Chapter 29: Guard Against Arrogance and Impatience, Avoid Rush and Greed (Thank You, Cat Master)

【Daily Info 1: Qin Lan recharged 100 yuan onto Yan Li’s phone, vowing that if he didn’t call her again, she’d come to Beijing after filming wrapped and bite him—damn bastard.】

Hey, why are you cursing?

Yan Li grumbled, but what he really wanted to complain about was that Qin Lan had actually recharged his phone.

He’d called her plenty—he’d called from Beijing to report his safety, and then only every two or three days—so why was she this frantic?

【Daily Info 2: Dong Xuan and her best friend Guan Yue spent the whole night cursing Yan Li as a faithless lover, fickle and cold-hearted; after threatening to break up with him permanently, she still hoped he’d come find her—she hadn’t seen him in over a month and missed him terribly.】

Cough, cough. Yan Li glanced at the fan beside his bed—he’d find time in the next couple days to pay her back.

【…】

Daily Info 5: Guan Yue and her romantic interest Tong Dawei recently had a falling out; yesterday, Tong Dawei tried to reconcile with her, but he saw her enter Yan Li’s rented apartment and didn’t come out for a long time—his mind filled with misunderstanding…

Yan Li saw the last piece of info and couldn’t help but laugh and groan.

He knew Guan Yue had a passionate romantic interest—a student from the Shanghai Film Academy—probably this Tong Dawei.

They’d even planned to have dinner together once Guan Yue confirmed her relationship with him, with Yan Li and Dong Xuan joining.

But before they could meet, he broke up with Dong Xuan; now that he and Dong Xuan had been apart for a while, this guy was still chasing her.

Even weirder, these two dragged him into their messy, dragging-out drama with no resolution.

He planned to remind Guan Yue later, but for now he set it aside and called Zhou Yiwei to meet Gao Qunshu.

Director Gao wasn’t satisfied with Zhou Yiwei—he looked too young and soft.

After all, he was under twenty, his face wasn’t as rugged or dignified as Yan Li’s, and his aura was plainly nervous and immature—a raw green melon.

Still, he was from the Beijing Film Academy, his acting was passable, and with Yan Li’s influence, they finally gave him the role of a young policeman.

This role appeared frequently—even more than Yan Li’s character Wu Tian.

But it had no personal scenes—just background responses or set dressing, with almost zero presence.

Any extra could play this part; it was meaningless.

But Zhou Yiwei had no other work, and with Yan Li on set, he happily took the role.

Compared to Yan Li, Zhou Yiwei’s pay was far lower—only about a thousand yuan; if the production didn’t provide meals and lodging, he’d be losing money after filming for a while.

Zhou Yiwei, flush with cash, invited Yan Li out to dinner, but Yan Li stopped him.

He invited Gao Qunshu to build connections—it was strategic; between brothers, no need for such formality, and he hadn’t earned much anyway—it was cheaper to eat at home.

Zhou Yiwei readily agreed—he wasn’t stingy, but after tasting Yan Li’s braised pork, he was utterly awed by his cooking.

Two plates of braised pork, two more dishes stir-fried by Yan Li—Zhou Yiwei found them far more satisfying than most fancy restaurants in Beijing.

They sliced the meat, stir-fried the dishes, bought wine, and ate and drank while discussing what came next.

“Conquest” was expected to start shooting no earlier than August, leaving less than a month free—too inconvenient to chase other sets, since schedules might clash.

Odd jobs weren’t always available, and they were messy and complicated; most directly, payment was often never received.

Small artists getting ripped off was far too common.

Many Beijing drifters struggled not because they had no work, but because clients refused to pay after the job was done.

Not even rising stars were safe—countless lawsuits over delayed pay and endorsement fees were filed every year.

But sitting idle for half a month wasn’t an option.

Yan Li was a cautious, forward-thinking type; without a full wallet, his heart felt unsettled.

So he decided to study lines for “Conquest” at home while selling braised pork with Zhou Yiwei—some income, and a chance to observe the market.

Thus, Yan Li and Zhou Yiwei divided tasks: one braised pork at home, the other sold it at the market.

Since they weren’t making this their livelihood—just earning rent and living expenses—Yan Li didn’t plan to make much pork; if sales were steady, selling occasionally would suffice.

This was the plan with Zhou Yiwei; additionally, Yan Li intended to study stocks.

Since acquiring the information system months ago, Yan Li had spent considerable time pondering how to profit from it.

The system anchored to him personally, with a very high ceiling—potentially applicable to many industries.

But for Yan Li now, even with the system’s aid, most industries were beyond his capital and capability to enter.

After research, he concluded that trading stocks was a promising path.

Stocks demanded strong information—perfect for maximizing the system’s function; returns were high and fast, allowing rapid capital accumulation; the operations were flexible and didn’t interfere with other activities—a win-win.

But the stock market was treacherous—high returns came with high risks.

Yan Li had lost money on lotteries before; he knew the system wasn’t infallible—if he grew reckless or arrogant, he’d eventually crash hard.

Moreover, he’d never touched stocks before and knew almost nothing about them.

So he planned to study thoroughly, then dip his toes in small, and gradually increase stakes once he made profits.

With the system as his ultimate weapon, Yan Li believed he had no shortage of chances to get rich—he was young, and the future held endless time.

Therefore, he reminded himself again and again: guard against pride, avoid impatience, don’t rush, don’t be greedy—only by seeking stability could he stand invincible…

————

That night, Yan Li left Zhou Yiwei to watch the apartment and strolled to the residential complex where Guan Yue and Dong Xuan lived.

Neither Guan nor Dong had given him the address, but it wasn’t just the system—he wasn’t the only one who could plant a spy.

Standing before the building, hesitating whether to knock or call Dong Xuan, Yan Li suddenly heard a quarrel between a man and woman near the flowerbed.

Curiosity piqued, Yan Li crept closer and realized it was someone he knew.

Guan Yue, furious, argued with a bright, handsome young man: “I’ve told you several times—I’m not involved with him.”

The young man was equally agitated: “I saw you go into his apartment myself…”

Yan Li listened for a few seconds and knew who this guy was.

Damn, slow to chase a girl, quick to argue when misunderstanding strikes—no wonder he couldn’t win Guan Yue over.

“Cough, cough.”

Yan Li cleared his throat, startling them; seeing him, Guan Yue—who’d been angry and anxious—beamed with relief.

“Yan Li, come quick and tell him—we’re just friends, I’ve told him a hundred times and he won’t listen.”

Yan Li nodded, stepped forward, looked at the hostile Tong Dawei, and spoke with perfect sincerity:

“Bro, Guan Yue and I are truly in love—please let us be together…”

Before he finished, he dodged Guan Yue’s furious kick, grinning wickedly.

“You goad me into breaking up with Dong Xuan, but you don’t let me mess with you?”

At that moment, Dong Xuan—who’d been watching from upstairs—rushed down and grabbed Yan Li, giving him a light, reproachful slap.

“Stop rubbing salt in the wound.”

Then Dong Xuan explained to Tong Dawei: “Yan Li is my boyfriend…”

Yan Li interrupted: “Ex-boyfriend.”

Dong Xuan fell silent, bit her lip, eyes glistening with a mix of blame and hurt as she turned to Yan Li—he awkwardly looked away.

“Go on.”

————

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(End of Chapter)