Chapter 252: Torn Yang Xue, the Powerful WeChat Moments

In the living room, the atmosphere was awkward. Yang Xue glanced at Yan Li and Jiang Xin, standing at a distance opposite Yan Li, and reiterated her words.

"I won't tell anyone—it benefits me nothing."

"I don't want to offend you or betray Jiang Xin."

Seeing this, Jiang Xin also assured Yang Xue that she still trusted her character.

Yan Li nodded; he knew Yang Xue was smart and wouldn't do anything foolish: "Alright, you can go."

Yang Xue was stunned—he let her go so easily?

"That's it?"

Yan Li frowned: "What else did you expect? Stay for dinner?"

"Then I'll take my leave—see you later?"

Yang Xue snapped out of it and left as if freed from prison. Jiang Xin put on her clothes and personally saw Yang Xue down the stairs; she still wasn't reassured and planned to have a proper talk with her best friend.

Yang Xue had questions too, so they got into Yang Xue's car, closed the door, and Yang Xue spoke first.

"When did you two get together?"

They worked and hung out constantly—yet she'd noticed nothing.

Jiang Xin didn't hide it: "During the filming of The Legend of Xue Rengui."

Yang Xue did the math—it had been over half a year. They'd hidden it well.

Shuang Bing, Dong Xuan, Jiang Xin—four of the Seven Fairies were now confirmed to have had relations with Yan Li.

Hu Siyan had been close to Yan Li and had a past flirtation with him; Yang Xue strongly suspected they were involved.

She herself was definitely not involved—but she wasn't sure about Li Lin. She thought Li Lin was married and wouldn't risk it, but you never knew.

After all, Li Lin was a mother still getting constant roles—who could say whether she was being helped by Fan Xiaopang or Yan Li?

Jiang Xin's exposure and Yan Li's earlier Shitan had shaken Yang Xue deeply.

Now, she suspected everyone of being involved with Yan Li!

Jiang Xin herself had only just now vaguely realized that Yan Li had his eye on all seven fairies—and that her own connection with him might have stemmed from her status among them.

But right now, she had no time for suspicion or resentment; her focus was entirely on Yang Xue.

"Xue'er, you know my situation—my father, mother, and grandfather are all in Jingcheng. My mother's health is poor, my grandfather is old, my father doesn't earn much—we all depend on me alone."

"I know this is wrong of me, and I've betrayed Dong Xuan—but I really need Yan Li's resources."

"How many years can an actor rely on youth? If I don't climb higher, how will I support my family? When I'm older, I won't even have savings to fall back on."

"… "

As Jiang Xin's best friend, Yang Xue knew her family situation wasn't as dire as she made it sound—as if she couldn't survive without this.

But Jiang Xin was indeed the family's pillar; her income had enabled the Jiang family to buy a home and live comfortably in Jingcheng.

If Jiang Xin's career declined, their entire quality of life, medical support, and future security would plummet.

"But Yan Li treated us well before—he gave us roles, and Dong Xuan helped too. Was it really necessary to… do this?"

Yang Xue still didn't understand Jiang Xin's actions, so Jiang Xin explained her earlier reasoning.

Previously, Yan Li used them because he was short on people—he preferred the familiar over the new.

But does Yan Li still need people now?

Yi'an's roster and the Teddy Sisters group could threaten or even replace them.

And there's a huge difference between friendly help and genuine backing from someone who considers you one of his own.

Jiang Xin used the female lead role in The Demon Sword and Life and Death as an example.

If not for her relationship with Yan Li, he'd never have cast her—a relatively unknown actress from another company.

Not to mention the material support and powerful backing he could provide.

The former didn't matter much—but Yang Xue, protected by Wang Jing, didn't feel the weight of the latter.

Jiang Xin had debuted early and struggled for years; she understood better than anyone how vital having a powerful backer was for entertainers, especially female ones.

"But he's still Dong Xuan's… and just being together like this—what kind of arrangement is that?"

Yang Xue still couldn't get past Dong Xuan and worried about the future of their relationship.

Jiang Xin, however, was surprisingly calm, her smile slightly forced: "I can't be his mistress forever—he might get bored with me in a few years."

"So if that's the case, I'll take whatever years I can get. I'll push my career forward now, earn as much as I can—so even if we split, I'll have savings and the ability to keep earning."

Yan Li might be charming, but not every woman would stick with him forever, let alone as a disposable mistress.

Jiang Xin had started for the resources, had once harbored feelings, even entertained other ideas—and challenged Fan Xiaopang for it.

She was swiftly crushed, and Yan Li's reaction was telling.

Since then, Jiang Xin had become noticeably more cautious; though unspoken, a certain understanding had formed between them.

Each got what they needed. When one no longer wished to continue, they'd part amicably.

Hearing this, Yang Xue swallowed all her Quanshuo.

Jiang Xin understood everything—she'd thought through the benefits, the costs, the future.

Even Yang Xue herself felt that, aside from the issue with Dong Xuan, being Yan Li's mistress was more advantageous than harmful for Jiang Xin—so what could she say? She could only mutter:

"You… take care of yourself."

She couldn't control Jiang Xin's choices, but she wouldn't betray her either. She'd pretend she knew nothing.

As a close friend, Jiang Xin knew Yang Xue's nature—she wasn't the type to meddle in such matters. Now that she'd laid everything bare, appealed to their sisterhood, Yang Xue was unlikely to turn her in.

Relieved, Jiang Xin turned to Yang Xue and suddenly said: "How about… you join too?"

"Join what?"

"Don't play dumb—you weren't the only one who had designs on Yan Li back then."

Jiang Xin looked at Yang Xue and recounted the past—likely sometime after The Seven Fairies aired.

At that time, Yan Li had risen rapidly, had few women in his life, wasn't known for his romances, and was close to the Seven Fairies.

It was then that Yang Xue and Jiang Xin, working together on a drama, grew closer.

Their relationship with Dong Xuan was merely decent—and Yang Xue, due to her agent and filming Little Fish and Flowerless Defect, was actually closer to Fan Xiaopang.

Though Yan Li and Dong Xuan were openly together, rumors swirled about his affairs with Shuang Bing—no one knew who his real girlfriend was.

Back then, Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, watching the dazzling Yan Li, couldn't help but be tempted—and even took subtle actions.

Both knew the other had feelings; they'd teased and mocked each other about it.

But Yan Li, focused entirely on work and with no stable relationship with Shuang Bing or Dong Qin, ignored or simply didn't care.

Slowly, Yang Xue gave up and turned her attention to Dong and Fan, focusing on her career.

Jiang Xin didn't believe Yang Xue had truly given up.

She hadn't dated anyone these past few years—wasn't that because she still had feelings?

Hearing this, Yang Xue couldn't help but roll her eyes at Jiang Xin.

She herself didn't matter—but Jiang Xin had clearly told her back then that she'd given up all hope.

Yet now she'd secretly hooked up with Yan Li—had it not been for this lucky break, Yang Xue might never have found out.

"Honestly, as good friends, if you have any thoughts, I can help you," Jiang Xin admitted—emotionally, she didn't want Yang Xue involved with Yan Li.

But practically, if Yang Xue became his mistress, it wouldn't hurt her either.

First, if Yang Xue joined, she'd never betray Jiang Xin—and if anything leaked later, Yang Xue could share the blame.

Second, Jiang Xin knew Yang Xue's nature: she didn't seek the spotlight, didn't stir trouble, and was a trustworthy ally.

If they formed an alliance, they could cooperate in both Ganqing and career.

"You've really lost your mind."

Yang Xue didn't know if Jiang Xin was serious or testing her—but she couldn't accept this kind of "alliance."

"So you want to go it alone?"

Jiang Xin tried to persuade her—going solo was hard. Just that monster, she couldn't handle him—how could Yang Xue, with her slight frame?

Her search for an ally had partly been motivated by this—this man was too exhausting, making her both love and fear him.

"… "

Yang Xue couldn't take it anymore. She shoved Jiang Xin out of the car and sped off.

Jiang Xin watched the car disappear, still unable to fathom what Yang Xue truly thought.

Had she truly given up?

But it didn't seem like it!

Still, Yang Xue was gone—she didn't care anymore. She rolled up her sleeves and went back to settle accounts with Yan Li.

That bastard was collecting them like stamps!

But when Jiang Xin stormed back, before she could even ask a few questions, Yan Li forced himself to beg forgiveness—and she ended up screaming herself hoarse before forgiving him…

…

On the other side, Yang Xue returned home, thinking about today's events—especially Jiang Xin's final words—and couldn't calm down. She decided to ask a friend for advice.

Yang Xue thought: her best friend was Jiang Xin—she couldn't ask her.

Fan Xiaopang and Dong Xuan were out of the question—and by the same logic, Li Lin, whom she was close to, couldn't be asked either.

All Seven Fairies were out. She needed a close friend with no connection to Yan Li.

And she couldn't ask directly—she'd have to hint around!

After thinking it over, she dialed a number. It was answered quickly, a clear female voice speaking.

"Why the sudden call?"

Gao Yuanyuan, a popular mainland actress and a good friend of Yang Xue's.

Although Yang Xue isn't ranked among the Seven Fairies, she still has some fame, backed by her agent Wang Jing, making her one of Chengtian's rising stars.

Last year, the media hyped up a gimmick called the "Four Little Princesses," and everyone knows who they were trying to imitate.

A "little princess" means someone with a good family background, beautiful looks, a sweet and innocent personality, and a bit of a spoiled, doted-upon vibe.

In short, it's just a label.

Among the Four Little Princesses were Yang Xue and Gao Yuanyuan; the other two were Liu Tianxian and Li Xiaolu.

But Liu Tianxian didn't care much for the label, and Gao Yuanyuan wasn't interested either—only Yang Xue and Li Xiaolu, both from Chengtian, frequently used it in press releases.

Although the "Four Little Princesses" label wasn't very effective, Yang Xue and Gao Yuanyuan still got along well privately.

They knew each other long before the Seven Fairies, since both started their careers in commercials and had crossed paths back then, though they weren't close at the time.

Later, when they both entered the entertainment industry and gained fame, that old connection resurfaced.

Plus, both were from Beijing, shared similar experiences and personalities, so they grew closer over time.

Earlier, while filming "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang" in Hengdian, they even had dinner together, and Yang Xue even tried to introduce Gao Yuanyuan to Dong Xuan.

But Dong Xuan had reservations about her.

In 2005, besides the Wang-Xie-Li-Zhang feud, the Two Bing's rivalry for Yan, and the collapse of the dual J relationships, there was another significant multi-angle romance.

That was the entanglement between Gao Yuanyuan and Xu Jinglei, two leading actresses, and music producer Zhang Yadong.

At the time, Gao was exposed as the third party who pressured Zhang Yadong to divorce his wife, and rumors had previously linked her to director Teng Huatao in a similar affair.

After the Gao-Zhang romance became public, Xu Jinglei was dragged into it too; insiders claimed all three were fully aware of each other's existence.

So although Yan Li is a scoundrel, the entertainment industry has no shortage of talent—he certainly isn't the only one enjoying his privileges.

Because of this, Gao Yuanyuan was hammered hard, drawing suspicion from all sides.

Dong Xuan isn't foolish—she wouldn't be friends with someone whose track record is well-documented.

This woman is beautiful, bold in action, and crucially, willing to share—far from easy to deal with.

Dong Xuan's coldness toward Gao Yuanyuan didn't affect Yang Xue's friendship with her; when Yang Xue wanted to consult someone with no ties to Yan Li, the first person she thought of was Gao Yuanyuan.

But after actually calling her, Yang Xue remembered Gao Yuanyuan's romantic history and realized she might have asked the wrong person.

The original question turned into small talk: "What have you been up to lately?"

"Running promotional tours—'Man Talent, Woman Beauty' just came out, and I've been traveling all over the country. Listen, I'm still in the car right now."

Hearing the road noise outside, Yang Xue felt even less like talking, but Gao Yuanyuan vaguely sensed something and asked if Yang Xue had something on her mind.

Yang Xue hesitated inside but, under Gao Yuanyuan's persistent prodding, said: "I have a friend—I mean, my friend ran into something. She's unsure about what to do and came to me for advice. I don't really know either, so I thought I'd ask you."

Gao Yuanyuan instantly understood: "What happened to your friend?"

"How do I put it? She's interested in a very talented man, but she's not sure whether to act on it."

"What's there to hesitate about?"

"But he has a girlfriend—more than one—and his private life is messy."

"Uh…"

Gao Yuanyuan paused briefly: "When you say 'very talented,' how talented exactly?"

"Extremely talented—I think he's one in ten thousand. Young, handsome, rich—his advantages are endless—and he's been very kind to me… to my friend."

Yang Xue gushed so much that even Gao Yuanyuan was baffled: "If a man like that exists, why wait? Go for it."

"It's not me—it's my friend. But he has a girlfriend! There's no future in being with him."

Yang Xue clung stubbornly, and Gao Yuanyuan was speechless: "If you date someone normal, you get a future. With a man like this, at least you won't lose out."

"But…"

"No buts. Ask yourself: if you miss this chance, will you regret it? Then you'll know what to do."

Gao Yuanyuan's nature is like this: she believes in "true love above all," ignoring consequences, focusing only on the present.

Yang Xue once again felt she'd asked the wrong person.

But then again—if you ask the wrong person anyway, is it really a mistake… or did you want to ask them?

————

PS: Got caught in the rain yesterday, feeling unwell. Took a 3000-word break; will make it up later.

(End of chapter)