Chapter 660: Definitely Standing at the Center of the Stage

The moment Bai Liang's phone rang, Bai Lu, who had been watching the drama on the side, didn't react at all—but when she saw him hesitate and not pick up right away, she couldn't help but sneak a curious glance.

Just that one glance, and she completely lost her composure.

Good lord, she actually called?

In an instant, her eyes went wide as brass bells, and the look in them held none of her usual longing for her male idol—only the burning passion of a gossip-hungry bystander.

Getting front-row seats to the drama had her thrilled beyond belief, so much so that her legs couldn't help but press together a little!

Bai Liang glanced at Bai Lu, whose face had inexplicably turned a little flushed, didn't think much of it, and finally picked up the call.

Of course, he definitely didn't put it on speaker.

But Bai Lu had her own tricks—during this period of filming together, although she hadn't gotten what she wanted, her relationship with Bai Liang had indeed grown quite close, so.

As Bai Liang listened to Shuangzi's slightly husky greeting on the other end of the line, what lingered at the tip of his nose was the faint fragrance coming from Bai Lu, and he even felt a little tickle on his neck.

This girl was leaning way too close.

If someone happened to look from the side, they might well think Bai Lu was wrapping her arms around Bai Liang's neck and kissing him~

But today, Shuangzi was undeniably the star of the show.

"Hey there~"

Hearing Bai Liang's calm greeting, Shuangzi on the other end sounded a bit subdued, and after a two-second pause, she said:

"I'm... not doing so great."

"But I can guess—what's up?"

"It's nothing really, I just didn't know who else to turn to right now, so I gave you a call..."

What Bai Lu, eavesdropping on the side, hadn't expected was that Shuangzi really wasn't calling for "help"—the woman's purpose in calling was damn pure: the call itself was the point.

Gotta say, that's our Shuangzi for you!

But then again~ after all, he's her god, and when a person is at their wits' end or out of options, aren't they supposed to pray to their god?

Why wouldn't she pray?

Bai Liang, for his part, didn't find it strange—after all, back when he and Shuangzi had first met just a few years ago, she had even "kowtowed" by falling flat on her face in front of him, and even in that sorry state she hadn't asked him for help.

This woman really is a bit unhinged.

But just as Bai Liang back then was willing to extend a helping hand within limits, he never held much grudge against cats and dogs that had bared their teeth at him.

Same goes now.

So, his tone softened a little more, and unlike the way he'd been blabbing with Bai Lu earlier, he didn't actually press Shuangzi for details on how she'd fallen—he just chatted with her about some lighter, more trivial topics.

As if nothing had happened at all; the reeds outside the window and tonight's moon were still just as lovely.

Even Bai Lu, after listening for a while, had lost her gossip-hungry edge, and now stared at Bai Liang in a daze, a faint ripple of emotion drifting through her eyes.

In her heart she couldn't help but sigh: Bro, if you don't build a harem, who will?

But then she felt that thinking this way didn't quite match the gentleness Bai Liang was showing at this moment, and connecting the strange relationship between these two, a single phrase popped into her mind.

God loves the world.

At this moment, the afterglow of the setting sun outside the window filtered through the RV's blinds, and under the Tyndall effect, it lent an extra touch of sacredness to the scene.

Every single girl present—who wouldn't be dazzled by this?

Oh, there's only one girl here, so she's the lucky one, getting him all to herself.

However—

Click~

Bai Lu wasn't completely dazed, at least—she hadn't forgotten to secretly snap a photo, so she'd have something to look at later, something that might even help her out during her "hard work" at night.

Mm... she's using it tonight!

After sneaking a peek at the photo she'd taken, she was a little amazed—was this really something her photography skills could produce?

The idea she'd been mulling over in her head about maybe posting it on Weibo so everyone could "share the joy" instantly vanished.

A photo that could be called a "moment of a lifetime"—she planned to secretly keep it all to herself.

At most, she'd share one copy with her best girlfriend.

Bai Liang saw right through all of little Bai Lu's little moves, but he didn't mind.

His main focus remained on the conversation with Shuangzi.

It looked like a perfectly ordinary exchange between friends, but in truth it was the first time the two of them had ever talked like this.

Because his "relationship" with Shuangzi really was a little too unusual.

No need to go into what a mess it was at the start—that woman was like a mad cat.

Later she straight-up turned into a bit of a simp, watching people, looking up at them, so naturally she couldn't have a proper conversation either.

And now, all her halo and confidence had collapsed overnight, and Shuangzi, who had once placed herself in the dust, was now enjoying the gentleness Bai Liang was finally willing to give her—like a drowning person grabbing the last straw.

Of course, that couldn't actually save her life, but it carried enough weight to land in her heart.

"Hey~ this is the first time you've ever chatted with me like this~"

Shuangzi's laughter came through the phone, but that laughter seemed tinged with a slight sob.

Bai Lu, however, couldn't help but tilt her head and mouth silently at Bai Liang: "She seems to be crying."

Bai Liang gave a slight nod, his tone and everything unchanged, as if he hadn't noticed, everything as usual.

The sun will still rise tomorrow; the arena of fame and fortune won't change just because someone leaves.

It's just that some people exit the stage early, that's all.

"I wonder what it'll be like when it's my turn to exit the stage~" Bai Liang suddenly muttered.

Hearing this, Bai Lu's eyes went wide, unable to imagine how this topic could possibly continue.

But in her heart she couldn't help but mull it over too—for an artist at his level, how would he exit the stage someday?

Would it be like those in the industry who stayed famous for decades—heartthrobs in their youth, "auntie-killers" in their old age, still heartthrobs, doing this job for a lifetime? Or like certain shooting stars, suddenly plummeting one day, creating an unprecedented huge commotion... But no matter how she imagined it, it didn't seem like he would ever quietly fade away.

After all,

On the other end of the line, Shuangzi seemed to already have an answer and blurted out:

"When you exit the stage, you'll definitely be standing right in the middle of it."

Bai Liang laughed: "Mm~ that's right, after all, I'm the protagonist!"

When he said this, he really meant it literally. Bai Liang genuinely felt he was the protagonist, without a shred of false modesty.

This world revolved around him!

But in other people's ears, it sounded quite different.

It's like how everyone is the protagonist of their own life story.

This kind of chicken soup for the soul is commonplace usually, but at certain moments it has its own unique flavor, making one unable to resist savoring it and feeling moved.

This phone call lasted for the better part of half an hour, and finally ended with a brief silence followed by softly saying "goodbye" to each other.

From this moment on, some people were about to disappear from the "main storyline."

Making the most peculiar entrance, and exiting in the most desolate way.

Like an abruptly cut-off satirical novel.

But by the time Bai Liang came back to his senses and turned his head, he found the girl beside him blushing.

"Huh?"