In front of the main entrance of an office building in a certain city.
Zhou Junhao stood still, looking around.
Just then, a man with a cigarette in his mouth walked over: "You've finally arrived. Come on, come on, don't look around when you go inside. If you're interested in any of the exhibits, feel free to ask."
"Okay, okay, thank you, Brother Nan."
Zhou Junhao put on a fawning smile and stuffed a few packs of cigarettes into Nan Ge's arms.
Nan Ge glanced at the cigarette brand, feeling slightly more satisfied. He led Zhou Junhao to the floor, pressed the elevator button, and then gave him a few more words of advice: "If you want to do this, you have to abandon all sense of shame and morality. Don't feel ashamed. These days, it's not shameful for male prostitutes to make money. They have girls chasing after them online every day—"
He glanced at Zhou Junhao from head to toe, then continued, "Your looks... are a little lacking. Would you like to get plastic surgery? We have connections we can help you with."
"No, no need."
Zhou Junhao quickly refused.
Seeing Zhou Junhao's obvious resistance, Brother Nan rolled his eyes, seemingly a little disappointed, before saying, "That's fine too. Actually, with makeup and beauty filters, people in real life won't recognize you at all. Just keep broadcasting."
Zhou Junhao said somewhat awkwardly, "The main thing is... I really can't dance. I've been clumsy since I was a child."
"Don't worry about that. There are still people who just chat. Even though your voice isn't great, you can learn. As long as you're sweet-talking, plenty of older women will like you."
As Nan Ge spoke, Zhou Junhao listened attentively, occasionally offering a few words of flattery.
However, after investigating, Zhou Junhao knew that these were all illusions.
Once you're actually inside, things like makeup and training all cost money.
This is only the first step in being ripped off.
And then...
Zhou Junhao followed behind Brother Nan, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
The elevator doors opened, and the first thing you smelled was perfume.
This is a very formal media company entrance. Not only is there a reception desk, but their business license and company sign are also openly displayed outside for people to see.
Zhou Junhao's gaze fell on the business license at the top, and he squinted to examine it carefully.
Nan Ge, standing to the side, said frankly, "You can take a picture and search it online later. Don't worry, although our company is not large, it is definitely a legitimate company. We are the same company as Rongding Media, the biggest one in the industry. These are all official documents, and you can find them on relevant websites. We would never lie to you."
Since Brother Nan had said that, Zhou Junhao didn't stand on ceremony and immediately took out his phone to start taking pictures.
He even took this opportunity to turn on the video recording and openly survey the people and furnishings around him.
"Is Rongding Media, which Brother Nan mentioned, a big company in the industry? It sounds familiar."
Zhou Junhao also inadvertently exposed his own ignorance.
"Haha, that's for sure."
Brother Nan smiled, his expression revealing a hint of smugness.
"Then why not just name the branch company directly instead of choosing a separate name?"
Zhou Junhao pointed to the nameplate above and asked.
"Hey, that's how big bosses do business. You can't put all your eggs in one basket! They'll all grow together! Take S and X, for example. Their names sound different, right? But they're actually from the same investor! What's that called again... preventing commercial monopolies!"
Zhou Junhao's lips twitched, suspecting that Brother Nan was seriously trying to fool him.
But on his face, he still showed admiration: "Wow, I didn't know you could do that! That's amazing!"
Just as they continued walking in, a person came towards them from the corner of the corridor.
The person was wearing a mask and hat, and was somewhat hunched over, with long, slightly curly hair hanging down on both sides of the hat.
Zhou Junhao was startled by the other person's silent appearance and almost bumped into them. He reflexively moved aside to make room for them.
The man didn't stop and kept walking forward with his head down.
Only in that fleeting moment when their bodies crossed paths did Zhou Junhao meet the other's eyes.
Those were very special eyes, filled with the desolation of having seen all the vicissitudes of life and the deathly stillness of having endured countless hardships, making one feel an indescribable sadness at first glance.
Beneath those eyes was a long scar that ran from the corner of the eye all the way down to where it was hidden under the mask, giving off a dangerous and menacing aura that made people feel like they were not to be trifled with.
However, this is not the most important thing.
Most importantly, Zhou Junhao felt that the other person looked somewhat familiar, as if they had met somewhere before.
The moment their eyes met was too brief; before Zhou Junhao could extract any useful information from his mind, the other person had already looked away and brushed past him.
Zhou Junhao's gradually honed journalistic experience told him that this was someone worth exploring in depth.
So Zhou Junhao casually leaned over to Nan Ge and offered him a cigarette again: "Nan Ge, was that guy a streamer too? That was terrifying! I saw a huge gash on his face, how can he show his face like that?"
“Smoking is prohibited here, I won’t smoke.” Brother Nan refused Zhou Junhao’s offer to light his cigarette, but naturally took the cigarette from Zhou Junhao and tucked it behind his ear. Then he said, “That guy, he definitely can’t show his face, otherwise he’ll scare away our clients! So what he does now is... what’s it called again, virtual YouTuber! You know, a avatar.”
Virtual anchors are real people who use motion capture technology to control virtual images to broadcast live. This concept originated from abroad. Most viewers see two-dimensional images, so they are jokingly called "suited people".
Although this is also a live stream without showing one's face, it is a step above streamers who only sell their voices.
Zhou Junhao's eyes lit up this time: "Bro, you guys even have virtual streamers here?"
He had originally planned to grit his teeth and dance with these people for a few days, since no one would recognize him after he put on makeup and used beauty filters. But now he seems to have a better option.
“Yeah, didn’t I tell you? We have all kinds of streamers here!” Brother Nan glanced at Zhou Junhao, who was beaming with joy, and reminded him, “You want to be a virtual streamer? Don’t blame me for not warning you. This is much harder than showing your face, and it costs a lot of money. Just the suit alone costs tens of thousands of yuan. Our company definitely won’t cover the cost of this.”
"It's alright, it's alright."
Zhou Junhao waved his hands repeatedly, then looked at Brother Nan with anticipation: "Brother, can I do it? I can pay for the leather case myself."
Nan hesitated: "Are you really going to do this?"
"Yes, yes."
As Zhou Junhao nodded, he asked somewhat embarrassedly, "But brother, I don't know who can do this. Can this company help me find someone?"
Seeing Zhou Junhao's innocent expression last week, Nan quickly made a mental calculation.
Designing original leather cases is definitely expensive, but this kid looks like a complete novice. His company can just make a copy of the template, take a cut, and he can take another cut, maybe even squeeze more money out of them. Then when they're no longer needed, they can just take them elsewhere to rip them off...
So he swallowed his words of persuasion and grinned from ear to ear: "Alright, alright, fine, I'll help you!"
Zhou Junhao nodded, his face full of trust: "Then we'll have to rely on Brother Nan!"
