Chapter 383

Li Xiao lu followed Hu Siyan to the location and realized they had misunderstood.

Yan Li called Hu over not for what they thought, but to handle social obligations.

The reason Yan Li had Hu Siyan come was because the person he was entertaining today was Leishi’s Boss Jia.

In plain terms, Yan Li had Hu Siyan come to lend him face.

Hu Siyan was baffled—wasn’t she supposed to be a mole? Why was she now out in the open?

She leaned close to Yan Li and whispered a question; Yan Li was speechless: “Don’t you think for a second—can you really disassociate yourself from me?”

Setting aside their private relationship, unless Hu Siyan fell out with Qin Lan, Boss Jia would never believe she was fully committed to Leishi.

There was no point hiding it—Yan Li plainly told Boss Jia: I know your plan; Hu is mine. I can have her bring the Teddy Sisters Group to help you, but shouldn’t you offer something in return?

We’re all smart people!

Leishi lacked connections and resources, wanted celebrities to boost its profile, hype its upcoming IPO, and lay groundwork for future moves.

But this wasn’t easy—Leishi currently lacked strength and had limited appeal to celebrities.

Don’t assume anyone can pull off a celebrity strategy; celebrities aren’t fools—they’re highly cautious in many areas.

Because there are too many con artists in the entertainment circle; many have been scammed too many times.

Most celebrities come from arts backgrounds, have limited education, and move in relatively closed social circles—they don’t understand finance or investment.

Yet they earn high incomes, and due to the nature of their profession, they feel insecure and constantly seek backup plans; combined with their fame and low social resources, they’re prime targets.

Every year rumors circulate about some fool in the industry being scammed—even losing everything.

But due to image, reputation, taxes, and other reasons, some celebrities dare not make a fuss after being scammed, swallowing their losses silently, further fueling this corrupt trend.

With so many falling for scams, many celebrities have become cautious.

This is why many outside companies struggle to get close to celebrities—without a trusted connection or someone inside vouching for you, they won’t even play along.

Simply throwing money at them doesn’t always work—they might suspect it’s bait, given how common these scams are, or they’ll just go through the motions without real effort.

So if you want celebrities to work for you, promote your business, and lend their influence and labor,

Personal relationships are essential—you must cultivate some emotional connection to earn their trust.

Industry resources are hard currency; they directly demonstrate your real power, giving celebrities minimal risk—if they taste success, they may be willing to cooperate.

You need at least one of these two; to truly succeed, you need both—think of the resources, time, and energy this consumes.

If Boss Jia abandoned the Teddy Sisters Group he’d spent years cultivating and started fresh with random celebrities, it would be a massive effort.

Conversely, using the Teddy Sisters Group as a foundation to attract and absorb other celebrities would be dozens of times more efficient than Leishi doing it alone.

Yan Li precisely understood the Teddy Sisters Group’s importance to Leishi and used it as leverage to talk with Boss Jia.

He didn’t lack the Teddy Sisters Group, nor was he severing ties—merely letting Leishi bask in their reflected glory.

Idle hands are idle hands—Leishi gains momentum, the Teddy Sisters Group gains resources, and he takes his cut—everyone wins.

Boss Jia understood perfectly and was not displeased; in fact, he was pleased that Boss Yan showed interest in Leishi.

Due to future knowledge, Yan Li had a slight bias toward Leishi, but in reality and in Boss Jia’s eyes, Leishi was still in its rise phase—beyond its background, it had no special advantages.

Don’t think having a background means you can dominate; there are countless companies with powerful backing—even ones with heaven-reaching connections—and not all of them succeed.

Yan Li saw potential benefits in Leishi’s rise; Boss Jia hoped to leverage Yi’an and Weibo’s momentum to accelerate Leishi’s growth.

So their conversation went smoothly, and they reached agreement on certain points.

Hu Siyan served as a bridge and hub, representing Yan Li to some extent, while he himself had no direct ties to Leishi.

Boss Jia was both disappointed and satisfied with this arrangement.

Yan Li’s distant attitude made him feel Yan was still conservative and cautious about many aspects of Leishi—this wasn’t a healthy partnership model.

Yet at the same time, Boss Jia feared Yan Li’s reputation—if Yan grew too close to Leishi, his own influence and authority within Leishi would diminish.

This vague, connected-but-not-direct involvement gave him a sense of security.

“Boss Yan, thank you for your generosity.”

“Boss Jia, may our cooperation be fruitful.”

They clinked glasses; Gan Wei and Hu Siyan watched, confused—what were these two scheming about?

After the gathering ended, Gan Wei couldn’t resist asking Boss Jia: What did Yan Li really mean?

“He wants benefits but doesn’t want to get too entangled with Leishi, so he hides behind the scenes and uses Hu Siyan as his puppet.”

Gan Wei didn’t understand: “Why use Hu? Wouldn’t Qin Lan be better?”

Boss Jia shook his head: “Maybe he thinks Qin Lan is too closely tied to him, or maybe Hu Siyan is more eager for the spotlight—who knows? Perhaps he’ll later assign two: one in the shadows, one in plain sight.”

The hidden one takes the big cut; the visible one takes the scraps—or even loses money. This trick is everywhere.

But Gan Wei still didn’t get it—why did Yan Li want to distance himself from Leishi? They weren’t even competitors.

Boss Jia didn’t reply; he too was puzzled. After thinking, he guessed it might be because of Yan Li’s background—he’d always heard Yan Li avoided such connections.

Better still—it suited him. If Yan Li grew close to his own background, what room would be left for him?

On the other side, Hu Siyan asked some questions too; Yan Li didn’t hide much—he told her what he could.

Hu Siyan half-understood and just asked outright: “What’s in it for me?”

“Leishi won’t shortchange you—you’ll get all the resources and status a top star deserves; I’ll keep a share for you too—fame and fortune both.”

Hu Siyan was delighted and immediately embraced the title of puppet.

But clearly, she only knew there were benefits—she had no real grasp of what being Leishi’s top star or Yan Li’s share truly meant.

At its peak, Leishi was an undisputed giant; the resources and actual status a Leishi top star could access were beyond what countless actresses could dream of.

Though Yan Li planned to make a profit, Leishi had deep-pocketed backers, investors, and Boss Jia himself—he wouldn’t let Yan Li gorge himself.

Yan Li knew his limits—he’d nibble on bones, sip broth, grab a side profit, and if he could pick up extra scraps later, all the better.

Even so, given Leishi’s scale, this sum wasn’t small—Yan Li giving Hu Siyan 5–10% was enough to make her a true billionaire of the entertainment circle.

Of course, Hu Siyan wasn’t without risk—but Yan Li did his best to shield and minimize it.

Even if she ended up taking some losses, the benefits she gained would far outweigh any cost.

Given Hu Siyan’s personality, choosing between steady, modest wealth or dazzling fame and financial freedom—she’d pick the latter 200%.

If Yan Li further guaranteed her safety and minimized danger, she’d pick the latter 1000%—even Li Xiao lu beside her might be tempted.

Because Li Xiao lu was present, Yan Li hadn’t explained clearly—he planned to find time later to talk with Hu Siyan in detail.

If she truly refused, Yan Li would just replace her.

Yi’an went public, Wang Ou left, transferring to Leishi for new opportunities—reasonable and justified.

Jiang Xin’s loyalty, influence, and organizational skills were weaker, but still manageable.

If all else failed, Yan Li could take some risk and partner with someone ambitious, or simply let Qin Lan stay deeper in the shadows and accept less profit.

Yan Li was thinking about Leishi; Li Xiao lu pulled Hu Siyan into various small maneuvers, making her hesitate.

By the time they reached Palm Spring International Apartments, Hu Siyan—who didn’t want to take the blame—thought “let the other guy drown, not me,” and reported Li Xiao lu.

But to Hu and Li’s surprise, Yan Li remained calm—and even named Jia Nailiang outright.

“Jia Nailiang? Old acquaintance.”

He’d been Huang Shengyi’s ex-boyfriend before—and now they met again. This guy and he were clearly fated to cross paths.

“Brother-in-law, you knew?”

Hu Siyan asked; Yan Li nodded. Not only did his system warn him, but the Teddy Sisters Group were loudmouths—nothing stayed hidden from him.

Li Xiao lu finally realized—Yan Li knew everything. If she really tried to play both sides, her fate would be terrible.

Hu Siyan instinctively massaged Yan Li’s shoulders and declared her loyalty: “Brother-in-law, I’ve always been pure and upright—I ignore every advance.”

“I know.”

Precisely because Hu Siyan had performed well, Yan Li was willing to give her a chance and keep her in mind for benefits.

Excluding Qin, Dong, and Fan, in terms of loyalty, Wang Ou came first, she came second, then Yang Rong.

Wang Ou genuinely depended on and admired him, constantly brainwashing herself—almost like a psychological disorder; Yang Rong liked him and was somewhat influenced by Wang Ou; Hu Siyan mixed in plenty of opportunism and admiration for power.

But regardless of their motives, as long as they had no disloyalty, Yan Li would give them what they wanted.

The other women who followed him each had their own agendas, but as long as they were honest and modest, Yan Li wouldn’t withhold what they deserved—and when the time came, they could part amicably.

Li Xiao lu sat silent; Yan Li said nothing.

He wouldn’t urge her to leave him, nor would he urge her to stay—her choice was hers alone.

After a moment, Li Xiao lu made her decision and whispered: “There’s still more than half a month until the New Year—can you spend a few more times with me?”

Hu Siyan’s lips moved but she didn’t speak; Yan Li nodded and added voluntarily:

“I have a friend in real estate who developed a housing complex in Haidian—he gave me an apartment worth a few million. I’ll give it to you as a New Year gift.”

“New Year gift” sounded nice, but everyone understood what the apartment truly represented.

Li Xiao lu bit her lip, her petite body surging with immense force as she tackled Yan Li onto the sofa.

Yan Li had never known—little deer could also be predators…