Chapter 39: A Big Influencer with Millions of Fans

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Big Influencer with Millions of Fans

Seeing Lin Wanyu lounging on the sofa watching TV, Gao Yuan picked up his phone and started snapping away at her.

And he had to admit, his High-tier Photography Techniques were impressive. Gao Yuan had taken 16 photos in total, and 11 of them were good enough to post online.

Moreover, in terms of composition, lighting, and camera angle, they could all be considered perfect shots.

He posted the photos in their small three-person group chat, which of course immediately caught the attention of the other two.

"Wow! You’re amazing!"

Lin Wanyu shouted excitedly the moment she saw the message in the group chat.

She had seen Gao Yuan taking pictures just a moment ago but had assumed he was just snapping randomly. She never expected him to produce such perfect photos.

"I have to post these online!"

Lin Wanyu muttered to herself as she sat on the sofa, "It’s a shame I can only post nine photos at a time. I really love the other two as well!"

A moment later, Lin Wanyu’s social feed was updated.

She hadn’t just posted the nine photos; she’d also changed her profile picture and feed background.

Gao Yuan was, of course, the first to like the post!

When a woman posts on her social feed, it’s usually for one of two reasons: either to show off how pretty she’s been looking lately, or for a certain someone she likes to see it.

So, being quick to like it was the right move.

At the same time, Gao Yuan received a private message from Li Mengqing.

"I want some too."

Gao Yuan knew she wanted beautiful photos of her own, but remembering what had happened before, and given his own suspicions, he replied directly, "When you’re available, I’ll take them for you!"

He had deliberately used an exclamation mark at the end just to test her reaction.

"Okay! I’ll be waiting!"

Seeing her reply, Gao Yuan felt a little intimidated.

’A complete defeat!’

He’d only been slightly suspicious and wanted to test Li Mengqing’s reaction, but he hadn’t expected her to be so forward in private. She could handle anything he threw at her.

Done with his back-and-forth with Li Mengqing, Gao Yuan turned his thoughts to his short video.

He opened his TikTok account to check. His follower growth had slowed considerably, and he now had just over six hundred followers.

He was still a fair bit away from a thousand followers, so he decided to post another video that night.

Remembering that Lin Wanyu had just gotten her period, he decided to make dinner with dishes meant to help with menstrual symptoms.

After searching for recipes online, Gao Yuan selected a few dishes.

For the soup, he would make Cordyceps Flower Chicken Soup. He’d also make three stir-fries: Okra with Pork, Hand-Torn Cabbage, and Flash-Fried Pork Liver.

After a moment’s thought, Gao Yuan added one more thing to the menu: Red Date and Tremella Soup.

He was missing a lot of the ingredients at home, and since he couldn’t be bothered to go out, he just used an app to have a runner buy everything for him.

With some free time on their hands, the two of them snuggled up together and started chatting with Li Mengqing in the group chat, distracting her from work.

Without a second thought, Lin Wanyu casually mentioned that she’d brought Gao Yuan to meet her parents that day and had successfully managed to fool them.

Li Mengqing found this strange when she heard it. She knew just how difficult Lin Wanyu’s mother could be, yet somehow Gao Yuan had managed to win her over.

’What would it be like,’ she couldn’t help but wonder, ’if I brought Gao Yuan to meet my parents one day?’

Li Mengqing shuddered at the thought.

Just then, Gao Yuan posted the menu for that evening in the group chat. He tagged Li Mengqing, saying that it might not be a good night for a video collaboration with the famous influencer, Tongtong.

This confused Li Mengqing. The menu looked quite lavish, so why wasn’t it suitable for a collaboration with Tongtong? She immediately asked in the group, "Is there a special reason?"

"Nothing too special, just that a certain someone is having a bloody disaster today!"

"All these dishes are specifically for this... time of the month. I was thinking it might not be suitable for a collab."

It suddenly dawned on Li Mengqing. Lin Wanyu was on her period, too. No wonder she’d been feeling a bit under the weather herself today.

She and Lin Wanyu spent so much time together that their cycles were almost synced. It looked like hers was about to start, too.

Li Mengqing envied her best friend for having Gao Yuan take such considerate care of her. At the same time, she told Tongtong that they wouldn’t be filming a video that night.

But unexpectedly, not long after, Tongtong herself came running into her office, her face flush with excitement.

"Sister Qing, please, I’m begging you! You have to take me with you tonight!"

Tongtong pleaded the moment she entered Li Mengqing’s office and sat down at her desk.

"Is it really that serious? It’s just a meal."

Tongtong nodded her head vigorously, like a chicken pecking at grain.

"It’s totally that serious! I have a feeling this video is going to blow up!"

"And... and... I’m on my period, too..."

Li Mengqing completely ignored the fact that Tongtong was also on her period. The only thing on her mind was what Tongtong had said: this video was going to blow up.

"Why would a video like this blow up?"

Tongtong gave Li Mengqing a look of exasperation. "Sister Qing, do you not pay attention to what’s trending?"

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone, opened the TikTok trending list, and handed it to Li Mengqing.

[Pain! Why Did I Have to Be Born a Woman!]

Li Mengqing saw that this topic was ranked fifth. She tapped on it and instantly understood.

The topic was all about women’s periods. Everyone was venting about how awful it feels, and plenty of people were roasting men at the same time.

The topic was incredibly hot, with over 59 million views already.

Now she understood why Tongtong was so insistent on collaborating with Gao Yuan that night. She was trying to ride the trend!

"Alright, I’ll talk to my friends. I’ll take you with me tonight."

With Li Mengqing’s promise, Tongtong happily left to get ready.

As a short-video blogger with over two million followers, Tongtong was definitely considered a major influencer.

But recently, her video traffic had taken a nosedive. This was something she had anticipated; audiences had seen too many storylines with her "domineering CEO" persona and were starting to suffer from content fatigue.

She wanted to try and break out of her niche, but it was incredibly difficult for an already established account to do so.

She and her manager had discussed many different strategies, but none of them felt right.

When Li Mengqing asked her to do a video collaboration with Gao Yuan that day, she’d only thought of it as making a quick appearance to help a friend out.

But when Li Mengqing mentioned that the evening’s meal was focused on dishes to help with menstrual cramps and might not be suitable for filming, Tongtong hadn’t thought much of it at first.

It wasn’t until a moment ago, when she was discussing her next video with her manager and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen, that she wondered if she could create content related to it.

A quick search of the trending topics on TikTok revealed that the subject of menstrual cramps was surprisingly popular.

Then, thinking about the meal Li Mengqing’s friend was cooking, she felt like she had suddenly discovered the secret formula for viral traffic.

A girlfriend is on her period, suffering from cramps, and her boyfriend makes her a thoughtful meal with dishes specifically meant to alleviate the pain.

In a social climate where everyone was bashing men, the appearance of such a considerate boyfriend would create a huge contrast, wouldn’t it?

Besides, she’d seen Gao Yuan’s videos. The man had incredible presence and would be a great match for her "domineering CEO" persona.

Tongtong was even thinking of "shipping" herself with Gao Yuan for publicity.

After she showed her manager Gao Yuan’s short video and the menu for the evening, it led to the scene of her begging Li Mengqing to take her to Gao Yuan’s place for dinner.

When Gao Yuan got Li Mengqing’s message, he hadn’t realized this was a trending topic online. He did a quick search himself and discovered that it was indeed a great angle for a video.

Especially in a climate where women were calling men useless, he figured his video would probably get a pretty good reaction. It would be a way to redeem the reputation of his fellow men.

When Lin Wanyu found out he was going to be in a video collaboration with an influencer who had two million followers, she insisted that Gao Yuan take her home. Her goal was to pick out a nice outfit so she would look even more beautiful on camera.

The end result was that Gao Yuan had to clear out an entire wardrobe just for Lin Wanyu’s clothes. She now had several complete outfits stored there, from underwear to outerwear.

Not long after they finished getting things organized, Gao Yuan was added to a new group chat by Li Mengqing.

Tongtong had created the group specifically for the video shoot. She’d had Li Mengqing add Gao Yuan so they could discuss the script beforehand.

However, not long after joining the group, Gao Yuan received a friend request.

He opened it and saw that it was from the influencer, Tongtong.

Her profile picture was of herself. She had long, straight black hair and was dressed like a domineering female CEO.

Looking at the request from this major influencer, Gao Yuan felt a little conflicted. ’Should I accept it? Or should I accept it!’