Chapter 149: All the BMWs Are Here—Is the Ancestor Returning as Yan Hui?

Yan Li rested for several days in Guanghua Li, finally able to return to Beiying Community.

Then Dong Xuan's parents showed up!

In July, Dong Xuan completed her four-year university education and officially entered society.

Since she had graduated, there was no longer any summer vacation; Dong Xuan called home, saying she would focus on work and strive to stay at the school.

While Dong Xuan was still in school, her parents had been relatively at ease, but now that she had graduated—and she was a girl—they naturally wanted to come see her workplace and living conditions.

Yan Li dared not show his face, using excuses like needing to keep up rumors to cover it up.

Dong Xuan also dared not tell her parents she was living with her boyfriend, since many older generations still couldn't accept premarital cohabitation.

So, the apartment in Beiying Community became a "shared rental" between Dong Xuan and Guan Yue.

Yan Li's belongings were packed and sent to Lin Jiachuan's place in Jimen Li; he himself could not return to Beiying Community for now and had to "wander" around.

Jingcheng, Xueyuan Road

Located near the North Fourth Ring Road, it serves multiple universities including North Film, Beihang, Capital Sports, Beijing Language, Beijing University of Science and Technology, and China University of Geosciences, along with several middle schools and related institutions and companies.

Due to high foot traffic and a primary consumer base of high-spending students, many businesses have been drawn here, making the area even more prosperous.

A brand-new black Mercedes G500 pulled up in front of a spacious storefront on Xueyuan Road; Yan Li, wearing sunglasses, stepped out and examined the shop's sign with interest.

【Yi'an Internet Cafe】

Yi means joyous, An means safe; Yi'an means happy and safe internet use, and it also connects with the character 【Yan】.

Yan Li pondered registering trademarks for 【Yi'an】, 【Yi'an】 and several other terms, to prevent others from snatching them.

"Hey, you can't park here."

A young man stepped out of the shop, saw Yan Li, and his face lit up: "Brother Li, you're here! I'll go call Ye Ge."

"Mm."

Yan Li nodded, then observed the area near the entrance; soon after, Tian Ye and a thirty-something glasses-wearing man stepped out—the general manager of all three Yi'an Internet Cafes.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yan Li entered; he had been here twice before, but this was his first visit since opening.

The internet cafe had two floors, totaling over 150 computers; the first floor was the main hall, while the second floor included private seating and booths.

Yan Li glanced around: the downstairs was about 10–20% empty, upstairs a bit fuller, roughly 70% occupancy.

The general manager explained it was due to the recent start of summer vacation, causing some fluctuation.

Once this period passed and students fully entered summer mode, more would come online, and occupancy would consistently stay above 90%, with full capacity and queues being common.

"How's the revenue?"

Tian Ye led Yan Li to the counter and showed him the accounts.

Yi'an Internet Cafe was a mid-tier establishment, targeting mainly university students and young adults; its computer specs were above average, all equipped with LCD monitors and leather sofas—naturally, its internet fees were higher than those of ordinary cafes with outdated machines.

Moreover, beyond internet fees, due to the customer base, related spending on top-ups, snacks, and drinks was also substantial.

Yan Li checked: daily revenue consistently reached over 20,000 yuan.

On better business days, or when top-ups were high, daily revenue often broke 30,000 yuan.

That meant monthly average revenue could easily hit 800,000 yuan; over a year, nearly 10 million.

Of course, there were business fluctuations and various expenses and dividends, but the remaining net profit was still very substantial; with two smaller-scale internet cafes added, annual earnings approaching ten million were very likely.

Even if it took a year to break even, earning for just two or three years would still be a good investment.

"Good."

Yan Li pulled out cigarettes and offered them to Tian Ye and the others, then watched the screens of the cafe patrons.

"What game is hottest right now?"

"Legend, Dream of the West, A3, Populous."

"Which one makes us the most money?"

Tian Ye leaned close to Yan Li's ear and whispered something; Yan Li nodded: "Give me a machine—I'll play too."

Back when he was in school, Yan Li used to love going to internet cafes; after graduating and starting his business, he played at first, but later bought his own computer and visited cafes less and less.

Excluding market research and inspecting renovations, the last time Yan Li had played at an internet cafe was nearly a year ago.

"Let's go upstairs to a private booth—the atmosphere's better."

The general manager suggested; Yan Li waved his hand: "No need—I'll play downstairs, the vibe's better."

Telling others to get back to work, Yan Li had Tian Ye help him register a Dream of the West account, choose a Shentianbing character, and start hunting turtles.

"Bro, let me level you up fast."

Tian Ye also created an account; Yan Li nodded and added: "Playing games is fine, but don't get addicted; spend more time learning from the general manager how to manage things. I brought you to Jingcheng not just to be netizens slacking off."

"Got it."

Tian Ye operated his character while asking Yan Li: "Bro, you got a new car—a Mercedes G."

Yan Li, eyes fixed on the game screen—far more refined than when he last played—answered casually.

"Mm, off-roading's comfortable."

"That car must cost over a million."

Yan Li glanced at him: "You know your cars."

"Hehe."

Tian Ye rubbed his hands: "I've seen the specs and pictures online—they looked awesome, but seeing it in person is even more impressive."

"Wanna try it out?"

"Yes."

"After you finish playing."

Yan Li said cheerfully; back in Europe, he had boasted to Fan Xiaopang about buying a Rolls-Royce, but after returning home and checking prices, he thought it was too flashy and settled for a Mercedes G500 instead.

Though Yan Li claimed he wanted to stay humble, he was now a near-billionaire with tens of millions in cash.

Letting Yan Li hold back on spending made him uncomfortable, so he got a new car for a change.

Compared to the excitement he felt when he first bought a BMW, this time Yan Li had already flown on private jets in Europe; buying a Mercedes G-Class stirred some emotion, but far less than before.

Yan Li was calm, but Tian Ye was thrilled.

In 2004, even in Jingcheng, a city teeming with talent and wealth, a million-yuan luxury car was still a prestigious ride—and even just driving it around once was worth bragging about.

"Work hard. Maybe one day you'll buy a G-Class too."

Yan Li's ability to paint false dreams was growing more refined, but while it was just empty promises to others, it was harder to say for Tian Ye.

Among this group from home, Tian Ye was the one Yan Li most favored—he wouldn't have entrusted him with managing the largest internet cafe otherwise.

If Tian Ye could keep pace with Yan Li, given their relationship, perhaps years later he really would drive a G-Class.

Yan Li had little interest in upgrade-and-turn-based games like *Dream of the West*, so after playing a bit, he took Tian Ye to play CS.

After playing games for several hours, it was a kind of relaxation; Yan Li had Tian Ye drive him home, letting him enjoy the ride.

"Bro, this expensive car really drives well—way better than the Jetta you gave us."

"It's not just that the car drives well—it's because every other car on the road gives you way."

Only after driving a BMW and a Mercedes did Yan Li realize that on the road, everyone avoided luxury cars to prevent scratches or conflicts; no one cut in, so of course it drove smoothly.

Sometimes, unless you experience it yourself, you'll never know how unequal this world truly is…

…

Throughout July, Yan Li remained stationed in Jingcheng.

He oversaw the post-production of *Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies* while remotely directing Yi'an Film & Television's distribution team on company-related projects.

Especially with *Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies*, after selling its first-round satellite broadcast rights for 32 million, the project's reputation took off, and its distribution to local channels and city-county stations progressed smoothly.

Behind this momentum came considerable pressure.

Yan Li needed to guarantee certain ratings from the four satellite channels; the drama's other metrics—including reception—also had to look good, at least not terrible, or it would damage the company's reputation.

Post-production editing and visual effects didn't need mention—they were handled by teams Yan Li contacted through his system, with guaranteed quality.

For some of the dubbing, background music, and theme songs, Yan Li used the same method to find teams, then bought songs and hired singers, even adding extra budget.

The opening and ending themes, *Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies* and *Life Is Like a Dream*, plus four insert songs, each corresponded to the Seven Fairies and Wang Mu and other characters.

Yan Li originally planned to buy seven insert songs—one pair for each of the Seven Fairies and their partners.

But either the prices were too high or the songs didn't fit, so he chose four, cutting the verses and choruses to give each character a segment.

The songs cost a lot, and the singers he hired included several well-known names.

For example, Tan Jing, who had appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, and Sha Boliang, who rose to fame last year with the theme song *An Xiang* from *The Golden Powder Family*.

Also, Hu Yanbin, a singer whose monthly intelligence report indicated his song *Hong Yan* would become popular.

Yan Li wanted to buy *Hong Yan* for *Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies*, but after asking, he learned it was composed for Jing Ke and couldn't be used.

Three singers shared the four songs; the remaining two were assigned to actors to sing—if Shuang Bing could sing, fine; if not, find others, since audio editing could fix it.

As for Yan Li, none of these songs suited him—he had already reserved *Play My Beloved Earth Pipa* as the theme song for *Railway Guerrillas*.

He had sung this song since childhood; not only was he familiar with it, but he felt deep emotion for it.

When negotiating with Shan Ying, he had said other terms could be discussed, but this song must be sung by him.

Shan Ying thought it was meaningful for a Zao Shi native to sing a local revolutionary song—it carried a spirit of heritage and made for good publicity—and agreed to Yan Li's demand.

Besides the songs, Shan Ying also hoped Yan Li would act in *Railway Guerrillas*.

Yan Li had already planned to act in the drama, so they immediately agreed.

Originally, Yan Li was cast as Peng Liang, the male second lead, with substantial screen time and his own romantic subplot.

But after checking his schedule, Yan Li doubted he could stay with the crew that long, so he requested a different role—fewer scenes didn't matter, as long as it was a positive character, preferably one with standout moments.

For other dramas, Yan Li didn't care whether the role was Zhengpaifan.

But for homegrown anti-Japanese stories, he wouldn't play anything but heroes of the Railway Guerrillas—minimum, he'd play a supporter of the CCP; he absolutely wouldn't play a traitor or a Japanese soldier.

Otherwise, not only would he have no face, but when he returned home, he feared his father would chop him up with a knife for disgracing the Yan family.

Zao Shi was close to Qufu; Yan Li's branch of the family couldn't claim direct descent from Yan Hui, the Revered Sage of Confucianism, but likely had some connection.

Some said they were linked to the lineage of Yan Zishui, who wrote the *Yan Family Instructions* from the neighboring city, but Yan Li's family favored Yan Hui—after all, the Revered Sage had greater fame.

The family named Yan Li's generation with Confucian references for this reason.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, the Yan family valued its honor—Yan Li would never, not even in acting, play a Japanese soldier or traitor…

————

PS: Feeling off today, normal update. The 10,000-character shortfall will be made up tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)