Chapter 403: Business Flattery, Void Comparison, Fire-Extinguishing Master

Jingcheng, Yangjiao Lantern Alley

After Yan Ershao's full-moon celebration, Yan Li felt the weather was fine, so he organized a family gathering; Qin Lan and Dong Xuan both brought their children to attend, and the two young masters of the Yan household experienced an epic meeting.

They placed the two babies on the bed, and everyone watched expectantly for the children's reactions.

Yan Ershao wasn't asleep, but kept his eyes shut, whimpering softly, completely ignoring his brother.

Meanwhile, Yan Dashao, already three months old, glanced at his little brother twice, then silently studied his own hands, showing more interest in the changing color of the bed than in his brother.

Zhang Hong and his wife were slightly disappointed—they had hoped to see a heartwarming scene of the two grandsons bonding.

Yan Li, however, remained calm; he had already anticipated something like this.

The so-called epic meeting was merely a term used by adults; in reality, the one-month-old second son still barely recognized anyone.

The eldest could recognize people, but he ignored everyone.

Since birth, this boy had been like this; Yan Li once suspected he had autism, but after hospital checks and system confirmation, he found no issues.

It was simply a personality trait—he preferred quietness, was introverted and steady, and slow to express himself socially.

Yan Li had been speechless when he first learned this.

He himself was famously sociable and polished; Qin Lan was practically a chatterbox, loving to talk, gather, and be lively—yet they had given birth to a cold, aloof eldest son.

But the child was still young; perhaps he would change as he grew.

Take Yan Li himself—he hadn't always been a troublemaker; he'd once been a good child, and even compared to before he received the system, his own personality had changed considerably over the years, so gentle guidance for the child was enough.

In contrast, the one-month-old Yan Ershao seemed more like a normal child—he cried when he should, laughed when he should.

Because of this, Qin Dong and Dong Xuan, after briefly discussing their children, couldn't help envying each other.

Dong Xuan envied Qin Lan's ease—besides feeding and toileting, Yan Dashao hardly bothered anyone, content to play and sleep quietly by himself.

Unlike Yan Ershao, who kept disturbing her; he was only just one month old, and worse was yet to come.

Qin Lan, meanwhile, envied Dong Xuan—she'd rather have Yan Dashao fussing at her; this child's constant indifference, even knowing it wasn't a disease, still made her worry.

Yan Li listened to their mutual envy and did a quick mental calculation.

They each had one child, but he was the father of two—he didn't know whether to be happy or withdraw into himself.

Still, seeing them so harmonious, Yan Li felt somewhat relieved; Dong Xuan had finished her postpartum recovery and was regaining her strength—perhaps he could arrange a limited milk-flower gathering.

After a while, both babies fell asleep; Qin and Dong chatted nearby, discussing not just the children but also work.

Qin Lan's drama, "The Beauty's Scheme," was about to air.

As the lead actress, Qin Lan couldn't stay completely out of sight—she had to go to Xingcheng tomorrow to record a show; after more than a year away from work, she was already feeling out of practice.

She felt out of practice, but Dong Xuan wasn't much better.

"Double Embroidery" was also scheduled for August release; she couldn't let Tong Yaya carry it alone—she had to appear too.

Qin Lan merely felt uneasy about returning to work; her overall condition was still good, having given birth over three months ago with ample time to recover.

Dong Xuan had just finished her postpartum period—her physique had fluctuated, and she had to promote the "sister duo" with Tong Yaya, inevitably adding pressure.

"Don't worry—you look better a little plumper."

Qin Lan wasn't mocking; she genuinely believed Dong Xuan's oval face and fair skin made her more gentle, approachable, and subtly maternal when slightly plump—a comforting, homely charm.

Her own facial structure, however, didn't suit being plump; she looked ugly when she gained weight, so she had to manage it carefully.

"Really?"

Dong Xuan thought about it and decided Qin Lan was right—Yan Li had recently loved hugging her, saying she smelled sweet and milky, and that holding her made him sleep soundly.

Feeling pleased, Dong Xuan returned the compliment: "I think you're great too—you've become more mature and sensual, with a commanding elegance."

Age has its own beauty.

Qin Lan had a late-blooming quality—she wasn't bad when young, but compared to other beautiful stars, she wasn't stunning; now, with age, her aura had deepened, and her charm had only grown.

The two exchanged mutual flattery for a while, then somehow drifted to Fan Xiaopang—the cheerful mood grew still.

Compared to them, Fan Xiaopang, nearing thirty, had truly exploded in beauty.

In her early years, Fan Xiaopang was beautiful, but still carried a touch of youthfulness, even a hint of rusticness.

As she aged, Fan Xiaopang fully blossomed—youthfulness transformed into maturity, her taste improved, rusticness faded, and she became a fashion benchmark.

More notably, her style and aura changed—growing increasingly confident and dominant, reaching its peak after becoming Fan Ye.

Thus, alongside her striking appearance, she gained a powerful new core, making her beauty layered and uniquely recognizable.

Her success in entertainment and rising wealth added a halo of glamour to Fan Xiaopang.

In hardware, software, and supporting factors—all top-tier—she had perfect timing, geography, and human advantage; at this point, Fan Xiaopang had transcended the normal realm of female comparison, becoming an implicit standard of beauty and a cultural symbol.

Of course, this claim was somewhat exaggerated and controversial—there were still those who didn't accept Fan Xiaopang.

But no matter what, Fan Xiaopang's allure was beyond anything Qin Lan and Dong Xuan could compete with.

Thank goodness they'd had children—if not, the two of them together might have been crushed by Fan Xiaopang at her peak.

"By the way, isn't her movie 'Du La La's Promotion' out today?"

"Mm-hmm."

Qin Lan nodded; Fan Xiaopang was away on promotional tours because of the film's release, which was why she missed today's gathering.

Or perhaps she used it as an excuse to avoid the gathering altogether.

After all, today's gathering centered on the children—everyone here was either the child's actual grandparents or the child's own parents; she had no direct relation to the children, so she couldn't just force herself into the scene and create awkwardness.

"How much has it grossed?"

"How would I know? It just came out today—the figures aren't even compiled yet."

"…."

The two fell silent for a moment, then Qin Lan spoke: "Should we… ask?"

"We've got nothing better to do—might as well check."

Dong Xuan pulled out her phone; Qin Lan quickly sent a message too—though they couldn't match Fan Xiaopang in fame, they weren't just housewives waiting passively for news; they weren't afraid to ask around—gathering information was easy enough.

"Not counting presales, around 9.6 million; first-day sales are expected to be between 18 and 20 million."

Dong Xuan got the news even faster, directly learning the situation.

Yi'an now not only has one of the top cinema chains nationwide but has also partnered with Weibo on online ticketing.

Online ticketing had been done before, but few had scaled up; the most well-known was Gewala Life Network.

Meanwhile, platforms like Tencent and Alibaba had similar services, but they were merely small programs—barely even branches—clearly not taken seriously.

Weibo was the same at first: it merely merged its film rating system with local information to launch an online ticketing program, and even the name was half-hearted—simply called 【Weibo Movie Tickets】.

But once Weibo partnered with Yi'an's cinema chain, combining online and offline operations, both sides reaped the benefits.