Chapter 39: Conquest, Establishing Authority, and the "Corrupted" Relationship Between Sister and Younger Brother

Yan Li and Jiang Shan only had that one scene together, and after shooting it, their paths in the story were done.

Originally expecting no further interactions, Yan Li didn't expect Jiang Shan to have a very good impression of him. A few days later, when she organized a dinner gathering for some of the main cast of "Conquer", she deliberately invited him along.

From his intelligence sources, Yan Li knew she didn't have romantic intentions toward him. She simply thought the young man was sweet-talked, knew how to handle things, and possessed good acting skills. Appreciating and wanting to look out for him, she invited him, so he happily tagged along for a free meal.

He wasn't interested in relying on Jiang Shan for soft rice, but gaining an older sister figure was something Yan Li was quite willing to do.

After all, Jiang Shan had extremely extensive connections in the industry.

As a student from the Class of '87 at the Central Academy of Drama, her good friends included Chen Xiaoyi and Xu Fan, the wife of director Feng Xiaogang, while Hu Jun and He Bing were her classmates.

While filming "Passions", Jiang Shan got to know director Zhao Baogang, and the leading actor Wang Zhiwen became her close confidant and friend. Later on, she also collaborated with many renowned directors such as Huang Jianxin, Guo Baochang, and Zheng Xiaolong.

Especially with Huang Jianxin, with whom she collaborated on multiple works, her relationship was exceptionally close.

Yan Li wasn't expecting Jiang Shan to treat him like her own younger brother, pouring her heart out to recommend and elevate him everywhere. For him, just having someone help bridge connections and put in a good word was more than enough.

The dinner venue was a restaurant not far from the hotel.

Director Gao Qunshu did not come; in such settings, the presence of a director often killed the mood. However, quite a few other main cast members showed up, bringing the total to well over a dozen.

Wu Tian’s storyline was a completely separate plotline, which was why Yan Li didn't have much interaction with most of the main cast.

Now that everyone was gathered together, Yan Li practically became the most eye-catching person in the room.

There was no helping it; the actors in "Conquer" looked fiercer than the last. Villains aside, even the few police officers possessed an imposing aura that could stop children from crying just by glaring at them.

Set against the backdrop of this group of men, Yan Li’s handsome appearance was elevated by several notches instantly.

Even the waitress serving the dishes peeked at him multiple times, probably completely smitten by his looks.

Well, or perhaps she hadn't recognized that they were actors and felt a sense of pity that such a fine young man had strayed onto a crooked path...

Jiang Shan unhesitatingly had Yan Li sit right next to her. Liu Weiwei, who had originally been chatting with Sun Honglei, also changed her seat afterward and sat down next to Yan Li.

"This is too unfair. The moment you get a handsome man, you just push us aside."

Sun Honglei’s tone carried a hint of sourness. It wasn't that he had any specific designs on Liu Weiwei, but they shouldn't treat people so differently either.

Liu Weiwei and Sun Honglei were actually old acquaintances. Both were from Harbin in Heilongjiang province, and it was rumored that Liu's older brother and Sun had been high school classmates, so they had known each other for a long time.

Liu Weiwei had played a certain role in securing Sun Honglei's casting in "Conquer".

Therefore, Sun Honglei spoke his mind freely, and Liu Weiwei didn't mind his words either, teasing back instead.

"He bosses me around on screen, and now you're going to complain just because I want to look at a handsome guy off-screen to soothe my eyes?"

Yan Li didn't want to offend Sun Honglei, so he playfully used their on-screen conflict to self-deprecate and make a joke.

"According to Sister Wei, since I get killed by Brother Honglei and the others on screen, I still have to sell my looks off-screen. I'm too unlucky."

Bai Hongbiao, the actor who played Liu Huaqiang’s henchman Han Yueping, let out a chuckle. "You actually have looks you can sell; the rest of us roughnecks can only stare blankly."

Binzi, the actor who played another henchman, Hu Dahai, touched his bald head, sighing mockingly.

"It's always great to be handsome. You're liked everywhere you go."

Zhang Rihui, the actor playing Liu Huaqiang’s younger brother Liu Huawen, winked and laughed. "Not necessarily. You can't just be pleasing to the eye; you have to be useful too. A man's most important asset isn't his face."

That remark bordered on vulgar, and most of the men present laughed heartily in shared understanding.

Given Jiang Shan's age and her experience in the industry, hearing a few dirty jokes was no big deal. Once the atmosphere was right, she could rattle them off endlessly herself.

However, beneath the banter lay a certain degree of intentional or unintentional targeting toward Yan Li. Jiang Shan furrowed her brows and stepped in to fiercely protect her "younger brother."

"You guys are a bunch of seniors and big brothers, why are you teasing a youngster like this?"

Liu Weiwei chimed in, "Exactly, a bunch of grown men behaving completely unreliably."

Yan Li: "..."

My two dear sisters, are you guys standing up for me or just fanning the flames?!

Of course, Yan Li could sense the subtle exclusion and isolation directed at him in the room, but he could also tell that most people harbored no genuine malice—they were simply annoyed by a handsome guy.

Under such circumstances, as long as Yan Li kept a low profile and met everyone with a smile, nobody would go out of their way to target him without reason.

To put it bluntly, they were all minor actors. Aside from being a bit older and having more seniority, they didn't have the backing or leverage to act high and mighty in front of Yan Li.

On the contrary, Yan Li was young with great all-around potential; who knew when he might suddenly blow up? Anyone with half a brain wouldn't easily offend him.

Even the earlier banter was just the crowd egging each other on, masked as a joke that would have blown over in a flurry of laughter.

However, the way Jiang Shan and Liu Weiwei put it framed the situation as everyone conspiring to bully Yan Li, lecturing and reprimanding them for it. How could those people possibly feel comfortable after that?

Jiang Shan was the biggest star in the cast—too powerful to offend!

Liu Weiwei had an ambiguous relationship with director Gao Qunshu—also too powerful to offend!

That left only Yan Li as the easy target. While a couple of them might not dare to pick a bone with him individually, now that Yan Li had incurred the "wrath of the masses," it didn't matter anymore.

Things were fine while Liu and Jiang were present, but once they returned to the production set, the isolation and exclusion Yan Li would face would only grow increasingly severe.

...

The atmosphere of the dinner took a sharp downturn afterward, and even if someone tried to liven things up, it didn't help much.

Yan Li observed coldly. Halfway through the meal, he stood up unprompted, grabbed two bottles of beer, and walked straight over to Zhang Rihui—the person who had made the vulgar joke earlier.

Jiang Shan and Liu Weiwei had spoken up for him. Regardless of whether it backfired or helped, their intentions were kind, so he had to accept the gesture and couldn't let them lose face.

However, letting Yan Li back down and swallow his pride was equally out of the question. Yan Li usually treated people with kindness, but that didn't mean he lacked a temper.

On the contrary, Yan Li could be quite explosive when provoked; back in university, when someone set their sights on Dong Xuan, he marched right over and beat the guy up.

Now that they were treating him like a soft persimmon to be squeezed, he was ready to take the initiative and shatter a few of their teeth in return.

Zhang Rihui and the others didn't expect Yan Li to suddenly walk over and looked somewhat dazed.

"Something up?"

Yan Li poured himself a glass of beer and spoke up. "What you said earlier about a man's most important asset not being his face—I both agree and disagree."

"If a man wants to make a living in this society and throws away his face, then he's no longer a man."

With that, ignoring everyone's expressions, Yan Li raised his glass toward Zhang Rihui, the actor playing Liu Huawen.

"This little brother is young and clumsy with words. Please forgive me for any offenses. I'll toast you this drink, and I'll finish mine first."

Yan Li raised his glass—holding about 200 milliliters of beer—and drank it all in one go. After finishing, he quietly stared at the other man.

Zhang Rihui frowned, raised his own glass to match, and Yan Li immediately poured another cup.

"My words were a bit heavy just now, so let me toast you another."

Zhang Rihui finally snapped to his senses, pressing his hand over the glass. "Trying to force-feed me alcohol?"

"Hey."

Yan Li shook his head. "It's not force-feeding; it's a toast. We're all men who care about face, and you're a senior, so you'll definitely give me this face."

The words sounded pleasant, but the meaning was crystal clear. The others hadn't expected Yan Li, a mere newcomer, to be this hardcore—coming right over to challenge someone to a drinking contest to reclaim his dignity.

Some felt a sense of aversion, thinking Yan Li was too arrogant and disrespectful to his seniors.

Others approved, feeling that meeting a provocation with an immediate counterattack was a real man's move. Since they were colleagues in the same crew and it wasn't a life-or-death conflict, settling scores over drinks at the table was entirely reasonable.

Regardless of their thoughts, most people were happy to watch the spectacle, instantly chiming in and egging Zhang Rihui on to accept the challenge.

"Old Zhang, someone's offering a toast and you won't drink?"

"Don't chicken out. If you don't drink this, you'll lose all your face."

"Drink with him. What's there to be afraid of from a little freshman?"

"..."

Between Yan Li's earlier speech and his stance, Zhang Rihui had already been backed into a corner. With everyone else egging him on, he had no choice but to drink.

Downing the glass of wine in one gulp, Zhang Rihui glared fiercely at Yan Li. "Bring it on."

"Refreshing. I'll toast another."

Yan Li drank another cup, Zhang Rihui immediately followed suit, Yan Li poured again, and the latter matched him again.

Initially, Yan Li exchanged a few polite pleasantries, but later he stopped talking entirely, just drinking straight. Cups weren't satisfying enough, so they switched to blowing straight from the bottles.

One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...

Zhang Rihui actually had a decent tolerance for alcohol, but by the time he reached the eighth bottle, he finally couldn't hold it anymore, staggering out of the private room to find the restroom and vomit.

Yan Li followed him to the restroom as well, though he merely went to relieve himself. Returning to the private room, he grabbed another two bottles of beer and approached Bai Hongbiao.

"Teacher Bai, let me toast you a few cups."

Having watched Yan Li continuously down multiple bottles of beer and force Zhang Rihui to vomit, Bai Hongbiao felt a rising sense of dread.

"Yan Li, I was just joking earlier. I didn't mean anything against you."

"I understand. I'm just offering a toast, no other intentions. Drink as much as you can handle."

There was nothing inherently wrong with what Bai Hongbiao had said, but since Yan Li had already started his crusade, he wasn't going to care about right or wrong. Once he opened his mouth, his goal was to knock the person down first.

Yan Li's actions weren't just about reclaiming his dignity; they were also meant to establish dominance—killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, letting these people know he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Better to wrongfully eliminate than to let anyone go!

Helpless, Bai Hongbiao had no choice but to drink along. His alcohol tolerance was much lower, and just over three bottles in, he was shaking his head and waving the white flag.

"I submit, alright? I really can't drink anymore."

Yan Li didn't push him further, grabbed another bottle, and headed toward Binzi. The latter had been waiting eagerly, breaking into a wide grin.

"Brother, my alcohol tolerance is massive."

Without a second word, Yan Li blew straight through a bottle. Binzi gave him a thumbs-up and immediately followed suit.

Binzi wasn't bragging; he could genuinely hold his liquor. Yan Li had the longest drinking duel with him, each downing at least two small crates and making multiple trips to the restroom.

In the end, Yan Li emerged slightly victorious. Binzi couldn't hold it anymore and performed a "fountain display" right there in the private room.

Having consumed so much, Yan Li was actually reaching his absolute limit too.

He was still somewhat sober, but his stomach couldn't take it anymore. In the later stages, he and Binzi were just grinding it out to see who would collapse first.

Yan Li turned his gaze toward the last person, Sun Honglei, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Sun Honglei unhesitatingly blew through a bottle himself.

"Yan Li, I surrender too. Let's chalk up my previous words to having a loose mouth. Let's call it a day here."

Looking at him with a bewildered expression, Yan Li said, "I wasn't even going to toast you. I just wanted to ask what time it was."

Sun Honglei: "..."

Yan Li smiled. He knew the other man was actively giving him a way out.

He wasn't stupid enough to drag his exhausted, beaten-down body into a deathmatch with Sun Honglei. If the other guy wanted to drink, he wouldn't play along; it was better to quit while ahead. If he still felt pent-up anger, he could always recover his strength and block their doors with wine bottles later.

Today, Yan Li felt he had handled things a bit too crudely. He hadn't expected that guy Binzi to be such a bottomless pit, forcing him to tough it out until the bitter end just to save face.

Had he known, he would have picked a fight with someone he disliked and thrown hands directly.

Or perhaps he could have used his intelligence system to set a trap for revenge—something more vicious, like leaking their private matters on the crew set and Tianya forums to ruin their reputations.

He was still too young, after all!

...

Yan Li felt his methods were a bit rough around the edges, but the effect of establishing dominance was undeniably effective, instantly making a name for himself within the "Conquer" crew.

Drinking two crates of bottled beer single-handedly, taking down three strong men, and forcing Sun Honglei to actively surrender—

Whether people liked Yan Li or not, they had to admit: he was a ruthless badass!

This also drastically improved Yan Li's popularity within the "Conquer" crew.

Sometimes, Yan Li couldn't whether to laugh or cry.

When he greeted everyone with a smiling face, they thought he was just a pretty boy with hidden schemes. But when he turned hostile and drank several people until they threw up, many people suddenly felt he fit their exact taste.

Even the ones who had a drinking showdown with him—aside from Zhang Rihui, who still kept his distance—all drastically changed their attitudes.

Bai Hongbiao greeted him with a smile whenever they crossed paths, Sun Honglei started calling him brother, and Binzi sought him out to drink at every given opportunity. The frequency was so high that even Zhou Yiwei grew a little jealous.

However, the person who gave Yan Li the biggest headache was still Jiang Shan.

During that drinking contest, goodness knows what kind of wild scenarios that older sister had cooked up in her head. Her perception of him had warped slightly, viewing this younger brother as both warm and wild.

To the point where Yan Li actively started dodging her these days, vowing to wait until her perception warped back to normal before showing his face again.

————

Yan Li finally got his wish to share a scene with Sun Honglei.

Unlike the "modesty" he showed at the drinking table, Sun Honglei's on-screen presence was overflowing with dominance. Combined with the traits of his character, his aggressiveness was off the charts. Though Yan Li wasn't completely crushed, handling him still proved quite strenuous.

After filming that sequence, Yan Li watched the playback multiple times. Combining it with his own insights from the shoot, he dragged Zhou Yiwei back to dissect and analyze every single detail.

Among their dormitory roommates, Zhang Wenxuan ranked first in the entire class for professional performance classes, and Yan Li ranked second.

The two were close friends in private, but they held certain differing views on acting.

Zhang Wenxuan was a true proponent of the Method school, first constructing a character and then using various techniques to portray them.

Yan Li wasn't too fond of that approach.

Especially with Zhang Wenxuan, Yan Li felt he obsessed too much over technique and lost the fundamentals. He himself leaned more toward the experiential school, or rather, the practical school.

When acting, he placed great emphasis on excavating the character, combining it with his own self, and pursuing the unity of actor and role, while not rejecting certain performance techniques either.

In short, whatever method worked best to deliver a great performance was the one he would use, unbound by any single dogma.

Lin Jiachuan belonged to Yan Li's camp, while Zhou Yiwei leaned closer to Zhang Wenxuan's Method school, though he would still dabble in Yan Li's approach.

Yan Li pulled Zhou Yiwei along to study and savor every nuance. Later on, he simply grabbed a bottle of liquor and went straight to Sun Honglei for guidance.

Sun Honglei didn't hold back either, sharing quite a few of his own experiences and tricks with him.

After running through their scenes together a few more times—deeply contemplating and learning, propelled by the relentless drive and refinement of a top-tier opposing actor—Yan Li's progress became visible to the naked eye.

So much so that Yan Li specifically tracked down Gao Qunshu, asking to reshoot a scene, only to be ruthlessly rejected.

The scene between him and Sun Honglei was set in a large hotel private room, and the rental fee wasn't cheap. The "Conquer" crew was strapped for cash and simply couldn't afford to pursue perfection endlessly.

Feeling somewhat regretful, Yan Li could only double his efforts in the remaining scenes.

Alas, Wu Tian’s scenes were truly limited. Before long, the day of his wrap-up had arrived...

————

ps: This chapter is 4000+ words, basically catching up to two regular chapters. Consider it an apology for yesterday's operational mistake, and by the way, asking for monthly votes!