Chapter 224: This Round of Tug-of-War, She Concedes Defeat

"Shipping a CP isn't illegal, but don't push it too far. If I were as young as Reba was back then, a big sister like you would get ratio'd online in a heartbeat."

"What did you say, Sister Mi?" Bai Liang heard Yang Mi muttering under her breath and asked curiously.

The other party just smiled at him. "I said you look really handsome today, I'm totally smitten~"

"So, is that why you, big sister, still have to hold my hand even after sitting down?"

Bai Liang glanced down. Right now, Yang Mi's little hand was gently rubbing against his palm.

"I told you I had to give you a little gift~" Yang Mi said matter-of-factly.

Tch~

For some reason, Bai Liang felt like he was getting the short end of the stick.

Although they say an old A8 is still an A8, and Yang Mi's age really hasn't reached that point—she's at most a non-current-model A8, but still a ninety-percent-new luxury car.

Maybe it's because she's had a child, so the rose-tinted glasses are heavier in certain respects.

If she hadn't married so early and hadn't had kids, the "married woman" vibe would be a lot lighter.

Some men really love this married-woman identity. After all, there are plenty of "Cao thieves" in this world—how thrilling!

But Bai Liang really isn't some Cao thief. Oh right, she's divorced, just hasn't announced it yet.

This raises a question:

In the public eye she's a married person, but in private she's already quietly divorced—so does she still count as a married woman?

Bai Liang felt like he might have stumbled onto a blind spot.

Right now, Yang Mi is at a very peculiar juncture: she has the allure boost that comes with the married-woman identity, yet it won't make one commit the sin of being a Cao thief.

Schrödinger's married woman!

Put plainly, if something were to happen between them, you'd get all the thrill with zero moral burden.

Practically on the same level as a legal loli.

Oh right, she's also got that "girlish vibe" of hers—almost maxed out as a buff.

And she's a female celebrity, a very famous A-list female celebrity.

Sex isn't just a purely physical act; it's also a social act.

Beyond physical satisfaction, a person can get satisfaction in many other ways~

Just imagine that the one tangled up with you is a dazzling big star who usually shines brightly on stage, sparkling wherever she goes, chased by fans everywhere.

You'd feel like you're not just having a relationship with her body, but also with that layer of social identity she carries.

Double the pleasure!

Summing up these conditions, one conclusion can be drawn: all the buffs on Yang Mi that make men impulsive are nearly maxed out!

Bai Liang, got it!

No wonder it was so easy for that guy Wu Yifan to sleep with his fans—those fans throwing themselves at him probably thought the same way.

But sleeping with fans isn't illegal; if you do something even more outrageous, though, you're liable to end up inside pedaling a sewing machine.

Another top-tier player probably didn't want to take that kind of risk, so he chose to spend some money.

But that stuff is illegal too.

"What are you thinking about?" Yang Mi saw him spacing out and couldn't help but ask.

She felt she'd been "humiliated."

You little punk—when this old lady is seducing you, you actually have the nerve to zone out?!

Yang Mi felt this was the greatest insult to her charm.

Bai Liang was quite straightforward: "I was thinking about Wu Yifan's situation."

Her expression immediately turned odd. "Why are you thinking about him? Isn't he doing hip-hop lately?"

"Does Sister Mi like hip-hop too?"

"So-so, no strong feelings. I'm more into wilderness adventure these days." Yang Mi said with a little blink.

Bai Liang didn't take the bait, though. He just nodded. "Liking hip-hop does come with risks, true."

After all, this year there's hip-hop, and Nailliang lost his home.

"You're saying that circle is messy, right? I've heard about it too. Someone as well-behaved as you would definitely not fit in."

As Yang Mi spoke, she also found it strange—Bai Liang seemed pretty contradictory in her eyes.

Actually, just today, the topic #Bai Liang, Capybara# finally made it onto the trending searches.

Bai Liang's real image finally began to flesh out in the public eye.

That bone-deep calm and ease—sometimes no amount of acting can fake it.

In a sense, this is Bai Liang's "persona" on this variety show—quite likable, quite the fan-magnet.

The key is there's zero trace of performance.

Even when many people dug through the archives, pulling up his past appearances on shows or in public, they found them all basically the same.

Except some of his friends noted: the big shot can actually be pretty naughty sometimes.

And so, a slightly photoshopped photo of a small animal posted in the Bai Liang Super Topic suddenly went viral.

It was a smiling, spaced-out capybara with a little kitten perched on its head.

"Real talk, isn't Bai Liang basically a capybara? Super steady emotions."

"So cute, wanna pet~"

"True, aside from the dramas he acts in, I've really never seen Bai Liang flustered or nervous outside of a show—capybara personality confirmed!"

"At last year's Weibo Night, this guy sat between Reba and Nazha and still calmly snacked on treats—I knew right then how peaceful his inner world really is."

"Looking at it this way, his acting is really good! Except for the first two or three dramas where a bit of his true self slipped through, the characters after that are basically nothing like him in real life. I used to think he was a cold, handsome guy—didn't expect him to be such a space-case~"

"Oh no, now who's gonna tell who's who—who does this guy actually like? The Nazha faction and the Reba faction are about to go at it again."

"Fight! Fight!"

"."

This kind of topic always ends up veering off into CP pairings for no apparent reason, and then the war starts — the fans are all used to it by now.

Fans and netizens are watching for entertainment, but those who have had deeper contact with Bai Liang actually have some doubts.

For example, Yang Mi is very curious right now.

Capybara and the playboy scumbag — which one is his true face?

This guy can't really be sincere with every Miss, right? Some modern-day Duan Zhengchun?

Taking advantage of the premiere performance still going on stage, Yang Mi propped her chin and observed him carefully.

Mm. Still can't tell.

So, she reached her hand toward Bai Liang's thigh.

Come on, this older sister is determined to test what you're really made of today!

Hard to say whether it's because of Yang Mi's face, or because of top-tier star Bai Liang's face.

After he entered the venue, he sat in the front row — on his left was Yang Mi, on his right was the director of "Brotherhood of Blades 2," Director Lu Yang.

Lu Yang had heard of Bai Liang's reputation, not because he was a so-called top-tier star, but because of the good name the other had within the industry.

They all said this young fellow had high popularity, was dedicated when filming, and had acting skills — apart from the one "flaw" of being too popular right now, he was practically flawless.

Of course, being too popular being a flaw is mainly because being too popular makes him too expensive.

Bai Liang's current pay is top-tier even among top-tier stars.

Plenty of so-called very-popular artists in the entertainment circle quote outrageously high prices to the outside world, but whether they're actually worth that much depends on whether anyone's willing to pay.

Bai Liang's price is high! Sister Yanzi has always liked to quote sky-high numbers.

But likewise, the number of people willing to spend that much to hire him is also huge! That's what a truly marketable top-tier actor looks like.

Some people quote outrageously high prices, but they might not find a single sucker willing to pay up in two or three years.

In any case, in Lu Yang's eyes, Bai Liang wasn't just a top-tier pretty boy — he felt the other was knowledgeable and professional!

So then the question arises.

When a knowledgeable person, whose age happens to match today's main movie-going demographic, watches your film with a slightly conflicted, helpless expression on his face — what's going through the director's mind?

Lu Yang is freaking out!

Hey kid, what exactly do you mean by that?

The movie isn't even over yet and you've already written it off?

The more he watched Bai Liang's expression, the colder and more anxious Lu Yang felt inside.

Finally unable to hold back, he quietly asked: "Um, do you think it's not good?"

Bai Liang:???

"It's okay. No — it's pretty good."

Bai Liang, who had originally just been stating the truth, remembered that the man was the film's director, so he bumped his evaluation up another level.

But to Lu Yang's ears it sounded like: Oh no, we're done for! That's clearly just being polite.

Yet Bai Liang really did think it was quite good — especially Jin Shijie's Wei Zhongxian, who the moment he appeared gave off this fiery presence.

No errors in any chapter, one first release, all content in one place!

As if he could set the entire screen ablaze, and along the way burn away every other actor's bright spots clean.

Making it impossible not to focus all attention on him.

Bai Liang had worked with veteran actor Jin Shijie before, in "Duckweed" — the man could absolutely be counted as one of the industry's old acting bones.

Likewise, Xin Zhilei's fight scene where Ding Baiying slashes Shen Lian's Brotherhood of Blades saber in one strike was also deeply impressive.

Except Yang Mi broke the immersion a little.

Still, it's understandable.

Because this "Brotherhood of Blades 2" was filmed on the side while Yang Mi was shooting "Eternal Love."

Bai Liang had also witnessed this older sister's miraculous overlapping-filming performance.

She even went to record a variety show in the middle of it.

At the time, Bai Liang watched in absolute awe, finally understanding how Yang Mi had managed that god-tier feat of meeting audiences with fifteen works in a single year.

Of course, not all fifteen works were leading roles — some were cameos.

But even if only eight or nine works came out, that number is still pretty terrifying.

Looking at her track record, then looking at his own, Bai Liang was very curious why Sister Yanzi always felt he was filming too much and working too hard.

Compared to Yang Mi, he was practically filming at a leisurely pace — even going straight from one crew to the next without a break.

She goes straight from two or three crews without a break~

So, filming like this — can you still feel the joy of acting?

Bai Liang didn't understand, but he wasn't going to criticize her choices — after all, acting doesn't have to be one's own joy and hobby.

For some people, it's just a job.

In the workplace there are workaholics, and there are those who slack off — both are perfectly normal.

It's just that Lu Yang's mental fortitude was a bit too weak.

He seemed to have no confidence at all — the movie wasn't even over yet and he was already wiping sweat over there.

At the same time, Bai Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief, because Yang Mi had pulled her hand back.

The reason he hadn't been able to keep a straight face just now was entirely because this older sister was up to her little tricks over there — this "little gift" was a bit too stimulating.

On top of that, with those buff bonuses from her, Bai Liang couldn't in good conscience say he didn't like it.

So after the movie ended, he said to Yang Mi seriously: "Next time there's a gig like this where you need someone to show support, older sister, you can keep coming to me."

"Pfft! You little pervert!"

Yang Mi was, for once, actually a little flushed — of course, only a little~

And she recovered quickly, smiling as she said, "I'll see how you do next time."

There really is a next time?

Since that's the case, Bai Liang thought for a moment, "Then how about tonight?"

This time Yang Mi was genuinely a bit taken aback — mainly because this brat was way too direct!

She couldn't help pressing her lips together, "If I let you keep this big sister company for a few drinks tonight—"

"Sure."

Now it was Yang Mi who actually looked a bit embarrassed, "Um... I'm not free today, let's do it next time instead."

This move is called retreating to advance — next should be the little puppy turning into a little wolf, becoming a bit domineering, firmly pinning down the big sister with one hand, demanding from her...

Thinking about all this, Yang Mi subconsciously felt her neck getting a bit itchy, and couldn't help tilting her head back slightly to stretch her neck out.

But her breathing had also quickened by a bit.

"That's fine too."

What does "that's fine too" mean? What kind of answer is "that's fine too"?!

"Hmph~ The way you are, looking so spineless, no manly resolve — I don't like that kind."

This is a provocation tactic.

Boy, stop pretending, make the first move!

She figured that with this hot-blooded young man, one little provocation and he'd be dying inside, craving her until he went mad.

Then she could properly string him along.

In short, she had to seize the initiative!

Just like raising a little puppy — it has to perform tricks before it gets to eat~

But the capybara declared: having food is nice, not eating is fine too, starve to death for all I care.

Of course, a lucky capybara, even sitting there without moving, will have some kind young lady stuffing food into its mouth.

Seeing he was really about to retreat, Yang Mi stamped her foot, "You're really leaving?"

Bai Liang gave her a smile, "Actually I was just joking earlier. I can't not go — I have to film tomorrow morning, I have to head to the airport soon, I only took one day off."

Yang Mi:...

She, Big Mi Mi, considered herself quite experienced in slaying men — she was always the one playing others, yet today she actually stumbled against this kid.

Playing me, are you?!

Her heart was in turmoil.

After seeing Bai Liang really turn and leave, Yang Mi felt quite a bit sour about it.

She couldn't help taking out her phone and opening the front-facing camera to look at her face — she was only thirty, she wasn't old~

But today she truly felt a strong sense of defeat.

So much so that she didn't even have the heart to follow up on the rest of the "Brotherhood of Blades 2" premiere.

She said a word to the producer, and with a slightly weary look on her face, prepared to head home and rest.

Just after leaving the premiere venue, she suddenly received a message.

"Sister, the formula for reversing time is cherishing the present."

Yang Mi suddenly raised her head, looked left and right, and finally spotted a familiar gentle smiling face at the half-open window of a car in the corner.

After hesitating for less than a second, she walked straight over.

In this round of push and pull, she conceded defeat willingly.

——

There will be one more update later. My condition hasn't been great these past two days, I can only grind it out with time, but the updates won't be lacking.

(End of chapter)