Chapter 420: Should I Be the Dragonfly Team Captain?

"Wa~"

"Stop saying 'wa' already. You sound like a little frog~ Why not pick a different word?"

Huh? Frog?

This comparison actually hit Meng Jie right in the feels, since she frequently cosplays as a little frog—and she really does "break defense."

But before she pouted and puffed her cheeks, she genuinely switched to a new word first.

"Gua~"

That frog croak made Bai Liang's whole body jolt—he turned to see Meng Jie had already shrunk into a huddled ball, blushing.

Shoulders hunched, cheeks puffed, she looked like a hamster caught stealing food.

After her facade cracked from having her cheek pinched, she immediately stuck her hands on her hips, adopting a tough stance: "I was just trying to praise you more so you wouldn't want to leave~"

Today was Bai Liang's "wrap day," the day he was leaving the crew.

After all, he'd only been a guest for three days—it flew by. From Meng Jie's perspective, she hadn't even warmed up the bedcovers yet, and he was already leaving.

No no no~

Bai Liang propped his chin on his hand, grinning at her: "Isn't it a bit too blunt to state your motive so openly?"

"I just slipped out," Meng Jie pretended to wail. "Little hedgehog, don't go~"

The acting? Below the standard of a trained actor.

A bit too over-the-top.

During these two days on the set of "Qing Ping Le," Meng Jie would solemnly comment or opine on every single online rumor about Bai Liang.

Just now, she'd even boldly "reviewed" Brother Cheng.

She reckoned Brother Cheng still had the right to praise her little hedgehog~

To be honest, she really does have reasons for getting roasted—her mouth truly has no filter; she says anything that comes to mind.

Does Brother Cheng need Meng Jie to certify his "qualification"?

Even if she holds the martial world status of "Meng Jie," everyone everywhere still calls him Brother. His martial world status is clearly far above hers~

Fortunately, Meng Jie isn't stupid—she claimed she was just privately whispering her thoughts to Bai Liang.

If anyone else were around, what would she even be? How could she dare to review him?

Just then, Wang Churan finished her scene and came over, and Meng Jie immediately toned down her previous coquettish, cute act.

She still had some image to maintain.

Wang Churan: Huh? Sister, aren't you being cute anymore?

So she cupped her cheeks and quietly took over, also bringing up the topic Meng Jie had just mentioned.

Both seemed to agree that it was a huge honor for Bai Liang to be praised by Brother Cheng—and even more so that it had "shocked" him.

Usually, at moments like this, Bai Liang couldn't help but pull a stunt.

Especially since he was about to leave—how could he not leave these two girls with a "lasting impression"?

"The way you two talk is essentially belittling me."

"Huh?"

The two girls stared blankly—could praising someone get you scolded?

"Emphasizing that someone praised you implies you think that person is far above you, delivering a condescending evaluation—so that's why you treat it as such a big deal."

Seeing the two girls still frozen in confusion, he added, not quite done: "If you truly thought I was impressive, you wouldn't react to such news the way you just did."

Wang Churan was stunned—something felt off, but she couldn't articulate why.

This punch left her completely lost—what school of martial arts was this? So unreasonable~

Especially since Bai Liang looked utterly serious, as if he genuinely resented them placing Brother Cheng higher than him.

It felt like kissing up to a horse—and hitting its leg instead.

Sure, he was incredibly talented—the top box office draw right now—but Brother Cheng was still a senior elder with a massive reputation; you can't just compare them by box office numbers alone.

It didn't make sense. Though they'd only spent three days together, Wang Churan didn't think Bai Liang was that arrogant.

In fact, it should be the opposite~

This left her utterly baffled, but she was already preparing to "bend her conscience" and flatter him according to his logic.

Ugh ugh ugh. Isn't this a brain-dead fan move?

Fine, since Brother wants it, she'd be a brain-dead fan this once!

Just as Wang Churan was brainstorming how to follow Bai Liang's line of thought—Meng Jie stepped in.

She stared straight at Bai Liang, then burst out laughing: "You're so fake—I love it~"

Both sentences were spoken seriously, and from the heart.

This instantly broke Bai Liang's act—he waved his hands frantically, stopping Meng Jie from going further.

"I was just joking, teasing you two."

He turned to Wang Churan and kindly warned: "Don't copy her—you'll kill yourself."

Wang Churan:

To be honest, with a talent like him, she truly couldn't learn it.

Soon after, Meng Jie was enthusiastically discussing a new hot topic that had just surfaced—a Shanghai billionaire woman offering thirty million to borrow Bai Liang's genes.

No one knew if it was true or fabricated—but there was a sliver of plausibility.

If it hadn't been exposed, its credibility could've skyrocketed.

Ahem—because Bai Liang had actually received such a "commercial offer" before; the amount was slightly off, but the gist was exactly the same.

There were even men~

Of course, not asking him to "welcome men" or to bend over—but because they had hidden illnesses and wanted a child.

Bai Liang remembered it clearly because one person only wanted to donate sperm, while the other wanted him to actually perform.

To be honest, such people aren't necessarily serious about borrowing sperm—they might just have some weird fetishes.

There were quite a few similar cases; Sister Yanzi used to tell them to Bai Liang as jokes, but now she's too lazy to mention them.

At most, they'd just inform Bai Liang once his highest bid got surpassed.

Usually used to remind Bai Liang to take care of his health: "Big Brother Dou Xiao Bai, your ammo's getting more valuable these days, huh~"

But netizens clearly weren't interested in whether it was real or fake—they just wanted entertainment.

Arguing from every possible angle: Is Bai Liang's gene really worth this price?

The internet really is amazing—this topic somehow became wildly popular.

Or rather, it's precisely because of this topic that they could chat so enthusiastically.

Wang Churan felt a bit embarrassed by this topic; her cheeks flushed slightly as she sneakily glanced at Bai Liang a few times.

I wonder if she's just thinking about how to save money~

Just as Meng Jie was about to say something, Bai Liang clamped his hand over her mouth.

But she didn't submit quietly—she struggled hard, clearly desperate to voice her opinion.

Yet Bai Liang already knew what nonsense she was about to spout; how could he let her say it?

Then Meng Jie actually licked his palm.

After breaking free, she immediately blurted: "This won't work—they don't know umm~"

She got muffled again.

Wang Churan was frantic—she really wanted to hear it.

Sis, why won't it work?!

Meng Jie: "Huh? You're here? Then I can't say it anymore."

She'd been a bit carried away and had completely forgotten Wang Churan was there; now that the other had spoken, she instantly fell silent.

But the mischief in her big eyes couldn't be hidden at all—she shook her head and swayed it playfully.

Bai Liang: "I really am not infertile."

Before parting, Meng Jie surprisingly got sentimental.

She couldn't help shedding a few little pearls, then shyly made a request:

"After the New Year, in March, I want to see cherry blossoms—can you come with me? Just one day's fine."

"Where do you want to go see them?"

"I heard the cherry blossoms in Wuhan in March are especially beautiful."

Bai Liang paused, looking at Meng Jie's expectant face, and couldn't help stroking her head.

"Sure~"

—

In the days after leaving the set of "Qing Ping Le," the impact of the "Summit" documentary continued.

Unfortunately, the hype slightly declined, because a competitor had arrived~

Wu Moufan and Yang Zi's fight over billing rights surged back onto the hot search list.

These two are still fighting!

One is a rising female top idol, the other a declining male top idol—they truly matched each other perfectly.

After all, male top idols are indeed worth more than female top idols; this is one of the industry's shared understandings.

If Wu Moufan were still at his peak, Yang Zi truly wouldn't be his match.

Back then, he could even out-bill eight or five top stars, like Liu Yifei and Tang Yan.

Among his collaborators, only Fan Fan Bingbing—who didn't die—could overshadow him, dominating the scene completely.

So when Bai Liang directly challenged him and knocked him down, it made Bai Liang's side seem even more powerful.

Now, however, it's perfect for a showdown—their combat power is nearly equal.

Mainly because "Qing Zan Xing" just started filming, and fans on both sides are in a frenzy.

It has reignited discussions about billing hierarchy in the film and TV industry.

In fact, billing fights in film and TV are mostly between dual male leads or dual female leads; direct clashes between male and female leads are relatively rare.

For example, during "The Lost Tomb," Lu Han and Jing Boran fought fiercely—even their agents got involved.

But this time, the commotion is even bigger~

Even Bai Liang has been affected by it.

Because he's joining the cast of "The Age of Awakening."

Originally, media outlets had already been eager to interview him due to the hype from "Summit"; upon hearing he'd join such a drama, they immediately sensed a news story.

After finding out his filming start date, they had long been staking out and waiting there.

Actually, Bai Liang's billing position in "The Age of Awakening" isn't very high.

He could have chosen a more prestigious role, but he thought better of it and ultimately picked one more suitable for his age.

Chen Yannian.

Yet because of his joining, the character's billing was directly moved to third place.

It wasn't his own request—it was arranged proactively by the producers because it benefited the drama.

And none of the other actors objected; they even had to say "thank you."

The reason is very simple.

Although it's a serious historical drama, Bai Liang's influence drew massive attention to the show even before filming began.

They saved untold promotional costs—at least tens of millions, maybe more.

After all, he is currently the king of commercial value in the domestic entertainment industry, a true walking hit-maker.

His films and TV dramas have never let fans down.

Although his most recent work, *My Country, My Parents*, is a patchwork and it's hard to say how much of an impact Bai Liang had in it.

Hmm. The box office is hard to judge, but it did help Chen Kaige a lot.

*White Day Star* ranked in the middle among the seven segments.

It won't let Old Chen get criticized by audiences again~

But a documentary that suddenly emerged truly refreshed many people's perceptions.

Even a documentary can get people hyped?!

It blew up every trending topic online, Sohu's membership numbers skyrocketed, and it even broke out overseas—already causing major stir abroad.

The odd pairing of a superstar with extreme sports fascinated many foreigners; many clip videos on foreign platforms have already surpassed a million views.

Even the overseas copyright for the documentary is nearly sold—Netflix is very interested and is currently enduring Sister Yanzi's "torture."

Sister Yanzi doesn't care about international or not—if you want to buy, she'll demand an outrageous price.

Even Red Bull can't complain, because although they covered all expenses, all rights belong to Bai Liang, and they still have to pay him an announcement fee—or rather, his salary.

Despite these "tyrant clauses," they signed the contract at lightning speed.

They're afraid Bai Liang will regret it.

Sister Yanzi even thinks the cost of making a top-tier superstar risk his life isn't enough—she's already planning to raise next year's endorsement fee even higher.

——

Bai Liang, caught red-handed by the media under these circumstances, clearly wouldn't be let off easily.

These people are always good at stirring trouble, but to start by asking Bai Liang his opinion on Wu Mofan and Yang Zi's battle for top billing? That's just too much.

It made him laugh, "What does their top-billing fight have to do with me? Am I supposed to be the dragonfly captain now?"

"We just want to hear your thoughts~" the reporters grinned, openly setting the trap.

Bai Liang: Xiao Shui! I see you! Did you set this up?

Xiao Shui, hiding among the crowd, felt a bit guilty—she'd just come out of boredom to join the fun~

The chief editor is at it again, ditching her duties to snatch reporters' jobs.

After exchanging glances with a familiar face for two seconds, Bai Liang thought for a moment, "Are you trying to get me to insult him? I don't insult people."

This amused the media even more—oh, you don't insult people?

Indeed, offline Bai Liang has never been exposed for any uncivil behavior; after all, his worst habit is just "spitting on the ground," something only the Misses know about.

But online? He has a dark past.

Not only did he team up with Lin Gengxin online to launch a high-intensity battle against trolls, this year he also made a blunt comment about Peng Yuchang.

Even though Sister Yanzi deleted it fast, everyone's screenshot speed was faster!

Given Bai Liang's habit, the media kindly offered: if you can't say it out loud, just type it for us.

Bai Liang: Naughty.

How did these media outlets gradually turn into this style? Where did your sharpness go?

"Sharpness" has arrived.

Since Bai Liang clearly had no interest in acting as dragonfly captain to mediate between Wu Mofan and Yang Zi, the media immediately pivoted to ask whether he was the top-billed actor in *Dear, Love You* and *You Are My Glory*.

Bai Liang: It should be me, but if they want it, I can give it to them.

Media: Really?

Bai Liang: Want to pinky-promise?

This quickly spread online, and a bunch of internet trolls urged Na Zha and Sister Reba to snatch Bai Liang's top billing.

After all, he said it—he can't go back on his word~

A real man's word is binding—four horses can't catch it!

This stirred up some of Na Zha's and Sister Reba's fans—they genuinely wanted to push their idols to claim the top billing.

Bai Liang is giving up top billing!

Though it sounds ridiculous, the fan circles actually take this seriously! Otherwise, why would Wu Mofan and Yang Zi even fight over it?

But the two girls didn't cooperate—they directly released the cast list, where Bai Liang was listed first, with no mention of tie.

However, their move accidentally backfired on Yang Zi.

Wu Mofan's fans immediately mocked them: Look at them!

Yang Zi's fans replied: Fine, fine, you started it, right? Big Immortal, come on!

Even combined, Na Zha and Sister Reba couldn't match the impact of Bai Liang single-handedly crushing Wu Mofan.

Yang Zi's fans were truly vicious—they used Bai Liang to attack Wu Mofan from every angle, painting him as utterly worthless.

They were almost ready to strip them both down and compare lengths.

The key point? Wu Mofan's fans couldn't effectively retaliate—after all, lies don't hurt, but truth is a sharp blade.

Behold! This is true, overwhelming top-tier flow!

Even though Bai Liang expressed no opinion on their top-billing fight and only casually mentioned his own side, the battle between both sides escalated several levels in intensity.

Of course, strictly speaking, this is the media's fault—they're the ones who love stirring trouble.

And finally, these people got to the point.

"Why did you take the role in *The Awakening Age*? I heard you're only third-billed?"

Discussing billing order in a serious drama really feels like cheating.

But this question must be asked.

The fan circles don't care about your excuses—how can a star of Bai Liang's caliber play a third-billed role? The momentum is already building!

Even Sister Yanzi was guarding against some situations online, keeping her vigilance up.

And the media could all basically guess what Bai Liang was going to say — nothing more than how meaningful this drama was, how good the script was, how impressive the co-stars were, and then elevate the tone a notch. That alone could shut a lot of people up.

Only this time, Bai Liang's answer was quite unexpected.

He didn't seem to think much about it, just tossed out casually:

"A drama needs actors, and I happen to be one."

——

Brothers, it's really not that I don't want to post more — I originally planned to write two more chapters, but I got stuck all night, and it took seven hours just to finish one chapter.

Really sorry about that.

(End of chapter)