036 Not a Picky Eater, a "Pretty Boy," and Coming at the Right Time

Although Yan Li had his makeup test on the day he arrived at the set, his first scene wasn't scheduled until the third day—even Zhou Yiwei had started working before him. This was largely because Wu Tian’s role in the series was quite limited.

In the drama *Conquest*, Wu Tian is the first enemy Liu Huaqiang kills to avenge his younger brother. In reality, however, their feud was not deep, and Wu Tian’s death was largely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. According to the plot, the conflict began because Wu Tian opened a video game parlor, while Liu Huaqiang was providing "protection" for a rival establishment, leading to business disputes. Of course, that was only one factor. Additionally, Wu Tian had discarded his mistress, Li Li, who sought revenge by offering Liu Huaqiang 20,000 yuan and sexual favors to teach Wu Tian a lesson.

The combination of business disputes and Li Li’s contract killing led Liu Huaqiang to trash Wu Tian’s parlor, escalating the conflict into a full-blown rivalry. Liu Huaqiang ultimately gained the upper hand, forcing Feng Biao—who was protecting Wu Tian—to submit. Wu Tian eventually bowed to Liu, paying for peace through an intermediary named Zhou Guoquan. From that point on, the two had no further contact, and Wu Tian had nothing to do with the severe injuries sustained by Liu Huaqiang’s brother. However, since Liu Huaqiang did not know the true identity of the real culprit, he intended to eliminate everyone he had a grudge against. Because Wu Tian had a complicated social background and the two had minimal interaction, he was the easiest target to eliminate without alerting the police or causing a stir.

Thus, in *Conquest*, Wu Tian serves more as a catalyst—a character used to introduce Liu Huaqiang’s plan for revenge, his backstory, and the truly ruthless Li Li, who remains a central figure throughout the series.

To Yan Li, Wu Tian only had five significant scenes: asking Zhou Guoquan for help, bowing to Liu Huaqiang, falling out with Zhou Guoquan, breaking up with his mistress Li Li, and finally being shot to death on the street by Liu Huaqiang and his men. Beyond these, there were only a dozen or so scattered, trivial scenes not worth mentioning. If shot consecutively, the entire role could probably be wrapped up in a week; even that would be considered slow. However, Yan Li lacked the star power to dictate the schedule, so he had to accommodate the production’s pace. Even with director Gao Qunshu rushing to save money, it would take at least half a month.

After finishing his makeup, Yan Li arrived on set; today’s scene was the one where he breaks up with Li Li. This was also when he met the biggest star on the *Conquest* set: Jiang Shan.

A few years back, even if Jiang Shan wasn't the hottest actress around, she was certainly a top-tier name in the industry. Especially in the mid-90s, her breakout role in *Don't Ask Me About My Past* made her a household name across the country, sparking a fashion craze. It was said that "no woman hadn't cut her hair in the 'Du Mei' style, and no man hadn't harbored a secret crush on Jiang Shan." Now, nearly a decade later, as she aged, her appearance and figure had inevitably declined; she no longer possessed the stunning, charming allure of Du Mei.

However, she was still a beauty of her generation, and the foundation remained—she could still be described as a woman of lingering charm.

Yan Li had only just joined the crew and had only made one appearance, so Jiang Shan hadn't met him yet. Upon learning that this handsome young man was the "Wu Tian" who was supposed to be her lover in the show, she joked, "Well, I suppose I’m taking advantage of you here—an old cow grazing on tender grass."

"Don't say that. If anyone is taking advantage, it's me," Yan Li replied with a look of sincere honor. "You were the goddess of our school back in the day. If my classmates knew I was acting alongside you, they’d be green with envy."

Jiang Shan laughed, "Haha, you’re quite the charmer."

Yan Li shook his head. "I’m speaking from the heart. If you’d do me the honor of taking a photo with me later, I’ll have something to brag about for a long time."

"That's easy enough."

Everyone loves to hear compliments, regardless of whether they are true or not. Being flattered by such a handsome young man left Jiang Shan in a delightful mood. Yan Li struck while the iron was hot, continuing to heap praise upon her. He kept her laughing, and their rapport grew increasingly friendly. Within half an hour of their first meeting, they were already addressing each other as siblings.

Yan Li’s actions left Zhou Yiwei, who had come to the set to hang out since he had no scenes, feeling anxious. *No way,* he thought. *Jiang Shan is over a decade older than Brother Li—is he really going for it?*

If Sun Honglei knew what he was thinking, he would surely scoff at such rigid notions. *Young people have no experience!* What does it matter if a woman is a bit older? An older woman knows how to cherish you, take care of your daily life, and support your career. Even if being a "kept man" doesn't look good or sound good, it certainly tastes sweet.

Zhou Yiwei clearly couldn’t be so open-minded. Finding an opportunity, he pulled Yan Li aside and stammered, trying to talk him out of it. Yan Li didn’t understand at first, but when he did, he was so angry he nearly kicked him. What kind of person did this kid think he was? Even if he were desperate, he wouldn't be interested in a woman more than ten years his senior. Besides, she was married; if word got out that he was messing with a married woman, what would happen to his reputation?

Yan Li’s goal in flattering Jiang Shan was simple: first, it was a habit—being kind to others made things easier and less troublesome. Second, it was about networking; Jiang Shan was a seasoned veteran with status in the industry, and if they became friends, she might introduce him to opportunities one day. And third, they were about to film a scene where his character would be abusive and even physically aggressive toward her. Although acting is separate from reality, one never knows when they might run into someone narrow-minded. Other people didn't matter, but Jiang Shan was a major star on the set, and Yan Li didn't want to offend her, so he naturally had to lay the groundwork.

Zhou Yiwei finally realized he had misunderstood. But one couldn't blame him for being shocked; he had seen Yan Li’s "talents" firsthand. One of the prettiest girls in their class, Che Xiao, had been hot for Yan Li, and the most beautiful school belle of the 2000 intake, Dong Xuan, was Yan Li’s girlfriend. It was worth noting that Dong Xuan was in the undergraduate program, and at the Beijing Film Academy, there was a clear hierarchy where vocational students were considered a tier below undergraduates. Even so, Yan Li had managed to win Dong Xuan over despite the desperate defenses and blockades set up by the undergraduate boys of the 2000 class and the seniors from the years above. It was a feat of legend.

Even more outrageous was that, later on, Yan Li had quietly gotten the most beautiful girl of the 2001 class, Huang Shengyi, to take the initiative and ask him for guidance on their kissing scenes. If they hadn't been discovered early, or if it hadn't been right before graduation, it was hard to say whether it would have progressed to guidance on bed scenes. Furthermore, when Yan Li and Dong Xuan broke up, his