Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Wang Yongbo repeatedly reminded on the phone, fearing that Bi Fang would screw up when the time came and had even thought of all possible excuses.

Slept in, traffic jam, forgot, didn’t want to go, where there’s training there’s bliss…

After all, he’s a man who would skip the annual meeting that handed out bonuses without a second thought, so any mishap wouldn’t surprise him at all.

The annual meeting is an internal Wolf Fang event, and it wouldn’t make any difference whether Bi Fang attended or not. Even the bonus he was due had to be given to him, to the last cent, of course secretly. Otherwise, what would the other attendees think?

But the award ceremony was different; miss it once and you can forget about attending any future ones.

Bi Fang was no fool and nodded, “I understand. I’ll definitely be there on time the day after tomorrow morning.”

Upon receiving the promise, Wang Yongbo happily hung up and began discussing with his colleagues in the company where to place the certificate and trophy to make them most conspicuous once they had been obtained.

He also needed to consult the publicity department about the poster for the next livestream.

As a shrewd businessman, Wang Yongbo realized Bi Fang’s additional value early on. When someone tried to use Bi Fang’s image rights to make merchandise and posters, his immediate thought was, why not do it himself?

Due to the special nature of Bi Fang’s livestreams, almost every episode could become a poster and merchandise, perfectly coinciding with a one-month cycle, which overlapped with the Shuiyou’s payday.

After some discussions with Bi Fang, Wang Yongbo, once granted permission, eagerly started an initiative where the top hundred fans on the leaderboard would automatically receive a new poster every month, the top fifty would get both a poster and merchandise, and the top ten would receive signed posters, photos, and merchandise.

As for those beyond the top hundred, they would have to purchase these items.

To this day, the best-selling “Goose Journey” had shipped over a hundred thousand copies, earning dozens of yuan per copy—that’s a few million yuan, with Bi Fang taking half of it, a lucrative deal!

Wang Yongbo grew prouder of his exceptional foresight in discovering this treasure of a livestreamer in Bi Fang at a time of little significance, with Shark delivering a divine assist.

He was thinking of awarding them the trophy, as they deserved it.

Without Shark, there would be no few days for Wolf Fang, and without Wang Weifeng, there would be no Wang Yongbo!

Such a huge favor, never to be forgotten in this lifetime!

“Ha!”

Wang Yongbo breathed hot air on the picture frame, pulled out a tissue and wiped repeatedly until the glass shone, and then placed it respectfully on his desk, revealing an auntie’s smile.

…

…

Friday.

In the corner of the office, Wang Weifeng unlocked his phone to swipe through Weibo, hoping to catch up on some news.

Now, he was utterly without status in the company. Not having fallen to the level of cleaning toilets or standing guard with the security team, but the office he was given was in the most remote corner—cramped and crowded, uncomfortable even to sit in.

Every day he was tasked with trivial yet annoyingly abundant errands.

He knew the company was just trying to wear him down, waiting for him to resign on his own.

But if he resigned, where could he go?

After what he did, which company in the industry would openly hire him?

Wouldn’t hiring him imply that their company condoned such actions and wasn’t the least bit bothered by it?

Facts are facts, and on the surface, it cannot be said as such.

Sigh.

Thinking of this, Wang Weifeng sighed again, wondering why he was so unlucky to have encountered such a disaster, truly the worst misfortune in several lifetimes.

Lu Wentao got savaged by the critiques, left Shark early, and his livestream numbers are worse than before. He has already left Shark and nobody knows where he is streaming now.

Lu Junfeng had it even worse. Pressured by Shark, the guild simply fired him. But what can a man skilled only in manipulating leaderboards do without his guild?

Unable to find work, with the high cost of living in Magic Capital, who knows what he is doing now?

Only Wolf Fang, I don’t know what kind of dumb luck he stumbled upon. Just thinking about it makes me boil with rage. If it weren’t for this dying platform making a last-ditch struggle and getting Bi Fang on board, he really might not have achieved what he has now.

Heard Wolf Fang has risen recently, and the live streaming platforms outwardly appear to have returned to a three-way standoff, Wang Weifeng feels quite disdainful at heart.

What risen, bullshit!

With Wolf Fang’s stiff style, even if it rises, it’s just temporary. Once the wilderness trend is over, it’ll definitely reveal its true colors. How could it stay popular for long with just one wilderness show and one person?

Even if it really does stay popular for that long, Bi Fang will get old one day, won’t he?

That’s not at all a strategy for growth.

Not to mention anything else, Shark spent a lot of money digging up quite a few big-time anchors after the annual meeting this year—game streamers, dance broadcasters, entertainment hosts—all bringing in a new wave of traffic.

What does Wolf Fang have to compare with that?

Wear a little less and get blocked, gaming broadcasters can’t be too free with their words, the contract constraints are poor, can’t retain big broadcasters—all these three conditions alone are enough to turn away a whole group of Shuiyou.

If it weren’t for the early launch and the many early followers, Wolf Fang would have been dead and buried by now. It’s just living on borrowed time, a brief resurgence. As for the real leader, you have to look at Shark. Shameless or not, having become a casualty in the struggle, such a ruthless model indeed stands firm and cuts through the competition.

If you want to make a name for yourself, relying purely on luck won’t work, you have to be ruthless.

There was even a hot post that came out recently, and Shark is still trying to suppress it through connections. It’s about Bi Fang and the whole affair with Shark. Once someone gets famous, people get curious about their background, especially with Bi Fang’s move from Shark to Wolf Fang—there’s no way there isn’t some dirty laundry there, and anyone intent on digging will find out.

Some even tout that Shark’s time is over, and the future belongs to Wolf Fang, urging to quickly download the Wolf Fang APP, obviously the work of paid internet shills.

Having nothing better to do, Wang Weifeng found this post on Weibo and planned to criticize it as a target, hoping to satisfy a certain urge.

But as soon as he pulled out his phone, he found that someone had @ him, and he had received messages—not just one.

Wang Weifeng was puzzled. What had happened?

He quickly clicked open and then saw a group photo associated with a news release.

It looked like a very official occasion, with a red banner hanging above the conference room that read, “Magic Capital Quality Entertainment Platform, Content Creators, and Works Awards and Observational Meeting”.

Beneath the banner was a large group photo, with Wolf Fang’s vice-president Wang Yongbo personally in attendance, his old face grinning so wide that his chrysanthemum folds were showing, holding a trophy and certificate in his hands, standing up straight and neatly.

Wang Weifeng, very familiar with Wang Yongbo, dared swear on his own head that this guy definitely wore height-enhancing shoes, and even put a stool underneath him.

In the middle of the photo stood Bi Fang, a man Wang Weifeng would recognize even if he turned to ashes.

Among a crowd of entrepreneurs with potbellies, bald heads, and teeth yellowed from smoking, the tall and handsome Bi Fang was as conspicuous as a poker in a pocket.

But what the hell is this?

Wang Weifeng, “…?”

What is this event?

Why is Wolf Fang there?

Why is there no Shark?

One after another, three questions appeared in Wang Weifeng’s mind. With so much information, his expression was filled with confusion…

He had a vague sense that something was amiss and desperately needed some tranquility, but his busy work left no time for Wang Weifeng to muse.

“Hey, Old Wang, pour me a coffee.”

“Eh, coming right up!”

“With or without sugar?”

“Less sugar, my blood sugar has been a bit high lately.”

“Got it!”

“Crap, why is it so hot?”

“Ah! I’m so sorry, so sorry…”