Chapter 626

The early part of 2021 was remarkably eventful.

Hit dramas, big scandals, wild antics.

With "Si Teng" launching as the "year's opening drama" and immediately exploding, it added another notch to Bai Liang's record of hits, though it now seemed less remarkable.

Even after the drama ended and its overall ratings landed it among the top hits, it didn't even top the trending charts for a single day.

Probably only when his lead drama turns out utterly ordinary will the public find it surprising.

Aside from "Si Teng" temporarily holding the title of "Drama King of the Year," the "Where's Dad?" event also gave netizens plenty of entertainment.

In fact, the final outcome didn't linger long.

Aside from leaving behind the meme "We have a child," it seemed barely a few days passed before the whole thing faded away.

Far more interesting was the scene where netizens systematically hunted down every top influencer, forcing them to "solve the case."

Not to mention Bai Liang himself, a "grand" participant who tried to claim paternity from the event's backstage.

Aside from the fans of those involved, hardly anyone cared who fathered whose child—everyone just wanted to see what antics would unfold.

Moreover, the two parties seemed to have reached a certain level of "reconciliation," otherwise they wouldn't have written those long essays and then completely dropped the subject afterward.

They made peace.

Still, Zhang Bicheng's move, though unclear whether it qualified as textbook coercion, gave many people inspiration.

So this kind of thing actually works?

Many lesser-known figures in the industry and even internet influencers seemed to have learned from this pioneer's experience.

This wave served as a major catalyst, sounding a loud alarm for all the guys who like to spit anywhere!

No, not just spitting anywhere.

Even those with a habit of wearing raincoats should check whether their gear has been damaged in advance.

Bai Liang wasn't too worried about this—on one hand, he was lucky; on the other, the girls he flirted with or who flirted with him either were doing quite well and didn't have the same desperate need for "advancement" as lesser artists, or were currently low-profile but promising, making such extreme moves unnecessary.

As for other men in the industry, more of them will surely get caught later.

Still, this tactic, though seemingly a good path for the girls, requires choosing a reliable or at least decent opponent.

"Fuck, if I got framed like this, I wouldn't admit it—I'd force them to do a paternity test!"

Wang Young Master, whom no one had seen in a while, was now passionately voicing his opinions on the "Where's Dad?" incident.

He spoke with such certainty that he completely ignored the changing expressions of the several internet influencers beside him.

"Hey, this guy isn't dumb," Bai Liang laughed after clinking glasses with Lin Gexin.

Lin Gexin clearly sensed Wang Young Master's intent and chuckled, "He's giving people a heads-up. But, Big Immortal, do you think it'll work?"

"A little, but not much—he won't admit it, but will his father really do nothing? There are plenty of girls willing to gamble—it's just a matter of when his kid shows up."

"Gamble? I don't think it'll go that far."

The keyword triggered Bai Liang's interest instantly.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd made a bet with someone; also, for some reason, aside from occasional girls playing along, no one else would bet with him anymore—even though Bai Liang never bet on anything serious, nobody wanted to play this game with him.

For some reason, as Young Master Wang, with his arm around a beautiful girl and boasting loudly, was betting with Bai Liang and Lin Gexin, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck—as if something bad were about to happen.

Fortunately, the feeling came fast and faded fast, but it didn't vanish—only sank into temporary silence.

He didn't know it was because two people were betting on him—he just thought his bad luck hadn't fully passed.

Over the past year and more, Wang Young Master hadn't had an easy time.

Debt disputes, share withdrawals, livestreaming platform shutdowns, bankruptcy liquidation.

For an entrepreneur, encountering all this would usually mean total collapse—but for him, it wasn't even a big deal.

It merely gave the public a show of a rich kid's entrepreneurial antics, adding more gossip material.

No one thought Wang Young Master's life had deteriorated—he still sang, danced, and held girls as before.

Of course, the financial losses didn't seriously hurt him—he had family backing—but the blow to his confidence left him deeply unsettled.

So after Bai Liang finished filming "Changjin Lake" and returned to Shanghai, the frustrated Wang Young Master immediately came to seek out Bai Bai Daxian for comfort.

At first, hearing his nonsense, Bai Liang thought he'd suddenly become superstitious.

But after arriving, he realized this so-called "comfort" was just… a party, to relieve his sorrows.

In a way, it really was comfort.

Keep playing music! Keep dancing!

Boom!

The sound of the champagne cork popping was almost like a gunshot.

And as everyone knows, when the gun fires, someone dies; when someone dies, someone cries; when someone cries, they speak their heart.

Indeed, Wang Young Master had at least three things to say.

"Big Immortal, how the hell did you build your business? Your company is now worth more than my peak ever was."

"I didn't raise any funding—what's it worth?" Bai Liang waved his hand modestly, claiming his company was just a small workshop, a tiny family business.

Of course, this nonsense fooled no one—if it served only Bai Liang, it might truly be a large studio.

But Bai Liang's company had truly grown: Sister Yanzi was thriving in publicity, PR, film and TV production, and investment; leveraging Bai Liang's status as the brightest star in the entertainment industry, she tied together a vast network of connections, plus a string of projects that always turned a profit. Thank goodness his company hadn't gone public—if its financials were shown to competitors, they'd all drool.

"What do you think I can still do?"

This second heartfelt remark was intriguing. Bai Liang thought for a moment, "Why don't you try the entertainment industry? Appear on more variety shows—I bet you'd do better than Teacher Luo."

He only said "try the entertainment industry," not that he should become an actor.

After all, Bai Liang had seen Wang Young Master act—he was terrible, worse than Zha and the others by more than one level.

Oh right, even more pretentious than Yang Yang.

If he ever got it in his head to act, the title "Prince Wang" might well pass to him—and he'd be even more oily.

If Lin Gexin had said this, Wang Young Master would've cursed him out—but coming from Bai Liang, he actually gave it serious thought.

After thinking it over, he decided the guy was full of shit!

Teacher Luo was doing that to pay off a debt—why should Young Master Wang care about such things? Being pointed at on camera is nothing compared to the thrill of being the entertainment industry's disciplinary committee online.

How could a long robe like that be so easily taken off? He's a top-tier second-generation rich kid.

Bai Liang wasn't pleased to hear this: "Who isn't a second-generation rich kid?"

"Yeah, you are too."

"I didn't mean me—I really am not."

Bai Liang reasoned that he certainly couldn't count as a second-generation rich kid; although his parents were indeed very wealthy, the credit belonged entirely to Bai Da—the man had lifted his parents to wealth.