CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 136 THE STUBBORN MOVIE EMPEROR LI

Lai Shenyan rather ungracefully propped his long legs on the dressing table. "I’m really curious to see what those old men in the Lai Family will look like when they’re angry!"

"You just don’t want to play by anyone else’s rules," Fen Du pointed out his true inner thoughts.

"Give me my phone. I’m going to post an update and confront those idiots head-on."

Fen Du didn’t move. "First, tell me what you intend to post."

"I love Fu Bing!" Lai Shenyan shamelessly replied.

"If you want all the platforms to crash, then post it! If you want Qin Jinhai to strangle you even as a ghost, go ahead and send it!"

Fen Du was so irritated he got a headache.

This little ancestor was just as difficult to deal with as Qin Jinhai; once he made up his mind, not even a team of oxen could pull him back.

"Give me my phone, hurry up!" Lai Shenyan softened his tone and acted coquettishly.

A man nearly 1.9 meters tall with a model’s face, pinching his voice and acting coquettish—it was utterly disgusting.

Fen Du threw the phone at him and left. Out of sight, out of mind, he thought.

In the past, he was deathly afraid of Qin Jinhai, begging and pleading with all his might in hopes of never encountering him.

Now, he actually hoped Qin Jinhai would show up. At least with Jinhai by Fu Bing’s side, the little ancestor in the dressing room might not go completely mad.

Lai Shenyan composed a message, quite pleased with it, and sent it out.

Fen Du heard the notification sound and resignedly took out his phone, wondering what kind of mischief this ancestor was up to now.

Upon seeing the content, Fen Du almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Lai Shenyan, if you don’t want to do this anymore, just say so! I don’t want to be tied to you this tightly either!"

Lai Shenyan raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to jump ship? No way! You’ve been tied tightly to me for ages! When I die, I’ll even have to reserve a spot next to me for you!"

Fen Du’s mind was filled with a silent ’FML’.

These past few days, netizens were like badgers in a melon patch, buzzing over the trending topics every day.

"Did I miss some juicy gossip? What’s the connection between Film Emperor Lai and Film Empress Fu? What on earth is Lai Shenyan trying to pull with this stunt?"

"Right now, I’m more concerned about whether Film Emperor Lai has broken up with his girlfriend. He’s really burning his bridges here; there’s no way his girlfriend wouldn’t have an opinion!"

Lai Shenyan was considered an anomaly in the entertainment industry. He landed the male lead in his very first drama and had great chemistry with the female lead, Liang Siyun.

After filming wrapped, they officially announced their relationship.

Their relationship had been very stable over the years, and they had even bought a marital home a while back.

With this latest stunt, was Film Emperor Lai no longer worried about affording baby formula?

Fu Bing saw Lai Shenyan’s Weibo post the night she returned to Jiangnan.

"I, Lai Shenyan, really like Fu Bing. I will always keep my schedule clear for Fu Bing! Until she agrees to work with me! No director, no script, no camera—it doesn’t matter. There are always more solutions than problems!"

The accompanying picture showed Lai Shenyan looking provocatively at the camera.

Fu Bing was completely bewildered; she didn’t remember ever having any interaction with Lai Shenyan.

Yet, he was willing to stand against half the film and television industry for her.

Wu Shi sat down beside her, glanced at Lai Shenyan’s Weibo post, and asked, "Why are you spacing out?"

Fu Bing was pulled back to her senses by his voice. "I don’t understand his motive for taking a stand at this particular time. I have absolutely no connection with him. I’m wondering if this is some kind of setup by Lai Shenyan."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because there are too many interests tied to him. Right now, he’s a lot like I was at my peak, with countless endorsements and film offers. A stunt like this on Weibo is very likely to anger his investors. He’s the one who initiated this, so he’s at fault. If this isn’t handled well, not only could his career be ruined, but he might also end up with massive debts."

Fu Bing spoke rationally, "I’ve never even met him, yet he’s taking such a huge risk to choose me. I can only assume he must have a bigger agenda."

She wasn’t in a position to refuse anyone who supported her, whether publicly or privately.

Still, she hadn’t expected someone of Lai Shenyan’s caliber.

Wu Shi wanted to strangle Lai Shenyan. He was still so reckless in his actions.Such a thing would never happen with a sensible adult.By so openly supporting Fu Bing, he had offended others, and Fu Bing would also doubt his motives.

"What do you plan to do? Are you going to reject his support?"

"I’ll accept it. Rather than doubting his intentions, it’s better to accept his support first. I’ll eventually figure out his true purpose as we interact."

After nearly half an hour of searching, Fu Bing finally found Lai Shenyan’s contact information and called him without hesitation.

"Film Emperor Lai, hello, this is Fu Bing. Thank you for being willing to support me; I’m very touched."

"No need to be touched. I’m just repaying a debt of gratitude."

"A debt? I don’t remember us ever meeting."

"Qin Jinhai once saved me. Now that he’s gone, I have no one to repay, so I can only repay you," Lai Shenyan said, evidently thinking his reasoning was impeccable.

Fu Bing’s expression stiffened; she hadn’t expected to hear Qin Jinhai’s name from Lai Shenyan.

"His relatives are still around. It’s not my place to accept such a significant favor."

"He only acknowledged you, and I only acknowledge you. You have to accept, whether you want to or not. Otherwise, I’ll have shouldered over a billion in debt for you for nothing. Besides, my girlfriend will probably break up with me."

"With such a troublesome boyfriend, if she doesn’t break up, what’s she keeping you for? The New Year?" Fu Bing’s tone carried a hint of polite, social amusement.

Lai Shenyan truly was as the rumors described. Blunt and straightforward, unwilling to think too hard, Fu Bing mused. However, someone without brains couldn’t possibly interpret characters so accurately. There was only one possibility then: the persona he showed was his public image, not the real him!

Lai Shenyan roared with laughter at her words. "You’re more interesting than I imagined. Can’t talk now; my girlfriend just walked in with a thunderous expression. Just wait for me in Jiangnan, the guy drowning in debt."

With that, he immediately hung up.

Liang Siyun stared at Lai Shenyan, tears welling in her eyes.

"If you like Fu Bing, you could have just told me directly! I can accept a breakup! What are you doing now? In the eyes of outsiders, your choice is our choice! You can go to Fu Bing; she’ll still give you great opportunities! But what about me? My acting career is being forcibly ended!"

She loved acting; she was passionate about it.

But she lacked talent and could only improve slowly, one role at a time.

And now, Lai Shenyan was about to bring a devastating blow to her career.

Lai Shenyan said calmly, "What I’m doing might not necessarily be a bad thing for you; it could be a new opportunity."

"What am I supposed to do if I go there? Watch my man pursue another woman?"

"Fu Bing has someone in her heart, and that person can’t possibly be me!"

"So, you mean you’re interested in her, but you staged this whole drama because you were afraid she wouldn’t choose you?" Liang Siyun struggled to suppress her anger and sorrow.

Their years together hadn’t been easy, and Lai Shenyan wasn’t like other men in the industry who loved to play around indiscriminately.

In all the years they’d been together, he had never been involved in any scandals with female staff or artists.

She had thought she’d chosen a good man. Who could have guessed? He simply looked down on those other women; the one he truly had his sights on was Fu Bing!