Chapter 90: Yan Li: I Haven
“Ding ling ling——”
The phone rang; Yan Li glanced at Dong Xuan, who was heating milk in the kitchen, paused briefly, then answered.
“Hello?”
A slightly anxious voice came through the phone: “Check Sina.com—paparazzi caught you with my sister.”
“Huh?”
Yan Li was baffled; this system was useless—it didn’t even notify him when paparazzi snapped photos.
He turned on his computer and, following Li Xue’s instructions, quickly found the article.
“Li Bingbing Meets Mysterious Man at Night, Acts Intimate, Suspected New Romance.”
The article was simple, roughly matching its headline, with average detail but supported by photos.
About four or five photos: Li Bingbing and Yan Li leaving a restaurant together, walking side by side, talking—most striking and crucial was the key photo—
Li Bingbing pretended to hit him, but without any anger; Yan Li smiled, as if playfully teasing like a couple.
“Hmm, the shot’s pretty good.”
Yan Li commented, then specifically checked the byline.
The report was a Sina reprint, sourced from the “Jingcheng Entertainment News,” reporter named Cao Xuan.
“What are you looking at?”
Unnoticed, Dong Xuan suddenly stood behind Yan Li, staring at the screen, her expression subtly uneasy.
“Rumors.”
Yan Li took the milk from her hand, dismissed it casually, and urged her to browse thoroughly, unable to resist complaining.
“No fame means misery—just a rumor and I’m called ‘mysterious man.’ Has this reporter never seen ‘Conquest’?”
“How did you meet her?”
Dong Xuan carefully studied the photos; aside from the final playful shot, nothing seemed amiss, and she relaxed slightly before cautiously probing Yan Li’s relationship with Li Bingbing.
Li Bingbing was a top rising star, ranked among the industry’s elite—normally, they shouldn’t have any connection.
Yan Li sipped his milk: “Interrogating me?”
Dong Xuan was about to nod, then remembered something, forced a smile, and softened her tone: “I’m just curious—is it wrong to ask?”
“I don’t want to say.”
“Come on, tell me.”
Dong Xuan circled behind Yan Li, massaging his shoulders and pounding his back, her voice sweet and coaxing.
After their last breakup, Dong Xuan had replayed the incident repeatedly, consulted several girlfriends, and gradually developed a new strategy to handle Yan Li.
Yan Li responded to softness, not force—gentle tactics worked better than confrontation.
For instance, if you suspect he’s involved with someone else, unless you have clear proof, avoid aggressive accusations at first—they trigger resistance, and if it’s a misunderstanding, it’s hard to fix.
Use your feminine advantage: coo, pout, hint subtly, dismantle his defenses, and circle around to find out what you want to know.
The results were effective, and even if you guessed wrong, it wouldn’t damage your relationship.
Their last breakup had a reason, and feelings still lingered—there was room for reconciliation—but it still affected their bond.
Even now, they’d never clarified whether they were back together; their relationship remained vague.
Dong Xuan sometimes introduced Yan Li as her boyfriend; he never denied it, but never confirmed it either.
Under these conditions, any new conflict or breakup would be like adding snow to an already frozen ground, or rain to a leaking roof.
Also, don’t forget one thing: Yan Li is no longer what he used to be.
Though Yan Li never revealed his exact wealth, fragments of information from his conversations with Lin Jiachuan, plus his increasingly generous spending, confirmed he was now wealthy.
When Yan Li was a penniless student, junior classmates still tried to steal him away.
Now that he’s doing well, women will inevitably flock to him.
As long as Dong Xuan and Yan Li stayed stable, they could handle each threat as it came, keeping other women at bay.
But if they had a falling-out, those outside temptations would strike, sow discord—and by then, even if Dong Xuan wanted to win him back, it might be too late; they might break up for good.
So Dong Xuan suppressed her emotions, lowered her stance, and patiently coaxed him, inch by inch, gathering intelligence.
…
Honestly, the tactic worked.
If Dong Xuan had exploded over an unproven rumor, Yan Li, who prided himself on his integrity, might have explained—but he might also have resented her.
But now, with Dong Xuan not crying or arguing, just playfully probing, Yan Li was in a good mood—he not only explained, but reassured her himself.
“I helped her out, she invited me to dinner—her sister and her agent, Wang Jing, were there too.”
As he spoke, Yan Li asked Dong Xuan to wait, then called Wang Jing right in front of her.
“Hello, Sister Hua, Li Xue just called me saying the paparazzi caught us leaving dinner last night—any trouble? Do you need me to cooperate?”
Wang Jing’s calm voice replied: “No problem, we’re already preparing a clarification.”
“It’s probably because of the ‘Cell Phone’ role—Bingbing got the part, someone’s unhappy. If reporters approach you, ignore them.”
“Understood.”
Yan Li exchanged a few more pleasantries, hung up, and turned to Dong Xuan: “Believe me now?”
“When did I say I didn’t believe you? I was just curious, asking casually.”
Dong Xuan knew it was a misunderstanding; the gloom lifted, and a bright smile spread across her face—she tried to slip away, but Yan Li pulled her back.
“You wrong me and think you can just run off? It’s not that easy.”
Dong Xuan had her tactics; Yan Li was equally skilled at turning things to his advantage.
If you don’t properly discipline someone when they’re innocent, so they learn their lesson, what will you use as a shield if something real ever happens?
Dong Xuan, seeing Yan Li’s mischievous grin, quickly covered her mouth and mumbled: “I haven’t eaten yet!”
Yan Li patiently unbuttoned her top: “Let’s try something new—ever heard of latex?”
Dong Xuan blinked: “Huh?”
“It’s a colloid emulsion formed by polymer particles dispersed in water. Come on, I’ll teach you.”
"Translated, it's a colloidal emulsion formed by polymer particles dispersed in water. Come, I'll teach you."
About half an hour later, Dong Xuan pinched Yan Li hard, firmly rejecting his offer to help apply a face mask, then rushed into the bathroom to wash her face and hair.
Yan Li tidied up, leisurely ate breakfast, then sent a text to Li Bingbing.
【Is that article okay?】
Li Bingbing, apparently not busy, replied quickly: It’s nothing.
Every popular star has rumors—it’s not like they caught us doing anything intimate, no need to worry.
【But be careful—someone might dig up your dirt.】
“Li Bingbing Meets Mysterious Man”—Li Bingbing wasn’t the point; the point was who the mysterious man was, and what their relationship was.
Though Li Bingbing’s side was preparing a clarification, that didn’t mean the story would just vanish.
Plenty of bored people were curious for gossip, and reporters and paparazzi would jump on it to boost clicks.
【Let them dig—they’ve got nothing on me. Maybe it’ll even make me famous.】
Yan Li remained calm—he had nothing to lose. An actor with no fame at all, even a rumor could be good publicity.
If I’m not famous from acting, being linked to a popular actress counts as fame too...
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