Chapter 249: Annual Intelligence: The 26-Year-Old Billionaire

December 31, 2006, Yangjiao Lantern Alley

Yan Li canceled all social engagements and private meetings, drove himself to this sihe academy, performed his daily incense offering and prayer, then waited for the once-a-year 【Annual Intelligence】 to refresh.

Ding dong~

The specially calibrated alarm chimed once—the official time had entered 2007. Yan Li clasped his hands, bowed slightly, and opened the system.

【Annual Intelligence 1: The Fall of LeEco Empire—Why a Hundred-Billion-Dollar LeEco Collapsed……】

LeEco?

Yan Li remembered that Mr. Jia, and with interest, opened the intelligence to read in detail.

The intelligence was thorough; Yan Li spent nearly twenty minutes reading before he finished, then gave his evaluation: three words.

Good accountant!

As previously mentioned, Yan Li had encountered the name LeEco several times in other intelligences and had vaguely sensed its fate would be grim, but he lacked details.

Only now did Yan Li fully and meticulously understand how LeEco rose—and how it collapsed.

Its rise needed no explanation: connections + Old Jia + the tide of the era.

Though LeEco failed, Yan Li still acknowledged Old Jia's abilities, evident in many of his strategic moves and business maneuvers.

Many assume connections alone can conquer everything—that's overly simplistic.

Or rather, having connections isn't played this way; others operate in industries inaccessible to the public, effortlessly and safely.

Like the internet and entertainment industries, which are highly visible, fiercely competitive, and where every player has some backing—connections matter, but connections alone won't sustain you.

LeEco succeeded because of Old Jia's personal ability.

Among personal abilities, Yan Li believed Old Jia's accounting skills were the most extraordinary.

The intelligence cited LeEco Pictures as an example: a few blockbuster projects + affiliated companies co-investing + binding numerous celebrities + riding the era's momentum.

A company with barely over one hundred million in annual profit was valued at ten billion, then acquired by LeEco's listed web platform to cash out.

Had the acquisition completed, Old Jia, who had invested over forty million in LeEco Pictures, could have gained over four billion in returns.

What a huge appetite!

What boldness!!!

LeEco rose because of connections + Old Jia; it collapsed because of connections + Old Jia.

With no safety net, Old Jia took huge steps, racing forward until the cash flow grew increasingly tight.

The original accounting holes were never filled; he kept forging books until he could no longer deceive anyone—LeEco collapsed, and he would return to China next week.

Yan Li couldn't help scanning the intelligence again.

To Yan Li, this intelligence wasn't just gossip; the rise and fall of a future internet-entertainment empire worth hundreds of billions held profound significance for his future plans and operations.

He could emulate and learn from LeEco's good ideas; he could avoid and self-remind himself of LeEco's lessons.

Old Jia is a "good teacher"!

【Annual Intelligence 2: The Gains and Losses of Alibaba's Entertainment Strategy……】

Yan Li became interested.

Alibaba was not unfamiliar—he had met Jack Ma at a business meeting just days ago.

At this stage, Jack Ma was still not considered a major figure.

The current internet first tier consisted of Shanda, Baidu, Tencent, and the three portals: Sohu, Sina, and NetEase.

Shanda's Mr. Chen and NetEase's Mr. Ding had both been billionaires; Sohu's Mr. Zhang had an early start, wide connections, and great influence; Baidu's Mr. Li was currently in vogue, having gone public in the U. S. last year with unmatched momentum; Tencent and Sina remained unavoidable forces.

Meanwhile, the e-commerce market had not yet risen, Alipay was just beginning, and Jack Ma had not yet reached a pivotal position in the industry.

Yet due to the company's astonishing potential, strong external optimism, and Jack Ma's own high visibility, he still carried some weight.

Jack Ma had already shown interest in the entertainment market.

This year, he had invested in Huayi Brothers and recently discussed YiAn and Tudou with Yan Li specifically.

Yan Li had read many intelligences and knew exactly what Alibaba represented in the future—he had once seriously considered cooperating with Jack Ma.

Perhaps for this reason, the system triggered this intelligence, revealing to Yan Li how disastrous Alibaba's entertainment strategy was.

It wasn't that Alibaba was deceitful, or that Alibaba was unsuited to an entertainment strategy.

The intelligence repeatedly emphasized Alibaba's habitual e-commerce mindset.

Entertainment is fundamentally content creation; applying internet business tactics to manage it directly caused conflict.

Worse, Alibaba's core remained e-commerce, so it habitually demanded entertainment operations support e-commerce, creating a "blood-sucking" reality.

This was Alibaba's corporate culture and strategic thinking: self-interest above all; other companies could be discarded or sacrificed when necessary.

You can't say this is wrong—at least not from Alibaba's own perspective.

But for invested and partnered companies, Alibaba's investment was honey laced with arsenic.

There's sweetness—but it might kill you!

Yan Li pondered whether there was an opportunity here—he must avoid contact with Alibaba entirely, and never rely on it completely.

Could he introduce some of Alibaba's rivals to Jack Ma?

He noticed Huayi Brothers had grown close to Alibaba—that was good; no matter how fiercely two sides fought each other, it was never as effective as an enemy stabbing itself.

【Annual Intelligence 3: Weibo's Ten Years—The Rise and Transformation of a Social Media Giant……】

Weibo!

Yan Li had heard this name many times; even a previous monthly intelligence had triggered a related future intelligence.

He had been deeply interested in this platform, touted as the most popular social media.

For this reason, he had specifically sought out Wang Xing, founder of the school network and Fanfou mentioned in the intelligence, hoping to learn from him or make an investment.

But after speaking with Wang Xing, Yan Li realized that merely investing in such a platform was insufficient—he needed to control it.

Investing in Tudou and gaining only cooperation rights, not control or strategic partnership rights, had long been a lingering regret for Yan Li.

Other industries, Yan Li could treat as mere commercial investments, but Tudou. com was far too important to his industrial layout.

Given that their relationship was merely cooperative, it did not satisfy Yan Li's needs—he wanted control of Tudou. com, or at least significant influence.

But Tudou. com was founded entirely by Wang Wei, wielded strong internal influence, held substantial shares, and was in a phase of rapid growth; Yan Li could not ignore its development to seize power.

True infighting would paralyze the company's progress, leaving it a gift to Youku and Sohu lurking behind.

After all, at present, Yi'an and Tudou. com remained closely cooperative, so Yan Li merely held back for now, waiting for an opportunity.

If he could not wait any longer, he'd settle for less—or exit entirely and find a new video website.

At least around 2010, entertainment traffic would explode and mobile networks would dominate, giving Yan Li one more chance to enter the game.

Precisely because of the lesson learned from Tudou. com, Yan Li felt that if he invested in and boosted social media platforms like Xiaonai. com and Fanfou without control, he'd often be left powerless.

So, despite all kinds of obstacles and troubles, Yan Li planned to give it a try himself this time.

After seeing more detailed intelligence on Weibo, Yan Li became even more determined in his conviction.

This Weibo was far too important to him!

Yan Li stood up, fetched a notebook, and began sketching and writing, combining the intelligence with his own ideas.

Currently, Yan Li's industries centered on film and television production, distribution, and cinema chains, primarily focused on entertainment media, while also considering acquiring a video website as a platform.

Under this industrial layout, Weibo was a strategic must-have, its importance no less than investing in cinema chains or video websites.

Regarding production, distribution, and artist management, internet platforms' influence was growing ever larger, already showing signs of surpassing traditional media.

Future film and television promotion and artist exposure would inevitably require dealings with major internet platforms; without doubt, Weibo—specializing in social interaction, public opinion, and real-time information—was one of the most vital promotional platforms.

In business, there's a saying called defensive positioning.

Put simply: here's a knife—you don't grab it, someone else grabs it and holds it to your throat, and then you're at their mercy.

When your vital point is gripped by others, even if returns are low, you must actively position yourself, even at great cost.

Not to mention, Weibo isn't just defensive—it can also be turned offensive.

If Weibo were under Yan Li's control, how much money would he save annually on film and television plus artist promotion resources alone?

He could even turn around and control competitors, suppress them, or charge exorbitant traffic fees.

Save money yourself, then squeeze more from competitors—this dynamic would speak for itself.

Moreover, as an entertainment industry insider, Yan Li had long wanted to secure sufficient media resources and build his own mouthpiece matrix.

If Weibo succeeded, holding the largest and most popular social media and real-time news platform, he wouldn't just have a mouthpiece matrix—he'd ascend directly to media magnate status, his "voice" dramatically amplified.

Meanwhile, Weibo, video websites, and other sites Yan Li invested in could mutually drive traffic and cooperate, cutting costs while forming a positive feedback loop of traffic and a strategic alliance.

This would also provide vital support for Yan Li's future layouts and investments.

In short, one Weibo could fully revitalize Yan Li's entire commercial layout, offer multiple advantages, and forge a powerful closed-loop ecosystem with industry initiative.

Yet, while the vision was beautiful, Yan Li still felt tension inside—could he truly build Weibo?

Two major challenges.

First, for the internet industry, Yan Li was an outsider, lacked deep understanding, and knew nothing about technology—he'd hesitated to pursue video websites for this very reason.

Yan Li needed to find several capable assistants to help him build Weibo.

Second, Weibo's investment wouldn't be small, and it might take a while before any viable revenue channel emerged, requiring Yan Li to pour in money and attract investment.

Cinema chains were already burning cash, video websites would likely keep burning, and now add Weibo.

Yan Li wasn't a golden egg-laying chicken—if his cash flow snapped, he might end up worse off than Lao Jia.

Difficult as it was, solutions existed.

If talent was lacking, go recruit it—this intelligence mentioned future core executives of Sina Weibo, such as CEO Wang Gaofei (Laiqu Laiqu Zhi Jian), product manager, chief operating officer, and technical lead.

Though Yan Li understood that such a massive platform couldn't be sustained by just a few core executives.

Often, success depended on timing, platform support, and luck.

But regardless, these individuals had indeed contributed significantly to Weibo's future success—far more reliable than Yan Li fumbling alone.

If funding was insufficient, raise more capital.

Yan Li's demand for economic returns from Weibo was far lower than his need for industrial positioning; as long as he retained control, he could accept giving up more equity.

Though challenges existed, Yan Li had his own unique advantages in building Weibo.

For instance, celebrity and public figure resources.

The intelligence not only introduced the successful Sina Weibo, but also mentioned failed Weibos or similar software.

Fanfou and Penguin Taotao had appeared even earlier than Weibo, but due to insufficient development in celebrity-driven traffic, they failed to break through quickly, and eventually were overtaken by Weibo for other reasons.

In this regard, Yan Li was absolutely strong.

Many internet startups, especially new websites, couldn't even reach the entertainment circle; those who could, lacked funds and were ignored.

But Yan Li could leverage his industry connections and networks to bring in celebrities and public figures on a large scale, at relatively low or even zero cost.

Celebrity-driven traffic didn't guarantee dominance over competitors, but combined with early positioning, it could establish a first-mover advantage.

The market was limited—sufficient first-mover advantage could create a suction effect, attracting massive new users, continuously consolidating and enhancing the edge, squeezing competitors' survival space.

Additionally, there was the most crucial point: Yan Li had a cheat—future vision from a god's perspective.

Other competitors fumbled in the dark; Yan Li could precisely ensure Weibo's major strategic milestones avoided missteps and deploy advanced, novel tactical strategies.

Thanks to his intelligence system, Yan Li could even track competitors' movements and launch targeted strikes.

With these advantages, even if he lagged in funding, technology, and traffic, he had confidence to challenge any internet giant.

Not to mention, some internet giants weren't beyond cooperation—complementing strengths, achieving mutual benefit and coexistence.

Yan Li wrote and studied for over an hour, wrestling with the Weibo intelligence—evidencing how seriously he took it.

He couldn't afford to neglect it—it was already 2007; Xiaonai. com had gained some fame, Fanfou and Penguin Taotao were already in preparation.

Yan Li was starting from nearly zero—he had to find a team first, then develop, gradually adjust and integrate, manage various collaborations, and finally undergo internal testing and optimization before official launch.

This would take at least six months to a year; by the time it gained some influence, it would likely be 2008.

So it must be taken seriously, and time must be seized, or Sina and Tencent will strike first.

【Annual Intelligence 4: The XXXX Conference in XXXX was held...】

Yan Li couldn't help lighting a cigarette, scanning the names above, cross-referencing them with his memory.

As business grows, you inevitably deal with all kinds of people—you don't have to get close or burn incense, but you must know who the real Buddha is, and never offend them.

To some extent, this was today's most valuable intelligence.

【Annual Intelligence......】

On New Year's Day 2007, Yan Li spent the entire day in Yangjiao Lantern Alley, studying and analyzing the new Annual Intelligence.

This had become Yan Li's annual habit on January 1st.

Those close to him knew Yan Li would rest here for a day, reflect on the past and contemplate the future—unless something urgent arose, he was not to be disturbed.

On January 2nd, Yan Li appeared and presided over Yi'an's annual meeting.

On January 3rd, he presided over meetings for Yanye Capital, Yi'an Cinema Chain, and Yi'an Media.

Last year, all the companies saw varying degrees of development.

Yi'an's performance was the most outstanding.

In film and television production, it delivered impressive results like "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and "Crazy Stone," with All Productions' profits from investment exceeding nine digits.

And this was despite many projects still ongoing and some final payments yet unsettled.

In artist management, Fan Xiaopang rose rapidly, while Zhang Zhilin and Wang Ou also delivered solid results.

Although, in direct revenue, it fell far short of the film and television division.

But celebrity artists drive projects and boost the work of the film and television division and distribution—evaluation cannot rely solely on direct returns.

In distribution, Yi'an still maintained its dominant industry position.

For the year, total annual sales of television dramas reached 529 million yuan, with distribution shares totaling about 70 million yuan.

Although film distribution had just begun, it leveraged unique advantages to secure multiple high-quality projects, accumulating over 300 million yuan in box office and roughly 10 million yuan in profit.

Like artist management, distribution cannot focus solely on direct returns—its behind-the-scenes resource leverage can feed back into the company and other departments.

Another noteworthy department was advertising: a unit seemingly undervalued within Yi'an.

It generated over 22 million yuan in profit for the company last year.

And this was even though Yi'an's advertising brand had yet to gain wide recognition, and some operations were coordinated with the film and television division and artist management, not primarily aimed at profit or revenue sharing—if they were, profits would have been higher.

Yan Li calculated: Yi'an's activity and scale in 2006 weren't the largest in the industry, but in terms of profitability, it ranked among the top of all companies.

But as always, film companies earn a lot, but also invest heavily.

Just as money was made here, new projects were already being launched elsewhere—the surplus funds available for Yan Li to withdraw were quite limited.

Fortunately, the company was growing steadily, and its industry influence was rising continuously.

Yan Li heard that Hua Yi's two Wangs had secured investment valuing Hua Yi at 1.5 to 2 billion yuan; he compared the two companies.

Hua Yi's strengths lay in its star roster, high market share in films, and powerful resource and capital operations.

Yi'an's advantages were stronger strength and channels in television dramas, greater profitability, and some presence in film and celebrity economics.

Looking at it this way, Yan Li felt Yi'an still lagged behind Hua Yi.

More precisely, Yi'an was less favored by the capital market than Hua Yi.

At this stage, the capital market's interest in film far exceeded that in television dramas.

Hua Yi attracted capital from all sides, far surpassing Yan Li's "eating alone" approach.

Thus, aside from its strong profitability, Yi'an's appeal to capital was far lower than Hua Yi's "well-structured" model.

In short, Hua Yi was built along the path of a listed entertainment company—with the sole goal of going public to raise money.

Yi'an leaned more toward a traditional film company, focused on content creation and distribution channels, forming a crucial part of Yan Li's industrial map.

Many investors sought only return on investment; naturally, they preferred companies like Hua Yi with clear, simple goals.

In contrast, Yan Li represented long-term investment—slower returns, with uncertainty along the way.

But then again, once Yan Li's layout succeeded and formed a closed industrial loop, it would be incomparable to a single Hua Yi.

Yan Li had no immediate plans to take Yi'an public, but he was curious about its valuation.

Film companies are asset-light, with volatile earnings—valuation differs from normal industrial firms and cannot be calculated by simple profit margins.

Yet at the same time, the cultural and entertainment industry holds immense latent value and sits at a critical economic turning point—when the economy thrives, entertainment grows fast, and this cannot be ignored.

Whether it's a bubble or not, if you want to make this money, you must include the bubble in your calculation.

Yan Li thought Hua Yi's asking price of 1.5 to 2 billion yuan meant Yi'an couldn't possibly be valued below 1 billion yuan—otherwise it would be an insult.

Compared to Yi'an, Yi'an Cinema Chain's development was temporarily weaker.

The main issue was too few theaters—fewer than ten were currently operational.

In this industry, no matter how much you hype it, it all comes down to the number of theaters and box office revenue.

But the first batch was gradually entering the market, and the second batch had already begun site selection and construction—with no signs of funding shortages—so the market viewed the company favorably; once it gained industry influence, it would start to become valuable.

Yi'an Media, representing copyrights, was undervalued due to the current market's lack of attention to copyrights.

But Yanye Capital, which held stakes in multiple companies under Yan Li's name, now held considerable value.

Not to mention that beyond Yi'an's companies, Yanye had other major investments.

For example, Tudou. com.

On October 9, 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion.

This major acquisition impacted the entire global internet market, instantly making video websites the darlings of the capital market.

Tudou. com, as China's top video website at the time, became a hot commodity, with its valuation rising repeatedly.

By the end of 2006, Tudou. com's valuation had surpassed $100 million, equivalent to nearly 800 million yuan in RMB.

You have to understand that Tudou. com was still burning through cash at a rapid pace, with razor-thin profit margins, and because all the major internet giants had piled in, market competition was fiercer than ever.

Even so, Tudou. com's valuation kept climbing fast; compared with the internet sector, the entertainment industry's tailwind was a giant dwarfing a small one.

Yan Li held roughly 30% of Tudou. com, worth about 250 million.

And Tudou. com was just one of Yan Li's investments—though the most valuable one—the others had also brought him returns of one sort or another.

Yan Li held meetings for several days running, took stock of the companies under him, and made some arrangements.

Then he found himself looking forward to this year's Forbes and Hu Run rich lists.

Last year he'd shown off a bit on some unofficial list; this year, he wondered whether he could make it onto an official one. Whether it was a "pig-slaughter list" or not wasn't something Yan Li needed to worry about for now.

For one thing, his money was clean and aboveboard; for another, his ranking wasn't high enough to draw that kind of attention yet.

Third, and most importantly, Yan Li needed the rich list to prove his wealth and ability, to keep cementing his image as a business prodigy, and to fuel his business plans.

Of course, showing off a little along the way was something Yan Li also hoped for.

When all was said and done, he was just a big boy who had barely passed his 26th birthday—he still had the psychological need to show off.

Besides, if he didn't show off now, even if he became the richest man at thirty or forty, the feeling wouldn't be the same as it was now.

A ten-millionaire at eighteen and a billionaire at sixty are completely different concepts.

————

What you keep in mind will eventually echo back.

This year's Forbes list was released in early January, with 400 mainland billionaires making the roster.

Gome's Mr. Huang, with a fortune of 18 billion, once again claimed the title of China's richest man.

Yan Li scanned through and finally found himself.

【Name】: Yan Li, 【Gender】: Male, 【Age】: 26

【Company】: Yanye Capital / Yi'an Pictures, 【Headquarters】: Beijing, 【Main Industries】: Film and TV production & distribution, internet investment

【Rank】: 258, 【Total Assets】: 1.185 billion (RMB)

That's it?!

The gap between Forbes' estimate and his own was way too big.

But after studying the list carefully, Yan Li noticed that Forbes was being relatively conservative on corporate valuations this year.

It wasn't that they ignored them entirely, but they squeezed out a lot of the fluff.

Yan Li figured that the valuations of Yi'an, Yi'an, and Tudou. com—the ones he believed had driven up his net worth—had all been compressed to varying degrees.

You could tell from the generally poor showing of internet bosses this year; only 5 people from internet companies made the top 100.

Another point: Yi'an's earnings and Yan Li's stock-market gains hadn't been disclosed publicly, so the naturally conservative Forbes estimated on the low side.

Calculated that way, Yan Li's net worth was actually not bad—very few bosses from other film and TV companies had made the list at all.

The Wang brothers of Huayi combined were only valued at 800 million, ranking 362nd.

Although he hadn't broken into the top 200, a net worth of one billion was something Yan Li felt he could accept.

Most importantly, it was more than the Wang brothers.

Last year Yan Li hadn't made the list; those two were at the very bottom, with fortunes of what looked like 500–600 million.

A year later, the brothers had made some progress, but they couldn't keep up with Yan Li, who was rocketing past them at light speed.

Yan Li figured he'd stir things up later and let the outside world know who the real "richest man" of the entertainment circle was.

As he was looking over the others, Yan Li picked up his phone, raised an eyebrow, and answered the call.

"Old Yu, congratulations on what?"

"The Forbes list? I haven't had a chance to look yet—ah, I don't care about that sort of thing."

"Hey, I just got lucky. The bigger the spread, the bigger the pressure—walking on thin ice, trembling with caution."

"Alright, I'll take a look and call you back. Treat me? A rank in the 200s is worth a treat? Fine, fine, I'll arrange it."

「……」

After hanging up, Yan Li let out a breath and savored the moment for a beat.

Sweet!

Soon a second congratulatory call rang in, and Yan Li's puzzled voice answered.

"The Forbes list? It's out?"

「……」

Just as Yan Li was busy showing off to friends and family, the Forbes list began to ferment, and Yan Li became the breakout figure of this year's rich list.

Even though his ranking wasn't high, he was young—that more than made up for it!

On this year's Forbes list of 400 billionaires, only four were under 30.

One was Zhao Ning of Xinglong Company in Yunnan, 25 years old, with a fortune of 800 million, running a gemstone and jewelry processing business.

The reason he made the list was simple: his father was Zhao Xinglong, the Yunnan rough-stone king—he'd simply inherited the family business.

Another was Chen Danian, 28, worth 800 million, working at Shanda Networks; Shanda's boss, Mr. Chen, was his own brother.

Then there was the post-80s richest man mentioned last year, Shanxi tycoon Li Zhaohui—compared with last year, both his assets and ranking had slipped, but he still held steady in the top 100.

And then there was Yan Li—the only person on the list under 30 who was a self-made billionaire.

Not only was the angle irresistible, but Yan Li himself was already famous, so he naturally got plenty of media attention.

【Billionaire】 + 【Self-made】 + 【Entertainment Mogul】 + 【26 years old】 + 【Post-80s】 + 【Actor】 + 【Stories you have to hear about all those top actresses】

Any combination of these elements could draw readers and onlookers to click on the story; the buzz completely eclipsed Mr. Huang reclaiming the top spot.

…

Xinjiang Province, "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang"

Dong Xuan, in costume, was going over her script when Yang Xue hurried over with a phone in hand.

"Stop reciting—it's headline news. Your man's on the front page."

"Is it surprising he's on the news?"

Dong Xuan didn't care at first, but then she realized and snapped: "Which fox woman is chasing him now?"

"It's not gossip—it's good news."

Yang Xue explained, then added with a complicated expression: "But you'll probably see more gossip like this from now on."

"What do you mean?"

Dong Xuan took the phone Yang Xue handed her, read the news article on the screen, then stared at Yang Xue in confusion.

"Yan Li? Over a billion?!"

She knew Yan Li was rich—a billionaire—and kept making more money, but not this fast.

Last year he was a billionaire; this year he's in the billions. Is Yan Li filming TV dramas or printing money?

"Is this real news?"

Dong Xuan didn't believe it. Yang Xue sighed: "Can't you see the word 'Forbes'? If you don't believe it, go back to the hotel and check on your computer, or call someone."

Hearing this, Dong Xuan's侥幸心理 vanished, and her face twisted with a complex mix of delight and headache.

It's good that your man is rich!

But it's not necessarily good if your man is too rich.

Damn, before there were already a swarm of butterflies and bees swarming around Yan Li—now that his net worth has jumped, won't even more fox women come to snatch him?

Yang Xue thought the same. She even suggested: "I think you should talk to Bingbing. Maybe you two can stand united when needed."

Among the Seven Fairies, Li Lin had the best reputation, followed by Yang Xue.

Especially with Fan Xiaopang and Dong Xuan—she got along well with both, sometimes acting as a mediator, hoping they'd put aside their conflicts.

Dong Xuan said nothing, but clearly listened.

In fact, before this, there had been a faint mutual understanding among them—but it was fragile, full of conflicts and selfish motives.

But if external pressure grew, Dong Xuan felt they could set aside some disputes and maintain consistency in certain areas and moments.

Still, Dong Xuan always thought Qin Lan was someone she could talk to, since their situations were somewhat similar.

Fan Xiaopang? Hard to say—she's a wild, flirtatious fox!

…

Wushi, "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" film crew

Fan Xiaopang, who had just returned a few days ago, was also notified of the news.

Her team was far more sensitive than Dong Xuan's circle—even already researching how to ride the trend, since Fan Xiaopang had long been closely connected to Yan Li.

When Yan Li shone, Fan Xiaopang benefited too.

Besides, Forbes wasn't just a billionaire list—it had a celebrity list too, and this year's outstanding Fan Xiaopang had broken into the top ranks.

Ranked sixth overall, just behind two sports giants, Dayao and Liu Feiren, and three leading actresses: Xiao Yanzi, Zhang Ziyi, and Zhou Young Master.

By the way, Li Bingbing ranked tenth—Bing and Bing made their first joint entry into Forbes' top ten celebrity list.

Though not as dominant as the three leading actresses, it proved Bing and Bing now had the status to be mentioned alongside the Four Dan.

After all, the Four Dan still had Xu Jinglei dragging them down, ranked eighteenth—even below Chen Hao, Orange Sky's leading actress.

Fan Xiaopang's sudden leap to sixth place came from massive exposure and rocketing income.

Her income of 19 million matched Zhou Young Master's, tying for seventh on the income list.

It was a bit regrettable—the film "Invisible Wings" came out at year-end, so Fan Xiaopang didn't reap much of its benefits; otherwise, her rankings would've climbed even higher.

Even if she climbed higher, Fan Xiaopang could at most overtake Zhou Young Master.

She still had a long way to go compared to Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, who starred in major domestic and international films and earned directly in U. S. dollars.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yanzi and Li Bingbing each earned 13 million, tied for fourteenth on the income list.

Xu Jinglei once again dragged down the Four Dan and Two Bings—her income was only 8 million, outside the top thirty.

She was the only one among the Four Dan and Two Bings who didn't make the top ten overall and earned under ten million. Imagine how hard the others would crush her.

Especially the Two Bings—they still lagged behind the Four Dan, so they had to crush this bottom-dweller to lift themselves up and drag the Four Dan down.

This list clearly showed that after a year of catching up, the Four Dan and Two Bings had genuinely formed a competitive relationship.

As competition intensified, this concept would sink deeper into public perception and create a crushing, monopolistic advantage over other actresses.

Take Chen Hao—though her celebrity ranking and income weren't worse than Xu Jinglei's.

But in everyone's mind, she was still less famous than the Four Dan and Two Bings—not even on the same level.

Fan Xiaopang was also surprised by Yan Li's net worth, but far less shocked than Dong Xuan.

As the company's top star, she knew exactly how much Yi'an had earned this year, and combined with Yan Li's various investments and real estate holdings, she had a rough idea of his wealth.

But Fan Xiaopang had estimated 800 million to 1 billion—she hadn't expected Forbes to put him at nearly 1.2 billion.

A self-made billionaire at 26!

Even with some preparation, Fan Xiaopang couldn't help marveling: My taste is excellent—I caught a top-tier Wang Laowu.

As for the莺莺燕燕 who might swarm around Yan Li, if Fan Xiaopang claimed she wasn't the least bit worried, that'd be an exaggeration.

But she had confidence in her own charm, and more importantly, her importance to Yi'an—her底气 was stronger than Dong Xuan's.

Compared to those fox women, Fan Xiaopang truly feared the noblewomen and wealthy heiresses.

Yan Li's flirtatious nature was a flaw, but that didn't mean no one was interested—he was a hot young talent.

Worst case, let him marry and keep it low-key; his family would turn a blind eye. If Yan Li was capable enough to control his "wife," no one would make a fuss—it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Not to mention, Yan Li had one advantage: he cherished old feelings and never forgot his roots.

This quality mattered more to many people than purity or exclusivity.

If a woman of similar status truly targeted Yan Li, perhaps she wasn't as beautiful as me—but she could offer him far more help.

More importantly, their background and status are far more respectable than Fan Xiaopang's.

Famous female stars have charisma, and these women carry charisma too—some of it even more tempting to men.

For Fan Xiaopang, she'd rather Yan Li had more flirtatious women around him, since they couldn't seriously threaten her position, but this kind of woman is another matter.

But no matter what, her own career is thriving, and Yan Li is immensely wealthy—both are worth celebrating.

She even put on a show after work, posting a blog complaining that everyone was too obsessed with money, that rankings triggered endless calls, that Forbes was just entertainment news, and people should just treat it as a spectacle.

A netizen asked in the comments whether she really earned 19 million last year; Fan Xiaopang neither confirmed nor denied it.

【I never calculated it. If you think it's true, believe it; if you think it's false, don't. It's that simple.】

When a netizen asked about Yan Li's net worth, she gave no direct response, only saying she'd ask Boss Yan for a big red envelope later.

…

Qin Lan, who had already finished filming in France and returned home, heard the news at a Teddy Sisters gathering.

Still dazed and confused, Qin Lan hadn't reacted when she was immediately drowned in congratulations and flattery from her sisters.

"About 1.2 billion—how absurdly rich is that?"

The Teddy Sisters had no real grasp of such a astronomical sum.

This year, two members of the Teddy Sisters made the list—Qin Lan and Huo Siyan,

but both ranked low, with incomes of just over a million.

The figures weren't entirely accurate, but the gap wasn't huge.

As always, at this stage, stars' incomes are low, and they still have to split with their agencies, leaving them with very little.

Some stars who earned two or three million couldn't help but complain about being poor, claiming the numbers were fake and they hadn't made that much.

Others earned a lot but didn't make the list due to various reasons.

For example, Liu Yun's ex-boyfriend Nie Yuan earned far more than many on the list, yet he wasn't included.

Li Xiaolu, lacking ambition, filmed few dramas last year and earned little, but Ma Yili still made a substantial amount, breaking the million mark, yet she didn't make the list either.

No matter what, all of them were hovering around the million mark, at most a few million.

1.2 billion—enough for them to earn for hundreds of years.

Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu could at least imagine it somewhat; those earning even less, like Xiong Naijin and Zhao Ke, had no concrete frame of reference at all.

They only knew it was money they could never earn in ten lifetimes!

Amid congratulations and well-wishes, everyone's gaze toward Qin Lan held a flicker of complexity.

They feared their sister suffered, yet feared their sister drove a Land Rover!

Qin Lan wasn't even driving a Land Rover—she was practically flying a aircraft carrier. Why couldn't I find a hidden gem like this?

Sensing the awkwardness, Liu Yun nudged Qin Lan, who snapped out of it and smiled.

"I don't understand men's affairs, and I don't care. Keep enjoying yourselves—I'm treating tonight."

"Thank you, Sister Lan! Sister Lan is so generous! Waiter, bring the good wine!"

Li Xiaolu came from a wealthy family and viewed money slightly more casually than most; moreover, she preferred fun over flattery and immediately shifted the topic.

Huo Siyan, the mood-setter and Qin Lan's confidante, picked up the cue and quickly steered the conversation.

After finishing the Teddy Sisters gathering, Qin Lan, on her way home, began reflecting on the changes triggered by Yan Li's net worth going public.

Whatever Dong Xuan could think of, she could think of too.

Even without thinking, she had seen with her own eyes the subtle glances and emotional shifts among the Teddy Sisters just now.

These women had known her for a long time—they were close sisters—and even they were barely holding up, let alone others.

Back at Fuli City, Qin Lan paced around her home, hesitated repeatedly, then finally dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"I heard."

Dong Xuan's calm voice came through: "What do you want?"

Qin Lan rolled her eyes—always playing dumb. She didn't believe Dong Xuan had stayed calm when she heard the news.

"If you're going to talk like this, there's nothing left to say. Let's each mind our own business—better yet, let's all fail together."

Qin Lan had called first, but that didn't mean she'd hand over the initiative to Dong Xuan. Whatever they did, both sides must stand as equals.

Dong Xuan fell silent for a moment, then her tone grew more natural: "I understand what you mean. What do you propose?"

Qin Lan spoke firmly: "Team up."

"Just the two of us?"

"What do you mean?"

This time it was Qin Lan's turn to be puzzled. Dong Xuan paused briefly: "Should we include Fan?"

Qin Lan fell silent. Dong Xuan said nothing. Only faint static hummed through the phone.

Though neither had said it aloud, both Qin Lan and Dong Xuan felt they were more alike, while Fan Xiaopang was an outsider.

On one hand, both had been with Yan Li before he rose to fame; though entangled by past relationships as ex-girlfriends, each considered herself the rightful wife.

Fan Xiaopang, however, was a genuine third party—someone Yan Li picked up after his rise.

The rightful wives rejected each other, yet both looked down on the third party.

Beneath that disdain lay caution and fear, for from the current situation, Fan Xiaopang was their greatest threat—the one most likely to oust them and take their place.

The two of them were evenly matched; cooperation made sense. But if Fan Xiaopang were brought in,

first, would that imply all three now held equal status—that Fan, the third party, became a "rightful wife"? That would be arming the enemy.

Second, would it cause Fan Xiaopang to dominate the alliance, turning the trio into one superpower and two subordinates, who then end up suppressing the two of them?

Third—and this was slightly too embarrassing to voice—such an alliance-based dynamic might not suit Fan Xiaopang's arrogant personality. If she refused to join, it would be even more humiliating to beg for her attention.

Even Dong Xuan, who had raised the idea, couldn't decide—let alone Qin Lan.

The two of them remained locked in silence for several minutes, until Qin Lan proposed a new idea.

We can form a three-person alliance, but with a sub-alliance within it.

Dong Xuan thought for a moment: "You mean we first unite as three, stand together against the outside, then within our trio, you and I team up to deal with her."

"I don't think just the two of us can hold her off for sure—adding her improves our chances, but we can't let her tower over us. So this big alliance with a small one inside is the best strategy."

After a moment's consideration, Dong Xuan nodded in agreement: "Fine."

"Then good, call her now and bring her in."

"Why don't you call?"

"I called you first, now it's your turn. Besides, you two acted as sisters before—you're easier to talk to than I am."

"You two also played rivals for the same man—you have more experience dealing with her."

"You call."

"You call."

"Fine, don't call then."

"Then don't call."

"…"

They called it an alliance, but expecting two women still fighting over a man—and who had already fought before—to work together in unity was pure fantasy.

When dealing with enemies, you have cunning; when dealing with allies, you have even more…

————

ps: 11,000 words written, (7000/7000), monthly accounting completed

Normal update schedule resumes tomorrow, also asking for baseline monthly votes

(End of Chapter)