Chapter 355: Welcome the New King

Bai Liang's workload over these three days was genuinely substantial.

Besides contributing the most screen time as the main attraction for the film channel, he had to seize every spare moment to "chat about life" with the young girls.

By the end, he didn't even know how to praise them anymore.

So he lazily reused the same lines he'd thought up earlier.

Fortunately, many of these girls were direct competitors—if they compared notes, Bai Liang felt his warm-big-brother image would collapse.

This was his first-ever crisis of "persona collapse" since entering the industry.

All because he was too lazy to think.

But without any cross-checking, the effect was still excellent—these girls had been energetic and motivated these past two days.

With his fame still not fully blown, he seized the chance to tour and take photos around Xiamen with his newly met companions.

What's called "experiencing life" and "exploring culture" is just tourism, isn't it?

Everyone loved this part immensely.

It even felt like a school-organized spring outing.

Especially full of vitality.

The capybara mingled among them; though already twenty-seven "years old," it looked perfectly natural.

Youth is youth—it seems related to how well you maintain your skin, how soft or tight it is, but then again, maybe it isn't.

That genuine, inner-outward aura of being nineteen or twenty cannot be manufactured by any skincare routine.

Even Sister Tian Tian, who only started worrying about things these past two years and had lived such an easy life before, at thirty now—even with her face still pale and smooth, even dressed like a girl—could make her peers wonder how she was still so young.

But compared to real twenty-year-olds, the subtle charm in her eyes and brows revealed the difference.

Of course, if forced to choose between these girls and Sister Tian Tian, Bai Liang would pick the latter.

The eldest brother lies; the second brother doesn't.

What about Yang Mi, this "girl-next-door" mom?

She radiates allure—completely unrelated to youthful energy.

The final activity on the last day was rehearsing a song called "Star Sea."

It would be performed as the opening act at this year's Golden Rooster Awards.

Since it was a choir, positioning became an issue.

At this moment, everyone seemed suddenly thrown back to how they were when they first met.

The entertainment industry—a den of fame and fortune!

Youth instantly faded, as if a glass of champagne had been served.

But today, only Bai Liang, Zhou Dongyu, and Liu Haoran were truly qualified to stand center.

Logically, the latter two shouldn't have been worthy of competing with Bai Liang for center, but these two seemed to have "merged."

Liu Haoran didn't know what had happened in these three days—just three days—according to rumors, he'd apparently been "won over."

This scene felt familiar: Bai Liang's earlier participation in "Super Nova Games" had turned into "Super Nova Dating Show."

But the Star Sea Young Actors Program was different.

Those standing here either had connections, achievements, or—basically—no one here was a minor unknown.

Even if some now had zero fame, their future prospects might surpass the combined potential of many from "Super Nova Games."

The capital behind them gave them this confidence.

Resources that minor unknowns dream of are within easy reach here—even chosen carefully.

Only the leftovers reach the minor unknowns.

So aside from Liu Haoran and Zhou Dongyu apparently hitting it off, no one else had paired up.

Everyone was clear-headed.

Oh right—except Meng Jie.

She wasn't clear-headed at all; perhaps she was the most "unknown" here—but her seniority was high.

After this event ends, any artist who meets her in the industry won't dare not call her "Meng Jie."

That's called prestige in the jianghu.

The rumor that Liu Haoran and Zhou Dongyu were dating? It was Meng Jie, this bored and curious unknown, who discovered it and told Bai Liang as gossip.

She excitedly claimed she and a few girls had secretly witnessed an explosive scene.

On Gulangyu Island.

Zhou Dongyu lay on Liu Haoran's lap, and they were feeding each other ice cubes mouth-to-mouth.

Bai Liang: Damn, "Burn Winter"!

He had to admire Meng Jie's precise wording—even after witnessing this, she only said "it seemed like they were dating."

After all, Bai Liang remembered "Burn Winter" had three people involved.

So the question arose: Did the "merged" duo of Liu Haoran and Zhou Dongyu intend to challenge Bai Liang?

In fact, they lacked the courage to do so.

Zhou Dongyu instinctively leaned slightly against Liu Haoran, thinking: If Bai Liang directly claims center, should I yield immediately, or pretend to hesitate before yielding? Would offering it willingly look better?

Before she could ponder further, everyone selflessly made way for Bai Liang: "Big Brother, please."

Logically, Zhou Dongyu and Liu Haoran should have stood on either side of Bai Liang.

But how could they bear to be separated?

Yet who stood next to Bai Liang? That became the issue.

Zhou Dongyu felt too much pressure facing Bai Liang—logically, Liu Haoran should stand beside him, but she felt her status was higher; she wasn't worried about being upstaged by Liu Haoran, but mainly because Bai Liang's other side still needed someone to stand there.

If she didn't stand next to Bai Liang, wouldn't someone else overshadow her?

She was still hesitating, but Meng Jie didn't care about any of that.

She grinned and sidled right over.

Hmm. Her seniority was right here—it seemed perfectly reasonable, and no one's mind caught anything wrong for the moment.

But Xi Zi Ge very consciously walked to Bai Liang's other side, pretending to chat with him.

Yet after just a few words, he realized he'd forgotten to put in his shoe lifts today—he still had to tilt his head up to speak to Bai Liang.

So when A Shi walked over, he flushed red and gave up his spot. A Shi, that bastard, was tall too—he couldn't stand beside him either.

So he decisively moved toward Meng Jie—but his good teammate Wang Junkai had already taken his place, that bald-headed kid with a pure, innocent smile.

Meanwhile, Zhou Dongyu hadn't moved yet, but she figured that even if others had no sense of propriety, they wouldn't dare keep jostling for position now, right?

But she vastly underestimated the "ferocity" of these young girls.

Who doesn't know the female lead of "Youth" was taken straight from Zhou Dongyu?!

None of the girls here competing for this role were afraid of her.

Not to mention, the first one to make a move was her own good "junior sister," the newly appointed "Mingnu" Liu Haocun.

After she moved, a crowd of girls could no longer hold back—charge!

Liu Haoran panicked and dragged Zhou Dongyu to find a spot in the front row, or they'd truly be shoved into the second row.

But it was clearly too late—they could only stand at the very edge of the front row.

Zhou Dongyu began to doubt life—had she really lost so much face now?

Could anyone now shit on her head?!

Liu Haoran comforted her: "It's not the Golden Rooster Awards seating—you don't need to care so much."

Still, when the Movie Channel's camera pushed forward, both their expressions stiffened.

Bai Liang summed it up for her: because she'd shown her health bar.

This scramble for position had a playful feel to it—otherwise Meng Jie wouldn't have dared to actually press herself beside Bai Liang.

But it still revealed something.

These fresh-faced young actresses were still very anxious.

This anxiety directly showed up on Weibo that same night.

The box office for "The Wandering Earth" officially surpassed six billion!

A pile of people in the entertainment industry reposted and celebrated.

Meanwhile, some girls were calculating how much money this would earn them!

Cai Yi called, dripping with envy: "Nar, you made nearly a hundred million again?!"

"How could I make that much, Sister Cai? A few tens of millions, maybe." Na Zha's tone was annoyed.

"What's wrong with you?" Cai Yi didn't understand—how could you not be happy earning so much money?

If she kept earning like this, she even wanted to ask Na Zha if she'd be interested in becoming Tang Ren's major shareholder.

But Na Zha said someone else had truly earned over a hundred million—how could she possibly be happy?!

The worst part was, Di Li Reba had not only taken the money but also grabbed the role—she'd made a killing, and now she's still the female lead in Part Two?

At this moment, Na Zha had completely forgotten that her own earnings from "Wolf Warrior 2" weren't any less than the other's, and she'd been the female lead too.

But girls, well—they just don't make sense.

"Wolf Warrior 2" was ancient history—focus on the future. What she saw in the future was a giant pie being gobbled up by her rival.

It made her teeth itch.

She really wanted to call and yell at her, but feared she'd lose the argument.

Indeed, she'd lose—because if Na Zha called Di Li Reba to start a fight now, she might suffer the heaviest blow in history.

"One boy, two girls—yeah! That's perfect!"

"Sis, what are you muttering about?" her assistant Lingling asked curiously.

"Having babies! Later, I want three kids—I've already thought of their nicknames." Reba answered without hesitation.

This terrified her assistant. "Sis, are you pregnant?!"

"Ah~ Not yet. It's just a plan. My savings keep growing—I feel I can start planning this earlier."

Money is a man's courage, and it's a woman's too.

Reba, who had previously had long-term career plans, suddenly felt that having babies sooner might actually be better—the younger you are, the faster you recover.

Not to mention someone like her who wants multiple kids.

"How early?" Assistant Lingling asked nervously. "Thirty?"

Starting at thirty, having three kids—she'd be writing off at least three years of her acting career.

Lingling felt if the company found out, they'd all go insane.

Those who could claim the biggest shares were either planning their futures or seething with jealousy, but in Meng Jie's little group, abacuses were flying.

They got the least, but had the highest morale!

Shareholders' meeting!

But these underachievers all calculated numbers that were clearly wrong—they had to let Meng Jie, the one with better math, calculate for them one by one.

Then Meng Jie took the opportunity to "strike while the iron's hot," collecting a wave of "friend fees."

Everyone was thrilled tapping the red envelopes—now they had enough for a whole year's dog food from their own chocolate.

She learned this trick from Bai Liang.

The night before last, while sleeping, she'd seen Bai Liang's chat logs with Yang Yang collecting friend fees.

She felt she'd accidentally uncovered her company's top guy's "black material."

Meng Jie never imagined that Yang Yang, with his big eyebrows and clear eyes, was still "paying tribute" to his own little hedgehog~

Then she got inspired and copied the method, starting with her closest girl friends to "exploit." She didn't have much money, but she felt the joy of her little hedgehog.

Besides those who could split the money, the new rookies who joined Bai Liang in the Starry Sea Young Actors Program naturally jumped in to join the fun.

!

Their own Weibo accounts naturally had little attention, since their fame was nearly nonexistent, but marketing accounts would promote them.

Yet at the same time, three companies were all promoting: a certain new female actress would soon collaborate with Bai Liang on a movie.

At this moment, it naturally attracted massive attention.

Bai Liang's new movie? This must be followed—everyone now wants to know when he'll hit twenty billion in box office.

It's truly not far off; he's already nearing seventeen billion, a number that leads second place by tens of billions.

But because too many female leads were being promoted simultaneously, netizens were utterly confused.

Can't you three coordinate first?

Who's actually playing the female lead?

Bai Liang's fans didn't care much about these so-called "female leads," who all seemed to have little fame.

Whether they're famous or not doesn't matter—just act well, don't drag things down; after all, the Immortal will carry them.

With him, no project lacks attention, and for newcomers, it's an excellent opportunity.

But it's a pity that all three acted at once—it was too hasty.

Colliding like this, it became oddly entertaining.

It was just like bait-and-switch.

Eventually, Zhou Ye's side seemed to clarify the facts and changed their marketing strategy: she was the second female lead.

But the other two companies doubled down, buying promotions and insisting their actress was the female lead.

After all, it was just marketing accounts hyping it up—not the actual actresses themselves stepping forward. Even if they weren't chosen, they could always shift blame.

In truth, these little flowers weren't pushing themselves—it was the people behind them fighting for control.

They were using all the marketing resources of the big-name teams.

The marketing intensity was huge!

Especially: Zhou Xun's successor vs. the new chosen one?

Though the names sounded unfamiliar, these two titles were incredibly eye-catching.

Everyone felt like they were seeing a young Zhou Xun versus Zhang Ziyi.

A cultural renaissance!

Will the domestic entertainment industry ignite again?!

Only because the young Li Bingbing successor stepped back first—otherwise, we might have seen a three-way brawl.

Li Yitong slipped a message into the group: "That new chosen one's marketing is brutal—it really pissed off our company's Zhang Xueying."

"What? What? Tell us, Tongtong!"

"It's simple—she was promoting Zhang Ziyi's successor, but now the new chosen one also wants that title. Meng Jie, you've met Liu Haocun, right? Who do you think looks more like Zhang Ziyi—her or Zhang Xueying?"

Meng Jie didn't hesitate: "Definitely Liu Haocun—it's uncanny. Zhang Xueying? I feel she's a bit like Yang Mi."

"Like Yang Mi? Hahaha, Meng Jie, you're ruthless—you blackened two at once! No wonder you're the best! But you're actually right—Zhang Xueying did become famous once playing Guo Xiang in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She was a child star too—really does look like Yang Mi."

"Huh? How did I blacken anyone?" Meng Jie asked, confused.

Jin Cheng jumped in to explain: "Spicy hot soup."

This happened just a few months ago—Zhang Xueying shared a bowl of spicy hot soup with a male actor, using the same spoon.

The key point? That male actor was Yang Zi's boyfriend—and they broke up not long after.

Li Xin: "I'm screenshotting this chat and posting it on Weibo."

Li Yitong: "Xin Xin, go check your chat history from a few days ago—what did you say? Still thinking of mutual destruction?"

Li Xin: "I'm sorry! Please spare me!"

We're all in the same group—who doesn't have some "black history"?

The girls all hold dirt on each other—that's what makes the best "defensive alliance."

But Jin Cheng said: "Meng Jie's gotten really wild lately—she might not even want us anymore. I've been super quiet in the Young Actors Program, never daring to act up, but she's thriving—oh, by the way, she's close with Zhou Ye, the Li Bingbing successor. Who knows? Maybe Meng Jie's dating him and will ditch us."

Meng Jie: "Huh? Shouldn't I have invited her into the group?"

Jin Cheng: "No… Meng Jie, wake up—what are you doing? Don't you know what kind of group this is?"

So what kind of group is it?

Meng Jie thought for a moment and realized she'd been an idiot—invite her in? The group's size should never grow another inch.

But would her little hedgehog stay so well-behaved…? She was really worried.

Still, she thought her new friend Dou Xiao Ye wasn't the kind of "bad girl"—she should be more worried about the unknown female lead.

Yet in their group, they opened a betting pool on who would land the female lead.

It was hilarious—just like netizens couldn't help paying attention, they too discussed it for a long while.

"Meng Jie, why are you betting on Zhang Jingyi? Isn't Zhou Ye confirmed as the second female lead? Zhang Jingyi looks so much like her—definitely not a fit."

"I've read the script on my little hedgehog's phone… I feel, the resemblance could fix some script bugs."

"Meng Jie, you've leveled up! You can spot script bugs?!"

"I'm just saying—bullied female lead, a good student! I was a good student in high school—teachers loved me, even bad kids never bothered me. But the resemblance? That's actually a great reason."

"Kinda makes sense, but casting wouldn't hinge on that—I still think Liu Haocun has the best shot. That girl's got this stubborn, defiant vibe—like she's glaring at you with pure defiance, making you want to slap her."

"Jin Cheng, you're insulting someone."

"Cough cough, I'm just describing it! Honestly, I'd also like to slap Zhang Ruonan."

"Clearly, you just want to hit people… I'm keeping my distance from you."

"Sister Meng, please don't!"

"."

Alongside the marketing push for the female lead of *Youth*, *The Wandering Earth* launched its final surge.

As the box office reached the 6-billion mark, online voices shouting "Surpassed *Wolf Warrior 2*" amplified manyfold.

Everyone seemed eager to welcome the "new king's coronation" in the film industry.

Is it reasonable that a 2017 film still holds the box office record? Should it be this way?

If we don't break it now, won't people think the film market hasn't grown at all these past two years?

Just six hundred million short!

Only six hundred million short!

Actually, a six-hundred-million gap is still huge—many so-called blockbusters don't even reach six hundred million.

Don't be fooled by everyone fixating on top-tier films; if a movie earns six hundred million, it's already guaranteed a spot in the top thirty of the annual rankings.

These are all profitable, high-quality film projects!

For a film like *The Wandering Earth*, whose box office potential is nearly exhausted, a six-hundred-million gap feels like an impassable chasm.

There's truly nothing left to squeeze out.

Fans have already given all they can; pushing them further would be cutting the leeks. Sister Yanzi treasures her little Bai's fan base and has never aggressively exploited it, never resorted to unsustainable, exhaustive harvesting.

We can only suffer a little more from *Wolf Warrior* PTSD.

We'd love to grab them by the throat, shake them upside down, and drain their last coins.

Fortunately, many film fans truly went to watch again.

Even many university students, after posting thanks to Bai Liang for sharing his "guide," said they'd rewatch *The Wandering Earth* as tuition payment~

They also took the chance to complain why Bai Liang didn't use internet magic to kill Zhai Tianlin.

The box office curve seemed to show signs of revival.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited administrative force finally arrived!

CCTV gave prolonged on-screen mentions; official media outlets chimed in with congratulations; and Guo Fan somehow convinced some state-owned enterprises to pledge support for the next film.

It felt as if every social platform was broadcasting the same message.

The sole aim: to push that little broken ball forward.

Suddenly, the nearly extinguished little ball seemed to reignite behind it with the blue plasma jets of planetary engines!

—

Third chapter, mu mu da, request monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)