Chapter 367

Set of "Let's Have a Ball"

"Don't kneel?"

Yan Li sat on a leather sofa, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile.

Jiang Wu's forehead was reddened, kneeling before him, voice choked with tears: "This isn't just beating my ass—it's slapping your own face."

Yan Li, mid-sip, flicked his finger and splashed the entire cup of hot tea onto Jiang Wu's face, then spat out a leaf of tea with a soft "pfft."

Jiang Wu didn't dare dodge, standing drenched: "Master, once my ass heals, I'll personally avenge you."

Yan Li wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief, tossed it aside carelessly, and replied indifferently.

"Bring the man who sells chilled jelly pudding. The county magistrate loves adjudicating—give him a few cases to settle."

"Cut."

Jiang Wen called out, Yan Li stood up to review the playback and discussed the performance with Jiang Wen.

Casualness and high posture were fine, but Jiang Wen wanted it rougher—like spitting tea straight from the mouth onto Wu Sect's face; Yan Li's version was more refined and elegant.

"Huang Silang comes from five generations of wealth, but he does bully's work—oppressing the good, committing every evil under heaven—he's more of a bandit than bandits themselves."

"So his elegance and civility are surface-deep; inside, he's a monster that devours people and spits out bones."

Yan Li understood, and proposed a new idea: "Then I'll act refined in manner but crude in conduct—the contradiction and hypocrisy in the character will be stronger."

Jiang Wen gave a thumbs-up. Originally, he'd invited Yan Li more for the publicity and his status, thinking his acting was merely adequate.

But after Yan Li joined the crew, Jiang Wen discovered he had real flair for acting, had deeply studied the role and script, and their communication flowed effortlessly.

Jiang Wen even felt a pang of regret—Yan Li's commercial career was wasting his acting talent.

Yet, considering Yan Li's achievements in business, his acting talent might not even compare.

Yan Li performed the scene again, following Jiang Wen's instructions.

He had his own ideas about Huang Silang, but how to execute them required on-set refinement and, crucially, Jiang Wen's approval.

Jiang Wen was the screenwriter and director, with deeper insight into the characters and plot.

If Yan Li improvised freely, he might enjoy himself—but the character would collapse, the plot logic would unravel, the film would bomb, and he'd be the one to suffer.

After filming the next segment, the crew moved locations. Jiang Wen came over to brief Yan Li and the assistant director, then left.

He went to pick someone up—Feng Xiaogang was coming for a cameo.

Jiang Wen and Feng Xiaogang had a history; both were close with Wang Shuo. Back when Feng's debut, "The Days of Sunlight," was made, both Wang and Feng appeared as cameos—the latter played a teacher.

Now, Feng and Wang's relationship was complicated, but their old bond with Jiang Wen remained intact.

Previously, for "The Founding of a Republic," Jiang Wen saw Feng's portrayal of Du Yuesheng and invited him; Ge Dage probably intervened too, so Feng Xiaogang came along for fun.

If nothing goes wrong, "Let's Have a Ball" might very well land in next year's New Year's release slot.

Feng Xiaogang currently has "Tangshan Earthquake" and the planned "If You Are the One 2"—they might clash.

It's like the old rivalry between "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Theft of the Imperial Palace"—Feng Xiaogang is once again "arming the enemy."

In the afternoon, after finishing his shoot, Yan Li was removing his makeup when he ran into Xu Qing.

She had few lines, but couldn't sit still—always showing up on set, and especially fond of hanging around Yan Li; they'd grown close.

Today she had a scene too, hadn't gone to find Yan Li, yet they met again—their dressing rooms were some distance apart.

"Bro, we're throwing a welcome dinner for Director Feng tonight—you coming?"

Xu Qing brushed her hair back, asking warmly—clearly, she'd come specifically for him.

Yan Li shook his head: "I'll pass. If I show up, he won't drink well."

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't go."

Xu Qing smiled: "I heard he pissed you off, and you slapped him across the face several times, beat him up badly—is that true?"

"..."

Yan Li was speechless: "Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone says it. When I joined Huayi, I specifically asked around—they said Zhou Young Master and Huang Xiaoming were there, even tried to pull them apart."

So it's gotten this wild outside?

Earlier, Yan Li and Feng Xiaogang had clashed; Feng had been thoroughly dealt with—a secret within the circle, even with some online leaks on Tianya.

The line—"I give you face, I call you Director Feng; I don't give you face, you're still Feng Kuzi, running after Wang Shuo's heels"—became a staple for both Feng's haters and Yan Li's critics.

Feng's haters used it to mock him; Yan Li's haters claimed he was arrogant, bullying others with power, and so on.

It was said Feng Xiaogang had been emotionally shattered and even tried to track down who leaked it.

But when Yan Li had pointed at his nose and cursed him, plenty had seen it—mostly Huayi staff, all prominent figures—and since none admitted to it, he couldn't prove anything.

In reality, with such a big scandal, who doesn't whisper it to friends and family?

And those friends have their own friends—someone adds oil, someone else adds vinegar, rumors spread, growing wilder and wilder, Feng Xiaogang's downfall becoming ever more exaggerated.

Yan Li suspected this might have everything to do with Feng Xiaogang's terrible interpersonal reputation.

These past two years, Feng Xiaogang had been full of himself, speaking and acting arrogantly—many found him insufferable.

Especially old friends from back then, who even created a character called "Feng Kuzi" in a TV drama just to annoy him.

But no matter how much people disliked him, Feng Xiaogang was now undeniably the famous Director Feng—ordinary people couldn't touch him, and even had to flatter him on sight.

When someone finally made Feng Xiaogang eat humble pie, how could they not rejoice? Adding a little extra kick was only natural.

Given Feng Xiaogang's nature, he'd offend even more people in the future—maybe someday the story would turn into Yan Li whipping Feng into a spinning top.

A few light jokes made Xu Qing burst into laughter.

This sister had a low laugh threshold—then again, maybe she just liked being made to laugh by Yan Li.

Some people are like that: if they find you funny, even two lame jokes will make them laugh until their stomach hurts.

But if they don't care for you, even if you were Zhao Ben Shan plus Zhou Xingchi plus Charlie Chaplin all rolled into one, they'd just think you were annoying.

"If you're not going, I won't go either. We're done early—let's grab dinner. I heard there's a great Cantonese place."

Xu Qing extended a personal invitation; Yan Li had been before, but this time he shook his head: "Next time—my sister-in-law's arriving, I need to pick her up."

Dong Xuan had originally planned to take leave and join Yan Li directly on set, but it coincided with the 2009 freshman intake.

Previously, Dong Xuan taught the 2005 and 2007 cohorts; when the 2005 class graduated in summer, she was set to take over the 2009 class, and the school even considered making her homeroom teacher for this cohort.

But now Dong Xuan's heart wasn't in it—she was even planning to take a long leave, and declined the homeroom position.

Still, homeroom teacher or not, there were too many tasks tied to freshman enrollment, and handover couldn't be completed quickly, so Dong Xuan was delayed for a while and only arrived now.

Xu Qing's smile didn't fade: "Then I won't disturb you—give my regards to your sister-in-law."

"Got it—see you tomorrow."

Yan Li tidied up, left the makeup room; Xu Qing pursed her lips slightly and didn't linger.

…

Yan Li's rented apartment was about a forty-minute drive from the set of *Let's Shoot the Bullet*; the interior and exterior environment were excellent, and the furnishings were high-end.

When they got home, Dong Xuan was packing her luggage; Yan Li saw the dense mass of personal belongings—even her pet cat had come—and clicked his tongue twice.

"You're really planning for a long haul."

"Of course—I've taken two months' leave."

Dong Xuan's calculations were shrewd; in a way, this amounted to monopolizing Yan Li.

If she couldn't get pregnant, no problem—she wouldn't give up; if she did, all the better.

Even if she got pregnant during this time, she had no intention of leaving—she'd stay until Yan Li finished filming, then return to Jingcheng together, which would count as a vacation for the two of them… no, the three of them.

"Enough packing—leave it for later. You just arrived—I'll take you to try some local specialties."

"Ah, we're eating first?"

Dong Xuan asked; Yan Li laughed in exasperation: "Even the Emperor doesn't let hungry soldiers fight—you've got to feed people doing hard labor."

They found a restaurant Yan Li had liked before; as they pulled into the parking lot, Ding Feng pointed at a nanny van.

"Boss, that looks like Brother Ge's—him and Director Jiang went to welcome Feng Xiaogang."

Which meant that group was likely also at this restaurant.

Yan Li glanced over, unsurprised: "Act like you don't see them. We eat our meal."

When people gather for welcome dinners, they tend to stick to a few good spots; running into each other is normal.

Anyway, they're all in private rooms—just avoid them. Jiang Wen and Brother Ge understand the situation; everyone keeps quiet.

They booked a private room and ate together: Yan Li, Dong Xuan, plus driver, assistant, and bodyguard.

After traveling all day, Dong Xuan had little appetite and couldn't quite adjust to the local flavors; she stopped eating quickly.

Yan Li, by contrast, ate heartily; though he preferred northern cuisine, he was open to regional flavors, and since they ordered many dishes, there was always something he liked.

"I'm going to the restroom."

Dong Xuan stood up; her female assistant and bodyguard followed her.

In Jingcheng it was fine, but when traveling, they always had someone like this—handling both assistance and protection.

It was all about being prepared; after all, Yan Li's current status and wealth weren't what they used to be—someone might harbor ill intent toward those close to him. Even if it was paranoia, Yan Li could afford it—better to buy peace of mind.

Yan Li focused on eating, finished, even played with his phone for a while—still, Dong Xuan hadn't returned.

Frowning, Yan Li prepared to get up and check—when the door opened and Dong Xuan returned with someone.

"Why were you gone so long?"

"I ran into Jiang Wen's wife, Zhou Yun."

Dong Xuan explained: she'd never met Zhou Yun before, but both knew who the other was.

Seeing Dong Xuan, Zhou Yun understood immediately; as a sort of local hostess, she naturally greeted her, and they chatted for a while.

"Then you ran into your sister-in-law too?"

Dong Xuan's tone carried a hint of sarcasm; Yan Li remained expressionless: "Which sister-in-law?"

"Playing dumb? She came right up calling you 'sister-in-law,' calling you 'little brother' like it was natural—you don't know which sister-in-law?"

Dong Xuan had seen plenty of flirtatious women; her instincts had sharpened. After just one encounter with Xu Qing, she sensed something off.

There was a faint edge of jealousy in her tone; she spoke of Yan Li with unnatural warmth—clearly not the normal dynamic of a set colleague.

Yan Li clarified: "I didn't do anything—I just got along well, called her 'sister.'"

"Heh. You treat her like a sister, but she doesn't want to be just your little brother."

Dong Xuan sneered; she and Qin Lan and the others had studied Yan Li's patterns.

Yan Li had a certain threshold for outside women, but it wasn't high—it came down to whether he was interested, or whether there were risks or complications.

If he had no interest + complications, he ignored them; if he was interested or no complications, though he never initiated, he rarely refused.

That Xu Qing—flirtatious, calling him "sister" and "little brother"—clearly wasn't a normal relationship.

"Eat something good—she's old enough to be your mother, and you're still willing to bite?"

Dong Xuan's sharp remark; Yan Li glanced around—driver was driving, staff were settling the bill, guards stood at the door.

Once everyone had left, Yan Li spoke: "In front of Ding Feng and the others, give me some face. Besides, I really didn't do anything—she smiled warmly, I couldn't just turn cold."

"Pfft."

Dong Xuan clearly didn't trust Yan Li's morals, but the tone suggested she wouldn't make a scene.

"Just stay away from her—she's all show, just annoying."

"Fine, I'll listen—you're right, let's go home."

Yan Li never argued on this issue—it was pointless. If he truly wanted to do something, they couldn't stop him; he'd just let them complain and grumble—it was easier to listen.

If you can't control them, don't forbid them from speaking—you'd suffocate. That's not how to live together.

Dong Xuan had intended to make a show of ownership, clinging to Yan Li as they left the private room—but they didn't bump into anyone.

Yan Li saw this: "Shall I take you over to their room?"

Dong Xuan looked at him: "Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"

"What matters is your happiness. Besides, I'm taking my own wife out—why should I care who gets angry?"

Never mind that Yan Li and Xu Qing have nothing between them; even if they did, Yan Li always puts Dong Xuan and the others first.

Indeed, this direct siding and comparison made Dong Xuan very happy, and she scolded him playfully.

"How childish. Let's go home."

"Are you sure? Don't come home and nag me about this again."

Yan Li preemptively patched it up, and Dong Xuan pushed him toward the door: "Fine, I won't nag."

Back home, Dong Xuan began packing, while Yan Li handled work, so he had his assistant and Ding Feng help her.

When Yan Li finished his work and stepped out of the study, Dong Xuan was wearing a face mask and on the phone.

Yan Li silently asked: "Who?"

Dong Xuan turned her phone face-down: "Guan Yue."

Only then did Yan Li speak: "You two are still chatting after working all day? Hang up. Don't you know what 'a short separation brings new affection' means?"

Dong Xuan nudged him with her foot, then turned on speakerphone—Guan Yue's loud, casual voice spilled out.

"Boss Yan, don't just thunder without rain. I've already got my red envelope ready—when are you two going to give me a grandchild?"

Guan Yue had known Yan Li since school days; she spoke freely, and given her closeness to Dong Xuan, she was among the very few who knew about the latter's pregnancy preparations.

"It's not something you can rush. We're doing our best."

"How can I not rush? I dream every single day of my daughter becoming your daughter-in-law. Whether it happens or not, at least let me see what my future son-in-law looks like."

"Relax. It's just a matter of time."

After teasing him a bit, Dong Xuan hung up and asked Yan Li: "If we have a son, are we really going to arrange a childhood marriage?"

"We'll see what her daughter turns out like. If she's beautiful, we'll reserve her for our son. If she's not, then it's up to the child—parents shouldn't interfere in their children's marriages."

Yan Li played it cool—he'd seen Tong Dawei and Guan Yue's daughter, and her features leaned toward Tong Dawei's.