Chapter 171: Fan Xiaopang: Li Bingbing, a Defeated Dog

In 2004, a non-entertainment figure dominated numerous headlines: his name was Li Houlin.

Li Houlin primarily dealt in jewelry and diamonds, owned multiple jewelry stores across various regions, possessed considerable wealth, and was still young—early thirties—making him a diamond widower.

With money came the desire for romance.

Due to some overlap between his business and the entertainment circle, Li Houlin gradually met many female celebrities and began pursuing them.

Rumors claimed that mainland singer Zhou Yanhong, Sun Yue, and Wang Siyi, who portrayed Pan Jinlian in the CCTV version of Water Margin, had all been linked to him or pursued by him to varying degrees.

Yet the true reason this man made front-page entertainment news was because of Golden Horse Award-winning actress Qin Hailu and popular host Li Xiang.

It was said that when Qin Hailu was dating Li Houlin, he abruptly broke up with her and immediately began dating Li Xiang, marrying her within just over a month.

Qin Hailu not only wept on camera during interviews but also publicly blamed Li Xiang; Li Xiang, the top anchor of Hunan TV, was no pushover and fired back.

Li Houlin alternated between saying he was sorry to Qin Hailu and claiming Li Xiang was the better woman.

The three-way emotional entanglement became one of the biggest entertainment scandals of 2004.

Then, at the start of 2005, the collapse of Zhou Jielun's romance with Hou Peichen made triangle love stories the new hot topic.

Before Zhou Jielun's news had cooled, the "Two Bings Compete for Yan" scandal erupted; media outlets simultaneously condemned the entertainment circle's chaotic relationships and frenziedly reported the story.

Ordinary netizens and viewers cursed loudly but watched more eagerly than ever.

Sina, Sohu, and NetEase all launched special sections; major entertainment media scrambled to write stories, and even Taiwan and Xiangjiang media joined in the frenzy.

"Two Bings Serve One Man? Yan Li's Luxury Car Picks Up Fan Xiaopang for the Night, Li Bingbing's Young Grass Goes Unconsumed."

"Bingbing Sisters Tear Each Other Apart Over Love; Yan Li's Fortune Draws Envy."

"Mainland Triangle Love Scandal: Zhou Jielun Lets Out a Long Sigh."

"…"

Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang both quietly observed the situation; among the three parties, Li Bingbing was the first to speak out.

More precisely, it was her agent and younger sister Li Xue who gave an interview, stating that her sister was currently filming and had no knowledge of or interest in events outside.

But soon after, insiders revealed that Li Bingbing was not filming—she had chosen to travel away to clear her head after the incident and would not accept interviews anytime soon.

Someone on Tianya even claimed that after seeing the news, Li Bingbing went to Fan Xiaopang's place demanding an explanation; the two clashed, and Fan Xiaopang received a slap from Li Bingbing.

"These two sisters have the nerve to come at me directly—why do they have to step on me too?"

When Fan Xiaopang called Yan Li, she was furious about this post.

She strongly suspected the Tianya post was written by Li Bingbing's people—shameless, and even if both sisters teamed up, they wouldn't be her match.

Yan Li remained calm: "They're already cooperating quite well."

Although tacitly allowing the "Two Bings Compete for Yan" hype, Li Bingbing could never truly play the role of the wronged party.

Like Qin Hailu's "tears on camera," that was too much—it was too pitiful and invited ridicule.

So the Li sisters' stance was neither to confirm nor deny, keeping their position ambiguous.

Not confirming the relationship meant they could always retreat and withdraw cleanly.

Not denying it also allowed them to claim a share of the spotlight, gain exposure, and wait to strike from behind.

They could advance or retreat at will!

"Li Xue has improved significantly—she's got the timing down perfectly."

Yan Li felt somewhat relieved; after all, she was at least half his disciple, now adept at cooperating with the hype and even having her own strategy and arrangements—she was ready to graduate.

"Sounds nice, but isn't that just wanting it both ways?"

Fan Xiaopang spoke sharply: they wanted the triangle love exposed, wanted to harvest sympathy, yet refused to be outmaneuvered by Fan Xiaopang in love, fearing they'd get too deep and were ready to cut ties at any moment.

She despised this game—and Fan Xiaopang always believed Yan Li's words were right.

If you want to make money or become famous, don't fear being criticized!

Li Bingbing hesitated even to play the "wronged party"—she outright embraced the role of "the other woman" to rise.

Not only "the other woman," but if she later left Huayi, she could claim she was following her lover—or worse, being kicked out by Li Bingbing.

At this stage, although the two Bings had some tacit understanding, they had also "broken ties."

Li Bingbing's side would never treat her as a good sister again—they wouldn't hold back; even if the Li sisters held back, Li's fans wouldn't spare her.

Fan Xiaopang wanted to prolong the "Two Bings" rivalry and achieve a decisive victory in love.

"I say, just publicly announce your move to Yi'an—it'll add fuel to the fire."

Fan Xiaopang was eager to act, but Yan Li told her to stay calm: "Don't rush."

Set Wang Jinghua aside for now—Yan Li openly poaching her directly, Huayi might not let her go.

Although Fan was less valued than Li now, she was still Huayi's rising star—not someone you could just snatch away.

Lawsuits or breach penalties didn't bother Yan Li, but they could trap Fan Xiaopang, dragging things out and harming her development.

Worse, Fan was already branded "the other woman"—if she were further labeled a traitor to her former company, it would be counterproductive.

Being black-red is still red, but too black makes whitewashing impossible later.

Yan Li's original plan was to target Wang Jinghua.

He had confirmed: Fan Xiaopang's contract was signed with Huayi, but Wang Jinghua held the decision-making power.

Her cooperation agreement with Huayi contained several hidden clauses.

In other words, Yan Li and Wang Jinghua could bypass Huayi entirely to conduct transactions, including Fan Xiaopang's contract termination and re-signing.

But then, Wang Jinghua couldn't explain it to Huayi—and Yan Li had been considering how to persuade Wang.

But one monthly intelligence report gave him another option.

Wang Jinghua planned to flee Huayi—and she intended to strip it bare!

Yan Li didn't care about Wang Jinghua's disputes with Huayi, but under such massive corporate upheaval, Fan Xiaopang's transfer wouldn't seem significant at all.

Of course, snatching fire from the flames would certainly make enemies.

But since Yan Li chose to poach Fan Xiaopang, making enemies was unavoidable—settle if possible, fight if not.

Wanting to be a nice guy while doing business? What's the point of making money…

Facing his future boss and the man who single-handedly boosted his fame, Fan Xiaopang was still obedient.

"Then I'll follow the plan."

"Mm."

Yan Li hung up the phone, then arranged for the artist management department to coordinate at all times and prepare backup plans.

If Fan Xiaopang's public opinion turns too negative, redirect attention toward him.

This had been agreed upon beforehand: Yan Li would take the fall; if things turned bad, he'd shoulder the blame.

He was a man, and his behind-the-scenes identity outweighed his actor identity—he wasn't afraid of such gossip. When the time came, the "victim" Li Bingbing or the "mistress" Fan Xiaopang would both be portrayed as "emotional victims" of Yan Li's two-timing.

So now, while Li Bingbing's side speaks out and Fan Xiaopang prepares to respond, Yan Li remains half-hidden.

Of course, despite being half-hidden, Yan Li's spotlight never dimmed.

【Two Bing Fight for Yan】, the two Bing are undoubtedly the female leads, but they can't escape him.

Nowadays, many online users curse him—though more are envious, jealous, and resentful.

That's the Two Bing!

Both already had decent fame, and with a year of sustained promotional bundling, they'd built a certain brand effect.

Though still inferior to the Four Little Goddesses, they'd begun to stand out among other young actresses and were slowly rising.

Many saw them as their inner goddesses, only for Yan Li, that damned beast, to ruin them one by one.

Cough cough~

Yan Li felt wronged—these people underestimated him too much. What do you mean "ruin them one by one"? He'd clearly stacked the Two Bing together…

…

Two days later, the set of "The Investiture of the Gods: Phoenix Sings at Qishan" in Hengdian kicked off.

Since the scandal with Yan Li was exposed, Fan Xiaopang made her first public appearance, drawing a flood of reporters.

Fan Xiaopang was in good spirits and accepted several interviews.

"Are you dating Yan Li?"

Fan Xiaopang smiled faintly: "Personal romantic matters—I'm not ready to disclose."

Scandal is scandal; romance is romance!

These must be kept separate—stirring up scandal doesn't mean you must admit to a relationship.

Of course, to maintain exposure, neither would she deny it; instead, she'd give ambiguous answers to imply.

This way, exposure continues, while leaving room to maneuver—let outsiders guess, and let them arrive at the answer they want to believe.

Pull the drawer—advance or retreat, either way!

Li Xue had once received Yan Li's guidance on this tactic; the disciple learned it, but the master mastered it better.

"How do you respond to claims that you interfered in Yan Li and Li Bingbing's relationship?"

"False rumors—I'm not some mistress."

Fan Xiaopang's tone was especially firm: "I met General Yan back in 2002 during the filming of 'The Treasure Basin.' Even if there's some notion of first come, first served, I'm not the latecomer."

"Oh~"

The reporters on-site were thrilled to the crown of their heads.

They'd expected another round of official platitudes from Fan Xiaopang, but instead she directly challenged Li Bingbing, implying Li was the real mistress.

"So you believe Li Bingbing interfered in your relationship with Yan Li?"

Fan Xiaopang smiled politely: "I didn't say that. Romantic matters—I won't answer."

Then what did your last remark mean?

One reporter sensed something and asked: "Some believe the Two Bing rivalry is you tying yourself to Li Bingbing. What's your take?"

"I don't care what outsiders think. I'm Fan Bingbing—I just need to do my best."

This answer was somewhat evasive, yet many reporters understood its meaning.

He avoided engaging with the scandal with Yan Li, yet subtly targeted Li Bingbing…

A seasoned reporter swiftly shifted focus—from scandal and love triangle—to the Two Bing tearing each other apart.

Indeed, though Fan Xiaopang mixed in many evasive and roundabout answers, she dropped some "explosive" hints.

"... We're kind of friends, but since we're both busy, we rarely see each other at the company—only occasionally call."

【We're not close—we barely even call】

"... An actor's career is long. I'm young—I have time to catch up."

【Though I'm behind her now, I'm young—I've got time to overtake her】

"... This is our fourth collaboration with General Yan. Yes, we have great chemistry—he called me, and I came. I don't know if he contacted her."

【See? Me and Yan Li are the real love】

"... I can't speak much on others' affairs—they themselves claim to be friends, don't they?"

"... Haha, I'm also friends with General Yan—and good friends at that."

【Li Bingbing, a defeated dog】

"..."

As soon as the interview ended, Fan Xiaopang immediately called Yan Li.

"How did you think I did?"

There were Yi'an people on set; Yan Li had already heard the news: "A bit harsh, but acceptable."

Fan Xiaopang exhaled in relief—it was tricky not to burn bridges outright; it required finesse.

But Yan Li immediately reminded her: "Get ready—Li Bingbing should act soon."

"Me, afraid of her?"

Fan Xiaopang didn't care in the slightest, and Li Bingbing wouldn't start cursing either—at worst she'd just be passive-aggressive; she had long since been mentally prepared for that.

(End of chapter)