Chen Jincheng only breathed a sigh of relief after ending the stream. He had received a violation notice the moment he entered the shop and filmed the embarrassing lingerie, so he had immediately gone offline.
'The next part definitely couldn't be streamed.'
'If I get three notices, I'll really get put in a timeout for a while.'
So, he turned to the deeply embarrassed Jiang Xiaobai and decided to tease her a bit. He picked up a strappy, cutout thong and asked, "Xiaobai, what do you think of this one?"
"..." Jiang Xiaobai just pursed her lips and looked at him without a word, but a clear blush was already creeping up her face.
'She's still shy at this stage,' he thought. 'The famous goddess DJ from my past life would have just taken it and asked right back, "Want me to try it on for you?"'
Chen Jincheng teased her a little more as he led her around the lingerie shop. He would occasionally pick something up and hold it against Jiang Xiaobai, making her flush with a mix of shame and annoyance, especially under the female clerk's suggestive gaze.
After some time, Jiang Xiaobai finally walked out of the lingerie shop carrying two bags, letting out a sigh of relief.
Thinking about the two outfits she had tried on, she asked, embarrassed, "If I film a video wearing this kind of stuff, won't it get taken down?"
"It won't for now, but it definitely will in the future. Even if the video gets taken down, the traffic it attracted will still be there," Chen Jincheng explained with a smile.
This world was currently in the early stages of the MCN boom. Likewise, Tiao Yin's traffic was also in a period of rapid expansion. It was precisely this rapid growth in Tiao Yin's user base that was causing the MCN industry to truly explode.
In his past life, the major behemoths of the MCN world had all emerged during this exact period.
That was why Tiao Yin wasn't so strict yet. Even the platform itself had gotten its start by pushing the boundaries with edgy content.
The two 'battle outfits' he had chosen for Jiang Xiaobai were nearly identical to the ones she wore in his past life. Based on his visual memory, these also pushed right up against the censors' line, straddling it.
Just then, he received a call from Sister Hong.
She was getting ready to bring the crew to the bar.
So he immediately called Wang Yuan, the bar's manager, to give him a heads-up, then took Jiang Xiaobai to the bar.
As he drove near Jingyuan Building, Chen Jincheng saw a sign for 'Extreme Bar' being installed on the exterior.
This showed Wang Yuan was efficient.
Once the signs on the building's exterior and roof were up, the '+100% Customer Attraction' attribute would become even more effective.
In the main hall of the bar, Wang Yuan came over to greet them, accompanied by a brawny man.
The man's arms were covered in tattoos and his face was all coarse, intimidating features.
Seeing Chen Jincheng, Wang Yuan made the introduction. "Boss, this is Ah Pao, our head of security. He was on leave last night, so he came first thing this morning to meet you."
Ah Pao immediately plastered a fawning smile on his face. "Boss, I look forward to working with you."
Hearing 'head of security,' Chen Jincheng understood. This was the bar's muscle, the one who handled drunk and disorderly patrons. A nightclub couldn't do without them. Regular security guards wouldn't dare get involved in a real fight; only guys like this would step in and break it up.
These guys were most likely former gangsters. But times had changed, and there wasn't much room for them to survive anymore. Their options were to either go to jail, go straight, or latch onto a rich boss. A nightclub security job was one way out, and a fiercely competitive one at that.
Chen Jincheng looked at the game in his mind and checked Ah Pao's stats:
Name: Ah Pao
Loyalty: 80
Status: Aware the bar is on the verge of collapse and his wife is pregnant. Desperate to find a way out. Went to check out a KTV last night, causing him to miss the bar's new owner. The KTV opportunity fell through, and he is now worried he has offended the new boss and will lose his job.
Chen Jincheng checked Wang Yuan's and Jiang Xiaobai's Loyalty as well.
Wang Yuan's Loyalty had risen to 75, likely because last night's events had given him more confidence in the bar.
Jiang Xiaobai's Loyalty was already at 85.
'This Ah Pao's Loyalty is even higher than Wang Yuan's,' Chen Jincheng noted. 'It must be because of his current situation.'
'A Loyalty of 60 is usable, and 80 is quite high.'
So, he clapped Ah Pao on the shoulder. "Right. Work hard. I'll be counting on you guys to handle any trouble at the bar from now on."
With just that one sentence, he saw Ah Pao's Loyalty jump by another 5 points to 85. A clear look of relief washed over the man's face, mixed with a hint of gratitude.
Just then, Sister Hong arrived. Following her were Lao Chen, a photographer in his thirties, and two other young men.
The two young men were Xiaohai and Xiaoliao. They were originally creators who had edited his videos. After he bought their accounts, he recruited them as well. After all, they were skilled editors with experience in entertainment videos.
This was his small team for now.
However, once the office was renovated and his future plans were underway, the team would need to expand. Lao Chen would become the head of photography, while Xiaohai and Xiaoliao would each manage an editing team focused on a different style.
Sister Hong, of course, would also be promoted to manage general operations. She was more than capable.
He had already discussed this with his team members, so they were all highly motivated.
"Boss!" Sister Hong immediately led the three over to greet him.
Chen Jincheng introduced her to Jiang Xiaobai. "Xiaobai, this is Sister Hong. From now on, she'll be your manager for everything except the shooting schedules that I arrange directly."
"Hello, Sister Hong!" Jiang Xiaobai immediately greeted her with a bright smile.
"Mm, not bad. You're pretty, and you have a great figure." Sister Hong couldn't help but nod as she looked at Jiang Xiaobai. 'The boss might be a scumbag,' she thought, 'but his eye for talent is wickedly sharp.'
Seeing that everyone was present, Chen Jincheng gave his instructions. "Lao Chen, move the DJ booth onto the stage. I'll be singing in front, and Xiaobai will be behind me, DJing and dancing. We'll use two small cameras: one focused on me, and one focused on Xiaobai."
"Got it." Lao Chen nodded. They had worked together long enough for him to understand exactly what the boss meant. He started directing the others to set up the stage, then mounted the two small cameras in their designated positions.
"You go get changed, too. We'll start by shooting in that 'pure desire' strappy lace outfit today," Chen Jincheng instructed Jiang Xiaobai.
"Oh!" Jiang Xiaobai answered softly and took the outfit to the changing room.
A moment later, the bar lights came on. Sister Hong began checking the recording equipment and the bar's sound system.
While recording in a bar couldn't match a professional studio, the enclosed space and soundproofing were certainly studio-grade. As long as the audio equipment and sound system were up to par, and boosted by a good sound card, the empty bar was a great place to record a song.
In his past life, MCN companies that specialized in the nightclub vertical would operate the bar at night and use it as a recording venue for their cover artists during the day.
He had sung "Trajectory" yesterday; the Extreme Bar's equipment was decent. Paired with their own recording gear, it was more than enough. Besides, his singing for "Trajectory (Sentimental Bar Mix)" was at the Master-level, so there would be no issues.
Once everything was ready, Jiang Xiaobai walked out, looking mortified in the incredibly sexy, 'pure desire' strappy lace outfit.
It was the first time she had ever worn anything like it.
But in that instant, the eyes of the few men in the bar practically popped out of their sockets. When had they ever been treated to such a sight?
The two young guys, Xiaohai and Xiaoliao, especially felt a rush of heat to their noses.
'What kind of video is the boss shooting today?'
'Is this even a proper music video?'
Seeing the outfit that was practically grinding against the censors' guidelines, Sister Hong couldn't help but ask, "Boss, can we even film this? Won't it get taken down?"
"We have to give it a try. After all, the appeal is huge." Chen Jincheng grinned, then turned to the two young men, Xiaohai and Xiaoliao. "What do you think? She looks great, right?"
The two had never witnessed such a scene before and, for a moment, were like innocent schoolboys, too shy to say she looked great.
Chen Jincheng got on stage and beckoned to Jiang Xiaobai.
She scurried over to his side.
Wearing this outfit and being stared at by several men made her feel flustered and uneasy. She subconsciously felt a little safer next to the scumbag, Chen Jincheng.
"Don't be so self-conscious. Loosen up. Your figure is your greatest asset, especially with those 175cm-long legs…" Chen Jincheng saw her state and tried to ease her nerves. But he quickly realized it wasn't working. She hadn't been able to let go of her inhibitions and couldn't yet exude the captivating charm of the Jiang Xiaobai from his past life.
To his surprise, however, the moment Jiang Xiaobai stepped up to the DJ booth, her entire demeanor seemed to shift. She relaxed completely, and even just tuning the equipment, she exuded a special kind of charisma.
'This must be raw talent.'
Sister Hong noticed it too. The girl's physical attributes were superb. Standing there in that outfit, her upper body was tantalizingly obscured and revealed by the DJ booth, while everything below was the allure of her long legs. The visual impact was so strong that even she, a woman, found it appealing, to say nothing of men.
'She couldn't help but wonder, how on earth did the boss come up with this combination of outfit and setting for her?'
'It's like it was tailor-made. Absolutely brilliant.'