Chapter 61 A Taste of Success

Chapter 61 A Taste of Success

Emily stopped eating her cake, her attention caught by the way Zoey was eating hers. Her market sensitivity, developed during her years in sales, instantly activated.

Zoey's sweet appearance was a natural "visual selling point." Her eating disorder, which led her to barely touch her food, became one of her defining features. Combined with her identity as an actress, this was a ready-made formula for online popularity.

"Zoey, why don't you try food streaming?" Emily suggested. "You have incredible camera presence when eating desserts. Viewers would find the desserts more appetizing watching you eat. You could also chat about behind-the-scenes stories from your acting work—like that anecdote you just mentioned about eating prop pastries made with expired flour that made you sick after one bite. That would definitely attract viewers."

Zoey frowned. "Food streaming? But I can only eat a little bit. Won't viewers think I'm pretending? What if they criticize me?"

"Quite the opposite," Emily explained with clear reasoning. "The food streaming market is already saturated. Viewers are tired of 'big eater' and 'binge and purge' content. Your combination of an eating disorder and being an actress could create emotional connections with viewers while satisfying their curiosity about celebrities' daily lives. That's a natural conversation starter. We could focus on chatting rather than eating. Your approachable personality would make viewers feel you're authentic."

Morris nodded, adding from a business perspective. "I think you should try it. If you attract followers through food streaming, that follower count becomes your bargaining chip when dealing with investors. Many production companies now cast social media personalities not for their acting skills but for the audience they bring. For instance, I recently met with a web series team whose female lead was a food blogger with two million followers. The investors valued her popularity."

Emily immediately followed up, "Exactly. If you become popular online, directors and investors will notice you, creating more opportunities. Your shows would also attract larger audiences."

Upon hearing their comprehensive analysis, Zoey's uncertainty gradually settled. "Alright, I'll try! But I'm afraid I'll be nervous. What if there's awkward silence?"

"I'll prepare some conversation topics for you," Emily promptly stood up and retrieved a notebook from a drawer, her pen moving rapidly across the page. "First, greet everyone, then introduce yourself, talk about your favorite desserts, share some interesting stories from film sets..."

Morris watched Emily's focused profile, finding her completely captivating when she was serious. Whether in personal life or work, she was exceptional, always approaching clients' problems with professionalism.

After discussing details, Morris stood to leave. Zoey nudged Emily, "Could you walk Morris out? I'm going to rest."

Emily nodded. "Sure."

As she escorted Morris to the door, moonlight spilled onto the path, casting everything in a dreamy glow.

Emily, however, didn't notice the beautiful scenery. Her mind was still planning: the livestream would need lighting tests thirty minutes in advance; they should hang Zoey's acting photos on the background wall to emphasize her actress identity; they needed backup conversation topics in case Zoey got nervous; the background music should be upbeat piano pieces; and the desserts needed to be visually appealing since viewers couldn't smell them.

These were all attention to detail lessons from her sales experience, perfectly transferable from product promotion to livestream planning.

Morris wanted to speak, but her thoughtful expression made him hesitate. Finally, he managed. "Get some sleep tonight. Don't stay up too late."

Emily nodded. "I will."

"If my aunt Winter comes by... try not to clash with her," Morris said, his gaze lingering on Emily's reddening ears. "She tends to be critical. If she says something unpleasant, please don't argue with her."

"Alright," Emily mentally noted.

'Winter who could drive her daughter to develop an eating disorder couldn't be easy to deal with,' Emily thought. But she wasn't a pushover either. If Winter tried to put Zoey down, Emily would definitely speak up for her.

Morris, seeing the confidence in her eyes, suddenly felt his warning had been unnecessary.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked quietly, looking into her eyes.

"N-no," Emily stammered, lowering her head as her cheeks burned. She silently cursed herself for being so flustered.

They'd spent so much time alone together earlier without any problems, but now just being alone with Morris made her heart race. She couldn't even manage to say "be careful on your way home."

As he observed her shyness, Morris's mood brightened considerably. He said gently, "Go back inside. Be careful on your way."

"Okay, goodbye," Emily turned and walked back, avoiding Morris's gaze.

Morris watched Emily's retreating figure, feeling warmth spread through him, though he regretted not saying more. He also struggled with how to confess his feelings to Emily, uncertain of her thoughts about him.

Back at the apartment, Emily pushed away those ambiguous thoughts and immediately began preparing for tomorrow's livestream.

She first selected a background for Zoey's streaming space, choosing a light pink floral fabric that complemented the Lolita aesthetic. Then she made a shopping list for tomorrow's ingredients—fresh strawberries for an attractive strawberry cake.

During the debut livestream, Zoey was initially nervous, stumbling over her words. Emily stood off-camera holding cue cards with prompts like "Talk about prop pastries" and "Ask viewers about their favorite desserts."

Gradually, Zoey became more comfortable. The viewer count rose from a few hundred to over three thousand, and she gained five hundred new followers—a promising start that boosted Zoey's confidence.

After the stream ended, Emily looked at the cake with only a few bites taken out of it, feeling slightly disappointed.

Not just this cake, but all the meals she prepared for Zoey were barely touched. As a good cook, she wanted her food to be properly enjoyed.

"Zoey, would you like a late-night snack?" she asked.

Since Zoey ate so little at each meal, Emily thought offering more frequent, smaller meals might benefit her health.

Zoey waved her hand. "No thanks, I can't eat anymore."

Those few bites of cake had already filled her up completely.

"How about I make you some fruit leather? It's light on the stomach and has a natural sweetness."

"Sure," Zoey liked tart and sweet foods.

While Emily made the fruit leather, Zoey filmed the entire process and edited it into a video for her social media account.

The video showed Emily concentrating as she sliced and pureed the berries, carefully spreading the mixture on baking sheets, not minding when her fingertips got stained with berry juice. After it was posted, the video unexpectedly went viral, with comments flooding in asking for recipes and requesting more food preparation content.

Zoey was suddenly inspired to persuade Emily to start her own social media channel about cooking.