Chapter 61: The Beijing Film Academy Juniors Who Can

Director Liu, Section Chief Zhang, please enjoy your drinks slowly—I’m going to the restroom; Jiachuan, keep an eye on me.

Yan Li pushed away the girl who tried to support him, slurring his words as he greeted the guests and Lin Jiachuan, then staggered out of the KTV private room.

At the restroom, Yan Li’s drunkenness vanished instantly; he urinated, then walked to the window in the corridor and silently lit a cigarette.

Although the system had warned him that this TV station director sang badly, 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 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 vaguely familiar appearance.

“You’re…”

“Wang Luodan, class of 01, classmate of Huang Shengyi.”

“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 private room.

Wang Luodan wanted to say more, but opened her mouth and closed it again, silently returning to her own room.

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

“Luodan, come quick—Huang Shengyi lost a game and is cheating by refusing to drink.”

A petite beauty exclaimed; beside her, Huang Shengyi’s cheeks flushed red, her expression slightly angry.

“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 too much to drink…”

“Enough.”

Huang Shengyi said impatiently: “I said I’d drink myself—you insisted on stepping in. Don’t interfere—I’ll drink myself.”

Yao Xiqian nodded: “You should drink 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 slipped back into a daze—Zhao Ke noticed her strange behavior.

“Luodan, what’s wrong?”

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

Zhao Ke was astonished: “That Senior Yan Li—the one who helped the senior girl land the female lead?”

“Mm.”

“You’re dumb—such a powerful senior, you should’ve brought him over here to chat up, maybe you could’ve snagged a role yourself.”

Zhao Ke was furious at her stupidity; last time, Yan Li helped Dong Xuan secure the female lead in Snow Goddess Dragon, it caused a huge stir at Beijing Film Academy.

This was partly thanks to targeted promotion by “kind senior sisters” like Guan Yue.

Since it was promotion, some embellishment was inevitable.

As a result, the rumors at Beijing Film Academy exaggerated Yan Li’s abilities, his career achievements, and his devotion to Dong Xuan; past scandals were merely minor bumps on the path of true love—a prodigal son returned, worth more than gold.

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

But Guan Yue’s wish never came true—Huang Shengyi didn’t spit blood.

Still, she did suffer a period of poor appetite and low mood, and her relationship with boyfriend Jia Nailiang deteriorated rapidly, 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 Beijing Film Academy’s 01-class classmates had heard of this powerful senior.

To encounter such a capable senior—possibly a future benefactor—and to let him slip away—how could Zhao Ke not panic?

“With them here, how could I bring him over?”

Wang Luodan nodded toward Huang Shengyi and Jia Nailiang—bringing Yan Li over now would be too awkward.

“Oh… I forgot about that.”

Zhao Ke realized: Huang Shengyi was bad enough—just awkward—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 thought and thought for over ten minutes, then finally couldn’t hold back; she nudged Wang Luodan: “Do you know which 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.”

“Go check and see.”

Zhao Ke said nothing, 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 heavily, 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 couldn’t shake her off—after exchanging a glance, the two girls pulled her into the restroom to confer.

……

Meanwhile

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

“Thanks for your hard work today.”

“Thank you, boss.”

The girls beamed; Yan Li waved them off, and the others left quickly.

But the curly-haired beauty who’d accompanied him refused to leave; she clung to Yan Li, rubbing against him, cooing:

“Boss, I’m hungry—take me out for late-night snacks?”

Yan Li pulled his hand free, his tone gentle but firm: “I’m not hungry.”

The curly-haired girl glanced at his face, recalling the smooth muscle lines and imposing presence she’d felt earlier, and tried again: “I’ll pay.”

“Really not hungry.”

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

Lin Jiachuan, who’d stayed silent earlier, whispered once they were gone:

“Bro, we hadn’t even reached the time limit yet.”

“Look at your pitiful state.”

Yan Li shot him a glare; this kid, when he first came along, had looked like he was being dragged to Liangshan, utterly disgusted—how quickly he’d become addicted, sinking into depravity.

“This is all part of networking—just playing along. Don’t take it seriously, and don’t get carried away.”

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

This kid wasn’t like him—he hadn’t tasted the finer things, hadn’t seen much of the world; because the system had given him insight into certain matters, he knew his limits.

This kid was still green, easily swept up in impulses—he needed frequent reminders to avoid trouble.

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

But the ones who entered were Wang Luodan and two other girls he’d met earlier.

“Senior Yan Li, hello.”

The girls entered, sweetly greeted him, and Wang Luodan introduced them.

Yan Li understood immediately—planning to brush them off with a few casual words, he saw Lin Jiachuan frantically signaling him.

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

But these were Beijing Film Academy juniors—surely he could at least get to know them?

Yan Li internally sighed; look at your own level—how dare you even think about any girl?

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

He lasted barely a few rounds before being rejected; Dong Xuan pleaded on his behalf to no avail, and Yan Li and Zhou Yiwei mocked him thoroughly.

Now, seeing a junior girl again, he’s already getting greedy—never learns from his mistakes.

Lin Jiachuan, unaware of Yan Li’s thoughts, warmly welcomed the girls and even paid out of his own pocket for two new fruit platters.

The girls showered him with praise, then circled Yan Li, speaking and toasting him.

Ugh～

Yan Li couldn’t bear to watch.

The juniors were too young—unable to hide their intentions was understandable, but their favoritism was painfully obvious; at least give the others a smile of comfort…

————

ps: In the new year, may everyone smile often, stay healthy, enjoy family happiness, and have all wishes fulfilled…

(End of chapter)