I wanted to prove my worth

I started as an online eating host last year. Usually, I eat takeout food because it looks more appetizing.

I am a homemaker and mother of a 22-month-old boy.

I have a lot of free time, and just taking care of my son is a little boring.

So, in order to prove my worth, I began doing something meaningful.

I like spicy food, desserts and fresh food. I will happily line up for two hours to buy baoshifu cake, a popular brand nationwide.

I am the kind of person who doesn't gain too much weight, even after eating sweet things, so I decided to try online eating.

I have three ways of making money: by advertising for food companies; through fan payments; and by promoting slimming products through my WeChat business. I make enough to support myself, though I spend most of my earnings on food.

At first, my family could not understand why I was doing this, but they accepted it after they realized that I have many fans and can earn good money.

The first video I posted online showed me eating a towel roll, a popular Chinese dessert.

I didn't buy it specifically for the video, only to satisfy my appetite, but as I like watching eating broadcasts, I decided to shoot a video.

I would have eaten it anyway, whether I was being filmed or not.

That video wasn't a success. I decided to change to spicy foods, such as hot pot, and now I have 314,000 followers.

Many broadcasters are known as "big stomach kings" because they can eat a lot.

I am not one of them.

Though I eat more than usual, I generally don't eat enormous amounts like they do.

Also, I think my table manners and facial expressions are less exaggerated than theirs.

Though I don't mean to overeat during the videos, I still feel really full and a little sick every time I make one. I realize that I still overeat every time, just to attract more fans.

Since I became an eating host, I have been really happy to eat privately, without a camera.

Now, when it comes to lunch, I don't think about food, but how to make a more popular video.

I don't have a favorite dish, because since I took up this career, I eat so many different kinds of food.

If I had to choose, though, I would opt for food from Changde, Hunan, my hometown. For example, I like to mix rice with sauce, which is my native cuisine. That way, I can eat two bowls of rice in one meal.

I am a little fatter than I was, so now I often work out at the gym to lose weight.

I plan to continue my eating career; after all, it provides a stable income.

Cao Ting spoke with Li Hongyang.