Chapter 108 - 103: Sang Yuan’s Second Attack
"Sign it! The whole internet knows you’re a foodie now. Endorsing beef jerky is a perfect fit."
One day, after she finished the photoshoot for the Bai family’s sportswear line, Wei Shuojie pulled out a new endorsement contract for her to sign on the way home.
Seeing Ni Bingyan stare dumbfounded at the contract, Wei Shuojie couldn’t help but laugh. "This endorsement might be a little rustic, but it’s still better than endorsing a tractor. Two years for five hundred thousand isn’t a lot, but—the boss is your dad. I’m guessing you won’t have any objections, right?"
"What?"
She’d been spacing out, partly because she was exhausted from the sportswear shoot—they’d had her run back and forth dozens of times, and her brain felt sluggish. The other reason was that Wei Shuojie had accepted the endorsement without discussing it with her, which went against their agreement. She was momentarily unsure how to respond without hurting his feelings.
But now that he was telling her the beef jerky was from her dad’s factory, Ni Bingyan was truly shocked!
"When did he get into the beef jerky business?"
Hot pot base, bobo chicken seasoning, peanut brittle, puffed rice candy...
And now beef jerky.
Would he be developing spicy cold rabbit next?
’That old man of mine sure knows how to keep himself busy!’
She quickly flipped through the contract. When she saw the client’s name was indeed Guangyuan Food Company, and the legal representative was indeed her father, Ni Bingyan felt a bit dazed.
Her dad’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind—"Look at your pathetic ten million-plus fans. Who knows how many of those are fake fans the company bought for you? Even I’m starting to look down on you."
Ni Bingyan bit her fingernail. Seeing it was still early, she gave her dad a call.
"Hey! Sweetheart, your old man is livestreaming right now. I’ll call you back in a bit, okay?"
Then, Mr. Ni, completely absorbed in selling his products, hung up without a second thought.
’Oh well, I guess I’ll just go along with Dad’s wishes!’
Ni Bingyan took a deep breath, put down her phone, and carefully reviewed the contract before finally signing her name.
It wasn’t that she was afraid her dad would cheat her, but that she was afraid the company would cheat them both.
Wei Shuojie already knew she had taught herself contract law and was very cautious when signing contracts. He wasn’t surprised to see her examining it so carefully and switched to another topic.
"About the Huabiao Awards, you’ve been nominated for Outstanding Actress. Write an acceptance speech and show it to me later. If it’s good, memorize it. Also, about your outfit—since you’ve decided to wear your own, have Chen Daolin come to your house tomorrow to help you coordinate everything. That way, he’ll have a clear idea and can style you accordingly."
"Okay, this is important. I understand."
Ni Bingyan immediately sat up straight and agreed seriously.
The Huabiao Film Queen award is officially called the "Outstanding Actress Award," unlike other awards which call it "Best Actress."
The Golden Rooster Awards, the Hundred Flowers Awards, and the Huabiao Awards are the three most prestigious film awards in China. They are the three national film awards with the most cachet and the Chinese-language film awards that all mainland actors value most.
The Golden Rooster is decided by film industry professionals and values acting skill; the Hundred Flowers is voted on by the audience and cares about public reception; the Huabiao Award is judged by government departments and places more emphasis on the subject matter.
*Children of the Mountains* hit on the hot topic of poverty alleviation and maintained a positive, uplifting tone throughout. Its subject matter was definitely not an issue. Her acting in it was also excellent. As long as her competitors weren’t exceptionally strong, she had a good chance of winning.
This was her first nomination for a top actress award, so she definitely had to prepare meticulously.
For a moment in the spotlight like this, if she didn’t have a relevant endorsement and had to borrow clothes and jewelry from a brand, it wouldn’t be the brand adding to her glory, but the brand taking advantage of her.
That’s why for this red carpet, she chose to provide her own "battle armor."
If she was lucky enough to win Huabiao Film Queen, her status would immediately change. Next year, she’d be able to borrow the latest season’s clothes and jewelry...
Thinking about all this, Ni Bingyan felt a surge of excitement.
Seeing her sitting bolt upright and lost in thought, Wei Shuojie didn’t disturb her.
’It’s her first time, so it’s natural to be nervous. After she’s been going every year for ten or twenty years, it’ll feel just like coming home.’
***
When Ni Guangli finished his livestream, he drank half a cup of strong tea to suppress his bubbling excitement.
The sales figures were just too good!
"Ah, this business is seriously addictive! Good thing I don’t have high blood pressure! HAHAHA! I feel like I could go for another two hours!"
His third apprentice, Jiang Jian Country, was assisting him today. Seeing his master laughing with hands on his hips, still full of energy after several tiring hours, Jiang Jian Country couldn’t help but urge him to rest.
"Master, you should call it a day. No matter how much more you sell, it’s useless if the factory’s production can’t keep up!"
"That’s true! We’ll do a bit of scarcity marketing first, then buy two more production lines, stockpile some goods, and sell them all at once when we sell New Year’s goods before the holiday!"
The more Ni Guangli thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. He called over a member of his team.
"Little Chen, come here. I have a new plan. Contact some specialty food vendors from Sichuan and Chongqing. We’ll hold a Sichuan and Chongqing New Year’s Goods Festival before the holiday! Our production capacity isn’t enough, but we can totally help them sell their stuff! A good businessman needs to have a sense of social responsibility."
’Mhm, what Little Sang said really makes a lot of sense!’
Thinking of Little Sang, Ni Guangli asked Jiang Jian Country, "Third apprentice, is that Little Sang still practicing Sizzling Double Crisp?"
That’s right. At Sang Yuan’s insistence, Ni Guangli no longer called him President Sang.
"I don’t know either. Wait a sec, I’ll go ask."
"Eh, I’ve got nothing to do anyway, I’ll go see for myself. Ai, it’s so rare to see such a filial young man these days."
The Ni family lived in a large villa. For the livestream, they had specially converted the basement into a studio. The master and apprentice took off their aprons and went upstairs, chatting as they walked.
Jiang Jian Country couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "Yeah! With the year ending, he came specifically to learn a few signature dishes from you to treat his parents for New Year’s Eve dinner. This young man is really something else!"
"It’s just that if older people eat too much Sizzling Double Crisp, fish head with pickled chilis, spicy diced chicken, and ’diving rabbit,’ they might not be able to handle it. I’ll teach him how to make Coral Fish later."
"The knife skills for that are a bit demanding. Why don’t you teach him tomato and fish ball soup instead?"
"Most people can’t get the right consistency for hand-beaten fish balls. It’s not very beginner-friendly..."
The master and apprentice were discussing this as they entered the kitchen, only to see Sang Yuan expertly tossing a wok with a SWOOSH. A closer look revealed that several finished dishes were already laid out on the counter.
"Uncle Ni, is the livestream over? I’m not sure if I got the timing right on these dishes. Could you please give me some pointers?"
Seeing him enter, Sang Yuan immediately handed him a pair of chopsticks, then turned to pass him a clean white porcelain bowl.
"Third Senior Brother, why don’t you join Uncle Ni and have a bite? My cooking isn’t great, so please don’t mind."
Getting to eat so much delicious food that was perfectly to his taste after getting off work? It was absolutely wonderful! How could Jiang Jian Country possibly mind?
Besides, this Little Sang seemed quite talented. He’d only been learning for two days, but his cooking already looked quite professional.
The master and apprentice picked up their bowls and started eating.
Ni Guangli gave pointers as he ate. "The most crucial thing for this Sizzling Double Crisp is the timing. You overcooked this by about four or five seconds, so it’s a bit tough. And this Maoxuewang, the tripe in it is also overcooked. You have to consider the effect of the residual heat in the bowl while it’s being served..."
Sang Yuan accepted all the feedback with a smile.
He had made a comeback this time, having already given up on the path of blind dates. This "expedition" had only one goal!
And that was to get his cooking skills officially recognized!
After this, he could go back and cook for his wife with perfect confidence!
His inner self threw its hands on its hips and roared with laughter!
Just as he was feeling smug, he heard his whimsical future father-in-law speak up. "Little Sang, I’ve been thinking. Your mother must be getting on in years. It’s probably not good for her to always eat spicy food. I’ve decided to teach you a few new dishes."
Sang Yuan felt a bit numb. He was silent for two seconds before asking, "What kind of dishes?"
"Honeycomb Corn, Coral Fish..."
They were either sweet or sweet-and-sour, and all of them were ridiculously difficult.
Thinking about how his "wife" avoided sweets year-round to maintain her figure, Sang Yuan’s vision went dark! He desperately wanted to shout, "I don’t want to learn this!"
But then he saw his future father-in-law looking at him kindly. "I haven’t seen such a filial young man like you in a long time. Your mother is truly blessed to have raised a son like you."
He suddenly felt a tiny twinge of guilt.
His maternal grandfather’s family was originally from Bing City, and most of them loved sweet-and-sour flavors. His mother was no exception.
’Maybe it really is necessary to learn them after all...’