Chapter 181: Yan Li

Mmm~

Wang Ou woke up half-asleep, feeling someone beside her apparently hugging her; without opening her eyes, she affectionately pressed her face against them, nuzzling and kissing.

Hm?

Why so thin, and so soft?

She knew Yan Li's body better than anyone—tall, muscular, sculpted and rock-hard, every touch brimming with power and security.

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 was her hotel suite. She checked herself: outside her coat and shoes, she hadn't even removed her undershirt, and there were no marks. A quick glance at Wu Jiani showed the same condition.

Phew…

Wang Ou sighed. Jiang Yiyan 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 it, then regretted it and sabotaged things—but got drunk. It seemed Yan Li and Wu Jiani had brought her back; after that, nothing was clear.

"Jiani, Jiani, wake up."

Unable to remember, Wang Ou decided to ask Wu Jiani. The latter woke quickly, shook off her daze, and the two began comparing notes.

"So Yan Zong brought you and me back, then 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, sealed the deal, made it irreversible—neither she nor Wu Jiani could back out.

Wang Ou was utterly baffled, completely missing the complexity in Wu Jiani's gaze.

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

Whether from outside 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 made her worst-case scenario: abandoning Wang Ou, agreeing to return to Yan Li's room, and so on.

She looked sweet and innocent—but wasn't stupid.

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

Climbing the entertainment ladder for resources wasn't that easy.

Still, because of Yan Li's image and age, Wu Jiani was willing to gamble: if it worked, great; if it failed, she'd just "feed the wolf"—sleep with a handsome, heroic young man, and she wouldn't lose.

In the end, aside from a few groping attempts in the KTV, once Yan Li realized she was "drunk," he barely touched her at all.

Wu Jiani was torn between laughter and tears—and couldn't help but feel a flicker of fondness for Yan Li.

Regardless, Yan Li hadn't taken advantage of a drunk woman; in her eyes, that counted for a lot.

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

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

"Huh? What did I say?"

Wu Jiani clenched her teeth: "Help me… cling to Yan Zong."

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

Still, Wang Ou hesitated: "Let me think. I'll need to test Yan Zong's feelings first—otherwise, all this effort is wasted."

Wu Jiani: "…"

What kind of thing is this? I've agreed, but the go-between is backing out.

She thought Wang Ou might be unreliable—if things went wrong, she'd have to fight for herself.

Though they rarely spoke privately, she still had chances to meet Yan Li during filming.

Not just on The Investiture of the Gods—on the neighboring series The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, her role as Beef Soup 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 the 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, then 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 with relief and continued preparing for lunch.

At the makeup room, Wang Ou asked around and learned today's original schedule was for Fan Xiaopang's scenes, but had been changed last-minute due to illness.

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

This change came from Yan Zong himself—and Yan Li was originally scheduled for evening scenes too; both had been rescheduled.

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

Fan, you're pushing me too far!

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

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

"Seductive fox, you wait!"

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

Fan Xiaopang truly was Yan Li's favorite. That woman playing Su Daji was playing herself—born a fox spirit, she'd completely bewitched Yan Li, clouding his judgment.

Thinking of this, Wang Ou's earlier plan to abandon Wu Jiani began to waver…

————

Fan Xiaopang, clad in a white robe, lay lazily draped across Yan Li's back as he handled emails.

"Not ready yet?"

"Half an hour."

Yan Li, in the drama, was bewitched by Su Daji into neglecting court affairs; outside the drama, he still knew what mattered, ignoring the "seductive concubine's" advances and focusing intently on reviewing memorials.

Fan Xiaopang was a bit bored, but knew Yan Li was busy with real work, so he didn't disturb him much, and pulled out his own laptop to go online.

Sina's entertainment news was endless, with various stars taking turns on display; Fan Xiaopang paid special attention to a few "competitors."

"Xu Jinglei Admits She Can't Be a Director, Lacks the Talent of a 'Genius Woman'"

Tsk, so passive-aggressive—Fan Xiaopang gave it a like.

Since Xu Jinglei became a director and went to Beijing Film Academy as a teacher, she kept posting little essays on her blog; the so-called "genius woman" title grew louder and louder.

Let her call herself that—she always puts down other female stars, making many people dislike her.

Who knows who? Throw around a few pretentious phrases, act aloof, and suddenly you're a genius woman? You're still just someone who licked Wang Shuo's boots to climb up—what's the point of pretending?

Fan Xiaopang thought her own marketing was beautiful—not the best in the world, but at least grounded in reason; Xu Jinglei's "genius woman" persona, she felt, was completely fake.

"Zhang Ziyi Steals the Spotlight Again, Nominated for Time Magazine's 2005 List of 100 Most Influential People in the World"

Fan Xiaopang clicked shut with a sour expression.

Currently, the new generation of mainland female stars is led by Xiao Yanzi and Zhang Ziyi.

Zhou Young Master of the Four Little Flowers is still developing and falls far behind the two; Xu Cai'nv has switched to directing, let alone the other little flowers.

Xiao Yanzi excels domestically, with unmatched national recognition—everyone, young and old, knows her.

Zhang Ziyi wins through international influence; several films abroad have made her famous, and though not as exaggerated as the marketed label of "international superstar," she is truly top among Chinese-language new-generation performers.

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

Not to mention their lead advantage—key point is, they're still improving; you take two steps forward, they take one more, and the gap hasn't narrowed much.

"Zhou Young Master Praises Lover Li Daqi, Admits She Enjoys Love and Lives in a Happy Station"

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

These two news items 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 news—

"Fan Bingbing Possessed by Su Daji, 'King Zhou' Yan Li Lost in Her Spell, Prodigal Finds His Heart"

Clicking in, she found it was just the two of them praising each other during a media interview two days prior, then saying they had great on-set chemistry—yet reporters had spun it all into a love story.

Fan Xiaopang: "..."

Fine, the rest was okay—but "possessed by Su Daji"? Why does that sound like an insult?!

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

Most reports focused on the "double Fan" gossip, but nearly a third covered his career.

For example, "Survival: The Migrant Workers" was wildly popular, and Yan Li, as Main Producer, got some visibility.

"The Seven Fairies of Huan Tian Xi Di" was scheduled for reruns on multiple satellite channels, with Yan Li's name included.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy" was hailed as this year's hottest online drama; Tang Ren's boss Cai Yinnong also mentioned Yan Li's later involvement as co-producer.

Yi An intends to dip into film, investing in the new movie "Crazy Stone," with Jiang Wu as the male lead, Fan Xiaopangjia Alliance joining, and planning to invite Li Tianwang as a guest star.

"?"

The earlier items were fine, but Fan Xiaopang was slightly shocked by this last news item.

Yan Li invested in a movie and wanted her to act—why hadn't he mentioned it?

Just then, Yan Li finished his work; Fan Xiaopang showed him the laptop. Yan Li lounged comfortably on her lap and casually explained.

The film investment was real, but her role was pure marketing hype—casting hadn't even started yet.

"Aren't you planning to collaborate with an Xiangjiang director? Why invest in this movie instead?"

"He's a new director—give him a chance. The cost is minimal anyway."

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

But how to put it? That group of Hong Kong folks stuck together tightly; without sufficient capital, joining meant only being a money faucet.

So Yan Li paused the collaboration, planning to wait until he'd established theater distribution and shown his muscle, then negotiate for greater influence.

The result? Maybe because he'd been obsessing over films daily, the system's monthly intelligence triggered this film: "Crazy Stone."

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

For Yan Li, that was enough. Having risen to fame with "Conquest," he loved the word "dark horse"—it meant low cost, high return.

With the movie and the slightly accompanying director's name, Yan Li found the project and the person.

After that, it was simple.

This new director named Ning Hao was struggling for funds to make a film; reportedly, he'd even applied to participate in Li Tianwang's film event, hoping to attract investment.

Now, Yi An—an established player in the industry—came knocking; both sides immediately hit it off.

Yi An's first film project was officially launched, currently optimizing the script, then preparing for review, followed by location scouting and casting.

Yan Li didn't particularly care about this project—he was mainly influenced by the intelligence's "dark horse" label.

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 film industry experience.

"Is there a role for me?"

Fan Xiaopang was still very interested in acting; since the crew was using her for promotion, 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 pure men's drama."

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 she wouldn't get much pay anyway—3 million yuan total, every cent had to be spent wisely.

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

"What role?"

Fan Xiaopang, eager and excited, listened as Yan Li introduced it as an ancient costume film blending eroticism, sadomasochism, murder, revenge, taboo, and other elements.

"Sounds pretty good—maybe it could win awards."

Fan Xiaopang grew even more excited, pestering Yan Li to recount the script. Yan Li stood up: "The plot is simple. Let's try a short scene together."

"You're the female lead—set as a virtuous woman. I'm the main villain, luring you over for drinks…"

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

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

"Dodging your big head? No way."

Fan Xiaopang kicked him in anger: "Do you think I've never seen《Jin X Mei》?"

"I meant《Water Margin》."

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

Yan Li stared at Fan Xiaopang strangely; the latter stuck out her neck: "I didn't search your computer—I just happened to catch it on the player while browsing before."

"Wait, I'm just curious how you even know Yang Simin."

Fan Xiaopang: "..."

Yan Li chuckled, pulling Fan Xiaopang close: "The KTV hasn't started yet, and we've got nothing else to do—why not sample a classic?"

Bullshit sampling—you're just eager to play Ximen Qing…

(End of Chapter)