Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 205 Yi'an Cinema Line's Layout, Wang Ming's Revenge on Qin Lan

Yi'an Cinemas plans to inject 3.2 million yuan.

China Resources acquired a 22% stake with 2000 million yuan in capital, ten years of rent-free access to its commercial properties, and numerous other resources.

Yan Li and his company Yanye Capital plan to invest 1.5 million yuan, valued at 1.2 times the value based on the founder's status and some resources, ultimately holding a 42.5% stake, responsible for the company's operation and possessing strategic decision-making power.

The remaining investors jointly contributed 1.5 million yuan, holding a total of 35.5% of the shares.

As for the option pool for incentivizing the team, shareholders will jointly transfer shares in proportion or under other terms in the future.

Of course, this is just the initial equity division in the company's early stages.

With just 3.2 million yuan, plus some resources, it's absolutely not enough to burn through a movie theater chain.

There will be a continuous stream of financing later, with different capital, investors, or resource providers entering the market.

Not to mention, Yan Li plans to list Yi'an on the stock market and raise funds, which will cause the shareholding structure to change continuously.

Currently, with a 42.5% stake, Yan Li is the undisputed largest shareholder, and many investors have been brought in by him to join his cause.

Roughly calculated, Yan Li has a high degree of control over about 70% of the shares, including China Resources, which is now in line with his actions.

It can be said that the current Yi'an Cinema Circuit is Yan Li's personal fiefdom, which he is in charge of operating and developing.

Of course, other shareholders still have the right to know. In addition to talking about China Resources, this gathering was also to inform them of some follow-up plans.

“If we were to set up a new cinema chain ourselves, the licensing process would be quite troublesome, not to mention the various qualifications. The key issue is that the timeframe is uncertain. If it drags on for two or three years, the market will have completely changed. So I decided to focus on acquisitions.”

"The company has also contacted many cinema chains, mainly small and medium-sized ones, each with different sizes, strengths and weaknesses, and cooperation methods."

Setting up a cinema chain is more complicated than Yan Li imagined. Not only does he need to raise funds, but he also needs to bring in giants like China Resources to provide support. There are also many other difficulties, with one hurdle after another.

Even with the help of the intelligence system, Yan Li still encountered many setbacks, but overall things went relatively smoothly.

Now, after contacting and learning about them, Yan Li has selected three cinema chains that are likely to cooperate, and he will introduce them one by one.

The first one is a regional cinema chain located in the southwest. It has its own local advantages and great potential, but it lacks funds, so it hopes to attract capital.

With its 3.2 million yuan in funding and its own size advantage, Yi'an is likely to quickly develop into the leading cinema chain in Southwest China and rank among the top in the entire national market.

The problem is that the cinema chain may not be willing to give up so many shares, and the internal management team has many ideas. Even if they do take a stake, there will likely be a power struggle.

The second company is a state-owned cinema chain, mainly based in Northeast China. The acquisition price is not high, and it is estimated that it can be acquired for 5000 to 8000 million yuan.

However, rather than taking money, this cinema chain prefers to convert it into shares. In other words, Yi'an only needs to give up some shares to obtain a cinema chain of considerable size.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The existing cinemas in this theater chain are old and outdated, no longer meeting market demands and the requirements of Yi'an Cinema. Therefore, a certain amount of investment is needed for renovation.

In addition, the reason this state-owned cinema chain is willing to sell is because it is poorly managed and unable to continue operating. As a result, it has a lot of debts and some accounting problems, as well as the resettlement of some management and employees, all of which need to be resolved by Yi An.

Most importantly, Yan Li learned through the system that the cinema chain was involved in some local disputes and hidden dangers.

Yan Li was no novice in the business world; she knew that things were complicated there.

These days, there are many private enterprises acquiring and merging with government companies. Many people only see the huge profits made and condemn it as exploitation, but in fact, many are also being taken advantage of.

Although Yan Li did some research and found that it could be resolved at some cost, it's still best to avoid such situations as much as possible.

Even though it wasn't explicitly stated, Yan Li had already listed this cinema chain as a last resort.

The third company, and the one Yan Li most hoped to cooperate with, was a small cinema chain.

Strictly speaking, it cannot even be called a cinema chain. It was just a few cinemas that formed a chain to protect their own operating rights by taking advantage of the cinema chain reform at that time.

In Yan Li's view, the only valuable thing about the other party was that license plate.

Acquiring this cinema chain is not much different from establishing a new one; at most, it just requires spending more money to appease the cinema owners and buy the chain's license.

Although it requires a significant investment and is more difficult to get started and in the early stages, it also reduces many of the constraints.

However, Yan Li wasn't the only one eyeing this cinema chain.

There are three in total: one is Yanli, one is a regional cinema chain in the Yangtze River Delta, and one is a foreign-funded group.

Let's not even talk about Yan Li; that regional cinema chain in the Yangtze River Delta wants to acquire him.

Currently, cinema chains are divided into those operating within a province and those operating across provinces. The cinema chain that Yan Li has his eye on, although small in scale, has the qualification to operate across provinces due to its special circumstances.

The cinema chain in the Yangtze River Delta region is quite strong, but it is limited by its qualifications and can only develop in this region. Therefore, it intends to expand through mergers and acquisitions.

The foreign group is an investment company backed by South Korean and Singaporean capital, which plans to join the cinema chain by injecting capital.

Yan Li didn't take the foreign-invested group too seriously.

Because of national regulations, foreign ownership in cinema chains cannot exceed 49%.

Under such circumstances, foreign capital cannot gain control of cinema chains. From an investment perspective, only investing in medium to large-sized cinema chains will yield returns. They will likely only have a casual interest in smaller cinema chains, and their desire for such smaller chains will not be very strong.

The Yangtze River Delta Cinema Line is Yi'an's biggest competitor.

But it's not that complicated. They are a regional theater chain with strong local resources. Yan Li definitely can't touch them, and they're not so powerful as to come to the capital to deal with Yan Li.

Forget about fishing or anything like that. China Resources Holdings isn't just a freebie, and Yan Li isn't without connections in Beijing either.

Then let's throw money at it! The highest bidder wins!

This is also the purpose of Yan Li's meeting with the investors today: to make them understand how much effort he has put in, the pros and cons of each plan, and why he spent so much money to acquire a small cinema chain with only a few theaters.

He's collaborating with these investors on more than just Yi'an Cinemas; he can't just take the money and then ignore them.

Things should be done clearly, and words should be spoken clearly.

Especially for such transparent transactions, it's essential to explain everything clearly to build trust with your clients. This will make it easier to cover up any dishonesty later on.

"President Yan, they dared to rob us, they must have a death wish. Should I send a few men over to scare them?"

A coal mine owner wearing a thick gold chain was unhappy that someone was going against him, so he took the initiative to suggest a solution.

This is their old strategy: when competing for business, they send a few "careless" people over.

I didn't notice and crashed my truck into the company gate; I accidentally dropped a package that looked like a homemade bomb; and the toy gun I bought seems to have been switched—it can actually fire bullets now…

Yan Li said seriously, "Brother Mang, how many times have I told you, we are operating honestly and legally. If you still want to play the fighting game, don't blame me for being disrespectful and asking you to withdraw your investment."

The brash guy chuckled sheepishly, "Just kidding."

Two coal mine owners who had dealt with him before were somewhat surprised; when did this guy become so good-tempered?

"Brother Mang" is not his real name, but his nickname. He's known for his outbursts of sending people to cause trouble, which gives you an idea of ​​his personality.

Everyone in the circle knows that this person has a notoriously bad temper, but Yan Li silenced him with just one sentence.

Something's wrong!
Mang Ge also vaguely sensed some strange looks, but he didn't say anything. He was indeed quite wary of Yan Li, even afraid of him.

What many people don't know is that the two had a conflict before, and at that time he even said he would teach Yan Li a lesson.

Just two or three days later, before he could even figure out how to pick a fight with Yan Li, two young men came to his door with a bag of documents.

It lists all his residences in Beijing and his hometown, as well as the type of car he usually drives and the places he likes to go.

Even details about where his parents live, where his wives and mistresses live, where his children, including his illegitimate children, go to school, and some information about his key subordinates, etc.

Oh, and there was another piece of paper that listed the names and positions of his three closest backers.

Then, one of the young men said that he had won a 1000 million lottery ticket, so he didn't want to live anymore.

If you want to keep Mang Ge company, ask him if he prefers being alone or with his whole family. You can choose from fast and exciting scenarios, like the Battle of Red Cliffs or a sword fight.

Brother Mang chickened out!

Of the coal mine owners who have made it big and come to Beijing, how many are truly reckless? It's all just a persona and style. The truly reckless ones are long gone.

Perhaps twenty years ago, he would have dared to rant and rave, but now that he has money and a family, he doesn't need to fight so fiercely over a small conflict.

That evening, Mang Ge invited Yan Li to dinner to reconcile.

Yan Li arrived as promised, seemingly unaware of anything, and chatted happily with Mang Ge, even expressing his willingness to continue collaborating with him. However, after the dinner, Mang Ge personally witnessed that the person driving Yan Li was the young man who had won the lottery.

From then on, Mang Ge continued to cooperate with Yan Li, but he never dared to cause trouble in front of him again.

Yan Li also glanced at Mang Ge lightly. Even though he had carefully selected these coal mine owners and their financial backers, there were bound to be some who slipped through the net.

After all, they're used to being arrogant and taking shortcuts in the local area, and most of the time they can do whatever they want, but sometimes when they get carried away, they start to reveal their true nature.

Yan Li could only give them a proper warning to make them understand that they were not pushovers.

Although doing this is not in line with Yan Li's style, it's just a simple scare tactic. It makes the team easier to manage and cooperation smoother, so it's still worthwhile overall.

...

After informing him of the acquisition target and the issue of excess funds, Yan Li also briefly discussed his future vision for the cinema chain.

The planned funds will be used primarily in two areas.

One option is to partner with China Resources to build 3-4 large-scale high-end cinemas in first-tier cities, with an investment of 3500-5000 million yuan per cinema.

在二三线城市建造8~10家标准影院，投资约在1500~2000万，总计银幕约在100~150块左右。

In first-tier cities, cooperation with commercial districts is the main approach, while in second- and third-tier cities, it is best to acquire owned properties if possible.

However, owning property is quite capital-intensive. Whether to focus on accumulating high-quality assets or seizing market share is something we'll have to wait until the cinema chain actually starts operating before making a decision.

In the short term, Yi'an Cinemas will mainly focus on mid-to-high-end markets and first- and second-tier cities.

As for expanding into third- and fourth-tier cities, it is still a bit too early. The market has not yet begun to penetrate these cities, and the box office target for third- and fourth-tier cities is extremely low.

No box office revenue for cinemas is fatal to internal operations and subsequent financing.

Being half a step ahead of the market is seizing the opportunity, but being a step or even several steps ahead could very well make you cannon fodder.

Entering the cinema market in 2006 was a bit late for Yi'an Cinemas, but the start wasn't bad.

Wanda has only recently entered the cinema industry and has not yet achieved dominance. State-owned cinema chains such as China Film Group and Shanghai United Cinema Group are powerful, but their systems are rigid and their efficiency is low.

There is room for Yi'an to rise in the market.

After Yan Li's introduction, the investors were very satisfied. Under Yan Li's persuasion, they firmly believed that the mainland film market would experience a boom.

At that time, Yi'an Cinemas will also benefit and grow bigger and stronger.

Once the stock goes public, their shares will appreciate dozens or even hundreds of times, bringing them substantial profits.

"Haha, cheers."

"First, a toast to President Yan. President Yan, you've worked hard."

"May we all get rich together."

"..."

After the banquet ended, Yan Li, feeling dizzy, was helped into the car by Wang Ou. Once the car started moving, Yan Li, who was leaning against the back seat, sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Everyone says Lao Xi is good at drinking vinegar, and he's also good at drinking alcohol."

Wang Ou knew Yan Li's alcohol tolerance and knew that he wasn't drunk, but he had drunk quite a bit. He took out the thermos he had prepared.

"I specially mixed this honey water to help you sober up."

Yan Li took it, drank a few sips, and found the water to be at the perfect temperature, probably prepared by Wang Ou before leaving.

A warmth filled her heart, and she reached out to put her arm around the other person's slender waist: "Have you missed me these past few days?"

Wang Ou nuzzled against Yan Li and smiled sweetly: "I think about you every day."

Then, with a hint of grievance, she complained, "In the end, you don't contact me. When I try to contact you, you ignore me."

Yan Li didn't even blink: "I'm too busy filming."

"..."

Wang Ou really wanted to say something sarcastic, but he held back. He played with Yan Li's large hand and suggested, "It's too late today. Why don't we rest in Shanghai and go back to Hengdian tomorrow?"

"……All right."

Yan Li hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I'll ask the crew for leave and spend some time with you."

Wu Maowen, the driver who was driving, twitched at the corner of his eye.

If Yan Li hadn't told him beforehand that he was staying in Shanghai that night and that a hotel had been booked, he would have really thought it was for Wang Ou's sake.

Wang Ou had no idea that this was a scoundrel's trick. Seeing that Yan Li had changed his plans specifically for her, she was touched and satisfied, and gave him a sweet kiss.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Yan Li, being cautious, went downstairs to "check in." Ten minutes later, Wang Ou knocked on Yan Li's door.

"Shhh."

Yan Li gestured, then made a hand signal, and returned to his desk in the room, where a laptop was placed, seemingly during a video call.

"Hotel services".

Yan Li replied to the other end, and then Wang Ou heard Qin Lan's voice.

"You went to Shanghai alone?"

"No, there's also a driver and an assistant."

Yan Li answered frankly that Wang Ou had not yet resigned from his position as his personal assistant, so he was not lying.

"Just a phone call isn't enough, you have to have a video call to check up on me. Don't you trust me?"

Yan Li turned the tables on her, but Qin Lan wasn't intimidated: "Are you trustworthy?"

"Cough, what happened to you today?"

Yan Li did not answer directly, but was puzzled by Qin Lan's unusual behavior today. It was not uncommon for her to check up on people, but she usually did not go this far.

"It's nothing. That woman surnamed Wang isn't on set. Did I see her looking for you?"

Yan Li: "..."

Wang Ou: "..."

That woman is so petty, she's chasing after me to kill me!
Qin Lan said confidently, "She dared to challenge me on set, so I taught her a lesson."

Yan Li couldn't stand it anymore: "When did they ever challenge you? They always avoid you on set, okay?"

"Is she avoiding me? She's just feeling guilty and has her eye on my man. I've been polite to her; normally I should have slapped her across the face."

Qin Lan, having worked in the same production crew as Wang Ou and having some friction with him, didn't want to see him get involved with her man, so she tried to sabotage and cause trouble for him in various ways.

This can be considered one of Qin Lan's personal principles.

She could not see or know what Yan Li was doing with in private, but she would never allow the other party to appear in front of her.

The same applies to "Investiture of the Gods" and "The Palace of the Qing Dynasty": anyone who is in the same production team as her and frequently encounters her must stay away from Yan Li.

After sleeping with Yan Li, she ran up to her and showed off, "Grandma!"

Therefore, upon hearing Yan Li speak up for Wang Ou, Qin Lan's anger flared up, and she made her stance clear.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. As long as I'm in Hengdian, that slut won't be able to touch you. I'll make her furious."

Yan Li couldn't help but glance at Wang Ou, and sure enough, he was furious and trembling.

He could actually understand Qin Lan's meaning, but Wang Ou didn't. This is outrageous!

Li Bingbing from "The Legend of Xue Rengui" and Fan Xiaopang from "The Legend of the White-Haired Witch" didn't believe that these two would honestly film their movies and not go looking for Yan Li.

As a result, the guy surnamed Qin didn't dare to mess with these two tough guys, so he just bullied himself.

The clay figurine also has three points of fire.

Wang Ou had been dealt with by Qin Lan back in "Investiture of the Gods," and she had suffered even more in "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty," so she was already full of resentment. Now, hearing Qin Lan's rant, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She wanted to rush to the computer and give the other person a good scolding, but looking at Yan Li, she restrained her impulse.

But we have to get back at this place today.

Wang Ou's mind raced, and suddenly he noticed the space under the desk. His eyes lit up, and he untied his high heels, bent down, and climbed inside.

"..."

Yan Li wanted to hang up the video call, but Qin Lan disagreed. She hadn't seen Yan Li for several days and wanted to talk to him more.

Helpless, Yan Li took a sip of water and continued listening to Qin Lan's rambling. Because his attention was a little scattered, he couldn't hear very clearly. It seemed that Huo Siyan wanted to recruit people to join the group.

"Why bring so many people? It's like a gang."

"It's about sticking together for warmth. When there are more people, it's more lively when everyone is together, and we can help each other."

Qin Lan didn't tell the truth, or rather, she didn't tell the whole story. The most important reason she was persuaded by Huo Siyan to agree to form cliques was to fight against Fan Xiaopang.

Fan Xiaopang's momentum is too strong; it would be difficult for her to fight against him alone.

But if you gather a group of sisters, it's a different story. Even ants can kill an elephant if they're numerous. A group of female celebrities gathered together to cheer for Qin Lan would create quite a stir.

Not to mention being superior to the Fan family, they at least have the means to resist. As for the likes of Wang Ou and Huang Shengyi, they can be easily suppressed.

Huo Siyan has already recommended two candidates to Qin Lan.

One of them is Xiong Naijin, who is also an artist under Huayi Brothers. She has known her for a short time, but she feels that Xiong Naijin is very loyal and also owns a teddy bear.

Another one is an actress named Zhao Ke from the "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" production team. She actively tried to get close to them while on set, so she's worth considering.

Of course, Qin Lan wasn't stupid. She didn't hand over all personnel authority to Huo Siyan and also considered bringing in a few people herself.

As mentioned before, Qin Lan is actually quite good at making friends. For every film she makes, she has several friends with whom she has a good relationship, or perhaps not particularly close friends, but with whom she gets along well.

However, just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they're suitable to join the girl group. Qin Lan is going to do some research.

"Why are not you talking?"

As Qin Lan was speaking, she noticed that Yan Li remained silent, so she couldn't help but ask a question.

Yan Li snapped out of his daze: "Go ahead and I'll listen, but let me warn you, three women make a drama, a bunch of women, a bunch of female celebrities, shooting blockbusters every day, you're in for a world of trouble."

"It's not as exaggerated as you say."

Qin Lan retorted defiantly, but she was also somewhat uncertain in her heart; she wasn't unfamiliar with the scheming and intrigue among women.

She witnessed and even participated in high school dormitories, college dormitories, early modeling competitions, and "Princess Pearl 3".

Hmm, let's think about it some more.

Qin Lan chatted idly for a while, while Wang Ou seemed a little tired and couldn't help but cough twice.

"..."

broken!

Yan Li broke out in a cold sweat and turned to look at the computer screen. Sure enough, Qin Lan had heard it.

"what sound?"

Yan Li remained calm: "QQ notification."

Qin Lan nodded, but something felt off, so she looked at the screen more closely.

"You bastard, you filthy scoundrel, you son of a bitch!"

After the video call ended, Yan Li had a headache. Qin Lan was usually good-tempered, but this time she was so furious that she had really gone too far.

Yan Li knew he couldn't get away with this; if he disagreed, would Wang Ou dare to force him?

But Wang Ou also bears some responsibility; Yan Li must have a clear explanation with her…

...

By the early hours of the morning, a somewhat exhausted Wang Ou had fallen into a deep sleep.

Full of energy, Yan Li sat on the sofa in his room, smoking and flipping through today's daily newsletter.

The first one is Qin Lan. She was really angry and scolded him for several hours. She's still so angry that she can't sleep.

It seems I'll have to go back at a different time from Wang Ou, otherwise if Qin Lan finds out it's Wang Ou, she might really fight me.

The second and third points are omitted, but the fourth point, which concerns Yi'an Cinemas, perked Yan Li up.

The cinema chain in the Yangtze River Delta has already taken action, and has even found a middleman. Their offer is also higher than he expected.

But it's meaningless now.

All of the opponent's actions and plans are transparent to him, so how can he compete with him? It's just a matter of how much the cost is.

Yan Li calculated that it was December now, and the Spring Festival next year would be at the end of January, less than two months away.

There's enough time. If all goes well, the acquisition should be completed by the end of the Spring Festival.

With various preparations, including renaming and financing, Yi'an Cinema Line is expected to officially debut around March or April next year.

In 2006, Yi'an mainly focused on building and renovating cinemas and training its team. The scale of the cinemas would not be unveiled until at least the second half of 2006, and the entire construction would be completed and a cinema distribution network would begin to be formed, which was estimated to be in 2007.

In Yan Li's view, 2007-2008 will be a key period for Yi An and his personal development.

The 1.5 million yuan invested by Yi'an in the early stages was not all of Yan Li's funds.

2006-2007 was a bull market, and he planned to keep a lot of money in the stock market to continue accumulating his cash flow.

When the financial crisis hit, many cinema chains or the capital behind them suffered severe losses.

With Yi'an's money probably almost gone, Yan Li naturally pushed for capital increase and share expansion, channeling his stock market funds into Yi'an Cinema Line.

In this way, not only can they conduct internal integration and acquire more equity, but they can also acquire some cinema chains and theaters at bargain prices.

If Yi'an Cinemas continues to develop normally, it will take a considerable amount of time to catch up with the leading cinema chains.

However, if they make good use of the rare "opportunity" of 2007-2008, they will greatly shorten the development time and may even become one of the top cinema chains.

It's not just the cinemas; the financial crisis has had a huge impact. If Yan Li had enough money, he could do a lot of things.

The cigarette butt flickered on and off before Yan Li stubbed it out.

Avoid greed!

It's okay to skim a little profit, but taking too much will only breed resentment, especially when others are losing big while you're making a killing. Tsk tsk, human nature is unpredictable.

The following day, Yan Li stayed in Shanghai to direct his team in dealing with the Yangtze River Delta cinema chain, while Wang Ou returned to Hengdian first.

Yang Rong, who had no chance to perform today, went straight to Wang Ou's room when she heard that she had returned.

"Does Qin Lan know that you went to see President Yan?"

Wang Ou was startled: "What do you mean?"

Yang Rong frowned: "She seems to be in a bad mood today. She doesn't smile at all and hardly talks to anyone except when she's filming. Even Huo Siyan is like that."

"..."

Wang Ou panicked a little and pulled Yang Rong aside: "You didn't make things up about where I went yesterday, did you?"

"of course."

Yang Rong said she would keep her mouth shut, and Wang Ou breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Don't say anything about this. If anyone asks, just say you were shooting an advertisement."

"what happens?"

Yang Rong couldn't help but ask, but Wang Ou shook her head and refused to say anything. The more she refused, the more curious Yang Rong became. In the end, she even tickled Wang Ou and used torture to extract a confession.

The two usually bicker and fight, with the taller Wang Ou having the upper hand. However, he was exhausted yesterday and his legs were weak, so he was subdued by Yang Rong.

"Say or not?"

Wang Ou turned his face to the side and shut his mouth. This kind of thing could be done, but it absolutely could not be said.

Seeing this, Yang Rong continued to tickle her. Wang Ou couldn't help but beg for mercy, but still didn't say anything.

This made Yang Rong, who was very curious, even more anxious, but she couldn't really do anything about Wang Ou, so she thought about it again and again.

"I'll trade you a secret."

Wang Ou ignored her, and Yang Rong coaxed, "It's related to Yan Zong, isn't it?"

"..."

Wang Ou opened his eyes: "Tell me what the secret is first."

Yang Rong hesitated for a moment: "I'm telling you it's no problem, but you can't tell anyone else. This is a secret I'm prepared to keep to myself. If it gets out, it'll be troublesome."

Wang Ou became genuinely interested: "It concerns President Yan, so I will definitely keep it a secret. Besides, you also have my secrets. Let's exchange them and each have something on the other."

Yang Rong thought Wang Ou's words made sense, so she leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

"That old woman!"

Wang Ou gritted his teeth and cursed, then looked at Yang Rong with a strange expression.

"You just kept listening like that?"

"what can I do?"

Yang Rong rolled her eyes. She had kept this matter to herself and dared not tell anyone. She was really bottling it up. After sharing it with Wang Ou, she felt much better.

"Your turn, your turn. I consider you my best friend with whom I can talk about anything, so don't try to fool me."

Yang Rong warned Wang Ou not to renege on her promise. Wang Ou originally intended to deal with her casually, but then he thought about how Yang Rong had stood by him despite the pressure from Qin Lan and had even helped him come up with ideas, so he treated her like one of his own.

They even told her that deadly secret from earlier; if Yan Li and Li Bingbing found out about it, Yang Rong would be in big trouble.

After a moment of hesitation, Wang Ou gritted his teeth and told her the truth. Yang Rong was stunned and looked at Wang Ou with a complicated expression.

"No wonder that guy surnamed Huo called you a slutty chicken essence."

"Hey, which side are you on?"

Wang Ou got anxious. She told Yang Rong about this so-called nickname to accuse Qin Lan and Huo Siyan of bullying her, not to ask Yang Rong to join in mocking her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is just what I felt."

As Yang Rong spoke, she kept looking at Wang Ou's mouth, which made the latter very uncomfortable.

"what?"

Yang Rong looked conflicted, yet couldn't resist asking gossip, "Is it really that big?"

She had a general understanding of Yan Li's combat strength and duration, but since she had never seen him in person, she had some doubts about Wang Ou's description.

Having even discussed that kind of thing, Wang Ou became quite open, directly gesturing out a general area. Yang Rong tried to imagine it, but still couldn't.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ou took out his phone, fiddled with it for a while, and produced a few photos.

Yang Rong was startled: "Are you crazy, taking these kinds of photos?"

"Just to keep a memento. I didn't even show my face. I'm good to you, so I've only shown it to you."

Wang Ou really went all out today, revealing many secrets to Yang Rong.

Yang Rong took the phone, flipped through it, and indeed got a general impression. She sighed and patted Wang Ou on the shoulder.

"You suffered."

"bitter?"

Wang Ou blinked and scoffed at Yang Rong's naiveté, saying that some people's real suffering is not being able to endure this kind of "hardship".

Give me your phone.

"Don't rush, let me take another look."

Yang Rong was examining her phone closely, completely unaware that Wang Ou's gaze was growing increasingly strange. When she returned the phone to Wang Ou, he blurted out something.

"If you're curious, I'll show you how."

Yang Rong almost choked to death, and smacked Wang Ou with a stick: "You're the one being horny, don't drag me into it."

"Tch, your eyes are practically popping out of their sockets, and you're still saying I'm a slut."

Wang Ou put his arm around Yang Rong and said with a wicked smile, "Tell me the truth, did you have any feelings for her after that time you overheard us in the dressing room?"

She knew Yan Li's strength. Even in special circumstances, with little commotion and only being able to listen, it was still something an ordinary woman could not withstand.

Yang Rong blushed and stammered, "I was terrified at the time, I didn't have the mind to care about anything else."

"Really, I don't believe it."

Wang Ou stared at Yang Rong, and just when she was about to make Yang Rong angry, she suddenly smiled.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. If you'd like to hear, I can tell you how Mr. Yan and I got together."

"Who cares to listen?"

Yang Rong complained, but her feet didn't move. She didn't even notice that her eyes were faintly shining.

...

Another hotel room

Huo Siyan entered the room, glanced cautiously at Qin Lan who was in a low mood, and told her what she had found out.

"Sis, Wang Ou is back. I heard from his assistant that he was shooting an advertisement."

The murderous intent in Qin Lan's eyes lessened slightly: "She's lucky."

Seeing Qin Lan's furious expression, Huo Siyan couldn't help but advise, "Sister, don't be angry. All men are like this; they won't behave unless they're hung on the wall."

She was unaware of the specifics and assumed that Qin Lan was angry because she had discovered Yan Li had been eating secretly, and thought that Qin was making a fuss over nothing.

She's cheated on me countless times, why the big reaction?

Qin Lan remained silent. This was too embarrassing, and it also affected Yan Li's reputation, so she couldn't tell Huo Siyan.

She wasn't angry that Yan Li had stolen food; she was angry that he didn't respect her.

Don’t you like excitement?
Just wait, she'll show this bastard what real excitement is...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Including yesterday's words, the 1,000 words I owed have been made up.
(End of this chapter)