For example, when Aaron Kwok appeared on a live-stream event last year, he sold 160,000 bottles of shampoo in five seconds (!). Fan Bingbing, on the other hand, sold S$2mil worth of face masks in four minutes. 

Most recently,Lu Han, erstwhile member of K-pop boyband EXO, together with Chinese influencer Viya, went on Taobao Live to promote a yogurt beverage.

During the casual 30-minute chat, the duo exchanged gifts and friendly banter, ate, played some football and of course, promoted the drink. A carton of 15 bottles costs RMB75 (S$15), though customers get another 20 smaller-sized bottles of yogurt for free. 

"You guys have to buy this," Lu Han said while holding the bottle near the camera. "It's delicious and healthy. Now that I've said it, it's up to you if you want to buy it or not. It's your loss if you don't get it!" 

Within seconds of opening up the purchase link, all the cartons were sold out. Five lucky fans who tuned in during the live-stream were also rewarded with an autographed picture of Lu Han.

However, netizens who were not busy keying in their credit card details noticed Lu Han’s supposed weight gain and “round” face .

Some fans blamed the distortion of his features on the camera’s beauty function, while others argued that it’s natural that the 30-year-old star had gained some weight due to all the yogurt he’s been drinking. Erm, thank you? 

Some netizens weren't concerned about reining it in with their comments. “Wow, did he gain weight again?” questioned one netizen.  

“Compared to Lu Han’s previous mukbang, this is considered not bad,” joked another. “If I don’t know Lu Han, I would’ve thought he was Viya’s PA.” 

Still, there were fans who were delighted by the EXO-M member's live-stream, and observved through his interaction with Viya, realised that he is a “friendly and humble idol who doesn’t put on airs” despite being one of the most popular stars in China and Korea. 

“Aww, he looks like a wide-eyed newbie who just debuted,” commented a fan.

Photos: Luhan/Weibo