Chapter 51: Conclusion of the First Stage

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Cocoon-breaking short video app hosted a grand online live broadcast event.

Daring to compete for traffic against the major TV station galas on the Lantern Festival showed just how confident Cocoon-breaking was about this live event.

After a full fifty days of comprehensive showcasing, the first stage of the Cocoon-breaking “Hundred Butterflies Rising” Anchor 101 Competition officially came to a close.

All participating anchors selected their top ten short video works since the competition began, which were scored according to a weighted formula: content value (40%), interaction data (35%), and anchor ability (25%).

Fifty anchors were chosen to advance to the second stage. Then, Cocoon-breaking users voted to select a “Lucky 51st” anchor as the most popular contestant to also move forward.

Cocoon-breaking boldly announced that any anchor progressing to the second stage could choose to sign a contract with the company, with a revenue share rate higher than any newcomer on other short video platforms.

Moreover, users of the app who accurately guessed the advancing anchors, their top ten videos, or their rankings during the first stage’s promotion contest would receive generous rewards such as anchor gifts—live streaming props that normally required payment.

The only condition was that these rewards had to be claimed either during the live announcement of the first stage results or within three hours afterward.

Though users couldn’t cash out the gifts, sending them to anchors converted into real commissions for the anchors, naturally earning on-the-spot gratitude.

The second stage of the competition was designed for advancing anchors to conduct live streaming assessments, thus building early momentum for the next phase.

“Good evening, dear viewers in the live room, and beloved contestants!”

Though it was merely an online broadcast, Cocoon-breaking generously invited the well-known host Taozi to anchor and control the live event. Within three minutes, the phrase “film stars and anchors have a gap” was already trending on social media.

There was no other explanation: the filter on Taozi appeared quite odd. The typical slimming and enlarging eye effects made her already perfectly proportioned face look like an alien with a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks.

“Haha, Taozi, please turn off the filter! This Cocoon-breaking software is terrible; it just exposed the true looks of your anchors!”

“Exactly! Such a wholesome face turned into a weird creature! Cocoon-breaking is really off to a bad start.”

“Anchors can’t look exactly like celebrities. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they act in dramas? Don’t expect too much.”

“Geez! Just send the anchor a couple of Carnivals to turn off the beauty filter, why argue here?”

The live broadcast’s popularity surged as many idle users flocked to see just how extreme Cocoon-breaking’s filters were.

Especially after host Taozi noticed the topic in the comments, she glanced meaningfully toward the backstage staff, then playfully stuck out her tongue and casually switched off her beauty filter without embarrassment.

“Ah? Is everyone uncomfortable now? I thought I’d finally get to enjoy a perfect big-eyed filter for once. Oh well, it seems the real world just can’t compete with the style of two-dimensional characters.”

This little gesture was interpreted by netizens as “signaling with the Cocoon-breaking staff,” and Taozi’s mature yet adorable handling went viral in animated gif form.

Indeed! Aren’t two-dimensional characters all about eyes taking up half the face?

The first topic of the live broadcast seemed to favor only the host’s image, while both the Cocoon-breaking app and all the anchors were slammed.

Yet behind the screen, Wang Tianxia was completely unbothered.

Let them criticize. Humans often lack interest in the conventional, but a live broadcast that “fails right from the start” and is “all about boasting and filters” is always entertaining.

What good is reputation?

Does praising you earn money?

When the second stage begins, doing nothing but “turning off the beauty filter” can ignite a fresh wave of popularity.

This minor incident did not affect the professionalism of the star host Taozi, and the live show proceeded as planned.

“The first stage of the Hundred Butterflies Rising Anchor Competition officially concludes at this moment. Throughout this stage, we have witnessed a wonderful contest fueled by passion and professionalism, and countless anchors have ignited the stage with their talent.”

In this competition, 101 participating anchors contributed over 5,000 exquisite short video clips, generating over a hundred million views and creating thousands of trending entries on the platform’s popularity charts. Every creative piece earned thunderous applause.

Cocoon-breaking invited industry experts, popular anchors, and authoritative figures to form a professional judging panel that conducted comprehensive evaluations of each anchor’s top ten best-performing short videos.

Ultimately, the total rankings for the first stage were determined.

“Here, we offer our sincerest thanks to all judges! And heartfelt blessings to each participating anchor! Your courage, talent, and love for the anchor industry have filled this competition with vitality. Whether or not you advance to the second stage, your professionalism deserves to be remembered.”

The top-ranked anchor group from Cocoon-breaking’s MCN agency performed live on site. Though the overall group broadcast effect was far inferior to the Yellow Lantern platform, this small anchor group seemed more refined.

A complete singing and dancing girl group performance unfolded in Cocoon-breaking’s own anchor hall. Regardless of whether sound adjustments and facial filters were applied, the special effects made the stage resemble debut-level production quality.

Right after the group dance ended, ten anchor accounts were displayed on the big screen.

“Hundred Butterflies Rising first stage, anchors ranked 41st to 50th advancing. At number 50, the improv stand-up anchor Ivy League Liu Zi! Our Liu brother won countless laughs with his innovative impromptu stand-up based on trending keywords.”

As Taozi introduced each anchor, the live screen showed the detailed scores at the top, while a carefully edited highlight reel of their short videos played below.

This stand-up anchor graduated from a world-renowned university and was a pure talent type. He improvised stand-up based on real-time trending topics or fan comments and tips, often creating viral jokes.

It was said that many offline open mic performers even copied his material!

During the online event, all 101 anchors were online as backups. The “Ivy League Liu Zi” anchor frame was already front and center.

Each contestant was allotted one minute for an advancement speech, with a countdown starting immediately. True to expectations, “Ivy League Liu Zi” showcased his skill on the spot with a segment of improv stand-up.

This pushed the live broadcast’s heat to a new level.

In Cocoon-breaking’s main building, in a cluster of anchor halls, ten “seed contestants” stared at their screens in their respective rooms. Even though confident of advancing, they still awaited final rankings with uncertainty.