Chapter 119: Take a Light Bite of the Grass You Left Behind

Before returning to the recording, the show's director called over Meng Ziyi and Li Yitong.

It seemed they were being assigned some individual talent segments.

Bai Liang didn't pay much attention, so he didn't notice that Sister Yanzi had also vanished.

In the director's break room.

"Is this segment okay to play like this? If you have suggestions, we can adjust."

The show "Daily Progress" had previously experienced recording incidents.

Once, due to poor communication, or playing too hard, or artists being overly sensitive, agents had stormed onto the stage and dragged their artists off, declaring a boycott of recording.

Even though they later launched a "blacklist," an incident was still an incident.

Since then, the production team had certainly become more cautious about such matters.

So they had to explain to the agents or those in charge first—even for the sake of show effect.

Hearing this, Meng Ziyi looked expectantly at Sister Yanzi, who nodded confidently, "Of course, our Xiao Bai always plays along well in these things; if you tell him ahead of time, he'll find it boring."

After briefly discussing the segment's content and boundaries, Meng Ziyi hugged Sister Yanzi tightly, "Sister, you're the best!"

Sister Yanzi roughly guessed Meng Ziyi's intentions, but she wasn't optimistic.

Did she really think Xiao Bai was just a slow-witted capybara?

Be careful you don't end up lifting the stone and smashing your own foot, girl~

Trying to understand someone's heart this way might end up trapping you completely.

The recording resumed.

When the lie detector was actually brought onto the stage, Bai Liang showed great interest.

Can this thing really detect lies? High-tech?

He always had strong curiosity about things he hadn't encountered before.

"It really works—the production team tested it themselves, so be careful what you say later," Wang Han sincerely warned.

"Where did you even get this thing?"

"Got it through connections—I'm not entirely sure myself."

It sounded a bit odd, but Bai Liang really wanted to try it out.

The segment was simple: two people asked each other questions.

But while asking, there were cameras, heart rate monitors, bone conduction sensors, and other devices claiming to measure additional metrics—all highly advanced, making it impossible to hide any lie.

After all the preliminary equipment was set up, Bai Liang's look had a cyberpunk vibe.

Several wires connected to patches stuck to his body, plus cameras and other gear; opposite him, Meng Ziyi looked much the same.

From now on, neither of you can lie.

Whoever lies, the machine will beep beep beep.

"Now begin—take turns asking each other questions!"

The two stared at each other; the atmosphere on set grew suddenly serious.

"Ladies first."

After saying this, the machine didn't beep; Bai Liang felt this was affirmation of his gentlemanly manners.

Meng Ziyi blinked her eyes, "Who do you think is the most beautiful in the 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' crew?"

"You."

The machine didn't beep; the hosts immediately started cheering, and someone urged, "Any more explosive questions? This is a rare chance!"

Now it was Bai Liang's turn; he thought for a moment, "Do you think you're the most beautiful girl in the entertainment industry?"

"Of course not."

"Beep beep beep beep beep!"

"Okay, I think I am~" Meng Ziyi lowered her head shyly, effectively portraying a young girl's slight vanity and bashfulness.

But Bai Liang felt there was some acting in it, though he didn't think much of it.

Meng Ziyi: "How tall are you?"

Bai Liang: "One point eight five meters."

"Beep beep beep beep beep!"

"Wow. One point eight four five meters."

After several rounds, the lie detector's effectiveness seemed confirmed, and the "boundaries" of their conversation gradually rose.

Until the question

"Do you like me?"

This time, Bai Liang didn't answer quickly; instead, he seemed to be thinking, while Meng Ziyi's expression visibly tightened.

Meanwhile, the audience cooperated by falling utterly silent, holding their breath.

All eyes were fixed on Bai Liang, waiting for his answer.

"I don't like you," Bai Liang said, not looking at Meng Ziyi, but staring at the lie detector, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Beep beep beep beep beep!"

The lie detector beeped like a groundhog, and the live audience erupted.

"Oooooh~~~"

At that moment, Bai Liang's face first showed a tiny smile, then immediately shifted to an exasperated expression; he rubbed his head and made a surrender gesture:

"I like you, I like you."

The lie detector fell silent as a chicken.

But Meng Ziyi stared straight at him, forgetting the rule of taking turns, "How much do you like me?"

Bai Liang seemed to have given up on "struggling." The bear shrugged: "I want to get married." The lie detector still showed no reaction, but Meng Ziyi's response was intense.

Her face had turned so red it was almost unbearable to look at.

"Alright, alright, no need to ask anymore!"

Wang Han walked up to the two of them with a smug, auntie-like smile, then turned mysteriously to the audience: "Actually, our lie detector isn't that advanced. But just like on April Fools' Day, many people use joking as an excuse to speak their true feelings. Xiao Meng, show them."

Meng Ziyi, slightly embarrassed, pulled out a tiny remote controller.

She pressed it, and the lie detector beeped again—beep-beep-beep.

The lie detector's result didn't matter; what mattered was the person's reaction.

If Bai Liang believed it, then what he said was the truth!

Whether he believed it or not didn't matter to the production team, because the show's effect had already been achieved.

It didn't matter to the crew either—their only goal was to stir up the CP.

But it mattered a lot to Meng Ziyi! And she felt she had already figured it out!

After the recording ended, this Miss rejected Li Yitong's suggestion to go to the night market.

This book's latest update is ##!! Updated!

"It's still early~ Where are you going?" Li Yitong wore an expression as if to say, Don't be such a buzzkill.

Meng Ziyi switched to her squeaky voice, sneaking a glance at Bai Liang, who was still chatting with Wang Han: "Hehe, I'm just going to nibble on some old grass."

"I give up!"

For such a powerful reason, there was absolutely no room to refute it.

But Li Yitong became curious too: "What do you mean by 'nibbling'? I'm so curious~"

"Just for a while, I'm still a bit scared—some things are too early for me."

Twenty-five-year-old Li Yitong didn't want to discuss age with her; she just thought twenty was such a beautiful age!

You didn't need to think too much—once you had the impulse, you dared to act.

Even if it was some absurd move.

She felt she'd gained new insight—she'd never seen anyone "date" like this before.

Indirect dating, break up on schedule, right? No holding each other back in your careers~

Hmm… suddenly, it didn't seem so bad!

In the entertainment industry, dating and marriage were both very troublesome, especially for two artists.

Emotions were hard to predict—like a breeze, they came and went without warning.

Ordinary people could break up or divorce, but for artists, their commercial value rested on themselves; once they had a partner, whether dating or married, their commercial values would inevitably become somewhat entangled.

Once the entanglement ran deep, sometimes you couldn't even untangle it.

That's why some "loving" couples in the industry, even after having divorced for a long time, still kept doing joint promotions and showing off their affection.

It's all about profit!

Together, they made more money than separately—so even without feelings, they had to grit their teeth and keep performing.

For female stars, it was even worse—not everyone was a treasure who could climb higher in their career through marriage.

Nor was everyone like Yang Mi, whose career wasn't affected at all by marriage.

For most female artists, dating or marrying led to one outcome: career stagnation.

A dramatic fall was common.

"Damn it, I actually started understanding you—and I think your way isn't so bad," Li Yitong said helplessly, rubbing her forehead.

"Right~ I thought so too! I'm a little genius!"

Li Yitong said nothing, because she felt she'd just discovered a massive bug.

She needed time to think it through carefully.

After returning to the hotel, Meng Ziyi freshened up a bit, then crept into Bai Liang's room like a thief.

She'd gotten the keycard from Sister Yanzi; the strange look Yanzi gave her when handing it over, she interpreted as teasing.

It was kind of embarrassing, but she still blushed and asked for it.

Strike boldly!

Better early than lucky—she arrived just as Bai Liang was showering.

Listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom, she couldn't help recalling what had happened on set before.

On the slippery bathroom tiles, her whole body pinned down, forced half-unwillingly into the pose of a giant frog sprawled out.

Just thinking about it made her feel ashamed.

But think a little more, and a strange heat rose in her chest.

It was confusing, strange.

Her mind resisted such "ugly" behavior, finding it humiliating—but her body's instincts didn't seem to agree.

She felt she'd been influenced by Bai Liang—who could have imagined that his gentle, ordinary self transformed completely in those moments?

Dominant, possessive—as if he wanted to control every inch of her body.

"Stop zoning out. What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?!"

Bai Liang stepped out wrapped in a towel, barefoot, water still dripping down his muscles as if tracing their contours.

That familiar dominance and sensuality hit her all at once, making her instinctively hold her breath.

Especially when that large hand brushed her back, slowly tracing down her spine…

Her throat couldn't help letting out a muffled sound—as if expelling all her pent-up frustration and reason.

The next second, she curled up like a kitten, her big eyes misty, her voice sticky and soft: "You're too mean to me…"

"I've actually been very gentle with you~"

"Where is it? And the socks, the socks aren't off yet."

"Keep the socks on, no need to take them off."

(End of this chapter)