Chapter 54: Arsenic in Honey (Please Follow, Please Vote)

"Sister Qian is a really nice Northeastern big sister; she even treated me to dinner before."

"Big sister? How old is she?"

"Forty-something, I didn't ask her age—it'd be impolite."

Hearing this, Na Zha suddenly sighed in relief; a big sister in her forties… what was there to be nervous about?

But that Meng Zi Yi just now—wow~ a twenty-year-old little sister is truly proactive!

Na Zha felt a slight sense of urgency, but didn't take it too seriously.

Don't ask; if you ask, it's just confidence.

Even her assistant found it a bit strange—too confident, isn't it? … Though Na Zha does have grounds for confidence; her looks are undeniable in the entertainment industry, but why hasn't she made a move yet? Isn't she afraid someone else will snatch him away?

Sometimes her assistant was genuinely nervous, because compared to Na Zha's high market value, Bai Liang was clearly more "dangerous."

It had even caused a minor uproar within Tang Ren.

Jin Cheng and Chen Yao's stunt of kissing him on each cheek behind the scenes was fine, but those two actually posted it on their Moments…

Cai Yinong got furious when she saw it: "You actually dared to post that?!"

Delete it! Delete it all, right now!

The company's male artists are all growing wings and trying to escape, while the female artists are acting like they've gone mad—don't want the spotlight of fame and fortune, just want to taste the sweetness of love, right?

Countless lessons are right there: lovers' brains never end well!

Even Duan Zhengchun, the least worst among scumbags, still ended up causing all his lovers to lose their heads one after another.

Besides, most scumbags don't even have Duan Wang's sense of responsibility.

What's feared isn't Duan Wang, but Hong Shixian, Chen Shimei, He Shuhuan, An Jiahe…

This incident directly caused Cai Yinong's mindset to undergo a major shift.

She's now a little afraid of Bai Liang—he's poisonous! Worse yet, he's arsenic mixed in honey!

Stay away, don't get anywhere near Tang Ren!

As for Na Zha, this top star… they've tried persuading her, they've played good cop and bad cop, but there's really nothing they can do—let her be.

Maybe enduring some heartbreak in love and then working hard on her career would be a good thing.

Na Zha does have reason to be confident; back on set, Bai Liang hadn't truly felt the "class gap," but now, backstage in the studio, he truly felt it.

Even makeup alone had its rules.

Big stars had private dressing rooms and makeup rooms; Lin Yuer had only shown up briefly at first, and Bai Liang hadn't seen her since.

Lin Genxin and Na Zha naturally received similar treatment, but right now Na Zha wasn't in a hurry and stayed with Bai Liang in the large dressing room.

Watching Meng Zi Yi and the others line up waiting to be called for makeup.

It was almost certainly by status; here, Meng Zi Yi would probably be last in line—even though her company was pushing her, she was still just a little nobody, nobody knew her.

Little artists were like this; this was just a variety show, but for big galas or events with more artists, many low-status ones had to sit on the hallway floor.

"Aren't you getting your makeup done?" Bai Liang asked, glancing curiously at Na Zha.

Staff had just come by to notify her to use a small makeup room nearby.

"I'm not in a rush—I already did my makeup when I came. I prefer my own makeup artist… I'll just freshen up a bit before going on stage."

"Oh~ Should I go line up and get a number?"

Na Zha:???

Seeing Bai Liang actually preparing to line up, Na Zha quickly grabbed his arm: "Just use my makeup room—why bother squeezing in with them?"

"Aren't you the one who told me back then that in the entertainment industry you must know your place…"

This made Na Zha's face flush—oh no, the boomerang hit her.

It's just a special situation… fine, she admitted she had a tiny bit of a desire to show off—everyone had that sense of superiority.

But this "dumb goose" Bai Liang seemed to have missed the point~

Yet Bai Liang kept "outputting": "So many people are watching—if I go with you, won't people gossip behind our backs?"

I give up on you!

Na Zha reconsidered—it was true, she didn't really want to stay in this large dressing room; it wasn't that she looked down on others, just that too many people meant more drama, and besides Bai Liang, everyone here was female… women gathering meant even more drama.

"So you'll just stay here the whole time?"

"I'll go find Lin Genxin and borrow his makeup room."

"……You really don't have to go to so much trouble for me. Forget it, let's not talk about it—after the recording, let's have hot pot together."

"Alright~"

Before leaving, Na Zha glanced at Meng Zi Yi and saw her still waiting there, pitifully in line.

She'd even pulled out a small mirror—clearly cared deeply about this variety show appearance.

What good does caring do? A little nobody gets how much screen time?

Na Zha wouldn't do anything as cruel as bullying the weak—so far, she'd only given her a few "eye attacks."

But that didn't stop her from secretly gossiping a little in her mind.

After gossiping, she felt delightfully happy and left cheerfully.

Originally, she hadn't cared much about this "replacement" recording, thinking she'd just go through the motions.

The promotional spotlight for this drama was definitely Lin Yuer; she wouldn't dare step forward to steal it—just as she'd explained to Bai Liang, know your place, jumping ahead is a big no-no.

But now she wanted to dress up even more beautifully…

Meanwhile, Meng Zi Yi hadn't been sneaking glances at Na Zha at all, didn't even notice she'd left.

She carefully examined her face in the mirror, determined to achieve flawless, 360-degree beauty.

She was quite ambitious, of course—but that didn't stop her from being a lover's brain.

These two traits coexisted perfectly within her.

Bai Liang leaned over beside her, watching for a while, then couldn't help asking, "Are you trying to pick your own acne?"

"Ah!"

Mencius was startled, nearly dropping the small mirror.

Luckily, Bai Liang reacted faster, reaching out to catch it and handing it back to her, "You're so jumpy—weren't you just saying you wanted to blind everyone with your beauty..."

"No! Don't say it!"

Some things are grand and bold when whispered privately—you'll brag about anything.

But say them outright in front of a group of insiders, and the shame level explodes.

After successfully stopping Bai Liang's "outrageous claim," Mencius exhaled in relief, her eyes sweeping the lounge—no sign of that face she had to admit was undeniably beautiful—and her heart grew lighter.

Yet she still had to play coy: "Where's your gorgeous girlfriend?"

"My mom? How could my mom be here?"

"What do you mean..."

"At home, I always call my mom that. I'll tell you secretly—she's even prettier than Sister Qian Jie."

Looking at Bai Liang's face, Mencius thought this claim might very well be true.

But to her, Sister Qian Jie was still the most beautiful—no debate!

"I meant Gulinaiza."

"Oh, she went to the makeup room."

"Aren't you going too?"

For some reason, Bai Liang always felt that when Mencius asked this, her tone sounded pitifully forlorn.

Like a little puppy waiting for its master's comfort...

So his tone softened unconsciously: "I'll stay here with you for a bit."

In that moment, Bai Liang clearly saw how a girl's eyes could shift from faintly dimmed to sparkling with light!