Chapter 131

When the wine was halfway consumed, Yan Li stepped 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?"

Huo Siyan replied, and Yan Li was baffled—what new drama? His "Emperor Wu of Han" had only just wrapped.

He walked up to the TV and glanced at the screen, and 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 scene was coming soon.

"How did this drama even air?!"

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

Earlier, this drama had been silent for ages—he'd assumed it was dead—yet now it had suddenly aired without warning.

And Yan Li glanced at the channel logo on the screen: Jiangsu TV Drama Channel.

Perfect—now the entire Jiangsu province could watch this drama, including the cast of "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" filming in Wuxi.

Yan Li felt numb.

If the crew saw him queuing up for Li Rongrong, how could he ever maintain his authority or his upright image on set?

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

"No way."

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

The others nodded in agreement, including Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, who both showed clear interest in the drama.

Yan Li was usually seen as calm and shrewd, occasionally playful, mischievous in small ways, and sharp-tongued.

In the drama, his character Jin Zha was loyal, filial, upright, honest—a truly admirable gentleman.

These two personas stood in stark contrast to the arrogant, brainless, vile Yuwen Chengdu they'd just seen on screen—so wildly different, it was hilarious.

The truth was, Yan Li had acted in too few dramas, and many hadn't aired yet; even Dong Xuan had only seen "Ju Bao Pen" and "Zheng Fu."

Others hadn't seen any of his work at all; now seeing the big producer playing a villainous clown, they were both startled and intrigued.

Fan Xiaopang, however, had seen his insane performance in "Fu Xing Gao Zhao Zhu Bajie," so he had higher tolerance.

And because of that, Fan Xiaopang always sensed entertainment ahead—especially after noticing Yan Li seemed to want to stop them—so her mind stirred.

"When we get back to the set, I'll promote it for everyone—help boost Boss Yan's ratings."

Yan Li: "..."

You wait—I'll buy ten articles praising your performance as a maid in "Huan Zhu Ge Ge"...

Yan Li's fears came true: when these women returned to the set, they actually started promoting it.

Crew members, either interested in Sui-Tang themes or curious to see how the producer played a villain, all rallied behind the ratings.

And the lighthearted, fictionalized plot of "Sui Tang Ying Xiong Zhuan" successfully retained many loyal viewers, who watched daily.

Yan Li felt like his soul was dead, yet he still struggled desperately.

Through Wang Decai, he inquired which episode featured Yuwen Chengdu queuing, then, under the guise of official business, scheduled massive group scenes and night shoots for that episode's air date.

Everyone on the entire set—every last person—must show up to film. Let's see how you watch the drama then.

In a way, Yan Li succeeded!

That night, few on the "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" set were watching the drama.

But with hundreds of crew members, a few inevitably slipped through.

Moreover, "Sui Tang Ying Xiong Zhuan" was doing well—not just watched by Yan Li's crew, but also by hotel guests in the film city, neighboring sets, and extras.

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

After all, the shocking scene where the female lead is publicly humiliated by the villain's queue was unforgettable; many viewers raged, cursing and wishing to slice Yuwen Chengdu to pieces.

Thus, the crew of "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" eventually learned the plot.

Yan Li had prepared for this—he never intended to fully hide the plot; as long as they didn't watch the drama, he could pretend ignorance and preserve his image.

But soon, he heard a thunderclap.

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

Yan Li: "..."

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

Glowering, Yan Li 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, with groups taking turns.

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

Yan Li counted: all the fairies were in the crowd, including Dong Xuan, and even Li Bingbing, who had a feud with Fan Xiaopang—clearly, the plot held immense appeal.

Queuing to watch Yuwen Chengdu queue!

Yan Li 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 seeing Yan Li, but with so many people around, she straightened her back.

"So many people missed this amazing scene—they're all disappointed. I'm just serving the people."

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

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

"Good."

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

Fan Xiaopang narrowed her peach-blossom eyes slightly, bit her silver teeth, and held her ground.

"So what if we date?"

"What are we even dating for? I've got Xuan Jie."

Yan Li reached out, pulled Dong Xuan from behind Fan Xiaopang, and said solemnly: "Young girl, learn something good."

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

"..."

Bastard, again trying to trick me!

Fan Xiaopang's lungs felt ready to burst; he turned around, holding his laptop and shouting: "Let's make a QQ group—I'll post the link there, anyone who wants to watch can see it freely."

On the other side, Yan Li explained to Dong Xuan what had just happened.

There were plenty of ways to deal with Fan Xiaopang; no need for such underhanded tricks, and it also saved Dong Xuan from unnecessary worries.

"I actually heard everything you two were saying—I knew exactly what you were talking about."

When Yan Li first entered the dressing room, Dong Xuan had spotted him immediately; she'd caught most of his conversation with Fan Xiaopang and hadn't misunderstood anything.

Still, from their interaction, Dong Xuan sensed something off.

Though they seemed full of tension, given Yan Li's personality, he normally wouldn't quarrel daily with a young girl—and Fan Xiaopang, meanwhile, showed unusually intense attention toward Yan Li.

They weren't enemies—they were bickering lovers!

Such situations weren't rare between men and women; for example, in "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian," the second and third sisters both started by fighting violently with the men before falling in love.

Thinking of this, Dong Xuan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on!

Among the seven fairy actresses on set, besides herself, Huo Siyan had already tried to poach him before; though reprimanded and temporarily subdued, her intentions might not be gone.

Li Bingbing seemed problematic too, and now there was also this bickering lover, Fan Xiaopang.

Three out of six—that's an alarmingly high ratio.

As for the remaining three, it wasn't that Dong Xuan was narrow-minded, but apart from married Li Lin, who kept her distance, the other two, Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, were quite affectionate toward Yan Li in daily life.

This was just one set—what about other sets, and all the desperate little actresses and newcomers in the industry clawing to climb up? Dong Xuan's scalp tightened just thinking about it.

So many fox spirits—could she even hold out?

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

"Such a firm butt—you're clearly no good boy."

Yan Li: "???"

What's gotten into him now? Earlier she'd said her first impression of him was his firm butt—now she was complaining about it?

Seeing him stunned, Dong Xuan couldn't resist slapping him again; perhaps because Yan Li trained hard, his ass felt better than before—tight, yet elastic.

This time, it woke him up: "You're getting out of hand! A few days without a beating, and you're tearing up the roof."

Yan Li grabbed Dong Xuan and threw her onto the bed, returning the slaps many times over.

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

Yan Li raised an eyebrow, intrigued: "How do you want to bully me?"

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

"The General hates waste..."

Yan Li's smile vanished: "You stay away from that Fan guy and learn something good."

"Come on, come on."

Dong Xuan found it amusing: "You made me wear the Goddess Dragon and Third Fairy's outfits, play out battles between good and evil, gods and demons—I went along with you. Now it's your turn to cooperate."

"..."

Yan Li hesitated slightly—he disliked the idea of Dong Xuan playing Li Rongrong, but swapping roles wasn't entirely out of the question.

But...

Yan Li looked at Dong Xuan with disappointment: "Just you? Why not call Fan Bingbing and the others to line up? That'd be more realistic."

Having Wen Tian Cheng line up as the female lead was disgusting—but having him lined up by the Seven Fairies was a different matter.

"Realistic my ass."

Dong Xuan pinched him hard—she knew this bastard had ulterior motives, scheming against those fox spirits.

"Just joking."

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

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

Seeing Yan Li, so unlike his usual self, entirely on the defensive, Dong Xuan's eyes gleamed.

She finally understood why Yan Li loved playing like this!

————

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(End of Chapter)