Chapter 50 I Cannot Give You the Sense of Security You Desire

Lü Yao closed the door, took off his coat and untied his tie, then walked out onto the balcony with the scent of alcohol still lingering on him.

Leaning against the balcony railing, he smiled and said, "You really have so little faith in me."

Elder Sister Wang chuckled. "It's not that I lack faith in you; it's just that I know Jian Xiaojie too well."

She had already experienced firsthand that woman's ruthless methods and formidable drive.

As they spoke, a cool evening breeze swept across the balcony.

Elder Sister Wang caught the scent of alcohol carried by the wind, mixed with the perfume of various women—and more than one kind at that.

With a smile, Elder Sister Wang said, "Still, this isn't your fault, it's mine. I don't have the capability to protect you properly, forcing someone who follows me to still go out and socialize."

Lü Yao laughed.

He had never belonged to anyone.

He was simply doing what he needed to do, always maintaining a clear and rational mind.

Therefore, leaning against the balcony, Lü Yao smiled and said, "I certainly can't give you a sense of security, but I can put 'Zero-Sense' on for you."

Elder Sister Wang: "?"

Lü Yao smiled brightly. "Wait for me, I'm going to take a shower."

No way!

Elder Sister Wang watched as Lü Yao stood up and headed toward the bathroom, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Did you really have to start at full speed right off the bat?"

You're literally starting with zero frames of wind-up!

Walking away, Lü Yao chuckled and said, "Feelings aren't just about what you say with your mouth; they're about what you do with it."

Elder Sister Wang slowly flushed red.

This younger man was truly too wicked!

***

The next morning.

Lü Yao and Elder Sister Wang both stepped out full of energy.

Lü Yao went to the studio first. When he arrived, that fellow Xu Ziqiao was staring intently at the online store's backend interface.

Thanks to Lü Yao's early preparations and the operations following the store's launch, a healthy wave of traffic was flowing in every day.

Backed by products with innovative designs and strong selling points, their recent sales volume was improving day by day.

Consequently, Xu Ziqiao had now been assigned by Lü Yao as the store's dedicated customer service representative.

This job was actually quite exhausting and truly tested a person's patience.

Fortunately, Lü Yao's chosen niche was rather unique. Although the customers visiting the store occasionally included a few with bizarre trains of thought, overall it was much better than other sectors.

When Lü Yao stepped into the office, Xu Ziqiao immediately shoved everything on his desk into the drawer, then greeted him with a broad smile, "Morning, Brother Lü."

Lü Yao had sharp eyes.

He instantly saw that the items the fellow had shoved into the drawer were none other than products from their own shop.

Moreover, they had clearly been used!

Was this guy messing around and up to no good in the studio?

Lü Yao said casually, "Morning. I think we need to install surveillance cameras in the studio lately."

Xu Ziqiao instantly looked as if facing a formidable enemy. "No need! Don't worry, Brother Lü, with me guarding the studio, it's definitely safe! Besides, we don't have anything worth stealing here anyway."

Lü Yao smiled. "Have your fun, but don't mess around blindly."

Xu Ziqiao grinned sheepishly. "I'm doing it for work, after all."

With that, Xu Ziqiao spun his computer around. "Look at my buyer shows!"

Lü Yao glanced at them. They were office-themed.

And surprisingly, they were shot rather seductively.

Lü Yao nodded. "The shots are good. Keep up the good work."

Flushed with pride after being praised, Xu Ziqiao asked, "By the way, Brother Lü, we've been getting more and more customers in the store lately, but some of them refuse to post review photos no matter how we guide them."

Lü Yao said offhandedly, "Simple."

"Just tell them to take a photo of their combat uniforms and the post-battle scene after they're done."

Men were inherently childish creatures.

To say nothing of things involving a man's dignity that could earn the admiration of fellow netizens—men would even compare lengths when peeing on the side of the road.

A man who had never competed in that aspect lived an incomplete life.

Therefore, with just a little bit of guidance, those customers would certainly be willing to post their post-battle reports. Some men might even fabricate things in their review photos just to maintain their "face and prestige."

"Look! See how badass I am!"

After listening, Xu Ziqiao tilted his head in confusion.

Are you kidding me, buddy!

Where on earth do you come up with so many sleazy tricks?

Yet, he had to admit that this trick was genuinely effective.

The power of imagination was infinite.

Seeing torn clothes, you could immediately picture how they fought.

Seeing water stains on the bedsheets, you could also concoct an epic drama in your mind!

Xu Ziqiao grew excited. "I'll try this tonight when I get back!"

However, before Xu Ziqiao could get too excited, he felt a slight ache in his lower back... Hanging out with Brother Lü was great in every way, except that his body was deteriorating day by day.

True to form, it was "fraught with risk"!

Yet somehow he just couldn't control himself, repeatedly ignoring the risks and continuing to access!

Lü Yao spent the morning busy at the shop, then went over to Xiao Nali's place in the afternoon to continue practicing, before heading to work at NFA in the evening.

When finishing his shift at NFA, Lü Yao once again ran into Zhu Junyan, who had come looking for him.

Zhu Junyan called out "Master" the moment he saw him.

Lü Yao was amused. "Brother Zhu, did you get used to calling me Master after just one night?"

Zhu Junyan poured his heart out, saying, "I am genuinely and sincerely looking to apprentice under you. To study properly with you, I even planned on getting a job here at NFA!"

Lü Yao asked in surprise, "Does that mean we're going to be colleagues from now on?"

At this, Zhu Junyan looked up at the ceiling, sighing with tragic melodrama, "I didn't pass the interview! They said my appearance didn't meet their standards and I lack talent! Unless I work in marketing..."

But what he wanted to do was public relations!

Lü Yao: "..."

He patted Zhu Junyan on the shoulder. "My condolences."

The destructive blow dealt by a rejection of one's looks was second only to a girl asking you, "Have you started yet?" while you replied with a shamefaced expression, "It's already over."

Zhu Junyan had no intention of giving up. "That's fine too. Anyway, I'll be coming here to open tables from now on, and I'll make sure everything is credited to your sales record so I can learn more from you."

Was there really any need for that?

Fine, whatever he wanted.

Besides, this fellow wasn't short on money and frequently had to treat people to socializing and networking events.

Anyway, drinking was drinking; where wasn't it done?

However, seeing Zhu Junyan reminded Lü Yao of something, and he asked, "By the way, you should know quite a few internet influencers, right?"

"You bet!"

At the mention of this, Zhu Junyan instantly perked up. "I know the socialite and web-celebrity circles in Shangnan like the back of my hand! Do you want me to set you up with a few, Master?"

Lü Yao shook his head. "No need. Help me book a few influencers with around fifty or sixty thousand followers on Weibo. I want to collaborate with them."

Although 2013 wasn't technically the inaugural year of the internet era's rise, it was definitely the accumulation phase just before the internet era burst forth with accumulated strength.

While the internet at this point had yet to form a clear fan economy, celebrity economy, livestreaming economy, or e-commerce monetization economy, the soil for cultivating these economies was already present.

It all depended on who could be the first to find a mature model within it.

Lü Yao had specifically checked Weibo during this period. Under the shockwaves of WeChat Moments, Weibo had also begun introducing video content to its platform.

However, the videos published on Weibo were primarily imported from the Miaopai platform.

And this move had indeed triggered a growth in Weibo's traffic.

After all, the volume of information a video could convey was incomparable to text and pictures.

With other short-video platforms not yet fully established, Weibo's Miaopai videos offered plenty of room for maneuver.