Chapter 181: Bai Ling's Daring Move—Challenging the Arena?

This, in fact, was the original reason Bai Ling intended to film a fantasy drama. An actor’s appearance could compensate for shortcomings in technique, script, or even acting skills, thereby allowing for a higher margin of error. Bai Ling naturally possessed such beauty, a precious inheritance from her original self. Could she not use it? Or rather, with the system’s assessment granting her a divine-level appearance score of 99, Bai Ling was confident she could make this drama even more brilliant and renowned than in her past life.

Her retort left many reporters present momentarily stunned. Indeed! With her qualifications plainly on display, why shouldn’t she play a top-tier beauty? I advise the reporter who asked that question to mind their own business. Of course, as fellow journalists, everyone was well aware of the underlying intentions behind such questions. Many even whispered inwardly, wondering how their statements had been so thoroughly overshadowed. It was clear that Wang Dagang had truly hired quite a few people.

Nevertheless, Bai Ling’s words were sharp and incisive. She avoided almost every pitfall. The only minor flaw might have been that she came across as somewhat arrogant. Such arrogance was an asset in her career as a singer, but in acting, it could be more controversial. However, considering Bai Ling’s previous sarcastic remarks about Wang Dagang on a program, the crowd quickly restrained themselves. It was simply too difficult to take advantage of Bai Ling’s sharp tongue.

In any case, the materials were already in hand. Those media reporters who had been instructed by Wang Dagang began to behave obediently. Subsequent questions became far more reasonable. Bai Ling and the others answered methodically. Yet, just as they were about to take their friends, who had come to support them, to celebrate at the banquet, Miaomiao approached.

“Bai Jie, it’s not good,” she said. “These media are definitely restless.” Immediately, she showed a tablet displaying numerous reports about Bai Ling on major news portals.

“Why is Bai Ling so arrogant? She disrespected reporters at the press conference!”
“Bai Ling is overly confident in her appearance.”
“Bai Ling admits the script of ‘Fragrant Honey’ is rather rough.”
“Gorgeous costumes and makeup are only surface-deep; is fantasy drama really limited to this palette? Thoughts on Bai Ling’s new series ‘Fragrant Honey’.”
...
There were many similar comments. Opening these articles revealed that they were all taken out of context, some even pieced together quotes Bai Ling had never uttered. Needless to say, these media reports were uniformly critical of Bai Ling. She clicked her tongue but showed no excessive anger. Of course, she knew Wang Dagang wouldn’t so easily miss the chance to target her. The opening ceremony was a perfect moment to ignite public opinion. Bai Ling had long been aware of this.

Unfortunately, such media coverage—did it really work? They were mostly just reports on some major websites. Bai Ling admired their ability to fabricate stories, as well as their dedication. Most likely, as soon as the media received the photos from the interview, they immediately began editing and uploading their copy. No doubt, similar news releases were probably more numerous than what she had seen.

Sure enough, a brief glance revealed many nearly identical press releases. This reminded Bai Ling of the time when the Crown Princess had been viciously slandered. Sadly, back then, the one who blackened Bai Ling’s name was Wen Boyi, Wen Yan’s father—a capitalist to be hanged from street lamps, with deep pockets who nearly crushed Bai Ling completely. Compared to that, Wang Dagang’s industry resources were decent but paled in comparison.

Miaomiao asked Bai Ling, “Sister, should we fight back? These people have gone too far!” “If so, I can contact Sister Ge right now.” She was clearly displeased with Wang Dagang and the media’s behavior and was quite proactive at this moment.

But Bai Ling shook her head. “No rush. Miaomiao, check when Wang Dagang’s project ‘Bright Future’ will finish shooting and when it will be released.” “If they plan to air it within three to six months, our studio’s PR team can start promoting by saying...” “We’ll say ‘Fragrant Honey’ will also be released during the same period.”

Miaomiao was stunned. The time required from filming to broadcast for a TV series could vary greatly. Some productions took years just to shoot, followed by additional delays before airing. Others wrapped up quickly, with shows airing within a year or even six months—a common occurrence.

The most typical example was the Crown Princess drama Bai Ling and Ouyang had previously filmed. The shooting schedule was short, and its release on streaming platforms was remarkably fast. Much of that speed was because the Crown Princess was a web series with limited content. Plus, Bai Ling was under intense media pressure at the time, and her career might soon have floundered. So, releasing that show quickly was a way to salvage her reputation and boost her popularity, resulting in that outcome.

Now, Bai Ling’s implied meaning was clear: as long as ‘Bright Future’ wasn’t released within three months, she wanted to challenge Wang Dagang—competing head-to-head with simultaneous releases to compare their success.

“Bai Jie, are you really going to do this? Isn’t it too risky?” Miaomiao’s face was filled with worry. As Bai Ling’s assistant, she naturally hoped for her continued success. She understood the concept of rising together. Recently, even she and her boyfriend, Xiangzi, were earning close to 100,000 yuan each. But now, Bai Ling’s plan was dangerously bold—directly challenging Wang Dagang.

What if they weren’t a match? Though the possibility was slim, Miaomiao had confidence in Bai Ling. She believed ‘Fragrant Honey’ would surely outperform ‘Bright Future.’ Yet, if it didn’t win decisively—if it wasn’t a complete blowout—Bai Ling would inevitably suffer some loss. Wang Dagang’s background was a headache; with a bit of maneuvering, he might drag down ‘Fragrant Honey’s’ results. Wouldn’t that be more trouble than it was worth?

Moreover, if Bai Ling rushed to compete, the production of ‘Fragrant Honey’ would be accelerated, leaving less time to refine the work. The final outcome would then be even more uncertain. Although Miaomiao wasn’t a professional expert, she had learned some essentials while assisting with business, giving her some perspective. That was why she urged Bai Ling to reconsider at this moment.

(End of chapter)