I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

“You want to do live streaming? Count me out! I can’t sing, I can’t dance—I’m just not cut out for it.”

Yang Yaoyao quickly shook her head at Liu Weiwei’s suggestion.

“I’m not asking you to sing or dance. Just do teaching live streams—like tutoring kids. That’s it.”

Liu Weiwei hurried to explain.

“Wait, just teaching?”

Yang Yaoyao was stunned. She didn’t watch live streams much, but she’d occasionally come across some while scrolling through videos. She had a general idea of what they were about.

“Yeah, that’s what the platform requires. But you do need to provide proof of your academic background and some other documents. If you meet the criteria, then you’ll be allowed to stream on their platform.”

As Liu Weiwei spoke, she pulled out her phone, opened the Boring Short Video app, and found the page listing the requirements for recruiting streamers. She handed it to Yang Yaoyao.

“Take a look. It’s all written there.”

Yang Yaoyao took the phone and read through the recruitment details. Sure enough, it was just as Liu Weiwei had said.

But still...

Just for teaching live streams, the pay ranged from 100 to 400 yuan an hour? That was pretty generous.

And there were no performance targets?

“This isn’t some kind of scam, is it?”

After reading it, Yang Yaoyao looked at Liu Weiwei with concern. Good things don’t just fall from the sky—how could a live streaming platform offer something this good?

“Well, it’s not impossible.”

Liu Weiwei didn’t deny her concern. She nodded in agreement, but then added,

“Whether it’s a scam or not, we won’t know until we try. It says here we can sign an electronic contract online, so we don’t even have to go in person. That means our personal safety isn’t at risk.”

“The only thing we need to watch out for is if they try to get money from us. As long as the platform asks for money in any form, we just refuse.”

“So, as long as we stay alert, we won’t get scammed.”

“But what if the offer is real? Then we wouldn’t need to go out and tutor anymore. We could just stream from our dorm or even from home.”

Yang Yaoyao listened to Liu Weiwei and found her reasoning pretty convincing.

As long as they stayed cautious, didn’t pay any fees, or give out bank passwords or anything unreasonable...

“Should we give it a try?”

“Of course we should! I’ll make the call.”

Liu Weiwei said excitedly. She’d been a little nervous about doing this alone, but now that someone was doing it with her, she felt much more at ease.

She looked at the phone number listed under the recruitment ad.

Liu Weiwei pulled out her phone and dialed.

The call connected quickly.

“Hello, is this Li Shen?”

Liu Weiwei asked cautiously.

“Yes, are you calling about the streamer position?”

Li Shen replied. He had just gotten this new number specifically for recruitment purposes.

“Yes, I’d like to become a streamer. What are the requirements?”

“All the requirements are listed in the recruitment post. What kind of content are you planning to stream?”

“I’m a student at a teachers’ university. I’d like to stream academic subjects. Is that allowed?”

“As long as it’s legitimate educational content, of course it’s allowed.”

Li Shen’s interest was piqued the moment he heard she was from a teachers’ university. Academic content from a student like her was exactly what they needed.

“But as you saw in the requirements, since you haven’t graduated yet, you’ll need to provide your university admission letter and your grades in the subject you want to teach. We need to verify those.”

“Once everything checks out, then we can sign a contract and make you an official streamer on our platform.”

“I have both the admission letter and my transcripts. Are there any other requirements? Like, do we need to pay any fees? Or are there hidden penalties in the contract or anything like that?”

Liu Weiwei asked directly, voicing the concerns she’d been holding in.

Li Shen chuckled slightly on the other end of the line.

“You’re worried we’re a scam, right? Don’t worry—we don’t charge any fees. The contract is a standard employment agreement, and there are no penalty clauses.”

“If you’re still unsure, our company is based in Jiangcheng. You’re welcome to visit and check us out in person.”

“Our only requirement is that you have the qualifications and ability to teach. Once you become a streamer, you’ll be expected to stream 2 to 4 hours a day. No less than 2, no more than 4. If you go over 4 hours, you won’t be paid for the extra time.”

“We also have network moderators who will monitor your content. If you slack off or frequently make mistakes in your teaching, we reserve the right to revoke your streaming privileges.”

“Any other questions?”

“N-no, that’s all. So, what do I need to do to become a streamer?”

Liu Weiwei quickly responded, a little embarrassed that her worries had been so easily seen through.

But since none of her concerns were an issue, there was no reason not to go for it!

“There’s a ‘Become a Streamer’ option on your short video profile page. Go there and follow the instructions to upload your admission letter, transcripts, and other documents.”

“Someone on our end will review your application. Based on your qualifications, we’ll determine if you’re eligible and set your streaming rate accordingly.”

Li Shen explained patiently.

The platform was in urgent need of streamers, so every new recruit was valuable.

“Great, we’ll upload our documents as soon as possible. Thank you!”

Liu Weiwei replied quickly, said a few polite words, and then hung up.

“Well? How’d it go?”

Yang Yaoyao asked eagerly the moment Liu Weiwei ended the call.

Liu Weiwei looked thrilled. “So far, it doesn’t seem like a scam. They didn’t ask for anything unreasonable. Come on, let’s get our documents together and upload them.”

“Alright!”

Yang Yaoyao nodded. Since nothing sounded shady, it was worth a try.

If she could really earn money just by teaching through live streaming, she wouldn’t have to do private tutoring anymore.

And after hearing about Liu Weiwei’s own experience, she was a little scared too.

............

Jiang City,

Mingri Group.

Boring Short Video.

Li Shen sat in an office, slowly hanging up the phone.

He had received a call from Assistant Shen yesterday, and today he came over to replace all the money trees with other types of greenery.

“Brother Shen, all the plants have been switched out,” Wu Yu said as he walked in from outside.

“Mm. Did you take the talisman papers out of the old plants?” Li Shen looked up at Wu Yu. When he bought the money trees, he had specifically gone to a temple to get some talismans and buried them in the pots.

But since President Chen said the money trees didn’t match the room’s decor, he figured it was fine to switch them out for other plants. He could just bury the talismans in the new pots.

It might be a bit superstitious, but it gave him peace of mind.