Chapter 20

Nie Yuan and Huang Yi, the new Xiao Yanzi from Princess Pearl 3, are a couple, and Yan Li had known this for a while. After all, he had frequent dealings with Nie Yuan, and he also knew Qin Lan, who was also filming for Princess Pearl 3. Inevitably, related information came up. In fact, Yan Li not only knew that they were in a relationship, but also that things had been tense between them lately, to the point that they almost broke up. So, even though the two drama crews weren’t far apart, their interactions weren’t as frequent as Yan Li’s with Qin Lan. But now, from the way things seemed, it looked like the couple had rekindled their old feelings. As for the girl who came in with Huang Yi, Yan Li knew her too. She was the new Zi Wei from Princess Pearl 3, and Yan Li had run into her when he was sending Qin Lan back to her hotel. Her name was... yes, Ma Yili. She was said to have acted in quite a few dramas and had a certain level of fame, but since Yan Li hadn’t watched her works, he wasn’t familiar with her. “Come on, let me introduce you.” Nie Yuan paused the music and made the introductions. Yan Li shook hands with Huang Yi and jokingly said, “Should I call you sister-in-law or little sister?” Huang Yi responded boldly, “Call me whatever you like.” Nie Yuan disagreed, “She’s born in 1980, two years younger than me, so you should call her sister-in-law.” Tong Lei, who was nearby, froze and asked Yan Li, “Brother, you were born in 1980?” Yan Li cleared his throat awkwardly, “Uh, yeah.” Tong Lei asked again, “What month?” “...November.” Tong Lei laughed in disbelief, “I was born in January 1980, and I’ve been calling you brother, but you’re actually a few months younger than me.” “You didn’t ask, how would I know you’re younger than me?” Yan Li answered, lacking confidence. Tong Lei didn’t know his exact birthday, but Yan Li had gotten her information through the system, so he was aware of her background. He was just pretending to be clueless to take advantage. Ignoring the annoyed Tong Lei, Yan Li greeted Ma Yili with a handshake. She looked at him with a playful smile. “You’re kidding, right? Huang Yi and I are here, but you’re not calling Qin Lan?” “Who’s Qin Lan? What’s going on?” Nie Yuan and Huang Yi were both confused. Shouldn’t this be their first meeting? How did it feel like they already knew each other? And what was the deal with Qin Lan? Ma Yili whispered something to Huang Yi, who then turned to Yan Li, his eyes suddenly lighting up. “So, you’re the guy who’s been hanging out with Qin Lan!” Yan Li explained, “We’re just friends...” Before he could finish, Huang Yi was already pulling out his phone. “I’ll call Qin Lan and have her come over.” Nie Yuan pulled Yan Li aside, interrogating him. “Where did this Qin Lan come from? Are you hiding this from me while you’re out flirting?” Tong Lei silently observed, with a trace of disapproval and a hint of resentment in her eyes. No wonder he usually avoided her; it turned out he had a girlfriend! Ma Yili found the whole situation amusing and eagerly shared the gossip with everyone. Actually, she didn’t know much; she had just once bumped into Yan Li when he was sending Qin Lan back and, upon asking Qin Lan, she was told they were just friends. But Qin Lan hadn’t said much, so Ma Yili had used her own judgment. Let’s not forget about Huang Xiaoming, who had been pursuing Qin Lan on the Princess Pearl 3 set, which was no secret. Previously, Qin Lan hadn’t responded, but her attitude had changed suddenly, and Huang Xiaoming had been left with a cold shoulder. This shift in attitude coincided with when she met Qin Lan and Yan Li. Now, everything made sense! Yan Li had stolen her heart, Qin Lan had fallen for him, and Huang Xiaoming was left to grieve in silence. This plot had enough drama to cause a stir in the Princess Pearl 3 crew. Huang Yi, Ma Yili, and others had been gossiping about this mysterious handsome guy who had not only won Qin Lan’s heart but also made Huang Xiaoming eat his own dust. They never expected to run into him here today. “You’re something else.” Nie Yuan, Ku Zhanwen, and the others were all thrilled by the gossip. Yan Li had quietly stolen from the crew of the next-door drama, and his actions were truly impressive. The more they talked, the harder it became for Yan Li to defend himself. He could only remain silent, not wanting to risk Qin Lan’s reputation. To everyone else, his silence was just a tacit admission. Nie Yuan, after receiving a call from Huang Yi, wanted to joke around with Yan Li, while Zheng Guolin joined in; Ma Yili was already typing on her phone, probably sending out messages about the gossip; Ku Zhanwen was enthusiastically singing Sweet Honey to congratulate him, and Tong Lei silently drank her beer. About 20 minutes later, Huang Yi waved his phone. “Qin Lan’s here, she’s at the door.” Everyone turned to Yan Li, who put down his drink. “I’ll go get her.” He left the room and found Qin Lan waiting on the stairs. When she saw him, she asked, confused, “What’s going on? Huang Yi’s phone call wasn’t very clear.” “The crew’s throwing me a farewell party...” Yan Li explained briefly, and Qin Lan nodded in understanding, her gaze lingering on him as she feigned hesitation. “Should I still go inside?” “Since you’re here, why go back?” Qin Lan had no intention of leaving, and after a couple of words of persuasion, she followed Yan Li into the room. As soon as they entered, Nie Yuan and Huang Yi led the cheers. “Woo—” Qin Lan wasn’t shy at all, greeting everyone warmly, but when she saw Tong Lei, her gaze subtly narrowed. “Hi, I’m Qin Lan.” “Tong Lei.” After a round of pleasantries, Qin Lan didn’t join Huang Yi and the others. Instead, she specifically went over to chat with Tong Lei. When she casually learned about Tong Lei’s role on the set, she was surprised. “Wait, you were the one who played Li Rongrong?” Tong Lei furrowed her brows. “You know Li Rongrong?” “I know her well. Yan Li was unsure about a few of her scenes before, so we rehearsed together privately for a long time. The shoot wasn’t easy, and if he’s offended you in any way, I’ll apologize on his behalf.” After saying that, Qin Lan took a large gulp of beer. Tong Lei forced a smile and took a polite sip. Not long after, Tong Lei asked Zheng Guolin for the microphone and went up to sing. Yan Li approached her and whispered in Qin Lan’s ear, “What did you say to her?” Qin Lan took out her phone and typed a message: “Feeling sorry for her?” Yan Li was speechless. He took her phone and replied, “We’re just colleagues, don’t spread rumors.” “Really? I think her skin is pretty nice.” “Are we still on about this?” Up on stage, Tong Lei noticed Yan Li and Qin Lan fiddling with the phone together. The melancholic love song became even more poignant. After they finished singing Courage, possibly influenced by the song’s emotion, they exchanged a look, the atmosphere suddenly turning somewhat flirtatious. Nie Yuan and the others were drawn in, clapping and cheering enthusiastically. Huang Yi was the loudest, shouting, “Kiss! Kiss!” Just as Yan Li was about to tell her to stop, Qin Lan, not noticing, suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, which sent the whole room into a frenzy. After the kiss, Qin Lan quickly stepped back, winking at him mischievously and sticking out her tongue. Yan Li touched his cheek, feeling somewhat awkward. He was usually the one taking advantage, but now the tables had turned. This time, the bird had taken a peck at the eagle, and he needed to find a way to get even.