Chapter 266: How Do You Deal with Dating When You Can

The Fengshen Bang 2 production team

Yan Li returned to the so-called "Lotus Terrace," wearing bloodstained armor, looking disheveled.

As soon as he entered the hall, he saw the Three Spirits of Xuanyuan lounging on the couch.

In the plot, faced with Jiang Ziya's army advancing to Chaoge, Daji—who had fallen in love and sided with the Shang—once led her two sisters to assassinate Jiang Ziya, but failed, fled back severely wounded, and the Pipa Spirit nearly got split to death by Lei Zhenzi.

After that, Yan Li, as King Zhou, personally led troops out of the city to fight King Wu.

In this battle, though King Zhou fought bravely, he could not overcome heaven's mandate, which had already passed to Xiqi; he was ultimately defeated by Ji Fa and the Xiqi generals, sealing the final fate of the Shang dynasty.

Jiang Ziya seized the moment to launch a full assault; under the cover of a few loyal warriors, King Zhou retreated to the palace, but Chaoge had already fallen—the kingdom's collapse was inevitable.

Though dejected, Yan Li remained calm as he looked at the Three Spirits of Xuanyuan.

"The city has fallen; Jiang Ziya is nearly here. Empress, and my two beloved consorts, flee at once."

Though wounded, Daji and the others still possessed their divine powers and had a chance to escape.

Fan Xiaopang grabbed Yan Li's hand: "What about the King?"

Yan Li gave a bitter smile, then declared firmly: "Today, I have lost the battle and my kingdom; I shall kill myself rather than suffer humiliation at the hands of Ji Fa's brat and Jiang Ziya."

"Why must the King say this? Your humble wife can use her magic to take you away, rally heroes from all corners, and raise an army to retake Xiqi."

Yan Li shook his head: "Chaoge has fallen; eight hundred lords have all turned against us. Where are the troops left to use? Where can I flee?"

He pulled his hand free from Fan Xiaopang, rose, and declared solemnly: "The fall of Shang is my fault; I must die for my country and atone before the world."

"Empress, no more words. Time is short—go now."

Saying this, King Zhou took up his sword and stepped outside, ordering his last loyal warriors to gather firewood and oil, piling them around the Lotus Terrace.

"A king dies as a king should—not by blade or spear. Let this Lotus Terrace perish with me."

Afterward, Yan Li briefly stepped offstage to begin filming the Three Spirits of Xuanyuan's scenes.

The Pipa Spirit and the Chick Spirit urged Daji to flee with them, but she refused, unwilling to leave King Zhou.

She pretended to send her two sisters ahead first, saying she would see King Zhou off, while warning them to hide carefully and not seek out Nüwa.

In the plot, though the Three Spirits of Xuanyuan were ordered to corrupt the Shang realm, their methods were too cruel—they killed too many innocents—and in the end, they betrayed their mission. Daji feared Nüwa's wrath and told her sisters to stay hidden.

After filming this scene, King Zhou was changing into his royal robes to die with dignity, and Daji walked in gracefully, reaching out to help him dress.

Yan Li frowned: "Empress?"

Fan Xiaopang's expression was calm: "I am the King's wife, the Empress of Shang. How could a wife and Empress survive while her husband and King perishes?"

Yan Li looked deeply at Fan Xiaopang, then burst into laughter: "Good. With a wife like you, I have lived a life without regret."

Afterwards, Daji helped King Zhou don his royal robes, then changed into her own empress attire, ordered the warriors to set fire, and sat calmly beside him as usual.

In the final edit, at this point, flames should roar fiercely, and the two should speak like a married couple in quiet conversation.

"Great King, I have a secret."

"I know—you are not Daji, nor human. But I also know you are my Empress."

"Great King truly knows this? Then do you know who sent me, and why?"

"I do not. But today, you have stayed with me. No matter what, I know I have won."

"… "

More lines followed, but whether they were kept in the final cut or swallowed by the flames depended on the director and editor's choices.

After filming, Yan Li squatted behind the monitor, reviewing the playback and speaking with director Jiang Jiajun.

This scene in the original script was deeply tragic, portraying their joint death with unforgettable emotion and sincerity.

But when preparing to shoot, Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang did not follow the script strictly.

One reason: the tone felt too high, artificial, giving the impression of melodrama and cliché.

Another consideration: King Zhou and Daji were villains. If their exit was portrayed so tragically, it would make them seem like victims of the righteous side.

Though some whitewashing was inevitable, it couldn't go too far—these two were ruthless when harming others.

So they got what they deserved; no need to paint them as tragic. Accepting defeat with dignity was enough.

Even now, Yan Li felt this treatment was still whitewashing: the Emperor and Empress faced death calmly, exchanging tender words. If he hadn't played it, he'd have muttered that the screenwriter slipped in personal bias.

But as it stood, he enjoyed performing it, and Fan Xiaopang seemed slightly unsatisfied.

She preferred the heart-wrenching, tearful separation—she felt that version was more thrilling.

Still, she had no desire to reshoot the original script. With the director approving her performance, she officially wrapped her role in Fengshen Bang 2.

"Let's thank Teacher Fan Bingbing for her hard work."

Producer Cheng Lidong held a small wrap party for Fan Xiaopang.

As the production's star and since Fan Xiaopang was only helping out, the ceremony was small but still grand.

Flowers, cake, group photos—all present. Several media outlets and TV programs were arranged for interviews. Besides Fan Xiaopang appearing on camera, the entire crew praised her lavishly—every bit of prestige was delivered.

Yan Li, of course, was not spared—he gave interviews to CCTV and Sohu, lavishing praise on Fan Xiaopang's performance, calling her the "chosen Daji," and so on.

Fan Xiaopang had many interviews and social obligations, so Yan Li went first to remove his makeup. When he finished, Fan Xiaopang arrived late.

"Here. A shock-recovery red envelope."

Seeing the red envelope, Yan Li finally realized—he had died again.

There were no special effects on set, no fire, just the two of them sitting and chatting quietly—the "death" felt too mild, so he hadn't registered it.

Yan Li counted on his fingers: he'd acted in over a dozen dramas; only Xue Rengui and Jin Zha had survived to the finale, and even Jin Zha had died and come back to life.

In Fengshen Bang, King Zhou had barely escaped death at the end—only to die again in Part Two.

Hmm, if he played Xue Rengui again in Xue Dingshan's Western Campaign, he'd have to die again.

But Yan Li didn't want to play Xue Rengui anymore.

Each generation has its heroes: in The Legend of Xue Rengui, the White-Robed Divine General was invincible; in Xue Dingshan's Western Campaign, he had to yield to his son and daughter-in-law, his strength and intelligence drastically reduced, making foolish moves, and any strong character had to beat him up.

This kind of "good-luck charm" role: change him, and he steals the spotlight; don't change him, and he looks pathetic.

Plus, the Xue Rengui in Xue Dingshan's Western Campaign was middle-aged or elderly. Yan Li preferred an older actor for the role.

He had one remaining living character—let him keep some good memories.

Fan Xiaopang didn't feel this way as deeply—she'd done too many dramas.

She'd played roles that died, roles that lived, and roles whose fates she didn't even know—she didn't dwell on it. But another thing made her sigh.

"We've 'died' together three times on the same day!"

Yan Li thought about it—yes. In The Treasure Basin, they wrapped together, but that wasn't dying on the same day. But in The Lucky Eight Immortals and Fengshen Bang, they truly died together.

The former was mutual destruction; the latter was a husband and wife journeying to the afterlife together.

Oh, what about Huayi? In that plot, Wang Sheng commits suicide, then Xiao Wei sacrifices herself, dispersing her power to save Wang Sheng and his wife—does that count as dying together? He pulled a red bill from the envelope, handed it to his assistant to spend—anything, as long as it was all used up. Fan Xiaopang, wanting convenience, gave her envelope to him too.

Afterward, Fan Xiaopang hurried to remove her makeup and change clothes.

Her flight was that afternoon; after finishing here, she still had to return to the hotel to pack, then rush to Yiwu Airport—time was tight.

Yan Li had no more scenes that day, but he didn't plan to see her off.

He was returning in a week anyway; by then, Fan Xiaopang wouldn't yet be filming Chi Bi, so they'd still meet. A few days apart wasn't worth a tearful farewell—they'd just have lunch together, then he'd go to Yi'an Garden to work.

But plans were good—someone ruined them.

Perhaps because Fan Xiaopang was finally gone, Wang Ou became overconfident—or feared being hated—so she came over to greet her and offer goodbyes.

Just before Fan Xiaopang left, she "jumped" out again.

At least, that's how Fan Xiaopang saw it. Already unhappy about wrapping and leaving, she didn't bother packing after lunch—she dragged Yan Li to his room to "digest."

She'd drain this bastard dry before she left—let that slut stare helplessly!

Yan Li warned: "You'll miss your flight."

Fan Xiaopang didn't care—she undid his buttons: "I'll reschedule."

…

Fan Xiaopang's plan still backfired—mainly because trying to drain Yan Li single-handedly was too hard.

Even after spending time with her, that night, Yan Li alone took on the Ouni who had been pent-up for days; after thousands of rounds, he still held firm, effortlessly suppressing Wang Ou and Wu Jiani.

Bang

Wang Ou lit a cigarette with a lighter; Yan Li held Wu Jiani, casually exhaling a smoke ring.

These days spent constantly with Fan Xiaopang—though the food was delicious, it wasn't satisfying enough.

Today, at last, his craving was fully satisfied—delicious and thrilling!

Seeing Yan Li in good spirits, Wang Ou coaxed and shooed Wu Jiani off to shower, then snuggled close to Yan Li, cuddling and pouting.

Yan Li shook his head, pinched her cheek—this little vixen had the nerve to complain about Fan Xiaopang bullying her, yet just now, wasn't she bullying Wu Jiani too?

Big fish eat little fish, little fish eat shrimp. Others might not know, but Wang Ou wasn't fooling anyone with her innocent act.

Wang Ou herself was used to it—she habitually pouted and complained, just to subtly poison the others' minds and curry favor with Yan Li.

To be fair, though Yan Li knew Wang Ou wasn't truly pure or innocent, her attitude of avoiding Dong, Qin, and Fan—whether genuine or forced—he still appreciated and was satisfied with it. She didn't cause him trouble.

In looks, figure, personality, ability, and charm, Wang Ou wasn't outstanding among Yan Li's women—even her obedience wasn't unique.

But Wang Ou was the most obedient, most sensible, and most compliant—and often put his interests ahead of her own.

Whether or not she had ulterior motives, in this regard, she was far ahead of all the rest.

For this alone, Yan Li was willing to give her certain extra benefits and relatively special treatment.

"What happened to that house you picked last time?"

Yan Li stroked Wang Ou's shoulder and asked. Last year, Wang Ou had earned a lot and planned to buy a house; Yan Li had promised to help financially, but after the New Year, she'd stopped mentioning it.

Wang Ou looked guilty, hesitated, then said: "I bought a house in Nanning for my mother. I didn't have enough money left."

Yan Li: "… "

He didn't know how to respond. Whenever family came up, Wang Ou—raised in hardship—was full of resentment, yet when it came to spending money, she never hesitated.

He even paused his own home-buying plan and withdrew his housing funds to buy a house for his family first.

Yan Li no longer cared to analyze what Wang Ou was thinking—after all, they were family; if he wanted to help, let him.

"How much is missing? I'll cover it. Good houses won't wait—buy early, sleep easy."

It's not just about buying early for peace of mind—next year is the Olympics. After the Games, Beijing will be in the spotlight, and property prices will surge significantly. Buying now saves a lot.

Besides Wang Ou, if conditions allowed, Yan Li also encouraged close people around him to buy homes this year; if they lacked funds, they could turn to him.

Of course, Wang Ou was given money outright; for others, except a few, it was mostly loans.

The loan amounts weren't excessive, but Yan Li didn't charge interest, and repayment timelines were flexible.

For example, Wu Jiani—if she wanted to buy a house, Yan Li could lend her the money. In fact, the "loan" was just a formality; he never intended for her to repay it.

As the relationship deepened, the money he gave her—whether pocket money or housing allowance—would count as breakup compensation if they ever split up.

In short, Yan Li would never try to take back money he'd given a woman.

He used the word "loan" only out of caution, to prevent potential complications.

Wang Ou was touched but said: "Actually, no need. 'The Imperial Harem of Great Qing' is airing now—the ratings look good. My popularity will rise soon, and I'll make up the money quickly."

In the past, she never hesitated to ask Yan Li for help, but this time—perhaps because it involved her family—she felt embarrassed and preferred to fix the gap herself.

Her current income wasn't low, the house she wanted wasn't a luxury mansion, and she still had some savings. Give her a few months to rearrange things and borrow a bit more, and she could handle it.

"..."

Yan Li was speechless. Qin Lan and Dong Xuan didn't like spending money, Fan Xiaopang had no financial worries, and even you, Wang Ou—the one who always chased after cash—had changed.

Everyone's so considerate. Who the hell is he supposed to spend his money on?!

Yan Li looked at Wu Jiani after her bath and couldn't help asking: "Are you buying a house?"

"Huh?"

Wu Jiani was confused. After Yan Li explained property prices and such, she shook her head.

"I'm fine renting now. My dance studio hasn't stabilized yet. I'll buy when I've earned enough."

He'd just invested in her dance studio—now if she accepted his offer to buy her a house, it would seem greedy.

"..."

Yan Li truly didn't believe it. He pulled out his phone and called Yang Rong back, the one he'd just hung up on.

Yang Rong's tone was bitter and angry: "Are you done? Don't you care about your health?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I want to buy you a house in Beijing."

"I don't want it."

Yang Rong refused in panic, bewildered by Yan Li's sudden madness. She hadn't even decided what their relationship was—taking his house would mean what?

She'd never been drawn to his money or power; the more he threw cash at her, the more unsettled she became.

Not even the drama 'The Hard Love of a Diamond Old Man' felt right anymore.

If she took his money and couldn't repay it, she'd be completely trapped by this bastard.

Yan Li laughed bitterly into the phone. Other guys couldn't afford to court women—he couldn't spend enough on his.

Can't you respect wealth and money? Don't you realize this kills my motivation to earn more...

(End of Chapter)