Chapter 294: The Qin-Dong Alliance Is Officially Formed, Fan Xiaopang Fears No Storm

Hengdian, a private dining room in a restaurant

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan sat facing each other, while Yang Mi stood nervously beside them, serving tea on the left and picking dishes on the right—utterly subservient.

She had no choice; if she angered these two sisters, not only would she never get signed to Yi'an, but her entire circle would shut her out.

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan paid her little attention; though she had her "reasons," deceiving both sides was still the truth.

This little girl's nerve is too big—she needs to be tamed!

Neither Qin Lan nor Dong Xuan rushed to force Yang Mi to pick a side, because something far more important was at stake—and with her here, she could even serve as a bridge between them.

"Go ahead and attend to your duties; I need to speak with your Xuan-jie."

Qin Lan emphasized the words "Xuan-jie," revealing she still cared deeply about this matter.

First, she was angry that Yang Mi had nearly been pulled into the Teddy Sisters' gang; second, she resented that such a promising talent—Dong Xuan's own student—had slipped through her fingers.

Yang Mi instinctively glanced at Dong Xuan; though Qin Lan had treated her well, Dong Xuan had known her longer and supported her more, so Yang Mi cared far more about Dong Xuan's opinion.

Dong Xuan sensed this immediately and felt a quiet satisfaction—this girl wasn't completely foolish.

The Teddy Sisters were a chaotic mess; even if Yang Mi defected to them, what would it change? Here, with her, Yang Mi was the chief general.

Though still irritated, Dong Xuan softened her tone in front of Qin Lan.

"Go back to work. We'll talk later."

Yang Mi nodded, set down what she was holding, and bowed slightly in apology.

"Xuan-jie, Lan-jie, I'll take my leave. I apologize again—this is all because I'm young and foolish. Please forgive me."

With that, Yang Mi left the room. Qin Lan picked up a chopstick and demanded:

"Tell me the truth—were you trying to plant a mole in my camp?"

Qin Lan suspected it; Yang Mi's earlier behavior seemed staged, a duet with Dong Xuan—Yang Mi took the blame, and even if Qin Lan took the matter to Yan Li, Dong Xuan would remain untouched.

"People with dirty hearts see filth everywhere. You just admitted what Yang Mi said—you were the one who approached her first."

Dong Xuan denied it and pointed out the key fact, but Qin Lan had more to say.

"You approached her first, but that doesn't mean she didn't tell you, and then you arranged for her to get close to me."

Dong Xuan laughed bitterly: "You've got quite the imagination—did you start filming a spy thriller? Maybe I suspect you knew Yang Mi's identity all along, pretended ignorance, and deliberately tried to poach her to set a trap for me?"

Qin Lan's The Infiltrator was a cerebral spy drama; her Legend of Chu Liu Xiang 2 was full of suspense and twists.

Who doesn't know conspiracy theories? It's easy to slap labels on the other side.

Qin Lan fell silent. She hadn't dropped her suspicion, but she realized this cycle of mistrust had no end. Normally, she wouldn't mind debating Dong Xuan—but today wasn't the time.

They had real business to handle.

"How have you been lately?"

Qin Lan's greeting left Dong Xuan stunned—had she lost her mind, or was she sick?

After a half-minute of silence, unsure how to respond, Dong Xuan replied stiffly:

"Fine."

"Winter's here. Hengdian is freezing—take care of yourself."

Qin Lan continued with small talk, trying to ease the tension from their earlier clash.

But Dong Xuan was unnerved; she stared at Qin Lan for a moment, her voice strained:

"How much time do you have left?"

"Huh?"

Now it was Qin Lan's turn to be confused—what time? Where did this come from?

Dong Xuan pressed: "When did you find out? Does Yan Li know?"

"Find out what? Know what?"

Qin Lan looked bewildered. Dong Xuan stared at her: "Aren't you dying of cancer?"

"You're the one who's dying of cancer!"

Qin Lan flew into a rage—this woman was vicious. She offered a kind greeting, and this was the response? What kind of person was she?

Dong Xuan realized her mistake but blamed Qin Lan: "Then why are you acting like this? I thought you were dying and leaving me your last wishes!"

"Spit, spit, spit—you're the one who's dying!"

Qin Lan couldn't stand it. Dong Xuan had revealed her true thoughts—she was young, healthy, living comfortably, yet this woman kept cursing her death.

One or two words and she jumps to death? Has she been sticking needles into a voodoo doll of me?

Qin Lan resented Dong Xuan's wild guesses; Dong Xuan despised Qin Lan's indirectness—their fragile truce shattered again.

Dong Xuan began dredging up Yang Mi's past: "You stole your boyfriend from someone else, and now your little sister steals from others too."

"Why are you so obsessed with eating other people's leftovers?!"

Qin Lan clenched her teeth but fired back sharply: "I'd like to ask you the same—can't hold onto your man? Yan Li broke up with you. Can't hold onto your little sister? She's cozying up to the enemy."

"If your character's too low, no one will play with you!!"

Dong Xuan's fair face flushed crimson: "My character's low? Then why does Yan Li prefer me? Why does Yang Mi put me first?"

Qin Lan shot back: "Don't flatter yourself—maybe they're just humoring you."

"Heh, then why don't they humor you? Look at how Yang Mi dared not even look at you just now."

"Hey, don't act so righteous—I actually like this kid. I originally wanted to protect her, not make her suffer. But seeing your disgusting behavior, I'm going to pull her over to my side—save her from this hell."

"I knew it—you think everyone else's stuff is better. What a petty person."

"So what if I steal from you? If you can't protect what's yours, that's your own failure."

"…."

They traded barbs, voices rising, slapping the table loudly—until the server finally knocked.

"Good afternoon, ladies. May I assist you?"

Seeing a stranger, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan instantly calmed.

Dong Xuan smoothed her hair and offered an excuse: "Sorry—we were rehearsing a script. Got a little carried away. Apologies for the disturbance."

Qin Lan smiled: "We'll keep it down from now on."

In Hengdian's restaurants, most guests are crew members; heated arguments over scenes or creative differences aren't rare.

Whether true or not, seeing only verbal conflict with no physical violence—and now both women seemed calm—the server exchanged a few polite phrases and left.

The interruption cooled them both.

Minutes of silence passed in the room. Dong Xuan spoke first:

At first, she truly thought Qin Lan had come to visit Yang Mi on set, but now that Yang Mi was gone and Qin Lan still didn't leave, she stayed behind chatting idly and uttering those "creepy" words—there was definitely something fishy going on.

At first, she'd thought Qin Lan had come to visit Yang Mi on set. But now Yang Mi was gone, Qin Lan stayed, and instead of leaving, she'd been spouting those "creepy" remarks—there had to be a motive.

Qin Lan sipped water, hesitating. She didn't want to speak first—it would put her at a disadvantage, and she wasn't sure of Dong Xuan's position.

After a pause, she had an idea: "Your birthday's coming up soon. What are you planning?"

Why ask that? Does she plan to come celebrate?

Dong Xuan's mind shifted—Qin Lan wasn't asking about her birthday. She meant Yan Li's birthday on November 13th.

Last year, at this time, they'd been forced together, shouting across the Sihe Academy courtyard.

Could this idiot be obsessed with repeating it?!

No—Qin Lan wouldn't be that bold. Otherwise, last year, that bastard would've succeeded.

Mentioning the birthday must be a test: to see if Yan Li would accompany Dong Xuan, then use that as an excuse to claim him for herself.

Dong Xuan believed this logic held. Her eyes softened slightly: "What do you really want? Just say it."

"Can't I just ask out of curiosity? I'm not here to sabotage you."

In truth, Qin Lan simply wanted to gauge whether Dong Xuan had been interacting with Yan Li lately.

But Dong Xuan was too cautious to bite. Reluctantly, Qin Lan shifted the topic to The Painted Skin and the two soldiers.

"This movie's been shooting so long—I haven't visited once. I don't even know what's going on in the crew."

"I'm curious—did those two fight? My people didn't get anything. Did you hear anything?"

Dong Xuan shook her head, disappointed: "No."

Both had planted spies in The Painted Skin, but the two soldiers never publicly clashed—so they only heard rumors and minor tensions. The real conflict remained hidden.

Qin Lan sipped her soup, feigning casual interest: "I don't believe you didn't ask Yan Li."

"I did ask him… you're trying to trap me."

Perhaps because of their long-standing rivalry, Dong Xuan was on high alert—her vigilance and reflexes far sharper than usual. She sensed the trap instantly.

Qin Lan sighed: "It's just small talk."

"It's not me being sensitive—it's you hiding ill intentions. I have to be careful."

Dong Xuan was done with the games: "Just tell me what you want. If not, I'm leaving."

Qin Lan realized she couldn't dance around it anymore—their thoughts didn't align, and both were too guarded to extract reliable information.

So she finally revealed a sliver of truth: "Since returning from Beijing, how many times has he contacted you?"

"You're checking up on my contact with Yan Li?"

Dong Xuan was furious—how many times Yan Li contacted her was none of Qin Lan's business. Who gave her the right to ask?

Qin Lan knew the question was sensitive: "I mean no harm—I just want to confirm. I'll tell you my side too."

Dong Xuan frowned slightly; she vaguely sensed Qin Lan's intent, but she still played it safe.

Dong Xuan frowned. She sensed Qin Lan's intent—but she held back.

"You speak first. Then I will."

Qin Lan insisted on striking last—otherwise, if Dong Xuan had been in contact with Yan Li, she'd be mocked.

【101】 "You speak."

"You speak."

"..."

Both guarded against each other, neither willing to speak first, until Qin Lan suggested they each compose a text message and send it simultaneously—this way, neither could retract.

Dong Xuan agreed to the proposal; they pulled out their phones, composed their messages, and counted down: three, two, one.

Then neither sent it!

Qin Lan awkwardly touched the edge of her phone: "The signal's bad."

Dong Xuan blinked: "Funny, mine too."

"Let's be honest. If we keep dragging this out, I won't leave today. Considering I helped your best friend catch her husband cheating, let's stick to what we agreed—and tell the truth."

Qin Lan realized their mutual trust was too low, so she brought up how she'd helped Guan Yue catch her husband cheating, to bridge the gap.

Hearing this, Dong Xuan's gaze softened slightly: "I'll trust you once. If you play tricks, I walk out."

"Fine."

They picked up their phones again, counted down—this time, both messages were sent.

【1】

【Once】

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan maintained calm exteriors, but both eyes flashed a hint of venom.

That bastard left me a living widow—and went chasing after a fox!

True, Yan Li hadn't contacted Qin Lan during this time, nor had he contacted Dong Xuan—but Dong Xuan had a birthday coming up, so she wasn't as frantic as Qin Lan.

As for why both had entered 【1】, the reason was simple: zero was too shameful; even one, though low, was at least a safety net.

Both had hit their safety net, yet each knew only her own situation—hence the misunderstanding.

Though they were both slightly annoyed with each other, now that the truth was out, their greatest resentment was still directed at Shuang Bing.

"Since 'Painted Skin' started filming, that seductive fox and the old fox won't let go of him. They act like they're fighting, but who knows if it's just a show for us?"

"It's suspicious. Even if they weren't in the same place, they're both in Hengdian—he's not clueless. Someone's definitely stirring the pot."

"That seductive fox has always been like this—arrogant and domineering. She's the newcomer, yet she acts like the official girlfriend. Pfft."

"She's trouble enough on her own. Add Li Bing, another unscrupulous one—both Shuang Bing care only about their own interests. Secret collusion and hidden scheming? Not impossible."

"..."

Though their earlier confrontation had been fierce, now that they had a common enemy, they instantly united outwardly—the atmosphere turned warm and harmonious.

In truth, under Fan Xiaopang's pressure, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan had both, to some extent, considered cooperating before.

What else could they do? Neither could beat Fan Xiaopang alone. Without cooperation, they'd be kicked out—or crushed under his rise to power.