Chapter 144: Indeed, Every One a Master of Her Craft

"Sister Mi is here!"

"Director Lin Yufen is here too~"

"Hello, Director!"

"Hello, Sister Mi!"

"."

The director of "Eternal Love" actually wasn't just Lin Yufen alone—there were three directors in total.

During filming, they would split into groups and shoot simultaneously.

Clearly, Jiaxing was going for maximum efficiency—very much this company's style.

After all, with such a generous gift pack, so many of the company's artists were crammed in filming together, they couldn't afford to slow down the pace of making money.

Of course, they had to find ways to wrap up filming as soon as possible.

The moment Lin Yufen came in and saw Bai Liang, her eyes lit up; she walked over first and sat beside him, taking the chance to chat with the "young couple."

Everyone was already quite familiar with each other~

Only, someone got there one step ahead of her.

Bai Liang only felt a gust of fragrant breeze, and a face that seemed born to be alluring appeared right before him.

Yang Mi.

Looking at her from such close range, she really did have a bit of a fox-like quality—no wonder she had the nickname "Fox Mi."

Even though she was already thirty, she still really liked that kind of "girlish" styling.

Her daily go-to was the "missing lower half" look, a pair of slender, pale legs on full display—remarkably confident.

At the same time, her figure's curves honestly made Bai Liang steal a couple of extra glances.

Just now, if he hadn't seen wrong, it seemed like she had bounced a little.

Unlike the flatness of their last meeting, this time Yang Mi's face carried a smile.

After greeting him in her very distinctive voice, she looked at Bai Liang with a sly glint in her eyes. "We've met once before, and you left quite an impression on me~ little brother~"

Oh my!

Bai Liang felt the back of his neck go inexplicably numb—this was completely different from what he'd imagined!

Based on his impression from last time, he'd always figured Yang Mi was probably like Sister Xiao Zhao—the type of career-driven strong woman.

A not-very-tall frame containing tremendous energy.

But the way the two of them talked and treated people was completely different.

Sister Xiao Zhao was the type who, even when you were already on decent terms, would still give you a cold laugh.

Bai Liang had been "heh-heh'd" by her plenty of times.

Though a cold laugh from that little round face didn't really carry much bite.

But the one before him now was something else—sparks flying the moment they met!

For a moment, Bai Liang was a little dazed.

Yang Mi was indeed married by now, right? And had a kid too, right?

What year is it?

And at this point, Bai Liang seemed to notice a flash of smugness in her eyes~

Then she returned to normal, warmly exchanging a few pleasantries with Dilireba—asking if she'd been tired lately, that sort of thing.

She even reached across Bai Liang to hold Dilireba's hand, acting very affectionate.

Only, when she pulled her hand back, her fingertips "casually" trailed lightly across Bai Liang's thigh.

Bai Liang:???

Now this is getting interesting!

He suddenly thought of the lousy nickname Li Yitong had given him, and really wanted to send her a message right now.

The content would be: I've met one of my kind!

Still, Yang Mi's coming-on-right-away behavior wasn't enough to give Bai Liang any strange fantasies.

His initial blankness was purely because she was so different from what he'd imagined.

Once he snapped out of it, he immediately ran the "big data" comparison.

Then quickly reached a judgment:

If he took it seriously, thought the mature, sexy big sister was interested in him, and wanted to play some thrilling, forbidden little game,

got worked up and rushed over to pour out his heart: I'd love to entwine with you, sister—and if it doesn't work out, two or three years would be fine—

he'd most likely be met with a wave-like, pitifully surprised gaze.

She might say: Good little brother, I think you've got the wrong idea, that's not what sister meant~

She'd probably even encourage him, something like: But you really are very outstanding, little brother, keep at it, keep growing~

How many ordinary young men could withstand that?

Under that silky combo, probably ninety percent would be on their knees.

The rest are either white-cut-black types, or just genuinely too timid.

Good, good, good—the eighty-flowers, every single one a master of her craft!

As for why she was doing this—probably not craving Bai Liang's body, but "craving" him as a person.

Jiaxing was short on workhorses!

Her company had temporarily given up on "recruiting" Bai Liang, but that didn't mean Yang Mi had forgotten about it.

In her eyes, Bai Liang's signature physique, that alluring little face, his ever-rising popularity and buzz.

Oh! The muscle lines on his arms—so sexy~

They're nothing but top-tier oxen and horses, wage slaves of the heavenly entertainment circle.

Easy to pick up and use, everyone who uses it says it's great!

Where could you possibly pick up a male artist who might become a top streamer?

Jia Xing himself is extremely unlikely to ever cultivate one.

"What's wrong?" Di Li Reba quietly poked Bai Liang, whispering with curiosity.

"Kinda fun~" Bai Liang didn't hide his smile, honestly responding.

Di Li Reba looked puzzled. "What's fun?"

Bai Liang: "People."

At this moment, Yang Mi heard the quiet commotion between them, frowned over, her expression skeptical.

But after meeting Bai Liang's gaze, she instantly switched to a beaming smile, winking at him.

He returned it with a standard capybara smile.

Big Mi Mi is here~

Not only does punching cotton feel powerless, but the "charm emission" of the "bad woman" is also fully absorbed, with zero effect.

Physical and magical immunity, take note. This time Yang Mi paused, feeling something was off.

Hmm, can't quite put my finger on it~

But there's still a meeting to attend, so for now she'll "let Bai Liang off the hook"—big sister won't hold it against you.

There'll be plenty of chances later to properly interact with little brother.

Only now did Bai Liang have time to take a good look at the male lead of this drama.

Hmm. That guy who stirred up so much online hatred.

After all, he married Gao Yuanyuan.

He looks like he's got a story—like he's suffered, full of rustic flavor.

It vaguely reminded Bai Liang of one of his distant uncles.

His acting should be pretty good, Bai Liang judged.

Otherwise, he wouldn't dare take on a classical romance drama.

This judgment is a bit harsh, but no help—it's because Bai Liang loved watching "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" as a kid, and he really liked Gao Yuanyuan.

——

Launch ceremony.

!. read

Bai Liang figured that with a top-tier female star like Yang Mi up front, he'd have nothing to worry about.

Unlike last time, when reporters kept bombarding him with questions—even though they'd all been paid to promote him—some of those recycled lines got tiresome.

But before the launch ceremony even began, he received a strange message.

"So many media outlets today!"

"No wonder Big Mi Mi is popular!" Bai Liang gave a thumbs-up, applauding the top-tier female star's appeal.

He accidentally called Yang Mi by her "nickname."

Di Li Reba heard this and found it oddly amusing; she instinctively straightened up and looked at Bai Liang: "But they reminded me—it might be aimed at us."

"Aren't we just supporting actors?"

"Didn't you forget our trending topic?"

Oh right~

The extra media outlets are almost certainly here to stir up trouble, targeting Bai Liang and Di Li Reba's rumors.

But Bai Liang said he wasn't afraid—he had someone protecting him.

"Miss Yang?"

"Her? I get the feeling she'd find this quite entertaining," Bai Liang shook his head, "It's you, of course. Your turf—aren't you supposed to protect me?"

In that Zha's place, she'd probably be pouting and clinging to Bai Liang now.

But after a moment's hesitation, Di Li Reba nodded seriously.

Then she smiled brightly. "Alright~"

Sure enough, when the launch ceremony officially began, some of the on-site media immediately "went off-topic."

They started asking whether Bai Liang and Di Li Reba had "fallen in love during filming."

In response, Di Li Reba truly adopted the attitude of "protecting Bai Liang"—smiling, she took the microphone and refused to answer directly, no matter how they pressed.

Because the couple narrative still needed to be promoted—nearly every stakeholder found this delightful.

If she dared to speak the "truth" now, Jia Xing would immediately pull her offstage.

The best response was no response.

Because this is the launch ceremony for "Eternal Love," period: please focus on the drama we're currently filming.

The questions about "A Smile Is Beautiful" will be answered by its own promotional events.

Bai Liang watched, and silently gave her a thumbs-up.

Miss, you've got the bearing of a great general~

If your hand weren't shaking, you'd have it even more.

But both still underestimated the moral bottom of some media—no questions about "falling in love during filming"? Fine.

Let you little newcomers in the entertainment circle see what real Hong Kong media-style madness looks like.

Instantly ramped up the pressure:

"Heard good news is coming," "When's the wedding?" "Are you pregnant?"

The tone suddenly turned wild.

Yang Mi had no choice but to speak up and take control, shooting Bai Liang a look full of plaintive reproach:

My dear little rascal, are you really letting Di Li Reba charge ahead like this? Where's your manly responsibility?

Unfortunately, Di Li Reba didn't sync with Yang Mi's train of thought—her actions made it clear: in this pairing, she was the one taking the initiative.

Let's put it this way: the one who makes the first move is the scoundrel.

Jia Xing clearly wanted Bai Liang to be placed at the front of this pairing, making it easier to dump the blame later when breaking them up.

They could also conveniently craft a "beautiful, strong, tragic" persona to win sympathy and attract fans.

This kind of maneuver is nothing unusual in the entertainment industry.

It wasn't even a particularly long-term plan, because once "Wei Wei" had aired for a while, if Bai Liang still hadn't been lured into Jia Xing, this pairing might, in some sense, become a liability.

Too deep a bond would hinder future promotional strategies.

Or rather, by then wouldn't they have to bow to Bai Liang's whims?

What if he refused to cooperate?

Di Li Reba might not have realized this—or perhaps, she realized it perfectly well!

If earlier she had shown Bai Liang her stubbornness and fragility, revealing a rare, girlish side,

then now she was displaying determination and courage.

Just like when she had dared to dance before so many people, straight at Bai Liang.

——

Three more chapters, ten thousand characters completed; continuing with extra updates tonight.

(End of Chapter)