Chapter 37 (Contains numerous online comments)...
Lu Xiaoqi read this classical dance enthusiast's lengthy and detailed explanation of her views:
The "kicking the swallow" move is very beautiful and showcases the dancer's flexibility. Therefore, choreographers often place it during emotional climaxes, highlighting the dancer's most brilliant moments. Consequently, a series of transitional movements are necessary before and after this move.
The choreography of these movements is deliberate; it needs to be fluid and aesthetically pleasing, while also allowing dancers to better utilize their momentum. For example, in the dance drama "The Bronze Sparrow Terrace," a large leap is followed by a powerful kick, allowing the dancer to use the impact of the landing as a rebound. This makes the movement both visually appealing and relatively effortless.
[But the masked woman's scene had no preceding movement, demonstrating her explosive power. Moreover, she perfectly executed the "front leg like a nail, back lean like a bow" pose, even reaching an angle comparable to the "green waist" pose, which is extremely difficult. Do you understand?]
The following is a list of replies:
[Understood.]
[The original poster explained it very clearly, I understand now. It's like playing a game; you need to build up your mana bar before unleashing a powerful attack, but the masked woman completely skipped that and just jumped up to unleash her ultimate attack.]
[The "Masked Woman's" core strength is truly amazing.]
The commenter who had some knowledge of Chinese dance replied again:
[We just discussed the differences in the preceding movements, and another crucial point is the following movements. A smooth, controlled retraction after a kick like a swallow isn't easy. Generally, there are two routes: either repositioning the body to regain balance, or using momentum to continue with other movements. But either way, it requires a significant movement. Yet, the masked woman just twisted her waist, somewhat like a cloud shoulder twist, but with a slight difference... In short, she got up so easily, as if it were an extremely simple movement. To be honest, I watched it several times and still didn't understand how she twisted her waist...]
In short, such a difficult move, all for the sake of catching a few bowls. I have mixed feelings right now, and all I want to say is, how expensive are these bowls?! They should be on a stage, not in a small restaurant! Do you understand how I feel?!
Lu Xiaoqi silently liked all of her replies.
I understand, but I don't really understand.
She wasn't very familiar with traditional classical dance. She tried to see a dance drama because of the trend, but she never actually went. Her knowledge of this beautiful art form that has been passed down for thousands of years was limited to a few dances that became popular on the Spring Festival Gala in recent years.
However, the commentator's explanation was very simple and easy to understand, and she suddenly understood after hearing it.
I see!
Imagine how much more hard everyone would have worked in ancient times with such rigorous selection of members from nine clans.
Lu Xiaoqi banished the horrible joke from her mind and continued reading the comments section. Clearly, everyone thought the original poster's explanation was excellent; the comment itself had already garnered 20,000 likes.
Once the number of likes goes up, the arguments will naturally follow:
The original poster is exaggerating. I think it's just acrobatic movement at best. I've seen so many acrobats perform moves that are much more difficult than this.
[Exactly, how did this escalate to the point where she's considered better than the top dancers in the country? I honestly don't understand this kind of praise.]
[If you're just an enthusiast, don't try to show off your limited skills. Anyone in the know would laugh their heads off.]
[Whether a dancer is good or bad depends not only on the difficulty of the moves but also on their artistic expression. At most, this shows she's studied dance and has solid fundamentals, but there's absolutely no artistic expression to speak of. Why praise her like this?]
The original poster clearly saw it too, and not to be outdone, she replied with:
Acrobatics and dance originally shared a common origin, including later developments like rhythmic gymnastics. But if after watching this video you think it's just acrobatics, then disregard everything I just said. Also, I was only commenting on the basics, not claiming she's a top-tier dancer. However, in my opinion, the grace of her waist twist and that pose alone are enough for many people standing on stage today to study for years.
When witty comments and arguments coexist, the number of comments skyrockets, bringing in even more traffic.
Netizens have so much free time; they're not just debating the professionalism of the move, but also whether Zhao Feiyan was beautiful or not. This debate even quickly surpassed the former:
What does this woman look like? I really want to see her.
Don't be curious, generally speaking, people who wear masks, regardless of gender, you know...
[I know this lady, isn't she?]
Someone posted a photo from Xiaodigua's previous post, "Have you ever seen an ordinary person who is more beautiful than a celebrity in real life?", in the comments section, and people realized that she was already somewhat famous online.
[This is just hype; it sounds more like marketing.]
[Actually, no, I'm a regular at the fish restaurant. I've seen her occasionally without a mask, but I was too embarrassed to take a picture. I can vouch for it—she's truly beautiful! She has a beauty that seems otherworldly.]
[No picture, no truth.]
Lu Xiaoqi was engrossed in reading when she suddenly received a call from Sister-in-law Song Wu, who sounded very anxious on the phone:
"Xiao Lu, I don't know what happened here, but suddenly a lot of people came and filled the fish restaurant! It seems like they came to film videos or something, and some people are even live streaming."
Lu Xiaoqi: ......
Did this actually happen?
She immediately asked, "Where is Sister Zhao?"
Song Wu Sao: "I sent her to the market, but I just found out we didn't buy enough garlic leaves today."
Lu Xiaoqi breathed a sigh of relief: "Those people are after her. I'll call her and tell her not to go today. They should disperse when they see she's not there. If they line up properly, then we can continue doing business as usual. If they obstruct our business, tell me and I'll call the police."
A few years ago, an old man who ran a street stall suddenly became famous. A bunch of people wanted to ride his coattails and get some traffic, so they would go to his stall every day to block him and do live streams. Some of their behavior could be described as harassment. In the end, the old man's stall could not operate normally, and he had to give up the place he had been running for several years and the old customers he had cultivated.
Lu Xiaoqi wouldn't tolerate these people.
Zhao Feiyan was called back by a phone call, still holding the garlic she had just bought, emphasizing a down-to-earth approach.
She was somewhat dazed: "In just a short span of ten seconds, the number of likes reached hundreds of thousands?"
Moreover, you can clearly see the number of likes increasing rapidly when you refresh the page.
Towards the end, she was practically gritting her teeth. What about all that hard work she puts into filming videos every week?!
Lu Xiaoqi: "You've worked very hard."
Zhao Feiyan: ...So annoying!
Lu Xiaoqi laughed so hard her eyes crinkled: "Alright, alright, don't be angry. There's nothing I can do, it's just that sometimes you can't make things work out, while other times you can't. That's just how unique the tastes of these traffic kings are."
So far, no one has connected "Mask Sister" with Zhao Feiyan's account. This generation of netizens is hopeless!
Perhaps it's because Zhao Feiyan's account has too little traffic... Of course, Lu Xiaoqi wouldn't dare say that to her face.
Song Sao Fish Restaurant.
Song Wu Sao came out of the kitchen and, with great effort, convinced the self-media outlets that had come to ride the wave of popularity that the masked lady was not there today and would not be coming again.
The shop was already small, and with them blocking the way, even the customers couldn't find a seat, which angered them and they started arguing.
"You're all blocking the way here, how are we supposed to get in?"
"Exactly! Aren't you shameless? Disrupting other people's business like this!"
Many people had come just to join the fun, hoping to get a picture of Zhao Feiyan without a mask, which would be a huge bonus. Now that they realized they wouldn't achieve their goal, they dispersed. Those who remained, seeing Song Wu Sao's friendly attitude and realizing they had angered the crowd, remained defiant:
"Who said we're disturbing the boss's business? We're here to eat too, is that a problem?"
The regulars chuckled and pointed outside: "Then you'd better get in line!"
Trying to cut in line? No way!
Some people actually touched their noses and went outside to queue up. Song Sao Fish Restaurant was doing better business than usual that noon.
Regular customers were furious and complained in the group chat:
[I'm so angry! These people are all after views. I've seen so many people reposting restaurant review videos. With this kind of promotion, it'll be even harder to get a table at fish restaurants in the future.]
Looking at it this way, it would be better to move to Qinghe Ancient Town sooner and open a bigger shop. Anyway, we can't often get a table there now.
Lu Xiaoqi looked at the comments in the group, thought for a moment, and replied, "Everyone, please be patient. I'll have someone make a mini-program, and then we'll switch to an appointment system. This shop is really too small, and it's not good to keep everyone waiting."
This way, it's convenient for everyone, and Sister-in-law Song can prepare dishes according to the number of reservations.
Many such restaurants now operate on a reservation system, which most diners don't object to. People like Xu Chen and Liao Yunyun, who mostly order set meals, are also in favor of it after hearing that the set meals will remain the same and be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
But someone asked: "So, will the cashier really not come anymore?"
Wouldn't they be missing out on a chance to see beautiful women every day?
Lu Xiaoqi: [She probably won't come. She was only there temporarily to help out, and now she should go back to doing her own things.]
The regular diners, though somewhat disappointed, all expressed their understanding. Just as Chef Song shouldn't have stayed in that small fish restaurant, the cashier was clearly no ordinary person; whatever she did afterward, she should go to her own world.
Zhao Feiyan was also in the group and saw these heartfelt blessings. She couldn't help but smile, feeling her long-numbed heart gradually soften.
She put down her phone and asked Lu Xiaoqi, "What should I do next?"
“Stay home for a few days. Those people are just trying to ride your coattails; they’ll stop once they don’t see you around. You can rest at home for a while.” Lu Xiaoqi thought for a moment and then said slowly, “Or I can contact an agency and have them find you a dance studio, and you can choose one yourself.”
She's rich now, so she can just rent out a dance studio!
Seeing her smug expression, Zhao Feiyan couldn't help but chuckle, which dispelled her slight unease from earlier.
After she left, Lu Xiaoqi sent Liu Chan a message: "How about we add fuel to the fire online?"
Liu Chan sent a "watching the drama unfold" emoji: "No problem!"
He immediately used his alternate account to hire online trolls to spread various rumors, making the situation even more muddy. Many people who make a living from traffic also reposted the video to other platforms, causing the original video's popularity to soar, reaching 500,000 likes in just one or two days.
Qinghe University.
Liu Han, unusually, opened her textbook in her dormitory. She had an exam coming up soon, and while it was one thing to not study during the semester, cramming before the exam and still not putting in the effort was just plain stupid.
Tired of studying, I stood up to look into the distance. Just then, my roommate handed me her phone, excitedly saying...
"Look, this is the little restaurant I told you about last time, the one my friend said had really good fish. It's a pity I didn't get to go last time, so I won't be able to see this young lady again next time."
Liu Han, my roommate, is a local from Qinghe. She knows a lot about good places to eat and have fun in the city and often organizes trips for everyone.
She took it and looked at it, but it wasn't a store visit video at all; instead, it was a dance video... Wait, this doesn't seem to be a dance video either!
Liu Han was shocked: "Holy crap! I thought it was some kind of dance drama, but upon closer inspection, I realized it's actually in a small restaurant?"
The photographer blurred the background during post-production, and at first glance, she was completely captivated by the main character's movements, ignoring everything else. It wasn't until the very end that she vaguely sensed something was amiss.
My roommate burst out laughing: "Are you stupid? Why would someone wear a mask on stage?"
She told Liu Han about what had happened around Song Sao Fish Restaurant in the past two days. Liu Han was very disappointed to hear this, wondering why such a commotion had to happen while she was studying.
"It's not over yet," my roommate said, still eager for more. "There are several opposing views online now. One group thinks that true masters are indeed hidden among ordinary people, and this young lady is like the Sweeping Monk from the novel 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.' Another group thinks that's nonsense, and that she's just good at basic skills at most. And then there's the group that thinks this young lady would definitely lose points if she took off her mask, and she's definitely not some stunning beauty."
The heated war of words between the parties has also increased the popularity of this video.
Liu Han exclaimed how fascinating the video was, and glanced at the comments. Indeed, many were questioning whether the person in the video was actually beautiful, and some even used rather extreme language, making sarcastic and mocking remarks. She couldn't help but find it amusing; what was wrong with someone wanting to wear a mask, and besides, the person in question hadn't come out to claim she was a great beauty.
It was just speculation by netizens, but the person involved ended up having to endure another wave of malice from netizens because of it. That's really too much.
Before she could think about it further, another roommate suddenly shouted, "I know! I know! No wonder that masked woman looked so familiar, isn't she the blogger I've been tutoring online lately?!"
Liu Han had obviously heard her mention this before, and immediately asked, "Is it that little blogger you said you felt so sorry for last time?"
My roommate nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, that's her."
She recently discovered a small blogger on a video platform with extremely low traffic. According to her, this blogger has an excellent figure and dance moves, but the videos are really poorly made, with bad lighting and backgrounds, so the data is really not good.
She couldn't resist offering her suggestions in the comments section. To her surprise, the young blogger actually listened and was gradually improving the video quality based on her and the other commenters' advice. This gave Liu Han's roommate a great sense of accomplishment, and she started interacting with the blogger even more frequently.
At the time, Liu Han was also fond of Nuan Nuan Feng. When Nuan Nuan Feng's videos went viral, her roommate happily said that her own little blogger's latest video was also very good, and maybe he would become popular like Nuan Nuan Feng soon.
Who would have thought that just a few days later, they would be associated with this viral video?
Liu Han took her roommate's phone and watched the videos one by one. This blogger never showed a clear face. At first, the lighting was too dim to see clearly, and even when the lighting improved, the angle was still average. Either the chin or the profile of the face was visible.
But Liu Han looked at it again and again and felt that it really looked like the masked woman in the previous video.
Moreover, this young blogger dances exceptionally well; even if the video isn't great, it's still captivating enough to keep you watching.
She said definitively, "It should be the same person."
My roommate was also very excited: "Right? The more I looked at it, the more it looked like her. It's definitely her!"
Another roommate pieced together several videos: "Those eyebrows and that chin, she's undeniably a great beauty! Those people are going to be proven wrong."
Liu Han employed the slow-motion playback technique, flipping through the footage repeatedly for over ten minutes, finally pinpointing a scene with Sherlock Holmes-like precision. The scene appeared for less than half a second, a fleeting glimpse, yet it was a rare, blurry, clear view of a face.
"Found it, take a screenshot!"
Wow, what a beauty!
The three of them disliked the online comments attacking people's appearances, so they decided to post the incident to let the small blogger who had been wronged also enjoy this wave of traffic.
As a result, the following comment appeared in the original video's comment section:
[I've discovered the masked woman's true identity. Here's the way.]
Then he attached the blurry screenshot and the address of Zhao Feiyan's long-established video account.
This comment was initially buried among tens of thousands of comments, and the three people would occasionally try to bump it up. Soon, it was spotted by sharp-eyed netizens.
[I reached out to take a closer look, and it really did seem to be a person.]
[I feel sorry for them; this one has 600,000 likes, but that one is completely ignored. I've followed them.]
[The masked woman is a great beauty, no arguments allowed.]
[Agreed. Even though the video over there wasn't very clear, you can still tell it's really beautiful. I'm jealous! When Nuwa sculpted me, she probably just flicked off some mud.]
Because of Zhao Feiyan's mysterious appearance, coupled with her disappearance from public view in the past few days, there has been much speculation about her appearance.
Who exactly is she? Is she a professional dancer? Is she beautiful or not?
If not, why did you jump so well?
If so, then why was he previously unknown and working as a cashier in a small restaurant?
Each question is like a mystery, full of room for imagination, which makes many people unable to stop, hoping to find more information.
Therefore, once her account was discovered, it quickly went viral on video platforms and Xiaodigua (a Chinese social networking site), and the blurry screenshot of her face was widely circulated. Although her facial features were not clearly visible, the aura of beauty was unique, and many people, like Liu Han and her dormmates, believed that Zhao Feiyan must be beautiful. However, many others thought that she only benefited from her aura, and that her actual appearance was probably average.
Regardless, Zhao Feiyan's account gained 200,000 followers overnight.
[I never expected such a beautiful woman's account to be in such a sorry state. Oh well, I'll follow you anyway.]
[Show your face! Just show your face! If you show your face, you'll easily gain hundreds of thousands, even millions of followers!]
[Things have come to this point, isn't the young lady going to step forward and explain?]
Yes, Zhao Feiyan has never shown her face.
Some people guessed that she might just want to live a low-key life, which they found a bit of a pity.
It seemed that this trending topic, which gained popularity because of dance, was about to end with a superficial discussion about appearances that had nothing to do with each other. However, just one day later, it took an unexpected turn and a new development occurred.
A retired dancer who previously worked for the National Song and Dance Troupe uploaded her video.
"After seeing the trending 'spinning the swallow' video online, I couldn't resist trying it out. I'm sorry to say, I did the movements right, but I didn't catch the bowl."
In the video, she imitated Zhao Feiyan's actions in the small restaurant that day, and the imitation was quite good. However, the stainless steel bowls all fell to the ground with a clatter, making people burst into laughter.
This video also garnered a significant number of views and likes.
The comments section found the dancer funny and endearing, but many viewers had a feeling that, in comparison, the girl in the small restaurant's movements were actually smoother.
They didn't understand those professional evaluation terms, they just thought it was indescribably beautiful and graceful.
Is the "masked woman" really no worse than a professional dancer?
Zhao Feiyan's newly gained fans immediately became proud.
This one video was just the beginning; the #KickTheSwallowChallenge# quickly spread and became a new trend on video platforms. Professional dancers and many dance enthusiasts participated, attracting huge traffic and instantly becoming one of the hottest topics on the internet.
All of this seemed to have been pulled onto a train and then developed in a reckless manner, leaving Lu Xiaoqi, who was monitoring the whole process, dumbfounded.
She was both surprised and nervous, and said to Liu Chan in a little anxiety, "No, this move is quite dangerous if you don't do it well. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to initiate this challenge?"
She had actually thought of this idea a long time ago, but she had never dared to use it, for fear that something might happen to someone.
Liu Chan was also dumbfounded: "No, you think I hired someone to film this video?"
Did his boss overestimate him? The person who initially posted the video was a former professional dancer with the National Song and Dance Troupe and held a certain position in the arts. What qualifications did he have to contact her?
Lu Xiaoqi was a little confused: "Huh? Not you?"
"Boss, you seem to have a misunderstanding about my abilities..." Liu Chan said with a bitter face. "If I had this kind of power, would I have had to struggle to do my own live streams before? But don't worry, boss, I will work hard in that direction."
He thought for a moment, then showered Lu Xiaoqi with compliments: "The boss is really skilled and has a wide network. The female college student account that exposed Sister Zhao's identity was very authentic..."
For them, having multiple accounts is commonplace, but having a real account with a certain number of followers is rare.
A row of question marks appeared above Lu Xiaoqi's head as she interrupted him: "Wait, wasn't that female college student also someone you contacted?"
What does this have to do with her?
Liu Chan opened her mouth: "...Huh?"
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
"It wasn't me!" Liu Chan said weakly. "You said you wanted to add fuel to the fire, so I found someone to play the villain. Then, when I wanted to find someone to expose the accusations, that account popped up. I thought it was something you had planned all along."
Therefore, he immediately withdrew his online army, fearing that it would ruin his boss's plans.
Lu Xiaoqi's expression shifted unpredictably: "So it wasn't you... Wait, wait, then those arguments that followed weren't orchestrated by you either?"
Liu Chan: "No..."
Just as the two were staring at each other, a burst of laughter came from one side of the room. It was Su Jun who couldn't help but laugh after listening to their conversation.
The two of them turned around and looked over at the same time.
Su Jun straightened his lips, his expression still gentle and refined: "Please continue, both of you."
Liu Chan readily agreed: "I do have some clues about those attacks later on. They're clearly the work of online trolls. Someone is definitely trying to muddy the waters and eliminate potential competitors."
Lu Xiaoqi twitched the corner of her mouth: "They're really thinking ahead..."
Liu Chan asked, "So what do we do now? Can we get Sister Zhao to respond? Everyone online is waiting."
The surrounding situation was constantly changing, but the person in question remained steadfastly silent. Liu Chan was quite impressed with his boss's composure.
He misunderstood Lu Xiaoqi.
She had actually wanted Zhao Feiyan to come forward and claim the video for a long time, but things always turned out differently than she expected. Every time things came to a head, a new twist would appear, and then she hesitated, and things ended up like this.
Of course, Liu Chan must not know the intricacies involved.
She gave a soft "hmm" and said calmly, "Yes, everything is going according to plan. It's time to let Sister Zhao out now."
......
After finishing her exam, Liu Han returned to her dormitory exhausted, feeling completely drained.
She was just about to climb into bed for a nap and have someone bring her lunch when she heard her roommate come running back from outside, waving her phone and shouting, "I heard Masked Girl posted a video!"
Liu Han jumped out of bed in a flash.
Nothing could stop her determination to gossip.
Where? Where?
"It's her video account. Hurry up and download it, I haven't even watched it yet!" My roommate excitedly opened her video platform.
It's not easy for her to have endured this long; gossip is only interesting when everyone watches it together.
The three of them huddled together and opened the video account with the ID "Zhao Yizhu".
Upon opening, the first thing that catches the eye is a stunningly beautiful face.
The three of them paused for a second.
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