Chapter 183: Yan Li First Shows His Might, Qin Lan Arrives at Hengdian

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In the Shen Nong Bang rehearsal room, Fan Xiaopang puts down the newspaper and looks curiously at Yan Li: "Where did you dig up all those explosive revelations?"

Tax evasion records aren't easily uncovered; illegal fundraising and fraud are hard to define and require solid evidence; the violent assault case was a secret within a secret.

Yan Li looks innocent: "What's it got to do with me? All were reports from concerned citizens."

Fan Xiaopang rolls her eyes—you think she believes that?

"Fine, but I just started it. This kid was too hated; when the wall falls, everyone pushes. Plenty wanted to take him down."

Yan Li could never casually use intelligence to directly attack him—that would attract dangerous attention if noticed by the right people.

So Yan Li didn't show much on the surface; he merely revealed a sliver of his strength, letting people know he wasn't to be trifled with.

For most of the rest, Yan Li mainly incited Song Zhude's enemies to kick him while he was down, stoked the flames, offered help, revealed key figures and evidence, then left the rest to them—and actively promoted the story to ensure authorities took notice.

So to outsiders, Song Zhude brought it on himself—too arrogant, and this time he'd provoked a hard target.

The hard target Yan Li led the charge, letting other enemies see his true strength, seize the moment, and join in; Yan Li rode the tide and crushed Song Zhude completely.

Even Song Zhude himself believed this—some key evidence, he suspected, came from betrayal by those around him—or from Yan Li's manipulation.

Yet Yan Li had offered a plausible explanation.

But Fan Xiaopang had witnessed Yan Li's rage, then his calm detachment as events unfolded, and felt something wasn't right.

The so-called "wall falls, everyone pushes" seemed perfectly timed, natural as water flowing.

But if it were truly that easy, why hadn't these people acted sooner? How could Song Zhude have remained free so long?

This was surely Yan Li's secret orchestration from behind the scenes!

Though Fan Xiaopang didn't know exactly how Yan Li operated, it didn't stop her from sensing the terrifying power of the young man before her.

"Are you a reincarnated soul?"

"Huh?"

Yan Li was stunned by Fan Xiaopang's question; she explained: "I read those online novels—you're this age and so cunning and ruthless? You're definitely a reincarnated veteran. With memories from your past life, your strikes are precise."

"..."

Yan Li sighed and shook his head: "Stop reading so much web fiction. Reincarnation? Why not say I have a golden finger too?"

"Those are too fake. Reincarnation makes more sense."

Yan Li could see Fan Xiaopang was joking to dispel some of her fear and wariness.

Yan Li had dismantled Song Zhude in a few swift moves—it had frightened her a bit.

Song Zhude looked like a clown, but he really had some skills.

Many stars he smeared with lies—like Jin Qiaoqiao, who was flooded with false sex rumors, furious at Song but powerless to stop him.

If it were Fan Xiaopang herself, she'd have nothing but to rage or sue for defamation—maybe force an apology or a blog ban—but to a man like him, it meant nothing.

Even hiring someone to ambush him in a sack would be risky—he had many enemies, some money, and multiple hideouts; ordinary people couldn't find him.

The more she imagined herself in that position, the more she grasped Yan Li's skill and "power."

Yan Li understood Fan Xiaopang's emotions but had no intention to comfort or reassure her.

He usually spoiled this girl, but a little scare now and then was good—kept her from getting too full of herself.

Yet he hadn't expected that, though initially shaken and fearful, Fan Xiaopang quickly turned happy and excited.

Because she realized one thing: she was now Yan Li's person. The more powerful he was, the better for her.

This girl even urged Yan Li to take down the other four rising actresses one by one—Li Bingbing was an ally, just cripple her halfway, then she'd climb straight to the top.

"Climb to the top? Why not just crown yourself empress?"

Yan Li snapped: "Do you know how much effort and money I spent this time? And this kind of brutality makes you a target for everyone. Avoid it if you can."

If others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them!

This was Yan Li's guiding principle—and one of the rules for using the system to retaliate.

Powerful tools must be used sparingly.

This kind of reality-breaking bug weapon must be used with extreme caution.

Until Yan Li could use real-world influence to "shield" the system, it should remain a last resort.

Fan Xiaopang liked to show off; Yan Li deliberately exaggerated the cost and consequences to warn her.

To keep this girl from provoking trouble under his protection and forcing him to clean up her messes.

Fan Xiaopang couldn't take shortcuts, felt a bit disappointed—but overall, she was glad: "Took down Song Zhude—kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. Now who'll dare spread rumors?"

Yan Li nodded in deep agreement.

Even though he'd mostly operated behind the scenes, his personal leadership, thunderous retaliation, and the faint but lingering suspicions surrounding him had made many realize Yan Li's power.

Young as he was—he was truly a ruthless one.

Yan Li's public opinion environment improved dramatically.

At least there were no more jumping clowns cashing in on the hype; criticisms and attacks now focused only on facts, and rumors and insults vanished entirely—some malicious blogs and Tianya posts targeting him were deleted by platforms, administrators, or the accounts themselves.

Even Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing benefited considerably from the fallout.

Inside and outside the circle, Yan Lao'ban and Yi An's fame grew substantially, but this time, it was a reputation of awe.

So reality is this: people fear power, not virtue; showing muscle at the right moment brings many hidden benefits.

But Song Zhude still isn't bold enough—he's only bullied a few minor stars, with limited influence; otherwise, making an example of him would've been even more effective.

"How many years is he looking at?"

Fan Xiaopang asked curiously; Yan Li shook his head: "Hard to say."

His background isn't clean, but it's not filthy either—otherwise he wouldn't dare come out and stir up publicity.

Many of his actions are ambiguous; Yan Li asked his lawyer, and even with evidence, some charges might not stick.

If lucky, he'll be out in three to five years; if unlucky, five to seven; over ten years is extremely unlikely.

But Yan Li has already arranged things for him, ensuring he lives comfortably inside.

As for whether this old bastard will cause trouble again after he's released, Yan Li doesn't care.

He's easy to handle now; after a few years, it'll be even easier—with the System on his side, Yan Li isn't afraid of retaliation.

If Song Zhude is smart, he'll just accept his fate quietly, and Yan Li won't pursue him endlessly.

If he's not smart, Yan Li wouldn't mind sending him back for another comfortable stay; if he runs abroad, even better—Yan Li's intelligence network has already triggered similar dark web connections, easier than handling it domestically.

"This guy is finished."

Yan Li declared it; Fan Xiaopang glanced at him, dazed and mesmerized—she loved this dominant, powerful side of Yan Li. Seeing no one around, her delicate fingers tugged gently at his.

"No matter what, we've let out that bitterness—how about we go out to eat today and celebrate?"

Yan Li gripped her hand, playing with it lightly, teasing: "You're thinking about it again?"

Fan Xiaopang, flustered and angry, pinched him: "Think what? Fine, don't go—I don't care that much anyway."

"Heh."

Yan Li chuckled lightly; she didn't care that she'd been monopolizing him daily—Wang Ou was nearly frantic.

She'd sworn she was just supervising Yan Li to stop him from doing stupid things, using both soft and hard tactics to silence Wang Ou, then gossiping behind her back with Wu Jiani.

"No matter how much you care, I can't go today—I have something to do."

Fan Xiaopang frowned: "Another social engagement?"

"No, I'm picking someone up."

"Oh."

Fan Xiaopang assumed it was some investor and didn't think much of it, returning to the previous topic: "What time will you be back? Maybe I'll buy some food—we can celebrate in the hotel too."

"Uh…"

Yan Li squeezed Fan Xiaopang's small hand: "I might not come to your place today."

Fan Xiaopang's body tensed slightly, her delicate brows furrowing: "Is Dong Xuan here?"

Yan Li: "... No, it's not her."

"..."

Fan Xiaopang roughly understood what was going on, snorted coldly, yanked her hand away, turned her head, and ignored him, closing her eyes to rest.

Yan Li hesitated slightly but said nothing, continued playing with his phone, waiting for the set crew to finish preparing and call him, then took the costume and went out to film.

After he left, Fan Xiaopang opened her eyes, her lovely face flushed with anger.

Dog man, puts his pants on and forgets who he is—yesterday he held her and said she was his most cherished woman, today he ignores her...

————

Hangzhou, Xiaoshan Airport

Hengdian currently has no airport, but there are many nearby.

Yiwu and Xiaoshan airports are close, but have fewer flights; Shanghai's airports have more flights, but require several hours of driving to reach.

Qin Lan couldn't get tickets to the closer Yiwu airport, but Xiaoshan isn't far from Hengdian—about two hours by car.

When she exited the airport and saw Yan Li personally there to pick her up, Qin Lan was delighted, rushing forward and throwing herself into his arms.

Since Yan Li came to Hengdian to film, he'd returned to Jingcheng only once in two months—and she happened to be away, so they didn't meet.

If not for matters in Jingcheng holding him back, Qin Lan would've joined the cast long ago.

Unlike Dong Xuan, who, because of her past relationship being exposed, is still "avoiding suspicion" and can't come to visit the set.

She could only wait for Yan Li to return to Jingcheng, or sneak over secretly to Shanghai or Hangzhou for private meetings.

Outside, people came and went; though both had taken precautions, they didn't risk anything, keeping their behavior restrained.

But once inside the car, Qin Lan couldn't hold back anymore, softly kissing Yan Li with little coos.

"Did you miss me?"

"Yes."

"..."

Driver Wu Maowen stared straight ahead, pressed the accelerator, cutting the drive time by a quarter as he delivered them to the hotel Yan Li had booked.

One after the other, they entered the hotel, reached the room, and Qin Lan, unable to contain herself, clung to Yan Li like a koala, making him experience the passion of water turning to fire.

But through Yan Li's efforts, Qin Lan was brought back to her original state, singing their classic duet "Shui Lan Hua"...

(End of Chapter)