In the stillness of the night, Shao I-qi lounged on the couch, savouring ice-cold watermelon and basking in the cool breeze of the air conditioner. His smartphone was in his hand, swiping from one livestream to another.
"Is livestream scrutiny really this strict nowadays? It's getting quite dull," he muttered.
Any somewhat watchable borderline streamer would soon receive notifications that their livestream needed adjustments. After the adjustments, these female streamers' broadcasts became unbearably monotonous, with forced small talk or even stammering silence.
While complaining, Shao I-qi scooped up another spoonful of ice-cold watermelon and continued refreshing the livestreams, venting his emotions in the barrage of comments.
"Hey, 'Highly photoshopped Warrior,' quit streaming and head to the factory."
"Why is a streamer with superpowers that can distort space still stuck on the minuscule 'Shark Platform' instead of becoming a superhero?"
"Don't be so awkward; your stream is worse than playing games."
"Stop gaming; you're terrible at it. Better entertain your friends."
The feeling of deliberately provoking and causing a scene online was satisfying.
After mocking one more streamer, Shao I-qi removed his glasses, which were pinching his ears, and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, bringing his phone screen closer to his nose.
He continued to search for the next victim.
As Shao I-qi swiped his finger downward, the phone screen abruptly dimmed. On the dark background, a dark, plump face suddenly appeared in front of Shao I-qi's eyes.
Shao I-qi had never encountered such a shockingly impactful image, and his mind couldn't process it in an instant. "What on earth is this?"
Perhaps due to issues with the recording equipment, the face appeared slightly blurry but not entirely, capturing the disturbing essence perfectly.
Soon, a lively tune started playing, and the streamer, known as the "Macho Dancer," began to dance to the beat. His arms, covered in layers of fat, swayed along with his exaggerated movements, creating a scene comparable to the eldritch chanting of ancient gods.
It took Shao I-qi a full ten seconds to transition from bewilderment to astonishment.
"What the heck?!"
However, time waits for no one, and in just those ten seconds, the "Macho Dancer" on the screen had moved on to the next dance move. He placed his hands over his head, performing large, sweeping rotations.
Glistening with sweat, his one and only "abdominal muscle" and armpit hair trembled in the breeze, with the cameraman even zooming in for a close-up, repeatedly magnifying and shrinking these horrifying visuals.
"What the heck? Where am I? What livestream platform is this, and what on earth am I watching?"
"Mom, my eyes need cleansing!"
"Get out of my phone screen!"
Shao I-qi cried out in horror while attempting to swipe away from the stream, but it was as if some magic had entranced his fingers. They hesitated, unable to move because, for some inexplicable reason, he didn't want to leave this stream. He actually wanted to keep watching!
When Shao I-qi realized this, he knew it wasn't his eyes that needed cleansing, but his mind that had been tainted!
So, Shao I-qi just continued to watch the entire dance in a daze, with the "Macho Dancer" even giving a seductive wink to the camera.
After the dance, he switched off his phone, covered himself with a blanket, and closed his eyes.
"I only mocked a few borderline streamers, and now I'm forced to watch this? If it's wrong, they should throw me in jail instead of making me watch this stream."
Never mind; sleep!
As long as he could fall asleep, he could forget about tonight's terrifying experience.
Several hours later, the room fell into complete silence.
Shao I-qi, under the blanket, seemed sound asleep, with no hint of distress. Suddenly, the blanket was yanked away with a loud rustling. Shao I-qi sat up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, for he couldn't close his eyes without the terrifying livestream images reappearing.
And that last flirtatious wink.
"Can't you get out of my mind?!"
"No more sleep!" Shao I-qi slapped the room's light switch, turning it on. "I can't be the only one tormented. I need to edit this video!"
These days, countless people online were demanding links that couldn't be spoken of beneath various comments. In the future, whenever he saw such comments, he would send them the link to this livestream replay!
Shao I-qi turned on his computer, grinning maliciously. "In this day and age, people still play traditional online scams? Let me start a new trend in deceit..."
---
On the other side, at the livestream location:
Yang Ruoqian was packing up the equipment. The dim lighting concealed his emotions from Huang Rushi.
However, Huang Rushi knew that his livestream data had been abysmal. Throughout the entire broadcast, he hadn't received a single tip, and very few viewers had tuned in. It was a resounding failure.
Even as confident as he was, Huang Rushi couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Boss, should I work extra hours? The livestream content can be adjusted. Just tell me, and I'll do it!" Huang Rushi asked, his hands extended.
"Work overtime? Adjust the content?" Yang Ruoqian looked at him oddly. "You did an excellent job today. Keep it up just like this, and don't work overtime. Our company strongly discourages employees from working extra hours. Go rest. Don't worry about the data; it's normal for the first stream to be less popular. Your popularity will grow over time."
Yang Ruoqian didn't show it, but he was overjoyed inside. Poor data? No one watching? Perfect!
Change the content?
He had intricately designed a disturbing livestream from start to finish that had successfully driven away all potential viewers. How could he change it now?
Overtime?
No one would watch this even if he worked 12 extra hours.
Future popularity?
Male streamers in the dance category had no chance at popularity. Yang Ruoqian eagerly awaited the end of the month, where he would finally reach the "Nobody" level and receive his 50 million system bonus.
Thinking of the 50 million bonus, Yang Ruoqian wished he could fast-forward to the end of the month.
However, his words didn't offer much comfort to Huang Rushi. Although he felt respected and trusted, he also felt a hint of guilt. "Boss, I can't always trouble you for shooting... Maybe I should find my own cameraman?"
Thinking about the imminent 50 million, Yang Ruoqian found himself looking more favourably upon Huang Rushi. Without hesitation, he replied, "Sure, once you find one, have them complete the hiring process at the company."