Chapter 182: Men Forever Remain Boys (Double Request for Monthly Votes)

Human preferences are diverse.

Bai Liang had just experienced one of them yesterday, yet he never imagined that Wall-Peel Girl, this little cat, was hiding something deep too!

"You're serious about calling me Little Egg?"

"Don't call me Little Egg!" Li Yitong said, slightly flustered and annoyed.

This nickname always made her feel insulted, especially after she'd just impulsively made that demand.

"Didn't you tell me to insult you?" Bai Liang said helplessly.

You got what you wanted, and now you're unhappy again? This girl is hard to please!

Huh?

Bai Liang had successfully confused Li Yitong—she disliked the nickname "Little Egg," so when he used it, it really did sound like an insult.

But it was nothing like what she'd imagined in her mind just moments ago.

Yet asking Bai Liang to correct himself was clearly too much to ask.

The impulse came fast and faded just as quickly.

Li Yitong immediately felt profound shame over what she'd just said!

She wished her toes could dig out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment from the floor.

Damn it, how could she have said something like that?

After holding it in for ages, she could only mutter dejectedly: "You—you mustn't tell anyone!"

Bai Liang thought for a moment, "Little cat, you don't want anyone to know either."

"You're doing it again! You called me that when I ate wall peel!" Li Yitong gritted her molars, reacting as if triggered by these words.

She couldn't help but flash her nails at Bai Liang, ready to pounce and scratch him.

She's becoming more and more like a little cat.

When she speaks normally, her voice is actually quite commanding, even with a faint husky depth that doesn't clash much with her age.

But when she gets emotional, paired with her cat-like face and crescent-moon eyes, she somehow gives off a fluffy, cuddly vibe.

Bai Liang barely resisted the urge to reach out and scratch under her chin.

Back on the set of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," she'd hardly ever acted this way with Bai Liang—not even when eating wall peel.

But lately, this frequency has skyrocketed to something suspicious.

"Alright, alright, I won't tell anyone. I've always kept your little secrets safe—now you've just added a few more."

Bai Liang waved his hand carelessly, indicating his lips were sealed.

Li Yitong believed him, because Meng Jie still didn't know about her wall-peel habit.

She'd secretly probed for it already.

She figured if a man could keep secrets even in bed and never gossip about others, his character must be solid.

But upon further thought, something felt off.

When she returned to her hotel room and reflected carefully, she suddenly slapped her own head.

Huddled on the sofa, legs hugging a pillow, she muttered to herself: "Li Yitong, calm down! That's his bed!"

"Ding dong~ Ding dong~"

Here we go again!

She picked up her phone and saw that Mencius and Yu Shuxin had found new photos from yesterday's Bvlgari gala and were enthusiastically discussing them.

Li Yitong joined in, complaining: "So annoying—Li Xin and Bai Liang were right next to each other, but I got scolded, while they at least earned the title of brand ambassador. I heard they've already officially announced it today, and I just got roasted with nothing in return."

As expected, Meng Jie took the bait.

She immediately defended her: "That's just free promotion—I could do it too! You really should've jumped on it; you had the time."

"I'm too scared—I'd get a midnight call from you yelling at me."

"How could I? Besides, someone else would've done it anyway!"

Well said!

Meng Jie had probably just said it offhand—the group quickly shifted to debating how Bai Liang had thought up the move of dropping the jewelry into the champagne.

"The god-tier god is truly god-tier—so cool!"

Watching the group fall into fangirling again, Li Yitong thought: Why not just ask him directly?

She took a screenshot and sent it to Bai Liang—he replied quickly.

Bai Liang: "I just slipped."

Yes, that was the correct answer.

His super-brain had briefly crashed—he hadn't had time to come up with a better plan.

Then the thing slipped from his hand and fell into the glass, so he just picked up the cup and went with it.

But his capybara nature made his expression perfectly calm—no one could tell.

Oh, it fell into the drink.

Whatever.

The answer was absurd, but Li Yitong believed it completely—it was exactly his style.

Then, in a rather "dark" move, she didn't tell the other two in the group the truth; instead, she joined the discussion about today's "dual-sword combo" where Bai Liang and Lin Genxin had publicly scolded the trolls.

Getting more followers by scolding people? That's truly rare.

But reviewing the online comments, you could already see a hint of the truth.

The lofty god had merely touched the ground—he hadn't smeared himself in mud.

Besides, Bai Liang was never truly that cold and aloof; that was just the persona of certain characters in dramas.

His "pressure-fan" incident hadn't even been long ago—many of his most devoted fans already knew exactly what he was like.

So how could they lose followers?

They call this "down-to-earth."

As for Lin Gengxin, that dream of nine hundred million girls is about the same—he never walked the high-end god-like path, just a simpleton.

So when these two clashed with haters, their fans didn't drop—they increased.

But this kind of tactic carries some risk; most mainstream internet celebrities wouldn't dare do it.

Sustained, high-frequency online flame wars requiring extremely fast typing? Very few can guarantee they won't say a single curse word.

If you mess up, you easily get caught with dirt and turn it into scandal material.

If Yang Yang were to do this, he'd definitely "crash his image"—after holding up a polished persona for so long, you can't just drop it.

Oh right, Bai Liang and Lin Gengxin only posted text—they didn't livestream giving the middle finger.

They didn't stir up online mobbing either.

Otherwise, Lin Gengxin's Weibo might've been suspended for a while.

——

The next day, Bai Liang reappeared on the set of "Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves," receiving a hero's homecoming reception.

So spirited! Didn't lose face! Great job!

Maybe because he'd filmed "Running Man" too many times, Deng Chao clapped in surprise to welcome him, then grinned slyly: "Master, can you curse at me a couple times?! Lately I've been feeling itchy~"

His words echoed Li Yitong's from yesterday, but the meaning was completely different.

One wanted to enjoy the moment; the other was just being a jerk.

"If you're itchy, physical action usually works better—want to try, Brother Chao?"

"Hey hey hey, young man, no honor! Don't you ever come on Running Man! If you do, I'll take a leave."

"Your show isn't as interesting as 'The Ultimate Challenge' next door," Bai Liang offered an honest evaluation.

"Running Man" is just pretend play—only the name-tearing part's fun. If you want real entertainment, "The Ultimate Challenge" is way more exciting, since they constantly "rip up the script."

But Deng Chao didn't crack—he smiled mysteriously: "Oh? Not interesting, huh? We'll see if you show up then."

This encrypted message left Bai Liang utterly confused at first.

By the second moment, he just stopped caring~

Compared to the divine images he'd posted from Bulgari to show off, the crew cared far more about him and Lin Gengxin's joint trolling.

After all, celebrity viral images pop up every so often.

But clashing with haters? That's rare.

Yet Xiao Zhao Jie's angle was different from everyone else's.

"Who are those Bai Fumei at that table to you?"

Bai Liang read the gossip and teasing in her eyes—the same way she'd asked earlier about Meng Jie's "group."

"Just old classmates~"

Xiao Zhao Jie rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it.

Then she remembered something, her face full of awe: "Brother, you really have skills! Bold and decisive!"

She even gave him a thumbs-up!

Bai Liang was baffled: "What bold and decisive?"

"Anyway, I still advise you to stay far away from Sun Yi," Xiao Zhao Jie sighed, shaking her head; seeing Li Yitong, she thought Bai Liang might have some strange preferences.

But when she saw the photo of Li Xin pressed against him, she was certain—this kid definitely had a collecting fetish!

"Oh right, today we shoot the kiss scene! Brush your teeth."

"Don't kid me—we don't even have a kiss scene. Just lip contact." Bai Liang said calmly.

"Even lip contact needs brushing your teeth—that's respect for your co-star!" Xiao Zhao Jie lectured seriously.

"Can I get a stand-in?" Before Xiao Zhao Jie raised her fist, Bai Liang retracted the sentence.

But the kiss scene she mentioned was exaggerated—what they called a kiss was just lip contact.

It wasn't even as intense as Deng Chao and Gao Huayang's "kiss scene."

Two men kissing!

But unlike Huang Jingyu's saliva-dragging version, this was just artificial respiration.

Still, filming that scene nearly made Bai Liang burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Deng Chao, playing Xu Tailang, was giving artificial respiration to Liu Liu, but Gao Huayang couldn't hold back—he burped, and it went straight into Deng Chao's mouth.

So flavorful!

Though it was only lip contact, today's scene was important—it was the wedding.

Xiao Zhao Jie had never been married, so she had no experience.

But the movie didn't need real experience anyway.

The problem was Bai Liang had way too much experience!

This book's latest update is ##!! Updated!

So during filming, Han Han felt something was off.

After Bai Liang and Zhao Liying smacked lips several times, the director still wasn't satisfied.

But given his professionalism, he couldn't quite articulate why—he just frowned, sat there in silent brooding, doing performance art.

Finally, Bai Liang accidentally revealed it: "Should I act more innocent?"

"Yes! Exactly! So—"

Han Han was about to blame someone, but Bai Liang cut in:

"You said before filming started that men mature instantly at marriage."

This pot he won't touch — it was all the director's orders.

"Take it as me talking nonsense — men are boys till they die."

Understanding the director's intent when filming is the basic素养 of an actor.

But if you happen to run into a director who can't quite express it, then it comes down to the actor's own ability to grasp things.

Mm. Han Han isn't suited to using new actors — his films need "old hands" or people who can just be themselves.

That's the high-EQ way of putting it.

But this scene Bai Liang himself felt was pretty weird acting it — his age of course fit the role, and what Han Han wanted was the feeling of pretending to be mature while actually being green at heart.

But actually, for Bai Liang himself, it was the reverse.

Luckily that "men are boys till they die" line still had some weight to it — especially for a man who'd never really suffered in his life, he really had been a boy the whole time.

"In today's scene, you had this old-hand-playing-cute vibe~ I almost thought you'd been married before."

The others didn't notice anything off, but Zhao Liying, who was closest to Bai Liang and acting opposite him directly, did pick up on something.

"Did I?" Bai Liang played dumb.

"Just a little bit, maybe — it's because you men are pretty strange, eighteen and thirty-eight sometimes have the same stuff running through their heads."

"You really get it, sis~"

Little Zhao sis gave him a look, toyed with the ring on her finger, and spread her hand out to admire it front and back.

The ring was bought by Bai Liang — not expensive, just over a hundred yuan.

But Little Zhao sis really liked it, and straight-up tossed out the ring the crew had prepared.

Now she didn't look like she had any intention of giving it back to Bai Liang either.

After admiring it properly, she couldn't help sighing: "Tsk, I guess I'm a woman who's been married now too."

Normally, Bai Liang would've definitely quipped: As if you hadn't been "married" in all those previous dramas.

Bickering with Zhao Little Knife was really fun.

But this time he kept his mouth shut, just cooperatively giving his usual everyday smile.

A warm little capybara~

Made the sis couldn't resist giving his cheek a little tug — Zhao Liying had done this before, but this time it was the gentlest one yet.

"I'll accept the gift, and I'll get you one back later."

After saying that, she turned and left with a潇洒 flourish, because she saw Li Yitong sneaking peeks over again.

Slightly emotional inside, she also found it a bit funny — why was this Miss so afraid of her?

"Want some milk tea?"

The moment Little Zhao sis left, the little kitten poked her head out.

Honestly, Li Yitong was twenty-six, but with that baby-faced face of hers, doing these things didn't feel off at all.

Feels like when she's in her thirties, she might be able to run the "girlish vibe" track alongside Yang Mi.

At this moment she was holding two cups of milk tea in her hands, "tempting" Bai Liang.

"Why don't you just buy one cup." Looking at the two cups of milk tea, Bai Liang sighed.

Li Yitong was a bit baffled, "One cup each! I ran really far to get them!"

"Boba milk tea, right?"

"How did you know?"

Bai Liang didn't explain, took one cup from her hand, and gulped down more than half in a few swigs.

"Big water buffalo!" Li Yitong muttered under her breath, holding her milk tea and taking tiny little sips.

Bai Liang said nothing, just quietly watched her.

After she finished all the boba inside, sure enough, she left the remaining half cup untouched.

At this point Li Yitong also caught on, blinking her big eyes, "You knew?!"

"From careful observation of daily life."

"But I only drank milk tea twice on the 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' set," Li Yitong said, her tone a little complicated.

"Once to discover, once to confirm — how could I not remember? You could've just bought one cup and we'd split it, I'm not really into those little snacks in milk tea."

Bai Liang didn't just lack interest — he absolutely loathed them!

Drink a drink, eat porridge — how can you mix the two together?

"The weather's getting colder, it's autumn now." Li Yitong suddenly blurted this out of nowhere.

Bai Liang was stunned — huh? The "first cup of milk tea in autumn" meme already exists now?

But she didn't seem to plan on explaining anything to him, just picked up her milk tea and vanished — back to the hotel.

Her few supporting-role scenes had been filmed before Bai Liang went to the Bvlgari dinner, so at this point she was essentially freeloading on the set and refusing to leave.

Of course, nobody minded.

In fact, since Li Yitong barely showed up on set anymore, spending most of her time holed up in the hotel, quite a few people thought she'd already left.

Only Little Zhao sis observed carefully enough to know this Miss was actually still around.

But no matter how much she lingered, it was already autumn now, and winter wasn't far off — she really had to leave sometime.

At this moment Bai Liang looked down and realized Li Yitong had taken his cup — there wasn't much milk tea left in it, just boba.

And the half cup of milk tea she'd drunk was still sitting there.

Mm. Wasting food is indeed shameful.

Meanwhile, Li Yitong, who'd dashed back to the hotel in one breath, felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

She opened her chat with Jin Cheng and started cursing: "It's all your fault!"

Jin Cheng on the other end replied pretty fast, tossing over three question marks.

However, before Li Yitong could even say what exactly it was, Jin Cheng suddenly caught on.

"Hehehe, I get it now. I heard you're on the set of *Riding the Wind and Waves* — went to warm some guy's bed? Gonna share your post-use心得 with me?"

"Pah! I just came for a cameo, that's all! It's not as filthy as you're imagining. You think I'm like you? In the hospital you were so. outrageous!"

"I only took a few sips in the hospital, it wasn't even that exaggerated."

Through the screen, Li Yitong could practically see the other's smug, shameless expression.

What do you mean 'only took a few sips'? Where exactly did you sip — don't you have any idea yourself?!

She directly flung over a grumbling-and-cursing sticker.

Jin Cheng: "Stop playing dumb with me. What exactly did you do? I'm dying of curiosity here! Spill it!"

After a moment's hesitation, Li Yitong dragged her feet and told the whole milk-tea story.

On the other end, Jin Cheng's face was one big speechless — we're all children of the jianghu, why be so cryptic about it?

Anyone who didn't know would think it was some campus puppy love.

This is so pure it's not even college-student level — only middle-schoolers and high-schoolers play it this way, right?

We're all adults — if you like him, just flip the script and make the first move! Sleeping with him isn't a loss either!

A top-tier male idol, after all~

In any case, the better Bai Liang does now, the more Jin Cheng feels she's gotten a bargain on that front.

"You want to date him? Girl, wanting it both ways — that's a bit greedy, no?"

"I never wanted to date him!" Li Yitong denied flatly.

"Then there you go — do what you gotta do. You're a career-minded woman, be decisive, don't make me look down on you, okay?"

After sending that message, Jin Cheng vanished outright and stopped replying.

Li Yitong had originally wanted to chat a bit more, but the other side started playing dead, leaving her with nothing to do about it.

She glanced at the ticket info on her phone — she had to leave tomorrow.

——

Today's first update.

Brothers, today is the last day of double monthly tickets! One ticket counts as two — don't hoard them!

(End of chapter)