313: Chapter 293 The wind is quite noisy tonight~ blowing loudly.

A few days later, Red Velvet dorm.

After the brief 'rest' following the test shoot (mostly spent in shameful trending searches and internal teasing), red velvets collapsed daily life finally ushered in its first official filming. In the dorm, the cameras lit up with red lights again, motion capture sensors ran quietly, and the TG Entertainment staff were all in position. The atmosphere was even more 'professional' than during the test shoot, which also meant... it might be even more 'sinister.'

The five members of Red Velvet stood in the center of the living room, wearing comfortable yet exquisite private clothes, but the expressions on their faces were far from relaxed. They had thought that after the 'baptism' of the test shoot, they would develop some 'antibodies' to this 'collapsed' mode, but the truth was—

Their sense of shame had not diminished; instead, because they knew this was no longer a 'test' but would actually be broadcast to thousands of people, it had become even more sensitive and off the charts! Every subtle expression, every unintentional movement could be accurately captured by the AI and turned into a new meme circulating on the internet. Thinking of the tragic scenes from the test shoot like the 'peach glare,' 'Farfetch'd swordsman,' and 'midnight fierce roach commander,' the five of them felt their cheeks burning and their toes curling into the floor.

Jiang Zhiyu was, as he said, personally in charge throughout the process. He didn't have the obviously teasing smile he had during the test shoot; instead, he had switched to a more steady and professional PD persona, holding a walkie-talkie, communicating with various camera angles and technicians from time to time to adjust details. It was just that his eyes seemed to inadvertently sweep over the direction where the Red Velvet members were, especially...

And Lee Tima, who should have been following him or at least causing trouble at the filming site, was unexpectedly absent. She hadn't even sent a message in the past few days, as if she had evaporated into thin air. Only from IU's Manager, Han Te, did some gloating rumors faintly emerge, saying things like 'Lee Tima has been living a very fulfilling life recently' or 'really 'enjoying' sister time.' The sympathy (fake) and gloating (real) in his tone were almost overflowing. This gave the Red Velvet members a more concrete (and terrifying) imagination of the consequences of 'angering IU Unnie,' while also making them feel a subtle sense of discomfort and... more nervousness at the absence of the little one who could liven up the atmosphere (though usually in a more shameful direction)? After all, when Lee Tima was around, the firepower was often attracted away by her.

Taking advantage of the staff still doing the final equipment debugging and lighting checks, the five of them huddled together for the final 'spiritual mutual aid' (actually a roast session) before filming.

Yeri pouted and complained in a low voice: "Aigoo... this variety show is clearly called 'the collapsed daily life,' but why do I not feel any 'daily life' at all! This atmosphere, this formation, is even more tense than when we shoot MVs!"

Wendy pushed up her glasses, sighed, and analyzed rationally: "Because this is not our 'daily life' at all. This is a 'daily life where you need to take a rocket to escape Earth and go to Mars to pretend nothing happened' that has been carefully designed, magnified, and equipped with addictive BGM and a point system!" Her description was precise and tragic.

Joy clenched her fists to cheer herself and everyone else on: "No matter what! We must be strong! We must complete the filming strongly! We can't let President Jiang look down on us! Think about the dignity of our Red Velvet!"

Kang Seulgi nodded vigorously beside her, looking at Bae Joo-hyun, who was standing in the front with her back straight, with trusting eyes: "That's right! With Joohyun Unnie here, there won't be any problems! Unnie will lead us!" Her tone was full of blind (?) trust.

Yeri's eyes rolled, as if she had discovered a new continent, and she sneaked over to Joy's ear, whispering: "Yah! Park Sooyoung, did you notice? How many times has President Jiang looked over in our direction... or more accurately, in a certain direction, since just now?"

Joy was stunned by her question, recalled for a moment, and said helplessly: "He looks every few seconds, how would I remember the exact number."

At this moment, Wendy, who had been observing silently, calmly reported a number: "From the time I started counting until now... 37 times." She paused and added, "Ah, now it's the 38th time."

Yeri, Joy, and Wendy quickly exchanged a knowing look, their corners of their mouths hooking into a 'weird smile' filled with gossip and teasing. Their gazes drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Bae Joo-hyun, who was standing in the front, appearing to be meditating.

They all noticed that those gazes of Jiang Zhiyu, which seemed to sweep across the audience inadvertently, always had a particularly 'favored' landing spot on that cold figure.

And Bae Joo-hyun, who was frequently 'cared for' by those gazes, was far from as calm inside as she looked on the surface. She was holding a soft pillow, her fingers tightening unconsciously, her neatly trimmed nails sinking slightly into the fabric of the pillow, and clear, pale green veins appearing on the back of her fair hands due to the force.

She could clearly feel that gaze. It wasn't a straight stare, but a natural sweep like a PD observing a subject, but every time it brushed past her, that brief lingering felt like a feather lightly scraping across her skin, bringing a subtle, disturbing shiver.

So annoying... she cursed inwardly, trying to cut off the chaotic thoughts that suddenly surged in her mind—about the The Shilla Hotel takeout he handed over during the test shoot, about his infuriating yet precise roasts, about his figure controlling everything behind the console...

The goal now was to finish the filming. Be professional, Bae Joo-hyun. She emphasized to herself again, took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked forward with a calm expression, trying to ignore the gaze with such a strong sense of presence.

Just at this moment, Jiang Zhiyu seemed to have finished communicating with the assistant and had temporarily arranged all the preparations. His gaze swept across the audience extremely naturally again, and this time, it lingered on Bae Joo-hyun, who was looking down with seemingly focused but actually tense eyes, for a fraction of a second longer than before.

Then, he turned to the assistant beside him very naturally. The assistant immediately handed over a stack of documents, and Jiang Zhiyu took them, pulled a pen from his pocket, and actually stood there and started reviewing the documents! His expression was focused, as if this was not a variety show filming site, but the office of the President of TG Entertainment.

Red Velvet members: "..."

A strange silence. Yeri, Joy, and Wendy, who were whispering and roasting just now, were stunned, and even Kang Seulgi blinked, not understanding.

What kind of move is this? Handling official business during filming breaks? Is this too... professional (?)? Or is this some new 'collapsed' setting?

Kang Seulgi suddenly murmured as if she had a 'sudden realization': "Oh~ President Jiang... he is the President!"

Everyone looked at her in unison, their eyes filled with 'Did you really need to say that?' and speechlessness like 'Bear Seulgi, people giving you that nickname doesn't mean they actually think you have a bear brain!'

But regardless, Jiang Zhiyu's 'working' state, as if no one else was around, did indeed make the tense atmosphere at the scene, waiting for 'shameful instructions,' become somewhat... absurd and relaxed. At least, everyone's attention was temporarily moved away from him.

After about a few minutes, the floor director indicated that all equipment debugging was completed and they could officially start.

Jiang Zhiyu also seemed to have a telepathic connection, closing the folder, putting away the pen, and handing it back to the assistant at almost the same time. The seriousness on his face when handling official business quickly faded, and he put on the PD's unique smile, which carried a bit of control and bad taste (everyone thought).

He walked in front of the five members of Red Velvet, his eyes sweeping over their appearance, which was slightly dazed by the little episode just now, but still trying to maintain a 'professional idol stance.'

Jiang Zhiyu rubbed his chin, looking them up and down, his eyes filled with undisguised scrutiny and... a hint of playfulness.

Suddenly, he spoke, his tone carrying a bit of deliberate seriousness and teasing: "Is this stance of yours... from the ROK Special Forces? So standard, ready to accept inspection at any time?"

"Yah!!!"

Almost in unison, the five girls' faces instantly turned red, and they whined with both shame and anger. What Special Forces! This is just the basic quality of an idol, okay!

Watching them puffing up and embarrassed to vent, Jiang Zhiyu laughed out loud, waved his hand, and said in an exaggerated tone as if announcing a major discovery:

"It seems that after the 'tempering' of the test shoot, this is no longer the ordinary Red Velvet!"

He paused, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his voice lowered a bit, carrying an excitement that 'things are getting interesting':

"Must strike a heavy blow!"

As soon as the words fell, before the Red Velvet members could react to the threat of a 'heavy blow,' Jiang Zhiyu had already picked up the walkie-talkie and clearly issued the order:

"All units pay attention, red velvets collapsed daily life Season 1, Episode 1, official filming —"

"Start!"

Ding-dong!

The familiar point notification sound, like a nightmare reappearing, rang crisp and clear in the living room again.

Red Velvet's journey of 'official collapse' officially kicked off under Jiang Zhiyu's declaration of a 'heavy blow' and the tiger-watching of the point system. And they didn't know yet what kind of 'surprise' (shock) the 'heavy blow' waiting for them today would be.

In the subsequent filming process, the five members of Red Velvet deeply realized what it meant to be 'the meat on the chopping block' and what Jiang Zhiyu's 'AI smart filming' and 'striking a heavy blow' really meant.

This AI is simply perverted!

They soon discovered that the system's definition of 'collapsed' was outrageously broad. Initially trying to maintain elegance and keep a 'normal' sitting posture and expression, they found—

Ding-dong! Wendy: +1 (Sitting posture is too upright, forming a subtle contrast with the theme of 'collapsed daily life,' triggering the 'anti-collapse · elite feel' points.)

Ding-dong! Joy: +1 (Subconsciously frowned due to the air conditioning wind, revealing real subtle emotions, consistent with 'daily life' capture.)

Ding-dong! Kang Seulgi: +1 (Eyes unfocused for more than 5 seconds while zoning out, captured the 'soul out of body' state.)

Ding-dong! Yeri: +1 (Secretly yawned a little, mouth shape like a kitten, triggered the 'cute collapse' achievement.)

Ding-dong! Bae Joo-hyun: +1 (Fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the pillow, showing private relaxed small movements.)

Even frowning while sitting, zoning out, yawning, or touching things would add points! Is this even letting people live? This isn't 'collapsed' at all; this is trying to dig out all their 24-hour dead-angle-free 'non-perfect' moments!

After experiencing the initial shock and shame, a 'giving up' mentality began to spread among the members. Since doing anything (or even doing nothing) could add 'collapsed' points, why be reserved? Anyway, since they were going to 'collapse' anyway, why not be proactive, maybe they could 'control' the posture of the collapse (wishful thinking)?

So, adhering to the strange idea that 'you can earn points even by lying down,' the five of them began a 'destructive test' and 'casual performance' of the system's trigger mechanism.

Yeri took the lead, started making faces at the camera, from the classic 'bleh' to the high-difficulty 'eyebrow wave dance,' her facial muscles twisted into various strange shapes.

Ding-dong! +2! (Continuous high-difficulty facial expressions, achieved 'meme contributor · beginner')

Joy was not to be outdone, stood up, and imitated the exaggerated body movements in a funny variety show she watched recently, things like 'the crab walking sideways,' 'gorilla chest pounding,' with no idol baggage at all.

Ding-dong! +2! (Exaggerated body imitation, triggered 'comedy talent' potential stock.)

Wendy pushed up her glasses, tried to collapse in an 'academic' way, picked up a magazine, and began to read the advertisement in an extremely exaggerated, cadence-filled broadcast tone, also adding stiff gestures.

Ding-dong! +1.5! (Being funny while being serious, the contrast cuteness effect is significant.)

Kang Seulgi... Her "test" was more down-to-earth. Seeing fruit left over from last time in the kitchen fridge, she ran straight to wash a plate of grapes, then sat cross-legged on the carpet, eating them one by one with a focused and happy expression, occasionally wrinkling her nose when it was sour.

Ding-dong! +1! (Immersive foodie experience, showcasing the most rustic "the collapsed daily life" — focusing on eating.)

Ding-dong! +0.5! (Micro-expression of frowning due to the sour taste captured successfully.)

Bae Joo-hyun initially tried to maintain the dignity of a leader, just shifting into a more languid posture leaning against the sofa, eyes unfocused, but soon, seeing her younger sisters' increasingly outrageous performances and the chiming point notifications, she was also led astray. She tried to make a "sword-drawing" (virtual) motion at the air with a cold expression, then broke character herself, unable to help but lower her head and laugh.

Ding-dong! +2! (Poker-faced comedian? Bursting with contrast charm!)

For a time, the living room was filled with wild facial expressions, bizarre movements, and strange sounds. The point notification chimes almost merged into background music, and the task completion (system-judged "collapsed behavior") notifications scrolled wildly on the secondary screen. In the early "test" phase, the speed of point accumulation was terrifying.

Yeri, tired from playing, slumped on the sofa and boredly glanced at the main display, where screenshots of the wonderful (?) moments captured in real-time by the AI system were scrolling.

Then, her gaze froze.

On the screen, there was clearly a "surprised cat" picture captured just now when she made a face, with eyes wide open, mouth in an O-shape, and tongue sticking out halfway, accompanied by the text "Ani?!". Next to it was Joy's "Gorilla Confusion".jpg, Wendy's "Broadcasting Tone Stiffness".gif, Kang Seulgi's "Sour Grape Meme Nine-Shot Burst", and that rare one of Bae Joo-hyun, "Attempted Sword-Drawing But Laughed At Herself".jpg...

"Wait, hold on! This isn't right?!" Yeri sat up straight abruptly, pointing at the screen, her voice filled with astonishment and breakdown. "Why are the screenshots so abstract?! This isn't recording 'the collapsed daily life' at all, this is basically a real-time funny meme screenshot generator!! And it even comes with bizarre captions!"

At her shout, the other four also looked at the screen, then collectively turned to stone.

Those captures on the screen had tricky angles, "vivid" expressions, and sharp-tongued captions, freezing their "unfiltered" moments from just now in a way that was highly transmissible and hilarious. If this were to leak out...

Jiang Zhiyu had walked near the display screen at some point. Hearing Yeri's complaint, a smile appeared on his face that, to Red Velvet, looked exactly like a "demon getting his way."

"Actually," he corrected in a relaxed tone, "it can also be understood as... an intelligent sharing system that filters and uploads to the show's official account in real-time. Letting fans who couldn't come to the scene feel the most authentic, most 'collapsed' Red Velvet daily life firsthand! Synchronized interaction, sharing the joy!"

Everyone's brain: "!!!"

That is to say... those faces, bizarre movements, and broken expressions they just made... have already been automatically filtered by AI and uploaded to the internet in real-time?!

As if to verify Jiang Zhiyu's words, a staff member nearby whispered a reminder: "President, official account backend data shows that the latest nine-grid 'recording behind-the-scenes' meme pack is seeing exponential growth in reposts, comments, and likes..."

On the internet, it had already blown up.

The "@red velvets collapsed daily life" official account was like an indefatigable meme-producing machine, updating a set of high-definition, dynamic (some were gifs), and precisely captioned "collapsed" moments of Red Velvet members every few minutes.

[#Yeri Surprised Cat#: Ani?! Is this point total real?!]

[#Joy Gorilla Confusion#: Today, I am also a fighting master (Gorilla version).jpg]

[#Wendy Broadcasting Tone Ad#: This magazine, you deserve to have (monotone reading)]

[#Kang Seulgi Sour Grape Nine-Shot Burst#: From anticipation to being so sour I doubt life]

[#Bae Joo-hyun Poker-Faced Comedian#: Sword-drawing... ah, forget it, it's quite funny]

These memes were vivid, natural, completely free of idol baggage, and carried the members' unique charm (even if it was a broken charm), instantly igniting the enthusiasm of fans and passersby.

"Hahahaha I'm laughing so hard my head fell off! The girls have completely let loose today!"

"I've saved that cat expression of Yeri! I'll use this for shock from now on!"

"Joy's gorilla imitation is so like it! Unaccountably cool (? )"

"Wendy Unnie's serious way of being funny is too cute!"

"Bear Seulgi's grapes look so sour, but her expression is so real!"

"Bae Unnie actually laughed like this! Screenshot! Once in a century!"

"TG's real-time upload system is amazing! It feels like watching a live version of meme generation!"

"This is the real 'daily life'! So interesting! Hurry up and broadcast the show!"

The memes were crazily saved, reposted, and re-created. Related topics once again topped the hot searches and major social media trends at a rocket-like speed. #RedVelvetMemeWar#, #CollapsedDailyLifeRealTimeBroadcast#, #TGEntertainmentAIWizard# and other entries exploded in popularity, almost forming a phenomenal internet carnival. This was no longer just a show teaser, but more like a nationwide participatory meme culture feast centered on Red Velvet.

The promotional effect was nothing short of a miracle.

All entertainment company PR departments monitoring internet trends were shocked. This kind of real-time, interactive, and highly transmissible promotional method completely subverted the traditional variety show promotion model. TG Entertainment once again demonstrated their terrifying control over traffic and topics in an unexpected way.

A PR Manager at an agency that had just spent a lot of money on a hot search package to build momentum for their artist's new drama, looked at the hot search list completely submerged by Red Velvet memes and couldn't help but curse: "Aish... (◎_◎;) How can we play like this?"

At the shooting site, Jiang Zhiyu seemed to have anticipated the storm on the internet, just glancing lightly at the tablet data handed over by his assistant, his smile unchanged, as if that astonishing popularity was just a part of the plan.

He clapped his hands, pulling back the attention of the Red Velvet members who were still immersed in the shock of "social death" and the impact of the "internet storm."

"Alright, everyone please look at the main display." Jiang Zhiyu pointed to the screen, where besides the leaderboard, a "personal task progress bar" and a sparkling "personal point exchange mall (temporary)" interface had been added.

"After the warm-up just now," Jiang Zhiyu's tone carried a provocative quality, "it seems everyone has initially grasped the essence of 'collapsed'. So, next, we will enter the next stage — a simple individual battle!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, lingering specifically on Bae Joo-hyun: "This is also adopting the suggestion Irene xi made at the previous meeting, to add some healthy internal team competition mechanisms."

"The theme is — 'the collapsed daily life of a dorm homebody'," Jiang Zhiyu announced. "Please, everyone, in the next ten minutes, perform freely, completely in accordance with the most 'homebody', most 'collapsed', most relaxed (or most bizarre) state you can imagine. You can lie down, you can sprawl, you can eat snacks, you can scroll on your phone, you can talk to yourself, or even... imitate anime characters or engage in some harmless 'performance art'."

"The rules are: Making actions, language, or states that fit the 'homebody collapsed' setting will earn personal points. At the same time," a hint of craftiness flashed in his eyes, "if your 'collapsed performance' is creative enough, or... cleverly 'interferes' with or 'disrupts' someone else's collapsed state, making them more 'collapsed' or breaking character, you can also earn extra points!"

Individual battle! And an interference option! This is clearly meant to "incite a civil war"!

But before they could digest the rules, Jiang Zhiyu dropped another bombshell, pointing to the "personal point exchange mall" that had just gone online.

"The personal point exchange system is now online!" His voice was full of temptation, "See that golden 'Grand Prize' at the very top?"

On the screen, the "Grand Prize" icon flickered a few times, then... turned into a front-facing half-body photo of Jiang Zhiyu! In the photo, he was wearing a simple white shirt, his smile gentle, with flashing artistic text next to it: "President of TG · Jiang Zhiyu (One-Day Limited Experience Voucher)".

Jiang Zhiyu himself even "shamelessly" faced the camera, coordinating with the photo, tilting his head to give a playful wink, and making a heart shape with his hands: "The grand prize is Jiang Zhiyu, which is me! Choomi~ ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄"

Red Velvet: "..."

A moment of dead silence. Followed by collective speechlessness.

What the hell is Choomi! Why are you acting cute, damn it!! Everyone complained wildly in their hearts, especially seeing that expression of feigned cuteness on his handsome face, it made their fists clench. Ah, seriously... this bastard... how can he say such shameful things so naturally!

But... why... looking at his pleasing face on the screen, thinking of the resources of TG Entertainment he represents behind him, his talent, and that omnipotent energy (in terms of tormenting them)... why is there a tiny bit of... damn heartbeat in their hearts?!

Jiang Zhiyu seemed not to see their colorful expressions, continuing in that tone of coaxing a child: "The content of the reward is — I will fulfill one wish for the person with the highest final personal points, within my ability, and not violating laws or morals."

He emphasized specifically: "Whether it's like the 'Custom Lemm', 'Exclusive New Song' that could be exchanged with team points before, or anything else reasonable you personally want, it's all possible! Only for one person! Rare opportunity~"

"Only for one person" and "any reasonable wish", these two keywords instantly stirred up huge waves in the hearts of the five.

Yeri, who just thought Jiang Zhiyu was "shameless for acting cute," was the first to have eyes shine like light bulbs, blurting out: "Then Lemm... is that okay too?!" She wanted the exclusive, color-changing kind!

Jiang Zhiyu waved his hand generously, promising: "Of course! As long as the points are high enough, you can pick any Lemm you want!"

"Yay!!!" Yeri immediately raised her hands and spun in a circle on the spot, as if she had already seen the colorful Lemm waving at her. She was instantly full of fighting spirit.

Although the others didn't act as exaggeratedly as Yeri, their eyes had also changed. Wendy thought of a new song produced by TG that could break through her style; Joy thought she might be able to request an exclusive variety show project that wasn't so "shameful"; Kang Seulgi... she thought of unlimited food vouchers or a chance to travel to China?

And Bae Joo-hyun, upon hearing "any reasonable wish", tightened her fingers holding the pillow again. She looked at Jiang Zhiyu's face with that abominable smile, narrowing her eyes.

If she could exchange... a clear and strong thought rushed into her mind. I want to make him... must fiercely retaliate against this guy who can always easily disturb her mood, make her look foolish, and still look so breezy! Let him also taste the feeling of being "teased" and "ordered around"! Or... order him not to target her in filming in the future? Or...

Various "retaliation" plans flashed through her mind, each one making her heartbeat accelerate slightly.

But no matter what it specifically was, the premise was — she must win!

Bae Joo-hyun's gaze swept over the members beside her who had already started rubbing their hands and had their own ideas. Yeri was determined to get the Lemm, Wendy and Joy also had desire in their eyes, and even Kang Seulgi showed an expression of "wanting the reward".