Chapter Three: Ten Thousand Broken in One Night

Clang. Clang.

The persistent chime of phone notifications rang out again and again. Half-awake and half-asleep, Lin Ke drifted through a series of muddled dreams. In them, she was being hunted by some unknown figure, fleeing wildly, leaping over rooftops and scaling walls, even launching herself out a window into midair.

Still groggy, she grabbed her phone and suddenly noticed the bright red "99+" pinned to the top—it startled her fully awake.

Cocoon Breaker app, 99+?

Her mind not yet fully alert, Lin Ke stared in confusion as she tapped into Cocoon Breaker, confronted by a cascade of little red bubbles.

"Congratulations, rising creator! The video you just posted has surpassed 100 likes and is now a potential hit. Keep it up!"

"Congratulations, rising creator! Your video has just passed 1,000 likes and is now considered a seed content. The system will automatically continue boosting your exposure."

"Congratulations, rising creator! Your video has surpassed 10,000 likes, making you a leader in your category! Your popularity now exceeds 99% of creators~"

There was no doubt—the video Lin Ke had filmed last night with no expectations before bed had gone viral overnight. In just a few hours, the view count had soared into six digits, a stark contrast to her previous videos, which struggled to reach even a few dozen or hundreds.

Could such a windfall really happen out of nowhere?

Cocoon Breaker’s newcomer promotion plan rewarded one cent per like! For every 1,000 views, you received a 10 yuan bonus!

In just one night, she’d made several hundred yuan?

Hadn’t it always been just a couple of bucks before?

Having been a nobody for so long, Lin Ke’s first reaction was disbelief. The leading comments on her video left her utterly baffled, not to mention the sudden influx of crude remarks from strangers.

"Another heartbroken girl crying at night—being betrayed by the one you love is truly devastating."

"Looks like a canary thrown out of the gilded cage! Wants both money and freedom, huh?"

"Aren’t our lives the same? The pain from our families is something we can never escape."

"Don’t be afraid, girl! Step out from under the umbrella and you’ll realize it’s not even raining in the world outside!"

The comment section was a chaotic mess. The only clue was that her video had somehow been tagged with a trending topic called "Caged Bird." Under this tag, similar videos abounded, yet hers sat firmly at the top.

There was no way it wouldn’t go viral—this was Cocoon Breaker’s number one trending topic!

Lin Ke was not the only one to make a video with the same message, but unlike the AI-synthesized clips with electronic voices and scenic backdrops, hers featured her real self, her emotions overflowing, tugging at the heartstrings of all who watched.

(Ah, so chilly / meme)

No wonder her likes were off the charts!

According to Cocoon Breaker’s analytics, 99% of her video’s popularity came from platform promotion. Her followers had now skyrocketed to 9,865 and were still climbing before her very eyes.

Platform promotion?

Could that big shot she’d chatted with yesterday have been telling the truth? Was this the real reason her video blew up?

Now Lin Ke was filled with regret—why hadn’t she shamelessly asked for that guy’s contact information last night, or at least filmed a few more videos?

Overnight riches were no longer just a dream!

Just as her followers crossed the 10,000 mark, a message from the platform arrived on her creator account.

It was an invitation.

"Dear rising creator Keke,

Congratulations on standing out in Cocoon Breaker’s Newcomer Breakout Competition. Now, before you lies the path to greatness.

Break Up MCN cordially invites you to participate in the selection for our ‘Hundred Butterflies Ascending’ Grand Tournament.

We will recruit 101 full-time streamers for the competition. After three rounds of elimination, the top ten Butterfly Kings will be awarded million-yuan annual contracts.

By joining the ‘Hundred Butterflies Ascending’ tournament, you will receive:

Exposure to billions of viewers per year, promotion to over ten million users, targeted placement by leading media outlets, and a dedicated management team for full-spectrum support.

During the tournament, streamers will receive 50% of all income generated under full platform support. Regardless of progression, any creator with daily UV > 1,000 may opt to sign with us.

Cocoon Breaker will share both risks and rewards with you, guiding you on your exclusive path to greatness.

If you wish to become a full-time streamer, please fill out the attached form and await your interview notification. Passing the interview will qualify you for the tournament.

From cocoon to butterfly, I await you at the summit of the gods."

Lin Ke read and reread those lines on her computer screen at least ten times.

So miracles really did happen.

A million-yuan salary! Billions in exposure!

This was an offer from Cocoon Breaker—a company where she couldn’t even land a job as a receptionist!

Even if she didn’t win in the end, just getting 50% of all earnings during the tournament was enough to make her envious.

Lin Ke had already witnessed the power of platform promotion.

Her first impulse was to call her boyfriend—thanks to this video, at least she’d have her rent covered. And with this invitation, Lin Ke felt she was on the verge of a promotion and a raise, her life about to soar.

But on the other end, the line was always busy. After several failed attempts, excitement and joy swirled inside her with nowhere to go, her happiness dampened a little.

So she turned to her best friend, Xu Meiqi, and invited her to a dessert shop.

"Qiqi, that’s the situation—I’m still in a daze. You know this business better than I do. Give me your advice."

Xu Meiqi had been her college roommate, living in the bunk just below Lin Ke’s. She’d switched off countless lights for her, handed over pens, notebooks, phones, and chargers when needed.

In turn, Lin Ke had bought Qiqi breakfast countless times and fetched buckets of hot water for her.

They were the best of friends, inseparable throughout their school years.

Lin Ke had chosen to become a streamer after learning from Xu Meiqi. But Qiqi was no slouch—she’d signed with Yellow Lantern MCN before even graduating, and now she had her own dedicated manager.

Xu Meiqi waved her hand dismissively. "My situation’s different, you know that. Mainly my boyfriend’s in this line, small company, so I just get some perks on the side."

Girls’ spending habits were always curious—Lin Ke, who would never splurge an extra 8 yuan for a sausage on her grilled pancakes, now happily treated her friend to a 25-yuan bowl of mango sago.

Looking at the invitation on Lin Ke’s phone, Xu Meiqi didn’t find anything suspicious.

"It’s definitely official, looks legit. Plus, they want a face-to-face interview, right? Cocoon Breaker will hold it at their own headquarters—no way it’s a scam. They won’t ship you off to Myanmar or anything!"

The invitation’s grand promises didn’t mean much in reality. All the traffic was the platform’s, after all—there was no telling how much would trickle down to an individual.

Still, there was no denying that having a big backer was always better than going it alone.

"But there’s something you should watch out for. Since it’s full-time, the company might take ownership of your account. All MCNs do that—they won’t pour money into you for nothing."

When you’re new, one phone number per account doesn’t seem like much, but once you have tens of thousands of followers, you realize that unless you’re a top-tier creator, your account is the real golden goose.