Chapter 16

After performing the scene about four or five times, Yan Li suggested that they end the rehearsal. In fact, the scene wasn't particularly difficult in terms of acting techniques. The main challenge was finding the right balance and overcoming the embarrassment of acting opposite a female actress. As long as these two points were sorted out, everything else would be fine. After all, Yan Li wasn't unprepared, having practiced alone beforehand. Additionally, another reason was that Yan Li felt that Qin Lan's state was getting increasingly off, and because of the hot weather, he was also feeling a bit irritable himself. Since they weren't very familiar yet, and since it was he who had asked for her help, if anything went wrong, it might be awkward for them to meet in the future. "That's it? How about we practice a bit more? It's still early, and since I agreed to help, I should help all the way through," Qin Lan suggested, still feeling a bit unsatisfied. She thought that Yan Li was too shy to ask for more help, so she offered to extend the practice. "No need, no need. I've more or less gotten the feel for it. You can't overdo it, this is enough for me to process later." Yan Li shook his head and finished the remaining half bottle of water in one go, feeling less thirsty at last. Qin Lan was also drinking water, but not as quickly as Yan Li. Seeing that he seemed very thirsty, she gave him the little bit of water left in her bottle. "You can have it." "Thanks." Yan Li took the bottle and drank it all in one go. Qin Lan smiled slightly when she saw him drink it so quickly, then playfully hit him and said, "Who does that? You just drank straight from the bottle after I finished." Yan Li squeezed the bottle and played with it. "It’s fine, I don’t mind if it's dirty." "Ugh." Qin Lan spat playfully, "If anyone should mind, it’s me who should mind you." After joking around for a bit, they sat under the shade of a tree and chatted. Qin Lan brought up the rehearsal and teased Yan Li. "Your acting’s good, you scared me a little, is that how you really are?" Yan Li shrugged. "If I was like that, you wouldn't still be talking to me like this." "You're a rogue." Qin Lan threw some weeds at him. "Even if you're not acting, you're not a good guy. The way you acted just now, I can tell you're usually not very well-behaved. Did your ex-girlfriend break up with you because of this?" "You're wrong about me." Yan Li protested, "I was known as a pure and upright boy at Beidian, and I barely even talk to other girls." "Yeah, right." Qin Lan obviously didn't believe him but still curiously pressed on, asking why he broke up with his ex. Yan Li avoided the topic. "It's all in the past, why talk about it?" "Is it really in the past?" Qin Lan looked at him skeptically, sensing something, and finally asked the real question: "Do you still have feelings for your ex?" Yan Li smiled but didn't answer, changing the topic casually. Qin Lan was politely rebuffed twice and didn’t press further, left to her own inner turmoil. Had he truly gotten over it? Or was he still attached to that pale-skinned ex-girlfriend? After chatting for a while, Yan Li noticed the time and decided to take Qin Lan back to her hotel. Qin Lan might have a scene later and needed time to bathe, eat, rest, and apply makeup. On the way back, they passed a lottery shop, and Yan Li greeted the shopkeeper, running in to buy some lottery tickets. Qin Lan followed him in, curious. "You bet on football too?" Yan Li replied, "Just joining the fun for the World Cup." Qin Lan understood. The lottery was officially launched last year, and it gained popularity this year with the World Cup hype. There was even a term called the "patriotic ticket." A "patriotic ticket" meant blindly betting on China’s team to win, no matter whether they were up against Brazil or Costa Rica. China lost all three matches, and the lottery must have earned a lot of money. The World Cup was hot at the moment, and there were many people in Hengdian also following the trend. The cast of "My Fair Princess 3" was no exception. Qin Lan had seen some stagehands angrily blaming South Korea’s team for rigging the game. Thinking about this, Qin Lan also got interested. "I’ll buy two tickets as well." "Sure, but don't buy too many. I'm just playing around." Yan Li bought tickets for two matches. There were only two World Cup games left: one was the third-place match between South Korea and Turkey, and the other was the final between Brazil and Germany. "I don't understand football, which team do you think will win?" Qin Lan didn’t watch football, so she planned to follow Yan Li's lead. Yan Li wasn't shy, and directly expressed his opinion. "For the third-place match, South Korea will definitely lose. As for the final, I’m rooting for Brazil. Ronaldo has been amazing this World Cup." Yan Li didn't watch many matches, but his system kept feeding him related information. Before today, he'd already tried betting once. With World Cup news surrounding him every day, the system had triggered relevant intel. Some of it was about coaches’ tactics, some about players' health, which wasn't much use to Yan Li, until the semifinal between South Korea and Germany. "Daily Intel X: FIFA, under pressure for favoring South Korea in the World Cup, has instructed referees to be fair and impartial in the semifinals." Without referee favoritism, South Korea, facing the European powerhouse Germany (who had only conceded one goal in the World Cup), was doomed to lose. Unfortunately, the odds for this match were low, and since Yan Li was cautious, he only placed a small bet. His winnings went towards improving his and Sailong’s meals and buying a couple of good cigarettes. But it was still a win, and Yan Li wasn’t relying on this to get rich. Gambling should never be greedy! The more you aim for a big win, the more likely you’ll crash. After all, it's a risky game. It's better to be cautious and take small wins. He treated today’s bet the same. Even though he was backing Brazil and Turkey, he made sure to leave enough for his living expenses and only used a small portion of his spare change. Qin Lan was bolder than him, betting several hundred. Yan Li couldn't help but remark, "So you're a little tycoon." Qin Lan huffed proudly. She had starred in a few dramas, so while she wasn't exactly wealthy, she was certainly better off than Yan Li, a poor student who just graduated. When they got near the hotel, Qin Lan didn't let Yan Li take her the rest of the way. She had been ignoring Huang Xiaoming for the past few days, and even he, as dense as he was, had picked up on her intention. Though he hadn't persisted, he hadn't given up either, and if he saw her with Yan Li, things could get complicated. "Alright, see you later." Yan Li didn't insist, waved, and left. Qin Lan stayed where she was, watching him walk off before turning back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, after a quick shower, Yan Li was about to head downstairs to enjoy the boss's air conditioning and watch some TV when his phone rang. "Hello, Brother Wang?" On the other end was the assistant director Wang Decai: "Xiao Yan, are you free right now?" "What's up?" "The investors are here, and the producer asked me to arrange for the cast to join them for dinner and drinks. I thought your drinking skills were decent, so come over and help out. I'll introduce you around and help expand your network." "Thanks for thinking of me, Brother Wang. I'll tidy up and be right over." In the entertainment industry, these kinds of social gatherings were unavoidable. Yan Li neither liked nor disliked them. As a small-time actor, he didn’t have many choices. If an opportunity arose, he’d take it. If he could make connections, great; if not, at least it was a free meal. He left quickly but returned slowly, not getting back to the hotel until 10:30 PM. His drinking skills were quite good, after all, being from Shandong where his family ran a small restaurant, and he'd grown up surrounded by alcohol. He wasn't afraid of beer, and he could drink two jin of baijiu without getting drunk. Normally, Yan Li wouldn’t overdo it, pretending to be drunk once he reached a certain limit, leaving after the party without causing any issues. But today, there were two investors who were trying to get the actresses drunk. Yan Li couldn’t stand it and stepped in to help. With Wang Decai’s help, they managed to deal with the two investors, though Yan Li had gotten a bit drunk himself. After a quick rinse, he collapsed into bed and slept. The next morning, he woke up late, around midday. Fortunately, there were no scenes in the morning, so Yan Li lazily stayed in bed a little longer, then checked the system for the day's updates. "Daily Intel 1: Actress Tong Lei and Bao Yujing (Empress Xiao) from The Heroes of Sui and Tang are very grateful to Yan Li for his help last night." "Daily Intel 2: Producer Li Silin of The Heroes of Sui and Tang was impressed by Yan Li after assistant director Wang Decai’s introduction." "…" "Daily Intel 5: At this moment, Qin Lan, who is sleeping in her hotel room, is having a spring dream about Yan Li. In her dream, they..." "Daily Intel 6: Meanwhile, Yan Li, who is still sleeping in his room, is also having a spring dream. The dream features both Qin Lan and..." Yan Li closed the system page, got up, and walked to the bathroom. After filling the bathtub, he tossed his underwear in and scrubbed them with detergent. The restaurant owner definitely put something in the food!