Chapter 157: Yan Boss Fiercely Protects His Own, Annoyed Fan Xiaopang

Beijing Huairou Film and Television Base, the cast and crew of "The Little Fish and Hua Wuxue"

Since the assault incident not long ago, the production had been thrust into the spotlight.

The media condemned it; over a dozen mainland actors and related professionals jointly spoke out, and both parties issued public apologies and visited the hospital.

Currently, although officially declared reconciled, the production still faces heavy public pressure, with a tense internal atmosphere—actors return to rest after filming, rarely go out, and refuse interviews.

But today, Fan Xiaopang took leave from the producer and took Yang Xue away in a car.

Though both were under Wang Jinghua's management, Fan Xiaopang had little prior connection with Yang Xue, barely even interacting before.

After working together on "The Seven Fairies," their relationship grew slightly closer; at least within the "Little Fish and Hua Wuxue" crew, they now spent more time together.

"Bingbing, you said you'd take me to a group—what group?"

Yang Xue had been dragged along half-asleep; when she asked Fan Xiaopang, he refused to answer, stringing her along with cryptic hints.

"You'll know when we get there. If it works out, don't forget to thank Hua Jie for putting me up to this."

"Of course I won't."

Yang Xue nodded. Wang Jinghua's artists were relatively independent; while senior artists sometimes mentored juniors, it usually meant attending events or offering minor support on set—helping secure roles was rare.

Her relationship with Fan Xiaopang had never been special; she was both surprised and grateful he was helping now.

The drive from Huairou to downtown Beijing took over an hour, ending at a Shandong cuisine restaurant.

Fan Xiaopang picked up her bag to get out, opened the door, then closed it again, pulled out a mirror to fix her makeup, making Yang Xue nervous.

What kind of production required this much caution?!

Inside the restaurant, a waiter led them to a private room where a few people sat in small groups; Yang Xue quickly scanned them—some looked familiar, but she'd never interacted with them.

Fan Xiaopang also sized them up; after recognizing everyone, her smile faltered slightly, then quickly returned.

"Director Cheng, no—Manager Cheng, I didn't arrive too late, did I?"

"Perfect, we just got here ourselves. Come on, Bingbing, let me introduce you."

Energetic Cheng Lidong gestured to Fan Xiaopang as she sat down.

"This is Mr. Wang from XX International, this is Mr. Zhang from Taiwan's XX Company—they're both investors in this drama."

"This is Director Jin Guozhao—have you seen 'The First Intimate Contact'? That's his work."

"This one you definitely know—Master Liu Dekai."

"This is Wu Jiani, also one of our actors."

Fan Xiaopang shook hands with each, then introduced Yang Xue; after pleasantries, she finally had a chance to ask:

"Isn't Yan Li coming today?"

"He's coming—he's got a lot of engagements, doesn't know when he'll arrive. He just called to say we should eat and wait."

Cheng Lidong sighed inwardly—he'd thought shooting "The Investiture of the Gods" would earn him some fame and impress his old junior, Yan Li.

But his project was still struggling to secure funding, while Yan Li had already assembled a "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" project nearly as large.

Even though his project started later, its progress had left Cheng far behind—it was already launching massive casting campaigns.

Cheng had always known Yan Li had some talent, but he prided himself on years in the industry and assumed he wouldn't be far behind.

Now he finally understood Yan Li's real power—forget other things, in fundraising, three of him chained together couldn't match Yan Li.

Hearing someone was coming, Fan Xiaopang nodded and told Yang Xue to eat; they'd just wrapped filming and had driven over an hour—her stomach was already empty.

After just a few bites, the international company's Mr. Wang raised his glass to toast Fan Xiaopang, expressing long-standing admiration and great honor at working together.

Fan Xiaopang wasn't a rookie—she instantly recognized his intent and wasn't intimidated.

She downed the drink, then refilled her cup and toasted him back.

In such situations, avoiding it only made things worse; the opposite approach—drinking them into submission or fear—would bring peace.

In other settings, Fan Xiaopang would guard against wheeling tactics or being surrounded, but today she had Cheng Lidong as host, Yang Xue as backup, and Yan Li waiting in the wings—this was practically a home game; she wouldn't let them drink her under.

With small two-ounce cups, Fan Xiaopang drank and toasted three rounds straight, immediately intimidating Mr. Wang.

He retreated; Mr. Zhang, sitting with him, stepped forward to toast.

Without Fan Xiaopang prompting, Yang Xue took the initiative to toast first—her tolerance was clearly lower, but she could still wear them down a bit, especially with Cheng Lidong helping tilt the balance.

But Mr. Zhang's drinking capacity far exceeded Mr. Wang's; Fan Xiaopang couldn't scare him off, so they had to settle into a long war.

Yang Xue grew uneasy: "Can you handle it? Should I call the driver?"

"No problem—he can't take me down."

Fan Xiaopang remained calm; she wasn't stupid—she wouldn't fight to the point of passing out. If things turned bad, she had plenty of tactics: admit defeat, pretend to be drunk, call for backup.

Mid-battle, the private room door knocked; Yan Li entered, face flushed, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Why'd you take so long?"

Impatient with the drinking, Fan Xiaopang stood up, wrapped her arm around Yan Li's, and pouted:

"There's an old lecher harassing me—help me out."

Yan Li, initially surprised, instantly understood; he casually slipped his arm around her waist, tone affectionate:

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry."

Cheng Lidong glanced at them, startled but said nothing, and introduced them to each other again.

Everyone sat back down; Fan Xiaopang immediately pressed close beside Yan Li, who whispered:

"Which one's the old lecher?"

Fan Xiaopang pursed her lips, hesitated, then said: "Don't cause trouble."

Yan Li said nothing, casually glanced around, sensed two hostile, irritated vibes, immediately pinpointed his targets, then asked Cheng Lidong:

"Who are these two investors?"

"From Taiwan…"

Cheng explained; Yan Li instantly relaxed—he'd assumed they were big-name Taiwanese entertainment figures, but they were just rich guys from Taiwan come to mainland China begging for scraps.

He looked at Fan Xiaopang with exasperation: "You're really not doing well. All that bluster with me—why not just pour wine on their faces?"

"I can't throw punches when they're smiling at me, and I've got Brother Cheng's face to consider."

Fan Xiaopang had her reasons; Yan Li sneered: "No need to explain—you're just a coward."

"……"

Fan Xiaopang ground her teeth, stayed silent, picked up a sea cucumber, and bit down hard.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhang exchanged glances, seeing how warmly Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang were chatting; Mr. Zhang raised his glass.

"Miss Fan, we didn't finish our drink earlier—let's continue."

Fan Xiaopang looked at Yan Li; he gave no sign. She glanced at Cheng Lidong and said:

"Sorry, Mr. Zhang, I've reached my limit—I can't drink anymore."

Mr. Zhang pressed: "Impossible—you clearly have a huge tolerance, this is nothing."

Mr. Wang chimed in: "Exactly! Rare opportunity to collaborate—Miss Fan, you can't refuse us this small courtesy."

Cheng Lidong stepped in: "Mr. Wang, Mr. Zhang, Bingbing really can't drink more—I'll drink with you both."

Mr. Zhang fixed his gaze on Fan Xiaopang: "Mr. Cheng is Mr. Cheng, Miss Fan is Miss Fan—can't be treated the same."

"Exactly."

Mr. Wang smirked: "We came all the way from Taiwan to invest—can't you even grant us this small courtesy over a drink? How can we continue working together?"

Hearing this, Fan Xiaopang hesitated, looked at the strained Cheng Lidong, and reached for her glass—when another hand snatched it first and hurled the wine straight at Mr. Wang's face.

The entire room erupted in shock; Mr. Wang, drenched on chin, neck, and chest, turned livid.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What do I think I'm doing?"

Yan Li pulled Fan Xiaopang close: "I'd like to ask you—right before my eyes, forcing my woman to drink, what's your meaning? Do you think I'm dead?"

Mr. Zhang glared at Cheng Lidong: "Manager Cheng, is this your idea of cooperation?"

"This…"

Cheng Lidong stammered—he couldn't offend the investors, nor could he afford to alienate Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang—he was paralyzed.

"Fine, you've got guts—we'll see."

Seeing this, Mr. Zhang pointed at Cheng Lidong, dragged Mr. Wang out in fury; Director Jin Guozhao and Liu Dekai looked awkward, unsure whether to leave too.

One was a Taiwanese director, the other a Taiwanese actor—both had joined this project only because of Taiwanese investor support.

Just as they rose to leave, Yan Li called out: "Director Jin, Master Liu—this is personal. It has nothing to do with you. Let's continue."

Then Yan Li raised his glass and clinked it with Cheng Lidong's.

"Brother Cheng, I'm not here to sabotage your event—we'll talk privately later."

At this point, Cheng Lidong had no choice—he'd already chosen by letting the two investors leave.

Still, the banquet ended soon after; the director and Liu Dekai departed, Yang Xue went to wait in the car, leaving only Cheng Lidong, Yan Li, and Fan Xiaopang in the room.

With no outsiders present, Yan Li dropped the act—he'd deliberately provoked this.

Even without today's incident, he'd have found a way to kick those two out later.

"They want 40% for 16 million—we'd be working for them."

Yan Li held the two investors in utter contempt—paying that much for that share, then acting like lords, was too much.

"Huh?"

Cheng Lidong was confused—the first season of "The Investiture of the Gods" planned a 30–40 million budget; 16 million for 40% wasn't unreasonable.

Yongle Pictures was still new, the investment huge, the risk high—negotiating equity was always tough.

But Yan Li didn't care what Cheng thought—he continued: "Here's the deal: give me 50% first. I'll see if I can bring in 30 million. The remaining 50%, you and I split—over or under, we adjust. Joint production."

"Can half the share really bring in 30 million?!"

Cheng Lidong's face turned red; the project required massive investment and had high profit difficulty—he'd even considered giving up more of his share if things got bad, since this project was meant only to boost the company's reputation, not to make money.

"I can't guarantee it, but there's hope. If all else fails, add another 10%—we two split 40%, under 10 million in cost, and we'll still make a profit."

"Yes, definitely."

Cheng Lidong raised his glass and downed it in one gulp: "Brother, I owe you a huge favor this time."

"It's win-win cooperation."

On the surface, Yu Yanli seemed to have helped Cheng Lidong immensely—even helped him make money.

But then again, Yi'an's current capacity is stretched to its limit controlling both "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" and "Xue Rengui Legend," so the two dramas must be scheduled separately.

He simply has no bandwidth left to produce "Fengshen Bang." With Cheng Lidong handling production, and Yu Yanli assisting with investment and post-release distribution, it's a perfect arrangement.

Even if Old Cheng gets a slight edge, it doesn't matter—Yu Yanli isn't losing, and there will be more collaborations later, where he can gradually make up the difference.

Fan Xiaopang had been listening quietly beside them, his gaze shifting constantly between Yu Yanli.

After the gathering broke up, Yu Yanli handed the drunk Cheng Lidong over to his driver, then turned to Fan Xiaopang, casually tousling his hair with a hint of smugness, and asked: "How did that feel?"

Fan Xiaopang sighed sincerely: "You're such a shrewd businessman."

Yu Yanli: "..."

I'm asking if I looked cool standing up for you!

"That's all the guts you've got—back home, you're all talk. If I were you, I'd have dumped that Boss Zhang too, just to vent my anger."

Fan Xiaopang muttered: "You're the boss—you've got confidence. I'm just a minor actor."

"What's there to fear?"

Yu Yanli stared at her intently: "If you come to my company, I'll protect you. When something like this happens, don't hold back—so long as you're in the right, no matter how big a mess you make, I'll clean it up for you."

Fan Xiaopang was tempted; today had shaken her deeply.

In the past, when she'd faced similar situations at banquets, she'd always compromised, smiled politely, or acted tough—worst case, she'd just grabbed her bag and left. Others had once stood up for her, but this was the first time someone had fought back with such authority, truly satisfying her.

But... Fan Xiaopang's face twisted with indecision: "But Sister Hua has been good to me. Let me think about it."

"Fine, but hurry up. If someone else snatches our company's top actress spot first, don't say I didn't warn you."

Fan Xiaopang frowned slightly, her tone soft and wistful: "You're poaching others too?!"

"..."

The tone made it sound like he'd abandoned her—like if she didn't accept him, he wasn't allowed to look elsewhere.

"Not yet, but I can't say for sure. I'm not scaring you—our company is in high demand right now."

This wasn't just bluffing—after several successful projects, Yi'an's reputation in the industry had grown steadily, and countless newcomers and minor actors were eager to join, including some well-known young actresses who'd started thinking about it.

"If your company really signs another actress, can I still play Daji in 'Fengshen Bang'?"

"Don't worry—that role's already locked in. Whether you sign or not, it's yours. If we don't work together, we're still friends—I'm not that petty."

Fan Xiaopang fixed her beautiful eyes on Yu Yanli, who met her gaze calmly. After a moment, Fan Xiaopang spoke sincerely.

"I'll give it serious thought and give you an answer soon."

"Mm."

Yu Yanli wasn't actually in a rush—Fan Xiaopang had no suitable project lined up right now, so his real goal was to push her toward a decision.

Once she decided to switch companies, he'd woo her while subtly stirring discontent—eventually, she'd come under his wing.

"Well, it's getting late. Let's call it a night."

Yu Yanli called out, ready to head home—he'd been to three events today, drank too much, and was exhausted.

"Hey."

Fan Xiaopang stopped him, watching his puzzled expression as she awkwardly kicked the ground with her toe.

"When does the gossip start? I haven't had any exposure lately."

"Don't rush—I already said, the best effect comes right before the premiere. Right now, I'm trying to secure a better opportunity—maybe even better than our gossip."

Fan Xiaopang's expression turned blank: "What opportunity?"

"It's still a long way off—nothing's confirmed yet. I'm just letting you in on it, don't go blabbing, not even to Yang Xue."

"Mm."

"I just connected with a director for this year's Spring Festival Gala—trying to get your Seven Fairies on stage. The publicity would be incredible."

As he spoke of his new idea, Yu Yanli beamed—but he noticed Fan Xiaopang wasn't nearly as excited as he'd expected.

Fan Xiaopang thought it was normal: the scandal of two men fighting over her would hurt her chances of appearing on the Gala. She had to choose one.

The gossip meant she'd be the only one in the spotlight; the Gala meant all seven of them shared it—she'd lose big.

Yes, that was exactly why she was upset...

(End of Chapter)