Chapter 166

"Teacher Li, happy New Year."

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

"Director Yan, thank you very much for taking care of my wife."

"Hey, we're all friends. Li Lin was pregnant and still kept up with the show—hard work. I should be thanking you. Eat well, have fun tonight, and I'll arrange your return tickets."

"…"

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

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

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

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

Teacher-student romance was fine—especially in arts schools, such cases weren't rare; Huang Sanshi of Beijing Film Academy and Tang Ren's top star Sun Li were the most typical examples.

The problem was that he got Li Lin, whose career was just taking off, to marry and have children.

What this meant for a female artist in her developmental phase went without saying.

If it were someone like Yan Li, wealthy beyond measure, or someone like 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 Bingbing, who had strong career ambitions, looked down on him and even felt frustrated with Li Lin for not fighting harder.

Some even secretly speculated within the Seven Fairies that 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 this, but ignored it.

Everyone has their own path. Maybe Li Lin genuinely wanted to marry early and didn't care much for her career—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, Bingbing brought her sister Li Xue, Fan Xiaopang came alone, Yan Li also invited Tong Dawei and his wife, who were staying in Jingcheng for filming, plus himself, Dong Xuan, and a few brothers—it was quite lively.

"Wow, this is the legendary 1982 Lafite?"

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

Yan Li looked at Tong Dawei with disdain: "Control your wife. Can't you stop her from making such 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 Huang was notoriously extravagant.

Actually, 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 "800,000 Cherokee incident." A post on Tianya claimed he and Huang Xiaoming had gone to the hospital to care for sick Boss Huang, nearly coming to blows—the gossip had plunged Tong Dawei into a media storm.

Honestly, Yan Li sometimes felt grateful to Tong Dawei.

Dong Xuan's willingness to turn a blind eye to him wouldn't have happened without Tong Dawei's help.

Compared to Tong Dawei's scandals, Yan Li's vague rumors were, at least to Dong Xuan, far more tolerable.

After the scandal broke, Guan Yue had thrown a fit, but didn't break up with him.

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

Even Guan Yue, an "extremist," had endured it. And since Yan Li was far more desirable than Tong Dawei, Dong Xuan, already inclined to be lenient, grew increasingly tolerant of Yan Li.

Yan Li now admired Guan Yue more and more.

She could help him keep Dong Xuan tied down and even "do her ideological work"—an absolute Chinese good friend.

In contrast, Ma Yili, who hung out with Qin Lan, had betrayed him despite his kind offer to let his girlfriend comfort her.

Hmph, deserved to have her boyfriend stolen!

Yan Li shook his head: "Is it really that big a deal? It's just 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 some once when I was in Europe."

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

"Slow down eating."

"Uh, didn't eat much before the shoot—I 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 two?"

Inside the Seven Fairies, names were used inconsistently—sometimes by order, sometimes by rainbow colors, sometimes by given names.

With two Bingbings, alone they were just "Bingbing"; together, they were distinguished as "Bingbing-jie" and "Bingbing"—Li was the oldest, Fan the youngest.

But they rarely used these terms normally, mainly because Li Bingbing disliked being called "jie" and Fan Xiaopang didn't want to be called "little 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 like a rattle, answering directly. Li Bingbing gave her a curious look.

"I've drunk Lafite before, but never the 1982 vintage. Today, thanks to Director Yan's generosity, I'll have to taste it properly."

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

Praising the Lafite was also praising 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 act differently—he took a sip and found it less enjoyable than the one he'd had in Europe.

Given the hotel's standard and class, they wouldn't serve him fake wine. It was probably just his mood.

Back in Europe, Yan Li had just made tens of millions, struck it rich, and been in an excellent mood—even plain boiled water then tasted better than this wine.

Setting down his glass, Yan Li felt someone watching him. He glanced over—Fan Xiaopang was nervously smoothing her hair and looking away.

Old friends and aged wine inevitably stir the mind's wanderings.

Yan Li remembered in Europe, he used this bottle of wine to wash Fan Xiaopang's hands, and on that final day, the two opened a bottle of champagne worth over ten thousand euros—Fan Xiaopang poured it over Yan Li's neck, then sipped it slowly…

Lifting the wine glass, Yan Li gulped down a mouthful to suppress the fire in his chest.

Dong Xuan is 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 the dust and accumulate fortune, beautify the skin and nourish the complexion.

…

After dinner, everyone moved to the luxury suite Yan Li had rented.

The suite was spacious—over two hundred square meters—perfect for gathering to chat, playing cards, mahjong, or video games; the audio-visual area could show movies and TV, and even had karaoke equipment.

Several women went to sing 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 all.

Yan Li's luck was good today; though he played small, he won nearly two thousand yuan.

He didn't care about this money, but it put pressure on the few brothers who worked for a living. He casually pulled over a spectator who didn't know how to play, shoved the cash into his hand, and told him to take his place, then went to the balcony to send text messages.

This Spring Festival, he'd sent many greeting texts—some could be replied to in bulk, others required careful thought.

Previously busy with the Spring Gala and gatherings, he hadn't had time to respond; now was the perfect moment to catch up.

From rushing to the hotel after the Spring Gala, to the dinner gathering, then playing in the suite—the time had long passed midnight.

Li Lin, who was pregnant, was the first to give out; no one dared let her stay up late, so her husband Li Xuetao accompanied her to rest.

Unexpectedly, after settling his wife to sleep, this guy returned to the suite to play again—he'd lost a bit and was desperate to win it back.

Yan Li had no time to deal with him; he wanted to take Dong Xuan back to rest, but Shan Bing, Li Xue, and Guan Yue teased and refused to let them leave.

"It's the New Year—none of you have anyone to keep you company, yet you won't even let us rest."

Yan Li was furious; the fire had only been suppressed, not extinguished—he'd already arranged the red wine.

Fan Xiaopang draped an arm around Dong Xuan's shoulder and said casually, "We'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 great time—don't spoil the mood."

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

I have a girlfriend—why should I solve it myself!

Yan Li finally understood: these women, without men to keep them company, had twisted minds—lonely in their cold beds, they couldn't stand seeing others warm and cozy.

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

Pretending to join Guan Yue and the others in solidarity, she soon excused herself to use the restroom, slipped out, and called Yan Li.

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

"Let's be quick—I'll be back soon."

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

…

After celebrating the New Year, Dong Xuan was too exhausted to return to the suite; she fell fast asleep on the bed.

Tucking the blanket around Dong Xuan, Yan Li hung up Li Bingbing's call, changed clothes, and returned to the suite.

Li Xuetao was still playing mahjong; Tong Dawei and Guan Yue were gone—they weren't close with the group, and with Yan Li and Dong Xuan absent, they'd naturally slipped away.

Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing had also stopped singing and were now watching a movie; Li Xue, apparently drunk, had collapsed against her sister's lap.

Seeing him return, Li Bingbing glanced at the time and raised an eyebrow: "You've got stamina."

Yan Li remained calm: "I told you long ago—half an hour to warm up, two hours minimum."

"Pfft."

Li Bingbing sneered, but Fan Xiaopang—who usually bickered with Yan Li—stayed silent.

She'd seen it before—this bastard was truly powerful!

"You two chat—I'll take my sister back to sleep, then come back."

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

After Li Bingbing and her sister left, only Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang remained in the audio-visual room.

After exercising, Yan Li was thirsty; unsure whose cup was whose on the table, he simply took the one in Fan Xiaopang's hand and gulped down more than half the wine.

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

"What's there to mind?"

Yan Li didn't care—in Europe, spitting at each other was routine; why care about drinking from each other's cups?

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

Having drunk heavily earlier, Fan Xiaopang was half-drunk now—her peach-blossom eyes glistened faintly, cheeks flushed, her radiant face more alluring than usual.

Since Dong Xuan couldn't take much, Yan Li, still unsatisfied, reached out to touch Fan Xiaopang.

Slap~

She slapped his hand away: "Don't touch me—didn't you say you'd wake up from your dream after returning to China?"

Yan Li was shameless: "Can't I have a nap?"

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

During these days together, Yan Li had taken good care of Fan Xiaopang; though she spoke sharply, her inner feelings toward him were quite favorable.

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

Back then she'd cursed him a beast—but afterward, she'd actually missed him a little.

Hmm, she wasn't trying to steal a man from Dong Xuan.

Drunk too much, acted foolishly—it's not hard to understand; just treat this bastard like an object……

"Cough. Cough."

Hearing the cough, Yan Li released Fan Xiaopang's lips, still glazed with intoxication, 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 the bottle at him, and Fan Xiaopang, nestled in his arms, pinched him hard.

Wanting what's in the bowl while eyeing the pot is bad enough, but now you're eyeing the field while still eating from the pot.

Why didn't you ask both sisters to come together……

(End of Chapter)