Chapter 240: Finally, Yang Rong Doesn

Hotel, restaurant

Li Lin, seeing Fan Xiaopang eating, walked over in surprise: "Why are you eating here?"

Fan Xiaopang has more screen time, is busier, and has assistants running errands—she usually eats on set or in her hotel room; Li Lin rarely sees her in the hotel restaurant.

"Just came back from a meeting at Yi'an Garden, passed by, and ate here directly."

Meeting?

Seeing Fan Xiaopang's cheerful expression, Li Lin said nothing, just set down her tray and joined her for the meal.

The two have a good relationship; Fan Xiaopang's lead roles in "The White-Haired Witch" and "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" both brought Li Lin along.

Because Li Lin got married and had a child, filming became unavoidably inconvenient; normal productions would just replace her, but these productions had Fan Xiaopang's protection and treated her kindly.

So Li Lin had always remembered Fan Xiaopang's kindness, and seeing only the two of them there, she couldn't help voicing her thoughts.

"You went too far with Jiang Xin."

Fan Xiaopang frowned: "Where did I go too far? She started it."

"If she started it, you could handle her in other ways—you could even make her intentions clear to Yan Li."

"But your behavior was too domineering—in front of so many people, how did they see you? And Yan Li—didn't he think anything?"

Fan Xiaopang poked her egg with her chopsticks: "He won't. The next day he got me a luxury RV."

"But Dong Xuan got one too."

Li Lin looked straight into Fan Xiaopang's eyes: "Dong Xuan did nothing—and still got the RV."

Among the Seven Fairies, if ranking by popularity, Li Lin should be the best.

From the early days of filming to these past few years, she never offended anyone, always treated people kindly—even Hu Siyan, the most ostracized, had no conflict with her.

Hu Siyan didn't like her, but neither did she hate her; the two were merely acquaintances with a faint sense of goodwill.

If even Hu Siyan felt this way, others were even less likely to hold grudges.

Even now that she's close to Fan Xiaopang, Dong Xuan's opinion of her isn't bad—earlier, when they held the Four Fairies gathering, they even invited her to fill the numbers.

So Li Lin knew what was happening on "Chu Liuxiang Legend," and knew quite a bit.

"Originally, I saw Jiang Xin and Dong Xuan were distant; now, by doing this, you've pushed her right into Dong Xuan's arms."

"Let her go. I'm not afraid of them."

Fan Xiaopang was indifferent; Li Lin was speechless: "It's not about being afraid—you're powerful, but you're still just one person. They're dozens, maybe hundreds. Their combined voices can turn truth into falsehood."

"Even if you don't care about public opinion, what about Yan Li? One whisper after another, over time—even if he likes you, he won't be immune."

"Even a good tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves."

Li Lin advised Fan Xiaopang: she had advantages and didn't need to fear direct confrontation—but what if the enemy used soft knives?

Fan Xiaopang was publicly glorious, with great advantages—but many were watching her, and even if she couldn't be toppled, they could still smear her with dirt.

"Everyone says Dong Xuan is soft, but I see Yan Li hasn't withheld anything from her. You think she's defenseless, but maybe she's enduring humiliation, biding her time."

"Bingbing, you're leading right now—don't get cocky. Stay steady. Act like the rightful queen—with grace and magnanimity."

Fan Xiaopang listened seriously; Li Lin's words made sense to her, but she had her own rhythm and thoughts.

Her current ability to suppress Dong Qin relies on her career and personality—many things can't be left unchallenged, let alone softened; otherwise, Dong Qin's underlings and Wang Ou would swarm her.

"Still, the principle stays the same—the strategy must change."

At Li Lin's reminder, Fan Xiaopang began repairing the drawbacks of her earlier crackdown on Jiang Xin.

The method was simple: spend money!

It was hot, so Fan Xiaopang had her assistant buy several buckets of sour plum soup, mung bean soup, and dozens of boxes of ice cream every day for the entire crew to cool off.

These items cost little overall, but they changed the crew's impression of her.

Those who eat your food fall silent; with ice cream in their mouths and sour plum soup in their throats, though a few grumbled about buying favor, most still appreciated it.

No need for Fan Xiaopang to deliberately steer the narrative—the crew began spontaneously praising her.

Her former domineering demeanor became magnanimous; her arrogance turned into unconventionality; her bullying of Jiang Xin became mere verbal spats—even framed as Jiang Xin provoking it, bringing it upon herself.

She won over the lower and middle ranks with small favors, then began cultivating relationships with actors like Liu Wei, Lin Fangbing, Zhu Yuanyuan, and Yang Tongshu to win over the upper ranks.

Fan Xiaopang figured she didn't have the energy or time to form cliques, nor did she care to chatter with a bunch of actresses she looked down on.

But for the sake of her reputation and to avoid being surrounded later, she decided to build goodwill broadly.

Maintaining good relations with these accomplished actors who had no competition with her—each one's praise helped her image and reputation.

Don't underestimate these accomplished actors; though their popularity is low and fame limited, public perception of them is excellent, and they carry some degree of influence.

Their praise and recognition carried more weight than the mutual flattery within the sisterhood cliques.

Directors and producers? Even less need to mention—they'd always had good relations with Fan Xiaopang.

If she could win over most of the ordinary crew and the majority of accomplished actors, even if she clashed fiercely with those female stars, she wouldn't become isolated.

Compared to these people, those female stars were the minority.

Jiang Xin, watching on "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan," saw Fan Xiaopang slowly turn public opinion around—shocked, furious, and helpless.

She dared not sabotage her, couldn't stop her, and copying her would only bring humiliation.

On set, hierarchy was clear; status and aura brought different advantages.

The same ice cream—Fan Xiaopang's distribution was different from Jiang Xin's; the same words—spoken by Fan Xiaopang versus Jiang Xin meant entirely different things.

Most devastatingly, Fan Xiaopang once hosted a crew meal in Jiang Xin's name, claiming their earlier misunderstanding had been resolved.

What could Jiang Xin say? She forced a smile and agreed, becoming the backdrop to Fan Xiaopang's magnanimity.

Slapped you, then blamed you for it—her reputation soared, and you had to thank her.

Jiang Xin's tentative provocation was utterly defeated!

…

Yan Li had been watching Fan Xiaopang's response—he thought this woman had finally become smart.

Brutal and forceful suppression feels satisfying, but it harms you in the end.

A refined approach blends softness with firmness, using both leniency and pressure—subduing others while securing advantages for yourself.

Yan Li understood that Fan Xiaopang had, to some degree, gotten carried away from being pampered by him.

But he couldn't personally step in to rein her in, and no one else could control Fan Xiaopang, so he waited for her to suffer a setback before she'd understand the principle of "fullness invites overflow."

Unexpectedly, this woman was sharp-witted; after a slight hint from Li Lin, she grasped the insight.

Though some old habits remained hard to break, that was precisely Fan Xiaopang's nature.

She isn't arrogant, she isn't proud, she doesn't compete—how could she possibly challenge the Four Little Divas?

Can a good person, a harmless little girl, climb to the top of the entertainment industry?

Yan Li couldn't both need Fan Xiaopang's boldness to gain advantages and then criticize and despise the drawbacks that boldness brought—that would be shameless.

So Yan Li wasn't willing to easily suppress Fan Xiaopang, but if she could become more restrained and cautious, more tactful, he'd be even more pleased.

Too much rigidity breaks easily—you must be sharp, but also resilient!

Dongyang, Zhongtian Century Huacheng

Jiang Xin only met Yan Li alone just as he was about to leave Hengdian.

After a fierce struggle, Yan Li held Jiang Xin's plump waist, comfortably smoking a post-coital cigarette.

All the grievances and resentment Jiang Xin had endured on set were vented on him, as if she wanted to drain him dry.

This woman was naturally tough; this time, she went all out, overperforming, letting Yan Li experience the thrill of taming a wild mare.

After finishing his cigarette, Yan Li looked at Jiang Xin lying in his arms, curiously asking: "Aren't you going to complain?"

This woman wasn't a pushover—he'd always assumed she'd seize the chance to vent her grievances.

"What's the point of complaining? You side with her—you don't even treat me as anything."

Jiang Xin huffed. She'd come filled with resentment and grievance, but she'd already vented it all on Yan Li; the anger had mostly burned out, and she realized he'd inevitably side with her—so she decided to say nothing.

Yan Li didn't deny siding with Fan Xiaopang; he merely smiled: "Don't bother competing with her. Let her live her life, you live yours."

These words carried a hint of warning and reprimand from Yan Li.

Originally, Jiang Xin had come for Yan Li's resources, treating him as a financial backer and protector—he provided resources, she slept with him, mutual benefit.

But words were one thing; Yan Li's charm and power were simply too strong to resist for women.

Though Jiang Xin's primary goal had been finding a benefactor, she'd still harbored some feelings for Yan Li.

After they became intimate, the deeper she understood him, the more she enjoyed his private tenderness and generosity, her thoughts and emotions inevitably intensified.

Her coldness toward Dong Xuan, her jealousy toward Fan Xiaopang—all stemmed from this foundation.

She'd fallen for him!

To be fair, Yan Li had grown somewhat accustomed to this, and didn't reject it—but he hoped Jiang Xin wouldn't act out or overstep.

So he tacitly allowed Fan Xiaopang to suppress Jiang Xin, to make her understand this boundary.

Back then, Wang Ou had gone through the same thing—repeatedly subdued and disciplined by Fan Xiaopang and Qin Lan; otherwise, this little vixen wouldn't be so well-behaved now.

Wu Jiani, by contrast, had a soft personality, never dared to rebel, and happened to witness Wang Ou being punished, becoming the monkey watching the chicken being killed.

Jiang Xin wasn't easy to control, and her ambitions weren't small; if not for Fan Xiaopang, Dong Xuan would've had to personally manage the household.

After this incident, Jiang Xin understood her position: if she wanted to stay, she could; if she couldn't bear the grievance, they could part ways amicably.

Yan Li wouldn't treat her unfairly.

The film "The Magic Sword of Life and Death," which Qin Lan didn't act in, would be given to her regardless of whether she stayed or left.

If she stayed, it was comfort and compensation.

If she left, it was closure.

Jiang Xin's choice was simple: she'd worked so hard to connect with Yan Li, her career was thriving—why leave?

Perhaps following Yan Li brought occasional grievance, but without him, the cutthroat struggles of the entertainment industry brought far more.

Not to mention, as long as she obeyed and behaved, Yan Li would give her a big reward.

When Jiang Xin heard Yan Li was giving her the female lead in a high-budget costume drama, her eyes sparkled with joy.

Totally worth it!

If this was all it took to get the lead role, she'd let Fan Xiaopang scold her daily.

"Look at how low your standards are."

Yan Li laughed bitterly—he'd thought Jiang Xin had some backbone, daring to challenge Fan Xiaopang, yet one female lead was enough to buy her off.

"I'm doing this for you—you treat me well, so I listen to you and don't hold a grudge against her."

Jiang Xin's words were half-truth, half-falsehood; she'd been crushed by Fan Xiaopang lately, and Yan Li's sweet gesture came at the perfect moment.

Even though she knew this man wasn't innocent, she still couldn't help feeling moved.

Yan Li watched the now-obedient Jiang Xin, secretly satisfied.

By tacitly allowing the big to discipline the small, he established order—the big ones felt Yan Li sided with them, and were pleased.

Later, when Yan Li comforted the small ones, the villains were the big ones' role, the good guy was his—so the small ones all thought Yan Li was kind.

Thus, Yan Li benefited from both sides, pleasing everyone, keeping his harem relatively harmonious, and ensuring all the women sided with him.

Perfect—just a bit inhuman…

————

In September, Yan Li left Hengdian but didn't return directly to Beijing; instead, he traveled across major cities.

One purpose was to inspect the construction and locations of Yi'an Theater's cinemas; the other was to meet with local Ground Promotion Priority officers and understand distribution efforts.

"Crazy Stone" had made him famous overnight.

The public focused mostly on the film's quality and anti-piracy efforts, but in Yan Li's view, Ground Promotion Priority was the key.

Anti-piracy efforts weren't always successful, and even when they worked, they only set a floor—results were uncertain.

People who watch pirated copies often just do it out of habit; if you crack down on piracy, they'll simply wait a while—they don't necessarily have to go to the theater.

Ground promotion distribution, which directly attracts potential moviegoers to spend money entering theaters, is the key to Yi'an's long-term, stable distribution and its ability to raise its upper limit.

Moreover, if a ground promotion team is well-trained, it can be used not only for movies.

TV drama promotion can also use ground promotion; the effect may not be as strong as with movies, but it's certainly useful.

There's also advertising, artists, and other business areas—having a nationwide, locally knowledgeable offline promotion network is immensely valuable.

So Yan Li specially flew to various parts of the country to meet with regional and major city managers.

After "Crazy Stone," ground promotion efforts across the country were integrated.

They shifted from single cities to entire regions, divided into six major regions: North China, Northeast China, South China, Northwest China, Southwest China, and Huadong.

During ground promotion distribution, regional managers coordinate and allocate resources, allowing for better resource coordination and easier company management.

Yan Li encouraged everyone to work hard and prepare well for the upcoming battles of "The Banquet" and "Baby Plan."

Once sufficient potential is demonstrated, the company will invest more resources into the ground promotion business.

At that time, ground promotion teams will be present in every prefecture-level city, even county-level cities, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan—stronger in strength and better in benefits.

"Brothers, you might not feel much as individuals in single cities, but if every city has Yi'an people, our voice, power, and resources will be immensely powerful—one move triggers a hundred cities, one move triggers a thousand cities."

"Right now we promote movies; in the future we can promote TV dramas, albums, even the internet, education, finance, fast-moving consumer goods—becoming nodes connecting the virtual and the physical."

"So I say, ground promotion isn't just salespeople—it's the seeds Yi'an has sown across the nation; each of you is an elite of Yi'an, and a future towering tree that will support Yi'an."

"………"

Magu City, a hotel suite

Yan Li held a wine glass and painted—no, explained—the future to the ground promotion staff who attended the meeting and gathering.

These days, people are still relatively simple-minded, and ground promotion is tedious and exhausting, so most are young.

Watching Yan Li, the boss known as a business genius, call everyone "brothers" and cheer them on, everyone's spirits soared, and the beautiful vision he described stirred their passion.

"I hope brothers stick with me and Yi'an, grow together, succeed together—I'll drink this first."

With a two-tael cup, Yan Li downed it in one gulp; everyone cheered loudly and followed suit.

"Sit down, sit down, don't be formal, eat freely, order more if you need it—rare chance to catch your boss paying out, don't be gentle."

Yan Li was courteous to outsiders, let alone his own employees, especially mid- and lower-level staff; unless under special circumstances, he almost always greeted them with a smile and had no airs.

Some ground promotion staff present were former market department veterans who had drunk with Yan Li before and were familiar with him; they raised their glasses to toast, and Yan Li accepted every one.

Some new employees, after the opening remarks and the atmosphere built up, gradually loosened up.

"Boss Yan, I'm Liu Feng, previously in charge of Hangzhou, now transferred to Magu."

Liu Feng came over hesitantly to toast; Yan Li looked at him, paused briefly, then exclaimed.

"I know you—Huadong region's box office, besides Magu, was led by your Hangzhou, and you handled the ticket theft incident excellently, even submitted suggestions to the company—very good. Now that you're back in Magu, work hard; the company won't let talent go unrewarded."

Yan Li patted Liu Feng's shoulder in praise; Liu Feng hadn't expected this boss to know him.

The alcohol hadn't even entered his mouth yet and he was already dizzy; his normally articulate tongue now stumbled, and he ended up draining the entire full cup of baijiu.

"Good drinking capacity."

Yan Li praised him, ignored the objections, and also downed a full cup himself.

For unfamiliar people toasting him, Yan Li smiled but didn't always drink; for client entertaining, he sometimes feigned drunkenness to slack off.

But for employees who worked hard for him, especially mid- and lower-level staff—people who slaved for the company and sincerely toasted him—Yan Li refused to play games; he drank as much as he could.

You don't just shout "brothers," you must act—even if you're faking, you must act convincingly. A bunch of young people doing ground promotion, which involves constant human interaction, rarely have poor drinking capacity.

Yan Li held his own against the crowd; even when everyone noticed he'd reached his limit and started holding back, by the end of the banquet, Yan Li, red-faced and vomiting once, was carried into the car.

Wu Maowen drove toward the hotel, but Yan Li stopped him, mumbling an address.

"Bro, you're this drunk—take a day off."

Wu Maowen urged; Yan Li slapped him: "What are you thinking? You're tired too—I'm going to find someone to take care of me."

"……"

Wu Maowen didn't say whether he believed it or not; having studied Magu's geography beforehand, he recalled the location and drove there.

When they arrived, Yan Li didn't get out of the car, pulled out his phone: "I'm drunk, nowhere to go—I'm outside your building, come get me."

"You've listened to so many calls, you can't even cover a night's room fee—hurry up, it's cold tonight."

Yan Li confirmed the person was home, then told Wu Maowen to leave; the latter, uneasy, parked the car aside and watched from a corner until he saw Yang Rong lead Yan Li into the building, then turned away.

Yang Rong's apartment building had no elevator; she had to struggle to drag Yan Li up the stairs home.

She was short, Yan Li tall and broad, and drunk, his body heavy; had Yan Li not still had a bit of clarity, they'd likely have spent the night in the stairwell.

After struggling for over ten minutes, they finally got inside.

Yang Rong, exhausted, slumped to the floor; the supported Yan Li collapsed onto her.

Yang Rong pushed him: "Get off."

Yan Li acted as if he hadn't heard, adjusted his position, and found a soft spot to rest his head.

Honestly, Yang Rong wasn't tall, she was petite—but she had plenty of substance, living up to the saying "having capacity means greatness."

Yang Rong's eyes blazed, her face flushed as she pushed Yan Li's head; he groaned.

"Don't shake, I'm dizzy."

Dizzy your damn self!

Yang Rong had no choice but to plead softly: "You're crushing me, the floor's cold—get up, I'll help you to bed."

After coaxing for a long while, having gotten his fill of advantage, Yan Li finally staggered up; once on the bed, he had no intention of moving.

He really had drunk too much today; the wind outside had chilled him, and climbing stairs had tired him—he wasn't just taking advantage, he was genuinely sleepy and dizzy.

Yang Rong looked at Yan Li's state and considered leaving, but seeing how uncomfortable he looked in his wrinkled clothes, she sighed, went over, and took off his shoes and shirt.

After removing most of his clothes, Yang Rong lifted and repositioned his body on the bed, then found a blanket and covered him.

Wiping the sweat of exhaustion from her brow and catching her breath, Yang Rong was about to leave when her hand was grabbed. She looked back to see Yan Li squinting slightly, then he pulled her onto the bed.

Yang Rong's face changed drastically. Just as she was about to resist, Yan Li pulled her into his arms and patted her bottom.

"I won't touch you. It's cold. Let me hold you while we sleep."

Bastard, treating me like a body pillow, are you!

Yang Rong cursed inwardly, struggling to get up, but Yan Li held her rather tightly. Finding her movements too noisy, he gave her bottom two pats.

"..."

Yang Rong wanted to bite this bastard to death, but she was helpless. She could only obediently serve as Yan Li's body pillow.

Yan Li kept his eyes tightly shut, a faint snore coming from his nose and mouth.

Unable to move, Yang Rong couldn't fall asleep at this moment, so she simply began to carefully examine Yan Li's features.

She had known Yan Li for no short time, but had never observed him at such close range.

Rather thick brows, large eyes, three-dimensional features, clear-cut contours, skin with a slight bronze tone — put together, although not the top-tier handsome guy of that dashing, elegant type, he was proper and valiant, very masculine.

She felt the muscle contours of the arm holding her, then carefully touched his abs.

Although Yang Rong had heard Wang Ou brag about it before, hearing and actual experience were two different concepts.

She had to admit, this dog of a man did have some looks — no wonder he'd enchanted that little slut so thoroughly.

He's just too much of a player!

Yang Rong's fingers gently traced the contours of Yan Li's abs.

She had feelings for Yan Li. If she had no feelings and no thoughts, after Wang Ou did those things, she would have avoided him long ago, or at the very least wouldn't have tacitly gone along with it.

But she had always hesitated — not only because she found it awkward with Wang Ou, but also because she felt there was no future with Yan Li.

She wasn't as open-minded as Wang Ou, who clamored about being Yan Li's mistress for life.

Yang Rong had no great career ambitions, and her material needs weren't high either. Yan Li's money-throwing tactics had limited effect on her — she just wanted to live a stable, comfortable life.

Following Yan Li could achieve that, but who knew for how many years.

She was in the prime of her youth now, so everything was easy to say. But if Yan Li dumped her and she got older, finding another man would be impossible.

Most importantly, just as Wang Ou said, could a woman who'd been with a lion settle for a sheep?

Yang Rong wasn't that extreme, but she was also a worldly person.

Not to mention the future — even now, Yang Rong occasionally came into contact with some men, some of whom wanted to pursue her, and every time she inevitably compared them to Yan Li.

The inferior ones she couldn't fancy; the good ones might not fancy her; the neither-here-nor-there ones left her somewhat unwilling.

Yang Rong looked at Yan Li and ground her teeth. This kind of man was poison — once you touched it, nothing good came of it.

Just as she was thinking, Yan Li moved slightly. Yang Rong got a fright and quickly pulled her hand out, only to find he had just adjusted his posture.

Relieved, just as Yang Rong was debating whether to resume what she'd been doing, she noticed Yan Li's hand slipping inside her clothes, giving a squeeze, then grabbing on as he continued sleeping.

Yang Rong: "..."

Does this dog of a man actually fall asleep or not?

After behaving for a while, seeing Yan Li make no move, Yang Rong's courage grew slightly, and she reverted to her old ways.

You're allowed to take advantage of me, but I'm not allowed to cop a feel? This is my house, after all.

After quite a while longer, Yang Rong was nearly falling asleep, when she was pushed awake by Yan Li, who said in a hoarse voice.

"Water."

"Oh."

Yang Rong got up to fetch water outside, fed Yan Li his drink. Yan Li adjusted his sleeping posture and patted the space in his arms.

"Come here."

Yang Rong couldn't help but glare at him, but after a moment's hesitation, obediently went into his arms and let him hold her.

Yan Li felt a bit uncomfortable and pointed at Yang Rong's clothes: "It's digging into me."

Yang Rong protested: "Don't push me too far."

Yan Li kissed her: "Be good. Listen."

Yang Rong ignored him, so Yan Li helped her take it off. The former struggled and resisted briefly, but Yan Li still got his way.

In the end, Yan Li also stripped himself clean. Without clothes in the way, holding something fragrant and soft was even more comfortable. Yan Li skillfully placed his hand in the usual spot and hummed in satisfaction.

"Sleep."

"Smelly rogue."

Yang Rong muttered, then couldn't help snuggling closer to Yan Li. Setting everything else aside, this dog of a man ran hot — very warm.

Early the next morning, when Yang Rong woke, Yan Li was already gone.

At first she thought Yan Li had gone to the bathroom, but when there was still no sign of him after a long while, she got out of bed and saw no one was home at all. Yesterday's clothes and shoes of Yan Li were also gone.

"He really left?"

Yang Rong felt a pang, unable to name the feeling.

The dog of a man got drunk, came to her place, took a whole bunch of advantage of her, didn't even give her an explanation, and just slipped away — does he really treat her place like a hotel?

However, when Yang Rong picked up her phone and saw the text message Yan Li had sent her, her mood instantly became much more harmonious.

【Something came up at the company, I left first. I'll come back for dinner tonight. There might be a social engagement, so make something light but filling.】

He's even ordering dishes now!

Yang Rong was defeated by Yan Li's shamelessness, cursing for a good while, then began tidying up the house.

Yan Li had suddenly come over yesterday, so the house was a bit messy. She wasn't sure about last night, but he probably saw it this morning.

Yang Rong was a bit nervous — Yan Li wouldn't think she was a slovenly woman, would he?

She'd been to Wang Ou's place — kept neat and tidy. She'd heard Yan Li liked cleanliness.

After tidying up, Yang Rong hurriedly changed clothes and went to the market to buy vegetables; her cooking was decent enough to handle a few home-style dishes.

If it tastes bad, so be it—she wasn't the one eating it anyway.

Even so, on the way to buy groceries, Yang Rong stopped by a few old shops in Modu to pick up some ready-to-eat dishes and snacks.

At the market, she didn't know what Yan Li liked to eat; she thought of calling Wang Ou, but feared that little flirt might guess something, and she didn't trust Wu Jiani either.

In the end, she just bought everything she could find, cooked several dishes—surely one would hit Yan Li's taste.

When Yan Li arrived at Yang Rong's place that evening, he saw seven bowls and eight plates nearly filling the table.

"This is quite a feast."

Yan Li smiled and handed Yang Rong the bottle of red wine: "Good food deserves good wine—have some?"

Yang Rong pursed her lips: "I don't have wine glasses."

"Any glass will do."

Yang Rong fetched two water glasses, opened the wine with her own corkscrew, and drank with Yan Li.

Yan Li's manners were natural, as if he were at home—he ate, drank, praised dishes he liked, and openly admitted those he didn't.

Under his influence, Yang Rong relaxed, began chatting and laughing with Yan Li, and even asked about his work in Modu.

Yan Li had traveled across the country; Modu was his final stop, besides checking on cinema screenings and ground promotions, he was also following up on Tudou. com's issues.

Tudou. com's Series A funding went smoothly; Yan Li co-invested, adding some resource support, so his equity stake barely changed.

In fact, due to the founding team's shares being diluted by financing, Yan Li (Yanye Capital) was now the second-largest shareholder, after Wang Wei.

With the funding secured, Tudou. com would surely launch big initiatives; as a major shareholder and partner, Yan Li needed to attend Tudou. com's next strategic meeting, likely staying in Modu for two or three more days.

Yang Rong didn't care much about Tudou. com, but hearing Yan Li would stay longer, her expression brightened.

She picked up a shrimp and tried to place it in his bowl, but Yan Li opened his mouth directly—Yang Rong paused briefly, then fed it straight into his mouth.

After dinner, Yang Rong cleaned and washed the dishes; when she came out of the kitchen, she saw Yan Li sitting on the sofa waving at her.

As soon as she sat down, he took her hand and slipped a bracelet onto her wrist.

"Why are you buying again?"

Yang Rong scolded him—last time Yan Li came to Modu looking for her, she wasn't home, and he'd given her a bracelet; now he was buying another.

"I saw you weren't wearing the one I gave you, so I thought you didn't like it, and bought another."

"Who said I didn't like it?"

Yang Rong blurted out—the bracelet Yan Li gave her she truly liked, but it was expensive, and she'd been hesitant about her relationship with him, so she only wore it at home.

"If you like it, wear both—switch between them."

Yan Li knew full well Yang Rong liked it, but pretending he "didn't know" showed he paid attention to her.

Yang Rong looked at the delicate, expensive bracelet with delight.

She didn't care much for material things, but that didn't mean she didn't value or enjoy them—especially when given by Yan Li.

Seeing this, Yan Li lay back on the sofa, resting his head between her legs: "I'm still dizzy from last night's hangover—give my head a massage."

"Always ordering me around."

Yang Rong took off the bracelet so as not to scratch him, then used her small hands to massage his head.

Yan Li closed his eyes and enjoyed it: "Why not move to Jingcheng? Keep Wang Ou company."

Yang Rong's hands froze: "No. Don't tell Wang Ou either. When you leave Modu, we go back to how things were."

Yan Li opened his eyes and looked at Yang Rong: "Then what will you do when Wang Ou calls you later?"

Yang Rong: "…"

She rubbed his hair, flustered and annoyed: "I won't answer his calls anymore. I'll just be friends with Wang Ou—no involvement in your mess."

"Fine."

Yan Li closed his eyes and fell silent; Yang Rong rubbed his head, then couldn't help asking:

"You're just going to accept this?"

Yan Li's voice didn't change: "I understand you're unwilling—I respect your choice. Let these few days be a dream."

Yang Rong's hands stopped; she gritted her teeth: "You're a man who walks away after getting what he wants."

Yan Li corrected: "I haven't even taken my pants off yet."

"Then don't take them off—just leave."

Yang Rong told him to go, but Yan Li didn't move: "Look at you—you don't want me to follow you, but you're unhappy when I follow you. Always saying one thing and meaning another—aren't you tired?"

If not for his system, Yan Li wouldn't have a clue about Yang Rong's thoughts.

Even now, he wasn't entirely sure—because Yang Rong herself didn't understand her own mind, vacillating back and forth, hesitant and unsure.

But Yan Li knew Yang Rong didn't reject him—she even liked him—and she wasn't the type to cause trouble, so he'd keep eating, and wait for her to figure it out.

Whether she stayed or left—he wouldn't lose out!

Yang Rong was still torn, but Yan Li had grown impatient; last night's drunkenness had prevented action, today he was sober, ready to clarify the situation and define their relationship.

…

Yang Rong lay in Yan Li's arms, sated yet slightly fearful—after overhearing so many others, it was finally her turn.

It was better than she imagined—and even more exhausting.

Yan Li gently stroked her back and couldn't help saying: "Just move to Jingcheng."

She had a nice figure, tasted good, but never satisfied him, and was a bit delicate.

He remembered Huo Siyan, similarly petite, who was tougher.

Hmm—he hadn't been particularly gentle with her either.

Yang Rong knew her performance was average; after hearing so many stories, she understood Yan Li's strength—Li Bingbing or Wang Ou could easily outmatch her.

But she still couldn't make up her mind, and couldn't face Wang Ou, so she only said: "Let me think about it."

Yan Li didn't press too hard to persuade her; persuasion was useless. He made a few more calls to make her jealous and envious, and without being invited, she moved to Jingcheng herself.

Or having Wang Ou and the others come to Modu wouldn't be bad either; as the company expands, Modu will become very important, and Yan Li will need to come here from time to time.

If Wang Ou and the others move over, Yan Li will have company when he comes to Modu, and he can also avoid Dong Qin's side.

To be honest, having everyone in Jingcheng is a bit too crowded and chaotic…

————

PS: Nine thousand characters, (5000/8000)

(End of Chapter)