Switched Life:I Went Viral on a Family Variety Show-Chapter 111: Still Have to Live Off My Parents

The topic shifted too suddenly, catching Tang Yuanmao off guard.

After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "Master, aren’t you a celebrity now? You should be earning more than me, so why are you asking me to borrow money?"

Sang Ning sighed and waved her hand. "It’s a long story. Anyway, I urgently need 16,000 yuan."

Tang Yuanmao frowned, rubbing his hands incessantly.

Seeing his obvious discomfort, Sang Ning said, "Don’t worry, I was just saying it casually. You don’t need to take it to heart."

Even though Tang Yuanmao respected her deeply, she couldn’t just bank on that to outright ask him for money.

As expected, talking about money strains relationships!

"Master, it’s not that I don’t want to lend you money, but I really don’t have any!" Tang Yuanmao hurriedly explained, fearing she might misunderstand.

Now it was Sang Ning’s turn to be shocked. "No way, Little Tang, if you don’t want to lend me money, just say so. You, a reputable director, can’t even come up with 16,000 yuan? Who would believe that?"

"I’m serious!" Tang Yuanmao’s expression turned solemn. "I’m just a solitary man, I don’t need much money. Each month, I keep only 500 bucks for myself; the rest, I donate entirely to fund children’s education in mountain areas."

Sang Ning: "..."

"500 bucks? What can you even do with 500 bucks?" Sang Ning couldn’t suppress the agitation in her voice.

With prices skyrocketing in China, 500 bucks wouldn’t even cover a month’s grocery bills!

Tang Yuanmao scratched his head and chuckled. "It’s enough, it’s totally enough. Master, you know this—our institute has fantastic benefits. Not only do they provide housing, but they also cover three meals a day and offer medical subsidies. Sometimes, I don’t even spend all the 500 bucks."

Sang Ning: Fine, she was convinced.

Someone like Tang Yuanmao, who lived simply and focused solely on research, really didn’t have much need to spend money.

"Master, if you’re not in a rush, wait a couple more days—our salaries will be issued soon."

"I can’t. The bank already sent a debt repayment reminder. Today’s the deadline; if I don’t pay, it’ll become overdue."

Sang Ning took out her phone to show Tang Yuanmao, the screen stopping right at the debt reminder text from the bank.

Tang Yuanmao was stunned. This celebrity life isn’t worth it for her!

"Master, wait a moment. I’ll figure something out for you right now." Tang Yuanmao said as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

When the call connected, a respectful greeting came from the other end. "Director, what can I do for you?"

Tang Yuanmao didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point. "Qian Yang, can you lend me 20,000 yuan right now? I need it urgently!" ƒreewebɳovel.com

Qian Yang became wary. A director who only spends 500 bucks a month suddenly needing so much money? Could he have fallen for a scam?

"Director, why do you need so much money?" Qian Yang cautiously asked, not agreeing to the loan immediately.

"Qian Yang, are you questioning my character now? We’ve worked together for so long—do you think I won’t pay you back?" Tang Yuanmao’s voice carried a hint of displeasure.

When Qian Yang had just started his career and his family financial situation was bad, Tang Yuanmao had helped him a lot. Now, the first time he asked Qian Yang for a loan, things weren’t going smoothly.

"Director, that’s not what I meant. I’m just worried you might have been scammed!" Qian Yang emphasized earnestly.

"Stop dragging this out. Just tell me—will you lend it or not?" Tang Yuanmao was anxious for Sang Ning’s sake. If borrowing from Qian Yang didn’t work, he’d have to look elsewhere.

"Director, don’t get worked up. Send me your account number, and I’ll transfer the money right now." Qian Yang quickly agreed, trusting that the director must have his reasons.

After hanging up, Tang Yuanmao asked Sang Ning for her bank account number.

Sang Ning added him on WeChat and sent her account number over.

Though deeply grateful for his generosity, she couldn’t help but ask, "Little Tang, I only need 16,000. Why are you borrowing 20,000 from Qian Yang?"

Lowering his head to send Qian Yang’s account info, Tang Yuanmao replied casually, "If you’re already down to owing 16,000 this month, I’m sure you don’t have much extra cash. You asking me for help is a sign of trust. The extra 4,000 can count as pocket money for you."

"Also—"

He lifted his head, continuing, "This 20,000 yuan, you don’t need to pay back. Starting next month, I’ll transfer you 10,000 yuan monthly as pocket money. Just consider yourself one of my aid recipients."

Sang Ning: She felt insulted—she’s a celebrity, yet she’s now living off her student!

Once she finished this non-lucrative program, she would have to focus on advancing her career.

Qian Yang saw the WeChat message from Tang Yuanmao with the account number, noting the name "Sang Ning" before it.

He fell silent. So, the 20,000 yuan loan was actually for funding a star he admired?

With a complex feeling he couldn’t quite articulate, Qian Yang transferred the money to Sang Ning’s account. Then, he sent Tang Yuanmao another message: [Director, the money has been transferred. But even if you’re a fan, don’t forget to stay rational!]

Upon seeing Qian Yang’s message, Tang Yuanmao ignored the latter half entirely. He quickly raised his head and asked Sang Ning, "Master, the money’s been transferred. Can you check if it’s arrived?"

Sang Ning opened her banking app, and sure enough, her balance had increased by 20,000 yuan. She immediately transferred 16,000 to settle this month’s bill, then bid goodbye to Tang Yuanmao.

She had stayed at the Astronomical Base long enough—any longer, and other colleagues might start gossiping.

Tang Yuanmao didn’t try to keep her. He still had plenty of work on his hands while on this business trip to Anazhen.

At least they had exchanged contact information, so if there was an urgent situation, they could stay in touch anytime.

After leaving the base and heading down the mountain, Sang Ning glanced casually at her WeChat messages, finally noticing one she had ignored for quite a while.

[Was today’s livestream exhausting? Why aren’t you asleep yet?]

The message was from Li Juezhou.

Sang Ning thought this man was a bit chatty. She just wanted to ask him for a bill to repay some money, but why was he always trying to make small talk?

Does he really not care about money at all?

Sang Ning thought for a moment and transferred the remaining 4,000 bucks from her account to Li Juezhou. She didn’t have the patience to wait forever for him to send her a receipt.

[Is 4,000 enough? If not, let me know.]

The message was barely sent before he replied almost instantly: [It’s enough.]

Li Juezhou had been busy until this hour, only finishing his work now. He initially thought he’d relax by watching Sang Ning’s livestream—but surprisingly, there was none today.

Looking at Sang Ning’s WeChat avatar—a fluffy, wide-eyed cartoon white cat—he felt dazed.

He was considering what message would be appropriate to send when she beat him to it, messaging him first. He immediately replied, "It’s enough."

As soon as he sent it, he regretted it; the message sounded like it would end the conversation instead of continuing it.

He started to deliberate on what he could say to fix this, but she sent another message before he could think of anything.

[If it’s enough, why aren’t you clicking to collect it already! (angry emoji)]