Chapter 176

"Really sorry, the scene was special and I got carried away—please understand. If you're truly uncomfortable, we can ask the screenwriter to revise the lines."

After finishing the shoot, Yu Yanli finally felt liberated; while removing his makeup, he privately apologized to Wu Jiani again.

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

He could be flirtatious, but not lewd; he could chase women, but only with mutual consent—crossing into harassment changed everything.

To be honest, Wu Jiani had initially truly believed Yu Yanli was taking advantage.

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

But Yu Yanli kept sincerely apologizing and made genuine efforts to make amends, which gradually shifted her perspective.

It seemed Yu Yanli hadn't meant it intentionally; there was a reason behind it. Though she still felt uneasy, she no longer blamed him harshly.

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

Yu Yanli: "..."

You're surprisingly good at comforting people.

Either way, she wasn't angry or strongly repulsed—Yu Yanli let out a breath of relief, then subtly hinted he hoped she'd keep it quiet.

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

Wu Jiani made the promise—not just because she didn't want to offend Yu Yanli, but because if this got out, he'd be humiliated, and so would she.

Besides, Yu Yanli had actually been quite considerate toward her.

Her role in The Investiture of the Gods had more screen time than Wang Ou from Yian; her part as Beef Soup in The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng wasn't minor either—even if Yu Yanli had only given her the role out of respect for Cheng Lidong, she still felt indebted to him.

Seeing Wu Jiani's thoughtfulness, Yu Yanli couldn't help but take a closer look at her.

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

Since filming began, Yu Yanli had been shuttling between two sets and handling countless other tasks—he'd even neglected Wang Ou, let alone other actors.

This incident, though embarrassing, had drawn Yu Yanli's attention to this actress.

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

Cheng Lidong had pushed her hard in The Investiture of the Gods, but there was no improper relationship involved.

It was simply that her agency had strong 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 sparkling with charm.

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

Even in the Three Demons of Xuanyuan: Fan Xiaopang embodied beauty and seduction, Wang Ou embodied emotion and gentleness, Wu Jiani's Pipa Spirit embodied purity and spunk—each had her own distinct flavor.

Yu Yanli had once considered signing a sweet-girl actress for Yian to differentiate her from Fan and Wang, letting each develop separately.

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

If she had enough drive, signing her could leverage the Three Demons of Xuanyuan as a selling point, and let Fan Xiaopang mentor her and Wang Ou.

After some light chatter, Yu Yanli left, then stormed back to the hotel to settle scores with Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou.

Wu Jiani watched Yu Yanli's retreating figure, thought back on what had just happened, and a flush crept across her lovely face.

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

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

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

She'd been called to the neighboring set for The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng to try on new makeup; tomorrow's big scene required a complete redesign, and Wang Ou had to cooperate with the director.

"..."

These two had lit the fire and then vanished—surely he wasn't expected to handle it himself.

Luckily, Wang Ou wasn't filming today and had her phone nearby; after sending a few messages, Yu Yanli learned she'd return soon, so he waited silently.

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

Though Yu Yanli appeared calm on the surface, inside he was screaming: "Jerk, total jerk."

But in truth, while he was relatively laid-back, he wasn't completely indifferent to online opinion.

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

Even seasoned veterans in their fifties couldn't truly shrug off insults—Cheng Long still made excuses for himself.

He browsed Tianya, Tieba, and blogs—there were plenty of critics, but also many differing views.

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

All kinds of ideas and eccentrics clashed here: the atmosphere was both conservative and wildly open.

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

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

This might also relate to public perception of him.

Though Yu Yanli 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—their fanbases were packed with female admirers.

His Wu Tian role was fine, but Yuwen Chengdu didn't attract female fans; Huo Qubing and Jin Zha had barely gained traction before he revealed his true colors.

The number of "deceived" female fans was limited, never reaching any scale—so there was no real "collapse."

Beyond these roles, the public's main impressions of Yu Yanli were: 【shrewd and capable】, 【wealthy and generous】, 【young】, and 【reckless】.

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

These impressions didn't conflict with his playboy image—they complemented it, making his public persona feel more "vivid and multidimensional."

"Hss~"

Yu Yanli sucked in a breath—if so, he had nothing to fear anymore.

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!

Yu Yanli had convinced himself of this before, but it was mostly self-deception—never expecting it to be true.

If you don't care about your reputation, you're invincible!

Yu Yanli felt deeply moved and posted a blog: accepting some criticism, thanking supporters, sincerely reflecting on himself, and vowing to work harder in the future.

Thanks to this scandal, his blog's followers and views skyrocketed—even if he didn't rank among the top tier, he was now a notable figure; soon after posting, he received many comments.

【Too much empty talk—you know you're wrong but won't change】

【Yu Yanli, keep going! Everyone has a past—I support you】

【******, Yu Yanli ******, ******, go die, *****】

【Not interested in gossip—Huo Qubing in Emperor Wu of Han was excellent; hope for more good work in the future】

【Fan Bingbing fan comment: please treat Bingbing better】

【Chinese people's worst trait: meddling too much—we're far behind the West; Western fans never care about stars' private lives...】

The Chinese people's worst trait is meddling too much; in this regard, we are vastly behind foreign countries—fans of celebrities in Europe and America never care about their private lives...

【Line up】

【Director Yu, can you steal the princess away? I don't like Li Yapeng】

【Two Bingbings is the limit—stay far away from Gao Yuanyuan】

【If you've got guts, go seduce a foreign star—instead you just prey on your own backyard】

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

Get back together—I think you and Dong Xuan are the perfect match; Fan Bingbing isn't right for you.

Yu Yanli read the comments and, cautiously, didn't reply.

This was a common choice among stars—using blogs as a platform to showcase themselves, rarely interacting.

Some stars preferred distance; others found some comments too hostile.

Respond to them, and they'd just get bolder.

Ignore them, pick out the nice replies, and they'd accuse you of favoritism, refusing to listen—no matter what you did, you were wrong.

So the best solution was to ignore everything entirely; some didn't mind the hassle and replied to all, even arguing in the comment section.

Yu Yanli himself disliked interaction, but loved browsing others' blogs for entertainment—it was fun.

Many people he knew also had blogs; Qin Lan, for instance, was obsessed—probably because she had nothing better to do, posting nearly every day.

Her posts were meaningless: rambling about moods and experiences, sprinkled with internet slang.

Li Bingbing also loved blogs, posting nearly as often as Qin Lan—fond of Jitang and humorous short essays, occasionally being melodramatic.

Fan Xiaopang played too, but sporadically—updating only every few days.

She had a narcissistic style: loved posting selfies, some beautiful, some silly; her text entries were mundane daily logs, laced with a faint air of arrogance and self-satisfaction.

Wang Ou had a blog too, but it was ordinary—mixed styles, chaotic.

Yu Yanli had no intention of interfering with Qin Lan's blogs.

But he planned to remind Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou: when posting selfies, dress better and pay attention to fashion.

They were female stars—don't just wear any old ugly clothes; some of their photos showed terrible taste in clothing and posing—any random girl off the street looked better.

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

Though anonymous and revealing no relationship, the message contained enough clues—Qin Lan would recognize it as Yu Yanli the moment she saw it.

Qin Lan had been angry he hadn't gone public—this was, in a way, a public flirtation.

Concealing everything from everyone, keeping it just between you and me—this thrilling, Moqi game, Qin Lan would likely enjoy.

If she didn't, he could play it with Dong Xuan—or someone else; someone would like this game...

If she didn't like it, Yan Li would go play with Dong Xuan or someone else—there were always those who liked this set…

…

He was online when the doorbell rang. Yu Yanli got up and found Wang Ou standing at the door.

He opened the door, and Wang Ou slipped in quietly. Yu Yanli asked if anyone had seen her.

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

"No, I kept an eye out the whole way."

Wang Ou shook her head. She had enough caution, especially since many on set were watching Yu Yanli.

"Hmm."

Yu Yanli gave a slight nod, but he still felt the hotel was too crowded and unsafe.

Maybe I should find a place to rent in Hengdian—it's not expensive anyway.

Wang Ou didn't care about any of that. After stepping in and saying a few words, she clung to Yu Yanli, pouting.

"Boss, have you forgotten about me?"

He hadn't thought of it until now. He slapped her ass hard.

"You're too bold. Do you know how close I came to losing face?"

"I'm sorry."

Wang Ou looked up at Yu Yanli with tear-filled eyes, her voice soft and hoarse: "Teacher, punish me as harshly as you want."

Fuck.

Yu Yanli's temper flared again. This little bitch 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 but ignored it—yet 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. There stood Fan Xiaopang in a fitted sweater, standing perfectly still at the door, pressing the bell nonstop.

She wasn't like Wang Ou—she'd come through official channels and didn't care who saw her.

Reluctantly, Yu Yanli opened the door. Before he could speak, Fan Xiaopang, still visibly angry, shoved past him into the room.

"I bought you some Cantonese roast meats—authentic Guangdong style…"

She hadn't finished when she spotted Wang Ou in the room. She glanced at Yu Yanli, then her smile vanished and her eyebrows tightened.

"What are you doing here? Leave. I need to talk to Boss Yan."

Yu Yanli had introduced Wang Ou and Fan Xiaopang to each other before—they both knew they'd soon be colleagues.

Fan Xiaopang didn't take the model-turned-minor-actress seriously. She naturally carried an air of superiority—she was the future number one of Yian, and this girl was just one of her underlings.

Wang Ou was stunned by Fan Xiaopang's attitude, then filled with fierce resentment.

Just because you're famous doesn't mean you're better. I joined the company earlier—I'm a core insider.

You're just the number one. You're not the boss's wife—what are you acting like?

Wang Ou instinctively lifted her chin: "I also have something to discuss with Boss Yan. Don't you know the rule of first come, first served?"

"Do you even know what respect for elders and hierarchy means? Whether I came first or last, I'm still ahead of you."

Fan Xiaopang sneered, radiating authority. Her almond eyes swept over Wang Ou, her tone growing even harsher: "Don't get in the way. Leave now."

Wang Ou clenched her teeth. She was low-profile and dared not confront Fan Xiaopang directly. She turned to Yu Yanli, pleading:

"Boss Yan, look how she's bullying me."

Before Yu Yanli could speak, Fan Xiaopang launched into a tirade: "What's this got to do with Boss Yan? Why drag him into our dispute? You're so immature—is this how you behave as an employee?"

"Do you know why I'm telling you to leave? A man and a woman alone together, right now? If anyone sees you here, what happens to Boss Yan's reputation?"

"If you keep yelling, make more noise, let everyone hear us arguing in Boss Yan's room—do you want him to be trending again?"

"…."

Fan Xiaopang used her fame to crush Wang Ou while waving the banner of protecting Yu Yanli's image, leaving Wang Ou speechless.

Partly because she dared not fight back, but mostly because she was protecting her image before Yu Yanli—and subtly playing the victim to highlight Fan Xiaopang's aggression.

She understood Yu Yanli well—he favored 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."

Wang Ou seemed utterly defeated by Fan Xiaopang's scolding. She bit her lip, her eyes glistening, muttered a quick line, and fled in disgrace.

"…."

Fan Xiaopang, who had been slightly smug, noticed Yu Yanli's furrowed brow—and her heart sank.

Underestimated that little bitch. She played the victim, retreated to advance…

(End of Chapter)