Chapter 167

"It's the New Year, let's all have some fun together."

Yu Yanli felt a itch in his heart—today was truly a rare opportunity.

The two Bing hadn't fully broken ties; they still maintained a veneer of civility, especially since the Seven Fairies had formed a temporary alliance, creating a fragile "honeymoon period."

Once the "Happy Heaven and Earth: Seven Fairies" project ends, their careers will rise, competition will intensify, and resentment will deepen.

At that point, trying to bring them together—let alone stack them—would be far too difficult.

Today, they'd all appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, their emotions were high, they were away from home for the holiday, feeling lonely, craving companionship, had drunk quite a bit, and were more relaxed, with a perfect excuse to let loose.

A wild, drunken mess tonight, then blackout tomorrow—nothing gets in the way.

"Go dream your fairy tale."

Li Bingbing snorted—she wasn't short of men; why should she let this bastard treat her like this?

She turned to leave, but Yu Yanli pulled her back onto the sofa, wrapping his arms around her waist; she struggled, and he whispered.

"Let me have you once, I swear I won't touch your sister—I'll do whatever you want."

Li Bingbing's movements slowed considerably; Yu Yanli pressed his advantage.

"Next time you want a role, I'll help you get it; any role I land that suits you, I'll give it to you."

Yu Yanli had gone all in—these two Bing, no matter what, he'd start by painting the big picture.

Li Bingbing was over thirty; she wasn't some green newcomer anymore.

Grabbing her by the vital point, with enough incentive, Yu Yanli wasn't some repulsive ugly man—physically, Li Bingbing didn't lose out; if anything, she was the one getting the better deal, like an old ox nibbling tender grass.

Besides his flirtatious nature and occasional shamelessness, Li Bingbing genuinely admired and liked Yu Yanli himself.

If he weren't older, and if he'd shown even a hint of interest, she'd have taken him long ago.

Earlier, when she tried to dissuade her sister from pursuing Yu Yanli, Li Bingbing had already entertained some bold ideas.

She claimed it was for her sister's sake, but there were countless ways to break up a couple—this aggressive strategy surely hid other motives.

Yu Yanli understood Li Bingbing's meaning, which gave him the nerve to make his move.

Worst case, he'd get scolded, then blame it on the alcohol; if she had no interest, then he was just a lecher—and getting hit with a bottle wouldn't be too much.

But at any other time, if Yu Yanli made his move and Li Bingbing didn't outright reject him, a half-resistance might have been enough.

But today, Fan Xiaopang was right here!

Li Bingbing was indeed open-minded, but not that open-minded—this bastard should've at least laid some groundwork gradually; no one starts this boldly on the first try.

While Li Bingbing hesitated, Fan Xiaopang was already ready to flip out.

You don't sleep like this—what the hell do you think she is!?

With a dark face, Fan Xiaopang yanked Yu Yanli out from under her clothes, stood up to leave—but Yu Yanli pinned her down, and one sentence silenced her struggle.

"Do you want to hear her call you 'Sister Bing'?"

Huh?

Yes!

Though called "The Two Bing," Fan Xiaopang was currently just a token player.

Li Bingbing starred in "The Mobile," which became the 2003 box office champion, and she won the Hundred Flowers Award; last year's "No Thieves Under Heaven" grossed over 100 million.

Regardless of how much credit she deserved, on paper, she was firmly in the top tier of mainland female leads.

"Happy Heaven and Earth: Seven Fairies" was a huge hit during the Spring Festival, and her appearance on the Gala further elevated her career.

Fan Xiaopang's "Bingbing" was just a nickname; the real "Bingbing" was Li Bingbing's.

"Sister Bing" might sound old-fashioned, but for Li Bingbing to be called "sister" by a group of younger actresses was, in itself, a sign of her fame and status—Fan Xiaopang couldn't even guarantee anyone would respond if she tried.

Fan Xiaopang got angry over the name "Jin Suo," revealing her deep sensitivity and unwillingness to be sidelined.

She resented being overshadowed by the two princesses in "My Fair Princess," and now Li Bingbing overshadowed her—"Big Bingbing" and "Little Bingbing"—and she was bitter.

Yu Yanli used this to control Fan Xiaopang—another vital point seized.

This wasn't Yu Yanli using Li Bingbing to flatter her, elevating one Bing while belittling the other—he'd just lure her to bed first, then make Fan give it back later.

Yu Yanli had full confidence in his persuasive abilities!

…

Although the two Bing's attitudes had softened—at least they hadn't walked out directly.

But both were conflicted, clearly still struggling to accept it—the situation was stuck.

Seeing this, Yu Yanli stopped his flowery persuasion and pulled out the liquor.

"Let's have a few drinks first."

As always, alcohol isn't good—but it's a good excuse.

Many things feel embarrassing or too awkward to do sober, but after drinking, things naturally fall into place.

The two Bing didn't agree, but they didn't object either; Yu Yanli poured several glasses and took the initiative to ease the tension.

"Drinking straight is boring—let's play a game."

"How do we play?"

The game didn't matter—what mattered was starting to drink and easing the atmosphere.

Yu Yanli had been to countless banquets—he had a whole arsenal of drinking games; he started with some normal ones to warm things up: rock-paper-scissors, "seven," truth or dare, and so on.

After a few drinks, the mood opened up, and they moved to more advanced games.

Yu Yanli didn't dare go too far—he feared they'd snap or revolt and ruin everything—so he stuck to games that built intimacy.

Fan Xiaopang was young and close to Yu Yanli, so she played more wildly.

In one game where they fed each other wine or fruit—originally done by hand—Fan Xiaopang held the wine in her mouth and the grape between her lips, batting her peach-blossom eyes at Yu Yanli.

Could Yu Yanli refuse her? He took it all.

Li Bingbing watched from the side, silently cursing the little vixen for being shameless—but she too was subtly drawn into the mood.

Later, in a game where she and Yu Yanli bit into a biscuit, the biscuit between them disappeared.

The more they drank, the wilder the games became; sensing the atmosphere was ripe, Yu Yanli suggested the suite was too noisy and proposed moving to another room to play in peace.

The two Bing said nothing, but didn't resist when Yu Yanli pulled them along.

In the new room, Yu Yanli raised the stakes.

No more fancy games—rock-paper-scissors to decide losers: loser either drinks or takes off one article of clothing.

By now, regret was useless; the two Bing dropped their reservations and even began competing—each hoping to win first, forcing the little bitch to drink her own leftover broth.

"..."

New Year's Eve, cold winter night

Amidst bursts of firecrackers, frozen crystals were torn apart by howling winds, cracking with sharp, crisp sounds...

————

On the first day of the New Year, Li Bingbing woke to a ringing phone, fumbling for her mobile on the bed.

"Hello?"

"Sis, where are you?"

"I'm..."

Li Bingbing suddenly snapped awake, sat up, shoved aside the thigh pressing on her, checked the time, and forced calm.

"I'm in the restaurant—drank too much with Xiao Fan last night, helped her back to her room, fell asleep there, just woke up hungry and came downstairs to eat."

Li Xue didn't think much of it, grumbled a bit, and hung up.

Li Bingbing didn't dare delay—she jumped up to get dressed, but a large hand pulled her back.

"Where are you going?"

Li Bingbing slapped away the meddling hand: "It's almost eleven—aren't you afraid Dong Xuan will find out?"

"I've already arranged it."

Yu Yanli had a good liquor tolerance and high energy—he woke much earlier than Li Bingbing and had cleared his tracks; Dong Xuan now thought he'd returned to the company for an emergency.

"Don't rush—I'll tell the hotel to send your sister's meal up."

Yu Yanli assured Li Bingbing, his hand already stirring again.

One was radiant, beautiful, and fiery; the other was spirited, crisp, and decisive—combined, they made Yu Yanli's memories of last night especially exquisite.

Li Bingbing looked at him helplessly: "Are you done yet?"

She now knew Yu Yanli hadn't been boasting—he was truly formidable; even together, she and Fan Xiaopang had been utterly defeated.

But the wildness was over; now that the alcohol had worn off, they should return to normal.

"A hangover doesn't clear so easily."

Yu Yanli ignored her—he might never get another chance like this with the two Bing; if he didn't enjoy it now, he'd regret it later.

Li Bingbing tried to escape, but she was no match for him—she was pinned down in seconds.

Yu Yanli also teased the nearby Fan Xiaopang: "Stop pretending—your ears are already red."

Fan Xiaopang opened her eyes and cursed: "Ass."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Yu Yanli didn't care—he pulled her over and, with both hands at once, moved mountains and filled seas...

Yan Li paid no mind, yanked her over, and with two tasks at once, moved mountains and filled seas…

Around two in the afternoon, Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing finally showed up.

As for that man, fearing awkwardness or signs of retaliation, he kept busy with company matters.

Li Lin and her husband had secured their tickets and were already packing to head to the airport.

Li Lin and her husband got the plane tickets and have already packed their things and headed to the airport.

One left, but three arrived.

After learning how much fun Jiang Xin and others had at last night's gathering, they came over after spending the New Year with their families.

Yu Yanli didn't cancel the hotel room—let them play as long as they wanted; a couple extra days' rent wasn't worth worrying about.

"Why do all three of you seem weird?"

Hu Siyan studied Dong Xuan and the other two, sensing something off.

Li Bingbing felt guilty; Fan Xiaopang defended: "We had too much fun last night, drank so much alcohol—we're still dizzy."

Li Bingbing agreed, Dong Xuan couldn't deny last night's private meeting with Yu Yanli, so she nodded in agreement; even Li Xue thought Hu Siyan was overreacting.

Hu Siyan listened, then carefully observed all four of their conditions.

Li Xue's face was pale, her lips dry; Li Bingbing had faint dark circles, her eyes weary; Fan Xiaopang's cheeks were flushed, movements sluggish, voice hoarse; Dong Xuan was relatively the best, but faintly carried the scent of alcohol.

Hmm, everyone shows hangover symptoms differently—maybe she was just being overly suspicious…

Perhaps last night's revelry had drained them all; the group mostly chatted and searched online for feedback on the Spring Festival Gala.

"Gala Masterpiece: The Seven Fairies Dance on Clouds, Enchanting All Nine Provinces"

"Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang Appear with a Harem at the Gala: The Seven Fairies Stage a Musical Spectacle"

"Debuting at the Gala, Igniting the Spring Festival Box Office: The Seven Fairies Become the 2005 New Trend"

"Forum Buzz: Who Is the Most Beautiful of the Seven Fairies? The Li-Bingbing Rivalry Reignites, Hu Siyan Emerges as a Dark Horse"

"Insiders Reveal: Huayi Plans to Sign Hu Siyan, Jiang Xin, and Others, Bringing the Seven Fairies Under Their Umbrella"

"Four Dan, Seven Fairies? Can the Seven Fairies Become the New Face of Mainland's Young Actresses?"

"…"

Li Xue read the final few headlines, glanced at Dong Xuan and Hu Siyan, then met her sister Li Bingbing's eyes—they nodded in silent agreement.

They hadn't promoted the "Four Dan, Two Bing" concept for long, yet now someone was already trying to latch onto "Four Dan, Seven Fairies."

The two Bing were both rising stars; Li Bingbing's recent momentum could even rival the Four Dan.

The Seven Fairies? That was pure forced labeling.

They were grouped together only because of the TV drama's marketing and the Gala performance—none of them were even in the same league.

The Li sisters strongly suspected the remaining few—or their corporate teams—were trying to forcibly tie themselves to the two Bing for promotion.

Earlier, they'd hesitated whether to enjoy more of the Seven Fairies' benefits; now, after the New Year, Li Bingbing should sever ties with them.

Tying herself to Fan Xiaopang was at least a mutually beneficial alliance—they had real connections, and the future looked promising.

The rest? The Li sisters weren't running an orphanage…

As the Li sisters pondered, Fan Xiaopang silently watched them.

She'd discussed it with Yu Yanli: during the New Year, to preserve the Gala's profits, they'd hold off on gossip.

Once "Happy Heaven, Happy Earth: The Seven Fairies" began full reruns and widespread promotion on local channels, they'd launch the rumors—maximizing profits.

By then, the two Bing would officially "break ties" with Yu Yanli.

Afterward, her career focus would shift from Huayi to Yi'an, led by Yu Yanli.

Whether she'd terminate her contract outright or take legal action would depend on negotiations with Huayi and Hua-jie.

At Huayi, she'd been tightly suppressed by the Li sisters; joining Yi'an, with Yu Yanli's planning and support, would be the real showdown between the two Bing.

The two Bing each had their own agendas; others had theirs too.

Yang Xue and Jiang Xin thought simply: the collaboration went well, they'd gained plenty of exposure; Boss Yu was generous and sentimental—just keep clinging to his leg.

"The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" had already assigned them each a lead role in a standalone episode.

With roles secured and continued closeness to Yu Yanli, when Yi'an had suitable projects, they'd be first in line.

Hu Siyan also wanted to cling to Yu Yanli's leg.

But Dong Xuan kept her at arm's length—even Fan Xiaopang, who considered herself the future top star of the company, didn't want a troublemaker disrupting her plans.

No choice—Hu Siyan had to turn elsewhere. Fortunately, "Happy Heaven, Happy Earth: The Seven Fairies" had given her plenty of fame; with some maneuvering, good opportunities wouldn't be hard to find.

Still, she'd remembered this grudge—she'd reclaim her dignity someday.

Dong Xuan exhaled deeply; dealing with this group of fairies was exhausting.

You had to stay alert, yet also charm and soothe them.

At last, things would quiet down—she wouldn't need to deal with several of them anymore; just play with those willing, and watch out for one or two.

"…"

At Yi'an Film & Television, Yu Yanli, being interviewed by a journalist about the Seven Fairies, spoke of his feelings toward them.

"Yes, they have an exceptional bond—close, affectionate, helping each other; sometimes it feels like their sisterhood runs deeper than blood…"

(End of Chapter)