How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 19 The fish has taken the bait

"Hello beautiful, how much does your outfit cost today?"

"The tracksuit is Adidas, it cost over 800 yuan, I bought it on sale last year. The down jacket cost over 500 yuan, and the shoes cost over 400 yuan. The whole outfit cost less than 2,000 yuan."

"May I take a picture of your outfit?"

"sure."

"Aren't you cold wearing just a pair of sweatpants in this cold weather?"

"I was wearing stockings underneath, which kept me warm."

What did you go out for today?

"I'm here for an interview. I'm about to graduate from university and need to find a job."

"May I ask what job you're applying for?"

"I majored in broadcasting, but it's hard to find a job in my field. Today I'm interviewing for an insurance sales position."

"Sales jobs are very tough. Haven't you considered other positions since you're so beautiful?"

"Being pretty can't put food on the table, and besides, I'm just average-looking."

Liu Hao had a digital camera strapped to his forehead, and he was recording and interviewing Zhao Yihuan from a first-person perspective.

Zhao Yihuan cooperated by demonstrating an outfit that appeared ordinary but contained hidden secrets.

The contrast between her innocent and approachable face, her underwear, and her simple values ​​should give netizens a fresh and shocking experience.

Wang Yao took two quick photos with his DSLR camera and then ended the shoot.

We switched to another model for the shoot. On another corner of the street, Luo Hongming and Zhou Cong were shooting together. There were a total of six models who signed up today, and the shoot could be completed in one morning.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Huan. I'll let you know if you get selected." Wang Yao handed over a hot coffee.

"Is it all done filming? What were the client's requirements this time?" Zhao Yihuan asked curiously, taking a sip of her coffee.

It's quite rare to see business listings based on street interviews like this.

"It's a secret, but it's a big job, and it's a long-term project," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Oh? That's great. I didn't get a single order last month. I'm counting on Mr. Wang to feed me this month, or I'll starve," Zhao Yihuan joked.

"It's the off-season for the industry around the Lunar New Year. Are you going home for the New Year this year, Sister Huan?" Wang Yao asked casually.

"Let's see if we can make any money. A trip back to our hometown will cost at least 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. Are you going back for the New Year?" Zhao Yihuan and Wang Yao were from the same hometown, and he unconsciously spoke with a Northeastern accent.

"I'm unlikely to go back. It seems like Mr. He has assigned me some work for the New Year," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“If we stay in Shanghai, we can have some fun together,” Zhao Yihuan said with a smile.

Wang Yao chatted with her casually until the filming ended and he told them to go home and wait for news.

"President Yao, coming to you is definitely the best decision I've ever made in my twenty-odd years of life. I've never talked to a girl in my entire life as much as I have this morning alone," Liu Hao said with some emotion.

“I’m different from Mr. Yao. I simply love this job. I’m bursting with inspiration right now,” Luo Hongyi said earnestly.

"You guys are just having a passing fancy. You'll get tired of it after a few days. Our company has no shortage of women." Zhou Cong said, chatting in a group while holding his phone.

His online store made almost a thousand yuan in sales today, and he is now completely immersed in the joy of making money.

"It's fine for Cong Ge to say this in front of us, but if he says it outside, he might get beaten up," Liu Hao joked.

“For us who make these kinds of videos, comments that invite a beating are actually good comments. You guys can collect more outrageous and ridiculous comments that deserve a beating, then turn them into scripts, and maybe they’ll go viral,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Any topic is fine? What if the model isn't cooperative?" Liu Hao's eyes lit up.

"If they don't cooperate, we'll replace them. Didn't Xiao Cong just say that the one thing this industry has no shortage of is women?" Wang Yao smiled dismissively.

"This is where the importance of choice comes in. Normally, we wouldn't even be able to talk to a girl of this caliber, but with this new identity, we have to do whatever we're told. It's infuriating; I feel like I'm becoming the kind of person I hate the most," Luo Hongming sighed.

"This is nothing. I'll take you to see the filming locations of A-level productions when I have the chance," Zhou Cong said dismissively.

"What can an A-level do?" Luo Hongming and Liu Hao immediately became curious.

“Some can, some can’t,” Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"?"

This answer feels like I understand it yet don't quite get it.

I went back to the company to slack off, and after get off work I took them out to have dinner with Qu Shou.

Qu Shou was alone in Shanghai and under immense mental pressure, so he desperately needed a new social circle to distract himself.

Qu Shou is undoubtedly a goddess-level figure for male otaku.

Luo Hongming and Liu Hao suddenly felt that everything from the daytime had become dull.

Especially when watching Wang Yao check Qu Shou's homework like a homeroom teacher, Qu Shou's restrained attitude was striking.

This gave the two of them a tremendous shock and motivation.

This is what a man should do!

Working overtime tonight editing videos and writing scripts!

I also posted the photo of myself with Qu Shou in the class group chat, subtly showing off a bit.

After Wang Yao dropped Qu Shou off at his hotel, he went home and filmed two videos of him unpacking the card with Zhou Cong, which he then posted in various group chats.

The dopamine rush brought about by the uncertainty of blind boxes is shown in the video, coupled with the idol's exquisite and unique photocards, and Zhou Cong's exaggerated emotional expression.

It created a closed loop of "suspense-revelation-emotional feedback".

This sparked a new round of discussion and attention in the group, and that very evening, several group owners added Zhou Cong's alternate account to inquire about the merchandise related to these photocards. This brought a significant amount of traffic to the online store.

“Go to the BIGBANG forum and post a request for help. I’m offering 1 RMB for a ticket to the BIG SHOW (Seoul) concert at the end of January, and 2000 RMB for a hidden photocard of G-Dragon,” Wang Yao said.

"BB tickets are already being resold for over 3000 yuan, and we haven't even made that much money yet," Zhou Cong said, feeling a pang of regret.

"I invested 2000 the day before yesterday and got a profit of over 3000, plus so much attention. Now, with an investment of over 5000, I'll only get even higher returns. The fastest way to do business is to make money from money." Wang Yao smiled.

Zhou Cong thought it made sense, so he posted it. Before long, the post had been flooded with comments up to 100 times. The activity level of the Korean entertainment forum in 2010 was outrageously high.

Most of them are people who worship the rich and seek favors from others.

However, the post was quickly deleted, and then Zhou Cong received a private message from the moderator of the BIGBANG Baidu Tieba forum.

Hello, I'm the moderator of the "Help" section on the BIGBANG forum. If you're genuinely looking to buy, please add me on QQ to discuss.

As Baidu's most successful social platform, Tieba has been seeking ways to monetize. Many influential Tieba forums are ostensibly managed by users, but in reality, most of them are managed by Baidu insiders, attempting to monopolize various types of monetization channels.

Wang Yao added the other party on QQ.

'VIP Zhilong: Hello, are you requesting tickets?'

'VIP doesn't eat cilantro: Yes, this is my first time asking for help, I'm sorry I don't understand the rules.'

VIP Zhilong: It's okay. We're just trying to maintain order on the forum. We have a specific format and rules for asking for help regarding purchasing agents. Please fill this out.
Then place your order and pay a 1000 RMB deposit through this link. This is a dedicated online store link for Tieba (Baidu's forum). The deposit will be deducted from the ticket price if successful, and refunded to the original payment method if unsuccessful. Officially guaranteed, it's genuine and valid.

'VIP doesn't eat cilantro: Okay, just a moment.'

'VIP Zhilong: We have received your deposit. We will help you secure tickets. I will contact you once I have any available tickets.'

'VIP doesn't eat cilantro: Oh, and I also want a hidden photocard of G-Dragon. Asking price is 2000 yuan.'

'VIP Zhilong: What are hidden card cards?'

'VIPs don't eat cilantro: This is it. [Image]'

VIP Zhilong: ? I've never seen this merchandise before. Are you sure you want it?

'VIP doesn't eat cilantro: Yeah, I've recently become obsessed with this set of mini-cards.'

'VIP Zhilong: I'll go ask in the group chat about the situation.'

VIP Zhilong turned to the small group and asked.

'VIP Zhilong: [Image] Has anyone seen this merchandise before? Did we release it?'

'Wanzi Mianmian: I've seen it. Several people in my group recently shared links to Taobao stores.'

Cassiopeia Yoonjung: Are you not one of ours? Are you trying to steal our business?

'ELF Apartment: It's quite nice.'

'VIP Zhilong: Someone offered 2000 for this card? Is it really that valuable?'

'Wanzi Mianmian: Yesterday, a big shot in my group sent out red envelopes and asked for help in grabbing them.'

Cassiopeia Yunjung: Sales aren't high, but it's quite expensive, 10 yuan per draw.

'ELF Apartments: A personal signature only costs a little over 1000, but you're offering 2000 for this? We can print this ourselves, right?'

'VIP Zhilong: It's possible, but without a template, it's easy to be detected, which is counterproductive.'

'Wanzi Mianmian: I think someone's hyping this up.'

'Cassiopeia Yunjung: Instruct your subordinates to contact the source and find out their methods.'

'ELF Apartment: 10 yuan a ticket, they make at least 9 yuan profit, tsk tsk, that's really ripping them off.'

'VIP Zhilong: The shipping costs are quite high, and the minimum order quantity for these cards is not low, requiring an investment of at least tens of thousands of yuan. If they don't sell, we'll suffer huge losses.'

'Wanzi Mianmian: First, contact the source, collect a fee from them, and see how far they can push it. If it gets going, I'll make it myself; outsiders definitely can't compete with us.'

Cassiopeia Yunjung: This little card looks a bit like the Pokémon cards I bought when I was a kid.

'ELF Apartments: My staff said that in several of our large groups, some people are also buying these small cards and have been warned. There's been a lot of discussion about it.'

'VIP Zhilong: It seems someone is engaging in cross-bank credit card fraud. Mianmian is right. Let's collect some "bridging fees" first and then find the source.'

Before long, Zhou Cong's alternate account, which was promoting the photo cards in various fan groups, was added as a friend by the group administrators.

Wang Yao could tell from their QQ spaces that these were not just ordinary fans, but organizers with a commercial model.

The reason why the fan economy can be called an economy is because it has commercial value.

Wherever there is commercial value, there will inevitably be professional groups seeking to monetize it, which are known as professional celebrity fans.

Following celebrities is an extremely time-consuming and energy-intensive activity, especially offline photo shoots and organizing support activities, which can easily cost at least five figures.

Aside from a few super-rich and devoted fans, most professional fans can only make money from their hobby. The most common ways to monetize their hobby are through exclusive photography, purchasing on behalf of others, fundraising, and selling merchandise.

Among them, selling merchandise is the most profitable, but it's not just ordinary merchandise; it has to be autographed or even signed by the celebrity. Each autograph can earn thousands of yuan in profit, and some celebrity agents even work part-time selling merchandise for profit.

In any case, celebrity autographs have no intrinsic value; it is the fans' love that gives them value.

Wang Yao chatted with these professional fans for a while, explaining that he simply liked these photocards and that he collected them just for fun.

These professional fans all shared the same message: they were willing to share, but they didn't want others to buy things for them in the group, as this could easily lead to disputes. They even used a combination of carrot and stick tactics to threaten them.

Then, the online store's messaging system, Taobao, received several private messages seeking cooperation.

It's obvious that Kawhi Leonard's business has been targeted by these professional fans, either for extortion or for mutual profit.

Clearly, the fish have taken the bait.

(End of this chapter)