Chapter 77: A Hint of Sincerity Amidst Pretense

Ding ling ling~ ding ling ling~

Who is it? So annoying!

Bai Liang never had morning grumpiness; even if suddenly woken up, he usually wouldn't get angry.

But Meng Zi Yi did.

So she started making a racket early in the morning, fortunately Bai Liang himself didn't like getting angry and had ways to keep others from getting angry too.

At this point, the call had already ended due to being unanswered.

But less than two seconds later, Huang Jingyu sent another video call.

Bai Liang mumbled into the covers: "I'm taking a video call, don't come out."

Wu wu~

The video call connected.

What's going on, little bro? Why are you waking up so late now?

It's only eight o'clock, not that late, is it?

Do you think I don't know what time you usually wake up? Something's up—I'll tell you... oh, didn't you check the video I sent you?

What video?

Hehe, fan meet-and-greet video, I'm famous now!

The video Huang Jingyu sent Bai Liang showed footage from a Korean airport, a sea of people, almost all girls!

Screams and shouts rose and fell in waves.

Because Huang Jingyu walked quickly, the crowd of fans nearly ran to keep up, the mob surged at incredible speed... causing major security pressure for the Korean airport.

This scene looked just like that of top-tier idols!

Oh right, although his drama "Addicted" was taken down after a few episodes on domestic platforms.

But the full, uncut version can still be found online!

I heard even Liu Tianwang is watching it.

Its reach also had the air of sweeping across Southeast Asia, otherwise why would so many fangirls meet him at the airport abroad?

But Bai Liang, even after learning this, lacked the courage to watch it—he couldn't support his friend.

"Impressive, impressive, you're so eager to show off this to me?" Bai Liang said, slightly speechless.

"Hehe~ Hey? What's going on with your neck?" Huang Jingyu noticed the blind spot and asked.

Neck?

Bai Liang reached up and touched it—no foreign object—but now he could use the video to check... hmm, it was a hickey.

Right beside his Adam's apple, clearly marked.

"Mosquito bite," Bai Liang said without changing expression.

Are there mosquitoes this time of year?

Yes, Northeastern giant mosquitoes.

Smack!

Bai Liang's thigh got a tap—not painful, but made some noise.

He looked down and saw a pair of big eyes glaring fiercely at him, fierce~

Bai Liang ignored her and kept pressing down.

At that moment, Huang Jingyu's smugness vanished completely from the video: "Your Northeastern giant mosquitoes can hit people too, huh?"

"If trained properly, maybe they could... this phrase isn't right, well-trained..."

Bai Liang felt he'd walked into a verbal trap—it seemed no matter how he answered, it was inappropriate.

Fortunately, he hadn't said anything like "discipline."

But Huang Jingyu's smugness today clearly wasn't limited to this—he hadn't been filming drama after drama like Bai Liang, but his next role was already lead supporting actor in a movie.

A movie called "Gunpowder Waist Flower," with the movie king Wang Qianyuan as the male lead.

"I think you should still sign with Sister Yang's company—you really have talent."

"What other good projects did she introduce you to?" Bai Liang asked curiously.

"This next one's big—you know about the evacuation? It's an adaptation, but not confirmed yet—I'll tell you when there's news, maybe we'll even act together."

Gu Shun, sniper of the Jiaolong Assault Team, sent a team-up invitation.

Bai Liang readily accepted and told him he was excellent with guns and could teach him.

Huang Jingyu immediately mocked him: you've played too much CS—headshots in games, but in real life you've got to train hard.

Hey! You're not convinced, huh?!

The two launched into a heated exchange about shooting—no boy could possibly be uninterested in this.

They even mutually decided that when they met again, they'd give each other a lesson.

"New grudges and old ones" would be settled then.

"How long are you two going to chat?"

Meng Zi Yi finally couldn't hold back—she was about to suffocate~ and she hadn't even washed up yet, and there was a bit of a smell too...

"Huh? A girl with a Northeastern accent... so she really is a Northeastern giant mosquito!"

After teasing, Huang Jingyu immediately hung up—the words "well-behaved" appeared on the screen.

As for Bai Liang, he was in trouble—the girl insisted on kissing him, saying... you should try it too.

The lively, playful atmosphere vanished instantly after leaving the room.

Like eating hot pot—the steam rises thickly while eating, but after it ends, the congealed beef tallow base is extremely hard to clean.

Perfect for parting.

Bai Liang loved hot pot because he could enjoy the fiery heat and also accept the cold leftovers.

He could, but others couldn't easily.

"We agreed—no visiting or showing up at each other's places!" Mencius stammered out her threats, but her eyes were already turning red before she finished speaking.

Bai Liang soothed her in time: "Not even a crack to slip through?"

"You think this is law, that you can study loopholes..."

She laughed at her own words—that was Mencius.

After laughing, she unusually grew serious, though her voice remained soft: "Be careful. Don't act like a capybara toward everyone—some people will deliberately take advantage of you."

"I'm not easy to bully."

"Then... then think more about the future too—your career plans and such."

"I've planned it already: wait till you get rich, then you'll support me."

"Then when I can afford you, you'll be my pet—a little hedgehog~"

This time, Bai Liang didn't criticize her for giving herself silly nicknames; he smiled and patted her head.

He turned and left.

Once he was gone, Mencius no longer seemed fragile; she sprang up at once, called her agent, and firmly stepped onto her path of dark fame.

"Men really are stumbling blocks on our path to success!" Li Yitong concluded.

"You think—when he looked at me last, how much of it was real?"

"Do you want the truth or a lie?"

"What's the lie?"

"He's utterly in love with you—his gaze could melt you right there~"

"And the truth?"

"I don't know. I can't tell."

"What good are you then!"

The two girls immediately began tussling, and the hot pot seemed to steam again.

But just like the classic coin toss problem, the answer was already in your heart the moment you flipped it.

How much was real?

A thread of truth hidden in pretense.

Humans are such strange creatures—sometimes, just that one thread is enough to leave them content.

But if the reverse were true—if truth were mixed with even a trace of pretense—it would make one wonder: why not one hundred percent?