Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 338: Teddy Sisters' Version of "Beauty's Rival in Palace"

A certain club in Beijing
Huo Siyan organized a final gathering for the Teddy Sisters group in Beijing before the Spring Festival.

As the Teddy Sisters group grows, many of the sisters have achieved success in their careers or started families, making gatherings less frequent and more difficult to get everyone together.

According to Huo Siyan's statistics, in the entire year of 2008, the Teddy Sisters only had one gathering with all members present, and there were four gatherings with more than seven members.

However, it is reassuring that although the number of people is not complete, their hearts are not scattered.

Although everyone missed the big gathering, as long as they have time, the sisters can come. No one has been absent for a long time or failed to participate in gatherings multiple times outside of work.

Besides offline gatherings, they also interact very closely on Weibo. Even Qin Lan, who is relatively low-key due to the blog scandal, occasionally appears in the comment section of the Teddy Sisters group.

"Big sister is here."

Zhao Ke called out, and Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu, who had arrived first, came out of the private room. Ma Yili came over carrying a small bag, which Huo Siyan found a bit regretful.

"Why didn't you bring your beloved horse?"

Aima is the daughter of Wen Zhang and Ma Yili, born last year. Aima is her nickname, and its meaning is self-evident. At the time, it caused many of her friends to complain that Wen Zhang was being too affectionate.

"The child is young and noisy, so I asked my mother to stay home and look after him."

Ma Yili looks good. She married Wen Zhang last year and had a daughter. The couple is very loving.

After "Struggle", Wen Zhang's career also made great progress. Last year, he played the male lead in many dramas and his momentum was good. Because of this, she was able to stay at home and take care of her children.

"Big sister, aren't you going home for Chinese New Year this year?"

Li Xiaolu asked, "Ma is from Shanghai, and Wen Zhang is from Xi'an. They are both from out of town and usually go back to their hometowns for the Spring Festival."

Unlike her and Huo Siyan, who are both locals in Beijing, they had the energy to organize a gathering before the New Year.

"It was the first year of our marriage, and it wasn't appropriate to visit either family, especially since we had a child. So we decided to stay in Beijing, where my mother and his parents were also there."

Huo Siyan praised, "Alright, now we have a place to offer New Year's greetings."

Ma Yili looked at Zhao Ke: "Seventh Brother, why didn't you go back to your hometown?"

After Ying Cai'er and Gan Wei joined the Teddy Sisters group, they became the eighth and ninth oldest members, while Zhao Ke, who was originally the youngest, became the seventh oldest.

Zhao Ke has a gentle and quiet appearance, like a girl from a water town, but she is actually from Henan Province and usually goes back to her hometown for the Spring Festival.

"I have two Spring Festival events to attend on Beijing TV before the Lunar New Year, so I'll be going back on the third day of the Lunar New Year."

Zhao Ke explained that although her career development was at the bottom of the Teddy Sisters group, she had played some supporting roles alongside the other sisters and had also benefited from the popularity of the Teddy Sisters group, so she could barely be considered somewhat famous.

For these third- or fourth-tier actors, being able to participate in such a TV station's holiday event is considered a good opportunity, and they try to avoid turning it down if possible.

As the group was chatting, another newcomer arrived, Qin Lan leading the way, followed by... Yang Mi.

Huo Siyan glanced at Li Xiaolu subconsciously, but the latter remained silent. The group then approached Qin Lan.

"Why are you here together?"

“I happened to be at Yi’an today discussing the script with Yu Zheng, and Mimi was there too, so I called her over.”

Yang Mi is quite close to the Teddy Sisters group, or more accurately, she is very close to Qin Lan.

If Qin Lan were there, Yang Mi would definitely attend the party; otherwise, it would depend on luck. This has led some members of the Teddy Sisters group to have opinions about Yang Mi.

Whether Yang Mi is considered a member of the Teddy Sisters group remains ambiguous.

I don't care about this at all, and I even intend to let things remain unclear.

Her goal was to curry favor with Qin Lan; as for the Teddy Sisters, she only needed to be superficially friendly, not necessarily become her best friends.

Don't forget, Dong Xuan and Huo Siyan don't get along very well. Her close relationship with the other members of the Teddy Sisters is not good for her relationship with Dong Xuan.

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan, who are in cahoots and loyal to Yang Mi, can accept Yang Mi's two-timing behavior.

However, some members of the Teddy Sisters group looked down on it, with Huo Siyan being a prime example.

Of course, this is just something to take with a grain of salt. Li Xiaolu also has contact with Dong Xuan, and the other members of the Teddy Sisters group haven't completely cut ties with Dong Xuan or Fan Xiaopang.

Huo Siyan was still unhappy with Qin Lan's slight favoritism towards Yang Mi, which made her feel somewhat threatened.

Among the Teddy Sisters, Qin Lan trusts Huo Siyan and Liu Yun the most.

The latter was slightly better, but Liu Yun had a bad temper and was not very bright. Huo Siyan firmly suppressed him, being wary but not afraid.

Yang Mi is different; she's two-timing and is being heavily promoted by Yi An, which shows her capabilities. Of course, Huo Siyan has to be wary of Yang Mi taking away her position as Qin Lan's most trusted confidante.

However, it seems that Yang Mi is caught between two men, and this relationship could also be her downfall. She may be close to Chairman Qin, but it's unlikely that she will become the most trusted and core person in both of them.

"Sister Li, Sister Yan, Sister Xiaolu, Sister Ke."

Yang Mi greeted everyone, regardless of what she was thinking. At the Teddy Sisters' gathering, she always acted as the obedient youngest member.

Li Xiaolu took a moment to inform Qin Lan: "Sister, Lao Jiu can't come because of something. It'll just be the six of us today."

Two members of the Teddy Sisters got married last year: the eldest, Ma Yili, and the youngest, Gan Wei.

It's worth mentioning that neither of them had a wedding.

Wen Ma got married because he was pregnant. The woman was not able to hold a wedding ceremony at the time, so they treated their relatives and friends to a meal afterwards.

It's hard to say about Jia Gan. Some members of the sisterhood even suspect that Gan Wei is just bragging and that she is not actually married.

Whether you get married or not, life with a rich man isn't always easy. It's usually fine, but during special times like before and after the New Year, your schedule won't be as free.

Gan Wei wasn't coming, and the fifth brother Liu Yun and the eighth brother Ying Cai'er went home for the New Year. The sixth brother Xiong Naijin was filming elsewhere, so everyone was present.

"Come on, last year was full of good news. Two of the sisters got married, and the eldest sister even had a daughter. The Teddy Sisters have a successor. Let's all toast the eldest sister."

Once everyone was gathered, Huo Siyan immediately started to liven up the atmosphere, finding excuses to arrange drinks.

Everyone touched each other, and that's how the conversation started. Ma Yili, as the eldest sister and a newlywed mother, began to urge them to get married and have children, just like she always does.

Yang Mi and Zhao Ke are alright, they're a bit younger, but Qin Lan and the others won't escape it.

Ma Yili knew what was going on and didn't mention marriage to Qin Lan, but she didn't shy away from the topic of having children.

"You'll be thirty next year, and Yan Li will be almost there too, so what are you waiting for?"

Qin Lan took a sip of wine and replied casually, "Soon, soon."

Unable to do anything about her, Ma Yili could only turn her attention to Huo Siyan: "Third sister, you've known that boyfriend for quite a while now, when are you going to bring him to meet us?"

Ever since Huo Siyan's affair was discovered, she made up an excuse to find a boyfriend to save herself trouble, but she never introduced him to her girlfriends.

"Don't even mention it. He's upset that I'm ignoring him, and we're giving each other the silent treatment right now."

Huo Siyan's words were not what she truly meant; in reality, Yan Li was too busy to pay attention to her, so she could only speculate.

Others might not know, but Li Xiaolu understood what was going on and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Yang Mi and Li Xiaolu had a good relationship within the Teddy Sisters group. Li Xiaolu was popular, and Yang Mi also had a decent relationship with Dong Xuan. Since they were both from Beijing and had common topics, Yang Mi asked out of curiosity.

"Xiaolu, what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing was funny, I just thought of a joke."

Li Xiaolu shut her mouth after Huo Siyan's warning look, but Qin Lan and Ma Yili still didn't let her off the hook.

Unable to get through to Huo Siyan, they asked Li Xiaolu, "How are things going between you and that Han Geng?"

"Han Geng? Who's that?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ke leaned over to gossip, and Qin Lan smiled and said, "It's a shame you're younger than us and don't even know Han Geng. He's a Korean boy band, they're really popular."

Yang Mi reminded everyone: "He's in 'Welcome to Beijing'."

Zhao Ke suddenly realized: "Now that you mention it, I remember, but doesn't he work in South Korea?"

"It looks like he's going back to China to develop his career. Someone leaked that your fourth sister had dinner with him, and the photos even went viral. Your internet speed is really slow."

Ma Yili complained, while Zhao Ke protested, "I have a lot of work to do too, I can't be watching the trending topics list every day."

Then she looked at Li Xiaolu and said, "Fourth sister, that's so inconsiderate of you to not tell your sisters that you're in love."

"Who said I'm in a relationship? It was just a meal."

Li Xiaolu scoffed, "You should check the trending topics. This guy is chatting with Huang Yiye and singing karaoke with Niu Mengmeng. He's busier than my brother-in-law."

"Cough cough."

Qin Lan coughed lightly: "Let's talk, but don't bring up any nonsense."

Li Xiaolu is the fourth child in her family. She has only called three people her brother-in-law. Huo Siyan's "boyfriend" has never appeared in public, and she has never called Wen Zhang her brother-in-law. Her private life is also clean.

Therefore, it is self-evident who this brother-in-law is.

In fact, although Wen Zhang is the eldest brother-in-law of the Teddy Sisters, he was not famous and was young before, so he couldn't hold his own.

The term "brother-in-law" is mostly used to refer to Qin Lan's Yan Li. Zhao Ke, Gan Wei, and others who are younger and have lower rankings occasionally call him "elder brother-in-law" or "brother Wen." Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu usually call him by his name.

It's no wonder that Wen Zhang sometimes had opinions about the Teddy Sisters.

Some of the women did indeed treat him, Ma Yili's "young husband," with a hint of mockery and disdain, which was somewhat hurtful to his self-esteem.

“They didn’t say anything, yet you’re so quick to defend him. Yan Li is so arrogant because you spoil him.”

During a private gathering, Ma Yili made a comment, but Qin Lan ignored her and instead asked about Li Xiaolu and Han Geng.

"It's nothing much, just a friend introduced us, we had a meal together to meet, but it turned out he was just so-so."

Li Xiaolu has always maintained that she and Yan Li are just casual acquaintances. When her friend arranged the meeting that day, she didn't have any particular thoughts about it and just wanted to get to know him.

To be fair, she has always been a fan of trends, and the trendy aura of boy bands is a plus for her.

However, Li Xiaolu was greatly disappointed when they met.

Well, although I haven't been with Yan Li for very long and haven't seen him many times, I've inevitably been influenced by him, and my standards and appetite have improved significantly.

Therefore, when Li Xiaolu encounters this situation, she will subconsciously compare herself to Yan Li.

This is pure bullying!
Han Geng is doing quite well too; he's good-looking, tall, and a popular K-pop idol.

However, he is not in the same league as Yan Li, a self-made business legend born in the 80s. Yan Li's status, temperament, financial resources, and overall charm completely overwhelm him.

According to Li Xiaolu and Huo Siyan in private, Han Geng is particularly immature, and compared to Yan Li, he is like a child who has not grown up.

The relationship ended there, and then Han Geng was exposed for having affairs with other female stars, which made Li Xiaolu even less interested in him.

Yan Lihua is wasted. Who do you think you are, daring to pull this stunt?

"There is nothing good about men."

Li Xiaolu downplayed the comparison with Yan Li, only saying that she didn't like him, and then used Han Geng's scandal to express her relief at escaping a playboy. Zhao Ke stood up for her fourth sister and started making sweeping generalizations.

“Oh, my Wenzhang is not like that.”

Ma Yili immediately defended her husband. After getting married and having a daughter, Wen Zhang had indeed behaved well, proving to be a good husband and father, so of course she had to protect him. "I... never mind, let's drink."

Qin Lan also wanted to defend Yan Li, but felt that she was not convincing enough, so she started drinking and changed the subject.

"Yu Zheng's new drama 'Beauty's Rival in Palace' has approached me several times. Yan Li also said that this drama is quite good and persuaded me to take it."

“I took a look. Since it’s mainly set in the palace, there are quite a few female characters. Mimi also played one. I think the role of the second female villain is quite suitable for Siyan.”

"Yu Zheng's idea is that since there are already three members of the Teddy Sisters group, why don't the remaining sisters also play a role? Those who have time can play more roles, and those who don't have time can just make a cameo appearance. It would be a good publicity gimmick for the Teddy Sisters group to act in a play together."

It's not uncommon for the Teddy Sisters to act together, but it's unprecedented for all of them to act in a film together.

Yu Zheng has recently started to learn from Yan Li and has begun to intentionally seek out some hype and gimmicks to facilitate publicity.

After confirming Qin Lan and Yang Mi's participation, and with Qin Lan recommending Huo Siyan, he came up with the selling point of having the Teddy Sisters all together.

Thanks to Weibo, the Teddy Sisters are now a well-known celebrity group. They are filming a drama together and playing love-hate relationships in the show, which will definitely attract a lot of people.

Of course, Yu Zheng had anticipated this. It was easy to arrange supporting roles for people like Zhao Ke, Xiong Naijin, and Liu Yun, but it would be difficult for popular actresses like Ma Yili and Li Xiaolu.

So I'm prepared for both possibilities. If I'm willing to support our sisterhood, I'll play a supporting role. If I'm not willing, I'll make a cameo appearance. That way, I won't lose face.

“That’s great! We’ve been saying for a while that we sisters should take some time to film a movie. Now that we have this opportunity, we definitely have to do it.”

Huo Siyan was the first to respond and strongly encouraged Zhao Ke, who was not famous but would not mind if there was a role: "Count me in."

Li Xiaolu and Ma Yili exchanged a glance, and the former said, "I have no problem with it, but I have to be selective about the roles. It doesn't matter how much screen time I have, the key is that it has to be fun."

To reiterate, she's not short of money and doesn't have a strong career drive, so she doesn't care about billing order or anything like that; as long as she has fun, that's enough for her.

Ma Yili also said, "I definitely have no problem acting, but I have to take care of the children and some other commitments, so I'll try to keep my role to a minimum."

"That's it."

Qin Lan clapped her hands. She had already informed Liu Yun and Ying Cai'er, so there shouldn't be any problems. She estimated that Xiong Naijin would be the same. Gan Wei might be a bit more difficult, but she could just make a cameo appearance. The key was that everyone was present.

Regardless of the amount of screen time, as long as the cast is complete, the selling point of "Beauty's Rival in Palace" is that the entire Teddy Sisters group is involved.

"Come on, I wish our collaboration a great success, and that our new drama will be a huge hit, and that you sisters will become incredibly popular."

Huo Siyan continued to liven up the atmosphere, and this time everyone agreed, and they happily raised their glasses.

They chatted and ate, and the private room had a karaoke machine. Li Xiaolu and Zhao Ke sang together, while the rest of them chatted.

Huo Siyan asked, "Sister, you're not going back to the Northeast this year. Where are you spending the New Year? Can I visit you to wish you a Happy New Year?"

Everyone knows that Qin Lan will not be returning to Northeast China this year, but it is unclear what her plans are.

"Well, let's see, we'll listen to his arrangements."

Qin Lan already knew the arrangements: on New Year's Eve, she would go to Yangjiaodeng Hutong to celebrate the New Year with Yan Li's parents and grandmother, and Dong Xuan would also go.

Fan Xiaopang wasn't sure, but if he stayed in Beijing, he would most likely go too.

But this kind of thing can be done in private. Anyway, it's all the same to several people, so no one is ashamed. But there's no need to let the sisters know. Just let it go.

"If you want to visit someone for the New Year, I should have time on the second day of the Lunar New Year. We can get together then."

Ma Yili nodded: "I should have time on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Your family or my family can host a family dinner. We can have a lively time together and celebrate the New Year together."

Apart from a few Beijing natives, most of the Teddy Sisters are migrant workers in Beijing who gather during the Spring Festival to ease their homesickness.

"Yeah."

Huo Siyan responded enthusiastically, while Yang Mi remained silent, because she was unsure whether Dong Xuan would also organize a New Year's greeting or gathering on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so she had to play it safe.

Qin Lan did not refuse, but said, "I will definitely have time then, but Yan Li may not be available. He will be extremely busy before and after the New Year."

This is not an excuse; Yan Li is genuinely busy. Apart from New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, he has social engagements and visits almost every day.

Although these tasks don't involve being available all day long, Qin Lan wasn't sure if Yan Li would be able to find the time that day.

"If we can get together, great; if not, we can meet up again later."

Ma Yili didn't take it seriously and finalized the arrangements for a small family gathering on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

She's the eldest sister. This year we go to her house, next year it's Qin Lan, and then it continues down the line. Maybe this will become an annual tradition for the Teddy Sisters.

...

The party lasted until 11 p.m. Wen Zhang made two phone calls to Ma's mother, and Ma Yili, unable to bear it any longer, took her leave first.

One person left, and the others followed suit one after another.

Qin Lan wanted to pay the bill, but found that Huo Siyan had already paid, so she couldn't help but grumble a few words.

“You earn money through filming, so don’t always insist on paying the bill. Let’s take turns.”

Huo Siyan had been annoyed by others' constant nagging, but Qin Lan's words made her feel a little guilty.

"Okay, sis, you should go back now, or your husband will get worried."

"Take good care of the seventh child."

Perhaps because he didn't go home for the Chinese New Year and spent it all alone, Zhao Ke was in a bad mood and drank a bit too much. Huo Siyan took it upon herself to take him home and care for him.

"Do not worry."

Huo Siyan asked Li Xiaolu to help her lift the dizzy Zhao Ke into the car, and then called a designated driver to take her home.

After arranging for Zhao Ke to stay in the guest room, Huo Siyan slumped wearily on the sofa.

Zhao Ke is tall and extremely heavy when drunk; Li Xiaolu couldn't lift her at all if it weren't for her help.

"Alright, everyone's here. My mom keeps urging me to go home."

"Don't rush, I'll get you something."

Huo Siyan called out to Li Xiaolu and took out a bag from the bedroom, which surprised Li Xiaolu.

"LV, why are you being so generous today?"

"I wouldn't be willing to give you such an expensive bag."

Huo Siyan said something that Li Xiaolu immediately understood: "Yan Li brought this from Hong Kong. Goodness, there's one for me too. What did he bring you?"

"nothing."

Huo Siyan smiled reservedly, but before Li Xiaolu could ask any questions, she took out several more packaging bags from the bedroom.

Li Xiaolu felt a little envious; Huo Siyan not only had bags, but also a lot of cosmetics.

"This is such a biased view."

Huo Siyan glanced at her but didn't say anything. In fact, Yan Li never said whether or not to give the things to Li Xiaolu, leaving it to Huo Siyan to decide for herself.

If you want to split up, then split up; if you don't want to split up, then keep it for yourself.

Huo Siyan gave up a bag to bribe Li because she was considering cooperating with Li Xiaolu.

"If you like any of these cosmetics, you can take whichever one you like."

Huo Siyan complained about her smugness, but still said she was reluctant to give it up, while Li Xiaolu just pursed her lips.

Although she was envious, it was mainly because of Yan Li's favoritism; she wouldn't ask for some cosmetics.

"Two bags plus all these cosmetics must cost at least tens of thousands of yuan. What do you think Sister Lan prepared for them?"

Li Xiaolu was curious, while Huo Siyan's eyes held a complex expression. She did indeed know, because Qin Lan had told her about it in private conversations.

"Stop thinking about it. She's his girlfriend. The two of us combined aren't even worth as much as one of her handbags."

Huo Siyan's tone was even more sarcastic than Li Xiaolu's before. Li Xiaolu raised her eyebrows and said with interest.

"No way, you're really comparing yourself to Sister Lan? Third brother, it's all fun, but don't get too involved."

Huo Siyan rolled her eyes at her: "What's it to you? Take your things and leave. I need to rest."

Li Xiaolu chuckled twice, not taking it seriously, picked up her bag and left. Huo Siyan, who had closed the door, took the packaging bag back to her bedroom, then took out a box from a hidden drawer in the wardrobe, opened it, and gently stroked the gold core on it.

...

"Ahh~"

Yan Li sneezed, wiped his nose with a tissue, and Grandma Yan looked at her grandson with concern.

"Have a cold?"

"Kind of."

Yan Li has an excellent constitution, but he is not immune to all diseases. If he does not take proper precautions in the cold weather, he will still fall ill.

"If you're sick, just stay home and rest. You've made yourself sick from overworking."

Grandma Yan dotes on her grandson. Seeing Yan Li leave early and return late every day, sometimes reeking of alcohol, she felt that her grandson was working hard in business and had made himself sick.

"I can't rest... Never mind, I'll try not to drink and come back early."

Yan Li compromised, and Grandma Yan didn't try to persuade him further.

After all, their grandson is so grown up and his business is so big. It's fine for the older generation to offer some advice for their health reasons, but saying too much or interfering would only cause trouble.

"correct."

Yan Li took out several boxes: "It's the New Year, so according to custom you have to give a New Year's gift and lucky money. These three small boxes are for your granddaughter-in-law, one for each of them. This big box contains red envelopes. Give them to whoever comes to pay New Year's visits, whoever you like."

Grandma Yan declined, saying, "I have money; you've given me plenty more than I could ever want."

"Keep your money. Many of them will become my subordinates and friends. You won't know whether it's more or less than you expect. I'll arrange everything for you, so you can just focus on making money."

Grandma Yan seemed to understand and nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

After saying that, she looked at the small box specially made for her granddaughter-in-law, containing three dark green jade bracelets, and then looked up at her grandson.

"Do I need to tell you that it was left to me by your great-grandmother, and that I specifically left it for my granddaughter-in-law?"

After saying that, she shook her head and said, "Forget it. If Xiaoyi and Xiaoxin's wives ask me for it later, I can't afford it. Is your mother going to give it to them too? If your mother wants to give it to them, I'll leave that to her."

Yan Li: "..."

Regardless of who said it, they were quite prescient, keeping three copies of each...

After finishing his conversation with the old lady, Yan Li went for a walk in the neighboring courtyard.

To prepare for this Spring Festival, he rented a courtyard house from his neighbor so that his family could have enough space and he wouldn't have to worry about who to go home with at night or who to take home first.

At the same time, the yard is separate from the parents' yard, so there's no need to worry about the elders; there might even be a surprise...

(End of this chapter)