Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 173 Fighting Landlords

"You and Jiang Wenli—"

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was paying attention, Li Xiaoran leaned close to Li Boda and asked in a low voice.

"Huh? What's wrong? What happened between me and Sister Wenli?" Li Boda asked Li Xiaoran.

"I saw her go into your room last night," Li Xiaoran whispered a reminder.

"Oh, and then?" Li Boda asked dismissively.

"...So you and Jiang Wenli got together? She's so old, how could you do that to her!" Li Xiaoran said, somewhat exasperated.

"Look at what you're saying. She's not that old, this age is just right. She knows a lot, knows how to cooperate, is good in bed and not clingy. Isn't that great?" Li Boda said frankly.

“…Li Boda, I really misjudged you.” Li Xiaoran didn’t know how to answer Li Boda, so she could only leave with these words in a huff and turn to leave.

As Li Xiaoran was about to leave, Li Boda grabbed her wrist.

When Li Boda grabbed her wrist, Li Xiaoran's eyes lit up. She subconsciously felt that Li Boda cared about her performance and probably wanted to explain something to her, which made her feel much better.

"Um, Sister Wenli asked me to ask you if you'd like to come to my room tonight to play cards and Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game)." Li Boda told Li Xiaoran about something Jiang Wenli had been looking forward to.

Li Xiaoran stared at Li Boda in astonishment: "You—"

“You know I’m very strong. Sister Wenli alone can’t beat me at all. She wants you to be her helper. You two peasants can fight against me, the landlord.” Li Boda smiled smugly.

"Pah! Shameless! Do you think everyone is like you?" Li Xiaoran looked at Li Boda with the eyes of someone looking at trash.

"So, how about we play cards together tonight?" Li Boda said casually.

"...I, I, how about we play cards and fight the landlord for a while?" Li Xiaoran hesitated.

“Okay, then it’s settled.” Li Boda smiled and planned to tell Jiang Wenli in a little while.

Watching Li Boda leave, Li Xiaoran couldn't help but stomp her foot. She felt she must have lost her mind; otherwise, how could she have agreed to such a thing? Although playing cards and such seemed quite common, even unusual, in the entertainment industry—

"Li Boda, you landlord, I'm going to beat you to death tonight!" Li Xiaoran muttered angrily.

"Xiaoran, what are you talking about?" Zhao Liying asked curiously as she listened to Li Xiaoran muttering something about playing Dou Dizhu (a card game).

"Ah, it's nothing. I just... filming is really tiring. After get off work, how about we find someone to play cards or something?" Li Xiaoran explained, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

“Let’s play cards, count me in. I’m pretty good at Dou Dizhu,” Zhao Liying quickly said.

Because Zhao Liying is an artist under Li Boda's studio, everyone treated her quite kindly after she joined the crew.

Jiang Wenli would occasionally give Zhao Liying some pointers on how to act, and Li Xiaoran even told Zhao Liying not to call her "teacher" but to call her "Sister Xiaoran".

So Zhao Liying actually felt quite comfortable on set. Except when she was filming and the director scolded her for her acting skills, she was quite happy most of the time.

Although Zhao Liying would think about how to film the remaining scenes after finishing filming every day, and then hone her acting skills in front of the mirror.

However, she also felt that it wasn't good for her to continue like this. After all, the other people on the set would chat and play cards together when they weren't filming, which helped them pass the time and build relationships. If she didn't participate, she would inevitably feel excluded.

So when Zhao Liying heard Li Xiaoran muttering about playing cards, she immediately came over and offered to play cards with Li Xiaoran.

Looking at Zhao Liying's innocent expression, Li Xiaoran was speechless and didn't know how to explain it to her.

She couldn't very well tell Zhao Liying that what she meant by playing cards and Dou Dizhu actually had another meaning, could she?
Moreover, it would be fine if it were a one-on-one game between two people, but it's Dou Dizhu, a game for three people. If this were to get out, it would probably shock Zhao Liying's young mind.

After all, it's best to take things one step at a time. Jumping up a step all at once seems a bit excessive.
"Ahem, well, I have something to do tonight, so I can't play cards with you. How about this, we can play cards together tomorrow or the day after tomorrow when we have time." Li Xiaoran's smile was a little unnatural.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying's smile faltered slightly. She noticed the unnaturalness in Li Xiaoran's expression and quickly waved her hand, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, it's never a problem. I apologize for bothering you."

After saying goodbye to Li Xiaoran, Zhao Liying looked somewhat gloomy, feeling that she had been rejected.

Previously, Li Xiaoran's attitude towards her was actually just that Li Xiaoran was giving her boss, Li Boda, some face. She, being a nobody, should not take it seriously and should start calling Li Xiaoran "Teacher Li" instead.

Thinking this, Zhao Liying's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and she couldn't help but feel depressed. Even after filming ended and the day's work was over, Zhao Liying's mood was still quite bad. In front of others, she tried her best to maintain a smile, but once she returned to her room, the smile on Zhao Liying's face vanished instantly, and her whole energy seemed to have been completely drained.

Zhao Liying wasn't angry with Li Xiaoran. After all, she was just a nobody, and Li Xiaoran was only being nice to her because of her boss. She couldn't take it seriously and think that Li Xiaoran really wanted to be her friend.

Ultimately, it still depends on one's own strength.

Zhao Liying clenched her small fists tightly, secretly vowing to herself that she must become famous and go further so that she would never encounter this situation again.

After making some adjustments to herself, Zhao Liying thought of her boss, Li Boda, and decided to go and have a good chat with him.

However, when Zhao Liying pushed open the door and walked towards Li Boda's room, she saw Jiang Wenli's figure in the distance as she entered her boss Li Boda's room.

Zhao Liying paused for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at the time on her wristwatch. It was getting late; why would Jiang Wenli be looking for her boss, Li Boda, at this hour?

Just as Zhao Liying was wondering why Jiang Wenli was looking for Li Boda at this time, she suddenly heard a noise and instinctively ducked away.

Then she saw Li Xiaoran's room door open, and Li Xiaoran, feeling very suspicious, sneaked over to Li Boda's room, glancing left and right. Before entering, she also looked left and right to make sure no one was there before pushing the door open.

Zhao Liying, hiding in the corner, stared wide-eyed with a strange expression.

If it were Jiang Wenli from just now, Zhao Liying would be puzzled and curious, but she wouldn't have too many absurd thoughts, because Jiang Wenli's actions seemed very casual and generous, without any sense of sneakiness.

However, the addition of the sneaky Li Xiaoran made Zhao Liying feel that something was wrong.

"Could it be that Li Xiaoran and the boss have something going on—" Zhao Liying suddenly realized, and then couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude, or rather, a sense of watching a joke unfold.

Zhao Liying knew that Jiang Wenli had already gone inside before Li Xiaoran went to find Li Boda.

If Li Xiaoran were to go to Li Boda, intending to have something happen between them, then the scene would definitely be hilarious if she saw Jiang Wenli.

Zhao Liying could even vaguely see Li Xiaoran's disheveled figure leaving Li Boda's room.

Out of a desire to watch the show, Zhao Liying didn't go back immediately. Instead, she hid in this corner, intending to enjoy a good spectacle.

Zhao Liying waited and waited, a full half hour passed, but Li Xiaoran still didn't leave Li Boda's room.

"Could it be that Li Xiaoran is playing cards with the boss and Sister Wenli, like Dou Dizhu?" Zhao Liying frowned. "If it's just playing cards, Li Xiaoran wouldn't need to be so secretive, would she? Could it be that the Dou Dizhu Li Xiaoran is talking about is—"

Zhao Liying's eyes suddenly widened as she thought of Jiang Wenli, who had entered Li Boda's room earlier.

For a moment, Zhao Liying's mind went blank.

In fact, if Zhao Liying were clever enough, she might have noticed long ago that the relationship between Li Boda, Jiang Wenli, and Li Xiaoran was not normal.

After all, being in the same production crew, even if you try to cover it up, something will inevitably slip out to some extent.

However, Zhao Liying was so focused on improving her acting skills and studying the script and character that she didn't pay much attention to the situation of everyone in the crew.

That's why Zhao Liying found it hard to accept seeing this scene.

After waiting for nearly an hour without any movement, Zhao Liying returned to her room in a daze.

Then Zhao Liying didn't know when she fell asleep. She vaguely regained consciousness, and was still in a daze. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she sat up in bed, took out her watch, and immediately checked the time.

It was quite early; the sky was just beginning to lighten.

For reasons unknown, Zhao Liying immediately got out of bed and quietly ran outside, sneaking back to the secluded corner where she had stayed the previous night.

Then she stood guard there for more than half an hour. When Zhao Liying was half asleep, she suddenly heard a noise. She subconsciously looked up and saw Li Xiaoran running out of Li Boda's room barefoot, carrying her high heels. Not long after, Jiang Wenli also came out of Li Boda's room.

Zhao Liying's already large eyes widened even more dramatically with this sudden stare.

"So, this is what playing cards and fighting the landlord means?" Zhao Liying couldn't help but mutter to herself.

(End of this chapter)