Chapter 163: Any of These Seven Fairy Sisters Would Do as My Daughter-in-Law

Late January, while Yan Li was still filming the scene of ambushing the Yamazaki Battalion for Liang Jian in Hebei Province, Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian finally premiered.

To ensure strong ratings for the premiere, Yan Li specifically demanded that terrestrial channels delay their broadcast, insisting it air only after several satellite channels had premiered.

Although this somewhat affected terrestrial channel distribution, Yan Li believed that once it became popular on satellite channels, the drama would sell even better afterward.

Four satellite channels jointly premiering a single drama was not unprecedented in the industry, but it was undeniably a massive move.

As some media put it, Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian was aiming straight for dominance of the Spring Festival slot.

Almost on the same day, Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian appeared in the prime-time slots of four satellite channels: Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Heilongjiang.

To be fair, the joint broadcast by four channels certainly amplified its influence, but it also diluted viewership to some extent.

The ideal scenario would be staggered scheduling—airing on different days or at different time slots.

At present, neither the internet nor DVDs could deliver real-time broadcasts; television remained the dominant platform for dramas.

But TV stations had fixed broadcast times and no pause-or-replay functions; cases of viewers missing episodes or wanting to rewatch were everywhere.

That's why reruns were so popular—staggered scheduling perfectly met these viewer needs.

If Tianjin Satellite finished two episodes and still wanted more, viewers would switch to Heilongjiang Satellite to watch again; if they missed a day's consecutive airing on Shandong Satellite due to obligations, they'd wait for Shanghai Satellite to catch up.

But while that's the theory, ideals are ideals and reality is reality.

Who aired first, who aired later, who got prime time, who got daytime slot—there were countless issues and entanglements here.

Though it was a collaboration, each of the four TV stations had their own hidden agendas, all wanting to drink the first soup and grab the biggest advantage.

Even if Yan Li were part of the intelligence system, or even if he could read minds, he'd struggle to balance it all; only a hypnosis-and-brainwashing system might stand a chance.

Thus, after negotiations, the four satellite channels still insisted on joint simultaneous broadcasting.

For Yan Li, the downside was that this could depress viewership data and raise pressure to achieve high ratings, but the upside was that this bombardment-style broadcast could maximize audience reach, making the drama more likely to go viral.

Viewership data vs. drama popularity

The former is bullshit!

Even if he lost the bet with the satellite channels and didn't receive part of the payment, the drama's explosive influence would let him recoup—and even earn more—from terrestrial channels and second- and third-round broadcasts.

…

Zao City

Yan Er's Restaurant, rarely closing early, shut its doors early that day; after Zhang Hong and Old Yan returned home, they began inviting friends and neighbors over to watch TV.

Their son had said this Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian was one he had invested in.

It was their own business—they had to show support.

Old Yan silently smoked his White Jiang and voiced his concern: "I don't understand ratings, but surely the more people watching, the better. If you gather everyone here, aren't you dragging your own feet?"

"…"

Zhang Hong paused, her hand holding the home phone receiver, then quickly found a new excuse.

"What do you know? I'm advertising for my son."

"We serve two extra pieces of braised meat to strangers to taste—same here. I invite them over to watch the drama; if they like it, they'll turn on their TVs at home every day to watch my son's show."

Saying this, she ignored Old Yan and began dialing numbers on the phone book with rapid, clacking fingers.

"Auntie, come over after dinner to watch TV—Yan Li's drama. Don't bring anything; I've prepared everything."

"Mrs. Wu Maowen, are you home?"

"Sister-in-law, bring Little Yi's wife…"

Old Yan watched Zhang Hong's enthusiastic energy and internally scoffed: advertising for his son? She just wanted to show off in front of those old women.

This wasn't the first time Zhang Hong had done this.

She'd done it during Zheng Fu, organized viewings for Ju Bao Pen, and only stopped for Sui Tang Ying Xiong Chuan after her son personally called to warn her.

She'd watched Han Wu Da Di too, but since her son never appeared and it wasn't their own business, she wasn't interested in the genre and gave up after two days.

This time, after confirming Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Nüxian had no queueing plotline, Zhang Hong reused the same tactic.

And this time, she made it even bigger—because she'd heard this drama might have her future daughter-in-law.

When Yan Li first took the villagers to the set, a fellow villager, quick-tongued, casually mentioned a few things when calling home to reassure his parents.

But that guy knew little about Dong Xuan and still had some sense, so he only said Yan Ge's girlfriend was beautiful and a female star, revealing nothing else.

Afterwards, Yan Li ordered everyone to keep quiet; no further inquiries could be made.

But Zhang Hong had remembered this.

As for Yan Li's earlier claim that he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she didn't believe it.

That little scoundrel had lied since childhood without a script, especially about love affairs—eight out of ten sentences were false; he was probably just fooling her.

Zhang Hong invited some sisters-in-law and female relatives, both to show off and to see if they could collectively figure out who the real one was.

While they were still eating dinner and the News Broadcast hadn't even ended, the people Zhang Hong called began arriving one after another, gathering around her.

Since Yan Li took several fellow villagers out and they'd done well, Zhang Hong's status in the village had skyrocketed.

Those who went out with Yan Li naturally befriended or even flattered her, hoping she'd get Yan Li to look out for their sons.

Those who didn't go out also hoped to someday get their own children to cling to Yan Li's coattails; their attitude toward Zhang Hong was even more obvious.

This was one of Yan Li's purposes in promoting fellow villagers.

But even without Yan Li, Zhang Hong's status in the village was already decent.

Her family ran a restaurant, so their economic standing was among the best; Old Yan and his two brothers, plus Yan Li's generation of four, were all strong laborers, and with extended relatives, no one in the village dared to provoke them.

…

A group of rural old women chattered away; even the dog in the yard fell silent.

Old Yan, sensing the situation, moved his stool to the doorway and talked with his nephew Yan Yi.

This kid had originally come to drop off his mother and wife, then planned to go out and play cards, but Old Yan forcibly detained him and called over Zhang Er from next door; without two men together, he feared being devoured by this crowd of old women.

"Here, smoke."

Old Yan lit a cigarette, and Old Zhang Er, familiar with him, couldn't help teasing him over the white pack of Zhonghua in his hand.

"Your son's already made it—why are you being so stingy? Why are you even smoking Zhonghua?"

"Zhonghua isn't nearly as strong as this one. Fine, if you want to smoke, I'll get you some."

Old Yan entered the room and handed one pack of cigarettes each to Old Zhang Er and his nephew Yan Yi.

"Try something new—smoke these."

"Huanghe Lou? Is this cigarette any good?"

Old Zhang Er casually opened the pack, pulled out a cigarette to inspect and sniff it, while Old Yan looked at him with disdain.

"I told you you're a country bumpkin—you only know Zhonghua. This is Huanghe Lou 1916, more expensive than Zhonghua, over a hundred yuan a pack."

"My goodness."

Old Zhang Er was greatly surprised, studying the pack closely; Yan Yi, who had just been about to open his cigarette, froze, tucking the pack into his chest. Seeing his uncle stare at him, he grinned sheepishly.

"Give this to my dad to try."

"You mean your father-in-law."

Old Yan brought out a whole box from inside the house and handed it directly to his nephew: "For your dad. Stop sneaking good cigarettes and liquor from him to bribe your father-in-law—he's complained about you to me more than once."

Yan Yi tucked the cigarettes away, frowning: "My wife brought meat from her parents' place—he's eaten plenty of it too."

Old Yan smirked—his niece's in-laws ran a meat stall; Yan Yi's family hadn't paid for meat since New Year's.

Sneaking a few good cigarettes or liquor to your father-in-law isn't even wrong…

Old Zhang Er was already enjoying his puff of smoke, couldn't describe the taste, but now that he knew the price, the cigarette was already deified in his mind.

"Your Yan Li was a mischievous brat as a kid, his grades way worse than my kid's—never thought he'd turn out so successful. You're finally enjoying the fruits."

Old Zhang Er spoke with a tinge of envy: his son was a few years older than Yan Li, graduated college, now a mid-level manager at a factory in Quancheng.

He was once a big shot in the village—but now, compared to Yan Li, he was nothing.

Although Yan Li asked people back home to keep quiet, he mainly wanted silence about his personal affairs—nothing else was restricted.

So everyone in the village knew just how well Old Yan's son was doing out there.

He runs a company with hundreds of people (exaggerated), deals in deals worth tens of millions, owns several internet cafes in Jingcheng, earns over a million a month, drives a Benz or a BMW, and his girlfriend's apparently a movie star…

"Oh, he's just fooling around."

Old Yan pretended humility, but his fat face beamed with joy.

Zhang Hong brought a crowd over to his house—he complained, but never stopped her.

He even hired two comic foils, gave away cigarettes he wouldn't even smoke himself, just to appease them and show off—wasn't it all just for this moment?

Old Yan's face lit up; Zhang Hong was even more delighted.

The two sisters-in-law who had been competing now led the flattery; the village chief's daughter-in-law played along; the women's committee chair called her "Sister Hong" over and over—it was Zhang Hong's personal peak.

This little Wang… her precious son was truly worth raising!

…

Amid the lively atmosphere, the broadcast finally began; everyone watched intently, even catching every second of the opening theme.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law—that's Xiao Li!"

Yan Li's aunt pointed at the TV: in the opening theme, Yan Li swung a long spear—though only a few seconds of screen time, those who knew him recognized him immediately.

"Li Di looks so handsome—he takes after his aunt. He's definitely the best-looking of all the brothers."

Yan Yi's wife flattered both Zhang Hong and her mother-in-law, making Yan Li's mother and aunt glance at her sharply.

"Your son's handsome because he takes after his mom—we're ugly, so our son's ugly too?"

But both understood what was going on.

Yan Xin, from Yan Li's aunt's side, went to Jingcheng with Yan Li and became an internet cafe manager, earning several thousand yuan a month in salary and bonuses, sometimes over ten thousand when business was good—rumor had it he even got a car (false rumor—it was the cafe's shared vehicle).

They were all cousins; Yan Yi's wife couldn't help thinking—why not get her husband to go to Jingcheng and tag along with Yan Li? Even a little favor would help.

So Yan Li's mother and wife fawned over Zhang Hong for their son/husband's sake.

Yan Li's aunt didn't need to be told—her own son was thriving under Yan Li's wing; emotionally and logically, she had to flatter Zhang Hong.

They didn't know what they truly thought, but immediately joined in agreeing with Yan Yi's wife.

"Not just among the brothers—in nearby villages, Xiao Li is the handsomest young man."

"It's all thanks to Sister-in-law. I don't care if Brother Two gets mad—your looks? You're too good for him."

Old Yan: "..."

What's with all these looks? Yan Li's looks clearly take after his own father.

He's just gotten fat now—twenty or thirty years ago, he was one of the most handsome young men for miles around. If anyone was wronged, it was him.

But he kept that thought to himself—saying it aloud would humiliate Zhang Hong, and after everyone left, they'd definitely fight.

Zhang Hong didn't take these flatteries too seriously—she'd heard too much, her threshold was high.

Compared to listening to praise, she focused more on spotting her son's face in the opening theme of Huan Tian Xi Di.

With so many characters, Yan Li's individual shots weren't many—but his name had strong presence.

【Producer: Yan Li, Jin XX, Qian X…】

【Starring: Huo Siyan, Pan Yueming… Yan Li…】

【Executive Producer: Yan Li】

Zhang Hong didn't fully understand what these titles meant, but the more his name appeared, the more important Yan Li seemed in this drama.

Especially that 【Executive Producer】—like a supreme commander, it sounded powerful, and it was listed alone.

Others didn't notice these details—typical viewers skipped the opening theme entirely and wouldn't pay attention to names anyway.

After the opening theme, the drama began: a few quick lines set the background, then the Seven Fairies performed a dance for Wang Mu.

One by one, the seven fairies—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—appeared, fair-skinned, beautiful, with graceful figures, delighting Zhang Hong and the others watching on TV.

The TV drama began its plot: the Seventh Fairy secretly descended to the mortal world, while the other fairies covered for her, finding other immortals to transform into the Seventh Fairy and dance together.

Zhang Hong and the others watched the drama while observing and commenting on the Seven Fairies, analyzing which one was Yan Li's girlfriend.

"The one in red (Li Lin) is nice, looks steady and dignified."

"I think the one in yellow (Dong Xuan) is pretty, fair-skinned, with lovely brows and eyes."

"The one in blue (Fan Xiaopang) is the prettiest, even a girl like me likes looking at her."

"The one in green (Jiang Xin) isn't bad either, tall and sturdy, healthy build."

"Oh my, I can't take it all in. Sister Hong, if it were up to me, I'd agree to any one of them being my daughter-in-law."

"……"

Zhang Hong was dazzled too. She knew this drama was about the Seven Fairies, but she hadn't expected them to actually find seven real "fairies."

Now it wasn't a matter of which one was her daughter-in-law. Knowing Yan Li as she did, with so many pretty girls gathered together, this little rascal was hardly going to quietly stay faithful to just one.

Zhang Hong was even starting to believe Yan Li's earlier talk about breaking up was real—maybe the boy had simply transferred his affections elsewhere.

While Zhang Hong couldn't make sense of the situation and fell silent, on the other side someone asked Old Yan, fishing for his take on the gossip.

"Second Brother, which one have you taken a fancy to?"

Comrade Old Yan rubbed his belly and gave a simple, honest chuckle: "I think Wang Mu is quite good-looking."

"Pfft… cough, cough…"

Yan Yi, who had been drinking water, nearly choked to death on those words and stared at his second uncle in shock.

His blade is still sharp!

The key thing is, he's got some nerve—his wife is right here.

Everyone burst out laughing. Zhang Hong shot him a glance without a word. That old bastard was sharp as a tack, playing dumb and acting clueless like no one else.

He was the father-in-law; he couldn't go around commenting on his daughter-in-law.

Besides, these old women's mouths were quick. If the couple let slip today which one they favored, and the son brought home a different daughter-in-law later, and she caught wind of it, it could easily cause trouble.

Originally Zhang Hong had some leanings in her heart, but after Old Yan's interruption, she too tightened her lips.

If anyone asked which one she favored, the unified reply would be: she liked them all, she wouldn't meddle in her child's affairs, Yan Li could decide for himself.

Setting aside the daughter-in-law topic, everyone turned their attention to the plot.

The first two episodes didn't feature Yan Li. They were about the youngest of the Seven Fairies secretly descending to the mortal world and marrying the mortal Dong Yong. The other fairies couldn't keep it hidden, so Wang Mu gave the order to drag Little Seven back and force her to break things off with Dong Yong.

Apart from a small portion who weren't much interested, most watched with great relish.

Although it was a period fantasy drama, it still told a human story, and the plot barrier wasn't high, making it relatively easy for the audience to immerse themselves and understand.

To put it bluntly, wasn't it just the same as a rich family's young daughter running off with a penniless young man, the widowed mother disapproving and trying to drive the lovers apart?

If you said let the fairies fall in love, these old women might not all love watching it. But talk about this kind of "family domestic drama," and every one of them got fired up.

This was the deliberate intent of "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies."

The mother-daughter conflict enriched the plot and added romantic obstacles for each fairy.

At the same time, the clash and friction between traditional motherhood and modern parent-child relations, the conflict and contradiction between family control and free love, could also scratch an itch for some people.

Young people loved watching it, and some of the older generation watched too while criticizing on the side.

A TV drama isn't afraid of viewers scolding it; it's afraid of no one watching. "Haters'" ratings are still ratings.

Old Yan, Yan Yi, and the other men really had no interest in this kind of subject matter.

But they couldn't deny the Seven Fairies were truly beautiful enough—even Wang Mu had quite a charm to her. Just looking at the faces alone could keep them seated.

When the two episodes finished, everyone gave extremely high praise, half sincere and half polite.

Zhang Hong happily called her son, but no one picked up.

She figured the TV drama had just premiered, so plenty of people must be contacting her son. She didn't mind, and took out the snacks and dried fruits at home to entertain everyone while recapping the plot.

…

Zhang Hong's guess wasn't far off. Yan Li was indeed very busy—three phones ringing non-stop, he couldn't even answer them all.

It was broadcast simultaneously on the four major satellite channels. Any household that could receive satellite TV could flip through channels and easily find this drama.

Acquaintances who knew something about this drama naturally wanted to chat with Yan Li—some to offer congratulations, some to fish for relevance, and some crew members to exchange thanks.

Qin Lan, who had already returned to her hometown for the New Year, also tried calling Yan Li but couldn't get through. However, Yan Li had sent her a text message.

Qin Lan replied with two messages, then stared at the photos she'd taken of the TV with her phone, silently sizing things up.

Had any of these seven "fairies" set their sights improperly on Yan Li?

Qin Lan recalled how, a few days earlier, Ma Yili had been staying at her place. Because Qin Lan had been keeping her company day after day to help her through the shadow of her breakup, Ma Yili had been moved and, at the risk of offending Yan Li, revealed four words to her.

"Beware of Wang Ou!"

Qin Lan knew that name. She was an artist signed to Yan Li's company, originally a model.

She hadn't really paid this person any mind before. Only after Ma Yili's reminder did the taste sink in: Yan Li had inexplicably signed an unknown little model as the company's sole female artist—the information here was worth pondering.

Spreading out a piece of paper, Qin Lan wrote down Wang Ou's name, with the two Fan Bingbings who were planning to stir up scandal with Yan Li beside it.

The last name was Dong Xuan.

Qin Lan wasn't always the sharpest, but she wasn't truly stupid either. Privately, she had done no small amount of research into the matters around Yan Li.

The name Dong Xuan didn't have much connection to Yan Li, but it wasn't little either.

In "Snow Flower Goddess Dragon," she was the female lead, and Yan Li was the distributor.

She had read the script for "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies"—the Third Fairy she played was paired with Yan Li.

Moreover, both of them were from Beijing Film Academy, and online information showed they were both Class of 2000.

Qin Lan hadn't forgotten that Yan Li once had an ex-girlfriend at school, who was pretty, taller than her, and fairer-skinned—Dong Xuan matched every point.

Actually, Qin Lan could have asked friends to find students from Beijing Film Academy's Class of 2000 to inquire. If the two had dated openly, it wouldn't have been hard to find out.

But Qin Lan didn't dare. If she didn't look, she could still fool herself. What if she actually found something?

Break up?

On what grounds? Even if Dong Xuan really was his ex-girlfriend, they had already broken up before she met Yan Li—she had no guilt.

On the contrary, Qin Lan strongly suspected the woman had only come crawling back now that Yan Li's career was taking off, and Yan Li, out of lingering sentiment, had fallen for it.

Yes!

They can't break up—if they do, Yan Li will be completely controlled by that little bitch. She is Yan Li's official girlfriend and has the duty to protect him from harm.

"Ah-choo~"

Dong Xuan, who had stayed in the Beijing Film Academy compound to prepare for the Spring Festival Gala, sneezed, her expression suspicious.

"Did someone just curse me?"

"Li Bingbing? Fan Bingbing?"

"Or maybe those two little bitches surnamed Huo or Huang?"

(End of Chapter)