Chapter 181: Yi

Mmm~

Wang Ou woke up drowsily, sensing someone beside her was hugging her; without opening her eyes, she nuzzled her face affectionately against them.

Hm?

Why is she so thin and soft?

She knew Yan Li's body intimately—he was tall and muscular, his physique sculpted and rock-hard, radiating power and security with every touch.

Unconsciously, her hand slid downward—and Wang Ou jolted fully awake.

Gone?!

But soon, seeing Wu Jiani's face, Wang Ou exhaled in relief—then immediately tensed again.

Why was Wu Jiani sleeping with her?

Where was Yan Li?!

Wang Ou looked around the room—it was her hotel suite. She checked herself: outside her coat and shoes, she hadn't even removed her undershirt, and there were no marks. She glanced briefly at Wu Jiani—similarly dressed.

Phew…

With Yan Li's strength, if he'd done anything to either of them, they'd never be in this state.

She rubbed her throbbing temples, straining to recall last night: she'd planned to drag Wu Jiani into the same trap, then regretted it and sabotaged things—ended up drunk. It seemed Yan Li and Wu Jiani had brought her back; after that, nothing else was clear.

"Jiani, Jiani, wake up."

Since she couldn't remember, Wang Ou woke Wu Jiani, who shook off her daze, and the two began comparing notes.

"So Yan Zong put us to bed and left?"

Wang Ou was stunned—this didn't match her impression of Yan Li.

Had he given up women?

Last night was the perfect chance. If it were her, she'd have seized the moment, made it irreversible—neither she nor Wu Jiani could have backed out.

Wang Ou was utterly baffled, completely missing the complex look in Wu Jiani's eyes.

She hadn't expected Yan Li hadn't touched her!

Whether from public stereotypes or her own experience, Yan Li should've been a lecher.

Wu Jiani had even prepared for Yan Li to lose control—she'd planned to "wake up" and flee, and had prepared the worst-case scenario: abandoning Wang Ou and agreeing to return to his room.

She looked sweet and innocent, but she wasn't stupid.

She didn't believe Wang Ou's claim that letting Yan Li have a taste would earn her resources.

Climbing the entertainment ladder wasn't that easy.

But because of Yan Li's image and age, Wu Jiani was willing to take a gamble—success would be great; failure meant simply "feeding the wolf," sleeping with a handsome, powerful young man—she wouldn't lose much.

In the end, aside from a few gropes in the KTV, once he realized she was drunk, he barely touched her.

Wu Jiani was torn between amusement and irritation—and couldn't help feeling a flicker of admiration for Yan Li.

Regardless, his refusal to take advantage of drunk women earned him serious points in her eyes.

He might not be perfect, but he still had boundaries…

Wu Jiani watched Wang Ou still analyzing, and pursed her lips: "Ou-jie, are you still serious about what you said last night?"

"Huh? What did I say?"

Wu Jiani bit her lip: "Help me… cling to Yan Zong."

Wang Ou glanced at Wu Jiani—why had she suddenly become proactive after one night? Had Yan Li touched her or not?

But Wang Ou hesitated now: "Let me think about it. I'll need to test Yan Zong's intentions first—otherwise, it's all wasted effort."

Wu Jiani: "..."

How could this happen? I've agreed, but the go-between is backing out.

She thought Wang Ou might be unreliable—if this didn't work, she'd have to push for it herself.

Though they rarely spoke privately, she'd still have chances to meet Yan Li on set.

Not just on The Investiture of the Gods—next door, on The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, she played Beef Soup, and had plenty of scenes opposite Yan Li's Gong Jiu.

Neither of them had scenes today, which was why they'd gone out for KTV. Now they were about to get dressed and head out for lunch.

There was a knock at the door. Opening it, Wang Ou found her assistant: "Jie, I called you several times—why didn't you answer? The set changed your schedule—you have scenes today."

Wang Ou rushed to find her phone—only to realize she hadn't charged it last night, so it was dead.

She wondered if Yan Li had left a message, quickly swapped in a spare battery, and hurried to the makeup room.

Wu Jiani's phone still had a little battery left; she barely managed to call to check and learned she also had scenes—but only in the evening—so she sighed in relief and continued preparing for lunch.

At the makeup room, Wang Ou asked around and learned today's original shoot was Fan Xiaopang's scene, but he'd been suddenly replaced due to illness.

A crew member close to Wang Ou's assistant quietly leaked the info.

The change came from Yan Zong himself—and Yan Li had originally had scenes tonight too; both were rescheduled.

Wang Ou connected the dots with last night's events—and her face turned livid with rage.

Fan, you're pushing your luck!

Last night, while I was drunk, you manipulated Yan Li into coming to my room, then wheedled him into changing my schedule so I could shoot—while you cuddled Yan Li in bed, maybe even doing more.

Wang Ou suspected Fan Xiaopang had deliberately sabotaged her because she hadn't invited him to KTV—this was a warning.

"Sly fox, you'll regret this!"

Wang Ou seethed inwardly, then deflated—she was furious, but what could she do?

Fan Xiaopang really was Yan Li's favorite. That woman playing Daji was just being herself—born a fox spirit. Yan Li was completely bewitched by her, unable to tell right from wrong.

Thinking of this, Wang Ou's plan to pull Wu Jiani down into the same trap began to waver…

————

Fan Xiaopang, dressed in a white robe, lazily sprawled across Yan Li's back as he handled emails.

"Still not done?"

"Half an hour."

In the drama, Daji had made the king neglect state affairs—but off-screen, Yan Li knew his priorities; he ignored the "seductress's" advances and focused on his work.

Fan Xiaopang was bored, but knew Yan Li was busy, so she didn't disturb him, instead pulling out her laptop to browse.

Sina's entertainment news was endless, with stars taking turns in the spotlight; Fan Xiaopang kept an eye on a few "rivals."

Xu Jinglei Admits She Won't Become a Director—Lacks "Talent Girl" Ability

Ugh, so passive-aggressive. Fan Xiaopang liked it.

Since Xu Jinglei became a director and took a teaching post at Beijing Film Academy, she'd been posting essays online, and the label "Talent Girl" grew louder.

Let her call herself that—she kept dragging down other actresses, making many resent her.

Who knows who? A few pretentious phrases and a haughty pose don't make you a talent girl—you're still just a sycophant who climbed up by licking Wang Shuo's boots. What's the point?

Fan Xiaopang believed her own branding was genuine—not the best, but at least grounded. Xu Jinglei's "Talent Girl" persona? She thought it was all fake.

Zhang Shengyi Makes Waves Again, Nominated for Time Magazine's 2005 100 Most Influential People in the World

Fan Xiaopang clicked closed with a sour face.

Currently, the new generation of mainland actresses was led by Xiao Yanzi and Zhang Shengyi.

Zhou Young Master of the Four Little Flowers was still developing and lagged far behind; Xu Cai'nv had switched to directing, and the other little flowers were even further behind.

Xiao Yanzi dominated domestically—her national recognition was unmatched, known to every man, woman, and child.

Zhang Shengyi excelled in international influence—her films had opened her name overseas; though not as exaggerated as the "international superstar" label, she was unquestionably top among Chinese-language newcomers.

Even with Yan Li's backing, Fan Xiaopang couldn't catch up anytime soon.

Not just because of their lead—but because they kept improving. You took two steps, they took one more—the gap barely closed.

Zhou Young Master Praises Lover Li Daqi, Says She's Enjoying Love, Living in a Happiness Station

Xiao Yanzi and Boyfriend Wang Yu Mourn a Friend, Then Return Together to Their New Home

These two stories made Fan Xiaopang feel slightly better.

That's right—don't push so hard. You date, I'll build my career.

Then Fan Xiaopang saw her own headline—

Fan Bingbing Possessed by Daji, "King Zhou" Yan Li Enchanted, Reformed Rake Finds Love

Clicking in, she found it was just two days' media interview where they'd complimented each other and mentioned strong on-set chemistry—then journalists had spun it into a love story.

Fan Xiaopang: "..."

Fine, the rest was tolerable—but "possessed by Daji"? Why did that sound like an insult?!

Fan Xiaopang searched further and found Yan Li's news too.

Most headlines focused on the "two Fans" scandal, but nearly a third covered his career.

For example: Survival: The Migrant Workers was a hit, and Yan Li, as main producer, gained visibility.

Happy Heaven: Seven Fairies was scheduled for reruns on multiple satellite channels, with Yan Li's name attached.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy was hailed as this year's most popular web drama; Tang Ren's boss Cai Yinong mentioned Yan Li's later involvement as co-producer.

Yi'an is testing the film market, investing in the new movie Crazy Stone, with Jiang Wu as male lead, Fan Xiaopang joining, and plans to invite Liu Tianwang as a guest star.

"?"

The earlier items were fine, but this last one shocked Fan Xiaopang.

Yan Li was investing in a film—and wanted her in it? Why hadn't he mentioned it?

Just then, Yan Li finished his work. Fan Xiaopang showed him the screen. He lounged comfortably across her lap and casually explained:

The film investment was real—but her role was just marketing hype; casting hadn't even begun.

"Didn't you plan to collaborate with a Hong Kong director for your film? Why invest in this one instead?"

"New director? Give them a chance—the budget's low anyway."

Yan Li didn't tell the truth; he had originally planned to collaborate with Xiangjiang.

But how to put it? Those Hong Kong folks stick together tightly—without enough capital, joining in just makes you a water tap for their money.

So Yan Li paused the collaboration, planning to wait until he had built out cinema distribution and shown his strength, then negotiate for greater leverage.

As it turned out, spending every day thinking about films during that period triggered the system's monthly intelligence report: this film, *Crazy Stone*.

The details were sparse, but summed up to just a few words—2006's biggest surprise dark horse film!

For Yan Li, who rose to fame with *Conquest*, those two words—"dark horse"—were enough; they meant low cost, high return.

Relying on the film and the director's name mentioned in the intelligence, Yan Li found the project and the people.

After that, it was simple.

This new director named Ning Hao was struggling for funds to make a film; reportedly, he had even signed up for Liu Tianwang's film event, hoping to attract investment.

Now, Yi An—a figure with minor influence in the industry—came knocking, and both sides instantly agreed.

Yi An's first film project was officially launched; they were now refining the script, and after approval, would proceed to location scouting and casting.

Yan Li didn't particularly value this project—he was mainly swayed by the intelligence's mention of "dark horse."

A 3-million-yuan investment wasn't much to Yan Li, but it wasn't trivial either; his main goal was to test the waters and accumulate industry experience.

"Is there a role for me?"

Fan Xiaopang was still very interested in acting; since the crew was using her for publicity, why not turn the fake into real?

"The script's on my computer—you can check it later, but don't get your hopes up. It's all about men."

Yan Li recalled the script—there were hardly any female roles: just the male lead's wife and the thief boss's girlfriend, and that was it.

Nothing much to act, and there'd be no big pay for Fan Xiaopang—3 million yuan meant every cent had to be spent wisely.

"If you want to act in a film, I do have a role."

"What role?"

Fan Xiaopang perked up, and Yan Li described a period film blending eroticism, sadomasochism, murder, revenge, and taboo elements.

"Sounds good—maybe it can compete for awards."

Fan Xiaopang grew even more excited, pressing Yan Li to explain the plot. Yan Li stood up: "The plot's simple. Let's try a short scene."

"You're the female lead—a virtuous woman. I'm the main villain—I lure you to drink..."

As he spoke, Yan Li grabbed Fan Xiaopang's foot and slowly slid it upward, still delivering his lines.

"At this point, you should panic and try to dodge."

"Dodging your big head?"

Fan Xiaopang kicked him angrily: "You think I haven't seen *Jin Ping Mei*?"

"I meant *Water Margin*."

"Pfft—you've got it saved on your computer. I saw it. The Yang Simin version."

Yan Li stared oddly at Fan Xiaopang, who lifted her chin: "I didn't check your computer—I just glimpsed it on a player once."

"No, I'm just curious how you know Yang Simin."

Fan Xiaopang: "..."

Yan Li chuckled, pulling Fan Xiaopang close: "KTV hasn't started yet—we've got time. Why not enjoy a classic?"

Classic my ass—you're just thinking of being Ximen Qing...

(End of Chapter)