Chapter 295: Little Western Heaven Cannot Contain the True Great Sage

Bai Liang really hadn't expected that one day he'd almost witness his own fans and Little Zhao Jiejie's fans going at each other.

That's right, going at each other!

It was still about the drama "The Story of Ming Lan."

Actually, the drama itself had no real issues — a Noon Sunshine production, a solid cast, and the actors took it seriously, so the final product delivered an answer sheet that satisfied every stakeholder.

But the fans cared about more than that.

For instance, who actually carried the ratings for "The Story of Ming Lan"?

To put it more bluntly — the drama did so well, so whose credit was it?

Obviously, whether it was Zhao Liying's fans or Bai Liang's fans, both sides felt it was their own idol's credit.

Although Little Zhao Jiejie's "The Kingdom of Women" flopped pretty spectacularly, and her film career had basically dried up these past two years, the TV drama field was still her comfort zone.

Every show she'd appeared in these past few years had made a pretty big splash.

When Bai Liang called her the strongest of the 85 Flowers back then, he wasn't completely talking nonsense — Little Zhao Jiejie's track record these past few years really could back it up.

After all, the more famous bunch of 85 Flowers, including the so-called beauties of the Chinese Paladin series, basically none of them had done well in film.

Little Zhao Jiejie had simply failed just like the rest of them.

Back in the TV drama field, she could still run rampant.

Only this time, it was different from the projects the two had worked on before.

Back during "Ride the Wind" and "Princess Agents," the two of them had no "conditions" for conflict.

Especially during "Princess Agents," when Bai Liang was still just the second male lead.

And on top of that, the male lead was his good buddy, so there was absolutely no way to start a fight.

But by the time of "The Story of Ming Lan," Little Zhao Jiejie was still that leading figure among the 85 Flowers in TV dramas, while Bai Liang was no longer the same as before.

A top-tier star in a league of his own, Mr. Ten-Billion Box Office.

The halo on him was already enough to overshadow Little Zhao Jiejie.

Even though "The Story of Ming Lan," in a certain sense, was a female-led drama, with Ming Lan getting more screen time.

From the standpoint of Bai Liang's fans, the reasoning was actually very simple: Da Xian is just more awesome than Zhao Liying right now, so who carried the ratings isn't that obvious? And whose acting is better — do we even need to belabor that point? Anyone with eyes can tell.

The reasoning was simple and straightforward, and there wasn't really anything wrong with it.

Because even when those haters were cursing the drama, they were mainly attacking Zhao Liying — they really couldn't find a good angle to attack Bai Liang.

They couldn't exactly say his age didn't fit the role, could they?

Would that be cursing him or praising him?

However, Zhao Liying's fans were clearly not convinced by this — "My jiejie was already this awesome before she even worked with Bai Liang! She didn't become awesome because of him!"

With or without him, she'd still take off just the same!

Then Bai Liang's fans pulled out the movie box office numbers.

Zhao Liying's fans broke down: "We're talking about TV dramas here, why are you bringing movies into this?"

Bai Liang's fans: "Getting anxious there?"

Tsk tsk, with all that, it'd be a miracle if they didn't start fighting.

"Still laughing? They're already going at it and you're still laughing?"

"No, the way they're arguing is actually pretty entertaining."

Little Zhao Jiejie: "Oh? How entertaining?"

Actually, both sides' teams had been keeping a handle on this absurd fan war, so it never blew up into a huge commotion — it had a real "behind-closed-doors" vibe to it.

Like a married couple having a quarrel at home~

Anyway, it didn't break out of the fandom, and the fighting was relatively "civilized."

At the very least, the fans didn't do anything particularly extreme — no making funeral portraits, no personal attacks, not even malicious reports — none of that showed up.

Just a war of words.

This actually had to be blamed on Bai Liang's fans — the fans take after their idol, after all~

They were pretty skilled at picking fights.

Little Zhao Jiejie couldn't help but say after scrolling through it: "So shameless, just like you — that smug nastiness, how can you be so mean?"

"I think it's fine, look — they didn't curse or swear, and they didn't attack you personally."

"But they were being all passive-aggressive, weren't they? Constantly throwing out stuff like 'yeah yeah yeah,' 'getting anxious there' — even I found it pretty annoying watching it."

"Your fans even said I don't have any awards, that my acting doesn't get recognized — look, that's just too much~" Bai Liang objected.

"Didn't your fans fire back too?" Little Zhao Jiejie suddenly paused, "They actually dared to say it!"

"Say what?"

"Little Western Heaven cannot contain the true Great Sage."

Bai Liang: Tsk, worthy of being my fans! How did I never think of a line like that?

Actually, regarding the fact that Bai Liang still doesn't have any particularly weighty awards to his name — it's not that he's been frozen out or that the industry's circles refuse to play with him.

That kind of phenomenon might exist, but the main issue right now is that his debut came too late.

Of course, among his works, there are definitely ones qualified to be entered for various awards.

But the thing is, you've got to give the award ceremonies some time, right? It hasn't even started yet~

And some of his previous roles and dramas — to be honest, they were popular, sure, but they did have a bit of a wall between them and the mainstream awards.

Take his most popular "Love O2O," for instance — what awards could that thing even enter?

Just take home a Weibo award and call it a day~

You've already cashed in on the traffic, and you still want the awards too? There aren't that many good things in this world.

Of course, Bai Liang right now really wasn't all that interested in winning awards either.

He thought the trophies he'd snagged from Weibo Night and other annual ceremonies were all pretty nice, and he'd replaced most of the pots in his studio with them.

They looked way better than any Golden Rooster or Golden Horse awards.

But whether he was truly the Great Sage or whether Little Western Heaven had anything to grant him—none of that really mattered.

At least nothing mattered more than Xiao Zhao Jie telling him "goodbye."

"I need to take a break," she brushed her hair back, sounding somewhat melancholy.

"What, did I take off too fast and give you too much pressure?"

"Shut up, you're so full of yourself!" Xiao Zhao Jie rolled her eyes at him skillfully, "But honestly, we really shouldn't keep collaborating anymore—we've done three projects in a row, and the audience is getting sick of it."

This was her way of saving face, though she really wanted to ask Bai Liang: Could they collaborate on a movie sometime?

But after thinking long and hard, Xiao Zhao Jie still couldn't bring herself to ask.

She wasn't Miss Jing Tian, who had zero psychological barrier to clinging to someone's leg.

Since meeting Bai Liang, she'd always been "Xiao Zhao Jie," always looking out for him.

And this little fan feud suddenly made Zhao Liying realize: this kid had grown to a level she now had to look up to.

She'd imagined this moment, but never expected it to come so soon~

Since her pride kept her from clinging to his leg, then after three collaborations, the next two years would likely see no more projects between them.

This was the unique melancholy of a sister competitor—or rather, Zhao Liying's own choice.

"You better work hard!" Xiao Zhao Jie said seriously.

This suddenly gave Bai Liang a familiar feeling.

No feast lasts forever. Was life about to send them down different paths again?

But right now, Xiao Zhao Jie's smiling face reminded him of the sweet girl she'd been when they first met.

Like a cute little figurine.

Pat her head.

"Hey! Don't be so disrespectful!"

"Aren't I always like this?" Bai Liang spread his hands open after patting her head, skillfully playing the fool. "Stop messing with those girls—how many have you already tangled with? Isn't that enough?"

Huh? Why did the topic jump so wildly?

Bai Liang scratched his head, wondering how to respond—he was always passive.

Then, at the worst possible moment, his phone beside him rang.

Xiao Zhao Jie glanced over, and blinked? Yang Mi?

"Why's she calling you now? I told you, stay away from her lately—I heard she might've divorced, not sure if it's true."

Yang Mi: "Bro, when's the best time for me to officially announce the divorce? Give me some advice—you're gonna be the kid's dad, aren't you?"

Xiao Zhao Jie:?!!!

What the hell?!

Bai Liang hadn't answered the call—this message came via text.

Clearly, she assumed he was busy or couldn't take calls, so she just typed out a teasing message instead.

This sister always talked like this, but to others, the information overload was massive.

!

Xiao Zhao Jie was stunned!

Holy crap. You've even gotten to Yang Mi? You're gonna be the kid's dad?

What were you thinking? Even Dorgon couldn't handle divorce and kids—why are you trying to tackle this difficulty?

If you like kids, just have your own—what's the big deal?!

"I'm warning you—don't go messing around!"

"She's just joking," Bai Liang said honestly.

"I feel like you're joking too—there are so many young girls out there, why bother with some divorced mom?"

This made sense, but also didn't make sense.

Yang Mi wasn't ordinary—she was a stat monster.

If Xiao Zhao Jie had played games and knew the five-A combo of Iron Man, she'd understand how broken stat monsters were.

But this kind of knowledge? This little figurine simply couldn't grasp it.

Luckily, she had her own way.

She'd show Bai Liang what boundless suffering meant—and that turning back was the shore.

What's so fun about married women?

"What time's your flight?" Xiao Zhao Jie suddenly asked.

"Not until tonight. Why?"

She brushed her hair again. "I once invited you to come over to my place."

"Oh right—that time we had dinner with Xu Zheng and Miss Jing Tian," Bai Liang remembered clearly, instantly recalling the scene.

That time, Xiao Zhao Jie had invited him to her newly bought villa, but Miss Jing Tian suddenly showed up to talk to him, ruining it.

Now then…

Xiao Zhao Jie didn't even ask—she waved her hand with a touch of coolness: "Come on, follow your sister home!"

Dongsi Ring, Beijing.

Xiao Zhao Jie's mansion, costing roughly a hundred million, stood right here.

With its own private courtyard, about two and a half stories tall, covering 500 square meters, and surrounded by excellent scenery.

In front of the house stretched a wide green lawn; the exterior walls, finished with real stone paint, looked grand and luxurious, with a distinctly Chinese-style design.

The landscaping is also done exceptionally well, with lawns, willow gardens, and artificial lakes all fresh and elegant.

The key point is that this place is quite secluded; it's said many celebrities live here.

Hmm, the house is nice, but Bai Liang isn't buying it.

"Why do you go straight to the bathroom as soon as you come to my place? Are you a puppy marking territory?"

Bai Liang thought there was some logic to what she said.

Dogs, as creatures, like to urinate in certain spots to leave their scent, letting others know this place is claimed.

By the way, do capybaras have this habit?

Yes!

During breeding season, male capybaras may display stronger territorial behavior, marking to attract females or deter rivals.

——

The next day.

"Little brat won't answer my calls? What, you're ashamed I'm married?"

"I didn't, I'm not, don't say nonsense."

Bai Liang never imagined that merely missing one call from Yang Mi, then forgetting to reply to her messages due to other matters, would make this sister come storming over.

Today afternoon was the day Bai Liang and Wang Sicong represented the IG team in a match, and tomorrow was the League of Legends eighth-anniversary celebrity exhibition match.

Both matches were held in Shanghai, which was actually good for Bai Liang.

At least he wouldn't have to run back and forth.

But Yang Mi came straight over, saying she was going to participate in the All-Star exhibition match tomorrow anyway, so arriving early didn't matter.

Just canceled one day of promotional duties.

Hmm. For Yang Mi, a workaholic, to specifically cancel a full day's work just to come bother him, it was clear this sister was in a foul mood lately.

Wang Sicong grinned and sidled up to greet her, even handing over tickets for today's afternoon match.

There was no helping it—this entertainment industry's disciplinary committee, who ranted at everyone and tore apart half the entertainment world, had always spoken nothing but praise for Yang Mi, expressing admiration constantly.

He had even reposted her birthday Weibo, wishing her a happy birthday.

This kid really liked her.

"So can you win?" Yang Mi, though claiming she was "mad at Bai Liang," immediately returned to normal expression the moment Wang Sicong appeared, even smiling as she asked.

"Of course we can win!" Wang Sicong puffed out his chest and guaranteed.

After saying this, he turned to Bai Liang: "Great Immortal, we can win, right?"

But Bai Liang spread his hands: "We're just playing for fun—why the pressure? We're only playing one match."

"After this match, we retire. Don't you want the title of a career player with a 100% win rate?" Wang Sicong goaded.

"Yes! Damn it, unleash the ultimate move!"

Bai Liang admitted: he'd originally planned to face these pro players as an ordinary person, not wanting to overuse cheats—but now he truly couldn't hold back!

He must go all out!

Indeed, no male gamer could refuse the title of a career player with a 100% win rate.

Play one match and retire—leave behind a legend in the e-sports pro scene~

This idea was truly brilliant!

Watching the two suddenly become overly excited, Yang Mi, the internet-addicted housewife, understood—they played games too.

And unlike ordinary people who played to pass time, her sense of competition was heavy-hearted.

For her, games were sometimes treated just like life.

She had to win! No matter the process, the result had to be victory!

"Then you'd better give it your all! If you win, I'll treat you to a big dinner tonight!" she said cheerfully.

"We'll definitely win!" Wang Sicong declared with bold confidence.

Then he turned to pressure the three IG players scheduled to compete today.

After all, whether they won today depended mostly on the three of them.

In e-sports, strength reigns supreme.

Even though Wang Sicong was usually arrogant, he knew his role in competition was simply not to mess up or drag them down, while Bai Liang had to stay steady.

But the result had to be a win!

Yang Mi would be watching below!

"Treat this match like the world finals!"

The IG trio's mood:.

Wait, why do we feel like if we mess up tomorrow, we'll end up working as security guards at Wanda? ——

Third chapter, goodnight! Please vote for monthly tickets!

We're at #21 on the monthly ticket chart—brothers, you're amazing!

(End of chapter)