Chapter 43

"Manager Li, take care on your way out."

After seeing off Li Peng, Yan Li couldn't resist lighting a cigarette; dealing with seasoned veterans like him wasn't easy—he'd been on edge the whole time.

With outsiders gone, Dong Xuan, who had been playing the invisible person earlier, immediately became lively, clinging to Yan Li's arm and gazing at him with admiration.

"You're amazing—you totally fooled that huge producer."

Yan Li: "..."

How can you say that? What do you mean by "fooled"?

Dong Xuan trusted him completely and handed over all related matters to his care—effectively making Yan Li her agent.

As for local connections, Yan Li had dealt with plenty of middlemen during his scouting trips and had channels to reach them.

As for art universities in Jingcheng, of course there was his alma mater, Beidian; he also knew a few people at the other schools, mostly students, but he knew them nonetheless.

One could say Yan Li had embellished and exaggerated a bit in his words, but it certainly didn't amount to deception.

More importantly, Yan Li could deliver on what he promised—he held the System and had already planned his next moves.

If a boast can be fulfilled, then it's real greatness!

Regardless, his first victory had lifted his spirits; Dong Xuan's praise only amplified his confidence.

"The rest is up to me—you just wait to become the female lead."

"You're so good."

Dong Xuan tenderly planted a kiss on him, though she didn't truly believe Yan Li could make her the female lead.

Not knowing about the System, she had no grasp of Yan Li's true calculations or his backing.

In Dong Xuan's view, although Yan Li had talked about primacy of impression, designed elaborate entrances for her, and successfully connected with Li Peng, the matter was still uncertain.

There were still many other students from Jingcheng's art universities, plus graduates and non-professional Beijing drifters.

She estimated that at least a few hundred, if not a thousand, actresses would compete with her—how could she possibly rise so easily?!

Still, even if she didn't land the female lead, it didn't matter—Dong Xuan loved and was moved by how hard Yan Li worked for her.

He really still cares about me!

Dong Xuan even began to feel a twinge of guilt: Yan Li hadn't fully forgiven her yet, yet he was still striving tirelessly for the slim chance of her becoming the lead, while she had previously thrown tantrums and broken up with him—it really wasn't right.

Perhaps she had misunderstood him all along; if he cared so much about her, how could he possibly harbor such base intentions?

He must have been bewitched by that little fox spirit named Huang!

Thinking of this, Dong Xuan's gaze toward Yan Li turned unusually tender: "You've worked so hard—I'll treat you to dinner."

"Just dinner?"

After dating for over a year, Yan Li still knew Dong Xuan well; though he didn't know exactly what she was thinking, he keenly sensed an opportunity to gain some advantage.

Dong Xuan sensed his ulterior motive, pursed her lips: "Then what else do you want?"

Yan Li leaned close to her ear and whispered two things; instantly, her face flushed red, and she pinched him in annoyance.

"Didn't you say last time it was just once?"

"This time is just once—no next time."

Unable to resist Yan Li's persistence, Dong Xuan finally gave a barely perceptible nod.

————

The next day, Yan Li drove a Sail car to the hotel to pick up Li Peng and his assistant, heading for Beidian.

The car was rented; they'd be traveling to many places these days, and not having a vehicle would be inconvenient—it could also somewhat dispel Li Peng's suspicions.

After all, no local power player runs around taking taxis and buses!

To this end, Yan Li had even spent money to get a driver's license; in this era, many regulations were lax—if you knew the right people, you could get the license the same day.

Entering Beidian, Yan Li parked the car and led Li Peng and his assistant into the administration building with ease.

"Teacher Wang, you've worked hard—have a cigarette."

"Teacher Sun, you're even more beautiful today."

"Oh my, Teacher Cui, long time no see—how's your health?"

"..."

Back at his alma mater, Beidian, Yan Li was in his element, cheerfully greeting every teacher he knew.

Although Yan Li had been in the vocational class at Beidian, his grades were excellent, his tongue was sweet, and he knew how to handle things—he was greatly favored by his teachers.

Had Yan Li not been too busy doting on Dong Xuan, the class president and student union chairmanship would never have gone to his roommate Zhang Songwen—indeed, Zhang's election likely owed much to Yan Li's vote-pulling.

Even teachers who had never taught Yan Li had heard of him; after all, he'd dated the campus beauty and beaten up a senior—he was a legendary figure at Beidian.

After greeting everyone, Yan Li found the main person: "Teacher Hu, I'm here."

Hu Qiang, a 1988 graduate of Beidian, later stayed on as faculty and now held some administrative duties.

Yan Li had once taken his dialogue class, so they were somewhat familiar; after exchanging a few pleasantries, they immediately got down to business.

Beidian actually encouraged students to take part in outside film shoots, provided they were legitimate productions.

Li Peng had all the proper paperwork, was introduced by a Beidian alumnus, and was seeking a rare female lead—so Beidian took the matter seriously.

Hu Qiang personally led them to the class to observe students, then cleared out another classroom and notified students without classes to come for auditions.

Choosing students in class depended on the teacher's teaching style.

Some teachers didn't care and even halted class entirely, letting the production team freely observe and pick; others didn't stop class but allowed the team to observe briefly, then invited a few students they liked to step out and chat; others only permitted viewing from the doorway or windows, calling students out after class; some outright ignored them and would scold and drive away anyone who dared show up.

Since both Yan Li and Hu Qiang were Beidian alumni, they understood their teachers' styles and deliberately picked a "soft target."

The teacher was very agreeable—he gave a brief explanation to the students and handed over the classroom; Yan Li quietly slipped a pack of cigarettes into his pocket.

Then Yan Li turned to Li Peng: "Manager Li, would you like to speak yourself, or shall I lay the groundwork?"

Li Peng hesitated: "You do it—I'll just observe from the side."

Yan Li nodded and stepped onto the podium without the slightest hesitation.

"Classmates, my name is Yan Li, and I'm also a student at North Electric, from the 2000 cohort in the Acting Department. Today I'm here primarily to find a female lead for our film crew of 'A Mother's Journey'..."

The classroom erupted in noise; while many film crews came to North Electric to cast actors, those seeking a female lead were exceedingly rare.

The male students were fine with it—it had nothing to do with them—they were merely astonished that this senior was so impressive.

They were roughly the same age, still in school, yet he was already selecting a female lead.

The female students, however, were eager and ready, especially those who knew Yan Li, whose eyes instantly brightened.

"Shengyi, Shengyi, isn't this the senior Yan Li you used to be so close with?"

A thin, dark-skinned girl excitedly nudged Huang Shengyi, who nodded, gazing at Yan Li on stage with a complex expression.

That bastard took advantage of me and then vanished—after months of silence, he reappears, acting all polished and respectable.

"Perfect! Given your relationship with him, the female lead is practically yours for the taking."

The thin, dark-skinned girl exclaimed in delight, but another girl beside her scoffed: "Don't be ridiculous—he has a girlfriend, so it's not your turn anyway. Besides, what about Jia Nailiang?"

Huang Shengyi couldn't help retorting: "I... I don't even like Jia Nailiang."

The girl rolled her eyes: "If you don't like him, why did you accept his confession? We all saw it. Now that your ex has made it big, you want to back out?"

"None of your business."

Huang Shengyi shot back, then grabbed the thin, dark-skinned girl and rushed toward the stage. Yan Li had just finished his speech and was now accepting voluntary sign-ups.

Li Peng observed from the side, and if he spotted anyone suitable, he'd inform Yan Li, who would then mark a circle; later, they'd contact those left behind by phone for the second round.

With so many choices, you can be this arbitrary!

If Yan Li hadn't introduced Dong Xuan to Li Peng beforehand, she might have been subjected to the same treatment—endless rounds of competition, far too unpredictable.

"Senior Yan Li."

Huang Shengyi greeted him with a sweet voice. Yan Li looked up slightly, recognized the classmate he'd seen on Daily Intelligence who had recently gotten a boyfriend, and offered a polite smile.

"Shengyi, you're here to sign up too?"

"Mm-hmm."

Huang Shengyi pulled the thin, dark-skinned girl beside her: "This is my classmate Wang Luodan. We're signing up together."

Wang Luodan bowed respectfully: "Senior, hello."

"Hello."

Yan Li took his pen and recorded their information while Huang Shengyi seized the chance to ask.

"Senior, what's your role in the film crew?"

"Executive producer."

Yan Li stated it confidently; terms like "agent" sounded unprofessional and hindered work, so he'd discussed it with Li Peng and taken on the title of Executive Producer.

They knew internally it was just a nominal title, but externally, it was still very impressive.

"So impressive."

Huang Shengyi's voice instantly grew even sweeter, and Yan Li, slightly proud, chatted with her warmly.

When they stepped out of the classroom, Li Peng couldn't resist asking: "That girl just now—she's quite suitable. Do you know her?"

Yan Li raised an eyebrow: "Which one?"

"The one you chatted with for a long time—you two were laughing and talking."

"Oh, her? Not familiar."

————

ps: Zhou Yi is climbing the rankings—please follow and vote for monthly tickets~

(End of Chapter)