041 The Beijing Film Academy Class of 2002 Freshmen and Goddess of Snow Flower

Yan Li returned to the capital alone.

It wasn't because he was enraged and abandoned Zhou Yiwei, but rather because the latter's scenes had not yet wrapped up.

As mentioned earlier, that police officer role played by Zhou Yiwei had even more scenes than Yan Li's, but most of them were merely background filler with a low sense of presence.

Therefore, when Yan Li finished his scenes and headed back to the capital, Zhou Yiwei still had to stay and continue shooting, estimated to return around October.

With Zhou Yiwei away, and Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan also yet to return, Yan Li was left entirely by himself at home. It felt empty and a bit lonely.

However, soon enough, Dong Xuan caught wind of the news and dragged Guan Yue along with another close friend, Yin Xu, to welcome him back and throw a celebratory dinner.

Now in September, the Beijing Film Academy had already commenced its semester, and the three of them had checked out of their rented apartment to move back into the dormitories.

Dong Xuan and Guan Yue had previously worked on some sets and played minor extras, but they had never spent a prolonged period on a serious crew playing important roles, so they were extremely curious about life on a film set.

During the meal, the group of them bombarded Yan Li with all sorts of questions about the behind-the-scenes fun of shooting *Conquest*.

*Conquest* was a small production, and neither the director Gao Qunshu nor the male lead Sun Honglei possessed much fame.

The only person worth mentioning was Jiang Shan, who had been quite popular back in the day.

Hearing that Yan Li shared opposing scenes with Jiang Shan and had built a rather good rapport with her, Guan Yue and Yin Xu looked on with deep envy.

"Teacher Jiang is particularly fond of Yan Li and even took him in as her younger brother."

Dong Xuan proudly showed off. She and Yan Li frequently exchanged phone calls and text messages, so she was well aware of his relationship with Jiang Shan, and had even nagged Yan Li to get an autographed photo of Jiang Shan for her.

Yan Li remained silent, quietly focusing on his meal.

When he first asked for the autograph, he and Jiang Shan were indeed playing the roles of older sister and younger brother, but who would have thought things would later deteriorate and transform into something else.

It was fortunate that Dong Xuan had no idea; otherwise, she would have torn Jiang Shan and the autographed photo to shreds together...

Aside from inquiring about the *Conquest* crew, the young women also began chatting about the newly enrolled freshmen of the Class of 2002.

Compared to previous years, this year's freshman class featured a quite famous girl rumored to be the actress playing Wang Yuyan in Zhang Jizhong's *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*.

How many Beijing Film Academy students could consider themselves doing well if they managed to land a male or female lead role a few years after graduation? Even more struggled just to secure a stable livelihood, fighting tooth and nail through hardships.

Yet this girl, before even attending classes, was already the female lead of a Jin Yong drama. One could easily imagine how she became an instant sensation at the academy the moment the semester started.

"The freshman, what's her name?"

Hearing that it was the actress playing Wang Yuyan from *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, Yan Li's interest was also piqued. This drama had previously appeared in the future intelligence section of the [Monthly Intelligence], and it was said to carry massive influence. This girl was bound to become a star.

"What are you up to?"

To Yan Li's surprise, his casual remark drew strong reactions from Dong Xuan, Guan Yue, and the others, who all cast wary glances at him.

Yan Li was left speechless: "You guys brought up the topic, aren't I allowed to ask out of curiosity?"

"Anyone else asking would be fine, but not you."

Guan Yue spoke in a firm tone, and Yin Xu quickly piled on: "A certain someone has already ruthlessly victimized a freshman from the Class of 2001. If this person still has a shred of conscience left for their alma mater, they should leave a pure and untainted land for the Class of 2002."

Yan Li laughed in exasperation: "If you put it that way, I really do want to get to know the little junior anyway, since I'm single."

The deliberate emphasis on the last few words made the women suddenly remember that Yan and Dong had not yet officially reconciled as a couple.

Dong Xuan, sitting nearby, could no longer sit still. Yan Li was like a horse whose fur needed to be stroked in the right direction; he responded well to softness rather than force.

When he was in a good mood, he would play along with anything. Even if she was jealous, acting unreasonable, or deliberately making things difficult for him, he would accept it with a cheerful smile. But if his stubborn temper flared up, pressing him too hard might yield the exact opposite effect—the more you forbade him from doing something, the more determined he would be to do it.

Quickly signaling her close friends with her eyes to hold their tongues, Dong Xuan picked up some food for Yan Li and gently smoothed things over with a soft voice.

"Don't talk nonsense. She isn't even an adult yet; I heard she just turned 15."

"Taking the college entrance exams at such a young age?"

Yan Li wasn't genuinely angry. He still had enough self-awareness to know that he was indeed the one who had acted despicably back then, so it was completely normal for Dong Xuan and the others to react so strongly.

He had merely used offense as a defense earlier, executing a clever escape to prevent these young women from piling on with mockery and seizing the opportunity to collectively assault the unfaithful man.

Therefore, the moment Dong Xuan spoke up, Yan Li readily stepped down the slope she provided and steered the conversation back to the freshmen.

Dong Xuan clearly didn't know much: "Word is she got in through special recruitment, but we aren't entirely sure."

Yan Li looked thoughtful: "What's her name?"

"Liu Yifei."

Yan Li paused to search his memories, but he had never heard of the name, nor had it ever surfaced in the intelligence system, so he simply dismissed it and stopped dwelling on it.

Compared to this unfamiliar freshman junior, Yan Li cared far more about Dong Xuan's affairs.

"Did you get in touch with that film crew I told you about?"

Dong Xuan shook her head: "I still couldn't find them."

Yan Li looked slightly puzzled: "That shouldn't be the case."

In September, he had received a new batch of [Monthly Intelligence]. Perhaps due to his frequent contact with Dong Xuan, it had triggered a piece of future entertainment intelligence related to her—

*Snow Flower and the Sacred Knight*

The intelligence indicated that this might be Dong Xuan's debut breakout role, and she was expected to use this drama to instantly skyrocket to fame and become a popular young starlet.

Upon receiving this intelligence, Yan Li was both happy for Dong Xuan and eager to contact her, urging her to submit her resume and audition for the crew so she wouldn't have future opportunities snatched away by others.

Future intelligence did not guarantee absolute smooth sailing; since Yan Li could intercept opportunities from others, it was equally possible that his own influence could cause Dong Xuan to lose her role to someone else.

This was known as the [Butterfly Effect], which Yan Li had specifically looked up online.

In truth, Yan Li had never quite figured out whether the system's future intelligence referred to a timeline where nothing had yet been altered, or the actual future shaped by the system's interventions.

Up to now, the future intelligence had never once mentioned Yan Li himself, and he often wondered if his own future would one day pop up in the intelligence reports as well.

However, given the limited amount of future intelligence information at his disposal, coupled with the fact that Yan Li found these convoluted spacetime theories utterly baffling, he eventually gave up and left the matter unresolved.

No matter what, as long as anything was tagged with the word [Future], it was a net profit; everything else could take care of itself.

Yan Li was usually cautious and meticulous, but occasionally he possessed a streak of reckless, devil-may-care stubbornness.

Mostly, he had no other choice. Other matters were manageable, but a bizarre entity like the system was truly beyond his capacity to manipulate, leaving him with no option but to passively accept it...

To return to *Snow Flower and the Sacred Knight*, after obtaining the intelligence, Yan Li had instructed Dong Xuan to seek out the production crew and submit her resume for auditions, yet the latter had searched everywhere without finding any trace of such a crew.

Logically speaking, the probability of this happening was extremely low.

Nowadays, information dissemination was convenient—print media, mobile phones, and the internet all made it easy to track down projects. Unless it was a completely amateur, fly-by-night small crew, any production that had made even the slightest noise would generate some whispers within the industry.

Had it not been officially registered yet?

Or were Dong Xuan and her friends simply limited by their lack of channels?

Yan Li figured the former was unlikely. The intelligence indicated that *Snow Flower and the Sacred Knight* would premiere next year, and since it was already the latter half of the year, it was impossible that the project hadn't been greenlit yet.

It was likely still an issue with Dong Xuan and her friends lacking proper channels since they were merely students with virtually no connections.

"I'll go ask around later."

Yan Li decided to take matters into his own hands. His network of connections far surpassed Dong Xuan's, not to mention his ultimate weapon—the intelligence system.

Early the next morning, gently brushing aside the smooth, fair lotus-root-like arm draped across his neck, Yan Li adjusted into a comfortable sleeping posture, wrapped his arms around Dong Xuan, and mentally activated the system.

Ah, the system truly was considerate; there was no need to go around asking anymore.

[Daily Intelligence 1: The crew of the television series *A Mother's Search* feels the title sounds too harsh and unappealing, and is currently considering changing the title, tentatively renamed *Snow Flower and the Sacred Knight*...]

No wonder they hadn't been able to find it; it turned out *Snow Flower and the Sacred Knight* was a later title change.

That name change was spot on; a dreadful title like *A Mother's Search* made one lose interest the moment they heard it.

[Daily Intelligence 2: Li Peng, the producer of *A Mother's Search*, is currently in deep distress because the originally scheduled female lead, Alyssa Chia, has ultimately dropped out due to reasons concerning compensation, shooting schedule length, and filming locations... With principal photography about to begin, someone suggested that Li Peng visit the Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama to see if there are any suitable new faces—actresses who possess good looks, understand acting, demand low compensation, and can endure hardship...]

[...]

Flipping through the related intelligence, Yan Li gradually formed a plan. He lowered his head and kissed Dong Xuan awake, eliciting a soft, whiny murmur of spoiled affection as she nuzzled into his embrace.

"I really can't take anymore. My lower back is aching. Tonight—no, can we do it tomorrow?"

Yan Li: "..."

One had to admit, the older sister type was far more durable and much more open to play along with whatever tossing about...