Chapter 433: I Don

Meng Jie's here—clear skies have arrived!

As the girls gathered and began trading barbs, a tense, explosive atmosphere spread—aside from Bai Liang, the storm's epicenter, hardly anyone dared approach.

Even Ase and Xi Zi Ge didn't dare go over to greet him; they could only wait until the girls calmed down before approaching Bai Liang.

Of course, they'd already prepared to break up the fight.

If it actually came to blows, each of them could grab one and physically separate them.

Of course, before pulling them apart, they'd better decide who grabs whom, so it doesn't turn into a mess.

The guys were still picking roles~

Then Ase blurted out he wanted the oldest one.

The oldest one seems to be Chen Duling.

Xi Zi Ge and the others looked at him like he was a ghost: Dude, are you serious?

We were just joking~

Pick? Pick a pile of shit! You actually picked one?

Ase: No one's allowed to tell anyone!

Fortunately, at this moment.

A thunderous crack split the sky—Meng Jie made a dazzling entrance!

As the one whose seniority towered over everyone present, Meng Jie's words still carried real weight.

But her arrival wasn't dramatic or imposing.

Instead, she swayed and bobbed, looking adorably odd.

Her little mouth chattered away, as if chatting with Jin Cheng; when something amused her, she covered her mouth and giggled, her apple cheeks plumping up.

Wherever she went, everyone naturally greeted her politely, paying their respects.

"Meng Jie~"

"Meng Jie's here."

"Meng Jie, good day~"

"."

Good good good, you're all good! Have you eaten?

Meng Jie couldn't help winking and grinning: "Wow! Da Xi, did you see that? Our popularity!"

Jin Cheng: "Meng Jie, mighty! Meng Jie, auspicious! Meng Jie, tough as nails!"

Meng Jie felt a bit embarrassed; shyly, she even said: "You're not bad either~"

Hearing this, Jin Cheng nearly burst out laughing.

Only she could say something like that—anyone else would sound like they were provoking or picking a fight.

Just as she was about to tease her, Jin Cheng suddenly spotted the "battle zone" ahead.

"Meng Jie, something's up!"

Huh?!

After a dazed glance, Meng Jie said: "Wow, so lively! Let's go too~"

Lively?

Where there's a commotion, Meng Jie will definitely join.

She marched over enthusiastically, looking like: "I wanna hear what you're talking about—take me along!"

Though Jin Cheng's alarm bells were ringing wildly, Meng Jie moved too fast—she couldn't even grab her—so she had no choice but to follow along.

Don't you see something's off about this scene?!

The first two to catch their eyes were Chen Duling and Liu Haocun, who were trading sharp remarks back and forth.

"Sister is so amazing~ Last time we met, Xiao Bai said they wouldn't consider you for the role, yet you still landed it—any secret tips? Can you teach me?"

"You're so smart, why would you need someone else to teach you? I could never think of waiting outside for someone to show up."

"I can only think of asking Xiao Bai for advice—that's such a dumb way. Unlike you, sister, you're a top student, your IQ is way higher than us artsy types—it's like dimension-shattering dominance."

"It's not that extreme, maybe just a bit higher than you, enough to get by—but your talent's better than mine. Do you think your talent's the highest here?"

"Hmm, why wouldn't it be?"

"."

Awesome!

After hearing just a few lines, Jin Cheng felt like running away.

One's a white lotus, the other's a green tea—these two don't leave an inch of room!

Are little sisters this ruthless now?

Liu Haocun's hidden meaning in her opening remark was to pit Chen Duling against all the other arts students.

Calling her "sister" every time was a subtle jab at her age.

Chen Duling didn't let the little green tea off the hook either, retorting that she was manipulative and scheming.

Then she went further: I'm just smarter than you—so what?

But Liu Haocun was just as ruthless: You're smart? I'm more talented—I admit it, so what?! Don't you know how valuable the new generation of "Mou Nü Lang" is, bookworm?

At this point, Jin Cheng thought these two were truly about to come to blows.

But when she turned to look at Meng Jie, she froze.

Meng Jie hadn't sensed anything was wrong—she just walked right in and added: "I think I'm pretty smart too, and my talent's pretty good!"

Chen Duling:???

Liu Haocun:

Where did you even come from? Do you even know what we're doing before you jump in?

But bloodline matters—look, they're already using "you" honorifically.

Thanks to Meng Jie's interruption, both of their rhythms were shattered—where were we just now?

Meng Jie kindly reminds: I'm also very smart~

Both: Get lost!

There was no way she'd leave—right then, Meng Jie's attention was drawn to Zhou Ye and Zhang Jingyi beside her.

Zhang Jingyi seemed slightly flustered by the red-faced puppy, even considering bumping her forehead against Zhou Ye to amuse Meng Jie.

"Are you two about to sneak a kiss?"

"Sorry sorry, keep going!" Jin Cheng was sweating—these two really looked like they were about to fight! And Meng Jie was still goading them.

But her remark was oddly apt—the two girls' foreheads were nearly touching, so close together, they really did look like they'd kiss any second.

Of course, after Meng Jie said that, the two instantly pulled apart.

Without close-quarters grappling, Zhang Jingyi was clearly at a disadvantage against the sour-faced puppy.

That cold, arrogant face of hers, paired with a look of utter contempt, made her feel slightly overwhelmed.

This was the advantage of looks—some people, just by standing there, naturally radiated a few degrees more presence.

At this moment, even if Zhou Ye said nothing, her face seemed to convey one message: I'm bullying you right now!

But the next second, she cracked.

Because Meng Jie called out to her while waving her over: "Dou Xiao Ye, Dou Xiao Ye."

"Oh my, what are you doing, Meng Jie~"

Zhou Ye wanted to stomp her foot—she was finally about to win.

But then she thought: even if I won, I couldn't think of any new insults to humiliate her anyway—all the words were already used up.

Wasn't this, then, Meng Jie giving her a graceful exit?

So she instantly turned into a happy little puppy, beaming as she spun around to find Meng Jie; nearby, people faintly heard Meng Jie asking her: "Do you like playing mahjong?"

After Meng Jie disrupted the two main "battlefields," the girls suddenly found they couldn't continue fighting at all.

Meng Jie, the chaos-bringer.

She's something else~ How does her brain even work?

Meanwhile, what was Bai Liang doing while the girls were fighting?

He was playing the role of "discipline director."

Li Gengxi chewed gum helplessly; her pack of Hua Zi had already been "confiscated."

More accurately, it had been stolen.

Damn it! Fine, don't act with me—but now you steal my cigarettes? One piece of gum for a whole unopened pack of Hua Zi, only two puffs taken—I'm totally ripped off.

As for where the gum came from~

That's thanks to Miss Yanzi, who refuses to reveal her name.

But Li Gengxi didn't hold any grudge against Bai Liang—even the strongest resource queen in the entertainment industry was still just a girl.

Just one smile from him made her heart flutter.

She obediently handed over the cigarettes.

"Big brother, why did you take her cigarettes?"

Bai Liang, inspecting his "loot," replied offhandedly: "Because a girl doesn't like the smell of smoke."

Zhang Ruonan's face flushed slightly; inside, she couldn't help thinking: Me? Actually, I don't mind much~

She insisted she wasn't that picky.

But—

Big brother, you're so good at flirting! Who could handle this? Even Miss Yanzi would flash a red light.

Bai Liang: Does Miss Yanzi even have a light?

At that moment, he realized the girls had suddenly fallen silent.

Each looked harmonious and friendly, smiling warmly—no trace left of their earlier fierce confrontation.

Now everyone had arrived, they redistributed their positions and rehearsed the song once more.

This was the opening act of the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony—a formal kickoff.

But this time, they couldn't fight over positions like last time.

Meng Jie's reputation in the entertainment world was useless now—she had to stand at the back.

Bai Liang stood center stage, Liu Haoran and Zhou Dongyu flanking him, one on each side.

Zhou Dongyu's expression looked strange.

Understandable—she'd watched this whole drama unfold. These girls were tearing each other apart over a role—new grudges and old ones exploding on the spot. But had anyone considered: this role was originally hers!

She was the one who should be furious, the one who should be screaming and fighting back~

Why are you all jumping around like this?

Bai Liang: Huh? Are you fighting me?

Though Sister Yanzi was the one who snatched the female lead role, Bai Liang insisted he wasn't the type to shift blame.

If Sister Yanzi did it, then he did it; if Sister Yanzi flew boldly, he'd carry the blame.

If you're upset, come at me—no problem~

Zhou Dongyu: Goodbye~

Thinking of the rumors swirling through the entertainment industry—that two top idols had both fallen because of Bai Liang—she suddenly felt he'd been rather gentle with her.

He'd merely taken away one role—minimum damage, at least.

As he was thinking, Zhou Dongyu snuck a glance at Bai Liang, and somehow managed to squeeze out a smile, then nodded at him.

This behavior left Bai Liang completely baffled.

What does this mean? Don't we have a grudge? Stockholm syndrome?

Besides, Liu Haoran had been quietly watching him the whole time. Liu should currently be in a relationship with Zhou Dongyu, and there was a faint hint of hostility in his eyes.

But Bai Liang didn't really mind. No problem—if the young man had that much courage, let him try. Trying wouldn't get anyone pregnant.

However, Zhou Dongyu's sudden show of goodwill at this moment left Bai Liang bewildered, and also left Liu Haoran a bit at a loss.

The gaze that had been somewhat stubborn and defiant instantly fell into disarray.

When is a battle the hardest to fight?

When the soldier doesn't know what he's fighting for.

Looking left, looking right, Bai Liang felt the two people beside him were getting stranger and stranger.

He didn't know what to say either, so he simply said: "Wishing you two a hundred years of harmony and many children soon."

"Huh?" Liu Haoran was stunned, then looked a bit embarrassed—did you really see through it?

But Zhou Dongyu reacted at lightning speed: "You've got the wrong idea."

Her reaction was fast, but Liu Haoran next to her was about to shatter!

There's a kind of beauty in dating someone who, after getting together, refuses to make it public on social media.

Seeing this guy was so fragile, Bai Liang actually gave him a little suggestion: how about the two of you stand together.

Doing a good deed for others~ Bai Liang said he could give up the middle spot for Liu Haoran to stand in.

Liu Haoran: Holy shit, bro, you—

How to put it, there was a feeling he couldn't quite describe. Thinking about how he had actually glared at him just now, Liu Haoran himself felt a bit embarrassed.

This guy really is a good person!

So... it really was Zhou Dongyu who did something wrong before~

Doing wrong deserves punishment, and accepting the consequences.

Seeing that Bai Liang had actually stepped aside, ready to swap with him, and wasn't just talking big, Liu Haoran sincerely called out "Brother Liang."

And expressed hope that they could work together in the future.

Bai Liang: You two aren't fucking trying to get me to act in "Only the River Flows"? Repaying kindness with hatred?!

But before their unauthorized swapping of positions could succeed, they were stopped by the Golden Rooster Awards organizers and the Movie Channel people.

No way, only Bai Liang can stand in the C-position, everyone else get lost.

Kid, he dares to let you, and you really dare to stand there?

Liu Haoran was dumbfounded, and quickly came up with an idea: he went and swapped positions with Chen Duling, who was next to Zhou Dongyu.

This time, the organizers didn't raise any objections.

Apart from the C-position, you can swap however you want.

Originally Chen Duling didn't really have the standing to be this far forward, but who made her the female lead of Bai Liang's next film.

Even though the film hasn't been released yet, her star power has already risen.

But she didn't expect that Bai Liang had done something to Liu Haoran that made the other guy actually give up the spot next to the C-position.

Could it be that he unleashed a wave of tiger's might, his kingly aura manifesting, and the other fell prostrate in submission?

As expected of senior!

Zhou Dongyu looked at Liu Haoran, who was now standing beside her but in a spot farther from the C-position, and felt a bit helpless inside.

Dummy, you really know how to come up with ideas!

But things had come to this, so she could only smile at him, treating it as a reward for him coming to stand beside her.

Just one smile, and Liu Haoran felt both shy and pleased, and was even more grateful to Bai Liang.

Bai Liang: Hey, he's even thanking us~

But isn't Zhou Dongyu a bit too "stingy," only giving this much as a reward?

Bai Liang also got a reward, but Dulu classmate was way more sincere than Zhou Dongyu.

During the rehearsal break, Meng Jie suddenly noticed that the little hedgehog who had been in her line of sight the whole time had suddenly disappeared.

Huh? Where'd he run off to?

A normal person would probably just find it strange and leave it at that, but Meng Jie had a wildly unconventional train of thought along with very strong execution skills.

Go find him~

She wandered around the venue for a big circle, but still couldn't find where Bai Liang was.

She even checked the restroom.

The restroom here wasn't the kind separated by gender, but more like little cubicles in a bar, each one individual, usable by both men and women. At this moment only one cubicle had someone inside.

But Zhou Ye, who was washing his hands there, told her that Chen Duling was inside using the toilet.

As for Brother Bai, she didn't know, hadn't seen him, he wasn't around here anyway.

"That's so weird, where did he run off to? I wandered around inside for a whole big circle." Meng Jie said, frowning.

If she had observed carefully, she would have noticed that Zhou Ye's expression was also quite strange.

Before she arrived, he had been muttering and cursing under his breath.

But at this moment, Zhou Ye held it in for a long time, and finally squeezed out a guess: "I saw Li Gengxi give Brother a pack of cigarettes earlier, did he go out to smoke?"

Smoke? Since when did he pick up this bad habit?

Meng Jie's little head was full of question marks.

But she suddenly remembered that she had complained to Bai Liang about something before—she didn't like the smell of smoke.

No wonder he's hiding from her~

Hey, case solved!

"That Li Gengxi actually smokes! I never would have guessed~ How old is she even?" After giving up on the idea of looking for Bai Liang, Meng Jie instantly switched into gossip mode, cheerfully discussing it with Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye spread her little hands: "Born after 2000, I guess. Either way, she's not even twenty. There are plenty of female celebrities in showbiz who smoke. You know that Zhang Jingyi's boss Zhou Xun, right? He's a total old chain-smoker~"

"Seems like I've heard of him. Hey, that Wang Yuan from the Three Little Ones, he was photographed smoking some Furong Wang before, right? Wonder if the other two smoke too."

"."

The two of them were outside whispering and gossiping, while inside, Bai Liang looked down at Chen Duling, whose cheeks were puffed out and who couldn't speak, and couldn't help but admire her mental fortitude.

In this kind of situation, she wasn't panicking at all.

Even though they were out there looking for him, this young lady's actions only paused for a moment.

Still "keeping her lips sealed."

But Bai Liang found it strange inside—how did her proficiency shoot up so much?

Dudu: Senior, I've told you before, I've always been a top student since I was little.

In every aspect!

Bai Liang: Really? Then dance for me~

Faced with this kind of difficulty, the little bunny showed her buck teeth, indicating that this thing was quite sharp when gnawing on carrots.

So Bai Liang wisely backed down and admitted that she really was a top student.

Before coming out of the bathroom, he had roughly figured out how the top student practiced after school.

After learning it was done with props, he decided to send her the purchase link for the evil little kitty.

"Let me explain first, this thing wasn't made by me."

"Senior, I get it. A workman must first sharpen his tools! I-I'll use it well, and I'll definitely make more progress later!" The little bunny top student said, a bit shy but firmly.

Then~

She had just come out without even having time to rinse her mouth when Zhou Ye pounced on her with questions: "What good stuff? I want some too!"

Chen Duling: Do you even know what it is and you already want it?

Zhou Ye: I kept lookout for you! And I even helped you lie to Meng Jie!

Chen Duling: I'll send you a copy!

Bai Liang didn't know what kind of deal or secret the two of them had, because he had his own trouble.

Meng Jie: "Little hedgehog, lend me a lighter."

"If I don't smoke, where would the cigarettes come from?" Bai Liang said, doing a teddy-bear shrug.

"Caught you!"

This pack of Zhonghua that Li Gengxi bought was swiped by Bai Liang, and in the end ended up in Meng Jie's hands.

She said smoking was harmful to health, and hoped Bai Liang wouldn't pick up this bad habit.

As for this pack of cigarettes—don't waste it either, she'd take it home for her dad to smoke.

This pack of Zhonghua has really been through the wringer. A pack of Zhonghua's wondrous drift?

Of course, Meng Jie said if Bai Liang still wanted to smoke, then he should smoke something better!

Zhonghua isn't high enough grade, smoking it makes you cough!

As for what counts as high enough grade, Meng Jie said she could steal a few cartons from her dad for Bai Liang.

There are so many anyway, sneaking a few wouldn't be noticed.

(End of chapter)