Chapter 276: Qin Lan Eyes Yang Mi, The Right Path of Humanity Is Sorrow

"General Qin, how do you feel?"

After hanging up the phone, Yu Yanli smiled and asked Qin Lan, who was seated in his executive chair.

Qin Lan leaned back in the chair, spun it around once, and nodded solemnly.

"Not bad."

In other circumstances, Yu Yanli would have already been flirting and taking liberties with General Qin, but with Hu Siyan and others present, he merely smiled and turned to the group.

"So, what do you think of our Yi'an's new headquarters?"

Hu Siyan, the classic brown-noser: "Not just not bad—it's fantastic! If I could work here, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams."

This flattery was over the top; Liu Yun nearly rolled her eyes, though she had to admit Yi'an's new base was impressive and exuded serious prestige.

Li Xiao lu was more direct, pointing to an unassuming door in the corner and asking:

"What's that? A bathroom?"

Qin Lan's expression shifted slightly, her cheeks flushing faintly; Yu Yanli remained calm.

"It's not just a bathroom—it's also a rest room. When you're tired from work or need a nap at lunch, you can sleep here."

"Can we take a look?"

"Of course."

Yu Yanli nodded readily, but Qin Lan grew restless and stood up too, planning to intervene if anything seemed amiss.

Everyone was curious about the rest room. When they opened the door, they found Yu Yanli had understated it—inside was unexpectedly luxurious.

It was furnished like a five-star hotel suite: a king-sized bed, wardrobe, TV—all present. The bathroom had dry and wet zones separated, plus a shower, larger than some of their own homes' bathrooms.

Qin Lan's worries were unnecessary: the room was cleaned daily by a dedicated staff member, spotless as if no one had ever used it.

"So comfortable."

Hu Siyan sat on the bed and tested the mattress's bounce; Li Xiao lu, however, sensed something odd, stepped out, closed the door, and listened closely—her expression turned strange.

"Soundproofed?"

"Yeah."

Yu Yanli's expression was perfectly calm. A rest room was for sleeping—adding soundproofing for peace and quiet was only natural.

Though Qin Lan saw everything in the rest room was normal, she recalled the night she'd come to deliver food and still felt embarrassed. She half-coaxed, half-dragged Hu Siyan and the others out.

"I've got some work left. If you want to tour the company, find Zhang Qing—she's Hu Ya's assistant. I'll join you for dinner once I'm done."

"Isn't Hu Ya here?"

Qin Lan had wanted to ask earlier. Normally, when she came, Hu Ya or Yu Yanli's assistant Ding Feng greeted her—but today someone else was there.

"She's taking an exam today."

"An exam?"

Qin Lan looked confused. Yu Yanli smiled: "You think being my CEO's office director is easy?"

Back when the company was small, Hu Ya, relying on seniority and your trust, got by playing the role of a petty court official.

Now the company has grown, her position has been elevated, and the CEO's office operations have become increasingly formalized.

Even though you value loyalty most, Hu Ya can't survive on loyalty alone—she needs real professional competence. Otherwise, one day she might be sidelined by her own subordinates.

So Hu Ya signed up for multiple training courses and certifications. Today, she took a special day off to take an exam.

Yu Yanli fully supported this.

Whether Hu Ya actually learned anything isn't the point—the key is showing a willingness to learn and improve, demonstrating effort for the company's future.

Even if you, as boss, don't care, your colleagues seeing those real certificates and diplomas will have fewer doubts.

Hu Ya is a veteran, has earned her merits and endured hardships. You want her to hold onto the position of CEO's office director long-term.

But the company is growing, internal competition is intensifying, and many are vying for promotion. Relying on past glory won't save her forever—you can protect her for now, but not for life.

Hearing this, Qin Lan fell into thought: Hu Ya is improving—should she, too, take some courses in her spare time?

Yu Yanli's rise has been too fast. If she doesn't upgrade herself, she feels genuinely insecure.

…

Not wanting to disturb Yu Yanli's work, the group decided to tour Yi'an's new headquarters instead.

There wasn't much to see, really.

Because Yi'an has a base in Hengdian, much of its operations and work are handled there.

For example, studios, rehearsal halls, post-production editing, costume and prop storage—all major operations, especially for historical dramas—are in Hengdian. Yi'an's headquarters is comparatively limited.

So Yi'an's headquarters mainly consists of offices of various sizes, meeting rooms, and reception areas.

The only difference from a normal company is a few additional rooms with film and entertainment functions: screening rooms, broadcast halls, media centers, makeup and styling rooms—that's all.

After touring, what interested them most was the company's lounge.

It offered coffee, tea, drinks, and snacks for employees to rest and chat when tired. Rumor had it they occasionally provided free afternoon tea or late-night snacks.

What surprised Qin Lan and the others was that a few employees were actually there, sipping coffee and chatting—even if only a handful.

Aren't they afraid of being seen by the boss or their superiors?!

Hu Siyan couldn't resist her curiosity. She approached a lone male employee, chatted briefly, and came back to report.

To put it simply, it wasn't as complicated as they'd imagined.

The lounge was built to be used—if it sat empty, it'd be a waste, so the company doesn't discourage employees from relaxing there.

Of course, anyone who dares to hang out here usually has some leverage or excuse.

For example, the man just now—he was from the distribution department. He came here specifically to call an important client, and just happened to grab a coffee and snack. No one would say anything.

Besides, anyone with half a brain wouldn't linger long, openly slacking off in public.

Usually, they'd stay ten minutes, at most half an hour—get some fresh air, relax a bit, then return to work.

"Yi'an's company atmosphere is pretty good."

Liu Yun sighed slightly. It wasn't exactly open or free, but overall it was relatively relaxed—far better than Huayi.

Their work environment and atmosphere were far more tense and oppressive than Yi'an's.

Especially in the artist management department, where competition ran high. Some teams were outright hostile toward each other, even scheming and sabotaging.

For example, Liu Yun's own Team One, led by Li Bingbing and Li Xue, had a tense relationship with Zhou Young Master's team.

Hu Siyan had it worse. Team One rejected her; she'd been getting by in Team Two.

But Team Two, overcrowded and internally chaotic, eventually split into two teams with separate leaders, and some artists even defected to other teams.

Because of her "undercover status," Hu Siyan was especially sensitive. After Team Two's reorganization, neither of the new leaders wanted to take on this hot potato, passing her back and forth until she was dumped into the newly formed Team Four, led by Huang Xiaoming.

Hu Siyan had complained before: if not for the breach penalty, she'd have quit long ago.

Of course, she wanted to join Yi'an—but the possibility was slim, or rather, she was too afraid.

She'd completely alienated Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou.

They'd been at Yi'an so long, with connections everywhere, and had plenty of ways to sabotage her—even Qin Lan's intervention wouldn't help.

The other Teddy Sisters either weren't capable or too timid—none were suitable for joining Yi'an.

This was a quiet sore point for Qin Lan: she'd always wanted to place a friendly artist at Yi'an.

Yi'an and Yu Yanli prioritize promoting their own artists. When Qin Lan gives resources to the Teddy Sisters, she has to pick through the scraps left by Fan and Wang, and face countless complications.

But if she promotes a Yi'an artist, there'd be far fewer conflicts or concerns.

It aligns with the company's and Yu Yanli's interests—her influence as his partner, plus Yi'an's internal connections and resources, could be maximized.

But Qin Lan had never found a suitable candidate, so she stopped looking herself.

Yi'an would sign new artists anyway—she could observe them. If she spotted a promising one, she'd reach out.

That way, she'd save herself trouble, and it'd benefit both the new artist and the company—mutual gain.

As she pondered this, she suddenly spotted a familiar face passing by and waved.

"Brother Wang."

Wang Decai, head of Yi'an's film and television division, saw Qin Lan and beamed with a wide smile on his round face.

"What brings you here today?"

"Your company just moved to a new place—I came to take a look."

Hu Siyan and the others all stood up and respectfully greeted Wang Decai.

"Producer Wang."

"Director Wang."

A person's life hinges critically on choices and luck.

Wang Decai had once been merely a second unit director on The Heroes of Sui and Tang. Though he'd been around a long time and had some connections, he was nobody special.

Then he met Yu Yanli, joined Yi'an, and as Yu Yanli and Yi'an rose, so did he.

A couple of years ago, many of Yi'an's projects were produced by Wang Decai.

After becoming head of Yi'an's film and television division, he no longer handled many specific projects directly, but he still held influence over every film and TV project Yi'an produced or participated in.

Just as Xiao Guan wielded clout through the strength of the distribution department, Wang Decai, backed by Yi'an, was seen by many as a major figure.

Even Qin Lan's arrangements for the Teddy Sisters had once gone through Wang Decai.

When Qin Lan first met Yu Yanli in Hengdian, she'd also met Wang Decai—but back then, it was just a passing acquaintance; they grew closer later.

Wang Decai even joked that he was the matchmaker between Yu Yanli and Qin Lan. Whenever Qin Lan asked him for a favor, he never refused.

But this guy was a seasoned veteran.

He helped Qin Lan, he helped Dong Xuan and Fan Xiaopang, and even when Wang Ou asked him, he still lent a hand.

Because of his seniority, his crucial position, and his easygoing nature, everyone knew he played both sides—but no one dared to offend him lightly.

After some small talk, Qin Lan curiously eyed a young girl trailing behind Wang Decai.

"Who is this?"

"Yang Mi."

Wang Decai raised an eyebrow, then smiled warmly: "She played Guo Xiang in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' Our company has a drama where she fits perfectly—I'm here to get her to sign a contract."

Yang Mi, who had been silent until now, stopped pretending to be mute and stepped forward to greet: "Teacher Qin, Teacher Huo..."

"Guo Xiang?"

Qin Lan suddenly understood. No wonder she looked familiar. Looking at Yang Mi's youthful, unpolished appearance, Qin Lan fell into thought.

A newcomer, and one who hasn't worked much with Yi'an—could Yi'an be thinking of signing her?

Qin Lan filed this away in her mind and asked about it specifically when Yan Li finished eating.

Yan Li's expression turned peculiar upon hearing this.

He had initially thought Qin Lan was trying to sabotage Dong Xuan's plans, but later realized she was simply inquiring about Yang Mi.

Tsk tsk, the Teddy Sisters' group boasts nonstop—yet they don't even know Yang Mi is from a rival company?

Still, Yan Li thought carefully and found it understandable.

The fact that Yang Mi was Dong Xuan's favorite disciple was known only within Beijing Film Academy, even within the Class of 2005.

And their master-disciple bond had soured quickly, only recently mending again.

On the surface, Dong Xuan and Yang Mi had almost no contact beyond their teacher-student relationship at Beijing Film Academy; Yang Mi had never acted in any Yi'an production. Qin Lan had no intelligence network and was meeting Yang Mi for the first time—how could she know Yang Mi was Dong Xuan's person?

Yan Li, not wanting trouble, said nothing about Yang Mi and Dong Xuan's connection, but confirmed that Yi'an was considering signing Yang Mi.

Yi'an would definitely sign new talent—this was beyond doubt.

The so-called Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou were merely things Yan Li ignored, and Yi'an's deliberate strategy to concentrate resources on promoting a few.

Fan Xiaopang is currently at the peak of her fame, and Wang Ou's career is also going well. It's time to replenish the next tier.

Yang Mi is a trained professional, has a good appearance, decent acting ability, is at a suitable age gap from Fan and Wang, and possesses both ambition and drive.

As previously stated, Yan Li doesn't want naive, sweet girls—he prefers ambitious ones. He signed Fan Xiaopang and Wang Ou for similar reasons.

Moreover, in the intelligence Yan Li had gathered before, Yang Mi was listed as one of the Four Little Fairies of her generation.

This means she would rise in the future—when buying lottery tickets, you pick the ones with higher odds of winning.

As for the concerns Dong Xuan originally had—Rongxin Da's contract and pressure from Fan and Wang—Yan Li didn't consider them issues.

The former, Yan Li could easily resolve.

The latter, he could tolerate their capriciousness for a while, but if they harmed the company's interests, that would be another matter entirely.

Besides, Wang Ou was one thing—Yan Li could just give her a warning and she'd settle down. As for Fan Xiaopang, Yan Li truly didn't believe she'd care much about some green-haired girl.

Unless Yang Mi openly challenged Fan Xiaopang, the top diva—if she didn't understand the rules, she deserved to be punished.

But one thing Yan Li agreed with Dong Xuan on: signing Yang Mi wasn't urgent.

Dong Xuan wanted Yang Mi to gain more momentum and confidence; Yan Li wanted to assess Yang Mi's potential and overall value.

Yi'an currently had no shortage of artists eager to join—if Yan Li wished, he could assemble a talent roster of hundreds in minutes.

But such artists offered poor value-for-money. He preferred those with high potential—one who could rival ten or even a hundred others.

If Yang Mi demonstrated potential and value, Yi'an would sign her and pour resources into promoting her. If not, signing or not didn't matter much.

This was the same arrangement for several other newcomers Yi'an's talent agency had eyed.

But Yang Mi had Dong Xuan's recommendation, plus strong future intelligence and favorable conditions—she was a key subject under observation, with significantly more attention given to her.

Yan Li wasn't afraid Yang Mi would take Yi'an's resources, get her career started, then back out.

If she dared to play him, he'd help her switch careers.

Not to mention Yan Li's status and resources in the industry—just with his intelligence network, turning someone into a star might be hard, but destroying one? Extremely easy.

Yet Yan Li had misunderstood one thing: he assumed Qin Lan was merely curious about Yang Mi and didn't want trouble, unaware she had other intentions.

After finishing dinner, Yan Li returned to work; Qin Lan and the others prepared to leave.

But once in the car, Qin Lan watched Yan Li's vehicle drive away, then fell into thought.

"I have something else to do. You all go ahead."

Hu Siyan and the others assumed Qin Lan had a date with Yan Li. Though they found it ridiculous that the couple was still so clingy after all these years, they didn't want to be the third wheel—joking and laughing, they dispersed.

Qin Lan made a call, confirmed Yang Mi was still at the company, drove back to the vicinity of Yi'an's headquarters, waited, and used her phone's internet to quickly check Yang Mi's profile.

Born in 1986, Beijing Film Academy graduate, under Rongxin Da, starred in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' and 'Wang Zhaojun.'

Qin Lan paid special attention to 'Wang Zhaojun'—the lead female role in a CCTV historical drama. No wonder Yan Li had taken notice.

A promising talent!

Her age was perfect—if brought into the Teddy Sisters' group, she'd become the youngest, without disturbing anyone else's ranking.

Hmm, thinking too far ahead.

Qin Lan shook her head. Nothing's settled yet—first, get to know her.