Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 295 A mob, opportunistic, frank, and sarcastic.
Yan Li didn't know how Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing were chatting, but when he arrived, he saw the two of them sitting together on set for the first time ever, occasionally chatting and laughing.

Since the start of filming for "Painted Skin", such scenes have been extremely rare, if not extremely rare.

Sun Li, standing nearby, was visibly panicked. She wasn't afraid of the two fighting; she was used to it anyway. But this abnormal state was truly frightening.

When she saw Yan Li finally arrive, Sun Li almost jumped off her chair.

He quickly gave up his seat to Yan Li, then slipped away to find Deng Chao to avoid the limelight and seek comfort.

Yan Li pulled his costume up to his waist, sat down, picked up the script and started reading, waiting for the scene to start filming.

Fan Xiaopang looked at him anxiously and nudged him: "Are your sources accurate? Are they coming or not?"

Yan Li said helplessly, "Isn't it a good thing that you're not coming?"

"That won't do. If they don't come, all my preparations will have been for nothing."

Fan Xiaopang looked determined not to suffer a loss for nothing, and convincing Li Bingbing was no easy task.

This old bamboo pole guy is very shrewd. Knowing that the opportunity was rare, he raised the price on the spot and took a big bite out of her.

Thinking of this, Fan Xiaopang looked at Li Bingbing and reminded him again: "You have to be careful in your conduct and actions. I'll give you plenty of benefits, so don't just show up and not put in the effort."

Since we've already hired Li Bingbing, it would be a shame to let her stand idly by. We might as well invest more and have her help us out, which would also serve as a deterrent to Chairman Qin.

It's not just the two of you who form cliques. I don't want to deal with you, so shut up!

"Don't worry, I'm not like you. I'm known for my excellent reputation."

Li Bingbing was quite relaxed; this matter didn't concern her much, and even if she agreed to help, she would still be watching with amusement.

Fan Xiaopang shook her head. However, she hadn't expected Li Bingbing to fight alongside her anyway. As long as he didn't hold her back, she could manage on her own.

Although he appeared confident and domineering on the surface, it was clear that Fan Xiaopang was under some pressure, otherwise he wouldn't have been so impatient.

But the more they wanted to meet with Chairman Qin, the more the two of them delayed in showing up.

After the crew had been working for several hours and still hadn't seen anyone, not only did Fan Xiaopang question Yan Li's information, but Yan Li himself was also a little unsure.

The system certainly wouldn't cheat him. Could something have gone wrong, or was it temporarily canceled?
Yan Li wondered if the text message he had sent earlier had worked, but then thought it was unlikely.

After all, this was the first time the two of them had teamed up, so he shouldn't have been able to coax them back with just a few text messages.

Actually, the reason why Qin Lan and Dong Xuan were late was quite simple.

Fan Xiaopang is known for his good looks, so the two decided to not only overwhelm each other in terms of presence, but also in terms of appearance, at least not to be outdone.

Therefore, the two of them paid great attention to their personal gear and appearance, spending the entire night and this morning choosing clothes and doing their makeup.

After agreeing to meet up, neither of them was quite satisfied with each other, so they went to a shopping mall in the city to buy clothes and get some cosmetic procedures done.

The originally scheduled morning operation was postponed to the afternoon.

During a break from filming, Yan Li learned about the two men's whereabouts through people around them, and he was speechless.

"A complete mob."

But that's good too. If these two really cooperate well, fight fiercely, are as aggressive as fire, and move as slowly as a forest, then he'll be the one with a headache.

Fan Xiaopang was getting impatient: "Are you coming or not?"

In battle, one must strike while the iron is hot, for the momentum will wane and eventually be exhausted. After waiting all morning, her spirit was almost completely depleted.

"Uh, I don't know, let's eat first."

Yan Li was now unsure. It was a cloudy day, and it looked like it might rain this afternoon. He was worried that if the two of them ran into the rain on the way, their image might be damaged, and they might choose to turn back and choose another auspicious day.

These two people's decisions, like what that certain author said about paying off debts, are just empty promises, completely unreliable...

Fan Xiaopang looked at Yan Li with resentment, wondering if this bastard was playing a trick on her.

Even without any tricks, he was still in a terrible predicament. If he hadn't been warned, even in a skirmish, Fan Xiaopang wouldn't have been afraid of the two of them. But now he was in a passive position, which was really uncomfortable.

Yan Li sighed. If this report gets out, he'll be in a terrible situation.

...

Time passed slowly, and around 3 p.m., it finally rained in Hengdian, which had been overcast for most of the day.

The rain was quite heavy, even affecting part of the filming. The director and producer came to discuss with Yan Li that if the rain continued, they would wrap up filming early after the interior scenes were completed.

Yan Li agreed, saying that it would be difficult to shoot in the rain if preparations weren't made in advance.

Personnel scheduling is one aspect, but there are also issues with equipment, costumes, and props protection, as well as set construction and restoration, all of which are quite troublesome. Furthermore, the weather is uncontrollable; if filming isn't finished, the rain might stop or the rain intensity might change, making it impossible to continue filming.

Therefore, most film crews sometimes prefer to create artificial rain scenes rather than shoot in the rain, especially for major productions.

Filming continued until 4:30 PM, when the interior scenes were finished. The rain gradually subsided, but it still hadn't stopped.

Seeing the crew members staring at him expectantly, Yan Li waved to the producer: "Let's wrap up."

Cheers erupted all around. The "Painted Skin" crew was making good progress and had a heavy filming schedule, so it was common for them to work late or even stay up all night.

Being able to finish work early on a rainy day, even if it means getting up early the next day, is a very pleasant thing.

Yan Li took off his outer costume and put on a coat. It was November, and the temperature was not low, especially on rainy days when it was chilly.

Reaching out from under the eaves to touch the rain, Yan Li turned to his assistant Ding Feng and said, "This weather is perfect for hot pot. Tell the crew's finance department that all official staff members of the 'Painted Skin' crew will receive a subsidy of 100 yuan each. I'll treat everyone to hot pot, and I'll personally cover the cost."

These days, 100 yuan per person is enough for a few people to easily afford a very lavish hot pot meal. If you don't want to eat, just consider it a red envelope.

Fan Xiaopang also mimicked him, reaching out to touch the rain: "You've won people over again?"

"It's only 100 yuan; it's not enough to win people's hearts."

Yan Li smiled and said, "Didn't you see everyone's reaction when I said we were calling it a day? Work is tiring, and you're probably feeling resentful. Let's have some hot pot and get some red envelopes to vent our frustrations. Tomorrow will be another day full of fighting spirit."

Having been a boss for so long, Yan Li has discovered that many of his employees are actually quite easy to please.

Despite your usual grumbling, occasionally giving employees an extra half-day off and offering some small perks will make many of them feel like you're an excellent boss, and their resentment from working overtime and staying up late will dissipate.

Moreover, these occasional little surprises and favors are more effective than a direct raise.

If the extra salary is on the payroll, employees will feel that they deserve it, and in this case, they will feel that it is extra money they have earned.

You could call it a shrewd businessman's trick or a capitalist's scheme, but Yan Li prefers to understand it as management wisdom.

"Let's go, we've got enough people here, let's go get some hot pot."

Yan Li doesn't have a strong fondness for hot pot, but he especially enjoys eating something hot to warm himself up on rainy or snowy winter days. It would be even better if he could have a few close friends and family members with him to keep him company.

"Row."

Fan Xiaopang nodded and prepared to get his bag to change his clothes. Li Bingbing, who was not far away, heard this and came over as well.

"Count me in."

"Why are you everywhere?"

With Chairman Qin absent, Fan Xiaopang's demand for Li Bingbing decreased significantly, and he immediately changed his attitude.

Li Bingbing was not surprised, but emphasized: "Just because he didn't come today doesn't mean he won't come back. Someone shouldn't push things to the limit."

Fan Xiaopang fell silent. With a formidable enemy at hand, he decided to let the old man gloat for a while.

Yan Li originally intended to invite Deng Chao and the others, but seeing that Shuang Bing was already there, the others said that they had already made other plans and would not get involved in their three-person world.

Although the others were not present, there were still people around Yan Li and the other two. They could eat alone if they wanted peace and quiet, or gather around a large table if they wanted a lively atmosphere.

After making a reservation by phone, everyone drove over. Fan Xiaopang and the others went into the private room to order food, while Yan Li exchanged a few pleasantries with the owner.

There are too many celebrities in Hengdian, so it's not a big deal, but big bosses are a different story.

This made Yan Li more popular with these shop owners than many celebrities, and he was always greeted with pleasantries and photos, which was rumored to be to get some of Yan's wealth.

"Okay, I'll eat first, you go ahead with your work."

Yan Li shook off the enthusiastic hot pot restaurant owner and was walking towards the private room when Ding Feng greeted him somewhat seriously and said in a low voice.

"Boss, the crew said that Sister Xuan and Sister Lan have arrived."

Yan Li glanced subconsciously outside the hot pot restaurant; it was still raining.

It seems these two women are very determined to take on Fan Xiaopang!

Yan Li pondered for a moment. Since he couldn't find the two men, he could either wait for them at the hotel and Yi'an Garden, or call them.

Running around aimlessly and making too much noise will be difficult to handle, and if someone calls looking for you, you'll easily find yourself in a passive position.

With a change of heart, Yan Li looked at Ding Feng: "Go check how well the soundproofing is in the private room?"

The latter was taken aback for a moment, then immediately went to do it, and came back: "It's not bad, and since it's raining today and there are a lot of people in the store, it's already quite noisy, so no one will care if there's a bit of noise."

"Ah."

Yan Li nodded, took out his phone, and walked to the store entrance to make a call. Ding Feng followed, carrying an umbrella and opening it at an angle to protect Yan Li from the rain.

"Hey?"

The call connected, and Dong Xuan's voice came from the other end. Yan Li's tone was filled with surprise and helplessness.

"Why are you two here?"

"Of course, it's to visit the set... and also to figure out my birthday this year."

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan probably answered the phone together, each saying a sentence. The latter's voice was slightly resentful, clearly indicating that she was somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Li calling Dong Xuan.

As for how Yan Li knew they had come to the film crew, there's no need to ask.

Both of them have shown up, and Yan Li still hasn't received any news. Then he might as well give up.

This is why Yan Li called the two of them first; otherwise, it would be too fake for him to pretend he didn't know when they contacted him.

"To be honest, what are you here for?"

"Why are you being so fierce? You haven't come to see us for so long... You didn't even let us come and see you... That's right, what if someone gets drained dry by that vixen?" The two of them took turns saying things, first using their own reasoning to shut Yan Li up, and then turning their attention to Fan Xiaopang. Their teamwork was quite tacit.

"I've been busy, I was planning to finish this task before going..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Li was rebuffed by Dong Xuan and Qin Lan, each more aggressive than the last.

"Stop trying to brush me off... We're all in Hengdian. You're busy, but you still have time to come out for a meal."

"Excuses, all excuses."

"That's right, they haven't contacted us for more than half a month... but this morning they suddenly sent a text message saying, 'Did someone tip you off?'"

Those two women actually checked the accounts!

This caught Yan Li off guard. He didn't expect the two of them to trust each other to this extent, directly revealing their private contacts with him.

If Yan Li suddenly contacts one person, there's still a time gap, but it's very strange that he contacts both of them at once.

Yan Li's silence immediately aroused Qin Dong and his companion: "There's definitely something fishy going on. Is it Yang Mi?"

Only a handful of people knew about the two's secret meeting yesterday, and no one knew about their cooperation agreement.

However, Yang Mi was the only person who witnessed the two negotiating, so she is the prime suspect.

Qin Lan at least had this suspicion, but Dong Xuan insisted that Yang Mi was innocent, so she sought confirmation from Yan Li.

Yan Li thought for a moment, but instead of directly shifting the blame, he gave a slightly strange response.

"Do you think it's possible that one of you betrayed the other?"

"Stop trying to sow discord."

"Yes, that's impossible. The text messages are evidence. If one of them betrayed you, why would you send such text messages, and why would the other party agree to reconcile accounts with the other person?"

The two were quite clear-headed and immediately realized that Yan Li was stirring up trouble, and they raised questions about it.

"What if this was pre-arranged, a deliberate attempt to clear oneself of suspicion?"

Yan Li added insult to injury, saying, "You like to check accounts, don't you? I'll just say the accounts are fake, and one of them is an inside agent. Let's see how you check them."

Conspiracy theories can be conspiracies no matter what, the key is the level of trust between the two parties.

Clearly, Qin and Dong are not yet at the point of being completely loyal to each other, especially when it comes to Yan Li.

Once a chain of suspicion forms between the two parties, then what is true for each person becomes false, and Yan Li's black becomes white.

In short, Yan Li muddied the waters, preventing the two from working together against him. Anything that was detrimental to him was attributed to the other party's "malicious" provocation, and then he continued to play both sides.

There was an eerie silence on the other end of the phone for two minutes before Dong Xuan spoke in a calm voice.

"Stop talking nonsense, where are you? We're coming to find you."

There's no point in arguing with Yan Li any longer; he might just ruin the alliance we worked so hard to build.

After a brief standoff, Dong Xuan and Qin Lan quickly moved on from the topic.

Forget about that scoundrel, let's deal with Fatty Fan first!
"There's a gathering inside the crew. Since you two are here, I'll send them all away and we can eat together."

"Are the two soldiers here?"

"Yes, what do you want?"

"We need to talk to them, don't let them leave."

"Well... sigh, it's my fault for owing you guys. Here's what I'll do: I'll try my best to keep them here, but I'm warning you, no trouble allowed."

After hanging up the phone, Yan Li stepped into the private room and said to Fan Xiaopang.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and this stalemate can’t go on forever. You’re not eating or sleeping well, so I’ll just call the two of them over for you. We can talk things out, and with me here, things won’t get out of hand.”

Fan Xiaopang slammed his hand on the table: "That's exactly what I wanted."

Ding Feng followed Yan Li expressionlessly, inwardly filled with admiration.

With just a few words, he did favors for both sides.

Even though it was because of what happened to him, everyone still thinks good things about him and everyone feels that he is on their side.

Tsk, this is too advanced, I still have a lot to learn!

...

The hot pot restaurant wasn't far from the "Painted Skin" film set, and Chairman Qin arrived quickly.

Without even saying hello, they went straight into the private room.

Fan Xiaopang, looking through the steaming hotpot, raised an eyebrow at the elegantly dressed Chairman Qin and his companion.

"Wow, are they here for hot pot or to walk the red carpet?"

Dong Xuan glanced around the private room. All the irrelevant people had been cleared out. As soon as the two of them entered, Ding Feng, the last one, also wisely went out to guard the door.

Qin Lan glanced at the hot pot: "A half-and-half pot, you really know how to eat."

Fan Xiaopang was full of fighting spirit: "I originally wanted to order the all-spicy hot pot, but knowing that you two are coming, I changed it to a half-and-half pot, the pickled cabbage hot pot, which is especially suitable for the two of you."

Li Bingbing, using a ladder, asked, "What do you mean?"

Fan Xiaopang smiled dismissively: "It's both sour and sloppy."

This level of attack did not anger Qin Lan and Dong Xuan. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes slightly moved.

The two soldiers have indeed joined forces!
The worst outcome still happened, but it was within their expectations. The two of them had joined forces for this moment.

"They're so fiercely criticized in the news, but I never expected them to be so harmonious in private. They say one thing in public and another in private."

"Isn't this normal? If the two of them didn't team up, how could they become a 'four actresses and two soldiers'?"

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan immediately launched a counterattack, exchanging words back and forth.

Fan Xiaopang remained unfazed: "Whether you're trying to take advantage or not, we're also a group of four female warriors and two male warriors. And who are you two, my lords?"

Li Bingbing's eyes subtly changed. She had only meant to lend a hand today, but she hadn't expected these two to launch a massive attack that dragged her into it.

She was actually happy to see Chairman Qin criticize Fan Xiaopang, but if he criticized Shuangbing, she couldn't just sit and listen to the insults.

Li Bingbing looked puzzled and asked, "I hadn't realized it until you said it. I know Dong Xuan, this mistress, but who is this person next to her?"

Dong Xuan retorted, "Who are you calling a homewrecker? You two are the homewreckers."

Fan Xiaopang retorted: "Aren't you the third among the Seven Fairies? She's your second sister, so what's wrong with calling her 'Third Sister'?"

Qin Lan was a little defensive: "Don't play dumb, I'm your great-aunt."

This wasn't the first time the two had met; they had clashed on New Year's Eve. Although Qin Lan's career wasn't as successful as Shuang Bing's, she was still a renowned representative of Qingyi (a type of female role in Peking Opera). Li Bingbing's words were purely a dig at Qin Lan's lack of public status.

Li Bingbing also spoke frankly: "I am your great-great-grandmother."

"Hey, hey, don't talk nonsense about elders."

Sensing the atmosphere was deteriorating and feeling taken advantage of, Yan Li finally spoke up to stabilize the situation.

He's not afraid of arguing or fighting, but he's worried that if the two sides get too worked up while eating hot pot today, they might flip the table.

If someone gets burned or seriously injured, he'll be the one who suffers!

Yan Li's influence was still effective, and the others were also afraid that he would overturn the table, as it wasn't worth ruining their faces, so they cautiously withdrew their restraints.

"Drink some water to cool down."

The four people sat in different places, but Yan Li did not sit. On the one hand, it was convenient for him to control the situation, and on the other hand, it was not appropriate for him to sit anywhere, so he simply did not sit.

Yan Li, who had become a waiter, was filling water bottles for several people when Fan Xiaopang, who had just calmed down, seized the opportunity to make another sarcastic remark to Qin Lan.

"Drink more water to replenish your fluids."

Qin Lan's face darkened, and she retorted sarcastically, "That's right, you should drink less; you don't like this water."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xiaopang's face turned even darker than Qin Lan's, while Dong Xuan and Li Bingbing were somewhat bewildered, exchanging a blank glance.

What kind of riddle are these two playing?!
But realizing that Qin Fan had made a mistake, Dong Xuan immediately told Li Bingbing, "Eat less of this spicy hot pot. You're getting old, you need to take care of your stomach."

Li Bingbing's face stiffened slightly, then he pointed to the mutton: "Try this mutton. You don't look well. You haven't been sleeping well lately. You need to eat more nourishing food."

Taking advantage of the situation, Fan Xiaopang casually steered the conversation towards Qin Lan: "You should also take some tonic; you've been suffering."

Qin Lan gave a forced smile: "You've worked hard too. I heard you're playing a fox spirit in this play, so you must be good at it and it must be realistic."

Dong Xuan chimed in, "It's a natural performance. When I first heard about this role, I knew no one could compete with Bingbing."

Li Bingbing covered for the counterattack: "In comparison, my role is not very suitable. It should be the two of you, the resentful women, who have real life."

Qin Lan said sarcastically, "Indeed, you're not a good match. As the legitimate wife, you have no life."

Fan Xiaopang smiled and said, "Having a life isn't enough; you also have to see if people acknowledge it. What's hidden isn't the real deal."

Li Bingbing added, "The key is fame and status. I want to step down, but some people can't handle it."

Dong Xuan gently shook her head: "Everyone has their own destiny. It's a kind of enjoyment for us to spend the money that others earn."

Qin Lan sighed, "I'm ashamed, I'm so ashamed."

"..."

Although his tone was much calmer than before, the intensity of the fighting and swordplay was even greater than before.

Yan Li was also greatly surprised; he never realized how sharp these women's tongues could be.

He almost wanted to applaud, but he was really afraid that a few people would throw hot pot at him...

　I didn't intentionally delay updating these past two days; it's just that dramatic, chaotic scenes are difficult to write, and revising them takes too much time. I'll make up for it later.
　　(3000/121000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)