Chapter 14

"Here."

Yan Li had just left the horse arena and arrived at the small grove when he saw Qin Lan waving at him frantically.

Qin Lan had changed her outfit again since the last time he saw her.

She had tied her hair into a ponytail, wore shiny earrings, a beige off-shoulder T-shirt, and a blue denim short skirt; her long, straight, well-proportioned legs glowed under the sunlight, almost blinding to look at.

Yan Li had to admit that his previous comparison of Qin Lan and Dong Xuan's figures had been hasty.

Dong Xuan had some advantages in her figure, but as for legs, he thought Qin Lan had won.

Actually, Dong Xuan was slightly taller than Qin Lan, but her leg-to-body proportion and aesthetic appeal were just a bit inferior.

Seeing Yan Li's dazed gaze, Qin Lan secretly snorted with satisfaction.

Stunned, huh!

Bai Bai, all you know is "white"—your ex-girlfriend may be pale, but does she have legs as long, slender, and beautiful as mine?!

"What do you want with me?"

Qin Lan's long legs were indeed beautiful, and Yan Li enjoyed looking at them, but he couldn't stare too long—it was impolite.

The best approach was to talk while subtly glancing at her, shifting her attention without drawing notice—satisfying his eyes while remaining courteous.

"Can't I find you if I have nothing to ask?"

Speaking of this, Qin Lan couldn't help grinding her teeth, her voice growing stiff.

The last time they met, aside from whatever fate had brought them together, she had invited Yan Li to dinner, and they'd talked pleasantly; later, when she told him she was being harassed by suitors, he had even offered to confront them on her behalf.

She had assumed their relationship would change after that.

After all, she was a stunning beauty who had already shown clear interest—this meant something obvious between two single young adults.

Any man with even a shred of intention wouldn't need to court her outright; at the very least, he'd call or text daily to keep the connection alive.

But Yan Li? He'd only called her once in several days—and that was her calling him.

Originally, Qin Lan had thought maybe he was busy with recent commitments and simply had no time.

But when she asked, she found out he was busy, but not so busy he couldn't spare a moment to meet or call—she was just not worth his attention, yet he kept going to the horse arena.

What's so great about riding that horse!?

Qin Lan gritted her teeth, mentally cursing Yan Li to hell.

In truth, despite the "fate" pretext, Qin Lan and Yan Li had only met a few times.

Even with a favorable impression, it was mostly liking and a touch of attraction, perhaps some hormonal fantasies—but to say she was deeply fond or in love was clearly exaggerated.

Qin Lan had her pride too. If Yan Li had high standards, she wasn't some woman who'd beg for attention.

If fate didn't align, then fine—let it end!

Still, she felt a lingering irritation, so she'd invited him out, dressed up deliberately—partly to show off.

Let you have eyes but no vision, fail to recognize jade—may you regret it!

Of course, if Yan Li realized his mistake, sincerely apologized, groveled, and comforted her to let her vent, Qin Lan wouldn't rule out giving him another chance to pursue her.

But clearly, Yan Li had no such intention—even today, he'd come at her invitation mainly to ask for a favor.

"Of course you can find me if you have nothing, but luckily, I have a favor to ask you."

Yan Li's words shattered Qin Lan's last hope. She wanted to roll her eyes and walk away, but after a moment's thought, she held back the impulse.

To be fair, Yan Li had never once acted ambiguously—it was she who had imagined too much, ignoring his true feelings.

Maybe he'd always just seen her as a friend?

If Yan Li saw her as a friend, and had even offered to stand up for her against suitors, then her showing up and asking "What do you want?" would naturally make him think she needed help.

Now that he was asking her for a favor, and she was throwing a tantrum over nothing, wouldn't that be unreasonable—and terribly unfriendly?

After internal struggle, Qin Lan convinced herself, and her tone softened immediately.

"Fine, what do you need?"

"No rush. I won't let you help for free—let's eat first. My treat."

Yan Li understood the principle: if you want the horse to run, you must feed it first. He even gave his racehorse carrots and apples as rewards—how much more so when asking Qin Lan for help?

"Alright, did you bring enough cash? I'm picky about food."

Hearing Yan Li was treating her, Qin Lan's mood lifted slightly, and she immediately started planning.

She was willing to help, yes—but that was out of friendship. Her resentment hadn't vanished. Using this favor to treat herself to a lavish meal would be sweet revenge.

"No problem. Order whatever you want."

Yan Li agreed readily—he knew he had to be prepared to pay when asking for a favor. He could easily afford one meal.

"Since you're so generous, I won't hold back."

Yet despite her loud boasts, when choosing the restaurant, she picked the same place they'd been to before—only she added two more expensive dishes and upgraded the alcohol and drinks.

"Is this your idea of 'not holding back'?"

Yan Li watched Qin Lan busy washing cups and chopsticks, feeling helpless.

Her earlier lion-like demands had made him think they'd go to a fancy city hotel for abalone and lobster—he'd almost prepared to survive on the crew's boxed meals afterward.

"I'm not stupid."

Qin Lan sniffed: "How much can you spend ordering food in Hengdian? If I'm going to fleece you, I'll do it in Jingcheng. This meal is just interest—when we get back to Jingcheng, you owe me the real dinner."

"No problem."

Yan Li realized this girl was tough on the outside but soft inside—even if he had to treat her to a few more meals in Jingcheng, it wouldn't cost four digits.

"So, what do you need me to help with?"

Qin Lan asked curiously. Yan Li smiled and enthusiastically served her food and poured her wine: "No rush. Let's finish eating first."

His actions made Qin Lan uneasy—was she being lured into some trap? She set down her chopsticks.

"Tell me now. I'll eat after you speak."

Yan Li's expression carried a tiny hint of embarrassment: "It's nothing really, just there's a scene I'm not quite sure about. I wanted to ask you to help me run through it, to get a feel for it."

"Hey, that's all it is?"

Qin Lan let out a breath of relief. Made it sound so serious—she'd thought it was some huge favor.

From their last chat, she knew this was Yan Li's first time playing a named, credited role. Under the circumstances, lacking experience and feeling unsure of himself was completely normal.

Qin Lan had been through it herself. On the set of Huanzhu Gege 3, she'd put in plenty of hard work behind the scenes, frequently finding familiar faces to run lines privately, so she understood Yan Li's mindset.

"Easy. Sis'll help you—I'll definitely get it tuned perfectly clear for you."

Qin Lan took everything on, striking the pose of an old-timer mentoring a newcomer.

But in reality, Qin Lan had only acted in two or three dramas before, mostly small supporting roles, while Yan Li had been running around sets for a year, and at Beijing Film Academy had done all kinds of study and rehearsal. When it came to acting experience, it was genuinely hard to say who had more.

But who could blame him for needing her help now? Play up to her then. He didn't even push back at her calling herself "sis," just kept smiling and picking up dishes.

"Yes, yes, thank you for your trouble, thank you for taking it to heart."

After the meal, the two of them still went back to the little grove, found a secluded spot where no one would bother them—quite suitable for running lines.

Yan Li handed the script to Qin Lan so she could familiarize herself with it. She took it and flipped through it roughly.

Qin Lan had only read the script for less than a minute total, but couldn't help glancing up at Yan Li five times. Her expression went from full of confidence to at a loss, and finally to something unspeakable, her pretty face scrunched up miserably as she looked at Yan Li.

"Is it too late for me to back out?"

Yan Li politely shook his head. As if—meal already eaten, and you still want to run…

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(End of chapter)