order more.

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

"Let them order."

Yan Li had prepared himself to pay when he invited them; after all, it was just one meal—no matter how much they ordered, they couldn't empty his wallet.

Letting the women order, Yan Li turned on the TV in the private room to watch the news, glad to avoid the sight of them.

After the dishes were ordered, the women feasted heartily; Fan Xiaopang, still unsatisfied, urged Li Bingbing, Huo Siyan, and Jiang Xin to pour wine down Yan Li's throat.

Yan Li initially paid it no mind, but once he started drinking, he felt the pressure.

He had seen Fan Xiaopang's drinking capacity in "The Treasure Basin," and it was indeed impressive; he had also drunk with Li Bingbing before and knew she was quite capable.

But he hadn't expected Huo and Jiang to drink even better than those two—especially Huo Siyan, who drained her glass in one go; any man with an ordinary drinking capacity would fall before her.

Yet Yan Li's drinking capacity surpassed them all; even as the group teamed up, though the pressure mounted, they still couldn't break him.

Unfortunately, Dong Xuan, Yang Xue, and Li Lin didn't drink; otherwise, Yan Li would have gone all out and taken down these women.

Wei Xiaobao could gather six beauties in Lichun Courtyard; why shouldn't it be understandable if Yan the Producer, drunk, stumbled into bedding seven in one night?

Doubtless, Dong Xuan and the others were wary of this very possibility—that's why they refused to join the drinking contest; they weren't the only ones who had read "The Deer and the Cauldron."

Even Shuang Bing and the others, seeing Yan Li's unexpectedly formidable drinking ability—killing eight hundred but risking a thousand of their own—quickly called it quits.

This left Yan Li with a faint sense of disappointment; too many people were around, so even if he had the urge, he dared not show it—if only one or two were left, with the liquor's courage, the odds of him subduing a fairy tonight would have been eighty percent…

(End of Chapter)