Chapter 988: Chapter 546: The Perfect Curtain Call Chapter 988: Chapter 546: The Perfect Curtain Call “Believe me, I’m really not a pervert, I just really wanted to figure out the secrets of this place.”

Listening to Wang’s explanation, Zhao, Wang’s wife, indifferently picked her nose and said nonchalantly, “I understand, I understand, I really do.”

“Do you really understand me?” Wang asked doubtfully.

“So what if I don’t understand? You’ve cross-dressed already. There’s nothing left in this world for you to cling to. If I don’t understand, what can you do?”

“This…”

Seeing Wang’s downcast appearance, Zhao looked at him silently, then suddenly flashed a toothy grin.

Patting Wang on the shoulder, she laughed and said, “Alright, no more joking with you. I know you cross-dressed to figure out what was going on with that place, for the sake of the show and your own curiosity. It’s not a bad thing for a person to have curiosity and a spirit of exploration. I just wanted to tease you a bit.”

Realizing that Zhao really wasn’t bothered, Wang breathed a sigh of relief and then lamented that he’d been overthinking.

After all, Zhao was so gentle and considerate, always looking out for him and even acting as the moderator for his live stream–why would she look down on him?

“Plus, now that you’ve made it onto the hot search twice, it would really be a waste not to capitalize on it. They say not to waste heaven’s gifts, or you’ll suffer for it. Let’s take this opportunity and do something big, how does that sound?”

“I’ll listen to you!”

But after discovering the big event Zhao had cooked up, Wang fell silent again.

Seeing the “Wang’s Cross-Dressing Event” title in the live stream, he was speechless for a long time before saying to Zhao, “I feel like I need an explanation.”

“I’ve already told you, we need a big event,” Zhao said, chewing gum.

“I think that’s a phenomenon, not an explanation.”

Sighing, Zhao said to Wang, “No one can be a streamer forever. Sooner or later, you will fade from the annals of history, and only a few will occasionally remember you. Think about it, how many streamers from your era are still around?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t bother to recall. It’s just you left. Streaming is a young person’s game. Without something to offer, you’ll eventually be eradicated. This industry is that cruel.”

“I…”

“Even if you can keep your fighting spirit strong, there will be new people who can stir up emotions better and are more excellent. They will replace you, steal your rice bowl, and you will slowly be phased out. The process is more desperate than you can imagine. Every uptick in the numbers gives you a little hope, but then comes an even more horrendous despair.”

Wang pondered for a while, resignedly acknowledging that Zhao was right.

Indeed, of the streamers who started when he did, he was the only one left.

Thinking back, many streamers either screwed up or faded out of the scene. Only a pitiful few who had remained active over two or three years had reached the top.

Letting out a wry laugh, Wang looked bitterly at the live stream’s warm-up activities and murmured, “So, are you planning to use this opportunity to make some retirement money for us?”

Nodding, he mused to himself, “That’s true, it’s about time I took a rest. I’ve been streaming for four or five years, it’s time to think about our future. Plus, we haven’t had a proper wedding since we got our certificate, no engagement ring, no honeymoon trip, nothing. It’s about time we had one.”

Zhao squinted at Wang, then suddenly gave him a hard pat on the back.

“Cut the crap. You totally missed the point of what I’m saying.”

“Ah, that’s not what you meant?”

“What I mean is, the era of going it alone is over. It’s the era of teams now. While your fame still holds some value, let’s cash in on it and use that money to set up our own studio.”

“That’s what you’re thinking?”

“What else?” Zhao sighed helplessly, “I’ve been meaning to say this before. Every time you forcefully put together an activity it’s awkward to listen to, but when inspiration strikes, the events you create are quite interesting. Plus, you have a good sense of aesthetics and plenty of experience–just right for a working team. And I’ve noticed you really like the streaming business. Building a team would play to your strengths, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, but don’t you feel it’s a shame? You’ve been looking at wedding dresses and engagement rings recently.”

Zhao glared fiercely at Wang, making him hurriedly wonder if he was about to be silenced.

Sighing again, Zhao said, “Yes, I really was looking at those things, but after glancing at the cost of setting up a studio, I gave up. Compared to your dream, I think my dream can be postponed. After all, once you have money, you’ll definitely help me realize my dream, right? Hey, why are you crying?”

Wang tilted his head back, restraining himself as he said, “I’m not crying. A mouse got into my eye.”

“You’re so bad at lying. It’s about time to start the livestream. This is our event line-up: Wear the outfit designated by the ‘Captain’ for ten minutes, and if there’s no ‘Captain’ for a while, we randomly pick a lucky viewer, then let them send clothes for you to wear. Oh, and I’ve also contacted Fang Cheng Studio. They said that the money recharged in the livestream can be converted into a certain rebate for us, which is another source of income.”

Seeing the rebate from Fang Cheng Studio, Wang realized that Fang Cheng was damn honorable.

Wiping away his tears, Wang climbed into the gaming pod, gave Zhao a thumbs up, then resolutely entered the game and started today’s livestream.

Inside the game, Pingping looked at Wang dressed in a pink maid outfit and fell into a state of confusion.

A few minutes later, she decided to ignore this change and said to Wang, “Mr. Wang, what are we experimenting with today?”

“You could at least mock me a little; otherwise, I feel really off.”

“I generally don’t interfere with other people’s hobbies.”

“This isn’t my hobby.”

“That’s why I don’t interfere.”

“I already told you this isn’t my hobby!”

While sighing, Wang continued experimenting with the clothes issue.

Thanks to previous research, he had discovered that clothes had an effect on the tattooed creatures here.

Almost all clothes failed to trigger the tattoos’ resistance, but the origins of the one set that did were indiscernible, which plunged Wang’s discovery into difficulty.

However, today’s event provided him with a new opportunity. Although constantly wearing bizarre outfits was a bit embarrassing, seeing the earnings from his livestream made him feel it wasn’t so unacceptable.

Moreover, by experimenting with different clothes, he could discover various effects and thereby determine what kind of clothing had the greatest impact here.

An outfit was just ten dollars, and to get the most effective clothing, viewers would do more than just draw once for clothes, which made Wang’s rebate incredibly high as well.

Watching his profits soar, Wang realized that money earned without conscience really was easy to make.

But soon, his attention was captured by a discovery in the game.

Different outfits indeed had varying effects on the tattoos, and the mysterious power contained in the clothing brought different changes to the tattoos.

What exactly those effects were, he didn’t yet know.

These might be content for future updates, but Wang was more inclined to believe it was a hidden quest in the game.

If it had been any other game, he might have needed to continue with the main storyline to find out what would happen next.

But in “Nebula,” Wang had a more direct method.

The merit he had accumulated before was now exhausted; in front of Wang, the secrets of the clothing were unveiled with the help of a mysterious powerful being, revealing to him the secrets of the clothing.

A new profession, “Appraiser,” was created because of his wish, and this profession could trigger the hidden power of items, making their attributes clearer.

Once Wang completed the appraisal, all players heard the system broadcast:
[Congratulations to the player Wang Say Games for uncovering a secret of the game. The new profession “Appraiser” has been created. Players may learn related skills on their own. Gameplay related to this will require players to explore on their own. Congratulations once again to Wang Say Games and thank you for your contribution to the game.]
That day, Wang once again made it to the trending search.

As he reveled in the flowers and applause meant for him, Wang felt this was truly a perfect curtain call.

One chapter had ended.

A new chapter was about to begin.