CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 194: THIS IS A DIFFERENT PRICE!

At last, life had a glimmer of hope. No more worrying about debt issues—just work hard and everything will be fine!

Thanks to the show "Encounter in Countryside," Sang Ning’s reputation as the internet’s public enemy had somewhat turned around. Now, tons of variety shows, commercial endorsements, and drama and film productions were offering her opportunities.

The company planned to use this chance to cultivate Sang Ning into a genuine rising star.

As a professionally trained actress, the most convincing demonstration was, of course, her acting skills.

But Sang Ning’s acting... let’s not even talk about it!

After weighing various factors, the company signed Sang Ning up for an acting competition variety show called "Who’s the Master Actor."

Word has it the mentor lineup for this show is absolutely stellar—so stellar that once the roster is revealed, it’s bound to shake the entire entertainment industry.

Appearing on this show would not only hone Sang Ning’s acting skills but also keep her in the public eye and enhance her commercial value.

"Who’s the Master Actor" is a pre-recorded show. Other than insiders, no official news has been released yet.

According to her manager, the show’s official announcement—including the mentor lineup, actor participants, and broadcast schedule—would likely come after the first episode’s recording and editing.

The first recording day happened to be the day after Sang Ning completed her live-stream event at the canned factory—two jobs perfectly connected without gaps.

*

Livestream day.

Following the address President Wang provided, Sang Ning arrived at the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

After entering the trade fair, she made a beeline straight to the stall featuring solid yellow peach canned goods.

Yes, President Wang’s brand name was just that unconventional.

She hadn’t bothered with a disguise, but no one recognized her on the way.

The trade fair was being held on an open-air plot, with over a dozen food stalls, each measuring just nine square meters.

To her surprise, President Wang had gone all out and secured nearly twenty square meters of exhibition space for his brand.

To be precise, it wasn’t even a stall anymore—it looked more like a mini showroom.

The showroom’s backdrop featured a semi-arch two-meter-high shelf, every layer stacked fully with yellow peach canned goods.

On either side of the showroom sat peach balloon mascots almost 1.7 meters tall. Powered by air blowers, the mascots were gyrating in midair in... rather unsettling postures.

Above the showroom’s entrance hung a banner with an unorthodox slogan: [Solid, the Canned Peaches Perfect for Baby Airheads.]

"..."

At the site, President Wang was busy setting up the livestream equipment with staff members.

Upon spotting Sang Ning, President Wang stopped his work and walked over with a big smile, enthusiastically shaking her hand.

"Xiao Sang! I never expected you would actually take time to help me out. Now that your worth has skyrocketed, if you’d refused, I’d honestly be helpless."

"Keeping promises is the right way to conduct oneself. Since I already promised you, President Wang, I won’t go back on my word," Sang Ning replied politely.

After withdrawing her hand, she pointed to the slogan overhead, her expression complicated: "President Wang, are you sure this is an appropriate marketing tagline?"

President Wang glanced up, chuckled, and said confidently, "Our current focus is on developing a younger customer base, so we have to find ways to resonate with them. This tagline was created by our Gen Z marketing specialist. He claims it’s edgy and will lure people in. Personally, I think it’s fine."

"You’re quite keeping up with the times, I must say." Sang Ning forced a slightly awkward smile, unsure what else she could say, and resorted to some polite praise.

Sang Ning had thought the livestream would be a straightforward sales pitch. She even requested canned product details from President Wang beforehand and prepped meticulously the night before.

But then President Wang informed her that none of it would be necessary! All she had to do was follow the streamer’s instructions. Sang Ning faintly sensed things might not be going smoothly.

President Wang summoned a makeup artist and led Sang Ning to the backstage makeup area set up behind the showroom.

"Is the costume ready?" the makeup artist called out from outside the dressing room.

"Ready!" A collective chorus of strong male voices came from inside.

Right after, the dressing room’s curtain was lifted, and out strode a muscled man wearing a deep-V black tank top and black shorts, approximately 185 cm tall by sight.

After he came out, three more identically dressed muscle men followed in succession.

Sang Ning: !!!

What kind of borderline stunt is President Wang pulling here!

"Sister Sangsang!"

The four burly muscle men, who looked like they could beat up at least a dozen scrawny guys apiece, instantly transformed into whining fanboys upon seeing Sang Ning. They surrounded her, speaking over each other to gush their admiration.

"Sister Sangsang! I’m your fan! Can you sign an autograph for me later?"

Sang Ning nodded.

One of them added, "Best if you carve it on my chest with a knife—a unique autograph just for me."

Sang Ning: "..."

"Sister Sangsang! You once boasted about how hard your muscles are on a show. Can you touch mine and see if they measure up to yours?"

One of the muscle men raised his arm as he spoke, and his biceps bulged up into a mini hill-like mound with an audible "duang!"

Sang Ning refrained from touching and merely twitched the corner of her mouth, saying, "Your muscle definition is impressive. There’s no need to touch—you can see from just looking."

"Alright, if you’re planning to chase your idol, could you at least wait until after the livestream? I still have to get Ms. Sang ready for makeup," the photographer interjected, shoving the four fanboys aside and ushering Sang Ning into the makeup room.

Once inside, and while the makeup artist rummaged for outfits, Sang Ning asked, "Those guys earlier wouldn’t happen to be the streamers, would they?"

The makeup artist turned back with a grin and nodded. "Yep, they are!"

"..."

Sang Ning could still tolerate things up to this point—until she got her outfit on and saw herself in the mirror. Then she was done.

The top was an extremely garish, tight-fitting magenta T-shirt. The bottom was equally snug, pure white hot shorts.

"Sister Hong, isn’t this outfit a bit... inappropriate?" Sang Ning pulled at various parts of her outfit, visibly uncomfortable.

No matter how she adjusted it, the outfit clung tightly to her figure, outlining a scandalously alluring silhouette.

The makeup artist circled Sang Ning for a thorough appraisal, her eyes practically gleaming with color. She clamped her mouth and looked up in an attempt to stifle the urge to get a nosebleed.

"No problem at all, Ms. Sang! You look amazing in this! Honestly, if not for you, no one else could wear such a risqué outfit with such class!"

Sang Ning: "..."

Oh, so you *do* realize it’s risqué!

Sang Ning immediately decided she wasn’t going along with this: "This calls for a revised payment!"

If she went live in this getup, celebrity scandal compilations would definitely feature her from then on!

Ultimately, she couldn’t resist when President Wang suddenly offered a pay raise.

When the compensation is lucrative enough, a slight compromise on personal principles becomes acceptable—for the sake of professional commitments.