Chapter 215: Binge-Watched, Captured Female Fans, The Ascending Jiang Xin

In mid-March, The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng had aired for over half its run.

Since its premiere, Huizhou Satellite TV had lost the top spot only two days, remaining consistently number one in its timeslot; the average viewership rate had already crossed halfway into the 5% threshold, with a peak reaching 9%.

Shanghai Satellite TV and Beijing Satellite TV consistently held top-five positions, never dropping below eighth.

The combined market share of these three satellite channels exceeded 25%, firmly suppressing even CCTV and Hunan Satellite TV's Tongqi dramas.

Tudou. om's view counts rose steadily with the drama's broadcast, averaging nearly one million per episode.

According to backend statistics, Tudou. om not only saw a surge in its own website traffic but also demonstrated remarkable success in attracting new users.

In just half a month, Tudou. om registered hundreds of thousands of new users, a significant proportion drawn specifically by The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, with more new users continuing to arrive as the drama gained popularity through reruns.

Previously, when Bright Sword went viral, Tudou. om had briefly felt the power of a blockbuster drama.

But at that time, since Tudou. om had just been founded, it lacked experience with legitimate and pirated online video distribution, its website development was insufficient, and supporting features had not kept pace, resulting in a user experience worse than some mature players.

Moreover, due to its subject matter, Bright Sword's primary audience still relied on TV or DVD, which also affected online traffic.

Not to mention, when Tudou. om acquired the rights to Bright Sword, it had already been rebroadcast multiple times, with pirated versions rampant online, making it impossible to quickly curb them, and traffic was heavily diluted by competitors.

Even with all these factors, Tudou. om still benefited greatly from the legitimate rights to Bright Sword, The Legend of Sword and Fairy, and other popular dramas.

This time, having secured the rights early, Tudou. om prepared thoroughly and stood ready.

On one hand, it invested heavily in developing features to ensure user experience; on the other, it launched a strong crackdown on piracy.

Combined with The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng's plot, Gu Long's signature elements, and a star-studded cast, it became especially popular among younger audiences, generating high online buzz.

Tudou. om truly experienced firsthand the benefits of a blockbuster drama.

The website's influence and reputation soared, backend data showed outstanding results, investors became more cooperative, and even advertisers came knocking seeking partnerships.

Goodness, how many video websites in the industry could even charge for ads right now?

This was a profit point—just for this alone, investors should be willing to pay more in negotiations.

The most impressive thing was that Tudou. om had another drama like this: The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Moreover, it was the only video website holding the legitimate rights to both dramas.

1 + 1 was far greater than 2.

The combined power of these two dramas could propel Tudou. om to a whole new level.

After consulting with Yan Li, Wang Wei devised a cunning plan: to create a dedicated Wuxia (Feng) and Xianxia (Diao) section within Tudou. om.

Let the audiences and fans of both dramas watch the shows and then directly argue and feud within this section, turning Tudou. om into the frontline—and even the core battlefield—of the Feng-Diao War.

Yan Li had only one demand of Wang Wei: no fundraising before the Feng-Diao War; if funds were lacking, he would cover the shortfall himself.

After the Feng-Diao War, with Tudou. om fully reaping the benefits, it would gain a decisive lead over competitors.

Only then, when negotiating funding, would the terms favor the website in both money and equity.

Wang Wei followed Yan Li's advice and borrowed five million yuan from him under the company's name for Tudou. om's subsequent operations.

Naturally, Yan Li also appointed a supervisor to Tudou. om under the guise of shareholder and lender status.

Aside from Tudou. om's substantial gains from The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, the main cast members also reaped the greatest benefits from the drama.

Especially Zhang Zhilin and Ren Quan, whose fame and popularity surged dramatically.

Zhang Zhilin had previously enjoyed some recognition on the mainland, but it was not particularly high—certainly not as high as his wife Yuan Yongyi's.

But now, he no longer needed to be called Yuan Yongyi's husband; Lu Xiaofeng became his defining label, propelling him to become the representative of Hong Kong actors entering the mainland, with endless offers pouring in.

Yi An, who had signed a three-year mainland agency contract with Zhang Zhilin, was now working full throttle.

He planned to capitalize on the drama's popularity and Zhang's rising fame to extract a massive profit.

As for Ren Quan, he was already a popular young actor on the mainland; though due to various reasons he wasn't in the top tier, he hadn't been left far behind.

In The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, his portrayal of Hua Manlou was extremely likable, and combined with his earlier role as Gong Sun Ce, Ren Quan had nearly become synonymous with the noble ancient-style gentleman.

Undoubtedly, this persona and style were highly appealing, especially to female fans.

Ren Quan's fan count grew faster than any other main cast member of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng; his personal Tieba and blog followers skyrocketed.

It was a bit tough on Yang Xue: originally, their gossip had been low-key, even relying on Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang to generate topics for them.

But as Ren Quan's female fans multiplied, conflicts emerged; some began targeting her, and she endured a lot of abuse.

Of course, her exposure also rose—after all, as his rumored girlfriend, the hotter Ren Quan became, the more she benefited; Yang Xue was suffering yet happy.

Another reason Zhang and Ren outshone other main cast members was:

The friendship between Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou in the drama, interpreted by certain groups, had taken on a different meaning.

This inevitably created some bond between Zhang Zhilin and Ren Quan, with some fans even tuning in solely for them.

If it weren't for Yan Li's conscience and broader social norms, the rumors surrounding Ren Quan wouldn't have been limited to Yang Xue alone.

Below Zhang and Ren came Yan Kuan, who portrayed Ximen Chuixue.

Although this character didn't resonate as deeply as the first two, many criticized him as being too arrogant and so on.

But Yan Kuan's face was undeniably handsome, and his cold exterior, warm interior persona attracted many fans.

Had Ren Quan not been more popular originally, and had Zhang Zhilin not formed a bond with him, Yan Kuan's fan growth might have surpassed them.

Other lead and supporting actors in The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, though not as hot as these three, had all gained noticeable visibility.

For popular actresses like Fan Xiaopang and Sun Li, it was merely icing on the cake.

But for lesser-known actors like Wang Ou, this surge in popularity was enough to make them ecstatic.

…

Hengdian, a hotel

Wang Ou excitedly pointed at the screen: "Look, up another two hundred."

Yang Rong looked unimpressed: "You dragged me away from The Legend of Xue Rengui in such a hurry just to watch your Tieba follower count?"

"Isn't this a big deal? Rong Rong, big sister's famous now."

Wang Ou beamed; though she had once been the female lead in The Great Qing Harem, she'd only appeared in one drama, Survival: The Migrant Worker, and few knew her.

After The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng aired, due to its high popularity, her face became far more recognizable.

Many recognized her as Ouyang Qing, and even extras and tourists asked her for autographs.

Her company-built personal Tieba, once home to just a few dozen followers, now had nearly three thousand followers and thousands of posts.

"Pfft."

Yang Rong rolled her eyes: "You call this famous?"

She snatched the computer, searched Fan Xiaopang's Tieba—nearly 100, 00 followers, over 300, 00 posts.

"Now that's fame."

"..."

Wang Ou flushed with indignation: "I'm not comparing myself to her."

Fan Xiaopang might not yet match the Four Little Divas in achievements or status, but over the past couple of years, she'd been constantly in the headlines, with rising fame and popularity, and her beauty made her wildly popular on Baidu Tieba.

Currently, apart from the supergirls tightly bound to Tieba, fewer than ten stars had more followers than her.

Wang Ou snatched the computer back, checked Yang Rong's Tieba, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Looks like I'll surpass you soon."

"Dream on. You've got barely more than half my number."

Yang Rong scoffed; she debuted earlier and had starred in popular dramas like The Young Emperor and The Young Bao Qingtian 3, so while not extremely famous, she had some foundation.

If it weren't for The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng's popularity, Wang Ou's Tieba followers wouldn't have surged so fast.

After the premiere, even with reruns, its momentum would fade; it was impossible for one drama to overtake her.

"Let's make a bet."

Wang Ou had confidence—or rather, confidence in The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

The momentum would surely drop after the premiere, but wasn't there still the Feng-Diao War? Yang Rong wasn't far ahead, and Wang Ou believed she had a good chance of catching up.

"What's the bet?"

Yang Rong asked curiously: "Your golden heart?"

She'd only recently learned that Yan Li had given Wang Ou a two-pound golden heart for her birthday.

In over twenty years, Yang Rong had never seen anyone give gold by the pound—this birthday gift was truly... down-to-earth.

It left a deep impression on Yang Rong; she'd long wanted to play with it, but Wang Ou was stingy—only letting her look, never touch, let alone take it.

"Pfft, do you have any shame?"

Wang Ou spat at Yang Rong; gold prices had risen again, now around 120 yuan per gram—this golden heart was worth 120, 00 yuan, enough to buy a mid-range car.

More importantly, this golden heart couldn't be measured just by money—it was Yan Li's birthday gift to her, carrying profound sentiment.

"Stingy brat, it's just a golden heart—I'll make my own, a bigger one."

Yang Rong declared boldly. Wang Ou glanced at her and sneered: "You'd spend your own money buying two hundred jin of gold—I got mine as a gift. Are they the same thing?"

"..."

Yang Rong, unwilling to continue, changed the subject: "Stop blabbering—what's the bet?"

"I haven't decided yet. How about this: if I lose, I owe you one favor; if you lose, you owe me one."

Wang Ou proposed. Yang Rong eyed her warily: "Don't pull that 'stand shoulder to shoulder' nonsense again—you and Wu Jiani figure it out yourselves, I'm not getting involved."

This little flirt had teased her about this more than once or twice.

Over time, she couldn't tell if Wang Ou was joking or serious—she had to stay cautious.

"I didn't say anything."

Wang Ou looked innocent, blinking her eyes: "I didn't say a word—you're the one imagining things. You're the one who's got bad thoughts, not me."

Yang Rong lunged at her. Wang Ou dodged while continuing: "You're getting angry because I hit the nail on the head—admit it, are you sneaking around with Yan Zong?"

"Relax, we're best friends—I won't be jealous. Let me share a few tips with you... Ah, don't pinch there! Wrong, wrong!"

「……」

After a bit of horseplay, Wang Ou brought up the real matter: according to her, Li Bingbing's scenes in *The Legend of Xue Rengui* were nearly finished.

「Yeah, about done.

Yang Rong nodded. Li Bingbing wasn't like her—her scenes were fragmented, shot in bursts with long breaks in between. Though Li Bingbing had more lines, she was bigger-star material and got concentrated shooting schedules.

If not for Yan Li's leave causing a delay, Li Bingbing might already have wrapped and left.

Li Bingbing's remaining scenes are just the final wrap-up; if things go smoothly, she'll leave the set in two or three days.

「That's great.

Wang Ou punched the air. Fan Xiaopang was gone, Qin Lan had finished *Embroidered Uniform Guard* and left Hengdian, and now with Li Bingbing leaving, Yan Li was all hers.

「My good days are coming.

Yang Rong stared at Wang Ou in silence. Li Bingbing was leaving soon, but Yan Li was also about to wrap.

*The Legend of Xue Rengui* began filming in October last year; *The White-Haired Witch*, which started slightly earlier, has already wrapped.

The shoot moved slowly partly because Yan Li held things back, and partly because it involved many war scenes—difficult to film, slowing progress.

But now it's nearly at the end—probably by late March, at the latest not beyond the end of March, the crew will wrap.

And not just *The Legend of Xue Rengui*—if Yang Rong remembered right, *The Qing Dynasty Harem* was also about to wrap.

This drama's filming difficulty was lower than *The Legend of Xue Rengui*, but because it started later and had more episodes, it's only just now finishing.

Still, there's not much left—both dramas will wrap around the same time.

So when you add it up, Wang Ou's "good days" won't last long—just scraps and leftovers.

「You don't understand.

Wang Ou was stung by Yang Rong's look and protested: 「Yan Zong isn't an actor—he doesn't leave just because he wraps. He'll stay in Hengdian to handle final matters; he'll need at least ten or so days.

Yang Rong realized—if that was true, it wasn't bad.

But could Wang Ou monopolize Yan Li that long by herself?

「I'll warn you—Jiang Xin, who plays Tuoya in our drama, hangs out with your Yan Zong every day, laughing and chatting. Watch out—you might get scooped.

Over the past few weeks, Yang Rong had been watching gossip nonstop—her observational skills had improved dramatically.

She could swear Jiang Xin had some feelings for Yan Li, though not strong ones; with Li Bingbing around, nothing had happened.

But once Li Bingbing left, with no one standing in the way, who knew what might happen.

「That's why I came to you—we need to team up.

Before Yang Rong could protest, Wang Ou said: 「I'm not asking you to team up in bed—I want you to keep an eye on Jiang Xin on set, sabotage them, and when I'm not busy with my scenes, I'll go see Yan Zong. We work inside and out—we trap him together.

「I'm not doing it. I'll make enemies. You fight her yourself—why drag me in?

Yang Rong shook her head like a rattle. Because of Wang Ou, she'd already offended Qin Lan and Hu Siyan, and wasn't liked by Fan Xiaopang.

Now this little slut wanted her to jump into the ring to help fight for attention—next, would she be asked to warm the bed?

「I'm not asking you to fight her—just help block her. What's so scary about Jiang Xin?

Wang Ou hugged Yang Rong, coaxing her. If it were Qin Lan or Fan Xiaopang, she wouldn't ask Yang Rong for help—but Jiang Xin, with her modest fame, wasn't hard to handle.

Of course, she didn't ask Yang Rong to help for free—she promised that if it worked, she'd take Yang Rong shopping on Nanjing Road in Shanghai, and treat her.

With heavy bribes and emotional appeals, Yang Rong couldn't resist anymore.

「I'll only help you indirectly—don't expect me to fight Jiang Xin.

「My dear Yang Jie is the best. Don't worry—I'll never forget you when I make it big.

Wang Ou planted a loud kiss on Yang Rong's cheek; the latter wiped her face in disgust and held out her hand.

「Don't just talk pretty—lend me your Jin Xin for a couple days?

Wang Ou: 「……」

————

A few days later, the ratings-breaking *Lu Xiaofeng Legend* finally reached its final episode: 「Phoenix Dancing in the Ninth Heaven.

In a university classroom in Shandong Province

Several female students chattered excitedly about the plot of *Lu Xiaofeng Legend*.

「Why didn't Hua Manlou show up at the end? I loved him.

「Didn't the plot say he went home to manage his family? They invited Lu Xiaofeng to visit him—he's a rich second-generation; how could he wander mountains and rivers like Lu Xiaofeng? Isn't Ximen Chuixue also the lord of his own manor?

「Hey, did you watch the new episode? That new villain, Gong Jiu, is so hot.

「Is that Yan Li playing him? I think he's not as good-looking as Yan Kuan as Ximen Chuixue, but he's got real masculinity.

「You can't just look at his face—you've got to look at his body too.

One female student glanced around, then whispered with glee: 「In episode 37, around the 20-minute mark, there's a scene where Gong Jiu lets Sha Man whip him—just look at that body.

「You remember that clearly?

「Cough, cough—I'm watching it critically.

Many took note, then after class, returned to their dorms and gathered secretly to "critique."

First, the clip was on Tudou—several of them opened episode 37, scrolled through the timeline, and found the segment.

Inside a guesthouse room, candles crackled.

Yan Li sat cross-legged, expression pained but restrained, his bare torso sharply defined, muscles carved, faint old scars winding across his skin.

As Zeng Li whipped him, flesh split, blood and sweat trickled slowly down his taut, smooth muscles—only Yan Li's low, muffled groans echoed.

In the original version, this scene had heavy suggestive editing and music, filling the atmosphere with eroticism and taboo.

But the censors rejected it and demanded a re-edit.

The current version is just the whipping—no atmosphere, the only draw being Yan Li's body.

Even so, Yan Li's ruggedly handsome face, paired with his perfect physique and this scene, delivered a powerful impact.

「Holy shit, is this really allowed?!

The female students' eyes sparkled—was this really free content?

Another student stared at the screen: 「Ssshh, those muscles, with that face—so wild.

「I want to whip him too.

「Take screenshots! Take screenshots!

The students chattered excitedly, even rewound and watched the clip again.

Male actors showing skin wasn't rare in the industry—not just torsos, some even wore swim trunks.

But not all muscular men were attractive, not all handsome men looked good with muscles, and even a handsome face plus perfect muscles didn't guarantee "flavor."

Flavor was hard to define—a subjective trait with no concrete standard.

Men had masculinity; women had femininity.

Some women weren't conventionally beautiful, their figures weren't outstanding, yet their smiles and glances drew people more than any beauty queen.

Similarly, some men weren't handsome, their manners had flaws, yet you just felt something special about them—felt they were truly masculine.

Yan Li was exactly like that!

His face, body, and aura—none individually top-tier, but together they formed a unique flavor. Especially when stripped bare, streaked with blood and sweat, the overwhelming surge of testosterone made your legs weak.

Before this, Yan Li's on-screen image had been the clean-cut young general (Huo Qubing/Jin Zha) and the iron-willed tough guy (Sun Desheng); now, with Gong Jiu, he'd added a new label: 【Sexy Male】.

Though Gong Jiu had few scenes, he still attracted many new fans for Yan Li—mostly female.

Yan Li had female fans, and their number wasn't small.

After all, he was top-tier diamond bachelor material—even if he openly played the playboy, many female fans saw other "glowing traits" beneath his roguish exterior.

So Yan Li was rare—a male star with female fans who didn't care much about his messy personal life.

Beyond these fans, some female netizens and viewers criticized his personal conduct while still praising his talent.

They both praised and cursed him—fan-black duality, claiming to be fans one moment, denying it the next, contradictory.

But these new female fans were direct—they didn't care if he was a playboy; they just wanted to strip him bare. They could be called 【Body Fans】.

「???

Yan Li stared at the chaos on his personal forum, face darkening. He called Hu Ya and ordered her to manage and suppress these female hooligans.

This was too much—they'd started writing smut. Worst of all, in the stories, "he" didn't even last an hour, and the measurements were way off.

How insulting!

Not only were online female hooligans targeting him—real-life ones were plenty too.

Fan Xiaopang called him, saying she'd bought a little leather whip; Li Bingbing, Qin Lan, and others teased him; Wang Ou even took leave just to check if his muscles had gone slack.

Yan Li laughed bitterly. He couldn't handle these female hooligans right now—but could he really not deal with these brazen women who came knocking?

So Wang Ou had to take another half-day off.

But setting aside these mentally chaotic female hooligans, the character Gong Jiu—brilliantly cunning and explosively powerful—did bring a climax to *Lu Xiaofeng Legend*'s finale.

First, he used deceit to corner Lu Xiaofeng, forcing him to flee to a remote island; later, when his plot was exposed, he resorted to outright violence to kill.

In earlier episodes, Lu Xiaofeng usually defeated villains with just his Lingxi Finger, or with help from Ximen Chuixue if needed.

But Gong Jiu chased Lu Xiaofeng relentlessly, forcing him into desperate flight—even Ximen Chuixue couldn't match him.

This gave viewers, used to Lu Xiaofeng's arrogant victories, a fresh thrill.

Especially the chase scenes—Lu Xiaofeng hiding, dodging, barely escaping Gong Jiu's grasp—thrilling and exhilarating.

The final battle, where multiple masters joined forces to surround and kill him, gave the finale proper grandeur.

On March 19, *Lu Xiaofeng Legend* aired its finale; the average viewership on Anhui Satellite TV was 5. 9.

As of now, it was the highest-rated satellite TV drama of 2006.

Anhui Satellite TV aired *Lu Xiaofeng Legend* in full daytime repeats over the weekend, achieving over 2% viewership and dominating the charts by a landslide.

Online and media discussion levels remain high.

Radicals regard it as the best Gu Long drama in nearly a decade, even the best wuxia drama; more conservative viewers believe it has greatly influenced Gu Long dramas and may become one of their benchmarks.

Local TV channels and some advertisers bombarded Yi An's phone with calls seeking cooperation, but all were shut down by Yan Li.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is about to air; only when the Fengdiao rivalry heats up will the timing be right for negotiations.

Hengdian, "The Legend of Xue Rengui" set

Just after Yan Li single-handedly took on Tong Dawei, Jiang Xin, and several other Huige generals on set, he finished filming and invited a few people out for dinner.

"Boss Yan, can I come too?"

Yang Rong, who had no scenes today but came to the set to join the fun, raised her hand. Yan Li glanced at her: "Go ahead."

Yang Rong happily tagged along for the meal, while Jiang Xin couldn't help but shoot her a silent glare.

For the past few days, for some reason, Yang Rong—who had always kept her distance—kept suddenly appearing whenever Jiang Xin was talking to Yan Li.

At first, Jiang Xin thought Yang Rong also had designs on Yan Li and was jealous, looking for trouble.

Later, she realized it wasn't that—Yang Rong was just causing chaos. When Jiang Xin wasn't around, Yang Rong didn't chat privately with Yan Li; but whenever Jiang Xin did, Yang Rong's curiosity flared up.

Pure madness!

Jiang Xin joined the cast too late; she usually either filmed or sought out Yan Li, never bothered to inquire about the past, and had no idea what things were like before—so Yang Rong's antics were driving her crazy.

Get angry? But she's just tagging along for fun—you can't kick her out, and you have no way to.

Don't get angry? But there's a third wheel standing there—you can't do anything.

I thought with Li Bingbing gone, I'd finally make progress. But in the past few days, Yan Li has talked more with Tong Dawei than with me.

"You're causing trouble, huh?"

Jiang Xin gritted her teeth, grabbed Yang Rong's arm, and marched out first, calling out: "You guys eat first—I want to buy something, don't know which store's good, let Yang Rong show me around."

She was tall—1. 2 meters—and relatively sturdy; Yang Rong, at just 1. meters and slight of build, had no chance to resist and was dragged away without a fight.

"..."

Yan Li was stunned—he'd always sensed Jiang Xin was a bit rough, but hadn't expected her to be this rough, literally hitting him right in front of him.

He gave his assistant Ding Feng a glance, signaling him to go check—don't let it escalate into a real fight and disrupt filming.

As for the hidden motives of Yang Rong and Jiang Xin, Yan Li understood perfectly.

Yang Rong's intentions were simple—helping a friend. Jiang Xin's were more complicated.

How to put it? She wanted Yan Zong's further support, but was torn between hesitation and pride, unable to make a decision, and even harbored a faint ambition to rise above.

That's why Yan Li treated her with indifference—he had no problem offering small favors, but promotion was out of the question.

So he wouldn't make the first move; if Jiang Xin could make up her mind, fine—if not, Yan Li didn't need her anyway.

The whole "gather the seven fairies" thing was just a joke—Boss Yan operated on chance, never forcing anything.

But Yang Rong's meddling had made Yan Li notice Jiang Xin's emotions shifting—more urgent, more anxious—and that was precisely why he tolerated Yang Rong's chaos.

Without someone stirring things up, Jiang Xin might have agonized longer—or even given up.

But with Yang Rong's interference, Jiang Xin's sense of crisis rose; she feared losing this chance because of Yang Rong.

After all, choosing to give up yourself is entirely different from being forced to give up because someone else ruined it—the latter leaves far more regret.

Wang Ou and Yang Rong thought it was just mischief, but sometimes, mischief is an assist.

"Let's go, we'll eat first."

Yan Li and Tong Dawei's group arrived at a restaurant. They'd barely sat down when Tong Dawei's phone rang.

He showed it to Yan Li, exasperated: "Daily check-ins—even eating a meal isn't peaceful."

Yan Li smiled: "Guan Yue just cares about you."

Tong Dawei nodded, answered the call with two words, then handed the phone over, mouthing something.

"She hates me drinking—talk some sense into her."

Yan Li took the phone: "Hello, this is Yan Li... Men drink a little, why the constant nagging? My wife Huanhuan never bothers me—men need their private space."

"Alright, alright, rest easy—Dawei's with me, no problems at all."

"..."

Yan Li said a few more things, hung up, and told Tong Dawei: "Done."

Tong Dawei sighed enviously: "Dong Xuan is so understanding, always obedient to you. Look at mine—she manages me tighter than my mother."

"It's the same—when Dong Xuan nagged me, you didn't see it. All women are like this. The key is to stand firm—if you stand firm, they calm down."

Yan Li shared his experience, but Tong Dawei had little chance of learning it—this "standing firm" required complete, all-around toughness.

Career, wealth, personality, charm, control, physical fitness—all had to be fully in place.

And it had to be sustained—occasional flashes wouldn't work; if you softened again later, you'd lose your authority...

As they spoke, Jiang Xin and Yang Rong returned together.

Their expressions hadn't changed, but Jiang Xin sat boldly beside Yan Li, while Yang Rong pretended not to notice—clearly, Jiang Xin had won the upper hand.

Yan Li glanced at Ding Feng, who had just arrived; Ding Feng shook his head—no fight had broken out.

Pure verbal intimidation?!

But Yan Li sized up Jiang Xin's height and build—she likely had a physical advantage too.

Yang Rong was just helping out—she wouldn't fight even if she could, and seeing this scene, "backing down" was perfectly normal.

Jiang Xin sensed Yan Li's gaze and instinctively wanted to look away—but then she spotted Yang Rong. Instead of avoiding it, she deliberately showcased her figure, then picked up food and placed it on Yan Li's plate.

"Boss Yan works so hard filming every day—eat more."

Yan Li looked at the spicy lamb kidneys and shrimp with leeks Jiang Xin had served him, silently picked them up, and ate.

Though he felt no need for such nourishment, since Jiang Xin meant well, he'd keep her gesture in mind...

(End of Chapter)