Chapter 272: Which One Will Sister Zhiling and the Director of The New Three Kingdoms Choose?

Late April, the Red Cliff production team; Yan Li was invited by Han Sanye to visit the set.

As previously mentioned, although Yi'an had not invested in this film, its ground promotion and anti-piracy capabilities were outstanding, making it one of Red Cliff's distributors.

As a distributor, it was natural to check on the production's progress and circumstances—and, of course, to sneak in a personal visit to Fan Xiaopang.

"Director Wu, sorry to disturb you."

Yan Li shook hands with Wu Baige; over the past few months, Wu Baige had made numerous trips to the mainland and dealt with many mainland bosses.

Although Yan Li wasn't among them, they had crossed paths at several events.

"Not at all, Master Yan is an expert—please offer plenty of guidance."

Wu Baige still held a strong impression of Yan Li; aside from anything else, Yan Li's youthful appearance stood out sharply among industry veterans.

Not to mention, Yan Li's wealth and influence ranked among the top in mainland cinema, and he had built it all from scratch.

Wu Baige was a seasoned veteran of the industry.

He had met many young billionaires and knew how to deal with them.

Act superior? Show off your seniority?

These young men who rose to power in just a few years despised that approach; if you were polite, they'd give you polite lip service; if you weren't, they'd crush you outright.

International directors certainly had face with financiers and were often fawned over.

But they fawned on you to make money; if you didn't play along, even an international director was just a director.

Other financiers might flatter you for profit, but they wouldn't necessarily stand by you against certain people.

Hong Kong directors understood this deeply—they'd been overplayed or ground into the dirt before; mainland directors, due to their insular environment and the market's recent rise, still held themselves with higher postures.

At least in Yan Li's personal experience, he found working with Hong Kong directors more comfortable.

After some small talk, Yan Li toured the interior and exterior sets and filming locations of Red Cliff with Han Sanye and several other investors or distributors.

Including the Jiangdong military camp and Cao's camp, they even tested the iron-chain-linked boats ahead of time—before Cao Cao himself arrived.

Leaving plot aside for now, Red Cliff's hundreds of millions in investment weren't wasted; costumes, makeup, props, and sets were all top-tier.

Yan Li pulled a long halberd from a weapon rack, swung it around, and found even the decorative weapons were exact 1: replicas.

No wonder it was a blockbuster—such a waste of money.

Yan Li had once considered whether, if he made The New Three Kingdoms, he could learn from Red Cliff's costumes and props—but now he hesitated.

Not because it was bad, but because it was too expensive!

Even if Red Cliff burned through cash, it only filmed a few hours of footage; The New Three Kingdoms was dozens of episodes. If they prepared costumes and props at this level, the budget might multiply several times over.

So learning from it was out of the question—he'd see if he could pick up some "discards" from Red Cliff instead.

After all, secondhand items were cheaper than buying or manufacturing new ones; even if similar, their quality was more reliable.

As he thought this, Yan Li showed no intent to criticize; instead, he approached Red Cliff with the mindset of learning and acquiring secondhand costumes and props, curious about everything and asking questions.

Had the production not enforced strict secrecy and banned photography, Yan Li might have even compiled a secondhand purchase catalog.

After touring the sets and stages, they met the main cast of Red Cliff.

Since the crew had started filming Cao's camp scenes first, not everyone was present—but Fan Xiaopang and Lin Zhiling were there.

Correct: besides Sun Shangxiang infiltrating Cao's camp, Xiao Qiao also personally went to Cao's camp to delay Cao Cao's troop deployment and buy time for the battle.

And to drink and chat with Xiao Qiao, Cao Cao actually missed his strategic opportunity.

The most absurd part? Xiao Qiao came to him willingly, and Cao Cao merely drank with her, chatted with her—and didn't cheat on Zhou Yu.

Pfft!

It insulted both Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao—and Cao Cao too.

Every time Yan Li thought about Red Cliff's plot, then looked at its exquisite costumes, massive budget, and star-studded cast, he felt it was a waste.

Like the best chef in the finest restaurant, using the finest ingredients, ending up with a dish of raw cucumber… and the cucumber wasn't even cooked.

…

"Hello, Master Yan."

Lin Zhiling came over specifically to greet Yan Li; they weren't meeting for the first time—they'd briefly met at an event before, but only exchanged pleasantries. Still, Yan Li had a strong impression of her.

High-pitched voice, sweet tone, tall, long legs!

Yan Li wasn't sure if Lin Zhiling was the tallest female star he'd ever seen, but she was definitely among the top; crucially, her proportions were excellent. Though her nickname "Number One Model of Taiwan Province" had some exaggeration, it wasn't without basis.

Lin Zhiling came only to greet him, chatted briefly, then excused herself.

It wasn't that Boss Yan lacked charm—it was that a tigress stood nearby, watching with sharp eyes.

Everyone knew Yan Li was Fan Xiaopang's man; Lin Zhiling had no desire to invite trouble.

After Lin Zhiling left, Fan Xiaopang, still in costume, sauntered over and nodded slightly in satisfaction.

"Good. I thought you'd chat with her a while longer?"

"What do you take me for?"

Yan Li rolled his eyes. Fan Xiaopang's jealousy, though not as intense as Dong Xuan's or Qin Lan's, was still sour enough—he wasn't afraid of it, but he had no intention of inviting unnecessary trouble.

"So what am I?"

Fan Xiaopang sneered. The bastard's nature was well known to all.

And that Taiwan girl—though she disliked her, she admitted the girl's sweet, seductive manner was undeniably attractive to men; in fact, she was even more popular on the Red Cliff set than Fan Xiaopang.

Of course, this also had to do with Fan Xiaopang having powerful backing, so she didn't care to indulge in pointless socializing or relationships.

Popular!

In the entertainment industry, this word might be a compliment—but sometimes its hidden implications were less than flattering.

Yan Li raised an eyebrow and swiftly changed the subject, asking quietly:

"Has anyone bothered you?"

Before Fan Xiaopang joined the crew, Yan Li had warned her that Red Cliff was a large, complex production and urged her to stay low-key to avoid conflict.

In fact, his visit to the set was partly meant to back her up.

"Relax. I don't bother them—that's already a favor."

Fan Xiaopang remained confident. As always, Yan Li's care was good—but sometimes he underestimated her too much.

Not to mention Yi'an's background and her own fame and status—ordinary people dared not offend her lightly.

Even if someone was suicidal, she wasn't a pushover!

Seeing her attitude, Yan Li realized he might have worried unnecessarily—but since he was already here, he took Fan Xiaopang around to meet Han Sanye, Wu Baige, and the crew's key figures and creators.

To make it clear: Fan Xiaopang was under his protection; treat her with care and understanding.

If anyone still intended to cause trouble, don't blame him for "showing care and understanding" toward them.

Fan Xiaopang thought Yan Li was overdoing it—but she thoroughly enjoyed being protected by him.

Being capable and being cherished were two different things!

She even sensed a hint of envy from a certain supermodel's gaze; in this circle, who didn't want a powerful backer—especially one with other advantages?

Alerted by this, Fan Xiaopang found an excuse to send Yan Li off to catch up with Tong Dawei, who had also joined the crew.

Yan Li was great in every way, and being with him felt wonderful—but he drew too much attention.

…

Tong Dawei played a common soldier in Red Cliff, skilled in cuju, with a hazy romantic subplot involving Sun Shangxiang, who had infiltrated the camp.

But before it even began, he died on the battlefield right before Sun Shangxiang's eyes.

From this plotline, it seemed meant to depict the cruelty of war, the simplicity and tragedy of minor figures—but Yan Li always felt it was just padding for runtime.

Red Cliff was full of inexplicable plotlines.

If they cut them, they could make a 200-minute extended cut and tell the whole story in one film.

But no one could help it: the big director had his own art and rhythm; the stars needed enough screen time; investors wanted to harvest two rounds of profits; the film was naturally split into two parts.

Yet no one seemed to ask: what if the first part tanked? Who'd watch the second?

Though Yan Li thought the role was unnecessary, Tong Dawei himself performed it with real energy.

Mainly because he hadn't starred in many films; Red Cliff was an international director's epic production, and as the only mainland male lead in the cast, this might be the defining moment of his career.

Yan Li didn't care much about Tong Dawei's career—he wasn't one of his artists—but as a friend, he preferred to gossip about his love life.

"Still in touch with that Jiang… what's her name?"

According to Dong Xuan's intel, Tong Dawei had been trying hard to win back Guan Yue; though they hadn't officially reconciled, rumors said they were living together again.

It was similar to his own situation with Dong Xuan—reconciled but without formal status. He wasn't sure if Guan Yue was controlling Tong Dawei, or if he had other hidden motives.

"We broke up long ago."

Tong Dawei looked like a reformed man, slightly embarrassed—after all, Guan Yue had caught him cheating, and Yan Li had been there.

"Really clean now?"

Yan Li didn't believe him. Maybe it was his own heart, or maybe he couldn't do it himself—he held a pessimistic view of human nature on this matter.

There were honest men who never cheated—but once someone had cheated, it was hard for them to truly turn back.

The saying "cheating is either zero times or countless times" was extreme, but not without truth.

"I'm truly clean. If you don't believe me, ask anyone—I broke up with her before the Spring Festival and haven't contacted her once since. If I'm lying…"

Tong Dawei raised his hand to swear, but Yan Li stopped him—he wasn't Guan Yue. Let him swear a damn oath.

But now that Tong Dawei had reformed, with no comparison, Yan Li felt awkward.

Still, he wouldn't sabotage his friend's relationship just to make himself feel better—he wasn't that cruel.

He patted Tong Dawei's shoulder: "Settle down and live well. I'll be waiting for your wedding wine."

Tong Dawei smiled: "No rush on the wedding wine."

He had indeed promised marriage to win back Guan Yue, but he was now in his career's upward phase—no need to rush marriage; even if they married, they might not hold a public ceremony. Hidden marriages were common among artists.

Yu Yanli also smiled; Tong Dawei was not in a hurry, but Guan Yue was.