Chapter 61: The Northern Film Academy Girls Who Can

Director Liu, Section Chief Zhang, please enjoy your drinks slowly—I'm going to the restroom; Jia Chuan, could you keep an eye on me?

Yan Li, slurring his words, pushed away the girl who tried to support him, nodded to the invited guests and Jia Chuan, then staggered out of the KTV private room.

Arriving at the restroom, Yan Li's drunkenness vanished instantly; he relieved himself, then walked to the window in the corridor and silently lit a cigarette.

Although the system had already warned him that this TV station director sang terribly, he hadn't expected it to be this bad.

The pig's scream before slaughter back home during New Year's was more pleasant to hear than his singing.

Those girls suffered; maybe I'll slip them a little extra tip later.

After finishing his cigarette, Yan Li exhaled deeply and was about to return when he heard a female voice call his name.

"Senior Yan Li?"

He turned around and saw a young woman in a black down jacket, with a delicate face, slightly dark skin, and a faintly familiar appearance.

"You're…"

"Wang Luodan, Class of 01, Shengyi's classmate."

"Oh, right, I remember now."

Yan Li suddenly recalled; his memory was good, but this girl didn't match his aesthetic, so his impression of her was faint.

Though they were fellow students, they'd only met once; Yan Li didn't think much of it, exchanged a few casual words, then turned back to his own private room.

Wang Luodan wanted to say something more, opened her mouth, but ultimately stayed silent and quietly returned to her own room.

Inside the room, noise filled the air; a man and a woman held microphones and sang passionately before the TV, while six or seven others sat on the sofa, listening, chatting, drinking, and laughing.

"Luodan, come quick—Huang Shengyi lost the game and is cheating by refusing to drink."

A petite beauty shouted; beside her, Huang Shengyi's cheeks flushed red, her face tinged with mild anger.

"Yao Xiqian, don't make things up—I never cheated."

Yao Xiqian wasn't intimidated and shot back: "If you didn't cheat, why did you make Jia Nailiang drink for you?"

Jia Nailiang beside her softly explained: "Shengyi's had a bit too much…"

"Enough."

Huang Shengyi sounded impatient: "I said I'd drink it myself—you don't need to interfere. Don't bother, I'll drink it myself."

Yao Xiqian nodded: "You should drink it yourself."

As they bickered, Wang Luodan watched for a while, then silently sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Another classmate, Zhao Ke, invited her to play a game; she reluctantly agreed, played for a while, then fell back into absent-mindedness—Zhao Ke noticed her odd behavior.

"Luodan, what's wrong?"

Wang Luodan hesitated, then shook her head, saying nothing; but Zhao Ke grew curious and kept pressing, until Wang Luodan, unable to resist, told her about encountering Yan Li.

Zhao Ke was stunned: "That Senior Yan Li—the one who helped the senior get the female lead role?"

"Mm."

"You're an idiot—such a powerful senior, you should've brought him over here to chat, maybe you could've snagged a role too."

Zhao Ke was furious at her own stupidity; last time, Yan Li helped Dong Xuan secure the female lead in "Snow Goddess Dragon," causing a huge stir at BEI Dian.

This was partly due to targeted promotion by "kind senior sisters" like Guan Yue.

Since it was promotion, some embellishment was inevitable.

Thus, at BEI Dian, Yan Li's abilities were exaggerated, his career portrayed as even more brilliant, his devotion to Dong Xuan even more passionate and tender; past scandals were rewritten as minor bumps on the path of true love, the prodigal returned, worth more than gold.

In Guan Yue's words, she wouldn't rest until that little yellow fox girl was driven to spit blood.

But Guan Yue's wish didn't come true—Huang Shengyi didn't spit blood.

Still, she did suffer a period of poor appetite and low spirits, and her relationship with boyfriend Jia Nailiang plummeted, with arguments breaking out every few days.

If Jia Nailiang hadn't constantly groveled and appeased Huang Shengyi, they'd have broken up long ago.

Meanwhile, because Guan Yue and others focused their promotion on Huang's circle, nearly all of BEI Dian's Class of 01 had heard of this formidable senior.

Rarely does one encounter such a capable senior who might become a patron—when Zhao Ke heard Wang Luodan had let him slip away, how could she not be frantic?

"With them here, how could I possibly bring him over?"

Wang Luodan nodded toward Huang Shengyi and Jia Nailiang beside her; if she brought Yan Li over now, it would be unbearably awkward.

"Oh… I forgot about that."

Zhao Ke suddenly realized: Huang Shengyi alone might just cause embarrassment, but with Jia Nailiang here, if things turned sour, they might end up fighting.

Yet sitting idle and letting this chance slip away felt like a waste.

Zhao Ke pondered for over ten minutes, then finally couldn't hold back; she nudged Wang Luodan: "Do you know which private room Senior Yan Li is in?"

Wang Luodan understood her intent; after a moment's hesitation, she nodded—she'd deliberately memorized it earlier.

"But it's been a while—maybe he's already left."

"Then go check."

Zhao Ke didn't waste words; she grabbed two beers, hid them under her clothes, and pulled Wang Luodan out the door; another female classmate, Bian Xiaoxiao, noticed and asked:

"Where are you two going?"

"Stomachache—we're going to the restroom."

Bian Xiaoxiao didn't care, but Yao Xiqian, having drunk quite a bit, heard they were going to the restroom and decided to join them, stepping out after them.

Zhao and Wang were stunned to see Yao following; pretending nothing happened, they didn't want to give up, but shaking her off was impossible; the two girls exchanged glances and pulled her into the restroom to confer.

……

On the other side

After seeing off the guests, Yan Li returned to his private room; several girls were still waiting. Without delay, he pulled several bills from his bag and slipped them into their open chests.

"Thanks for your hard work today."

"Thank you, boss."

Several girls laughed happily; Yan Li waved them off, and the others left without hesitation.

But the wavy-haired beauty who had been with Yan Li refused to leave; she clung to him, rubbing against him, cooing.

"Boss, I'm hungry. Take me out for some late-night snacks, okay?"

Yan Li pulled his hand away, his tone gentle but firm: "I'm not hungry."

The wavy-haired beauty glanced at Yan Li's face, recalling the smooth lines of his muscles and his imposing presence, and tried again: "I'll pay."

"Really not hungry."

Yan Li refused again; the wavy-haired beauty had no choice but to slip him a business card before leaving reluctantly.

Lin Jiachuan, who had stayed silent beside him, waited until they were gone before muttering under his breath.

"Bro, it wasn't even time yet."

"Look at the kind of man you are."

Yan Li shot him a glare; this kid had once looked like he was being dragged to Liangshan, utterly disgusted, when he first came with him—how short a time it had been, and now he was already hooked, willingly sinking into depravity.

"This is all part of networking, just playing along—don't take it seriously, and don't go doing anything stupid."

Yan Li felt he needed to give Lin Jiachuan a warning.

This kid isn't like him—he hasn't tasted the good life, hasn't seen much of the world, doesn't understand the system's workings, so he lacks boundaries and restraint.

He's just a greenhorn, easily swept up and impulsive, so he needs frequent reminders and warnings, or he'll get himself into trouble.

As they spoke, someone knocked on the private room door; Yan Li assumed it was staff coming to clean, so he told them to enter—he was ready to go home with Lin Jiachuan.

But the ones who walked in were Wang Luodan and two other girls he'd met earlier.

"Senior brother, hello."

The girls entered and immediately greeted him sweetly, with Wang Luodan introducing them.

Yan Li instantly understood the situation; he'd planned to give a casual reply and send them away, when he saw Lin Jiachuan frantically signaling him.

The escort girls earlier were complicated—Senior Yan forbade contact, understandable.

But these are Beidian juniors—surely he can get to know them a little?

Yan Li internally shook his head: You don't even know your own level—how dare you fancy every girl you see?

Last time, this kid betrayed him, willingly took a beating from him, then begged Dong Xuan to set him up with her friend, boasting he wanted to become Yan Li's brother-in-law.

But after just a few rounds, he got rejected outright; even Dong Xuan's best words couldn't change it, and Yan Li and Zhou Yi had laughed at him mercilessly.

Now, seeing these juniors, he's already getting greedy again—truly forgets his past humiliations.

Lin Jiachuan didn't know what Yan Li was thinking; he warmly welcomed the juniors and even gritted his teeth to pay for two new fruit platters himself.

The juniors showered him with praise, then kept circling Yan Li, talking and toasting him.

Tsk～

Yan Li couldn't bear to watch.

The juniors were too young to hide their feelings—fine—but their favoritism was too obvious; at least give the other guy a smile of comfort…

————

ps: In the new year, I wish everyone constant smiles, good health, family happiness, and success in all things…

(End of Chapter)