From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Beijing, Xinli Entertainment Brokerage Department.

On the projection screen, a handsome photo of a young man and his account information were displayed:

Name: Yu Liang (Stage name: Yu Heliang)

Occupation: Crosstalk performer at Deyun Club

Followers: 105 million+

Average views per video: 100 million+, likes: 10+

Related trending search terms: [Seeking outfit advice] [Extremely willing to listen to advice] [Male idol makeover]

The people in the conference room looked at each other in bewilderment.

"After studying this for ages," Zhao Mingyuan, the talent agency director, tapped the table, "can anyone tell me exactly how he became so popular?"

The group of people responsible for managing the artist's account repeatedly dissected Yu Liang's account, but they still couldn't find the "technical reason" for his sudden popularity.

"Isn't this just a simple selfie? They didn't even bother to change the caption; it's all just 'Take advice on outfits.'"

"But he became famous," someone chimed in, "and the kind of fame that couldn't be stopped."

In 2017, Douyin was still dominated by technical skills and finger dances.

The fact that a crosstalk comedian rose to fame through selfies has indeed baffled the astute entertainment news outlet, Xinli Entertainment.

"However, there's one thing," Zhao Mingyuan zoomed in on the comments section.

"This guy really listens to advice."

Netizens suggested he change his hairstyle, and he did.

He stopped wearing the long gown after we told him not to.

"Make him work out, look at these recent posts—"

As before-and-after comparison images scrolled across the screen, a murmur rippled through the conference room.

The staff clicked on Yu Liang's first early work.

Goodness, the comment section with over 3 views is uniformly negative, all of them are negative.

This guy posts a selfie every day, I'm amazed!

[Is this idiot posting on TikTok like it's his WeChat Moments?]

[Yu Liang, is it? Update again and I'll have someone deal with you!]

Of course, there were also a few genuine suggestions:

"Don't wear those long gowns anymore, you're not in a theater."

"How about trying flared pants?"

"Differential decomposition, trust me."

The staff scrolled up the list, from the first one to the latest one.

The changes are visible to the naked eye.

Yu Liang's face shape changed from round to angular, and his outfits changed from "the daily routine of a crosstalk performer" to "the level of a street style model".

The comments section changed as well.

[Dude, you've really gotten more handsome, I'm never giving you advice again!]

"You're keeping me awake! Please, change back!"

[Stop changing it, or you'll end up changing it to my family's household registration book. (winking emoji)]

[Man, you've changed so much that I can't have you anymore!]

Actually, this is what I originally planned to look like.

A staff member stared at the screen with a complicated expression.

"What's wrong?" the person next to me asked.

"I went to the same barbershop as him a couple of days ago..."

"and then?"

"He is the differential fragment lid, while I cut it into the traitor pot lid."

A burst of laughter erupted in the conference room.

Zhao Mingyuan tapped the whiteboard: "Alright, we've finished reviewing all the works. Everyone, please share your conclusions."

"Yu Liang's work was able to stand out among technically skilled artists not only because of his outstanding appearance, but most importantly—he listened to advice!"

"He changed whatever netizens asked him to change, and in the end, even the netizens felt embarrassed."

"There's one more thing, did you guys look at his profile description?"

Everyone clicked on it, remained silent for two seconds, and then burst out laughing.

[National-level offensive supporting role]

[Standing members of Deyun Society]

[Nobel Prize in Mathematics Aspirants]

[Emo Championship Winner at 3 AM]

……

"What the hell is all this?!"

"No wonder they came from Deyun Society, they've even taken their jokes to Douyin."

Zhao Mingyuan smiled and shook his head, but quickly composed himself: "Don't just laugh. Have you noticed—'internet savvy' is something that can't be taught."

"And Yu Liang has it."

---

A residential community in Chaoyang District.

Yu Liang stayed in bed until 2 p.m. before finally turning over.

In his previous life, Yu Liang, who was a stuntman, was accidentally transported to the body of Yu Liang, a crosstalk comedian in 2017, due to an explosion scene.

The original owner worked at Deyun Club for several years and finally became Guo Qilin's straight man partner, but then the young master turned around and went solo to become an actor.

Since Guo Qilin changed his career path, Yu Liang has rarely performed crosstalk in theaters.

The Deyun Society didn't say they were expelling him, nor did they arrange any performances for him.

In the words of his fellow apprentices, this is called "widow unemployment".

Yu Liang opened Douyin (TikTok).

The red dot in the message bar exploded.

He was tagged, messaged privately, and commented on—it was everywhere.

Yu Liang was stunned for a moment.

He remembered that just three days ago he was an "unemployed crosstalk performer being chased and scolded by netizens," but how come when he woke up, the comments section was calling him a "fashion blogger over 180cm tall"?

He casually clicked on a video that tagged him.

The image features a sweet-looking girl, and the caption reads: "Seeing my boyfriend this weekend, don't know what to wear, @YuLiang, seeking outfit advice!"

Yu Liang muttered to herself, "She has a boyfriend and still comes to me for advice?"

No way!

Despite my complaints, my hand still honestly clicked on the comments section.

He thought for a moment, then typed a line:

"The highest form of etiquette when meeting your boyfriend is, of course, pantyhose."

He switched to another app after sending the message.

When he returned after showering, the comment had already garnered over 30 likes, firmly holding the top spot among the most popular comments.

The replies below are even more outrageous:

[Oh, so this is the real Yu Liang!]

Jeans with black stockings, absolutely stunning!

Honestly, how many strips have you torn?

[Easy to tear, very wet.]

[Please restrain yourself, upstairs. This is a comment section, not a no-man's-land!]

Yu Liang stared at the screen, stunned for a full ten seconds.

"No... I just said it offhand."

Even worse, some people have already started making videos of themselves wearing underwear.

When the homepage is refreshed, three out of ten posts feature black stockings paired with jeans.

"So you guys are using me as a power switch?"

Just as Yu Liang was feeling sentimental,

A WeChat message popped up.

Yu Liang opened it and took a look.

"Is it her?"

Wang Churan.

In the original owner's memory, the two had previously worked together on the TV series "The General".

He made a cameo appearance in a minor supporting role; Wang Churan played the female lead's cousin.

This girl was tall and slender with a beautiful oval face. It was hard to tell whether it was her figure or her appearance, but she often gave off a mature vibe despite her young age.

After getting to know her better, you'll find that this girl is actually quite a goofball.

The private message contained a video.

Yu Liang opened it.

The screen was shaking violently, as if the phone had just been raised but then lost its grip.

In the video, Wang Churan is wearing loose pajamas, and her hair is wet as if she has just taken a shower.

"Little darling, did you miss your big sister?"

"Let me show you the innerwear my sister just bought."

The camera pans across a section of fair neck, sweeps over the collarbone, and then moves to the edge of a loose but full collar.

Pure white as snow...

Lace trim...

The video abruptly ended.

The verification is done, but the license plate is gone!

Yu Liang stared at the "cancelled" notification on the screen and remained silent for three seconds.

Immediately afterwards, news from Wang Churan came flooding in.

"Sent to the wrong person!!!"

"Bro!! That was filmed for my best friend!!"

"Oops, I accidentally typed that!"

This was followed by a string of kneeling and face-covering emojis.

Yu Liang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He typed slowly: "So... that wasn't for me?"

"Of course not!!!"

"Oh," Yu Liang leaned back in his chair, "that's a pity."

After a dozen seconds of silence, the other end sent a frustrated emoji.

"By the way, Brother Liang," Wang Churan quickly changed the subject.

"Sister Sichun asked me to ask you, are you free next Monday for the 'Roast Conference' to promote 'The General'?"

She said she was afraid you'd be too embarrassed to refuse if she asked you directly, so she asked me to lay the groundwork.

Yu Liang laughed: "Foreshadowing? You call this foreshadowing?"

If Yu Liang hadn't seen the real stuff, he would have suspected it was a decoy.

"Don't even mention it!! I'm about to die from stress!!!"

Yu Liang smiled and shook his head.

He checked the calendar; it was next Monday, which was the day after tomorrow.

The timeframe was ridiculously tight; it's likely that the production team added him on short notice after seeing his Douyin (TikTok) data.

But it doesn't matter.

Those who come from Deyun Society are least afraid of improvisation.

He typed back: "Okay, I'll go."

The other end replied instantly: "Really?!"

"There's a condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"You have to tell me what kind of clothes were shown in that video just now."