Chapter 295

Yan Li didn't know how Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing had talked, but when he arrived, he saw the two sitting together on set—something unprecedented—and occasionally laughing and chatting.

Since the filming of "Painted Skin" began, such a scene, if not utterly rare, was certainly uncommon.

Sun Li, standing nearby, visibly panicked; she wasn't afraid of them fighting—she was used to it—but this abnormal state was downright terrifying.

Seeing Yan Li finally arrive, Sun Li nearly jumped out of her chair.

She hurriedly gave up her seat to Yan Li, then slipped away to find Deng Chao for shelter and comfort.

Yan Li pulled his lower-body costume together, sat down, and opened his script to wait for his scene.

Fan Xiaopang glanced over, impatiently prodded him: "Is your info reliable? Are they coming or not?"

Yan Li sighed: "Isn't it better if they don't come?"

"No way—I'd be wasting all my prep."

Fan Xiaopang wore the look of someone who wouldn't let herself be cheated; convincing Li Bingbing hadn't been easy.

That old bamboo stick was shrewd—she knew the timing was golden and hiked the price, biting off a big chunk.

Thinking of this, Fan Xiaopang turned to Li Bingbing and reminded her again: "Do things properly—I won't shortchange you, so don't show up just to go through the motions."

Since she'd been brought in, letting her sit idle was a waste; better to add extra incentive and have her assist him, while also sending a warning to Qin Dong.

It's not just you two who can form factions—I don't care to deal with you, so just calm down!

"Relax—I'm not you, known for my impeccable reputation."

Li Bingbing was relaxed; this had little to do with her. Even if she agreed to help, she was mostly here to watch the show.

Fan Xiaopang shook her head, though she'd never expected Li Bingbing to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with her—just not dragging her down was enough; she could handle it alone.

Though outwardly confident and commanding, it was clear Fan Xiaopang felt some pressure—otherwise she wouldn't be so restless.

But the more she wanted to confront Qin Dong, the longer the two delayed showing up.

After the crew had worked for hours and still no sign of them, not only did Fan Xiaopang doubt Yan Li's intel, Yan Li himself began to waver.

The system wouldn't betray him—could something have gone wrong? Or was it canceled at the last minute?

Yan Li wondered if his earlier text messages had had an effect, then dismissed the idea as unlikely.

After all, this was their first time teaming up—no way would a few texts make them back down.

In fact, the reason Qin Lan and Dong Xuan were late was simple.

Fan Xiaopang was known for her beauty; they decided not only to overpower her in presence, but also to outshine her in appearance—at the very least, not lose ground.

So they put great effort into their outfits and makeup, spending all night yesterday and through this morning choosing clothes and applying makeup.

After meeting up, they were dissatisfied with both each other and themselves, so they went together to the city mall to buy new clothes and get a last-minute beauty touch-up.

The originally scheduled morning showdown was postponed to the afternoon.

During breaks in filming, Yan Li learned about their movements through their associates—he was utterly speechless.

"Purely a rabble."

But then again, if these two truly coordinated well, struck fiercely, moved like wildfire, and advanced like a forest in stillness, it would be him who had to worry.

Fan Xiaopang, growing impatient: "Are they coming or not?"

Fighting requires striking with full momentum—second time, it weakens; third time, it's spent. She'd waited all morning, and her spirit was nearly drained.

"Cough—don't know. Let's eat first."

Yan Li himself was unsure now; it was overcast today, and rain was forecast for the afternoon. If these two got caught in the rain on the way and worried about their appearance, they might just turn back and pick another auspicious day—it wasn't impossible.

These two's decisions were like some dog author's empty promises—loud noise, no accuracy…

Fan Xiaopang glared bitterly at Yan Li; she suspected this bastard was messing with her.

Even if he wasn't, he'd still screwed her over badly. Had he not warned her, even in a surprise encounter, she wouldn't have feared the two—but now, everything was passive, and it was agonizing.

Yan Li sighed; if this intel ever got leaked, he'd be damned from both sides.

…

Time slowly passed until nearly 3 p. m., when Hengdian, overcast all day, finally began to rain.

The rain was heavy, even disrupting part of the shoot; the director and producer came to consult Yan Li—if the rain didn't stop, they'd wrap early after finishing the indoor scenes.

Yan Li agreed; shooting in the rain was difficult without proper preparation.

Crew scheduling was one issue; protecting equipment, costumes, and props, resetting sets—all were complicated. Weather couldn't be controlled, and if the rain stopped or changed mid-shoot, continuity would break.

So most crews, especially for big scenes, preferred artificial rain over shooting in real rain.

By 4:30 p. m., the indoor scenes were finished; the rain had lessened but hadn't stopped.

Seeing the crew members staring hopefully at him, Yan Li waved to the producer: "Call it a day."

Instantly, cheers erupted; "Painted Skin" had a fast pace and heavy workload—delayed wraps and all-nighters were common.

On a rainy day, wrapping early—even if they had to rise early tomorrow—was a welcome relief.

Yan Li took off his outer costume, threw on a jacket; it was November now, temperatures weren't low, but rain made it bitterly cold.

Under the eaves, he reached out to feel the rain, then turned to his assistant Ding Feng: "This weather's perfect for hot pot. Tell the crew's finance team: every official "Painted Skin" crew member gets a 100-yuan subsidy—I'm treating everyone to hot pot, paid out of my own pocket."

These days, 100 yuan per person could buy a lavish hot pot meal—or if you didn't want to eat, just treat it like a red envelope.

Fan Xiaopang imitated him, reaching out to feel the rain: "You're buying loyalty again?"

"Just 100 yuan—hardly buying loyalty."

Yan Li smiled: "Didn't you see how the crew reacted when you said wrap? Work's tiring, resentment builds—eating hot pot and getting a red envelope lets them vent. Tomorrow, they'll be fired up again."

After being a boss this long, Yan Li realized many employees were easy to please.

They might grumble daily, but give them half a day off early and a little bonus, and suddenly they think you're the best boss ever—their resentment over overtime melts away.

And these occasional small surprises and perks are more effective than direct pay raises.

Extra salary on the payroll feels like something they're owed; this way, they feel they've earned extra.

You could call it a shrewd merchant's trick or a capitalist's ploy—but Yan Li preferred to call it management wisdom.

"Let's go, there are enough people—let's go eat hot pot."

Yan Li didn't have much of a fondness for hot pot, but if it rained or snowed in winter, he particularly favored something hot to ward off the chill, especially if accompanied by three or five close friends to liven things up—that would be even better.

"Alright."

Fan Xiaopang nodded, preparing to grab his bag and change clothes, when Li Bingbing, nearby, heard the words and came over.

"Count me in."

"How come you're everywhere?"

Qin Dong wasn't here, so Fan Xiaopang's need for Li Bingbing dropped sharply—he immediately changed his expression.

Li Bingbing wasn't surprised, but emphasized: "Not showing up today doesn't mean you won't show up later—don't burn your bridges."

Fan Xiaopang fell silent. The big enemy was right in front of him; let this old bamboo pole enjoy his moment of triumph for now.

Originally, Yan Li had planned to invite Deng Chao and the others, but since both Bingbing and Xiaopang were here, everyone else quickly said they'd already made other plans and wouldn't intrude on their trio's world.

Although others weren't here, there were still people around Yan Li and the two others—want quiet? Eat alone. Want noise? You can still gather a whole table.

After calling to reserve a table, everyone drove over; Fan Xiaopang and the others entered the private room to order, while Yan Li exchanged a few pleasantries with the owner.

There were too many stars in Hengdian, so they weren't special—but big bosses were different.

This made Yan Li more welcome to these shop owners than many stars; he was always greeted with pleasantries and photo requests, rumored to be for catching a bit of Boss Yan's fortune.

"Alright, alright, I'll eat first—you go ahead."

Yan Li shook off the enthusiastic hot pot owner and was just heading toward the private room when Ding Feng stepped forward, looking serious, and whispered.

"Boss, the film crew says Sister Dong and Sister Lan have arrived."

Yan Li instinctively glanced outside the hot pot restaurant—it was still raining.

So these two women are dead set on getting to Fan Xiaopang!

Yan Li paused, thinking: if these two couldn't find him, they'd either go to the hotel or Yi'an Garden to wait for him, or call him.

Running around causing a big scene would be hard to contain; being called by them would put him on the defensive.

A thought crossed his mind—he turned to Ding Feng: "Go check how good the soundproofing is in the private room."

The latter blinked, then hurried off and returned: "It's decent. And today it's raining, the place is packed, so it's noisy anyway—no one will notice if there's a bit more noise."

"Hmm."

Yan Li nodded, pulled out his phone, and walked to the restaurant entrance to make the call; Ding Feng followed, holding the umbrella open sideways to shield him from the wind-driven rain.

"Hello?"

The call connected, and Dong Xuan's voice came through; Yan Li's tone carried surprise and resignation.

"Why are you two here?"

"Of course it's to visit the set… and while we're at it, we're also planning this year's birthday."

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan must have answered the call together, each speaking in turn; the latter's voice carried a hint of resentment, clearly annoyed that Yan Li had called Dong Xuan first.

As for why Yan Li knew they'd arrived at the set—that didn't need to be asked.

Both had shown up; if Yan Li hadn't heard, he might as well quit.

That's precisely why Yan Li called them first—otherwise, if they contacted him and he pretended ignorance, it would be too fake.

"Be honest—why did you come?"

"Why are you so harsh? You haven't come to see me… for so long, and now you won't even let us come check… what if someone gets drained by a fox spirit?"