Chapter 492: Amidst the Dust and Noise, There Are Always People of True Feeling

"Dou Xiao Bai, I'm still negotiating with 'Fanhua,' but don't worry—I think I can get it done."

"Sister Yanzi, you're amazing! Sorry to trouble you~"

"Oh no, not at all! Actually, they'd already been dragging their feet with me—four months? They said it wasn't enough! You know what, Bai? I finally got the real answer out of them: these people never planned to finish the drama in a few months. Their shooting schedule is calculated by years."

Clearly, Sister Yanzi still had a strong urge to vent right now.

Everyone had heard how slow Wang Yijian was on set, but only when you actually faced it did you realize how maddening it was.

The key was, he really did have two tricks up his sleeve—he sometimes gave actors unexpected surprises.

Of course, not every time was a surprise, and the process was still grueling.

So when Sister Yanzi finally dug out the truth—that they'd prepared to shoot for two or three years—even without Bai Liang's words, she'd have to advise her own Xiao Bai.

This is so damn frustrating!

Where's the time to come back and reshoot?

For many, acting in Wang Yijian's drama might be a great opportunity, opening new possibilities for their career.

But for Bai Liang, Wang Yijian was truly just a waste of time.

He was already a top-tier male actor—he already had everything except awards: box office, ratings, online views—he held the highest data records across the entire entertainment industry.

These metrics were far more meaningful than the Weibo super topic numbers other top idols liked to compare.

Logically, at this point Bai Liang and Wang Yijian should have been mutually attracted—after all, everyone knew Wang Yijian was exceptional at winning awards.

One needed it; the other could provide it.

At minimum, a White Jade Orchid Award!

This was precisely why 'Fanhua' believed they could land Bai Liang.

But who knew he'd originally agreed to it only because he was slightly curious about Wang Yijian?

His interest was in the person, not the project.

As for awards, he actually liked the Weibo Film Emperor title.

Even though people were already calling him the "Little Li Xiaofeng" of the domestic industry, as if he should now be scrambling for an Oscar, he clearly had no intention of doing so.

As for what to do with the freed-up schedule for 'Fanhua'—Sister Yanzi was simultaneously negotiating with Zhengwu Yangguang and Tencent while still haggling with 'Fanhua' to help Bai Liang escape.

Of course, it wasn't some major, heavily promoted drama—just an experimental web series with market-differentiating, innovative genre elements.

'The Beginning.'

From story concept, script design, to filming techniques and production methods, everything was fresh, yet the budget was low.

After the project was approved, overall ratings were mediocre—those three words, "experimental nature," said it all.

Otherwise, Zhao Jinmai wouldn't have gotten the chance to snatch it up.

Of course, that was before.

Neither Zhengwu Yangguang nor Tencent ever imagined Bai Liang would actually take on such a drama.

This shock surpassed even when he previously went to act with Sister Tian Tian in 'Si Teng' and gave up the lead role to her.

Because Sister Tian Tian was still a top-tier female star—the leading 85-generation actress.

People weren't surprised he acted with her—they were shocked he gave up the lead.

As for Zhao Jinmai—

Let me put it this way: if 'The Beginning' had first approached Bai Liang, our Mei Mei would've had no chance of landing the female lead, even if she broke her head trying.

And now, she might not even hold onto it.

Some things simply can't be kept secret in the entertainment industry.

Bai Liang turning down 'Fanhua,' the big drama Shanghai's entertainment circle had pinned high hopes on, and turning instead to negotiate a low-budget experimental web series sparked a massive uproar in the industry.

"Has he lost his mind? That's Wang's project!"

"Has he gotten too full of himself? Does he really think whatever he acts in will become a hit?"

"He really does turn everything he acts in into a hit… I'll go look up this 'The Beginning'—could it actually be worth something?"

"Bai Liang, Bai Bai Daxian… what's he trying to do?"

"."

Indeed, some people questioned—and even couldn't help mocking—Bai Liang.

Some believed characters like mindless villains in novels—designed solely to be slapped down by the protagonist—didn't exist in real life.

In fact, there were plenty of such people in real life.

But unfortunately, Bai Liang's past track record was just too absurd.

This directly caused the number of "idiots" to plummet drastically—most people could only grumble that his choice was unreasonable; who in their right mind would turn down 'Fanhua'?!

Everyone knew which project to pick.

Then a straightforward person spoke up: "Hey, is there a chance Bai Liang doesn't need 'Fanhua' as a potential hit?"

"Shut up!"

Lies don't hurt; truth is the sharp blade.

Doesn't need.

Those two words cut deeper than all the other nonsense.

Who would ever complain about having too many hits? Unless you make one hit after another… Bai Liang's casual indifference to "hits" was, in a way,

Extremely painful to endure.

Some stakeholders, upon hearing the news, couldn't help calling Bai Liang to ask.

Like Xin Xin Zhilei, who had collaborated with him on 'The Longest Day in Chang'an'—she'd already confirmed her role in 'Fanhua' and had been thrilled when she learned Bai Liang was the male lead, thinking this was a sure win!

Then, just like that, the teammate she wanted had vanished—such a dramatic rollercoaster left her emotionally shattered.

Though she wouldn't dare question Bai Liang directly, they were on good terms—asking for the reason was perfectly fine.

At the same time, the other female lead, Tang Yan, couldn't hold back either—she reached out to Bai Liang behind her husband's back—wait, actually, she didn't even need to hide it.

Many people also began to grow curious about the project "The Beginning."

Meanwhile, a very familiar lineup had already charged forward!

The young actresses of Starry Sea seemed to see another opportunity!

Web drama?

Fine, if it's a web drama, then it's a web drama! Screw it!

Charge!

To be honest, the intensity of this scramble for roles and last-minute snatching made both Zhengwu Yangguang and Tencent a little tempted.

Truth be told, Zhao Jinmai isn't irreplaceable.

While Miss Mai was still filming the anthology series "Together," her agent came over, looking deeply worried and expression complicated.

"Student Student Mai Mai, I've got one good piece of news and one bad piece— which do you want to hear first?"

"The good one!"

"The good news is your brother actually agreed to your crazy request—did you two secretly do something weird? Did you give yourself to him for the first time?"

It's no wonder her agent asked so bluntly and crudely—she herself thought Bai Liang's behavior was utterly insane, especially as someone who knew the inside story. When did the career of a top-tier entertainer become this frivolous?

It was just a promise he made years ago to a little girl.

"I—I didn't!"

Zhao Jinmai instantly blushed crimson—mainly because she hadn't expected her agent to be so "violent," launching straight into this kind of question.

"Didn't? You don't need to lie to me—if you've got a man, you'd better tell me. Otherwise, if trouble comes later, I won't be able to react in time," her agent said with sincere expression.

This was her normal deduction as a normal adult who understood profit and loss, given the known conditions.

After all, what did Zhao Jinmai have? After thinking it over, she only had herself—youthful, beautiful flesh.

Even if she immediately denied it, her agent didn't even blink.

Little girl, do you think I believe you?

But the agent added, if that's the case, then it's fantastic—ahem!

"What's the bad news?" Zhao Jinmai also didn't know how to explain, and she really felt too embarrassed to discuss this topic so bluntly—so she just asked about the other piece of news.

"The bad news is your brother is just too in-demand, too powerful—'The Beginning' has instantly become an S+ project. Now a whole crowd is eyeing your role, ready to replace you at any moment. So… have you slept with him? Student Student Mai Mai, this is really important! Don't blame me for being blunt."

Faced with this question, Zhao Jinmai chose to throw it back: "... Is my brother really that influential?"

"Of course!" her agent declared firmly.

No matter who held the project, the moment Bai Liang joined, it became dominated by him, holding the greatest authority.

Even Zhengwu Yangguang's project was no exception!

"Then I can't possibly be replaced!" Zhao Jinmai declared.

The agent: "So you did sleep with him? Perfect!"

Instantly, she perked up, smiling brightly at Zhao Jinmai: "Good! With this confidence, we can prepare well! Focus on your role, master it completely—leave everything else to me!"

Zhao Jinmai: "Actually, I still want to explain some other things—"

But the agent didn't want to hear her explanation at all—she smiled and hurriedly slipped away.

Just a shy little girl who finds these things too awkward to talk about—what's the point of listening?

Yet, barely two minutes after leaving, she rushed back in, shoving a small box into Zhao Jinmai's hands: "I won't say more—take care of yourself. Keep it on you, just in case."

Then she dashed off again.

Not bad—she'd prepared thoroughly: one box for external use, one for oral.

Left alone, Zhao Jinmai stared at the two small boxes in her hands, her face burning red, feeling as if they were scalding hot.

She instinctively wanted to throw them away, but didn't know where.

Finally, she stomped her foot and helplessly shoved them into her pocket first. —

"Replace the female lead? If you replace the female lead, what's my little Bai brother even coming to act for?"

Sister Yanzi is awesome!

Zhao Jinmai's agent, watching Yanzi's resolute statement, was so excited she wanted to jump up and clap for her!

What the little girl said herself versus what Sister Yanzi said—that carried completely different weight.

Now she truly felt reassured!

Likewise, after receiving Yanzi's statement, both Zhengwu Yangguang and Tencent said: "You decide."

Bai Liang joining "The Beginning" was unquestionably a star-lifting project—and not just a little.

Since he was clearly coming for Zhao Jinmai's "face," there was no other possible choice for the role.

What now needed discussion was how to launch the project as soon as possible.

As always, Bai Liang's schedule is limited. Although "The Beginning" doesn't require much filming time, Zhengwu Yangguang had originally planned to start next year.

Now, much of the preparation must be moved up, so time and progress must be rushed.

Of course, these are all minor issues! Especially after Bai Liang boarded the project, every problem would be resolved at the fastest speed!

"Sister Yanzi, may I ask you a private question—why did Teacher Bai suddenly want to take this web drama?" asked a vice president from Tencent Video, who was fairly familiar with Yanzi, after the meeting ended with a smile.

Yanzi didn't play cryptic—she glanced at Zhao Jinmai's agent, then smiled and spread her hands: "Because my little Bai brother made a promise to Student Student Mai Mai years ago—to act in another drama with her. He's just keeping his word."

So frivolous?!

This answer left everyone who heard it speechless.

It felt like—amidst the dust and noise, there are still people of true feeling.

Ink-Mask Wang: That's my line.

In this world of fame and fortune, such a story seemed to move people more deeply.

Xin Xin Zhilei sighed and said to Bai Liang, "Great Immortal, Brother Liang, you're truly genuine! I'm even thinking of shamelessly asking you for a promise now. You're serious?"

"Isn't that how it should be?"

"Absolutely! Pure man! I've got new respect for you." Xin Xin Zhilei said sincerely.

To be fair, this reason was insanely invincible, and utterly ridiculous—but when you thought about it, it somehow made sense.

After all, a choice so unreasonable must have an equally unreasonable story behind it.

Tang Yan also gave Bai Liang a like. How to put it? Though a bit regrettable, she absolutely loved this reason.

Of course, this news spread quickly, since neither Sister Yanzi nor Bai Liang cared about keeping it secret.

It's not something shameful—just be open about it.

As for whether others believe it or what they think?

Doesn't matter.

Besides, nobody has time to dwell on it right now.

Because the Drama King is here!

Is "The Prosperous Flowers" a possible hit drama?

And what's above a hit drama?

Few might have guessed that "My Dearest Love" showed, after its premiere, a "fighting power" visibly far surpassing "Glory."

Some marketing accounts originally wanted to describe "My Dearest Love"'s premiere hype with the phrase "high opening, explosive surge."

But they quickly realized it didn't fit—because they'd already used that phrase for "Glory."

Now it was clear that "My Dearest Love" was even more extreme than "Glory."

Thus, the term "high opening, insane surge" emerged.

In its original timeline, "My Dearest Love" was the annual Drama King—it made the original male lead gain over ten million followers overnight, shattered the male top idol's monopoly, and directly created the era's top male and female idols in the entertainment industry, with topic popularity so high it was terrifying.

But in its original timeline, this drama didn't explode upon premiere, because the male lead wasn't famous yet.

Now, however, before its premiere, it had already drawn massive attention—with topic popularity and traffic fully maxed out.

A phenomenon-level "monster" had emerged!

You didn't even need to check online streaming data—the premiere viewership alone was enough to shock everyone.

Premiere viewership on two channels broke 2%!

Honestly, Sister Reba had a share of the credit—someone ought to buy her a drink.

When "Glory" ended, Sister Reba's half-face-out-of-character epilogue created enormous noise—but that was still in the "after-sales" category.

Its main function was merely to add luster, leaving viewers with a deeper impression.

It added little to the drama's actual broadcast performance.

The attacks against Na Zha herself were relatively "harsh."

After Sister Reba pulled off such a huge stunt and hype, everyone wondered: how would Na Zha respond to this half-face-out-of-character moment?

Once people got curious, they naturally went to check out her new drama.

You could say that, despite her slightly worse mood, Na Zha and "My Dearest Love" truly rode Sister Reba's traffic.

By the time Sister Reba's fans realized it, it was already too late~

Once the Drama King's momentum took off, no single fanbase could shake it.

And Na Zha's fans, along with the couple's CP fans, who had been holding back, now unleashed tremendous energy and noise.

Her fans were ecstatic—after all these years, Na Zha was finally getting a hit drama! No, a Drama King!

Honestly, the plot felt oddly familiar.

Back then, Na Zha, who was nothing, suddenly went and played the female lead in "Wolf Warrior 2," and skyrocketed.

This plot? Damn, so familiar! Only now it's a TV drama.

But whatever—let's go!

Directly quote the line from the first episode: "You must consider whether this is your only chance in life!"

Watching Na Zha's fans go wild, Bai Liang's fans felt a little embarrassed—like they themselves were lazy.

But what can you do? It's just a Drama King—not that rare.

At least for Bai Liang, it wasn't rare—weren't the past two years' Drama Kings his?!

Holy shit! Three-peat Drama King?!

Go go go!

If this holds, the esports story is being directly transplanted into the entertainment industry—true Great Demon King!

Of course, the esports community was also one of the key forces helping "My Dearest Love" surge toward the annual Drama King title.

But their vibe was a bit odd.

"Great Immortal, Great Immortal—some of the lines in this drama? Definitely you slipped them in! Did you pay the copyright fee?"

"Feels like seeing shadows of many old friends. But to be fair, the esports plot is actually pretty interesting—it's got the right flavor."

"Did you watch the trailer? Yang Yang's special appearance as the character who duels the Great Immortal at the Forbidden City? The effect was straight out of a global finals—so damn intense!"

"Tonight's chosen PK against the Great Demon King, right? Real-life events that never happened—now they're in the TV drama."

"Can future esports-themed TV dramas all be made to this standard?"

"When's that match in the trailer going to happen? Don't tell me we have to wait until the drama's almost over—otherwise, if it's fake, I'm gonna rant and give it a low score. I'm hyping it up now."

"If it were someone else, I'd doubt it first—but the Great Immortal's credibility with me is sky-high. I'll just believe it blindly for now."

"."

The esports community's traffic has always been a double-edged sword—if mishandled, you'll get roasted by the bros.

But since it's a double-edged sword, that means when they're excited or anticipating something, their support is genuinely powerful!

In the e-sports circle, older guys don't joke around; when they praise, they truly praise, and when they tear down, they spare not a single ancestor from the first to the eighteenth generation.

From this perspective, they and fan-girls each have their own "tumors."

And aside from making a brief appearance at the group-forming night of "Sisters Who Make Waves," Na Zha, as the female lead of "Intimacy," has been unusually low-key these past few days.

Her Weibo account is fully managed by her team, operating and promoting normally.

As for herself, she is seriously angry.

It's been years; she ought to be seriously angry at Bai Liang once, otherwise he'll truly think she's easy to bully and easy to pacify.

Right now, Na Zha is counting the days—she must ignore him for at least two more days!

As for why two days,

Because then she'll have to go film "Five Ha," and it's in her hometown, Xinjiang.

These two days already include some time spent appearing on the show; Na Zha is hesitating whether to relax it a bit—say, ignore Bai Liang for another day and a half.

Otherwise, she fears she won't be able to hold back!

After a brief struggle over how long to ignore him, unfortunately, Na Zha's small brain couldn't devise a perfect solution.

In the end, she decided to improvise on the spot and judge him by his behavior.

(End of Chapter)