Chapter 539: What a

Bai Liang's grades in cosmetology and hairdressing weren't exactly outstanding.

To be precise, he'd never actually done this kind of work before.

Even if you asked him to help with makeup, he could pick it up on the fly, because he'd genuinely learned a bit somewhere — he'd even done Reba's makeup on a variety show before.

But when it came to "haircutting," it really hit the blind spot in his skill set.

No worries though, the lady didn't mind.

She said she liked him being all clumsy and awkward, they could take it slow~

As long as he didn't hurt her, anything went.

She even raised the stakes!

"If you do a good job, you can leave a mark~"

"What does 'leave a mark' mean?" Bai Liang asked.

Big Mi Mi shot him a look, then handed over a marker.

The marker was fairly thick, and at first glance it seemed like it could be used as a tool for something other than writing.

Bai Liang guessed the same thing, because the marker wasn't new — Big Mi Mi had pulled it out of her bag.

Carrying that thing around on her person.

Without thinking of any other use, Bai Liang instinctively took it, sniffed it.

Before he could even smell anything, the lady smacked him — you little brat, what are you thinking?!

A pen like that is obviously for writing!

As for the proper use, the lady had her own dedicated props.

Big Mi Mi was just waiting for a chance to pull them out and give Bai Liang a fright later — identical to his~

For now, focus on the haircut!

So Bai Liang, with the mindset of exploring new territory, began learning and mastering this brand-new skill.

As everyone knows, he picks things up fast — his super brain is always telling him "time to use your super luck," but for fields that interest him, Bai Liang is also willing to spend time and energy studying them properly, and he masters them at lightning speed.

Meanwhile, during this time, the lady gave him pretty good feedback.

Almost got it all over him.

But the result was good~

Careful at first, but gradually getting the hang of it.

By the time he finally used that marker, Bai Liang had an epiphany: oh!

It's just like those intangible cultural heritage craftsmen — after finishing a piece, they leave a stamp to tell others it's their work.

"Mi-jie, you're not thinking of having me sign something and then get it tattooed on your belly, right?" Bai Liang mumbled around the pen cap before writing.

The next second Big Mi Mi kicked him, "Tattooed on your belly, how do you come up with such pretty ideas? Letting you write a tally mark would already be plenty~"

Her kick failed to land any glory though — instead, Bai Liang grabbed it, then held her foot and started "leaving a mark" on it.

The marker tip touching her skin made Big Mi Mi feel a little ticklish, biting her lip, trembling slightly.

"Not done yet?"

"Just a moment~"

Bai Liang, his creative urge stirred, first wrote a tally mark, then couldn't resist actually signing his name underneath, and finding there was still space, drew a capybara right there.

Yes, in the art of drawing, Master Bai Da also had some dabbling.

Believe it or not, when he took a photo to show Big Mi Mi, that capybara drawn with a marker was remarkably lifelike.

It really gave the lady some strange thoughts: a little tattoo wouldn't be out of the question~

Luckily that thought was quickly interrupted, because Bai Liang, his creative urge stirred, wasn't done yet.

He took that marker again and started tinkering on Big Mi Mi's foot.

Regarding this, Big Mi Mi muttered to herself whether she was spoiling him too much, he'd better not push his luck~

But then she thought Bai Liang hadn't written anything insulting on her, like "xn" or whatever, and felt a bit relieved.

Never mind never mind, if he likes it, let him have at it.

She'd said long ago she'd pamper him, love him, give him her life — a few words is nothing.

However, when Bai Liang actually wanted to create on her back, Big Mi Mi really couldn't hold back anymore, "What do you want to write on my back?"

"Loyalty to the country."

"How many characters in already?!"

"Just started writing 'smoke signals rise, gazing north at Jiangshan'"

Big Mi Mi:???

She shoved Bai Liang aside, ran to the mirror to check, and realized she'd been played.

That fair, smooth back had nothing on it.

Such a beautiful back, she couldn't even bear to do cupping on it — how could she let that bastard Bai Liang write "Loyalty to the Country" on it.

After realizing she'd been teased, Big Mi Mi pouted, then couldn't help lifting her foot to take a look.

One look, and she was dumbfounded.

Left foot: Qing. Right foot: repeated.

What a "Restore the Ming and overthrow the Qing"!

"Do you believe I'll stomp this size-thirty-something foot on your face?!" Big Mi Mi cursed.

"Hmm? Is that creative motivation?" Bai Liang asked curiously.

"I'll sit on you and crush you to death!"

Hmm?

Isn't this still a reward~

It turns out that marker pen, besides writing, has other uses too.

Soon, Bai Liang casually started using it.

But after trying it out, Big Mi Mi felt it was quite satisfying, though she told him she'd recently bought a new prop to try instead.

After all, it was a professional prop.

When Bai Liang rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out that so-called professional prop, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Damn evil little kitty!

What the hell did she use her data for? Open a shop?

Usually, other Misses' "exclusive artifacts" are kept tightly hidden; only a very few might know about them.

But this evil little kitty's? It feels like you see it everywhere.

Don't tell me she quits showbiz and switches to selling this stuff.

"Miss Mi, let's just stick with the marker pen~" Bai Liang said after thinking.

"Mmm, whatever you say."

Big Mi Mi wasn't particularly fussed—she'd bought so many props at her age, but this kind of thing depends entirely on who's using it.

No matter what prop she used herself, she could never get the same feeling as the marker pen in Bai Liang's hands.

It's just a matter of who's using it.

Unless something unexpected happens, Big Mi Mi won't throw away this marker pen—even after it's used up, she'll keep it with her always.

It'll become her cherished "exclusive artifact."

"Pfft!"

"What are you laughing at?"

"I just thought of something funny," Bai Liang quickly waved his hand.

But Big Mi Mi wasn't some little girl—she spotted his unease at a glance. "Spill it, or today, Sister's gonna show you what 'inch-stop' means—make you suffer!"

Such a serious "threat" forced Bai Liang to confess.

"It's really just something happy—I remember you sued those black fans before~ that courtroom recording."

Big Mi Mi:

You little brat!!!

I'm gonna clamp your balls off today, you'll see just how many eyes King Ma has!

Just those keywords triggered her memory.

That courtroom case against black fans didn't serve as any warning—it only made her black fans go wild.

It also made her derogatory nickname explode in popularity.

That nickname was… Bald Chicken.

Of course, it mocked her receding hairline—this whole mess was all Huang Zitao's fault, that idiot.

Two years ago, Big Mi Mi co-starred with Huang Zitao, one of the Four Returnees, in a drama called Negotiator.

The drama didn't get good reviews, but its data was surprisingly strong.

That's just Big Mi Mi's talent—after being a top female star for so many years, most of her projects had poor reviews, yet their commercial success and data performance were always dazzling.

But Negotiator's reviews collapsed especially hard—it opened at 4.5 and now hovers around 3. something, absolutely one of the worst of the worst.

But it didn't matter—Big Mi Mi at this stage didn't care; she only wanted results.

Yet it was this drama, whose results she was quite satisfied with, that gave her the biggest black mark in her career.

In the drama, Huang Zitao lifted her messy bangs, suddenly exposing a large patch of bare forehead, fully revealing her hairline crisis.

She was even forced to consider hair transplants.

But compared to Huang Zitao lifting her hair and giving her this black mark and the derogatory nickname, Bai Liang's move was even more outrageous.

Who the hell brings this up in bed?

But after calming down, Big Mi Mi wasn't as angry anymore—she knew Bai Liang well enough to know he'd never suddenly mock her hairline.

The only reason he'd associate it was because…

Fine, whatever. No one else can see it anyway, and besides, it was this guy who shaved it for her himself.

Though she wasn't angry anymore, Big Mi Mi's eyes flickered. "Unfair!"

"Huh?"

"Stay still! I'm shaving you too~"

Fairness, fairness, and damn it, it's about fairness!

Bai Liang naturally resisted such a thing—but if Sister insisted, he couldn't exactly refuse.

Fortunately, the big sister was kind-hearted—seeing his "heroic martyr" stance, she ended up just snipping off a tiny tuft as a token gesture.

But for the next few days, Big Mi Mi suffered.

On one hand, physically—anyone who's shaved knows: when stubble grows back after a clean shave, it's painfully prickly.

The same goes for other areas.

To avoid this problem, the best way is to go to a salon regularly and use laser or similar methods to stop growth entirely.

That's exactly what Zha used—so from the start, she never had this issue.

As for Big Mi Mi… scratching felt too undignified; not scratching? It was unbearably itchy!

This was just the physical discomfort—she'd come as a guest star, yet ended up feeling like she'd been given a lesson here.

In the first two days, besides her guest role, she hadn't watched anyone else's scenes—she just hung around Bai Liang's trailer.

She had zero interest in this drama—she was here purely for the person.

But after watching on a sudden whim, she was honestly left speechless.

Damn it, how come it seems like everyone's acting is better than hers?

Big Mi Mi had never acted in a Noon Sunshine production, not even a cameo, because their circles were different, and it was still quite hard to blend into each other's.

She, who once wanted to be a performing artist, now felt head-on what the impact of a performing artist was.

The "Reset" crew had plenty of good actors, but the absolute best was Auntie Guo.

Like a volcanic eruption, the madness of a mother who had lost her daughter in despair—manic, frenzied.

With Auntie Guo actress Liu Dan's acting, swap in a trashier cast and they'd all be made to look like rookies by her.

Fortunately, the main leads of the "Reset" crew were no pushovers.

The weakest was the cameo-ing Big Mi Mi.

After sitting there watching Auntie Guo act two scenes, she was directly left speechless, and the itch in certain spots grew even worse.

Turning her head to look at Zhao Jinmai again, this eighteen-year-old girl's acting naturally couldn't compare to Auntie Guo Liu Dan's explosive performance, but her interpretation and portrayal of the character also made Big Mi Mi rub her eyes without meaning to.

Although her own acting had already gone stiff, she could still tell how well others were performing.

This little girl who was timid and shrinking in front of her was genuinely good in the drama!

Are young people these days all this fierce?

Zhao Jinmai: Sis, Central Academy of Drama top scorer, look it up. And so, Big Mi Mi grew even more restless.

That night she could only beg Bai Liang to fix her up again, otherwise she wouldn't even be able to sleep.

The clever classmate Student Student Mai Mai noticed this point quite shrewdly, and then she no longer stayed silent.

Whenever there was something or nothing, she'd seriously discuss the plot with Bai Liang, exploring the performance.

Wholeheartedly invested, not just putting on a show.

This time it was Big Mi Mi's turn to be unable to get a word in, gently outmaneuvered by the little girl.

Of course, not because the little girl was all that amazing, mainly because of the itch—she was irritated inside.

Big Mi Mi's few scenes were actually filmed by the fourth day on set.

It was a cameo favor, after all; any crew with half a brain would prioritize filming hers first.

And there weren't any high standards or demands either.

This was also one of the reasons Big Mi Mi felt beaten down—she had initially thought it was because she acted skillfully enough, well enough.

But then she turned around and realized they had been going easy on her.

And Zhao Jinmai, in her heart, thought wickedly: This sis should be leaving by now, right?

Big Mi Mi: I'm not leaving!

Because Little Treasure arrived.

Na Zha entrusted someone to escort Little Treasure, sending it to the crew.

Upon joining the set, sign the contract first.

Director Qi could send every stray dog in the village to be a police dog; Bai Liang could also bring his own cat onto set in every way—Little Treasure's pay already exceeded some third-tier stars.

From a certain angle, this could also be considered openly and aboveboard pulling strings.

But no one would raise any objection.

And Little Treasure was also a worldly-wise kitty, not afraid of the camera at all—a top-tier player among pet actors!

With a cat to pet, Big Mi Mi's mindset steadied considerably; this little furball really was cute! And its personality was super great too!

Little Treasure, having gotten along with plenty of young ladies, actually quite liked Big Mi Mi, because Big Mi Mi was really big, and was willing to let it stomp to its heart's content.

Seeing Little Treasure's little paws blooming with bliss, Bai Liang simply let Big Mi Mi take care of the little thing on his behalf.

That could also be considered a two-way run.

But she also had one little "aftereffect"—stroking Little Treasure's soft fur, she kept wondering what it would look like if shaved.

Bai Liang: If you shave it, Na Zha will fight you to the death.

And shaving Little Treasure's fur, how is that any different from cutting off a female star's hair?

When classmate Dudu shaved her head for "Better Days," she cried until her eyes were swollen, and Bai Liang had to coax her for ages.

Big Mi Mi said she was only having a sudden whim, not actually going to shave such an adorable little kitty.

If she really did that, wouldn't she become a dark-hearted old witch~

But shaving the fur wouldn't work, yet this little thing could still play some other roles.

Like showing off~

"Little Treasure?! Is that Little Treasure?"

"Yes~ cute, right~"

Big Mi Mi was on a video call with Reba from the trailer, gently squeezing Little Treasure's little paw, letting it say hi to Reba.

She had originally just wanted to show off a little, but Reba over there started getting crooked ideas.

"Sis Mi, are your cameo scenes done filming?"

Hearing this, Big Mi Mi paused, "Still a few left, what's up?"

"Sneak Little Treasure back with you, bring it to me."

Big Mi Mi:

That is truly a damn good idea!

Yuan Li stealing the dog is still a meme to this day, and the reason Yuan Li stole the dog was because she had also paid for buying it, and spent money raising it too—from a certain angle, it doesn't really count as stealing.

But Reba's idea was absolutely, unreservedly stealing!

Apart from having petted this cat, she hadn't made any contribution.

"If you like cats, just buy one yourself," Big Mi Mi complained.

But Reba shook her head, "I don't like cats—I like Xiao Bao."

Big Mi Mi: You clearly like Gu Li Na Zha's stuff—your target isn't just the cat~

But to be fair, this aggressive competitive spirit really makes Big Mi Mi envious.

She herself could never muster that kind of drive anymore.

Especially since these two have been clashing for years—thinking about it now, it's actually impressive.

Although the main reason Na Zha and Reba clashed long ago shifted from "fighting over a man" to a battle over top female idol paths.

After all, "fighting over a man" sounded too crude—both teams had long coordinated to steer the narrative elsewhere.

Now, the two of them have a bit of the old Fan Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing vibe.

But their respective teams and companies know exactly what's going on—they find it absurd that after years of fighting, there's still no clear winner, yet they're still going at it.

But it also makes sense.

Over these past years, the man they're fighting over has kept "evolving," filling every gap as it appears.

Earlier, people used to gossip that Bai Liang was just a male model from a poor family, but now? Nonsense—he's clearly a rich kid playing at being ordinary.

He's become a perfect man.

Under these circumstances, if Na Zha and Reba were to "retire," someone would immediately step into their ecological niche.

For some reason, Big Mi Mi suddenly thought of that pair of flashy sister duo who used to be quite prominent.

When she first heard that term, she nearly choked laughing.

It was definitely a nickname worthy of her own "Bald Chicken" moniker—definitely a derogatory one.

But when the nickname first emerged, neither of them was all that notable—and even now, they're still nowhere near Reba and Na Zha.

But their tactics are actually very similar to Reba and Na Zha's—if anyone's going to fill the void, these two are the most suitable.

She shook her head, tossing all these messy thoughts aside—after all, who steps into whose niche has nothing to do with Big Mi Mi.

Besides, neither of these two new Jiang girls shows the slightest sign of backing down.

Reba calls Na Zha a stubborn donkey, but she herself isn't any better.

It feels like they're bound to cause a major commotion eventually.

After years of tension and rivalry, plus their feelings for Bai Liang, these two girls are definitely going to set off a big bomb.

This is Big Mi Mi's sixth sense as someone who's been there.

She looked up at Bai Liang, still laughing and chatting about the script with Zhao Jinmai, and after a moment's thought, decided not to "snitch" to Reba.

If she had to mention every little thing like that, she'd be drowning in jealousy.

Hmm… she could help out a little though~

One week later!

Zhao Jinmai:

Fuck this is too much!

As a young girl, cursing isn't good for her image, but Zhao Jinmai really couldn't hold back anymore.

Big Mi Mi's scenes were shot ages ago, yet she just refuses to leave!

She came in saying she'd stay only four or five days—now it's almost two weeks!

Zhao Jinmai had been counting the days on her fingers, feeling hopeful—but who could've expected this senior to be so dishonorable?

A few days ago, Big Mi Mi suddenly vanished from the set—Zhao Jinmai thought she'd finally left, and was about to rush excitedly to find Bai Liang.

Then she ran into Big Mi Mi in the hotel lobby, carrying a pile of shopping bags.

And the woman even warmly invited her to dinner~

Dinner wasn't the issue—but Zhao Jinmai saw what Big Mi Mi had bought and felt like she planned to settle in at the set permanently.

It was utterly outrageous~

The female lead of this drama is her! The total scheduled shoot time was barely over a month.

Yet this guest star, Big Mi Mi, clings to Bai Liang day and night, acting like she'll stay until the drama wraps.

Are top female stars this idle?

Big Mi Mi says she's certainly not this idle—but time, if squeezed, always makes room.

And Zhao Jinmai knew that the day Big Mi Mi left, she had a real, unavoidable commitment—once that was done, she'd just come right back.

But due to the impact, Big Mi Mi has indeed stopped appearing on set—many people truly believe she's gone.

Few know she's still holed up in the set's hotel.

People's joys and sorrows don't connect—Miss Mai is stewing in misery, while Miss Mi Mi feels she's never been happier.

She just hangs out at the hotel, plays games, and at the right time, a tall, muscular, six-pack hunk shows up to give her powerful stimulation and total relaxation, then she sleeps soundly and wakes up to play again.

This cycle is utterly addictive.

Originally, Big Mi Mi planned to stay no more than a week—but she just couldn't bring herself to leave.

Some rich women in certain circles have already bid nearly eight digits just to take Bai Liang out for dinner.

From this perspective, Big Mi Mi feels her trip's value is already nearing a hundred million.

Fortunately, Zhao Jinmai's frustration isn't alone—many others are frustrated because of Bai Liang.

The blockbuster film "800," released in August, after being thoroughly messed up by Sister Yanzi and Xiao Shui, ended up with a result that might just break even.

According to various disclosures, the film's cost was around five to six hundred million—assuming six hundred million, it would need roughly 1.8 billion in box office to break even.

"800" achieved it!

Based on its box office trend since release, a final total of 1.8 billion seems likely, even possibly exceeding two billion.

But the original timeline's 3 billion-plus? Forget it.

Not only do Sister Yanzi and Xiao Shui relentlessly stir up rumors and smear campaigns, but even in name alone, "800" has lost its fortune.

A film to save the market!

Originally that title belonged to *The Eight Hundred*—the first big-budget film after theaters reopened. That title carries risk, because it requires exploring the post-reopening market; one careless move and you could smash your head bloody against the wall.

So the scheduling of *The Eight Hundred* was actually quite calculated: it picked the August slot, letting some cannon fodder release first to test the waters.

And then, out of that cannon fodder, a Bai Liang popped up!

In terms of production cost, *Better Days* certainly can't compare with *The Eight Hundred*, but it can still be regarded as a big-budget film of the same tier.

Because its male lead is named Bai Liang—the current box-office champion, with appeal maxed out!

By stealing the spotlight first, it nearly siphoned off all of *The Eight Hundred*'s fortune, leaving it as nothing more than a normal big-budget film releasing after the market recovered.

So the "generous help" from the major theater chains and related media was far less.

After all, Bai Liang had already taken the first step in proving the market's vitality—or rather, as the market-saving film, he had already pulled the overall box office up.

So what room was left for *The Eight Hundred*? No one else is running a charity either~

Being able to recoup costs or make a small profit is already something to quietly celebrate.

Actually, even a result that looks like it could push two billion at the box office still leaves plenty of people dissatisfied.

It's a bit too much!

Right now Guan Hu is still being hung up high on display, with a bunch of people spitting at him.

If his box office really gets that high, the people who trash him will all feel very unhappy—there's always this feeling of "we worked so hard, and yet this bastard can still sit on our heads and take a dump."

Fortunately, *Better Days*' box office has already drawn infinitely close to three billion; it's still inching along bit by bit right now, but it will definitely edge out *The Eight Hundred*.

And plenty of people who don't like seeing Guan Hu happy have started posting their *Better Days* movie tickets online.

The rhythm was clearly set by Sister Yanzi—the operation was a bit obvious, but it worked remarkably well.

And at this point in time, this year's nomination lists for the Hundred Flowers and Golden Rooster Awards have finally been released!

(End of chapter)