Chapter 327: Qin Dong and Fan Xiaopang Grow Closer Over Time, Lu Chunxiang Reports, Mergers Proceed

Lianshi, The Wind cast

We've been filming nonstop and weren't aware of what's happening outside; shooting's paused for a break, the assistant will come over with the news right away.

Li Bingbing reacted quickly, watching Fan Xiaopang with keen interest, and said, "Tsk tsk, no wonder filming's so exhausting—you're just earning baby formula money."

"I'm curious—when this kid's born, will they call you 'Little Mom' or 'Auntie'?"

"Call your grandma a leg."

Fan Xiaopang cursed, and normally she'd have clashed with this skinny stick, but right now she had no energy to argue—she just called Yang Tianzhen and went into the RV to shut the door and discuss.

"Ahh, so comfortable."

Li Bingbing wasn't angry at being cursed; instead, she beamed—it wasn't that she was masochistic, but seeing Fan Xiaopang crack was pure delight.

After fighting so long, exchanging daily barbs, both had long since become immune to each other's poison.

You insult me, I insult back, idle, half-hearted squabbling—it's really meaningless.

Today she was being sarcastic; under normal circumstances, Fan Xiaopang would've retorted or sneered in silence—but instead, Fan exploded in rage, ran off without even wanting to argue, and lost all dignity.

She's flustered!

She's flustered!

Li Bingbing adored watching Fan Xiaopang humiliated—Fan's violent reaction scattered even that tiny bit of bitterness in her heart, replaced by glee.

But Fan Xiaopang had no interest in Li Bingbing—she entered the RV and pulled Yang Tianzhen aside to ask.

"Is the rumor true?"

"Right now it's just online gossip; no one's made any official statement. I tried to dig around discreetly, but so far, nothing concrete."

Yang Tianzhen shared Fan Xiaopang's fate—rising or falling together—so she understood how critical this was to Fan Xiaopang.

Since hearing the news, she'd been rushing to investigate, but the time was too short, so information remained limited.

Another reason: this involves Yan Li and Qin Dong, so it's sensitive. Without Fan Xiaopang's approval, she dared not dig deeply into any of the three.

Especially Yan Li—if she were caught probing his private affairs, even Fan Xiaopang couldn't protect her.

Fan Xiaopang thought for a moment, then chose to cut straight to the point: she called Yan Li directly.

Yang Tianzhen wisely stepped out to guard the door. About five to six minutes later, Fan Xiaopang opened the door and let her in—her expression had noticeably softened.

"Sis, is everything okay?"

Yang Tianzhen saw the vibe and guessed—Fan Xiaopang nodded: "It's a misunderstanding. They bought them for Guan Yue and Ma Yili."

"That's it?"

Yang Tianzhen didn't believe it—the excuse felt too flimsy. Fan Xiaopang glanced at her.

"He wouldn't lie to me, and he has no reason to lie about this."

Yan Li might have his reasons for hiding this from her temporarily, but now that she'd come straight to him, he had no excuse to keep hiding it.

Yang Tianzhen thought it over and agreed it made sense.

A child can't be hidden forever, and now it's leaked—so if she's really pregnant, she'd just say it outright. This isn't a palace intrigue drama; no one fears Fan Xiaopang will harm the child.

"Phew…"

Knowing it was a misunderstanding, Yang Tianzhen exhaled deeply. The current situation had Fan Xiaopang alone holding Qin Dong at bay—even if the two teamed up, they'd still be on the defensive.

But if the two had a child, the balance could shift—reversal wasn't even out of the question.

"Sis, this was a misunderstanding, but next time it might not be—shouldn't we plan ahead?"

"How?"

Fan Xiaopang pinched her brow: "Yi'an is about to go public. If I go have a baby, even if he doesn't care, my influence and stake in the company will take a massive hit."

Once Yi'an goes public, beyond the shareholders who invested money and resources,

among employees, whether based on past contributions or strategic celebrity goals, Fan Xiaopang is likely to receive the largest share of equity.

But that's only if Fan Xiaopang maintains her dominant position—if she steps away to have a baby, even with Yan Li's favor, her equity returns will definitely suffer.

After all these years of struggle, to give up right before the fruit is ripe—Fan Xiaopang simply couldn't accept it.

Moreover, this isn't just about her own interests—it's also about the child's future.

Qin Dong is incapable; she can only care for the child. In the future, whatever family wealth Yan Li gives, she'll get only what he allows.

I'm different—through my contributions and my status in Yan Li's career, I can give my child far greater autonomy, and leave behind a substantial inheritance for them too.

"Early fat isn't fat; late fat crushes the bed. We've pulled off comebacks before—no need to worry."

Fan Xiaopang wasn't sure if she was reassuring Yang Tianzhen or pumping herself up—but on the surface, she still radiated confidence.

Yang Tianzhen, no matter what she thought inside, said aloud: "Sis, you're the strongest. No matter what, I support you."

…

Among all the women, Fan Xiaopang was the only one bold enough to call him directly and ask. The others hadn't voiced anything yet, or were using third parties to congratulate or probe the situation.

Yan Li was worn out by the pressure and considered posting a statement on Weibo, but feared it would be an admission of guilt—too sensitive. So he warned Qin Lan and Dong Xuan.

Qin Lan took the initiative to interact with Ma Yili on Weibo, casually revealing the situation.

Guan Yue also posted a baby photo on Weibo, commenting @Dong Xuan, jokingly telling her as godmother to be generous and not buy cheap junk for the child—Dong Xuan replied OK.

Their exchange naturally prompted enthusiastic media accounts to repost and clarify.

People split into believers and skeptics, but at least there was an official narrative—and fewer people came to "harass" Yan Li.

Still, while the child issue quieted down, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan's "intimate" postures drew some netizens' attention.

Dong Xuan is the "ex-girlfriend" acknowledged by both Yan Li and herself, and various signs suggest their breakup was a facade.

Qin Lan is the cohabiting girlfriend exposed in the blog scandal; Yan Li never publicly responded, but his attitude was effectively an admission.

Yan Li stepping on two boats isn't surprising—everyone knows it. But for both boats to coexist so harmoniously? That earned admiration and awe.

Then again, it's not new—didn't he also make the two soldiers film together? More than once, maybe even more than just filming together.

Fuck, male netizens gnashed their teeth—Yan Li's life was better than any damn web novel.

No one knew if it was envy of Yan Li's wealth, but everyone hoped he'd go bankrupt and crash; rumors about his business troubles were countless.

Just the creditors who publicly claimed on the internet added up to nearly a hundred, and Yan Li's employees, bank or partner company staff, and insiders who learned the truth from friends totaled at least ten thousand.

A few days ago, Yan Li's net worth was over five billion; now he owed billions, and the amount kept rolling up.

Honestly, these rumors weren't all bad for Yan Li—at least no one came to borrow money from him anymore.

During the financial crisis, everyone's days were hard; Yan Li was famous and well-connected, and many friends planned to seek his help.

Now that the outside world was buzzing with rumors of his collapse, it automatically pushed away many people; those who remained, after Yan Li feigned some difficulty, wisely kept quiet.

Some even feared Yan Li would ask them for loans, and their phones went unanswered.

Yan Li had originally planned a grand return-to-throne drama, but now he was rewriting the script.

He would return, of course—he still needed to reassure investors and the company, and future investments couldn't be hidden—but how he returned still needed careful planning, so he wouldn't finish boasting and then get mobbed by a crowd of bandits.

Hmm, he needed a story.

A heart-stopping, dramatic tale of bloody battles across eight fronts to break through the encirclement.

I endured endless pressure, suffered countless hardships, fought with half my life to earn this money, and now I must pour it into a few money-devouring beasts under me.

How dare you ask to borrow?

On what grounds do you dare ask to borrow?!

These days, you can't be too poor or desperate, or the outside world will look down on you and shake internal morale; but you also can't be too rich, or everyone will try to take advantage.

So the ideal state is to have wealth—but no cash on hand; most of the money is locked in the company and assets, and personally, you're "poor."

Yan Li even considered buying hair dye to turn his hair speckled white, to show how much pressure he'd endured and how much effort he'd spent.

Later he thought this act was too much, and feared it might affect Weibo and Yi'an's operations, so he temporarily gave up.

Better to wait until the crisis ended, claim he'd once gone completely white-haired, say he dyed his hair daily to hide it from others' worries, pretend calmness on the surface—this logic was tighter and made him look like a seasoned general.

Whether his hair actually turned white or not? Netizens hadn't hidden under his bed to check—truth or lie, it was all up to his word.

This photo leak, besides making Yan Li's "debts" grow even larger, was a full public exposure of Qin Dong and Dong Xuan.

Their relationship with Yan Li was now openly confirmed and widely known; even their "backyard harmony" was laid bare, leaving them both embarrassed yet slightly delighted.

At least now they didn't have to watch that sly fox Fan Xiaopang play the innocent alone—even if temporarily inferior, they at least had some presence.

But this behavior violated public morals; under today's relatively conservative social climate, it inevitably drew criticism and controversy, adding some pressure to them.

Fortunately, Yan Li was beside them, soothing and comforting them endlessly, greatly easing their moods.

Coinciding with Beidian's desire to avoid the spotlight, school leaders suggested Dong Xuan take a short leave; Dong Xuan seized the opportunity to stay in Xiangjiang.

Daily Xuan-Lan pairings were impossible, but when Yan Li had no time to accompany them, he'd make excuses, beg, and wheedle; Qin Dong, in this special period and somewhat defeated, would half-reluctantly let him have his way.

Over time, Yan Li even felt Qin Dong's relationship had improved considerably.

Unlike Shuang Bing—those two had strong, competitive personalities, constantly clashing in every aspect.

Qin Dong's personality wasn't so dominant; she even had some altruistic traits, and with Fan Xiaopang as a major threat, Yan Li mediating between them, plus favorable timing, geography, and human factors.

After spending time together, they developed mutual understanding and tacit rapport; their relationship wasn't intimate or harmonious, but the tension had faded significantly.

They dared not go shopping together, but when Yan Li was busy, they could watch dramas, do beauty treatments, or practice exercises together.

When Tong Yaya came to Xiangjiang to visit Dong Xuan, Qin Lan even invited Cai Er from the Teddy Sisterhood; the four of them played mahjong all afternoon, leaving Tong Yaya nearly questioning reality.

"Sis? What… what's going on here?"

According to Guan Yue, Qin Lan was a mortal enemy—how could they be laughing and chatting like this?

"Just pretending for now; after all, the number-one enemy is Fan."

Dong Xuan couldn't admit it was because of the Xuan-Lan pairing that their relationship had softened over time, so she found a more acceptable explanation.

They'd previously supported Yang Mi together; now, given the circumstances, playing along with each other was understandable… right?

Tong Yaya didn't know how to judge, but as the younger sister, she dared not contradict.

Moreover, Qin Dong's alliance benefited her—she no longer had to worry about war with the Teddy Sisterhood, and as for Fan Xiaopang, his status was too high for her little nobody to care about.

Tong Yaya and Dong Xuan were close, so they exchanged a few private words.