Chapter 85

The World Health Organization issues a global SARS alert.

Yan Li stared at the newspaper's SARS news, pondering whether to stock up on medicine and supplies at home.

The monthly intelligence report had warned that this thing might last several months.

As for whether to stockpile medical supplies to profit during the SARS Period, Yan Li didn't consider it at all.

To some extent, it bordered on profiteering from national disaster; the money would burn your hands, and worse, the risk was enormous—if you became an example, your career would be over.

Yan Li had other ways to make money; he wasn't so stupid as to risk this.

If he truly wanted to make a quick profit, buying more medical-related stocks would be safer and potentially more profitable than reselling medical supplies.

As he was thinking, his desk was tapped; he looked up and saw Li Xue, Li Bingbing's sister.

"You're here fast."

Yan Li nodded, then called out: "Xiao Hu, bring water."

"Coming, coming."

From the adjacent office area came a reply; soon after, a round-faced girl carefully placed a disposable paper cup in front of Li Xue, then turned and left.

Yan Li smiled: "Just hired a new intern—does odd jobs and doubles as a part-time secretary. No experience. I have to remind her even to pour tea."

Li Xue didn't care about that; instead, she looked at him with mild annoyance.

"Director Yan, Big Boss Yan—you promised to help my sister land the role, and you haven't shown up for a whole month. Isn't that irresponsible?"

"I'm not physically here, but aren't we still communicating by phone? Which of the strategies I gave you had a problem?"

Yan Li smiled lightly, then pulled a file folder from his drawer and placed it on the desk.

"Don't say I'm just hiding behind the scenes—this contains the plot outline of 'Cell Phone' and the character requirements for the female lead, including some of Feng's own ideas."

"You two have been preparing long enough; with these added, it should be sufficient."

Li Xue flipped through the documents, staring at Yan Li in shock: "How did you get these?"

"Money, find the right person, and it's done."

Yan Li remained calm; he could have obtained the full script of 'Cell Phone' if he wanted, and learning Feng Xiaogang's thoughts was child's play.

For Yan Li, the key was keeping the information from being too extreme and explaining its source reasonably.

Yan Li stuck to his old trick—no explanation.

The more you say, the more likely you are to slip up; a few vague words suffice. The other party will fill in the blanks themselves—this hides the truth and adds a touch of mystery to him.

True to form, after hearing Yan Li's words, Li Xue's expression grew complex, and finally she blurted out:

"How much did you pay? We'll cover it—we won't let you spend your own money."

Obtaining the plot outline and character specs for a major Huayi project, plus Feng Xiaogang's personal insights—this couldn't have cost little.

"Ahem, about the money, we'll settle that later."

Yan Li didn't respond, but told Li Xue: "You can read it here. Memorize as much as you can. The documents can't be taken away—I'll destroy them later."

Seeing Li Xue's confusion, Yan Li explained: "They helped me—I can't betray them. I must uphold brotherhood. No evidence can be left."

"When you get back, tell your sister this is known only to the three of us—keep it buried. If anyone asks, say you and your sister figured it out or found out on your own."

All this talk of brotherhood was just fluff—really, it was theatrics to scare Li Xue and her sister, adding an extra layer of security.

To prevent these two from being clueless and blabbing around, drawing unwanted attention and stirring up trouble.

"Understood. We'll keep it secret."

Li Xue, unaware of the truth, was awed by Yan Li's maneuvering and solemnly pledged her silence.

When Li Xue had memorized enough, Yan Li, right before her eyes, pulled out the several sheets containing the plot outline and other details from the folder, tore them into shreds, and tossed them into the trash.

After tearing them, Yan Li wondered if he'd gone too far—then Li Xue nervously asked:

"Is this safe? Shouldn't I buy a lighter and burn them?"

"..."

Yan Li nearly cracked up, biting back his laugh: "No need. We're not underground agents passing secrets—tearing's enough."

Li Xue blushed slightly, then remembered something else and spoke up: "Jinghua seems to have sensed something. Yesterday she talked to my sister, probing carefully."

Yan Li wasn't concerned: "You two have approached Feng Xiaogang more than once or twice. If she didn't notice, she wouldn't be worth her salt."

"I'm not talking about Director Feng."

Li Xue looked at Yan Li with a strange expression: "Jinghua suspects my sister has ties to some outside company or agent."

"Why?"

"It's because of the strategies you gave us. Jinghua thinks they're too clever to be my sister's ideas, and not my style either—so she suspects my sister has been unfaithful."

Yan Li suddenly understood. Li Bingbing had always been close to Wang Jinghua. Li Xue was smart, but young and inexperienced.

Previously, he'd told the two sisters to bypass Wang Jinghua and contact Feng Xiaogang directly; the subsequent strategies had all increased their leverage in casting.

Wang Jinghua had risen from a junior assistant to the top agent in mainland China—her perceptiveness goes without saying, especially since the Li sisters were her own protégées.

At first she might not have noticed, but over time, with so many actions, she couldn't possibly miss it.

"Actually, this might not be a bad thing."

The Li sisters were too close to the situation to see clearly; they felt awkward and anxious about hiding things from their agent, so when Wang Jinghua caught on, they panicked.

Yan Li had no such concerns—he wasn't poaching. Helping Li Bingbing secure the role was, in a way, helping Wang Jinghua too.

Wang Jinghua should thank him—he had no reason to panic.

Li Xue frowned: "A good thing?"

"Yes."

Yan Li nodded: "Before, Jinghua might not have fully backed you two. But now that you've made progress with Feng, you can confront her directly and ask her to seal the deal."

Li Xue hesitated: "Will that work? Didn't you say we should secure Feng first, then approach Jinghua?"

"Circumstances change."

Yan Li patiently analyzed for Li Xue: "Sister Hua is talking to you because she's afraid you two will jump ship—this is the perfect time to play the victim, complain, and express your dissatisfaction with her favoritism."

"No matter her attitude, she'll definitely make some gestures and take some actions to appease you."

"When Feng Xiaogang makes his final move, if you make demands and she refuses to help, she's effectively cutting ties with you two—do you think Sister Hua would do that?"

"Definitely not."

Li Xue's expression cleared as if a light had turned on, and she looked at Yan Li with gratitude: "Thank you for the advice."

"It's nothing, besides, I'm not helping for free."

Yan Li reminded Li Xue that he wasn't doing this for nothing—Li Bingbing would have to repay him later.

Li Xue understood his meaning and declared firmly: "Don't worry, my sister won't break her word."

The two exchanged further details; seeing it was nearly lunchtime, Yan Li began to see her off.

"Alright, go back and inform your sister. If anything changes, we'll stay in touch by phone."

"Okay."

Li Xue picked up her small bag, stood, and walked toward the door, but turned back just before exiting. Seeing Yan Li's surprised expression, her cheeks flushed slightly, yet her tone remained calm.

"It's almost noon—let me treat you to lunch."

Yan Li glanced at Li Xue; her eyes and brows resembled her sister Li Bingbing's, but her features weren't as refined or three-dimensional, and her aura lacked her sister's sharp, commanding presence that left a strong impression.

Still, Li Xue was intelligent and meticulous in her actions—a woman of substance.

Unfortunately, Yan Li was a very ordinary man; compared to substance, he cared more about a woman's face and figure.

So…

"Let me treat you."

Yan Li smiled, pulled out his car keys from the drawer, and prepared to take Li Xue out for lunch.

Whether he was personally interested in her or not didn't matter—he'd still need her sister's help later; he owed her at least this meal.

————

One day later, Wang Jinghua, pressured by the Li sisters' joint ultimatum, finally figured out who the "mastermind" behind them was.

After agreeing to Li Bingbing's request for support, Wang Jinghua sat in her office, recalling the young man who had rejected her, her emotions complicated.

She hadn't misjudged him—Yan Li was naturally born to be an agent.

He was even better than she'd thought: while she controlled channels and resources to push Fan Xiaopang forward, he stayed behind the scenes, remotely directing the Li sisters.

Now Li Bingbing held a decisive lead—and had even forced her hand, compelling her to switch sides and support Li Bingbing.

"A real talent."

The more Wang Jinghua thought about it, the more she coveted him—if this boy joined her team and received her full backing, he could achieve great things, and her influence within Huayi would rise dramatically.

As she was lost in thought, her phone rang. Seeing the caller, she sighed wearily, built up her courage for a few seconds, then answered.

"Bingbing, how are things on set? I saw the weather forecast says Hengdian's cooling down—stay warm."

"Don't rush—I'm telling you, right now Director Feng and the company both favor her. I can't help it."

"Next time, next time Director Feng's movie—I swear I'll help you. You're young, you've got plenty of time."

"…"

After much coaxing, she finally calmed the girl down. Wang Jinghua exhaled, then suddenly remembered something and couldn't resist asking one more question.

"I remember you shot a drama with Yan Li—how's your relationship with him?"

"Yan Li?"

Fan Xiaopang was confused—why would her agent suddenly bring up that scheming guy? But she didn't think much of it and replied casually.

"It's fine, nothing special."

"What a pity—if you two were close, this role might've been yours."

Wang Jinghua recalled how deeply the Li sisters had praised Yan Li, and sighed at fate's irony.

Fan Xiaopang had known Yan Li longer than anyone—had she cultivated a good relationship with him, with both his and her support, landing the female lead in "The Mobile Phone" would've been certain—but now it had all gone to Li Bingbing.

"Sister Hua, what exactly happened? Tell me the full story."

Fan Xiaopang didn't understand, but knew something was going on she wasn't aware of, so she pressed Wang Jinghua for details.

A few minutes later, Fan Xiaopang hung up, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

She had no reason to blame Yan Li—he'd done nothing wrong; she herself had declared clearly that they'd go their separate ways, and whoever he helped was none of her business.

But if she didn't blame him, then he'd essentially helped Li Bingbing steal the female lead of "The Mobile Phone" right out from under her.

Fan Xiaopang wrestled with this for a long time, then finally kicked a small stone angrily aside.

She and Yan Li were born to clash—whenever she met him, bad luck followed. When she got back, she'd find a temple, perform a ritual, and beg heaven to keep her far away from Yan Li from now on…

(End of Chapter)