Chapter 294: The Qin-Dong Alliance Is Officially Formed, Fan Xiaopang Isn

Hengdian, a private dining room in a restaurant

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan sat facing each other, while Yang Mi groveled beside them, pouring tea on the left and serving dishes on the right—utterly humble.

She couldn't afford to be anything but humble; if she angered these two sisters, not only would she never get signed to Yi'an, but she'd be finished in this circle.

Qin Lan barely acknowledged her; though Yang Mi had her "reasons," the fact remained that she'd deceived both sides.

This little brat has too much nerve—she needs to be tightened up!

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 this girl present, she could even serve as a bridge between them.

"Go ahead and take care of your business; I need to talk with your Xuan-jie."

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

One, she was angry that Yang Mi had nearly been pulled into the Teddy Sisters' group; two, she resented that such a promising prospect had become Dong Xuan's student.

Yang Mi instinctively glanced at Dong Xuan; though Qin Lan had treated her well, Dong Xuan had known her longer and offered greater support—her heart was more anxious about Dong Xuan's opinion.

Dong Xuan keenly sensed this, and felt a faint warmth inside—this girl wasn't completely foolish.

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

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

"Go back to your 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 now—I apologize again. I was young and foolish; please forgive me."

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

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

Qin Lan suspected it; she viewed Yang Mi's earlier behavior as a duet with Dong Xuan—Yang Mi took the blame, and even if she took the matter to Yan Li, it wouldn't touch Dong Xuan.

"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 still 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? I could just as well 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 drama "Infiltration" was a cerebral spy thriller; her "Chu Liuxiang Legend 2" was full of suspense and twists.

Who doesn't love 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 didn't mind debating Dong Xuan—but today wasn't the time.

They still had important business to handle.

"How have you been lately?"

Qin Lan's greeting left Dong Xuan stunned—had she gone mad from anger, or fallen ill?

Dong Xuan remained silent for half a minute, then replied stiffly:

"Fine."

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

Qin Lan continued her small talk, trying to ease the tension from earlier.

But it terrified Dong Xuan; 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 conversation go?

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 a terminal illness?"

"You're the one who's got a terminal illness!"

Qin Lan flew into a rage—this woman was so cruel! She'd offered a friendly greeting, and the first thing out of her mouth was that Qin Lan was dying—what kind of person was this?

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

"Spit! Spit! You're the one who's dying!"

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

One or two words and she jumps to that conclusion—has she been secretly sticking needles into a voodoo doll of her?

Qin Lan resented Dong Xuan's wild guesses and remarks; Dong Xuan despised Qin Lan's roundabout ways—their fragile truce shattered again.

Dong Xuan began dredging up Yang Mi's past: "You stole your boyfriend from someone else; your little sister likes stealing leftovers 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 gotten too close to the enemy."

"If your character's too low, people won't play with you!!"

Dong Xuan's fair face flushed crimson: "My character's low? Then why does Yan Li love me the most? Why does Yang Mi prioritize me?"

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

"Heh, then why don't they humor you? Look—did Yang Mi even dare look at you just now?"

"Hey, don't act so high and mighty—I actually like this kid. Originally, I wanted to protect her, not make her suffer. But seeing your disgusting attitude, I'm going to pull her over—save her from this hell."

"I told you—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 fault."

"…."

They traded barbs, voices rising, slapping the table with each retort—until the server finally knocked.

"Good afternoon, ladies—is there anything I can assist you with?"

Seeing outsiders arrive, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan immediately fell silent, their earlier shouting ceasing.

Dong Xuan smoothed her hair and quickly made an excuse: "Sorry, we were just rehearsing the script, got a little too into character—disturbed you."

Qin Lan also smiled and added: "We'll try to keep it quiet from now on."

Most customers at the restaurants in Hengdian are crew members; it's not uncommon for arguments to break out during meals due to intense rehearsals or creative clashes.

Regardless of truth, seeing that the two were only verbally arguing, no physical fight had erupted, and they now appeared calm, the server said a few standard phrases and left.

After this interruption, Dong Xuan and Qin Lan both grew relatively calmer.

The private room fell quiet for several minutes before Dong Xuan spoke first: "Speak up. What do you really want?"

At first, she truly thought Qin Lan had come to visit Yang Mi, but now Yang Mi was gone, Qin Lan hadn't left, and instead stayed to chatter idly with her—spouting those "creepy" remarks—there had to be something hidden.

Qin Lan took a sip of water and said nothing for a moment; mainly because stating it upfront would put her at a disadvantage, and she wasn't sure of Dong Xuan's position.

After a pause, she thought of an idea: "Your birthday's coming up in a couple days. What are you planning to do?"

Why ask that? Does she actually plan to come celebrate my birthday?

Dong Xuan's mind shifted—Qin Lan wasn't asking about her birthday, but about Yan Li's birthday in a few days.

November 13th, Yan Li's 27th birthday. Last year, at this same time, she and Qin Lan had been forced together, shouting across the Sihe Academy.

Could this bitch be addicted to it? Wanting to repeat last year's stunt?!

No, Qin Lan shouldn't be that bold—if she were, she'd have been taken by that bastard last year.

Mentioning the birthday must be a test: to see whether Yan Li would accompany her, then use it as an excuse to claim Yan Li's birthday for herself.

Dong Xuan judged this theory logical, her eyes flickering with a faint smile: "What do you really want? Just say it."

"Can't I just be curious? I'm not here to sabotage you."

In truth, Qin Lan's intent was simple: to use the birthday as an opportunity to find out whether Dong Xuan had been interacting with Yan Li lately.

But Dong Xuan was too cautious, refusing to take the bait; left with no choice, Qin Lan shifted the topic to "Painted Skin" and Shuang Bing.

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

"I'm really curious—did those two fight? My people couldn't get anything. Do you have any news?"

Dong Xuan shook her head, regretfully replying: "No."

Both of them had planted people in "Painted Skin," but Shuang Bing never publicly tore into each other, so they could only hear fragments of discord and rumors—actual conflict details remained inaccessible.

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

"I did ask. You're trying to trap me."

Perhaps because of their long-standing rivalry, Dong Xuan had been tense all along, her vigilance and reflexes far exceeding her usual level—she instantly sensed something off.

Qin Lan sighed helplessly: "You're too sensitive. It's just small talk."

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

Dong Xuan was done playing games with Qin Lan: "What do you really want? If you won't say it, I'm leaving."

Qin Lan also couldn't keep circling—neither understood the other's thinking, and both were too wary to extract accurate information.

So she finally revealed a bit of real business: "Since returning to Jingcheng, how many times has he contacted you?"

"Checking up on me and Yan Li's whereabouts?"

Dong Xuan was furious—how many times Yan Li contacted me is none of your damn business. Why are you asking?

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

"Then you go first."

Dong Xuan frowned slightly; she vaguely sensed Qin Lan's goal, but still 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.

"You speak."

"You speak."

"..."

Both distrusted each other and refused to speak first—finally, Qin Lan proposed they each compose a text message and send it simultaneously, eliminating any chance of backtracking.

Dong Xuan agreed. They pulled out their phones, typed their messages, counted down: three, two, one.

And neither sent it.

Qin Lan awkwardly touched the edge of her phone: "Bad signal."

Dong Xuan blinked: "Funny—I have the same problem."

"Let's be honest. If we keep stalling like this, I won't leave today. Remember, I helped your friend Guan Yue catch her husband cheating—let's stick to our deal and tell the truth."

Qin Lan realized their trust was too low and brought up her past help to Guan Yue, trying to bridge the gap.

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

"Fine."

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

【1】

【One】

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

That bastard left me stranded, yet went after that fox!

Correct—Yan Li hadn't contacted Qin Lan recently, 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 written 【1】—it was simple: zero was too humiliating; even one, though scarce, was better than nothing.

Both had settled for the bare minimum, and each knew only their own situation—thus, misunderstanding arose.

Though this left them both slightly annoyed with each other, the outcome revealed that, compared to Dong and Qin, the one they were most furious with was Shuang Bing.

Since "Painted Skin" started filming, that seductive vixen and the old fox won't let go of the actor; they pretend to fight loudly, but who knows if it's just a show for us?

It's definitely suspicious. Even if they weren't in the same place, it'd be one thing—but they're both in Hengdian, and he's not someone who doesn't know his own weight; someone must be stirring up trouble in the middle.

That seductive vixen has always been like this—arrogant and domineering; she's the newcomer, yet she acts like the official girlfriend—pfft.

She's already troublesome enough, and now add Li Bingbing, who's no good either; both are driven by self-interest, secretly colluding and scheming behind the scenes—it's not impossible.

Despite the fierce confrontation and mutual tearing apart just now, now that they've found a common enemy, the two quickly united against the outside, the atmosphere unusually warm and harmonious.

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

There was no choice—neither could beat Fan Xiaopang alone; without cooperation, they'd be kicked out or crushed and replaced by that Fan.