Chapter 38: It Seems She Is Truly in Need of Money

Buyer reviews were originally a feature designed by platforms for customers to showcase products and provide feedback. High-quality, well-received buyer reviews could gain traffic support from the platform. And on the internet, traffic equals money. It is 2013, and buyer reviews have not yet become as deceptive as they would later be. Therefore, the style of the buyer reviews Lyu Yao was planning needed to be grounded, yet executed with technique.

These techniques were things many later-era "edge-content" influencers would master. For example, taking mirror selfies at home, or photos in bedroom, living room, hallway, or even foyer settings. Choosing these scenes served two purposes: first, to create a sense of authenticity, and second, to give the viewers a greater sense of immersion. "Home" is inherently a relatively private space, and "QQ lingerie" (a slang term for provocative or cosplay-style lingerie) is the most private of the private. Combining the two naturally triggers voyeuristic desires and certain cravings, causing the viewers' blood to boil. The viewers would then think: "Since I can't have the girl in the buyer review, I'll buy it for my own girl to wear!" In this way, these buyer reviews could implicitly guide and urge viewers to place orders. Lyu Yao was not betting on their generosity; he was betting on their lust.

Take Xu Ziqiao, for instance. Upon hearing keywords like "a girl's home," "private shoot," and "two girls together," even though Lyu Yao hadn't started yet, his imagination was already running wild. He was so anxious he was practically jumping up and down. However, Lyu Yao didn't plan to bring him along. This kind of work was already nerve-wracking and awkward enough; bringing him would only invite more trouble.

Lyu Yao politely declined: "No way."

Xu Ziqiao went crazy: "Why! I'll pay you! I'll pay to work!"

Lyu Yao laughed: "It's not about the money." After sending the message, he ignored the guy.

The next day, Lyu Yao woke up after nine. After washing up, he sent a message in their small group: "Are you both awake? Are you ready?"

Nuonuo: "Ready. I've tidied up the place according to your requirements."

Zhou Beila: "I'm ready too [shy]."

Lyu Yao was puzzled. Why are you being shy, Zhou Beila? He typed back: "Then we'll meet at Nuonuo's place." The planned shoot was for two days: one day at Nuonuo's, and one day at Zhou Beila's.

The content would not only be posted on the e-commerce platform's buyer review section but also on Weibo for traffic generation. Weibo was quite popular in 2013. Men and women alike posted topics there, looking for resonance. And in such a place where traffic gathered, there were inevitably many perverts lurking. Even though Weibo would later become notoriously known as a "female restroom" (a term implying a space dominated by women's discourse), many perverts still hid in the shadows. This was because the content allowed on Weibo had a wide range of tolerance. Many "lifestyle influencers," "fitness influencers," and "feminist influencers" used slogans like "freedom of dress" and "showing off beauty" to display their bodies. One of the most famous radical arguments was: "You should restrain men from committing crimes, not restrain women from wearing what they want!"

When Lyu Yao first saw this, he was stunned. Someone is about to commit a crime, and you tell others to restrain him from doing so? If he could be restrained, would he still be a criminal? Shouldn't everyone's priority be to protect themselves in this abnormal world? However, being as cunning as a "green tea" character, Lyu Yao was, of course, absolutely supportive of women's freedom of dress. The more freely they dressed, the more benefits he could see. Moreover, he could use these topics to talk to like-minded girls and hit it off, moving from the bar to the hotel. So, you have to go along with women. What's wrong with saying a few nice words to coax them? You aren't planning to marry them anyway. Unfortunately, ever since more information about foreign incidents and scam compounds was exposed online, those radical arguments were quickly rejected by the girls themselves, forcing Lyu Yao to find new ways to engage with them. What a shame!

Lyu Yao packed the local specialties he had brought back from Guanyun, grabbed his photography equipment, picked up Zhou Beila, and headed to Nuonuo's place. Nuonuo lived in the Jiang'an District of Shangnan City, where rent was relatively cheaper. As a girl working in nightlife, she had a decent income and valued quality of life, so she rented a two-bedroom apartment for herself. When Lyu Yao and Zhou Beila arrived, Nuonuo came down to meet them wearing Patrick Star pajamas. Seeing Lyu Yao carrying bags, she joked: "You'd look even more professional with a photographer's vest."

Inside the apartment, Lyu Yao looked at the still-cluttered room and felt a headache coming on: "You call this tidied up?"

Nuonuo crossed her arms: "I did tidy it!"

Lyu Yao put down his bags: "Keep tidying." At the very least, there shouldn't be anything on the table or coffee table. The background needed to be clean for the shoot!

Nuonuo looked reluctant: "Can't we just book a nice hotel?"

Lyu Yao: "This is for the sake of the content. A nice hotel is fine; I'll take you to one when we shoot the main product images later."

Nuonuo got excited: "I want a five-star one!"

Lyu Yao agreed immediately: "No problem!"

Once the room was cleaned up, Lyu Yao opened the sample bag: "Hurry up, we need to finish all of these today." Nuonuo and Zhou Beila immediately started rummaging through the items. Looking at the skimpy pieces of fabric, Nuonuo was fine; she picked up a tiny, thin piece of clothing, examined it for a moment, and then looked at Lyu Yao with a teasing expression: "Not bad, aren't you?" These clothes were quite interesting!

Zhou Beila picked up a piece that was just a few strings connecting the top and bottom, and asked with surprise: "Are we shooting this too?" That was too much!

Lyu Yao sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette: "Extra charge for this one, one thousand yuan." The essence of the piece in Zhou Beila's hand required a girl with a "face-wash-level" figure to pull off. The most suitable model for this would have been Jian Xiaojie. Unfortunately, Jian Xiaojie was a wealthy woman who didn't care about such small change. Though he couldn't photograph it, if the opportunity arose, Lyu Yao could use this product with Jian Xiaojie himself.

Zhou Beila was ultimately too conservative; she wouldn't do it even with the extra pay. Nuonuo, however, took it and held it against herself, saying: "You think a thousand yuan is enough to make me wear this?"

Lyu Yao: "One thousand five."

Nuonuo sneered: "What kind of person do you take me for?"

Lyu Yao: "Two thousand."

Nuonuo raised an eyebrow: "Even if you gave me three thousand, I'd still have to consider it!"

Lyu Yao laughed: "One thousand eight."

Nuonuo froze: "Huh?" Why was the price going back down?

Lyu Yao continued nonchalantly: "One thousand five."

Nuonuo gritted her teeth: "That's enough! Who does that?"

Lyu Yao was indifferent: "If not, we won't shoot this one. I have plenty of other samples anyway."

Nuonuo took a deep breath. She was truly defeated by Lyu Yao, this cunning player. She clutched the clothing, feeling a bit helpless. At this moment, her price for taking photos in provocative lingerie was worth only one thousand three...

Nuonuo compromised: "Fine, one thousand five it is!"

Lyu Yao smiled. It seemed she was really in need of money.