Chapter 335: Who

IG's victory in the global finals was not only a milestone in China's esports history but also became a phenomenon-level nationwide celebration, completely "breaking out" into the mainstream spotlight.

Shortly after the match ended, eight of the top ten trending topics on Weibo were related to IG.

Countless non-gamers also shared and celebrated, with "IG awesome!" becoming the hottest slogan of the night.

It wasn't just social media that exploded.

Even CCTV aired a report the next day titled "China's Team Wins the Championship," marking the first time esports appeared during a national mainstream media prime-time slot.

Afterwards, official media outlets like the People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency published congratulatory articles, rarely using terms like "historic breakthrough" and "new chapter for esports."

It wasn't just online—instantly after the victory, dormitory buildings across numerous universities nationwide erupted in cheers, evoking the exact same feeling as if China's soccer team had won the World Cup.

This wildly exaggerated breakout of traffic was clearly quite tempting.

Yet for the entertainment industry, the only person who genuinely capitalized on this wave of traffic and remained highly visible was Bai Liang.

Whether it was the fun he stirred up by watching the match live or his identity as IG's undefeated 100% win-rate mid-laner, both allowed him to claim a share of this traffic.

However, Bai Liang did not participate in the subsequent esports fan celebrations, or in Wang Sicong's online coin-dropping giveaways and other follow-up events.

After the match, he celebrated briefly with IG's teammates, then stopped by the commentary booth for a few casual chats, before Song Qian took him to SM Company.

Although the company's name sounded odd, it was famously well-known in both Korean and Chinese entertainment circles.

It was one of South Korea's most representative entertainment agencies, founded in 1995 by its founder Lee Soo-man.

The girl group Girls' Generation, in which Lin Yuer, who had co-starred with Bai Liang in "God of War Zhao Zilong," was a member, was this company's act.

Oh right, those four returnees from abroad were also from this company's EXO group.

Even the older-generation star Han Gen was also from SM Company.

At the same time, Bai Liang got a firsthand look at just how terrifying the intensity of Korean trainees was.

He and Song Qian arrived at her company very late, yet the building was still full of people, brightly lit, with many male and female trainees in practice rooms still drenched in sweat.

Yet Bai Liang didn't see any major Korean idols during this visit.

The only one who greeted Song Qian respectfully with a bow was a girl named Bae Joo-hyun, who seemed vaguely familiar.

In Korea, even if Bai Liang wasn't face-blind, he felt like his face-blindness had kicked in.

"You've got serious clout—everyone's bowing to greet you."

Seeing Bai Liang's raised thumb, Song Qian didn't look proud; instead, she seemed slightly embarrassed and whispered to him quietly: "In Korea, it's like this—the seniority culture is taken to extremes, but it's not really a good thing; many bullying incidents stem from this."

"Should I just go along with the local custom then?"

"Huh?" Song Qian paused, then quickly smiled, "Then you don't need to bow—just call me 'sister' and I'll hear it~"

Bai Liang: "You misunderstood—I meant I want them to bow to me, so I can experience the local flavor."

"You've got high hopes, don't you?"

They found a practice room, shut the door, and Song Qian pulled down the large glass blinds—outside, no one could see inside anymore.

Now came the Shoubashou Sect's dance lesson time~

Time flew—over an hour passed.

"Ding-ding~ Ding-ding~"

Bai Liang really didn't want to answer this call—it was just too damn well-timed.

At this moment, he and Song Qian were drenched in sweat from dancing.

But seeing the caller ID was Guo Fan, he worried something important had happened, hesitated two seconds, then answered.

The result? Guo Fan said to him: "IG awesome!"

Shit. Get lost!

Guo Fan's shout of "IG awesome!" completely drained Bai Liang's energy.

Bastard.

But Song Qian didn't mind much: "So this match was really that popular?"

"Esports is actually quite fair—strength speaks. If you're good, you're good; if you're not, you're not."

Song Qian nodded repeatedly, but then grinned mischievously and asked:

"If good is good and bad is bad, then what did you mean just now when you said 'let's take a break'?"

Bai Liang: Ahhh~ Dancing is really hard—he just wanted to sneak a rest.

So annoying~ All Guo Fan's fault.

Guo Fan: Ahhh~

Actually, he didn't call because he loved esports—he called because Sister Yanzi had taken on part of the promotional work for "The Wandering Earth."

She bought advertising space during this finals match.

It was expensive!

Even with a friend's discount, it was still a gamble.

But without doubt, this was a massive profit.

In the top ten trending topics, eight were about IG, one was about "The Wandering Earth," and one was about Bai Liang's postgraduate entrance exam.

The esports fanbase overlaps significantly with the target audience for "The Wandering Earth."

Those people on Weibo just jumping on the bandwagon likely cared nothing about esports or sci-fi.

But veteran gamers still had strong interest in this hardcore genre.

From the changes in live-stream viewership numbers, it was clear that the drop in audience during the "The Wandering Earth" promo clip was minimal.

A substantial portion of viewers watching the match watched the promo clip between the end of one match and the start of the next.

After cheering wildly for IG's victory, many also remembered this movie, set to premiere during the upcoming Spring Festival.

The planetary engines in the trailer were truly terrifying!

And there was also everyone's old acquaintance—Bai Liang.

Not long ago, he was wearing the IG team jersey and commanding lightning on the professional stage~

E-sports fans: This is definitely something to go see~ Bai Liang is with IG too.

The next day, the capital airport.

"Big Brother Xiao Bai, how was your dancing practice yesterday?" asked Sister Yanzi, who came to pick him up.

"Not bad~" Bai Liang yawned, indicating that dancing really was exhausting.

Fortunately, Song Qian hadn't misled him—she'd made his movements as simple as possible.

Do you know pole dancing?

Bai Liang wasn't doing pole dancing—he was the pole.

The main dance moves were all Song Qian's; he mainly had to coordinate with her.

But Song Qian was definitely a great dance teacher—just one night of practice, and she made Bai Liang find dancing actually fun!

As everyone knows, interest is the best teacher.

The trick was that she designed a very striking dance move: Bai Liang had to slap her ass.

To be honest, this move would be pretty lewd elsewhere.

So Bai Liang initially pretended, saying it wasn't appropriate.

But after Song Qian made him practice it a few times, then synced it with music and showed him a short clip recorded on her phone, it actually had tremendous stage presence and a fantastic visual effect.

Dancing is great! You've got to learn dancing~

This way, you're openly grabbing a girl's ass on stage, and after you do, she praises you!

But after practicing it many times, Song Qian finally told him:

Actually, it's not really slapping the ass—it's slapping the hip bone.

Slapping the hip bone is a dance move; slapping the ass is just lewdness.

Bai Liang: Why didn't you tell me sooner?!

So here's the question now—who's really the lewd one?

"I'm off~ We should practice one more time before our New Year's Eve stage. Let's meet early in Star City." Song Qian bid Bai Liang farewell.

Her demeanor was strange—yawning constantly, yet her spirit seemed unusually vibrant; tired, yet glowing with color.

"Got it, but we'll have to bring Meng Jie along—my duet with her needs a little practice too."

"Zi Yi? Sure, I'm with the same company as her—she's practically my junior sister. I'll help her out then."

Song Qian clearly knew what Meng Jie's singing sounded like—her expression twisted uncomfortably.

"Big Brother Xiao Bai, you've worked hard."

Watching their farewell, then seeing their exhaustion, Sister Yanzi remarked with deep feeling after Song Qian left.

Bai Liang waved his hand, saying that work meant you had to endure some hardship yourself.

!

After all, Song Qian hadn't lied—she really could swallow a big rye loaf in two bites.

——

Two days later, Bai Liang met Zhao Jinmai, the little girl he hadn't seen in a long time, in Yangcheng.

To be precise, she was no longer a little girl.

It had only been about a year since they last met, yet her changes were significant.

As the elders at home would say: she'd grown tall.

Back when they were on the set of "The Wandering Earth," Bai Liang had always thought she was just a kid—even smelled like milk.

But now, seeing her again, she had just a hint of young lady's charm.

Standing there, lively and bright.

"Big Brother!"

Upon seeing Bai Liang, Zhao Jinmai's first reaction was to excitedly call out, then she immediately became reserved.

Wearing a white T-shirt, a pleated skirt, and a pair of plain white sneakers, she radiated youthful energy; her light makeup was perfectly suited.

"I get it—you've matured because you're imitating adults with makeup?" Bai Liang declared he'd solved the mystery!

Hey, she even put on lipstick~

This déjà vu was just like when, as a child, you played house at a girl classmate's place and she stole her mom's high heels.

"I'm already an adult—I'm seventeen."

As Bai Liang patted her head, Zhao Jinmai blushed and muttered softly.

"Nonsense, you're only sixteen."

"It's just a few days away—almost seventeen!"

Although in Bai Liang's eyes they'd only been apart for over a year, in reality, this little girl had completed her "transformation."

When they filmed, she hadn't entered high school yet; now she was in her second year.

The difference between a high school student and a middle school student really is noticeable~

At this age, she's also at the peak stage of "a girl changes greatly every year."

"It's still a month away—why the rush? When you reach my age, you'll wish you could measure time down to the day."

Only children eagerly anticipate growing up.

Like Zhao Jinmai, she insists she's already seventeen, about to become an adult, no longer a kid.

But when she gets older, she might start calling herself a baby of three hundred months.

"Big Brother, you're not that old either," Zhao Jinmai said quickly, seemingly quite concerned about this topic.

"In my mom's eyes, I'm already approaching forty. Isn't your dad forty this year?" Bai Liang feigned a sigh.

Then he started coaxing Zhao Jinmai to call him uncle.

Unfortunately, the little girl wasn't fooled—she stuck firmly to calling him brother.

Bai Liang's plan to raise his generational status was declared a complete failure.

Well then~

Because he suddenly remembered he was now a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson—uncle of someone who drives a Mercedes? Zhao Jinmai's age really is about the same as Xia Shu's.

Tsk, unlucky.

Today, Bai Liang and Zhao Jinmai came to Guangzhou to attend a Tencent variety show.

The male and female leads of The Wandering Earth are appearing together to promote the movie~

But this show is quite different from ordinary ones.

There are a lot of people! Extremely, extremely many!

Around one hundred and fifty artists are participating.

When Sister Yanzi first explained it, Bai Liang had wondered: what kind of show format needs so many people?

The answer was: a sports meet.

A youth entertainment-sports crossover competition produced jointly by Tencent Video, Tencent Sports, and JD. com.

Super Nova Games.

It's common for artists to excel in film, television, or music, but collectively crossing over to become athletes on the field is unprecedented.

Perhaps because Bai Liang had previously made quite a splash in sports.

E-sports, basketball—he didn't just appear in Tencent's sports variety show.

Even his Spring Festival Gala performance this year involved basketball—he was doing a creative routine with Zhu Yilong.

A fusion of trick basketball, flashy street dance, and energetic music, performing "Youth Soaring."

Seeing these descriptors, Bai Liang knew his grandmother would love it—no need to think twice, he'd go.

As for this Super Nova Games, he agreed to come partly because it seemed lively and full of familiar faces.

On the other hand, naturally, it was for movie promotion.

The sports arena hosting the recording had advertising space—the posters for The Wandering Earth were already hanging there, so he absolutely had to go.

Zhao Jinmai felt the same way.

This trip was primarily for movie promotion.

Still, the little girl was quite worried: "Will one hundred and fifty artists even get screen time?"

"Need your brother to give you some life advice?"

"I do!"

"This show is different—it's not a talent competition. If you win, you'll definitely get screen time! Whether it's e-sports or athletic competition, in a way, it all comes down to skill."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Jinmai's expression grew even more miserable: "I'm not even an adult yet… I don't have any skill~"

So many artists—how could a minor girl like her compete on skill?

That would be far too hard on her; Zhao Jinmai insisted she wasn't any kind of athlete.

Back when filming The Wandering Earth, that heavy costume had nearly crushed her.

Bai Liang was still considerate—he decided to find a few familiar older sisters to look after her.

Although the list of participating artists was long, he still spotted many names he recognized, even knew quite well.

——

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(End of chapter)