Chapter 387

Almost every crew member here tonight for Movie Night can go up and win an award.

Although Weibo has been a bit arrogant lately, they still manage to hold onto their "original intent."

Since you came, don't come for nothing!

Even the awards are "custom-made."

The film with the biggest cast, *The Climbers*, won Weibo's Most Watched Film of the Year.

The artsy *The Gathering at Southern Station* won Weibo's Most Anticipated Film Recommended by Big V.

Deng Chao's *Galaxy Class* won Weibo's Most Anticipated Narrative Film.

*The Shanghai Fortress* was naturally Weibo's Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Film.

Even the award presenter was Guo Fan. Watching him struggle on stage to find words to praise them, Bai Liang couldn't help but suppress a grin from below.

It made him laugh.

To be fair, Guo Fan is pretty good at emergency avoidance.

Although he guessed he didn't really know what *The Shanghai Fortress* was, he could still predict some things.

Because he'd seen the trailer—Hearing Hearing Lu Han's face was too pale, his hairstyle too idol-like.

This made Guo Fan, who had previously praised *The Shanghai Fortress* and even posted on Weibo to promote it, sense something was off and start speaking cautiously.

"By the way, did Teng Huatao ever post Weibo promotion for us?" Bai Liang asked casually after Guo Fan returned.

Guo Fan paused: "Huh? I'm not sure about that."

Then both pulled out their phones and checked for a while, discovering that Teng Huatao hadn't reposted or promoted it at all.

They scrolled through each other's Weibo all the way back to last year and found nothing.

Remember, during *The Wandering Earth*'s release, Guo Fan never forgot to mention *The Shanghai Fortress* once.

Guo Fan: Now I feel like a sucker.

Bai Liang: Hahaha~

Guo Fan: What are you laughing at? I saw how people on the show dug up your promotion for him.

Bai Liang: But Hearing Hearing Lu Han promoted me, right?

Guo Fan: Fuck!

At this moment, another guest took the stage—Wen Wenwen began singing *Decent*.

Even if she vomited, this girl still had to keep singing, since this was basically her only hit.

Whether as a singer or actress, her narrow path was impressive to watch.

No one knew when she'd ever escape the labels of "ex" and "Decent."

Of course, for many such artists, shedding those labels meant basically being finished.

And the next performer was another "narrow-path" contestant.

"Weibo's Most Anticipated Animated Film: *Ne Zha: The Demon Child Comes Into the World*."

The presenter, Wu Jing, didn't drag it out—he grabbed the card and read it aloud right on stage.

Bai Liang was still clapping when Jiao Zi got up from his seat behind and walked right up to him.

"Bro, you just go up already."

Jiao Zi said nothing, only avoided eye contact, fidgeted helplessly, even too nervous to speak.

Although he was a devil during film production, outside work Jiao Zi was a textbook social phobe.

This award was, of course, also custom-made.

Since Bai Liang had already brought Jiao Zi here, *Ne Zha* obviously had to win an award—it was good promotion.

Consider it Weibo's "friend fee."

"You go up with him," Guo Fan said cheerfully.

Looking at Jiao Zi, he had a strange feeling of seeing a "kindred spirit."

"Come on, let's go~"

If Jiao Zi was an I-person, Bai Liang was a pure E-person.

He'd never been stage-frightened, not even when he first debuted.

With Bai Liang beside him, Jiao Zi seemed to exhale—his whole body relaxed slightly, no longer so tense.

As they walked toward the stage, Bai Liang said to him: "Don't panic—everyone from the organizers to the presenters are insiders; you can even shit on stage if you want."

Jiao Zi:??

Though absurd, this actually helped him.

He was now filled with thoughts of public defecation—almost laughed out loud.

But when he smirked, his naturally fierce face made Wu Jing, waiting on stage for them, think: Whoa, this guy looks like a murderer.

No wonder he's Wolf Warrior—his instincts are spot-on.

In a way, what Jiao Zi does isn't much different from "murder."

The most "hated" figures in tomorrow's entertainment industry are all here tonight.

If they called Guo Fan up too, it'd be perfect.

At this moment, Wu Jing teased Bai Liang: "Why are you coming up? It's not time for Weibo Movie King yet."

This direct cue made the live audience erupt.

After all, tonight's main event is Weibo Movie King~

This is the only thing at Movie Night with any "real value."

Bai Liang spread his hands: "Isn't it because my movie won? Why can't I come up?"

"Your movie? How are you the lead in an animated film?"

I don't know—does the voice actor count as a lead actor?

Wu Jing and Bai Liang naturally couldn't arrive at any conclusion on this issue.

But at least they left the suspense for the audience.

Director Jiao Zi didn't offer any opinion on this matter at all, because Bai Liang and Wu Jing were putting on a show—he'd been told in advance.

Otherwise, Wu Jing wouldn't have brought up such a topic so casually.

The goal was still to generate more buzz and help promote "Nezha."

The effect was excellent.

Even though the two men's onstage coordination was simple, even the straightest hook can't resist a fish that's determined to bite.

A swarm of marketing accounts emerged, analyzing why a voice actor could count as a lead actor.

At the live event, the industry insiders who had only clapped half-heartedly in the audience paid attention solely to Bai Liang and Wu Jing, paying little heed to the unassuming Director Jiao Zi.

His acceptance speech was standard, with the only highlight being his repeated thanks to Bai Liang.

After all, it's just an animated film—the ceiling is still "Monkey King: Hero Is Back."

The monkey's staff couldn't even pierce the sky; how much less could Nezha?

Even some in the audience looked at Director Jiao Zi and silently "thanked" him.

Brother, you're a good guy! You dragged Bai Liang into this with an animated film—you've done us a huge favor.

Director Jiao Zi said nothing, just kept being socially anxious, clutching his award and returning to his seat, silently counting the days until next month's film release.

—

As the Movie Night continued, the two major highlights of the evening were finally about to appear.

First up was the Weibo Best Actress award.

Compared to the entertainment value of the Weibo Best Actor award, the Best Actress category drew far less attention.

On one hand, last year's Best Actress didn't have the same presence as Bai Liang, and there was no coordinated stunt between the two sides—even Sister Yanzi couldn't make the other side play along.

On the other hand, the female stars nominated for this year's Best Actress seemed more reserved and didn't jump out like Bai Liang to spark a frenzy.

Someone did try, but things among women are far more complicated.

What if you jumped out and no one responded?

Besides, the nominees for Weibo Best Actress weren't nearly as star-studded as those for Best Actor—the Best Actor lineup was truly the industry's pinnacle.

Thus, under the circumstances where Weibo Best Actor had been turned into a spectacle by Bai Liang and his crew, Weibo Best Actress had almost no presence.

But low presence didn't mean the competition wasn't fierce.

The several female stars who were nominated and attended the event all desperately wanted to win this year's Weibo Best Actress award.

When the Weibo CEO, as presenter, announced that Yao Dazui had won Best Actress, the other nominees visibly showed disappointment.

A few couldn't even hide their expressions when the camera turned their way, getting caught red-handed.

To outsiders, it looked like the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony.

Online viewers joked: "The Immortal has truly elevated Weibo Best Actor and Best Actress to heights they've never known."

These actresses really wanted to win!

Not only did they want to win—when Yao Dazui took the stage to accept her award, she even tried to cue Bai Liang.

Before the award, she couldn't piggyback; now that she had the trophy in hand, she naturally wanted to create some interaction.

But when she glanced over, Bai Liang's seat was empty.

Where is he?

Outside the restroom.

Bai Liang, having just finished urinating, was washing his hands when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

He didn't turn around immediately, but finished washing his hands, then turned fully around.

Huh?

Still no one there.

He looked down—and saw the familiar angle, the familiar face.

"Little kitty, why are you crouching there?"

Li Yitong:

She'd wanted to tease Bai Liang—tapping his left shoulder, then crouching beside his right side—but this sly fox didn't follow the script.

Damn it!

So she pouted and said, "What a coincidence—you're here too, using the restroom?"

"Don't give me that. You followed me here, didn't you, just because you saw me coming?"

"You figured it out," Li Yitong stood up. "I wanted to talk to you earlier, but you were surrounded by big shots—I was too scared to approach."

The way she said it was kind of pitiful.

The mischievous little kitty had turned into a wounded little kitty.

"Aren't you from Zhang Ziyi's company? You could've just claimed you were looking for her."

"You're out of the loop—I left with my agent. I'm no longer an artist under Feibao."

"Your agent? That big Sister Yanzi?"

"What big Sister Yanzi? Everyone calls her Sister Yan," Li Yitong seemed displeased with Bai Liang's casual tone.

This was either coincidence—or, in Li Yitong's mind, fate.

Both their agents were named "Yanzi."

Of course, hardly anyone calls them that anymore—they're both Director Yan now.

Her agent, Sister Yan, is extremely powerful; without her behind-the-scenes push, Li Yitong never would've secured so many resources despite not being famous.

At the end of last year, Sister Yanzi left Feibao with Li Yitong and started her own company called Zhongxing Times; this year she joined Chuandi Entertainment and became Chuandi Zhongxing.

Oh right, there's another important relationship: Sister Yanzi and Yu Zheng are close friends.

The entertainment circle really is a closed circle—so many people are connected through convoluted links.

Even connected to another little flower.

According to the timeline, at this moment, Sister Yanzi should have just "fought" Zhao Lusi.

When Zhao Lusi appeared in the hospital in a wheelchair years later, her friend leaked the story.

But at this point, Zhao Lusi hadn't yet become famous through "The Legend of Chen Qianqian"—she was still just a minor player.

As for whether they actually fought, it's probably an unsolved mystery.

After all, by the time the later version came out, those little essays had lost their persuasiveness.

Because some sisters had already shut that path down completely.

Anyway, judging by Li Yitong's demeanor, she clearly hadn't been beaten up~

Hmm. At this moment, Li Yitong felt a bit guilty.

She wasn't worried about being beaten by her agent, but she was a little afraid of being beaten by Bai Liang.

After all, she'd used his "body data" to do something wrong.

"Why are you feeling guilty?"

"You can tell that?!"

"It's written all over your face—what did you do that's wrong by me?"

"Nothing!"

Bai Liang thought for a moment, then asked with a strange expression: "You're not dating someone, are you?"

This made Li Yitong flustered: "Who would I date? Those guys—I…"

"Cough, let me rephrase—have you gotten a girlfriend?"

After a deathly silence, Bai Liang turned and ran.

Luckily he ran fast enough—otherwise the evil little kitty's claws would've scratched him.

Showing up on stage with blood marks on his neck would clearly be inappropriate.

Wait!

Bai Liang, who'd run out only a few steps, turned back around: "You didn't even keep your nails long—you can't even scratch hard."

No sooner had he said it than the evil little kitty extended her long fingers, grabbed Bai Liang's arm, and twisted hard.

"Ouch!"

"Tonight! After the show! Come find me! OK?!"

This was the most commanding the evil little kitty had ever been—Bai Liang had no choice but to submit.

But her expression right now was cool and fierce—she really did look like someone who could have a girlfriend.

It was a stark contrast to the little meowing kitten she usually was in front of Bai Liang.

While the two were hiding in the empty bathroom, the sounds outside suddenly changed—it seemed the next segment had begun.

"The next award… is tonight's highlight! I know you're all eager—I'm eager too…"

"Let's talk about Weibo Movie King~" The Weibo CEO didn't even say the full award name—he just used Bai Liang's phrasing.

The crowd erupted in screams and cheers—the atmosphere instantly reached its peak.

"Hey, hurry up! It's your award!" Li Yitong lost her playful mood and urged anxiously.

"No rush—it might not even be me. Even if they call my name, I can still make it over in time."

"Why are you acting like a capybara now? No sense of urgency at all! What if they think you've left and don't give you the award?"

"You came all the way to the bathroom just to talk to me, holding up your dress—I think I should stay with you a little longer," Bai Liang said matter-of-factly.

This was why he'd run halfway out and suddenly come back.

Looking at this smiling guy, the evil little kitty couldn't possibly stay evil anymore.

She was forcibly "pushed back" into her little kitten state.

She puffed out her cheeks and stared at Bai Liang, but her eyes grew softer.

"You just say sweet things… you don't have to worry about me—I'll find my own way to sneak food when I miss you."

"…Must it be sneaking food?" Bai Liang couldn't hold back.

The girl smiled at him, her big eyes turning into crescent moons: "I'm just naturally a little odd—you know that."

Inside the bathroom, they were flirting; outside, the cameras were going wild.

Where's the Great Immortal?

The Weibo Movie King award is about to be announced—and he's nowhere to be found?

But the Weibo CEO on stage wasn't fazed—he teased the crowd for a moment, then announced the result.

"Congratulations… Bai Liang!"

Without doubt, the Great Immortal returned to his loyal Weibo and successfully defended his title as Weibo Movie King!

He even defeated a host of strong rivals!

Because this was his home turf.

Absolutely no backroom dealings—Weibo had practically laid it all out in the open.

On their own patch of land, anyone who came had to kneel before the Great Immortal.

The instant his name was called, Bai Liang quickly kissed the evil little kitty—right as she was adjusting his tie.

"Naughty! Go on, hurry!"

"Off I go~"

"When it's over, I'll wait for you!"

After saying this, Li Yitong naturally hid in the bathroom, too afraid to come out—she needed to hide for at least another ten minutes.

Just two seconds after Bai Liang appeared from the restroom corridor, the live cameras precisely caught him.

Many people here finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This guy finally showed up. To vanish at a critical moment—typical of him.

But this is Weibo Movie Night; no matter what Bai Liang does, everyone else will only cover for him, and no one will undermine him.

Because Weibo's senior executives are watching right there.

Bai Liang, who should have been giving his acceptance speech, stood before the microphone but remained silent.

He looked out at the audience and gave one final big smile, while simultaneously shrugging with his little bear.

As soon as that gesture appeared, it instantly ignited the entire venue.

The audience's screams and cheers were almost frightening, causing many insiders to involuntarily flinch.

The sudden, overwhelming wave of sound surged too swiftly, too unexpectedly.

It made hearts tremble.

Yet the one responsible for all this had not spoken a single word so far.

He simply stood there—as if that alone explained everything.

(End of Chapter)