471: Performance essentials

A burly man scratched his head. "Isn't this just harassment?"

"It's testing," Star corrected the man's wording. "And it's not random. Everyone receives a different account type and needs to play a different role."

He walked to the computer, turned it on, and pulled up a document he had prepared earlier.

Document Title: "Private Message Types and Key Points of Performance."

"Everyone, look at this document first." Star projected the document onto the large screen at the front of the private room. "Ten minutes. I'll divide you into groups after you're done reading."

The Ghost Messengers quieted down and looked up at the screen.

The document was very detailed, categorizing private messages into seven major types:

Category 1: Fanatical Fans

Key Points of Performance: Full of emotion, exaggerated wording, and filled with a sense of worship.

Example: "Sister, I've watched your streams for three years. I can't sleep without watching you every day. You are my light! [Cry] [Cry]"

Variants: Mom fans, girlfriend fans, career fans.

Category 2: Peer Collaboration

Key Points of Performance: Professional, polite, with probing for a trade of interests.

Example: "Hello sister, I'm also a streamer in the ancient style section with 300,000 followers. I'd like to invite you for a cross-screen collaboration to share traffic. Interested in chatting?"

Variants: Brand cooperation, content co-creation.

Category 3: Anti-fan Provocation

Key Points of Performance: Sharp, mean-spirited, specifically attacking sore spots.

Example: "Wearing so much red, are you getting married? Haven't you had enough of imitating 'Yao Chi Xian Ji' yet? [Smile]"

Variants: Personal attacks, questioning data.

Category 4: Ordinary Viewers

Key Points of Performance: Casual, natural, like a passerby who happened to scroll past.

Example: "Just scrolled to your stream. The dress is pretty, do you have a link?"

Variants: Asking about outfits, inquiring about the background.

Category 5: Emotional Confession

Key Points of Performance: Vulnerable, sincere, with a desire to share.

Example: "I got scolded by my boss today. Seeing sister's stream suddenly makes me want to cry... Sister, you must always stay happy."

Variants: Life troubles, emotional confusion.

Category 6: Technical Discussion

Key Points of Performance: Rational, focused, centered around professional details.

Example: "Sister, can you share the lighting equipment you used in the last stream? It makes your skin texture look amazing."

Variants: Makeup tutorials, editing techniques.

Category 7: Meaningless Spam

Key Points of Performance: Chaotic, abrupt, completely illogical.

Example: "Are you there? Help me get a discount on Pinxixi." "Seeking a child for a large reward, contact 138xxxxxx."

Variants: Advertisements, scams, garbled text.

Each major category also had sub-scenarios and common phrases, even including suggested sending times.

For instance, emotional confessions are best late at night, while technical discussions are suitable for the afternoon.

The Ghost Messengers watched with rapt attention.

Old Woman Zhao Yun pulled out her reading glasses and put them on, leaning closer to the screen for a better look; Liu Shuo rubbed his chin, muttering to himself; Zhou Wenyuan directly took out a small notebook and began taking notes... Ten minutes later, Star turned off the projector.

"Now, for the grouping," he said. "Based on the seven categories in the document, each person will specialize in one. But remember, you won't just be sending one type of private message. The same account can switch types over time, but it must fit the account's 'persona'."

He began calling names.

"Zhao Yun, you take five accounts and focus on emotional confessions. You're an old lady; your way of speaking is soft and makes it easy for people to lower their guard."

"Liu Shuo, you take five accounts and focus on anti-fan provocations. You liked playing games when you were alive, so you know how to hit where it hurts."

"Zhou Wenyuan, you take five accounts and focus on technical discussions. You're a good writer and can convey a sense of professionalism."

The seventy-three people were quickly divided into groups.

Star distributed the talismans from the black wooden box by group. Each talisman corresponded to an account. After receiving them, the Ghost Messengers needed to log in using a phone or computer to familiarize themselves with the account's basic information: profile picture, nickname, and past posts.

One after another, the sounds of login notifications rang out in the private room.

Star walked over to Zhao Yun's side.

The Old Woman had already logged into an account. The profile picture was a cartoon cat, and the nickname was "All Living Beings."

She was staring at the document, pondering how to write the first private message.

"Grandma Zhao," Star leaned down and lowered his voice.

"When writing emotional confessions, the most important thing is 'authenticity.' Don't make up stories that are too bizarre; just write about small, everyday things. For example, getting cheated at the market today or missing a grandson who's away at university."

Zhao Yun looked up, her eyes blinking behind her reading glasses. "Just say... I miss my grandson?"

"Yes." Star nodded. "Just say: 'Lass, my grandson called me today and said he's doing well at school. Hearing that made me both happy and sad. Seeing your stream, I suddenly felt that having someone to talk to is really nice.'"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and slowly began typing in the private message box.

She didn't type fast, using just one finger, but she tapped each character seriously. After finishing, she looked up at Star. "Is this okay?"

Star glanced at the screen.

The words were simple, but they carried a hint of genuine sorrow. He nodded. "Very good. Set the sending time for midnight; that's when people are most vulnerable."

He then walked over to Liu Shuo's side.

The account Liu Shuo received had a profile picture of a muscular man and the nickname "Raging Fire Never Ends." He was rubbing his hands together, ready to start flaming.

"Brother Liu," Star reminded him, "an anti-fan doesn't just flame mindlessly; you have to hit the right spots. 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' has recently been accused of imitating 'Yao Chi Xian Ji.' You can start from that angle."

Liu Shuo grinned. "Got it."

He tapped away at the keyboard in the private message box. "Does some person think they're the real deal just by wearing a red dress? I suggest you look in the mirror. Do you even know the meaning of 'Dong Shi imitating a knit'? [Pick nose]"

Star watched and shook his head. "Too blunt. High-level trolling needs a bit of sarcasm."

He leaned over and typed a few sentences on the keyboard. "Sister, your dress today is so pretty. It looks so much like the one 'Yao Chi Xian Ji' wore last week~ But sister looks even more... well, unique in it. [Cute]"

Liu Shuo stared at the screen, his eyes lighting up. "Holy crap, that's savage. Praising while insulting—killing the heart!"

Star straightened up. "Remember, the ultimate goal of an anti-fan isn't just to provoke her, but to observe if she replies and how. Even if she blocks you, that's a piece of information."

He then turned to Zhou Wenyuan's side.

Zhou Wenyuan had already written his first technical discussion message. It was about choosing the color temperature for stream lighting, filled with technical jargon, and even included a lighting diagram he had drawn at the end.

Star scanned it. "It's fine. But the tone could be more casual. Don't make it sound like an academic paper."

He then proceeded to change a few words, turning "According to my analysis" into "Just something I was pondering," and "I suggest adjusting" into "What do you think, sister?"

Zhou Wenyuan pushed up his glasses. "Won't that seem too unprofessional?"

"That's exactly the 'amateur trying hard to look professional' vibe we want," Star explained. "Being too professional actually feels fake."