Chapter 275

In May, "Struggle" premiered; though it had not yet aired on national channels, its performance on local stations was outstanding, prompting Yi'an's distribution strategy to be adjusted accordingly.

The popularity of "Struggle" brought varying benefits to several of its lead actors.

Qin Lan's Teddy Sisters Group appeared to be the biggest winner, since Li Xiao and Ma Yi were both main characters, with Ma even serving as the female lead.

Ma Yi's boyfriend, Wen Zhang, who played the male second lead in the drama, also gained considerable exposure.

Not to mention they still had "The Deer and the Cauldron" in hand, starring Huosiyan, Ying Cai'er, and Liu Yun.

This drama was scheduled to air during the summer slot and was expected to perform well; combined with "The Deer and the Cauldron" and the previously popular "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing," which featured Qin Lan, Huosiyan, Zhao Ke, and others, the momentum was strong.

The Teddy Sisters Group grew even more dominant, with media coverage of them increasing significantly.

While the Teddy Sisters Group reaped benefits, Dong Xuan's side was not idle either.

The popularity of "Struggle" made it impossible to ignore the male lead, Tong Dawei.

Guan Yue held firm as Dong Xuan's second-in-command, firmly suppressing Yang Xue and Jiang Xin, partly because she was closest to Dong Xuan and partly because her boyfriend was powerful.

The Teddy Sisters Group waited for "The Deer and the Cauldron" to air, while Dong Xuan's side had "The Legend of Chu Liu Xiang."

Although Dong Xuan's side currently lacked the numbers and influence of the Teddy Sisters Group, they were far from passive.

Both sides held their own ground with considerable momentum, and there was also Wang Ou quietly accumulating wealth.

Even Fan Xiaopang, who was indifferent to all this, felt some pressure.

After all, ants can kill an elephant, and among them were several wolves.

Fan Xiaopang wasn't afraid, but she felt that direct confrontation lowered her status and offered poor value.

So Fan Xiaopang began consciously improving her social circle.

At this time, Sun Li, who was determined to connect with her, appeared.

Since "Red Cliff" had temporarily no role for Sun Shangxiang, Fan Xiaopang took ten days off to return to Beijing for work; Sun Li seized the opportunity to invite Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang to dinner.

After dinner, it seemed the two met privately again; by the time Fan Xiaopang returned to the "Red Cliff" set, they had posted a blog photo with their faces pressed together.

The speed of this development made Yan Li suspect one of them had a system.

In fact, it wasn't hard to understand: Sun Li and Deng Chao wanted to align with Fan Xiaopang to establish themselves at Yi'an and gain advantages.

Fan Xiaopang wanted to cultivate a good relationship with Deng Chao, the future top figure at the company, and was eager to make new connections; Sun Li had sufficient fame and status, and their interests aligned.

Mutual attraction, mutual need—any slow progress in their relationship would have been a sign of low emotional intelligence.

For Yan Li, Fan Xiaopang's friendship with Sun Li was not a bad thing; it effectively won over the popular couple Deng and Sun, saving him considerable effort.

But for Qin Lan, Dong Xuan, and others, this development seemed somewhat alarming.

…

Fuli City

Whenever Huosiyan had no work, she came here more often than she went home; Yan Li had encountered her many times.

As she visited more frequently, she grew increasingly casual, often wearing just a shirt and short skirt, barefoot, petting Qin Lan's Teddy dog while reporting the gossip she'd gathered.

"Sun Li is definitely after 'Painted Skin'—I heard her agent Chang Jihong visited Yi'an before."

"Look, now that she's hooked up with Fan and Deng Chao, and they're speaking for her, her market value has skyrocketed."

"How shameless—she's supposed to be one of Hai Run's top actresses, yet she crawls to Fan just for a role. How embarrassing."

…

Li Xiao, who was snacking nearby, couldn't help glancing at Huosiyan.

How could she say that? In terms of sucking up, Sun Li was nowhere near as bad as Huosiyan.

Qin Lan quietly stirred her coffee, then handed one of the cups to Li Xiao.

"Xiao Lu, prepare yourself mentally for the role in 'Painted Skin.'"

Li Xiao nodded; she wasn't particularly eager for the role—she was mostly being pushed by Huosiyan.

In her heart, getting it would be great, but not getting it wasn't the end of the world.

Huosiyan, however, remained unwilling to give up: "Sis, you're being too pessimistic. Xiao Si (Li Xiao's position in the sister group) did well with 'Struggle'—maybe General Yan will consider her."

Qin Lan looked at her: "Was Sun Li's 'New Shanghai Beach' a failure?"

"Jade Guanyin," "Blood Romanticism," "Happiness Is Like a Flower," "Huo Yuanjia," "New Shanghai Beach"…

Over the past few years, Sun Li had released a solid work nearly every year.

In terms of fame and status, she was already in the first tier outside the "Four Dan and Two Bing," only slightly behind in popularity, exposure, and film roles.

None of the Teddy Sisters Group, including Ma Yi and Qin Lan, were more popular than her.

Originally, because of the "Two Bing" stigma, many were reluctant to take the role in "Painted Skin," making Sun Li the top favorite; if Li Xiao hadn't had Qin Lan's backing, she couldn't have competed with her.

Now that Sun Li has aligned with Fan Xiaopang, if she can persuade him to support her, the outcome is obvious.

Better to withdraw now with dignity; if you fight on and lose, and Fan Xiaopang steps on you, the humiliation will be immense.

"But…"

Huosiyan still wanted to argue, but Qin Lan stopped her: "Listen to me—this is final."

Liu Yun, who had been silent until now, chimed in: "Don't pressure Lan Jie—wait for another opportunity next time."

Liu Yun had no strong opinion on whether Li Xiao should take the "Painted Skin" role.

If she succeeded, it would benefit the Teddy Sisters Group overall; if she failed, it would temper the arrogance of Hu and Li within the group—either way, she accepted it, and followed Qin Lan's lead.

Seeing this, Huosiyan knew the matter was hopeless and sighed heavily, trying to justify herself.

"I'm just mad that everything good always goes to the Fanes."

Huosiyan was somewhat jealous of Fan Xiaopang.

Under Yan Li's support, Fan Xiaopang had skyrocketed to fame in just a few years, becoming one of China's most popular actresses, raking in fortunes and enjoying unparalleled glory.

At the same time, Fan Xiaopang had monopolized many resources within Yi'an and sometimes even sabotaged them.

Add to that old grudges from "The Seven Fairies" and other past conflicts, and Huosiyan was sometimes even more aggressive than Qin Lan in opposing Fan Xiaopang.

Yes, same with Dong Xuan.

In short, Huosiyan's firm loyalty to Qin Lan was largely due to her hatred of Dong and Fan.

Qin Lan had worried about Ma Yi being a turncoat, Li Xiao juggling multiple men, and even feared Liu Yun might one day waver.

But Huosiyan would never betray her—indeed, even if she wanted to, Fan and Dong wouldn't take her in, and with Wang Ou and others already her enemies, Huosiyan had alienated everyone and could only cling to Qin Lan and the Teddy Sisters Group.

"It's just a temporary setback—not a win for her. Relax."

Qin Lan comforted Huosiyan, took her Teddy dog from her hand, and petted it twice.

"Let's talk about something cheerful—Yu Zheng called me two days ago; Huosiyan's role in 'The Last Princess' is confirmed, and there are a few supporting roles—I'm thinking about recommending some of our sisters for them."

Originally, when "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing" was greenlit, Yu Zheng chose to side with Qin Lan.

Although Fan Xiaopang's rising power within the company, along with Wang Ou's ties to his old classmates, had made his stance somewhat ambiguous, his relationship with Qin Lan remained close.

Currently, Yu Zheng has two projects: "Yanzhi Xue" and "The Last Princess," both historical dramas set in the Republican era.

The former stars Fan Xiaopang—no need for the Teddy Sisters Group to get involved.

The latter, Qin Lan secured the female lead for Huosiyan.

Of course, that was Yu Zheng's own decision—he held considerable influence; even if Qin Lan wanted to promote someone, she needed Yu Zheng's approval.

Yu Zheng personally admired Huosiyan—he had praised her consistently during "Imperial Harem of the Great Qing."

He loved actresses like Huosiyan who could portray innocent white rabbits as well as venomous villains, switching effortlessly between purity, allure, and malice.

After securing the lead role, Qin Lan wanted to go further—secure a few supporting roles too; since they'd have to cast someone anyway, why not give opportunities to the Teddy Sisters Group?

These supporting roles were too minor for Li Xiao and Ma Yi, but beneficial for Liu Yun, Zhao Ke, and Xiong Naijin.

"Sis, aren't you playing?"

Huosiyan was curious; since "A Curtain of Dreams," Qin Lan had hardly acted.

"I am acting—but not in this drama. I'm doing films: 'Peach Blossom Luck' and 'Love Transfer 2.'"

Qin Lan was working too; both films had substantial female roles, so she appeared in both.

Especially in "Peach Blossom Luck," she starred alongside Fan Xiaopang, but since the film was an anthology, they had almost no scenes together and never met.

Additionally, a spy drama had approached her.

Originally, Qin Lan planned to decline—it was a second female lead—but Yan Li happened to read the script, found it interesting, and persuaded her to accept it, even saying he'd invest.