After a torrent of glowing praise, Ning Ke cooperated as the host smeared the cream on her face.
Host: “Everyone see that? The texture of this cream is amazing—it absorbs right after application. It’s matte, no oily shine!”
“Me too… my attention is elsewhere. I didn’t notice the texture, I just noticed Keke’s face is fair and soft—I want to squish it~”
“I want to touch Little Ning’s face too QAQ.”
“Stay focused, everyone! Add to cart now and give sister face!”
After the introduction, the host told everyone to add to cart.
But before the rush began, she added another segment: “Teacher Ning, let’s add an interaction segment, okay?”
Ning Ke: “What segment?”
Host: “Open your phone, find the most recent call you made, and call them. Can you ask this good friend of yours to go live with us on the mic?”
This was not uncommon.
When livestreams connected calls, it was usually with celebrities who were close.
Ning Ke handed her phone to a staff member: “Go ahead and call.”
The staff member took the phone and scrolled through the call log. The past few days showed incoming calls—manager, assistant…
The most recent outgoing call was from two days ago.
The contact was Yan Yunzhi.
The staff member felt like she had found a goldmine and showed the phone to Ning Ke.
Ning Ke was stunned too.
Wasn’t this the call she had made to Yan Yunzhi a couple of days ago?
But time was up, so she nodded: “Call.”
The staff member pressed dial.
After two rings, the call connected. A clear, gentle voice: “Ning Ke?”
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Am I hearing things? Is that Yan Yunzhi?”
“Help! Someone save me!”
Even through the electric distance, Ning Ke felt as if a warm breeze had brushed her ear. She hummed: “Busy?”
“Not busy, I can talk,” Yan Yunzhi paused. “Is this a phone link-up?”
Ning Ke said yes: “It’s a livestream.”
Yan Yunzhi cooperated: “What can I do?”
The host had watched Episode 1 of Perfect Partner and mildly shipped the CP. Now she was excited: “Teacher Yan? Is that Teacher Yan? Are you free to link up with the livestream?”
Apart from her own CP shipping, she knew Yan Yunzhi’s fans included many wealthy women. If she could get her on, sales would soar!
Ning Ke: “No need.”
Her own stream should not have called Yan Yunzhi at all.
The host snapped back: “Right, right, sorry.”
Meanwhile, the brand had already bought a trending topic: #Ning Ke Livestream Yan Yunzhi#
Just a few minutes after Yan Yunzhi joined, the viewer count exploded again.
Host asked Yan Yunzhi: “Teacher Yan, have you used our products?”
Yan Yunzhi: “Little Ning recommended them. I’ll try them next time.”
Yan Yunzhi’s fans flooding into the stream were stunned.
Little Ning???
Ning Ke said to the host: “That’s enough for now.”
The host knew when to stop: “Alright, alright. Teacher Yan, bye-bye!”
Yan Yunzhi smiled: “I hope everyone will support Little Ning. Bye-bye.”
In just a few minutes, the CP fans almost fainted from joy:
“Alright, alright, we’ll support our Little Ning!”
“Teacher Yan has spoken—definitely support, definitely support!”
“So sweet!”
The host saw the hype was enough: “Ladies, get ready, we’re about to start. Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!!!”
With the final number, sales began to surge.
Xu Jian and An Yu counted in the back: “5,000… 9,000… 13,000!”
Seconds later, sales kept climbing.
Xu Jian clenched his fist: “Just a little more to surpass Tang Xi’s numbers.”
An Yu held her breath: “56,000… 77,000… 81,000! Broke it!!!”
Xu Jian told her to stay calm: “Don’t rush—still climbing… 90,000!”
At the same time, Tang Xi’s team was also watching sales.
“Sister Xi…”
“It’s fine. There are other endorsements beyond this one; we’re still negotiating…”
“Shut up! Don’t talk to me!”
Just as she was losing her temper, her manager called: “Xixi, this whole thing… ugh. The two brands we were talking about also said they need to reconsider!”
Tang Xi’s expression turned awful. She suddenly shouted: “Get out!”
Gritting her teeth, she swept everything off the desk in a fit of rage!
This endorsement was one she had wrested from Ning Ke with great effort last year. Now Ning Ke had not only taken back the basic line endorsement but also secured the mid-to-high-end line. And now beyond this endorsement, other deals were falling through too—it was a face-slap of the highest order!
Meanwhile, the host was still pushing the final wave: “Anyone who hasn’t ordered yet? It’s ending soon~”
Finally, sales stopped at 110,000—because the product sold out and was taken down.
The host secretly gave Ning Ke a thumbs up: “Today’s livestream is coming to an end. Now it’s the fan interaction segment. Everyone is welcome to ask questions!”
Ning Ke did not know if Tang Xi was in front of a screen, but she picked a question: “Don’t you mind endorsing a product from the same brand as Tang Xi?”
“What? Teacher Tang Xi also endorses this brand?” Ning Ke countered, ignoring the host’s awkward expression, and smiled at the camera. “As far as I know, that contract is about to expire. As for what happens next, everyone will find out soon.”
The bullet comments were all laughter:
“Our Sister Ning repays slights—so satisfying!”
“If you meet a green tea, slap her in public!”
“Refreshing, refreshing, refreshing!”
“See you on Perfect Partner!”
Ning Ke did not answer more questions. She nodded to the awkward host: “Wrap it up.”
That night, Ning Ke received word that the new deal was secured.
Perfect Partner had broken viewership records in its first episode, and the upcoming episodes promised even more. The brand recognized this and agreed to terminate Tang Xi’s contract, inviting Ning Ke to endorse both the basic and mid-to-high-end lines.
Ning Ke calculated the compensation and said to Xu Jian: “We’ve basically met the VAM agreement targets. From now on, let’s focus on scripts.”
Xu Jian: “I know. Your focus this year is transitioning your roles. I’m still working on Gao Qi’s project.”
Ning Ke hummed, rarely letting out a relieved breath.
She did not actually like livestream selling—several times she could not help telling fans to consume rationally. Now that the mandatory targets were met, she could arrange future work according to her own preferences.
With the deal signed, Ning Ke’s schedule loosened.
She planned to rest at home for two days, take one day for a screen test, then film the second episode of Perfect Partner.
Her flight was booked for tomorrow morning, so she stayed one more night at the hotel.
Starting work early before the seventh day of the new year, Ning Ke gave every staff member a red envelope and treated everyone to dinner.
Ning Ke was not very hungry, so she only ordered a salad.
An Yu handled the rest of the ordering—a balance of meat and vegetables to reward them for their recent hard work.
Ning Ke had no appetite. She ate a few bites, somewhat distracted.
When the waiter brought a plate of braised prawns, she suddenly looked up at An Yu: “Why did you order prawns? She can’t eat prawns.”
An Yu: “Huh? Who’s she?”
Hadn’t she told her this afternoon that she had eaten too much greasy food during the new year and needed low-fat, high-protein food?
Ning Ke: “…”
Wait, why did she think of Yan Yunzhi again?
That woman was so hard to please—so many dietary restrictions, poor sleep, endless rules.
It was all because she had been in too much contact with Yan Yunzhi lately. That was why she remembered her preferences.
She lowered her head and poked at the rice grains in her bowl with her spoon.
Pretend she had said nothing.
Thinking of Yan Yunzhi brought back the bathroom incident.
It had been days, yet it still lingered in her mind, gnawing at her. At least these past days she had been away, so she did not have to see her.
An Yu was baffled, wondering where this “she” had come from. She thought hard, then suddenly remembered the first Perfect Partner shoot… no way? Was she talking about Teacher Yan?!
Seeing An Yu’s expression—wanting to ask but afraid—Ning Ke raised a hand in a “quiet” gesture and told her to drop it.
After dinner, back at the hotel, Ning Ke received a call.
Seeing the home landline number, she froze.
Yan Yunzhi was not sick again, was she?
Ning Ke answered: “Sister Lu?”
Sister Lu: “Miss Ning, the weather’s been nice lately. I wanted to ask—can I air out your quilt tomorrow?”
Ning Ke had always disliked people entering her room, whether to clean or water plants; Sister Lu always asked in advance.
Ning Ke: “Yes. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Sister Lu was delighted: “Oh! Coming back tomorrow is perfect! Azhi—she’s cut her finger somewhere, but she insisted on practicing the piano! I couldn’t persuade her to stop. You should persuade her when you’re back.”
Ning Ke frowned: “Got it.”
Sister Lu: “What time will you be back? Can you make it for dinner? I’ll tell Azhi to be home for dinner tomorrow night.”
Ning Ke said nothing and hung up.
Back in her room, she finished packing. The bathtub had already been filled with hot water and drops of essential oil.
Before getting in, she checked the bathroom door again, confirmed it was locked, and only then felt safe enough to undress.
In the thick, humid steam, the scent of sweet orange essential oil was soothing and healing.
Exhausted from days of travel and work, Ning Ke unconsciously closed her eyes.
Fatigue wrapped around her and pulled her down; the tension that had been strung tight during her busy days slowly relaxed.
Fragments flashed through her mind—similar humid heat, water droplets slowly rolling down tiles, and the silhouette of a woman’s graceful curves wrapped in white mist.
With a splash, water droplets scattered.
—Ning Ke abruptly sat up in the bathtub. Water dripped down her cheeks, one drop after another, falling into the water.
The relaxed feeling from before was completely gone. Her mood was at an all-time low.
How could she keep thinking about Yan Yunzhi?
She had been thinking about her day and night—at mealtimes, during showers—without a moment’s peace for days.
Frustrated, Ning Ke patted her cheeks with her palm, trying to clear the chaotic thoughts from her head.
It was just accidentally glimpsing her, okay?
Yes, she had not reacted in time and had accidentally seen things she should not have.
But it did not warrant days of dwelling and irritation, right?
Why be annoyed?
Annoyed that Yan Yunzhi was prettier and had a better figure than her?
Was she suffering from a Yan Yunzhi infection?
