Chapter 236: A Proxy War Is Coming?

In the past, the Basha Charity Night auction segment seemed to still have celebrities participating, calling out bids and raising paddles.

Now it's basically all sorts of companies and bosses footing the bill.

The celebrities are mainly there to boost their popularity—those who want to spend money donate a bit, and at the end they take a group photo, fight for the center spot, and create the biggest talking point.

Bai Liang knew about this before he came; Sister Yanzi had told him.

So he really couldn't understand—

"Tian Tian, what are you doing?"

Miss Jing Tian, who had just raised her paddle and bid on a piece of Bulgari-sponsored jewelry with a starting price of 1.2 million, looked at Bai Liang with a puzzled face:

"I'm buying something~"

The way she said it was just like going to the damn grocery market to buy vegetables, and Bai Liang inexplicably felt there was actually some logic to it.

Nothing wrong with it, buying stuff~

So Bai Liang flipped open the catalog introducing the other auction items.

Mm. They're all所谓的 artworks, mainly paintings.

But among the four arts of qin, qi, shu, and hua, Bai Liang is currently only interested in "qi" (Go).

If today they could put up a set of ivory Go pieces... that seems illegal, so if it's Go pieces made of gemstones or something like that, he'd definitely spend the money to buy them.

Speaking of which, refined pursuits like the four arts—who could have imagined that with the times, they'd end up being associated with risqué content.

Seeing that phrase, Bai Liang couldn't help but think of some young ladies dressed especially scantily, fiddling around with qin, shu, and hua.

Hard to say whether people are really appreciating art when they watch.

Anyway, Bai Liang himself felt the moon was perfectly round, and if he didn't appreciate it, he'd be far too unromantic.

As for qi (Go)... this thing isn't risqué, but it's abstract!

Tsk~ Bai Liang loves it!

At this moment, Miss Jing Tian was still "battling" with the other bidders.

That Bulgari jewelry had already climbed from the starting price of 1.2 million to over three million.

"You like this thing that much? How about I contact Bulgari's people and get you one at a discount? Internal price~"

But Miss Jing Tian didn't appreciate it at all, and even said: "How could that be the same? What I'm doing is called warming up~"

"Warming up for what?"

"Our movie, of course. My team says we might need to do a CP (couple) publicity stunt with you."

The moment the words fell, Miss Jing Tian hurriedly reached up to cover her own mouth, a little flustered.

Oh no! She let it slip!

But Bai Liang didn't show much change in expression, just rubbed his chin and said, "The timing probably isn't great right now. It's still at least half a year before 'How Long Will I Love U' hits theaters."

Huh? His attitude...

Miss Jing Tian quietly scooted her chair back—her signature backward step move was here.

Bai Liang heard the sound and knew what she was doing. This young lady was practically a walking bundle of contradictions.

Sometimes it's really hard to tell whether the person who stuck her tongue out on the set of "How Long Will I Love U" and went limp all over from his kiss is really the same one doing the backward step move.

"Four million! Ms. Yang Mi bids four million!"

The instant she heard this commotion, Miss Jing Tian suddenly looked up, a bit incredulous in her eyes.

Someone was actually fighting to play the sucker?!

Yang Mi leisurely raised a paddle, and facing the gazes around her, she wasn't flustered at all, saying directly: "I'm bidding on someone's behalf."

Ooh!

Interesting! This is getting fun now!

Basha has a livestream~

Originally, plenty of bullet comments were just sitting there bored, thinking they'd rather get more camera time to see what Big Tian Tian was actually chatting with Bai Liang about.

Those two seemed to be chatting quite happily.

The guests at the scene might not have caught on yet, but the netizens sure aren't dumb!

Bidding on someone's behalf?

"If it's not Dilireba, I'll write my name backward on the spot! She's here, she's finally here!"

"The battle between the two Xinjiang beauties isn't over yet! It continues~"

"Isn't this jewelry sponsored by Bulgari? What's it got to do with a battle? Is she fighting for the female spokesperson spot?"

"Seems like Reba is in contact with Mikimoto, probably not... but I remember, Bai Liang is Bulgari's spokesperson~"

"Isn't she afraid of losing the Mikimoto endorsement? She hasn't even secured it yet, doing something like this at this time, it just feels..."

"Gulnazar dared to skydive with Bai Liang from a plane, what's this to her~ Go! Just go for it!"

"This damn thing is a home raid! Nazha didn't come today, totally unsportsmanlike."

"Here's a scary story—Nazha is also in contact with Mikimoto... if they sign both of them, that would really be something! It all depends on whether the brand wants this overwhelming traffic."

"Holy crap, how does your fandom know everything? You even know about unannounced endorsements this clearly?"

"Exciting! Love watching! Fight, fight!"

"..."

Unfortunately, neither of the two Xinjiang beauties was at the Basha Gala tonight.

And while Dilireba could ask Yang Mi to bid on her behalf, Tang Ren's side didn't have anyone come at all.

Otherwise, they could have staged a "proxy war" that would have absolutely blown up the scene tonight.

Miss Jing Tian: I feel like you're being a bit disrespectful to me!

"Four million five hundred thousand!"

At that moment, one of Naza's female artist friends had already been about to secretly call Naza.

But upon seeing Miss Jing Tian seemingly clashing with Yang Mi, she quietly put her phone away.

Tsk tsk, so she had prepared this all along!

Sis, go for it!

Yang Mi glanced at Miss Jing Tian with a puzzled expression, wondering why she was butting in.

She'd originally wanted to save Hongba some money, so she shrugged and continued holding up her bid card.

【Here it comes, here it comes—the agent war has arrived! Jing Tian is definitely holding up the bid for Naza; these two new Jiang girls are sparking and flashing!】

【I didn't hear Naza and Jing Tian had any connection—could it be through Bai Liang?】

【Very likely—when you're dating someone, you introduce them to your friends; it's perfectly reasonable~】

【Bullshit! Can Naza's fans just go away? What did Jing Tian even say? Why are you making up fantasies?】

【Oh come on, here we go again—still not giving up? Some people really have no shame; the outcome was already decided, yet they still invented a CP name.】

【Come to think of it, that CP name isn't exactly pretty, but it does fit the current situation—white-hot, hahaha!】

【.】

Unaware that she'd become an unwitting "agent," Miss Jing Tian, relying on her long-standing image in the industry, ultimately overwhelmed Yang Mi with sheer force and made her give up.

Both are "Da"-ranked; Big Tian Tian edges ahead.

Yang Mi couldn't figure out Jing Tian's exact situation, but Jing Tian's past act of spending her own money on haute couture had shocked many in the industry.

She herself remembered it vividly.

The image of a woman of earthly wealth and splendor was too deeply ingrained.

In a contest of financial power, this naturally imposed immense pressure.

Six million!

Jing Tian directly pulled out six million, making a massive contribution to "charity."

Yet, when Bai Liang stepped on stage and personally placed the six-million-dollar gem crown upon her head, she felt every penny was worth it!

Sometimes, spending money buys nothing but joy~

She was very happy now, so she didn't lose a thing.

Bai Liang: Thank goodness the "ex-girlfriend army" didn't show up today.

Otherwise, even Jing Tian might not have held up!

But when she took out her phone and saw the online chatter, her previously cheerful face nearly turned black.

What do you mean she bought this for Guli Naza?

That was her own money!

So she spent the cash, but the traffic and glory went to Guli Naza? Is there really such a thing in this world?!

Jing Tian was angry, and when she got angry, she wanted to give Bai Liang trouble.

She'd show him what a pufferfish under stress looked like.

But when she turned around, she found he was gone.

"Huh?"

"Probably went to the bathroom~" Fan Fan Bingbing kindly offered.

"Oh~ Thanks."

Damn it, he got away too fast!

But even the bathroom is a "jianghu."

Bai Liang hadn't expected that stepping in just to pee would make him stumble upon Lu Han and Zhang Yixing whispering sweet nothings to each other. Weren't they supposed to be feuding internally? Yet their relationship seemed decent—they even teamed up to use the restroom.

Hmm… it was only decent, nothing more.

They weren't standing side by side while urinating.

But upon deeper thought, if they really were standing side by side, that would've seemed odd too.

None of them spoke.

Because chatting while urinating felt weird.

Fortunately, the bathroom stalls were well-designed, so they wouldn't have to sneakily compare anything beyond their online popularity.

But Bai Liang didn't know that both of them had wanted to sneak a glance.

It wasn't because of strange orientations—just curiosity; they'd never seen a Lao Ai.

They just wanted to broaden their horizons.

Given Bai Liang's posture in the entertainment industry and his stories with female stars, it was hard not to suspect he had extraordinary talent.

Those two new Jiang girls were acting like maniacs, stirring up female rivalry in the industry.

Every single post, every single comment, every single piece of content—every one of them!

Just being handsome and articulate wouldn't be enough—he must have some special skill!

Bai Liang: You should've said so earlier—next time, let's go to a Northeastern bathhouse together; you'll see everything~

After finishing, he looked around, then slapped away Zhang Yixing's outstretched hand.

The man had reached out to greet him while trying to shake hands—how outrageous.

It made Bai Liang, rarely ungentle, lose his cool entirely: "Go wash your hands first, you bastard!"

"Huh? Sorry! My bad."

Lu Han, beside him, stifled laughter until he shook, then covered his mouth and laughed.

Wait, no!

Bai Liang:???

You're also a divine being, covering your mouth?!

I see now—you two brothers both harbor extraordinary skills~ Dragon and Phoenix.

After the two washed their hands and Lu Han washed his face, the three of them finally seemed able to chat normally.

Then Bai Liang began.

"I'll carry this secret for life, especially yours~" He pointed at Lu Han.

Lu Han looked speechless. "Big brother, it's not that serious."

"When I grow up, I'll learn from Big Brother Cheng and write a memoir before I die—I'll definitely record this."

"No, absolutely not!"

To be honest, Bai Liang's words had some serious punch.

A memoir before death?

Given his antics, it might not even take many years—maybe he'll drop dead any day.

After the jokes ended, they casually chatted a bit.

Lu Han was more laid-back—he was still WeChat friends with Bai Liang.

They teased each other about why neither brought a girlfriend today.

Lu Han said he still had online drama; bringing a girlfriend would just get her criticized.

Bai Liang thought that made sense, then said he couldn't handle that many.

Lu Han: Fuck!

As for Zhang Yixing, well—he was still putting in effort.

Bai Liang didn't remember him well, but they'd be collaborating later; the guy played Zhu Qizhen in Great Ming Splendor.

He originally had a lot of screen time, but after the script was rewritten, his special appearance became truly just that—special.

That's fine, at least he won't be cast as Bai Liang's supporting actor.

These days, it's still trendy to use fancy labels like "special appearance," "friendly appearance," "special invitation," and so on.

They sound like cameos, but then you check the screen time… damn, isn't that just a supporting role?

To settle ranking disputes, they invented all sorts of weird titles.

"Where did you go?"

After Bai Liang returned to his seat, Miss Jing Tian's tone was hard to read—angry? Or pouting? It felt like both.

She didn't seem to realize it herself; perhaps she even thought this "interrogation" sounded powerful.

Seeing how cute her expression was, Bai Liang decided to give her some emotional value.

After all, Miss Jing Tian had spent six million today, and it was related to Bai Liang.

"I just went somewhere to think," he said seriously.

Hearing his tone, Miss Jing Tian froze, sensing something grave; her face tightened. "What's it about? Is it important?"

"It's quite important. Didn't you say you wanted to promote a CP?"

"That…"

Miss Jing Tian instantly tensed, looking like she was awaiting judgment.

Inside: Does he mind this? Will he…?

Then Bai Liang smiled sweetly: "You wanted to promote a CP, right? I thought of one—Liang Chen Mei Jing. What do you think?"

Miss Jing Tian: …

To be honest, she thought it was pretty good.

No! It was amazing!

Liang Chen Mei Jing.

She loved this CP name!

Miss Jing Tian gazed hopefully at Bai Liang, but soon felt her attitude was too…

So she instinctively tried to step back.

But this time, the chair seemed unusually hard to move.

And at that moment, Bai Liang smiled at her!

She bit her lip and lowered her head; when she looked up again, Bai Liang had already turned to the stage, clapping along with everyone else.

Miss Jing Tian: Dammit, I got hooked!

So the question is—was spending six million worth it?

Whether her money was worth it was debatable, but the money spent by those from the He family in Macau was painful.

Two women surnamed He, and an aunt surnamed Liang—no one knew which branch she belonged to.

They bought two Mercedes-Benz cars that had been "skinned" by a certain artist.

Considered modern art.

Bai Liang thought they looked awful; spending so much on these things, they probably wouldn't even drive them home.

But as the spokesperson, he had to go onstage for the handover.

Just stepping onstage made those three He women suddenly feel something very strange.

Like a wild beast roaming the wasteland encountering its deadly predator!

Instantly, their whole bodies prickled.

Bai Liang: The He family, huh? Perfect—my piggy bank has arrived.

Every time he was short on cash, he couldn't help thinking of them.

He smiled warmly at the three women, his demeanor growing gentler, his voice softer, exceptionally gentlemanly.

However, the other party didn't seem to appreciate it...

The three of them: Why does it feel like we're paying money to suffer?!

It's the middle of summer—could the air conditioning be set too low?

So many people saw a very strange scene.

The three women, who normally walked with their heads held high, remained utterly composed no matter who they chatted with, and carried a certain air of superiority—when facing Bai Liang, suddenly became... very polite.

Even a little cautious.

This couldn't help but make people overthink.

Ordinary artists would be one thing, but the capital sitting in the audience and the various industry bigwigs would inevitably have a few guesses.

It directly led to... some bigwigs, who had been planning to chat with Bai Liang after the Bazaar Charity Night ended and introduce him to a few "good projects," hesitating.

Maybe... we'll talk about it later?

Bai Liang: What was it Sister Yanzi said again? Don't just agree to anyone's project invitations, push everything onto her... So far, no one's come to find him.

He still wanted to see for himself what the so-called bigwigs' unspoken rules were.

This chapter was written on my phone outside. The next chapter will be later—I have to wait until I get home to write it. Check it tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)