Chapter 96
Wonne said, "I'm so sorry, everyone. There was some slight traffic on the way here, so I'm a bit late. I'm really sorry."
"You're telling me that being half an hour late is just 'a little' late? Why didn't she leave earlier if she knew there was going to be traffic?" Daphne asked. She then placed a piece of watermelon in her mouth and continued, "Wendy, I gave her a chance, didn't I? She's the one who doesn't know how to appreciate it. She's acting all high and mighty without considering the place or time."
The livestream had officially begun, and Yvonne's performance was absolutely disappointing. While introducing the products, she stammered frequently and made repeated mistakes. She described a citrus-scented perfume as lemon-scented and mislabeled a calming fragrance as invigorating.
Most absurdly, the brand had prepared cue cards for her in advance. All Yvonne had to do was read them beforehand, familiarize herself with the products, and follow the cues during the livestream. Yet, she still managed to mess up.
The livestream featured ten perfume links, yet progress came to a grinding halt multiple times. Blake hadn't expected the situation to devolve so drastically and was scrambling to salvage the livestream. Despite spoon-feeding her the information, Yvonne still failed to deliver. He had to constantly correct, supplement, and prompt her, all while sweating profusely. He dared not show any dissatisfaction, fearing backlash from Yvonne's fans.
The consumers, however, were far less forgiving. Frustrated with Yvonne's lack of professionalism, they voiced their complaints and mocked her in the live chat. Her fans, unwilling to see their favorite actress ridiculed, launched into heated arguments with the dissatisfied viewers.
Initially, most people were merely criticizing Yvonne's poor performance. But her fans' aggressive and defensive behavior provoked a stronger backlash, turning the situation into an all-out war. The arguments escalated, drawing in more neutral viewers.
The live chat quickly became a battleground, with messages like "Yvonne's fans should just get out of the livestream" and "Yvonne, just end the livestream!" flooding the chat. Soon, Yvonne's fans lost control. The chaos spiraled out of control, leaving the brand scrambling to deal with the fallout. They had never expected the event to turn into such a disaster. Behind the scenes, regular customers contacted support, demanding Yvonne be taken off the livestream immediately. Otherwise, they threatened to unfollow and blacklist Sherry Group's brands.
In the end, Yvonne's livestream was cut short after less than an hour and a half. She sold less than five thousand bottles, and the event ended in embarrassment and haste.
Daphne watched the entire fiasco. She was so exasperated by Yvonne's unprofessionalism that she rolled her eyes. How could someone claim to want an endorsement but not take the livestream seriously? She was treating her career like a game.
Daphne hadn't considered Yvonne a real threat from the beginning. She was serious and confident in her ability to outshine Yvonne. Although the viewers weren't privy to the deeper reasons behind the competition, Daphne had been dragged into this unnecessary rivalry. Yvonne's disastrous performance dragged the entire event, and Daphne by extension, down.
Daphne imagined Joe deeply regretting his decision to pit them against each other. He was probably mortified or on the verge of passing out. She decided to pity Joe for a good minute. The entire spectacle was truly ridiculous.
As for Daphne, she had also received the cue cards before the event. While already familiar with all ten products—having tested each one personally—she still read through the cards twice to ensure everything was fresh in her mind.