Chapter 157: My Lipstick Is Sweet

Translate? What the hell do you mean "not hungry"?

Yang Mi's almond eyes glared fiercely at Bai Liang: "Come on, translate this for me!"

Her demeanor could make any Gala artist, including Di Li Re Ba, tremble in fear, but with this guy? Not useless—kinda cute.

Bai Liang grinned, admitted he was wrong, and stepped back another pace.

Married sister, no cuddling.

I'm lactose intolerant.

Now, alone on the rooftop with a woman, he figured he'd better make a quick escape.

Yang Mi: "Not a chance!"

You think you can run off without explaining? You dare offend Sister and still try to leave?

Seeing the escape route blocked, Bai Liang clearly assessed the situation and immediately enacted his "self-rescue" strategy.

"Sis, have a cigarette~"

Yang Mi stared at the cigarette Bai Liang offered, her lips twitching involuntarily.

You fucking—

She'd come up here to brood, but now this kid had turned the whole vibe into something abstract.

The mood was completely ruined—she couldn't even restart her emo session.

So Yang Mi deliberately growled: "I'm telling everyone you smoke!"

"Huh? But I've never smoked before~"

"Never before?"

Yang Mi recalled how Bai Liang had fumbled with the lighter just now—she began to believe him.

Of course, that was also because Bai Liang's usual reputation for "honesty" was already solid~

She had no idea his honesty stemmed partly from laziness to lie, and partly from building up to "occasional small lies."

After Bai Liang briefly explained why he'd sneaked up to the rooftop to smoke at night, Yang Mi naturally believed him.

Then, out of nowhere, she gained confidence: "Can't smoke? Sister'll teach you~"

Bai Liang was curious: "I've never seen you smoke, Sis~"

Yang Mi saw nothing odd about it: "Because I don't smoke. Not smoking doesn't mean I can't. Actor, understand?"

If Bai Liang hadn't watched many of her dramas, he might've bought that bullshit.

Because right now, Yang Mi was so confident!

Under the moonlight, she seemed to glow~

She said "actor" with such force—the aura of a performing artist was overwhelming!

So far, among the female stars Bai Liang had met, only Da Bao Bei had smoked—back when he'd made a cameo on the film set of "Wei Wei."

That night over dinner and chat, Da Bao Bei had pulled out a cigarette and lit it~

He'd thought she seemed quite practiced.

So if he really wanted to learn how to smoke, he'd be better off asking Da Bao Bei—he even had her contact info.

As for Yang Mi—

Bai Liang watched as she seemingly skillfully shook a cigarette from her pack, pinching it lightly between her fingers.

She handled it with such care, like treating a precious treasure—gentle, delicate.

"Block the wind, will you?" Yang Mi shot him a glare—what's wrong with you, kid? Can't you read the room?

Once he became her human windshield—

He saw her place the cigarette between her lips with extreme caution, as if it might fall out at any moment.

Patak~

The lighter suddenly behaved perfectly—lit on the first try.

The orange flame lit up her face; for a fleeting instant, she actually looked the part.

Too bad—it vanished instantly.

She puffed once, clearly just a light sip, then immediately spat out the smoke.

Then she dared to raise an eyebrow at Bai Liang: "Got it?"

Learned nothing.

Bai Liang didn't ruin Sister Mi's fun—he nodded and gave a thumbs-up.

"Come on, try it."

Fine~

Though both were "newbies," having someone to talk to was definitely better than going it alone.

At least he'd have an audience to offer some feedback.

But when Bai Liang pulled out another cigarette and reached for her lighter, she leaned in.

The "cigarette-to-cigarette" lighting method felt way too "advanced" for Bai Liang right now.

Just as he was about to refuse, her glance stopped him mid-sentence.

So he smiled and leaned in.

Sss~

The soft hiss of burning tobacco seemed especially clear in the quiet night.

Twenty seconds later, both of them burst into violent coughs—because Bai Liang suddenly said: "I thought people usually swallow it."

Yang Mi: "Really? Then let's try."

Try it and you're dead.

This violent coughing nearly made Yang Mi cry—she hadn't shed a single tear when she was emo and wanted a divorce!

"I fell for your trick—how could I possibly swallow that? Just now I felt like I was about to die."

"I didn't know either." Bai Liang looked utterly innocent, presenting himself as another victim.

Yang Mi glanced at the cigarette in her hand with mild disgust, deciding not to smoke it again—but she didn't toss it away or crush it out either; she just held it, as if letting it burn itself out.

Bai Liang, however, seriously tried several ways of smoking, gradually figuring out the trick.

In the time it took to finish one cigarette, Yang Mi wondered how he was already developing into a seasoned smoker.

Seeing Bai Liang reach for another, she snatched it away outright. "Enough! Don't smoke anymore—I don't know what you'll do if you get hooked."

They say it's hard to learn good habits, but bad ones spread in a flash.

Bai Liang had always seemed like such a hidden gem, someone who knew so many things—yet he picked up smoking this fast?

Yang Mi worried he'd truly develop the habit; big sisters know how to care deeply.

"Last one! My character needs a rustic, down-to-earth vibe—I was just showing off earlier." Bai Liang spoke honestly.

"I've still got some left."

Yang Mi's thought at that moment was simple: her cigarette was only half burned—just don't let Bai Liang light another.

So she shoved it straight into his mouth.

Pure imported cigarette!

Ahhh~

Bai Liang froze, thinking: Is this sister falling back into her old habits again? But this time, the boundary felt… a bit too far.

The cigarette butt still had a trace of her lipstick on it.

Seeing him stunned, Yang Mi finally realized her action might've crossed a line—but she didn't show it; instead, she teased: "My lipstick's sweet~ way nicer than cigarettes."

"Sweetness is taste—you taste it, you don't smell it."

"Who told you so much?!"

Yang Mi turned her face away, thinking: This brat says weird things.

You wanna taste it?!

Making Yang Mi feel just a little embarrassed—that was already a major victory for Bai Liang in his battles with the big sister.

After taking the final drag, he felt he'd learned enough and prepared to pick up the butt and take it with him.

But now Yang Mi seemed reluctant. "You're leaving already?"

"Oh right, Sister Mi, you should head back and rest early. Goodnight."

"Come back here and sit with me a while," Yang Mi glared at him. "Men are all no good."

"Fine."

Bai Liang was always easygoing; sitting with her wouldn't cost him anything.

Seeing him sit beside her, chin propped on his hand, quiet and well-behaved, Yang Mi finally understood why Di Li Re Ba kept drifting toward this kid. So she pushed further: "It's a bit cold~"

Bai Liang gave her a deadpan look. "I'm only wearing one layer—should I go back and get you something?"

"I was just joking. Sit with me a while—I'm in a bad mood today."

Now Yang Mi didn't tease him anymore; she copied Bai Liang's pose exactly, gazing calmly up at the moon.

They sat like that for a full half hour.

When Yang Mi finally came back to herself and looked at Bai Liang again, her eyes held an unexpected emotional tremor.

But soon, she returned to her usual calmness. In that moment, Bai Liang felt the Yang Mi he'd met on their first encounter had returned.

Beneath her exhaustion lay indifference and stillness—revealing this woman's powerful inner core and self-regulating strength.

She didn't need Bai Liang to regulate her emotions, like Di Li Re Ba did.

Cuddling? Completely unnecessary.

!. read

Bai Liang had just assumed she'd share some inner thoughts with him—maybe vent about her marriage.

Nothing.

Then again, a woman like her, who occasionally showed a sliver of vulnerability, had already given more than enough—why would she expose her inner weakness to anyone?

A ruthless type who swallows broken teeth whole!

"You seem… a little disappointed?"

"Yeah. I just thought of a line—maybe recommend you watch a movie called The Graduate. The ending's kind of interesting."

"I graduated from Beijing Film Academy—do you think I haven't seen such a classic? But thanks anyway~"

At that moment, Bai Liang realized his judgment hadn't been entirely right.

Beneath her calmness and indifference, there was now a touch of genuine tenderness.

No matter how much of a strong female lead she was, she was still human~

Smack!

The big sister didn't sneak attack—she openly wrapped her arms around Bai Liang's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"A reward for you. My lipstick really is sweet—you can smell it, right?"

Bai Liang stepped back again; he truly smelled something cloyingly sweet.

But he spread his hands wide. "Sister, I remind you—you're married."

"Huh~" Yang Mi spread her hands too, glancing left and right. "Where's my husband?"

Maybe she thought she was funny?

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. When I get divorced, I'll let you taste it properly."

No surprise—it was her. Her final words before leaving still managed to tease Bai Liangyibo.

——

"Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms," Bai Liang's entire role has ended, officially wrapped.

Jia Xing seems to have finally done something human—for Bai Liang, it was being human, but for Di Li Reba, it might have been the opposite.

After "We Were Young" aired, Bai Liang and Di Li Reba's shooting schedule sped up considerably.

The production team tried to arrange scenes for them to shoot together as soon as possible.

The goal was to get them both wrapped early.

Bai Liang was secondary; the main aim was to "liberate" Di Li Reba early.

So she could take advantage of this wave of popularity and book more appearances.

This made Di Li Reba very uncomfortable—she didn't want to wrap at all.

She'd thought she could still spend another week or two with Bai Liang, but her company suddenly hit fast-forward.

After this, they wouldn't know when they'd see each other again.

Artists, especially popular ones, face this reality.

Isn't Yang Mi a perfect example? After choosing her career, how much time does she spend with her family each year?

It'd be a miracle if she didn't divorce.

Cough cough, divorce is currently just gossip; the actual situation isn't something Di Li Reba can know yet.

She was just unhappy.

When she was unhappy, she wanted to "cheer up," so Zhu Zhu Xudan became unhappy too.

Animal! Damn animal!

Luckily, Huang Mengyin was there to swap shifts with her; otherwise, she couldn't have stayed on this set.

Now that Bai Liang is finally wrapping and leaving, the happiest people are Zhu Zhu Xudan and Huang Mengyin—oh, and Di Li Reba's assistant.

Joyous celebration!

They truly didn't want to cover for these two anymore—it was torture.

"Sis, I got the flowers!"

"You can handle it—I'll deliver them myself."

She gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, thinking: well, the guy's leaving anyway.

So Di Li Reba, in front of the entire crew, handed a large bouquet to Bai Liang.

Ignoring Yang Mi, Zhao Youting, and others standing nearby for the photo, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Bai Liang's cheek.

It's still the CP period—she can do whatever she wants!

After this, she might never get such a chance again.

Unfortunately, because they had to rush into night scenes, the crew didn't even hold a wrap party.

She wrapped in the afternoon; Bai Liang left by evening.

"Reba, you okay? Want some liuliu plums?"

"I'm on a diet—take it away."

"You're so hungry you're talking nonsense—I'm your Mi sister."

"Huh?!"

Only then did Di Li Reba realize, looked up at Yang Mi, and saw she wasn't angry—she was smiling warmly.

"Mi sister, sorry—I was just thinking about my character."

Hmm. This girl isn't as well-behaved as before—she starts making stuff up right away.

Yang Mi rolled her eyes internally. "You're wrapping in a couple days too. Your workload's going to be heavy—can you handle it?"

If Bai Liang were here and asked this, Di Li Reba would probably look pitiful and say she couldn't handle it: "Big Bai, hug me~"

But he wasn't here.

So she gritted her teeth: "I can handle it! Of course I can—I'm following your example, Mi sister."

Yang Mi gave her a meaningful look. "It's going to be tough."

"Mi sister, I have no choice," Di Li Reba said calmly.

They exchanged a glance; some things didn't need to be said further.

Come to think of it, it wasn't just Reba who'd be swamped—Yang Mi thought Bai Liang, after leaving the set, would be just as busy.

Shouldn't he be rushing around doing appearances to make money right now?

But in reality, after wrapping in the afternoon, by evening Bai Liang was drinking again with Wu Jing.

Mainly discussing the screenplay and character design.

Wu Jing also brought him some "earth-shattering bad news."

"Damn, our movie's female lead just tried to hike her fee last-minute—you believe that? I won't tolerate this crap—I'm replacing her!"

"Who with?" Bai Liang asked curiously.

"Uh…" Wu Jing scratched his head, then said: "Any recommendations?"

(End of Chapter)