Chapter 16: The Restaurant Owner Definitely Put Something in the Food

After rehearsing about four or five times, Yan Li suggested ending the rehearsal.

Actually, this scene wasn’t particularly difficult technically; the main challenge was finding the right balance and gradually overcoming the embarrassment of acting with a female actress.

Once those two issues were resolved, everything else would be easy—after all, Yan Li hadn’t been practicing alone in private for nothing.

Also, another reason was that Yan Li felt Qin Lan’s state was growing increasingly odd, and perhaps due to the sweltering heat, he himself was losing patience.

They weren’t that close yet, and he’d come to her for help—what if he lost control and something happened?

It would be awkward to face each other afterward!

“That’s it? Let’s practice more—the time is still early; since I promised to help, I’ll see it through.”

Qin Lan still felt unsatisfied; she thought Yan Li was just too shy to trouble her and volunteered to work overtime.

“No need, no need—I’ve almost got the feel for it. Too much is overwhelming; this is enough for me to digest back at my place.”

Yan Li shook his head, downed the last half-bottle of mineral water in his hand, and finally stopped feeling so parched.

Qin Lan was also drinking water, but not as greedily as Yan Li; seeing how thirsty he seemed, she offered him her remaining quarter-bottle.

“You drink it.”

“Thanks.”

Yan Li took it and gulped it down until the bottle was empty; Qin Lan watched him drink straight from the mouth, a flicker of amusement crossing her eyes, but she still slapped him playfully and scolded:

“Who does that? Someone just drank from it, and you go straight for the mouth.”

Yan Li squeezed the empty bottle flat and played with it: “No problem—I don’t mind if it’s dirty.”

“Pfft.”

Qin Lan spat at him: “If anyone’s disgusted, it’s me who’s disgusted with you.”

After a few moments of playful banter, they sat under the shade of a small grove of trees chatting; Qin Lan brought up the rehearsal and teased Yan Li.

“Your acting’s good—you’re so convincingly evil, I’m almost scared. Are you just playing yourself?”

Yan Li smirked: “If I were playing myself, you wouldn’t be talking to me like this right now.”

“Rogue.”

Qin Lan threw grass from the ground at him: “Even if you’re not playing yourself, you’re still no good—just look at how you acted just now; clearly you’re not well-behaved in daily life. Did your ex-girlfriend break up with you because of this?”

“You’re wrong about me.”

Yan Li protested: “At Beijing Film Academy, I was famous as a clean-cut, upright good boy—I never even talked to other girls.”

“Pfft.”

Qin Lan clearly didn’t believe him, but she was still curious and pressed him for the reason behind his breakup; Yan Li avoided answering.

“It’s all in the past. Why bring it up?”

“Really in the past?”

Qin Lan wore an expression of disbelief, then dropped the real question she’d been holding back: “Do you still have feelings for your ex?”

Yan Li smiled but still didn’t answer; he casually changed the subject. Qin Lan, having been declined twice, didn’t press further, though she wrestled with conflicting thoughts inside.

Had she truly given up and didn’t want to talk about it?

Or was she still entangled with that pale-faced ex-girlfriend?

After chatting for half an hour, seeing the time was right, Yan Li prepared to take Qin Lan back to the hotel.

She probably had a shoot tonight—he needed to give her enough time to bathe, eat, rest, and apply makeup.

On the way back, they passed a lottery shop; Yan Li greeted Qin Lan and ran inside to buy a few sports lottery tickets.

Qin Lan followed him in, curiously asking: “You gamble on soccer too?”

Yan Li replied: “Just joining the World Cup hype.”

Qin Lan understood—sports lottery had only officially launched last year, and this year, riding the World Cup wave, it had become wildly popular, even spawning the term “Patriotic Ticket.”

A “Patriotic Ticket” meant blindly betting on China’s national team to win every World Cup match, no matter the opponent—Brazil or Costa Rica.

China lost all three games, and the sports lottery had made a fortune off it.

The World Cup was hot right now, and many in Hengdian had followed suit—including the crew of “My Fair Princess 3”; Qin Lan had even seen a few crew members cursing the Korean team for match-fixing.

Thinking of this, Qin Lan grew interested: “I’ll buy two tickets too.”

“Sure, but don’t bet too much—I’m just playing around.”

Yan Li bought two matches—there were only two left in the World Cup: the third-place playoff between Korea and Turkey, and the final between Brazil and Germany.

“I don’t know soccer—who do you think will win?”

Qin Lan didn’t watch soccer, so she planned to follow Yan Li’s pick; he didn’t hesitate and said directly:

“In the third-place match, Korea will definitely lose. In the final, I’m backing Brazil—Ronaldo’s been unstoppable this World Cup.”

Yan Li didn’t watch much soccer, but he had his system.

Before today, he’d already played the lottery once; perhaps because he was constantly surrounded by World Cup news, his intelligence system had triggered plenty of related information.

Some details involved coaching tactics, others player injuries—useless to Yan Li—until the Korea vs. Germany semifinal.

【Daily Intelligence x: FIFA, under pressure over Korea’s favorable refereeing in the World Cup, has demanded referees in the semifinal remain impartial and show no bias toward either side.】

Without referee favoritism, Korea—facing Europe’s traditional powerhouse Germany, who had conceded only one goal in the entire tournament—had no chance.

Unfortunately, the odds were low, and Yan Li, being cautious, bet only a small amount, so his winnings just improved his and Sai Long’s meals and bought two packs of good cigarettes.

But that was fine—he never expected to get rich from this.

Never gamble greedily!

The more you chase a big win, the harder you’ll fall—it’s a fringe business; better to play it safe, even small profits count.

Today’s bets followed the same logic: though he favored Brazil and Turkey, for safety’s sake, Yan Li kept enough for living expenses and used only a little spare cash.

Qin Lan, however, was even more generous—she bet several hundred yuan; Yan Li felt a pang of admiration.

“So you’re a little landowner, huh?”

Qin Lan gave a smug little hum—she’d starred in a few films before; she wasn’t rich, but she was far better off than Yan Li, a broke recent graduate.

Near the hotel, Qin Lan refused to let Yan Li walk her further.

She’d been ignoring Huang Xiaoming for days; even he, slow-witted as he was, had finally understood her meaning. Though he no longer harassed her, he hadn’t given up—under these circumstances, if he happened to see Yan Li with her, trouble could erupt.

“Alright, then see you later.”

Yan Li didn’t fuss; he waved goodbye. Qin Lan stayed put, watching him walk away until he was out of sight, then turned back toward the hotel.

————

Just back at the inn, after a shower, Yan Li was about to head downstairs to sneak air-conditioning and watch TV, when his phone rang.

“Hello, Brother Wang?”

The assistant director, Wang Decai, on the other end: “Xiao Yan, are you free now?”

“What do you need?”

“The investors have arrived. The producer asked me to organize the cast for a drinking dinner. I thought you’ve got a good liquor tolerance—come along, I’ll introduce you around, help you expand your network.”

“Thanks for thinking of me, Brother Wang—I’ll get ready and come right over.”

Drinking gatherings are unavoidable in the entertainment circle; Yan Li didn’t like them, but he didn’t hate them either.

As a minor actor, he had few choices—when a good opportunity came, he went; if he made useful contacts, great; if not, at least he got a free meal.

He left quickly but returned slowly; it wasn’t until 10:30 p.m. that Yan Li staggered back to the inn.

His liquor tolerance was decent—he was from Shandong, and his family ran a small restaurant; he’d grown up surrounded by alcohol, never flinched at beer, and could down two catties of baijiu without falling.

Normally, at such gatherings, Yan Li wouldn’t push himself—he’d reach a certain limit and start pretending to be drunk, so he wouldn’t miss anything after the party ended.

But today, two investors tried to force-feed the female actress; Yan Li couldn’t stand it, stepped in to help, and with Wang Decai’s cooperation, got those two drunk and laid out—himself included.

Back in his room, he took a quick shower, then collapsed into bed, not waking until late morning.

Luckily, he had no scenes in the morning; he drowsily lingered in bed a while longer before opening his system to check today’s intelligence.

【Daily Intelligence 1: The actresses Tong Lei and Bao Yujing (Lady Xiao) from “Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties” greatly appreciated Yan Li’s intervention last night.】

【Daily Intelligence 2: Producer Li Si from “Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties,” following Assistant Director Wang Decai’s recommendation, formed a favorable impression of Yan Li.】

【…】

【Daily Intelligence 5: At this moment, Qin Lan, sleeping in the hotel, is having another erotic dream—the object of her dream is Yan Li; in the dream, the two of them…】

【Daily Intelligence 6: At this moment, Yan Li, sleeping in the inn, is also having an erotic dream—the object of his dream is Qin Lan and…】

Yan Li closed the system page, stood up, and walked to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he pulled off his underwear and tossed it into the basin, poured in detergent, and scrubbed it vigorously.

The restaurant owner definitely put something in the food!

(End of Chapter)