Chapter 70: I

Bai Liang genuinely didn't know "Dating Battle" wasn't starting today, so at first he was curious:

Where had their paparazzi hidden? Impossible to find! Truly professional!

Chen Yao obviously knew, but she didn't mention it.

After leaving Tang Ren Pictures with Bai Liang, she kept staring at the hand he held hers with.

Inside: His hand is so big, a little rough...

"Oh? Sorry."

Chen Yao had been staring too long; Bai Liang noticed and assumed she felt awkward or shy, so he quickly let go.

Once he let go, the girl forced a smile at him and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Let's eat later. Right now... what do you usually like to do? Shopping?"

"I'm fine with anything. Let's take our time deciding—we've got plenty of time."

"Alright~ What should we eat tonight?"

At that moment, Chen Yao's eyes lit up, "Let's have hot pot~ Sichuan hot pot."

Bai Liang suddenly felt a localized sting and quickly asked, "Where are you from?"

"Sichuan-Chongqing."

No wonder—it makes sense. I heard Sichuan-Chongqing girls are all gentle.

"I suggest we save the hot pot for our last meal of this 'event,'" Bai Liang proposed.

"I'll follow your lead."

In truth, the two of them weren't stirring up gossip by pretending to be a couple—they were clearly pretending to be celebrities.

But Bai Liang noticed that even when they walked openly down the street, no one recognized them, so he stopped even bothering with a mask.

He wore the mask only to make the act seem more convincing.

He'd seen other stars sneak around when exposed—it looked more authentic.

Now he was just too lazy to pretend. After all, he wasn't that famous... It'd be funny if the paparazzi took photos and posted them online and nobody even knew who they were talking about.

Chen Yao didn't think that far—she was having a great time!

Walking with Bai Liang as they searched for food and shopped, they even slipped into a mall's game zone and had a fun, energetic gaming session.

Unfortunately, they got thoroughly defeated by the claw machine—she tried dozens of times but never grabbed the doll she loved.

It was a capybara.

Fortunately, with Bai Liang around, how could she possibly leave this regret behind~

For safety's sake, Bai Liang didn't even rely on his own "superstition" of luck.

Instead, he went to the front desk, found the manager, and handed over a few hundred-yuan bills: "Look, my girlfriend's in a bad mood today—I want to cheer her up. Consider this buying you a few dolls..."

Chen Yao truly loved that capybara—she couldn't even bring herself to let go while eating.

But just as she hesitated for a long time, seriously looking at Bai Liang, about to say something, something finally happened!

"Excuse me—are you Bai Liang?"

Two urban women sat at the next table and had been glancing over at them since they sat down.

They were clearly staring mostly at Bai Liang; as for Chen Yao... her drama hadn't aired yet, so she was still a complete outsider.

They'd directly labeled her "Bai Liang's non-celebrity girlfriend."

"Hi~" Bai Liang greeted the two "little fans," acknowledging it.

One girl was quite excited, "Can we take a photo? I love your dramas—you're so handsome!"

The other girl, calmer in expression, glanced curiously between Bai Liang and Chen Yao and added, "We won't say anything—we'll keep it secret for you."

Chen Yao instinctively wanted to explain, to prevent Bai Liang's fans from misunderstanding.

But before she could speak, Bai Liang smiled warmly and nodded, "Thanks a lot~"

Chen Yao:???

Do you really believe fans won't blab? They'll probably brag and spill it all.

The whole point of stirring up gossip is the word "stir"—but actually admitting it is absolutely forbidden!

Chen Yao knew this well—Cai Yi had stressed it to her especially.

But Bai Liang clearly didn't believe in that nonsense: There's still true kindness in the world—trust each other.

Yet when signing, he didn't write his own name—he carefully wrote "Zhang Xianzong."

The fan hadn't even had time to be confused when Chen Yao immediately understood.

She took the pen and wrote just as carefully: "Yue Qiluo."

The fan looked baffled, but before she could ask, the other one figured it out: "Are these the names of your characters in your new drama together?"

"Yes, it'll be coming out soon on Sohu Video—take a look then."

"I'll definitely support it! I followed you even before you registered your Weibo—I'm one of your earliest fans!"

At this point, Bai Liang realized one of these two girls was genuinely his fan.

She was clutching the signed paper, ecstatic.

The other was much calmer—likely just her friend.

This was Bai Liang's first fan to recognize him "in the wild"—meaningful to him.

Though he didn't quite follow the mindset of idol-loving girls, he'd always been gentle and kind toward girls who liked him.

So after fulfilling their request for signatures and photos, and learning she was about to graduate, he added:

"You can check out the materials I posted on Weibo—I've got some insights on civil service exams and judicial exams; my summaries might help. If they benefit you, then your liking me won't be in vain."

The little fan was confused—she knew about Bai Liang's Weibo posts, but... his words sounded a bit odd.

What does he mean, he "has some insights" too?

At this moment, her best friend's eyes suddenly lit up. "Have you taken the judicial exam and the civil service exam?"

"Yes, he ranked first in the national civil service exam for a popular position, and he passed the judicial exam with a high score—he's amazing!" Chen Yao blurted out proudly for Bai Liang.

"Um, could we chat a bit more?"

The female fan was ruthlessly shoved aside by her sparkling-eyed best friend.

When Bai Liang saw the recording pen in front of him, he naturally guessed the girl's identity.

The girl smiled at him. "I really am your fan. I'm not that obsessed, but my job happens to be... a Sina Entertainment reporter."

Chen Yao: Oh no!

She didn't know why it was bad, but she just felt it was going to be disastrous!

One hand nervously gripped Bai Liang's sleeve, the other tightly clutched a capybara plushie...

At this moment, Bai Liang felt nothing special. "You're a reporter?"

"Absolutely genuine—I have my credentials!"

"I have credentials too—my lawyer's license."

The young reporter found this strange; she suddenly felt as if she were already standing on the defendant's bench.

Bai Liang had personally drafted a lawyer's letter for her, personally standing in the plaintiff's attorney's position, ready to blast her if she dared write a single false word!

So her tone instantly softened, and she emphasized again, "I really am your fan."