Chapter Sixty-One: The Tyrant’s Terms

“What’s going on? Who’s been bullying our little Ning?”

A long, sharp cry came from the doorway as Vincent burst in, all bluster and fire, his expression guarded and brimming with hostility as he glared at the two directors.

Wang Zan, as if spotting a lifeline, hurriedly grabbed Vincent’s arm. “Su Wan Ning wants to break her contract with us.”

“What?”

Vincent was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Su Wan Ning in the room, and the two little ones quietly packing their things.

He strode inside, closed the door, and lowered his voice. “What happened?”

Su Wan Ning gave a concise account of what had transpired, and Vincent’s brow furrowed deeper with worry.

“This is indeed underhanded of Wang Zan, but is it really wise for us to just walk off the show because of this?”

Su Wan Ning let out a cold laugh. “I’ve put up with enough as it is, but that doesn’t mean he gets to take me for a fool.”

Her voice carried through the door, and the two men outside didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

Who could have predicted Su Wan Ning would dare to quit the show?

Vincent knew she was furious and tried to reason with her. “Just teach him a lesson and let it go. Wang Zan wouldn’t really dare let you leave right now.”

Su Wan Ning was well aware of that.

She was confident in herself—among the other three guests on the show, each had their own merits, but none could match her in popularity, let alone her talent for selling products and turning a profit.

Seeing Su Wan Ning’s resolve begin to waver, Vincent cleared his throat and raised his voice, calling out to the director outside, “Director, do you have anything else to say to our Ning?”

They all sat down together once more, and this time, Wang Zan’s attitude was no longer so forceful.

“Leaving the show now would be a loss for both of us. Why don’t we work out another solution?”

Su Wan Ning shook her head. “It’s no loss for me. I don’t even care about the penalty fee.”

Vincent shot Su Wan Ning an admiring look from the side, giving her a discreet thumbs-up under the table.

She didn’t have a penny to her name, yet dared to boast like that—only Su Wan Ning could pull it off.

But such words were a glaring warning sign to Wang Zan. He quickly forced a smile. “No one in their right mind would turn down money, right? Just tell me—if you’re willing to stay, I’ll agree to any condition.”

“First of all, you’re not allowed to cut off my livestream for no reason ever again. That’s not just irresponsible to your audience, it’s irresponsible to my fans as well.”

“Fine, that’s no problem—I promise!” Wang Zan agreed readily, but Su Wan Ning’s next demand put him in a bind.

“Second, from now on, the production team can’t force me to sell products on livestream for no reason. We signed a filming contract, and I have no obligation to make you money.”

“This…”

Wang Zan exchanged a glance with Chen Rui beside him. The main reason he’d chosen Su Wan Ning was her natural affinity on camera and her extraordinary ability to sell products.

If Su Wan Ning couldn’t livestream sales, the show’s profits would plummet.

Su Wan Ning knew well how to tighten the leash before letting it out. Seeing Wang Zan hesitate, she sighed and offered an apparent compromise. “Here’s the deal—fine, I can do it later, but only for products I’ve personally approved, and the prices must be set by me. Any issues with after-sales or logistics, you’ll bear all the losses.”

These were nakedly one-sided terms. Even Vincent couldn’t help sweating for her, but before long, Wang Zan gritted his teeth and agreed. “Deal!”

Vincent’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Was this really happening?

In all his years as an agent, he’d never seen any celebrity—no matter how top-tier—make such outrageous demands of a director and actually get them approved.

But thinking it over, most directors and celebrities had far too much to consider. Su Wan Ning, though, was different. She’d already been slandered to rock bottom and was making her last stand. With nothing left to lose, she had nothing to fear.

After they negotiated a few more terms, Su Wan Ning had Vincent call in a lawyer to sign a supplementary filming contract with Wang Zan on the spot. Only then did she agree to stay.

The livestream resumed, and fans and passersby flooded into Su Wan Ning’s channel, the barrage of comments overflowing with curses.

[Why did the stream cut off again? Can’t you be a little more responsible toward us?]

[Once or twice is fine, but why use the same stunt to grab attention every time?]

“Trying to get attention?” Su Wan Ning glanced at the bullet comments, strolling along as she nonchalantly explained, “I really don’t need to. I’ve got more than enough eyes on me already.”

Her haters were left speechless, and she continued to calmly explain what had just happened.

“The director cut the stream because I used Yunshui Village’s fruit to promote Changxiangjian’s fruit tea.”

“Of course it really was fruit from Yunshui Village—otherwise, why would the director be so mad?”

“Oh, he’s not mad anymore. Why? Maybe he just realized this could be good publicity for the show after all.”

Su Wan Ning’s cool wit drew laughter from many fans.

[Is this director really that slow to react?]

[I don’t really understand where the conflict of interest is—doesn’t this benefit everyone?]

“Exactly, it’s a win-win. But our dear director is a little slow on the uptake, so be patient with him. I’ve already given him a lesson on your behalf, so there won’t be any more sudden cut-offs in the future—I promise.”

As Su Wan Ning spoke, she shot a sly, insincere smile at Wang Zan off-camera.

Wang Zan broke out in a cold sweat. Though he simmered with resentment, he dared not voice it.

Now he truly understood—of all people, Su Wan Ning was the last you’d want to cross. If pushed too far, there was nothing this woman wouldn’t do.

“All the links are below. There’s a batch of fruit just cleared from inventory, plus some Lego sets and children’s skincare products. Feel free to place your orders.”

With just that casual mention, sales in the livestream soared.

She’d just trended for being cursed out, and now her stream had over two hundred thousand viewers.

Su Wan Ning had planned to take everyone on a tour of the orchard, but unexpectedly ran into Yu Xin there.

Yu Xin had heard about the director cutting Su Wan Ning’s stream, and even that she was threatening to break her contract in a fit of anger.

She had been secretly pleased—after all, her style was similar to Su Wan Ning’s, and if her rival left, she’d be the undisputed star of the show.

But to her dismay, Su Wan Ning had not only come back, but her sales were now crushing Yu Xin’s completely.

“Ning, I heard your stream had some trouble again just now? Your numbers are incredible—it must be just a rumor, right?”

Yu Xin sidled over, jealousy clouding her reason as she spoke with a false sweetness, her words dripping with sarcasm right in front of the camera.

“I really admire you, Ning—how do you manage such high sales in your stream? Any secrets to share? Don’t keep them all to yourself!”