Chapter 340: No, You

After the recording of "Super Nova Games" ended, Bai Liang took Zhao Jinmai, this lazy little goldfish, and took a group photo with everyone, marking the end of this promotional tour.

This show is different from others; its season-long recording period is shorter, and since they wanted to make it more professional, they could only edit together a few episodes total.

It's estimated it'll air out in just over half a month, perfectly covering most of the pre-release promotion period for "The Wandering Earth."

So Bai Liang took a discount on his appearance fee, giving Tencent Video some face, laying the groundwork for future collaborations~

Bai Liang has good relations with all three major online platforms—Tencent, iQiyi, and Youku—and with Mango TV too; his face value is genuinely useful.

So when they asked him to record the opening of another group variety show—just a little pep talk for the girls—he readily agreed.

It wouldn't take much time; it was just chatting.

Rocket Girls are truly busy right now; after the Games, they're immediately heading into another group variety show.

Called "Rush 20."

Tencent is truly going to squeeze every last bit of value out of them during this popularity peak.

And this show is way more intense than "Super Nova Games."

They're making Rocket Girls' eleven girls hike across the Sahara Desert under conditions with no water, no electricity, no signal, and cross the Carpathians in a wild, reckless expedition.

Just hearing it sounds like a job no human could handle. This format—even male entertainers would struggle to endure; few would take it.

But these girls have to go through with it!

And after finishing this show, they'll also appear at Mango TV's New Year's Eve special this year.

This nonstop schedule would make Dilireba cry; Gulinaiza might think it's fine.

Because she's also a tough one!

To earn money and accumulate Yuanzi, Gulinaiza this year will accomplish a "feat": appearing on five different satellite TV New Year's Eve galas.

One will be live-streamed; the other four will be pre-recorded.

If timed right, you might even see Gulinaiza appearing simultaneously on several TV stations' New Year's Eve specials—no matter which channel you switch to, it's her.

And this is just one of her money-making appearances.

Other money-making appearances? Well, the milk tea they bought for Rocket Girls today? Gulinaiza endorses it.

If chicken cutlets weren't so greasy, Bai Liang would've bought the chicken cutlets Gulinaiza endorses too.

Don't ask why she endorses them—because they paid enough!

Bai Liang can't even understand why these brands would pick Gulinaiza as their endorser? How could someone with her figure possibly enjoy eating and drinking these things?

Go ask Zhou Jielun—he loves milk tea.

But Gulinaiza says: the brand picked her because they saw she's beautiful and has a great figure; the little girls who buy milk tea, would they imagine themselves as a fat guy or a pretty sister?

So it's perfectly reasonable!

"Teacher Bai, don't keep buying us milk tea every time. We need to maintain our figures too."

Wu Xuanyi, one of Rocket Girls, sipped her milk tea and teased Bai Liang playfully.

"You're about to cross the Sahara Desert—now you're thinking about losing weight? Store up some fat; it's going to be brutal."

Bai Liang shook his head; even with a production crew accompanying them the whole way, just the word "hike" alone is enough to make these girls suffer.

The production team is heartless~

So here he is, coming to pass on some "experience" to the girls.

Bai Liang was puzzled: how the hell did the production team know he'd crossed the Sahara Desert? He'd never told anyone about that.

Production team: We figured you once took on the African wilderness alone.

Bai Liang: Dude, I drove.

And he didn't have many good tips to give these girls anyway; after all, their luck probably won't let them find wild mineral water, ice-cold cola, bread, or ice cream in the desert, right?

Bai Liang could find them.

He could even find a Bai Fumei who got lost while hiking, keeping him company on the journey.

But as always: since he was already here.

Though Bai Liang's experience doesn't apply to Rocket Girls, sharing a few wilderness survival tips wouldn't hurt.

And they're not really risking their lives.

So Bai Liang didn't need to be useful—he just needed to be entertaining!

That's crucial, since this is a variety show.

"Want to know how to start a fire in the wild?"

"Yes!" the girls chorused.

"First, you can bring a lighter."

"Huh?"

"Without a lighter, fire-by-friction is kinda fun, but just rubbing your palms together? You'd rub your skin off before you got a spark—so make a simple tool with a branch."

After introducing the fun method of fire-by-friction, Bai Liang briefly explained how to drink your own urine in severe water shortage.

And if you encounter small animals, just knock them on the head—you don't need to eat them; just eat the food you brought with you.

That's entertaining.

The girls thought it was insane, but listened with rapt attention, learning bizarre knowledge they'd never use in their lives.

Like history class: when the teacher seriously lectures on a historical period, students might not be that engaged.

But if suddenly a wild anecdote pops up? The effect changes completely.

The weirder, the better.

Like, say, "Why not sell my ditch, son?"

As a child, the chosen one Bai Liang once had a history teacher like that—so thrilling to listen to.

Too bad the teacher was soon reported and fired; rumor has it he went on to write novels.

Over an hour, Bai Liang finished recording the opening segment of the variety show with Rocket Girls.

It was just sitting around chatting—it was basically a free favor from him, since he came to promote his movie and they still paid him an appearance fee.

"Teacher Bai, last time we agreed that next time we'd treat you to bubble tea—but again, you're paying."

"Let's talk about that when you can act with me."

Bai Liang smiled as he bid farewell to the Rocket Girls, and the girls didn't forget to give him a little bonus.

Each one gave him a hug~

Actually, this time the bubble tea wasn't paid for by Bai Liang—it was little Zhao Jinmai who was especially eager, saying she'd been taken care of by the Rocket Girls on the show, so she picked up the tab.

Zhao Jinmai isn't the little girl who used to only have two hundred yuan in her pocket during the *The Wandering Earth* set.

She still has quite a bit of pocket money, but since she's not yet an adult, that's all she has.

Bai Liang felt that if he kept taking from her a few more times, he'd drain her pocket money completely.

Why keep so much money on a high school sophomore?

Miss Zhao has no idea about the "malice" from adults.

Her adorable capybara-themed wallet is still nicely plump~ yet she doesn't realize that a mischievous capybara is planning to make her little belly go flat.

Bai Liang doesn't have much time left—he must finish before the Spring Festival.

After all, once the Spring Festival arrives, aside from the relatively unimportant movie release, Zhao Jinmai will start receiving red envelopes!

He'll have to give the little girl a red envelope too~

"Be good, study hard, and I'll give you a big red envelope for the New Year."

"I am studying hard," Zhao Jinmai replied, sounding slightly guilty.

Her academic grades aren't bad, but after working on *The Wandering Earth*, she's met too many top students.

Naturally, she feels like trash.

Once she meets more entertainment industry underachievers, this worry will vanish.

After parting temporarily with Zhao Jinmai, Bai Liang briefly checked the online public opinion—he idly scrolled through TikTok.

But after watching half an hour of cow hoof trimming, he suddenly realized he should've checked Weibo.

Weibo was calm.

The trending topics related to *Super Nova Games* hadn't ended yet; netizens were still curious about how many couples had formed on the show.

But some marketing accounts seemed to be trying to steer the narrative toward Bai Liang.

After experiencing that previous Weibo-level low-blow, these marketing accounts had become much more cautious.

They just dropped vague hints, saying that paparazzi had captured real big scoops—but they hadn't been exposed yet.

Leading netizens to think of Bai Liang themselves.

These marketing accounts were timid, yet amusing; many of Bai Liang's fans were laughing heartily underneath: "Hahaha~"

They kept egging people on: "Step up! Don't be afraid!"

All kinds of marketing accounts: "We'd love to step up~ but damn if we know why it hasn't been exposed yet."

That's not how the rumor went.

As for the person who spread the rumor—suddenly, no word from them.

Everyone on that line couldn't help but curse: "Damn, did they get arrested or what?"

But right then, Bai Liang received a "big news" teaser.

"Bro, heard you've got a little trouble lately~ What, couldn't keep your pants on? Is it true? If not, I'm gonna start spreading rumors."

Yang Mi's teasing voice came through the phone, as always, playfully messing with Bai Liang.

"Rumors? What rumors? 'New Jiang, Double Beauty, Two Women Serve One Man,' 'Tang Ren's Female Artist Swept Up in One Net,' 'Jia Xing's Two Leading Ladies…'"

Awesome!

Yang Mi's phrasing was way more powerful than those marketing accounts!

Even Bai Liang nodded repeatedly, thinking he'd click on a headline like that himself.

But he heard Hong Kong media are even more outrageous.

Back when Angela's baby was born, Hong Kong media ran a headline called *Artificial Artificial Person*, which made people laugh themselves silly.

Even Bai Liang had "suffered" before—it was Yang Mi who forwarded it to him.

The headline was: *Treasure God, So Hot He Sprays Juice*.

After teasing Bai Liang a bit, Yang Mi suddenly shifted tone and calmly told him: "Sister's going to make an official announcement today. If you've got any bad news, I'll cover for you—but I can't cover for anything too big."

"Wish you happiness~"

!

"Hmph! Sweet talk, treating me like a little girl? Looks like you've got nothing to worry about~ Then I'll go ahead and arrange it."

"I suggest you wait a little longer," Bai Liang said uncertainly.

"Huh? Wait again? I've already delayed it multiple times—this kind of thing is like menstruation; if I delay any longer, I'll go into menopause!" Yang Mi muttered casually.

"I have a feeling something big is about to happen soon."

Yang Mi's expression finally turned serious; she put down her crossed leg: "What's going on? Can't you tell me?"

"Because I don't know yet," Bai Liang said innocently.

"You don't know the specifics, but you know something's coming—isn't that logical?"

"Yes, Sister, you're incredibly sharp."

"I feel like you're messing with me like a Japanese person."

"I wouldn't say anything so crude."

During the conversation, after confirming that Bai Liang wasn't joking with her, Yang Mi felt this was insane.

What kind of thing is this~

She just wanted to jump on a trending topic while things were quiet and be done with it.

Her official divorce announcement will probably dominate trending lists for many days.

As for Bai Liang's claim, though it struck her as unreliable, she still listened to him.

As for reasons—there were no reasons.

After hanging up, Yang Mi cursed under her breath while telling her team not to rush, to wait a little longer.

She felt she'd lost her mind, truly believing she was still a young girl falling in love, trusting everything a boy said.

Less than two hours later, Yang Mi suddenly received a notification.

"Sister Mi, check the trending topics!"

Yang Mi's brow tightened; her first thought was: Did my good brother really not lie to me?!

But after actually looking at the trending topics, her head started buzzing.

The Beijing police issued a statement: 31-year-old actor Li Moumou was administratively detained for multiple acts of prostitution.

Although the police notice didn't name him, major media outlets directly named him!

Li Moufeng.

Yang Mi:???

Her heart skipped—not because she felt sorry for this one of the Four Top Flows.

After all, they'd collaborated; she was just worried about her own interests being damaged.

Hey, the bet had already been settled. No problem then.

She'd starred in so many dramas; even if some got taken down because her co-star was a disgraced artist, it wasn't a big deal.

After seeing the massive online uproar and the sharp outbursts and wails from Afeng's fans, she wasn't surprised at all, but muttered to herself.

What role did Bai Liang play in all this?

This brother… is kind of scary!

After all, he was one of the Four Top Flows—how absurd and unbelievable that he exited like this.

She couldn't help calling Bai Liang, but he replied: "Huh? Him?"

"Come on, you're really confusing me, good brother—just tell me!" Yang Mi genuinely pouted this time; her logic was already tangled.

And Bai Liang was genuinely innocent: "I found out even later than you, Sister Mi~"

Yang Mi: "Hmph~ I know you're amazing, big brother's got secrets now~"

"Got Big Mi Mi? Can I have Big Big Mi Mi?"

"You little rascal!"

She hung up as if sulking, but this so-called "sulk" was really just Yang Mi giving herself an excuse.

If Bai Liang didn't want to say, then she wouldn't ask. Hmph~

Besides, no matter what happened here, it was ultimately a good thing.

Yang Mi had something more important to do right now.

Notify the team: go seize Afeng's "legacy" after "Whale Fall."

Just like Fan Fan Bingbing before him, after his "fall," many people would get fed well.

This one of the Four Top Flows left behind treasures that made Yang Mi feel like she was drooling.

But after thinking, she added another instruction: "Tell Tian Ba too."

"Sister Mi, this—"

"Do as I say!" Yang Mi lifted her beautiful eyes, her gaze icy cold.

At this moment, she had not a trace of the little woman she'd been moments ago—every gesture radiated the overwhelming aura of a queen.

But Afeng's "legacy" wasn't easy to seize, since he was now very close to Zhou Dongyu's team—they belonged to the same capital faction.

If anyone were to reach out, Zhou Dongyu would have far greater advantage—but still, grab first, think later!

In showbiz, resources are seized by fighting!

Yang Mi knew this well~

"Big Brother Bai, I found a tail."

When Sister Yanzi called with an odd tone, Bai Liang paused, then began to tease:

"The little tail's already been caught~ You're a bit late, Yanzi."

"Hmph, don't treat me like a fool, there's more—"

"Huh?"

Bai Liang realized he'd overestimated his own "popularity."

There's another expert?!

Yang Yang: No, your popularity is amazing!

At this moment, he was already popping champagne~

Awesome! You actually took one down?!

Although there was no evidence linking Afeng's downfall to Bai Liang, Yang Yang's sixth sense told him it was definitely tied to that capybara.

Don't ignore the bond between me, Yang Yang, and the capybara, you jerk!

If he weren't trying to avoid being cringe, he'd want to shout like Shuangzi or Hai Qing: "You are my god!"

Starting today, he reclaims his place among the Four Top Flows!

He couldn't help calling Bai Liang to ask what the hell was going on.

To this, Bai Liang's answer was of course: none of my business, I don't know.

Yang Yang: Right, right, that's right, you definitely don't know, I also know you don't know, and I won't tell anyone that you know. You get what I mean, bro?

Bai Liang: You're out of your mind. Ate too many mushrooms?

Perfect, since you're already here, let's squeeze a dinner out of you.

This time, Yang Yang's "friend fee" was paid with the most generous hand imaginable — by accident he even added an extra zero and treated everyone to a Michelin Black Pearl banquet.

Bro's happy to!

Meanwhile, a certain film crew's producer who had been longing for Bai Liang suddenly received news from Sister Yanzi's side today.

"That film of yours, my Xiao Bai-ge has taken it, but there's one condition."

"What condition?"

"Switch out the female lead."

"This—"

"Is it hard to arrange? Then what a pity, hope we get the chance to work together next time."

"No, hold on a moment, we need to discuss this a bit. How about this — we'll give you an answer within two days?"

"Fine, two days it is!"

——

Third watch, eighteen thousand characters; failed to hit twenty thousand.

But I'm still shamelessly demanding monthly tickets!

I really need the monthly tickets to climb the charts, brothers!

(End of chapter)