Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 223 A Set Visit to "Struggle": Dong Xuan and Qin Lan Finally Meet
With the construction of Yi An Cinemas on track, the reorganization of Yi An completed, and all work progressing steadily, connections have also been established with Hong Kong.

Although Yan Li was still busy, he did have some free time.

Mid-May, Yangjiaodeng Hutong

Yan Li carried two boxes of things into the house, only to find Grandma Yan sitting alone under the eaves, basking in the sun.

"Grandma, are you the only one home?"

"Your dad is cooking."

Grandma Yan gestured toward the kitchen, and Yan Li peeked out to see that Old Comrade Yan was standing in front of the stove stewing vegetables.

Yan Li chuckled: "Which restaurant's signature dish are you plotting to steal now?"

It's often said that there's no good food in Beijing, but that's a bit of an overstatement.

Opinions may vary on whether Beijing's local snacks are bad, but the city's restaurants are definitely full of hidden gems.

As the capital city and one of the most developed cities in the country, how could it not have good food? There are countless mid-to-high-end restaurants in Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Huaiyang, and other cuisines, as well as many restaurants from various countries around the world. As long as you have money, you won't go hungry.

For an old chef like Comrade Yan, coming to Beijing is like a fish entering the sea.

As far as Yan Li knew, whenever Comrade Yan went out to eat and found a meal he liked, he would think about recovering as soon as he got home.

I plan to sell it at the Zaoshi Hotel later, or show off my research on this "authentic Beijing specialty dish" to my relatives and friends.

"The day before yesterday, Qin Lan took your mother and me to a halal restaurant. The braised beef there was really good. I'm thinking about it now."

"Then you can figure it out yourself."

Yan Liting is happy to see that Comrade Yan can find something to do on his own and stop clamoring to go back to his hometown. He is happy, and his family can also have a good meal.

"Where's my mother?"

Besides the kitchen, Yan Li asked where Zhang Hong was, and the old lady pursed her lips.

"I went to visit someone next door."

"Wow, my mom has made friends."

Yan Li was somewhat surprised. His parents hadn't been in the capital for long, and Dong Xuan and Qin Lan had been there to keep them company. Yet, Zhang Hong had managed to make such a breakthrough in her interpersonal relationships during that time. Impressive.

"Hmph, what kind of friends are they? A bunch of old women gossiping and nagging."

Grandma Yan snorted dismissively.

Rural people have their own wisdom. When they first arrive in this unfamiliar place, even if their sons and grandsons are successful, they are still willing to be kind to others and make things convenient for themselves.

So, not long after settling in Yangjiaodeng Hutong, Grandma Yan and Zhang Hong began to figure out how to get along with their neighbors.

The neighboring aunties had mixed feelings about the women, who were from out of town, lived in detached houses, and frequently drove luxury cars. They felt a mix of disdain from the older generation of Beijingers and envy and bitterness.

Living in a courtyard house in Beijing doesn't make you rich. There are plenty of ordinary people living in crowded tenements, and their household registration is the most valuable thing they own.

After learning about the situation from Grandma Yan, Zhang Hong adopted the "he who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding" approach.

Dong Xuan, Qin Lan, and even Fan Xiaopang would all offer something to each other when they came, and Yan Li and Yan Xin did the same.

Some things have a short shelf life, like fruit, and they spoil easily if not eaten. Grandma Yan and Zhang Hong gave them to their neighbors. In addition, Zhang Hong is a restaurant owner, and she is sweet-talking and good at talking, so she successfully established good relationships with all the neighbors.

Grandma Yan stopped there, feeling that this was enough.

But Zhang Hong got in touch with those neighbors and, when she had nothing to do, she liked to chat with those older women, which aroused some of Grandma Yan's dissatisfaction.

"Grandma, my mom's trick is brilliant."

Yan Li spoke up for Zhang Hong, but Grandma Yan retorted, "Where did Gao go?"

"The clever thing is that when she goes around gossiping, no one else will gossip about our wives."

Dong Xuan, Qin Lan, and Fan Xiaopang visited the house many times. Even when they disguised themselves, they were inevitably caught by people's glances. Even if they were not recognized, the fact that several women took turns visiting the house could not be kept secret.

In addition, since Yan Li himself did not hide his identity much, there were bound to be some rumors circulating among the neighbors.

Those who are good at cricket fighting know that if someone isn't around, they'll cricket at that person. If the person in question is present and they're not close to them, they might make a few jokes and then cricket at someone else.

So, whether Zhang Hong intended it or not, she saved their family from a disaster.

"It makes sense."

Grandma Yan nodded, then got up, picked up her cane, and walked towards the gate, leaving Yan Li in a daze.

Where are you going?

“There are still a few old men and women who might be talking about our family behind our backs. I’ll go and shut them up.”

Yan Li: "..."

Well, it's better than having no one to talk to, feeling miserable all by myself, and longing to go back to my hometown.

A few days ago, my aunt felt embarrassed to keep staying at Yan Li's house for free meals and drinks. Moreover, because she was provoked by Yan Li, she didn't quite trust the Yan family's genes and was afraid that her uncle would misbehave when she wasn't home, so she decided to go back to her hometown.

Her departure was a big deal; it almost led Lao Yan and the others back as well. Dong, Qin, and Fan took turns trying to persuade her to stay.

Yan Li didn't intend to leave all the elders in the capital at once, but he wanted them to stay as long as possible to reduce their resistance and worries about life in the capital.

We invited them to come and visit every year for a while, so they gradually got used to life in Beijing. Then, when the opportunity arose, we naturally moved to Beijing.

...

Originally, Yan Li planned to go home to see his parents, but everyone was busy with their own things, and Yan Li became an idle person.

Out of boredom, Yan Li called Dong Xuan. It was the weekend, and she wasn't working.

"Has Dawei started filming 'Struggle'? Guan Yue and I are going to visit the set."

"What, Guan Yue, are you worried?"

Yan Li knew perfectly well that the so-called "visiting the set" was just a nice-sounding excuse; the real purpose was to get information and assert his dominance.

Tong Dawei's career has been getting better and better in the past two years, and he has become a little arrogant. Guan Yue felt a sense of crisis and began to keep a close eye on him.

But sometimes, the stricter a woman is with a man, the more annoyed he becomes.

Previously in "The Legend of Xue Rengui", Yan Li had noticed that the relationship between the two was a bit off. He later learned through the system and by asking Dong Xuan that the two had a cold war at the beginning of the year.

Although the Cold War eventually ended, the side effects were unavoidable.

Guan Yue's trust in Tong plummeted, and Tong, who already had her own agenda, became somewhat cold and distant after being pressured like this.

Since both sides were friends, Yan Li, unusually, meddlesome and specifically talked to Dong Xuan, asking her to persuade Guan Yue not to be so "aggressive".

Unfortunately, the relationship between the man and woman is too complicated. Guan Yue and Tong Dawei are both a bit infatuated, and outsiders can't control them at all.

Moreover, given his reputation, women don't care about men. Not to mention Guan Yue, even Dong Xuan would want to roll her eyes at him.

From then on, Yan Li stopped caring.

He only occasionally learned from Dong Xuan that their relationship was sometimes good and sometimes bad, neither of them wanted to break up, but neither could swallow their anger, and they were entangled and tormented by each other.

"If you're going to stay with me, then stay with me. But if anything happens, don't go and fight."

Yan Li offered a word of advice: it's fine for Dong Xuan to help out in their private matters, but she shouldn't get herself involved.

"What are you saying? If a fight really breaks out, I'll definitely step in. Do you think I'd let Lao Guan be bullied?"

Dong Xuan spoke with great conviction, while Guan Yue's complaints could be faintly heard from the side: "I'm just visiting the set, and you're acting like you're catching me cheating. Can't you two wish me well for once?"

"Okay, okay, I'll visit the set. If a fight really breaks out, call me right away, I'll come and see what's going on."

"Pooh."

Guan Yue took the phone, spat at him, and then shouted that she had arrived at the destination. Dong Xuan said a few words and then hung up the phone.

Dong Xuan was unavailable, so Yan Li called Qin Lan. Huo Siyan answered the phone. "Hello, brother-in-law, Sister Lan is driving. I've put it on speakerphone, so just say what you need to say."

"Drive? You guys went out too?"

"hold head high."

Qin Lan gripped the steering wheel: "You're going home to see your parents, and you won't let me come along, saying you want to enjoy simple family time. If you won't take me, can't we at least find something to do on our own?"

These words were clearly tinged with resentment; Qin Lan was obviously unhappy that Yan Li was going home to see his parents alone.

Yan Li had no choice. Her parents were somewhat nervous and uncomfortable when they saw them. It was a rare opportunity for Yan Li to spend time with her parents, and she didn't want them to be so tired.

Without dwelling on that, Yan Li directly asked Qin Lan and the others where they were going, both to avoid sensitive topics and to see if he could find an opportunity to coax them.

Qin Lan didn't speak, so Huo Siyan chimed in, "Didn't Sister Li and Wen Zhang's new drama start filming? Let's go visit the set."

Why are so many people visiting the set?

Yan Li muttered something to himself, and Qin Lan, with her sharp ears, asked, "If everyone goes, who else is going?"

"No, you misheard me. Which show are you referring to?"

Yan Li took a jujube from the coffee table and chatted with Qin Lan and the others to pass the time.

"Brother-in-law, I'm telling you, Zhao Baogang's 'Struggle' is really funny. Sister Li and Wen Zhang didn't play a couple in the show. Do you think they felt when they saw their boyfriends and girlfriends playing lovers with other actors?"

"Definitely... wait, which film crew did you say it was?"

Yan Li almost choked on the jujube. He knew that Tong Dawei was in "Struggle", but he didn't know that Ma Yili and Wen Zhang were also in it.

No, it seems there was something in the intelligence, and Qin Lan seemed to have mentioned it to him as well, but he didn't pay any more attention to it.

After all, this film crew had nothing to do with him. He was too busy with his own affairs to bother with such unrelated matters.

Who knew that Dong Xuan and Qin Lan would both visit the set on the same day? What a coincidence!

What Yan Li didn't know was that because "Struggle" was filmed in Beijing, making travel convenient, Zhao Baogang was quite strict in managing the production to ensure a smooth filming process and minimize disruptions.

Except for special circumstances requiring leave, cast and crew members must stay at the crew's hotel and are not allowed to go home or allow outsiders to visit the set.

However, since filming takes several months, it's necessary to allow family and friends to visit each other, so a special set visit day was set up, once every two weeks.

The crew of "Struggle" officially started filming in early May. This was the first day of set visits, and quite a few relatives and friends from the crew came to visit or bring gifts.

"Stop visiting the set, come to my house right away, my mom is really missing you."

Yan Li quickly tried to dissuade her, but Qin Lan was somewhat tempted: "It's just one intersection away. I'll deliver the things there, meet you briefly, and then come to your place."

"Let the swallows go."

“It’s inconvenient for her not to have a car. Besides, what would it be like if one of us came and the other went? What would Lao Ma think of me? Don’t worry, it won’t take long, half an hour is enough.”

I farted, and by half an hour the daylily buds were cold!

However, Qin Lan was determined to visit the set first. Just as Yan Li was hesitating whether to pretend to be seriously ill, he heard Huo Siyan say something.

"Sister Li is on the phone."

Then it seemed like the call was connected, and Ma Yili's voice came through: "Old Qin, something's happened. Dong Xuan is here on our set too. Is she here to ambush you?"

Finished!

Yan Li gently closed his eyes; no matter how much he tried to stop him, he still found out.

Inside the car, Huo Siyan still had some lingering fear of Dong Xuan, and after hearing Ma Yili's frightening words, her first reaction was that it was a trap, and she couldn't help but try to persuade Qin Lan.

"Sister Lan, should we temporarily avoid the limelight?"

"I should avoid her?!"

If Huo Siyan hadn't persuaded her, Qin Lan would have been a little hesitant and might have found a way to back down on her own.

But when she said that, Ma Yili and Yan Li were all listening, and she backed down as if she had chickened out and was afraid of Dong Xuan.

So even if she could back down, she wouldn't. Qin Lan gritted her teeth and stepped on the gas: "Perfect timing, let's meet her."

"Sister Lan, well done."

Seeing Qin Lan's strong stance, Huo Siyan was also filled with enthusiasm.

She harbored a lingering resentment towards Dong Xuan, but her anger was even greater. Qin Lan was willing to confront her, because she was her own elder sister.

"..."

Knowing he couldn't persuade her otherwise, Yan Li hung up the phone, thought for a moment, and then called Tong Dawei.

"Did Dong Xuan and Guan Yue leave?"

"No, I just arrived, we're chatting right now."

"Take them away quickly, get them outside or kick them out, whatever you do, don't let them stay on set."

Tong Dawei remained silent, while Dong Xuan asked quietly, "Why are you chasing us away?"

Yan Li paused, then couldn't help but yell at Tong Dawei: "Why the hell did you turn on speakerphone for no reason?!"

"..."

The latter felt wronged. There were only three of them around, and it was Yan Li calling. He thought Yan Li had something to say, so Dong Xuan put the call on speakerphone, which he did. Similar things had happened before, but he didn't expect her to put it on speakerphone this time.

After calming down, Yan Li said, "Come back as soon as you're done visiting the set. My mom's been talking about you and wants you to come over for dinner."

"Auntie misses me."

Hearing this, Dong Xuan was delighted: "Okay then, I'll stay with Guan Yue for a while longer, and then I'll head over right away."

Guan Yue wasn't very famous and didn't have much influence on the set, so Dong Xuan came along to support her and let people know that Tong Dawei's girlfriend wasn't someone to be trifled with.

"No, don't make my mom wait for you. Besides, they're just having a get-together and have important business to attend to. Why are you standing there like a third wheel?"

Tong Dawei was speechless: "Brother, we're filming a movie. Do you think I'm that thirsty?"

"You're not thirsty, but I am. Hurry up and bring my wife back."

Dong Xuan frowned. Yan Li was acting strangely. He kept urging her to do things, as if he were being chased by wolves. He was usually very calm.

But in front of outsiders, she didn't contradict them; she just nodded.

"Okay, I'll go back right away."

After hanging up the phone, Tong Dawei and Guan Yue, not wanting her to leave alone, got up to see her off.

Today they are filming an exterior scene in a residential area. There is a tree-lined path from the filming location to the parking lot.

Dong Xuan, Guan Yue, and Tong Dawei walked towards the parking lot, while three women came from the parking lot towards the film set.

They were initially going their separate ways, but as they got closer and could vaguely see each other's figures, their steps unconsciously slowed down, and they constantly adjusted their state of mind.

Finally, Dong Xuan and Qin Lan stood about two meters apart and looked each other up and down.

After a moment of silence, Dong Xuan spoke first and introduced herself: "Hello, I am Yan Li's girlfriend, Dong Xuan."

Qin Lan smiled brightly: "What a coincidence, Qin Lan, Yan Li's current girlfriend."

"..."

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.: 10,000 chapters will be updated to settle accounts.

(End of this chapter)