Chapter 241

During these few days in Shanghai, Yan Li lived in quiet peace.

He worked during the day, went to Yang Rong's place to eat and sleep at night, and when he had free time, he wandered around Shanghai, buying things here and there.

Yan Li could make money, and he loved spending it.

He didn't understand why so many people worked themselves to death just to avoid spending.

Sure, ordinary people saving up for a house or a car and avoiding extravagance was understandable, but many billionaires, with money in hand, were still stingy.

Then what's the point of making money?

Just to enjoy being a boss?!

Yan Li didn't understand it, nor did he imitate it; as long as it didn't affect his business, he set aside a little personal stash every year, then spent it whenever he had time.

He bought whatever he liked, bought whatever he thought was good, sometimes forgot about purchases right after buying them, occasionally wasted money—but Yan Li didn't care much.

He even developed his own "logic": if he spent all his money and had none left, he'd have motivation to earn more.

Just before leaving Shanghai, Yan Li went all out on a major shopping spree, had Wu Maowen pack up the items he planned to send back to Jingcheng, and carried his bags of all sizes to Yang Rong's place.

"Why did you buy so much again?"

Yang Rong stepped out of the kitchen wearing an apron; Yan Li sniffed twice: "Smells great—did you make soup?"

"Just some tonic soup."

Yang Rong answered casually; Yan Li gave her a strange look—tonic soup? Wasn't she the one begging for mercy when she was sick?

"It's not for you."

Seeing Yan Li's expression, Yang Rong flushed with annoyance; Yan Li lifted the lid off the clay pot.

Hmm—black chicken with red dates soup. Qin Lan had made it before too—tonifies the spleen, boosts qi, nourishes yin, and enriches blood.

"You keep all the good stuff for yourself? I work myself to death and no one cares?"

Yan Li was dissatisfied—why didn't any of these women make him tonic soup, herbal remedies, or anything to nourish his body? Not a single one cared for her man.

Yang Rong rolled her eyes at him: "You want tonics? After you get stronger, you'll kill me?"

The soup simmered on the stove; Yang Rong rummaged through the bags Yan Li had brought—this wasn't the first time; everything he brought was meant for her.

Jewelry and handbags, yes, but mostly clothes—and most of them were the kind you couldn't wear in public.

Yang Rong's finger hooked a piece of underwear smaller than her apron pocket, her face turning bright red.

"I won't wear it."

Yan Li glanced at her, said nothing—he'd heard this before, and in the end, she always gave in.

He pulled her over, his hands slipping inside her clothes with practiced ease; Yang Rong made a token struggle, then submitted quietly.

Yan Li moved his hands: "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Yang Rong bit her lip: "Oh."

Yan Li brought up Jingcheng again, as usual—he still held a favorable impression of Yang Rong.

Gentle and obedient, yet not without spirit; compliant and sensible, with just a touch of edge—quite charming.

Yang Rong still refused to move to Jingcheng, but perhaps because Yan Li was leaving, she felt reluctant, and finally conceded she'd visit Jingcheng sometime soon.

"That'll do."

Yan Li nodded—he didn't force her to move, but the key was seeing her; if Yang Rong was willing to come to Jingcheng often, that was enough for him.

As they talked, Yang Rong's phone rang; she glanced at the caller ID and immediately tried to hang up—but Yan Li snatched it and answered.

Wang Ou's flippant voice came through: "Little Rongrong, you heartless thing—I've been busy with work and didn't call you, and you didn't call me either?"

"I've been busy rehearsing a play at the theater these past two days."

Yang Rong tried to grab the phone back, couldn't, so she clasped her hands together, silently begging Yan Li not to speak.

Wang Ou kept talking: "Jiani's design sketches are done—I'll have her send them to you later."

"Okay."

"By the way, I might have an ad shoot in Hangzhou soon—I'll come visit you then."

"Alright."

"I won't stay at a hotel—I'll sleep at your place. We can sleep together, hehe, and I can call Yan Li just to tease him."

"... Mm."

"You're answering word by word—what are you doing?"

"Eating."

"Can't you wait a bit?"

"I'm hungry."

"..."

Wang Ou chatted with Yang Rong for over twenty minutes before she finally found an excuse to hang up.

Yan Li was surprised—he hadn't realized Wang Ou was this chatty in private; Yang Rong was usually aloof, yet Wang Ou just kept talking nonstop.

Yang Rong rubbed her slightly aching cheeks—what was this? If she hadn't hung up, this little firecracker would've chattered for one or two hours straight.

Yan Li, as her "boyfriend," had no time for Wang Ou; she didn't trust anyone else—only Yang Rong was someone she could talk to without restraint.

Them calling or texting until their phones died was common; to save on bills, they'd even signed up for a couple's plan.

Yan Li felt a bit disappointed—he'd wanted to stir up some noise for entertainment, but Yang Rong held her tongue.

This woman had grit!

Plus, with her leverage in his hands, Yan Li dared not push too far—so Wang Ou was completely fooled.

He sighed, seeing how strained Yang Rong looked, and decided to pick her up and get to the real business.

Yang Rong panicked: "The soup… the soup's still on the stove!"

Hearing that, Yan Li didn't let go—he carried Yang Rong straight into the kitchen and waited there for the soup to finish…

———

Jingcheng, Wangfujing Junyue Hotel

On Yan Li's first day back in Jingcheng, he came to attend the premiere of "Night Banquet."

Huayi made a big fuss, calling it a global premiere ceremony, inviting numerous media outlets and over a thousand audience members on site.

The "Night Banquet" crew's director Feng Xiaogang, lead actor Ge Daye, Zhang Ziyi, Wu Yanzu, Zhou Young Master, Huang Xiaoming, Ma Jingwu, and other main creatives were all present.

Also present to lend support were Huayi artists Xu Fan, Liu Huan, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Hanyu, and Huosi Yan.

Yan Li, as one of the distributors, came merely to join the buzz, bringing along Ning Hao, who was writing a script in Jingcheng.

He originally planned to walk straight in, but staff told him to use the red carpet.

Yan Li, dressed casually, didn't care—he chatted with senior executives from China Film and CEO Zhuang Cheng of Media Asia, both also in casual attire, come to show support.

Media Asia's boss was Lin Jianyue, a well-known Hong Kong billionaire and second-generation heir who once dated Wang Zuqian.

However, Lin had acquired shares in Media Asia later, and with his own business ventures, he didn't actively participate in its operations; day-to-day management and execution were handled entirely by CEO Zhuang Cheng.

The group chatted idly, meanwhile soaking in the crowd's cheers as the main creatives and Huayi stars walked the red carpet.

No need to elaborate on powerhouse actors like Ge Daye; notable were several leading actresses and young male stars.

Huang Xiaoming, enjoying home-field advantage and currently at his peak popularity, overshadowed Wu Yanzu.

As for the duo Zhang and Zhou, the female lead Zhang Ziyi drew noticeably stronger cheers than Zhou Young Master.

Even within the "Four Little Fairies," there was a hierarchy.

Xiao Yanzi stood alone at the top—her national recognition was too overwhelming; the "Two Bing" were merely trying to piggyback on the "Four Fairies," but when the "Four Little Fairies" were first named, it was the other three who were trying to piggyback on Xiao Yanzi.

Though Xiao Yanzi had faced constant scandals in recent years—even recently being dealt with by Yan Li—her foundation was too deep to be dethroned; she still held the top spot.

Zhang Ziyi firmly held second place; despite considerable controversy, she possessed genuine international prestige, had won countless awards—including Golden Rooster, Golden Horse, Hundred Flowers, and Huabiao—and had recently been bowed to by the president of the Venice Film Festival, further boosting her fame.

In film, Zhang held an absolute lead over the "Four Little Fairies"; otherwise, she could never have been cast as lead over Zhou Young Master, who had joined Huayi.

Had her national image and public perception been slightly better, she might have even challenged Xiao Yanzi.

Third was Zhou Young Master—she wasn't bad at all, with solid achievements, good reputation, and strong popularity; she was merely less outstanding than the top two, hence temporarily overshadowed.

Xu Caivü had been at the bottom since the beginning and remained there; her only claim to fame was the title "talented woman" and high blog click rates.

This "Night Banquet" was, in fact, a showdown between Zhang and Zhou.

But in every aspect, Zhang had suppressed Zhou.

Yan Li didn't know whether Zhang Ziyi was just that powerful, or whether Huayi had lost its mind.

Never mind the others—this was their own movie, their own event, yet outsiders were overshadowing their own company's "number one girl."

Even if you couldn't beat her, couldn't you at least cheat a little?

For example, bring in more of Zhou Young Master's fans, rearrange fan seating to give her an advantage, or pair her with popular Huang Xiaoming to form a united front.

There were countless tricks, yet none were used.

Yan Li even briefly suspected the event planner was Li Xue, using this to help her sister step on Zhou Young Master.

Hmm, it could also be that the Wang brothers had their eyes on Zhang Ziyi; rumors had long circulated that Huayi wanted to sign her.

Either way, it was clear Huayi didn't value Zhou Young Master.

Not treating their own people as people—same old habit.

Yan Li grumbled inwardly, yet he was actually quite pleased—he even hoped Zhang Ziyi would sign with Huayi.

Two fairies and one Bing, plus other actresses, might swell the numbers, but behind the scenes, Huayi's artists would end up fighting like dogs.

He'd heard that Huayi's artist management was now split into two groups: one led by Li Xue, with Li Bingbing and others; the other led by Zhou Young Master.

When Huang Xiaoming signs with Huayi, he'll likely lead a third group; rumors also say Su Youpeng and Lin Xinru are switching from Qiongyao Company to Huayi—could they possibly take orders from Li, Zhou, and Huang?

The Wang brothers had better keep praying their resources hold out and their IPO proceeds smoothly, or another mass artist exodus might happen again.

After watching the spectacle, it was time to enter; Media Asia was a producer, China Film held higher status, so they entered first.

Compared to the previously popular stars, these behind-the-scenes bosses, though powerful, drew little attention.

But when Yan Li appeared, the cheers rose noticeably—his momentum was nearly equal to that of the earlier popular stars.

Many in the hall turned to look curiously, thinking a star had arrived late; upon seeing it was Yan Li, they nodded with mild surprise and yet perfect understanding. Unlike ordinary behind-the-scenes bosses, this man had genuine fame and popularity.

Even as a mere actor, Yan Li ranked among the top in today's gathering of stars.

Combined with all his halo and exposure, in terms of popularity, only a few major or current idols—Zhang, Zhou, Ge, Liu, Huang—could overshadow him.

Yan Li had walked few red carpets and lacked experience.

But his confidence was solid, his composure steady—he showed no nervousness, calmly waved to the audience, strode confidently down the red carpet, uttered a few clichés, and walked straight in.

Today, many big names attended "Night Banquet," yet Yan Li was among them; having just drawn attention, people kept coming up to greet him as soon as he entered.

Quite a few bigwigs came to tonight's "Night Banquet," but Yan Li could also be counted among them, and having just stolen the spotlight earlier, the moment he entered the venue people kept coming up to greet him.

She had wanted to be his date earlier, but Yan Li ignored her and told her to go in first.

After entering, she didn't wander off; she waited near the entrance for Yan Li, and the moment he arrived, she clung to him.

Yan Li understood this girl well enough, and since she made no effort to hide her intentions, her motives were obvious.

With so many big names and bosses present today, she couldn't stand out—so she had to cling to a powerful backer.

Tonight there were plenty of big names and bigwigs, so she couldn't stand out, but she still wanted to show her face at an occasion like this, so she could only latch onto someone powerful.

This girl wasn't particularly money-hungry, nor was she career-driven, but she had a strong vanity—she loved being pampered and loved being seen, loved the spotlight.

Her clinging to Yan Li was often because of this: with Yan Li's protection and a vague connection, many would look at her more favorably.

Watching Huosi Yan's ingratiating smile, Yan Li didn't shoo her away—he let her stay beside him.

Besides Huosi Yan, another member of the Teddy Sisterhood, Xiong Naijin, also from Huayi, was present.

Seeing Yan Li, Xiong Naijin came over to greet him.

Seeing Yan Li, Xiong Naijin also came over to greet him.

Although a member of the Teddy Sisters, Xiong Naijin had rarely met Yan Li, and even when they did meet, it was always as part of the entire Teddy Sisters group, with Qin, Huo, and Li in front, leaving no room for her to speak.

Today, by chance, she ran into Yan Li alone and had hoped to say a few more words, but Huo Siyan found an excuse to shoo her away.

Yan Li stared at Huo Siyan in silence; the Seven Fairies' "deep sisterly bond" was no better than the Teddy Sisters'.

Ignoring the petty squabbles among Huo Siyan and the others, Yan Li focused entirely on networking.

Several key creators of "Night Banquet" also came over to chat with Yan Li; as the distributor, Yan Li was essentially half their boss this time.

"Director Yan."

Huang Xiaoming, bald from playing in "The Deer and the Cauldron," bowed respectfully and greeted him; Yan Li smiled and shook his hand.

"Xiaoming, we're fated to collaborate again."

During the Phoenix Sculpture battle, Yi'an handled distribution and naturally interacted with Huang Xiaoming, but Yan Li was too busy; they'd only met once.

Huang Xiaoming had psychological trauma around Yan Li and wanted to avoid him, yet he could never escape Yan Li's grasp.

Besides "Night Banquet," the next project, "The Deer and the Cauldron," will most likely also be distributed by Yan Li.

Oh, and the production team behind Huang Xiaoming's "New Shanghai Bund" has also contacted Yi'an—chances are they'll collaborate again.

Huang Xiaoming forced a smile: "Yes, Director Yan, please take good care of me."

"No need for that—we help each other."

Yan Li patted Huang Xiaoming's shoulder; unlike Huang's psychological fear, Yan Li didn't take him seriously at all.

Aside from casually tricking him during "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"—and it wasn't even intentional—Yan Li had treated Huang fairly enough.

If Yan Li had truly wanted to crush him, Huang would never have reached his current position.

Not even mentioning leaking dirt—just a few well-placed obstacles would've been enough to cripple Huang's rising career.

Of course, now that Huang Xiaoming's fame has grown and he's clung to Huayi's leg, he might seem like a different man—but Yan Li still didn't care.

If Huang Xiaoming dared to challenge him, Yan Li would make him regret it in seconds.

But whether Huang had been warned or simply didn't want conflict, he'd always remained obedient, behaving respectfully every time he met Yan Li.

He knew how to behave, and Yan Li wasn't the type to lord over others, so on the surface, the two got along fine.

While the two got along, Huo Siyan loved stirring up trouble and goaded Yan Li to take action against Huang, citing how Qin Lan had once pursued him.

This matter had been exposed earlier when Huang was targeted, and combined with Hu Ke's scandal, many now believed the two were at odds.

"Say another word and I'll deal with you first."

Yan Li didn't physically punish her in front of so many people, but he still scolded her.

Huo Siyan's eyes lit up: "Fine, punish me—do whatever you want."

Yan Li: "..."

Later, Yan Li exchanged polite greetings with Zhang Ziyi and Young Master Zhou—just brief words, even less than what he'd shared with Huang Xiaoming.

Huo Siyan looked at Yan Li strangely; those two were top-tier leading ladies, yet Yan Li was so cold—unlike his usual style.

Actually, Yan Li wasn't uninterested in them; after all, they were current leading ladies, their very aura enough to attract attention.

But to him, they were nothing more than auras—Young Master Zhou was slightly better, but Zhang Ziyi simply didn't match his taste.

More importantly, they weren't on the same path.

Not only weren't they on the same path—they were enemies. Yan Li wanted to push Fan Xiaopang forward, had a close bond with Li Bingbing, and would inevitably clash with the Four Leading Ladies over interests.

Under these circumstances, even if they were twice as alluring, Yan Li wouldn't lift a finger.

He was lustful, but never let lust cloud his judgment or jeopardize the company's development or his relationships with other women.

The two leading ladies felt the same way.

Yan Li had some appeal, but they weren't on the same path, and both already had partners—no need to steal from the same bowl.

But Yan Li had no reason—and no intention—to explain any of this to Huo Siyan; he continued chatting with others.

Huo Siyan followed him everywhere, like a secretary, wherever he went, she went.

In the venue, Yan Li attracted considerable attention, and naturally, people noticed her.

Huo Siyan was highly sensitive to these glances; she unconsciously straightened her back, as if it were she—not Yan Li—who was chatting with the Wang brothers and the CEO of Media Asia.

After some networking, the premiere began, and the host stepped up to run the ceremony.

Yan Li wasn't particularly interested in such events; he found a corner seat and started texting on his phone.

Huo Siyan didn't follow him, because as a guest star, she had a speaking segment on stage.

But after she finished her speech and stepped down, she didn't return to her seat—instead, she quietly slipped out of the theater.

This wasn't unusual; many stars merely showed up for the event, to generate news, and left quickly due to tight schedules—no one stopped them.

But Huo Siyan didn't truly leave; after a few minutes outside, she quietly slipped back in, switched seats with the person next to Yan Li, and sat beside him.

Yan Li: "..."

Had he given this little witch too much leeway? She was too clingy.

Huo Siyan seemed to sense Yan Li's mood; pretending not to notice, she smiled sweetly and extended both small hands to massage his legs.

Yan Li glanced at the person beside them—no one noticed—and patted Huo Siyan's hands, telling her to behave, then resumed texting.

Seeing this, Huo Siyan dared not act up again—until the movie began and the theater lights dimmed, plunging the seats into darkness, when she resumed her little antics.

Yan Li had long stopped caring; he focused entirely on the film.

In fact, he'd already seen the finished version of "Night Banquet"—even the uncut one.

His evaluation: four words—neither fish nor fowl.

Slapping a Chinese backdrop onto a Western Shakespearean opera—neither Chinese nor Western.

The ending was even more unbearable: all major characters died inexplicably, then came a pretentious open-ended twist.

Still, apart from the film's tone and plot, "Night Banquet" wasn't without merit—the costumes, makeup, and sets were excellent, and the actors delivered brilliant performances.

Ge Da's portrayal of the brooding, ambitious schemer reminded people that this man had once won the Cannes Best Actor award—long before his Feng-style comedies.

Still, perhaps because she'd acted in too many comedies, there was inevitably a slight sense of breaking character.

Zhang Ziyi and Young Master Zhou both performed well, especially Zhang Ziyi—the viciousness, the sorrow, the ambition, the entanglement, and the madness in her role were all delivered with great precision.

It was no wonder many famous directors were willing to use her; in terms of acting alone, among this crop of popular leading ladies, she was absolutely among the very best.

Beyond her precise acting, Zhang Ziyi's sacrifices were also on point—she contributed quite a few large-scale scenes, and even had a bed scene with Uncle Ge.

Perhaps it was to draw box office; these days, as long as it's a big production, whether needed or not, a few bed scenes or large-scale scenes must be stuffed in.

Because *The Banquet* featured an Emperor obsessed with his Empress and the plot of killing a brother to take his sister-in-law, the bed scene added wasn't jarring, and was shot well too—Yan Li saluted in tribute after watching.

Uh, and it wasn't only because of the movie.

There was also the fact that that little minx Huo Siyan wouldn't behave, using the film as cover to tease him.

Yan Li couldn't help but glare at her, but the theater was dark, so he didn't know whether Huo Siyan saw it or not—either way, her movements didn't stop.

Not only did they not stop, but fearing Yan Li would be cold, she took off her jacket and draped it over his legs, and afterward still felt it wasn't enough, and even wanted to lie against him to keep him warm.

But Yan Li stopped her.

Don't be ridiculous—the people on both sides weren't fools either; with movements that big, wouldn't the whole thing be exposed in an instant?

In fact, even now, it wasn't as if no one had noticed anything—perhaps ordinary people were focused on watching the film and didn't pay attention to the two's little movements.

But there were still people like Xiong Naijin, who paid special attention to Yan Li and Huo Siyan, to ruin it.

Earlier, when Huo Siyan had left the stage, she'd already been a bit off; later, finding a chance to slip away and look for her, she discovered that Huo Siyan had actually quietly gone to find Yan Li again.

So she didn't go back to her original seat either, and simply watched the two of them from another corner.

Because the theater's sightlines were very dark, and combined with the angle and the small movements, Xiong Naijin actually hadn't spotted anything too major either, but relying on a woman's intuition, she felt the two of them were off—there was definitely something fishy going on.

Tch~

Xiong Naijin hadn't expected that Huo Siyan, who kept up the talk of deep sisterly affection, would privately be trying to poach Qin Lan's man.

Should she expose it, or use it as leverage to get some benefit for herself………

————

PS: 2,000 short, will make up later

(End of chapter)