Produced by Phoenix.com's "Eye of the Storm".
Text丨Li Qiuhan Editor丨Wen Hua
Breaking news complaint email: all cj@ifengcom
Recently, Betta has stood on the cusp. There is a ** report that Douyu claimed 80 million from female college students on the grounds of breach of contract, which quickly appeared on the hot search and sparked discussions.
This is not the first time that Douyu has exposed such incidents, in July 2020, Douyu claimed 80 million from a number of female anchors on the grounds of breach of contract. Three years later, the claims are still continuing. Among them, Luo Li (pseudonym), a student of the performance department of a 985 college.
In the past three years, she has compromised and escaped, and finally actively responded to the lawsuit with the support of her family, wanting to ask the guild and Betta for an explanation. After she signed the contract, the live broadcast was not long, and she earned less than 200,000 yuan, but because of this, she was entangled for three years, and she didn't understand, why did Douyu claim 80 million?Later that number became 6 million.
In a chat with Phoenix.com's "Eye of the Storm", 23-year-old Luo Li said something beyond her age, "I have always felt that beauty is a plus, a bonus, I can get a lot without paying anything, and now, I feel that it is a punishment and a sin." ”
Here's what she had to say:
earned less than 200,000 yuan in three years, but was claimed 80 million
On November 25, 2020, I was about to go downstairs for breakfast, and as soon as I opened WeChat, I found a QQ email push with a lawyer's letter from Betta lying inside.
I remember the time very well because my parents and I were on vacation in Chongli at the time. This is the first time that my family has traveled together for me. I love the white snow, which is flawless and full of surprises. At that time, I was also learning to ski with my parents. During the live broadcast in the hotel, I couldn't help but move my mobile phone in front of the heavy snow outside the window to let the snow into the mirror.
It's the first time I've seen a lawyer's letter when I'm so old. Betta sued me, saying that I breached the contract and asked me to pay 80 million in compensation, I am stupid, I am still worth 80 million?
* Provided by the interviewee (Note: Wuhan Ouyue is 100% controlled by the CEO of Douyu, and Wuhan Beauty Xingxiu is 100% controlled by Xiaoxiang Interactive Entertainment).
The amount is too outrageous, I also checked it on the Internet, and saw that someone was really claimed 80 million by Douyu, my heart was pounding, I just felt that it was over, this life was over. It was too big for me to bear, but I didn't dare to tell my parents for fear that they would feel ashamed. At that time, my parents were still waiting for me to have breakfast, I didn't know how I got to the restaurant, and after seeing my parents, I forced myself to calm down and pretended that nothing happened, but when I was eating, my hands didn't obey the call at all, and I kept shaking, and I could only let my hands try to stabilize when I picked up the dishes.
Later, I found a random reason, returned to the room early, closed the door and started crying. I cried and fell asleep at night, and in my dream I dreamed that I was really sentenced and had to pay 80 million, but I had no money to pay and became an old man.
My personality is a bit stronger, although I am not the kind of typical child of other people's families, but because of my outstanding talent and appearance, I have always been a little star in the crowd, and my popularity is also good;When I was in high school, I was a school girl, and I could dance, and I would go to perform at theatrical evenings, and there were little fan girls who wrote to me and sent me snacks. My friend described me as sparkling. Becoming a scoundrel and being chased for debts made me feel like going from heaven to hell.
This is the first time that Douyu has sent a lawyer's letter and claimed 80 million;In January 2023, Douyu sent an arbitration letter for the second time, and the claim became 6 million.
For a college student who has not yet graduated, these compensation figures are terrifying. We are an ordinary family, and we mainly rely on my father's work to support the family. When I first applied for the art examination training class, my mother swiped my credit card to report to me. No matter what I do after graduation, whether it is 80 million or 6 million, I will not be able to pay it off.
I don't quite understand, why would Betta claim so much money?
At that time, to do live broadcasting, you need to sign a guild first, which is an intermediary company between the live broadcast platform and the anchor, digging anchors and cultivating anchors for the platform. At first, I signed with a small guild, and one of the largest guilds of Betta, Little Elephant Entertainment, came to poach me, and a month or two later, Betta signed a contract with me. At that time, according to the prompts of the guild people, I opened my betta backstage, found a contract, and signed it online.
Although I don't understand the law, I can't understand why I was sued for an astronomical amount according to common sense. The lawyer told me that even if compensation was awarded, it should be calculated on the basis of my income at the time. My live broadcast on Betta shares the income, Douyu will call the guild first, and the guild will call me again, I have no concept of money, and I haven't calculated how much money I have made in total.
The lawyer asked me to go to the bank to make a statement, and I had a long bill at that time, and the income that the guild sent me was not entirely in the name of the company, and there were many accounts. Because I also have some other income, as well as consumption records, these are entangled, there are too many data, I can't calculate it at all, and then I told the lawyer that it will definitely not exceed 200,000. Later, I saw the data provided by Yang Wei of Little Elephant Interactive Entertainment on **, and the payment to me was more than 98,000.
Now, the arbitration is ongoing. Douyu's appeal is to let me pay 6 million, saying that I have gained a huge profit, more than 2 million. Douyu said that the guild Little Elephant Mutual Entertainment should settle 2.13 million revenue share to me.
How is this possible?If there is, it can be found in all my bank cards. I thought that this 2.13 million number came from **, I participated in the live broadcast of Douyu before, in order to give me a ranking, the guild will send someone to reward me, but the money will only return to the guild in the end, and it will not come to my hands at all.
The betta fish seems to bite tightly and does not let go. But in my account, there is definitely no so-called more than 2 million. The thought of this makes me angry. Really, it's too much!After tossing for so long, earning less than 200,000 yuan, I paid a huge price: I was entangled in the contract for three years, I had two serious illnesses, and I took a leave of absence, and until now, I have not graduated.
When the mentality can't be broken, I think about breaking the jar and breaking it, just sue me, and see what it can be, but they really sue very hard. I can't afford to pay 80 million, if they really want it, then I will give them my life.
It's too easy to make money, I've had hallucinations
I don't deny that I've ever been lost in the quick money of live streaming. Touching the betta fish was an accident. I had just turned 19 at the time, an age of desperate recognition from the outside world.
I remember very well that in 2018, I failed the art examination and was not admitted to my favorite ** drama school, and was finally admitted to the performance department of a 985 college. I was a little disheartened and wanted to repeat my studies, but my parents said that the tuition was too expensive and asked me to make up my own money and wanted me to give up. I couldn't go to my ideal school, so I kept angry with my parents, didn't take living expenses from home, and relied on live broadcasts to support myself.
Yang Wei of Little Elephant Mutual Entertainment sent me a private message on Douyu, saying that they are the largest guild of Douyu, and they want to set up a benchmark in the dance area, seeing that I am different from other anchors, dance is really powerful, and said that I am the person they are looking for. I was very touched in my heart, dancing since elementary school, and finally being seen, I felt like the chosen one.
Caption: Part of the interface of Betta ** Screenshot of Betta web page.
At that time, I also signed with a small MCN agency, he said that he could help me pay liquidated damages, and kept telling me that you have the potential to become a big anchor, and you will be popular.
For the first 3 months, there is also income such as rent subsidy. Soon I signed a contract with Little Elephant Mutual Entertainment, talking about a 3-year term, with a monthly live broadcast duration of no less than 120 hours, and I didn't read much when I signed the contract, so I signed directly on an app.
In the beginning, he did give me some resources to support. A month or two after signing the contract, I won the first place in the live broadcast competition in the betta dance area. However, the competition brings more honors than substantial rewards. I didn't get a penny because of the reward for this game. The reward for the ranking is to connect with the big anchor, which can increase the number of fans. Yang Wei said, you take a look at your betta backstage, sign the betta contract, and you can get the reward resources after signing.
This is where I really started signing with Betta. I was very happy at that time, and people who believed in the entertainment of baby elephants also thought that Betta was a big platform, so I signed it. The signing is **, I still remember in a web page, dense words, very long, the web page brushed to the bottom, directly signed. I had a hallucination that I could be on my own, that I had a sense of freedom to truly take control of my life.
My followers on Douyu's account also rose rapidly during that time, from 20,000 to nearly 100,000 in two months. The more followers, the more rewards you have the chance. The income from the tip will be divided by Betta, Guild and Anchor in proportion.
I can't remember how much total I got for a stream. But if you broadcast live for a month, there will be almost 10,000 or 20,000 yuan, which is a lot of money for me. My expenses are not large, as a student, my living expenses are usually two or three thousand. When there is plenty of money, people's consumption concepts will also change.
I rent a two-bedroom house, and I usually have dinner together, and I try to treat others and not let others out. In the past, students who had a good relationship in the dormitory would buy them small gifts, and in order to prove myself to my family, I went home for the Chinese New Year and bought a new set of clothes for each of my parents.
I even thought about it, since it's so easy to make money, do I still want to be an actor, and do I have to fight again?To be honest, I don't have an answer. I was already confused about the future, many students from prestigious acting schools did not improve after graduation, how can I compare with them if I don't get in?I thought, if I can really do a good job of live streaming and can earn money to buy a small house and a small car, why not?
But soon, things don't go right.
In Douyu live broadcast, most of the onlookers are men, and the comments are explicit, I only focus on dancing and try not to read the messages. There will be live connections between anchors, and whoever PK loses will be punished. Some punishments require shaking the buttocks, shaking the chest, and twisting the buttocks, and they have professional terms, called Gatling, ** car, and big pendulum. Although I am disgusted, if I lose PK, I will do it perfunctorily. When everybody is doing that, it's hard to resist.
At first, Little Elephant Entertainment didn't ask too much of me. After winning the first place and having more opportunities**, the people of Little Elephant Entertainment put forward more requirements for me, such as the dance and dress style were not attractive enough, the body had no curves, and even suggested that I pad my chest and buttocks.
At first, I refused, I said I wouldn't, there are so many anchors who dance that kind of dance in the betta dance area, you need to go to them, there is no need to look for me, I am still a student. And they said, "Try as much as you can."
I listened to their requests and wore clothes that showed my figure, and that was the only thing I could do. I was struggling, I was conflicted, it felt like walking on the edge of a cliff, and if you took a step forward, you might have completely changed. I want to try to pull myself back.
During this time, there was another incident that strengthened my thoughts. Not long after the game, Betta held an award event and invited me. After receiving the award, Yang Wei told me that the boss of Little Elephant Mutual Entertainment was outside and went to have a drink. He sent me a location, and I didn't know until I arrived, it was a ***
As soon as I entered, people were scared silly, they ordered a row of female models, the boss hugged left and right, there were a lot of people, I stood in the corner, very scared, I told Yang Wei I wanted to go, he said okay, you go and have a drink with the boss. I took a glass of foreign wine, toasted it tremblingly, and after drinking, I quietly found a shortcut and ran.
I thought about giving up and wanting to stop broadcasting.
But Yang Wei kept an eye on me, and he would come to me once a week or two, and he would always say half-jokingly in WeChat, if you don't start broadcasting, you will breach the contract, and the time broadcast is not satisfied, and he also said that he would sue me, and kept mentioning the blacklist and the old man to me.
This is an extremely terrifying thing for me, before this, I had no concept of the old man, and I went for a while, and I was even more scared after reading it. I was only 20 years old at the time, I didn't understand anything, and I believed whatever they said. I won't fight with them, and I will resist hard because I am young. I have a lot of schoolwork, and I go to class and rehearse until the early hours of the morning during the day, and then go back to the rental house to broadcast live.
Four or five hours, then squint for a while, then get up and go to class.
Live broadcast and studying, stay up late, and there will be problems with the body. I had low blood sugar, and once, I went to class at 8 a.m. until three or four o'clock in the morning, and I fainted in the classroom without sleeping all night. The most serious one, after fainting, my health has been bad, I can't breathe for several days, and I feel like I'm about to suffocate. I went to the hospital for a check-up and found out that I had myocarditis.
Everyone started calling me "Sister Li".
The biggest pain is not physical, but the change in the attitude of my classmates and teachers towards me.
I remember very well that when I won the first prize, the anchor PDD would come to my live broadcast room to brush gifts and attract traffic to me. PDD is a big anchor in the game area, many male classmates will watch his live broadcast, there is a male classmate who is not very familiar, and when he saw PDD enter my live broadcast room, he sent a WeChat message to ask me, is this you?
Although I didn't do anything, I felt very embarrassed and only replied with one word: yes. Some people from other departments saw it and asked my classmates if it was me. In this way, the news of my live broadcast spread in the school. Some people from the next class and the college next door will even discuss and inquire privately whether I have made a lot of money through live broadcasting.
Things are starting to get delicate.
Everyone has changed their names when they talk to me, they used to call me by my name, but now they will call me Sister Li, politely, and some people said in a joking tone, Sister Li has made money, can you take me. Some friends told me, and some people disdainfully said that Luo Li was just dancing and dancing.
During that period, I broke up with my boyfriend. Although he didn't say it directly in person, he would say behind his back, "I'm an actor, and she is doing live broadcasts", with disdain in his tone. I've heard from others, too. Knowing that he looked down on what I was doing was a big blow to me.
The teacher also had an opinion about me. For example, we need to rehearse often in our acting class, and when others are occasionally late, the teacher won't say anything, but when I'm late, the teacher will say, what time is the live broadcast?I didn't know what to say, so I just smiled awkwardly. My classmates told me that when I was away, my rehearsal classmates made mistakes, and when the teacher was down, he would say, "You are not an actor, you want to go to the live broadcast, right?".
I was under a lot of academic pressure, and the live broadcast kept urging me, which made me anxious.
Once, the next day, there was a final exam for the acting class, and when I rehearsed until almost 12 o'clock in the morning, I said that I wanted to clean up the classroom, and I was in a hurry to broadcast live, so I asked a classmate to help me clean up first, and left 5 minutes early. The next day, the teacher disqualified me from the exam. This is one of our most important classes, and I have prepared very carefully for the exam, rehearsed many times, and canceled it when I said it was canceled.
I was very aggrieved and explained to the teacher that I usually didn't help my classmates clean up, but I just left five minutes early. The teacher said, I don't care about anything else, I just care how you behave in school. I went back and cried for a long time, I still went for the exam, it was embarrassing, my classmates were performing, I just sat there, I didn't know what to do. In the end, he scored a 60 points.
I felt like everything around me had changed, and I was slowly closing myself off and not wanting to talk to anyone. I only go to school when it's time for class, and most of the time, I stay in the rental house.
I also want to stop, but if I don't stream, I don't have any income. I want to save face and dignity, and I don't dare to tell my parents if I don't have living expenses. Under the double pressure of live broadcast and school, I got myocarditis, which I can't overwork, so I can only take a break from school and recuperate first.
I was relieved that I had submitted a leave of absence. I quit the house I rented outside the school and went back to my hometown.
The two years of absence were the easiest time for me. When the guild people saw the case, they didn't say anything and stopped for a while. When I stayed with my family, my mother would cook chicken soup for me, make braised pork, and change my tricks to replenish my body. Although my body was uncomfortable, I could only lie down and couldn't do anything, but because I was sick, everyone could let me go, no one was looking for me, so I didn't have to think about these things.
04 I've thought about suicide
But I didn't expect that taking a two-year break from school was like a happiness I borrowed for a short time, and when I returned to school, I would have to double it.
Because during the suspension period, sometimes there was nothing to do, so I occasionally went to Douyin to share my life, and many anchors quietly ran to Douyin live broadcast at that time. This matter was discovered by Betta and sued me for breach of contract. The 80 million compensation on the lawyer's letter is like an aerial bomb, and I don't know when it will really come down.
Because I do live broadcasts, I have never been recognized by my father. He was me and felt that I was not doing my job. I didn't dare to tell my family, so I could only ask Yang Wei for help.
He replied that if he did not settle, he would compensate Douyu 8 million and 4 million if he settled, "while broadcasting, he will compensate, otherwise the court will enforce it."
After a few minutes, he added, "There is still room for manoeuvre", and they vouched for it, as long as I re-signed a five-year contract with Little Elephant Entertainment, otherwise "there is no need to negotiate". He also said that if you are an old man, you can't take a high-speed rail plane or take a loan. I also sent me chat records with the two anchors who were sued by Douyu, one said that it was about to be **, and the settlement amount was 8 million, and the other said that he asked Douyu to sue, and the other party begged him to think of a way, and he said "It's late, there's no need to talk".
* Provided by the interviewee.
I immediately replied to him, "Then I'll sign it again with you, is that okay?" I didn't think if it was trapping me, and I didn't want to sign it, but I couldn't find any other way. I went to their company to sign a contract, and this time I took a serious look at the contract, but I couldn't help it at that time, and I didn't sign it, I was afraid that they would let Betta sue me.
I signed a contract with Wuhan Little Elephant Interactive Entertainment Company alone, and I usually have little contact with my parents, and they all think that I am still in school.
According to the contract, I had to continue the live broadcast, but at that time, it was the final exam, and the schoolwork was very tight, so I had no place to do the dance live broadcast, so I could only broadcast it on my mobile phone, and there was no traffic at all on Douyu, sometimes only 1 person watched. Yang Wei said that he could get me to Douyin live broadcast, and he said that he would teach me how to avoid risks.
It's only been a week since I went to Douyin Live Broadcast, and the staff of Little Elephant Interactive Entertainment told me that Douyu found evidence of me live on Douyin and asked me to renew my contract with Douyu for another 5 years.
This moment I realized that I couldn't trust them anymore. It's a serial set. At the beginning, the period of signing a contract with Douyu was only three years, which was acceptable, but how could it suddenly add another 5 years. My youth is so short that I can't be trapped by them. The baby elephant entertainment and the betta fish themselves have a relationship of interest, how can I simply believe in the baby elephant entertainment.
I refused to sign another 5-year contract with Betta. So half a year later, the lawsuit came, and during the Spring Festival in 2023, I received a text message, which was the arbitration notice of Douyu, because it was still the Chinese New Year, I didn't want to click on it at all, and it was not until May or June this year that I opened it and saw that the arbitration claim was 6 million.
In March, Little Elephant Mutual Entertainment also sent a lawsuit, claiming 200,000 yuan. Although the amount is not large compared to Betta's, the process made me angry.
At that time, I was scared, and I didn't dare to tell my parents, there was nothing I could do, I just thought that the bomb didn't fall, and I could still survive for a while. I don't answer any strange calls, I don't read any text messages, and I'm worried that they will be related to prosecution. The delivery person who delivered the indictment couldn't get through to my **, so he directly opened the indictment and pasted it on the door of my building that rang the doorbell!All the neighbors of the neighborhood who passed by saw it.
I'm at school, and my mom sends me a message saying you're good, you're going to your dad off. I'm very hard-mouthed, I said I'll solve it myself, you shouldn't know. They were still a little angry and thought I had a bad attitude, they didn't know what was going on, they didn't know how serious it was.
I can't bear it, but I'm too strong, and I don't dare to tell my parents what I've been entangled for almost three years. During the summer vacation, my emotions were pushed into a corner, and I almost didn't survive.
At that time, I had a serious illness and had to have surgery. Before I went to the hospital, I stayed in the hotel, and I was standing on the terrace of the hotel, and I thought, can I die by jumping from here?It was on the 3rd floor at the time, and I could only be crippled when I fell, so I dispelled my thoughts. I just searched on the Internet, how to die, but that place is abroad, a euthanasia cabin.
After the operation, I was lying in the hospital bed, and for the first time I felt that I was so unashamed, that I was ashamed, that I would only cause trouble for my family and friends, and that I wanted to secretly end myself. In my hospital bed, I either didn't speak or shed tears.
When my dad asked me what was going on, I felt like I couldn't hold it anymore.
It took almost three years for my father to know my situation for the first time. I still remember my dad frowning and walking back and forth in that ward all day. Dad was very strict, when I was in junior high school, I only scored 60 or 70 points in a math test, and when he came home, he saw the test paper and slapped me in the face. This time, I thought he would be furious and deny me as a daughter, but after I said that, until now, he has not scolded me.
He said that you are at fault, and that the fault lies in your youth and ignorance, and that you trust others too easily. He kept comforting me, "It's okay, Dad will figure it out for you", even if the family is bankrupt, I won't let my daughter be an old man." After listening to this, I cried even more sadly, but I felt more relaxed than ever.
05 "I'm not scared anymore".
The huge amount of compensation is like a big stain on my 20-year-old life.
I couldn't figure out how I got to where I am now.
Until a few days ago, Fa Xiao told me that it was still your first pot of gold, which made you feel that the money came too quickly. It is a circular bottomless pit, when you see money and see the outside world, you will feel that you should be able to match a better level of consumption, but that should not be what you should be exposed to at this age.
I've always felt that beauty is a plus, a bonus, and I can get a lot without having to give anything, but now, I feel like it's a punishment, it's a sin.
I'm not a great sage, I'm too young. I mistakenly thought that I was relying on my own ability to earn the money from live broadcasting, and I felt that I had grown my ability and my ambition was inflated, and I thought that one day, I might make more money. But now it seems that everything is luck, it is the rice of youth, and it has nothing to do with my own ability.
I'm glad that, in the end, I made the choice and didn't become what I hated.
I finally realized that I didn't really want to make much money, but I wanted to prove myself to my parents. When I found out that the live broadcast couldn't be proven, I didn't want to do it.
But I didn't expect that this would lead to a 3-year dispute, like a big rock, and I couldn't breathe.
The nightmare was not without its rewards. My mother has always been like my friend, but I have little communication with my father, and I rarely listen to him praise me, he thinks that my friends' children are very well-behaved and sensible, only me, with too many ideas and too much personality, I always feel that he doesn't love me.
It was only this year that I realized how ignorant my former self was and how much my parents loved me. They have done all their best for my lawsuit, so to speak. Dad heard that there was a fellow who was very good at being a lawyer in Shenzhen, so he took me to Shenzhen to consult him, and he also went to our local public security bureau to report the case, and also went to our local women's federation, although it may not have played a big role.
But it gave me a bit of courage. Before the end of the summer, I locked myself at home for 3 days, saying that I would study the 46-page contract of Betta Fish, and I would only do this one thing, it is impossible to have no loopholes, right?The lawyer and the father all said, don't look at it, this is a contract written by a professional team, can you find a loophole as a college student?
I also recently discovered that my dad also has times when he can't hold back. In the past two days, he drank a little wine, and for the first time he spoke to me in a slightly heavier voice. He asked me what I would do if I was sentenced, and asked me to think about what I would do in the future. During this period, my father paid a lot for me, and there was a lot of pressure on various legal fees, and I wanted to give my father a hug and thank him for his dedication, but until now, I am not embarrassed.
This is also a great lesson before entering the society.
This year, many people around me have fallen into the "trap" of bettas. In July, a junior high school classmate who used to have a good relationship chatted with me and asked me how I was doing, and I said that I had been very bad recently and was sued, and she asked, is it a betta?She was also prosecuted. She also said that our friend Xiaoli, whom we both knew, was also sued. What's even more strange is that Xiaoli's contract with Douyu was originally 3 years, but later it became 16 years and 9 months, and she never received any support from Douyu, and she only had 1,000 fans at most on the platform, and she was also sued.
I'm glad I have the courage to face it now. I used to be afraid of being *** I saw that after the previous report was issued, someone searched for my name, and someone scolded me, and I took it all. None of this hurts me anymore, but I hope that I will be brave enough to stand up and tell what happened to me, so that more innocent girls don't fall into the trap. In the years I've been with the platform, I've coveted its glory, but it's more hurt and lost. Perhaps the lesson I learned was not to covet what you can't control until you're full.
I don't have the energy to think about the future, and I don't have the time. In addition to dealing with lawsuits, I now rehearse late every day, pick out the details of the movements, and then talk and laugh with my classmates, and return to the dormitory, no longer have to do live broadcasts, and no longer have to bear the pressure of making money for bettas, which is a relief for me.