Chapter 167: Campus Heartthrob Transforms into a Ruthless Bandit (Double Vote Beg for Monthly Tickets)

If the photo was a still from a film set or made with CGI, then this thing is pretty ordinary.

After all, plenty of TV dramas have that "a real man never looks back at an explosion" bit, and each one looks cooler than the last.

But if this thing actually happened in real life.

Then damn, that's way too cool!

【Holy crap what the hell? That car really blew up?! I thought since the big shot said he was fine, those videos online must be fake】

【So the video is real, but he's actually fine? That can't be right, can it? Crashed that hard and the person's still okay?】

【Redefining "just scraped a little skin." Bro, are you made of iron? That's just a scrape?】

【This guy's horoscope must have some mysticism in it, probably even his ancestors are lending a hand from down below~】

【He probably did take some internal injuries, figure he'll need to rest up for a while, but that bit getting out of the car was genuinely sick, even a dude like me got a little moist】

【Other pretty boys scrape a little skin and act like they're dying, this bro really "almost died" and just says he scraped a little skin. He's not leaving his peers a way to survive.】

【.】

The comments above have already filtered out the female fans' "feel sorry for my oppa" ones—that stuff is actually the most common.

But this whole scene really does have that absurd "every guy thinks it's cool" effect.

A lot of the more "normal" comments are basically expressing awe—on one hand feeling that Bai Liang's luck is absolutely off the charts, and on the other genuinely admiring the guy's calm and courage.

That unhurried manner—where does it look like a serious car crash? It feels more like he just parked the car in a spot and casually opened the door to get out.

Especially that "flash of inspiration" helmet removal.

It lets everyone see clearly that it really is Bai Liang himself.

The word "approved" really did pop up on the public screen.

Bai Liang's Weibo post only had the photo and a brief explanation, but his studio's Weibo posted a more detailed account of what happened, along with several videos from the scene.

The speed of this "clarification" was pretty fast too—after all, editing those videos takes some time.

All the shots of that bastard had to be cut out.

As everyone knows, the videos are all real~

So after confirming it was real, the photo's prestige instantly skyrocketed, and it started blowing up across the entire internet.

Kind of like that "photo of a lifetime" feeling.

In the future, the "King of Understanding" will give the whole world a perfect demonstration—after all, nobody understands "photo of a lifetime" better than him.

The courage and calm humans show in the face of crisis, paired with the clever composition of environment and light—what kind of gut-punch does that combination deliver?

You just can't stop that hand from hitting like~

Actually, besides Wu Moufan trying to give Bai Liang a hard time yesterday, there was another party making moves at the same time.

Even though it was Shuangzi throwing a fit that forced Peng Yuyan to pick between two films, having your own resources snatched away by someone else still feels pretty crappy.

A normal round of stepping on someone, that's all.

Even without this incident, among the "younger generation" of artists, who isn't stepping on who?

Bai Liang's sudden rise shook up way more cake than just Wu Moufan's—it's just that he was the first "victim," and he suffered heavy losses, losing a Gao She endorsement right off the bat.

Labels like "hardworking," "self-disciplined," and "able to endure hardship" have always been Peng Yuyan's marketing weapons in the industry.

Originally he just planned to casually step on Bai Liang, getting some marketing accounts to post articles like "what a pity, he didn't get to star in it after all."

That way he could ride Bai Liang's rising traffic and also piggyback on Han Han's new film's name—win-win.

And then he ran headfirst into this incident.

He would've been better off being like Wu Moufan—at least that guy's hot search really did shoot up to second place, and without Bai Liang making such a stir, hitting number one wouldn't have been hard at all, a genuine top-tier contender.

And just as his stepping-on campaign was getting started, Bai Liang went and "blew his engine," delivering a massive shock to the entire entertainment industry.

Peng Yuyan was completely dumbfounded—after all these years in the business, he'd truly never seen an opponent like this.

He's only "working hard" and "striving," while that kid just goes and "risks his life"!

The stepping-on marketing had to be abandoned halfway, and he could only plan to slowly scheme for the future.

No choice—right now across the entire Simplified Chinese internet, no artist's buzz can hold a candle to Bai Liang's lately.

A true winner-takes-all, not leaving even a sip for anyone else.

That "photo of a lifetime" is really damn everywhere on everyone's feed, you see it everywhere.

Every major community forum had it topping the charts—it's even more absurd than that time Xiao Nai walked straight out of a novel.

Poor Teacher Wang Feng just happened to release a new album today too.

Han Han: Sitting at home, and the buzz comes raining down from the sky.

The news that he invited Bai Liang to play the second male lead in "Riding the Wind and Waves" had long spread, and the racing elements weren't exactly a secret either.

Although saying the crash was good really isn't quite appropriate, Bai Liang crashing like this genuinely brought a ton of attention to the film.

A bunch of people rushed to his Weibo comments to ask: Will the movie have Bai Liang driving a race car?

Mm. The race car driver role is played by Deng Chao; the small-town youth played by Bai Liang only rides a motorcycle.

And originally, for the race car driving, Han Han was planning to do it himself with a stunt double, but now he figures he really can add some behind-the-scenes extras and the like.

He'd seen Bai Liang drive and knew the kid actually has the skills.

But set against that sheer guts, the skills seemed relatively lacking by comparison.

Han Han was already mulling over adding scenes, even starting to consider whether to expand it into a dual male lead.

Conveniently, the female lead's scenes had been trimmed a bit, so they could add more interaction scenes between Bai Liang and Zhao Liying.

Originally he was only considering it, but something no one expected directly cemented his decision.

The car crash thing damn well had a sequel—and an immediate one at that!

The crash video and Bai Liang's photo of a lifetime had only just blown up across the internet not long ago, and now the latest "intel" arrived.

Bai Liang really did just scrape a little skin—he was discharged from the hospital in a day, and the moment he got out, he went right back to driving.

He went off to drive again!

【. Don't know what to say, doesn't the Great Immortal have any psychological trauma at all? A titanium alloy big heart?】

【Awesome! A tough guy popped out from this pack of fresh-faced pretty boys, huh? When I was watching "Weiwei" with my partner, I thought he was just another pretty-boy idol~ Turns out this brother plays way more brutally than me】

【Does the Great Immortal like riding motorcycles? Please don't! The death rate for that is actually higher. Half of the motorcycle bloggers I follow have died in the past two years.】

【Did Mercedes-Benz's brand side pressure him? Damn it, that lousy Mercedes-Benz has no conscience, not considering the guy's physical and mental health at all? Only knows how to chase clout?】

Mercedes-Benz:. We're wronged here, my lord!

This pot they absolutely cannot take!

They immediately issued a statement, saying they absolutely care about their spokesperson's physical and mental health, blah blah blah a bunch of polite platitudes.

Only at the end did they "reluctantly" state that the artist Bai Liang is a bit different from the others, and that his body and mind are both quite healthy right now.

Some things, just like refusing animal performances, belong to the realm of humanitarian concern.

But you can't stop animals from insisting on performing.

They also hope Bai Liang can rest for a few days, take a little breather.

But this guy seemed even more fired up after the crash. Of course, it might also be that the Red Bull people egged him on.

The racetrack, a familiar venue.

Bai Liang got behind the wheel of a new car again, still sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.

This time the commotion was even bigger; besides the filming crew, there was even a professional service team.

Checking the car's condition, tires, brakes... and a professional towel-handler, in short, totally professional!

At first everyone stared at the Mercedes-Benz AMG back on the track, still feeling a bit nervous inside.

That earth-shattering crash earlier was too terrifying.

If Bai Liang didn't dare to floor it because of it, that would be understandable.

But hey. Everyone soon discovered in shock that this guy freaking broke his own lap record again!

He was practically standing up to stomp the gas pedal, as if wanting to shove his foot right into the fuel tank!

What else is there to say?

Badass!

A born big heart, completely confirmed, just blow his horn and that's that.

It's just that, well, the atmosphere on site wasn't exactly all harmony and light.

The people from Mercedes-Benz's brand side were looking with some unfriendly eyes at the group of "lunatics" next door, always feeling like the Red Bull bunch didn't seem quite normal, each and every one of them looking a bit unhinged.

Whooping and hollering nonstop, jumping at every little thing.

What's it got to do with you guys? Stick a logo on him and he's yours?

If Bai Liang's condition is off in any way today, it's all on you!

Red Bull brand side:??? What are you looking at?!

The people they sent today were plenty, not just a handful like before. After the higher-ups learned of this matter, they already gave the decision: sign him! No matter what, they have to sign Bai Liang!

Oh right, that Mercedes-Benz car that got totaled in the crash, they can help Bai Liang pay for it.

They'd watched the videos and photos online for a long time, always feeling it was a pity—damn it, why wasn't there a Red Bull logo on it?!

Even more classy than a Mercedes-Benz is a Mercedes-Benz on fire.

No Red Bull name on it!

Mercedes-Benz brand side: Pay? You freaking look down on who? Stinky drink peddlers!

"Sister Yanzi, what are you grinning about?"

"I don't know, Sister Yang, I just feel like it's so weird and wonderful."

Sister Yang's arrival certainly made Yanzi feel flattered, but now she wasn't as cautious and timid as before.

Respect was definitely still there, but she could also puff out her chest and confidently stand before the other party as an equal in conversation.

As for the reason, she couldn't say.

Just felt strange.

Just like this brand-side negotiation, it already had a feeling of the world turned upside down; Yanzi even felt they were a bit... sycophantic.

This book's latest updates are at ##!! Update!

Sister Yang also felt it was strange, so today she specifically made time to come check out the situation.

Watching the sports car whoosh past her eyes, her face full of disbelief.

"This kid, really not injured at all?"

"Really! Checked him inside and out, I almost wanted to make him squeeze something out to send for testing"

"Cough cough, that's enough, he's fine and that's what matters."

Hearing her talk getting more and more outrageous, Sister Yang was having a bit of trouble keeping a straight face.

But in this area, the more cautious the better, Yanzi wasn't wrong.

Actually, Yanzi said she was still holding something back~

The way Jin Cheng and Li Yitong looked when they left one after the other that day, she always felt there were some things inconvenient to check—maybe one of those two had already helped check

Anyway, when Jin Cheng left he was swaying his head, looking very happy.

As for Li Yitong, she was weird, couldn't say what was going on.

——

Bai Liang played on the racetrack for a full three days, and during this period, his new nickname replaced the original "Track Torpedo," becoming a well-known figure among the racing crowd around Shanghai.

A bona fide Track Phoenix.

The Great Immortal title also charged out from the entertainment circle into the racing circle—yep, there are again those people coming to him for "consecration."

The original Ghost-Weeping Sorrow track had now become popular.

But when he went onto the track, everyone still had to dodge him as usual.

No choice—his fate was just that tough.

Likewise, the trending search stayed up for a full three days.

Mercedes-Benz was overjoyed; the ads hadn't even gone live yet, and the spokesperson effect was already maxed out.

This guy was absolutely the best spokesperson they could have hired.

However, Bai Liang, who had originally wanted to keep playing for a few more days, was dragged off by Wu Jing, who had rushed over in a hurry.

It was classmate Nazha who had secretly tipped him off.

Bai Liang really hadn't been left with any psychological shadow, but she had.

She simply didn't dare go watch him drive again.

And Wu Jing was probably the latest among Bai Liang's acquaintances to learn of his "accident."

The movie was about to start filming; he was busy around the clock—when would he have the time to follow any trending searches? If his wife hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known his male second lead had been in such a terrifying car crash.

By the time he reacted, Bai Liang was already back on the track flooring the accelerator.

But looking back at what had happened over the past two days, it genuinely gave this tough-guy actor Wu Jing a cold sweat.

Damn! My male second lead almost croaked?!

After receiving Nazha's call urging him to start filming quickly, he immediately rushed to Shanghai and "caught" Bai Liang on the spot.

Little bro, stop scaring people. Let's shoot the movie first, alright?

Even if you croak, you have to wait until the movie's done before croaking—at least that way we'll have a memento.

It happened that Wu Jing had originally planned to start filming early, so moving it up a bit more was no problem.

"Liang-ge, I'm calling you Liang-ge—let's take it easy, don't risk your life!"

"Huh?"

Bai Liang could hardly believe his ears, staring blankly at Wu Jing. This kind of talk actually came from him?

Big bro, aren't you supposed to be a tough guy~

Looking at the kid's dumbfounded expression, Wu Jing couldn't help pulling out his phone to check that latest "life photo."

It really was the same person~

This kid was actually into contrast play! It also seemed to prove his casting choice really had no issues!

So although he'd broken out in a cold sweat, Wu Jing appreciated Bai Liang even more.

He's a real man.

For action film actors, getting hurt on set was commonplace.

Wu Jing broke his nose at 6, had his head cracked open at 8, was paralyzed in the lower body at 14, broke his foot at 17, had 100 stitches on his body, and even went to his wedding on crutches.

But even he was only tough on himself; he wasn't afraid of getting hurt.

He wouldn't dare be like Bai Liang, truly not treating his life as a big deal.

"Don't look at me with those eyes, or I won't be able to stop myself from beating you up~"

Bai Liang always felt Wu Jing's expression was a bit weird—almost a little ambiguous.

"You still want to beat me up?" Wu Jing laughed, the corner of his mouth curving into a Dragon King-like smile. You kid know how many years this bro has trained in martial arts?

"That's right~"

"Fine, once we're in the crew I'll give you the chance. Don't go crying about the pain then!"

Bai Liang: "Hehe, those are your words!"

Nazha:???

How did they end up scheduling a fight? Are boys really this hard to manage!

She had called Wu Jing hoping to get Bai Liang to behave quickly. Racing is so dangerous—what's fun about it?

Clearly there were things at home more fun than cars. Was she not pretty enough?!

But now it seemed that even after entering the crew, Bai Liang and Wu Jing together probably wouldn't behave.

At this moment she could actually feel some of Sister Cai's "admonition" to her: the bitter taste of love isn't that easy to swallow.

Indeed, it was nerve-wracking.

Cai Yinong: That's not what I meant at all.

Two days later, "Wolf Warrior 2" held its launch press conference in Yanjing.

Some issues Wu Jing had worried about—such as media questioning why a popular fresh-faced idol was cast for a military action film—simply never happened.

No media outlet was that dumb; sometimes asking too stupid a question only invited ridicule.

Instead, everyone was more concerned about whether Wu Jing would arrange some racing scenes for Bai Liang.

Actually, Wu Jing was also a little tempted—this was hot buzz he could ride!

But in the end he held back, only playing a subtle word game, saying we don't race cars; real men should race tanks.

It sent the media into a frenzy! As if they'd already figured out how to write their pieces when they got back.

Bai Liang: You thick-browed, big-eyed one aren't an honest person either!

Wu Jing didn't say who would be racing the tank—he just threw the concept out there.

However, the real climax of this press conference was the several videos played on site.

The videos were shot fresh from when Wu Jing and Bai Liang were playing with guns at the shooting range.

Nobody found Wu Jing's performance surprising, since everyone knew he was a professional in these things.

This guy really went to train with the special forces for over a year.

But that Bai Liang was also so smooth at it genuinely turned some heads.

That practiced bandit look of cocking the bolt with a backhand had nearly completely shattered the previous Xiao Nai male-god image.

"Love O2O" only just finished airing not long ago!

The hotter this film was, the more deeply Bai Liang's campus male-god image had taken root in people's hearts.

Before the car accident, a casual online search of him turned up almost nothing but the role of Xiao Nai.

And yet, in just this little time, the guy has reinvented himself?

At that moment, a reporter muttered below: "Kind of looks like Peng Yuyan, picks up a new skill with every drama he films."

Some of the fellow journalists around him were instantly inspired: Hey~ that makes sense!

Nothing beats picking out a target to take a swing at, dragging down two artists and getting their fans to flame each other — that's the surest way to generate buzz.

——

Five-thousand-word chapter, begging for monthly votes

(End of this chapter)