Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 185, Section 183: Her Self-Realization
Du Jianuo wasn't asleep, but it seemed as if she had lost her keen senses.

It was as if she had a long dream.

In her dream, scalding lava soaked her body and soul, burning her form and beliefs.

She couldn't even quite remember when Zhou Mingyuan slowly stopped that last movement, or how he picked up the nightgown from the corner and wrapped it around himself with his arms.

And how did he fill the bathtub with warm water, then hold me close and gently close our eyes together?

The senior student was left with only one sense.

After the storm, he was so gentle, having put away all his rudeness and directness.

Once Du Jianuo regained some of her senses, she found herself soaking in a warm, comfortable bathtub filled with fluffy white steam.

At the same time, she was also lying in the arms of a strong, muscular man.

Her thick, curly hair was carefully tied up, and her entire back was leaning against his chest.

"Um... I was a bit rough just now, and it seems I really tore your new clothes."

Zhou Mingyuan spoke as if he were very serious.

"Yes, it's alright."

Du Jianuo felt like crying and laughing at the same time, and a soft moan escaped her nose.

She curled up like a kitten, hiding in Zhou Mingyuan's arms, her neck tilted back, and remained motionless.

If it's broken, it's broken.

Those are all unimportant things.

Don't disturb her enjoying this moment of tenderness.

"At the dinner table today, someone praised you for your dedication."

"While other girls are having fun and having parties, you're just staying at home and quietly doing live streams."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"."

Du Jianuo listened to his sincere words and couldn't contain the sweetness in her heart. She turned her head and wrapped her arms around the man's neck.

"It's not hard work at all~ I find my work very enjoyable."

"You enjoy your job that much?"

Zhou Mingyuan smiled, stretched out his left hand, and gently touched the tip of his senior's nose, which was covered in fine sweat.

"like."

Du Jianuo nodded and then added.

"Of course, it's not just about liking the feeling of earning money through your own efforts."

"Being liked by more and more viewers and seen by more eyes is a completely different feeling."

The senior student shrugged, trying to find a suitable word to describe it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The work process is not arduous, but rather joyful and fulfilling.

After thinking for a long time, a heart full of complicated emotions reached the tip of her tongue, but she could only squeeze out a slightly bewildered and cute voice.

"A very happy feeling."

I understand you.

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and put his arm around the girl's waist: "Have you heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs?"

"Yes, I've heard a little about it."

Du Jianuo bit her lip and nodded gently.

"In fact, once you receive the signing fee, you've already skipped over the most basic needs for survival and safety."

"As for the sense of belonging and respect that follow, the company and I will gradually provide them to you in the process."

"So the current live streaming task is closer to self-actualization for you."

Beneath the surface, a large hand began to wander restlessly, but was soon pulled by ten other slender, white fingers and pressed against the lower abdomen.

Although Du Jianuo is an art student, she has still heard of this overused five-level theory.

She also knew that the highest level of need is self-actualization.

Talents and potential are fully utilized in the right areas, moving towards personal ideals and aspirations, achieving creative and groundbreaking progress in one's career.

Are you like this?
After pondering for a while, Du Jianuo had to admit that Zhou Mingyuan made sense.

Now, the Douyu ID "uno酱" and the live stream room number "6610" don't need much explanation to casual viewers in any live stream.

To some extent, she has already made a name for herself on Douyu, a newly established live streaming platform.

"Hey, stop moving around!"

Unable to hold the boss down with either hand, Du Jianuo raised her chin, leaned closer, and tried to let the hair on the back of her neck brush against the tip of his nose.

She's okay with playing games with her boss using strange nicknames.

She also had to admit that she had begun to enjoy the feeling of exercise.

But if she had a choice, she would rather linger in the brief moments in the bathtub.

Because at this moment, it seemed that there was more than just physical understanding between her and Zhou Mingyuan.

They are more like an ordinary young couple, sharing intimate time and space for each other.

She wanted to find some "serious" things to say to prolong this precious time.

"President Zhou~"

"Ok?"

"Tonight I'm the champion of turnover."

She spoke cautiously, even wanting to secretly turn her head to see Zhou Mingyuan's facial expression.

In fact, frequent physical contact is more like a cheat code for intimate relationships.

Du Jianuo already knew her boss much better and knew what kind of topics would pique his interest in responding.

"what?"

Zhou Mingyuan raised his eyebrows, his tone changing slightly.

"What champion? The top-grossing player across all platforms?"

He did listen to what he was told.

"Yes."

Du Jianuo chuckled, a hint of smugness in her voice.

"There were a lot of viewers tonight, and the atmosphere was great. Douyu's super moderators and operations team helped me with an event, which helped me climb to the top in one go."

"You've got something special, Uno-sensei~"

Zhou Mingyuan rubbed his chin, his mood also lifted by his senior's joyful expression.

Earlier that evening, while drinking with Zhong Yujun, he briefly watched a short while using Bai Yueguang's Douyu account.

However, this was only during the initial broadcast period; it did not continue into the later stages, and Du Jianuo's Double Eleven sales peak was not witnessed.

"Is our Nono that amazing?"

It took Zhou Mingyuan several seconds to react before his eyes widened again, and he kneaded his senior's lower abdomen, clearly very surprised.

To everyone's surprise, Du Jianuo was actually quite determined.

Since joining Douyu, he has watched his senior sister rise to fame, become even more amazing, and continue to amaze until everyone started to get used to it.

In terms of Zhou Mingyuan and Jieyou Media's contributions behind the scenes, most of their influence actually came from the early, initial stages.

Once she had a group of truly loyal fans, Douyu immediately provided the corresponding support and response.

One-on-one super moderators, specifically responsible for content review and related communication matters.

One-on-one live streaming operations helped her build her own content barrier.

Jieyou Media is definitely professional.

But before changing work locations and continuing to recruit, not many people were flocking around Du Jianuo.

The huge viewership she generated during the premiere was largely due to her genuine personal charm.

The remaining portion consists of underhanded tactics employed by the boss to regulate the dance area.

It must be said that this crackdown on borderline streamers has had an immediate effect.

It's impossible to completely condemn them, but since the detailed rules for deducting points in live streaming were introduced, many female streamers who used to make a living by casually jumping around and earning money have found that life isn't so easy anymore.

The live stream is constantly getting points deducted, which leads to a drop in viewership. If the points are deducted to the minimum, the stream may even be shut down by the moderators.

In the internet age, people's patience and attention span are probably measured in seconds.

How can we broadcast this?
Therefore, a stable and visually appealing live streaming room has become a safe haven for most viewers.

In addition, Du Jianuo herself is hardworking and cherishes this hard-won opportunity. It's only a matter of time before her popularity skyrockets.

"It's okay~"

Du Jianuo pursed her cherry lips, appearing humble and low-key, but a smile subtly curved her lips.

"It's not that great, it's just that those big streamers are probably just quietly playing games, no one organizes events like we do, plus we're just lucky."

"First place is first place, don't be shy."

Zhou Mingyuan lowered his head, gently touched his senior's fair swan neck, and continued speaking.

"Did the revenue in October and November both exceed the threshold?"

"I mean what I say. I'll revise the contract later and increase your profit share."

"Please make time to come to the company on a weekday."

"what"

Du Jianuo's beautiful eyes sparkled, her expression filled with unexpected surprise.

"what?!"

How should I bring it up?

"Did you read the contract for nothing? Wasn't the profit split with the company supposed to be 70/30?"

Zhou Mingyuan said slowly and deliberately, "The target we set has been exceeded for two consecutive months, so now we're raising the profit split to 60/40."

"We'll review the overall results this month and then set goals for the next phase."

"Strive to achieve a 50/50 revenue split as soon as possible."

"That's too fast. Even the most senior veterans in the industry only get a 50/50 score. Can I really do that?"

Du Jianuo's eyes widened.

"What's wrong with you?"

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and spread his hands: "What's wrong with the senior now?"

"People are essentially only experienced, not old."

"Age is just an empty concept of time, and it has no value whatsoever."

"The essential meaning of life is to experience, learn, and make mistakes, and these come from cognition, ambition, courage, and strong execution."

"Cognition solves the problem of knowing or not knowing, ambition solves the problem of wanting or not wanting, courage solves the problem of daring or not daring, and execution solves the problem of doing or not doing. These four are mutually dependent and supportive, and none can be dispensed with."

"Often, when you make a breakthrough in one area, it can lead to improvements in the other three areas."

"Take you for example. With your execution ability improved, your cognitive ambition and courage are advancing by leaps and bounds. Now, don't you think achieving a turnover of 200,000 is easy?"

"Wow, it really is."

Du Jianuo clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

To be honest, she had almost forgotten about it!

As early as when she signed the live streaming contract with Zhou Mingyuan, Du Jianuo had already made the 70/30 revenue split a fixed percentage.

At the time, she never thought she could break through the 200,000 production line set by her boss.

After all, the income and revenue from his previous live streams were, to put it bluntly, just a tiny bit.

Can it take off just by changing the platform?
That's utterly absurd! How could that be possible?!
But when it comes to herself now, she feels it's only natural, as if it were her destiny.

Is 200,000 RMB a lot of revenue for the top female dancer on Douyu?
drizzle.

Even if the boss doesn't adjust it for her, is a 70/30 split in the contract reasonable?
reasonable.

Most MCN companies have this revenue sharing ratio, and there are even a considerable number of unscrupulous large companies in the industry that start with an 80/20 split.

However, for top streamers, especially those on the rise, such revenue-sharing contracts almost inevitably lead to feelings of resentment.

Why is it that I work hard all day and night doing live streams, but the company takes the lion's share of the profits?

Does that mean I can't broadcast without a company?
The income jumped exponentially from a 70/30 split to a 60/40 split.

Holy crap!

Isn't this a windfall?

Du Jianuo felt as if a huge pie had fallen from the sky; she was overjoyed beyond measure.

Surprise!

What a wonderful surprise!

This was the first time she had truly appreciated the painstaking effort her boss had put into designing the contract.

It turns out he really did it for his own good.

original
This is what a truly interdependent and long-lasting working relationship should be.

With most of her body submerged in the warm water, Du Jianuo couldn't help but recall that scene from the past.

He made that promise seriously.

We should witness each other through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and help each other become better versions of ourselves.

At that moment, she suddenly understood many things that she hadn't understood before.

such as
An intimate relationship that has always been shrouded in mystery.

Zhou Mingyuan once told her that there are many kinds of long-lasting intimate relationships.

Legal wife, girlfriend, lover, casual sex partner, colleague, good friend, or even just a casual friend.
These are just terms used in relation to universal values; they are not important.

However, to truly understand whether a relationship aligns with a genuine and lasting intimate bond, its essence has absolutely nothing to do with its title.

He also said that...

The deepest level of intimacy between two people is called the resonance of their destinies.

At first, Du Jianuo struggled to understand this grand topic.

But she is beginning to understand.

Even if it's under the guise of dating, holding hands, kissing, going to bed, embracing naked face to face, does that equate to a real intimate relationship?

not necessarily.

Humans always act out eternity and true feelings when they are entangled in bed, but after pulling up their pants and transforming into sages, they suddenly become exceptionally calm.

Some people, even when they sleep together, hug back to back, are just going through the motions, feigning affection.

But the resonance of fate sounds more sophisticated.

Just like the relationship between Zhou Mingyuan and Du Jianuo, it's more like two gears meshing in perfect harmony.

In deep, intimate relationships, each other's needs are dynamic and resonate with one another.

When we get out of the pit, we get out of the pit together; when we go uphill, we go uphill together; when we move forward, we move forward together; when we endure, we endure together; when we reach the summit, we reach the summit together; when we disappear, we disappear together.

The prerequisite for achieving this effect is that the fates and futures of the two people are closely linked and deeply integrated.

The only way to maintain a lasting relationship is through a deep entanglement of interests between the two parties.

In fact, life itself is boring.

When two people are together, they need some tools to fight against the daily repetition, the gradual loss of novelty, the Coolidge effect and genes, and to break the legendary seven-year itch.

What is the best tool?
Aside from emotions and blood ties, it's all about career.

Their intertwined careers are intertwined with each other's deepest destinies.

In his previous life, Zhou Lu particularly liked a quote from Rockefeller.

—The interests formed based on feelings are far less stable than the feelings formed based on interests.

This is the stark reality.

Most couples and lovers, on the surface, live together for a long time, but when their relationship encounters challenges, they often become a familiar typical case.

That McDonald's by the river, and that chilling laugh.
Husbands and wives are birds of the same forest, and when disaster strikes, they fly separately.

Without a deep bond, there's nothing worth clinging to.

If any difficulties or obstacles arise, the first thing to do is to cut off the person you love and run away.

But if two people's interests are intertwined, their success or failure is intertwined, then it is very difficult for them to separate.

Even if there are differing opinions, abandoning the other person will not be the first choice, and there will still be many common topics.

This is the lesson her boss taught her through words and deeds.

If you want a lasting relationship with someone you care about, you must participate in each other's careers and interests.

There is no such thing as love in a vacuum in this world.

Zhou Mingyuan said it, and he did it.

(End of this chapter)