Chapter 367: The Rebellious Capital Elite Goddess and the Incompetent Feng Kuzi

Set of "Let's Shoot the Bullet"

"Don't kneel?"

Yu Yanli sat on a leather sofa, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile.

Jiang Wu, his forehead flushed red, knelt before him, voice trembling with tears: "This isn't just hitting my ass—it’s slapping your own face."

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

Jiang Wu didn’t dodge, letting the water drip as he said: "Master, once my ass heals, I’ll avenge you myself."

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

"Bring the cool jelly vendor here. The county magistrate loves adjudicating—give him a few cases to sort out."

"Cut."

Jiang Wen called out, and Yu Yanli rose to review the playback, discussing the performance with Jiang Wen.

Casual and high-handed was fine, but Jiang Wen wanted it coarser—like spitting tea directly onto Wu Jiaotou’s face. Yu Yanli’s version was more refined and elegant.

"Huang Silang may come from five generations of wealth, but he runs a bully’s racket—oppressing the innocent, committing every evil under heaven. He’s worse than bandits."

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

Yu Yanli understood, and offered a new idea: "Then I’ll act refined on the outside but crude in behavior—the contradiction and hypocrisy in the character will be stronger."

Jiang Wen gave a thumbs-up. Originally, he’d hired Yu Yanli more for the publicity and his status, thinking his acting was merely adequate.

But after Yu Yanli joined the crew, Jiang Wen realized he had real flair for acting, had deeply studied the role and script, and their collaboration flowed effortlessly.

Jiang Wen even felt a pang of regret—Yu Yanli’s acting talent was being wasted in business.

Yet, considering Yu Yanli’s business achievements, his acting talent might not even compare.

Yu Yanli performed the scene again, following Jiang Wen’s direction.

He had his own vision for Huang Silang, but how to execute it required on-set refinement—and he needed Jiang Wen’s approval.

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

If Yu Yanli improvised freely, he might enjoy himself—but risk breaking the character, derailing the plot, tanking the box office, and ultimately hurting himself.

After filming the next segment, the crew moved locations. Jiang Wen came over to brief Yu Yanli 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. When Feng’s debut "In the Heat of the Sun" was made, Wang and Feng both appeared as cameos—Feng played a teacher.

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

Earlier, during "The Founding of a Republic," Jiang Wen saw Feng’s portrayal of Du Yuesheng and invited him. Ge Daye probably intervened too, so Feng Xiaogang came along for fun.

If all goes well, "Let’s Shoot the Bullet" might 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 "Kung Fu Hustle" vs. "No Man’s Land" situation—Feng Xiaogang is once again "arming the enemy."

In the afternoon, after wrapping his scenes, Yu Yanli met Xu Qing while removing his makeup.

She had few roles, but couldn’t sit still—always showing up on set, especially drawn to Yu Yanli. They’d grown quite familiar.

Today she had a scene too, but hadn’t gone to find Yu Yanli—yet they ran into each other again, their dressing rooms still some distance apart.

"Bro, there’s a welcome dinner for Feng Dao tonight—you coming?"

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

Yu Yanli 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 hard—is that true?"

"..."

Yu Yanli was speechless: "Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone’s saying 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 had spread that wildly?

Earlier, Yu Yanli and Feng Xiaogang had clashed—Feng got beaten up, and it wasn’t a secret in the industry. Even some online rumors had surfaced.

The line—"I give you face, I call you Feng Dao; 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 Yu’s.

Feng’s haters mocked him; Yu’s haters accused him of arrogance, bullying, and abusing power.

Rumor had it Feng Xiaogang was so shaken he tried to track down who leaked it.

But when Yu Yanli pointed at his nose and cursed him, plenty of witnesses saw it—mostly Huayi insiders, all prominent figures. They wouldn’t admit it, and 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—each adding a dash of spice, a pinch of exaggeration—until the story spiraled out of control, and Feng Xiaogang’s reputation sank further.

Yu Yanli suspected it had a lot to do with Feng Xiaogang’s terrible interpersonal skills.

These past two years, Feng had become full of himself, arrogant in speech and action—many found him insufferable.

Especially old friends, 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 "Feng Dao"—a big name, untouchable by ordinary people, whom everyone still had to flatter.

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—soon, this story might turn into Yu Yanli whipping him into a spinning top.

A few light jabs, and Xu Qing burst into laughter.

This sister had a low laugh threshold—or maybe she just liked being made to laugh by Yu Yanli.

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

But if they don’t care for you, even if Zhao Ben Shan, Zhou Xingchi, and Charlie Chaplin all possessed your body, they’d just find you annoying.

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

Xu Qing invited him directly. Yu Yanli had been there before, but this time he shook his head: "Next time. My wife’s coming—I need to pick her up."

Dong Xuan originally planned to take leave and join Yu Yanli on set, but the 2009 freshman intake coincided.

She’d taught the 2005 and 2007 classes; the 2005 batch graduated in summer, so she was set to teach the 2009 class—and the school even considered making her their homeroom teacher.

But Dong Xuan’s heart wasn’t in teaching anymore; she’d even planned to take a long leave, declining the homeroom position.

Still, the freshman enrollment involved too many tasks to hand over quickly, so she was delayed—and now she’d finally arrived.

Xu Qing kept smiling: "Then I won’t disturb you. Give my regards to your wife."

"Got it. See you tomorrow."

Yu Yanli tidied up and left the dressing room. Xu Qing pursed her lips slightly and didn’t linger.

Yu Yanli’s rented apartment was about a 40-minute drive from the "Let’s Shoot the Bullet" set—pleasant surroundings, high-end furnishings.

When he arrived, Dong Xuan was packing. Seeing the mountain of personal items—even her pet cat—Yu Yanli clicked his tongue.

"You’re planning for a long haul, aren’t you?"

"Of course. I took two months’ leave."

Dong Xuan’s calculations were sharp—she was effectively monopolizing Yu Yanli.

If she couldn’t get pregnant, no problem—she wouldn’t give up. If she did, even better.

Even if she got pregnant during this time, she had no intention of leaving—she’d stay until Yu Yanli wrapped, then return to Beijing with him. It’d be their... no, their family of three’s vacation.

"Enough packing. We’ll sort it later. You just arrived—I’ll take you to try local specialties."

"Oh, we’re eating first?"

Dong Xuan asked. Yu Yanli laughed in exasperation: "Even emperors don’t let hungry soldiers fight. You need to feed people doing hard labor."

They picked a restaurant Yu Yanli had liked before. As they pulled into the parking lot, Ding Feng pointed at a chauffeur-driven car.

"Boss, that looks like Ge Daye’s. He and Jiang Wen are both at Feng Xiaogang’s welcome dinner."

Meaning, that group was likely dining here too.

Yu Yanli glanced over, unsurprised: "Act like you don’t see them. We eat our meal."

When people gather for welcome dinners, they always know a few good spots—running into each other is normal.

As long as they’re in private rooms, just avoid them. Jiang Wen and Ge Daye would understand—everyone kept silent, no need to say it aloud.

They booked a private room, and Yu Yanli, Dong Xuan, the driver, assistant, and bodyguard dined together.

Dong Xuan, exhausted from the journey, had little appetite and couldn’t adjust to the local flavors—she stopped eating quickly.

Yu Yanli, however, devoured his food. Though he preferred northern cuisine, he accepted other regional flavors well—and with so many dishes ordered, he always found something he liked.

"I’m going to the restroom."

Dong Xuan rose, and her female assistant/bodyguard followed.

In Beijing, it was fine—but away from home, they always had someone to assist and protect.

It was precautionary. Yu Yanli’s status and wealth had grown—he couldn’t risk someone targeting his people. Even if it was paranoia, he could afford it—better safe than sorry.

Yu Yanli focused on eating, finished, and even played with his phone for a while—still, Dong Xuan hadn’t returned.

He frowned, about 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—they’d never met, but both knew who the other was.

Seeing Dong Xuan, Zhou Yun understood immediately. As a local, she naturally greeted her, and they chatted briefly.

"Then you ran into your sister?"

Dong Xuan’s tone carried a hint of sarcasm. Yu Yanli remained calm: "Which sister?"

“Playing dumb, are you? She came right up calling you ‘sister-in-law,’ calling you ‘brother’ like it was the most natural thing—don’t you know which sister she’s talking about?”

Dong Xuan had seen too many flirtatious women to lack judgment; the moment she met Xu Qing, she sensed something was off.

There was a faint hint of jealousy in her tone, and her affectionate references to Yan Li were clearly more than just ordinary set colleagues.

Yan Li clarified: “I didn’t do anything—just got along well, called her ‘sister.’”

“Heh, you treat her as your sister, but she doesn’t want to just treat you as her brother.”

Dong Xuan had studied Yan Li’s patterns with Qin Lan and the others.

Yan Li had certain standards for women outside, but they weren’t particularly high—mainly depending on whether he was interested, or whether there was risk or trouble involved.

If he had no interest and there was trouble, he’d ignore them; otherwise, though he never initiated, he rarely refused.

That Xu Qing, all sultry and flirty, calling him ‘brother’ and ‘sister’—clearly not a normal relationship.

“Eat something good—she’s past her prime, how can you even sink your teeth into her?”

Dong Xuan delivered a sharp retort. Yan Li glanced around: those who were driving had driven off, those paying the bill had paid, those on guard at the door were still on guard.

Once everyone was gone, Yan Li spoke: “In front of Ding Feng and the others, at least give me some face. Besides, I really didn’t do anything—she smiled at me, 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 so annoying, just looking at her irritates me.”

“Fine, I’ll listen to you. 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 anyway. He’d just let them grumble and complain—it was easier to listen.

If you can’t control someone, don’t forbid them from speaking—that’s not how to live together.

Dong Xuan probably meant to stake her claim, linking arms with Yan Li as they left the private room—only to find no one there.

Yan Li said: “Shall I take you over to their place for a quick look?”

Dong Xuan looked at him: “Aren’t you afraid she’ll get angry?”

“Your happiness matters most. Besides, I’m taking out my wife—why should I care who gets angry?”

Not to mention Yan Li and Xu Qing had nothing, but even if he did have something with someone, he always put Dong Xuan and the others first.

Indeed, this direct alignment and comparison made Dong Xuan happy. She gave him a playful scold.

“How childish. Let’s go home.”

“Are you sure? Don’t come home and nag me about this again.”

Yan Li preempted her. Dong Xuan pushed him toward the door: “Fine, I won’t nag.”

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

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

Yan Li silently asked: “Who?”

Dong Xuan turned her phone around: “Guan Yue.”

Only then did Yan Li speak: “You two are still chatting after work every day? Hang up. Don’t you know what ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ means?”

Dong Xuan nudged him with her foot, then turned on speakerphone. Guan Yue’s loud voice came through.

“Big Boss Yan, don’t just thunder without rain—I’ve already got the 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 few who knew about the latter’s pregnancy plans.

“It’s not something you can rush. We’re working on it.”

“How can I not rush? I’m always dreaming of your son marrying my daughter. Whether it happens or not, at least let me see what my future son-in-law looks like.”

“Don’t worry—it’s just a matter of time.”

After teasing her 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 looks like when she grows up. If she’s pretty, we’ll reserve her for our son. If she’s not, then it’s the child’s choice—parents shouldn’t interfere in their children’s marriages.”

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