Chapter 305: Thinking Isn't Allowed Either — Thinking Is a Crime

Bai Liang's studio naturally had no issues whatsoever on the tax front.

Besides, the country really should refund him a bit — it has nothing to do with the amount; even if it's just a single cent, it's still overpaid!

The originally stern-faced, rigorously-toned tax officer softened considerably after finishing the audit.

Tsk tsk, they actually ran into a business this honest.

They'd rather overpay than pull any tricks at all!

Regarding the tax refund~

Normally it doesn't matter whether they refund it or not — they can keep it as a prepayment for next year.

But this time, Sister Yanzi declared: Refund it! Refund it!

This is some very important marketing material~

She even shamelessly asked: "Could you give us some kind of honorary title? Like a model taxpayer or something?"

"…That we don't have, but your tax credit rating will be upgraded."

After a bit of back-and-forth with the tax officer, Sister Yanzi was basically satisfied.

Plan accomplished!

If nothing unexpected happens, there probably won't be any unexpected happenings.

Now everything is in place — both the negative and positive press releases are ready — just waiting for Fan Fan Bingbing's side of things to blow up directly.

Sister Yanzi has already received accurate intel: the other party's manager has already been caught for "burning the account books."

That person had been by Fan Bingbing's side for over ten years — the true hidden hand who pushed her from Jin Suo to Fan Ye.

Let's put it this way: even when appearing in public with Da Hei Niu, as long as that manager was present, Fan Fan Bingbing would choose to hold the manager's arm rather than her own boyfriend's.

An absolutely heavyweight figure.

Sister Yanzi: Sigh~ I'll have this kind of relationship with Little White Bro too in the future, right? But holding hands is out — afraid of getting torn apart by the young ladies.

But she briefly imagined: if her own Little White Bro also pulled some weird moves, what would she choose?

After thinking it over, Sister Yanzi helplessly discovered that if it were her, she'd burn the account books too.

Fortunately, none of this will actually happen.

Her own Little White Bro really is the best~

Bai Liang: Your Little White Bro isn't doing so great right now either.

When he saw Unlike Ni Ni at the opening ceremony, he damn near thought he was hallucinating.

He took a closer look — hey, it really was her.

Actually, Bai Liang only felt a bit of helplessness toward Unlike Ni Ni's dog-skin-plaster-style moves, but he didn't have much of an objection either.

He could even extend a bit of goodwill toward a player like Shuangzi, let alone someone like Ni Ni.

It's just that this young lady really is a bit fierce!

This drama isn't just a big-male-lead show — even the male supporting roles might have more screen time than her, the female lead.

And she still squeezed her way in.

She's truly desperate.

Unlike Ni Ni had been chatting on and off with the little bro Xi Zi Ge, but upon seeing Bai Liang step out of the car, she quickly whipped out a small mirror to check her makeup.

Mm. She felt her face looked better at a slight angle!

After checking everything from eyelashes to lipstick with no issues, she lifted her chin, then hurriedly left Xi Zi Ge behind, deliberately walking a few steps to go meet him.

But before she could even speak, Bai Liang got in first: "What are you doing staring at me with those big eyes?"

Unlike Ni Ni looked utterly innocent, "I-I was thinking—"

"Thinking isn't allowed either — thinking is a crime!"

Ah, this~

The pinker you dress, the harder you hit!

Today's rare "fierce pink" shirt-wearing Bai Liang seems to be on the more "aggressive" side~

So much so that Xi Zi Ge, who had been about to come over and say hi, couldn't help shrinking his head back.

Inner muttering: This guy seems a bit different from what I imagined — is he this "fierce" even to a pretty older sister like Unlike Ni Ni?

But the not-yet-eighteen Xi Zi Ge couldn't understand: with Bai Liang's attitude like this, Unlike Ni Ni was actually still grinning — shamelessly, not minding at all.

Is this the adult world?

At this moment, Bai Liang also spotted the head-shrinking Xi Zi Ge.

In a certain sense, everyone could be considered "old acquaintances."

In the so-called "Four Big Three Small Top-Tier Players" lineup that had always been bandied about, Xi Zi Ge and his two teammates were also players who shared "equal fame" with Bai Liang.

These three little boys who debuted very early were indeed terrifyingly fierce in terms of traffic and popularity.

When they were in a group, they were top-tier; after splitting up, each one individually was still top-tier.

Is this the power of the "nurtured" idol system?

But Bai Liang has bullied quite a few top-tier players — he really hasn't bullied these three little boys though.

Because the three of them would beat each other up on their own, and the intensity was even more exaggerated than the brawls among the Four Big Top-Tiers.

At the same time, they were too busy fighting amongst themselves to bother waging war outward.

A bit like a small circle beating each other up behind closed doors.

But now they're pretty thoroughly going solo, and it looks like Xi Zi Ge — who was relatively less visible in the group before — is about to start making his push.

The reason Bai Liang took this drama "The Longest Day in Chang'an" was, on one hand, his studio felt the project's various conditions were decent, and on the other hand, they really paid way too much.

The pay for this drama was the most Bai Liang had ever received since his debut.

Although sky-high paychecks are hyped everywhere, projects that truly fork out over a hundred million to hire one artist are absolutely rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

But they actually threw down real gold and silver—not just over a hundred million, but even over one point five billion.

The amount was so huge that Sister Yanzi couldn't hold her composure, saying she really needed to make a big haul before the salary cap came into effect.

Although my own Dou Xiao Bai earns more from movie profits, movie splits are cyclical—delaying one or two years is considered short.

Where's the thrill of getting such a massive cash payment straight into your account?

She even doubted whether anyone in the TV industry had ever received such a high fee.

Not taking this deal would feel like disrespecting their "sincerity."

Bai Liang had no objections—he'd never played a role like the Tang Dynasty's Bad Officer-in-Charge, and it genuinely piqued his interest.

But the reason they spent so much to hire Bai Liang was probably also because of Xi Zi Ge.

Isn't he the one Alibaba is pushing hard?

And since "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an" is Xi Zi Ge's first major project as lead actor, they clearly needed someone reliable enough to back him up.

There are plenty of such candidates in the industry.

Some seasoned actors are affordable and excellent—pairing them with Xi Zi Ge as co-leads makes perfect sense.

But Alibaba or Youku might've felt it wasn't safe enough, so they decided to go all out.

They directly poured money into bringing Bai Liang on board—to guarantee a solid floor while raising the ceiling, ensuring Xi Zi Ge's entertainment career got a strong start.

But is this really a good choice?

Are Youku—or Alibaba behind them—really not afraid of overdoing it?

Either way, after receiving the payment, Sister Yanzi just smiled without speaking.

Someone takes the face, someone takes the substance—this strategy really isn't wrong.

But what Xi Zi Ge truly needs is someone who can slightly bolster his face while fully carrying the substance.

The producers probably thought: hiring Bai Liang guarantees absolute security.

But they forgot one thing: he's the kind who carries both face and substance on his own shoulders.

Put bluntly, Xi Zi Ge really can lean on Bai Liang for a bit of advantage, just a little bit of leg-hugging.

But if this drama runs into trouble, Bai Liang isn't an easy target to blame.

Even Lin Genxin, who once starred alongside Bai Liang twice and was brutally overshadowed both times, has plenty to say about this.

Lin Genxin: That bastard Daxian only takes girls flying—he never cares about his bros' "lives or deaths"!

Unlike Ni Ni: Well then, now I'll demonstrate the correct posture for leg-hugging.

After the launch ceremony ended, the crew seamlessly began filming.

Bai Liang's new luxury RV had already arrived—same exterior and size as a bus, parked there it was eye-catching as hell, making the other crew's RVs look like kiddie rides.

It was too flashy and ostentatious.

But his style has always been like this—he never seeks hardship where comfort is available.

Spending so much on such an expensive RV, and going through all the trouble to customize it—wasn't it meant for moments like this?

It just made things hard for his driver, assistant, and bodyguard Dapao, who had to get a special Class A license just to drive it.

As Bai Liang prepared to get into his RV for a quick rest, he opened the door and sensed something was off.

He turned his head and saw Unlike Ni Ni casually following right behind him.

They locked eyes—before Bai Liang could speak, Unlike Ni Ni struck first: "Why were you so mean to me today?"

"I apologize. I'll send you a gift in a couple of days."

So sincere!

Unlike Ni Ni's eyes lit up; as she thought about what gift to return, she asked: "What's the gift?"

"If I tell you, it won't work. Are you coming up too?"

!

Bai Liang's blunt question left Unlike Ni Ni frozen for two seconds; then she pointed to a white mini-RV nearby: "That's my RV. Well, I just want to take a look—can I?"

"Of course you can. But aren't you afraid rumors will spread?"

Unlike Ni Ni: I'm afraid rumors won't spread, handsome!

But she couldn't say that outright, so she softened it: "Then I'll just stay up there for ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes? No way. How would I face people if rumors got out?" Bai Liang frowned, looking slightly displeased.

His expression made Unlike Ni Ni a little flustered.

Huh? Ten minutes isn't enough? How come she'd never heard Bai Liang was this pure-hearted?

In fact, among female stars, Bai Liang's "reputation" has always been excellent.

The situation with the "Saoji Sisters" had been watched by many, setting an example for others.

Brother Liang is a man who cherishes flowers—he truly gives out traffic when it's due, and truly helps when asked!

He's not like those scumbags in the entertainment industry who discard women after sex and deny relationships even when caught.

It's just that the competition is too fierce and the online environment is terrifying—otherwise, how did the "Saoji Sisters" even get their name? That's not a flattering title.

Otherwise, right now there'd be more than just Unlike Ni Ni.

Unlike Ni Ni: But why doesn't it work for me?

She couldn't help lowering her head to examine herself—sometimes she'd rather doubt her luck than her looks or figure.

Then Bai Liang turned and seriously emphasized: "At least fifty minutes!"

Unlike Ni Ni: …

Her expression at that moment was slightly awkward.

Mainly because she never expected this guy to be so… damn, she loved this weirdo!

Really? Fifty minutes?!

Of course, after eagerly tagging along behind Bai Liang onto his RV, Unlike Ni Ni hesitated for a moment, but still kept the door open.

She was just in a bit of a hurry, not really so eager to force her way on board.

And to be honest, in front of Bai Liang, for some inexplicable reason she didn't want to make herself seem too... whatever.

"Wow! How much did this vehicle of yours cost?"

"All in all, twenty or thirty million. You want to get one too?"

"I can't bear to spend that much money on something like this. I'm already a bit muddled-headed right now."

Complaining, are we?

Bai Liang offered: "You should look on the bright side."

"Hmm?"

"It might get even more muddled-headed later."

"Get lost."

Unlike Ni Ni plopped down onto the RV's big sofa, stretching out without a trace of self-consciousness, showing off her graceful body's curves.

This thing was practically as big as the sofa in her living room at home.

At the same time, this was also the most "normal" thing in Bai Liang's RV; the rest of it was dazzling to look at, with screens and electronic devices of all sizes dazzling Unlike Ni Ni's eyes.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was still the bedroom behind the door at the back of the RV—a huge bed inside. It felt like three or four people could roll around on it, and it looked pretty comfortable too.

At that moment, Bai Liang, who was pouring water, glanced at Unlike Ni Ni and noticed that her current sprawled-out pose on the sofa was rather unladylike.

Her movements were a bit too casual, yet they carried a strange sense of languid laziness.

Worthy of her reputation as a famous "atmosphere beauty" in the industry.

But the next second, Unlike Ni Ni quickly sat up straight, tugged at her skirt, and put on a very prim and proper look.

Bai Liang instinctively glanced toward the door, and sure enough, a visitor had arrived.

Xi Zi Ge hugged a script, saying he wanted to run a scene with Liang-ge.

This left Unlike Ni Ni speechlessly glaring at the kid, thinking he really had no sense of occasion~

But considering he was still a minor, she decided not to bother arguing with him.

Besides, Xi Zi Ge was also a bit too shy to look Unlike Ni Ni directly in the eye, because she had just casually taken off her jacket.

What she was wearing underneath wasn't overly revealing, but the outfit held up by two straps, exposing large swathes of fair skin and delicate collarbones, was already enough to make Xi Zi Ge not dare to glance that way.

Bai Liang: Debuting too early really isn't good.

Appearing under the spotlight too soon—players like Xi Zi Ge probably don't even get to "deserve" a proper youth.

When Bai Liang was his age, he spent his days being dragged by girls into the woods, while he could only face the "love" of those "mommy fans" online.

And these "mommy fans" would probably tear apart any Miss who dared to get close to the three little ones.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be staring wide-eyed and coming to ruin Unlike Ni Ni's "good time" at a moment like this.

Although Unlike Ni Ni was just chatting with Bai Liang, clearly two people together was much better than three.

Two people make people think of scandal and romance; three people easily make people think of accidents and breaking the law.

Especially since Xi Zi Ge is still a minor.

"Then I'll head back first."

Unlike Ni Ni had just been about to slip away when Bai Liang caught her. "Don't you need to run a scene?"

"Huh? Oh right, I'm here to act too."

However, Bai Liang looked at the two of them, then looked at his newly acquired gaming equipment, and couldn't help but make a suggestion.

"How about before we get down to business, we play a couple of rounds first?"

Unlike Ni Ni: "Sure, sure~"

Xi Zi Ge:

He didn't know why, but he couldn't help suspecting: are these two really reliable?

Especially Bai Liang—with such a big reputation and such a high pay, how come the moment he arrives on set he drags him off to play games?

Still, looking at the slowly descending huge screen and the PS4, Xi Zi Ge ultimately couldn't hold back: "Just for a little while."

(End of chapter)