Chapter 20: Kiss Me, Kiss Me

Nie Yuan and the new Xiao Yanzi from The Return of the Huanzhu Gege 3, Huang Yi, are a couple—Yan Li had known this long ago.

After all, he had frequent dealings with Nie Yuan and knew Qin Lan, who also worked on The Return of the Huanzhu Gege 3 set, so it was inevitable he'd come across related information.

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

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

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

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

The new Ziwei from The Return of the Huanzhu Gege 3—he'd met her before when dropping Qin Lan off at her hotel; she was called… yes… 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 and Huang Yi shook hands, and Yan Li teased:

"Should I call you sister-in-law or little sister-in-law?"

Huang Yi was very casual: "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, froze and interjected, asking 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; Tong Lei didn't know his birthday, true, but Yan Li, having received Tong Lei's character information, knew her situation 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, if both Huang Yi and I are here, why aren't you calling Qin Lan?"

"Who's Qin Lan? / What's going on?"

Nie Yuan and Huang Yi both looked bewildered—they were supposed to be meeting for the first time, yet they seemed to know each other, and what was this about Qin Lan?

Ma Yili whispered something to Huang Yi, who then stared at Yan Li with sudden bright eyes: "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 tell her to come over."

Nie Yuan grabbed Yan Li and interrogated him: "Where did this Qin Lan come from? Are you sneaking around behind my back?"

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

No wonder he usually ignored her—he already had a girlfriend!

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

Actually, she didn't know much—she'd only once seen Yan Li drop off Qin Lan, and when she asked, Qin Lan revealed nothing, just calling him a friend.

But Qin Lan wouldn't talk, so Ma Yili figured it out herself.

Don't forget, there's also Huang Xiaoming—he'd been pursuing Qin Lan on The Return of the Huanzhu Gege 3 set, and it wasn't a secret.

Previously, Qin Lan hadn't accepted him, but she'd been polite; then suddenly one day, her attitude changed drastically, leaving Huang Xiaoming repeatedly rebuffed, and eventually she simply ignored him.

The timing of Qin Lan's sudden change coincided with when she encountered Yan Li and Qin Lan together.

Now everything connected!

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

Because the plot was dramatic and gripping, this incident caused a minor stir on The Return of the Huanzhu Gege 3 set.

Huang, Ma, and others had privately speculated and wondered about the mysterious handsome guy who won Qin Lan and humiliated Huang Xiaoming—never expecting to run into him today.

"You're something else."

Nie Yuan, Kou Zhanwen, and others listened with delight—Yan Li had snatched the prize from next door's set, quietly stealing the girl away; it was a huge win.

With everyone speaking in unison, Yan Li had no strength to refute, and out of concern for Qin Lan's reputation, he remained 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; Guo Guolin joined in the teasing; Ma Yili tapped 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, who put down his glass: "I'll go get her."

Leaving the private room and reaching the KTV entrance, Qin Lan waited on the steps; seeing Yan Li, she asked, puzzled:

"Huang Yi's call was vague—what's going on?"

"The set threw me a farewell party..."

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

"So should I go in?"

"You're already here—why leave?"

Qin Lan, who hadn't intended to leave anyway, was persuaded by a few words and followed Yan Li back into the room; as soon as she entered, Nie Yuan and Huang Yi led the teasing:

"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 came over to chat specifically with Tong Lei.

After subtly learning Tong Lei's role on the set, Qin Lan expressed even greater surprise.

"So Li Rongrong was you acting?"

Tong Lei frowned slightly: "You know Li Rongrong?"

"I know her too well. Before, when Yan Li wasn't sure about a few scenes with Li Rongrong, he privately asked me to rehearse with him. We practiced for a long time. This drama must've been hard to shoot—if Yan Li offended you in any way, I'll apologize on her behalf."

Saying this, Qin Lan raised her glass and took a large sip of beer. Tong Lei forced a smile and politely took a small sip in return.

After only a few minutes of chatting, Tong Lei asked Zheng Guolin for the microphone to go on stage and sing. Yan Li sat over and shouted into Qin Lan's ear.

"What did you say to her?"

Qin Lan pulled out her phone and typed back: "Feeling protective?"

Yan Li was speechless, took her phone, and said: "I'm just her colleague. Don't say things like that."

"Really? I noticed her skin is pretty fair."

"So you're not letting this go, are you?"

On stage, Tong Lei watched Yan Li and Qin Lan huddled together fiddling with a phone. The already melancholy love song grew even more bitter and mournful.

After finishing the song, Tong Lei stepped down. Before she could even sit back on the sofa, Qin Lan pulled Yan Li up to the stage.

"Let's sing one together."

"What song?"

"Can you sing Liang Jingru's 'Courage'?"

"Sure."

Yan Li sang well—he had taught himself guitar over two years of college, mostly to impress girls.

These days, that's how you did it: clean white shirt, jeans, sitting neatly outside a girl's dormitory, strumming and singing to himself.

Songs like Zhang Hongliang's "Do You Know I'm Waiting for You?" or Ren Xianqi's "The Girl Across from You" were deadly effective. Yan Li had won over his ex-girlfriend largely thanks to this little skill.

But he hadn't expected Qin Lan to sing well either—her pitch was precise, her voice rich and magnetic.

"…"

"If you just give me one look of affirmation…"

"My love will have meaning…"

"We both need courage…"

"To believe we'll be together…"

"…"

It was their first duet, yet their chemistry was flawless—each taking turns, rhythm, emotion, and timing perfectly aligned.

After finishing "Courage," perhaps moved by the song, they locked eyes for a moment—the atmosphere grew tender and intimate.

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

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Yan Li was about to tell her to stop shouting when, without warning, Qin Lan leaned over and kissed him quickly on the cheek—sending the whole 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 a strange unease inside.

He had always been the one taking advantage of others—today, the eagle had been pecked by a bird. He'd have to find a way to get even…

(End of Chapter)