Chapter 131: The Seven Fairies Queue to Watch Yuwen Chengdu Queue

When the wine was halfway drunk, Yu Yanli went out to use the restroom; when he returned to the private room, he saw a group gathered around the TV.

"What are you watching?"

"Boss Yan, you've got a new drama airing—why didn't you tell us?"

Hu Siyuan replied, and Yu Yanli was baffled—what new drama? "Emperor Wu of Han" had only just wrapped.

He stepped up to the TV and glanced at the screen—his temples throbbed instantly.

On the screen, the character he played, Yuwen Chengdu, was wildly provoking the inexperienced Li Yuanba; anyone familiar with the Sui-Tang era knew a classic comeuppance was coming soon.

"How did this drama even air?!"

Watching the several women utterly absorbed in Yuwen Chengdu's performance, Yu Yanli couldn't help but despair.

The drama had been silent for so long he'd assumed it was dead—yet now it had suddenly aired without warning.

He glanced at the channel logo on the screen: Jiangsu TV Drama Channel.

Perfect—now the entire Jiangsu province could watch it, including the crew of "Happy Heaven Seven Fairies," filming in Wuxi.

Yu Yanli was numb.

If the crew saw him queuing up for Li Rongrong, how would he ever maintain authority or a righteous image on set?

"Cough, cough—this drama's mediocre, not worth watching. Let's eat, the food's getting cold."

"No way."

Dong Xuan, ever her man's biggest fan: "I think it's great—you're fantastic in it."

The others nodded in agreement, including Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, both clearly intrigued.

Yu Yanli was usually seen as calm and shrewd, occasionally playful, mischievous, and sharp-tongued.

Yet in the drama, the character he played, Jin Zha, was loyal, filial, upright, and earnest—a truly admirable gentleman.

These two personas clashed wildly with the arrogant, brainless, vile Yuwen Chengdu they'd just seen on screen—so starkly opposite, it was hilarious.

Yu Yanli had acted in too few dramas, many still unreleased; even Dong Xuan had only seen "The Treasure Basin" and "Conquest."

Others had never seen any of his work—now seeing the big producer playing such a villainous villain, they were both astonished and fascinated.

Fan Xiaopang, however, had seen his insane performance in "Fortune Smiles Zhu Bajie," so he had higher tolerance.

And because of that, Fan Xiaopang sensed entertainment ahead—especially when she noticed Yu Yanli seemed to want to stop them.

"When we get back to set, I'll promote your drama—help boost its ratings."

Yu Yanli: "..."

You wait—I'll buy ten articles praising your "My Fair Princess" maid performance...

Yu Yanli's fears came true—the women returned to set and started promoting it.

Crew members, either interested in Sui-Tang themes or curious to see the producer as a villain, enthusiastically boosted the ratings.

The lighthearted, fictionalized plot of "Heroes of Sui and Tang" also successfully retained loyal viewers, who watched daily.

Yu Yanli felt like his soul had died, yet he fought on.

Through Wang Decai, he asked which episode featured Yuwen Chengdu queuing, then used his authority to schedule massive daytime and night shoots on that episode's airdate.

Everyone on set—every last person—was ordered to the set to film. See how you watch your drama now.

In a way, Yu Yanli succeeded!

That night, few on the "Happy Heaven Seven Fairies" set watched the drama.

But with hundreds on set, a few inevitably slipped through.

Moreover, "Heroes of Sui and Tang" was doing well—not just watched by Yu Yanli's crew, but also by hotel guests, neighboring sets, and extras.

Ask anyone casually, and they'd tell you the plot immediately.

After all, the shocking scene where the heroine is humiliated by the villain's queue was unforgettable—many viewers raged, cursing Yuwen Chengdu, wishing to slice him to pieces.

Thus, the "Happy Heaven Seven Fairies" crew eventually learned the plot.

Yu Yanli had anticipated this—he never planned to fully hide it; as long as they didn't watch the drama, he could pretend his image was intact.

But soon, a thunderclap struck him.

Fan Xiaopang claimed she'd found an online copy of "Heroes of Sui and Tang" and was replaying it in the makeup room on her laptop.

Yu Yanli: "..."

Is this really necessary? What kind of grudge drives you to this madness?!

Glowering, Yu Yanli entered the makeup room and saw a group happily queuing.

The laptop screen was small, so only a few could watch at once—Fan Xiaopang had instituted a numbering system: groups of several took turns.

Everyone only cared about that one short scene—just a few minutes—so it didn't take long; they watched, left, and queued again if they wanted more.

Yu Yanli counted: all seven fairies were in the crowd, including Dong Xuan, and even Li Bingbing, Fan Xiaopang's rival—proof of how powerfully the scene gripped them.

Queuing to watch Yuwen Chengdu queue!

Yu Yanli had no energy left to complain. He walked over, tapped Fan Xiaopang—who was maintaining order—and forced a smile.

"Little Fan, you're so kind-hearted."

Fan Xiaopang looked slightly guilty, but seeing so many people around, she straightened her back.

"So many missed such a brilliant scene—we're all disappointed. I'm just serving the people."

"By the way, Boss Yan, you played it perfectly—evil to the core. I wanted to jump into the TV and chop that bastard to pieces."

Hmph, if you really jumped into the TV, you'd just be Yuwen Chengdu's next meal.

"Good."

Yu Yanli patted Fan Xiaopang again: "I love your warm-hearted nature—just like your character Jin Suo. Keep it up—we'll take things... slowly..."

Fan Xiaopang narrowed her peach-blossom eyes, gritted her teeth, and held her ground.

"Take things? What kind of 'taking things'?"

"What are we taking? I've got Xuanjie."

Yu Yanli pulled Dong Xuan from behind Fan Xiaopang and spoke solemnly: "Little girl, learn something good."

Then he pulled Dong Xuan away; she kept glancing back at Fan Xiaopang, her expression complex.

"..."

That bastard just tricked me again!

Fan Xiaopang's fury boiled over—she turned and shouted into her laptop: "I'll make a QQ group—I'll post the link, anyone can watch!"

Meanwhile, Yu Yanli explained to Dong Xuan what had just happened.

There were plenty of ways to settle scores with Fan Xiaopang—no need for such underhanded tactics, and it spared Dong Xuan from unnecessary worries.

"I actually heard your conversation when I walked in—I knew exactly what you were talking about."

Dong Xuan had seen Yu Yanli enter the makeup room and overheard most of his exchange with Fan Xiaopang—she hadn't misunderstood.

Still, from their interaction, she sensed something off.

Their tension was thick, yet Yu Yanli's nature wasn't to feud daily with a girl—and Fan Xiaopang seemed unusually fixated on him.

They weren't enemies—they were bickering lovers!

Such dynamics weren't rare between men and women—like the second and third fairies in "Happy Heaven Seven Fairies," who went from brawling to falling in love.

Thinking of this, Dong Xuan's head ached.

Of the seven fairies on set, Hu Siyuan had already tried to poach him—though she'd been warned and quieted, her intentions might not be gone.

Li Bingbing seemed suspicious—and now Fan Xiaopang, this bickering lover, was added.

Three out of six—alarmingly high.

Of the remaining three, Dong Xuan wasn't narrow-minded—but aside from married Li Lin, who kept her distance, Jiang Xin and Yang Xue were both unusually close to Yu Yanli.

This was just one set. Other sets, and the countless eager young actresses and newcomers desperate to climb the ladder—Dong Xuan's scalp tightened just thinking about them.

So many fox spirits—could she really hold him?

Dong Xuan brooded all the way back, and when they entered the room, seeing Yu Yanli bending to change shoes, she couldn't hold back—she slapped his ass hard.

"Such a nice ass—definitely not from a good family."

Yu Yanli: "???"

What's her problem now? She used to say his ass was her first impression—now she's complaining?

Seeing him stunned, she slapped him again—perhaps because of his training, his ass felt tighter, more resilient than before.

That snapped him awake: "You're getting bold—haven't been whipped in days, now you're tearing up the roof."

Yu Yanli grabbed Dong Xuan, threw her on the bed, and returned the slaps tenfold.

Dong Xuan didn't beg—she grumbled: "You get to bully me every day, but I can't bully you?"

Yu Yanli raised an eyebrow, intrigued: "How do you want to bully me?"

Dong Xuan struggled up, thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned—she pushed him down, pinched his chin with her soft white fingers, and smirked.

"The General hates wasting food..."

Yu Yanli's smile vanished: "You stay away from that Fan girl—learn something good."

"Come on, come on."

Dong Xuan found it fun: "You made me wear the Goddess Dragon and Third Fairy outfits, play good vs evil and god vs demon—I played along. Now it's your turn."

"..."

Yu Yanli hesitated slightly—letting Dong Xuan play Li Rongrong made him uneasy, but swapping roles? Not impossible.

But...

Yu Yanli looked at Dong Xuan with slight disappointment: "Just you? Why not call Fan Bingbing and the others to line up too—it'd be more realistic."

Yu Yanli found it disgusting when the female leads queued for Wenyu Chengdu, but when he himself was queued for by the Seven Immortal Maidens, it was an entirely different matter.

"Realistic my ass."

Dong Xuan couldn't help pinching him—she knew this bastard had nothing but scheming thoughts, plotting against those fox spirits.

"Just a joke."

Yu Yanli laughed it off, then clasped his hands behind his back, adopting a stubborn, unyielding expression.

"Wicked woman, you may have my body, but you'll never have my heart."

Seeing Yu Yanli, so utterly unlike his usual self, now entirely on the defensive, Dong Xuan's eyes gleamed slightly.

She finally understood why Yu Yanli loved playing this game!

————

PS: 7, 00+, I'll make up the rest tomorrow—please support with base monthly votes.

(End of chapter)