Those few people were ignored, but remembering Li Yan’s bravery just now, they didn’t dare say anything, just looked toward their leader. Chen Wu waved his hand, signaling them to step aside, and personally escorted the two to the elevator.

"Are you... Boss Li?" Nicholas wasn’t familiar with Li Yan, but remembered seeing him at the film opening ceremony, and vaguely noticed him talking to Qiao Pan in the morning.

"Yes, sorry, I didn’t expect this situation, causing inconvenience for them."

"It’s nothing. Already sorted out?" Nicholas didn’t expect Li Yan to come so quickly. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did you give them money?"

"Yes, but it wasn’t me who gave them money. They refunded the protection fees from before, and added a bit more to treat everyone to tea for today’s incident," Li Yan casually told him.

Coming out of the elevator, Nicholas was still a bit skeptical. When they reached the car, he still asked, "Is what you said true?"

"True. I injured at least six or seven of them," Li Yan answered seriously.

Nicholas had seen them supporting each other earlier when he came up, so he somewhat believed Li Yan’s words. But he still frowned slightly and said, "You might have stopped them for a moment, but you can’t guard here every day. They might not dare to touch me, but disrupting the crew’s filming wouldn’t be hard."

"Don’t worry! I’ve dealt with their boss. Honestly, I really appreciate your loyalty. If the box office exceeds a hundred million, even if I don’t give you a share, I’ll definitely treat you to dinner!" Li Yan was serious at the beginning, but was half-joking at the end.

Nicholas also laughed. Since the boss claimed to have handled it, he didn’t have to worry about the specifics. "Haha, let’s talk about it when it exceeds a hundred million. With you saying that, the pressure on us is quite big."

...

When Nicholas was sent back to the set, everyone was preparing to start work, but there wasn’t much enthusiasm. It wasn’t until they saw Nicholas return safely, and Li Yan, through Qiao Pan, announced the result, that all the crew members relaxed. They didn’t expect an apology or a treat from those collecting protection money; they just wanted to work without hassle.

Qiao Pan had met Li Yan and Wen Qianyi together, and felt lucky about his management at Heavenly Film. So, while he cherished and appreciated his role, he also saw his responsibility over crew matters as natural, thinking Li Yan stepping in would be an outsider directing insiders.

However, today, with such a sudden situation, Li Yan daringly going alone to the enemy’s territory already inspired admiration. And now, bringing people back easily and even demanding a compensation of ten thousand yuan added to Qiao Pan’s regard for Li Yan, no longer viewing him as just a stroke of luck, someone who rose quickly.

The crew continued filming, with Li Yan telling Qiao Pan to contact him directly if anything came up, then leaving to return to the company.

Back in the office, Li Yan looked at the gift from Wang Jiaqi that he brought back—a pearl necklace of considerable value. This made him a bit puzzled, as it was meant for his sister-in-law, but he wasn’t sure which sister-in-law!

In terms of formal status or matching this pearl necklace, Zhang Yurong was the perfect choice. But as someone knowledgeable, giving it to her would make Li Yan face questions about its origin. From a friend? What kind of friend gives such an expensive gift? This would lead to questions about the friend’s background. What friend? A thief? Could he say that? A wealthy person? How could he know such wealthy friends? Thus, he’d have to explain his own background...

To avoid such hassle, either he waits for an opportunity to give it to Zhang Yurong or gives it to someone else. Actually, the perfect person to wear this complementarily would be Wen Qianyi. Although not as wealthy as Zhang Yurong, she is far more trendy and fashionable. If given to her, it would be easier to explain, as she’s aware of Li Yan’s secret identity. But how would she explain it to others? Her income could justify buying luxury goods worth tens of thousands, but millions would exceed her capacity. If people thought she was being kept by a tycoon, it would be troublesome.

Hai Fu is also suitable to wear it. But similarly inconvenient; if she discovered its true value, wouldn’t she worry herself to death? She’d surely think Li Yan did something terrible to get it.

Others were simply unsuitable. If Huang Ying knew its value, she certainly wouldn’t accept it, and if he lied about its worth, taking it out could actually harm her; Li Jie... would she even wear a necklace? With her androgynous style, would she suit wearing it? Yue Yao wouldn’t even have the opportunity to wear it; Yu Xiaodi and Qiao Huanxuan would also present complications in explaining its origins...

After contemplation, Li Yan decided to put the thought aside, tidying it away, so Jiang Xueyin wouldn’t notice it and think it worthless, casually taking it away or even asking for it, which would be a loss.

At the end of the day, a phone call lifted Li Yan’s spirits!

It was from Li Jie, asking Li Yan to treat her to dinner. Dinner was feasible, though lunch would be more convenient. But knowing Li Jie wouldn’t make such a request lightly, turning it down might mean she’d never ask again. So he playfully said, "I helped you today, so shouldn’t you be treating me? Besides, aren’t you afraid I might take advantage of you after dinner?"

Then, Li Jie said something that really piqued his interest: "I’ve helped you more! If you want to know the latest intel on Yu Xiaodi..."

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