Chapter 160: Whose Endorsement Did You Steal? (Request Monthly Votes)

The sudden arrival of the client caught Su Mang off guard.

She quickly released her grip on Bai Liang's hand and stepped forward with enthusiastic greetings.

Whether in entertainment or fashion, the client's status is always superior.

At least when money is being spent—or might be spent—it is absolutely superior.

The very term "client daddy" says it all.

This "old classmate" of Bai Liang's, in Su Mang's eyes, is the daughter of the CEO of Bulgari's Greater China region; any title like "general manager" is irrelevant. (Fabricated, do not fact-check.)

The way the woman called Bai Liang "old classmate" also made her feel uneasy, and her gaze toward him grew slightly resentful.

Handsome, you had this connection and didn't say anything earlier?

And is he really an old classmate?

That tone, that expression—it feels off somehow!

Bai Liang, however, looked genuinely innocent—he had no idea who this was.

Generally speaking, he could remember the names and faces of the girls he knew, but he couldn't possibly memorize each one's family background.

He only knew they were all rich.

During school, the girls who got involved with him usually didn't have the ability to earn money themselves and become wealthy women—they were simply born into wealth.

So their family conditions and backgrounds didn't need special memorization; calling them all "Bai Fumei" was enough.

Unlike Na Zha, who was exceptionally good at earning money and could buy a house in no time.

Bai Liang now preferred women like Na Zha—"independent women."

"Let's finish the work first; we probably still need to take a few more shots."

Hearing this, the photographer was deeply moved—no, at a time like this, you still remembered me?

But she dared not decide for herself; she immediately turned her gaze to Su Mang, waiting for her to decide.

Su Mang:??? You're asking me?

So she turned to look at Bai Liang's "old classmate," who blinked, then looked at Bai Liang, as if saying: What's your opinion?

Okay, okay, okay—closed loop achieved.

Bai Liang waved his hand and said to the photographer: "We ignore them—work is the priority."

"Bro, you're so dedicated!"

The photographer nearly cried; even though she was older than Bai Liang, the way she called him "bro" was utterly sincere.

So awesome! She'd never seen such a badass celebrity.

Here stood the client daddy of a luxury brand and the CEO of a fashion group—and this guy completely ignored them!

Still thinking about taking photos?!

"You go ahead and work; later I'll treat you to coffee," the old classmate said with a grin.

"Why not buy several cups and treat everyone? Everyone's working hard."

"I'll pay!"

Su Mang finally found her opening and quickly took over, sending her assistant to tally what coffee everyone wanted and buy it immediately.

Everyone gets one!

Then she hurriedly had chairs brought over so the client could sit and watch Bai Liang work.

The proof was clear: sometimes, efficiency truly requires a bit of pressure.

The photographer, in the latter half of today's shoot, became terrifyingly efficient.

She certainly didn't cut corners just for speed—instead, she gave two hundred percent.

Honestly, after shooting a few photos, she looked at them and felt she'd never capture anything like them again in her life.

But she admired Bai Liang even more.

Earlier, she'd doubted whether this handsome guy was just pretending indifference while secretly trembling inside.

But nope—Bai Liang acted exactly as before, still focused and cooperative.

After finishing, he took the coffee from Sister Yanzi, sipped it, and still couldn't help boasting to the photographer: "I used to be a male model—pretty professional, right?"

"Extremely professional! Hope we can collaborate again," the photographer blushed.

Hey? Why are you blushing like a teapot?

Su Mang shoved her aside and smiled warmly: "Of course we'll collaborate again—how could Harper's Bazaar miss such a top-tier artist?"

"You're too kind, Ms. Su," Bai Liang replied politely, then frowned slightly.

At his frown, several people nearby involuntarily felt their hearts jump.

Then he said: "This coffee's good—whose brand is it?"

Dude, don't scare people like that!

Since the work was done, the next step was naturally casual chat and catching up.

They didn't go anywhere else—just found a makeup room.

After hanging around for a while, Su Mang came out smiling, even specifically chatting with Sister Yanzi and Lao Zhou.

Just the usual polite talk about future collaborations and such.

Hmm… maybe not just polite.

After she left, Sister Yanzi and Lao Zhou's expressions were strange—complex, even.

Hmm… how to put it? Unreadable.

But they were utterly shocked!

Especially Sister Yanzi—she retracted her earlier judgment that her little Bai's charm being too strong wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Why wasn't it a good thing?! It absolutely was!

At the same time, she realized she had made a huge oversight in her work—she had only cared about the girls he met after getting to know Bai Liang.

She forgot to ask about his past "achievements."

Today, one suddenly showed up and made her heart pound!

She even treated everyone to coffee, speaking with that natural tone—yes, it was exactly his usual style.

The key is, Bai Fumei, the CEO's daughter, actually listened to him!

So strong, Xiao Bai Ge!

"Yanzi," Lao Zhou tugged on Yanzi's sleeve at this moment and suddenly said in a mysterious tone: "Should I go help buy something?"

"Huh? Buy what? Souvenirs?" Yanzi asked, confused.

"No, that thing—the one you bought that one time in the middle of the night."

Seeing the slightly lewd expression on his face, Yanzi suddenly thought it wasn't without merit.

Generally speaking, when an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend meet, if they don't exchange cold words or even hostile ones, but instead chat happily, the probability they'll get back together is extremely high.

Though this sounds crude, that's just how people are~

"Then go buy it fast!"

"Got it~"

Lao Zhou, face alight with excitement, returned to his old profession.

His expression made him look like some kind of perverted competitor, as if he believed Bai Liang had used the sperm-blocking charm he bought and it gave him some sense of participation.

In truth, Lao Zhou simply felt the thigh he was clinging to was growing firmer by the day.

He got excited about everything!

"Yanzi~"

At this moment, Bai Liang suddenly stuck his head out of the dressing room and waved to Yanzi.

"What's up, Xiao Bai Ge?"

"It's your turn—talk to her about the endorsement deal."

"Huh?!"

Yanzi, who handled all of Bai Liang's endorsement business, had never imagined she'd encounter this kind of opening.

She didn't even know whether to use her "negotiation skills" at all!

So before entering, she cast a pleading glance at her own Xiao Bai Ge: How should I negotiate?

Bai Liang winked at her: Use your most skilled way~

Yanzi: Demand an outrageous sum?

That wouldn't be very nice~

As for commercial negotiations, Bai Liang never much liked getting involved; though this time, chances were high there'd be no argument, he still handed full authority to Yanzi and went out for a stroll.

He hadn't strolled two minutes before he saw Lao Zhou running back, panting, clutching a bag.

That outfit looked awfully familiar!

"Lao Zhou, what are you doing?"

"Liang Ge, I went to buy something—here you go!"

The instant Bai Liang took the bag, he already guessed what was inside; he looked inside—and damn, it was exactly as he thought.

"Lao Zhou, you're our studio's fashion director, not a weapons expert~"

"Weapons?" Lao Zhou blinked, then grinned. "Of course, of course—I'm good at this. Let me handle all such tasks from now on."

Bai Liang didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm; in a way, this was just passion for work.

The only downside was, he'd collected way too many of these things.

A storage compartment in the RV was about to be stuffed to bursting—someone might open it one day and find gear spilling out like loot, possibly thinking Bai Liang had some kind of obsession.

Who else but a weirdo would hoard so much "firepower"?

To Lao Zhou's disappointment, Bai Liang didn't use any of the gear he provided.

After Yanzi and the "old classmate" roughly agreed on terms, the woman did pull Bai Liang aside for a bit more chatting, then Bai Liang politely took his leave.

As he left, Yanzi clearly sensed a hint of resentment on the old classmate's face~

Bai Liang's explanation: Just passersby from different stages of life.

Yanzi didn't quite understand, but she had no time for gossip—on the way to Star City, she first reported her "achievements."

The endorsement was, of course, secured outright—directly as the Bulgari ambassador.

!. read

No need to start as a watch ambassador and then get promoted.

After the formal contract is signed, both sides will announce it simultaneously.

That "old classmate" really had the authority to decide this!

As long as she doesn't suddenly turn on him because Bai Liang didn't chat more afterward or "catch up," the matter is settled.

The endorsement fee for this kind of deal is secondary—it's all about prestige.

Though it sounds absurd, fans actually regard such high-end jewelry endorsements as an artist's "achievement."

Roughly speaking, the more high-prestige endorsements one has, the more impressive the artist is considered.

It can only be tied to commercial value.

Then Yanzi's expression turned serious: "Xiao Bai Ge, we might have stolen someone else's endorsement!"

"What do you mean 'stolen'? Endorsements are all about who's got the edge~" Lao Zhou protested.

"That's not the point—the point is, whose did we steal?"

Hearing their conversation, Bai Liang became interested: "Whose?"

"Wu Yifan."

Just hearing that name spoken aloud seemed to explain everything.

On Bai Liang's side, at most he was a newly-minted top-tier star, still in his rise, and hadn't even finished cashing in all the dividends that "Weiwei" had brought him.

But the other party was a genuine top-tier player — only a handful in the entire entertainment circle could compare, true artists standing at the very pinnacle of that ecological niche.

This endorsement incident was very likely to trigger a direct clash between the two teams.

Sister Yanzi didn't dig and didn't know, but once she dug, she was genuinely startled.

Bai Liang's fans liked to call him "Great Immortal," and as it happened, the other party's fans — back when he was still debuting in a Korean boy band — had already crowned him with the title "Heavenly God."

Oh right, and there's more: Bai Liang was said to be a male lead who walked straight out of a novel, while the other party was a "comic-tear" — a handsome man who tore through the comic and stepped into reality.

And there's more!

That guy had also taken on a Porsche endorsement, and was reportedly going to hit the racetrack too. Whether it was building an image or genuinely into it, damn, it lined up again.

If Bai Liang's side managed to land the Mercedes-Benz endorsement smoothly down the line, these two were practically born rivals within the circle.

And if you let the mind wander a bit more, you could even find other common points — like playing basketball and the like.

Thinking it through, Sister Yanzi suddenly wondered: could their horoscopes actually be at odds?!

How could two artists have their competitive tracks overlap to such an absurd degree?!

"Good lord!" Old Zhou slapped his thigh, feeling his whole person ignite.

Men and women really were a little different in this regard.

Sister Yanzi felt that her own Little White Bro suddenly cutting in on an endorsement from an artist of this caliber was very likely to invite trouble.

There had already been a faint trend toward rivalry; when the time came, they might very well beat each other bloody.

And the other party's blood was a little too thick — after such a huge controversy earlier, about hookups and running off, he could still carry on developing steadily, as if barely affected.

Or rather, the impact had all been suppressed!

An opponent like this — Sister Yanzi would be a fool not to worry.

Old Zhou's thinking, on the other hand, was simpler: setting all that aside for now, snagging something this badass — what did it prove?

It proved our Brother Liang is even more badass!

If you're gonna fight, fight someone tough!

The strong must swing their blades at the stronger — that's the thrill of fighting above your level.

"Don't worry, this isn't a big deal." Bai Liang read Sister Yanzi's tension and unease, so he spoke up to comfort her.

"Little White Bro, how can you be so confident?" Seeing Bai Liang so unhurried, Sister Yanzi's heart instantly steadied.

But Bai Liang just spread his hands and grinned: "Because there's nothing I can do~"

"Pfft!"

This time, neither Old Zhou nor Sister Yanzi could hold it in.

Oh wow, so it can be solved this way too?

But Sister Yanzi was experienced by now — after laughing, she waited for Bai Liang's pivot.

Sure enough, Bai Liang thought it over: "I don't have a way, so I can only hope he can come up with a good one."

Mm, reasonable — that really was her own Little White Bro's way of solving things.

But after hearing that, Sister Yanzi's state of mind completely settled.

The other party's "Heavenly God" was just describing looks; her own Little White Bro's "Great Immortal" actually carried a touch of the mystical.

"What if the other party doesn't come up with a way?" Old Zhou raised his hand to ask.

Bai Liang answered without hesitation: "Then it's his bad luck~"

Honestly, he even felt like he had kind of "screwed over" his old classmate.

Originally, getting him to endorse Big Bowl Wide Noodles meant that when trouble came later, he could still pocket a breach-of-contract fee or something.

Now that he'd gotten Bai Liang to endorse instead, that money was gone for good.

Not to mention Bai Liang was especially law-abiding — even if he weren't, he probably wouldn't get caught.

Fortunately, old classmate Bai Fumei probably didn't care about that small amount either.

Back when she'd asked Bai Liang to help her buy Han Han's trashy books, she'd already looked like someone who viewed money as dirt.

"Little White Bro, with that mindset of yours… I always feel like you don't quite fit in with the fame-and-fortune scene~" Sister Yanzi suddenly sighed.

"What? You got some life insight to share?"

"No, it's just a little reflection — I keep feeling that the things we're fighting for now, like fashion magazine covers, luxury endorsements and whatnot, are they a bit too vulgar?"

Ah~

Bai Liang was amused — this little girl actually took him for an exiled immortal?

Making him sound like he didn't eat mortal food.

Of course, Bai Liang really didn't care much about these things.

He currently identified his profession as actor; give him a little more time, and he should be able to gradually transition into being a star.

The main thing was finding the fun in it.

But likewise, he only didn't care — he wasn't denying the value of what Sister Yanzi and the others were working hard to fight for and negotiate.

The secular world, the entertainment circle, and even the fandom — there was always a set of values recognized by most people.

To borrow Golden Pool Elder's line:

"If I don't don this kasaya, how will sentient beings know my worldly ties are severed and my sea of gold run dry?"

Same logic.

If I don't post on my social media, how will everyone know I've been to Tibet and my soul has been升华; if I don't drive a luxury car, how will others know my family has mines and不缺 money?

Businessmen all love to hang the word "Integrity"; leaders' offices hang either "Tranquility Brings Farness" or "The Highest Good Is Like Water."

In the end, it all comes down to those two words: being attached to appearances.

Fashion magazines, endorsements, and all the other things in the entertainment circle that show off an artist's status and taste—aren't they just that one brocade kasaya?

He just throws it on and that's that.

After all, Sister Yanzi and Old Zhou and the others really did work hard, and those little fans who came to see him were genuinely pretty cute.

Oh right, praise the rich lady.

—

It's the last day of the month—monthly tickets will be voided if you don't cast them now.

Yesterday's update was only eleven thousand, so I didn't have the nerve to ask for monthly tickets.

Today will definitely be fifteen thousand! Boldly and righteously asking for monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)