Chapter 166: Fan Xiaopang: Why didn

"Teacher Li, happy New Year."

Yan Li shook hands with Li Lin's husband, Li Xuetao; they had met a few times at the Seven Fairies rehearsal hall or Spring Festival Gala dress rehearsals, but weren't close.

"Chief Yan, thank you for taking care of my wife."

"Hey, we're all friends. Li Lin was pregnant and still recorded the show—hard work. I should be thanking you. Have a good meal and fun tonight—I'll arrange your return tickets."

"..."

After a few pleasantries, Li Xuetao took his seat. Aside from Li Lin, everyone else exchanged only brief, perfunctory words.

Though all were family members of the Seven Fairies, people were very different.

The Seven Fairies treated Yan Li and Li Xuetao differently—not quite heaven and earth, but clearly distinct.

Partly due to status and wealth, but also because several of the Seven Fairies held a poor impression of Li Xuetao himself.

Teacher-student romance was fine—it wasn't uncommon in art schools. Huang Sanshi and Sun Li of Beijing Film Academy were the most typical examples.

The problem was that he had made Li Lin, whose career was just taking off, get married and have a child.

What this meant for a female artist in her developmental phase was obvious.

If Yan Li, with his immense wealth, or Huang Sanshi, who let his wife return home while he supported the family and provided them with a comfortable life, that would be acceptable.

But Li Xuetao was just a university teacher, with no particularly outstanding family background—Li Lin was the main breadwinner. That made things awkward.

Especially for career-driven types like Shuang Bing, they looked down on him and even felt frustrated with Li Lin for not fighting harder.

Some dark rumors even circulated among the Seven Fairies, suggesting Li Xuetao feared Li Lin would leave him once she became famous, so he got her pregnant and married her to tie her down.

Yan Li vaguely knew about this, but ignored it.

Everyone has their own path. Maybe Li Lin genuinely wanted to marry early and didn't care much about her career—she was content with modest comfort. No need to impose one's own values on others.

After the Spring Festival Gala, they'd have little contact anyway. Whether the couple was happy or not, Yan Li didn't care.

…

Li Lin brought her husband, Li Bingbing brought her sister Li Xue, Fan Xiaopang came alone, Yan Li also invited Tong Dawei and his wife, who were staying in Beijing for filming, plus himself, Dong Xuan, and a few brothers—it was lively enough.

"Wow, this is the legendary 1982 Lafite?"

Guan Yue sat beside Dong Xuan, astonished at the red wine delivered by the hotel.

Yan Li glared at Tong Dawei: "Control your wife. Can't you stop her from making a fool of herself?"

Tong Dawei chuckled: "I'm not much better—I've never drunk anything this expensive before. Boss Yan, you're really splurging."

Hehe~

Guan Yue had never drunk it, but Tong Dawei? Who knew? Boss Shi was extravagantly wealthy.

In fact, if Yan Li hadn't invited him, Tong Dawei might not have come—he was in trouble right now.

Last month, the Southern Metropolis Daily exposed the 800, 00+ Cherokee incident. A post on Tianya claimed he and Huang Xiaoming had gone to the hospital to care for the hospitalized Boss Shi, nearly coming to blows. Tong Dawei was deep in a public relations storm.

Honestly, Yan Li sometimes felt grateful to Tong Dawei.

Dong Xuan's willingness to turn a blind eye to him wouldn't have been possible without Tong Dawei's distraction.

Compared to Tong Dawei's scandals, Yan Li's vague, ambiguous troubles were far easier for Dong Xuan to accept.

After the scandal broke, although Guan Yue had protested, she didn't break up with him.

This time, they faced the media storm together—even spent the Spring Festival together.

Even Guan Yue, this "radical type," had endured it. And since Yan Li was far more desirable than Tong Dawei, Dong Xuan, already inclined to be lenient, grew even more tolerant of him.

Yan Li now increasingly admired Guan Yue, Dong Xuan's best friend.

She helped him keep Dong Xuan tied down and even did "ideological work" on her—absolutely a Chinese good friend.

In contrast, Ma Yili, who hung out with Qin Lan, had betrayed him despite his kindness in asking his girlfriend to comfort her.

Hmph, deserved to have his girlfriend stolen!

Yan Li shook his head: "Is it really that big a deal? It's just a bottle of red wine. Maybe it tastes a bit better than average, but not nearly as miraculous as they claim."

Dong Xuan glanced at him: "Have you drunk it before?"

Yan Li's expression didn't change: "I had one in Europe."

Fan Xiaopang, sitting nearby, nearly choked on asparagus. Li Bingbing patted her back.

"Slow down."

"Uh, didn't eat much during rehearsal—was hungry."

Fan Xiaopang gave a casual reply, then reached for water to calm herself—when Dong Xuan turned to her.

"I've never drunk Lafite before. Bingbing-jie, Bingbing, have you?"

Within the Seven Fairies, nicknames were chaotic—sometimes by order, sometimes by rainbow colors, sometimes by name.

With two Bingbings, individually they were just "Bingbing"; together, one was called "Bingbing-jie" and the other without "jie"—Li was the oldest, Fan the youngest.

But they rarely used these terms normally, mainly to avoid upsetting Li Bingbing, who disliked being called "jie," and Fan Xiaopang didn't want to be overshadowed by a "sister."

Dong Xuan only slipped them out now because she was in a good mood and wanted to show off.

"No, never."

Fan Xiaopang shook her head vigorously, replying immediately. Li Bingbing glanced at her oddly.

"I've drunk Lafite before, but never the 1982 vintage. Today's lucky to taste it thanks to Chief Yan—I'll savor it well."

When the dishes were nearly all served, Yan Li signaled the server to open the wine. Everyone toasted to celebrate the New Year, then lavished praise on the famous 1982 Lafite.

They praised the Lafite, but also Yan Li—he'd gone out of his way to treat them to fine wine. To say it tasted bad would be to ruin the occasion.

Yan Li didn't stand out—he took a sip and found it less enjoyable than the one in Europe.

At this hotel's standard, they wouldn't serve fake wine. It was probably his mood.

Back in Europe, Yan Li had just made tens of millions, reaped great wealth, and felt ecstatic—even plain water then tasted better than this wine.

Putting down his glass, Yan Li sensed someone watching him. He glanced over—Fan Xiaopang nervously smoothed her hair and looked away.

Old wine, old memories—inevitably stirred thoughts.

Yan Li remembered in Europe, he'd used this bottle to wash Fan Xiaopang's hands, and on their final day, they'd opened a bottle of champagne worth over ten thousand euros—she poured it over his neck and drank it slowly…

He raised his glass and downed a large gulp to suppress the heat in his chest.

Dong Xuan was still here. Don't act out.

But… Yan Li glanced at Dong Xuan's fair, delicate skin, and his throat moved slightly.

To bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, why not take a red wine bath—to cleanse away misfortune, beautify and nourish the skin.

…

After dinner, everyone moved to Yan Li's luxury suite.

The suite was spacious—over 200 square meters—with space for chatting, playing cards, mahjong, or video games. The entertainment area had a TV, movie projector, and karaoke equipment.

The women went to karaoke. Yan Li, Tong Dawei, Li Xuetao, and a few brothers played mahjong and video games.

When tired, they could rest in rooms outside the suite—Yan Li had already booked them.

Yan Li had good luck today—played lightly but won nearly two thousand yuan.

He didn't care about the money, but it put pressure on the working brothers. He pulled over an inexperienced spectator, handed him the cash, and told him to take his place, then went to the balcony to send messages.

He'd received many New Year greetings—some could be replied to en masse, others needed careful thought.

He'd been too busy with the Spring Festival Gala and the gathering to respond earlier—now he had time.

From arriving at the hotel after the Gala, to dinner, to playing in the suite, the time had long passed midnight.

Pregnant Li Lin was the first to give out. No one dared let her stay up late—her husband Li Xuetao accompanied her to rest.

Unexpectedly, after settling his wife to sleep, he returned to the suite to play again—seemed he'd lost some money and wanted to win it back.

Yan Li had no time for him. He wanted to take Dong Xuan back to rest, but Shuang Bing, Li Xue, and Guan Yue teased him, refusing to let him leave.

"It's the New Year. You've got no one to keep you company—don't deny us rest."

Yan Li was annoyed. The heat he'd suppressed earlier hadn't gone out—he'd already arranged the red wine.

Fan Xiaopang draped her arm around Dong Xuan's shoulder, blithely saying: "You're an old married couple. What's one more night? We're having fun singing—don't ruin it."

"Exactly."

Li Xue chimed in: "Everyone's having a good time. Don't spoil the mood."

Li Bingbing was the most blunt: "Solve it yourself."

I've got a girlfriend—why should I solve it myself!

Yan Li finally understood: these women, without men, were twisted. With their own cold beds, they couldn't stand seeing others with warm companions.

Fortunately, Dong Xuan was on Yan Li's side.

Pretending to side with Guan Yue and the others, she soon excused herself to use the restroom, then called Yan Li.

Afraid of being teased later by the women, Dong Xuan urged Yan Li to hurry.

"Let's hurry—I'll be back soon."

"Why rush? It's the New Year—celebrate properly. First, take a bath. I've ordered red wine…"

…

After celebrating the New Year, Dong Xuan was too exhausted to return to the suite. She fell fast asleep in bed.

Yan Li tucked her in, hung up a call from Li Bingbing, changed clothes, and returned to the suite.

Li Xuetao was still playing mahjong. Tong Dawei and Guan Yue were gone—they weren't close to this group and left when Yan Li and Dong Xuan weren't around.

Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing were too tired to sing—they were watching a movie. Li Xue, apparently drunk, lay curled in her sister's arms.

Seeing him return, Li Bingbing checked the time and raised an eyebrow: "You're in good shape."

Yan Li remained calm: "I told you before—I warm up for half an hour, then go for two hours minimum."

"Pfft."

Li Bingbing sneered, but Fan Xiaopang, usually so quick to banter with Yan Li, stayed silent.

She had seen it herself—this bastard was truly terrifyingly strong!

"You two chat first. I'll take my sister back to sleep, and I'll be right back."

Li Bingbing worried her sister Li Xue would be uncomfortable sleeping, so she planned to escort her to her room; Yan Li offered help enthusiastically, but Li Bingbing refused.

After Li Bingbing and her sister left, the cinema room was left with only Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang.

After exercising, Yan Li was thirsty, couldn't tell whose cup was on the table, and simply took the cup from Fan Xiaopang's hand, gulping down more than half of it.

Fan Xiaopang frowned: "I don't mind you, but I mind you."

"What's there to mind?"

Yan Li didn't care—back in Europe, spitting at each other was routine; why should he care about drinking from someone else's cup?

Fan Xiaopang snorted, snatched the cup from Yan Li's hand, poured himself another drink, and sipped it slowly.

He'd already drunk quite a bit and was half-drunk now, his peach-blossom eyes glistening, cheeks flushed, his strikingly beautiful face more alluring than usual.

Since Dong Xuan wasn't up to the task, Yan Li, still unsatisfied, couldn't help reaching out to touch Fan Xiaopang.

Slap~

The latter slapped his hand away: "Don't touch me. Didn't someone say they'd wake up from their dream after returning home?"

Yan Li, shameless as ever: "Can't a man have a little nap?"

As he spoke, his hand settled on Fan Xiaopang's body; the latter squirmed slightly, struggled a bit, but didn't resist strongly.

Over these days, Yan Li had taken good care of Fan Xiaopang; though his tongue was sharp, his feelings toward Yan Li were actually quite favorable.

Besides, back in Europe, everything that could happen had already happened.

Back then he'd called this dog a beast—but afterward, he'd actually missed him a little.

Hmm, she wasn't fighting Dong Xuan for a man.

Drunk, acting foolishly—it wasn't hard to understand. Just treat this dog like an object…

"Cough, cough."

Hearing the cough, Yan Li released Fan Xiaopang's lips, still dazed, and turned to see Li Bingbing watching them with a half-smile.

"I've been gone five minutes and you're already kissing?"

Yan Li ventured: "How about… all three of us?"

"Get lost."

Li Bingbing nearly threw her bottle at him; Fan Xiaopang, nestled in his arms, pinched him hard.

Wanting what's in the bowl while eyeing the pot is one thing—but now you're eating from the pot and staring at the field.

Why not invite both sisters together…

(End of Chapter)