Chapter 470

"Little watermelon~"

"Yes!"

Good, very energetic!

Watching Dou Xiao Tian slam to a stop, then immediately perform a little cat salute right there, chest puffed out and head held high, Bai Liang couldn't help but smile.

This little thing, when not too dark, is actually kind of fun~

Especially that backward little cat salute—no one knows how she came up with it, but Bai Liang absolutely loves watching it.

Of course, even cuter than Dou Xiao Tian's little cat salute is when she and Li Yitong perform it in perfect sync.

They've gotten really good at it now; not identical, but definitely good enough to pilot a cat mech in Pacific Rim without any issues.

"Go tell the director for me—I need to take one extra day off for this recording."

After Dou Xiao Tian dashed up to him with a clatter, Bai Liang gave her this day's "daily task."

He'd even made an effort—not using words like "trouble," "please," or "thank you."

Because if he did, Dou Xiao Tian would get "upset."

Instantly turn into a dark little puppy and give him the cold shoulder.

Honestly, Bai Liang thought this wasn't great—it was easy to get addicted. Mainly because he was already a little hooked.

Previously, he'd just had Dou Xiao Tian fetch things, hand him teacups—just for a bit of amusement.

Mostly, the real goal was to tease Li Yitong.

Every time Bai Liang ordered Dou Xiao Tian around, Li Yitong would get flustered, pout, and chatter at him.

Sometimes she couldn't help but elbow him~

But the more she reacted, the more he couldn't resist teasing her. Bai Liang was mostly gentle, but occasionally liked to be a little brat.

Often occasionally.

But now, playing around like this, he felt like he was losing control.

These days, whenever something needed doing on set, Bai Liang's first instinct was to send Dou Xiao Tian.

People who didn't know might think she was his assistant.

The key is, assistants do work and get paid—but Dou Xiao Tian didn't take a single cent, and even gave him emotional value in return. Little cat salute!

But today, Dou Xiao Tian didn't immediately obey like she had the past few days—she asked first: "Big brother, why are you taking an extra day off?"

Bai Liang answered honestly: "To fulfill a small promise."

The reason sounded vague—like something was said, yet nothing at all.

But Dou Xiao Tian acted like she understood, and dashed off at full speed to find the director.

Director Deng Ke had no objections; before filming began, Bai Liang had already warned him he'd likely take many days off, so they'd prepared accordingly.

This time, he's just taking a day off to record Lang Jie; later, when You Are My Glory enters promotion, he'll go on shows with Re Ba to promote it.

At first glance, it seems like a lot, but really, it's manageable.

At least Bai Liang isn't taking days off to do some damn commercial gigs.

Still, the director was curious: what's the point of taking one extra day off?

Bai Liang: To see cherry blossoms at Wuhan University.

Director: Are there still cherry blossoms left?

Bai Liang: Probably still a little left~

Director: Oh~ Makes sense. By the way, Liang Ge, the two female artists you promised to invite as guests?

Bai Liang: They'll come right after I see the cherry blossoms.

Li Yitong: I advise you two bastards to stop it already!

Their exchange wasn't face-to-face—it was all done through Dou Xiao Tian running back and forth, leaving the little girl sweating.

Even though Dou Xiao Tian looked full of energy, it broke her sister's heart!

The director was busy right now, so you could kind of understand.

But Bai Liang was just lying there lazily resting—couldn't he just move his "precious" butt over to talk to the director himself?

So the evil little cat glared fiercely!

But she was soon dragged off to try on costumes, and could only issue another "warning" to Bai Liang: Don't keep ordering Dou Xiao Tian around like this!

Bai Liang: Well, why not ask her what she wants?

At that moment, Dou Xiao Tian returned beaming, declaring the task completed perfectly~

Then she looked at Bai Liang with quiet anticipation.

When she saw him pull out a small biscuit, her happiness became fully tangible.

Bai Liang: Oh no, oh no—how am I going to explain this when Meng Jie and the others come to guest star?

Add in an evil little cat stirring things up, and it might turn into a full-blown "denunciation" of Bai Liang.

The extra day off he took? Of course, it's to take Meng Jie to see the cherry blossoms~

It was a promise he made to her last year.

After seeing the cherry blossoms, Meng Jie and her little friend will come to the Zui Xu set to guest-star as Yuan Jiner and Nie Yunzhu.

She's going to play a courtesan again!

Honestly, in this lane, Meng Jie really has it nailed.

As long as she doesn't unconsciously slip into that clueless, dopey expression while acting, after being Beijing's most popular courtesan, she'll be crowned Jin Ling's top courtesan once more.

With more roles like this, she might even get her own dedicated film clip by some video editors titled "Memoirs of a Geisha."

While Bai Liang was taking his day off, Meng Jie was already packing her bags.

"Sunglasses! Must bring sunglasses. Also, pack several masks. Ah, too bad it's getting warmer now—if it were colder, I could wrap a scarf and no one would recognize me."

Listening to Meng Jie chatter on, her assistant couldn't help asking, "Sis, there's no cherry blossoms left in Wuhan by now, right?"

At this, Meng Jie paused slightly, but her cheerful tone didn't change, and she added hopefully, "Maybe some stragglers are still around? You never know~"

"Stragglers of nature?"

The assistant shook her head helplessly but said nothing, instead helping Meng Jie pick out clothes.

Still, during the clothing selection, she couldn't resist adding, "You're all covered up so tightly—why even take photos?"

"I don't know~ I think I'll have to take pictures with a mask on."

This time, Meng Jie was genuinely a little disappointed, but given her status as an artist, there was nothing she could do.

Suddenly, she missed the time when she and Bai Liang had just met.

Back then, they could stroll freely along Shanghai's Bund.

Laughable—no one recognized them at all; no disguise needed.

People just thought: handsome guy, beautiful girl!

They could even bring her mom, Sister Qian Jie, along.

Now? Going on a date feels like stealing.

Of course, Meng Jie, who had once walked the path of being hated yet famous, knew that to gain something, you must pay a price.

And the price wasn't hard to accept~

After Bai Liang became famous, their "dates" were almost entirely confined to hotel rooms—though occasionally elsewhere.

But if you summed up what they did together, it was simply: sweating, over and over.

Everyone suddenly went from all kinds of people to… lustful people~

Not bad~ At least because Bai Liang had endless stamina, most of their time in the hotel was very fulfilling.

"Meng Jie, why is your face red?"

"You're mistaken!" Blushing, Meng Jie pursed her lips, wondering: could this turn into a Wuhan hotel day trip?

Actually, that'd be fine too.

Meng Jie tilted her head, thought for a moment, then decided not to think anymore—she just called Bai Liang directly.

Bai Liang: We're not staying overnight in Wuhan.

As for Meng Jie's annoyance about sneaking around on dates—that wasn't unsolvable.

Bai Liang used his super brain, then cheerfully asked Sister Yanzi if she had any ideas.

Sister Yanzi:.

For such an "unreasonable" request from her little Bai brother, Sister Yanzi replied: What could she do? Of course, figure out a way.

After pondering for a while, she picked up the phone and contacted an "advertising crew."

Meanwhile, Wuhan University students out shopping on campus suddenly noticed that several cherry trees, which had remained silent throughout peak bloom and were thought to be sick, had now entered early bloom—ready to burst open at any moment.

What a perfect "straggler of nature!"

—

At this point, "Sisters Who Make Waves" had already recorded up to the end of the second public performance ranking match; after the second round of eliminations, the twenty sisters formed four five-member teams for competition.

They were challenged to perform genres including guofeng, anime, and musical theater, with dance styles for the first time attempting the youthful "anime idol dance."

In addition to increased stage difficulty, this performance introduced a new "bonus round"—the Arena of Team Specialists.

Honestly, the pressure on the sisters was enormous!

They were nearly out of energy for drama and palace intrigue.

Or rather, many sisters who had focused on such things had already been "eliminated."

Those still remaining were mostly the ones with strong willpower.

Even if they fought backstage, it wouldn't affect their performances.

Whatever happened offstage didn't matter—but none wanted to embarrass themselves onstage.

Dou Xiao Ai and Jin Da Xi had torn each other apart, yet their performances ranked among the top ten among all the sisters.

No one wanted to watch weaklings brawling; only battles between strong opponents were truly interesting.

Still, Jin Da Xi felt melancholy.

Oh no~ Now I really have to face off against Tang Shiyi.

The production team is so cruel!

She had finally escaped being paired with Zhang Tian'ai, no longer having to see that annoying face during rehearsals.

Then the production team added this "individual specialist showdown" segment.

Clearly, Jin Da Xi had been chosen as the "specialist"—technically a great opportunity for exposure and traffic; at first, she was quite happy.

But the moment she thought about facing off against that terrifyingly gifted dance prodigy, sweat poured down her.

Her opponent also included Wang Xinling, who chose to perform the idol dance—a choice Jin Da Xi envied deeply; it was her exact lane, and it even avoided some professional competition.

Still, remembering that Zhang Tian'ai wasn't even chosen as a "specialist," Jin Da Xi couldn't help but smirk slightly amid her melancholy.

Even if I might get utterly crushed, I'm still way better off than you, who didn't even get the chance.

Zhang Tian'ai: Who told you victory is decided only onstage? Fool!

"Teacher Bai~ Here's your gift."

"Huh? Only eliminated sisters exchange gifts with you—why are you giving me one now?"

After asking casually, Bai Liang noticed another blind spot: "Wait? You're not calling me 'Big Brother' anymore?"

Zhang Tian'ai covered her mouth and smiled lightly, "So many people call you 'Big Brother'—one more doesn't matter. To me, the photography teacher on that Tokyo street is more special."

So it was that "Teacher Bai"~

And the gift she gave Bai Liang was a slim photo album.

The first photo inside was her previously viral Tokyo meet-and-greet shot; the rest contained things Sister Yanzi had once worried about.

A photo of her and Bai Liang.

These items had never appeared online before, yet now they were in Bai Liang's hands.

"I originally planned to give this to you after I got eliminated, but after thinking it over, how could I possibly be eliminated?"

Okay okay okay—Bai Liang had expected Dou Xiao Ai to get all sentimental, but instead she delivered a "premature victory" speech.

To be fair, she was genuinely confident!

At that moment, Zhang Tian'ai added, "Even though I don't know what gift you prepared for me, I'm sure it's not what I want—you'll need to think of another one~ Until the show finishes recording, okay~"

The gift-exchange segment is also a signature feature of "Sisters Who Make Waves."

At the very beginning, Bai Liang told all the sisters that if they got eliminated, they could come to him for a "consolation prize."

For thirty sisters, Bai Liang prepared a unique gift for each one.

Doing thorough preparation before starting any task has always been one of his good habits.

Preparing for filming a drama goes without saying, but for this kind of show, Bai Liang truly studied every single sister's personal profile.

This "personal profile" wasn't just glancing at Baidu Baike—it required gathering intelligence from multiple sources and synthesizing it himself.

To put it plainly, by the time he arrived to record the show, Bai Liang could already predict ninety percent of the sisters' preferences or tastes.

Exaggeratedly speaking, he knew their favorite lipstick shades down to the exact number.

As they spent more time together on the show, that ninety percent rose to nearly ninety-nine percent.

The remaining one percent was a margin for error.

Under these circumstances, preparing gifts for them meant hitting the bullseye every time.

So Bai Liang had already heard more than once phrases like, "If only I'd met you when I was younger."

No one knew whether his presence brought the sisters final comfort before leaving—or delivered their final blow.

Tears that hadn't cried before were now brought out.

The person you hoped to meet at twenty ended up appearing at thirty or forty—just that alone was enough to make you emo.

From this perspective, Bai Liang might as well be called "a complete villain."

After receiving his gifts, the sisters usually weren't stingy—they generally returned gifts in kind.

Some of those return gifts were truly substantial, often far exceeding the value of Bai Liang's original gifts.

But Dou Xiao Ai's move was clearly ramping up the intensity on Bai Liang!

That one percent had actually shown up!

Besides photos, this album contained many handwritten notes—no one knew how long she'd spent preparing them.

Between the dense lines of handwriting, only two words seemed to stand out:

Sincerity.

This item gave off a faintly similar vibe to "Shuangzi's Book," but Dou Xiao Ai's was clearly far more tender and intimate.

So the question was—what kind of gift could Bai Liang possibly give her to match this?

While he was deep in thought, she had already left him a smile and vanished.

She even winked at Jin Da Xi, who had arrived slightly late, with unmistakably provocative intent.

Jin Da Xi:???

"What did she give you?"

"An album."

"Damn it! She didn't send you a nude photo set, did she?" Jin Da Xi growled.

This time it was Bai Liang's turn to look utterly confused—brilliant, as expected, Jin Da Xi.

Even such a lewd joke could come out of her mouth.

Still, Teacher Bai from this show was quite different from Teacher Chen in Xiangjiang.

He didn't do the human-art thing.

And though Jin Da Xi complained and joked, even though the album sat right on the coffee table in front of Bai Liang—within arm's reach, easily viewable—

she still didn't reach for it, no matter how much she disliked Zhang Tian'ai.

She just sat there, resting her hand on Bai Liang's shoulder, grumbling: "You've ruined the vibe of this show~"

"What vibe?"

"Don't play dumb with me! How long have we known each other? You're flirting with all these older sisters—don't you feel guilty? Some of them are even married; if their marriages fall apart later, you'll be to blame."

"There's a big difference between older sisters and young girls—I'm not being impulsive like you say. I'm just offering warmth."

"You offered warmth, but accidentally slipped it straight into their hearts, didn't you?"

"."

After a long round of banter, Bai Liang noticed Jin Da Xi's gaze still lingering on Zhang Tian'ai's album—he instantly knew what she was thinking.

She definitely wouldn't reach out and flip through it herself.

But if Bai Liang offered it to her voluntarily, then she could, of course, "reluctantly" take a look~

For this formidable rival, Zhang Tian'ai, Jin Da Xi was clearly dying to know what kind of trick she was playing.

Bai Liang: Heh, not showing you.

He immediately put it away, clearly having no intention of sharing it with Jin Da Xi.

Her gaze instantly turned mournful—until she barely cracked.

"Hmph! If she can take photos, so can I! Get your camera ready—I'm coming to your room tonight, and we're going to shoot some hot pics!"

"What?"

". I'm kidding, don't you dare take me seriously." Jin Da Xi only braved it for a few seconds before immediately backing down.

Obviously, talking big about others taking photos is completely different from actually taking them yourself.

Who among entertainers would dare do something like this, especially after 2008?

Bai Liang looked at Jin Da Xi with amusement. "You're always blustering—why not hold your tongue for just a few more seconds before backing down?"

"Bluffing is all about knowing when to advance or retreat. Besides, use your brain—it's obvious someone like me, an independent modern woman, would never do something like this!"

"What retreat, Gree?"

At that moment, Mao Xiaotong, who had just come over, asked curiously.

Jin Da Xi was stunned. What kind of homophone wizard was this, to extract such a bizarre word from her long speech?

(End of Chapter)