Chapter 247: One Night, Xuanlan Blooms—Team Up to Beat Fan Xiaopang?

Soup's up.

Yu Yanli carried in a clay pot—the final dish, spinach and egg soup—and said to Qin Lan and Dong Xuan.

Try them all, see if my cooking's gone downhill.

Yu Yanli had been cooking less and less lately, and even when he did, it was mostly noodles, soups, or simple home-style stir-fries—simple, quick, and easy to eat.

He only went all out for a full spread when he was in the mood or it was a special occasion.

Still, though he'd cooked less over the past two years, he'd grown up in the kitchen—his fundamentals hadn't faded.

Plus, with money to spare, he'd eaten every luxury ingredient under the sun, broadening his palate, which naturally improved his cooking. Add to that the occasional system-triggered recipe secret, and Yu Yanli had some real confidence in his skills.

Eight dishes and one soup—mostly home-style, but spanning the four great culinary traditions: Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, and Huaiyang, plus two Northeastern dishes, catering to Dong and Qin's tastes.

One was from Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang, the other from Shenyang in Liaoning—by Northeastern standards, they were practically hometown folks.

But clearly, neither saw it that way.

Not punching each other into tears was already thanks to the Songhua River's mercy.

Qin Lan picked up a piece of guobao rou, chewed it slowly, then her eyes lit up.

"Hmm, Shenyang style?"

Guobao rou, a classic Northeastern dish, had spread far and wide, endlessly reinvented—so while all were called guobao rou, their methods and flavors varied wildly.

Some were sweet-sour, some tomato-based, some salty; textures ranged from thin to thick, soft to crisp; there were old-school and modern versions, regional variants too.

Many Northeasterners abroad refused to order it, afraid they'd end up with some heretical version they couldn't stomach.

Dong Xuan heard Qin Lan's remark, glanced at her, and thought: this little bitch had an agenda.

What do you mean "Shenyang style"? We eat guobao rou in Mudanjiang too!

Yu Yanli knew Dong Xuan's jealous nature all too well.

Before she could speak, he pointed to the chicken stewed with mushrooms: "I got this from a Northeastern restaurant—everything, chicken to hazelnut mushrooms to dried potatoes and vermicelli, all sourced straight from Heilongjiang."

Dong Xuan picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded solemnly.

"Definitely tastes like home."

She hadn't actually tasted the difference—chicken stewed with mushrooms had no flavor or method distinctions like guobao rou; as long as the ingredients were similar, no one could tell apart.

But whether she tasted it or not didn't matter—what mattered was Yu Yanli said it, showing he valued her. And with Qin Lan watching, Dong Xuan would accept it.

Even if the chicken had come alive, spoken human speech, and claimed it was registered in Shenyang, Dong Xuan would still swear it was Heilongjiang's chicken.

"Enough, stop bickering over dinner. Today's my birthday—have a drink with me."

Yu Yanli pulled them both to sit, opened a bottle of Maotai, and poured them both full glasses.

Qin Lan glanced at Dong Xuan, who gave a slight nod—they raised their glasses together, but drank sparingly.

Both were Northeasterners, with decent alcohol tolerance—better than most women who couldn't hold their liquor, but not by much. Just average.

Any decent drinker could take on both of them easily, let alone Yu Yanli, who could down a whole bottle just warming up and still get them drunk.

Once drunk, they'd be "confused" and fall prey to some bastard's advances.

So Qin Lan and Dong Xuan, already in silent agreement, moved in unison.

Drink little, eat more—both drank minimally, even blocked Yu Yanli from drinking too much, preventing him from using alcohol to get up to no good.

Honestly, Dong and Qin knew Yu Yanli well.

Yu Yanli expected them to be wary of drinking, so he'd planned to "get drunk" himself and act lewd afterward.

But he hadn't expected them to block this tactic so thoroughly.

They knew his limit—he'd get sloppy after half a jin, so pretending to be drunk now was ridiculous.

"Eat, eat."

Seeing his drinking plan failed, Yu Yanli didn't give up—he urged them to eat.

His demeanor made Dong and Qin hesitate, exchanging glances.

【This bastard isn't even pushing drinks—did he drug the food?】

【Probably not that insane.】

Yu Yanli had a bad reputation, shameless, and his word wasn't always trustworthy.

But his character elsewhere was decent—he hadn't sunk so low as to drug them.

They finished dinner with nerves on edge, tidied up quickly, and Yu Yanli suggested watching a movie.

Qin Lan immediately reacted: "I'll pick the movie."

Dong Xuan gave her a look of appreciation—this woman had some brains.

If Yu Yanli picked the movie, he'd likely slip in something lewd—then even if they held their ground, he'd still find ways to grope and take advantage.

Yu Yanli let them choose—he knew Qin Lan was overthinking.

This was Yangjiaodeng Hutong, where his parents and grandmother once lived—how could there be any trashy stuff here? The discs were all TV dramas, classic films, operas, and folk tunes—purely positive content.

"Folk tune: 'Sister-in-Law and Young Sister-in-Law Climb Over the Wall.'"

Qin Lan somehow pulled out a disc—the massive title made both her and Dong Xuan stare at Yu Yanli.

"Cough, cough."

Yu Yanli felt awkward—he'd spoken too soon. Folk tunes did sometimes have risqué content; someone must've bought this without checking.

"Why are you staring at me? Even if I wanted something unhealthy, I wouldn't watch this."

That was true—his age and status made him utterly disconnected from such discs.

Dong Xuan stepped forward to help, then picked a compressed set of the Wong Fei-hung series.

An action movie—surely this bastard wouldn't get any funny ideas now.

…

Early winter, cold wind outside, but the sihe courtyard's heating kept the room comfortably warm.

On his left and right, two beloved beauties sat with him, watching classic old films at home—on his birthday, the atmosphere was warm and sweet, and Yu Yanli felt utterly content.

The only pity: both women remained on guard—no touching, no cuddling. Not even holding hands was allowed without being slapped away.

Yu Yanli noticed them stiffening, even pulling slightly away from him—he knew they were in a hyper-alert state.

He couldn't push further.

Otherwise, he'd push them into a united front and force them to flee together. He couldn't force them—and if things went sour, it'd be a disaster.

Yu Yanli tested the waters, then settled down—throughout the entire movie, he made no move.

Constant vigilance was exhausting. As Yu Yanli stayed still, Dong and Qin gradually relaxed and started watching the film.

Then, right as the second movie reached its climax, Qin Lan suddenly felt a sneaky finger hook around hers.

That bastard still had his dirty hands out!

Qin Lan was about to pinch him—then caught Yu Yanli winking at her, nodding toward Dong Xuan, and making a shushing gesture. Her hand froze.

Yu Yanli gently took her hand, caressing it softly, occasionally glancing her way with tender eyes.

Qin Lan: "..."

She still pinched him—but lightly, and the glare she shot him held less mockery, more helpless affection.

Yu Yanli relaxed, continuing his subtle advances.

Dealing with temporary allies like Qin Lan and Dong Xuan—who had friction but were united by circumstance—

Direct assault was a bad strategy; it'd only make them closer.

The best tactic: sow discord, pick them off one by one.

Even if Qin Lan vaguely sensed Yu Yanli was scheming, faced with his blatant, behind-Dong-Xuan's-back advances, she broke her promise.

They were temporary allies—and eternal enemies!

Sharing no advantage, sharing no loss was acceptable—but if I gain while you lose, I might not be able to tolerate it.

Yu Yanli's touches grew bolder, their bodies drew closer, nearly embracing—Dong Xuan wasn't blind. She noticed.

"What are you doing?!"

Dong Xuan's expression changed—she glared at Yu Yanli, then turned cold, furious eyes on Qin Lan.

You shameless worm—you swore to stand together, yet you're sneaking off to enjoy yourself alone.

Dong Xuan even began to suspect: was this Qin Lan's trap?

First scare her with "Xuan-Lan Twin Lotus," then pretend to reject and ignore Yu Yanli together, then secretly butter him up, and finally make Dong Xuan look like the jealous shrew while Qin Lan played the sweet, understanding one.

So cruel!

She'd forgotten—this little bitch once played Zhihua, always pretending to be virtuous while secretly stabbing people in the back.

Seeing Dong Xuan's fury, Qin Lan felt a twinge of guilt—she had broken her word, after all.

She shoved Yu Yanli aside and moved farther away, to prove her innocence.

But trust was already shattered—and since they'd never liked each other, the slight thaw had frozen again, worse than before.

Watching Dong and Qin return to cold hostility, Yu Yanli wondered if he'd messed up.

If they weren't harmonious, they caused trouble; if they were too harmonious, he got nothing.

Holding both at once? Hard.

Night fell. Yu Yanli didn't move to leave, and neither did Dong and Qin.

Why leave?

Unless Yu Yanli left with me, if I go, I'll be letting that little bitch win.

But staying stuck wasn't a solution—Yu Yanli suggested: "How about we squeeze together?"

Dong Xuan snapped back in dialect: "Get lost."

"Knew you didn't have good intentions."

Qin Lan's face was filled with cold sneers; she now realized she'd been tricked, but there was nothing to be done—Dong Xuan no longer trusted her.

Fortunately, neither of them could accept this situation, so they still maintained a certain unspoken understanding.

"Then let's do this: the east and west wings are both cleaned up—you each take one room, I'll take the main house, and we won't disturb each other."

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan exchanged glances, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions, then nodded one after the other.

"That's settled."

Afterward, Qin Lan went out to buy things, and Yu Yanli seized the chance to hold Dong Xuan and soothe her.

"Don't touch me."

Dong Xuan was still furious over what had happened; she was jealous by nature, and seeing Yu Yanli cozying up to another woman made her heart ache.

"I'm wrong. Here's what I'll do—give me a chance to make it up. Leave your door unlocked tonight, and I'll sincerely apologize—to you, personally."

Dong Xuan stomped on his foot in anger: "Still thinking about that stupid thing?"

"It's my birthday—can you really let me sleep alone all night? Are you even my good wife?"

Dong Xuan pouted: "No, go find whoever you want."

Yu Yanli raised an eyebrow: "So I really will? Don't get upset?"

"You dare!"

Dong Xuan grew truly frantic, clawing and scratching at him for a while, warning Yu Yanli: "Don't go near her."

"Then I'll come to you."

Dong Xuan said nothing. After a moment of silence, she gave the tiniest nod. Yu Yanli happily kissed her.

Of the two women, Qin Lan had a soft temper, was easy to talk to, and could win over others with pouting, feigned victimhood, and relentless persistence—she was relatively easy to handle.

Dong Xuan was outwardly gentle but inwardly stubborn, with a harder temperament; her conquest required more effort. But if you found her weakness and targeted it precisely, the results could be extraordinary.

And her weakness? She was jealous.

Her jealousy was a sign of her attachment to Yu Yanli—and her possessiveness. Exploiting this, provoking and stoking her emotions, Dong Xuan would leap into the trap even if she knew it was set.

If she didn't jump, what if Qin Lan did?

After a while, Qin Lan returned, holding two large locks, handing one to Dong Xuan.

"Lock the doors at night—prevent surprise attacks."

Yu Yanli was speechless: "Is this really necessary? What do you think I am?"

Qin Lan glanced at him, saying nothing—but her meaning was crystal clear. Even Yu Yanli, with his thick skin, couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"It's overcast today—hot water might run out. I'll go boil some in the kitchen."

Dong Xuan didn't want to deal with Qin Lan, and felt a bit guilty besides; she grabbed the lock and returned to her room.

Qin Lan huffed, wandered around the main house bedroom, and slipped a key from her own room onto the nightstand.

Since decorum was already out the window, she might as well go all the way.

…

Time passed slowly. Lights went out in all rooms. Yu Yanli lay in bed, staring toward Dong Xuan's room, clutching the key Qin Lan had left, feeling a pang of regret.

The timing still wasn't right!

Last time, when the Ice Orchid bloomed, he'd exploited their New Year quarrel, forcibly suppressed the tension, and with Qin Lan's softness and Fan Xiaopang's playful antics, he'd coaxed, frightened, half-pushed, half-dragged them into it.

But today, though Qin Lan and Dong Xuan had tension, it wasn't intense enough—Yu Yanli's maneuver felt forced.

Moreover, Dong Xuan strongly resisted this, and Qin Lan, having been burned before, was on high alert.

Besides, they'd already come to celebrate his birthday—that was more than enough.

Thinking of this, Yu Yanli checked the time and sent Dong Xuan a text. She hadn't slept—she replied immediately.

So Yu Yanli stepped out, deliberately making noise in the courtyard, then headed for the east wing.

"..."

In the west wing, Qin Lan, still awake, heard the noise and assumed it was Yu Yanli coming—only to hear movement but no door opening. Her heart sank slowly.

Furious, she flung open her door, glaring at the east wing, stepping closer, and catching faint, muffled sounds.

You dirty pair!!

Qin Lan's fury boiled over. She paced the courtyard, returned inside, grabbed a stool, and planned to storm the east wing and catch them in the act—but feared she couldn't win a fight.

After circling the yard once more, unable to bear it any longer, she hurled the stool into the courtyard and stormed back inside.

In the east wing, perhaps spurred by the special occasion and the thrill of illicit intimacy, both were unusually aroused.

When the storm subsided, Yu Yanli held Dong Xuan for a while, then got dressed to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm sticky with sweat. I'll go get some water and wash up."

Dong Xuan, who'd sweated heavily, agreed. Yu Yanli stepped out, washed up in the bathroom, then headed for the west wing.

Qin Lan hadn't slept—she was too furious to close her eyes.

Hearing the door open, she guessed who it was, closed her eyes, turned her back, and refused to acknowledge the bastard.

But the bastard had no shame. Seeing her "asleep," he stripped off his clothes and crawled into her bed.

Qin Lan couldn't pretend anymore and kicked him hard: "Get out!"

Yu Yanli feigned grievance: "How can you blame me? You were the one fussing over locks, acting so righteous, leaving a key without telling me—how was I supposed to know it was yours?"

"I only realized I'd gone to the wrong room when I tried to unlock it—she heard me and dragged me in. What was I supposed to do?"

"You think I'm stupid? You're burning paper on a grave to fool ghosts?"

Qin Lan didn't believe him for a second—she was certain the two had conspired, and the key was a trick.

Seeing he couldn't fool her, Yu Yanli dropped the pretense and admitted: "Fine, we planned it. You were too slow. I'm going by order of arrival."

"You shameless bastard."

Qin Lan bit him. Yu Yanli didn't flinch—wherever she bit, he bit back. Soon they were biting each other.

Seeing Qin Lan still resisting, Yu Yanli whispered his devil's voice: "I've already been with her. If you don't take me, you're the one losing out."

Qin Lan: "..."

Her resistance weakened noticeably: "Go wash first—I'm disgusted."

"I already washed."

"No… mm…"

In the east wing, Dong Xuan, waiting too long for Yu Yanli's return, sensed something was wrong. She stepped out—and saw the west wing's light was on.

You dirty pair!!

Dong Xuan trembled with rage. Spotting a stool in the courtyard, she grabbed it and smashed it against the east wing's door.

With a crash, faint rustling came from inside—then Qin Lan's previously suppressed moans suddenly rose, high and continuous.

Dong Xuan: "..."

She wanted to grab a kitchen knife and chop that slut to pieces!

She kicked the door once, hesitated again and again, then stormed back to the east wing without entering.

Inside the west wing, Yu Yanli stared at Qin Lan, baffled. This was just spite.

Qin Lan ignored him—she was furious at that Dong woman!

Who let her strike first without honor? And she dared smash her door? Qin Lan hadn't even smashed the east wing yet.

Afterward, Qin Lan clung to Yu Yanli, afraid he'd slip away. He patiently soothed her.

"I'll just check on her—something might be wrong. I'll be right back."

Qin Lan was still kindhearted. Though reluctant, she cuddled him a while longer before letting him go.

Yu Yanli washed up again, then returned to the east wing. Dong Xuan's gaze at him was like daggers.

"You went to her for water? Is Qin Lan your water girl?"

How did you know?!

Yu Yanli nearly thought Dong Xuan had spied. He stepped forward, hugged her, and explained: "She heard the noise—I stepped out and she blocked me, dragged me into her room. It's not my fault."

Dong Xuan retorted: "If you didn't want to go, she couldn't drag you."

"Uh… I'm weak."

Dong Xuan was defeated by Yu Yanli's brazenness. When he tormented her, he was full of energy—but when Qin Lan dragged him in, he turned limp as a rag.

"Don't touch me."

Dong Xuan seethed, and as Yu Yanli reached for her again, she pinched and kicked him.

Though he'd had two servings, he wasn't satisfied—he was now hooked. Separated by one courtyard, both rooms were in high spirits, still competing fiercely. It was exquisite torture—he couldn't possibly stop now, couldn't possibly let it go.

He pulled Dong Xuan close: "She provoked you like that—just let it slide?"

Dong Xuan pinched him: "Don't think I don't know your tricks. I won't fall for them again."

"But you already fell once. Falling once is falling—falling twice is still falling. The key is to vent this anger. If I were you, I couldn't take it. If you don't get revenge, how can you face anyone tomorrow?"

Yu Yanli wheedled and cajoled. Dong Xuan was partly swayed—and couldn't resist his forceful pressure. In the end, she gave up.

So Qin Lan in the west wing heard Dong Xuan's taunting voice.

"So shameless."

She cursed, covered her ears, climbed into bed—and half-asleep, felt that bastard starting to torment her again.

"I'm tired. Don't bother me."

"She's worn out—help her out."

"..."

That night, Yu Yanli shuttled back and forth between the east and west wings several times—the hot water he'd specially boiled was all gone.

Qin and Dong's two daughters initially wanted to keep him all to themselves and refused to let him go; later, they competed with each other, engaging in a duet of female voices, and eventually, unable to withstand Yan Li's growing vigor, began pushing him toward the other side.

Yan Li took a bite here, a bite there; though troublesome, he managed to fill his belly, and most importantly, enjoyed every bite.

The only regret was that later, when he thought their resistance had dropped sharply and neither could hold out alone, he tried to bring them together—but perhaps because they had just been competing across the courtyard and felt too embarrassed, they stubbornly refused.

Qin Lan feared she couldn't hold out and would be forcibly dragged into Dong Xuan's room, even locking the door to hide from him.

Yan Li, helpless, could only beg for truce; Dong Xuan, exhausted, rested in the eastern annex, still pondering before sleep.

These two still fell short—if Fan Xiaopang were here too, we could have gone through three rounds in a row and truly satisfied ourselves.

…

The next morning, Qin Lan woke up, her body aching, and went to the restroom; upon returning, she saw Dong Xuan had also risen.

"Hmph."

Dong Xuan, seeing Qin Lan, grew angry, her voice hoarse: "You broke your word."

Qin Lan's throat was even more hoarse, but her spirit refused to yield: "You kept your word? Who started it?"

Dong Xuan seized on this and mocked: "A lick-the-bowl-bottom type, always craving leftovers."

Qin Lan glared: "At least I'm better than you—you love reheated scraps, mixed with someone else's flavor?"

Dong Xuan had held back all day yesterday, then been worn out half the night by that dog man; now her fury boiled over, and she rolled up her sleeves.

"You wanna fight?"

Dong Xuan seethed; Qin Lan was no less irritated: "Come on, I've wanted to slap you for ages."

"…"

Though Yan Li had exerted himself yesterday, his energy was boundless; he rose early, went for a quick jog and practiced boxing around Shichahai, just nearby.

After exercising, he bought breakfast and returned to Yangjia Deng Hutong.

But upon entering, he found Qin Lan and Dong Xuan lying on the floor, disheveled, pulling each other's hair, kicking and clawing, hurling insults at each other's relatives.

Yan Li rushed to intervene, but neither would let go; helplessly, he pulled out his phone.

"If you two don't get up, I'll take a photo and send it to Fan Bingbing."

"Are you even human?"

"Monster!"

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan cracked—they could fight privately, even if Yan Li saw, but if Fan Xiaopang saw and laughed, it would be worse than death.

Yan Li urged them again; they finally released each other and stood, still hurling threats.

"Enough. The more you talk, the more fired up you get."

Seeing they still resisted, Yan Li darkened his face and scolded them to behave.

This tactic usually worked, but last night he'd been utterly despicable; Qin and Dong, now enemies, held deep resentment toward him and began firing back.

"You picked the wrong key? You actually have the nerve to make that up—'who slept first, who slept last'? You even made a schedule!"

"Lying through your teeth—you claimed you dragged me into the room, then goaded her to help you get revenge. You're the one who loves stirring up trouble!"

"When did I ever say the Teddy Sisters were trash? Who are you spreading rumors to?"

"How dare you say I'm jealous she's whiter than me? Tell me—what exactly have you been saying behind my back?"

"………"

Yan Li was stunned—they were fighting, so why were they now settling accounts?

"Cough… did I ever say those things?"

Yan Li feigned ignorance, but seeing their piercing glares, he tried to salvage himself.

"Hmm… maybe I did. You know me—I sometimes exaggerate a bit, maybe added a touch of artistic flair, but my original intent was good."

"Good my ass."

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan took turns denouncing him, yet scolded them for fighting—yet who caused the fight?

Seeing the accusations spiral into a full-blown accounting, fearing he'd be further implicated, Yan Li cut it short.

"Eat."

Qin and Dong resisted; Yan Li threatened: "If you don't listen, I'll strip you both naked and throw you together."

With a mix of soft and hard tactics, he quelled the scene, offered face-saving exits, and finally calmed the two goddesses.

Though he was surprised they'd actually come to blows, their hostility the next day was exactly what Yan Li expected after last night's chaos.

If you want a feast, don't fear the mess.

Preparing ingredients, chopping, washing dishes, tidying up—he'd done this before, had plenty of experience.

As long as they didn't walk out in anger, it meant they hadn't hit their bottom line—just keep soothing them slowly…

After eating, Yan Li didn't go to work, fearing they'd fight again.

Sometimes, you fear them being alone—each saying a word, the other retorting, neither willing to yield, escalating until fists fly.

With someone in between to mediate and offer face-saving exits, they might argue louder—but somehow, they won't fight.

Indeed, though they exchanged barbs during and after the meal, they didn't strike again; even their insults grew more civilized, restrained by Yan Li's presence.

After a round of verbal sparring, Qin Lan went to pack—she had a flight to France that night.

Dong Xuan wasn't in a hurry; Xinjiang was far closer than France, and it was her own production crew, with plenty of room to maneuver.

Yan Li planned to escort Qin Lan that night, soothe her on the way, lay groundwork, then return to comfort Dong Xuan—sweet talk, quick hands, plenty of effort; resentment would fade slowly.

As he was formulating this plan, Dong Xuan received a call and suddenly came to Yan Li.

"Come with me quickly."

"Where to?"

"Catch an adulterer."

"?"

Yan Li was baffled—he was right here—what adulterer?

Dong Xuan realized: "Not me—I mean Guan Yue. Tong Dawei's keeping a mistress outside."

"Ah?"

"Really?!"

Yan Li grew interested; Qin Lan was even more intrigued—she dropped her luggage entirely and raised her hand.

"Can I come too?"

Dong Xuan gave her a cold look: "If you want to watch the show, you're not invited."

"No."

Qin Lan, desperate for gossip, lowered her head for once: "I'm worried you two won't be enough. Add me—you need more hands. I hate mistresses more than anyone."

This reminded Yan Li: "If all three of us go to catch the adulterer, isn't that… a bit, uh, lacking in credibility?"

Dong Xuan knew this too.

But she couldn't leave Guan Yue alone—no matter what, her best friend was in crisis, and she had to help.

She brought Yan Li along to intimidate, so they wouldn't storm in and get overpowered.

As for Qin Lan, Dong Xuan didn't want her there—but Qin Lan was determined to watch the spectacle.

Guan Yue was emotionally unstable; Dong Xuan was too worried to argue with Qin Lan and ignored her.

The three got in the car; Yan Li asked for the address and said he'd call someone for backup—his phone was snatched by Qin Lan.

"You, Yan Boss? Who doesn't know you? No need to call anyone."

Seeing Dong Xuan glance at him, Qin Lan quickly explained: "I suspect he wants to tip off Tong. Last time with Nie Yuan and Liu Yun, he kept pushing them together—men always help men."

Yan Li: "…"

Dong Xuan watched Yan Li warily: "I know you're close to Tong Dawei, but stay out of this."

"They've been together a long time, their bond is strong—don't make it worse. What if things spiral out of control? As friends, you should reconcile, not split them up."

Yan Li had seen the future where Tong and Guan married—he hoped to minimize the fallout.

Dong Xuan hesitated—she'd watched them fall in love; she didn't want them to break up either.

But Guan Yue had come to her for help—she couldn't tip off Tong Dawei, or how could she face Guan Yue?

At this moment, Qin Lan spoke: "They might not break up—we can still reconcile them later. The key is to scare Tong Dawei, make him behave. If you don't hurt him, he won't learn."

"If you let him off this time without a lesson, he'll do it again—and worse next time."

"So we must make a scene—make him feel the pain, so he'll reform. The more you tolerate, the worse it gets."

"…"

Yan Li felt Qin Lan's words carried a veiled jab; Dong Xuan studied Qin Lan closely.

"If you understand this so well, why are you stealing my man?"

Qin Lan was speechless, then gazed mournfully at Yan Li: "Understanding is easy. Acting is hard."

Knowing the truth doesn't mean you can live it.

Qin Lan knew Yan Li was greedy, growing ever more brazen—but she was completely under his spell; no matter how clearly she saw it, she couldn't resist his tricks.

Dong Xuan sighed at this; Qin Lan was like this—so was she.

Giving others perfect advice, yet bound by ropes herself.

Yan Li sensed the atmosphere turning sour—how had the blame landed on him? If Tong and Guan ended up fine, married with kids, his own backyard would burn to ashes.

Better the other guy die than me—Yan Li swiftly shifted blame to Tong Dawei.

"I've suspected this kid had something going on—he's always complained Guan Yue controls him too tightly. Turns out he's unfaithful. He deserves to be punished."

Qin and Dong sneered—Tong Dawei deserves punishment, but you, dog, deserve it more.

…

The car pulled up at the entrance of a residential complex, where Guan Yue waited alone by the roadside.

Yan Li drove over and stopped beside her; Guan Yue opened the door and got in, ignoring Qin Lan entirely, hugging Dong Xuan and bursting into tears.

Dong Xuan felt heartbroken—Guan Yue was a classic Northeastern girl, blunt-tempered and tough, rarely showing such vulnerability.

Qin Lan, who had come just to watch the spectacle, was moved by the scene and said nothing, silently handing over tissues.

After Guan Yue cried for a while, she finally told the rough story under Dong Xuan's questioning.

Tong Dawei had previously taken a role in Shen Yan's drama, *Our Unplaced Youth*, with a strong cast led by Chen Daoming and featuring many artists from Hai Run and Wang Jinghua's agencies.

While on set, Guan Yue had noticed something off during their phone calls.

After Tong Dawei returned to Jingcheng, the oddities multiplied, and his outings became increasingly frequent.

Unable to bear it anymore, Guan Yue began investigating and learned he had grown close to a female actress named Jiang Yiyan on the set of *Our Unplaced Youth*.

After checking his phone and tailing him using various tactics, she finally tracked him to his hideout today.

Hmm~

That's some skill!

Yan Li looked at Guan Yue in surprise—thankfully Dong Xuan hadn't learned from her, or he'd have been exposed long ago.

Now that he was openly doing it, there was no point in Dong Xuan learning from her anymore.

Dong Xuan hugged Guan Yue: "Are you sure he's upstairs? Don't make a mistake."

"I called him—he said he was going to the set for an audition, but his car's parked right here. I checked today too—Jiang Yiyan lives in this complex."

"Do you know which building, floor, and apartment?"

"Yes."

Even Qin Lan was impressed: "You actually found that out?"

Guan Yue gritted her teeth: "That fox is from Beijing Film Academy, Class of 2002 undergrad. Finding her address wasn't hard."

Yan Li understood—Guan Yue was a professor at Beijing Film Academy; even without digging up records, just asking around would've been easy.

Now that they knew the location and confirmed he was there, the rest was simple.

Guan Yue and Dong Xuan led the way, with Qin Lan helping enthusiastically, while Yan Li brought up the rear; they tricked the door open and burst in, crashing and clattering.

Yan Li didn't dare join in—he stood still in the living room. Tong Dawei went limp the moment he saw Guan Yue, getting scratched, slapped, and cursed at.

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan didn't dare attack Tong Dawei—they might run into him again someday.

But they didn't hold back on Jiang Yiyan.

Jiang Yiyan was just unlucky—Dong Xuan and Qin Lan had been seething since yesterday, had fought again this morning, and were then shut down by Yan Li.

They couldn't fight each other, and they couldn't touch Yan Li, so now they finally had a target to vent on.

Worse still, both of them deeply despised mistresses—they'd always wanted to punish one, and today they treated Jiang Yiyan as if she were both the mistress and Fan Xiaopang, going all out.

Even Yan Li couldn't watch anymore—he stepped forward and pulled them back.

Letting them vent was good for them, but if they got addicted to the rush, he'd be the one stuck cleaning up later when they went after Wang Ou and Yang Rong.

After calming Dong and Qin down, Yan Li told Jiang Yiyan to put her clothes on, then led her into the living room.

"Do you know who I am?"

Jiang Yiyan, hair disheveled, nodded. Yan Li glanced at her: "You're in the industry too. Making a scene won't help you. You brought this on yourself—you've got to accept it. If you want revenge, I'll take it."

Then he pulled out a stack of bills: "This is your medical compensation. Leave now. Stay away from married men in the future."

Jiang Yiyan took the money and left. Dong Xuan was upset: "Why did you give her money?"

Qin Lan agreed fiercely: "Exactly! She's a mistress—she deserves to be beaten. Why give her money?"

"Being a mistress isn't illegal. But you assaulting her is. If she calls the police, I'll have to bail you out."

Yan Li was cautious. As an actress, Jiang Yiyan would likely swallow this humiliation quietly—but she might also be desperate enough for fame to blow it all wide open.

After all, just recently, a female star had publicly exposed the casting couch and sold recordings of it.

These days, there are too many monsters out there!

Yan Li wasn't afraid, but he preferred to avoid trouble when possible. Giving her compensation meant it was settled privately—if she reported it later, he could still extricate himself.

As someone in business, Yan Li understood the gray-area tricks.

Dong and Qin were still resentful, so Yan Li said: "Enough already. He didn't cheat on you. Don't take it so personally."

"…."

They cursed him a few times, then fell silent. To be fair, fighting and catching an adulterer together had brought them slightly closer.

Dong Xuan even indirectly expressed her thanks. Qin Lan didn't take it seriously, but she still felt unsatisfied—and even volunteered.

"This collaboration went well. Next time, I'll invite Fan Xiaopang out, and we'll beat her up."

Dong Xuan's eyes lit up: "Not a bad idea."

Neither of them liked the other, but they hated Fan Xiaopang the most. Beating up that seductive fox would be a huge temptation.

Beside them, Yan Li shook his head: "You two wouldn't stand a chance against her."

In terms of combat ability, Qin Lan was decent; Dong Xuan, trained in dance and taller, had a slight edge.

In a straight-up brawl, two-on-one, Fan Xiaopang wouldn't stand a chance.

But fighting isn't decided by numbers or strength alone.

Fan Xiaopang might be weaker than Qin and Dong combined, but she's ruthless. Don't underestimate that ruthlessness—sometimes fighting comes down to sheer ferocity.

Yan Li had been fighting since childhood and had seen plenty of cases where one person chased down several.

It wasn't that he was stronger—he was just ruthless. Those seven or eight men lost their nerve, and even if they could've won, they couldn't.

So Yan Li had high regard for Fan Xiaopang.

In a playful brawl, Qin and Dong would dominate. But if it got serious, Fan Xiaopang had the best chance of winning.

Still, no matter who won or lost, Yan Li didn't want to see any of them fight—any injury would only hurt him.

"If you really want to fight, you can fight me. All three of you at once, if you like."

Yan Li issued the challenge. Dong and Qin exchanged glances, then each spat at him.

"Pfft x2!"

————

PS: Sorry, the 10, 00-character draft took longer than expected (2000/7000).

I'll do 10, 00 characters each day for the next two days. The update time might be inconsistent—I'll try to stick to 8 PM, but if it's slightly late, please bear with me.

(End of Chapter)