Chapter 137: So It Was an Old Friend Pulling the Strings (Extra Chapter—Please Vote with Monthly Tickets!)

Han Han really has no issues—if he could pull off the stunt of hiding gold inside a book, it just goes to show this guy's a bit abstract.

He just never imagined that his own little "performance art" back in the day would run into someone even more abstract.

That limited batch of *1988*—there were only a hundred copies in total!

Selling each one lost him three thousand; a hundred copies meant a loss of three hundred thousand.

Of course, in his style, throwing out three hundred thousand to pull off a stunt is really nothing—this sort of thing happening to him is perfectly normal.

But who could've known that someone would swipe a quarter of it away

"In 2010, how old were you? Spending that much money on books?" Zhao Liying couldn't hold back any longer and asked.

"I was in high school—senior year or junior year, I can't quite remember."

"You spent tens of thousands on this in high school?"

"Wasn't my money." Bai Liang spread his hands.

When he bought Han Han's limited-edition "junk book," of course it was his girlfriend who footed the bill.

She was a little rich girl too~ She just handed Bai Liang fifty thousand straight up.

Even after she transferred schools and they broke up, she never asked him for the money back, nor did she ask for the book.

All in all, Bai Liang suddenly came into a small windfall.

Good thing he'd long gotten used to this sort of thing by then

"Well, we really do have quite a fate. I didn't expect that I'd let you kid make a fortune back in high school—did you sell that gold?" Han Han remarked with feeling.

"Couldn't be bothered to sell. I had nowhere to spend money back then, so I gave it to my grandma."

That gold was smelted into a big bracelet, over two hundred grams—Bai Liang's grandma still hasn't worn the thing to this day.

But she does take it out to fiddle with from time to time~

When he went home for New Year this year, the thing was still gleaming and shiny.

"Puppy love."

Little Sister Zhao couldn't help but quip.

Her focus was a bit odd—after all, a little rich girl who could fork out fifty thousand for her little boyfriend in high school to buy books... that's no ordinary person~

This stinky kid really does have a knack for living off a woman!

"Didn't he also have puppy love?" Bai Liang protested, dragging Han Han down into the gutter with him.

"Ahem."

Fair point—this guy's puppy love literally got written into his books.

No wonder you two are "birds of a feather"!

Han Han always felt he was a collateral victim. When he was discussing characters with Little Zhao earlier, her face wasn't nearly this animated.

Felt like he got looked down on for free.

But with all this chatter, beyond feeling he and Bai Liang had some fate, Han Han suddenly realized the two of them really did seem somewhat alike.

After the crash, hearing about this guy's reputation as the track's ghost-scare, he'd naturally get curious and look into him.

Upon discovering the guy was actually an actor, his interest grew even more.

Plenty of actors in showbiz like to play with cars, but usually they just collect—buying supercars or vintage cars and the like.

He'd really never seen a few like Bai Liang who just dove headfirst into the track.

The key thing is he really drives well!

Apart from being like a torpedo

Then the more he dug, the more he discovered this guy's "many talents."

Beyond being an actor, he was also an esports pro, even took the national civil service exam and almost became a civil servant, and passed the bar exam

These are backed by solid evidence; there are also some that haven't been confirmed yet.

If you hadn't met Bai Liang in person, the odds of assuming he was just a showbiz persona would probably be pretty high.

But Han Han had actually seen Bai Liang drive on the track.

Honestly, a "torpedo" like this—if he really were crafting a persona, he'd absolutely be the most dedicated one in the damn entertainment industry.

Risking his life for a persona! Who could fault him?

Though their hobbies and careers only overlapped in racing, thinking it over carefully, Han Han really felt Bai Liang was somewhat like him.

Oh right! That was before.

Now he didn't feel that way anymore—he didn't have Bai Liang's ability to casually make a fortune just by dating a girl.

In the investment arena, the two of them were worlds apart.

With all this groundwork, the chance to sit down with the script and discuss characters came about.

The prerequisite for an actor to be noticed by a director is: the director has to see them first~

It was only at this point that Bai Liang finally got to read the script for *Ride the Wind*.

Han Han's previous film *The Continent* had a famous line: "Only children distinguish right from wrong; adults only look at pros and cons."

Yet *Ride the Wind* tells the story of a group of "children" who "don't look at pros and cons."

Xu Zhengtai, who'd watched too many Xiangjiang films, was the boss of a "gang," guarding his hometown town with fragile, chuunibyou idealism.

He didn't care about the painful cost—after all, the answers were all in the wine.

Liu Yi, always looked down on, beneath his simple clumsiness held a heart as precious as gold—on the days when you've grown used to him walking beside you and overlooked his existence, he might be the one who tugs at your heartstrings the most.

Little Ma, the boy who never fit in with his companions yet was sincere and true, carried the largest dose of confusion and loss—probably because he hadn't yet guessed how vast the future that belonged to him would be.

And Tailang was the intruder, and also the spiritual leader.

Only he knew whether hoarding pagers or speculating in real estate would appreciate more, whether running a video hall or a cinema would make more money.

The characters in Han Han's films are always very interesting.

After reading the script, Bai Liang glanced at Han Han again, curious.

That slightly scrutinizing gaze felt familiar to Han Han, yet it didn't trigger the usual instinctive dislike.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just a small pang of nostalgia—remembered a little bit of the past."

"What past?"

"Back when I was in junior high or first year of high school, I remember my Chinese teacher, face twisted in sorrow, saying that the rebellious, ignorant Han Han would vanish like Fang Zhongyong—brief and brilliant."

Bai Liang's voice wasn't serious; it was no different from his usual tone, as if casually chatting with a friend about old memories.

Yet it somehow carried an odd sense of clarity.

This made Han Han sit up straighter instinctively, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his face.

But before he could speak, Bai Liang smiled:

"But back then, my desk partner—the top student in class, the ultimate nerd—was quietly engrossed in a pirated copy of 'Three Gates.'"

"He said he envied that defiant guy, envied his determination to question and voice his own truth to the world."

In that moment, the mood shifted into a flashback.

Sister Zhao had fallen silent, her hands propped on the table, hugging a thermos.

Her gaze passed through the thermos, dividing the two men—born in different eras, both somehow "strange"—into two sides.

She felt this scene bore no resemblance to the usual director-actor discussions about scripts and roles.

So far, neither of them had mentioned the character once.

Bai Liang, the one who should care most, cared least.

Han Han, who ought to have been the "examiner," strangely seemed melancholic.

Sister Zhao listened half-understanding, yet found amusement.

Through her thermos, she glanced from one to the other, making the two handsome men's faces warp into strange shapes.

From her angle, Bai Liang's side always looked unchanged.

But Han Han's side always seemed twisted somehow~

Hmm. Sister Zhao's inner thought: This Bai Liang really has guts!

But something even bolder came: "But starting a few years ago, when you became 'The Nation's Father-in-Law,' not the 'Literary Sun Wukong' anymore, he started cursing you."

Han Han:.

He held his breath for several seconds, then finally said: "The times have changed."

"Nope. You're still that small-town kid," Bai Liang said cheerfully, waving the script in his hand.

Han Han froze: Now this was interesting.

Watching the two men smiling at each other, Sister Zhao was utterly baffled—so, how was the script discussion going? "Uh, no problem. I'll take the role."

Huh?!

Thwack!

Bai Liang's leg got a slap from Sister Zhao, her round face full of disbelief: "You're reversing heaven and earth!"

"Talk properly!"

"Huh?" Bai Liang glanced at Sister Zhao, as if suddenly understanding something, then flashed a confident smile:

"No problem. I'll take the role!"

"I give up, Director. His brain might be broken."

Sister Zhao's teasing was surprisingly sharp.

If she weren't "Sister," Bai Liang would've tapped her twice.

But what really stunned Sister Zhao was that Han Han nodded too, "Thanks~"

Please... collect... 6... 9... Book... please...!

"Huh?!"

"But there's one problem—the second male lead. I originally contacted Peng Yuyan; we were almost set, his schedule was nearly confirmed. What now?"

Han Han spoke just as seriously, as if genuinely seeking Bai Liang's advice.

But Bai Liang tilted his head, "That's his problem. Why are you asking me?"

Hmph~ That makes sense!

This kid really does have that Xu Zheng vibe when he gets abstract—him playing it makes perfect sense.

At that moment, Sister Yanzi called, saying she was almost there.

Outside, it had started raining sometime ago; Bai Liang grabbed an umbrella and prepared to go pick her up.

He left Han Han and Sister Zhao—one tangled, one bewildered.

Han Han hadn't expected that his impulsive visit would end up causing trouble.

From a businessman's perspective, he should've blindly chosen Peng Yuyan.

By industry standards, Peng Yuyan crushed Bai Liang in every way.

Just the fact that one was a film actor and the other a TV actor meant they weren't even in the same league.

He'd come just to resolve his own indecision.

Now he felt even more conflicted.

Looking at the young man standing by the door, Han Han felt as if ants were crawling over his skin.

Ding-ding~ Ding-ding~

The phone rang—it was Han Han's.

After a few seconds of answering, his expression began to change strangely.

The call didn't last long, but when he finally hung up, his face was piled high with confusion.

He muttered under his breath: "What are the odds?"

"What's wrong?" Sister Yanzi asked first, then joked, "Could Peng Yuyan really have found a way to quit on his own?"

She thought it was funny herself.

But Peng Yuyan's expression and gaze quickly killed her laughter.

After staring for several seconds, Sister Yanzi's face filled with disbelief: "It's not true, is it?"

Peng Yuyan nodded helplessly: "True. Just now, Peng Yuyan said due to scheduling conflicts, he can't come shoot with us."

"How could a scheduling conflict pop up right now? With which project?"

"'The Monkey King's Story'—he's the male lead there."

Sister Yanzi was even more confused—how could a project's schedule suddenly have problems?

Weren't everything already arranged?

Peng Yuyan spread his hands, indicating he didn't understand either—those people just said so.

He even sounded regretful on the phone.

"Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai, why are you here to pick me up? Where's Director Han Han?"

Sister Yanzi rushed over, not caring about the light rain, even hesitating to enter the building.

She grabbed Bai Liang, ready to plot a little outside first.

"He's locked himself up inside~" Bai Liang said with a smile.

"Locked himself up?" Sister Yanzi was baffled, not understanding the situation—but she had brought an interesting piece of news.

From an old acquaintance.

"Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai, your chances are huge now!"

"Hm?"

"That Shuangzi seems to be stirring up trouble again—Peng Yuyan's schedule might have problems!"

"Ah?"

So they solved it this way? Ridiculous.

Peng Yuyan's schedule originally had no major issues—just a slight adjustment would've fixed it.

But the female lead of 'The Monkey King's Story' was unhappy, feeling her time was wasted—why should she accommodate his schedule?

Throwing weight around, huh?!

For popular actors, scheduling is indeed troublesome—too many projects, sometimes forced to make compromises or negotiate between both sides.

'Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves' was rushed too much—Han Han even planned a Spring Festival release next year.

That left even less time and scheduling flexibility for the actors.

Even the male lead Deng Chao had to join seamlessly, with only one day's buffer between schedules.

Bai Liang had just said it offhand, never expecting they'd actually start "finding solutions."

But he doubted whether Shuangzi was really that powerful—could she really take on anyone?

"How did your talk go just now?" Sister Yanzi didn't dwell on the topic, asking another question.

"Not bad~ I think Han Han's pretty likable."

Hmm. That sounded a bit odd, but Sister Yanzi didn't mind, instinctively replying: "Good~"

But two seconds later, she realized and froze: "Wait? What about him—how does he feel about you?"

"Dunno. That's his problem. Let him figure it out himself."

"Pfft~ Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai, you're so optimistic! Oh no, why's it raining today? So annoying, feels unlucky."

Rainy days are unlucky?

Bai Liang actually agreed.

He didn't mind rain—if he was cooped up in a hotel or RV, listening to the rain was actually quite atmospheric.

But if his feet were on the ground, walking outside, it got annoying.

Now, he and Sister Yanzi shared one umbrella—Bai Liang's shoulder was damp, his shoes too.

He frowned.

"Hey, the rain stopped! Good omen!"

Sister Yanzi looked up at the clearing clouds, her face lighting up.

The rain passed, the sky cleared, and even a rainbow appeared.

Bai Liang calmly folded his umbrella: "Let's go. Your turn—give Han Han some pressure!"

"Got it~"

—

Three updates today, fourteen thousand words done. See you tomorrow, bye-bye.

(End of chapter)