Chapter 176: Big Sister Takes Charge: The First Clash Between Yi

"I'm truly sorry, the scene was special, I... got carried away, please understand. If you're really uncomfortable, the screenwriter can revise the lines."

After finishing the shoot, Yan Li was finally freed; while removing his makeup, he privately apologized again to Wu Jiani.

It wasn't just about saying sorry—it was also about mending his image.

He could be flirtatious, but not lewd; he could chase beauties, but only with mutual consent—acting like a harasser would change everything.

To be honest, Wu Jiani initially truly thought Yan Li was taking advantage.

After all, Yan Li was now the entertainment industry's most notorious playboy; if she weren't afraid of him, she'd have slapped him already.

But Yan Li kept sincerely apologizing and made efforts to make amends, which gradually changed her mind a little.

It seemed Yan Li hadn't meant it on purpose—it was an accident—and though she still felt uneasy, she wasn't ready to blame him too harshly.

"It's fine, Director Yan. We're actors—I just got into character."

Yan Li: "..."

You're surprisingly good at comforting people.

Either way, she wasn't angry or strongly repulsed; Yan Li let out a breath, then subtly hinted he hoped she'd keep it quiet.

"Rest assured, I won't say a word."

Wu Jiani gave her guarantee—aside from not offending Yan Li, if this got out, both Yan Li and she would lose face.

Besides, Yan Li had actually been quite considerate toward her.

Her role in "Fengshen Bang" had more screen time than Yi'an's Wang Ou; her part as Beef Soup in "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" wasn't minor either—even if Yan Li had done it mostly out of respect for Cheng Lidong, she still felt indebted to him.

Seeing how thoughtful and sensible Wu Jiani was, Yan Li couldn't help but take a closer look at her.

Before joining the set, they'd only met once; Fan Xiaopang had been beside him then, and he hadn't paid her much attention.

After filming began, Yan Li shuttled between two productions and handled countless other tasks; even Wang Ou had been somewhat neglected, and he'd barely interacted with other actors.

Today's incident, though embarrassing, made Yan Li notice this actress.

Recalling Wu Jiani's file: Beijing Dance Academy graduate, just turned twenty, had appeared in several TV dramas, mostly in supporting roles, with little fame.

Cheng Lidong had pushed her up in "Fengshen Bang," but there was nothing improper between them.

It was simply that her agency had close ties with Cheng Lidong.

Wu Jiani was very attractive—not stunningly gorgeous, but delicate, lovely, sweet, and pure; even beside Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou, she wasn't overshadowed, her eyes and brows radiating a touch of liveliness.

This kind of actress was perfect for roles like the sweet neighbor girl or the spoiled but adorable young lady.

Even in "Xuan Yuan San Yao," Fan Xiaopang embodied beauty and allure, Wang Ou embodied emotion and gentleness, and Wu Jiani's Pipa Spirit embodied purity and spunk—each had her own charm.

Yan Li had once considered signing a sweet-girl actress for Yi'an to differentiate her from Fan and Wang, letting each develop separately.

Wu Jiani's image was good, but he didn't know her personality or ambition yet.

If she had enough drive, signing her could leverage "Xuan Yuan San Yao" as a selling point, and let Fan Xiaopang mentor her and Wang Ou.

After a few polite exchanges, Yan Li left, then stormed back to the hotel to settle accounts with Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou.

Wu Jiani watched Yan Li's retreating back, thought about what had just happened, and a blush crept across her lovely face.

No wonder he couldn't control himself—it really was... intense. She'd even thought at first there might be a recording mic on her body...

When Yan Li stormed back to the hotel, Fan Xiaopang hadn't finished his scene yet.

He went straight to find Wang Ou—but she wasn't there either.

She'd been called to the neighboring set for "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" for a new makeup test; tomorrow's major scene required a complete redesign, and Wang Ou had to cooperate.

"..."

These two had sparked the fire—and now they'd both vanished. Surely they didn't expect him to handle it himself?

Fortunately, Wang Ou wasn't filming now, and her phone was nearby; after sending a few messages, Yan Li learned she'd return once done, so he waited silently.

In his spare time, he opened his computer to check online comments.

Though Yan Li appeared calm on the surface, inside he was screaming: "Jerk, just a jerk!"

But in truth, while he was relatively resigned, he wasn't completely indifferent to online opinions.

Thanks to his system and entrepreneurial experience, Yan Li was mature and seasoned—but he was still a young man in his twenties; beneath his oily exterior lay the impulsiveness and naivety of his actual age.

Even a seasoned old hand in his fifties couldn't truly shrug off insults—Cheng Long still made excuses for himself.

He browsed Tianya, Tieba, and blogs—there were plenty who cursed him, but also many differing views.

At this stage, the internet was still in its wild frontier phase.

All kinds of ideas and eccentrics interacted and clashed; the atmosphere was relatively conservative yet extremely open.

Last year's Muzimei incident, Fuerjiejie, this year's string of bold celebrity bloggers—including Han Han, Gao Xiaosong, and many other opinion leaders and public intellectuals—spoke out constantly, chaos reigning.

In this radical, chaotic, self-obsessed internet era, Yan Li found his reputation wasn't as terrible as he'd feared.

This might also relate to the public's perception of him.

Though Yan Li had played positive roles like Huo Qubing and Jin Zha, he'd also portrayed villains like Yuwen Chengdu and Wu Tian, so audiences didn't have a fixed image of him.

At least he couldn't compare to Chen Kun, Huang Xiaoming, or Lu Yi—those guys had massive female fanbases.

His Wu Tian role was fine, but Yuwen Chengdu didn't attract female fans; Huo Qubing and Jin Zha had just begun to gain traction when he revealed his true colors.

The number of "deceived" female fans was limited, hadn't formed any scale, so there was no real "collapse."

Beyond these roles, the public's main impressions of Yan Li were: 【Shrewd and Capable】, 【Wealthy and Generous】, 【Young】, and 【Reckless】.

The first came from his career; the latter stemmed from his confrontation with Zhang Dahuizi.

These impressions didn't conflict with his playboy image—they complemented it, making the public's view of him more "vivid and multidimensional."

"Sss~"

Yan Li sucked in a breath—now he had nothing to worry about.

Everyone already knew what he was like; no expectations, no demands—those who hated him could keep hating, those who liked him could keep liking.

He was free!

Yan Li had convinced himself this way before, but it was mostly self-consolation born of giving up—yet he never expected it to actually be true.

As long as you don't care about your reputation, you're invincible under heaven!

Yan Li felt deeply moved and posted a blog, acknowledging some criticism, thanking some supporters, seriously reflecting on himself, and vowing to approach his work with greater diligence in the future.

Thanks to this scandal, aside from everything else, Yan Li's blog views and followers skyrocketed.

Though not quite in the top tier, he was still a major figure—at least, soon after posting, he received plenty of comments.

【A lot of empty words—you admit you're wrong but won't change a thing】

【Yan Li, keep going! Everyone has a past—I support you】

【******, Yan Li ******, ******, go die, *****】

【Not interested in gossip. Huo Qubing was portrayed excellently in The Emperor in Han Dynasty. Hope for more good works in the future】

【Fan Bingbing's fan comment: please treat our Bingbing better】

【The Chinese flaw is meddling too much—we're far behind the West here. In Europe and America, celebrities' fans never care about their private lives…】

【You upstairs, f*** you】

【Waiting in line】

【Boss Yan, can you steal Wang Fei away? I don't like Li Yapeng】

【Two-Bing is the limit—you better stay far away from Gao Yuanyuan】

【If you've got guts, go chase a foreign star! All you do is mess with your own backyard】

【Get back together—I think you and Dong Xuan are perfect for each other. Fan Bingbing isn't right for you】

【…】

Yan Li read the comments and, playing it safe, didn't reply.

This was also the choice of many stars—treating their blogs as platforms to showcase themselves, posting their own content with little interaction.

Some stars preferred to keep distance, and some comments were unfriendly.

If you reply to these comments, they just get more aggressive.

If you ignore them, pick only the friendly replies, they say you're favoring some and ignoring others, refusing to listen to feedback—you're wrong no matter what.

So the best solution is to ignore them all entirely. Some, however, aren't bothered by the hassle—they reply to every good and bad comment, even argue with commenters.

Yan Li himself didn't like interacting, but he loved browsing others' blogs for entertainment—it was fun.

Many people he knew also had blogs—for example, Qin Lan was quite enthusiastic about it, perhaps because she had nothing better to do, reaching nearly a daily post level.

Nothing substantial—just rambling about moods and experiences, fond of using internet slang.

Li Bingbing also loved blogs, posting nearly as often as Qin Lan, fond of motivational platitudes and humorous short essays, occasionally indulging in melodrama.

Fan Xiaopang played too, but only sporadically—three days fishing, two days drying nets—updating only every few days.

She had a narcissistic style, loving to post selfies—beautiful photos, but also silly ones. Her text entries were mundane daily logs, with a faint whiff of bitchiness and a strong sense of self-satisfaction.

Wang Ou also had a blog, but it was ordinary—mixed styles, chaotic and disorganized.

Yan Li had no intention of interfering with Qin Lan's or the others' blogs.

But he planned to remind Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou: when posting selfies, look better, and pay attention to your Style.

After all, you're female stars—don't just wear any ugly, dowdy clothes. Those two had several photos where their Style and posing were utterly terrible—any random girl off the street looked better.

Yan Li returned to Qin Lan's blog and left her an anonymous comment.

Though anonymous and revealing no direct connection, the information hinted was enough—Qin Lan would recognize it as Yan Li the moment she saw it.

Qin Lan was upset he hadn't gone public—this was, in a way, a form of public flirtation.

Concealing everything from everyone, keeping it only between you and me—this thrilling, 默契 game, Qin Lan would surely enjoy.

If she didn't like it, Yan Li could play with Dong Xuan—or someone else. Someone would surely like this game…

…

While browsing online, the doorbell rang. Yan Li got up—and there stood Wang Ou.

He opened the door. Wang Ou slipped in quietly. Yan Li asked if anyone had seen her.

He didn't care—but Wang Ou wasn't famous yet. If she got dragged in, she'd be in deep trouble.

"No, I watched carefully the whole way."

Wang Ou shook her head. She had enough caution, especially since many on set were watching Yan Li closely—she dared not be careless.

"Hmm."

Yan Li nodded slightly, but felt the hotel was too crowded, too unsafe.

Maybe he should find a house somewhere in Hengdian—after all, it wasn't expensive.

Wang Ou didn't care about any of that. Once inside, after saying a few words, she clung to Yan Li, pouting.

"Boss, have you forgotten about me?"

She hadn't mentioned it—he'd forgotten the whole matter. He gave Wang Ou's butt a firm smack.

"You're too bold. Do you know how close you made me lose face?"

"I'm sorry."

Wang Ou looked at Yan Li with tearful eyes, voice soft and husky: "Teacher, punish me hard."

Damn~

Yan Li's temper flared again. This little vixen wasn't even pretending anymore—she was openly flirting.

He was about to give Wang Ou a proper lesson when the doorbell rang again. He frowned, ignored it—but the bell kept ringing.

This wasn't hotel staff or Ding Feng or the others.

He told Wang Ou to hide, then peered through the peephole—and saw Fan Xiaopang standing at the door in a fitted sweater, pressing the bell nonstop.

She isn't Wang Ou—she came through the "open door," so she has no fear of being seen.

With no other choice, Yan Li opened the door. Before he could speak, Fan Xiaopang, afraid the anger still hadn't faded from his eyes and that he might shut her out, squeezed her way inside.

"I bought you roast meat—authentic Cantonese style…"

Before she finished speaking, Fan Xiaopang spotted Wang Ou in the room. She couldn't help but glance at Yan Li, then her smile vanished and her willow-leaf brows rose slightly.

"What are you doing here? Leave first. I have something to discuss with Boss Yan."

Wang Ou and Fan Xiaopang—Yan Li had introduced them to each other before, and both knew they were about to become colleagues.

Fan Xiaopang hadn't taken this model-turned-runner seriously at all. She carried herself with a natural air of superiority—she was about to be Yi An's top star, and this was just one of the small fry under her.

Wang Ou was taken aback by Fan Xiaopang's attitude, then felt a surge of resentment.

So what if you're famous? By seniority, she had joined the company earlier—the elite of the elite.

Top star, my foot. You're not the boss's wife—what are you putting on airs for!

Wang Ou unconsciously stiffened her neck: "I also have business with Boss Yan. Do you even know what 'first come, first served' means?"

"Then do you know what 'seniority and hierarchy' means? Whether I arrived first or last, I rank ahead of you."

Fan Xiaopang let out a cold laugh, her presence overwhelming. Her peach-blossom eyes swept over Wang Ou as her tone grew even more curt: "Don't get in the way. Get lost, now."

Wang Ou gritted her teeth. Her fame was low after all, and she didn't dare confront Fan Xiaopang head-on. She looked to Yan Li for help, her voice pitiful.

"Boss Yan, look at her bullying me."

Before Yan Li could speak, Fan Xiaopang launched into another tirade: "What's between us, why drag Boss Yan into it? So clueless—is that how you act as an employee?"

"Do you know why I'm telling you to leave? A man and a woman alone, and at this critical juncture—if you're here and someone sees you, what happens to Boss Yan's reputation?"

"Keep arguing, make it louder, let everyone hear that the two of us are fighting at Boss Yan's place, get Boss Yan on the headlines again, why don't you."

"……"

Fan Xiaopang used her fame to pressure the other woman while waving the banner of doing it for Yan Li's sake, scolding Wang Ou until she couldn't hold her head up.

Not daring to confront her head-on was one thing; the main reason was maintaining her image in front of Yan Li, while also playing the sympathy card a little to set off Fan Xiaopang's aggressive pressure.

She understood Yan Li fairly well—he preferred women who were gentle, obedient, and dependent on him.

"I'm sorry, Boss Yan, it's my fault… you two talk first, I'll go now."

Wang Ou seemed utterly routed by Fan Xiaopang's scolding. She bit her lower lip, a glimmer of moisture flashing through her beautiful eyes, tossed out a line in a hurry, and fled in disarray.

"……"

Fan Xiaopang, who had been feeling rather pleased with herself, caught sight of Yan Li's faintly furrowed brow, and her heart gave a sudden jolt.

Underestimated that little bitch—she played the sympathy card on me, retreating to advance………

(End of Chapter)