Chapter 204

Call it a day, wrap up the show

Lin Jiachuan came over, glanced at Fan Xiaopang, and asked quietly: "Bro, I'm leaving early today."

"Where are you going? Not riding today?"

Yan Li asked in confusion, and Lin Jiachuan couldn't hold it anymore: "You're still going to the stable today?"

"Of course."

Yan Li nodded. Bai Long was a new horse—he needed bonding. Sai Long hadn't been ridden in years; he needed gradual recovery.

So these past few days, unless he was truly swamped, he'd go to the stable—even if he had no time to ride two laps, he'd feed it carrots or apples.

This was what Lao Xu taught him: daily interaction made horses more affectionate, built stronger rapport, and improved cooperation whether riding or filming.

"What about Bingbing-jie?"

Lin Jiachuan didn't know how to address Fan Xiaopang, so he just called her "jie."

He and Fan Xiaopang were born the same year—he was six months older—but Fan's fame and status were what they were, and besides, didn't he have to go through Yan Li's lens?

"Of course we're going together."

Yan Li looked at Lin Jiachuan like he was an idiot—did he really think Yan Li would ditch Fan Xiaopang to go ride horses? How clueless could he be?

This horse isn't Qin Lan or Dong Xuan—what's so special about Fan Xiaopang that she can't be seen?

He told Lin Jiachuan to go buy food, then took off his makeup and told Fan Xiaopang about going to the stable, showing off his horses.

"I bought Sai Long. You should see him—he's incredibly spirited, and he gets along perfectly with me."

"The horse you mentioned before that you wanted to buy?"

Fan Xiaopang had heard Yan Li mention it once before—she never expected him to actually buy it. This dog of a man still had some sentiment.

"Right."

Fan Xiaopang grew interested and suddenly asked: "Who else have you taken to see this horse?"

"You're the first woman I've brought to see him. Happy now?"

Yan Li understood Fan Xiaopang's subtext and grumbled. Fan Xiaopang nodded, satisfied.

"That's more like it."

After changing clothes, Yan Li took Fan Xiaopang to the stable, showed her Sai Long and Bai Long, and fed them.

"How about a race?"

Fan Xiaopang was eager—she'd shot plenty of ancient costume dramas, knew how to ride, and rode well.

"No racing—just two laps."

Yan Li refused to race. This woman was too competitive—if she got carried away and messed up, falling off the horse wouldn't be a small thing.

Didn't that model from Taiwan just fall off a horse during an ad shoot and break six ribs? Luckily her organs weren't badly damaged—otherwise it'd have been worse.

Yan Li handed Sai Long to Fan Xiaopang—he was gentler, had spent years on set filming, wasn't afraid of people, and cooperated well.

Bai Long was specially sourced by the crew for "The Legend of Xue Rengui" because he played the "divine steed"—his breed and physique were far superior to ordinary horses, and naturally, he had a fiercer temper and was harder to handle.

Compared to the plain Sai Long, Fan Xiaopang clearly preferred Bai Long—he was good-looking.

After riding two laps, she took the initiative to ask to switch horses. Yan Li felt uneasy, so he said:

"I'll ride with you."

"Fine."

Fan Xiaopang wanted Yan Li to get off first, then she'd mount, and he'd climb on after—but Yan Li told her to stand still and control the horse, then bent down, reached out, and lifted her straight onto the saddle, guiding her to sit slowly in front of him.

"Holy shit…"

Fan Xiaopang was startled at first, then beamed: "Awesome!"

Yan Li was speechless—this woman really was a tiger. He held her close, trotted the horse, but Fan Xiaopang wasn't satisfied—she told him to go faster.

Her own riding skill was fine at a trot, but galloping made her shaky—mainly because she was scared.

But with Yan Li, she felt safe, so her courage grew.

"Hold on tight."

Yan Li told Fan Xiaopang to settle in, adjusted his own posture for better safety, then accelerated.

Riding a horse and riding a fast horse felt completely different!

Wind slammed into his face, hooves pounded powerfully, the horse's motion jolted them, scenery blurred past, and instinctively, excitement surged through his veins.

Because he was carrying Fan Xiaopang, Yan Li didn't dare go too fast—but it was already thrilling enough for her.

When the horse stopped, Fan Xiaopang's face was flushed, and she exhaled deeply: "Now I get why you love riding."

"Hey, at the stable it's just for fun. Back when I filmed 'Emperor Wu of Han,' riding across the grasslands—that was real joy."

Vast open fields, galloping freely, wild and unbound—every inch of her felt euphoric. Yan Li's love for riding owed everything to that experience.

She wriggled in his arms, sensing his strong male scent, recalling the moment—safe yet thrilling—and felt a restless urge stir.

"Do you think it's possible… up there?"

"What do you mean?"

Yan Li didn't get it at first, but seeing her flushed face and smoldering eyes, he understood—and gave her ass a hard slap.

"You think this is a movie set?"

Fan Xiaopang looked disappointed: "Boring."

"Even if it weren't, we wouldn't do it like this."

Yan Li refused outright—any mistake, and Fan Xiaopang might just fall off, but he carried the weight of a vital connection—what if he broke something?

No matter how thrilling, he wouldn't gamble his entire future on it!

After a few more laps, they left the stable. Yan Li wanted to book another hotel, away from the crew, to avoid paparazzi.

"So what if they shoot it? We've been photographed before."

Fan Xiaopang didn't care at all—she even hoped the paparazzi would snap more photos to cement her identity as the boss's wife of Yi'an.

She'd once worried about damage to her career, but now she cared less and less.

In a way, her gossip with Yan Li had become a major source of personal exposure.

Many bystanders loved watching the 【love-hate drama】 between a stunning female star and a rising business tycoon.

Yan Li threw her a signing ceremony—"ten million to redeem her freedom," "ten million signing bonus," gifted her Wang Guan and resources, then flooded the media with exposure.

Meanwhile, The Legend of Xue Rengui officially announced Li Bingbing's joining, reigniting the "Two Bings vs. Yan" scandal; her popularity didn't drop—it even surpassed Yan and Li's combined.

Those who disliked her waited to laugh, mocking her for being "stolen from" by Li Bingbing.

Those who liked her supported her in beating up Li Bingbing to defend her love.

Neutral onlookers held their breath, eager to watch how the two Bings would battle over the man.

Li Bingbing's coming to film The Legend of Xue Rengui, and Fan Xiaopang's tolerating her presence—even with other reasons—was absolutely driven by the key factor: continuously cashing in on the "Two Bings rivalry" hype.

Arriving at Yan Li's room, Fan Xiaopang silently began inspecting.

Hmm, there really were no signs of any woman's presence.

Yan Li understood: "So that's why you insisted on coming to my room?"

This inspection was useless—his room was cleaned daily by assistants and staff; nothing could be found.

Besides, does something illicit have to happen in his room?

Because Yan Li sometimes held meetings with directors or crew members in his room, or video conferences with the company, it was inconvenient—he usually preferred going to the woman's room.

"Tired. Going to shower."

Her secret motive exposed, Fan Xiaopang felt awkward and made an excuse to escape.

Yan Li shook his head, searching for clothes to change into after his shower, when he heard Fan Xiaopang call him—she couldn't find the shower gel.

Taking off his clothes, Yan Li strode boldly into the bathroom.

"What?"

"The shower gel's gone. Let me apply something else."

————

The next day, Yan Li arrived punctually at the makeup room; Yang Rong was there even earlier, occasionally glancing at him.

Yan Li found it odd and specifically checked his neck in the mirror—no abnormalities.

Fan Xiaopang had been utterly defeated by him yesterday; she had no energy for this, and hadn't even woken up yet this morning—no opportunity.

"Is something wrong with me?"

Unable to understand, Yan Li asked directly; Yang Rong shook her head.

"Nothing. I just feel President Yan's energy today is better—more… spirited."

"Really?"

Yan Li checked himself again in the mirror; now that Yang Rong mentioned it, he did feel slightly different.

Looks like men need regular moisturizing too!

Seeing Yan Li didn't press the issue, Yang Rong exhaled in relief—she hadn't lied; she truly felt his energy was better.

But that wasn't why she'd been unable to stop observing him.

He'd filmed all day, reportedly gone horseback riding, and after their brief separation, surely they hadn't just slept together.

She didn't particularly like Fan Xiaopang, but admitted she was undeniably a woman who drove men wild.

Yang Rong had expected Yan Li, even if he didn't take a day off, to look drained—but instead, he was energized, even better than before.

What a beast!

Yang Rong was truly impressed—and now she was more curious about Fan Xiaopang's condition.

But she couldn't ask, so she swallowed her curiosity and kept filming.

Yang Rong had substantial screen time, but it was scattered: early scenes with Xue Rengui, middle scenes of her enduring hardship in a cold cottage, then the reunion with Xue Rengui after his campaign, and scenes accepting Princess.

This made Yang Rong's shooting schedule the longest among all female roles in The Legend of Xue Rengui, due to coordination with the entire crew.

Although Li Bingbing had more scenes, she was popular enough to demand tight scheduling, so the crew had to accommodate her—her schedule was shorter and more concentrated.

For Yang Rong, though this wasted some time, the workload was lighter, leaving her plenty of rest between shoots.

She personally preferred this filming intensity—she could earn money and still have time to rest and play.

But Yan Li found it uncomfortable seeing her idle every day.

He offered to arrange her a role in The Great Qing Imperial Harem, which was also directed by Yu Zheng—letting their old classmates collaborate.

Yang Rong: "..."

He was a workaholic himself, yet dragged others into "overtime"—what kind of person was this?

Because filming was relatively light, Yang Rong had spare time, and as a core creator, she grew slightly closer to Yan Li, noticing he occasionally met Fan privately.

Sometimes Fan Xiaopang came to The Legend of Xue Rengui; sometimes Yan Li went to The White-Haired Witch.

There might be other private meeting spots, but Yang Rong didn't know—no one dared or bothered to monitor where Yan Li went outside filming.

Yang Rong often deduced things from Yan Li's behavior and oddities, but couldn't confirm their truth.

But she was certain: Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang's relationship was genuinely good.

Also, Yan Li's reputation for being promiscuous was likely misinformation—or outright hype.

Dong Xuan and Huang Shengyi—she didn't know details, but guessed they were ex-girlfriends.

Dong Xuan, however, seemed to be an ex who remained a friend; they still interacted and spoke positively of each other—Yang Rong had seen such cases before and understood.

Huang Shengyi felt more complicated—also an ex, firmly in the past.

Right now, Yan Li was clearly and sincerely dating Fan Xiaopang.

Outside work and filming, he spent time only with Fan Xiaopang, or riding horses, or hanging out with friends like Lin Jiachuan—he never flirted with any other actresses or crew members, including her.

Hmm, he's a very serious person; his romantic history is a bit lengthy, but he's hardly a playboy.

Yang Rong felt the media and netizens were too harsh on Yan Li, and for a while she even felt indignant on his behalf.

Yet, since Li Bingbing joined the crew, Yang Rong realized she had been too naive…

…

Compared to the domineering Fan Xiaopang, Yang Rong had a better impression of Li Bingbing—her personality was open and cheerful, and she treated others kindly.

On her first day at the set, Li Bingbing treated all the actors and crew to late-night snacks, and she took special care of Yang Rong as a junior; once, after noticing she was cold after wrap, she gave her a mink-fur scarf the next day.

After that, she stumbled upon Li Bingbing hugging and kissing Yan Li in the makeup room…

"Mm."

On the makeup room sofa, Yan Li held back Li Bingbing's hands as she undid his clothes: "No, if you really want to, can't we find somewhere safer? People keep coming and going—aren't you afraid someone'll catch us?"

"We're done for the day—who's still here? Besides, I locked the door."

Li Bingbing pried open Yan Li's hands and kept unbuttoning his shirt, explaining: "My sister's been here all this time—I can't slip away privately, so this is the only place."

"Your sister's an agent—why's she hanging around the set every day? Doesn't she have other things to do?"

Yan Li couldn't help complaining. Li Bingbing shot him a glare: "You tell me why she won't leave the set?"

"..."

Yan Li was speechless. Li Bingbing, wary of her sister causing trouble, either stuck with Yan Li or kept her sister company—either way, she never let the two be alone together.

But this meant killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own—she herself had almost no private moments with Yan Li either.

On top of that, Fan Xiaopang had also become more vigilant.

Although Li Bingbing's presence made it impossible for them to meet directly and "visit the set," Fan Xiaopang still tried to lure Yan Li over to the "White-Haired Witch" set.

As a result, since Li Bingbing arrived, she and Yan Li had only maintained a strictly professional relationship, at most sneaking in a few stolen touches.

At thirty, she's a she-wolf!

Li Bingbing isn't some girl you can pacify with a kiss or a hand-hold—she's already had the full meal, so these occasional little treats barely satisfy her hunger.

So, after planning for several days, she finally found an opportunity to corner Yan Li in the makeup room.

"Don't rush—I'll check first if anyone's in the dressing area."

Yan Li always felt uneasy—the makeup room was empty, but there were still several small changing cubicles on the sides; what if someone was hiding there?

"I already checked."

Li Bingbing wasn't stupid—she'd checked thoroughly. From finishing the check to dragging Yan Li over, it had only been a few minutes; the crew had already wrapped up and gone home. How unlucky could they be for someone to show up in such a short window?

Besides, before they entered, she'd called out twice—if anyone had been there, they'd have answered already.

In the corner dressing cubicle, Yang Rong sat restlessly, wanting to leave but too afraid to move.

What bad luck!

Because her bra had broken halfway, and with people everywhere, she couldn't fix it, so she claimed she'd lost something in the makeup room and came here to deal with it.

When she arrived, the room was empty; afraid someone might come in, she went into the dressing cubicle.

Just as she was taking off her clothes, she heard Li Bingbing call out—she didn't dare answer. By the time she finished changing and wanted to speak, she heard Yan Li's voice.

At that moment, she hesitated, curious why the two hadn't left and had come to the makeup room.

But one misstep led to another—when she heard the door lock and the rustling sounds of them hugging and kissing, she dared not come out, and could only huddle in the cubicle, not daring to make a sound.

Hearing Li Bingbing's words, Yan Li finally relaxed.

Li Bingbing poked his pants with her finger and sneered: "Pretending to be nervous, but you're secretly thrilled—your zipper's about to burst open."

"Cough."

Knowing it was safe, Yan Li didn't hold back—he started touching her, but Li Bingbing stopped him, went to the makeup table, grabbed a makeup brush, wiped it with tissue, then bit it between her lips, mumbling:

"I'm afraid I'll moan too loud and someone hears."

Yan Li raised an eyebrow: "Huh, even biting a towel won't help?"

Li Bingbing glared at him, taunting: "Stop talking—come on."

Fan Xiaopang is a lipstick tiger; this woman is a beautiful she-wolf.

No matter how the actual fight went, she'd never lost a verbal battle.

After more than an hour of flustered, heart-pounding tension, Yang Rong heard the door open and footsteps leaving—she finally exhaled.

She wanted to open the cubicle to catch some air, but she'd stood too long and dared not move—her legs were stiff, numb, and weak.

She pressed her lips together, tidied up the cubicle, turned on the makeup room hairdryer to blow-dry her pants, felt no abnormalities, then hurried away in panic.

The next day, Yang Rong saw Li Bingbing again in the makeup room.

Seeing how radiant the woman looked, and hearing her slightly hoarse voice, Yang Rong remembered the suggestive sounds she'd heard before—she lowered her head, not daring to look at her.

Because she was too busy playing ostrich, Yang Rong didn't notice that Yan Li, who entered later, was also looking at her with equal awkwardness.

But Yang Rong had firmly decided: she'd take this secret to her grave.

Yan Li also pretended ignorance—this kind of thing was better left unspoken; pretending it never happened was easier.

After that, whenever Li Bingbing tried to lure Yan Li back to the makeup room, he refused outright and found other ways to keep Li Xue away.

Yet, to Yan Li's surprise—

【Daily Intelligence x: Yang Rong has recently been making excuses to linger and hide in the makeup room…】

Oh my god, she's hooked now?!

…

Yang Rong felt she was shallow—not realizing Yan Li was dating two people at once.

At the same time, she truly hadn't expected the gossip to be true—that both Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang were involved with Yan Li.

But considering Yan Li's status and wealth, his looks and age, and the way he repeatedly stunned her with his stamina and endurance…

Hmm… it's not entirely incomprehensible.

However, just as Yang Rong thought Yan Li's ability to handle two soldiers was already impressive.

In late October, production began on The Great Qing Imperial Harem.

Two days after production started, Yang Rong personally saw the drama's female lead, Wang Ou, visit the set; Yan Li, unusually, took the day off and left with Wang Ou shortly after.

Later, Yang Rong learned that day was Wang Ou's birthday.

The Great Qing Imperial Harem crew had arranged a birthday cake and celebration for her, but she merely went through the motions, then specifically came to visit the set of The Legend of Xue Rengui—again, Yan Li took an unusual day off.

If there wasn't something fishy going on here, Yang Rong would write her name backward.

Meanwhile, because she was old classmates with producer Yu Zheng and got along well with him, and because Yan Li had also arranged a role for her, Yang Rong often visited The Great Qing Imperial Harem set whenever she had time.

Then she heard gossip from the set: on both occasions Yan Li visited The Great Qing Imperial Harem, he spent intimate time with Qin Lan.

Even on The Great Qing Imperial Harem set, although Wang Ou was the female lead, the one truly fawned over was the second female lead, Qin Lan.

The producer and director both fawned over her; another actress, Hu Siyan, was said to have a good relationship with her and even often walked her dog together.

Old classmate Yu Zheng privately hinted to her that she should avoid provoking Qin Lan.

Before she could even process that, in early November, Yan Li returned to Jingcheng for some reason—and the media soon reported that Yan Li attended Dong Xuan's birthday party.

However, since several friends—including Tong Dawei, Guan Yue, and Yang Xue—were also there, it didn't cause much of a stir.

"…"

But Yang Rong had granted Yan Li tremendous "trust"—his so-called ex-girlfriend was definitely just a facade; the two were certainly more complicated than that.

Fan, Li, Wang, Qin, Dong

That's already five—and based on Yang Rong's current "understanding" of Yan Li, there were surely more she hadn't discovered.

What stamina!

Yang Rong truly didn't know how to describe it, but whether judging by character or energy, the evaluation of "beast" was utterly deserved by Yan Li.

…

Yan Li knew Yang Rong had been watching him closely and dug up plenty of his old secrets.

How idle!

He grumbled about it aloud but didn't take it seriously—she was just guessing and speculating, with no evidence, so as long as it posed no threat, it didn't matter; after all, you can't stop people from gossiping.

Besides, did she really think she was the only smart one? Many others already knew parts of his situation.

Aside from Qin Lan and Wang Ou, who were slightly more private, which one wasn't already public knowledge?

Even Wang Ou was now half-public: a minor model signed to the company, continuously pushed forward—who wouldn't mutter a few words upon seeing it?

If Wang Ou weren't still relatively unknown, someone would already be stoking the "Yi'an No. 1 Queen" rivalry.

Even Qin Lan, though not fully public, was known to quite a few.

Forget the set gossip—just the fact that Yi'an had cast her in three consecutive dramas was enough to fuel rumors; even Dong Xuan had faintly heard whispers.

After all, Teacher Dong had a few eyes and ears!

But Dong Xuan only knew there was a woman named Qin Lan; she wasn't sure of her weight, and her focus remained on Fan Xiaopang.

Yang Rong was still eagerly watching the drama unfold, completely unaware of Yan Li's reputation.

After starring in The Great Qing Imperial Harem and The Legend of Xue Rengui, she might end up dragged in too, becoming one of Yan Li's gossip targets.

Acting in Yan Li's drama meant you were sleeping with him!

The media and public opinion weren't quite that absurd yet, but on Tianya, the seed was already sprouting.

Yan Li paid no attention to it.

At first, he'd genuinely worried it might make actresses feel psychologically burdened about working with him—but then he realized: if everyone was linked to him, it was as if no one was.

A single or few female stars gossiping was negative; if everyone was negative, then negative plus negative became positive.

Actresses felt no psychological burden, Yan Li's gossip spread everywhere, and it could obscure the truth, hiding real relationships among the noise.

Illusion and reality, truth and falsehood!

No one could tell whether his connection with any actress was manufactured rumor or genuine—everyone was safe.

Yan Li took a short break from the set, staying from early November through mid-November.

One purpose was to celebrate Dong Xuan's birthday; the other was to avoid Qin Lan and Fan Xiaopang, who were planning to celebrate his birthday together.

But the most important purpose was to finalize the distribution of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

It was already November; many TV stations were eyeing the New Year and winter break slots.

No matter how it was decided, now was the time to make the call—if delayed further, it would cause delays.

Yan Li and his team communicated by phone or in person with acquisition heads from seven satellite channels, plus held private meetings.

After months of groundwork and probing, followed by days of intense negotiations, the day after Yan Li's birthday, The Legend of the Condor Heroes reached agreement with four satellite channels: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Henan.

These four channels acquired the first-run broadcast rights for the 40-episode The Legend of the Condor Heroes at 1.05 million RMB per episode, totaling 42 million RMB.

After the announcement, the industry erupted!

Yan Li lived up to his reputation as the "King of Drama Sales," becoming the undisputed number one in television distribution with two consecutive dramas selling for over a million RMB per episode.

Even more surprising to many—including Zhang Dahu—was that Yan Li had sold The Legend of the Condor Heroes for more than The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

This wasn't due to doubting Yan Li's distribution ability or The Legend of the Condor Heroes' quality.

In fact, Jin Yong + Zhang Dahu, plus the popular lead actors, had always given The Legend of the Condor Heroes greater momentum than The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

Many said that if Yan Li had been assigned The Legend of the Condor Heroes from the start, it might have already sold for over a million RMB per episode.

But because of the Fengdiao Battle, no matter how strong Yan Li's distribution skills were, he wouldn't let The Legend of the Condor Heroes overshadow his own project—maximum, it would be even.

But reality slapped everyone's face!

In truth, Yan Li understood clearly: both dramas were distributed by Yi'an; whether they sold more or less was ultimately his own achievement.

Besides, The Legend of the Condor Heroes was a project he took over midway; mocking him over it would make Zhang Dahu look even worse.

On the contrary, the higher Yan Li sold The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the more it proved his ability and vision.

This is also a live advertisement, proving the professionalism of him and Yi'an's distribution, regardless of the reason, fully committing to safeguarding the producer's maximum interests.

The trivial gains or losses of a single project pale against Yi'an's overall distribution reputation.

If Yan Li can't calculate this equation, he might as well quit.

Have to say, Yan Li's move was indeed brilliant—even Zhang the Big Hu Zi, for the first time ever, specially gave him a call.

Of course, beyond gratitude, Yan Li believed Zhang Dahuizi's greater aim was to mend their relationship.

Yan Li proved his distribution capability with The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

In just the first broadcast round, Yi'an sold 8 million more than their original distribution team; though Yan Li's royalty share was higher, they still made substantial profits.

Few people can turn their back on money!

At least Zhang Dahuizi hadn't reached this level—he once still cared about face, using Ciwen as a cover, but when real money appeared, he discarded the cover entirely.

This phone call translated into four words: Keep cooperating!

Yan Li didn't refuse; his conflict with Zhang Dahuizi wasn't deep-seated hatred, and with profit to be made, why wouldn't he cooperate?

At this stage, in the entire TV drama market, Zhang Dahuizi was the most profitable producer—without exception.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng sold so high originally because the system contributed the most, followed by its deep bundling with The Legend of the Condor Heroes, fully leveraging the "Condor vs. Eagle" hype.

Similarly, The Legend of the Condor Heroes sold for 1.05 million per episode thanks largely to his and the system's efforts, but Zhang Dahuizi's brand could not be ignored.

Zhang Dahuizi saw Yan Li as a "money tree"; Yan Li, in turn, saw him as a "treasure pot."

From The Legend of the Condor Heroes' first-round revenue of 42 million, Yi'an, with its 16% distribution share, could claim 6.72 million.

This was only the tangible profit; operating such a top-tier project still yielded many hidden benefits, which could then be leveraged to unlock multiple resources.

For example, earlier, it was known that Yan Li could hand over the exclusive online rights for both The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng and The Legend of the Condor Heroes to Tudou. com.

It nearly drove Wang Wei of Tudou. com insane with greed!

Meanwhile, Yi'an could also use its distributor status to release exclusive behind-the-scenes videos on Tudou. com and invite key creatives for interviews—both were powerful traffic magnets for the fledgling Tudou. com.

Honestly, Yan Li sometimes felt his 30% equity stake was too small.

Had he understood the internet better, and if video websites weren't something you could just assemble with a few random people, he'd have invested in starting his own "Potato Network" or "Yam Network."

Under these circumstances, Yan Li naturally welcomed long-term cooperation with Zhang Dahuizi.

Even if Zhang Dahuizi was willing to abandon Huayi and join Yi'an, Yan Li would sweep the floor and welcome him.

He could serve as a senior executive, or launch his own studio—Yan Li would fully support funding, resources, and influence, even negotiating equity.

Unfortunately, he looked down on Yan Li's humble temple.

Added to their existing tensions, Zhang Dahuizi could lower his head to cooperate, but he wouldn't become Yan Li's subordinate.

After reaching an agreement, they discussed The Sword of Blood and the planned The Deer and the Cauldron.

The former was Zhang Dahuizi's current project, preparing to begin filming; the latter was still in planning, not likely before late next year.

Zhang Dahuizi half-jokingly mentioned that Fan Xiaopang had previously approached him wanting to act in a Jin Yong drama, but no deal was made; if Director Yan agreed now, Fan Xiaopang could pick any role in The Deer and the Cauldron.

Bullshit cooperation!

Yan Li knew this old bastard wasn't up to anything good.

The other popular Jin Yong drama heroines were fine, but The Deer and the Cauldron centered on Wei Xiaobao and the Kangxi Emperor—it was the Jin Yong drama least beneficial to popular female actresses.

Fan Xiaopang didn't lack dramas; Yi'an was already crafting a custom production for her—why would she waste time on The Deer and the Cauldron?

Yan Li suspected Zhang Dahuizi was envious of Fan's current buzz and wanted to ride her coattails for exposure.

The old bastard had no good intentions, so Yan Li teased him back: "Bingbing might not be available. If Producer Zhang needs an actor, I'll volunteer to play Wei Xiaobao."

"…"

Zhang Dahuizi paused, thinking: with Yan Li's shameless demeanor and rakish nature, he actually bore some resemblance to Wei Xiaobao.

But his appearance was wrong—too heroic-looking, tall and muscular; he had none of Wei Xiaobao's cunning, mischievous boyish charm—he'd be better suited for Ao Bai or Chen Jinnan.

Afraid of being pressured by Yan Li's distribution leverage and unable to back down, Zhang Dahuizi stammered a few words and hastily hung up.

"Pfft."

Yan Li smirked, as if he cared—acting was boring anyway; in real life, I'd already worn seven bodies…

(End of Chapter)