046 To cherish the blossoms, one must learn to prepare before the storm.

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Capital City, Jimenli Residential Complex

Guan Yue helped Dong Xuan carry the packed suitcase to the house rented by Yan Li, where the latter planned to stay until leaving the capital.

Hearing the noise, Yan Li came out of the bedroom, poured two glasses of water, and said to Guan Yue,
"Take a break, don’t rush to leave. Later, help her pack my luggage too."

"I owe you both," Guan Yue said.

Guan Yue was so angry she nearly spilled the water in her cup on Yan Li’s face. Helping Dong Xuan was one thing—they were close friends—but why help that bastard?

"I’m cooking. I just perfected a new dish," Yan Li said.

Thinking of Yan Li’s cooking skills, Guan Yue swallowed back her anger and unconsciously swallowed her saliva.

"I… I’m only doing this for Old Dong’s sake," she admitted.

Yan Li ignored her and continued instructing Dong Xuan, "Don’t bring too many clothes. Just remember to bring a jacket. October is coming soon, and it’s going to get chilly on set."

Guan Yue overheard this and looked surprised at Yan Li, "You’re going too?"

"Of course," Yan Li replied.

Yan Li looked at her oddly. "It’s her first time joining a production. She knows nothing and will be all alone. I have to go look after her."

Yan Li had learned from the system that Dong Xuan was somewhat scared and really wanted him to accompany her, so he planned to go along.

He wouldn’t stay the whole time!

But ten or fifteen days would be enough for Dong Xuan to acclimate to the crew and stabilize mentally. He would return after that.

Dong Xuan embraced Yan Li with a blissful expression, feeling a little regretful.

She had been so focused on being angry at that yellow-haired vixen earlier that she forgot to show off this part.

But it wasn’t too late; she could still tell Guan Yue to pass the message back.

So, Dong Xuan added proactively, "Yan Li turned down a supporting male role in order to spend time with me. He’s only playing a minor part with few scenes."

Yan Li rebutted, "It’s because I don’t like that role, not because of you."

"Alright, alright," Dong Xuan said with a knowing look, "I know guys are all about pride. Fine, I’ll listen to you."

Yan Li was helpless. It was not entirely untrue that this had nothing to do with Dong Xuan, but the main reason was that Yan Li disliked that character.

The production they were talking about was the costume drama *Treasure Basin*, currently in production by Cheng Lidong, whom Yan Li had helped before.

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Cheng Lidong kept his word and sent the *Treasure Basin* script afterward, saying Yan Li could pick any role except the male lead.

However, after reading the script, Yan Li realized that except for the male lead Shen Wansan, all the substantial male roles were basically antagonists, serving only to highlight the protagonist.

The two with the most scenes were Zhu Yuanzhang and Su Bancheng.

One was a sworn brother turned jealous rival who fell out with the protagonist, the other a lifelong competitor who was despicably unscrupulous.

Cheng Lidong hinted that Su Bancheng’s role required an older actor, leaving only Zhu Yuanzhang.

But Yan Li was not interested in the character’s plot or portrayal.

Zhu Yuanzhang, after all, was the founding emperor of a dynasty, but in *Treasure Basin* he was written as a petty, narrow-minded villain obsessed with profit and lacking any imperial dignity. Even the hooligan thugs in *Conquest* had more charisma.

Previously, during the filming of *Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties*, the storyline about Yuwen Chengdu disgusted Yan Li deeply.

This gave him a psychological aversion to roles that grossly distort historical figures.

After confirming that *Treasure Basin* would not significantly revise the script and with the timing conflicting with his commitment to accompany Dong Xuan, Yan Li skipped the role of Zhu Yuanzhang and chose a minor antagonist role, Song Dian.

This was also a villain, with an unappealing storyline and character, but an original creation.

This reflected Yan Li’s attitude: he didn’t mind playing villains or bad characters, but he refused to disgrace a real historical figure without limits.

He couldn’t control everything, but he could avoid being an accomplice.

Of course, Yan Li had to admit that *Treasure Basin* neither triggered future intelligence nor had a refined script or strong production team, making him think the drama would neither flop nor become a hit.

He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic; taking the role was purely to maintain good relations with Cheng Lidong.

Having performed in *Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties* and *Conquest*, successfully launched Dong Xuan as the female lead in *Snowflake Goddess Dragon*, and made steady progress in the stock market, Yan Li was increasingly confident.

He no longer accepted every role indiscriminately like during *Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties*, but began "choosing roles."

As the saying goes, starring in one hit drama is worth several or even a dozen ordinary ones.

Ordinary actors can’t tell which show will succeed, so they take whatever they can to try their luck. Yan Li, having the system, could strategically select roles, naturally opting for cost-effective choices.

However, from Dong Xuan’s perspective, this was just Yan Li’s "lame excuse." In reality, it was all for her.

He really loved me!

Even Guan Yue, misled by this, began to think Yan Li was tough on the outside but softhearted, and even started to envy her best friend for the first time.

Although that scoundrel had made mistakes before, he had corrected himself and grown more mature. Though he insisted they wouldn’t get back together, he constantly made plans for Dong Xuan, surpassing most boyfriends she knew.

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At this moment, Yan Li thought of something and delivered another sharp jab to Guan Yue’s heart.

"So, how are things between you and Tong Dawei?"

Guan Yue: "..."

Dong Xuan couldn’t help but pinch Yan Li secretly, telling him not to bring up painful topics.

Earlier this month, Tong Dawei’s benefactor, Boss Shi, was officially arrested by the authorities.

When the fall came, everyone pushed him down. Once he was in custody, many scandals related to him began to spread, and Tong Dawei was dragged into the mess.

Although Tong Dawei’s fame was still limited and he hadn’t attracted media attention, rumors circulated that Boss Shi liked to support young male artists and had close relationships with them.

How could Guan Yue not worry? Their relationship, already nearly sealed, stalled.

"Well, young artists have it tough in this industry. Sometimes they have no choice. The guy’s a good person; I advise you to be cautious," Yan Li said, still speaking up for Tong Dawei.

Beyond everything else, he was genuinely sincere toward Guan Yue.

This wasn’t just Yan Li’s observation but also information from the system. Tong truly liked Guan Yue.

Now that Boss Shi was gone, if Tong Dawei wasn’t deeply implicated, he could be free of constraints, and since his prospects were promising, letting go would be a pity.

Most importantly, if Yan Li could help him now, he would owe a big favor.

If something happened between Yan Li and Dong Xuan later, he could persuade Guan Yue and help smooth things over.

As the saying goes, “Be prepared for the future by taking precautions now.” It’s better to plan ahead than to scramble at the last minute.

Yan Li persuaded, and Dong Xuan stood by him, joining in the counsel.

She also thought well of Tong Dawei, considering him honest and good to Guan Yue. It was a pity they had parted.

She even reflected on herself—if she and Yan Li had broken up completely in a fit of anger before, that vixen might have won, and she wouldn’t be enjoying this sweet life now.

"I’ll think about it," Guan Yue said quietly.

Back then, when Yan Li was involved with Huang Shengyi, she urged Dong Xuan to break up. Now the situation had landed on her, and it wouldn’t be easy to resolve.

Just thinking about it made Guan Yue angry; she feared comparison.

No matter what Yan Li said, his cheating involved a woman—a top beauty from the Beijing Film Academy—which in some way proved he was a catch.

But Tong Dawei... she simply couldn’t describe how she felt about him...