Chapter 265: Fan Xiaopang: Eating Alone? I

"No need to say that—I still stand by what I said: you're with the company, working for it, and if anyone targets you, the company and I will protect you."

"Mm, give my regards to your spouse. Let's get together again when you're back in Beijing."

"…"

After hanging up the phone, Yan Li continued eating breakfast at the restaurant, while Fan Xiaopang teased him.

"Boss Yan's really showing off now—everyone in the circle's been talking about you."

In this Zhang Zhilin incident, Yan Li did indeed get a bit of spotlight.

Favoritism!

This label, already tied to Yan Li, grew even louder, celebrated by the circle and gossip enthusiasts alike.

Last time, he went to war with half the circle over Fan Xiaopang, dragging in multiple actresses and companies, forcing China Film and related units to step in and mediate.

This time, because of Zhang Zhilin, he directly sent that wealthy man—who once made waves in Xiangjiang—straight to jail.

When one of his people gets into trouble, Boss Yan truly stands by them!

Last time, with rumors involving actresses and multiple companies, everyone fought behind the scenes; though loud, it remained low-key afterward.

So it only circulated within the industry and among gossip channels, with no large-scale discussion.

This time it's different—only two parties involved, and Yan Li openly supported the "victim," standing firm on principle, while the wealthy man was fallen, with no one fearing to offend him.

Especially since this involves Xiangjiang—those Xiangjiang paparazzi love chaos and are masters at spinning stories, running wild with this topic.

According to the version Yan Li heard, he visited several Xiangjiang clans and temples—Yinghuang, HuanYa, Da Liu, Huo Family, Li Family—all the major names in Xiangjiang now claimed to be his close friends.

Worse, some fabricated that Yan Li doesn't even bear the surname Yan, but instead is surnamed X and X, tying his resume and appearance to these false claims.

In short, thanks to the Xiangjiang paparazzi's portrayal, Yan Li has become a mainland big shot with connections everywhere, and the wealthy man only escaped by crawling on his knees begging for mercy.

Yet these melodramatic reports and descriptions are wildly popular right now—not just in Xiangjiang, but on the mainland too.

Tianya already has a post claiming eyewitnesses saw Yan Li personally travel to Xiangjiang to negotiate, nearly breaking the wealthy man's leg and so on.

These posts are wildly exaggerated and largely false, but plenty of people believe them—and not just a few.

After all, today's underworld web novels have legions of readers, countless people firmly believe in secret tales of China's Dragon Corps and the Rothschilds, let alone Yan Li taking down a fallen tycoon.

Faced with these mixed rumors, Yan Li made no public statement to clarify.

One reason: unnecessary. Another: the blur of truth and falsehood itself serves as a deterrent and warning.

You can't guard against thieves for a thousand days—it's better to show early on that you're not to be trifled with, which can avoid some petty troubles.

Unlike typical companies and entrepreneurs who chase perfection and moral virtue, Yan Li, leveraging his youth, prefers to show some edge.

In fact, Yan Li doesn't reject becoming an "evil man" at times.

As always: saints must be flawless, but an "evil man" who does one good deed can lay down his knife.

Of course, "evil" invites targeted backlash and negative effects.

How to be "evil," to what degree and with what timing, and whether one can be "evil" without being hated—that's all up to Yan Li's own skill.

He doesn't want to be a saint, nor does he want to become a trash bin despised by all…

…

He glanced at Fan Xiaopang, beaming with delight—this spotlight was out, and she was practically dancing with joy, while he hadn't even done much.

He figured Fan Xiaopang's scenes would wrap up in a few days; after finishing other work, he'd head into the set of "Chibi."

Yan Li bit into a bun and warned: "Be even more low-key now. Once you're in 'Chibi,' try not to clash with Lin Zhiling."

"Chibi" has only two main actresses, one hoping to elevate herself by the other, the other aiming to crush and harvest the film's profits—they're destined to never get along.

Media smears are fine, back-and-forth mud-slinging is acceptable—standard industry tactics; if you can't fight back, your team and company are useless.

But direct confrontation and on-set conflict are another matter—"Chibi" isn't Yi'an's set, and Yan Li fears Fan Xiaopang will get hurt.

"You really think of me as a caged bird, playing favorites, huh? I get it."

Though Fan Xiaopang has been riding Yan Li's coattails these past two years and her life's been comfortable, she hasn't floated so high as to be oblivious to others.

She'd been active in the circle long before, her emotional intelligence was never lacking—if she chose, she could even become close friends with Sister Zhiling after "Chibi."

And even if conflict did arise, she wasn't afraid—though the other was higher-ranked, she was just a skinny stick; two solid punches and she'd be crying.

"Good, you've got sense. 'Chibi' is a big set, internally complex, with powerful factions—don't get involved. Just focus on your own role. With my reputation, you shouldn't get dragged in."

"But if something does happen, don't back down—stand your ground and call me."

Yan Li was more talkative than usual; normally, Fan Xiaopang never needed his attention.

Not just because of his influence, but because of her own status and ability, few would dare provoke her.

But as mentioned earlier, "Chibi" is a big set, with many factions and big names—Fan Xiaopang's status isn't enough, and even Yan Li's reputation might not fully shield her, so caution is best.

"Got it."

Though Fan Xiaopang liked to bicker and tease Yan Li, she knew when to be serious.

Watching Yan Li lay out the rules and assure her everything would be fine, that he had her back, Fan Xiaopang's peach eyes softened with warmth; as she replied, she peeled a tea egg and handed it to him.

"Here."

Yan Li turned his head: "I'm full."

Fan Xiaopang refused: "I already peeled it."

"Eat it yourself."

"I've had enough breakfast—how about we split it?"

Yan Li, who disliked egg yolks, conceded: "You take the yolk, I'll take the white."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Fan Xiaopang gave in, made Yan Li open his mouth to feed him, but as soon as he did, she shoved both yolk and white in.

Yan Li, unwilling to waste food, could only chew awkwardly; when he could speak again, he glared at Fan Xiaopang.

"Trying to choke me?"

Fan Xiaopang snorted: "What did you say when you choked me?"

"…"

Yan Li fell silent; Fan Xiaopang, emboldened, muttered that the egg was too small, and next time she'd bring him a fried dough stick to show him what real power felt like, for not knowing his place.

Though playful, their atmosphere remained warm—until someone arrived, making Fan Xiaopang's expression turn cold.

Even breakfast isn't peaceful!

Wang Ou, newly joined to the set, sensed Fan Xiaopang's low energy but ignored it entirely, placing two boxes of pastry-like packaging on the table.

"Boss Yan, Sister Bing, yesterday on my way back with Jiani, I passed a popular pastry shop and bought some for you to try."

You don't hit a smiling face!

Though she knew this sly chicken had no good intentions, her constant smiles and gifts, combined with Yan Li's presence, made it hard for Fan Xiaopang to be openly rude—otherwise she'd look petty and intolerant.

"You're too thoughtful, thank you."

Though she didn't give a cold shoulder, she certainly didn't offer warmth—Fan Xiaopang said the polite words and then used her eyes to shoo her away. Rarely did she and Yan Li have light morning schedules, allowing them to share breakfast at the hotel.

This one sniffed out the scent and came running— Daodishijihaishigoua ？！

Luckily, Wang Ou didn't hear her thoughts—or she might've retorted that Fan Xiaopang's zodiac was indeed dog.

"Have you eaten?"

Yan Li, more courteous than Fan Xiaopang, asked. Wang Ou shook her head.

"Then sit down and eat with us."

Yan Li habitually invited her. Wang Ou's eyes lit up—just as she was about to speak, she caught Fan Xiaopang's sly smirk, and swallowed her words.

"No need—Jiani just arrived yesterday, hasn't woken up yet. I'll take it up to her."

Fan Xiaopang nodded in satisfaction and waved her off: "Alright, go ahead, we'll talk later."

Wang Ou walked off, glancing back every four or five steps, cursing Fan Xiaopang in her mind.

She'd been on set for days, yet hadn't even managed to get close to Yan Li, let alone seduce him.

Back when filming "The Legend of Shen Nong," Qin Lan the bastard hoarded everything—she and Fan were both victims.

She thought this time, with Qin Lan gone, Fan Xiaopang might at least let her sip some broth.

But this sly fox was even worse than Qin Lan—just a few words and she was shooing her away. She really should've slipped some poison into those pastries.

After Wang Ou left, Yan Li glanced at Fan Xiaopang: "She calls you Sister Bing—how can you be so cold-hearted?"

"How am I being unkind? Should I hand over men to her to sleep with? Let Qin and Dong be the ones to be kind then."

Fan Xiaopang rolled her eyes—she and Wang Ou, being from the same company, had gotten slightly closer.

But far from allies, not even superior-subordinate—purely mutual exploitation.

Wang Ou occasionally used Fan Xiaopang as a banner to gain resources; Fan Xiaopang occasionally used Wang Ou to bolster her own standing, give her resources, and use her to deflect internal company gossip and prevent favors to "outsiders."

That was the extent of their relationship.

Wang Ou called her "Sister Bing" to her face, but resented her inside; Fan Xiaopang pretended to care, but never truly considered Wang a confidante.

Everyone says the "Teddy Sisterhood" is fake—but these two are even faker, sometimes not even bothering to maintain the illusion.

Yan Li shook his head: Dong and Qin formed factions, even Wang Ou had her little clique—yet Fan Xiaopang did nothing.

"Eating alone leads to no good end."

"I'll choke on it if I want to."

Fan Xiaopang was stubborn as ever, making Yan Li's teeth itch—he'd have torn her apart if he weren't reluctant, just to see if she'd still be defiant without outside help.

…

After breakfast, they went to the makeup room. Fan Xiaopang put on makeup while listening to music; Yan Li, lacking such luxury, put on makeup while listening to phone reports.

"The Legend of Xue Rengui" ended its premiere—final ratings barely broke 4%, still a strong result.

Currently, it's undergoing large-scale reruns, especially on Qilu TV in Shandong, which reportedly airs it nonstop during daytime—ratings are solid.

Beyond terrestrial channels, the second-tier satellite networks sold out in four provinces: Jiangxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, and Guangdong.

Special mention should be made of Jiangxi and Shanxi.

The latter is Xue Rengui's hometown, which helped with considerable promotion; Yu Yanli even gave an interview to a provincial newspaper, while the former is the province where The Legend of Xue Rengui achieved its highest viewership.

According to relevant statistics, The Legend of Xue Rengui ranked first in viewership across the entire Jiangxi region during the same period.

Not only did it lead in provincial ratings, but among the top five cities in Jiangxi, all except Jinling were from Jiangxi.

Yu Yanli's face could be said to be the most familiar to countless Jiangxi viewers in March.

Lin Jiachuan, who played the second male lead Zhou Qing, also took on an advertisement shoot for a local Jiangxi enterprise.

Of course, Lin Jiachuan was hired not because of his popularity, but because he was cheap.

Li Bingbing is beyond the budget of most people; for Yu Yanli, price is no longer the issue.

According to the report from Hu Ya's office, three brands offered Yu Yanli endorsement deals exceeding five million yuan per year.

They were alcohol, automobiles, and health supplements.

The health supplement offer was the highest, ranging from 6. to 8 million yuan, with contracts starting at three years.

Yu Yanli rejected it outright without even using the system to investigate—such health supplements are definitely scams, and he wouldn't fall for such a trap over a few million.

The alcohol and automobile brands were well-known, but belonged to the mid-to-high-end tier; they sought Yu Yanli's endorsement to associate themselves with higher prestige.

The prices were undeniably attractive in the entertainment industry, but Yu Yanli declined them all.

He was increasingly aware of how precious his personal image was in driving commercial value.

The more valuable it became, the more carefully he had to use it—good steel must be used on the cutting edge; overuse would devalue it.

Therefore, Yu Yanli currently rejected all brand endorsements except one: Tudou. om.

Whether the money was more or less was secondary; the key was to further tie himself to Tudou. om and strengthen public perception that he was Tudou. om's owner.

Yi'an and its partners were still very satisfied with the success of The Legend of Xue Rengui and were considering whether to produce a sequel.

The Sui and Tang Dynasties is actually a classical novel or storytelling series, one of whose core components is The Xue Family Generals.

The Xue Family Generals consists primarily of a trilogy: the first is The Legend of Xue Rengui, followed by Xue Dingshan Conquers the West, then Xue Gang Rebels Against Tang, with a side story called The Tale of Fan Lihua.

Besides The Xue Family Generals, there is its sister series, Luo Tong Sweeps the North, which tells the story of Luo Cheng's son.

When filming The Legend of Xue Rengui, they had considered making a sequel, so they planted some groundwork and plot hooks.

In the original novel, when Xue Rengui returned home, he mistakenly killed his own son Xue Dingshan—a plot too brutal for modern audiences.

So in the drama, the family of three was genuinely reunited, and Xue Dingshan was given a miraculous encounter, leaving home to seek a master and train.

This way, if they made Xue Dingshan Conquers the West, the storyline could be easily picked up.

But the original Xue Dingshan Conquers the West was absurd, indistinguishable from Investiture of the Gods, filled with magical battles—if truly adapted, the script would have to be heavily revised.

A major factor in The Legend of Xue Rengui's success was refining the original source material, keeping the essence and discarding the excess.

The tropes of these classical novels were too outdated; they simply had to be changed.

Yu Yanli no longer had as much confidence in this project as before.

To be honest, had it not been for his and Li Bingbing's performances, the meticulously rewritten script, and the strong investment and production support, The Legend of Xue Rengui would not have succeeded so greatly.

The next drama won't have his and Li Bingbing's cast or appeal, and the script quality is uncertain.

Therefore, Yu Yanli's stance is to first develop the script, then decide on investment, cost, and resource allocation based on its quality.

A great script gets big investment; an average script gets small investment; a poor script gets no investment…

(End of Chapter)