Chapter 46: To Play the Game, You Must Plan Ahead

Jingcheng, Jimenli Community

Guan Yue helped Dong Xuan carry her packed suitcase to Seeing Yan Li's rented apartment, where he planned to stay until leaving Jingcheng.

Seeing Yan Li came out of the bedroom upon hearing the noise, poured water for both of them, then spoke to Guan Yue.

"Take a rest, don't rush off—later, help her pack my things too."

"Do I owe you two something?"

Guan Yue nearly threw the water in Seeing Yan Li's face, furious—helping Dong Xuan was fine, they were good friends, but why should she help this bastard?

"I'll feed you. I've just invented a new dish."

Thinking of Seeing Yan Li's cooking, Guan Yue suppressed her anger and unconsciously swallowed hard.

"I… I'm only doing this for Dong's sake."

Seeing Yan Li ignored her and continued instructing Dong Xuan: "Don't pack too many clothes—just remember to bring your coat. It's almost October; the set will likely get cold."

Guan Yue, listening nearby, stared at Seeing Yan Li in surprise: "You're going too?"

"Of course."

Seeing Yan Li looked at her strangely: "She's never been on a set before, doesn't know anything, all alone—I have to go look after her."

Mainly, Seeing Yan Li had learned from the system that Dong Xuan was a little scared and really hoped he'd accompany her, so he decided to go along.

He couldn't stay with her forever!

But ten or fifteen days would be enough for Dong Xuan to adapt to the set and stabilize her mindset—then he'd return.

Dong Xuan hugged Seeing Yan Li happily, yet felt a twinge of regret.

She'd been so focused on being angry at that yellow-haired fox, she'd forgotten to show off.

But it wasn't too late—let Guan Yue spread the news back home too.

So Dong Xuan added: "Seeing Yan Li turned down a lead male role to free up time to be with me—he only took a minor supporting part."

Seeing Yan Li corrected sharply: "I turned it down because I didn't like the lead role—it has nothing to do with you."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Dong Xuan gave him that look: "I know men care about face—I get it, you're the boss."

Seeing Yan Li sighed. It wasn't entirely true that the role had nothing to do with Dong Xuan—but the real reason was that he disliked the character.

The set they were talking about was the historical drama "Jubao Pen," being produced by Cheng Lidong, whom Seeing Yan Li had helped before.

Cheng Lidong kept his word and sent Seeing Yan Li the script afterward, saying he could pick any role except the male lead.

But after reading the "Jubao Pen" script, Seeing Yan Li realized:

Aside from the male lead, Shen Wansan, every other substantial male role was a villain, there solely to highlight the protagonist.

The roles with the most screen time were Zhu Yuanzhang and Su Bancheng.

One was a sworn brother who grew jealous and turned against the protagonist; the other was a lifelong rival, utterly despicable.

But Cheng Lidong hinted that Su Bancheng needed an older actor, leaving only Zhu Yuanzhang.

Yet Seeing Yan Li had no interest in this character's plot or design.

Zhu Yuanzhang was, after all, the founding emperor of a dynasty—but in "Jubao Pen," he was portrayed as a petty, greedy, treacherous man with zero imperial dignity; even the thug from "Conquest" had more charisma.

Earlier, during the "Sui Tang Heroes" shoot, the scene where Yuwen Chengdu queued up had already disgusted Seeing Yan Li.

That left him with psychological aversion—he strongly resisted roles that grotesquely distorted historical figures.

After confirming the "Jubao Pen" team wouldn't revise the script, and realizing his schedule conflicted with accompanying Dong Xuan, Seeing Yan Li skipped Zhu Yuanzhang entirely and chose the minor supporting role of Song Dian.

He too was a villain, with equally unappealing plot and design—but he was an original character.

This was Seeing Yan Li's position: he had no problem portraying villains, feared no dark plots or settings—but he refused to degrade the original prototypes without moral boundaries.

He couldn't stop some things, but he could refuse to become an accomplice.

Of course, Seeing Yan Li had to admit:

"Jubao Pen" had neither triggered future information nor a polished script or capable crew, making Seeing Yan Li believe it wouldn't flop—but it wouldn't succeed either.

So he wasn't enthusiastic; accepting the role was purely to maintain good relations with Cheng Lidong.

With "Sui Tang Heroes" and "Conquest" under his belt, plus successfully securing Dong Xuan the lead in "Snow Goddess Dragon," and steady progress in the stock market, Seeing Yan Li now had enough financial security to support himself.

So he no longer took every role like he had during the "Sui Tang Heroes" days—he started "choosing roles."

As always: one hit drama could outearn several, even ten or more ordinary ones.

Ordinary actors had no choice—they didn't know which drama would succeed, so they took everything and hoped for luck. Seeing Yan Li had the system—he could target his efforts precisely, so naturally he pursued cost-effectiveness.

But to Dong Xuan, all this was just Seeing Yan Li's "lame excuses"—it was all for her.

He loves me so much!

Even Guan Yue, misled by her, now thought Seeing Yan Li was stubborn-hearted but soft inside, and even began, unprecedentedly, to envy her friend.

Though this dog of a man had made mistakes before, he'd since corrected himself, grown much more mature—he claimed they wouldn't reconcile, yet went out of his way to plan for Dong Xuan, surpassing most of her other boyfriends.

At that moment, Seeing Yan Li thought of something and delivered another crushing blow to Guan Yue's heart.

"How's it going with Tong Dawei?"

Guan Yue: "..."

Dong Xuan couldn't help secretly pinching Seeing Yan Li, telling him not to bring up the wrong topic.

This month, Tong Dawei's patron, Boss Shi, was formally arrested by authorities.

When the wall falls, everyone kicks it—once he was inside, rumors about his scandals spread, and Tong Dawei got dragged in.

Though Tong currently had little fame and hadn't drawn media attention, gossip circulated widely that Boss Shi favored mentoring young male artists and had intimate relations with them—how could Guan Yue not think the worst? Their relationship, which had been on the verge of breaking through, now stalled.

"Ahem, young artists in this industry have it hard—they're often powerless. That guy's actually decent—I advise you to think carefully."

Seeing Yan Li still spoke up for Tong Dawei—no matter what else, he'd genuinely cared for Guan Yue.

This wasn't just what Seeing Yan Li observed—it was also confirmed by system intelligence: Tong truly loved Guan Yue.

Now that Stone Boss has also gone in, if this guy isn't too involved, he can be freed from constraints outright—and with such a promising future, letting him go would be a shame.

Most importantly, if I can lend him a hand right now, offering help in his time of need, he'll owe me a great favor.

Later, if anything goes wrong between me and Dong Xuan, I can use him to persuade Guan Yue and smooth things over for me.

As the saying goes, those who handle the aftermath well prepare carefully in advance; it's always better to plan ahead than to scramble at the last minute.

Seeing Yan Li will try to reason with her, and Dong Xuan will stand by his side and join in the persuasion.

She also has a good impression of Tong Dawei—she thinks he's honest and treats Guan Yue well; breaking up with him feels like a waste.

Even Dong Xuan thought of herself: if she and Seeing Yan Li had broken up in a fit of anger, someone else might have snatched him up—how could that compare to the sweetness they have now?

"I'll think about it some more."

Guan Yue muttered—when Seeing Yan Li and Huang Shengyi were kissing, she had urged Dong Xuan to break up; now the same situation was on her own plate, how could she possibly brush it off easily?

Just thinking about it made Guan Yue furious—some things are precisely what you fear when compared.

No matter what, Seeing Yan Li's affair partner was a woman—and one of the top beauties at North Film; in a way, this proved the man was desirable.

But Tong Dawei… she simply didn't know how to describe her feelings…

(End of Chapter)