Chapter 186: The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish, and a Brand New Novelty Song

"Looked at this way, it can actually be considered good news."

"Who is to say otherwise?"

"It's just that I'm a bit worried about Sister Bai Ling's physical condition."

Naturally, most of these remarks came from Bai Ling's fans.

However, a considerable number of people were indifferent, or even disgusted, by Bai Ling's actions.

"If you're acting, just focus on acting. Why bother with variety shows?"

"The shooting schedule for this drama was already quite short to begin with, and she still wants to split her time to participate in variety shows? Isn't this far too irresponsible?"

"Indeed. Shouldn't the primary duty of an actor and singer be to deliver works? What is the point of participating in so many variety shows?"

"If it were a music-centric variety show, that would be one thing, but as for the others, there's really no need."

"I don't recommend actors taking part in reality shows. It tends to make it harder for the audience to connect with their characters. Several actors have already lost their distinct recognition after appearing in too many variety shows, rendering them incapable of pulling off good performances anymore."

"Is Bai Ling planning to cash in on variety shows too?"

"As expected, in the end, all entertainers just go wherever the money is."

……

Those who pay attention to the entertainment industry are far more than just devoted fans.

The vast majority are ordinary people.

Most of them possess their own views and insights.

They neither blindly slander nor overly shield celebrities.

It is precisely because of this that public opinion holds any sway over this circle.

If everyone were like the hardcore fans of certain idols, wouldn't there always be people willing to whitewash them, no matter how many scandals of broken images flew about?

Of course, this does not mean that these independent individuals are all clever and possess their own capacity for judgment.

Many are simply led by the nose.

There is no need to elaborate further on that.

Take right now, for instance. They raised a point of dissatisfaction regarding Bai Ling—why should she undertake so many entertainment activities simultaneously?

In the acting profession, there is a technical term known as cross-crew filming.

This refers to a situation where an actor participates in the filming of another production while the shooting of their current drama is still ongoing, or before their specific scenes have officially wrapped up.

Furthermore, they deliberately conceal this from the crew members and the outside world.

In Bai Ling's past life, this behavior had been branded as extremely unprofessional in recent years. Even the National Radio and Television Administration, the direct regulatory authority of the entertainment industry, had issued documents stating that such practices are not permitted in principle.

In this world, although there were no specific regulations explicitly forbidding actors from filming across multiple crews, to the general public and industry insiders alike, such behavior is considered unethical.

It is highly likely to cause scheduling conflicts between the two sides, making it impossible for the actor to fully immerse themselves in refining their work. This subsequently leads to unforeseeable consequences such as a decline in the quality of the work and delays in the shooting schedule.

The more crews an actor films across simultaneously, the greater the impact generated.

In the past, there were rumors of people filming six or seven productions at once, only to end up churning out a few rotten shows, getting cursed out fiercely by the public, and even landing on the blacklist of various production crews.

Bai Ling's current actions were, of course, not cross-crew filming.

She was merely participating in other variety programs while shooting a television series.

Yet, to the general public, Bai Ling's actions were practically no different from cross-crew filming.

What if it affected the filming? What if it affected the quality? What if it affected the variety shows as well? What should be done then?

Was Bai Ling's "irresponsible" behavior really appropriate?

Naturally, these people were merely raising some reasonable doubts.

Whether it was cross-crew filming or simultaneously participating in variety show recordings, as long as the variety show effects Bai Ling ultimately presented and the works she produced were convincing, not only would they not oppose her, but they would even raise high the banner to support her.

Encouraging Bai Ling to be a model worker or anything of the sort would naturally be completely fine.

The crux of the matter, however, was who could guarantee such an outcome?

Even Bai Ling herself lacked persuasive power in this regard.

She had indeed delivered *The Crown Princess* and a few brilliant songs within a short span of time.

However, this time it was clearly a large-scale television production. Could the situation possibly be the same?

It was precisely because of such reservations and considerations, coupled with the existence of these skeptical voices, that the online public opinion began to turn somewhat subtle. Wang Dagang and Xinghui were more than happy to see this happen.

Without the slightest hesitation, they began to fan the flames, making these dissenting voices grow louder and louder.

However, none of this affected Bai Ling's own state of mind and composure.

Even when Miao Miao quickly discovered the clues and reported them to Bai Ling, the latter did not feel anything was amiss.

"Let these voices grow even louder."

"A certain life philosopher once said: the stronger the wind and waves, the higher the fish leap!"

After saying this to Miao Miao, Bai Ling got up to attend her program recording.

The show *The Magic of Sound* adopted a pre-recorded format and was not broadcast live.

Upon Bai Ling's arrival at the scene, the show's director took the initiative to come over and greet her.

This scenario bore a striking resemblance to the initial days with Director Wu Youliang.

This was not the first time Bai Ling had faced such a situation, so she appeared quite practiced and at ease.

After some casual chatter, she began familiarizing herself with the specific procedures of the program.

From her arrival at the venue at noon until six or seven in the evening, Bai Ling had committed the specific workflow thoroughly to memory and adjusted her mental state accordingly.

The process was simple: following the host's rhythm to dub selected film and television dramas or documentary clips.

There would be casual chatting in between. This wasn't restricted for the participating guests; they could talk about anything, which was the moment to showcase one's variety show persona.

Of course, there was also an entertainment segment during the grand finale.

Everyone was free to improvise.

Bai Ling had already decided on her method of free improvisation beforehand, which was why she had written a song.

Naturally, very few people sang on this program—the number was practically zero.

Therefore, when Bai Ling informed the director of her arrangement, the director's expression turned somewhat awkward.

"Bai Ling, are you sure you want to sing?"

"Will this have any good program effect?"

Bai Ling nodded. "Director, rest assured, I wrote this song specifically for your show."

"It will definitely be fine!"

Seeing Bai Ling's utterly confident expression, the director could only smile and nod. "Very well, let's do it your way then."

Although the director agreed, Bai Ling could tell he was still somewhat reluctant.

From this, it was also evident that Bai Ling's status in the industry was no longer what it used to be.

Soon, the production crew was fully prepared.

Under the arrangement of the staff, Bai Ling quickly took to the stage.

Appearing alongside her were six or seven other guests who had come to participate in the show.

Cheng Chunbin, an actor, middle-aged, slightly greasy but not overly so, still appearing very polite.

Gong Jialun, an actor, early thirties, not particularly famous.

Deng Zuocheng, a mainstay actor in various cheesy hit dramas, who had debuted for many years and filmed a massive quantity of works, though few left a deep impression.

There were also three female guests, one of whom Bai Ling actually recognized, having crossed paths with her briefly once before.