Chapter 367

A few days after the celebration party for *The Wandering Earth*, Chen Yao prepared to pack her bags and head to the set.

Since the production was in Shanghai, she didn't bother bringing much—her main luggage was a cat.

It was the same fat silver shaded cat that Bai Liang had spent ages searching for at her place before.

This little thing was incredibly good at "hiding," like it had an invisibility spell—even when it was just lying on the sofa, both Bai Liang and Chen Yao couldn't see it.

"You're going alone?" Cai Yi asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm taking the subway. Xiao Bai's crew isn't far, and the subway's faster than driving."

Chen Yao pulled out her phone and showed Cai Yi the route map.

"Don't rush—I'll go with you. I've never been to their set yet; perfect chance to say hello. I missed their movie celebration party last time due to prior commitments, so I don't want him thinking I'm not showing him respect."

Hearing this, Chen Yao blinked in surprise.

Back when they were on the set of *The Witcher*, her boss had acted like, "Signing you is a privilege for you."

Now it seemed completely reversed.

Even though Cai Yi was the famed Tang Ren in the industry, she was now worrying about such trivial details.

Still, Chen Yao spoke up: "He won't care about this."

"So you know him well, huh?" Cai Yi smiled at Chen Yao.

"Probably not as well as Miss Jing Tian does."

"Heh, same thing. Men are all like that."

Cai Yi didn't tease Chen Yao further—this little girl was actually much bolder than she let on.

Otherwise, last year she wouldn't have let Bai Liang stay at her place for several days, which had stunned Cai Yi and her agent alike.

What guts! She dared to sneak into the First Sister's…

Truthfully, Chen Yao herself felt a bit uneasy. A few days ago at the celebration party, her girl friends had dragged her along to "confront" that Zha.

Though the result was everyone getting instantly crushed by those two new red-haired beauties, Chen Yao still feared that Zha might hold a grudge.

What could she do? She'd been a traitor.

According to company loyalty, she was supposed to side with Zha and help her fight against the other girls.

Even if she couldn't really help, she still needed to show support.

Instead, she'd sided with the opposite side.

Now, as they were about to start filming together, Chen Yao was already thinking about how to apologize to Zha.

But she was clearly overthinking it.

Zha: Huh? You were there that day?

She only remembered Meng Zi and Jin Cheng. Oh right, there was also Li Xin. Too many people—she couldn't remember clearly.

Anyway, they got wiped out in one go.

When you're playing a game and going full berserk, do you bother remembering what the little soldiers look like?

As for why they were so easily defeated…

These girls clearly picked the wrong moment—they went over right when Zha and Sister Reba were going at it.

When the two were in full verbal combat mode, it was like activating an invincibility field—anyone who approached got obliterated.

Didn't Miss Jing Tian just stand there frozen earlier?

Even if Big Mi Mi had shown up, she wouldn't have fared any better.

Whenever someone tried to join in, Zha and Sister Reba would instantly switch to Mandarin—still yelling at each other, but now it sounded like they were teaming up against everyone else.

"Huh? What's this?"

On the way to the set, Cai Yi noticed Chen Yao sitting upright, lost in thought, while gently fiddling with a small object that looked like stone.

"This… is kind of a talisman. It brings me good luck."

"Feels familiar~"

Cai Yi didn't think much of it—after all, girls often carried little trinkets and charms.

But if Chen Yao had taken a photo of this thing and posted it on Weibo, a few people would've immediately spotted something off.

A small, perfectly octagonal stone.

She cradled it in her hands, stroking it for a while, then tucked it deep into her bag's inner lining.

When the two arrived at the *My Dear Sweetheart* set, the timing was perfect.

The crew was on break.

It was around four in the afternoon, and Bai Liang and Zha were unusually not hiding in their RV.

Instead, they'd placed a wicker chair outside, and Bai Da was lying on it with his eyes closed, utterly relaxed.

Beside him, Zha rested her chin on her hand, simply watching Bai Liang, occasionally brushing off stray leaves that fell onto him.

Sometimes she'd lift her gaze…

Following her line of sight, a plump little cat was peacefully dozing on a branch just above them.

Because of its round, heavy body, the relatively thin branch swayed gently under the cat's weight.

"These two really are living the good life on set…" Cai Yi couldn't help but sigh.

Even her vacations hadn't felt this leisurely.

But let such a high-value cat climb a tree to nap?

Yet after watching a few more seconds, she burst out laughing—hah, a tabby cat lounging on a crabapple branch~

"Ah!"

At that moment, Chen Yao suddenly let out a hushed cry, because the cat in her arms had suddenly darted away.

She'd been worried her cat would run off, but when she saw it sprinting straight toward Bai Liang, she finally relaxed.

He couldn't help but wonder: does his own cat still remember him and like him this much?

Bai Liang, who had been dozing in a half-dazed state, suddenly felt a weight land on his chest, followed by little kneading paws.

He hadn't been sleeping deeply to begin with, and without opening his eyes, he reached out to pat the cat in his arms and muttered, "Dou Xiao Bao came down from the tree?"

The Nazha beside him didn't answer either, just curiously watching this new little visitor.

This silver shaded cat really was quite affectionate. Although Bai Liang had been "ignoring" it in all sorts of ways before, it still liked him very much. Being held now, it nuzzled against his hand and acted coquettishly.

"Dou Xiao Bao's going to get angry~ you have other cats out there?"

Hearing Nazha's teasing tone, plus the meowing from above his head, Bai Liang finally opened his eyes.

Huh? Little kitty, who are you?

"You two sure are leisurely!"

At this moment Cai Yinong and Chen Yao also walked over. Nazha hurriedly stood up, her face full of delight: "Sister Cai, how come you're here?"

"Not welcoming me? I came to see you, that's all."

"How could I not~"

"Sister Nazha."

"Yao Yao, long time no see. Ah wait, we just saw each other at the celebration banquet." Nazha scratched her head a little dazedly, feeling like her IQ wasn't quite enough for this.

But she didn't notice Chen Yao secretly heave a sigh of relief.

"Right, I was just saying why this little thing looked so familiar. So it's Yao Yao's."

Nazha finally recognized at this moment the silver shaded cat that was still clinging to Bai Liang and refusing to leave, already being "meow-warninged" by Dou Xiao Bao up in the tree.

They're all cat people, so of course she'd exchanged with Chen Yao before too, often sending cute photos of their respective kittens.

She just hadn't put two and two together for a moment.

But then again.

"Do you know Yao Yao's cat? It's so close to you." Nazha casually asked Bai Liang.

Once this question came up, for some reason even Cai Yinong got a little nervous.

Chen Yao didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

But Bai Liang, still lying on the rattan chair, actually nodded. "Of course I know it, and I'm just naturally liked by you little kittens~"

You little kittens?

If it were someone else, they'd definitely have to argue with Bai Liang about what exactly the word "you (plural)" meant.

But Nazha was more direct, blushing a little and feeling embarrassed.

Aiya! How could he say a "pet name" like that right in front of other people.

At this point Chen Yao had already hurriedly run to Bai Liang's side, took her cat back from his arms, then bit her lip and gave its butt a light-not-light smack.

"No more running off from now on!"

Kitties can't understand, they just act cute~

And Nazha's cat Dou Xiao Bao seemed to take after its owner a bit.

It had just been sulking about its usual spot in someone's arms being taken by another cat, but after that one left, it didn't hold a grudge.

It came down from the tree and still burrowed into Bai Liang's arms.

It was just slightly, just slightly, displeased that his arms now smelled like another little cat.

But it didn't matter, Dou Xiao Bao was magnanimous.

Why don't you thank Dou Xiao Bao already?

"This little thing's gotten tsundere on me?"

Bai Liang naturally gave it a vigorous rub. In just a few strokes he "subdued" the little thing, making it comfortably let out purring sounds. During this time, Chen Yao's cat just watched wide-eyed, not making any fuss.

Fortunately, Bai Liang was very broad-minded in his love, and didn't neglect either of the two cats.

Cai Yinong's visit didn't last too long either. After the crew finished filming for the day and treated Bai Liang and the others to a meal, she got in a car and went home.

This is the benefit of living close by.

Nazha even told her to drop by and hang out whenever she was free~

Cai Yinong: Uh... you three people and two cats life, I'll sit this one out for now.

She was even a little regretful—had it really been a good idea for her to find a way to hint to Bai Liang and get Chen Yao onto this crew?

What if the current number one and the future number one had a falling out.

Their Tang Ren really can't produce another defector.

So before leaving, she specifically had a chat with Chen Yao.

The summary was: you need to keep a low profile!

Chen Yao didn't say anything either. After nodding, she just tightened her grip on that regular octagonal stone in her hand. The pattern on it was a little snake.

—

When "Go Go Squid!" had been filming for almost a month, it welcomed a rather special guest.

Generally speaking, actors who came to make a cameo didn't get paid, unless the production insisted on paying them.

But you know, not getting paid while also having to fork out your own money—that's extremely rare.

!

This kind of thing only happened often on the "The Wandering Earth" set. After all, Guo Fan this guy could be said to taste the saltiness of even a passing dung cart—if you came, you came, and you think you can leave without leaving something behind?

Impossible.

And Bai Liang in this regard was actually quite different from Guo Fan. He wouldn't do this kind of AoE strike; he belonged to the precision strike school.

The ones he could collect a "friendship fee" from were only those few.

Today's visitor was one of them.

"Why do I have to buy fruit and drinks for the whole crew just because I'm guesting on your set, and then pay for dinner too?" Yang Yang asked Bai Liang, looking puzzled.

This guy had gotten too used to being treated like royalty—even now, he sat with his back perfectly straight, stiff as ever.

"Hmm, because you're kind."

"Is that so?"

"Or rather, you're one of the Big Four Top Flows now—there's got to be some face involved. I don't believe you'd let me pay?"

It's not impossible.

But I get the feeling if I actually let Bai Liang pay, something bad might happen.

As for those Big Four Top Flows… sigh~

Yang Yang thought for a moment, then asked another question: "I also have to refill the fridge in your RV—what's the logic behind that?"

Na Zha and Chen Yao were barely holding back their laughter, struggling hard—they'd long since grown familiar with Bai Liang's cruel habit of picking on other Top Flows.

But this scene truly made one burst out laughing.

Top Flow? Can someone even be called a Top Flow if they've never been bullied by Bai Liang?

Did you pay your friend fee yet?

Of course—someone like Li Yifeng or Wu Moufan, who've actually been bullied, count too.

"Refill the fridge? Here, try this shrimp—it's delicious!" Bai Liang enthusiastically recommended.

This tactic of changing the subject was brutally awkward.

But Yang Yang didn't care much about that—he was preoccupied with something else: the concept of Top Flow had changed.

There was no longer talk of "Big Four, Little Three."

Poor him—he'd barely clawed his way back into the Big Four Top Flows, only to find everyone had stopped playing that game and switched to a new system.

After all, Akun, Zhu Yilong, Deng Lun—they all needed to rise too~

Of course, there was also another voice pushing to reorder the Big Four Top Flows: fans of the new arrivals were eager to kick out the "has-been elders" and put their own brother on top.

Unfortunately, among the current Big Four Top Flows, the other three were all seen by the new forces as "has-been elders."

Of course, the "elders" still had their core fanbases—even Lu Han, who'd publicly announced his relationship and lost so many fans and traffic, still held strong, at least not crushed under the new forces' pressure.

Meanwhile, the original "Little Three" from the Big Four, Little Three era had all grown into adults; due to their solo careers, they were shedding the "Little" label and officially entering the Top Flow battleground.

So lately, the fan circles had been chaotic.

New forces, old forces, grown-up new and old forces—even former outsiders who'd never made the cut were all scrambling to promote their own brother while trying to drag others down, fighting fiercely.

The only "clean land" left was Bai Liang's.

Fanatics weren't pure fools—they knew what happened when you threw an egg at a stone; some things simply couldn't be touched.

But although they didn't dare provoke Bai Liang, the bored Capybara fans couldn't help gathering to brainstorm ideas.

Three people together must produce a genius—how much more so when so many gathered to brainstorm nonsense?

New Big Four Top Flows?

No no, that's no good—what's the difference between this and the old one?

And what caliber are these people? To sit on equal footing with our Great Immortal?

If we're going to do it, let's create a New Top Flow System!

Honestly, the Capybara fans were surprisingly efficient—they quickly came up with something fun.

What they created was called the Top Flow Club.

The inspiration came from the "Billion-Dollar Actor Club" in the film industry.

Bai Liang's fans: "Stop fighting—it won't kill anyone."

Then they drew up a "battlefield" and began cyber-breeding monsters.

Forget the Big Four Top Flows—just rank them all! No more ties! Fight! Fight like hell! Bring out your data and compare fiercely~

We Capybara fans love a good show—our Great Immortal will obviously be number one. You guys below? Fight it out.

This move was brutally clever!

So here's the question: do these Capybara fans have any real influence?

Answer: extremely influential.

While Bai Liang lounged peacefully on set, the fan circles had already gone berserk.

The internet has no honorable tavern where everyone can sit down and talk.

All you can do is see who has stronger combat power, better data, and a more skilled marketing team.

Bai Liang didn't know what role Sister Yanzi played in all this, but she must have participated—perhaps even led it.

This kind of ruthless scheme couldn't be pulled off by fans alone.

Besides, Sister Yanzi had long resented the so-called "Big Four Top Flows" concept—just like the fans, she thought: What caliber are they to sit on equal footing with our Brother Bai?

As for who ends up where? As always—let your abilities speak, friends.

This move was a single trick that harmed three worthies.

Lu Han, Yang Yang, and Wu Moufan all suffered—while the guys ate hot pot and sang songs, they woke up one day to find their "Big Four Top Flow" status gone.

Whether or not this thing ultimately succeeded, it was bad news for them.

So Yang Yang's request was simple: he complained bitterly to Bai Liang, then whispered: "Is this thing created by your company's Boss Yan?"

"I really don't know—do you think you can sneak in through the back door?" Bai Liang asked suspiciously.

Yang Yang felt embarrassed, but still blurted out: "Can I?"

6

What the hell did Sister Yanzi create? Is it really that valuable?

In response, Sister Yanzi said: If the Golden Broom could become so popular, why couldn't my Top Flow Club be just as entertaining?

The marketing account in her hands was the biggest guarantee of this thing's "gold content."

Once it's done, there will definitely be benefits in the future, and not small ones!

However, this thing can't be whipped up in a short while right now, so let's just keep it on the back burner for now.

If there are any new faces this year that can break out of the pack, that's when things will truly get intense and fun.

Bai Liang gave Sister Yanzi a like — she really knows how to play!

It felt like she'd taken the "friend-collecting fee" he'd cooked up and carried it to new heights.

As for the new top-tier star emerging that Sister Yanzi mentioned, Bai Liang thought for a moment, then scrolled through the dramas the major platforms were about to launch.

And he really did see a name that rang a bell.

"The Untamed."

He glanced at Yang Yang with a bit of sympathy, thinking, buddy, maybe you should pivot — the top-tier star track is slipping out of your grasp.

Yang Yang felt a little creeped out by the look. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Eat whatever you want, don't shortchange yourself. After all, in the future…"

"What situation in the future?!" Yang Yang stared at Bai Liang in alarm, his heart clenching up.

This Bai Bai Daxian wouldn't have seen some fatal illness or bloody disaster coming for him, right? After all, this guy was notoriously uncanny!

"After all, in the future… your appetite might not be as good as it is now."

Yang Yang: …Damn it! Can't trust this bastard for a second.

Every time he thought Bai Liang was getting serious, the guy had to pull some stunt.

"My appetite isn't that great right now as it is."

"See, there you go, getting worked up again. The future hasn't even arrived yet — how do you know it won't get worse?"

——

Third watch, muah, begging for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)