Chapter 31: Did Yan Li slip you some mind-altering potion?

The next morning, the sky was clear and bright.

Yan Li was woken by Dong Xuan pinching his nose; she lay curled in his arms, smiling at him.

"Get up, Lao Guan already called."

"Oh."

Yan Li replied lazily, then squinted as he watched Dong Xuan sit up and put on her clothes.

Dong Xuan had a classic oval face with soft, gentle lines, delicate features, and a refined, pure beauty tinged with subtle charm—not stunningly beautiful, but pleasing and enduring to look at.

But what Yan Li loved most was her figure and skin.

Dong Xuan stood one meter seventy, her curves elegant—full where they should be full, slender where they should be slender, her skin fine, white, and tender like congealed jade.

When Yan Li first pursued her, it was because she was beautiful and pale—he liked pale skin.

The more he stared, the more entranced he became; his morning energy was high, his desire fierce, and as he watched Dong Xuan bend over to pick up her underwear from last night's floor, her skin whiter than snow, her posture alluring—

Yan Li could no longer hold back. He lunged forward, snatched her up, and decided to have a morning workout.

Dong Xuan, caught off guard, gasped and struggled lightly: "Lao Guan's already on her way."

"Call her. Tell her to come in half an hour… no, an hour."

…

Guan Yue was considerate, returning only just before noon.

By then, Yan Li had already left; Dong Xuan was hanging sheets on the balcony, and Guan Yue sidled up with a mischievous grin.

"Tsk tsk, fierce battle, total mess."

Dong Xuan couldn't take the teasing; her face flushed crimson. She dodged around the sheets to grab Guan Yue, who sidestepped, still ribbing her.

"Old Dong, you can't get over Yan Li—could it be you're not ready to give up this?"

In girls' dorms, many things are shared—or rather, compared.

Including private matters: even if you don't want to talk, when others start egging you on, you end up spilling something.

So Dong Xuan's roommates all knew roughly how capable Yan Li was—literally unmatched.

Some of them were knowledgeable, and at first thought Dong Xuan was bragging to boost her own image.

But as time passed, seeing how Dong Xuan always returned radiant, glowing, clinging to Yan Li, utterly submissive after every outing, they slowly believed her.

Women can be troublesome sometimes, simple at other times—it all depends on whether you can satisfy them.

Once, her friends organized a swimming trip, and Yan Li came along.

Guan Yue and the others saw with their own eyes Yan Li in tight swim trunks—four words to describe it—

Majestic and imposing!

Previously, Guan Yue and the others had analyzed why Dong Xuan didn't break up with Yan Li, mostly from an emotional angle. Today, seeing this, perhaps there was another reason.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear out your tongue."

After all, they were barely out of their twenties—how could they withstand such wolfish teasing? Dong Xuan, flustered and furious, lunged for Guan Yue.

This time, Guan Yue didn't dodge. She evaded Dong Xuan's grab, then countered, seizing her in a flash and pinning her down, smirking triumphantly.

"Little thing, your legs are already weak—still trying to fight me?"

Dong Xuan was indignant: "Just wait—I'll make you regret this."

She was tall and a dancer by training, so her strength and physique gave her the advantage; if not for the circumstances, Guan Yue couldn't have beaten her.

"I'll wait."

Guan Yue slapped Dong Xuan's butt boldly, then added: "Nice touch—no wonder Yan Li likes it."

After a bit of playfighting, they turned to asking about real matters.

Guan Yue wanted to know if Dong Xuan and Yan Li had reconciled; Dong Xuan was curious what had happened between Guan Yue and Tong Dawei last night.

They explained their situations to each other—and both couldn't hide their disappointment.

"What do you mean, no reconciliation? Does Yan Li put his pants on and forget who he is?"

"He took you to his place and still nothing happened? Is Tong Dawei broken?"

Guan Yue waved her hand: "Don't worry about me—he hasn't passed my trial period yet, so I won't let him get away with it easily. But you—what are you thinking?"

Dong Xuan recounted last night's events in detail, omitting only the final part, then said:

"I've reflected too. Yan Li was right at graduation, under heavy pressure living in Jingcheng as a northern drift—his mind was sensitive, restless."

"Then I broke up with him so decisively—it felt like abandoning him. It must've hurt him deeply. He never said anything, but he must've been upset inside."

"I can tell he still cares for me—he just has some knots he can't untie. No problem. I'll wait until he does."

"Actually, this situation is fine too: broken up but still seeing each other—just without the label. Everything else is the same as before. I just need to keep a closer eye on him, slowly simmer him like a frog in warm water—he won't escape my grasp."

…

Dong Xuan looked utterly confident. Guan Yue stared at her blankly, then reached out, touched her forehead, then her own.

"You're not running a fever, are you?"

"Did Yan Li slip you some mind-altering potion?"

Dong Xuan laughed and swatted her hand away: "You're the one who got drugged. Enough—leave it to me. I'll handle it myself."

Guan Yue opened her mouth to speak, then swallowed the words.

At the time, she'd pushed Dong Xuan to break up, genuinely thinking it was for her friend's good—kick out the unfaithful man, start fresh.

But she'd underestimated how deeply Dong Xuan felt for Yan Li.

Later, seeing Dong Xuan lose her appetite, cry alone at night, she regretted it.

Yin Xu and a few other friends blamed her for giving bad advice. Helping Dong Xuan vent anger was fine, but no one should have directly torn them apart.

Unless the person themselves was determined, the current social norm was always to reconcile, not separate.

That's why Guan Yue later changed her stance—helping relay messages, giving advice, even going ahead to scout and test the waters—all hoping they'd reconcile.

Currently, Yan Li's reaction didn't fully satisfy her, but at least it was moving in a better direction; Dong Xuan appeared slightly humble, yet she herself found it perfectly acceptable.

Whether a young couple stays together or breaks up—after all, a best friend is still an outsider.

Guan Yue, having been burned once before, dared not meddle again so easily; she merely made a statement in the end.

"Just remember this: I'll always be your backup."

Dong Xuan embraced Guan Yue, moved: "Thank you, Old Guan."

…

On the other side, Yan Li did not go home as Dong Xuan expected, nor did he go out to party.

Instead, he took a taxi to Fuxingmen near the West Second Ring Road, beside a certain bureau.

Yan Li bought a bottle of chilled water, drank it slowly, and circled the North Gate, South Gate, and Ximen.

After walking back and forth many times, just as he was about to give up, he finally spotted a familiar figure near the Ximen at a print shop and hurried over.

"Director Cheng?"

"Uh…"

Cheng Lidong regarded Yan Li with hesitation—he clearly didn't recognize him. Yan Li didn't mind and offered a reminder.

"I'm Yan Li. I had dinner with you once in Hengdian, and Liu Producer from Hengdian was there too."

"Oh, it's you. Did the drama finish shooting?"

Cheng Lidong finally remembered. Yan Li nodded: "Yes, I just got back a few days after wrap-up. I never expected to run into you here today."

"It's quite a coincidence."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yan Li asked about Cheng Lidong's purpose; the latter gave a casual, evasive reply.

"I'm running some errands for a project here."

Don't speak too deeply with someone you barely know—after all, they'd only shared one meal, and Yan Li was just a minor actor. For Cheng Lidong to chat with him this long was already quite generous.

Yan Li didn't mind at all. If he were in Cheng's place, he wouldn't reveal much to someone he'd met only once.

Yet he didn't give up; instead, he persistently pressed on, oblivious to social cues.

The reason was simple: from today's Daily Intelligence Report, he'd learned of Cheng Lidong's troubles—and he had a relatively suitable solution.

If so, he had to help Cheng Lidong with this matter, so the man would owe him a favor.

After all, this man was, according to the Monthly Intelligence Report, the future boss of a promising film and television company—his favor was extremely valuable.

Cheng Lidong, of course, couldn't explain to Yan Li. He grew impatient, brushed off a few more words, and turned to leave.

But for Yan Li, this was already enough.

The relationship was too shallow—he never expected to extract the truth directly from Cheng's mouth.

That brief exchange—meeting him and learning he was handling a project—allowed Yan Li to reasonably insert himself into the situation without seeming abrupt. The rest would be easy…

(End of Chapter)