Chapter 172: Across the Void, They Tear Each Other Apart; Luxury Car Gifts a Beauty; Jin Xin Strikes Again

《Fan Bingbing Declares She Is Not the Other Woman; Li Bingbing Is the Later Arrival》

《The Two Bingbings Fully Break Down; Fan Bingbing Strikes First》

《Acknowledging the Relationship? Securing a Diamond Bachelor, Fan Bingbing Triumphs》

《Fan Bingbing's New Drama Starts Filming; Yan Li Joins as Cast and Investor, Reuniting the Power Couple in Entertainment》

《Fan's Mother: They Might Be Discussing Work, or They Might Not—You Can Imagine for Yourself》

《……》

Li Xue looked at the computer screen with disdain: "Stirring up gossip, even dragging in her own mother."

Li Bingbing hugged her hot water bottle, her expression odd; to be fair, her own rumors with Yan Li had given Li Xue, her own sister, no small amount of visibility.

"Sis, aren't you angry?"

Li Xue, watching Li Bingbing's calmness, felt helpless—this Fan Xiaopang had slipped in plenty of hidden barbs, subtly slandering and belittling Li Bingbing at every turn.

"Isn't this what we expected?"

Li Bingbing took it lightly; they'd never gotten along due to internal resource competition, and after Yan Li suggested the Two Bingbings rivalry, their tension had only grown worse.

During "The Seven Fairies," they'd only held back for the sake of the bigger picture—otherwise, they'd have torn each other apart long ago.

Their alliance on New Year's Eve might have been the last moment of peace between the Two Bingbings…

In Li Bingbing's view, Fan Xiaopang's words were even "milder" than expected—probably because Yan Li had considered their sisters' feelings and refrained from stabbing them in the heart.

After all, no matter how much they clashed, they were rivals plus collaborators—not mortal enemies wishing each other dead.

A fight just needed to show conflict, be entertaining enough—no need to go for the kill.

"How should we respond?"

Li Xue was pondering how to counter Fan Xiaopang, but Li Bingbing shook her head.

"We're bigger than her—if we argue with her, we lower ourselves. So we must maintain high ground: ignore her."

Of course, not truly ignore—true silence would kill the Two Bingbings rivalry and erase all exposure.

So, more accurately, it's "contempt"!

The response would center on: I'm hotter than you, you started as a maid, what are you so proud of, the Two Bingbings rivalry—what the hell are you, a lollipop?

Fan Xiaopang thinks she's winning in love? We'll crush her in her career.

"Sis, you've really leveled up."

Though Yan Li had said similar things before, the direction had never been this clear.

Li Xue was stunned—she hadn't expected her sister, now a Best Actress, to have improved so sharply in marketing.

"Cough, you handle it."

Li Bingbing waved her hand awkwardly, then sat aside with her hot water bottle.

She herself had no such skill—but didn't she have a mastermind behind her?

She wouldn't let that bastard pile up on her alone!

Of course, Yan Li wasn't helping her for free—he could stoke Fan Xiaopang's ambition and make the hype easier.

As always: one-sided imbalance means nothing.

Yan Li risked being labeled the other woman to let Fan Xiaopang dominate in love, so she could balance Li Bingbing's superior career advantage.

Thus, spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum—each has its strength, back-and-forth, neither yielding—only then does the Two Bingbings rivalry have appeal.

"Sis, I'm done. What do you think of this?"

Li Bingbing was called over by Li Xue, glanced at the screen—there was her official reply to the media.

"Too soft."

Li Bingbing shook her head, paused, then said: "Keep the front unchanged—don't ask right or wrong, just focus on being an actress. Change the end to… she says she's chasing me—how? With a big G?"

"Huh~"

Li Xue pursed her lips: "That's a bit too much."

The remark not only implied Fan Xiaopang's career could only see Li Bingbing's taillights, but also subtly mocked her for being gold-digging and reliant on men.

Li Bingbing shot her a glare: "So what if it's too much? Are you afraid of her?"

"It's just… Yan Li…"

"Don't worry—I'll take the blame."

Li Bingbing snorted: "Whether it's contempt or ignoring, you can't feel the vibe without a few jabs."

Li Xue thought about it—no harm in it. For hype and rivalry, a little fire is normal.

Don't forget, Li Bingbing is the "victim"—she's got righteous anger, everyone understands.

…

Before Fan Xiaopang's outburst had even faded from the front page, Li Bingbing's reply arrived.

The two hottest young actresses clashed across the void, dominating the entire entertainment section.

Their heat and exposure surpassed even that of Qin Hailu, Li Xiang, and Zhou Jielun.

Though the Two Jies had bigger names, their exposure was accidental—Zhou Jielun played dead, silenced herself, and tried every trick to suppress the heat.

The other three, though loud, simply lacked sufficient fame and status.

The male lead was an outsider; Qin Hailu, though a Golden Horse Best Actress, had neither name nor popularity enough; only Li Xiang was somewhat strong.

But none could match the combined force of the Two Bingbings, let alone Yan Li.

Two major year-opening dramas—Yan Li, purely as an actor, was already a rising young male star.

As producer and film boss, combined with multiple labels, he was arguably more famous in media and industry circles than as an actor.

All three were at their peak, especially the Two Bingbings, who were deeply entangled—full of hooks—so their clash drew intense attention.

Not only did media and netizens go wild, but many stars were dragged in too.

Some were forced—hounded by reporters.

For example, Ren Quan, who got along well with both Bingbings, was harassed for a long time, finally issuing a reply that offended no one.

【I don't know the details, but I think it might be a misunderstanding. Their relationship is still good, yes, they're all great people.】

Wang Jing, the Two Bingbings' agent, naturally couldn't escape—she stuck to "no comment."

【I'm still gathering information, but an artist's personal life isn't under the company's jurisdiction—who they break up with or date is none of our business.】

Of course, while some tried to smooth things over, others took sides.

【I saw the news—I really admire Bingbing's (Fan Xiaopang's) courage in pursuing love. Congratulations to our Jin Suo for finding her Liu Qing!】

Lin Xinru, who rose to fame alongside Fan in "My Fair Princess," gave Fan Xiaopang her blessings in an interview.

But this blessing felt oddly off.

Yan Li, through his intelligence network, learned Fan Xiaopang had privately cursed Lin Xinru to hell, even wanting to buy a Ziwei poster and stab it with needles.

【I don't know her (Fan Xiaopang) well, but I've worked with Bingbing (Li Bingbing)—she's a generous, bold girl and an excellent actress.】

Chen Kun, who had co-starred with Li Bingbing in the wuxia drama "The Long Sword of Longing," answered a reporter's question during an event.

He had a decent relationship with Li; though he only emphasized his impression of Li Bingbing, it still conveyed his stance.

Besides those forced or passive, some actively joined the fray.

For example, Hu Siyan from "The Seven Fairies" went on at length about their on-set sisterhood, citing many examples, then made grand promises.

【I'm planning a gathering—let's all sit down privately, we're sisters, no conflict can't be resolved.】

It sounded like she was well-connected, but in truth, the Two Bingbings ignored her—Hu Siyan knew she was just riding the wave.

At least she offended no one, just showed off a bit.

The Two Bingbings wouldn't expose her, would they? Say that in "The Seven Fairies," everyone had their own cliques and isolated and excluded her?

But such free-riding behavior wasn't popular.

The Two Bingbings aside, Hu Siyan's sudden appearance drew media attention to "The Seven Fairies," prompting reporters to ask the other fairies about the Two Bingbings and Yan Li, even whether Fan Xiaopang had started the affair on set.

None of the fairies escaped—not even Dong Xuan, who nearly got sick.

Her boyfriend was embroiled in a nationwide gossip storm with two other women, and now reporters came to her for details, asking her opinion.

What opinion did she have!?

She wanted to gun down Hu Siyan, that trouble-seeking little bitch…

The Seven Fairies weren't spared; the Four Little Divas entangled with the Two Bingbings were also pried open by reporters.

Xiao Yanzi, who'd been embroiled in a beating scandal last year, stayed cautious: "Online rumors are too chaotic—I'll call Bingbing (Fan Xiaopang) privately."

Zhang Yi opened with international flair: "Sorry, I just got back from Hollywood—I don't know what happened."

Xu Jinglei showed off her intellectual aloofness: "Busy filming, not interested in gossip."

Zhou Young Master feigned ignorance: "Uh… who's Yan Li?"

Whatever their replies, a star's single statement became a news story, adding fuel to the fire.

Even the watching stars were this energetic—the two parties themselves didn't lag, turning the fire from entertainment headlines to the entire internet.

First, Fan Xiaopang posted on her blog a photo of herself sitting in a brand-new Mercedes G-Class with the registration papers, then wrote a long essay, subtly hinting the car was a "gift" from someone.

You imply I'm a gold-digger? I can get Yan Li to buy me a luxury car—what can you do?

Fan Xiaopang had a blog; so did Li Bingbing.

She posted a photo of herself on set, earnestly memorizing lines, then declared she was moving forward step by step—faster than any car.

Undoubtedly, Li Bingbing's blog had greater depth and thought—but Fan Xiaopang's blog had higher topic heat.

It was Li Bingbing's bad luck: the G-Class was meant to be used later for promotion, but she happened to use it to mock Fan Xiaopang—right into Fan's crosshairs.

A million-dollar car, to win a beauty's smile!

In this era, such blatant spending, though crude, was undeniably eye-catching.

Although many criticized this money-driven behavior, there was no shortage of genuine praise as well.

No matter how you dress it up, society is profit-seeking and power-worshipping; the added value of money can alter or even twist many people's thoughts and beliefs.

Yan Li was scolded for playing both sides, but after smashing a million-dollar luxury car, he became known as wealthy and dashing.

Fan Xiaopang inevitably bore the labels of gold-digging and mistress, yet many still thought she was beautiful and worthy—otherwise, why would Yan Li spend so much on her?

Besides, Yan Li spending so much money proves it's "true love."

Which woman could resist Yan Li's earnest pursuit? People may not support it, but they can understand.

Someone even asked Li Bingbing what Yan Li had given her, leaving the Li sisters seething with resentment.

Li Bingbing was especially bitter—she had also stoked rumors, she had also stacked up attention; why did she get nothing?

Could these two actually be involved?!!

Yan Li also felt he'd been neglecting Li Bingbing too much—he still needed her cooperation; he couldn't just talk business—he should send a gift, soothe her.

So the two Li sisters each received a 1000-gram golden heart from Yan Li.

One symbolized mutual trust and cooperation: "Unity."

The other represented co-creating a bright future: "Ambition."

Li Xue adored the heavy golden heart, eager to say: "Sis, let's post it too."

"Uh."

Li Bingbing hesitated—this bastard was too generous, giving two at once; they didn't look newly made—what if that little bitch Fan had one too?

Li Xue was unsure as well—if Fan Xiaopang suddenly pulled out one too, they'd get the heat but lose all face.

"Forget it. Give Yan Li face, keep pushing Fan's career, talk about the movie."

"Understood."

Li Xue nodded and turned to get to work, but Li Bingbing extended her hand: "Hand me your heart to keep safe."

"I won't lose it."

"Hm?"

Li Xue handed the golden heart to her sister, slightly annoyed as she contacted the team; Li Bingbing placed both golden hearts side by side, gently tracing the engraved character 【Yan】, and sneered.

"Giving two? I know you haven't given up."

…

"Achoo~"

Yan Li rubbed his nose—it was spring, warming then cooling again; which girl must be thinking of him.

Dong Xuan? Qin Lan? Fan Xiaopang? Wang Ou? Li Bingbing? Huang Shengyi?

It couldn't possibly be Jiang Shan?!

—————

PS: A bit stuck—count it as 6000, will do 10, 00 tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)