Chapter 204: A Fight That Shattered Heaven and Earth!

"How about you just talk to my manager directly~"

Bai Liang very decisively handed the phone over to Miss Jing Tian's manager, indicating the two of them could chat privately.

The other party: That suits me just fine!

She really couldn't read anything from Bai Liang's face—after all, who could figure out a capybara?

She just felt that this Bai Liang should be pretty easy to get along with; he hadn't shown any impatience the whole time.

Taking Bai Liang's phone, she didn't walk too far, but sensibly moved aside.

She even took his assistant and the rest along with her, as if clearing a little "world for two" for Bai Liang and Miss Jing Tian.

This made Miss Jing Tian suddenly a bit flustered; she pretended to lower her head and sip her coffee, sneaking a glance at Bai Liang.

Naturally, Bai Liang just smiled at her.

That smile backfired though—the other girl lowered her head even more.

What's up, socially anxious?

Bai Liang scratched his head, didn't force a conversation with her at that moment either; sitting quietly together for a while was pretty nice too.

So he started spacing out~

But once he entered that mode, Miss Jing Tian actually started secretly observing him.

Her courage instantly grew a lot!

Right now, Bai Liang in his capybara state made Sister Tian Tian feel it was just right—don't talk, don't smile, just stay zoned out like that.

Looking at the situation, the two of them were going to collaborate on two films, so they really did need to get to know each other better.

Mm. In both films they were playing a couple.

Before she knew it, she too started spacing out, her mind wandering off somewhere.

The manager over there chatting animatedly with Sister Yanzi happened to glance at the two of them and almost burst out laughing.

The scene was a little comical.

Like strangers with nothing to say, yet somehow with a strange bit of chemistry.

But she was the type to overthink—sure enough, the rumors in the industry really did have some truth to them.

They all said Bai Liang's acting was unrivaled among the younger generation; even if that was an exaggeration, he was still among the very best of them.

That uncanny ability to pull the emotions of those around him into the moment was already plain to see.

Even their Sister Tian Tian was getting swept along!

After finishing the collaboration talk with Sister Yanzi, Miss Jing Tian's manager walked over to the two of them. "Teacher Bai, pleasant working with you."

"You two finished talking?"

"Yes. Looking forward to your collaboration with our Tian Tian later—you two should get along just fine. When the time comes, please take good care of her."

"Uh, she's older than me," Bai Liang said, a touch serious.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Miss Jing Tian paused, then couldn't help but smile: "Right, I'm four or five years older than you."

Bai Liang nodded, but found it a little strange—why did she suddenly look visibly happier?

So he turned seriously to her manager and agreed to the request: "Alright, I will."

Miss Jing Tian:???

What does that mean?!

Angry.

But Bai Liang couldn't really spare attention for Miss Jing Tian's strange mood swings right now—another call was coming in.

Looking at the caller ID, Bai Liang paused, then answered.

"Um, Teacher Bai, this is Sun Qiang. Do you still remember me?"

"Of course I remember you, Director Sun. What's up? If you've been kidnapped, just cough once."

"Huh? No, why would I possibly be kidnapped?"

"Then why are you talking so weird?" Bai Liang wondered if this guy had been taken to some scam compound.

All this 'Teacher Bai' and 'sir'—sounds really odd.

"Weird?" Sun Qiang was a bit puzzled too; he thought he'd been plenty polite and respectful.

But he suddenly paused and tentatively called out: "Xiao Bai?"

"Now that sounds more normal. What can I do for you, Director Sun?"

Just a form of address, yet it inexplicably made Sun Qiang on the other end feel a sting in his nose—damn, this little brother really is a good guy!

Coincidentally, Bai Liang's main impression of Sun Qiang was: this guy is a good guy~

However, when it came to how to bring up the matter with Bai Liang and invite him to join the film "The Wandering Earth," Sun Qiang was still a bit at a loss.

He felt the atmosphere was so good right now—would saying it outright be too much to ask of someone?

But that caused Bai Liang to misunderstand again. Hearing him hem and haw and stammer, Bai Liang thought this old buddy had run into some kind of trouble.

"Send me your account number."

"Huh?"

"How much do you need over there?" Bai Liang figured every family had its own troubles to recite. Sun Qiang's tone was just too much like someone about to borrow money—better not make it awkward for him, just be straightforward.

But Sun Qiang, half in a daze, said: "Short by tens of millions. Wait, I'm not calling to borrow money from you!"

"Huh? You're not?"

"Really not!"

Sun Qiang had no idea what to say anymore. Bai Liang was still as polite to him as he had been back on "God of War Zhao Zilong," and now was even willing to lend him money—seriously. If they were face to face, he'd have the urge to kowtow on the spot.

Since the mood had already been built up to this point, there was no point holding anything back.

So Sun Qiang laid out the entire purpose of his call in one go, clean and clear.

After briefly explaining the situation on the *The Wandering Earth* side, he even added: "Honestly, I was just helping to ask around. The prospects for this film don't look great right now—Guo Dao Fan is a capable guy, but sci-fi films in the domestic market, you know how the soil is. If it's too much trouble for you, I'll just turn it down on your behalf."

Bai Liang: I haven't even said anything yet.

The invitation was sent by Brother Sun Qiang, yet the other side had already helped him prepare a graceful reason to refuse.

Does Guo Fan know he's pulling this stunt?

*The Wandering Earth*, huh~

This thing's reputation, in a certain sense, is no weaker than Wu Jing's *Wolf Warrior 2*—in fact, it's even more aggressive and better known in terms of pioneering.

However, Bai Liang's interest in this film was actually less than his interest in its director.

Guo Fan, a cyber succubus?

Is he really that magical?

Sun Qiang: "There's no rush to answer on this matter, but Guo Dao Fan does want to finish up what he's busy with first, then go meet you face-to-face to chat. He's a man with ideals, quite different from other directors in the circle."

"Alright."

"If it's really too much trouble for you—huh? What did you say?"

"I said alright. But if your film wants me to join the crew soon, I definitely can't go. By the end of the month I'll most likely be filming a movie, then I have to join another TV drama crew, and only after that will I have a stretch of free time."

Bai Liang briefly told Sun Qiang about his possible schedule arrangements going forward.

The project *How Long Will I Love U* will start up relatively quickly, followed by the filming of *The Story of Ming Lan*.

Between that and the scheduled start date of *Ming Lan*, there is indeed a fairly long stretch of free time.

Sun Qiang: This is fucking perfect!

What a coincidence?!

After this phone call ended, Sun Qiang rushed over to find Guo Fan, who at that moment was staring at blueprints of a planetary engine, studying who-knows-what.

"How'd it go, he turned you down?" Seeing Sun Qiang, Guo Fan first guessed the more likely answer.

Sun Qiang shook his head, beaming: "Guo Dao, I think we've got a shot!"

"…Is he really that easy to fool?!" Guo Fan said, somewhat incredulous.

A top-tier star, after all~

It wasn't false modesty—Guo Fan knew better than anyone exactly what kind of film he was making.

But nobody else believed it!

"I'm really starting to get interested in him now!"

"Guo Dao, stop bullshitting! Hurry up and go meet my Brother Liang."

"Brother Liang? Fuck off, go smoke your cigarette."

Meeting in person wasn't urgent—Guo Fan figured that if Bai Liang was the kind of person who valued old ties and loyalty, he couldn't waste Sun Qiang's goodwill.

He had to be fully prepared before going.

On this point he was fairly confident—schmoozing, after all~

Moreover, he believed the radiance of idealism could move anyone with a romantic streak.

The goal is the stars and the sea—coming from him, it's not just a slogan.

"You're quite generous."

On the other side, after Bai Liang hung up the phone, Miss Jing Tian gave him her thumbs-up.

Lending money, huh~ A person willing to lend money to others is most likely a good person!

This is one of Jing Tian's own internal criteria for judging people.

Favorability up up!

"Huh?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping on your call on purpose…" she hurriedly explained.

"It's fine, it's not exactly some super private matter."

"Oh, then see you on set."

Out of nowhere, strange and odd.

But she does seem to get happy pretty easily.

Bai Liang couldn't help comparing her with Na Zha—hmm… Na Zha is indeed a bit dumber.

At first glance Jing Tian doesn't seem very smart, and listening to her talk, there's a bit of that vibe too, but there's still a fundamental difference from an actual airhead. At most she's a bit naive.

If she were in her early twenties, she might really be able to go head-to-head with Na Zha over whose head is more empty…

Even Meng Jie counts as having an advantage in this regard.

Right, this round of coffee was still on Jing Tian.

Bai Liang really hadn't gotten a chance to pay today.

It's not like this never happened before, but he really hadn't been fleeced by the same person this many times.

Once they actually start filming, this young lady won't end up covering all his expenses, will she?

Feels like the odds are high!

Because Bai Liang has always been the generous type on set—when he has money, he spends it freely, and never forgets to let the people around him enjoy themselves too.

Just for various kinds of fruit alone, he buys them by the pile and then shares them with everyone.

Jing Tian is also generous—time for a showdown later? —

"Sis, we're going to record *Running Man* again tomorrow, so get some rest early tonight."

"Oh," Dilireba responded to her assistant. Indeed, recording *Running Man* was usually quite physically taxing.

If she didn't rest well, she'd have no energy during recording and the show's effect would suffer.

Not a single mistake, not a single shot, not a single content, all in one look!

"Oh right, will there be any guest stars this episode?"

"Yes, sis."

After asking that one question, Dilireba went quiet again.

This drove her assistant half to death. "Sis, are you trying to ask if Brother Dou Xiao Bai is coming?"

"Uh, that's just your own wild guess. Did I ask if he's here?"

"I don't know." Assistant Lingling spread her hands, the picture of innocence.

Reba couldn't help rolling her eyes: "Lingling, you've gone bad."

"I learned it from Brother Dou Xiao Bai. And this move—does it look like his?" Lingling copied the little-bear hand-spread again, and Reba burst out laughing.

I can't take it anymore!

So she picked up her phone and, under Lingling's dumbfounded gaze, began bombarding Bai Liang with a sixty-second voice-message barrage.

After firing off three in a row, Reba caught her little assistant's strange look and felt a bit embarrassed. "Am I being a little much?"

"I, for one, normally see a sixty-second voice message and really don't want to listen. Will Brother Dou Xiao Bai actually listen?"

"He will." Reba couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face.

"How do you know?"

"You can tell from his replies. He won't brush me off."

Oh my god!

Lingling felt that when Reba said that, her face seemed to radiate a kind of faith, her eyes all sparkly.

Does he really listen to every single one?

Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps. Why be so mushy?

She's just a little assistant—is it appropriate to be force-fed PDA like this?

But speaking of Running Man, now comes the not-so-happy part of the conversation.

For example, the CP of Reba and Lu Han.

This season of Running Man, from the moment it premiered, has consistently brought massive traffic and discussion.

Mainly because of this brand-new CP.

While Bai Liang was off running wild in Africa, plenty of Xiao Nai and Bei Weiwei CP fans rushed to his Weibo to warn him: someone's stealing your girl!

Da Baobei went off to have a baby, so Lu Han was the only "single" male guest on the show. He and Dilireba naturally took on the unfinished great cause of the "Friday Couple"—the CP slot.

And so the "Lu Di Couple" officially launched.

A lot of people really shipped it, because both of them had huge traffic, and their combined heat naturally exploded.

On top of that, the Running Man production team really knew how to stir things up.

Wherever Dilireba looked, the very next shot would always cut straight to Lu Han's face.

The two of them could even manage to never once make eye contact on the show and still be overflowing with CP chemistry.

As if the whole episode was just "exchanging glances."

But this CP hype really kicked up a storm.

The reason was simple: too popular, too popular, really just too popular.

Too many eyes watching, too many voices; the fan base too massive, too many opinions; the entertainment circle too deep, too many conspiracy theories.

With so many people waging war in the CP's flammable zone, it'd be a shame if it didn't get chaotic.

Oh right, last year's entertainment-circle CP war was actually started by that guy Bai Liang, and it was just as fierce back then.

But that time it was mainly because the female CP fans refused to back down—Nazha and Reba's respective supporters were furiously pulling hair and "going at it."

This time was different: it was actually male and female fans tearing into each other!

During that period, a large number of CP fans on Bai Liang's side also joined the fray.

No choice—Eternal Love was still airing at the time.

Although Bai Liang hadn't done much marketing for the drama himself, Jiaxing would market it for him.

The silver-haired Donghua Dijun nearly overshadowed Yang Mi, the female lead, in the looks department.

That's right—Bai Liang's rival wasn't even the other male characters; he went straight up against Yang Mi in a "beauty" contest.

In fans' words: Zhao Youting deserves to compare?

This refers to looks only.

Silver hair, when it lands on someone who can pull it off, is just too terrifying a buff!

It almost spawned weird trending search terms like "out-glamoured Yang Mi and Dilireba."

Lin Genxin: Yes! That's the flavor! Male two crushes male one! Best to crush the female lead too while you're at it.

Good buddy indeed—not just targeting him alone.

He was the one most hoping Bai Liang would deliver this same "suffering" to every other male actor who dared to be his male lead.

He can't be the only unlucky one~

Oh right, Princess Agents is about to air.

In short, every Friday, when the "Lu Di Couple" trending search popped up on schedule, that was the start of war.

The fighting was absolutely earth-shattering!

The Running Man production team was way too stubborn—buying trending searches no matter what, the fiercer the argument the better!

And every time Bai Liang's "Donghua Dijun" trended, the comments below were always full of CP fans brawling.

Only Nazha's CP fans piped up weakly: if Dilireba "doesn't want" Bai Liang anymore, give him to our Nazha~ They're both top-tier, one each, totally fair.

Reba's CP fans: In your dreams! Busy dealing with everyone else, forgot about you lot of losers, did we?

Beat them all!

Bai Liang had just returned from Africa not long ago and hadn't really been following the recent episodes of Running Man. Sister Yanzi hadn't told him either, since things had gotten too toxic.

From the fans' perspective, he really had been pitted against Lu Han.

But in reality, the so-called "conflict" between the two of them was clearly not as bad as the one with Wu Yifan before.

That one had been a real clash of interests.

What was this one now? Fighting over a girl?

This isn't something you fight over online anyway—it's not like whichever side's fans win the argument gets to keep her.

But the fans really did seem to think that way.

The Jiaxing side was being pretty underhanded too—how could they pass up a storyline like this, two men fighting over one woman~

But just as they started trying to stir things up, the fans of both Bai Liang and Lu Han gave them a harsh lesson: Get lost, don't come anywhere near this!

The volatile CP fans would tear apart anyone stupid enough to meddle.

Under these circumstances, Bai Liang received an invitation from Running Man and happily agreed.

Haven't seen Rebar in a while, kinda miss her~

He even made a point of telling the production crew: No gunfire, just sneak into the village quietly.

Running Man production crew: Yes, that was exactly our plan!

Only, Bai Liang had originally thought this trip would just be him going over, chatting with Rebar, catching up with Chen He, and happily filming the show.

But then Li Xin suddenly called, and her first line was: "You're on this episode of Running Man too?"

"You're on it too?"

"Yeah, should we take the chance to promote 'Princess Agents' while we're at it?"

"Uh, the crew didn't mention that to me."

"You're too popular, they were probably afraid you'd refuse. But I don't think you'd refuse."

"That is true."

However, since Li Xin was joining, Bai Liang gave Sister Zhao a call too.

Then got scolded by her.

Sister Zhao said she'd have to be crazy to go anywhere near that kind of mess, and added that Li Xin really was fearless, daring to show up for any hot scene.

At the end she didn't forget to remind Bai Liang: If possible, help promote the drama a bit~

Only the last line was acting cute—she was fierce the whole time before that!

Sister Zhao didn't want to wade into that mess, and Lin Gengxin and Xin was probably about the same.

That guy was practically being traumatized at this point.

Oh right, there's also Nazha.

Bai Liang figured the promotion he'd done for Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior 2" was already plenty—if Nazha came on this show too, it would be a bit like throwing herself into the fire.

He himself didn't really care.

He'd already made it through the "treacherous" scene at the Weibo Night, everything after that was a piece of cake.

(End of chapter)