Chapter 237: Seductive Phoenix Sisters, North Electric Alumni Association, Mighty

"Cheers!"

In a private room at a restaurant, Qin Lan, Huo Siyan, Li Xiaolu, Ma Yili, Liu Yun, and others from the Teddy Sisters gathered to celebrate their successful debut.

Among them, Huo Siyan was the most excited.

She severed ties with the Seven Fairies, launched the Teddy Sisters, and instantly established connections with over a dozen actresses—she stole the spotlight.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Huo Siyan has now fallen out with the Seven Fairies.

But falling out doesn't mean the Seven Fairies no longer exist; it just means that, compared to their former sisterly bond, her future interactions with the other Seven Fairies will mostly revolve around conflict, grudges, and competition.

Perhaps she's no longer as proactive, and there's plenty of controversy—but it's still exposure.

In fact, whenever the Seven Fairies are mentioned, Huo Siyan can no longer be avoided.

Because she is the female lead of "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xiannü," because she fell out with the Seven Fairies, and because she was jointly ostracized by the other fairies, she is, in every true sense, the "top streamer" in all news and discussions related to the Seven Fairies.

The Seven Fairies can't escape her, and the Teddy Sisters have now officially debuted—she has her place among them.

Just by riding the coattails of these "good sisters" and their traffic, Huo Siyan will never lack exposure.

Most importantly, this scandal greatly boosted her fame, even briefly making her the center of the entertainment circle—a huge satisfaction for Huo Siyan, whose vanity is immense.

Qin Lan was also very happy.

At the premiere of "Crazy Stone" last time, she brought along many people to show support.

But the effect of flexing muscles wasn't great, and the attention it drew wasn't particularly significant.

This time, the Teddy Sisters officially formed as a group, with a shared name, moving as one unit, creating considerable momentum; coupled with their clash with the Seven Fairies over Huo Siyan's case and their association with a hot topic, they instantly became famous.

I bet those two women can't sleep!

Huo and Qin were the happiest; the others were in good spirits too, including Li Xiaolu and Ma Yili, who had previously been half-hearted.

Although this forced them to take sides and possibly offend some people, it's undeniable that the Teddy Sisters' exposure gave them some visibility and showed them the benefits of sticking together.

When one is in trouble, all others lend a hand.

If Huo Siyan hadn't had Qin Lan rallying the Teddy Sisters to support her, she nearly became everyone's hated trash.

Ma Yili is Calm and Prudent and still has some reservations, understanding that such a group has both advantages and drawbacks.

If someone gains a good reputation, others benefit by association; but if one person becomes infamous, everyone else gets stained with the stink.

Li Xiaolu didn't think as much as Ma Yili did.

She loved fun, attention, and being in the spotlight; she was bold, and now that she'd tasted the sweetness and power of the Teddy Sisters, her sense of belonging soared—unlike before, when she'd merely gone along half-heartedly.

She even began actively correcting how others addressed each other, insisting they call each other "Big Sister," "Third Sister," "Fourth Sister," to strengthen internal cohesion.

The remaining Xiong Naijin, Liu Yun, and Zhao Ke, though they only played minor roles this time, still gained some screen time and exposure.

More importantly, now everyone knows they're part of the Teddy Sisters; should any conflict arise in the future, opponents will think twice, knowing they have backing.

In short, joining the Teddy Sisters gave these minor actresses an organization and a protector.

Never mind whether the senior sisters provide resources—just by riding this name, they can help her accomplish many things.

Aside from Liu Yun, Qin Lan's close friend, Xiong Naijin and Zhao Ke had privately thanked their luck more than once.

Right now, countless minor actresses like them want to join the Teddy Sisters but have no chance—not just minor actresses, even some with a bit of fame want to cling together for warmth.

Today's gathering was not only for celebration but also to discuss "recruitment."

Almost every member present had friends or sisters who had reached out.

"Sis, what should we do?"

Ma Yili's joining demoted Qin Lan from Big Sister to Second Sister, but everyone knew who the true Big Sister was.

Everyone else called each other by rank, but Qin Lan was rarely called "Second Sister"—they always addressed her as "Sis" or "Lan Jie."

"We can recruit, but as always, we must be strict."

Qin Lan paused: "What matters in the Teddy Sisters is sisterhood—people who get along well and truly connect. We can't just chase numbers."

Ma Yili agreed: "Exactly. The more people we take in, the more likely we'll get a mix of good and bad, causing trouble and dragging others down."

Though she'd joined only recently, she was still Big Sister, and her fame was substantial—so her words carried weight.

Liu Yun also voted in favor: "Fewer people, tighter unity; more people, more chaos. If a few have conflicts, they can always be resolved, but with too many, factions will form, and it'll end up ugly."

By rank, Liu Yun was second to last, just above Zhao Ke.

But she had a close personal relationship with Qin Lan and held considerable internal status; her words even carried a subtle implication.

As for forming factions, Huo Siyan was the head of the Teddy Sisters, and Li Xiaolu, Xiong Naijin, and Zhao Ke were all brought in by her and closely tied to her.

Qin Lan brought Liu Yun and Ma Yili into the group partly to balance things out.

Ma Yili had just joined and was always smooth-talking; her stance was still unclear. Liu Yun, on the other hand, clearly disliked Huo Siyan, and the two had exchanged sharp remarks more than once.

But since Liu Yun targeted only Huo, and had Qin Lan behind her, Li, Xiong, and Zhao pretended not to notice—or mostly acted as peacemakers.

Qin, Ma, and Liu opposed large-scale recruitment; Xiong Naijin and Zhao Ke, being low-ranking, had no voice.

This disappointed Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu, who wanted to expand.

They longed to recruit a hundred or so actresses, parade around with entourages daily, gang up on anyone they disliked, and dominate the entertainment circle—that's true glory.

But there was no way around it: Qin Lan was the final authority in the group.

Even though Huo Siyan had many followers, a single call from Qin Lan could make several defect—even Huo Siyan herself dared not easily defy Qin Lan.

But she quickly came to terms with it.

Not recruiting on a large scale doesn't mean not recruiting at all—over a dozen actresses was still a formidable force.

And the higher the entry threshold, the more valuable the Teddy Sisters' brand became; as the de facto leader, she would grow even more powerful, and everyone wanting to join would have to flatter her.

"Sis is right, but many friends are begging to join—we can't just turn them all away."

"How about this: each of us gets one nomination. We'll slowly get to know them, and if everyone else agrees, we can give priority."

Huo Siyan still left a loophole: each member had one priority recommendation slot.

This suited everyone's interests; after some discussion, they all approved unanimously.

After eating, the Teddy Sisterhood took a group photo—it was their usual routine, but this was the first time all seven of them had done it together.

"When we get back, all post blogs together, interact and comment on each other's posts, let them see how united we are."

Li Xiaolu loved this kind of lively, attention-grabbing activity—even more enthusiastic than Hu Siyan—and repeatedly reminded the Sisterhood members.

…

A certain apartment

Wang Ou sent screenshots of Hu Siyan and the others' blogs to the QQ group and messaged Yang Rong and Wu Jiani in the group.

【Look at the scene Qin Lan and Hu Siyan are making—damn, their influence is growing bigger and bigger】

Wang Ou had witnessed firsthand how Qin and Hu had grown close and founded the Teddy Sisterhood.

To some extent, she was one of the driving forces behind the Teddy Sisterhood.

If not for her meddling, Qin and Hu might never have become so close, nor pulled in Zhao Ke from the same Great Qing Imperial Harem cast.

Yang Rong: 【What's wrong, are you jealous?】

Wang Ou: 【Of course I'm jealous—how impressive! Why don't we form our own little group too? We can recruit members later, grow big and strong.】

Wu Jiani: 【Sounds good, I support it.】

Yang Rong: 【Qin Lan is favored, Ma and Hu are popular, so people flock to them—but us three? Who'd even care?】

Wang Ou: 【Stop using their fame to crush your own spirit. Am I not favored? Am I not popular? You and Jiani aren't doing badly either.】

As previously mentioned, Wang Ou's career has developed well—she can now rightly be called a rising star.

She may still lag slightly behind Hu Siyan, who just exploded in fame, and Li Xiaolu, who's been established for years, but she hasn't been left too far behind.

Yang Rong had starred in several hit dramas and already had some fame; Wu Jiani appeared in The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng and The Investiture of the Gods, shedding her status as an unknown and gaining at least more recognition than the three minor players in the Teddy Sisterhood.

So together, the three of them still couldn't match the Teddy Sisterhood—but they weren't without weight either.

Wu Jiani: 【Eu-jie is right. Even if we don't recruit soldiers and horses, forming a group creates visibility—and at the very least, we can band together for self-protection, show others we're not alone.】

Yang Rong: 【Jiani knows how to speak, unlike someone who makes it sound like a gang.】

Yang Rong liked to tease Wang Ou, but was more courteous toward Wu Jiani.

One reason was Wu's gentle personality and her respect toward Yang Rong; the other was they weren't that close.

Besides, Yang Rong didn't oppose the idea—their relationship had always been good, and they'd even started doing business together; they were already a group, now they were just formalizing it.

Wang Ou: 【Since we're all in agreement, shouldn't we pick a name? Like '___ Sisterhood'?】

Yang Rong: 【We're only three—we can't call it a group, at most a flower. You started it, so use your nickname: 'Sassy Chicken Sister Flowers.'】

Wang Ou: 【You're the sassy chicken, you're 'Sassy Chicken Rong'—say that again and I'll flip my lid.】

Wu Jiani: 【(smiling secretly)】

Wu Jiani: 【How about using the dance studio's name? Phoenix—Phoenix Sister Flowers.】

Wang Ou: 【That's perfect—way better than 'Teddy.' It also promotes our dance studio.】

Yang Rong: 【From Sassy Chicken to Phoenix—Little Ou, you've got big ambitions. Afraid of getting punished?】

Wang Ou: 【Stop nonsense. This name was chosen by Yan Li—it symbolizes the phoenix rising from ashes, meaning success comes only through hard study and training. Phoenix also stands for success and elegance, and there's the phrase 'dragon flying, phoenix dancing,' which fits the dance studio's vibe.】

Wu Jiani: 【And we're all women—the phoenix represents us too.】

With Yan Li's support and Wang Ou's initiative, the dance studio project was officially launched.

Yan Li funded it, opening a dance studio for Wang Ou and Wu Jiani—he'd bear any losses, they'd keep all profits.

Later, Wang Ou convinced Yang Rong to invest as a shareholder; total initial investment was 1.2 million yuan, with Wang Ou and Wu Jiani each holding 40%, Yang Rong 20%.

Wu Jiani was put in charge of running the studio—first because Wang Ou didn't have enough time, and second because the studio was opened for her.

When Wu Jiani learned the truth from Wang Ou, she was deeply moved.

Opening a dance studio had been one of her lifelong dreams—even more than becoming an actress.

And she'd never even told Wang Ou about it—only once, in casual chat with Yan Li, had she mentioned wanting to become a dance teacher someday. She never expected Yan Li had remembered.

Her resentment over Yan Li's coldness vanished completely; now, using the studio as an excuse, she actively sought him out to "consult."

If Wang Ou hadn't been on a business trip just then, Yan Li could have taken on the Xuan Yuan Two Demons alone.

But judging by the current momentum, there was no need to rush.

Wu Jiani treasured the dance studio deeply; in Wang Ou's words, her attitude toward Yan Li was dripping with honey. Soon, with the right opportunity, everything would fall into place naturally.

Yang Rong, however, was now avoiding Yan Li slightly—though she still answered his calls regularly.

Wang Ou seized the chance and began urging Yang Rong to come to Jingcheng to visit her.

Yang Rong didn't say yes or no—only that she'd see how her schedule looked.

…

Wang Ou was merely watching for entertainment and joining the buzz—she didn't feel deeply about the Teddy Sisterhood.

Dong Xuan, however, felt much greater pressure.

Originally, she and Qin Lan were both "newbies," but suddenly Qin had formed the Teddy Sisterhood and successfully gathered momentum.

Realizing she'd suddenly become the laggard, Dong Xuan spent these days strengthening ties with Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, then discussed strategies with Guan Yue.

But she hadn't yet come up with any good ideas.

One reason was she'd started late—copying them would make her a mere echo, and she refused.

Another was she wasn't short on connections—but lacked suitable talent.

Indeed, only when preparing to form a group did Dong Xuan realize how vital someone like Hu Siyan was—someone skilled at rallying people.

Without such a person to weave connections, organize events, and constantly strengthen cohesion, a sisterhood would be nothing but an empty shell, likely dissolving soon after forming.

So Qin Lan was the core of the Teddy Sisterhood, but Hu Siyan was its soul—and now Li Xiaolu, who loved the spotlight, had joined too.

Alone, Qin could gather people—but couldn't hold them together.

Dong Xuan was the same—she had neither the will nor the ability to spend every day studying sisterhood bonding, socializing, and networking; Guan Yue was the same, and her low fame couldn't command respect.

So imitating Qin Lan's approach doesn't work well; even if you force it through somehow, it can't match the Teddy Sisters Group.

Dong Xuan once grew so anxious she couldn't sleep, until Yan Li, unable to watch any longer, spoke up to remind her.

"You're a teacher at Beidian—why are you always thinking about gathering sisters? Lean on the school's network; start an alumni association. It may lack cohesion, but the numbers will be large and the momentum strong."

"If you think the alumni association is too big and scattered, pick a few suitable people within it and privately form a class or group under some name."

"This is far better than wandering the streets searching. And given Beidian's nature, you can continuously absorb new members—perhaps in a few years, you'll become the leader of the Beidian faction."

Dong Xuan's eyes lit up at Yan Li's words—yes, she'd been led astray by Qin Lan and forgotten her greatest advantage.

Qin Lan, a self-taught outsider, could only rely on fellow outsiders like Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu to drag people in.

But she could strike directly at the school, using Beidian as a button to forge extensive connections across the Beidian network.

Let's be honest—Beidian has produced too many artists and stars; even the Teddy Sisters Group's Xiong Naijin and Zhao Ke are Beidian alumni.

But…

Dong Xuan stared at Yan Li, puzzled: "Why are you giving me advice now?"

Of course I'm afraid you can't beat her!

Yan Li needed to maintain balance among them—if one side grew too dominant, their ambitions would swell, and he'd have nothing left to play with. So he had to step in, guide them, and keep their sense of crisis alive so he could profit from both sides.

He pulled Dong Xuan close and kissed her soft forehead, speaking gently.

"I'm afraid you'll be bullied—who else would I give advice to?"

"Hehe."

Dong Xuan wasn't fooled: "If you're afraid I'll be bullied, just eliminate her—why should I go through all this trouble myself?"

"..."

These women were getting harder and harder to fool.

Dong Xuan didn't let Yan Li off the hook, staring at him suspiciously: "Was the Teddy Sisters Group your idea all along?"

"I didn't do it."

Yan Li protested—officially, the Teddy Sisters Group had nothing to do with him.

But behind the scenes, his subtle encouragement and protection were undeniable.

For one thing, without Yan Li's presence, Huo Siyan wouldn't have been so obedient; Qin Lan's maneuvers within the group also had Yan Li's guidance behind them.

His reason for helping Qin Lan was the same as now helping Dong Xuan—Qin Lan was too weak; Yan Li couldn't afford to stay neutral.

"Dog man."

Dong Xuan wasn't sure whether to believe him, but the originator of her feud with Qin Lan was unmistakably him.

Just as Yan Li was about to use his famed persuasion skills to soothe Dong Xuan's resentment, she shoved him away and dialed Guan Yue with renewed energy to discuss the alumni association.

To be fair, her feud with Qin Lan stemmed mainly from Yan Li, though other factors existed too.

For instance, one was a "housewife," the other a university teacher—both led dull, monotonous daily lives.

Having a bitter rival to feud with made life less boring.

…

The Teddy Sisters Group had spurred some action from Wang Ou, Dong Xuan, and others.

Only Fan Xiaopang remained unmoved, continuing as before.

In tandem with the promotional campaign for "Crazy Stone," she shot ads, magazine features, interviews, and recorded an album—as if she didn't care a bit about the Teddy Sisters Group.

In fact, she truly didn't care. In her own words—

"Rotten chickens and broken dogs—unworthy of a single blow!"

Honestly, this woman was growing more popular and more arrogant by the day; even Yan Li was worried about Qin Lan and Dong Xuan.

If one day Fan Xiaopang truly went all out, even taking sides wouldn't stop her dominance.

Yan Li pondered whether he should personally intervene to broker an alliance between Qin Dong and Dong Xuan—would they even give him face?

————

By August, "Crazy Stone" hadn't left theaters yet, but its box office had dwindled to just tens of thousands—or even just a few ten thousand—per day.

At this point, "Crazy Stone"'s total box office had reached nearly 55 million.

60 million was out of the question; if it left theaters mid-month, it might reach 56 million or more.

Xiangjiang had also scheduled its release, but its performance was merely average.

After all, the film's dialogue was heavily laced with inland dialects and plot elements only those from the inland could understand—it didn't resonate in Xiangjiang, and there were no Xiangjiang-famous stars; it was doubtful it would even hit 1 million Hong Kong dollars.

Yan Li wasn't disappointed—he never expected to make much in Xiangjiang.

The Xiangjiang film market had long lost its former glory, far outpaced by the inland, reduced to what was called a "box office stronghold."

The term sounded impressive, but in reality, it meant turning Xiangjiang from a market into just another city.

Heading north to make a living had become the consensus among savvy Xiangjiang film professionals.

Those who failed to recognize this—or clung stubbornly to Xiangjiang for various reasons—would be slowly abandoned and eliminated by the times.

Among these savvy people, Chen Kexin was undoubtedly the smartest of the smart.

At a film meeting led by China Film Group, Yan Li met this Xiangjiang master director.

In terms of seniority, Chen Kexin wasn't particularly old—he truly emerged in the late 80s and didn't produce his first landmark work until the 90s.

Although he "debuted" late, he rose to fame quickly, directing many films, especially romantic ones, winning numerous awards—but among Xiangjiang's many renowned directors, he wasn't especially dominant, and at one point even sank into directing horror films.

But everything hinges on opportunity; Chen Kexin's brilliance lay in seizing the critical moment when the inland pushed forward co-productions—he became one of the earliest directors to enter the inland market and delivered hits like "If You Are the One," which earned both critical acclaim and strong box office.

Meanwhile, due to his overseas education, he had connections and funding sources in the United States.

And as a Xiangjiang director and one of the first to establish ties in the inland, he had relationships on both sides, making him a natural intermediary to link Xiangjiang and the inland.

With all relationships aligned, the ability to raise funds, and his own competence, Chen Kexin naturally rose to prominence.

He was appointed director of "The Promise," a major production jointly funded by China Film Group, Universe Entertainment, and Chen Kexin's American capital, with a budget of 300 million RMB.

The most amazing thing is, rumors say he's contacting Li Lianjie, planning to spend 100 million to hire him as the male lead.

Back then, Li's fee for "Hero" was rumored to be 70 to 80 million; for "Huo Yuanjia," which premiered earlier this year, rumors say he took no cash fee, instead converting his fee into equity investment, demanding 10 million U. S. dollars—roughly 80 million.

One hundred million RMB would absolutely shatter the Chinese-language film record, even the Asian record for actor fees.

Even Jackie Chan usually takes equity instead of cash fees—he's never received such a high salary in a Chinese-language film.

Yan Li didn't know if there was any promotional hype involved, but he knew this approach carried enormous risk.

Converting fees into equity shares and handing out 100 million in cash are completely different things.

Conversion means everyone shares the profits if it succeeds, and if it fails, everyone loses.

Handing out 100 million in cash means that 100 million is theirs outright—the production team bears the cost risk of that 100 million, plus the issue of funding other expenses after spending it.

Like "Red Cliff," "The Promise" playing this way clearly can't focus only on the mainland market.

Asia and the West are their real targets.

To be honest, Yan Li sometimes felt he was a lonely oddity among the big-budget faction and overseas faction for sticking to the local market.

Even Han Sanye had subtly criticized him, saying young people needed guts—the vast world overseas offered great opportunities.

Yet Yan Li remained unmoved; the overseas market wasn't easy to crack.

The success of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had elements of chance and accident.

The so-called defense against foreign influence and cultural export—how much of it was real or fake, everyone knew deep down; fundamentally, it still stemmed from disbelief in the mainland market's potential.

In fact, it was understandable: in 2005, the mainland box office totaled only 2 billion RMB, less than the gross of some Hollywood films.

Not only did people in this era still believe the foreign moon was rounder, but even just looking at this market gap, one had no choice but to head overseas.

If Yan Li hadn't been "cheating," he wouldn't have believed how terrifyingly fast the future of this land would develop.

Precisely because of this, Yan Li firmly focused on the local market, unaffected by his peers.

He now even encouraged other peers to go overseas.

If everyone heads abroad, and he stays firmly rooted in the mainland, when they return after all their struggles, they'll find Yi'an has already accumulated advantages they can't match or challenge.

So Yan Li got along well with Han Sanye, Chen Kexin, Wu Baijiu, and other big-budget faction members—he was happy to help with distribution and cooperation, but funding? No way.

Under normal circumstances, it wasn't up to Yan Li to refuse investment.

China Film Group and the Film Bureau were both pushing the big-budget strategy to boost the market; as an industry member, even an important backbone, Yan Li couldn't just watch without contributing.

But Yan Li had a perfect excuse—cinemas.

Making big-budget films to boost the market made sense; Yan Li invested his money in cinemas, building theaters, creating real jobs, which also promoted and supported the film industry.

In a way, Yan Li had greater vision than these big-budget filmmakers.

No one could find fault with him.

Especially when Yan Li stated at the meeting that next year Yi'an Cinema Chain would continue investing hundreds of millions.

Whether Yan Li's words were true or not didn't matter—Yi'an Cinema Chain's theaters were genuinely under construction, and Yan Li kept publicly pushing forward; no one would dare speak out against him.

After the meeting, Yu Pangzi and Yan Li gathered: "Are you really planning to keep investing in cinemas next year? Where's the money coming from?"

"With my current fame, how many people are lining up with cash to partner with me? You think I don't have money?"

Yan Li wasn't boasting—his business grew more prosperous, his fame rose higher, and the money knocking on his door kept increasing.

If he opened Yi'an Cinema Chain to outside funding, he couldn't guarantee more, but tens of millions would come easily; with looser terms, over a hundred million wouldn't be especially hard.

This was even under the current bull market in stocks, where many preferred investing in the stock market—otherwise, even more capital would flow in.

"Wow, fame brings profit."

Yu Pangzi sighed, then wondered if he could imitate this—after all, he wasn't that old.

But after looking at Yan Li's appearance, he silently gave up.

Yan Li was now held up so high not just because of youth—he had good looks, rose fast, showed strong ability, repeatedly delivered blockbusters, carried the actor's halo, and was backed by many beautiful women—all buffs stacked, impossible for an ordinary person to copy.

New Shanghai had some young people trying to imitate Yan Li.

But those young and self-made couldn't match Yan Li's success; those from wealthy families were even worse—born with "original sin" from relying on their parents.

"There's a new place opened in Wang Jing, felt good—come have a drink with me."

Yu Pangzi, rarely getting a chance to meet Yan Li, grabbed him and wouldn't let him leave; Yan Li teased him.

"Boss Yu, you've made money off 'Long Humen.'"

"Don't mock me—I made jack, I'm drinking to drown my sorrows."

"Heh."

Yan Li sneered: "What are you pretending? 'Long Humen' has grossed over 30 million across mainland, Xiangjiang, and Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand—less than a week in, you've sold rights to Japan and Taiwan, and made plenty from DVDs."

"Add up all these, you didn't make money? Don't tell me the 80 million investment was real—you're fooling fools."

"Long Humen" claimed an 80-million investment, but in reality, the lead actors and special effects didn't cost nearly that much.

Donnie Yen is currently only a second-tier actor in the film circle, and he signed a few films with Huang Baoming's company—probably around 5 million.

Xie Tingfeng earns more for TV dramas, but can't carry box office; his current market rate is 4 to 6 million.

Together, they total about 10 million, no more; Dong Jie and Li Xiaoran, the two female actors, cost even less.

So the film's cost was at most 40 to 50 million.

If Yu Pangzi claimed the 80 million investment was real, Yan Li would report him for money laundering.

"Even if you made money, it's just hard-earned profit—and judging by the box office trend, you might barely break even."

Yu Pangzi spoke with bitterness; Bona had previously thought distribution profits were too low and they were too controlled, so they invested in production.

But film production was even deeper water—after all that effort, they barely broke even or made small profits, and that was lucky; some just lost money for the sake of publicity.

Yan Li didn't offer comfort—he'd just made a huge profit from "Crazy Stone," so any consolation would lack credibility and might sting.

"Alright, I'm free today—I'll have a drink with you."

As Yan Li agreed, a voice came from behind: "Where are you drinking? Count us in."

He turned around and saw nothing but familiar faces.

Mr. Wu from Orange Sky, Mr. Qin from Star Beauty, and a random Mr. Li from Xiao Ma Benteng who had wandered over.

"Mr. Li, it's been a while."

Yan Li shook hands with Mr. Li, who had shaved his head; they had known each other before.

Xiao Ma Benteng was somewhat like Yi'an—both had previously made TV dramas, though Xiao Ma Benteng's predecessor had also done advertising.

In the past two years, Xiao Ma Benteng had also grown well, with its signature work being "The Sky of History," and it had collaborated closely with directors Zhang Jiandong and Gao Xixi.

Almost right after Yi'an, Xiao Ma Benteng also tried its hand at a film, but while "Crazy Stone" exploded, this one made no splash.

This Mr. Li had a bold personality; he shook hands with Fatty Yu as well and said directly:

"Since we've run into each other, let's all get together—I'll treat."

Mr. Qin from Star Beauty met Yan Li for the first time, exchanged a few pleasantries, and declared outright: "I'll arrange the second round."

No one challenged Mr. Qin; everyone wore expressions of obvious understanding.

The famous Jingcheng entertainment venue Tian Shang Ren Jian was owned by Mr. Qin's own elder brother.

Of course, it was said that last year something happened, and Mr. Qin's elder brother had already "sold" Tian Shang Ren Jian—but those who understand, understand.

Yan Li chatted and laughed with Mr. Qin, Mr. Li, and Fatty Yu, ignoring Mr. Wu entirely.

Yan Li remembered the grudge from last time—Hua Yi's brothers had thrown a banquet to apologize, but Mr. Wu had said nothing.

Yan Li believed in harmony in business, but not at the cost of humility; if you don't give me face, why should I give you mine?

Seeing this, Mr. Wu made no attempt to explain; he exchanged a few polite words with others and excused himself to leave.

Fatty Yu winked at Yan Li: "This guy's got serious clout—watch yourself."

"Just a traitor, and a traitor who overestimates himself."

Orange Sky never had deep roots on the mainland to begin with; it provoked Hua Yi first, then offended Yan Li, and even when chances for reconciliation arose, it ignored them—someone like this won't last long.

Yan Li had uncovered much about Orange Sky's inner workings, and his evaluation of it kept sinking.

It looked fierce, but was in fact hollow inside, constrained and timid—nowhere near as threatening as Hua Yi's two brothers.

The Mr. Li beside him found this amusing and patted Yan Li on the shoulder.

"Brother, you've got guts—I like that."

Mr. Qin also smiled warmly: "I've heard for a long time that Director Yan is young and fiery; now that I've met you, I see it's true—let's drink well tonight."

Yan Li held a grudge against Orange Sky and was firm in his stance, but with everyone else, he became the perfect gentleman.

"I won't compete with you two for treating, but I've got a few bottles of aged fine wine in my car—let's all try some."

(End of Chapter)