Chapter 20: Kiss Him, Kiss Him

Nie Yuan and the new Xiao Yanzi in the revised version of “My Fair Princess 3,” Huang Yi, are a couple; Yan Li had long known this.

After all, he had frequent dealings with Nie Yuan and knew Qin Lan, who also acted in the same “My Fair Princess 3” crew, so related information was inevitable.

In fact, Yan Li not only knew they were dating, but also knew their relationship had recently become tense, even reaching the point of breaking up.

So although the two film crews were not far apart, this couple’s interactions were fewer than Qin Lan’s with him.

But judging by the current situation, are they rekindling old flames?

As for the girl who came in with Huang Yi, Yan Li also knew her.

The new Zi Wei in “My Fair Princess 3”—he’d met her before when dropping off Qin Lan at the hotel; she was called… right… Ma Yili.

She’d appeared in many dramas and had some fame, but Yan Li had never watched her performances, so he wasn’t familiar with her.

“Come on, let me introduce you.”

Nie Yuan paused the music and introduced both sides; Yan Li shook hands with Huang Yi and teased,

“Should I call you sister-in-law or little sister?”

Huang Yi was very straightforward: “Call me whatever you like.”

Nie Yuan objected: “You were born in 1980, two years younger than me—you’re definitely sister-in-law.”

Tong Lei, beside them, was stunned and asked Yan Li: “Brother, are you from 1980?”

Yan Li coughed awkwardly: “Yeah.”

Tong Lei pressed: “Which month?”

“...November.”

Tong Lei laughed bitterly: “I was born in January 1980—I’ve been calling you ‘brother’ for so long, and you’re actually a few months younger than me.”

“You never asked—I had no idea you were younger.”

Yan Li’s reply lacked conviction; yes, Tong Lei didn’t know his birthday, but Yan Li, having received her character dossier, knew her details perfectly—he was just pretending ignorance to gain an advantage.

Ignoring the indignant Tong Lei, Yan Li shook hands with Ma Yili, who regarded him with a knowing look.

“Come on, since you and Huang Yi are here, why didn’t you invite Qin Lan?”

“Who’s Qin Lan? What’s going on?”

Nie Yuan and Huang Yi both looked bewildered—they were meeting for the first time, yet it felt like they knew each other, and what was this about Qin Lan?

Ma Yili whispered something to Huang Yi, who’s eyes suddenly lit up as she stared at Yan Li: “So you’re the handsome guy who stole Qin Lan away.”

Yan Li explained: “We’re just friends...”

Before she could finish, Huang Yi had already pulled out her phone: “I’ll call Qin Lan and ask her to come over.”

Nie Yuan pulled Yan Li aside and interrogated him: “Where did this Qin Lan come from? Are you sneaking around behind my back?”

Tong Lei watched Yan Li silently, her gaze carrying a faint hint of reproach and longing.

No wonder he never paid attention to her—she’d been taken!

Ma Yili, enjoying the drama, vividly recounted to everyone the story of Yan Li and Qin Lan.

Actually, she didn’t know much—she’d only seen Yan Li drop off Qin Lan once, and when she asked, Qin Lan gave no details, just called him a friend.

But Qin Lan wouldn’t say anything, so Ma Yili figured it out herself.

Don’t forget, there’s also Huang Xiaoming—he’d been pursuing Qin Lan in the “My Fair Princess 3” crew, and it was no secret.

At first, Qin Lan hadn’t accepted him, but she’d been polite; then suddenly one day, her attitude changed completely, leaving Huang Xiaoming rebuffed, and eventually she just ignored him.

The timing of Qin Lan’s sudden change coincided with when she met Yan Li.

Now everything connected!

Yan Li stole the love, Qin Lan’s heart belonged to Yan Li, and Huang Xiaoming could only suffer in silence.

Because the plot was so dramatic and gripping, this incident caused a minor stir in the “My Fair Princess 3” crew.

Huang Yi, Ma Yili, and others had privately speculated endlessly about the mysterious handsome man who won Qin Lan and humiliated Huang Xiaoming—never expecting to run into him here today.

“You’re something else.”

Nie Yuan, Kou Zhanwen, and others listened with delight—Yan Li had snatched a girl from the rival crew without a word, and it was a huge win.

With everyone talking at once, Yan Li had no way to refute them and, mindful of Qin Lan’s reputation, stayed silent.

This silence was taken by everyone as confirmation.

Nie Yuan, arm around Huang Yi after she finished her call, insisted on becoming Yan Li’s brother-in-law; Zheng Guolin joined in the teasing; Ma Yili typed furiously on her phone, sending a message to share the gossip; Kou Zhanwen howled “Sweet Sweet” to celebrate; Tong Lei silently drank beer.

About twenty minutes later, Huang Yi waved her phone: “Qin Lan’s here—right by the door.”

Everyone turned to Yan Li; he set down his glass: “I’ll go get her.”

Leaving the private room, he reached the KTV entrance, where Qin Lan waited on the steps; seeing him, she asked, puzzled:

“Huang Yi’s message was vague—what’s going on?”

“The crew threw me a farewell party...”

Yan Li explained briefly; Qin Lan finally understood, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, her tone feigning hesitation:

“Should I still go in?”

“You’re already here—why leave?”

Qin Lan, who hadn’t really intended to leave, was persuaded and followed Yan Li back to the room; as soon as she entered, Nie Yuan and Huang Yi led the cheers.

“Woo—”

Qin Lan wasn’t shy; she greeted Nie Yuan and the others warmly, but when she saw Tong Lei, her eyes subtly narrowed.

“Hello, I’m Qin Lan.”

“Tong Lei.”

After the greetings, Qin Lan didn’t join Huang Yi and the others—instead, she deliberately walked over to chat with Tong Lei.

After subtly learning Tong Lei’s role in the crew, Qin Lan exclaimed in surprise:

“So you’re the one who played Li Rongrong?”

Tong Lei frowned slightly: “You know Li Rongrong?”

“I know her well—before, when Yan Li wasn’t sure about a few scenes with Li Rongrong, he came to me privately to rehearse; we practiced for a long time. This role must’ve been hard— if Yan Li offended you, I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

With that, Qin Lan raised her beer and took a big sip; Tong Lei forced a smile and politely took a small sip.

After only a few more words, Tong Lei asked Zheng Guolin for the microphone to sing; Yan Li sat beside Qin Lan and shouted into her ear:

“What did you say to her?”

Qin Lan pulled out her phone and typed back: “Jealous?”

Yan Li sighed, took her phone: “I’m just her colleague—don’t say things like that.”

“Really? I noticed her skin is very fair.”

“You’re not letting this go, are you?”

On stage, Tong Lei watched Yan Li and Qin Lan huddled together over a phone; the already melancholy love song grew even more sorrowful and poignant.

After finishing her song, Tong Lei stepped down and hadn’t even sat back on the sofa when Qin Lan pulled Yan Li up onto the stage.

“Let’s sing together.”

“What song?”

“Can you sing Liang Jingru’s ‘Courage’?”

“Sure.”

Yan Li sang well—he’d taught himself guitar over two years of college, mainly to impress girls.

Back then, it was all about this: clean white shirt, jeans, sitting outside a girl’s dormitory, strumming and singing.

Songs like Zhang Hongliang’s “Do You Know I’m Waiting for You?” or Ren Xianqi’s “The Girl Across the Way” were deadly effective—Yan Li had won his ex-girlfriend partly thanks to this skill.

But he hadn’t expected Qin Lan sang well too—her pitch was precise, her voice rich and magnetic.

“...

Just one look from you,

My love has meaning.

We both need courage

To believe we’ll be together.

...”

For their first duet, they were perfectly in sync—line after line, rhythm, emotion, and harmony all flawless.

After finishing “Courage,” perhaps moved by the song, they exchanged glances—the atmosphere grew tender and intimate.

Nie Yuan and the others were swept up, clapping and cheering; Huang Yi was the most enthusiastic, clapping loudly:

“Kiss him! Kiss him!”

Yan Li was about to tell her to stop shouting when Qin Lan, catching him off guard, suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek—sending the room into cheers.

Immediately after, Qin Lan slipped away, giving Yan Li a mischievous wink and sticking out her tongue.

Yan Li touched his cheek, feeling strangely unsettled.

He’d always been the one taking advantage—today, the eagle had its eye pecked. He’d have to find a way to get even...

(End of Chapter)