Chapter 96: Came Out of the Book? (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Today's Weibo trending topics were extremely lively.

Fans of the original novel "Weiwei," followers of the monk Wu Xin, and idol-chasing girls were all passionately discussing it.

The center of the topic was naturally Bai Liang.

The most aggressive push came from the original novel fans—they had been frantically discussing casting choices for the drama version just yesterday.

After Shuangzi walked out and quit, the already highly discussed topic surged to another peak.

On one side was the discussion about the female lead; on the other, naturally, the male lead.

Compared to the female lead, Xiao Nai, the male lead of "Weiwei," was a perfect all-rounder.

Appearance: refined, elegant, with exceptional charm.

This couldn't be solved by just calling him "handsome"—his aura had to match too.

As for his abilities, he could do anything.

Yes, the character's setup was this absurd.

If we break it down: academic genius, gaming expert, basketball team member, programming prodigy, gold medalist for his school in swimming, plus skilled in guqin, basketball, swimming, Go, and Minesweeper—an undisputed all-around genius.

If this weren't a novel, producing such a person in real life would be pure nonsense.

So when original novel fans discussed casting Xiao Nai, they focused almost entirely on looks and aura.

Just find a handsome guy who looks the part—that's enough for acting.

Then, after the female lead's casting was half-finished and she vanished, the "Weiwei" production team suddenly announced: "Don't be disappointed, fans—we've found a male lead who perfectly fits Xiao Nai; please look forward to it."

Of course, the production team only released this message tentatively; they didn't dare overly praise Bai Liang, or it would seem unrealistic.

The main goal was to boost fan attention.

Bai Liang's face was indeed extremely impressive—Lin Yufen, Gu Man, and others all had full confidence in this.

Plus, he'd recently gained massive popularity from "Wu Xin Master," so they felt satisfying the novel fans shouldn't be a problem.

Isn't this what Xiao Nai looks like?

Even Yang Yang, who had high public demand before, isn't necessarily more handsome than him. And if you compare not just looks but overall qualifications—sorry, that would be an absolute massacre.

Bai Liang's height and proportions were once good enough to be a male model.

Then, perfectly timed, a Sina Entertainment exposé article delivered partial "evidence."

"Fan" Xiao Shui becoming deputy editor wasn't just about connections—she was also exceptionally skilled at marketing and writing.

Her article didn't just flatter Bai Liang blindly; instead, it raised multiple doubts—she'd mastered the technique of building up after initial criticism!

Finally, she pulled out the ultimate move: publishing Bai Liang's scores and rankings from the National Civil Service Exam and the Judicial Examination.

She emphasized especially: after verification from multiple sources, this is absolutely authentic!

Yeah, people actually checked.

Never underestimate how seriously netizens take things—boasting online carries risks.

Netizens don't just check scores—they'll even track down your academic papers.

In the past, celebrities could blurt out nonsense freely, taking advantage of the underdeveloped internet; now, every word you say might one day be dug up and become your black history.

But when they dug into Bai Liang, they hit a brick wall.

After all, these two exams don't allow fraud—fraud or cheating could land you in prison.

After verifying the facts, they went wild.

Holy shit! Is there a real genius hiding among these Renjuntai graduates?

Of course, this is hyperbole—but it's true that some celebrities didn't even finish nine-year compulsory education.

Even many of Bai Liang's own fans only realized now: Wait? All those resources my brother shared—were they actually useful? Were they his "blood and sweat"?

Previously, a large portion of them had thought Bai Liang was just showing off—ahem, but fans didn't really care about this anyway, since most were here for his looks.

But they didn't mind a little extra polish on the face—fangirl circles have hierarchies.

Like the esports community's favorite line: "What championship did you win?"

With these two credentials on display, Bai Liang's fans could now mock other idols' fans by calling their idols "Zhang Yu"—crushing them intellectually and academically.

In this field, he could truly slaughter his contemporaries.

The sense of superiority immediately arrived.

But the biggest thrill for the original novel fans was yet to come!

The final piece of the puzzle!

The official announcement from IG Esports Club: two new "professional players" joining.

Wang Sicong was obviously there for comedy—the real focus was the one after him.

Again, the old internet routine: first, skepticism.

Instantly verified: fake.

Those esports fans are all veteran trolls who never hold back, dragging ancestors back eighteen generations—protecting your beloved parents in front of them isn't easy.

Dig deeper!

Keep digging!

Lin's live-stream recordings became the best reference material.

Previously, some marketing accounts had already cashed in on the traffic, but back then Bai Liang hadn't shown his face—everyone was just watching the show's entertainment value.

Things like pressuring Wang Sicong, making him flush red, etc.

But now, after digging up the video and checking his account data: ranked 100+ in the top tier of Region 1. That rank is definitely not high among professional players—many National #1 players have been crushed by lower-ranked opponents.

But that rank was enough to silence many critics who sneered, "Actors coming to eat esports traffic?"

What is called strict hierarchy?

Reveal your rank first, then keep talking.

Of course, they also knew that Bai Liang, this "professional player," was most likely just here for fun, like Wang Sicong.

But that didn't stop them from making a huge spectacle.

It meant future star exhibition matches would actually be worth watching—this guy was truly skilled.

The league's official gaming platform wouldn't miss this wave of hype; many professional players jumped in too. The e-sports circle experienced a traffic explosion.

The evidence proved that the e-sports circle was truly powerful!

Wang Sicong was initially shocked, nearly falling out of the top ten, then watched his ranking skyrocket to second place.

The team handling the paid hype and boosting popularity called, asking if they should continue—the money spent was less than half.

Please... you... collect... 6... 9... the... book...!

Wang Sicong: Need your fucking head!

Coming to his senses, he suddenly froze: Shit, now he was riding Bai Liang's coattails.

He no longer bothered trying harder to become the top trending topic because those slight original novel fans had all "gone mad."

After confirming that everything said on the trending topics was actually true, they completely lost their minds!

What the fuck is this chosen-one Xiao Nai?!

Did the male lead just walk out of the book?!

Although Xiao Nai still had many skill points unactivated by Bai Liang, even just these alone were enough to satisfy many original novel fans.

If the "Wei Wei" drama crew now announced a change of male lead, whether it was the replacement actor or the crew itself, they might get completely drowned by the furious original novel fans.

At this moment, Sister Yanzi, who was negotiating the actor's fee with the crew, thought exactly that.

Her mind held only one thought: Holy shit, we hit the jackpot!

Lin Yufen and the others stared blankly: What the fuck, how did this suddenly explode out of nowhere?

They'd only leaked this piece of news to reassure the novel fans following the matter.

Who could've imagined that today Weibo would be completely taken over by Bai Liang?

With this momentum, saying he could rival the top influencer in the industry wasn't an exaggeration.

Even top influencers had never pulled off an operation that dominated multiple trending topics at once.

Suddenly, several pairs of eyes turned toward Sister Yanzi!

Correct—this sudden explosion made it hard not to suspect that this seemingly naive young agent was the "mastermind."

Especially at this critical moment!

The producer, watching Sister Yanzi's "reddened" eyes, felt his heart race wildly with anxiety.

Shit, this is definitely going to be a lion's demand.

Sister Yanzi: I'm just as confused as you are.

Before coming here, she'd worried about what she could do with just 100,000 yuan—now she'd turned the tables and become the boss. She didn't know how it happened, but she didn't care—just go ahead and do it!

Rolling up her sleeves, she adopted the aggressive stance of a market vendor, glaring fiercely at the producer and holding up her fingers to indicate her price: "Our boss wants this amount!"

Done!

Huh?

Sister Yanzi tilted her head, feeling something was off—did she ask for too little?

In fact, the producer handling the negotiation felt both pained and relieved.

The amount Sister Yanzi asked for certainly exceeded their original budget for Bai Liang, but not by too much.

Mainly, the crew couldn't afford to drag this out any longer!

If they wasted more time with Bai Liang now, it would be a net loss.

They needed to finalize it quickly and hold the launch ceremony immediately—that was the priority now!

That slight premium really wasn't significant.

Tang Ren Pictures.

Cai Yinong, watching the online commotion, accidentally spilled some yogurt from her mouth as she froze in shock.

She quickly wiped her lips.

Then she became even more skeptical of reality.

What the hell, how could this happen?

They'd put in nearly the same effort—why were Jin Cheng and Han Dongjun's marketing trends completely crushed out?

Watching Bai Liang dominate the top spot while wiping out everyone else, Cai Yinong instinctively suspected a traitor inside the company.

Had someone embezzled the promotion budget? Or had it all been dumped on Bai Liang?

That didn't make sense! How much money would this level of promotion require?!

Tang Ren simply didn't have this kind of budget.

The only explanation: someone else had also pushed hard today.

This time, she didn't bother "harassing" Chen Yao. After thinking long and hard, she called Na Zha.

"Na Zha, do you still want to compete for the female lead in 'Wei Wei'?"

Cai Yinong had planned well—Na Zha and Bai Liang already had a history; if they teamed up again, the traffic would skyrocket!

"Yun Zhi Fan" followed by "Wei Wei" might finally launch her into the top tier.

Previously, she'd thought too many people were eyeing that drama—she'd heard even Yang Mi had personally jumped in—and felt it wasn't worth it.

But now her thinking had changed—she smelled an excellent opportunity.

But on the other end of the line, Na Zha's voice was on the verge of tears: "Sister Cai, I've already been confirmed as the supporting role—not the lead."

(End of Chapter)