Chapter 205: Wang Ou and Yang Rong, the Teddy Sisters

Hengdian, "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" production team

Because "The Legend of Xue Rengui" currently had too few scenes for her, Yang Rong temporarily joined the "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" cast.

Although Yang Rong had visited a few times before, since she hadn't stayed long, once she officially joined the shoot, she quickly realized this production team was even more complicated than she imagined.

Truly, while filming "The Legend of Xue Rengui," Yang Rong never felt Yan Li's presence was particularly important—she just felt the crew was simple and trouble-free.

Now, comparing it to "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing," the difference became immediately clear.

In "The Legend of Xue Rengui" crew, Yan Li was the absolute core; the producer, director, and even the most popular actor, Li Bingbing, all deferred to him.

Whatever Yan Li said went unchallenged; no one dared cause trouble, so the crew atmosphere remained relatively harmonious.

But "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" was different—no one could hold the center.

Both producers, Yu Zheng and the other one, lacked absolute authority.

Especially Yu Zheng—he was a first-time producer; not only did others not take him seriously, he himself lacked confidence.

The director was slightly better—he hired someone with more experience, who had some decent previous works, but wasn't exactly a renowned director.

During filming, everyone gave him face, but if he tried to meddle in other matters, he simply lacked the power.

With the director and producers weak, the actors became even more chaotic.

The female second lead, Qin Lan, and the female lead, Wang Ou, were openly hostile; though they hadn't broken ties, they had virtually no private communication, and their conflict was unmistakable.

Logically, Wang Ou was the female lead and an Yi'an artist, so she should have held the upper hand.

But both the producer and director leaned slightly toward Qin Lan.

Of course, they dared not offend Wang Ou either, so they wavered, patched things over, and gradually caused crew members to split into several factions.

One faction was led by Qin Lan, with its core members being Huo Siyan.

She got along very well with Qin Lan; within days of joining, the two formed a bond, and since both owned Teddy dogs, they often walked them together.

Later, when Qin Lan and Wang Ou became rivals and Qin Lan showed some influence, Huo Siyan decisively sided with Qin Lan without wavering.

Rumor had it she even presented Qin Lan with a token of loyalty, stood up for her, and had a minor clash with Wang Ou.

Since then, Qin Lan and Huo Siyan grew even closer; by the time Yang Rong joined, they were practically inseparable.

One faction was Wang Ou herself.

Because Qin Lan and Huo Siyan were both more famous than her, and they stuck together, plus the producer and director's bias, few dared to associate with Wang Ou.

The remaining few factions—or rather, one faction.

Other actors formed small cliques, avoided the conflict, did their jobs, and stayed out of the female lead and second lead's feud.

Of course, these people might have minor private friction too, but nothing as blunt or loud as Qin and Wang's.

After Yang Rong joined and learned the backstage details from her old classmate Yu Zheng, she planned to join the third faction.

But she never expected that while she wanted to avoid trouble, someone was determined to drag her in.

Wang Ou "targeted" her!

To be fair, this wasn't entirely Wang Ou's fault—Yang Rong wasn't entirely innocent either.

When "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" first started filming, Yang Rong specifically visited her old classmate Yu Zheng to show support and congratulate him.

At that time, she didn't know how deep the water was in this crew; she happened to meet Wang Ou and chatted with her a bit.

Since Yang Rong had already been confirmed for a role in "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing," she wanted to make a connection ahead of time.

Once she joined, she hoped someone would look out for her—Wang Ou was the female lead, so she naturally wanted to be on good terms.

Perhaps because both Wang and Yang had oval faces and looked somewhat similar, and their personalities matched well, despite meeting for the first time, they formed a good first impression of each other.

Later, when Wang Ou visited "The Legend of Xue Rengui" crew for her birthday, she specifically greeted Yang Rong.

After learning it was Wang Ou's birthday, Yang Rong was surprised by Wang Ou's relationship with Yan Li and specially sent a gift.

Thus, their relationship gradually grew closer.

After that, whenever Yang Rong visited "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing," she sought out Wang Ou more often than Yu Zheng; Wang Ou, though busy with heavy scenes, still agreed to one dinner date with Yang Rong.

But it was around then that, due to her frequent visits to "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" and Yu Zheng's warnings, Yang Rong learned some backstage secrets.

Yang Rong was startled at first, but didn't take it too seriously—she thought Wang Ou and Qin Lan's feud wouldn't affect her friendship with Wang Ou.

Qin Lan wouldn't possibly start targeting her just because she was friends with Wang Ou.

So Yang Rong didn't cut ties with Wang Ou.

On the contrary, since Wang Ou was being sidelined by Qin and Huo and felt lonely and frustrated, she often sought Yang Rong out to chat and vent, and their bond grew stronger.

Before joining "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing," Yang Rong had even been introduced by Wang Ou to her other close friend, Wu Jiani.

It was said that Wu Jiani's time on "The White-Haired Witch" hadn't been easy either.

Fan Xiaopang hadn't isolated or excluded her, but wasn't particularly close to her (due to Wang Ou's influence); privately, he preferred hanging out with Li Lin, so she could only cling to another minor actress for comfort.

But at least she had someone—she wasn't targeted, which was far better than Wang Ou's situation.

Wang Ou was very envious; after their three-person gathering, she told Yang Rong that once Yang joined the crew, she'd have company and wouldn't be alone anymore.

At that moment, Yang Rong felt something was off—she thought she'd stepped into a trap.

After joining the crew, her suspicion was fully confirmed.

Wang Ou threw a grand welcome for Yang Rong's arrival, spending every non-filming moment with her, as if announcing to the entire "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" crew that Yang Rong was her best friend.

Then Yang Rong noticed Qin Lan and Huo Siyan's glances toward her growing increasingly hostile, and other crew members slowly began viewing her as part of Wang Ou's faction.

At this point, Yang Rong couldn't extricate herself even if she wanted to.

First, the label of Wang Ou's faction was already stamped on her—even her earlier visits might have signaled this.

Second, if she ran away now, what would become of Wang Ou? It would be too disloyal to a friend.

No matter what, Yang Rong still recognized Wang Ou as a friend and even felt sympathy for her plight, holding some negative views toward Qin and Huo.

Under these circumstances, Wang Ou saw her as a lifeline; if she abandoned Wang Ou and watched from afar while others bullied her friend, Yang Rong couldn't do it.

Yang Rong couldn't do it!

Only bad luck made me pick the wrong side and underestimate the complexity of the Great Qing Harem production team.

Yang Rong cursed herself inwardly for being stupid, but still gritted her teeth and chose to stick with Wang Ou.

Holy cow, reinforcements have arrived—this is going to be good.

The Great Qing Harem's onlookers cheered, eagerly awaiting a reaction from Qin Lan.

Better they start fighting!

…

The Great Qing Harem, a hotel room

Qin Lan fed two teddy dogs—one white, one brown—dog food, watching helplessly as Huo Siyan loudly threatened to give Wang Ou and Yang Rong a lesson.

"I've told you countless times: don't make a scene, and never disrupt the production—that's the bottom line."

Qin Lan knew well: as Wang Ou's girlfriend, she was dissatisfied with Wang Ou's ambiguous relationship with Yan Li; whether she cold-shouldered or sidelined her, as long as it wasn't extreme, Yan Li turned a blind eye.

To climb up through a man, you must sacrifice your beauty—and being targeted by the lawful wife is one of the costs.

Wang Ou isn't doing too badly; with Yan Li keeping her in check, she still gets to keep her lead actress role, even if she takes some hits.

Many mistresses caught by the lawful wife got slapped dozens of times, then stripped and paraded through the streets.

But Qin Lan could subtly wound Wang Ou—so long as she kept it within bounds; if it got too out of hand or interfered with the main work, Yan Li might no longer sit idly by.

Perhaps Yan Li still favored her, but it might damage his perception of her.

Especially Fan Xiaopang—she helped Yan Li's career, yet Qin Lan herself was dragging him down; comparing the two, wasn't she practically pushing Yan Li into Fan's arms?

Qin Lan even regretted making things too bitter with Wang Ou.

She hadn't originally intended to do anything to Wang Ou—she simply didn't want to interact with her, and was just swept along by the production's atmosphere.

Oh, and Huo Siyan had stoked the flames.

Qin Lan and Huo Siyan got along so well because they bonded over shared interests and dog-raising; second, Huo Siyan firmly took her side, stood up for her, and broke ties with Wang Ou.

Another reason no outsider knew: Huo Siyan confessed to Qin Lan that during Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies, she'd been bullied and ostracized by Dong Xuan and Fan Xiaopang due to her youth, inexperience, and misunderstandings.

Had she not joined Huayi and ridden the Honeymoon Phase between Huayi and Yan Li, she'd long ago been blacklisted by Dong and Fan, and wouldn't have gotten a single Yi'an resource.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!

When Huo Siyan declared she couldn't coexist with Dong Xuan and Fan Xiaopang, Qin Lan took her as a little sister.

Likewise, upon learning Qin Lan would protect her from Dong and Fan's bullying, Huo Siyan regarded Qin Lan as a big sister.

But perhaps, having been so badly bullied during Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies,

Huo Siyan, emboldened by Qin Lan's backing, threw herself into isolating and sidelining Wang Ou with particular zeal.

The reason Qin Lan and Wang Ou now had such a bitter rift was primarily their own conflict, but Huo Siyan had played a major role.

"Sis, you're just too nice—if it were me, I'd have slapped that slut long ago."

"Slut" was Qin Lan's nickname for Wang Ou.

Wang Ou had played a pheasant spirit in The Investiture of the Gods, was overly flirtatious, and her name even had a bird radical—this nickname fit perfectly.

Back when filming The Investiture of the Gods, Qin Lan had privately muttered this nickname about Wang Ou—only Yan Li had known.

When they met again on The Great Qing Harem, Qin Lan revealed this nickname during private chats with Huo Siyan.

Huo Siyan was even more vicious than Qin Lan; from then on, she privately used this nickname to refer to Wang Ou.

Wang Ou, lacking confidence, always avoided Qin Lan and Huo Siyan; the one time she had a minor clash with Huo Siyan was over this nickname, and it left her visibly shaken.

After ranting about Wang Ou, Huo Siyan turned to Yang Rong.

"I originally treated her as a friend, even invited her to hang out, but she didn't show face—and now she's openly opposing us? It's just too much."

Yang Rong and Huo Siyan had both worked on The Young Emperor; they weren't close, but they knew each other.

Huo Siyan had once tried to recruit her, but failed—Yang Rong was swayed away by Wang Ou.

This made Huo Siyan feel betrayed, and her opinion of Yang Rong plummeted.

"Who someone chooses to befriend is none of our business—if we're not on the same path, we shouldn't force ourselves together."

Qin Lan comforted Huo Siyan a little; she had no particular feelings about Yang Rong.

Of course, since Yang Rong hung out with Wang Ou, Qin Lan had no opinion—but also no fondness.

"Sis, you're just too soft-hearted."

Huo Siyan scolded her, exasperated; if she were Qin Lan, she'd have already punished Wang Ou severely, and if Yang Rong didn't show respect, she'd kick her straight out of the production.

But Huo Siyan got close to Qin Lan partly because of Qin Lan's gentle, easygoing nature.

Qin Lan was gentle, highly tolerant, willing to care for others, and never acted like a domineering big sister—being around her was comfortable.

After having dealt with Fan Xiaopang and Dong Xuan, Huo Siyan felt Qin Lan was the best person around—no wonder she won Yan Li's favor and easily suppressed Wang Ou.

Huo Siyan got close to Qin Lan and had seen firsthand how Qin Lan interacted with Yan Li privately.

Honestly, she'd once thought Dong Xuan wasn't even as favored as Qin Lan.

Especially a few days ago, when Yan Li's birthday fell outside Hengdian, Qin Lan called to complain—and Huo Siyan overheard two snippets, learning for the first time that this domineering man could sound so tender and adoring.

Recalling how he'd tormented her at Palm Springs, making her call him "Dad," Huo Siyan grew so jealous she nearly turned against Qin Lan.

But there was no help for it—Yan Li had little interest in her; he clearly just wanted to play around.

Being Yan Li's spy was useful, but only so much; Huo Siyan hadn't forgotten that Huayi had another woman cozying up to Yan Li: Li Bingbing.

That woman was Huayi's top actress, with a sister who was a senior executive—what could Huo Siyan possibly match them with?

So Huo Siyan planned to take another path: by clinging to Qin Lan's coattails, she'd secure Yi'an resources.

She'd learned this tactic from Yang Xue and Jiang Xin, who'd climbed Dong Xuan's ladder to win collaborations—so why couldn't she do the same?

After soothing Huo Siyan for a long while, Qin Lan finally calmed her down; watching Huo Siyan still sullen and resentful, she was speechless.

She was the real one in charge, yet Huo Siyan was jumping around louder than her—anyone would think Wang Ou had stolen Huo Siyan's man.

As they spoke, Qin Lan's phone rang; she glanced at the caller ID, walked to the side, and answered the call.

"Hey?"

"Got it, okay, wait for me."

Qin Lan hung up the phone and started pushing Hu Siyan to get ready, saying she needed to change clothes and go out.

The latter didn't understand, asking several questions, until Qin Lan finally revealed the reason: "Yan Li is back, asked if I'm free to pick him up."

Hu Siyan's eyes lit up, half-jokingly flattered: "He calls you right away to pick him up—looks like he misses you."

Qin Lan said nothing, but the smile on her face proved she was in high spirits.

Seeing this, Hu Siyan said: "Sis, I've got no shoot today—can I come along too?"

"Huh?"

Qin Lan frowned. Was she just going to pick him up? She was usually sharp—why suddenly want to be a third wheel?

"Don't worry, I won't interrupt you two. At most I'll tag along for dinner, then head back on my own. I just want to make a good impression on Brother-in-Law—so when good opportunities come up, he'll remember me."

Hu Siyan explained, and Qin Lan was moved by the term "Brother-in-Law." After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

"Fine, you two are already familiar with each other."

The two changed clothes. Qin Lan made a call, and the car arranged by Yan Li arrived to pick them up, heading for Yiwu Airport.

The flight from Jingcheng to Yiwu took only two hours; driving from Hengdian to Yiwu Airport took about an hour.

Adding in scattered delays, Qin Lan and the others waited about half an hour at the airport before seeing Yan Li, wearing a mask and sunglasses, emerge from the VIP channel with a few others.

She signaled, and they returned to the car, slowly driving out of the airport. Soon, another car pulled up beside them; Yan Li got out and switched vehicles.

"Did you miss me?"

Yan Li wrapped his arm around Qin Lan, about to cuddle, but she blushed and pulled away, then pulled forward Hu Siyan.

"You two don't need me to introduce you—Siyan and I are close sisters now. She heard you were back and came with me to pick you up."

Hu Siyan winked at Yan Li: "Welcome back to Hengdian, Brother-in-Law~"

"..."

Yan Li knew Qin Lan and Hu Siyan had been getting along well lately. After using the system to understand Hu's intentions, he chose not to interfere much.

He understood Hu Siyan's personality and knew how to handle her. Their closeness meant Qin Lan had company—and at critical moments, Hu could be useful to him.

Still, because of that one time between them, Yan Li felt a strange unease seeing Qin Lan and Hu Siyan act like such good sisters. Hearing "Brother-in-Law" now nearly broke his composure.

"Cough."

He cleared his throat politely: "Thanks for coming."

"You once helped me, and Sister Lan has always taken care of me. One must know gratitude—this little thing is nothing."

Qin Lan felt Hu Siyan had made her look good, and warmly said they didn't need to be so formal. Yan Li couldn't help glancing at her, sighing inwardly.

This dumb woman—do you even know how she's been scheming?!

Still, seeing Hu Siyan, right in front of Qin Lan, subtly flirting with him...

Yan Li reached out and wrapped his arm around Qin Lan's waist, his smile fading as he made his stance clear.

"Since you treat Sister Lan as your elder sister, you should support her more. Your sister is honest and gentle—don't let her get taken advantage of. If you two get along well, I won't let you down. But if not... heh, you'll see what happens then."

"Oh, don't mind him—he's just blunt, Siyan. He didn't mean anything by it, don't take it to heart."

Qin Lan felt Yan Li's words were too harsh and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

Hu Siyan dared not meet Yan Li's eyes, forcing a thin smile.

"No, Brother-in-Law's right—we'll get along well."

Yan Li didn't push further. After a couple of warnings, he let it drop.

Qin Lan sensed the awkwardness and tried to lighten the mood, bringing up the rumors now swirling about him as the "King of Sales."

With "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Yan Li spearheaded two single-episode million-yuan projects, making a huge splash.

Ascending to the throne of "King of Distribution," he also drew intense media scrutiny into his distribution abilities—and the deeper they dug, the more astonished they became.

The two dramas sold for 82 million yuan combined, plus the 142 million yuan from earlier screening events—just these two items brought Yi'an's total sales for the year to 224 million yuan.

But this was only part of it.

Taking the two dramas as examples, the 82 million yuan was just the first-round broadcast rights. Ground channels, DVD rights, Hong Kong/Taiwan licenses, and even overseas rights were steadily coming in.

"The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" had already sold its Taiwan rights; Yi'an hadn't disclosed the exact amount, but according to market rates, it must have been several million, possibly over ten million.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" had no sales outside mainland TV yet.

But rumors said TV stations in Hong Kong and Taiwan were preparing to buy, and even a South Korean network had shown interest—Jin Yong's dramas held a strong advantage here.

DVD rights for both series had also been agreed upon with an audiovisual company, reportedly totaling over five million yuan.

In today's depressed DVD market, this was a sky-high price; the company's head called it a record-breaking deal in the past two years.

Even the long-ignored online streaming rights were squeezed dry by Yi'an like a toad holding urine—sold to Tudou. com at one million yuan per drama (publicly stated for easier rights enforcement).

According to current media estimates, the total sales value of the two dramas now stands at roughly 120 to 150 million yuan.

In Yan Li's hands, the two dramas had become golden birds, wildly generating wealth for him.

And other dramas beyond these two were also steadily earning money.

Like the massive hit "Sword of Valor," the wildly popular "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," the drama that nearly clinched the satellite TV ratings crown—"The Mute Bride"—and other hot-selling series, all were raking in cash.

Cumulatively, Yi'an's total sales for the year would surely exceed 350 million yuan; 400 million yuan might not even be the ceiling. A 500 million yuan total was unlikely, but not impossible.

Even 400 to 500 million yuan—this was staggering data that left people speechless.

Just how big is the entire TV drama market right now?!

According to official statistics, the total TV drama transaction value this year was between 2 and 3 billion yuan; some institutions claimed it exceeded 4 billion.

Whichever figure was accurate, Yi'an had swallowed roughly one-tenth of the entire market—terrifyingly so.

Even more terrifying: the overall TV drama market this year was losing money—production costs exceeded actual sales figures, with rumors suggesting the gap reached several billion yuan.

In this industry-wide environment, Yi'an's projects almost all made money, making it all the more remarkable.

Moreover, Yi'an's dramas weren't just highly profitable—the ones already aired all performed well.

"Bright Sword" aims for the annual viewership champion.

"The Mute Bride" aims for the annual satellite TV viewership champion.

"Missed Bus," "Home with Nine Phoenixes," "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies," "Railway Guerrillas," "Survival: Migrant Workers"… all ranked high in viewership charts or received excellent reviews.

Only when you make huge profits, achieve outstanding results, repeatedly break industry records, and single-handedly sway parts of the market can you truly be called the King of Film Distribution.

"Cough, don't keep calling me 'King of Film Distribution'—I'm the King of Distribution."

Yan Li couldn't help struggling—he hated how loudly this ridiculous nickname was shouted, even reporters sometimes directly called him "King of Film Distribution."

Qin Lan and Huo Siyan ignored him; the former smirked teasingly, the latter was more curious how much he'd made as the King of Film Distribution.

With a 10~15% distribution share and a total sale price of 400 million to 500 million yuan, Yan Li must have earned sixty or seventy million.

"Not that much—each project's share is split, and there are all kinds of expenses; what ends up in my hands is just hard-earned pay."

Huo Siyan was skeptical: "Half it then—surely you've made at least thirty million?"

"Something like that."

Yan Li gave a vague reply—he disliked revealing his income, and when he did, he always downplayed it.

He'd definitely made more than thirty million, but not by much.

This year was lucky—he secured several top-tier projects and, thanks to monthly intelligence, landed many high-viewership quality dramas, making him stand out.

But distribution is a middleman's job; the share is fixed—it's ultimately just drinking the broth. Profits aren't low, but they aren't high either.

For Yan Li, his positioning of the distribution business was mainly to leverage it for other resources and to boost his company's reputation and industry influence—his real profits came from the film and TV division and the stock market.

But that was for Yan Li.

When she heard Yan Li admit he'd made thirty million in a year from distribution shares alone, Huo Siyan once again couldn't suppress her rebellious thoughts.

If she could seize this, wouldn't she never have to worry about the rest of her life?!

Even Qin Lan, who knew Yan Li better and had more psychological preparation, couldn't help tightening her grip on his hand upon hearing this.

Sometimes she herself felt dazed.

Back when they filmed "Heroes of Sui and Tang" in Hengdian, he'd complained to her about expensive plane tickets and buying train tickets back to Beijing.

Now, just three years later, one business line earned tens of millions—it felt like a dream!

The atmosphere grew quiet, but they'd arrived at the hotel; Huo Siyan still wanted to follow, but Yan Li directly pulled Qin Lan out of the car and shut the door.

"Take her back, pick her up tomorrow."

The driver responded and drove off immediately; Qin Lan scolded him lightly.

"At least let her have a meal."

Yan Li glanced at her: "Aren't you angry?"

He'd thought his cold treatment of her sister would make Qin Lan uncomfortable, but she seemed in good spirits.

"I'm not stupid—you're backing me up. Besides, Siyan's personality… a little reining in is good. I couldn't say it myself, so you're playing the villain for me."

Qin Lan wasn't unaware of Huo Siyan's little schemes—she just didn't care to dwell on them.

Yan Li protected his own; she was delighted, how could she blame him? Just now, she'd merely pretended to be upset to avoid things getting too tense.

Between her best friend and a man—who was truly her closest family? She knew.

"Alright, you've learned to be sharp."

Yan Li felt relieved—he'd feared Qin Lan would be taken advantage of, but now he saw this girl was wise in disguise.

If Huo Siyan really thought of her as a naive big sister, she'd be in for a fall.

"I'm curious—why did Dong Xuan and Fan Bingbing target Siyan in 'Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies'?"

As Qin Lan and Yan Li entered the hotel, she couldn't help asking a question she'd held back.

Yan Li raised an eyebrow: "What did Huo Siyan say?"

"She said Dong Xuan disliked her, and Fan Bingbing was jealous she got the female lead."

"…."

Yan Li was speechless—could this girl really say that with a straight face?

"Do you believe her?"

"I don't quite."

Qin Lan turned to look at Yan Li, eyes narrowed: "Did you have something with her too?"

"If I'd had something with Huo Siyan during 'Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies,' I'd get hit by…"

"Spit, spit, spit."

Qin Lan covered Yan Li's mouth and spat twice on the ground: "If there's nothing, there's nothing—why say such bad luck?"

But after this exchange, Qin Lan felt reassured—though she didn't agree with all of Huo Siyan's ways, she had some traits she liked.

Fan Xiaopang was watching closely, Dong Xuan had gathered a group—she needed allies too, to rally support and strengthen her position.

—————

ps: a thousand words short, will make up tomorrow

(End of Chapter)