Chapter 459: I Admit I Took a Gamble

The Xiao Zhan incident, strictly speaking, had little to do with Bai Liang, except for that "bullying" meme from the Starlight Awards.

But life is so coincidental, and this matter just happened to tie into "The Longest Day in Chang'an 2."

To be honest, there's still no solid news on "The Longest Day in Chang'an 2," and no one knows when it'll start filming.

After all, keeping the original cast requires careful coordination of everyone's schedules, and that's no easy task.

Especially after "The Longest Day in Chang'an," where the entire main cast ascended—main actors' schedules are now far tighter than before.

It's estimated they won't be able to film for at least the next two years.

But just because filming can't happen for now doesn't mean there aren't genius ideas floating around.

Xiao Zhan's film and TV contract was signed with New Li, and even his agent is a vice president there.

Under these circumstances, he's officially a Tencent-affiliated artist.

So, for some reason, some genius came up with the idea to target "The Longest Day in Chang'an 2."

Not to push Bai Liang out and replace him as Fan Xian.

Even if someone had the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard, they wouldn't dare do that—such a move would instantly collapse the project.

But a clear lead male role? Out of the question. What about the second male lead?

They phrased it nicely: "dual top-flow collaboration," "strongest meets strongest," Bai Liang still as lead, blah blah blah.

Since Bai Liang is the lead, having Xiao Zhan as second lead wouldn't cause much impact—his fans wouldn't riot.

Meanwhile, he'd get to ride the wave of the sequel to the drama king.

This would be a brilliant move to solidify his top-flow status, because right now, he only has "Eternal Love" to hold him up.

Plus, he's no outsider—he already appeared in the first season, so increasing his role in the second seems plausible at first glance.

The idea was quite good—it seemed to have all the right timing, geography, and human factors.

All it needed was Bai Liang's approval.

Initially, New Li and Xiao Zhan's team thought this wouldn't be hard.

After all, Bai Liang is famously easygoing, and he'd already set a precedent with "Sizhen."

He gave up top billing to Sister Tian Tian!

At Bai Liang's level, while he still acts on whim, every move he makes is closely watched by many.

This concession gave others the illusion: if Sister Tian Tian worked, maybe others could too.

Then Sister Yanzi burst out laughing.

Huh?

Changing the original absolute lead male into a dual lead?

Okay, okay, okay—should we also assign him an official love interest now?

Since it's adaptation anyway, I think Fan Ruoruo would be perfect—add a romance subplot? Let her kiss the lead directly, how about that?

Them: Yes yes yes!

Sister Yanzi: I'll kiss your mother's head!

I'm not acting anymore~ Whoever wants to play, go find Wang Yibo—let them keep their gay shenanigans in "The Longest Day in Chang'an 2."

Hey, don't even call it "The Longest Day in Chang'an 2" anymore—I just thought of a better title: how about "Eternal Love 2"?

This whole table-flipping, sarcastic outburst really shut them down.

Sister Yanzi's fiery temper is well-known in the industry, and many have privately mocked her.

They say Bai Liang's reputation has been "dragged down" by her.

But even after Sister Yanzi flipped the table, they didn't fully give up—everything's negotiable~

They confidently declared: "We'll offer you a deal you can't refuse!"

Sister Yanzi: Oh? What's the benefit? Tell me.

She was ready for them to make an outrageous demand—after all, this was all for Bai Liang's benefit, and if they truly wanted to push Xiao Zhan and were willing to bleed big,

Such fools shouldn't be left unexploited!

Then 227 happened.

Sister Yanzi instantly laughed—oh wow, this pile of shit—clean it up first before talking.

This time, she didn't need to throw a tantrum or flip the table—she just smiled sweetly at New Li's people.

"Still negotiating?"

New Li: Negotiate your hammer!

A flood of people had already flooded the relevant Weibo comments demanding Xiao Zhan be removed from playing Yan Bingyun.

As the most successful male-audience adaptation IP, it's literally a golden-egg-laying hen.

Whoever dares make this hen stop laying eggs, all stakeholders will tear apart the genius who came up with this idea.

"Ahem, Director Yan, let's talk about 'The Son-in-Law' instead—the production team is ready, let's try to start filming on schedule."

Sister Yanzi crossed her legs, said nothing, and began sipping tea.

She slowly finished the entire cup before saying: "Our little Bai is feeling slightly unwell lately."

After saying that, Sister Yanzi silently apologized to Bai Liang: Little Bai, I didn't mean to curse you~

At that moment, Bai Liang was also hydrating, then looked at Sister Tian Tian and extended his hand.

"Crying? Crying counts as rest time too."

"Aww, you're so annoying! Just let me rest a little longer, please."

Right now, Sister Tian Tian thought of how soon they'd leave Yunnan and head to Hengdian for a 14-day quarantine, and she felt doomed.

Fourteen days!

When she stepped out of the hotel, would she even be able to walk normally?

It seems they can't even get together at all.

As for why Bai Liang suddenly ramped up the intensity on her, it was mainly because she went and provoked him.

Seeing Bai Liang and Wang Churan interact more and more frequently, she deliberately said with a hint of jealousy: "You've got so much energy—why not direct some of it my way? I'm starving!"

Bai Liang:???

If provocation had tiers, this remark's damage was about average.

Where's average? What do you mean "starving"?!"

Even Bai Liang, with his gentle temper, admitted he simply couldn't take it anymore.

So Sister Tian Tian ended up suffering terribly.

She had always been used to Bai Liang's gentle, considerate ways, and had never truly experienced this violent mode.

She screamed and cried, wishing she could perform a spell to summon her menses for salvation.

She even felt that if she were truly a tree-spirit like Si Teng, she'd be shaken apart by now~

So then.

Wang Churan felt that Sister Tian Tian was acting strangely.

Since she joined the crew, the woman's attitude toward her had swung wildly.

At first, she seemed to dislike her a bit—which was normal enough; she assumed it was just because her beauty threatened Sister Tian Tian's status.

But after she got diarrhea, Sister Tian Tian suddenly became nicer to her, for no reason.

Then, after she was hospitalized from mushroom poisoning, the woman's attitude shifted again.

This sister was practically a spinning top, never still.

Now that Wang Churan's scenes were finished, she'd originally felt a bit reluctant—thinking she didn't know when she'd see Brother Dou Xiao Bai again, and that travel wouldn't be as convenient as before.

But then Sister Tian Tian suddenly became even more heartbroken than she was.

She clung to Wang Churan as if she couldn't bear to let her go—it was clear this wasn't faked.

If this were fake, she'd have already swept every Best Actress award in existence!

The raw sincerity left Wang Churan stunned.

For a moment, she felt embarrassed—after all, she'd pulled so many little tricks on set.

Finally, she couldn't help but sincerely say: "Sister Tian Tian, I'll never steal your clothes again."

Sister Tian Tian: Huh? Did your butt stretch out my pants? Then your ass must be pretty big. Whatever, that's not important—sister, are you going to Hengdian? Let's live together and quarantine together, okay?

Wang Churan: I'm going back to Shanghai.

In that moment, Sister Tian Tian's eyes seemed to lose all light, instantly dimming.

Oh no, she's really broken~

"Get up and get your throat swabbed."

"No no no!" Originally half-asleep, Sister Tian Tian jolted awake and waved her hands frantically.

"It's a nucleic acid test, Tian Tian."

"Huh?"

Once she realized what was happening, her face turned red—she'd fallen asleep on the car and gotten confused.

At that moment, some other crew members nearby looked at her oddly.

At least, she felt it was odd—she was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with her toes.

So humiliating!

When she finished the test and entered the hotel, she stared longingly at Bai Liang.

As if to say: I've had my throat stabbed—can't you use something gentler?

Bai Liang: Is that even a thing?

Sister Tian Tian: Yes yes! The staff's hands were so rough and forceful just now—I'm injured!

If not for her lingering sense of dignity, she'd have opened her mouth wide to show off her "injured" throat.

Ah~ Merciful Bodhisattva of Menses!

In an instant, she came back to life!

Still, after she happily took a bath and put on a pad, she said nothing.

Of course, there was nothing to announce about it—mainly, she didn't tell Bai Liang.

She planned to wait until he came to bed, not tell him yet, then sneakily scare him half to death when he felt it!

Make him suffer a little for how hard he's been pushing these past two days~

If he behaved well and "begged" her, she might consider helping him another way.

Otherwise, he could just hold it~

Of course, Sister Tian Tian unconsciously ignored the possibility that Bai Liang might choose to fight through the blood—deep down, she simply knew he wouldn't.

After setting up this prank, she sat happily on the sofa, waiting.

Soon, the pleasant beep of the door unlocking reached her ears.

"You're here~"

"Mm, why are you still watching TV? Aren't you tired from the journey?"

"I just want to watch a bit more," Sister Tian Tian hummed, her big eyes flickering mischievously.

Bai Liang didn't think much of it—he was sharp-minded, but he rarely needed to use that sharpness against someone so close to him.

Sitting beside Sister Tian Tian, he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her feet. "Is your room's heating not working well? Your feet are freezing."

"It's fine," Sister Tian Tian said, slightly guilty—her cold feet were actually a physical sign of her menses arriving.

But seeing that Bai Liang didn't suspect a thing, and was instead warming her feet for her, she sighed in relief—and her heart warmed too.

As for whether to play a trick on them again—yes, absolutely!

She was utterly miserable just the other day! She must be repaid in kind!

So Sister Tian Tian snuggled tightly into Bai Liang's arms, pressing her head against his chin, sighed comfortably, then her little hands began to wander.

But at that moment, Bai Liang's attention was drawn to the TV program.

Hey~ isn't that Meng Jie's little clip friend?

The camera happened to focus on her, and she opened her mouth with:

"Wow!"

Overacted, exaggerated—but strangely magnetic.

Bai Liang had seen her once or twice before; besides calling her a "clip spirit," his main impression was how she defended Meng Jie online whenever Meng Jie was criticized.

Then both of them got scolded together~

When netizens told Meng Jie to leave the entertainment industry, they also yelled at her: "Birds of a feather—you think you're any better? You leave too."

Definitely a pair of scolded sister-friends, but both had surprisingly strong stress tolerance.

The program currently on TV was called "Youth With You 2." Besides Yu Yu Shuxin, Bai Liang also saw Ah Kun sitting on the mentor panel—and immediately sat up straight.

Not bad, Ah Kun! Two years ago he was still a trainee, just halfway through two and a half years of training—and now he's a mentor!

In addition, Lisa, a member of the Blackpink group whom Bai Liang had met backstage at the Korean award ceremony, was also a mentor on this show.

When he saw her on screen, Bai Liang was puzzled—where had the Korea ban gone?

Then it suddenly clicked—she was Thai, the one who said "Sawasdee ka."

At that moment, Bai Liang thought for a moment, opened his phone, went to Meng Jie's Weibo, and found she was indeed actively promoting her little sister's votes.

He casually gave it a like.

He had no idea how idle Meng Jie was right now, but barely ten seconds after he liked her Weibo, her WeChat message arrived.

She sent over several emoji packs.

All of them were cute, pitiful, babyish types.

Bai Liang: "What's this for?"

Meng Jie: "Hehe, hehe~"

Bai Liang: "Speak up already, I'm going to sleep."

After sending that message, Bai Liang felt Sister Tian Tian's little claws nearly digging into his anus—he slapped her lightly, signaling her to stop acting crazy.

But she got annoyed, pulled her hand back, then rammed her head into his chest repeatedly, looking like she wanted to kill him.

So Bai Liang pressed his hand against her head, ready to shove her down—when he noticed Sister Tian Tian had already lowered herself voluntarily.

Huh?

She had just been saying something earlier—

Then he remembered Meng Jie on the other end of the phone, checked WeChat, and found she had sent him several messages in a row.

"Little hedgehog, can you… repost my Weibo?"

"You already liked it—you're so popular! Your fans came crawling the moment you liked it."

"You've met Yu Yu Shuxin too—she's your fan, always calling you 'godlike' and 'godlike.'"

"Please~"

"Where are you? Where are you?"

"."

Holy cow—did she use voice-to-text, or is her typing speed really that fast?

Bai Liang didn't even take his eyes off his phone screen for long.

For Meng Jie's pitiful little request, he didn't think twice—he opened her Weibo again, reposted it, and added: "Helping the little girl get votes."

As soon as he posted it, he scrolled down and saw a flood of new comments.

It felt like these people lived on Weibo.

"Why did the Great Immortal suddenly start promoting that little clip? Are you two dating?"

"Tired of fine cuisine and craving some wild greens? Great Immortal, listen to me—she's too clip-y, you can't handle her."

"Don't make stuff up, he's just reposting Meng Jie's Weibo—he's clearly a middleman."

"Meng Jie still has the clout! No wonder she outclasses her peers—Little Great Immortal, just wave and he comes running."

"Just spoil her—you've finally revealed it: Meng Jie is the real one who controls the Great Immortal. If she hadn't been so obscure before, I'd doubt those two new Jiang girls even existed."

"It's just a talent show—Great Immortal, why are you getting involved? How can they compete fairly? Unfair! Re-do it!"

"Vote! Vote! Go! Make sure she tops the chart—otherwise, where's the Great Immortal's face?"

"She's already number one."

"Then keep pushing! If she doesn't get double or triple the votes of number two, where's the Great Immortal's face?"

"."

As soon as Bai Liang posted that Weibo, Meng Jie's message came instantly.

Clearly, she'd been watching him like a hawk.

"Little hedgehog, you're the best! Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah~"

Then she sent a selfie—wearing a sheer nightgown, showing cleavage, biting her lip.

Bai Liang's eyesight was excellent—he even caught a glimpse of something that absolutely shouldn't appear in a normal sexy photo.

This was clearly a photo Meng Jie took on the spot, excitedly.

Oh no?

Bai Liang was just about to say such photos shouldn't be taken—what if they accidentally leaked—

"You definitely won't show it to anyone else, right? I won't retract it then."

This tone revealed a naive trust.

Meng Jie: I admit I was gambling.

Fortunately, Bai Liang wouldn't let her lose.

He glanced at the photo two more times, then deleted the message history on his end.

The super brain is more useful than any storage device, and absolutely secure.

As soon as he put down his phone, the vine spirit "Si Teng" wrapped around him.

"You just shivered. Why?"

Bai Liang: Because I saw Meng Jie's private photo.

But that excuse couldn't be used.

Just as he was making one up, Sister Tian Tian suddenly yawned, "So sleepy… let's sleep~"

Huh?

Bai Liang glanced at his current state, then at Sister Tian Tian, who looked half-asleep. "Fine."

This surprised Sister Tian Tian—was he serious?

Hypocritical bastard. Let's see if you can hold out.

Bai Liang carried her into the bedroom, laid her down, and turned off the light.

"Good night."

Two minutes later, Sister Tian Tian couldn't hold back anymore, "You weren't like this two days ago~"

"That was you provoking me. Now I regret it. Still hurts, right? Get some rest. Just recover a little."

"Then what about you?"

"This isn't some exotic love potion—it won't kill you~"

Sister Tian Tian froze for about half a minute.

Finally, she buried her head in Bai Liang's arms, bit him lightly on the skin, leaving a faint tooth mark.

She suddenly remembered a saying:

Love makes you bold, but true affection is restraint.

(End of Chapter)