303: Chapter 283 The Ultimate Promotional Principles: The Emoji Technique

Just as the "midnight fierce roach" operation in the Red Velvet dorm ended in a chaotic rout, and the members, still shaken, were scattered around the living room catching their breath, outside the dorm, the online world was quietly brewing a storm of public opinion because of them.

The external publicity department of TG Entertainment was less of a "department" and more of a lean, efficient special operations team. Ever since the contract for "red velvets collapsed daily life" was signed, they had quietly infiltrated Red Velvet's major core fan groups, forum sections, and public promotional platforms. On ordinary days, they simply observed in silence, collecting fan sentiment and discussion trends, like a pack of patient hunters.

And at this moment, the hunters received the first batch of "trophies" transmitted in real-time from the "front line" by Jiang Zhiyu: those screenshots of the members, precisely captured and automatically generated by the AI system during the test shoot, filled with the essence of "the collapsed daily life."

There were no lengthy press releases, no deliberately sensationalized copy. All the TG publicity team needed to do was deliver this "surprise" to the fans in the most natural way, one that best fit the laws of online dissemination.

In an official Red Velvet fan group chat with tens of thousands of active fans, the usual daily urging for updates was scrolling by, just like every other day: "When are the Unnies making a comeback?", "Miss Red Velvet's stage!", "Give us news about the new album!"

Suddenly, a group member with an ordinary profile picture, a low-key nickname, and who rarely spoke (TG Publicity A), silently posted an image under a comment that read: "Aiya! Why isn't Red Velvet making a comeback yet QAQ."

It was a close-up screenshot of Bae Joo-hyun: her cheeks were flushed like a ripe peach, her eyes clear yet misty with tears of shame and annoyance, her lips slightly pursed, carrying a hint of suppressed anger after being provoked. The composition was perfect, a visual knockout, but the expression was so vivid and lively that it was completely different from any previous official photo. In the corner of the image was a small, cute watermark that said "the collapsed daily life Points + 1."

The group chat went quiet for a second.

Immediately after, another equally low-key member (TG Publicity B) quickly followed up, replying with a screenshot of "Bae Joo-hyun as an annoyed little pufferfish"—cheeks puffed out, eyes helpless yet containing a hint of coquettish blame, looking more like she was pouting at someone close to her. The cuteness factor was off the charts.

"??? What is this?"

"Oh my god! Bae-jie! These two photos!"

"When were these taken? Casual clothes? A new pictorial?"

"So adorable! Ahhhhh! These expressions are so vivid!"

"Save! Save them quickly!"

"I've never seen Irene Unnie like this! She's way too cute!"

"Where is the source? Official hasn't released them!"

The group chat was instantly flooded with question marks and exclamation points, and the two screenshots were frantically saved and forwarded.

Just as the fans' curiosity reached its peak, Publicity A "belatedly" replied, retweeting a post with the caption: "It seems these are new variety show photos released by this program's official account? Is Red Velvet collaborating with TG Entertainment on a new variety show? Bae Joo-hyun Unnie is just too cute! [Link]"

The retweet was from the official account "@ RedVelvet the collapsed daily life." Just a few minutes ago, this account had simultaneously updated with a series of nine-grid images, all of which were the highlights (shameful) moments from today's test shoot, accompanied by soulful captions:

Frame 1: [Bae Joo-hyun peach-like shame and anger] Caption: System, are you being polite?

Frame 2: [Bae Joo-hyun laughing in anger] Caption: Forget it, let's just destroy everything.

Frame 3: [Joy green onion duck swordsman] Caption: Behold my Green Onion Sword Technique!

Frame 4: [Bae Joo-hyun hot chili thrower] Caption: Double Pepper Roach Fighter! (Missed)

Frame 5: [Yeri midnight fierce roach Extermination Commander-in-Chief (crown tilted version)] Caption: Codename "Crown"! Attack!

Frame 6: [Wendy the unlucky victim of friendly fire] Caption: Teammate damage + 100

Frame 7: [Kang Seulgi although I don't know what happened, screaming and running away is the right move] Caption: The process is very practiced.

Frame 8: [The group fleeing back view] Caption: Strategic retreat!

Frame 9: [Bae Joo-hyun (latest candid photo of forehead-rubbing)] Caption: Can't hold it anymore.

Every image was high-definition, the expressions vivid, the scenes absurd, and the captions were precise and sharp-tongued, perfectly hitting the sweet spots of current online dissemination: visuals, contrast, humor, and plenty of memes.

The fan group exploded instantly! The link was frantically clicked, forwarded, and commented on.

"A new variety show?! the collapsed daily life? What a name!"

"TG Entertainment? Is that the genius company that made 'Twelve Star Messengers: Records Of Survival In The Mortal Realm' and 'ae training camp'?"

"These pictures... Hahahaha I'm dying of laughter! Is this what the girls are like in private?"

"I've collected the whole set of Bae-jie's memes! Peach Bae-jie is absolutely amazing!"

"That green onion duck Joy, hahahaha, the official account is playing with memes itself!"

"What the heck is up with Yeri's crown and ladle! And what is a midnight fierce roach!"

"Wendy Unnie is so miserable but so funny!"

"Bear Seulgi: Scared, but the process must be followed."

"The last photo of Bae-jie rubbing her forehead... I can almost hear her inner thoughts: So annoying!"

"I'm definitely watching this variety show! When does it air??"

Like a drop of water in boiling oil, this discussion, cleverly guided by the TG publicity team and ignited by high-quality "collapsed" memes, spread outward from the core fan circles at an astonishing speed. SM Entertainment's publicity department quickly followed up, tacitly retweeting and building momentum, pushing the topic's popularity even higher.

Within just half an hour, the trending search list changed drastically.

#Bae Joo-hyun peach-like shame and anger# Exploding!

#RedVelvet the collapsed daily life# Trending!

#Bae Joo-hyun laughing in anger#

#Green Onion Duck Swordsman Joy#

#Yeri midnight fierce roach Extermination Commander-in-Chief#

#Kang Seulgi screaming and running away process is practiced#

#Bae Joo-hyun can't hold it anymore#

Related entries soared like a rocket, firmly occupying the top spots on the trending list. Discussion volume and readership grew exponentially. The novel and interesting concept of "the collapsed daily life," combined with the unprecedentedly vivid (and "broken") images of the Red Velvet members, instantly struck the hearts of the vast majority of netizens and fans. Expectations were maxed out; the show became a hit before it even aired.

Behind the console, Jiang Zhiyu took a moment to glance at the constantly jumping trending search notifications on his phone screen and the wildly growing number of followers on the program's account. His face didn't show much surprise; he just nodded calmly and said to the assistant beside him: "Public opinion is fermenting well. Keep watching and guide the discussion in a positive direction. The upcoming filming is the real focus."

He put down his phone and refocused his attention on the monitor. In the living room, the Red Velvet members, after a few minutes of buffering, seemed to have recovered slightly from the "roach scare" earlier, but the atmosphere remained somewhat subtle and... exhausted.

"So..." Wendy rubbed her temples, looking at the mess at the kitchen entrance (the props had been quietly cleaned up by the staff, but the psychological shadow remained), "Are we still going to deal with that... thing?"

Everyone was silent. Yeri's eyes drifted, her fingers unconsciously swiping across her phone screen (which displayed the latest "instruction" just sent by Jiang Zhiyu: "Invisible = Doesn't exist. Focus on 'the collapsed daily life,' not 'pest control.' Utilize your specialty."). She cleared her throat, lifted her head, and tried to put on the calm (or rather, "giving up on life") expression of a "true disciple of the Chief PD of the collapsed daily life":

"Ahem, according to the core spirit of 'the collapsed daily life'—when facing trivial troubles that cannot be solved or that one doesn't want to face, the best attitude is..." She paused, imitating Jiang Zhiyu's infuriatingly relaxed tone, "'If I can't see it, it doesn't exist.'"

Everyone: "..."

Joy couldn't help but retort: "Yeri-ah, the tone of your voice... is getting more and more like someone."

Kang Seulgi whispered: "But... what if it runs out at night..."

Bae Joo-hyun rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. She, of course, knew that this was likely a program effect (considering Yeri's previous behavior and Jiang Zhiyu's wicked sense of humor), but after being so scared, it was still a bit unsettling. However, she also understood that continuing to obsess over "catching the roach" would only make them look more disheveled in front of the camera (although they were already disheveled enough), and it might play right into Jiang Zhiyu's hands—he would love to see them continuing to jump around for a single "roach."

"Forget it," Bae Joo-hyun finally spoke, her voice carrying a hint of resigned fatigue, "Just like Yeri said... let's pretend it doesn't exist for now. If... if there really is a problem later, we'll contact the company to handle it." She gave a relatively compromising and reasonable solution, which both comforted the members and ended this potentially endless farce of a topic.

Ding-dong! Bae Joo-hyun: + 1 (Rational decision, ending meaningless obsession, demonstrating actual leadership.)

Bae Joo-hyun couldn't be bothered to look at the scoreboard.

Yeri was relieved and nodded quickly: "Right, right, right! Unnie is right! Let's not let a small... um, possibly non-existent interference object affect our mood to enjoy 'the collapsed daily life'! Come on, let's do something else! For example... watch TV? Or..." She eyes rolled, remembering Jiang Zhiyu's instruction to "utilize your specialty," "Let's play something relaxing, like... 'collapsed' version of Pictionary? Or 'collapsed' Truth or Dare?"

She tried hard to bring the atmosphere back to the "variety show recording" track, although this track had long been laid out in a crooked way by Jiang Zhiyu.

Everyone looked at Yeri's active (and suspicious) appearance, then looked at the kitchen direction, and finally chose to temporarily forget. After all, compared to being in the same room with a potentially existing "flying roach," continuing to record this inexplicable variety show seemed... not entirely unacceptable?

At least in front of the camera, they could still try to maintain a little bit of their crumbling idol dignity (although it had already shattered all over the floor just now).

Jiang Zhiyu watched on the monitor as the Red Velvet members finally gave up on the "pest control" topic and began to be guided by Yeri toward the next "relaxing segment" that might be another trap, the corners of his mouth rising again.

The storm on the internet was just a warm-up; the "collapsed" daily life in the dorm continued. And in his hands, he already held enough interesting material to make this "storm" blow even more fiercely and for longer. He spoke into the microphone, softly saying: "Alright, break's over. Next, let's see what other 'surprises' are waiting for Red Velvet in 'the collapsed daily life'."

— — After the "midnight fierce roach" incident in the kitchen was temporarily quelled by a self-deceiving "method of ignorance," the five members of Red Velvet sat around the living room sofa, the atmosphere shifting from shaken to a subtle heaviness. Yeri's proposal to bring up a relaxed game rhythm was silently rejected by the listless gazes of everyone (except herself). Bae Joo-hyun looked around at her slightly wilted younger sisters, cleared her throat, and tried to regain a bit of a leader's seriousness and team cohesion. She sat up straight, her expression trying to appear solemn: "Girls, I think we need to hold a small meeting to clarify our goals for participating in this variety show... um, under the current situation."

[part:deepseek-chat]

She tried her best to make her words sound like a proper team decision-making meeting.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

Clear notification tones (for effect, the system notification sound was briefly restored) rang out one after another.

On the auxiliary screen, neat '+1's popped up behind each of Red Velvet's five members' names, and an achievement icon lit up: [Serious Face Certification]. It was accompanied by five screenshots of them trying hard to keep a straight face, their eyes still holding a hint of bewilderment or lingering shame and indignation.

Wendy was the first to crack, letting out a 'pfft' of laughter, but she quickly covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing her amusement and replacing it with an even more strained 'serious' expression. Pushing up her glasses, she earnestly chimed in, 'Right! Irene Unnie is correct! We must establish a clear, unified goal! That way we'll have a direction to strive for!' Although her voice trembled slightly from holding back laughter.

Ding dong! Wendy: +1 (Effort to maintain seriousness fails, creating a contrastingly adorable effect.)

Seeing this, Joy also put away her world-weary expression, sat up straight, crossed her arms, and struck a battle-ready pose. 'Exactly! Our goal must be clear! And there can only be one! That is—' She took a deep breath, preparing to announce it with resounding force.

At the same time, Kang Seulgi blinked her large eyes, filled with longing for a better life, and softly but clearly chimed in, '...a three-day trip to Shanghai Disneyland!'

And Yeri, almost in the same second, raised both hands high (still subconsciously searching for a soup spoon but not finding one), her eyes shining as she shouted, '—Customized Lemms exclusive to Red Velvet! One each, with different colors and functions!'

Wendy's voice was rational yet expectant: '—Of course, it's to secure a new song produced by TG Entertainment, one that perfectly suits Red Velvet's style!'

Joy's well-rehearsed momentum was interrupted, but her answer blurted out with the tragic resolve of someone who has given up: '—To survive in this humiliating game!!! Without being broken by PD Kang!!!'

The last to speak was Bae Joo-hyun. Watching the scene before her where everyone was stating their own views, talking at cross purposes, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness wash over her. She couldn't even muster the energy to get angry anymore. In an almost resigned, flat tone, she summarized, '...Collapsed?'

Five people, five different answers, almost simultaneously sprang from different mouths.

As the words fell, an eerie silence descended upon the living room.

The five of them stared at each other, wide-eyed, their faces filled with confusion and a 'are you out of your mind?' kind of disdain.

Yeri was the first to jump up, looking at her sisters in disbelief. 'What? What Shanghai Disneyland? What new song? What surviving? Doesn't everyone want super—cute, shape-shifting, multi-functional exclusive Lemms?!' She spread her arms wide as if describing a magical treasure.

Wendy helplessly rubbed her forehead. 'Yeri-ah, Lemms are fun, but for our team, isn't a good song that can elevate our music quality and showcase a new style more important? Music is the foundation!' She turned to Joy, her tone tinged with reproach. 'And you, Sooyoung! What's this about 'surviving in shame'? We're here to work, not to be tortured!' (Although it feels pretty close.)

Joy immediately retorted, pointing at herself and then at the utterly defeated-looking Bae Joo-hyun beside her. 'Unnie! Search your conscience and tell me! Am I wrong? This show is clearly meticulously designed by that 'demon' PD Kang to torment us and watch us make fools of ourselves! Look at Joohyun Unnie, ever since the test shoot, she's been so mad... her face almost turned into a little tomato!'

'Yah! Park Sooyoung!' Bae Joo-hyun, singled out, especially by the 'little tomato' description, felt her cooling cheeks threaten to heat up again. She glared at Joy with a mix of shame and annoyance.

Ding dong! Bae Joo-hyun: +1 (Shame and anger reaction after being precisely roasted by a teammate.)

Kang Seulgi timidly raised her hand, trying to advocate for her 'Disneyland' dream. 'But... but going to Shanghai Disneyland is nice too... we can have fun, go to China, Chinese food... daebak!' At the mention of Chinese food, her eyes noticeably lit up, but her voice grew smaller and smaller under her sisters' 'kind' gazes.

Bae Joo-hyun's heart was too exhausted for internal Make complaints at this moment. Watching her sisters, who were now showing signs of internal discord over this 'goal', she just felt mentally drained. The team was already on the verge of falling apart over such an absurd reason before the official filming had even begun... Subconsciously, fueled by a sense of grievance with nowhere to vent, she shot a fierce glare towards the culprit behind the control console.

There, she saw Jiang Zhiyu propping his chin on one hand, watching their 'internal discord' live on the monitor with great relish, a bright, almost blinding, utterly unconcealed smile on his face. The staff around him were also clearly struggling to hold back laughter, their shoulders shaking slightly.

So annoying! What are you laughing at?! Jerk! Inside Bae Joo-hyun, a little figure that had been angered into a big red tomato (?) was wildly flipping tables. On the surface, she just quickly averted her gaze, her expression turning a few degrees colder, but her reddening earlobes betrayed her.

Wendy, looking at this chaotic scene, tried desperately to steer the conversation back on track. 'So... after all this discussion, what exactly is our ultimate goal...?' Her voice was full of uncertainty.

Joy simply gave up on thinking. She flopped backward in a starfish shape onto the soft sofa, closed her eyes, and shouted in a tone bordering on relief, 'Let's just—lie here until filming ends—!!!! What goal or not, it's too tiring!'

This suggestion unexpectedly received strong resonance and support from Yeri! She immediately nodded vigorously, mimicking Joy by flopping down as well, muttering, 'Right, right! Be a salted fish! Lie flat! That's truly grasping the ultimate essence of this variety show, 'the collapsed daily life'! PD nim will definitely give us extra points!' (She really never forgets the 'missions'.)

Ding dong! Joy & Yeri: +1 (Reached a 'salted fish lie flat' consensus, practicing the true essence of 'collapse'.)

Wendy was so angry she practically bounced up from the sofa. 'Yah! Kim Yeri! Don't say such discouraging things! We are Red Velvet! We are... we are...' She faltered, trying to find the words that best represented team spirit.

Kang Seulgi tentatively offered, '...lively?'

Joy, eyes still closed, added quietly, '...passionate?'

Wendy finally found her groove, clenching her fist. 'Yes! Skill! A skilled girl group full of vitality!'

Yeri, however, slowly raised half her head from the sofa. With a tone that saw through everything (actually brainwashed by someone), she dropped a bombshell: 'That was before, Unnie. Now, here, under these cameras, we are... the indolent Red Velvet.'

The word 'indolent' hit like a bucket of cold water, making Wendy, Joy (who opened her eyes), Kang Seulgi, and even the previously silent, cold-faced Bae Joo-hyun jolt. They all sat up straight in unison, wide-eyed, staring at the Amazing remarks Yeri.

'Yah! Kim Yeri!!!'

'Kim Yeri, have you lost your mind?!'

'Yeri-ah, you can't just say things like that!'

The three of them almost simultaneously voiced their condemnation, and even Bae Joo-hyun shot her a disapproving look.

However, after saying this, Yeri retracted her head back into the sofa, adopting a 'I told the truth, if you don't like it, there's nothing I can do' kind of slacker attitude.

And after the impact of the word 'indolent', the little sparks of dispute over the 'goal' seemed to have been extinguished. Replacing it was a deeper sense of powerlessness and... agreement? (Though they were reluctant to admit it.)

Wendy opened her mouth, wanting to refute something further, but seeing Joy slump back again, Kang Seulgi hugging a pillow and starting to space out, and Yeri fully 'salted-fished', she suddenly also felt... so tired. She didn't want to argue anymore.

Bae Joo-hyun never joined in the verbal assault on Yeri from start to finish. She just sat quietly in a corner of the sofa, her gaze vacant. Inside, she was surprisingly calm, even feeling a kind of detached, world-weary coolness. Goals, team spirit, idol image—under Jiang Zhiyu's 'collapse' combo and her sisters' 'each with their own hidden agenda' performances, they all seemed to become illusory and unimportant. A sage-like mode of 'whatever, let it be' quietly enveloped her.

In the end, this serious team meeting aimed at 'unifying thoughts and clarifying goals' concluded in an extremely ironic manner—no consensus was reached, except for a vague agreement on the descriptor 'indolent' (which only made them more depressed).

The five of them, either sprawled, leaning, or curled up, were scattered across the sofa in various 'collapsed' postures, staring blankly at the ceiling, the TV (which was off), or simply resting with their eyes closed. The living room was filled with a strong atmosphere of 'giving up the struggle' and 'awaiting final judgment.'

They truly just lay there on the sofa, entering a 'standby' state, waiting for the filming end command that would come who-knows-when, or... the next 'game' instruction from that evil PD, issued whenever he felt like it, bringing who-knows-what new humiliation.

Behind the control console, Jiang Zhiyu watched the perfect scene of ' All indolence' on the monitor, and the steadily rising points in the background from various 'internal discord', 'roasting', 'resignation', and 'salted fish' performances. The smile on his face grew even more pleased.

This was exactly the effect he wanted. Break conventions, tear off labels, let the most glamorous girl group, in the most private (pseudo) space, reveal their most real, even most 'unseemly' side. Controversy? Yes. Topics? Explosive. Sense of reality? Maxed out.

The first test shoot for 'Red Velvet's Collapsed Daily Life' had already successfully established its absurd, real, Accident-filled, and unlimited possible keynote amidst the chaos, online storm, and team 'mental exhaustion.'

The real show was definitely still to come.

Just as the Red Velvet members were immersed in their 'sage time' and 'indolent salted fish' state, sprawled haphazardly on the sofa, Jiang Zhiyu behind the control console didn't let this 'calm' last too long. He knew well that variety shows needed ups and downs in rhythm, the audience's attention needed constant Stimulate, and the essence of 'the collapsed daily life' lay in turning even the most ordinary daily trivia into segments filled with 'surprises' and 'highlights.'

He picked up his private phone and quickly sent a message to that 'little nail embedded within the enemy camp'—Yeri.

Almost simultaneously, Yeri felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She furtively pulled it out and unlocked the screen.