Chapter 471

"With a pearl in the mouth, one moves freely in and out."

"What does that mean?"

"Hmm, a manual for young men in their prime cultivating Qi," Bai Liang summed up, rubbing his chin.

These days are much better!

Many "martial arts manuals" require no sacrifice—just go online and get them for free.

With a little summarizing and organizing, you can learn countless valuable experiences and even shortcuts to success.

The master of this collection of martial arts manuals, who gained great fame, Bai Liang even felt the man bore a certain aura reminiscent of Cao Dahua, the tough detective portrayed by Da Shu.

What nonsense is this brat muttering?

Mao Xiaotong said she wasn't interested in these "useless facts"—she'd come here today with real business.

Four solo matchups: Tang Shiyi performs classical dance, Jin Da Xi performs ethnic dance, Wang Xinling performs idol dance, and she'll perform Latin dance.

Right now she desperately needs a "wooden post" to practice on.

But this lie only fools outsiders like Bai Liang—Jin Da Xi, though trained in ethnic dance, knew the difference between solo and partner Latin dance.

Still, since her relationship with Mao Xiaotong was decent, she said nothing.

After all, the woman was known as the #1 catch-the-adulterer in the entertainment circle—just that reputation alone was terrifying.

Especially for Jin Da Xi, who aspired to climb the mistress hierarchy—Mao Xiaotong was her natural nemesis!

Besides, rumor had it she was close to Di Li Sister Reba and Sister Tian Tian; though Jin Da Xi favored Na Zha and Meng Jie, those two's competitiveness was clearly no joke.

From a factional standpoint, Jin Da Xi and Mao Xiaotong were absolute opposites.

Their respective circles of familiar girls didn't overlap at all.

If the other side won, and Mao Xiaotong, disliking her, pulled out her "catch-the-adulterer" trick, wouldn't Da Xi be left helpless?

From this angle, she could never offend her.

After a flurry of mental calculations, Jin Cheng blinked, said nothing, and Mao Xiaotong gave her a sweet, girlish smile.

Thanks~

Meanwhile, clueless Bai Liang didn't lose out either—the girl might've played a little trick, but it was just to find a legitimate reason to spend time with him.

Besides, wasn't his main job exactly this?

And he was getting paid for it.

Bai Liang's knowledge of dancing so far was limited to when Song Qian taught him that thing called "The Roof Is on Fire."

He'd forgotten most of the song and dance moves, but remembered the "desensitization tutorial" vividly.

Latin dance, in terms of sensuality, was definitely even more intense.

A red strapless mini-dress paired with black high-heeled boots—pure sexiness hit him instantly.

Though the girl wasn't tall, her body proportions and muscle definition created a sweet-spicy contrast that radiated a vibrant, rose-red vitality straight at him.

Bai Liang's face turned serious—he stood at attention!

There was no help for it—this wasn't him helping out, this was a test.

The practice room wasn't private at all—several cameras were pointed at them, and staff members stood nearby with equipment.

On his manhood's honor, he had to hold this line!

Mao Xiaotong's mindset was truly impressive—unlike Da Xi, who panicked at the thought of facing Tang Shiyi, a dance god, she felt only anticipation and eagerness.

"Do I look good?"

"Very nice! You should wear this often."

The girl gave him a sweet smile and began practicing.

Occasionally asking him to lend her an arm or shoulder.

"Don't zone out~ I'm not asking you to dance with me on stage."

"I'm thinking of a way for you to win~"

"Really? Win who? Tang Shiyi?"

Hearing this, Mao Xiaotong's first reaction was disbelief—though she'd heard rumors that Bai Liang had devised some unorthodox methods in acting.

But dance demanded ten years of practice for one minute on stage—if he could cook up some shortcut, he'd be utterly insane, especially since this wasn't even his field.

"Win the audience's heart~ How about you teach me a couple moves? Just the poses."

Though she didn't know what Bai Liang was up to, Mao Xiaotong was happy to teach him.

But~

Teacher Xiao Tong is very strict!

But she hadn't expected Bai Liang to pick it up so well—perhaps because his physical condition was just right~

Years of learning martial arts routines on set had given him an uncanny knack for posing.

Just as Mao Xiaotong was getting interested and planning to teach him more, he suddenly went off to chat with the production team.

Bai Liang: This isn't an unorthodox technique—it's the "power" of post-production!

Variety shows today have evolved to the point where it's roughly "three parts filming, seven parts editing."

For most performers, aside from those with true genius, their on-screen impact relies heavily on post-production.

Mango's post-production team? Absolutely top-tier in the industry.

As a veteran satellite TV giant, their expertise in this area was deeply entrenched.

So when Bai Liang merely hinted at his idea, the production team instantly understood.

Arrange it!

When this episode aired, viewers' main focus during the solo PK segment remained on Tang Shiyi.

This dance god had already won over many viewers in the first episode with his undeniable technical mastery.

Many people said being forced into a girl group to sing and dance actually sealed off their abilities.

And this new segment is undoubtedly a "seal removal"!

Similarly, Wang Xinling, who achieved an epic comeback on this show, also has extremely high popularity; this Tianxin Sect leader dominated every screen during the broadcast of "Wave Sisters."

This time performing a dorm dance truly captured the hearts of countless aunties giggling in front of their TVs.

As for Jin Da Xi, viewers said: Jin Da Xi is also pretty good~

It's not that she isn't excellent—mainly because she's competing in the same field as Tang Shiyi, and she simply can't outdo the top-ranked one; there's nothing to be done.

Jin Da Xi: mmp!

What can she do? She's just as desperate~

The only thing offering her a little comfort is that Mao Xiaotong's attention and anticipation seem even lower than hers. The other woman seems to have "given up completely," outright saying, "I'm only comparing myself to myself."

Fine, Jin Da Xi figured she at least wouldn't be last.

But when she watched this episode, Mao Xiaotong—who had already taken the stage before her—was standing on it, when suddenly a clip from the practice room flashed onto the screen.

"Ah~ I wondered why this wasn't edited in earlier, now I see it's here."

At this moment, Jin Da Xi didn't realize the gravity of the situation and casually muttered a comment.

But she soon laughed, because Bai Liang looked utterly incapable of dancing and stepped on Mao Xiaotong's foot.

Viewers watching the show chuckled and mocked.

"This Immortal guy sings mediocrely and can't dance at all—then again, if he were good at these too, I'd suspect he's not even human~"

"Last time the victim was Sister Song Qian; she apparently practiced for days and barely avoided dragging everyone down, but the stage effect was actually quite good—I still remember that butt-slap!"

"The stage effect for 'Roof on Fire' was indeed impressive, but it was clear Bai Liang had no dance foundation."

"Oh no, Mao Xiaotong was already outmatched by those two Beiwu girls, and now she's stuck practicing with this 'chess-playing idiot'—now she's even more outmatched."

"Bai Liang does have some martial arts foundation; he's probably relying entirely on that, and he's learning fast."

"Something's off~ isn't this 'nostalgia cut' a bit too long?"

"."

At this moment, the practice room scene began to fast-forward.

Simultaneous rapid cuts from multiple camera angles revealed to those in the know that the filming of this practice room segment seemed overly exaggerated!

So many cameras?

At this point, Bai Liang on screen finally began to move with some semblance of skill, wrapping his arm around Mao Xiaotong's waist, stepping to the rhythm of the music.

After two eight-counts, he applied a subtle force and "flung" Mao Xiaotong away.

She took the opportunity and began raising her arms, twisting, and spinning.

At this point, Bai Liang's entire role was complete.

Before the stunned eyes of every viewer, Mao Xiaotong's white dress seemed to be "ignited," starting from the fluttering hem and "dyed red" upward.

The background behind her gradually transformed from the practice room into a dazzling stage bathed in spotlights.

Everything seemed to be slowly shifting~

During this process, the normally swift dance movements were slowed down, allowing viewers to perceive and see every detail with exceptional clarity.

A million-dollar post-production, god-tier transition!

That single spin seemed to land directly on the hearts of countless viewers, making their pulses quicken involuntarily.

Especially the moment the hem shifted from white to red—like a pale moonlight staining into a cinnabar mole.

Many might not understand dance or know professional terms; their standard for judgment was usually just "beautiful" or "not beautiful."

But at this moment, the performance had ascended to an entirely different level.

"Holy shit!"

Jin Da Xi couldn't help slamming her table, the sourness in her heart truly like a spilled vinegar jar.

With this one moment, how Mao Xiaotong danced no longer mattered at all.

For a long time afterward, this transition would likely go viral across apps like Douyin.

This single clip could sustain countless video editors, and a swarm of internet influencers would scramble to imitate this transition.

After a moment of stunned silence, the screen was instantly flooded with comments; viewers watching on TV might still be in awe, but those watching on Mango TV were already dragging the progress bar backward.

Damn, this has to be watched multiple times!

After finishing this season of "Wave Sisters," many might forget everything else—but they'd never forget this shot.

During the earlier recordings, Jin Da Xi hadn't sensed any special treatment from Bai Liang toward Mao Xiaotong.

On camera, their interactions weren't frequent, and no extra shots were deliberately given to her.

Mao Xiaotong: That's because I actively avoided any appearance of favoritism~

But to others, their relationship clearly wasn't "close" enough—at least not to the point where he'd go out of his way to secure special treatment for her.

That had been everyone's previous judgment.

But after this episode aired, all those assumptions were overturned.

This shit—no pretense left! Bai Liang definitely used his influence or pulled rank.

Did Mango's post-production team lose all their hair?!

This seemingly short clip—who knows how long they spent on it? Saying it cost a million in post-production isn't an exaggeration.

Has any other sister ever received such treatment? Even the biggest star, Ning Jing, never got this.

So the question arises: what exactly is the relationship between these two, that Bai Liang would use such authority to help?

Mao Xiaotong weakly replied: I'm close friends with Sister Reba and Sister Tian Tian.

The other sisters: You're kidding a fool?

There are no naive sweethearts on this show—only sister contestants; this kind of ghost story won't fly here.

Fortunately, the other sisters didn't explicitly point anything out; they simply quietly included Mao Xiaotong among the seven guaranteed to debut.

Good good good, another slot gone.

Although no one really came for the debut slots, winning still means more benefits.

At the start of the show, some had already tacitly claimed the debut positions; the rest were fighting over what remained.

Now everyone actually hopes: Bai Liang has only this one "good sister" on the show.

No more! If there are any more, it'll really—

Jin Da Xi: Unfair! Re-do it!

Wuuu~ She wants this too.

Actually, in this episode's solo PK, Mao Xiaotong ranked third—but does ranking even matter?!

In a way, she truly knocked down Tang Shiyi, the "top-ranked" one.

Jin Da Xi kept replaying the transition clip, cursing that the protagonist couldn't be herself.

Add in Bai Liang as the supporting male lead, and the hype could last at least two or three years—maybe longer.

After stewing in envy for so long, all Jin Da Xi could finally do was "fiercely" find the clips already edited by fast editors and post them in the group.

Let everyone be jealous together~

Can't let her suffer alone, right?

As expected, this instantly "blew up" everyone.

After expressing a round of "amazement," "envy," "shock," and other emotions, before anyone could even start being jealous, Li Xin suddenly dropped new news.

"Reliable insider info: one of the new female leads added to 'Qing Yu Nian 2' is Mao Xiaotong—playing the Princess of Bei Qi, with substantial screen time, possibly even more than Tong Tong's Fan Ruoruo."

Huh?

With those words, the group's collective envy instantly changed flavor.

Chen Yao timidly asked, "Should we add her to the group?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Not until I regain my psychological balance!" Jin Da Xi shouted.

She joined this group to form alliances—how could she possibly "invite the wolf inside"?

"What about Meng Jie? What do you think, Meng Jie?"

Meng Jie said nothing, only sent a photo of herself under a cherry blossom tree.

In the photo, she was beaming brightly, gently leaning against Bai Liang.

"Oh my, I'm still editing photos—I took so many, now I'm swamped~ I watched the video, it's pretty good."

Even through the phone, the other four could feel Meng Jie's smug, giddy, head-bobbing joy.

Seeing no one respond, she couldn't help asking: "Pretty, right? Pretty, right?"

Then Li Yitong muttered enviously: "Anyone looks beautiful under cherry blossoms—stop showing off!"

"Wait, isn't the background Wuhan University? What cherry blossoms are blooming there this season? Did you Photoshop this, Meng Jie?"

At this point, someone in the group who knew things stepped in to explain when Wuhan University's cherry blossom season actually was.

But Meng Jie just dropped a link from a marketing account.

The content read: Bai Liang and Meng Ziyi filming an ad at Wuhan University.

The sisters: Filming an ad? Then it's fine~

But it still didn't explain why Wuhan University had such beautiful cherry blossoms at this time.

Meng Jie: Of course because the cherry blossoms love me—they're waiting for me to come!

The others: Pfft! Shameless!

But Chen Yao always suddenly became prominent at critical moments, asking: "What kind of ad are you two filming, Meng Jie?"

Meng Jie: "Huh? We didn't film any ad~"

"???"

Hmm. If it wasn't really an ad, but just used the excuse of filming an ad to go on a date—that would make perfect sense.

This was Sister Yanzi's "solution."

Want to go on a date and take photos openly?

Just find a perfectly suitable excuse.

Considering duration, an ad is ideal.

Whether the ad exists or not doesn't matter—the excuse alone is enough.

Not just viewing blossoms or taking photos—even if the two kissed under the cherry tree, they could still make it plausible.

Fortunately, Meng Jie didn't give Sister Yanzi extra work—kissing was a private moment, no need to happen under the cherry tree.

Of course, this kind of date was still expensive—aside from not actually filming an ad, everything else matched a real ad shoot.

Fortunately, they only played for half a day.

And Sister Yanzi, inspired by this, thought: if a short date can use "filming an ad" as an excuse, then filming a TV drama—wouldn't that be a longer date?

She turned her thoughts to her own Xiao Bai Ge.

This time, it was just too rushed—if not, turning fake into real wouldn't be hard at all.

In short, Xiao Bai Ge, go ahead boldly—Sister Yanzi handles all the cleanup.

For example, this nonexistent ad—she'd still need to spend effort patching up other loopholes.

Of course, Sister Yanzi herself didn't understand why Wuhan University still had cherry blossoms at this time.

She could wrap the date in layers of disguise to avoid public backlash and let the two feel more at ease.

But she couldn't make the cherry blossoms themselves obey and delay their bloom.

Timing, geography, and human effort—the latter two were manageable, but timing—

Sister Yanzi: Ah~ that familiar feeling.

How could anyone not look beautiful standing beneath the cherry blossom tree?

Because without a certain someone, there wouldn't be any cherry blossoms in the first place.

(End of Chapter)