Chapter 368: Little Dog Marking Territory

Yang Yang joined the cast of "Love Me If You Dare" for a two-day guest appearance; originally, it was agreed to be just two days.

He plays a competitor of Han Shangyan during a match, an esports player from the SP team.

It also fulfills one of his wishes.

Beat Bai Liang.

The role they gave him is insane—full of titles, an absolute esports prodigy.

In the opening of the drama, he brutally defeats Han Shangyan's KK team, even sparking infighting and blame-shifting among the team members.

It nearly broke up his entire team.

Yang Yang loved this plotline so much that he rushed over the moment he heard about it.

Like when Chen Yixun drove into Wu Bai and wished he'd brought his own truck.

Xie Tingfeng went to "New Shaolin Temple" to beat Wu Jing, seeking revenge for "True Men," without even reading the script.

Although these are all jokes, Yang Yang insists he's not joking.

He genuinely wants to "beat Bai Liang."

Even if winning in the drama feels a bit like A-Q's psychological victory, who would savor a virtual win if they could win in reality?

His top-tier peers have been "beaten" into crawling on the ground by Bai Liang—even Wu Moufan, who used to clash most with Bai Liang, has now become much "more obedient."

At least he no longer dares to provoke Bai Liang directly.

These people never even got a chance at a virtual win; since meeting Bai Liang, their lives have been written entirely with the character "weak."

But as filming went on, Yang Yang started feeling something was off.

"Can this role really be filmed in two days? The SP team's screen time in the script seems way too high," Yang Yang asked, puzzled.

Hearing this, Bai Liang glanced over and said, "Just film a couple more days—you busy lately?"

"Not really. This first half of the year I only have one tribute short film to shoot, and my schedule isn't packed."

The moment he said it, Yang Yang immediately regretted it.

No!

Sure enough, Bai Liang's face broke into a strange smile: "Then stay a few more days with me—you loved my RV so much, right?"

Yang Yang's eyes widened involuntarily—could it be… he was going to give him the RV?!

This… how could I possibly accept?

But if Bai Liang insisted on giving it, he could only accept it graciously.

Of course, he wasn't talking about the brand-new, massive RV—just the smaller off-road RV from before.

Bai Liang truly lives by the principle of enjoyment in personal life—both RVs are parked on set, like he'd moved his entire home there.

The moment Yang Yang arrived, he set his eyes on the smaller RV; though not as spacious as the big one, its exterior was undeniably cool.

That fierce, mechanical design—no man could possibly dislike it.

But then this guy who always dragged out his words added: "Since you like it so much, I'll give you my custom design plans—you can build your own."

Yang Yang: ~~~Alright then, at least this time I won't have to pay "the humiliation fee."

But the agreed two-day guest appearance turned into two more days, then two more after that.

After Yang Yang had been stuck on the "Love Me If You Dare" set for a week, Jia Shikai couldn't hold back anymore.

What the hell, are you dead on Bai Liang's set?

He came over under the pretense of visiting.

Bai Liang: Since you're here, chip in!

Jia Shikai:??? Chip in for what?

So the entire crew got an upgraded meal, with snacks, drinks, and bubble tea unlimited.

Yang Yang looked at Jia Shikai with pity: Why are you here too, paying up?

When the two met, they instantly understood what was going on.

Simple—they'd been tricked by a con artist!

"We can't keep dragging this out… more scenes are fine, even if I become a supporting role, labeling me as a 'special appearance' isn't a problem, but there has to be an end date," Jia Shikai scratched his head, trying to get Yang Yang to demand a clear schedule from Bai Liang.

"He says maybe one more week at most—he's been filming my scenes nonstop lately."

Jia Shikai stared blankly: "Two days turned into half a month?"

"Maybe ten days—I can't afford to delay my own projects," Yang Yang said, speaking fairly: "Bai Liang isn't that bad."

Jia Shikai: You're actually happy about this?

Clearly, he's been PUA'd almost completely.

But after thinking it over, Jia Shikai decided this wasn't Bai Liang's fault.

This was clearly Guo Fan's doing.

Guo Fan, the cyber succubus, goes around begging everyone to make guest appearances—the original author had to pay hundreds of thousands, and even big beauties like Di Li Reba weren't spared—he made them fork out hundreds of thousands too.

These stories were all openly admitted by the main crew during the promotion of "The Wandering Earth," and Guo Fan shamelessly confirmed them.

Now Bai Liang's behavior? He learned it straight from Guo Fan.

Blaming Guo Fan is perfectly fair—Bai Liang's been corrupted.

Good analysis. Don't analyze again.

Yang Yang thought: How dare Jia Shikai say he was PUA'd? And now he's helping Bai Liang shift blame?!

Yang Yang looked at him with utter contempt—he declared he was too ashamed to be associated with him.

Then, from a distance, Bai Liang called out: "Let's shoot!"

"Coming, coming!"

Jia Shikai stayed to watch how they filmed.

Hmm. How to put it? It's a bit different from what he imagined.

This scene gave Yang Yang a major Gao Guang moment.

Several giant screens at the Mercedes-Benz Arena simultaneously showed a close-up of his profile as he turned his head, a faint smile curling at his lips.

A blue halo enveloped the entire venue. Above the main screen, text appeared:

Tonight, I am the chosen one—and the only one!

Just this single shot made Jia Shikai's whole body tingle.

He wasn't some young kid anymore, and he had no particular emotional attachment to esports, a relatively new phenomenon.

But this scene still made him instinctively think: Damn, this is so damn cool!

But didn't he remember this thing was supposed to be a little sweet romance? Wasn't it mainly about falling in love?

And elevating the supporting actor like this? Aren't you afraid of stealing the protagonist's spotlight?

But honestly, Yang Yang's composed demeanor fit perfectly in this moment.

Pure esports male lead energy.

Just from this alone, Yang Yang's cameo was more than worth it—Bai Liang was too meticulous, going out of his way to make him look this cool!

But then Jia Shikai understood why Bai Liang dared let Yang Yang look this cool in the next shot.

Because he could handle it.

After the blue light faded, the crew scrambled to adjust everything. The next second, the entire venue turned a blood-red glow.

Same close-up shot. Same giant screen.

On it, Bai Liang rested his hands slightly heavy on his chin, expression blank, eyelids slightly lifted—as if scrutinizing something.

Please welcome the next prodigy?

Under the crimson lighting, he on the screen looked as if surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Scalp tingling!

The crew had spent half a day fussing over these two shots, and Jia Shikai was frantically scratching his head—this was absolutely not the vibe of a sweet romance!

Fortunately, the next shot—Na Zha standing below the stage, draped in her team's flag, looking up—made him feel it was still a youth romance drama. But somehow, it still felt off.

Is this really that intense?!

Clearly, it wasn't just intensity. Esports sometimes resonates more through regret.

After filming the final world championship battle of the drama, they immediately began shooting Han Shangyan's loss in a crucial match.

Jia Shikai, who had been sneaking around beside the monitor, finally understood what "Weibo Movie Emperor" acting meant.

Just a single glance back as the loser left the stage—no words spoken—yet his eyes conveyed every emotion.

Thinking of the numerous esports-themed dramas currently in development, Jia Shikai silently felt sorry for those involved.

Besides managing artists, he often got involved in various productions and output, so he knew exactly where most dramas focused their efforts.

Of ten projects launched, at least seven or eight were putting up a sheep's head while actually selling dog meat (i. e., using a respectable label to disguise shoddy work).

They'd just half-ass the esports aspects—some even filmed competition scenes like internet cafe leagues.

These could easily be repackaged for any genre, since the real focus was just romance; everything else didn't matter and no one cared.

Plus, many crews didn't want to spend so much money on this—urban romance was simple and low-effort.

Renting a venue like the Mercedes-Benz Arena for filming would send production costs skyrocketing.

Most crews couldn't afford to do something like this.

Sometimes, putting up a sheep's head while actually selling dog meat was really just about cutting production costs.

As for this drama, "My Dearest Love," Jia Shikai felt these people were even putting up a dog's head while actually selling mutton (i. e., the opposite—using a disreputable label to hype up mediocre work).

Just focus on your damn romance, you idiots.

He internally cheered with relief—thank goodness Yang Yang's "The King's Avatar" was airing this year.

Once Bai Liang and Gu Li Na Zha's drama premiered, over half of all future esports dramas would be screwed.

Sister Yanzi: Budget? What budget? This venue is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz~

Originally, the crew had considered filming at the Bird's Nest.

But Mercedes-Benz said: How far is Beijing? Just film in Shanghai! We've got this venue right here—why go through the trouble?

Given such generous hospitality, as producer, Sister Yanzi naturally accepted without refusal.

The main stakeholders of this drama were Huace and Bai Liang Studio; Sister Yanzi was deeply involved in production because her stake was so large—she had to keep a close eye.

Huace, too, was happy with this arrangement, even though the drama had originally been entirely under their control.

There was no choice—Bai Liang brought too much.

The sheer number of extravagant brand sponsorships alone could make your mouth go numb from smiling.

So even when Sister Yanzi made outrageous demands, they ran the numbers and still made a fortune.

Likewise, Sister Yanzi didn't have as reliable or mature a production team as they did—she had to borrow the chicken to lay eggs.

Both sides hit it off perfectly—each got what they needed.

Everything had been going smoothly—until a few days later, Sister Yanzi caught something off.

"Who made this image?!"

What does "furious rage" look like?

Every single thing Sister Yanzi did at this moment was a forceful definition of that phrase.

"What's wrong?"

Na Zha, just stepping down from the RV, asked curiously.

Chen Yao said nothing, seemed uncomfortable, quickly shook his head, and while Na Zha wasn't looking, wiped his mouth hard.

At that moment, Na Zha noticed another blind spot: "Hey? Where did he go?"

"I'm right here."

Bai Liang got down from the nearby RV and waved at Na Zha.

"How did you end up on this vehicle? No wonder I felt empty beside me during my lunch break," Na Zha said, dissatisfied—she'd been wondering why her person vanished after a nap.

In this production crew, she and Bai Liang had long passed mere obviousness.

Not only did they both love sneaking into the same RV, but that door had never opened.

Nobody knew what they were doing up there.

Judging from Na Zha's vibrant energy and rosy cheeks, they probably weren't doing anything good.

In any other crew, people would surely be whispering about "crew couple" rumors behind closed doors.

But in the "Dear, Love You" crew, not a single person even gossiped.

Occasionally, someone would suddenly "realize": Wait? Haven't they officially announced anything? Then they probably haven't even registered their marriage either?

Before Na Zha could continue dwelling on Bai Liang's midday disappearance, the commotion from Sister Yanzi drew her attention again.

At this moment, Sister Yanzi was yelling at someone, raining down abuse.

When Na Zha walked over, everyone looked at her like a savior—"You're our only hope, Sister Na Zha!"

Upon seeing Na Zha, Sister Yanzi calmed down immediately, even smiled at her: "Sister Na Zha, did I disturb your rest?"

"Oh, what's there to worry about? Why are you so angry? Tell me—I'll yell at them with you!"

Na Zha was confident—her yelling skills were now formidable! She was no longer the Na Zha who used to struggle to find words when she wanted to scold someone.

"It's not anger—I suspect someone's playing games. The map's wrong."

"Map? What map?"

"The one used in the drama. Today, I randomly checked some finished footage and discovered—"

When Na Zha saw that "map" on the screen, she was stunned—she truly wanted to join in yelling, even curse!

Are you insane?!

Where's Taiwan on this damn map? How dare you leave out a single piece?!

"It's not just Taiwan—Hainan's gone too! I'm fed up! Someone must be held accountable—even if I have to kill the wrong person, I'll pursue it to the end!"

Sister Yanzi couldn't imagine the consequences if this thing were ever broadcast.

Maybe it would be raised high and dropped lightly—but those people desperate to find trouble for Bai Liang would really let this go so easily?

"Amazing, Yanzi! How did you spot this?"

"Just a whim, I guess I got lucky," Sister Yanzi explained, somewhat relieved, while scanning the director's team—her temper was still boiling; someone had to be kicked out of the crew.

"Hmm, it's not just that~"

Bai Liang walked over, followed by Chen Yao, who trailed behind like a personal secretary.

"Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai, what else is there?"

"Not just Hainan and Taiwan—the eastern and western sections of the China-India border are also wrong."

Honestly, Hainan and Taiwan were easy to spot, but the other two spots were easily overlooked.

After careful comparison, Sister Yanzi confirmed it was true!

Her anger surged again—furious, furious, furious, furious, furious, furious!

But Na Zha blinked her big eyes, gazing at him in awe: "Wow! You noticed all this? So impressive—I couldn't see anything wrong here at all."

Whatever else, she'd first flatter him—serve up some praise for emotional value.

Honestly, in such a tense atmosphere, her sudden display made everyone a bit speechless.

The innocent bystanders at least felt slightly relieved—they hadn't caused this mess, so they wouldn't be held accountable.

The rest of the matter clearly didn't require Bai Liang or Na Zha's involvement.

That afternoon, the entire crew shut down, and people from Huace rushed over urgently.

This matter could be big or small, but Sister Yanzi declared she would make an example of someone!

Even if it was just a work mistake, they had to go!

Her gaze swept again, sharp and heavy.

Yang Yang shuddered: "Uh, my scenes for today are all done—I'm leaving, I'm leaving…"

Sister Yanzi: "Oh, I wasn't talking about you~ Don't be so nervous."

We just accidentally scared our guest friend—don't panic, don't panic."

"I was going to invite him to dinner tonight," Bai Liang said with slight regret.

Yang Yang ran off too fast—it felt like he was dragging a train behind him.

He'd originally known Sister Yanzi was coming today and wanted to get closer.

Maybe chat about that Top Flow Club thing—after all, using connections isn't shameful.

But then he saw Sister Yanzi going berserk—and it suddenly reminded him of online comments about Bai Liang's agent.

A ruthless, infamous brute—once he bites down, he never lets go!

His heart jolted—he ran first, out of respect. After all, who goes up to someone in the middle of a rage to schmooze?

It even saved Bai Liang a meal.

"Let's not go back to the hotel today—let's stay in the RV," Na Zha said, looking up at Bai Liang with quiet anticipation.

Bai Liang, usually so easygoing, now rubbed his head: "You're like a puppy marking territory everywhere—it's a pain to clean up. The hotel has staff for that; the RV still burdens those few girls."

Hearing this, Na Zha's face turned bright red.

Because before, when her assistant and Bai Liang's female assistant cleaned the RV together, they'd laughed meaningfully at some of her "evidence" left behind.

But what's this about a puppy marking territory? It's just a normal physiological reaction.

It's not that exaggerated!

It's not like she draws a map every time — just occasionally!

"Meow~"

At this moment, Dou Xiao Bao, who was lying on the cat climbing frame specially prepared in the car, suddenly let out a cry.

As if to say: You couldn't be more right!

It had been a victim twice! Cats don't really like baths, but it had been forced to take two because of Nazha.

Twice!

"See, even Dou Xiao Bao knows your situation." Bai Liang said with a beaming smile.

Nazha immediately felt embarrassed and annoyed, and at the same time started acting shamelessly, "I don't care! I want to sleep in the RV, I want to, I want to~"

"Fine then, I'll go say something and have someone buy some stuff or whatever."

After getting off the RV, Bai Liang didn't immediately go find someone, but instead gave the RV key to Chen Yao.

The key to the other RV.

Mhm. This is the correct way to open two RVs.

(End of chapter)