Chapter 222: Is This What a Reality Show Should Have?

The subsequent episodes of "Divas Over the World 3" did not disappoint the production team or the sponsors.

Although Bai Liang had turned the show into a solo wilderness survival challenge, to the point that the parts where the others toured Brazil barely got any discussion at all, overall it was definitely a case of the benefits outweighing the drawbacks.

That's just how the world works—no one considers the thoughts or feelings of the "losers."

In fact, starting from the third episode, the production team even did some "re-edits."

A bit of additional trimming—perfectly reasonable.

They knew perfectly well exactly who was pulling in the ratings and the buzz.

Apart from the lion making a big splash at the very start with a burst of explosive popularity, the real crowd favorite among the wild animals in the Africa arc was actually that shamelessly persistent honey badger.

An animal famous for being stubborn and unyielding, and yet Bai Liang managed to "buy it off" by stuffing it with a few egg yolk pies one after another—the entertainment value of this was absolutely explosive.

Screenshots of the little creature with an egg yolk pie stuffed in its mouth went viral everywhere, and were even turned into all sorts of meme stickers.

But unfortunately, aside from Bai Liang himself, no one else could cash in on that creature's traffic.

After all, unlike a little kitty, it isn't a domesticated animal.

Now Nazza's Weibo doesn't even post her own pretty photos anymore—it's all pictures of her holding the kitten, or sometimes just the kitten by itself.

Her follower count is skyrocketing, and it's hard to tell whether they're coming for her or for the cat.

After all, that little kitty even has its own super-topic now.

Li Yitong's little kitten was quite jealous, so she deliberately sent Bai Liang a few voice messages of her meowing.

Then she said that she wasn't doing as well as a real little kitty~

But her "meow meow meow" sounds were actually pretty interesting—Bai Liang felt that although her imitation wasn't very accurate, it had its own charm.

He could almost picture her tilting her head back with an innocent look on her face.

Next time they meet, he could ask her to do it in person for him.

And as "Divas Over the World 3" continued to dominate online buzz, the "The Story of Minglan" crew also welcomed its first "visitor" since filming began.

Wu Jing came to visit the set.

The guy opened his mouth with a jab the moment they met: "Haha, I heard you got taken down by fake booze? For real?"

Bai Liang rubbed his nose. "Probably true, unless someone drugged me."

"Drugged you? That actually sounds pretty plausible to me—didn't you say a lot of girls like you? I searched online earlier and got the shock of my life. I used to think it was just Nazza~"

"Given your current look, it's hard for me to explain why," Bai Liang thought for a moment, then decided to get back at him for mocking him over the fake liquor incident.

Wu Jing's expression instantly stiffened—you son of a—

He quickly changed the subject. He couldn't be bothered to get involved in young people's romantic affairs—after all, he only knew one Nazza, and he had previously thought the young couple seemed quite loving.

Now, it was hard to say.

"Tell me, you said this episode has a surprise? Spell it out for me~"

"You came all the way just for that?" Bai Liang said, surprised.

Wu Jing acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Yep~"

"Couldn't you just watch it at home? Why come find me in person?"

"If you tricked me, I could curse you out on the spot."

That logic... was actually pretty sound, Bai Liang thought it made sense.

Face-to-face really was the right setup for a zero-frame start.

However, when he saw Wu Jing hauling cases of liquor out of the car, Bai Liang knew tonight was going to be one hell of a battle!

Damn it—Moutai baijiu by the case? It's either you die or I live!

Having just taken a small tumble on the liquor front, Bai Liang's instinct was to refuse.

It's human nature—when you've been hurt by wine and women, the first reaction is to quit drinking!

But between men, all it takes is one look.

Wu Jing: Can you handle your liquor or not?

Bai Liang: If you can walk back to your room on your own tonight, I lose!

Tonight's meal was definitely going to be eaten at the hotel—various takeout dishes to go with the drinks were prepared in advance.

He had originally planned to invite some crew members, like Sister Xiao Zhao and the like.

In the end, Bai Liang's "quit drinking" attempt failed, but Sister Xiao Zhao seemed to have genuinely quit drinking—perhaps her psychological trauma was even greater.

As for the others... well, although Bai Liang didn't care about things like crew hierarchy or celebrity status, other people certainly did.

Rather than inviting people over to play the straight man and having to tiptoe around them, it was better to just keep it casual between the two of them.

They didn't even need chairs—just sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table and drank.

But the show didn't start until ten o'clock, so neither of them went hard right away.

"I saw on my way here that your donation made the trending list? You're pretty generous, huh—nearly three million~"

"Donation? To whom?"

"African wildlife, I think~" Wu Jing didn't seem to remember clearly, but he was a bit puzzled. "You donated and you don't even know?"

"I have no idea. My manager asked if I wanted to do some charity work or something, so I had her arrange to donate some money—but it couldn't have been African wildlife, it must have been domestic."

Wu Jing pulled out his phone to check, and sure enough, it was domestic.

"Let's raise a glass."

Sister Yanzi's suggestion that Bai Liang do some charity wasn't about spending other people's money generously—it was about image-building.

With charity, you donate and people might not know or remember, but if you don't donate, netizens will have plenty to criticize you for.

Bai Liang thought it made sense, so he had her donate twenty million out, and let Sister Yanzi handle the specifics however she saw fit.

This time, probably because of the buzz from the Africa arc of "Divas Over the World 3," Sister Yanzi had simply donated to some domestic wildlife protection efforts first.

It all complemented each other, after all.

Our Xiao Bai isn't just "bullying" those little animals—he's also helped protect them.

Yeah, bully the African ones, protect the domestic ones.

All of them are from the "Wild" generation—no problem.

"Twenty million?!" Wu Jing nearly spat out his wine, his voice trembling.

"Twenty million."

The other guy raised his thumb. "You're really rich!"

"My pay is super high—I can't even spend it all, not even close."

Of course, the twenty million wasn't dumped all at once; Sister Yanzi planned to donate a little whenever she found a suitable cause, just to use up the entire amount.

"Let me ask a more personal question—how much do you still have left? No need to answer if you don't want to!"

"Besides the money for running the studio, maybe over ten million~" Bai Liang wasn't entirely sure.

He didn't really know his own income well—Sister Yanzi knew more about this.

Bai Liang used to spend whatever he had; later, he evolved to spending without looking at prices.

Now, he doesn't even check his balance anymore.

Being a celebrity really does make money too easily.

This year's Forbes Celebrity List has been released; Fan Bingbing ranks first, with earnings clearly listed at three hundred million.

Previously dominant top star Lu Han came in second with two hundred ten million.

Sister Xiao Zhao also made it into the top five, ranking fourth with one hundred ninety million, just behind Yang Mi's two hundred million.

Don't think this is a massive gap— the lead isn't that big at all.

Among the top hundred, a bunch of people earned over a hundred million; even the worst-off made at least thirty or forty million.

This is the manifestation of celebrities' skyrocketing incomes in the traffic era.

Bai Liang obviously earned a lot too—he made roughly the same as Wu Youfan, and even after taxes, what remained was still staggering.

Luckily, he can both earn and spend!

"Let's raise another glass. You're truly awesome! So carefree!"

Wu Jing was finally convinced, because he knew Bai Liang, though earning a lot, hadn't been famous very long.

He'd only been in the industry for two years—became popular for one year, earned over a hundred million, and after taxes, still had several million left—and yet he still donated twenty million.

"No problem—someone will send you money again soon."

Bai Liang didn't think this was all that impressive; the money just came too easily. It felt even simpler than dating a Bai Fumei.

Now that it's spent, it won't be long before someone sends him more—consider me a celebrity robbing the rich to help the poor~"

Oh right!

When 'Wolf Warrior 2' releases, there'll be a share of profits too.

Of course, saving is still important; those without Bai Liang's luck and who don't worry about having enough to eat shouldn't spend like this.

As for himself, all the girls are pretty good at saving money.

Aren't these all external bank cards?

Speaking of donations, Bai Liang remembered he had to attend an event in September.

The Harper's Bazaar Charity Gala.

It wasn't that Su Mang had begged him relentlessly—it was because his endorsed products sponsored the event, so he was just going to show up and lend his name.

He asked Wu Jing if he was coming; the other gave him a look of pity.

Wu Jing: "You're going to this weird 'kill zone' too?"

"Raise another glass!"

One glass after another, the new episode of 'Little Fresh Meat 3' finally began.

Not a single mistake, not a single misstep, not a single flaw in content!

Wu Jing watched with great interest—men, after all, always have some romantic longing for the wild, even a filter over it.

That longing usually vanishes after eating enough hardship in the wild.

But when the Brazil group's storyline appeared, he kept urging Bai Liang to fast-forward, which annoyed him.

This was broadcast on a satellite channel, not on a computer where you can scrub the timeline.

Yet when the first gunshot rang out in the show, Wu Jing instantly snapped awake as if sobered.

They'd already drunk more than half a bottle of baijiu, but the other man leapt to his feet.

Wu Jing was still very sensitive to gunshots—partly because he'd spent a long time in the military, and partly because he'd often been on edge during filming in Africa due to such sounds.

Likewise, the gunshot instantly pushed the viewership of this episode to its peak!

This was way more exciting than wild animals!

Wu Jing stared fixedly at the TV screen; when he saw Bai Liang pull out a small national flag and place it on the rearview mirror, he completely lost it.

"You kid—Brother Liang! I—"

Bai Liang, understandingly, handed him a cushion; the meaning was simple:

If you wanna kowtow, go ahead—I'm not afraid of shortening my life.

But Wu Jing apparently misunderstood—he plopped down on it, staring at Bai Liang with burning eyes.

"No need to say anything—everything's in the wine. Let me tell you a story!"

What story?!

The other guy was slurring his words; Bai Liang only caught the last sentence.

He instinctively shifted his body half a meter back, already ready to kick.

Fortunately, at that moment Wu Jing picked up a newly opened bottle of Maotai and began his performance, gulping it down.

Bai Liang: Holy shit! You came to recreate the move from the movie too?

Wait, are we gonna have to send this guy to get his stomach pumped later?

"That's about enough, alright, let's get the publicity stuff arranged first."

"Huh? I don't have to drink it?"

"Drink after it's arranged. I can see you're still pretty greedy~"

Wu Jing flipped Bai Liang the middle finger and made a phone call.

No need to explain too much—just let people check the trending searches later; those professional PR and marketing folks can naturally handle it.

Then of course he kept blowing on the Maotai!

Gotta drink it! Can't not drink it! If he doesn't drink it, he can't get past it in his heart—he really has to kowtow one.

To avoid shortening Bai Liang's lifespan, he chose to trust his own liver~

Step up, damn it!

Beep-boop beep-boop beep-boop~

The sight of an ambulance arriving outside the hotel late at night really gave the crew of "The Story of Ming Lan" quite a scare.

But seeing the drunk Wu Jing being carried onto it, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is he okay?" The director hadn't even finished putting on his clothes when he rushed up to Bai Liang and hurriedly asked.

After all, if Wu Jing actually died from drinking on their set, that would be a really big deal.

Bai Liang spread his hands: "He's fine, he just drank too much. It's not safe to sleep at the hotel at night, so sending him to the hospital puts everyone's mind at ease."

Wu Jing hadn't actually passed out from drinking—Bai Liang was just being thoughtful and made a preemptive call.

No matter whether drinking that much is actually a problem or not, bro, we'll handle it as if it is.

Absolutely no problem.

The next day, some marketing accounts started up again.

"Wu Jing got taken down by the fake liquor too!"

"LMAO I'm dying, are you guys taking turns challenging Bai Liang's fake liquor? Where the hell does he even buy his booze?"

"No way, why does a top-tier celebrity insist on messing with fake liquor? This time it's even worse—straight to the hospital."

"Wu Jing really has the worst luck. It's not like last time he didn't finish it and let it sit for a while so the potency got stronger, right?"

"Great immortal, you earn that much, just buy some real liquor. Who's gonna dare drink with you in the entertainment circle after this~"

"Didn't someone already look into it? Bai Liang has donated close to ten million yuan this year. This bro really spends his money where it counts! It's just tough on Wu Jing and Zhao Liying. Fake liquor really harms people~"

"."

Bai Liang:???

What the hell does "fake liquor harms people" mean? That liquor was clearly bought by Little Zhao's sister—what does it have to do with him?

And yesterday, the Maotai Wu Jing drank was also the one he brought himself.

The only thing these two have in common is that they both drank with Bai Liang.

Uh... looking at it this way, it does seem like he has a bit of blame.

Luckily, the marketing accounts' fabrications were just a minor interlude.

The content of the new episode of "Divas Over Asia 3" was the true king of traffic.

Yesterday, a lot of viewers finished watching and were fucking dazed. Was I watching a celebrity travel reality show? Did I not get switched over to the military channel?!

In the history of variety reality shows, there have been many explosive iconic moments.

But they're usually mainly funny or showcasing impressive skills.

Like Dilraba's painting on Running Man, and her spinning around with Li Xin and stuff like that.

The neighboring "Go Fighting!" does have some more intense scenes, like bomb explosions, or guests jumping straight into a lake—moves like that.

Already made the audience think... these people are really outrageous! Great to watch, love watching!

But "Divas Over Asia 3" straight up brought out warlords... Even though a lot of stuff was pixelated, the content released was still somewhat outrageous, even scary.

The fuck is this something a reality show should have?!

Dimensional strike, right?!

Bai Liang's interactions with wild animals before were already pretty exaggerated—the kind of exaggerated scenes no other reality show could possibly have.

This time, they directly raised the ceiling by more than one level again.

At the same time, the controversy sparked was also quite significant.

Mainly two groups arguing over there: whether it's real or fake.

Some people think it's real—can't get any more real.

The production team had previously been hiding some of the crew members following Bai Liang, crafting the image of him "solo tackling" the wilderness.

This time they didn't hide it at all, even though everyone actually already knew about this.

The expressions on those production crew members' faces, for quite a few viewers, said a lot.

It's not like every single one of them is some amazing actor specifically performing this whole thing, right?

And those black bros are all that good at acting too? An entire cast of Best Actors?

Some people went through it frame by frame and still couldn't find a single "continuity error."

They did find some blind spots though...

The thing with the thickest mosaic on it—fuck, it wouldn't be a corpse, would it?!

Real or fake, fake or real—at this moment, it doesn't seem to matter that much.

The popularity has already exploded!

The trending search list was almost completely dominated.

At that moment, Wu Jing, still lying in the hospital asleep, turned over and mumbled, "Steady, steady~"

—

Three a. m., fourteen thousand. See you tomorrow, muah~

Begging for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)