Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 290 Both are soldiers, that's the real soldiers.
After joining the crew, Li Bingbing didn't rush to film; she first had her makeup and costumes done.

For a large production like "Painted Skin", actors usually have their costumes done before their roles are determined. However, Shuangbing was one of those actors whose roles were determined first, so they only had a simple trial run beforehand.

Fearing something might be wrong, Li Bingbing would quickly adjust it, so she would try on almost every makeup and outfit every day.

The normal styling is fine, but the main problem is the "transformation into a demon" storyline. It needs to highlight the eerie yet beautiful aspects, while also incorporating some personal characteristics, which required a lot of thought from the styling team.

The crew of "Painted Skin" consisted of three parts.

Part of it is Yi An's old team, who have produced many dramas over the years, including some excellent ones. Yi An still has quite a few talented people under her command.

However, most of these people mainly make TV dramas and have little experience in making movies, let alone big-budget films.

Yan Li also intended to train the team this time. If they could follow along and finish watching "Painted Skin," many of them would gain valuable experience and improve their skills.

Part of it was the Hong Kong people brought by director Gordon Chan.

Every successful director has a skilled team or individual working under them.

This is something that can't be avoided. Otherwise, if the director comes alone, he'll waste time just getting to know the other crew members, and the results might not be good.

There's a term in the industry called "standard work," which translates to doing something decent but not too bad, but don't expect anything great either.

Although these Hong Kong directors all have their flaws, if you don't give them authority and respect, they won't be able to make any good films. It's no wonder they'll just try to fool you with mediocre work.

Therefore, if you want the director to perform at a certain level, you have to hire some of his people as a package deal.

Another group consists of industry elites not included in the first two categories, such as small independent teams or personnel from certain organizations.

The film industry today tends to have a lot of faith in people from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In terms of costume design, Ye Jintian and Zhang Shuping were highly sought after by various film crews.

It's not just Hong Kong directors who love using it; mainland directors and actors also follow suit.
One reason is that they are truly capable with an impressive resume and record; the other is that they lack confidence and feel that the Hong Kong and Taiwan film and television industries are better developed and more professional.

Yan Li is one of the few people who doesn't blindly believe in Hong Kong's behind-the-scenes teams, and even thinks they are inferior to those on the mainland in some aspects.

Especially in period dramas, because the period costumes in Hong Kong are mainly based on opera and the Ming and Qing dynasties, they don't understand or have the concept of studying and researching real history, so they mix in a lot of original elements and Western, Japanese and Korean elements.

When inspiration strikes, the resulting design is stunning and exquisite; when inspiration falters, it becomes a hodgepodge, utterly incongruous.

In contrast, while mainland China may have less production experience and less inspiration and knowledge, it has a wealth of materials and historical prototypes to draw upon.

Especially those old film studios and state-owned film and television units, many of them have worked for most of their lives, and when making a certain TV series or movie, they would go to state units to find information and spend months or even years studying the design.

The research and meticulousness of this group in ancient costume styling is absolutely incomparable to those stylists who casually let their hair be disheveled and wear light-colored pajamas.

The costumes, props, and sets in previous works such as "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan" were well-received, partly due to this reason.

For this film, Yan Li specially invited experts to oversee the production. Since the plot is somewhat fictional, there's no need to delve too deeply into historical details; the key is to highlight the aesthetics.

Despite the fact that the movie is less than two hours long, Li Bingbing had dozens of costumes and hairstyles, including many different looks such as a young girl, a young woman, at home, in formal attire, and even a demonic transformation.

This is just Li Bingbing; Fan Xiaopang, being a demon, has an even more difficult and complex design.

The simplest one is Sun Li. She is a wandering demon hunter who doesn't care about food or clothing, so she only has two or three outfits, and they are quite similar.

When Yan Li finished work, he made a special trip to see Li Bingbing.

White hair and eyebrows, pale skin with faint, eerie bluish-black lines, eyes wearing red contact lenses, and a purple V-neck robe with black and red patterns...

Yan Li looked at himself in the mirror a few times and thought the effect was acceptable. When he took the next picture, he could consider adding some blood and tears or growing two fangs.

That's all. After all, it's a commercial film. Li Bingbing is willing to sacrifice his image, but it can't be too scary.

There were other promotional photos next to her, which Yan Li also glanced through.

Wang is the general's principal wife, and she takes the virtuous and gentle route. However, considering Li Bingbing's appearance, some changes were made. She comes from a military family and would practice swordsmanship with her husband, which fits her heroic and dashing image.

After Li Bingbing finished her makeup, they started taking her official photos. Once the shoot was over, Li Bingbing took a break and spoke in a seductive tone.

"How does it feel? There aren't many outfits left. I'll tell the makeup artist we can wrap up early. I'll wear this to give Mr. Yan some feedback?"

Yan Li: "..."

When filming "The Legend of Xue Rengui" before, he would occasionally teach Princess Zhaoyang a lesson off-screen on behalf of Xue Rengui, which made this woman aware of his hobby, and now she is trying to seduce him again.

To be honest, the white-haired demoness is quite a novelty.

However, Yan Li also has principles. In order to make the white hair look less like a wig, it was specially made. It seems that there are only two sets of this outfit. What if it gets damaged if he moves too much and it delays filming?

So just bear with it for now. After filming is finished, he'll keep the clothes and then properly exorcise demons.

Maybe with a bit of luck, we can persuade Fan Xiaopang to stage a scene where General Yan beats up the real and fake demonesses.

"Tch, boring."

Li Bingbing sighed. This jerk was fine normally, but once he joined the film crew, he clearly became reserved, worrying about his image and the work on set, always having all sorts of concerns.

But this is not bad either. Usually, she is the one being dealt with by this bastard. At this time, she can tease him and it's more exciting.

Yan Li shook his head. There's a saying that one is like a wolf at thirty and a tiger at forty. The more familiar Li Bingbing was with him and the older he got, the more like a wolf and a tiger he became.

"Your sister hasn't left yet, aren't you afraid she'll cause a scene?"

Yan Li habitually tried to exploit Li Bingbing's weaknesses, but to his surprise, the latter raised an eyebrow.

"Not afraid."

Yan Li was somewhat surprised: "You've figured it out?"

"Think it through, my ass!"

Li Bingbing didn't react at first, but then she realized what he meant and pinched him before she spoke.

"I recently introduced my sister to a guy, and they're getting along well."

No matter how many excuses Li Bingbing made for poaching her sister's boyfriend, it was still unethical, so it remained a knot in her heart.

So she would often try to find a husband for her younger sister, hoping that as long as she had a partner, she could finally put her mind at ease.

At first, Li Xue was quite resistant to this, but now that a considerable amount of time has passed, with her older sister in between and Yan Li still not expressing his opinion, she has gradually given up hope.

"That's not bad."

Yan Li nodded upon hearing this. Li Bingbing glanced at him and asked, "Aren't you jealous that my sister is dating someone?"

Why would I be jealous?

Yan Li was speechless. He had never been interested in Li Xue from the beginning; it was all Li Xue's wishful thinking.

Later, as their relationship grew closer, Li Xue cooperated with him and helped him with some things. In addition, he had his eye on the two sisters, so he did have some frivolous thoughts.

But as Li Bingbing strongly resisted, he realized that things were hopeless and didn't want the two sisters to fall out or break up with him, so he gradually gave up.

He would mutter a few words occasionally, but it was nothing more than joking and teasing Li Bingbing.

Yan Li isn't bragging, but there are plenty of women who have feelings for him or expressed their love for him, and they're all jealous. He must be living in a vinegar jar every day.

"Heartless. It's a good thing my sister didn't end up with you."

Unlike Yan Li's composure, Li Bingbing knew how much his sister liked Yan Li, so he felt somewhat indignant on Yan Li's behalf.

Yan Li couldn't hold back any longer: "You've said both the truth and the sarcasm. What do you mean? You want me to win your sister back?"

"you dare!"

Li Bingbing was getting anxious. Despite her seemingly kind words, she felt that Li Xue was just annoyed by her nagging and had decided to give it a shot in desperation.

But in any case, this is also the beginning of Li Xue letting go of Yan Li and embracing a new life.

But if that bastard causes trouble, then things could get complicated.

Yan Li's eyes lit up slightly. He had just said that Li Xue had found a boyfriend and how he would deal with Li Bingbing. Now he knew what to do.

"Sister Bingbing, you don't want your sister's relationship to be ruined, do you?"

Li Bingbing gave him the middle finger: "Despicable and shameless."

"Sister, you're only meeting me today?"

After laughing and joking for a while, as for ruining feelings or anything like that, Yan Li wasn't that tasteless. He was just making an excuse. Li Bingbing understood that, but sometimes people need a way out.

Li Bingbing is older and considers herself a popular actress, so she sometimes cares about her reputation and needs Yan Li to give her a reason to compromise.

It wasn't that she wanted to do anything, but that Yan Li, that shameless man, threatened her, and she was "forced" to do so.

Yan Li even analyzed from the perspective of the intelligence system that there was some special compensatory psychology and self-pity involved.

Li Bingbing felt guilty for stealing her sister's boyfriend. When Yan Li used Li Xue to "coerce" her, she would feel that it was for her sister's sake, which would lessen her guilt and make her feel to some extent that she was "suffering humiliation in place of her sister," which was extremely noble.

Yan Li didn't know what Li Xue was thinking, but he felt that Li Bingbing was just as shameless as he was.

...

Li Bingbing didn't get to be smug for long, because Fan Xiaopang soon joined the crew.

The day Fan Xiaopang was confirmed to join the crew, an eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire "Painted Skin" production team.

Excitement, fear, agitation, confusion, resistance, tension...

In short, everyone was filled with all sorts of emotions, and this was a crucial moment that everyone was solemnly anticipating.

Yan Li took half a day off and did not film, but stayed on set to prevent any unnecessary trouble.

Li Xue, who hasn't made many public appearances since joining the crew, also showed up on set today, standing beside her sister, along with other members of Li Bingbing's team.

Perhaps worried about the two soldiers competing, Li Bingbing brought a large entourage to the set this time, including Li Xue, a total of eight people.

Agent Li Xue, one executive agent, two assistants, one personal makeup artist, one driver, and two bodyguards.

Seriously, even Yan Li's entourage wasn't this grand.

He is usually accompanied by a driver, an assistant, and 2 to 4 bodyguards when he goes out or has business.

Of course, Yan Li could flexibly mobilize the entire "Painted Skin" crew and the personnel at the Yi'an branch base, easily bringing together a hundred or so people.

Li Bingbing had quite a grand entrance, but Fan Xiaopang's was even grander. When he joined the crew, he had a nanny van, a motorhome, and a total of thirteen staff members.

One executive agent, one publicist, one business manager, two assistants, two drivers, three bodyguards (including one female bodyguard), one personal makeup artist, one personal stylist, and they even brought a chef.

Yan Li couldn't help but laugh. Apart from Jia Qian, who also served as his agent, Fan Xiaopang had brought his entire team to the film set, and even hired a driver and a chef.

Fan Xiaopang got out of the car wearing sunglasses, followed by a large group of people, looking quite imposing.

The producer asked Yan Li with a headache, "President Yan, what should we do with the extra people?"

With over a dozen people, and all of them being Fan Xiaopang's men, their treatment can't be too bad; food, drink, lodging, and transportation are all extra expenses.

Yan Li asked, "How many people are listed on the contract?"

"Five."

"Both?"

"Correct."

When big names like these join a production, the production team usually has a dedicated budget to manage their teams.

Some big-name celebrities join the production team, and some are even more outrageous than this. Not only do they have large teams, but they also bring their families, including their wives, children, and even their parents-in-law.

Who pays for it and how it's paid will all be agreed upon in the contract. If the actor is in a strong position, the production team will pay; if the production team is in a strong position, the actor will pay out of pocket.

The contract with Shuangbing before "Painted Skin" stipulated a five-person team.

In other words, if an artist brings five or fewer staff members, the production crew will cover their food and accommodation expenses, but will not be responsible for anything exceeding that.

"Then let's go by the contract."

Yan Li set the tone, saying that it had been agreed beforehand that the crew would treat everyone equally.

How many people each of them brings is a personal matter, and Yan Li can't guarantee fairness, but from the perspective of the production team, it doesn't matter how many people they bring, the treatment is the same.

"But what if someone comes looking for me..."

The producer was still somewhat hesitant. The idea was good, but those two old ladies had objections, and he couldn't handle it.

"Whoever is looking for you, tell them to come find me."

"understood."

With Yan Li's words, the producer felt reassured. No matter how arrogant those two were, the "Painted Skin" crew would still belong to the Yan family.

In a corner, Deng Chao and Wu Jing, who had gotten to know each other better over the past few days, watched with some amazement as Fan Xiaopang joined the crew.

"As expected of Yi'an's number one sister, amazing."

Wu Jing sighed, while Deng Chao grinned and said, "That guy from Huayi Brothers isn't bad either."

He felt that Fan Xiaopang was simply benefiting from his late-mover advantage.

Deng Chao hadn't been with Yi An for long, but he still managed to run into several acquaintances on set. Not to mention Fan Xiaopang, who could easily figure out Li Bingbing's abilities and deliberately give him a hard time.

"I'd always heard of the Four Dan and Two Soldiers before, but now I've seen it for myself. They're really awesome."

Wu Jing and Fan Xiaopang know each other. They acted together in movies in their early years. Later, Wu Jing went to develop his career in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, while Fan Xiaopang had not yet become famous.

Because of this, Wu Jing, who has been developing his career in Hong Kong, doesn't have a concrete understanding of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (a term referring to four popular actresses and two top actresses) who have become a sensation in the entertainment industry in the past two years.

Even after seeing the completely transformed Fan Xiaopang today, and thinking back to the young, blond girl from back then, Wu Jing could hardly recognize her.

"Double soldiers are awesome, but the most awesome one is still Boss Yan."

Deng Chao retorted, saying that these two women were both incredibly fierce, yet Yan Li managed to win them both over and even put them together. How could one not admire and respect him?

"..."

Wu Jing couldn't help but glance at Deng Chao. No wonder Yan Li signed him and even promoted him to be the top leader.

That guy's really good at licking!
Just as Wu Jing was pondering whether or not to learn a thing or two, Deng Chao nudged him: "Hey, hey, Li Bingbing is out, we've run into him."

"Keep your voice down."

Fan Xiaopang made such a big fuss just to show off to someone, so he didn't go to the hotel first, but went straight to the film crew to "report for duty".

As a core member of the creative team, Fan Xiaopang joined the crew, and whenever anyone had free time, they would come over to say hello.

Li Bingbing is no exception; otherwise, it would be impolite. More importantly, it would make people think she's afraid of Fan Xiaopang.

So Li Bingbing also brought his people over.

Although the number of people was smaller, Li Xue had specifically used words and material incentives to boost morale before they arrived, and they were also well-rested and ready to fight, so their morale was not too far behind.

With about ten people on one side and nearly ten on the other, director Gordon Chan, caught in the middle, was in a difficult position.

"Bingbing, Bingbing is here. You two can chat."

After saying that, Chen Jiashang felt like slapping himself for adding fuel to the fire.

There was nothing he could do; the two soldiers were too special, they even had the same name, and he just happened to be in their situation, so no matter how he addressed them, it wouldn't be right.

Sure enough, as soon as Chen Jiashang said this, Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang exchanged somewhat strange glances.

Two soldiers, so which one is the real soldier?!

I've actually encountered similar awkward situations before. For example, during the filming of "Happy Seven Fairies," it was difficult to distinguish between the names. Yan Li was privately called Bingbing, but publicly one was Bingbing and the other was Xiao Fan.

There's nothing wrong with this way of calling him. Back then, Fan Xiaopang hadn't gained popularity yet, and the generally accepted "Bingbing" was Li Bingbing.

But things are different now. Fan Xiaopang has risen to prominence and is playing on home turf, making her even more dominant. Calling her "Xiao Fan" again would definitely be met with resistance.

Xiao Fan won't work, and Xiao Li is even worse. Calling them both "Bingbing" is too redundant, and calling them by their names directly would be too formal and serious.

Fan calls her Bingbing, and Li calls her Bingbing Sister? Will Li Bingbing feel that it implies she's old? Fan Xiaopang probably wouldn't agree either, since her rival has the title of "Sister".

Chen Jiashang was a bit flustered, but fortunately Yan Li arrived at that moment, which made him feel like he had been granted a pardon.

"Mr. Yan, could you please tell the crew that there are some things I need to attend to? I have to go check on them."

After saying that, Gordon Chan left. Yan Li didn't take it to heart; after all, he was just making a movie, and there was no need for him to take the fall.

"Alright, why gather so many people? We still have work to do, so get back to what you're doing."

Yan Li's first action was to expel the people. This kind of confrontational group could easily provoke antagonism, and dispersing the people would help ease the atmosphere.

"Don't look at her, she's the boss, I'm the boss."

Yan Li's words still carry weight, especially on Fan Xiaopang's side, where almost everyone is Yi An's man.

No matter how good Fan Xiaopang was at winning people's hearts, Boss Yan's prestige in the company was not to be underestimated, and he quickly dismissed Fan Xiaopang.

On the other hand, Li Bingbing's men were more immune to him, but as soon as Fan Xiaopang's men left, Li Bingbing signaled Li Xue to lead her men to retreat.

Li Xue did follow the instructions, but she didn't leave herself, probably because she was worried about her sister.

Seeing that Li Bingbing had left one person behind, and Fan Xiaopang had also run back, Yan Li took another look and realized that it was Yang Tianzhen, who had recently been with Fan Xiaopang.

No wonder Fan Xiaopang values ​​her so much; she's both perceptive and loyal.

And look at her physique, a sturdy little chubby girl, she'd probably be a formidable fighter in a fight.

Not only did Yan Li disperse their teams, but he also had the onlookers chased away by his men, and then he led the two to the crew's dressing room.

Ding Feng guarded the gate, while Wu Maowen, along with several bodyguards and old friends from the film crew, scattered around to prevent anyone from getting close.

The onlookers were fine with it, but Yan Li was worried that there might be some insider recordings that could be sold to paparazzi or competitors to cause trouble.

"Don't be so tense. There are no outsiders here. Li Xue, Xiao Yang, you can sit down too. Don't worry, I'm here. There won't be any fighting."

Yan Li took a disposable paper cup from the lounge and poured a glass of water for each of the two soldiers.

Afterwards, he leaned back in his chair and said, "I knew you two weren't on good terms, but I didn't expect you to start fighting so soon after joining the crew."

Before Li Bingbing could speak, Li Xue, anxious to protect her sister, said, "What do you mean by 'pinch'? What did we do? She brought a whole bunch of people with her. Isn't that a provocation?"

Yang Tianzhen couldn't stand it anymore and came out to defend her boss: "We joined the crew normally, how is that provocation? So what if there are more of us? Are we eating your food?"

Li Xue glanced at her disdainfully: "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to challenge me? Call Jia Qian over."

"No need. President Jia is too busy to deal with you. I'm just a nobody."

Yang Tianzhen's fame and experience are far inferior to Li Xue, the head of Huayi Brothers' artist management business, but she is not willing to admit defeat in the slightest.

Li Xue was a little speechless; this chubby girl was quite bold.

Real estate agents are also in a seniority-based industry; ordinary people wouldn't dare to challenge industry veterans or big shots.

Fan Xiaopang, however, gave Yang Tianzhen an encouraging look when he saw her performance.

Go for it! I've got your back!

Yang Tianzhen felt the gaze and became even more determined. Offending an industry senior like Li Xue would indeed have a significant impact, but there were also many benefits.

Although she hadn't been with Fan Xiaopang for long, Yang Tianzhen keenly sensed an opportunity within Fan's team.

Fan Xiaopang's nominal agent, Jia Qian, focuses more on Yi An Artist Management Department, while Fan Xiaopang is actually the executive agent and work assistant in charge of the specific business.

The reason is simple: most of Fan Xiaopang's film contracts are arranged directly by the company, without the need for his agent to contact and negotiate.

As for advertising and business, Fan Xiaopang is currently very popular, and people are actively seeking him out. Not to mention that Yi'an also has an advertising department, and Fan Xiaopang gets to choose the suitable advertising resources first.

In short, although Fan Xiaopang's artist team appears to consist of just over ten people, the company actually allocates a lot of resources to her.

In this situation, Fan Xiaopang's team doesn't focus much on competing for resources; they mainly focus on execution, publicity, and packaging.

Yang Tianzhen was chosen by Fan Xiaopang because she has certain strengths in publicity and packaging, and is responsible for the artist's publicity and marketing.

Besides doing her job well, Yang Tianzhen also discovered that Fan Xiaopang's executive agent wasn't particularly capable; he was just someone who had been with her for a long time.

With the executive agent unable to shoulder the responsibility and Jia Qian being a semi-hands-off manager, Yang Tianzhen believed that she had every opportunity to rise to become Fan Xiaopang's agent.

If she succeeds, it will be a major turning point for her career.

Therefore, Yang Tianzhen went all out. As long as she could gain Fan Xiaopang's favor and trust, she would accept anything, even if it was Wang Jinghua, let alone Li Xue.

Yang Tianzhen, young and fearless, unleashed a barrage of attacks. Given the disparity between the two, losing wasn't shameful, and winning would be incredibly lucrative.

Li Xue was initially caught off guard, but she hadn't been in the game for nothing over the years, and she quickly regained her composure, delivering a sharp retort.

"Bringing a chef to the set? Are you here to film or on vacation? You're trying to act like divas here."

"Is there any clause in the contract that forbids bringing a chef? Our Bingbing has been having stomach problems lately, and to avoid causing trouble for the crew, she brought her own chef. It's clearly a thoughtful move."

"After saying all that, isn't it just for enjoyment?"

"If we have the means, of course we should enjoy it, unlike some people who can't afford it but are still envious."

"..."

The back-and-forth between the two sides turned Yan Li and her two companions into mere spectators.

Seeing that her younger sister couldn't get through to her, Li Bingbing became a little frustrated and commented, "She's sharp-tongued and quick-witted; I wonder where she learned that from."

This was originally meant to be a dig at Fan Xiaopang, but the latter just laughed and said, "What a coincidence, they were taught by the same master."

Before Li Bingbing could react, Li Xue narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.

"Your master is Sister Hua?"

Yang Tianzhen nodded: "I've been working with Sister Hua since my university internship, for more than two years now."

More than two years have passed since Wang Jinghua left Huayi Brothers. No wonder she couldn't break through his defenses; it turns out they were fellow disciples.

Not only are the two of them considered fellow disciples, but Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang are also from Sister Hua's tutelage. Yan Li felt that she should give her position to Wang Jinghua.

"Alright, we've argued and talked enough. There's no point in going on about trivial details. Let's get down to business."

Yan Li finally spoke up, stopping the rivalry between Yang and Li. It's much better for the spokespeople to argue than for the main characters to suffer the consequences.

Now Yan Li has figured it out: the two soldiers don't intend to fight head-on; they're just showing off, trying to see if they can gain the upper hand and seize a better niche within the production crew.

Yan Li once again emphasized the importance of unity.

Yan Li has been emphasizing this matter since the project was initiated. He has talked to both of them and also had private conversations with them. He's gotten tired of talking about it, and Shuang Bing is also tired of hearing it.

"You said it yourself, the production team needs to find some topics to talk about. The two groups competing in extravagance, isn't that a topic to talk about?"

Fan Xiaopang was perfectly justified; she had already come up with a reason for daring to take this step today.

We need unity, but also competition.

Arguing and fighting are unacceptable, and acting skills are hard to compare, so let's compare spectacle. It's not only more direct, but it also generates more buzz.

Fan Xiaopang isn't afraid of being called a diva; her style is flamboyant and high-profile, so this controversy doesn't bother her.

It's hard to say about Li Bingbing. She belongs to the inspirational and hardworking type, and showing off would ruin her image.

Li Xue immediately pointed this out, saying that Fan Xiaopang's actions were malicious. Yang Tianzhen sneered and also revealed the shady dealings of Li Bingbing's team.

Because they were among the first to join the team, Li Bingbing's team put in a lot of hard work and dedication in marketing, while criticizing Fan Xiaopang for being unprofessional.

Yan Li twisted open a bottle of water and gulped down half of it. Goodness, he knew the two were fighting amongst themselves on set, but he didn't expect their off-screen rivalry to be so lively as well.

"I did mention competition, but I didn't ask you to push yourselves that hard, especially during filming. Try to keep things quiet and be mindful of your impact both on and off set."

Yan Li couldn't make the two people get along harmoniously, so he could only try his best to smooth things over and ensure that the filming of the movie could proceed smoothly.

"I'm fine."

Fan Xiaopang decided to stop while he was ahead, but added, "But only if someone doesn't provoke me."

Li Bingbing retorted sarcastically, "Don't worry, I'm not as despicable as some people."

"Who are you calling a slut?"

"I said, you bitch."

"..."

boom!
Seeing the two soldiers arguing again after just a couple of sentences, Yan Li couldn't help but slam his hand on the table and said coldly, "The place is ready. I'll leave first. You two can fight it out and then talk."

Fan Xiaopang sat down obediently, looking completely innocent: "I was wrong, it's all her fault."

Li Bingbing glared at her and muttered, "You vixen."

“She insulted me, I heard it.”

Fan Xiaopang raised his hand to complain, and Li Bingbing was furious: "Are you never going to stop?"

"You are busy."

Yan Li slammed the bottle he was holding onto the table, got up, and was about to leave.

Little Fatty finally behaved, and it took a lot of coaxing to get him to sit down again. Li Bingbing didn't fawn over him; she just righted the fallen bottle and whispered something.

"I didn't say I wouldn't listen to you."

They're just spoiled. They're all smiles and laughter when I'm nice to them, but they only calm down when they get angry.

Yan Li glanced at Li Xue and Yang Tianzhen, who remained silent. The two were somewhat frightened by his actions just now.

As a prominent figure in the industry, Yan Li has a commanding presence and can be quite intimidating when he gets angry.

Two soldiers are good, but it depends on who you compare them to. Yan Li was really anxious, so he dealt with them anyway.

Pointing to the door, Yan Li said to the two of them, "You two go out first."

Yang Tianzhen immediately complied. Li Xue, being her younger sister, glanced at Li Bingbing with concern, but the latter waved her off, telling her to go first.

Once only the three of them remained in the lounge, Yan Li glanced at Shuang Bing and said, "You're both career women. Think more about filming and less about fighting over each other."

"Easier said than done. You're my man, why shouldn't I be jealous?"

Fan Xiaopang muttered something, saying that there were indeed reasons for this, such as a show of force, seizing the ecosystem, and competitive gimmicks, but the more important reason was still to steal men.

Li Bingbing got entangled with Yan Li as soon as she arrived, and they almost moved in together. Fan Xiaopang is here today to assert his dominance.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Yan Li knew this needed to be resolved, otherwise it would be even more complicated than the situation on set, Fan Xiaopang said directly.

"Tell her to get lost, let's enjoy some time alone together."

"Tsk tsk, you two are supposed to be a couple? Ask those guys if they'll agree?"

Li Bingbing sneered, first making a sarcastic remark, and then said, "It was agreed before that the treatment in the crew would be the same, without distinction of rank. I'm just delivering on normal benefits."

Fan Xiaopang cursed loudly: "Bullshit! The treatment is the same for food, clothing, housing and transportation. What kind of production crew provides such benefits?"

"Whether you call it entertainment or a bedtime service, I don't care, but it has to be there."

Whether Li Bingbing was seeking pleasure or competing with Fan Xiaopang, he simply wouldn't budge.

"Take care of your own itch, or spend some money to find a male prostitute in the city. Stop thinking about my man."

Fan Xiaopang used bold words, and Li Bingbing was no less so: "I just like it when your man does it for me, other people aren't used to it."

“@％＃{}％￥@＄￠￥……”

Seeing the two of them start spewing profanities, Yan Li sighed and thought, "Can't they at least have some self-control? I'm blushing just listening to them."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Yan Li covered their mouths: "This way, to ensure fairness, I won't hire anyone, and we can just focus on filming."

"Why?"

Fan Xiaopang was furious. It was a rare opportunity for her to work with Yan Li and spend so much time together. With her man by her side, why should she live like a widow?

Li Bingbing wouldn't stand for it either, and she exposed Yan Li's little trick.

"Don't think I don't know. You have a lover next door. We're both waiting for him, while you go off and have your own fun."

Yan Li wasn't embarrassed when he was exposed: "Okay, you guys make a schedule, I'll take the extra work."

Li Bingbing can accept this. She treats Yan Li as a casual fling, and while she has some feelings for him and gets jealous from time to time, she's not that possessive.

Fan Xiaopang still resisted. She regarded Yan Li as her partner and cared more about him. She always felt that doing this was equivalent to Li Bingbing cheating on her every day.

The situation reached a stalemate, but Yan Li managed to persuade Li Bingbing to back down.

From the production team's perspective, Yan Li would definitely ensure that the two received equal treatment, but in terms of personal feelings, he still preferred Fan Xiaopang.

In order to maintain the cooperation between the two soldiers, Fan Xiaopang actually sacrificed a lot. Yan Li couldn't really make the two soldiers the same in everything.

In the film crew's hotel and Hengdian area, Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang stayed together, ensuring her dignity and benefits, but Yan Li had a few days of free time each week.

What Fan Xiaopang does with his free time is neither known nor concerned.

As long as Li Bingbing meets the requirements, there's no need for her to compete with Fan Xiaopang in this regard. She's also afraid that Fan Xiaopang will get desperate and end up losing everything.

Overall, Fan Xiaopang had the upper hand this time, reclaiming and securing her position as the boss's wife on set.

Seeing Fan Xiaopang's smug expression, Li Bingbing felt a bit uncomfortable and couldn't help but stab him in the heart.

"Don't think too hard about it. You know what this animal is capable of. I'll help you share the burden so you don't get too tired."

This makes sense, and this is part of the reason why Fan Xiaopang implicitly acknowledges that Yan Li has free time.

If Yan Li keeps tormenting her every day, she can forget about filming.

However, the logic was correct, but she didn't like Li Bingbing's tone, so she reached out and wrapped her arm around Yan Li's arm.

"Honey, isn't she a slut? You better fuck her to death."

Yan Li: "..."

Li Bingbing: "..."

Anyway, the accommodation for the night is finally sorted out. There's still one small problem: what to call Bingbing.

"That's simple, you're the fat soldier, and she's the skinny soldier."

Before Yan Li could finish speaking, Fan Xiaopang elbowed her in the chest, while Li Bingbing looked at her mockingly.

"He's quite fat, and he's always whining like a little piglet."

“I’m plump, you’re as thin as a bamboo pole, and you look old, like an old bamboo pole.”

"Little piglet."

"Old bamboo pole".

They started arguing again over a single sentence, and Yan Li was completely exasperated. He thought he'd talk to the production crew and remind them to avoid putting the two of them together whenever possible.
As for the issue of address, the solution is simple: if there's only one person, call her Sister Bingbing; if there are two people, call her Sister Fan/Sister Li.

They have the same first name but different last names, so why focus on Bingbing?

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.: Don't ask me for my thoughts on Dong's remarriage in the book review section. The character is the character, and reality is reality. Anyway, at least things didn't fall apart...

　(2000/114000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)