Chapter 30: When a Friend Fares Better Than Oneself

Their interactions also brought a greater surge of traffic back to Lin Ke, leading many fans to follow the trail to her actual account and read through every single comment.

"Under the platform’s proactive promotion, Coco’s account has maintained a completion rate of over fifty percent, an improvement of more than a hundredfold from the previous stage. The progress is truly immense."

There are many factors that influence completion rates. Generally, the more an account is pushed to new fans, the higher the probability of being skipped, which naturally lowers the completion rate. However, Lin Ke’s videos were all very short—only a few dozen seconds long—which inherently aided in completion. Combined with the lively and colorful comment section, countless people looped the videos repeatedly just to read every comment, naturally resulting in impressive data.

"I can tell you all with full responsibility that the company's content department has begun dedicated research into the new operational model pioneered by Coco. We hope to solidify this model and replicate similar results across other segments. The agency department has already created a specific management plan for Coco’s account, and there are currently over a dozen contract options under negotiation. This is Coco’s own achievement, and it is also the achievement of our entire group. I hope everyone can learn from her; if everyone delivers such performance, you will all reach that final million-dollar annual salary."

A million-dollar annual salary!

Lin Ke’s palms felt hot. At the last summary meeting, her account’s data had been abysmal; even with the company’s promotion, every metric had been disastrous. But this time, it was different.

The promoted data had settled, and her retention rates were excellent. For a moment, Lin Ke was dazed, feeling as though she might actually be truly talented. Although the vast majority of her video content was still provided by the content department, on the day of the Yellow Lantern Group’s annual meeting, she had managed to break into the real-time trending list with nothing but a joke she had copied.

The insults she had endured back then seemed to have faded from memory; the filth in the comment section would eventually be buried, but her popularity had climbed step by step. When she first arrived to participate in the Hundred Butterflies Rising competition, Lin Ke had been backed into a corner by a rent of less than two thousand yuan, thinking only of scraping by. But now, it seemed she could really break into the second stage, and perhaps even move toward that million-dollar salary.

As Ice continued to introduce the multi-dimensional data of Lin Ke’s account, several other streamers were no longer in such a good mood. Those who worked diligently on content remained tepid, yet now, someone who had built her following through shamelessness was actually being whitewashed! Did no one remember how she had abandoned her husband and child just to trend? No, wait—even those who brought it up now were fellow bloggers in the women’s niche, using her as a positive example.

How the world had deteriorated. If looks could kill, Lin Ke would have been torn to pieces long ago.

This was no longer a matter of worrying about inequality; it was the frustration of seeing someone you looked down upon doing better than you! Even Menglu’s expression was no longer natural. Lin Ke’s popularity was still far from rivaling hers, but Menglu felt a deep sense of crisis.

When they first met, Lin Ke had been like a bumpkin—stuck with the indelible, cheap aura of a college student, nervous, timid, and a bit cringey. When had Menglu ever taken her seriously? Interacting with her had simply been a matter of needing a little sidekick—a nobody who could never affect her, easy to manipulate, obedient, and useful for running errands. She had been the perfect choice. But now, why did it seem like this nobody was crawling up from the bottom of the cliff to stand right beside her?

Still, despite her internal discomfort, when Lin Ke looked at her with those clear, excited, college-student eyes, Menglu managed to force a smile of encouragement. Though it wasn't quite natural.

"There is one more streamer worth commending this stage: Ting Lan." As Ice finally turned the topic to another section, Sun Yali looked up abruptly.

Her streamer account was named "Jingchu Ting Lan," and the company had always addressed everyone by their streamer names during meetings. In the previous stage, she had ranked second to last in the entire group, and her data had been tragic. But in these past two weeks, Sun Yali had not wasted her time. With undisguised excitement and hope hidden in her eyes, Sun Yali sat up a bit straighter.

"Ting Lan is the streamer with the most progress this stage; she has already become a leader in the 'Breaking the Cocoon' intangible cultural heritage category. We all know that intangible cultural heritage is a niche field; the entire category doesn't have many fans. But Ting Lan found a new path and achieved excellent results in this segment. For the first stage of the competition, scores will be based on a ratio of content value (40%), interactive data (35%), and streamer ability (25%). Given the content value of the intangible cultural heritage category, if Ting Lan can maintain her current momentum, her final score will be very impressive."

'Breaking the Cocoon' did not impose a one-size-fits-all requirement for completion rates and interactive data across all categories; the competition was divided into three dimensions precisely to balance the differences between them. Sun Yali’s intangible cultural heritage category undoubtedly had significant advantages in other areas. To put it bluntly, 'Breaking the Cocoon' also needed to maintain its prestige and elevate its stance. Whether it was traditional culture or intangible crafts, even if it didn't earn a single cent, the platform would promote high-quality accounts. Otherwise, how would they be any different from low-end platforms like Yellow Lantern?

Ice reopened the competition schedule: "The Spring Festival Golden Week is almost here. According to the custom of 'Breaking the Cocoon,' ordinary staff will be on holiday from the 26th of the twelfth lunar month until the 10th of the first lunar month. The first stage lasts only 50 days; when we return from the New Year holiday, it will be the 'Life or Death Week'."

At the end of the first stage, 51 of the 101 participating streamers in 'Hundred Butterflies Rising' would be eliminated. Then, one person would be resurrected by user votes to reform a group of 51 for the second stage. Streamers who entered the second stage were eligible to sign contracts with the company. While everyone had already signed contracts under the name of "Seeds," failing to advance still meant facing the risk of termination. If the probation period wasn't passed, the company didn't need to pay a cent in compensation; that 5,000-yuan base salary for the first month was all they would ever take home. And yet, the accounts had been sold to the company on the very day they signed.

"During the Spring Festival, the company's content department will be closed, but the 'Breaking the Cocoon' building will remain open every day, and your streamer lounges will be fully equipped. If you aren't confident in the quality of the videos you've prepared, I suggest you come to the company a few more times. You don't have much time or opportunity left."

It was the usual tactic of giving a slap followed by a sweet, though the order had been reversed this time. The final threat left everyone feeling a bit tense. Even if their risk in the 'Life or Death Week' wasn't high, their performance in the first stage would affect future resources. Who could afford not to care?

After the meeting, Lin Ke was in a good mood and took the initiative to run over to Menglu: "Sister Menglu, want to go get some dessert?"

Menglu was looking down, packing her things. She wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bear to look at Lin Ke’s puppy-like expression, so she looked up, intending to agree.

But then, supervisor Ice suddenly said, "Coco, come here for a moment. The agency department has something to discuss with you."

"Oh, okay! Sorry, Sister Menglu, you go ahead and head home. I’ll treat you next time I have a chance."

Lin Ke hurried away after speaking, leaving Menglu sitting in her seat for a long time without moving.

The agency department... hah. The agency department was already looking for her. Were they starting to push products? It couldn't be an endorsement, could it? Why was Lin Ke the first one the agency department reached out to? Then what was the point of everything she had done over these past few days?

The smile on Menglu’s lips finally vanished. She opened her phone, not to WeChat, but to a niche chat app. On the chat page, she ignored the 99+ greetings and only had a private conversation with one person.

"Are you free tonight? I miss you."