Chapter 175

Hengdian, set of "The Investiture of the Gods: Phoenix Sings at Qishan"

On the imperial bed, Seeing Yan Li lazily embraced Fan Xiaopang, eyes half-closed, chest and abdomen exposed, with a prop drum beside him.

Fan Xiaopang rested her head against Seeing Yan Li's chest, soft and timid: "Your Majesty, listen—isn't that the morning court bell?"

Seeing Yan Li patted her gently: "Ignore it. Sleep."

Fan Xiaopang nodded, pressing her face lightly against Seeing Yan Li's chest; both closed their eyes again and fell asleep.

"Cut."

The director called out, paused to choose his words, then advised: "Director Yan, Bingbing, try to be a bit more intimate—maybe caress her face, or even kiss her."

Fan Xiaopang's performance was fine, but Seeing Yan Li was too polite—his hands were half-clenched.

You're the number one scumbag in the entertainment industry—what are you pretending to be for?

Seeing Yan Li frowned: "Is it necessary?"

This scene just shows King Zhou being bewitched by Su Daji, hence "Short are the spring nights, high rises the sun; henceforth the king no longer rises early for court." Why add so many trivial details? It makes King Zhou look like he's never seen a woman before.

The director explained: for a regular actor, this level of intimacy would already be acceptable.

But you two are a real couple, right? No taboos to worry about—just be as intimate as you want.

It benefits the plot and gives us a promotional angle—Producer Cheng Lidong specifically instructed that Yan and Fan should have more leeway in intimacy.

Fan Xiaopang nudged him: "Come on, you've kissed and touched her before—why are you shy?"

Am I shy?!

Seeing Yan Li was speechless—he feared he'd get used to it and lose control, and end up putting his hand inside her clothes.

When Fan Xiaopang just now snuggled into his arms, Seeing Yan Li had been tensing up, terrified of losing focus, of slipping into his usual habit of squeezing and fondling—most critically, his fire qi was high; if anything… this thin costume and blanket wouldn't block it.

"Cough, cough—let's do it again."

Seeing Yan Li still respected the director—he gave an OK gesture, then closed his eyes to prepare.

They replayed the scene: Seeing Yan Li, besides pulling her close, affectionately traced his hand from her face down to her neck; Fan Xiaopang outright kissed him and pressed herself even tighter against him.

"Good. Cut."

The director nodded, satisfied, watching the monitor.

Ordinary male and female actors are too reserved; the crew can't force them—just get the gist.

Finally we've got a real couple—why hold back?

"Alright, get changed. Actors, prepare for the next scene."

Today, Seeing Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang's scenes are all "bed scenes"—multiple similar poses and the same setting, shot all at once.

Fan Xiaopang has too many costumes; she can't finish in one day, so later she'll shift to shoot other scenes.

Seeing Yan Li has fewer costumes—just minor changes—and he'll shoot with other actresses on this same imperial bed, aiming to keep Director Yan in bed until he's done.

…

The costume team set up a temporary dressing room nearby; since they were already in undergarments, they changed quickly, then Seeing Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang rehearsed with the director.

The next scene is Su Daji seducing King Zhou, then indulging in carnal pleasures to further bewitch him.

Seeing Yan Li's part is easy—he just plays a lecher, maybe later hinting at the emperor's loneliness and pressure to foreshadow his surrender to the fox spirit.

Fan Xiaopang's performance is far more complex.

Not because she can't seduce, but because the entire drama's premise has her playing two roles.

One is Su Daji; the other is the thousand-year-old fox spirit.

Su Daji is pure and kind, reluctant toward King Zhou, yet forced to flatter him.

The fox spirit is cruel and ruthless, delighting in bewitching King Zhou—outwardly submissive and alluring, yet calculating and enjoying every moment.

She must portray both roles distinctly, while also showing their shifts, struggles, and power games—challenging for Fan Xiaopang.

Frankly, though some plot points and lines felt hollow, the creative touches were genuinely clever.

For instance, Su Daji with two souls—absolute top-tier temptation for King Zhou.

One sorrowful and pure, cold and pitiable; the other sultry and alluring, radiant and attentive.

Even just filming, Seeing Yan Li found it thrilling—let alone King Zhou in the story.

After sufficient discussion, filming began—first the seduction scene.

This scene was newly added; the original script jumped straight to Su Daji's inner struggle, due to actor limitations—now that actor constraints are gone, add it.

There are few lines—just a brief scene description, then rely on Seeing Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang's improvisation.

First, entrance shot: Seeing Yan Li carries Fan Xiaopang in a bridal carry, striding in from outside the hall, then places her on the bed.

Fan Xiaopang begins as Su Daji—nervous and restrained, avoiding Seeing Yan Li's gaze, her hands and body tense and resistant.

Then the nine-tailed fox possesses her—her body relaxes, resistance vanishes; she gently, shyly wraps her arms around Seeing Yan Li's neck.

Fan Xiaopang hadn't fully entered the role, struggled with timing, and with choreography, she made mistakes—this entrance sequence took five or six takes.

Only Seeing Yan Li's robust strength allowed him to carry her throughout without setting her down once—no flushed face, no labored breath.

Any other male actor would collapse from carrying someone through repeated takes.

But…

During the break after filming, as Seeing Yan Li was about to set Fan Xiaopang down, he lightly weighed her: "Feels like you've gotten heavier."

"Nonsense."

Fan Xiaopang snapped: "Since the New Year, I've watched my diet—I haven't eaten proper meals."

Seeing Yan Li believed her—they ate together on set; he knew she mostly ate healthy, low-fat food.

Fan Xiaopang has a tendency to gain weight easily; many of Su Daji's costumes test her figure—she dares not overeat to stay beautiful.

"Then you've grown more?"

Seeing Yan Li recalled—no noticeable change—he muttered: "Upper body unchanged, ass still flat."

"You're the one with a flat ass, your whole family's asses are flat."

Fan Xiaopang's fur stood on end; she nearly reached out to strangle him. Her face was top-tier, her figure wasn't bad either—everything you'd expect was there, though not perfectly flawless, like her buttocks, which were slightly flat.

It wasn't that bad really; in fact, it was better than most people's. It was just a weak point compared to her other assets.

When you're a top-tier beauty, everything else is an 8 or 9 out of 10, some even perfect. Suddenly, one area drops to a 7—it stands out.

Previously, no one had mentioned it much, until Seeing Yan Li casually said one thing—and it became Fan Xiaopang's next major "inner demon."

Seeing Yan Li knew this perfectly well—he was just bored and deliberately provoking her.

Men always get stupid when they're bored!

Especially someone like Fan Xiaopang, who loves to bicker and challenge him—it was especially fun to tease her.

"Funny thing—I don't have any other strengths, but my ass is damn fine."

Seeing Yan Li grinned smugly. When he won over Dong Xuan, his ass had been instrumental. Without that advantage, he wouldn't have dared to tease Fan Xiaopang like this.

"..."

Fan Xiaopang couldn't resist a glance. She hadn't paid much attention before, but now she saw—it really was nice.

Hmph, so what? I'll sign up for a class and train it myself. Then I'll blind your damn eyes with how stunning it is...

The next scene was King Zhou being slowly lured onto the bed by Su Daji, whispering, nuzzling, red sheets rolling.

Though they'd added plenty of drama, it was still a TV series, so nothing too extreme—mainly atmosphere.

Good actors and directors don't need physical contact. Just gestures, expressions, eye contact, plus the director's atmosphere-building and shot design, can make the audience blush and heart-pound.

In the next scene, after the favor was granted, Seeing Yan Li lay asleep on the bed, Fan Xiaopang sat hugging her clothes, silently weeping, then the nine-tailed fox brainwashed her.

Originally, this scene had nothing to do with Seeing Yan Li—he just needed to lie there and sleep.

But when Fan Xiaopang prepared the scene with him on the bed, she couldn't hold back her anger and slapped his ass once. The texture felt good, so she secretly slapped him a few more times.

"Sis, stop it."

Seeing Yan Li was done. The heat from the whispering and nuzzling had barely cooled, and this little vixen was playing like this—he couldn't hold out much longer.

The moment he spoke, he knew he'd messed up.

If Seeing Yan Li ignored Fan Xiaopang, she'd just keep acting—no time to tease him.

But now that he'd softened, Fan Xiaopang sensed it. Her small hand under the sheets gripped—and she knew exactly what she was dealing with. Her oval face, even without acting, now carried the seduction and mischief of a fox spirit.

"Tsk. Director Yan, your self-control is terrible."

"It's not my self-control—it's your charm."

Seeing Yan Li flattered her—but it wasn't entirely flattery. With a national-ruining fox spirit like this, teasing and flirting like this, few men could withstand it.

Especially Seeing Yan Li, who was naturally energetic. Lately, he'd been busy with filming and work, living a celibate life.

Plus, he'd interacted with Fan Xiaopang before, and couldn't help recalling and imagining things—that made it even worse.

"Hmph."

Fan Xiaopang felt pleased, but then she smirked wickedly. Beneath the sheets, she made a small movement. Seeing Yan Li stiffened, gritting his teeth.

"Do you think I won't take you?"

"Go ahead."

Fan Xiaopang wasn't fazed, challenging Seeing Yan Li: "If you've got the guts, take me right now."

"..."

You... wait and see!

Seeing Yan Li adjusted his sleeping position, slightly turning his body toward Fan Xiaopang—not enough to expose himself publicly, but now his weakness was completely in her hands.

Fan Xiaopang grinned wickedly and started causing more trouble. Seeing Yan Li, at his limit, snapped: "Aren't you afraid I'll act on you?"

"Go ahead."

Seeing Yan Li reached for Fan Xiaopang—but glanced again at the busy crew, then pulled his hand back.

In broad daylight, even if he got caught, he'd only lose face. But if they discovered Fan Xiaopang...

He still had some boundaries. Besides, he was counting on her to make money.

Fan Xiaopang noticed Seeing Yan Li's movement, paused slightly, saw his expression darken, and fell silent.

"Just playing around, don't get mad."

"Hmph."

Seeing Yan Li ignored her. Fan Xiaopang bit her lip and cooed: "Fine, I'll let you vent your anger."

"I don't need it."

Seeing Yan Li sneered. Did she really think a little beauty gave her power over him?

Without Fan Xiaopang, there was Wang Ou. If worse came to worst, there were others. And even if none were available, he wasn't without hands.

After that, Seeing Yan Li cooperated in filming as needed, but privately, he became cold and distant toward Fan Xiaopang.

Fan Xiaopang felt uneasy—she knew she'd gone too far.

Private teasing was fine, but publicly, she had to be careful. Seeing Yan Li wasn't some minor actor—he had hundreds of people under him across two major productions. If he lost face, how would he manage them afterward?

Even though Fan Xiaopang often bickered and joked with Seeing Yan Li, she knew he wouldn't get truly angry over it.

After all, he was her future boss. If she pushed too far and made him furious, she'd immediately back down.

With so many people around, she couldn't say much—she could only mutter to herself how she'd apologize and soothe him later.

Soon, their scene together was finished. Fan Xiaopang moved to the next set, and before leaving, she apologized.

Seeing Yan Li was fine, honestly. Fan Xiaopang had gone too far, but he'd started it—he was just as guilty.

At first, he'd been annoyed, but after cooling down, his anger had faded. He wasn't targeting her—just avoiding her, mainly because he feared she'd tease him again.

This little vixen always escalates things. She's bold. Sometimes, you really have to scare her a little.

Fan Xiaopang left, and Wang Ou came to play the scene with him; Seeing Yan Li's scenes with her totaled only two.

Both were bedroom intimacy scenes.

As soon as filming began, Seeing Yan Li realized trouble had arrived—Wang Ou was no friend either.

In courage, Wang Ou certainly didn't match Fan Xiaopang.

But after being on set so long without Seeing Yan Li spending much time with her, Wang Ou felt threatened and seized every opportunity during filming to flirt with Seeing Yan Li.

Seeing Yan Li's head was spinning!

Though Wang Ou lacked Fan Xiaopang's charm, Fan Xiaopang's teasing and playful nature was nowhere near as bold or forward as Wang Ou's.

She called him "Great King" on set and "Teacher" off-camera—everywhere, she was seducing him; Seeing Yan Li couldn't stop her.

After barely surviving Wang Ou, the next scene was Wu Jiani as the Pipa Spirit.

To be fair, she was purely professional, no scheming like Fan Xiaopang or Wang Ou—but still, she was playing a scene seducing King Zhou.

Seeing Yan Li, a furnace burning hot, had to restrain himself.

First Fan Xiaopang fanned the flames, then Wang Ou poured oil on them—the furnace was nearly smoking.

Even Wu Jiani's light breath instantly felt the scorching heat.

"Ah."

Wu Jiani let out a soft cry, her face flushing crimson, drawing the director's puzzled look; she quickly waved her hand and blurted out a line.

"I've got a cramp—give me a moment."

She couldn't move freely, so she leaned against Seeing Yan Li, pretending to ease the cramp pain.

Seeing Yan Li was so embarrassed!

His image was ruined—she might think he was some kind of creep.

He wanted to go back and kill both Wang Ou and Fan Xiaopang, yet still had to whisper constant apologies to Wu Jiani.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't overthink it—it wasn't intentional."

Wu Jiani's cheeks stayed flushed, but she didn't blame Seeing Yan Li; probably because of his status, she kindly reassured him.

"It's a normal physiological reaction—understandable."

Seeing Yan Li didn't want to say anything else, only suggested: "Stay farther away from me next time—we'll tone it down."

After calming down, they tried again; this time Seeing Yan Li held back, but the director wasn't satisfied.

How to put it? The previous scenes with Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou had raised the intensity; now, with Wu Jiani holding back, it felt off.

He didn't dare blame Seeing Yan Li, but assumed Wu Jiani was just too shy, so he urged her to be bolder, even using Wang Ou as an example.

Seeing Yan Li: "………"

Too ashamed to let the girl take the blame, he stepped forward to explain—but Wu Jiani dared not hold back anymore.

She had few roles and little fame; landing this part wasn't easy. The crew had only been shooting for a few days—what if she got replaced?

She gritted her teeth silently, looked at Seeing Yan Li, and said: "Director Yan, let's just do it normally—I'm fine."

Seeing Yan Li: "………"

"Then I'm sorry—please understand."

Seeing Yan Li, lacking confidence in his own self-control, apologized again to Wu Jiani, screaming inside.

Fan, Wang—I won't let you two call me Dad, I'll take your surnames…

(End of Chapter)