Chu Tingwu didn't expect that the first to come knocking would be the Chewan City Culture and Tourism Bureau, not the management of the Shexue Snow Mountain scenic spot.
Her stay in Chewan City during the New Year wasn't a secret, and while the "VR live-streaming equipment" was still vague and hadn't given the eager fans a clear answer, the Chewan Culture and Tourism Bureau chose to trust her.
—They decided to be the first to take the plunge.
Chu Tingwu was a bit surprised that the decision-maker from the bureau came in person, but she had initially intended to decline.
It wasn't because she wanted to monopolize the technology to boost her own popularity, but because she didn't want to take such a big step right from the start.
Chu Tingwu didn't want the VR experience pods to become a luxury toy accessible only to the wealthy. While its applications covered all aspects of society, it was impossible to reduce the cost and widely deploy it in the short term. It was better to take a long-term approach.
The decision-maker noticed her surprise:
“Maybe in a decade or so, VR live-streaming will become a common industry, and we'll be able to get VR equipment at a lower cost, but what would be the point then? You're in Chewan City, and we happen to need the foot traffic brought by new equipment. If we miss this opportunity, I'll regret it for the next ten years.”
They planned to have the Culture and Tourism Bureau lead the initiative, using VR live-streaming as a hook to promote the Shexue Snow Mountain and the ski resort at its foot.
VR live-streaming could do more than just broadcast. Based on the information Chu Tingwu had revealed, the new equipment she used could allow people with mobility issues to feel the sensation of standing again, enable those too weak to leave home to experience the joy of travel, and serve as a better teaching tool... In the long run, it was a new device that could change the way society entertains itself.
Chu Tingwu: "You want to put the VR experience pods in Chewan City? But since many people already come to this snow mountain city to ski, would using the equipment for promotion still make sense?"
Seeing that Chu Tingwu's attitude was softening, the decision-maker explained more patiently:
"Because many people are very good at giving up."
Just because someone comes to a snow mountain city doesn't mean they'll go hiking or skiing. The cost of renting equipment and entering the ski area can deter a lot of people.
Those tourists might follow the tour group, walk around, take a couple of photos at the check-in points, maybe try skiing once, and then leave, posting on their social media: "Went skiing, but it wasn't that fun."
Of course, the Culture and Tourism Bureau didn't expect everyone to find the sport interesting, but they wanted to lower the barrier to trying it:
"Using VR equipment, you can experience the thrill of skiing alongside the host without having to spend time learning or practicing, and the cost will also be lower."
Getting a sense of achievement first, and then learning, is more effective than struggling through the learning process and barely gaining any sense of achievement... More people will stick around.
So when the person in charge saw the effects of Chu Tingwu's VR live-streaming equipment, even though the effects were based on feedback from test users, they couldn't help but contact her.
...Of course, it might also be because Chu Tingwu's VR had gone viral, and her location was repeatedly pushed to the decision-maker's screen.
Business matters still required professionals to discuss. Chu Tingwu lent two sets of equipment from her guesthouse to the handover staff for them to experience, while she herself did not pay attention to the negotiations.
Because the system would inform her of the progress.
When she participated in the Chewan skiing competition, the system whispered in her ear:
"They want to order a hundred sets, with twenty arriving within ten days, but the experience pods can be provided, though the live-streaming equipment can't arrive that quickly—so they also want to customize recorded broadcasts..."
After the negotiation, the system seemed to require that Chewan couldn't use the live-streaming equipment to broadcast other content, with all the content written into the contract focused on promoting the snow mountain.
This condition was a bit harsh, and the price of the equipment wasn't low, with the cost price plus profit and expedited fees. In return, Chewan City demanded that the system not sell the equipment to competing industries within three years.
...Such as other cities with snow mountains that also wanted to use skiing live-streaming as their theme.
The negotiation couldn't be completed in a short time, with both sides repeatedly haggling over the details, but the chances of reaching an agreement were high.
Chu Tingwu's live-streaming equipment hadn't been lent out yet, but fans soon noticed that there were two more viewers during her broadcasts.
Fans: "?"
So when is your link going to be up?
Chu Tingwu: "Hello everyone, I'm currently at the Chewan non-professional skiing competition. I'm not the host; I'm a contestant. This is my second race, the semifinals—but I can also introduce the contestants on behalf of the host."
No one really cares about your amateur competition, so when is your link going to be up?
This was indeed an amateur competition. This event, open to citizens and tourists, had lenient requirements and simple registration. There were multiple races a day, making it a large-scale local entertainment event.
The only regret was that one could only register once and couldn't sign up repeatedly to take up others' spots.
Compared to the preliminary rounds, there were more professionals in the semifinals, looking quite impressive. But Chu Tingwu still had a strange amateur vibe around her:
On her left was a sixty-something Aunt Mei, dressed in thick clothes, looking like she just wanted to finish skiing so she could go home and buy some vegetables on the way. On her right was a boy who looked like he hadn't even finished elementary school, handing over his water bottle to his waiting parents before the race, muttering, "Keep winning, and I can play for two more days before doing my winter homework."
Chu Tingwu, on a snowboard, was sandwiched in the middle, bouncing a couple of times to adjust her stance.
Amateur races often resulted in collisions. Unlike professional competitions, everyone started almost simultaneously, and instead of focusing on their own performance, they might pray that those around them wouldn't make mistakes that would roll onto their track. But it was precisely because of this "amateur" nature that some bizarre and viral antics often occurred.
When encountering obstacles created by opponents (even if unintentionally), some chose to leap over, others to turn around, but some chose to pull the fallen opponent up, holding hands, and completing the race in a pose reminiscent of a ballroom dance.
Although the two dancers arrived at the finish line at the same time, it didn't cause trouble for the judges.
Because they were the last two, and didn't advance to the semifinals.
They just managed to enter others' social media feeds with their "dance moves."
When the starting gun went off, Chu Tingwu set off from the slope.
During every sport, she would fully immerse herself in the activity, only explaining details to the audience in her live broadcast during breaks. And obviously, there were no breaks in a skiing competition.
During her "live broadcast," perhaps to reciprocate, or maybe because some preliminary discussions had already been settled, the local Chewan TV station quietly added a small sub-channel in the corner of the screen.
The sub-channel appeared to be interviewing someone sitting in an instrument, with the title VR Live-Streaming Equipment Experience Specialist.
The interviewer quickly explained the situation, stating that a real-time VR device would soon be available, offering a more realistic skiing experience. The person currently in the device was the familiar host from the neighboring show, Little Pi, who was also a local of Chewan and had learned to ski for a few years.
The "VR live-streaming" she experienced was naturally Chu Tingwu's.
This "live-watching-live" video format isn't uncommon, but it's somewhat novel when aired on television.
Most of the viewers of this channel are naturally locals. During the New Year, the family's TV is almost always on all day. Relatives come and go, and the younger generation plays with their phones. After a while, they realize something is off.
"What kind of equipment is this? VR? Is it that popular VR live stream we've heard about recently?"
The elder: "What's the matter? Didn't you guys say you've seen UPs live-streaming VR games before? It's not something new, why the big fuss?"
The young person: "No, the VR games we saw before were all flat 3D images. This VR live stream seems like you're also using VR equipment, not just watching, but 'feeling' it!"
The elder immediately becomes wary: "What are you saying? Are you thinking of spending money on some gaming pod again? Didn't you just buy a controller?"
The young person: "..."
The young person: "?" If only gaming pods were available for purchase! But there's no link to buy one!
Despite the complaints, the young person still opens Chu Tingwu's live stream on their phone while keeping an eye on the TV, focusing on the small corner where the host is. They start to imagine:
Just what kind of experience is it? Damn, when will I be able to experience it myself?
-
Little Pi, the host, also can't quite describe what the experience is like.
While Chu Tingwu was just doing warm-up exercises and chatting, Little Pi could still occasionally send a few bullet comments and answer questions from her colleague next to her:
This feeling is really strange, as if she temporarily loses control of her body.
At first, there's a slight panic, but soon, that light and clean sensation hits her... Just like during Aunt Mei's live stream, Little Pi, inside the experience pod, also vaguely feels Chu Tingwu's sensations, which is "sharpness."
Although the content creator doesn't show it, Little Pi notices that she seems to be able to hear and see things that are easily overlooked. More details can only be vaguely sensed through this "possession" feeling:
For example, Chu Tingwu turns her head before others approach, or hands over what others need before they even speak... When someone almost bumps into her, Chu Tingwu jumps up, lands on a nearby equipment box, and watches as the person who bumped into her falls into the snow.
Like a ball.
Little Pi: "=="
This sharpness sometimes feels a bit annoying.
Little Pi herself is definitely not like this in everyday life, but from Chu Tingwu's perspective, she is forced to experience this feeling, which is quite interesting.
Since it's her first time experiencing a VR live stream, she doesn't tell her colleague holding the microphone about this somewhat mystical experience, until Chu Tingwu starts the competition.
Little Pi smiles faintly: She participated in this competition a few years ago... Wait! Wait, how are you flying?!
When the other competitor was about to crash into her, Chu Tingwu didn't choose to detour but instead changed her center of gravity, using the not-so-obvious slope in front and her own speed to successfully complete an aerial spin.
Of course, she's completely self-taught, not as skilled as professional athletes who can do triple axels on specific venues... She just wanted to avoid the obstacles created by other competitors.
The viewers in the first-person live stream perspective also follow her perspective for a spin, with many commenting "I'm getting dizzy from the 3D," while the top comments are filled with—
A few rows of censored curse words and messages that seem to have been cut off midway.
Chu Tingwu lands successfully.
Little Pi's heart is pounding—
She has no time to answer her colleague's questions. She had only managed to say "ah" before, but in the VR experience state, she is forced to share Chu Tingwu's vision and speed, though she can't control her body as perfectly as Chu Tingwu.
So, she says: "I feel like I'm challenging my own... limits."
Since she can only feel but not control, everything the UP master brings seems uncertain. Little Pi doesn't know if Chu Tingwu will land perfectly or fall flat on her face. And since this is live, as a viewer, she can't do anything about it... This uncertainty adds even more excitement than the sport itself.
She says: "I can't believe it."
Her colleague: "=="
Her colleague, with his hand behind the screen, frantically waves, signaling the director: Cut it! Cut this part! Go to commercial!
Don't broadcast profanity on TV!
The young person watching the TV sees the small broadcast channel hurriedly switch to a commercial and has to check the result of the competition. Normally, it would be exciting, but thinking about watching it through VR, they feel it's not as interesting.
In the end, Chu Tingwu indeed makes it through the semifinals, along with another seemingly elementary school student. The two minors team up to eliminate the other adults and enter the finals two days later.
The young person looks down at their phone—they're busy—and finds Chu Tingwu saying:
"Not bad, to celebrate the victory."
"After lunch, I'll do a live stream of some snowboard speed riding."
The young person: "?"
Huh?
Did you mean to say "riding a skateboard home"? Snowboard speed riding isn't that dangerous high-altitude sport... And you've only been skiing for a short time, mostly practicing basics, right?
Don't make extreme sports sound as casual as taking a walk after dinner!
Just as Little Pi crawls out of the experience pod, she pauses for half a second and tries to climb back in.
Her colleague stops her: "Wait, wait, didn't you just say it was too exciting and you needed to rest first?"
It's just skiing, right? It doesn't seem that hard. If that's exciting, then let me try.
It's currently the trial period for the equipment, and Chu Tingwu doesn't care who tries it; she just schedules regular live streams.
Little Pi: "That's because it's too exciting, so I should experience it. I'm worried your heart can't handle it."
This tough task should naturally be taken on by young people like her first! Older colleagues should do lighter work!
Seeing her so confident, the colleague is a bit hesitant.
Little Pi: "It's okay, I'll speak up if I can't handle it, I won't let my body get hurt!"
Then she quickly climbs back into the equipment, deciding to sleep in it today.
The colleague who was pushed aside: "..."
You're definitely tricking me!
