Chapter 16: Whoever Gets in the Way Won

Compared to the beginning when he took a green-skinned train to shoot dramas, Bai Liang now had 100,000 yuan in his pocket.

This was his salary for filming "God of War Zhao Zilong."

Of course, compared to daily earnings of 2.08 million, it was nothing, but it wasn't small either—at least for a newcomer, this pay was way too generous.

Brother Sun Qiang was still very generous!

Moreover, the formal production team paid salaries with integrity and speed: sixty percent of the fee was paid three days after signing, another thirty percent was paid upon wrap, and the remainder was either paid during the TV drama's promotion or after broadcast.

Still, getting nearly ninety percent of the pay right after finishing work—those construction workers would probably burst into tears if they saw it.

Everyone says the entertainment industry is dark? Nonsense!

This is way too honest!

Beijing.

Bai Liang arrived in first class.

He had only 100,000 yuan in his pocket, yet he carried himself as if he had more money than he could ever spend, even having already booked a first-class return ticket to Shanghai.

Following Huang Jingyu's address, Bai Liang took a taxi to a place called Nanluoguxiang.

Nanluoguxiang is an alley located east of Beijing's central axis, stretching from Gulou East Street in the north to Ping'an Street in the south, and is Beijing's oldest neighborhood.

Dilapidated, cluttered houses, classic sihe courtyards, narrow alleyways, thick ancient pagoda trees—this was the raw flavor of old Beijing, a rare oasis of tranquility amid the bustling metropolis.

Yes, that Nanluoguxiang from "Poultry Full Sihe Academy."

When Huang Jingyu saw Bai Liang, he noticed the guy holding skewers of lamb with cumin, pear soup, and old Beijing candied haws, and his mouth twitched involuntarily.

What a damn peculiar look!

It reminded him of when the two of them had stupidly left holding protein powder cans.

Fortunately, it was only an internal comment—Huang Jingyu was genuinely happy Bai Liang came to visit him.

He waved his hand and declared they'd share a room tonight, sleeping foot to foot.

Bai Liang:???

Disgusted~

"Cough, what's that look for? I booked a standard room—two beds! I'm just saving you money."

As Huang Jingyu explained, he also felt he was being an incredibly thoughtful friend.

Because he thought Bai Liang had barely any money.

He only knew Bai Liang had passed the audition for "God of War Zhao Zilong," but didn't know he'd been promoted to one of the leads—he still assumed Bai Liang had landed some minor supporting role with barely any screen time.

Two grown men wouldn't chatter about trivial things, and both had been busy lately anyway.

Bai Liang didn't mind staying in a standard room, but found it strange: "Why did your production team arrange rooms like this?"

At this, Huang Jingyu's expression changed; he cleared his throat and said he'd explain tonight.

After arriving at the "Addiction" production set, Bai Liang's biggest impression was...

Compared to the "God of War Zhao Zilong" set, this one was practically a small workshop.

Few people, little equipment—everything exuded a hint of poverty.

Add to that Huang Jingyu's standard room... tsk tsk—the difference between production teams was enormous!

Still, the people here were quite nice!

Very warm!

Especially the chubby female screenwriter and producer.

She seemed to be the boss of this production team, clearly calling the shots on set.

Having learned some entertainment industry "unwritten rules" from Zha, Bai Liang kept a low profile when visiting.

He wasn't some big star—just didn't want to cause trouble.

He found a spot, stood there, savored authentic Beijing snacks, and watched them film.

Then the female producer, as if drawn by the scent, came over—and when she saw Bai Liang quietly eating, her eyes seemed to glow!

She pulled him aside, showered him with concern, and her tone carried a hint of regret.

It left him confused: What's going on? Is your production team short on actors too?

At that moment, Xu Weizhou, the other male lead in "Addiction" filming alongside Huang Jingyu, suddenly shivered.

As if a sudden chill had swept over him!

Fortunately, the feeling passed quickly, and he soon returned to normal.

During a break, he unconsciously glanced around—and his gaze met Bai Liang's.

Huh?

Hey there~

Bai Liang smiled warmly at him and waved.

Xu Weizhou nodded, but suddenly felt a strong sense of threat... This guy was handsomer than him, with an inexplicably approachable aura and a hint of sharpness beneath his restrained smile... damn, he perfectly fit the character he was playing!

Especially with the producer-screenwriter-original author, Chai Jidan, chatting and laughing with him.

All the elements were in place!

Xu Weizhou: This production team wouldn't dare switch the male lead after filming started, would it?!

"Who is he?"

Huang Jingyu looked at Xu Weizhou in confusion. "He's my friend visiting the set. You know him?"

Misunderstanding cleared!

"Cough, nothing... just curious."

After their eyes met, both turned away simultaneously, refusing to look at each other.

Clearly, the atmosphere between the two male leads was odd—likely stemming from the drama's plot itself.

Facts proved that Xu Weizhou's worry wasn't wild imagination.

In this sparsely populated crew, Bai Liang actually stood out quite a bit — plenty of people had noticed him.

Suddenly there's such a handsome guy...

Combined with Chai Jidan's behavior, it was hard not to let people's minds wander.

But Bai Liang at this moment had no idea that he'd just come to stroll around and visit the set, and yet he'd caused the entire crew to go through a wave of restless hearts... now he really had become a succubus!

He only felt that Huang Jingyu was acting damn well off!

He'd just experienced this kind of filming thing, but what happened on the "Addiction" set was a bit beyond imagination.

After the scripted part was filmed, Huang Jingyu was still over there roughhousing with Xu Weizhou.

Roughhousing between guys is actually pretty normal, but these two were absolutely not normal!

Maybe, possibly, probably... why does it look like they're acting coy?

The atmosphere made Bai Liang's anus clench tight... this crew is wild!

Turns out they said this was nothing, today they'd let the young man open his eyes!

For today's wrap-up scene, Bai Liang watched two men hugging each other and rolling around, utterly dumbfounded.

Wow!

A kiss scene! An intimate scene! A bed scene!

Those specific details, Bai Liang really didn't want to recall them in his head.

Small workshops really go hard with the materials!

But can this thing pass censorship?

The female staff on the crew, though, were all eyes aglow, working with crazy enthusiasm.

After wrapping for the night, Huang Jingyu started pouring out his grievances to Bai Liang.

"You don't know, damn this crew even has scripts for the behind-the-scenes footage!"

Bai Liang: "Huh?"

"It's like, after the director calls cut, there are still cameras pointed at us filming — that's filming the behind-the-scenes footage. Other crews' behind-the-scenes stuff is just casual filming, grabbing some interesting shots, but after we finish our scenes we still have a script to act out..."

Bai Liang got it. "No wonder you seemed so off."

Huang Jingyu said his heart was bitter — why was his hotel room a standard twin?

Just because that crazy female producer wanted him and Xu Weizhou to room together!

Luckily, Huang Jingyu hadn't managed to resist anything else, but at least he'd held onto his sleeping space.

Hearing this, Bai Liang had already made his decision — tomorrow, he's leaving!

Change the flight ticket; if it can't be changed, refund and rebuy; if can't buy one, take the train; if all else fails, a standing ticket will do!

If he can't even get a standing ticket, he'll just carry the train and run off.

Now even looking at the faucet in the bathroom, he feels like it's bent... too terrifying!

Monday extra update! Begging for monthly tickets! Begging for follow-up reads! Begging for tips!