Chapter 353: White Lotus, Green Tea, Two Guardians

Meng Jie: Wow!!!

The moment she saw Bai Liang appear, her spine straightened for real.

Her confidence surged instantly.

All those connections—this young master, that princess—meant nothing before her little hedgehog.

Meng Jie even fantasized a novel plot: someone bullied her, then Bai Liang stepped out to back her up and smash their face.

Just thinking of it, her lips curled upward into a Dragon King's smile.

Unfortunately, none of that happened.

So she held her head high like a proud rooster, strutting left and right—only to do it all in vain.

After greeting them, Bai Liang curiously sized up the group of "kids" inside.

Oh wait, not all of them were kids—some were even older than him.

A wave of people stood up all at once.

This was the most direct visual effect of a max-level big shot returning to "fish in a pond"!

Honestly, Liu Haoran didn't want to stand, but everyone else stood up, and he felt it would seem odd if he didn't.

He used to be one of the young actors frequently mentioned alongside Bai Liang by the media.

After all, he had the lead role in the "Detective Chinatown" series, which was like buying himself a lifelong insurance policy.

Solidly cool and debonair!

But as Bai Liang kept blooming, he was suddenly left far behind.

Now no one even compares him to Bai Liang anymore.

It's not that he fell behind—it's that Bai Liang "ascended," moving straight into the same league as the top-tier film actors.

And even in that league, he remains the front-runner.

So Liu Haoran figured standing up wasn't wrong, even though he'd heard Bai Liang had a great temper and rarely held grudges.

But you can't take that risk~

What if someone stood up and he didn't notice, but remembered clearly who didn't?

Just as he pushed himself up with both hands, Zhou Dongyu pulled him back down.

Pathetic~ Sit down and stay put!

Liu Haoran had never really interacted with Zhou Dongyu before, nor had they built any closeness, but they might collaborate on a film soon, so today they ended up chatting together.

Honestly, they got along surprisingly well.

When Zhou Dongyu pulled and glared at him, for some reason, Liu Haoran suddenly felt dizzy.

Inner thought: She's kinda pretty too~

So he didn't stand up.

Fortunately, Bai Liang truly didn't hold grudges and wouldn't be so bored as to keep a little notebook recording who didn't stand, then invite them to seaweed egg drop soup.

He didn't even notice Zhou Dongyu and Liu Haoran's little exchange.

But Dong Zijian, sitting behind them, saw it all clearly and couldn't help being startled.

Mainly because Liu Haoran's shy, delicate boyish expression was just too hard to keep a straight face through.

Whoa! Buddy, your taste~

After his surprise, Dong Zijian proactively walked over to greet Bai Liang—they were old acquaintances, having had a great rapport on the "Sailing Against the Wind" set.

Shooting a movie together was just ordinary luck; the real connection was that Bai Liang had two rumored girlfriends who looked exactly like his wife.

And there were two of them!

But back then, during filming, they never imagined this guy was this powerful.

"One point six billion in box office! Brother Liang, are you even human?" Dong Zijian couldn't help exclaiming.

Bai Liang spread his hands: "I'm still the Weibo Movie Emperor~ Isn't that more impressive than one point six billion?"

"Ssshh"

Dong Zijian gave a thumbs-up: No surprise—you're you.

Those without ability adapt to the environment; those with ability change the environment.

The Weibo Movie Emperor title, thanks to Bai Liang, has actually gained real weight—at least now its reputation is huge!

He glanced at China's rising film stars—none of them questioned the value of the Weibo Movie Emperor title!

Probably these girls all want to win Weibo Movie Empress too~

Maybe the industry doesn't fully recognize it, and its artistic merit may be low, but it absolutely brings massive traffic!

This year's Weibo Movie Night is expected to break all viewership records.

But who won Weibo Movie Empress last year? Why wasn't this promoted? Such huge traffic!

Dong Zijian couldn't figure it out, so after chatting with Bai Liang and arranging dinner for the night, he returned to his seat and checked on his phone.

Whoa! Zhou Dongyu!

No wonder it wasn't promoted. Some things stay quiet outside the circle, but inside, even if not universally known, they're widely circulated.

The film "Youth" suddenly replaced Zhou Dongyu's female lead—everyone could sense something was off.

Combined with Li Yifeng's sudden "death," everything suddenly connected.

"Brother Liang, over here!"

"Bro, let's sit up front."

Xi Zi Ge and Chen Feiyu were at it again.

Someone unfamiliar might think they were competing for favor.

Bai Liang greeted Xi Zi Ge and nodded at the guy beside him with the messy haircut, then told Chen Feiyu to scram and play by himself.

"Back row by the window, the king's hometown—I never sit up front."

No wonder people say many actors lack education—they all love sitting up front. Bai Liang had barely walked in when he started searching for the back-row window, and soon spotted two girls sneaking around back there.

Meng Jie really did study hard—she picked the perfect spot!

Next to the window, she could observe the entire room, and was also close to the back door—perfect for slipping away later.

If this were a hentai plot, sitting in the back would even let you sneak in some naughty things.

"Big Immortal, you finally showed up! Meng Jie and I were too scared to even breathe here."

Jin Cheng happily moved over to make room for Bai Liang between herself and Meng Jie, then casually teased,

"What's there to be scared of? Just switch to Jin Da Xi mode—you could scare someone into fainting."

Bai Liang still couldn't forget the video Jin Cheng had sent him before.

He'd originally thought she was in the mood, recording something spicy to flirt.

Later he realized she was just insane.

She arched her back, landed upside down, then crawled toward the camera like a spider.

The sight made Bai Liang's sanity plummet to zero.

This woman doesn't even need a stunt double to play a ghost.

"I'm a lady, Feiyu—don't you agree?" Jin Cheng teased Chen Feiyu, who had scurried over beside her.

Chen Feiyu: I dare not say a word.

When he ate with Bai Liang before, he'd just glanced at Meng Jie twice—and instantly felt his scalp tingle.

So even though Jin Cheng was like a big-sister type to him, he still didn't dare take the bait.

But he really wanted to learn up close how Bai Liang interacted with big-sister types.

"You finally showed up—I don't even know why I'm here. Everyone seems so important."

"How important could they be? More important than him?" Bai Liang asked curiously, nudging Chen Feiyu.

"How important could they be?" Chen Feiyu instantly turned into Ah Shi, glancing at the people ahead with a cold, aloof air.

But the next second, he smoothly switched to sycophant mode: "Before you, Brother, they're nothing."

Meng Jie and Jin Cheng's inner thoughts were complicated.

How did we end up with a little brother like this?

He's too much of a suck-up. Neither of us has ever sucked up to Bai Liang like this.

But if even the director's Young Master acts this way, maybe those people up front really are just ordinary.

Meng Jie delivered a powerful demystification.

Jin Cheng: Shit—the paper tiger's turning into a real tiger!

And right then, someone truly "blind to the situation" approached.

"Senior~ Wanna play a game?"

Chen Duling was the first to move—she knew Bai Liang, after all, and had a special bond from killing him six times.

Plus, since the production team of *Youth of You* had rejected her, saying her image and aura didn't fit, Chen Duling now had little ulterior motive.

She just wanted to say hello, chat a bit—maybe future collaboration would come.

But she thought one thing; others thought another.

In this environment, even though Bai Liang sat in the back, many kept sneaking glances at him whenever they could.

Chen Duling set a terrible precedent—she was the full-responsibility girl.

Once she moved, others couldn't hold back anymore.

A little white lotus actually cut in?!

Just walked right up like that?!

Within about two minutes, nearly all the girls who'd been sitting up front had moved their seats to the back.

Bai Liang felt surrounded by girls—front, back, left, right.

Suddenly, the scents around him grew thicker.

But since most were still young, around twenty, the scents were pleasant—not cloying at all.

Oh no, surrounded by little beauties~

Under these circumstances, even Ah Shi, the pretender, couldn't take it anymore—blushing, he gave up his seat.

Surrounded by so many female artists, he didn't know where to look.

The superiority of being a director's son collapsed instantly under the girls' gaze.

!

After retreating from the "battlefield," Ah Shi finally exhaled—and his admiration for Bai Liang grew even stronger.

Awesome!

Facing this, still calm as ever—you're truly you, Brother!

Bai Liang wasn't fazed at all—he'd once faced a room full of Bai Fumei at the Bulgari gala, not blinking once, even daring to order them to pour him wine.

Now it's just a bunch of entertainment industry girls—what's there to fear?

Bai Liang even counted heads, then made a suggestion: "Since we're idle, how about a game? Looks like there are plenty of people."

"Great!" Chen Duling responded first, her smile sweet and innocent.

Being first really pays off~

This was her comfort zone, after all.

Many girls couldn't help muttering inside: White lotus!

When the film channel's crew and several senior insiders arrived and saw this stark divide between front and back, they all instinctively rubbed their eyes.

A few male artists sat sparsely up front, only Zhou Dongyu sitting there blankly, while behind him, a crowd of young girls surrounded Bai Liang.

It looked like a yin-yang fish.

The front was quiet enough, but those girls in the back—what the hell! —they'd gathered together and started playing games.

Who started this?! Such a meaningful activity, and you, the future pillars of the film and TV industry, are acting like this?

Oh, Bai Liang suggested it? Then never mind.

Playing games is also a way to strengthen cohesion. Before we head out for field research and life experience, let's play some games first to build rapport and feelings.

The film channel's production crew, watching the senior director spouting nonsense, nearly dropped their camera.

Fuck, what an actor! He can say such absurd things with a straight face.

But the camera still faithfully focused on Bai Liang~

The film channel people even planned to do a quick interview with him over these two days.

——

The afternoon shooting went much more normally.

Because Meng Jie had truly stepped up.

Among all the girls on site, none looked more like a villainess or a green tea bitch than her.

Only Jin Cheng knew her true nature, but Jin Cheng would never expose Meng Jie—she was already laughing herself to tears inside.

She even actively helped Meng Jie "perform," watching her strain to maintain the green tea bitch persona.

Meanwhile, Chen Duling, the "white lotus," seemed to be deliberately lending a hand too.

Dudu: Hmph~ If I can't get the role, neither can you!

Now it was perfect: the white lotus and the green tea bitch, the two guardian deities had arrived. The "seductive, cheap sluts" were truly at a loss.

Even Song Zuer, who kept calling Bai Liang "Xiao Bai Brother" and claimed they had bonding from filming Flower Girls 3 together, couldn't break through their defenses.

At least before discovering and exposing these two's "true faces," the girls, lacking experience in catfights, might need further "training."

Take Zhou Ye and Zhang Jingyi, two girls who even looked a bit alike—they exchanged a glance and immediately called someone.

One called Li Bingbing, the other called Zhou Xun.

"I knew Bai Liang had something going. Xiao Ye, don't be so anxious—your role is definitely there. The female lead is hard to get, but I can still hold onto the second female lead for you. If the pressure gets too much, just treat it as an early chance to connect with Bai Liang."

"Sis, I don't get it," Zhou Ye pleaded pitifully.

On the other end of the line, Li Bingbing shook her head, thinking: these little girls just lack insight.

"Just use your lead role status in 'Youth of the Year'—don't be shy to ask him for advice on the character. You're already ahead of everyone else. Now you get it? Just treat it as luck."

Got it!

So you can do it this way?! The pressure really dropped a lot.

Zhou Ye's eyes lit up, but she quickly had a new problem: "But there are two really bad girls beside him—I can't even get a word in."

"Really bad girls? Who?" Li Bingbing was baffled.

After Zhou Ye named them, she said she'd never heard of them—what skill could these little girls possibly have? This isn't Yang Mi—just go for it!

Zhou Xun's side was even more direct: "Grab it if you can, if you can't, treat it as experience. You must project confidence—don't let them think you're easy to push around."

"Auntie, I feel like I'm not up to it."

"Jingyi, why not date someone to get a feel for it? Might help your acting later."

"Huh?"

"Haha, I'm joking. Don't stress yourself out. It's a great opportunity, but we've done our best. Besides, from what I've heard, Bai Liang might not even interfere in choosing the female lead—he's an interesting guy; maybe we'll collaborate with him on a TV drama later."

"."

The girls each displayed their own unique talents.

But on the first day, none managed to "pierce the armor."

Yet somehow, one person truly stood out.

That night, when Bai Liang went to eat late-night snacks with Dong Zijian, he saw him scratching his head, accompanied by a girl, and laughed.

"You're getting pretty good now~"

"Don't misunderstand—I just happened to run into her."

Dong Zijian quickly waved his hands—he had a daughter under two; he couldn't bear this kind of false blame.

Still, he had to admire these girls—their tricks were truly endless.

"Brother, hello, I'm Liu Haocun. I never got a chance to introduce myself before."

This newly appointed "Muse," during the earlier "battle," had been rather unremarkable.

She hadn't even secured a spot to play games—she'd just stood by, "idle," as if she'd come only to watch.

Then came this "steady, precise, ruthless" move!

A few people had overheard Dong Zijian inviting Bai Liang for dinner—apparently, she was one of them.

That was the advantage of position.

Bai Liang waved his hand, seemingly uninterested in her excuses, and just smiled: "Hungry?"

Liu Haocun froze, then quickly nodded.

"Come on—Dong Crown Prince is treating tonight. Don't forget to thank the Crown Prince."

"Thank you."

Dong Zijian's skin prickled—he hated it when Bai Liang pulled this crap.

Every time he had to pay during filming, it was like this.

Fine, I'll pay! Isn't that enough?!

It's only three days—I can treat everyone every day if I want to.

Bai Liang: It's a deal.

(End of chapter)