Chapter 123: Harvesting a Heartbroken Girl

In fact, Li Xin herself was also a bit confused.

The casting for the drama "Chu Qiao Zhuan" was already more than half done, and she had landed the role of Princess Yuan Chun, the female second lead.

To be honest, she felt a bit bitter inside.

Zhao Liying had played Xing Xiuyan in her debut drama, "The New Dream of the Red Chamber," back then.

But Li Xin herself had played Xue Baochai.

Now the tide had turned, and she could only play second fiddle to the other woman—her heart naturally ached a little.

As for Bai Liang's matter~

These past two days, the "Chu Qiao Zhuan" crew had been auditioning actors for the male second lead, but none of them felt quite right; there was one Dou Xiao Bai who was quite good, though his schedule had a small conflict.

If they used him, some scenes would have to be shot against green screen and then composited in post.

That was a last-resort tactic, a fallback move—and using it would almost certainly draw audience backlash.

So Dou Xiao Bai became the backup option; if no other suitable actor could be found, they'd have to go with him.

Thus, the crew had casually asked Li Xin, the female second lead, for her opinion.

She hadn't thought of Bai Liang at first—they'd only met once, not especially close—but she'd just happened to see his name trending online, so she mentioned it offhand.

It was truly just an offhand remark.

Then the crew suddenly told her that many people strongly supported her recommendation, and if Bai Liang's schedule worked out, they'd lock him in.

What do you mean "lock him in"?!!

Li Xin was stunned, and immediately called Bai Liang to tell him about it.

She was mainly worried that if he didn't have the schedule, this whole thing would become awkward.

Bai Liang said he had plenty of availability!

This kind of thing? It's not like there's a shortage.

After all, his vibe was totally different from other artists; normal artists, especially the already-famous ones, usually had one drama lined up right after another.

Some might even be booked two years ahead.

But Bai Liang was the kind of actor who ate today's meal without knowing where tomorrow's would come from—"Wei Wei" was about to wrap, and he had absolutely no idea what he'd do next.

Even Meng Zi's little nobody schedule wasn't this haphazard.

Logically, this should be the agent's fault, but Bai Liang thought Sister Yanzi had already tried hard; maybe this was just how the solo artist path worked.

"Maybe I'm just not famous enough. It's not your fault."

"Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai"

After today's emotional moment, Sister Yanzi also helped analyze this bizarre drama that had suddenly appeared.

The "Chu Qiao Zhuan" crew had offered Bai Liang the male second lead role, roughly the same weight as the role in "Three Lives Three Worlds."

The caliber of the cast on both sides was also quite similar.

Just looking at the cast list, it all made sense now.

The male lead was Lin Genxin, his good buddy~

"What? You recommended me?" Lin Genxin thought for a moment, but didn't take credit.

"They just asked me offhand—I said you're amazing, you ride horses and shoot arrows like a pro. Male second lead? Damn, I'm kinda scared of you, bro. Don't come near me!"

How could you not be scared!

During "Wushen Zhao Zilong," he'd almost been passively overshadowed by Bai Liang.

Lin Genxin, the dream of nine hundred million girls, was one of the most successful young male actors—he'd never been outshone by anyone, and after leaving Tang Ren, he soared to the top, with resources so absurdly good they were unbelievable.

To his peers, everyone else was "clay chickens and broken dogs."

But Bai Liang genuinely made him feel uneasy—this guy was just weird!

Do you even understand the value of the words "Big Immortal"?!!

Lin Genxin: Wait, you're not seriously trying to use me to highlight yourself again, are you?

Bai Liang ignored him and kept studying with Sister Yanzi, and then found another good buddy.

Wang Yanlin: "What? I recommended you? What the hell am I, some nobody? I'm the male fourth lead myself. But come quick! Take me along for another ride—I think Lin Genxin isn't as reliable as you. I've always thought you were the one since we were kids~"

Okay okay, one acquaintance after another!

Bai Liang even discovered he knew the male fifth lead too—it was Niu Junfeng, who had just wrapped up filming on "Wei Wei."

He played Bai Liang's roommate, and they got along well.

Sister Yanzi's expression turned extremely strange. "Wait, are you guys planning a team-building retreat?"

From male lead to male fifth lead—all accounted for, right?

She was now very curious: what would the male third lead, who didn't know anyone, do then?

Would he be isolated before even joining the set?

Oh, that poor guy's name is Deng Lun—never heard of him.

The unexpected surprise of "Chu Qiao Zhuan" suddenly gave Sister Yanzi a lot to handle.

For example, rushing over to discuss shooting schedules and pay rates.

Two days later, she brought Bai Liang new news.

"We originally planned to use Dou Xiao Bai, but his schedule had a slight conflict—not much, but enough. Big Brother Bai, we got lucky."

Sister Yanzi's tone was delighted.

Who?

The son-in-law of the He family?

Bai Liang suddenly found it perfectly reasonable—he was naturally the He family's kryptonite.

Whenever he was short on cash, he always unconsciously thought of them, and then wanted to go borrow some money.

"Oh right, Brother Xiao Bai, there's a guy named Wu Shuo in the director team, pretty young. He said he knows you, and he was really warm to me."

Wu Shuo? That name sounds a bit familiar~

Bai Liang quickly recalled, "Ah, the disdainful guy who eats oranges."

"You really know him?"

"I guess you could say that."

Speaking of which, just how many acquaintances does this crew have? They keep popping up one after another. Don't let Lin Yufen run over and stick her fingers in the pie too, joining the director team to give Bai Liang some old-baby care.

Up to now, exactly how many people in the *Chu Qiao Chuan* crew have recommended Bai Liang for the second male lead remains an unsolved mystery.

Because as wrap time drew closer and closer, when Gu Man came to chat with Bai Liang, reluctant to part, she also casually said:

"Earlier, in a writers' group, a fellow writer asked me if I had any male actor recommendations. I sang your praises a few times, but I don't know if her work will cast you."

"Which fellow writer?"

"Xiao Xiang Dong'er."

Mm. The name was unfamiliar, but Bai Liang looked it up—she was the original author of *Chu Qiao Chuan*.

Alright, at this point Bai Liang no longer wanted to know exactly how many "insiders" that crew had.

Too many to count, really too many to count.

Perhaps this is the correct way to open the entertainment circle?

——

As Bai Liang's scenes in the *Weiwei* crew dwindled, *Yun Zhi Fan* and *She Diao* aired one after the other.

Bai Liang naturally had to pay attention.

The former, besides seeing how he himself felt in a xianxia drama, also had some "important missions."

This book's latest update is on ##!! Update!

For example, properly helping classmate Na Zha summarize her shortcomings and strengths.

But Bai Liang took matters into his own hands, deciding to look only at the strengths; the shortcomings would be temporarily ignored.

*Xian Jian Yun Zhi Fan* aired on Mango TV's Diamond Solo Theater, two episodes back-to-back every Monday and Tuesday night at 22:00.

However, it showed a declining trend right from the start.

*Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan V* is the sixth installment in the standalone *Xian Jian* game series, and also a work marking the transition between old and new, a shift in style.

During development it also went through a series of upheavals—fires, resignations, and so on—causing the work itself to be criticized.

Whether people liked *Xian V* or not, they all had to admit that *Xian V* could really only be considered a half-finished product. The early-stage construction was massive, but the late-stage wrap-up was rushed; illogical plots forcibly added for the sake of characters, confused logic—these were all problems with the work.

One could say it was congenitally deficient from the very start.

Classmate Na Zha was beautiful, certainly, but her audience affinity was clearly still not great. Even though she had perked up a bit alongside Bai Liang before, many viewers still doubted her ability to carry a leading female role.

Facts proved their doubts were right.

An exotic-style great beauty playing a Jiangnan lady—the sense of incongruity was too heavy.

Besides Na Zha, the complaints about other aspects were also endless.

But honestly, not that many people were cursing it after it aired.

Because very few people were watching!

This thing's premiere ratings were a whole notch lower than that *Wu Shen Zhao Zilong* thing.

Many *Xian Jian* fans even outright refused to acknowledge this thing as part of the *Xian Jian* series—expelled, expelled!

So a few days after *Yun Zhi Fan* aired, Bai Liang gained one heartbroken girl.

Na Zha called him, sobbing and seeking comfort.

She said her heart ached, and if only someone could come give her a rub.

She'd only dare say something like that over the phone; if she really said it face to face... Bai Liang would actually give her a rub.

But after a few sentences, she also showed her hand.

This girl actually had some self-awareness.

Besides the role mismatch, Tang Ren's post-production investment in this drama was pitifully small.

Na Zha might not be smart, but she wasn't dumb either.

If this drama really got lucky and took off, that'd be a blood profit; if not, it actually wouldn't affect her making money anyway.

She never relied on some hit drama to get famous in the first place. A young lady making her way in the world relies on a beautiful face.

With the face, Jiangshan is there!

It's just a shame—if she hadn't insisted on sticking her neck out and even helped repost and promote *She Diao*, she could have had a good New Year this year.

It'd be a wonder if Cai Yi-nong didn't grab her and give her a fierce scolding.

Dying to date, are you? Your own drama flopped and instead of properly reflecting in self-imposed isolation, you still scamper off to promote the "rival's" show?

Look at you, so cheap! Your capybara's already been lured away by your little hometown pal, and you're still fawning over him?

Na Zha got a bit rebellious too, actually mumbling: "How can he count as a rival... and he wasn't lured away either..."

Cai Yi-nong: They've all rebelled! They've all rebelled!

Liu Shishi ran off to get married, Jin Cheng was about to slip through her fingers, Na Zha's mind wasn't on acting either—the once-mighty Tang Ren was now battered by wind and rain.

For Cai Yi-nong, the only piece of good news recently was actually: Bai Liang had rejected Jiaxing's olive branch.

Women really are emotional creatures—even Cai Yi-nong, who had seen the world and even controlled the thunder and lightning within the circle as a female CEO, could actually be happy because of something like this.

She really does hold grudges!

The grudge of Yang Mi pulling one over on her back then—she still hasn't forgotten to this day.

She even made a special call to Bai Liang over this, amiably saying that at last this kid had acted like a human being for once.

But this big sister was also plenty wicked, praising Na Zha overtly and covertly, saying she was a good girl, that some people should learn to cherish her, and not be led astray by bad women from strange companies.

He couldn't tell whether it was hinting at Yang Mi or Reba.

Maybe both.

Bai Liang had never really had any contact with Yang Mi, so how could he know whether she was a "bad woman" or not.

No practice, no right to speak.

But Reba probably wasn't one—she's actually pretty cute.

These days she's always bobbing her head around with Bai Liang, and from time to time they feed each other little snacks and the like.

Oh right, Bai Liang also asked her for some tips on Xinjiang dialect.

Just like Nazha's reaction back then—after learning that Bai Liang actually wanted to learn her hometown dialect, the Miss froze for several seconds, her eyes lighting up.

But because of time constraints, Bai Liang figured he probably couldn't fully learn it; fortunately, he could always find Nazha later to keep learning.

And with "Yun Zhi Fan" thoroughly declared a flop, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" finally went online.

(End of chapter)