Chapter 148: Fan Xiaopang: Yan, you better wait till I get you

In the morning, all of Paris was shrouded in a light drizzle.

Yan Li got up from bed, strode casually to the bathroom, let loose, then glanced at himself in the mirror.

Touching the red scratches on his back, feeling the faint sting, Yan Li couldn't help but grimace.

"This little bitch doesn't know her own strength."

Still, turning to look at Fan Xiaopang, still fast asleep in bed, Yan Li replayed last night's battle and had to admit.

This crimson tiger was a handful, but she was tough, energetic, and wild—undoubtedly the most compatible and satisfying one Yan Li had ever had so far.

He stepped forward, pulled back the thin blanket, and slapped Fan Xiaopang's butt.

"I'll have the hotel send up food—want some?"

Fan Xiaopang glanced at him half-asleep, swatted his hand away, and went back to sleep.

"I'm not eating. Tired."

Seeing this, Yan Li didn't eat in the room; he tried the signature dishes of this so-called top-tier French hotel, then went to the hotel's indoor pool to relax.

After swimming a few laps, he politely declined a blonde woman's advance, then returned to the room.

Fan Xiaopang still hadn't gotten up, but was awake, on the phone with her phone.

"We're flying back the day after tomorrow, yeah, I bought you guys some good stuff—I'll mail it to you… uh-huh, hmm, no more talking, I've still got photos to take."

Putting down her phone, Fan Xiaopang slapped Yan Li's mischievous hand away and snapped.

"Crazy. That was my mom."

"Uh."

Yan Li felt awkward—he'd thought it was some friend of hers—and quickly changed the subject: "Hungry? Their truffle pasta and seafood soup are great—try some?"

Fan Xiaopang lazily stretched out: "Add more meat."

"Eating meat this early? No wonder you're fat."

"You're the one who's fat."

Fan Xiaopang proudly showed off her flat stomach: "Where am I fat?"

"Besides, last night you nearly killed me—I need meat to recover."

Saying this, Fan Xiaopang felt the ache in her body and the marks left by someone, and couldn't help hurling a pillow at Yan Li, scolding:

"Beast."

Yan Li smiled, pinching Fan Xiaopang's fox-like face: "I'm the beast? Who screamed until I couldn't stand straight and couldn't even get back on the plane?"

"It's not time yet. After I eat and recharge, we'll go again."

No matter what Fan Xiaopang thought inside, her mouth was always tough—Yan Li raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. It's raining today, so I'm not going out—I'll take it slow with you."

Fan Xiaopang stuck out her neck: "Come on, I'll fight you to the end."

Saying this, she grabbed Yan Li's neck to kiss him—but he recoiled: "You haven't brushed your teeth."

The more he said that, the more she kissed him, glaring at him with a teasing look.

Could Yan Li indulge her? He hadn't fully warmed up from swimming—fine, extra training it is.

…

Over half an hour later, bathed and clean, Fan Xiaopang glared at Yan Li as she bit savagely into her steak.

Yan Li lounged comfortably watching TV—after all, this was a top-tier hotel; even in Paris, they could watch Chinese TV dramas, including channels from Xiangjiang, Macau, and Singapore.

As he watched, his phone rang. He glanced at Fan Xiaopang, then answered.

"... Yeah, I'll be back in a few days. Once things settle, I'll come visit you on set. Buy whatever you need. Okay."

After chatting for over ten minutes, he hung up. The moment he closed the phone, Fan Xiaopang snatched it away and checked the call log.

"Definitely not Dong Xuan's number. Who is this?"

Yan Li took the phone back: "Do you have the right to interrogate me?"

"Can't I ask?"

Fan Xiaopang sat on his lap, voice sweet and seductive: "I won't betray you—just satisfy my curiosity. Is it from the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies cast?"

"No?"

"Your company's?"

"No?"

"Li Rongrong from The Heroes of Sui and Tang?"

Fan Xiaopang remembered the character played by Tong Lei vividly; though she thought it absurd that the two could spark chemistry given their roles, considering Yan Li's seduction skills, she couldn't rule it out.

"Stop asking. Even if I answered, I wouldn't tell you. If you're so capable, go find out yourself."

Yan Li didn't want to invite trouble—he never spoke of such things to outsiders unless caught.

Fan Xiaopang wheedled and pleaded for a long time, but Yan Li refused to budge—so she settled for less.

"Then tell me how many women you're juggling."

"No."

Yan Li shook his head without answering, so Fan Xiaopang guessed herself: "Three? Five? Ten?"

"Do you think I'm a prostitute? Ten? Can I even handle that many?"

"Hard to say."

Fan Xiaopang poked at Xiao Yanli, teasing with a grin: "With your face and body, if you sold yourself, you'd be the top. Hey, when you first started out, didn't any actresses or female directors try to sleep with you?"

"What kind of strength do I have? Who'd try to sleep with me? Ridiculous."

Yan Li scoffed and dismissed it outright. Fan Xiaopang eyed him suspiciously: "No one? Fine. Why are you yelling so loud?"

"Got anything else to say? If not, go away."

"What's the rush?"

Fan Xiaopang asked the question he cared about most: "Are you and that Li Bingbing together?"

"Which Li?"

"Don't play dumb—that Li Bingbing. You helped her land the female lead in 'Mobile Phone,' she helped you shoot dramas and cooperated with you to stir up gossip. Do you really think nothing's going on between you two?"

Fan Xiaopang had long suspected Yan Li and Li Bingbing were involved, but they didn't seem like it, and every time he tested the waters, he got no answer.

Now they were sleeping in the same room—he naturally had to confirm this.

"No, we're just friends."

Yan Li spoke honestly, but Fan Xiaopang didn't believe him: "If you two aren't together, why so much back-and-forth?"

"We weren't together before either, yet you still asked me to shoot dramas with you, helped you promote 'Double Bing,' planned gossip."

"That's right."

Fan Xiaopang nodded as if it were obvious: "So now you've slept with me."

Yan Li: "..."

Fan Xiaopang kept analyzing: "First lay bait, then catch the fish—gradually gain trust, make you let your guard down, then strike at the right moment with your evil hands."

"Hmph, you probably started plotting the moment you saw me at the airport—perfect timing overseas, I couldn't even run away, left completely at your mercy."

Yan Li was stunned. He irritably rubbed Fan Xiaopang's head: "Stop watching those trashy mystery anthologies. What do you think I am?"

He didn't deny he was lustful, but if Fan Xiaopang didn't want it, he'd never force her.

As for what Fan Xiaopang thought inside—whether she admitted it or not—Yan Li saw it clearly through the system.

Yan Li wanted to win Fan Xiaopang over, not have her misunderstand him, so he still explained clearly.

"... It was just for the 'Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nu' crew—I treated you both as friends, so I helped boost your careers. When your careers improve, since we're friends, I can benefit too."

"... Of course, I had a little ulterior motive—but which man wouldn't be moved seeing you two? I feel I've done nothing wrong."

"... This trip overseas was truly unexpected—I didn't know you were going abroad either. I won some money betting on soccer, wanted to have some fun and live it up, you happened to be there, so we all had fun together, and it just naturally happened."

In the end, Yan Li half-shifted blame and half-flattered Fan Xiaopang.

"Blame you—you don't know your own charm? Keeping company with such a gorgeous woman every day—even Liu Xiaohui would get lustful thoughts."

Fan Xiaopang gave a light snort, said nothing in response, but still pressed: "You really aren't together with her?"

"No."

"Do you want to be?"

"No."

"Liar, you'll shrink to—"

Before she finished, Yan Li clamped his hand over her mouth, gritting his teeth: "Play all you want, joke all you want, but don't joke about this."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Li clamped his hand over Fan Xiaopang's mouth and growled, "Play all you want, joke all you want, but don't joke about this."

Fan Xiaopang was initially defiant, but Yan Li slapped her a few times and she quieted down, only muttering things like "pervert," "scoundrel."

Seeing how feisty this little firecracker was, Yan Li suddenly asked: "Rested enough?"

Seeing how fiery and defiant Fan Xiaopang was, Yan Li suddenly asked, "Are you rested?"

Yan Li scooped her up, walked to the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, looked out at Paris's rainy scenery, and grinned.

"Didn't you say you'd see this through to the end?"

Since returning home meant waking from the dream, while the dream still lasted, he might as well make it a good one—make it count...

Since returning home means waking from the dream, while the dream still lasts, one must make as many good dreams as possible, fill them to the brim…

The next day, night, Jingcheng Airport

Yan Li put on sunglasses, waved goodbye to Fan Xiaopang, who ignored him completely, walked off with her executive producer, suitcase in hand—though her steps seemed slightly unsteady, and even in summer she wore a scarf around her neck.

His cousin Yan Xin drove to pick him up. Yan Li dismissed the others and drove himself back to Guanghua Li.

That little vixen Fan Xiaopang was fierce—she'd scratched him with deliberate spite, leaving plenty of marks.

Yan Li dared not return to Beiying Community now—if he did, Dong Xuan would move out of her dorm that same day.

Don't be fooled by her sweet words and the two boxes of Safety Equipment she prepared—those were all tricks.

If even one is missing, she'll cause a scene!

Yan Li planned to rest for two days at Guanghua Li; if that didn't work, he'd take a business trip to avoid the heat.

After a shower and a short rest, Yan Li took out his laptop and tallied up his total earnings from the European Cup.

As mentioned earlier, although Yan Li placed heavy bets, he hadn't gone so far as to sell his pots and pans; to spread risk and avoid suspicion, he'd placed many dummy bets.

After subtracting some commission and necessary processing fees, plus expenses on food, drink, entertainment, and shopping in Europe,

Yan Li was left with roughly 40 million RMB.

There was no way to get the money back and spend it openly without paying some price.

Fortunately, it was a zero-cost venture—every penny earned was pure profit. Yan Li spent it without regret, without greed, prioritizing safety above all.

40 million RMB from the European Cup!

Yan Li tallied his other earnings: 'Conquest' and 'Snow Goddess Dragon' had some residual income. The most noteworthy was 'Shui Yue Dong Tian,' with a pre-tax income of about 4.5 million RMB.

But the biggest earner was still 'Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nu.'

The first-run broadcast rights sold to four satellite channels for 32 million RMB—Yan Li's share plus distribution amounted to roughly half, about 15 million RMB.

It might not sound like much, but remember—he invested not a single cent. Aside from taxes and his own time and effort, it was all pure profit.

And this project was only just beginning—he could still cash in later. Yan Li was confident it could rival or even surpass 'Conquest.'

In addition, Yan Li held investment stakes in four other joint-production projects: 'The Detective Di Renjie,' 'Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan,' 'Survival: The Migrant Worker,' and 'Railway Guerrillas.'

Each project carried at least a 30% share. Though some had weak commercial potential, Yan Li still had confidence in turning all of them profitable.

Each project required a minimum 30% share; although some individual projects had poor commercial monetisation potential, Yan Li was still confident he could turn all of them profitable.

The other distribution projects need no further mention—some bringing in 3 to 4 million, others 1 to 2 million; small amounts add up, and the income is impressive.

Without any outside capital injection, as long as the projects on hand run smoothly, Yi'an Pictures will have at least 30 million in cash flow next year.

Additionally, Yan Li has stock earnings—though they rise and fall, occasionally even crashing, thanks to the system this has always been Yan Li's main source of cash flow.

House purchases, internet cafe investments, the European Cup principal—almost all came from the stock market.

At this stage Yan Li has pulled quite a bit of money out of the stock market, but the remaining value of those stocks is worth roughly 8 to 12 million.

Add to that several valuable premium properties Yan Li has on hand and some cash savings, and that's also close to a million.

Truly—you don't know until you take stock, and when you do, you get a fright!

They said next year he'd aim for billionaire status, but with the assets currently in Yan Li's hands, a bit of effort and he might be able to claim that title by the second half of the year.

A horse doesn't get fat without night feed; a man doesn't get rich without windfall gains!

Yan Li now deeply appreciates the gold content of that saying.

After years of hard work, company + real estate + cash + stocks + project advance earnings, all scattered together, barely edge out the European Cup returns.

No wonder there are so many gambling dogs—once you taste the sweetness, this stuff is damn addictive.

Yan Li patted his face, forcing himself to calm down.

Gambling dogs don't die well; once is fine, twice is fine, but not three times. Can't be too greedy. Running the business with care is the proper path—detours move fast, but death comes fast too.

Yan Li shut the computer, grabbed a few dry economics journals, and started chewing through them.

He'd had his fun; now he needed to go into closed-door cultivation, grind his state of mind, and tamp down that restlessness.

…

Meanwhile, at a certain apartment in Jingcheng

After helping executive agent and assistant Xiao Yi put away a few boxes, Fan Xiaopang threw herself onto the sofa, then climbed back up to rub her waist, muttering curses.

"Bastard, scumbag, big live donkey…"

Xiao Yi poured her a glass of water: "Sis, you rest first, I'm leaving."

"Wait."

Fan Xiaopang got up, dragged out a box she'd already put away, rummaged through it, then pulled out a bag and stuffed it into Xiao Yi's hands.

"It's yours."

"No no, Boss Yan already gave me things in Europe."

Fan Xiaopang had a wild time following Yan Li, and Xiao Yi also caught a lot of the reflected glory—leaving aside the food, drink, and fun, what landed in her hands alone was more than a year's salary and bonus.

"He's him, my gift to you is mine."

Fan Xiaopang insisted and stuffed the bag into Xiao Yi's arms; the latter couldn't refuse and took it, an uncontrollable look of delight on her face.

"Thanks, Sis."

Fan Xiaopang looked at her: "Later if Sister Hua and the company ask you anything…"

Xiao Yi adjusted her glasses, a bit blank: "Ask what? What's there to ask? Didn't we just go abroad to shoot a photo set?"

Money really is the devil!

Fan Xiaopang felt a pang of emotion—her executive agent and assistant had graduated from college less than two years ago, was close to her in age, usually quiet and unassuming, so nervous she could barely speak when under pressure, yet after going abroad and letting herself go a bit, she now lied without batting an eye.

"As long as you know what's what. The others too—Boss Yan and I didn't shortchange any of them. Be smart about it."

"Don't worry, Sis. Boss Yan already gave instructions—no one will be stupid."

Xiao Yi revealed a piece of information Fan Xiaopang didn't know, but on reflection it was understandable—given Yan Li's shrewdness, how could he not guard against this move? She didn't need to worry about it.

"Alright, go back. Help me take a sick leave for me while you're at it—just say I wasn't feeling great after returning to the country, resting for a couple days."

Xiao Yi looked a bit troubled—she herself was fine, but the key was her word didn't count.

Luckily Fan Xiaopang was well prepared; she took out two more gift bags: "Help me deliver these to Sister Hua, say they're gifts I brought her."

"Sis, aren't you delivering them yourself?"

Xiao Yi found it strange—gift-giving definitely requires delivering in person to maximize the effect, especially gifts for Sister Hua.

"Just help me deliver them."

Xiao Yi glanced at the kiss marks on Fan Xiaopang's neck, an understanding expression crossing her face: "Got it."

After Xiao Yi left, Fan Xiaopang found a mirror, looked at the marks on her neck, secretly cursing that scumbag while also drifting off slightly.

Her not delivering the gift in person was certainly because it was inconvenient, but there was also a subconscious reluctance to see Sister Hua for the moment.

The European trip let Fan Xiaopang see quite a bit of the world following Yan Li, getting a taste of part of how truly wealthy people actually live.

Though happy and thrilled, Fan Xiaopang's ambitions were also ignited—she wanted that kind of life too, spending money freely and lavishly, surrounded by refined luxury everywhere.

Originally she'd wavered over whether to make a move on Yan Li, but Yan Li pointed her toward another path.

Though she hadn't agreed, and was still hesitating now, Fan Xiaopang could sense that her heart was in turmoil.

"Better to be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail."

"China's most popular female star."

"Start a company, be a boss, be someone above others."

"……"

Fan Xiaopang recalled the highly seductive words someone whispered while holding her, her heart surging.

Buzz~

The phone vibrated twice. Fan Xiaopang pulled it out and opened it—a mobile ad text message. She deleted it casually, glanced at the time, and let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, got home and no call, not even a text. Scumbag."

Putting the phone away, after some thought Fan Xiaopang took the phone and composed a text message, sending it off.

【I've arrived home】

Then Fan Xiaopang stared at the phone—one minute, three minutes, ten minutes… a full half hour, and still no reply.

Fan Xiaopang's face darkened slightly: "Yan surnamed, you just wait for me."

Guanghua Lane, bedroom

Yan Li sneezed, gave a little snort, then adjusted his sleeping posture, then hugged his economics textbook and continued to sleep soundly.

(End of chapter)