Chapter 10: A Viral Video

It was lunchtime, and as a corporate employee, Yao Xi picked up her phone to browse short videos and kill some time.

Because she had two cats, the algorithm recommended her videos from pet influencers.

Soon, her eyes were drawn to a trending video.

The video was titled "This is a Guide to Discouraging Cat Adoption."

She was used to seeing other influencers showing off how cute and smart their cats were to encourage people to adopt cats. This reverse approach to discourage adoption was new to her. The view count was already in the hundreds of thousands.

This immediately piqued Yao Xi's curiosity.

She clicked on the video.

"Hello everyone, I'm Selene. This little guy focused on eating is my newly adopted orange tabby, named Orange."

As the video showed the tabby cat eating, a gentle female voice narrated over soft music.

"I used to not like cats and never thought about adopting one until an accident brought this little guy into my life. I believe most people are like me..."

"Although it's already quite exhausting to take care of myself, there's a mysterious confidence that makes me think raising a cat is easy."

"But... Is raising a cat really that simple?"

"I have to say, I've already avoided many problems since I'm an economically independent adult and don't live with my parents, so I didn't face any opposition from family members."

"But as someone who can't afford to buy a house in a big city, I still have to bow to reality."

"The first problem was my landlord's eviction notice."

The gentle music abruptly stopped, replaced by comical music, and the screen displayed a screenshot of a chat.

Selene couldn't help but laugh when she saw the image, and comments started flying across the screen.

[Oh, it's you!]

[Selene, are you still going to post the cat food vlog you mentioned on Weibo?]

[Haha, Orange is so cute, the landlord must be heartless]

[I thought this little tabby looked familiar, my friend has been using its stickers lately]

[Huh? How does everyone know this influencer?]

[The previous commenter, Selene's screenshot went viral recently!]

"My landlord is a good person, but she's allergic to cat hair and couldn't tolerate a constantly shedding creature in her house."

"Fortunately, she's not allergic to human hair, or I would've been kicked out long ago."

"Speaking of shedding, I don't blame the cat at all. It's a biological instinct, something beyond its control."

[Hahaha]

[Help, I feel personally attacked]

[Exactly, my hair is the same—anywhere but my head]

[True, Selene is right, cats shed a lot. I never imagined being overwhelmed by cat hair before owning one]

Yao Xi couldn't help but smile and nod. She had two long-haired cats at home, and cleaning was a constant headache.

"I finally found a pet-friendly rental and moved in happily, only to face another issue."

"Who knew my cat would be a picky eater? Those who've been through it know how hard it is to deal with."

"As a new 'mom,' I wanted to provide my baby with healthy food it liked, so I researched and started trying homemade cooked food."

"But that was just the beginning of the torment."

"Don't get me wrong, the challenge wasn't making the cat food. Homemade cooked food turned out to be easier and cheaper than I thought, a very cost-effective feeding method."

"The real ordeal was what happened on my way to buy meat."

"Enjoy the following video."

Even though the faces in the video were heavily pixelated, Yao Xi could still sense the unpleasantness of the old man in it. She was glad the influencer stood up to him, or she would've felt suffocated.

"I'm not posting this video to condemn the 'helpful old man,' because he likely represents many others who think like him. He's just a reflection of a larger mindset."

"But what he said truly disturbed me."

"Being good to your cat can make people question if you're neglecting your parents."

"I found that logic bizarre. By that logic, no matter where you spend your time, you're being unfilial unless you spend 100% of your time, energy, and money on your parents."

"Undoubtedly, this is moral coercion."

"And this kind of moral coercion is not uncommon. It comes in various forms, catching you off guard. For some people, owning a cat is a sin."

She paused, then continued:

"Most people highlight the joy and happiness of owning a cat, but hardly anyone talks about the costs."

"Opposition from relatives, cat hair everywhere, the endless task of cleaning the litter box, potential destruction of curtains and sofas by cat claws, high vet bills, and gossip from others..."

"I can honestly tell you, these are things you'll likely face after getting a cat."

"The most heartbreaking part is... Your cat might not be as cute and well-behaved as you imagined. It might be timid and sensitive, hiding all the time, not close to you, or even attacking you."

...

"I've talked for a while, and my main point is—"

"I hope everyone can think more rationally before deciding to adopt a cat, rather than impulsively bringing one home and then regretting it, leading to abandonment."

"I'm Selene, a newbie cat owner still learning the ropes. Follow me for more fun and insightful cat content."

Yao Xi silently liked the video and followed the influencer. To her, this video was genuinely meaningful and sincere.

She had seen too many cases of impulsive pet adoption followed by abandonment: couples adopting pets during their relationship and abandoning them after breaking up; children wanting pets on a whim and abandoning them once the novelty wore off; people adopting pets after seeing cute videos online but abandoning them when reality didn't match their expectations...

If every pet owner could be more responsible, there wouldn't be so many homeless animals. She hoped this video would make more people think.

However, Yao Xi also knew that changing people's mindsets was a long process. The current popularity of the video wasn't due to such deep reasons...

The comments section was buzzing with arguments.

[This old man is meddling way too much]

[The old man isn't wrong. Nowadays, young women treat cats and dogs like babies, refusing to have children. Humans will go extinct because of them]

[Oh great, another moralist lecturing on reproduction! If you're so worried about humanity's future, why don't you have a bunch of kids yourself instead of preaching here]

[Selene is so petty, the old man is just an elder casually talking. Now she's exposing him online for people to attack him]

[Casually talking? Selene initially didn't want to argue, but the old man insisted on pushing his views. It's normal for her to expose him]

[Do you know the old man personally or his name? This isn't an attack. If you're so concerned, why don't you meditate like Buddha instead]

...

Selene, looking at the video analytics in her dashboard, was a bit surprised.

She had expected the video to do well but hadn't anticipated such good numbers. It was already the fifth most popular video on the platform.

Selene smiled as she watched the views climb, sighing, "It's mainly thanks to the old man."

She initially planned to make an educational video, but Selene realized that such videos didn't have high engagement in the pet community, and the content was already saturated with little room for creativity.

As someone familiar with marketing, Selene knew that for a video to go viral, it needed "discussability"—different viewpoints clashing to attract people to voice their opinions, thereby snowballing into greater visibility.

The encounter with Uncle Lin at the farmers' market became the perfect material for an unconventional educational video.

The result was smooth. She conveyed her intended message, and the video generated the necessary discussion and engagement. On the video platform, metrics like these could translate into real monetary rewards.

This single video earned her two thousand yuan.

Perfect for buying a brand new freezer!

Selene quickly opened the shopping app, carefully selected a freezer, and placed the order without hesitation.

She knew herself too well. If she waited a few more days, she might end up buying a second-hand freezer to save money. This wasn't just for storing meat for herself; it was for her cat, so she needed to be cautious.

If the cat got sick, vet bills would be far more expensive than hospital bills for people, and there was no insurance for pets!

Seeing the payment confirmation, Selene sighed.

Her already tight budget was now even more strained.

She needed to make more money.

Selene stared at her video analytics, lost in thought.

Running a social media account required a strong start, but it also needed consistent content to maintain momentum.

Selene was now contemplating her next steps.

In social media management, the concept of a niche was crucial. Simply put, creators needed to find a style and topic they were good at and delve deep into it.

For example, if you focus on cooking, you should consistently post cooking content. If it was fashion, stick to fashion. Many people failed to grow their accounts because they had too many ideas.

Haphazard content made it difficult for algorithms to push videos to the right audience, making it hard to accumulate followers.

So, sticking to a niche was important.

Selene had found her niche as a pet influencer, but she hadn't decided on the specific content within that niche.

With the rising trend of pet ownership, especially among young people in big cities, many influencers were shifting their focus to this area. Selene, through her previous job, had encountered many pet influencers and was familiar with popular topics in this field: pet daily life, pet education, pet mukbangs, and pet tricks...

If she chose to make standard pet daily life videos, she believed she could succeed through consistent effort. But Selene wanted to stand out, not just blend in.

With her unique "cat condition," she had an edge that she needed to maximize.

After spending two days watching popular pet videos domestically and internationally, Selene found a topic that suited her well.

And that was... pet sound buttons.

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