Chapter 213: This Isn

Guo Fan came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

He didn't worry at all that Bai Liang might change his mind later, only briefly laying out the shooting schedule and future script details.

He didn't even eat a meal~

Miss Jing Tian had already prepared to treat them.

"You two talked so deeply~ I didn't fully understand."

"Kids don't need to understand so much."

Bai Liang said it offhand, but immediately felt it was wrong.

He turned his head and saw Miss Jing Tian standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at him "fiercely."

Before Bai Liang could smoothly apologize, she launched her "attack": "You have to call me sister!"

"Sister~"

Huh? You really just called me that?

Miss Jing Tian hadn't expected Bai Liang to surrender so easily; for a moment, she didn't know how to press further.

Still, she actually quite enjoyed hearing it.

After holding back for several seconds, her little face cracked into a smile; she waved her hand, "What do you want to eat tonight? My treat!"

"Thank you, Sister Tian Tian."

"Just one time, okay~" Miss Jing Tian mumbled, but didn't press Bai Liang too hard.

Clearly, "sister" was just a trial call—Bai Liang genuinely couldn't bring himself to say it to Miss Jing Tian.

This "little thing" only had a bit of big-sister vibe when paying the bill; otherwise… whatever, it's probably a good thing anyway.

It makes her look young.

Whether in mindset or overall appearance, it's hard to imagine she's about to turn thirty—she's twenty-nine this year, right?

Yang Mi next door would be crying with envy.

Tonight's dinner was also a bit unusual—it was just Bai Liang and Miss Jing Tian eating alone.

This made him feel puzzled; logically, she shouldn't have had the nerve.

They'd worked together on set for a while, and one of Miss Jing Tian's main impressions on Bai Liang was that she was incompetent but loved to play around.

The girl was genuinely sweet and innocent, yet also quite delicate and sensitive; it seemed she'd sensed something was off about Bai Liang.

People would say: she smelled the stink of a scumbag.

But if you say she's cautious, she'd sometimes forget all about it and just smile brightly, drifting closer to Bai Liang.

What kind of caution is that? Her retreat steps are so unreliable.

Even Ah Kun, with two and a half years of practice, is more skilled than her.

Incomplete caution is no caution at all.

Meanwhile, during dinner, Bai Liang also noticed Miss Jing Tian was acting strangely.

It wasn't that she was gazing at him with affection or had fallen for him—she was just nervous, like she was fulfilling some task.

Bai Liang activated his super brain: "What did the director secretly tell you?"

"How did you know?!"

Miss Jing Tian was stunned—what was this guy doing? He hadn't asked anything, yet suddenly exposed her underwear.

Not just the color—even the pattern and texture were crystal clear, and even…

"I guessed. Now I see—I was right."

Bai Liang figured it was definitely Su Lun and Xu Zheng pulling strings.

Earlier, Su Lun had hinted to him to be more proactive.

Logically, for the male and female leads to act out a romance, to learn more about each other and have a little flirtation is perfectly normal.

But Bai Liang disliked this "ordered to flirt" nonsense, and besides—he didn't know how to do it anyway~

He only knew how to be passive.

So after Su Lun's hint, he carried on as usual, acting like a nonviolent noncooperator.

Seeing these two still treating each other with formal politeness on set, Su Lun simply went to work on Miss Jing Tian.

Conning her was far easier than conning Bai Liang.

Because Miss Jing Tian had taken the role specifically because of Bai Liang—she desperately needed a credible film to turn around her reputation in the film market.

So in terms of urgency, she had more motivation.

Sure enough.

After Su Lun expressed concern over her current state and how it might affect the film's quality, Miss Jing Tian grew anxious.

Director Sister, teach me!

Su Lun: I have a plan that can

It wasn't anything new—after noticing Bai Liang, this capybara, remained utterly still, Su Lun thought Miss Jing Tian should take the initiative.

Not that they had to fall in love, but at least add a bit more flirtation~

Actors, after all—once filming ends, they can easily detach.

Then, after a long time without seeing each other, the flirtation on set would quickly fade and be forgotten.

Miss Jing Tian thought it made sense!

She reflected deeply on herself and realized it was unreasonable to be so wary of Bai Liang just because of some strange feeling.

So she readily agreed to Su Lun's plan—and that's how tonight's private dinner came about.

Oh right, earlier when she'd voluntarily invited Bai Liang to watch variety shows at night, that was also one of her attempts.

But her excuse was too lame, and Bai Liang actually sat down and analyzed the variety show's sense of humor and camera angles with her.

At the time, she actually listened with great interest, feeling a kind of swollen fullness.

Full of knowledge.

Of course, Su Lun was definitely hoping the relationship between these two could leap forward again, stuffed with something else.

But Miss Jing Tian always felt as though she had forgotten something.

Forget it, it's not important!

Bai Liang called her "Sister"!

This was the most face-giving moment she'd had since joining the cast.

But now that Bai Liang had "seen through" her, it made her cheeks burn a little.

Luckily, Bai Liang didn't know how to "pick up girls," but he really did know how to soothe a Miss.

In the span of a few sentences, Miss Jing Tian went from cloudy to sunny again.

"I've had meals with you so many times, and every time I feel so hungry—why do you think that is?"

When Sister Tian Tian suddenly cupped her cheeks and said this, Bai Liang had to put down his chopsticks. "Everyone says I eat really well, that I've got the makings of a food-streamer."

"So it's not just me who thinks that," Miss Jing Tian said, oddly disappointed.

"But you're the only one who eats with me like this. Most female celebrities still pay a lot of attention to that sort of thing."

Looking at the bowl in front of her that was already more than half demolished, Bai Liang gave her a thumbs-up.

Even that Zha, after being influenced by Bai Liang so many times, was extremely conflicted at mealtimes.

Wanted to eat more, but afraid of getting fat~

Reba went even further—she simply didn't eat staples with Bai Liang, focusing exclusively on snacks that wouldn't make her gain weight.

The others were about the same; once they realized they were easily influenced, they started holding back.

Only Miss Jing Tian—she was really eating!

She felt her cheeks had gotten rounder lately, with a hint of that happy-weight flavor.

But the Young Lady probably isn't an easy-to-gain-weight type; she still looks quite slim. Oh right, her "Sister Tian Tian" nickname is well deserved.

Bai Liang somewhat suspected that this one probably had the kind of body where the meat all goes where it should.

The Winnie the Pooh on her t-shirt was stretched out by it~

Caught!

Even though Bai Liang had only stolen a glance, he couldn't withstand Miss Jing Tian's waiting-by-the-stump strategy.

She'd been watching the whole time! She "arrested" him on the spot.

"Where are you looking?" Miss Jing Tian covered her chest and said, "shy and indignant."

Bai Liang:???

Hey, you didn't show anything either—do you really need to cover up?

He scratched his head. "Sorry!"

"Then call me Sister!"

"Sister~"

Then Miss Jing Tian loosened her hands, as if to say: well, go ahead and look~

Bai Liang:.

This Young Lady set the bait without even tossing in a single kernel of corn—if she were wearing a tube top or a deep V, fine.

In a white t-shirt with such a tight neckline, all he could see was that three-dimensional Winnie the Pooh on the outside.

Isn't this bullying an honest man!

——

After this private dinner together, the atmosphere between the two was... still the same as before.

Su Lun was utterly desperate. Wait, these two don't even look like the traditional sort who practice self-restraint and propriety!

Miss Jing Tian, fine—she really has had no scandals after debuting for so long.

But Bai Liang is too much. You've got so many CP pairings, you look not-quite-innocent with everyone—why do you suddenly start acting proper when it's our Sister Tian Tian? Is that fair?

But Su Lun couldn't force these two heads together to make them more intimate, so she could only pinch her nose and keep filming.

Only she was very worried about that kiss scene.

The romance in the film was actually quite restrained, almost none of that wide-open, flesh-desire feeling.

At least it wouldn't make certain young male viewers get excited~ The film doesn't sell flesh.

The two did have a "bed scene," but that was only because of the subject matter—the beds were pushed together.

There was no passionate, fiery sex scene.

But there was an upcoming kiss scene with very outward emotion, and it was Miss Jing Tian's emotions being outward, to the point of nearly breaking down.

Su Lun was very worried about this—Sister Tian Tian's acting was middling, and most of the time she was carried along by Bai Liang. Letting her take charge of leading and igniting the scene was genuinely worrying.

This scene was the one where Lu Ming persuades Gu Gu Xiaojiao to leave, then can't help disguising himself as Lu Shiyi to find her.

It could be called the moment where the Gu Gu Xiaojiao played by Miss Jing Tian let her emotions out the most.

Crying pear-blossom tears in the rain, even crying to the point of looking a little ugly... then unable to hold back, she took the initiative and kissed him.

Miss Jing Tian couldn't cry.

Or rather, she couldn't produce the effect the director needed.

Actually she was trying hard, tears did flow, but somehow there was always a refined quality to it—she even looked kind of cute while crying!

Bai Liang almost couldn't resist poking her cheek with his finger.

But what Su Lun wanted wasn't a little crybaby~

Are you two flirting? That kind of thing is great to do normally, but doing it during filming feels like you're taunting the director.

A sense of shattering! You know that sense of shattering? The kind that's practically a life-and-death parting.

"She's not getting into it enough, Xiao Bai. Do you have any ideas?"

Not a single mistake—every word, every action, every inner feeling—watch closely!

Bai Liang wore a blank, cute, slightly clumsy expression: "Huh?"

"You, on the other hand, are quite getting into it."

Su Lun was a bit speechless, though she hadn't really expected to nail this scene in one go.

There's plenty of time; they could polish it more.

Right, I'm talking about the mouth.

You two—grind away at it for me!

Bai Liang had no choice; he had to help think of a way.

Because even if it were just mouth against mouth, he was afraid he'd eat so much lipstick he'd get poisoned.

You can't talk about toxicity without considering the dosage, but this dosage really is a bit much.

"Sister Tian Tian, put on less lipstick, or just skip it altogether. I doubt we'll get through it today anyway."

"You find me disgusting too?"

Miss Jing Tian's big teary eyes reddened slightly as she looked pitifully at Bai Liang.

"It's not that. You're so good-looking—why would I find you disgusting?" Bai Liang said honestly.

If he really did find her disgusting, he'd have applied for a stand-in to kiss her in his place.

Anyway, the main point right now is "drilling the troops"—finding a wooden post for Miss Jing Tian wouldn't be out of the question.

After that came the scene breakdown.

Actually, Bai Liang had already done this before; he'd already explained the character's situation, mindset, and everything else to Miss Jing Tian crystal clearly.

The main thing was whether she could put herself in the shoes.

When this young lady filmed those slightly sweet interactions before, she actually did really well—there was a real dating vibe to it.

But the tragic-love feeling really was too much for her.

Even though she tried again and again to get into Gu Gu Xiaojiao's mindset at the time, she just couldn't quite pull it off.

Miss Jing Tian lacked experience in this area, which was why she could get into the sweet stuff so easily.

To put it bluntly, she'd never been so badly hurt in matters of the heart.

Having lived too happily had actually become a disadvantage at this moment.

Honestly, swapping in Yang Mi might've been easier, because that lady really has been through a divorce.

Just as Bai Liang was mulling over whether to get in touch with Yang Mi, have her share her "heartbreak" insights with Miss Jing Tian, and wondering whether he'd get a beating for it, Su Lun had them prepare to go again.

Bai Liang faced it with a "martyr's resolve," comforting himself that lipstick really wasn't that poisonous~otherwise the young ladies would've poisoned themselves to death long ago.

Occasionally eating a bit more could count as aiding digestion.

And Miss Jing Tian was even more "martyr-like," as if she'd made some great decision, her big eyes full of determination.

Su Lun: Huh~this time the vibe seems a little different. Camera, roll!

That's right—several times before, she hadn't bothered to have them actually start filming.

It was just to let the two of them practice more.

Enter, say the lines, kiss!

Su Lun was a bit disappointed, because Miss Jing Tian's improvement was still too small—she still hadn't met her requirements.

However, just as she was about to call cut, her hand already half-raised, she suddenly froze.

Because Miss Jing Tian stuck her tongue in.

This scene didn't actually require that either; it was mainly about the atmosphere—the kiss was an action after the female lead's emotions exploded, all about the mood being right.

Saying all this is just to prove Su Lun didn't make that request; it was Miss Jing Tian's own initiative.

Bai Liang's reaction to this was: first, instinctively go along with it.

But he quickly realized that in this setting, going along with it was NOT appropriate!

A few seconds later, Bai Liang did want to give Miss Jing Tian a look, signaling that was enough~there were people everywhere.

If you really want to kiss, we can sneak onto the trailer and do it secretly.

But his "winks" were all thrown to a "blind person"—he helplessly realized she'd already closed her eyes and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

Between their lips and teeth, the ambiguity Su Lun had been wanting to see rose to its peak.

It wasn't until Miss Jing Tian was kissed until her body went weak and her legs could barely hold her that this sudden extra bit of business finally came to an end.

Su Lun calmly called cut, and the other crew members around didn't make a peep, silently closing their mouths.

And Miss Jing Tian at this point was curled up in Bai Liang's arms, not daring to open her eyes, unsure if she was savoring the moment or feeling shy.

Half an hour later, she dawdled her way over to Su Lun. "Director, give me a little more time~"

"I've adjusted the shooting schedule. We'll film this scene at wrap."

Su Lun gave her a smile and offered her idea.

Miss Jing Tian froze for a moment, first feeling relieved inside, a sense of relief that she wouldn't be "tortured" for now.

But she also felt something seemed a bit off~

And at this moment Su Lun said in a faint voice: "Sister Tian Tian, when the scene wraps, remember to pull yourself out of it~Don't get too caught up."

"Huh? Oh."

——

After things got weird with Miss Jing Tian on set, Bai Liang, just like an irresponsible scumbag, "ran off" the very next day.

Su Lun told him that Sister Tian Tian, even though she'd been notified to rest, still went to the set to look for him, waited half a day and he never showed, like she'd lost her mind.

Bai Liang always felt this female director had a bit of a schadenfreude vibe about her.

Still, he wasn't really running off—he'd just taken leave to come out and do some promotional appearances.

"Princess Agents" had started airing.

Of course, Bai Liang wasn't going to do any publicity for the show either; before joining the set, he went to record two variety shows.

He'd done his duty as the second male lead; the rest was up to Lin Genxin and Zhao Liying.

This time it was Bvlgari's side wanting to hold an event—a new product launch.

They were also riding the hype: on one hand, the buzz from "Princess Agents" airing; on the other, instead of inviting their other spokesperson Shu Qi, they'd called Li Xin.

Miss Li Xin had by now already landed the title of Bvlgari brand ambassador; she herself felt like she was dreaming—huh? You can ride the hype for this too?

Probably because the brand admired her courage—daring to charge forward even when the Dilireba and Bai Liang CP was at its hottest.

Just for that, no matter what, they had to help her endorsement CP stand firm.

It's just that Li Xin's star rank really wasn't high enough, otherwise she might've been paired with Bai Liang for a dual-spokesperson CP.

That was exactly what other brands wanted to do.

But the ones eyeing that were Bai Liang and Dilireba—who would snag their "first joint appearance" endorsement was still up in the air.

After all, this wasn't just one party's business; besides the brand, Sister Yanzi still had to communicate and negotiate with Jiaxing's side.

And after Bvlgari pulled Li Xin in to appear on stage with Bai Liang like this, it would probably speed up Sister Yanzi's side of the negotiations.

Because the effect really was pretty good!

This time, Miss Li Xin didn't pull any "neutral country" keep-my-distance moves.

She boldly looped her arm through Bai Liang's, showing an intimate attitude for everyone to see.

She's standing tall now!

The atmosphere at the launch event was very lively; plenty of media snapped away at the two of them in matching shots.

"Looks like I'll have to ride on your coattails for another trending search~" Li Xin said to Bai Liang in a low voice, her expression calm as she looked ahead, lips barely moving.

"My pleasure."

"You smooth-talking man, you really know what to say. Did you prepare champagne tonight?"

As she spoke, Li Xin leaned in a little closer to Bai Liang, her smile growing a few shades brighter.

Bai Liang: Has this young lady been roasted by haters so badly she's gradually turning into a pervert?

Now she's even daring to say things like that out loud.

He was just about to say something when his gaze swept across the crowd—and he suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the artists who'd come to show support.

"Holy—"

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Bai Liang waved at the audience below, and Miss Jing Tian down below also beamed and waved back at him.

A rich lady coming to show her support—perfectly reasonable, right~

(End of chapter)