Chapter 460: Can I Even Handle This?

You act freely only when you like someone, but love means restraint.

Han Han is a real menace!

Bai Liang first learned this phrase from his show "No Future Together," and unless something's off, Sister Tian Tian did too.

She was sleeping peacefully, then suddenly got all artsy with him—no telling what she'd imagined in her head.

After that~ nothing said, just relentless sucking.

Midway, she pitifully apologized to Bai Liang, leaving him utterly baffled.

Only after he reached out to feel things out did he understand what was going on.

Ah. Protected.

So her earlier behavior was just fishing?

This little miss has quite the grudge!

But she hadn't counted on Bai Liang being genuinely tenderhearted.

Even Big Mi Mi would've gotten the same treatment.

Bai Liang: The goddess of luck always stands on my side, averting what could've been a bloody disaster.

"So… you're really determined to stick to me like a bandage monkey?" Bai Liang, heading to the fridge for a drink, chuckled as Sister Tian Tian clung to him like a leech, her whole body draped over him.

Sister Tian Tian, voice hoarse, replied: "I'm a vine spirit—vine spirits cling to trees~"

No surprise—it's her. Even with a hoarse voice, her speech still carried that adorable cuteness.

Bai Liang didn't mind the weight on him at all—he treated it like light resistance training, especially since he couldn't sneak off to the hotel gym during quarantine.

But her clingy stickiness was initially a bit hard to adjust to.

This mode of living together nearly twenty-four hours a day, only briefly separating for nucleic acid tests, made Bai Liang feel like a smooth, pale face was always about to press against his own.

Her little mouth kissed him eight hundred times a day, like sucking on pudding.

But he had no choice—he even had to support her butt, since her thin arms couldn't really hold her weight.

He pulled a bottle of Zhen Guo Li from the fridge and saw it was packed solid with the stuff.

This was sent over yesterday by Meng Jie.

Five whole crates!

She didn't just buy this much—and she didn't just send it to Bai Liang.

Yesterday, Li Yitong complained to Bai Liang that she and her team had drunk so much of this milk they were about to throw up—all thanks to Meng Jie.

At least they drank it, instead of just buying it and dumping it.

The idol survival shows flow like water; the sponsors are the iron bedrock.

From 2018's "Idol Producer" to 2020's "Youth With You 2," the idol group survival trend had swept the country for three years.

Beyond the idol-fan girls who fueled their love with energy, the biggest enthusiasts of idol group survival shows were the sponsors.

Two years ago, "Idol Producer" exploded onto the scene, and with it, sponsorship fees soared—the exclusive sponsor, Nongfu Spring, saw sales surge five hundredfold during the program broadcast period.

Though 2019 saw a brief "Waterloo" for idol group survival shows due to policy constraints, the fan economy behind the idol market kept sponsors confident in this format.

This year, the number of sponsors for "Youth With You 2" hit an all-time high.

These people's scythes for harvesting fan money were brutally sharp—buying these drinks to get "milk cards" let fans vote for the girls.

But why call these fans leeks?

After so many survival shows—from mineral water to toothpaste to milk—these fans' money still hasn't been fully drained; new waves keep coming, endlessly harvestable.

No wonder they keep running these idol shows over and over again.

Bai Liang originally thought forwarding Meng Jie's Weibo was doing something harmful, fueling the frenzy.

But today, it seemed not.

Because his overwhelming top-tier "shameless" self had personally jumped in to help vote, his idle, bored fans suddenly found something to do.

Bai Liang rarely needed them to boost data, and lately there'd been no new works airing; under these special circumstances, they were even more bored than usual.

Give them a target, and they all rushed over to vote en masse.

Bai Liang's fan circle? It's still a fan circle!

To some extent, it wasn't any nobler than other idol fan circles.

He just didn't harvest the leeks—he had good manners, and his management was strict, so nothing bad ever happened.

At first glance, they looked like capybaras—harmless and sweet—but a fan circle is a fan circle; fundamentally, they're no different.

If these people truly decided to cause trouble, they'd be the biggest "dark force."

In a melodramatic sense, this was the dark force invading "Youth With You 2."

They completely disrupted the voting rhythm on the other side.

Watching the vote count skyrocket, the team behind Xiao Jiazi didn't even know whether to keep organizing fan voting—combined, the top contestants' fan bases couldn't match Bai Liang's single influence.

They were left staring, eyes wide open.

What the hell! 2D collapse?

Dimensional suppression?!

Aside from the marginal contestants still fighting for a debut spot, the top contenders aiming for first place instantly lost all motivation.

In a way, Bai Liang might've even saved these idol-fan girls some money.

Don't bother pooling money to buy Zhen Guo Li—keep your pocket money for yourself~

Zhen Guo Li: You're my damn uncle, Bai Liang!

This move apparently accidentally offended the show's sponsor—someone even passed on complaints.

It could only be complaints, since Bai Liang merely helped the contestants vote—he never told fans to stop buying Zhen Guo Li.

But it undeniably impacted their sales, something no one had anticipated.

After receiving the "protest," Sister Yanzi glanced at it and laughed.

A competitor's endorsement!

Her little Bai Ge also has endorsements for dairy drinks, and here's a free "strike against the competitor" service.

The sponsor of that show was unhappy, but our sponsor was very satisfied.

Look, this is the "commercial value" of a dominant top streamer—reverse commercial value, but still commercial value.

Next year's endorsement fee must go up again, and we welcome the competitors to offer even higher prices.

After happily negotiating with someone, Sister Yanzi wondered: was little Bai Ge doing this on purpose, or by accident?

Just forwarding a Weibo post to vote for Meng Jie—and yet it brought him benefits too.

"A pale yellow dress, fluffy hair."

"Just pretend it was a dream—I'm still moved when I wake up."

"."

After the live performance, the guest performer Sister Tian Tian bowed deeply, then remembered to open the Zhen Guo Li bottle she was using as a prop mic and took a sip.

My throat still isn't feeling well~

Bai Liang clapped enthusiastically, indicating she sang better than that Wu Moufan's ex-girlfriend.

This guy really has enough presence—even after stepping on the sewing machine, he still left behind this kind of "legacy."

"I think I could join a talent show too!" Sister Tian Tian jumped into Bai Liang's arms, skillfully found her spot, hung on him like a sloth, then proudly said.

"Then go join one~" Bai Liang encouraged with his teaching style.

"Everyone who joins these shows is a little girl."

What she meant by this was actually hoping Bai Liang would say, "You're a little girl too~," so she could pout and cuddle all over him.

But Bai Liang's mind clicked: "There actually are talent shows for women over thirty—Mango TV is launching one this year called 'Sisters Who Make Waves.' Have you heard of it? All the contestants are women thirty or older."

As soon as he said that, Sister Tian Tian panicked!

Women are like this: they can say themselves they're not little girls, but if you actually classify them as big sisters, they get upset.

"I know that show—it's just for faded artists with nothing else to do. Am I that obscure?!"

Sister Tian Tian slammed the table!

Because she was hanging on Bai Liang, her small hands couldn't reach the table, so she pounded fiercely on his shoulder instead.

To express her dissatisfaction—and to hint: rephrase that!

"True, you're too famous—you don't need to compete for these people's meals, and you can't outfight them anyway."

The first half pleased Sister Tian Tian; the second half—what do you mean "can't outfight them"?

Glaring~

Her facial expressions right now were getting more and more vivid, making Bai Liang laugh out loud.

This little thing—if she really went on 'Sisters Who Make Waves,' wouldn't she be kicked around like a soccer ball?

In fact, 'Sisters Who Make Waves' attracted massive attention from the moment it was proposed.

Unlike other shows, which usually only gain attention after airing, when breakout moments or contestants emerge.

Like Ah Kun from 'Idol Producer,' Yang Chaoyue from 'Create 101,' or now Xiao Jiazi Yu Shuxin from 'Youth With You 2.'

Contestants are just external force—the real masterpieces always begin at the proposal stage!

Pre-air hype? 'Sisters Who Make Waves' hasn't even been recorded yet—it's already hot!

Almost guaranteed to be the year's biggest variety show hit!

Gathering thirty female artists born before 1990 to re-debut through a group talent show—this concept completely shattered audience expectations.

Remember, these are thirty female stars!

This scale rivals Mango TV's New Year's Eve concert lineup.

And as the saying goes, three women make a play—what about thirty women?

How many women were in 'Little Fresh Girls 2'? It already produced so much drama—now they're going full super-plus version!

This show doesn't even need talent competitions—viewers will be thrilled just watching them fight.

"How come you're paying attention to this show? Is there a sister you know who's joining?"

Everyone says Sister Tian Tian is naive, but actually, she's quite sharp.

Her eyes widened like copper bells, shooting out flashes of shrewdness.

Hmm… he does know a young lady who's joining this show.

Jin Da Xi—she barely made it in, right on the age cutoff.

But Bai Liang spread his hands and gave his reason: "Because I'm joining this show."

"Huh? You're a guy—how are you joining? And you're not even thirty yet." Sister Tian Tian blinked in confusion.

Bai Liang: Just praised her for being smart

"Obviously, I'm the one sitting there watching."

"You're going to be a judge?!"

"Not exactly—I can't sing or dance. They call me a 'formation witness,' kind of like a mascot."

This show already had blockbuster potential before recording even began, and Mango TV clearly wanted to make it explode even more!

At the same time, they were genuinely worried these sisters might fight too badly on camera, making the situation impossible to control.

Although one of the main draws for viewers is precisely watching them fight.

But if it turned into another 'Little Fresh Girls 2' disaster, how would they handle the next season? Who'd dare join?

The solution: give these sisters a man.

It would likely trigger some wonderful chemical reaction.

And this person cannot be chosen lightly; first, they must be well-known.

If you pick some nobody, those sisters might not even take them seriously—you need someone who can command the room.

Just this one requirement means you can only look to top-tier male entertainers and A-list male stars.

But honestly, most A-list male stars wouldn't dare face such a lineup—so why not try Yang Yang? See if he's got the guts.

Second, their emotions must be stable; absolutely no bros or hot-tempered types—someone who can act as a lubricant and calming influence.

Ideally, they should also be extremely good-looking—this is easy to explain: just seeing that handsome face will make the sisters reluctant to lose their temper.

Finally, sponsorship!

As a relatively new format, even though it already has breakout potential, in this era of traffic, sponsors have been fooled too many times by all sorts of fake data.

To secure smoother early sponsorship and attract more brands from all sectors, you really need a contestant who can draw serious attention.

Add in a few other miscellaneous conditions.

After filtering all this, there aren't many male entertainers left in the entire industry who fit.

Huang Jiaozhu would be perfect, but his exes are everywhere—this show's female participant list isn't even finalized yet; who knows if one or two of his exes might pop up, and then just standing there would spark endless drama.

So when they found out Mango TV was also reaching out to Bai Liang, they promptly passed this "perfect job" over to him.

He humbly claimed he was getting older and wanted to live a few more years—he just couldn't handle it.

Bai Liang: I wonder if I can handle it?

At this moment, the "Sisters Who Make Waves" production team was already talking to Sister Yanzi, trying to squeeze out some of Bai Liang's schedule.

Actually, for a variety show with non-continuous filming, finding time to participate isn't a big problem.

Just accept it—it won't take much effort.

But Sister Yanzi was a little worried for her little Bai.

He's already like a succubus on a daily basis; sending him in front of a group of sisters feels like delivering takeout to their door.

Won't the sisters just be thrilled to death~?

Also, as of now, the confirmed participant list for "Sisters Who Make Waves" hasn't been finalized yet.

Sister Yanzi still couldn't forget how her little Bai once joined the "Stars and Seas Young Actors Program" and ended up triggering a flood of connected insiders.

If he has this kind of appeal to young people, what about those mature sisters?

His appeal might be even greater!

It feels like Mango TV is already thinking along these lines~

Using Bai Liang to "lure" in even bigger, more famous female entertainers.

And sure enough, right now, Sister Tian Tian has actually been tempted!

"You're really going to take this show? Then I'll talk it over with my team."

"Huh? Are you kidding?" Bai Liang stared blankly.

Sister Tian Tian bit her finger, "It sounds kind of fun—after all, you're in it."

Clearly, she had developed a path dependency on Bai Liang.

Whether it was suitable or whether she needed it—since Bai Liang was involved, she automatically wanted to cling to his leg.

"So are you dancing or singing?"

"Do I have to sing or dance?" Sister Tian Tian said firmly.

Bai Liang:???

If you're not singing or dancing, what are you doing on stage? Doing Yangko dance?

They stared at each other for several seconds; Sister Tian Tian lowered her head guiltily—though she'd once attended the Beijing Dance Academy, her skills had clearly deteriorated too much to be impressive anymore.

For now, Sister Yanzi's concerns still need to be watched for further developments.

But Mango TV's quiet scheming had already begun to take effect.

Although they hadn't yet "won over" Bai Liang, "rumors" could move ahead first.

Jin Da Xi, who had signed up early and possessed impressive talents, had gathered information from both sides.

Then she excitedly shared it all in the group chat.

"Big Immortal's joining 'Sisters Who Make Waves'! Girls, aren't you coming? Let's band together and take on those old ladies~"

This wasn't the first time Jin Da Xi had sought allies in the group.

Chen Yao and Meng Jie were too young—they couldn't team up with her, and neither had any stage talents.

Especially Meng Jie—even if she was truly thirty, stepping onto that stage would be pure humiliation.

But Li Xin and Li Yitong? They were perfect fits!

Both were born in 1990, the same year as Jin Da Xi, and "Sisters Who Make Waves"'s age cutoff was exactly 1990.

Plus, one was from the Beijing Dance Academy, the other studied Kunqu opera—both had real skills.

Previously, no matter how much Jin Da Xi tried to persuade them, they remained unmoved—they had no real need and weren't short on resources.

But now…

Li Xin: "Tell me more."

Li Yitong: "Jin Da Xi, are you lying to us? I'll go ask the fox right now—if this is fake, I'll chop you into eight pieces!"

Jin Cheng: "If I'm lying, I'll turn into a dog! He's already negotiating with Mango TV—I'd say it's 90% certain."

The group fell suddenly silent, but Jin Cheng was delighted.

Because these two would definitely check the facts and consult their teams.

Now, "Sisters Who Make Waves" was going to get really lively!

(End of Chapter)