037 He’s over a decade older—how could Brother Li even bring himself to do that?!

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 started work before him.

This was partly because Wu Tian’s role in the series *Conquest* was quite limited. In the story, 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.

In the plot, the conflict arises because Wu Tian opens an arcade, and Liu Huaqiang is hired to guard a rival arcade, leading to a business dispute. Of course, that was only one reason. Another factor was that Wu Tian had abandoned his mistress, Li Li. Driven by a desire for revenge, she offered Liu Huaqiang 20,000 yuan and the promise of her favors to teach Wu Tian a lesson.

The combination of business friction and Li Li’s contract-killing led Liu Huaqiang to smash up Wu Tian’s arcade, escalating their feud into a series of retaliatory conflicts. Liu Huaqiang eventually gained the upper hand, forcing Feng Biao—the man guarding Wu Tian’s arcade—to submit. Wu Tian also bowed to Liu, paying for his safety through an intermediary named Zhou Guoquan. From that point on, the two had no further dealings, and Wu Tian had nothing to do with the severe injuries sustained by Liu Huaqiang’s brother.

However, since Liu Huaqiang didn't know who the real culprit was, he decided to eliminate everyone with whom he had a grudge. Because Wu Tian’s social background was complicated and their lack of recent contact made him a "safe" target that wouldn't alert the police or stir up trouble, he was chosen as the first to be taken out.

Thus, in *Conquest*, Wu Tian serves more as a catalyst—a device to initiate Liu Huaqiang’s revenge plan, reveal his backstory, and introduce Li Li, the truly ruthless woman who haunts the entire series.

In Yan Li’s view, Wu Tian only has five significant scenes: asking the intermediary Zhou Guoquan for help, paying off Liu Huaqiang to beg for mercy, falling out with Zhou Guoquan, breaking up with his mistress Li Li, and finally being shot to death by Liu Huaqiang and his men on the street. Aside from those, there were only a dozen or so trivial, scattered scenes not worth mentioning. If shot back-to-back, the entire role could probably be wrapped up in a week—or even less.

But Yan Li wasn't a big enough star to dictate the schedule; he had to coordinate with the crew. Even though director Gao Qunshu was rushing the shoot to save money, it would still take at least half a month.

After getting into costume, Yan Li arrived on set. They were filming the scene where he breaks up with Li Li. This was also when Yan Li met the biggest star in the *Conquest* cast: Jiang Shan.

A few years back, even if Jiang Shan wasn't the hottest actress, she was certainly a top-tier name in the industry. Especially in the mid-90s, her breakout role in *Don't Ask Me About Passions* made her a national sensation and a trendsetter. It was said that "no woman hadn't copied her hairstyle, and no man hadn't harbored a secret crush on her." Now, nearly a decade later, the aging Jiang Shan had inevitably lost some of her luster; she was no longer the captivating, youthful beauty she had been in that iconic role.

Still, she was a classic beauty with a solid foundation, and she could still be described as charming and elegant.

As a newcomer, Yan Li had only just appeared on set, and Jiang Shan hadn't met him yet. When she learned that this handsome young man was the "Wu Tian" who would be having an affair with her, she joked, "Well, I guess I’m the one taking advantage this time—an older cow grazing on fresh grass."

"Don't say that. If anyone is taking advantage, it's me," Yan Li replied with an expression of profound 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’ve got a sweet tongue."

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 boast about for years."

"That’s easy."

Everyone loves to hear nice things, regardless of whether they are true. Being flattered by such a handsome young man put Jiang Shan in a wonderful mood. Yan Li struck while the iron was hot, continuing the compliments until Jiang Shan was beaming. Their rapport grew rapidly; within half an hour of meeting, they were already addressing each other as "sister" and "brother."

Zhou Yiwei, who had come to the set to watch despite having no scenes that day, watched this display with heart-thumping anxiety! *No way. Jiang Shan is more than a decade older than Brother Li—he’s actually going for it?!*

If Sun Honglei knew his thoughts, he would surely scoff at such stuffy ideas. *Young people have no experience! So what if she’s older? An older woman knows how to cherish you, take care of your life, and help your career. Being a kept man might not sound dignified, but the benefits are delicious.*

Zhou Yiwei clearly wasn't that open-minded. Finding an opportunity, he pulled Yan Li aside, stammering as he tried to talk him out of it. Yan Li didn't understand at first, but once 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 over a decade his senior. Besides, she was married; if word got out that he was dallying with a married woman, he’d have no face left.

Yan Li’s goal in flattering Jiang Shan was simple: first, it was his habit to be kind to others to avoid unnecessary trouble. Second, it was about networking; Jiang Shan was a senior with status, and building a good relationship might lead to future opportunities. Third, they had scenes coming up where he would have to be cruel and even physically abusive toward her. Although acting is different from reality, you never know when you might run into someone narrow-minded. Jiang Shan was a big star, and Yan Li didn't want to offend her, so he naturally wanted to pave the way in advance.

Zhou Yiwei finally realized he had misunderstood. But it wasn't surprising he was so alarmed, given what he knew of Yan Li. One of the most beautiful girls in their class, Che Xiao, had been hot for Yan Li, and the most beautiful girl of the 2000 intake, Dong Xuan, was Yan Li’s girlfriend.

One had to understand that Dong Xuan was an undergraduate student. At the Beijing Film Academy, there was a clear hierarchy between the vocational students and the undergraduates, with the former often considered inferior. Yet, in that environment, Yan Li had managed to win Dong Xuan’s heart despite the strict vigilance of her undergraduate classmates and seniors. It was a feat of legendary proportions.

Even more outrageous was that later, without a word, Yan Li had the most beautiful girl of the 2001 intake, Huang Shengyi, proactively approach him for "