031, did Yan Li slip you some kind of love potion?

The next morning, the sky was clear and the sun was thin.

Yan Li was awakened by Dong Xuan pinching his nose. She was lying in his arms, looking down at him with a beaming smile.

"Get up, Lao Guan has already called to ask about us."

"Oh."

Yan Li responded lazily, squinting his eyes as he watched Dong Xuan sit up and get dressed.

Dong Xuan had a classic oval-shaped face with soft, gentle features. Her face was beautiful and delicate, possessing a dignified and pure quality mixed with a touch of charm. She wasn't the type of beauty that would stun you at first sight, but she was attractive and grew on you the more you looked at her.

However, what Yan Li liked most about her was her figure and her skin.

Dong Xuan stood at 1.7 meters tall with graceful curves—plump where she should be plump and slender where she should be slender. Her skin was as fine, white, and delicate as curdled fat or white jade.

When Yan Li first pursued her, it was precisely because she was beautiful and fair; he had a fondness for fair skin.

The more he watched, the more entranced he became. With his morning vigor in full swing and his desire piqued, he watched as Dong Xuan bent over the bed to retrieve the underwear she had tossed aside the night before. Her skin was whiter than snow, and her posture was alluring.

Unable to hold back any longer, Yan Li reached out and pulled her back, intending to indulge in a bit of morning exercise.

Caught off guard, Dong Xuan was startled and struggled slightly. "Lao Guan is already on her way."

"Call her and tell her to come back in half an hour... no, an hour."

...

Guan Yue was sensible and didn't return until nearly noon.

By then, Yan Li had already left, and Dong Xuan was hanging sheets on the balcony. Guan Yue approached her with a mischievous grin.

"Tsk tsk, the battle was fierce, everything is in a mess."

Unable to bear the teasing, Dong Xuan’s face flushed red. She dodged around the sheets to pinch her friend, but Guan Yue sidestepped, continuing to banter.

"Old Dong, you can't let go of Yan Li—don't tell me it's because you can't give up on this part of the relationship?"

In the women's dormitory, many things were gladly shared, or perhaps compared.

This included private matters. Even if you didn't want to talk about them, the peer pressure from others would inevitably lead to some revelations.

Thus, Dong Xuan's roommates were generally aware of Yan Li's prowess. They knew his dimensions, endurance, and frequency—it could be said he stood head and shoulders above the rest.

A few of them, being more experienced, had once thought Dong Xuan was just bragging to boost her own ego. But as time passed, seeing Dong Xuan return from every outing with a radiant, satisfied glow, acting like a submissive little bird toward Yan Li, they eventually came to believe it.

Women could be troublesome at times, yet simple at others; it all depended on whether you could satisfy them.

Later, when their group of friends organized a swimming trip, Yan Li had tagged along. Guan Yue and the others had seen him in his tight swimming trunks, and they could only describe him in four words: Magnificent and spectacular!

Previously, Guan Yue and her roommates had analyzed why Dong Xuan wouldn't break up with Yan Li, focusing mostly on emotional factors. Seeing him today, it seemed there might be other reasons at play.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll tear your mouth open!"

After all, they were just women in their early twenties; how could she withstand such bold, provocative teasing? Embarrassed and annoyed, Dong Xuan lunged at Guan Yue.

Guan Yue didn't hide this time. She dodged the attack and countered, pinning Dong Xuan down in a matter of seconds, smiling triumphantly.

"You little thing, your legs are already weak—you still want to fight me?"

Dong Xuan was unconvinced. "Just wait, I’ll show you later."

She was tall and had a background in dance, giving her an advantage in strength and agility. If it weren't for the fact that she was physically spent, Guan Yue would never have been able to best her.

"I'll be waiting."

Guan Yue cheekily patted Dong Xuan’s bottom and commented, "Feels great, no wonder Yan Li likes you."

After some playful fighting, the two began to ask about each other's affairs.

Guan Yue was concerned about whether Dong Xuan and Yan Li had successfully reconciled, while Dong Xuan was curious about what happened last night after Guan Yue had seemingly left with Tong Dawei.

The two explained their situations, both left feeling undeniably disappointed.

"What do you mean, no reconciliation? Is that guy just pulling up his pants and denying everything?"

"You were already at his place, and nothing happened? Does this Tong Dawei have some kind of problem?"

Guan Yue waved her hand. "Don't worry about me. He hasn't passed my probationary period yet, so naturally, I can't let him get his way so easily. But what about you? What are you really thinking?"

Dong Xuan recounted the events of the previous night in detail, omitting only the final part, and then said:

"I’ve reflected on it. Yan Li was just graduating at the time, and the pressure of being a 'Beijing drifter' was immense. His mind was sensitive and full of doubt."

"When I broke up with him so decisively, it felt like I was abandoning him. It must have hurt him deeply. Even if he doesn't say it, he must be feeling resentful."

"I can tell that Yan Li still has feelings for me; he just has some knots in his heart he can't untie. It’s okay, I'll just wait for him to work through them."

"Actually, it's quite good as it is now. We’re broken up but still seeing each other—it's just missing a title. Everything else is the same as before. At most, I’ll just keep a tighter watch on him, slowly boiling the frog in the pot. He won't be able to escape my palm."

"..."

Dong Xuan looked so confident that Guan Yue stared at her blankly, reaching out to touch her forehead, then her own.

"You don't have a fever, do you?"

"Did Yan Li feed you some kind of love potion?"

Dong Xuan laughed and swatted her hand away. "You're the one who's been drugged. Alright, stop worrying about it, let me handle it myself."

Guan Yue wanted to say something, but swallowed the words.

When she had pushed Dong Xuan to break up, her intentions were genuinely for the sake of her best friend—to kick the heartless man to the curb and start a new life.

But she had underestimated Dong Xuan's feelings for Yan Li.

Later, seeing Dong Xuan lose her appetite and cry in secret after the breakup, she had regretted it.

Yin Xu and other friends had also blamed her for giving bad advice. Helping Dong Xuan vent her anger was one thing, but they shouldn't have directly broken the couple up.

Unless the main person involved was dead set on it, the prevailing sentiment was generally to encourage reconciliation rather than separation.

That was why Guan Yue had changed her attitude later, acting as a bridge, offering advice, and even testing the waters by visiting him on Dong Xuan's behalf, all in the hope that the two would get back together.

Currently, she wasn't entirely satisfied with Yan Li's response, but at least things were moving in the right direction. Dong Xuan seemed a bit submissive, but she was happy to be so.

As for the business of a couple, whether they split or reunite, a best friend is ultimately an outsider.

Having learned her lesson once, Guan Yue didn't dare to interfere easily this time, finally just stating:

"Just remember, I will always be your backer."

Moved, Dong Xuan hugged Guan Yue. "Thank you, Lao Guan."

...

On the other side, Yan Li didn't go home as Dong Xuan had assumed, nor did he go out to mess around.

Instead, he took a taxi to the vicinity of Fuxingmen near the West Second Ring Road, right next to a certain government bureau.

Yan Li bought a bottle of iced water and, while sipping it, wandered around the north, south, and west gates.

After walking back and forth several times, just as he was about to give up, he spotted a familiar figure near a printing shop by the west gate and hurried over.

"Director Cheng?"

"Uh..."

Cheng Lidong looked at Yan Li with some hesitation, clearly not recognizing him. Yan Li didn't mind and took the initiative to remind him.

"My name is Yan Li. I had the pleasure of dining with you at Hengdian, back when Producer Liu from Zhouyi was there as well."

"Oh, it's you. Did you finish filming?"

Cheng Lidong finally recalled who he was. Yan Li nodded. "Yes, I returned a few days after wrapping up. I didn't expect to run into you here today. What a coincidence."

"It is quite a coincidence."

After a few polite exchanges, Yan Li asked about Cheng Lidong's purpose there. The latter gave a vague excuse.

"Just running a project over here."

Relationships shouldn't be probed too deeply when they are shallow. They had only shared one meal, and Yan Li was just a minor actor. The fact that Cheng Lidong was willing to chat with him for this long was already a sign of respect.

Yan Li didn't take it to heart; if it were him, he wouldn't reveal much to someone he had only met once.

However, he didn't give up. Instead, he continued to ask questions with a thick skin.

The reason was simple: he knew from the daily intelligence he received today that Cheng Lidong was in a predicament, and he had a relatively suitable solution.

Since that was the case, he had to find a way to help Cheng Lidong and make the other party owe him a favor.

One had to know that this man was identified by the [Monthly Intelligence] as the future boss of a successful film and television company; his favor was worth a lot.

Cheng Lidong naturally couldn't explain things to Yan Li, so he impatiently brushed him off with a few words and turned to leave.

But for Yan Li, that was already enough.

The relationship was too shallow, so he never expected to get the inside scoop directly from Cheng's mouth.

That brief interaction—running into him and knowing he was working on a project—allowed him to reasonably participate in it without appearing too abrupt. The rest would be easy to handle...