Chapter 34: Big Shots in the Industry Who Hold Yan Li in High Esteem

Wangjing, outside a barbecue restaurant

“Lao Dong, this—”

Guan Yue waved her hand; Dong Xuan pulled Yan Li over: “Sorry we’re late.”

“No problem.”

Guan Yue waved again, but as she linked arms with Dong Xuan and walked into the restaurant, she leaned close and teased softly: “Half an hour late—did you do something naughty at home?”

“What are you talking about?”

Dong Xuan was speechless at her friend’s filthy mind: “I went with Yan Li to buy a phone.”

“His phone broke?”

“No, Yan Li’s phone is an old Nokia model—it can’t send texts. He’s about to shoot in Shishi, so communication is inconvenient.”

“I get it.”

Guan Yue suddenly understood: “So calling isn’t enough—you’re buying a new phone to send text messages and flirt.”

While the two women whispered, Yan Li was chatting with Tong Dawei on the other side.

Yan Li pulled out a cigarette pack and offered one to Tong Dawei, who shook his head.

“Guan Yue won’t let me smoke—I quit.”

Yan Li was slightly surprised but didn’t press; he put the cigarette away.

He didn’t have a strong habit—he smoked only a few cigarettes a day at home, sometimes none at all. Offering cigarettes was just a social habit formed during outings: a way to show friendliness and bridge distance.

Perhaps feeling that refusing the cigarette was rude, Tong Dawei took the initiative to start a conversation.

“Sorry about last time—I panicked and misunderstood. Let me apologize.”

“It’s nothing.”

Yan Li hadn’t given it a second thought; instead, he asked curiously: “What’s your situation with Guan Yue now? I heard from Dong Xuan you two aren’t together yet?”

Tong Dawei gave a bitter smile: “She says she’s testing me. I’ll just keep trying.”

Testing?

Yan Li glanced at Guan Yue, then at Tong Dawei, said nothing, but internally doubted it.

It was normal for a girl to be reserved with a suitor—when he pursued Dong Xuan, he’d had to work hard too.

Back then, Yan Li didn’t have an intelligence system.

Otherwise, he could’ve easily grasped her thoughts, catered to her preferences, and struck at two key moments to double his results.

For example, in Hengdian, if Yan Li hadn’t had system help to precisely narrow the gap between them, he and Qin Lan would’ve struggled to become close friends.

Still, even if Tong Dawei lacked a system and was emotionally slow, two young people who liked each other and saw each other often shouldn’t take this long to get together.

There’s definitely something fishy here!

Yan Li couldn’t figure it out, and didn’t plan to waste energy on it—whether they got together or not had nothing to do with him.

As long as Guan Yue didn’t give Dong Xuan any stupid ideas, she could do whatever she wanted.

Yan Li didn’t care about Tong Dawei and Guan Yue’s relationship, but Tong Dawei was deeply curious about his and Dong Xuan’s.

Because he’d been seeing Guan Yue often lately, he’d heard plenty of her complaints about heartless men and Dong Xuan’s lack of ambition—he’d learned a lot about the “Yan-Dong romance.”

The more he learned, the more he admired and envied Yan Li’s ability to completely dominate Dong Xuan.

Put more bluntly—

Coach, I want to learn this!

So throughout dinner, Tong Dawei was extremely attentive to Yan Li, who at first thought it was just gratitude for the earlier apology.

Later, at the second venue—karaoke—the boy took advantage of a bathroom break to hint at his true intentions, and Yan Li finally understood.

“Sorry, I don’t take apprentices.”

Yan Li had no interest in meddling—helping would bring no benefit, failing would make enemies on both sides, and he’d end up doing all the work for nothing.

“Bro, help me out—I’ve been chasing Guan Yue for ages, I’m out of options.”

Tong Dawei went all out, calling Yan Li “bro” and begging repeatedly.

Remember, during dinner they’d exchanged birth years—Tong was born February 1979, nearly two years older than Yan Li, born November 1980.

Not only was he slightly older, but his fame and status were also higher than Yan Li’s.

Yan Li was still an unknown, having only shot one drama that hadn’t aired yet.

Tong Dawei, though not hugely famous, had been acting since the late 90s, appearing in many dramas, some as lead.

More importantly, according to Dong Xuan, Tong Dawei starred in a movie with Xu Jinglei as the female lead, and another Haiyan drama was pending release—also as the male lead.

That was impressive!

A movie with a top-tier actress, plus a Haiyan drama—especially the latter, which carried serious weight.

Two years ago, the Haiyan drama “Never Close My Eyes” went viral, propelling Lu Yi into the ranks of the Four Leading Men, and Yuan Li became a top actress.

This drama type, dubbed the “urban version of Chiung Yao,” made countless actors desperate to land roles in Haiyan productions.

Tong Dawei starring in a new Haiyan drama couldn’t guarantee fame, but his future prospects were far beyond what Yan Li could even dream of.

“No, no, no—I’m not worthy. How about this—I’ll ask Dong Xuan to speak up for you?”

Tong Dawei had lowered himself so much that Yan Li couldn’t refuse entirely, so he brought up Dong Xuan.

Given Dong Xuan’s relationship with Guan Yue, if she fully intervened—pleading, conveying feelings—it would be nearly half an intelligence system.

Even just speaking well of him would save Tong Dawei a lot of effort.

Tong Dawei wasn’t satisfied—he didn’t just want to learn how to chase girls, he wanted to dominate like Yan Li.

Yan Li had no intention of teaching, nor could he—he couldn’t give Tong Dawei an intelligence system.

As one begged and the other refused, a man walked into the restroom and froze upon seeing Tong Dawei.

“Dawei?”

“Brother Wu.”

Tong Dawei was stunned, even slightly panicked: “What are you doing here?”

“I’m accompanying Boss Shi for an outing—we came here after dinner.”

“Boss Shi is here too?”

Tong Dawei was puzzled—this KTV was low-end, catering mostly to young people with limited spending power.

Boss Shi, a wealthy businessman, should be at high-end clubs or nightclubs, or at least Qiankui, a famous KTV chain.

Brother Wu explained: the place was connected to a certain guest, so everyone came to show support.

“Then, Yan Li, you go back—I’ll go toast Boss Shi.”

Clearly, Tong Dawei respected Boss Shi greatly. Yan Li nodded, about to leave, when Brother Wu called out.

“Since we’re all friends, let’s have a drink together.”

Yan Li glanced at Tong Dawei, saw his uneasy expression, and politely declined with a smile: “No thanks, next time. I can’t leave the girls alone in the private room.”

Tong Dawei went to toast, Yan Li returned to the private room. Guan Yue was singing Wang Fei’s “Red Beans,” while Dong Xuan sat on the sofa clapping along. Seeing only Yan Li, she asked:

Tong Dawei went to toast, Yan Li returned to the private room, Guan Yue was singing Wang Fei’s “Red Beans,” Dong Xuan sat on the sofa clapping along with her, and saw only Yan Li alone.

“Ran into an acquaintance—went to say hello.”

“I ran into an acquaintance and went to say hello.”

Dong Xuan didn’t care, kept clapping for Guan Yue. Yan Li sipped his drink and studied his new phone.

After a while, Guan Yue finished singing. Dong Xuan was about to drag Yan Li to sing together when the door opened and Tong Dawei entered with a middle-aged man.

Yan Li frowned slightly but stood to greet them. Tong Dawei introduced both sides.

The middle-aged man was Boss Shi, owner of Baoshi Pictures, who’d invested in several dramas recently and was a rising big shot in the industry.

With this introduction, Yan Li recalled the name.

Baoshi Pictures had some reputation in the industry—it had once claimed a 50-million-yuan budget for “The Great Han Emperor,” bringing in Chen Daoming as supporting cast, with its male lead being his acquaintance—Huang Xiaoming.

As Boss Shi chatted with Guan Yue, Dong Xuan nudged Yan Li to remind him.

She remembered: Guan Yue had said Boss Shi was Tong Dawei’s benefactor.

The movie Tong Dawei made with Xu Jinglei was produced by Baoshi Pictures, and his role in the Haiyan drama was also partly thanks to Boss Shi.

“Haiyan” in Haiyan drama seemed to be the name of Baoshi Pictures’ art consultant or board member.

Dong Xuan urged Yan Li to impress Boss Shi—he might get a lead role.

Yan Li thought Dong Xuan was right—he’d always sought connections with Wang Decai and Cheng Lidong, let alone a big boss like this. He raised his glass and went to toast.

He also wanted to keep Boss Shi occupied, so he couldn’t focus elsewhere.

Yan Li had met enough old men in this industry—they loved chasing pretty girls.

If Boss Shi tried to get drunk with Dong Xuan, Yan Li feared he’d lose his temper and hit him.

That would be messy—whether because of Boss Shi’s status or Tong Dawei being caught in the middle.

But Yan Li hadn’t expected it—Boss Shi showed no interest in Dong Xuan or Guan Yue; instead, he was unusually warm toward Yan Li.

As they chatted happily, Boss Shi had the KTV open two bottles of expensive wine—showing off his wealth—and before leaving, handed Yan Li a business card, saying he could call anytime.

Dong Xuan was thrilled—being noticed by a big shot meant a bright future.

But Yan Li wasn’t as excited as she imagined. He glanced at Tong Dawei, now unusually quiet, his expression unreadable.

He now understood why Tong Dawei and Guan Yue’s relationship had progressed so slowly…

He seemed to understand why his relationship with Guan Yue had progressed so slowly…

(End of chapter)