Dong Yuhui ultimately couldn't escape his fate.

It has become an indisputable fact that the live-streaming e-commerce industry is undergoing a deep reshuffle.

It is in this era of rapid transformation that we have witnessed a series of internet celebrities collapsing and numerous business myths shattering.

To summarize and define this phenomenon, the most critical aspect is undoubtedly that the live-streaming e-commerce model, which is primarily driven by traffic, is unsustainable.

Ultimately, this is caused by the unsustainable development model of short-video live-streaming platforms themselves, which are also traffic-driven.

For Dong Yuhui, he is just one of those trapped in this traffic dilemma, except that his product category and scale are not significant enough to amplify his pain points and challenges.

Even so, we have still seen Dong Yuhui encounter almost all the inevitable difficulties and challenges faced by live-streaming e-commerce influencers. Although Dong Yuhui strongly dislikes being called an "influencer," he ultimately couldn't escape his fate.

This seems to have been predestined from the very first day Dong Yuhui went viral.

This is precisely why we later witnessed the parting of ways between Dong Yuhui and Oriental Selection.

Fundamentally, the "mini-essay incident" was merely a trigger. The real reason behind the split was the inherent conflict between Dong Yuhui's fate as a live-streaming e-commerce influencer and Oriental Selection's attempt to create a new e-commerce model.

One of the key reasons Dong Yuhui denies being an "influencer" is that he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of those who have already collapsed. Yet, reality keeps pulling him back onto the influencer track.

As all this unfolds, Dong Yuhui will ultimately be unable to escape his fate.

I

At its core, the live-streaming e-commerce industry Dong Yuhui is in remains a traffic-driven business.

Previously, one of the main reasons for Dong Yuhui's immense popularity was his abundant traffic and the backing of a well-known platform like Oriental Selection.

Once Dong Yuhui's traffic hits a ceiling and he no longer has Oriental Selection's brand backing, his past glory at Oriental Selection may well become his brightest moment.

We can already see hints of this from Dong Yuhui's absence during Douyin's Double Eleven promotions.

Although Dong Yuhui has a massive fan base and has transitioned into team operations with "Walking with Yuhui," his fan base remains relatively small within Douyin's vast traffic pool.

This is precisely why we saw Dong Yuhui missing from Douyin's Double Eleven promotional campaigns.

To sum it up in one sentence: Dong Yuhui is ill-suited to shoulder Douyin's traffic responsibilities.

That said, we cannot deny that Dong Yuhui can still make a fortune with his current fan base. However, if he stops here, live-streaming e-commerce may only become a successful business case for him.

The reason is that Dong Yuhui is merely operating within the rules set by the short-video live-streaming platform, without truly breaking free or attempting to correct this business model.

We've seen figures like Xinba rise repeatedly and Oriental Selection break platform boundaries precisely because they challenge platform rules rather than submit to them.

This is why Xinba and Oriental Selection have escaped the fate of traditional live-streaming e-commerce.

For Dong Yuhui, this is clearly not the case. He operates strictly within the platform's rules without attempting to change them, becoming just one of many influencer hosts following the platform's playbook.

From this perspective, Dong Yuhui will ultimately be unable to escape the fate of countless influencer hosts hitting traffic bottlenecks.

Once Dong Yuhui's traffic stagnates, the halo surrounding him will gradually fade.

II

If Dong Yuhui's confinement within the platform's traffic rules leads to his inevitable fate as an influencer host, then his lack of innovation in live-streaming e-commerce—merely acting as a middleman—is another manifestation of this fate.

Some might argue that even after parting ways with Oriental Selection, Dong Yuhui can still leverage its product and supply chain systems.

This only further proves that Dong Yuhui remains just a sales host, unlike Xinba or Oriental Selection, who have built their own product and supply chain systems.

This isn't solely Dong Yuhui's problem—even the short-video live-streaming platforms behind him face similar issues. Not only has Dong Yuhui failed to establish his own product and supply chain systems, but even the major platforms behind him remain mere traffic hubs without such infrastructures.

From this angle, another key reason Dong Yuhui can't escape his fate is that he is merely an executor of the old live-streaming e-commerce model, not an innovator or practitioner of a new one.

If Dong Yuhui defines himself solely as a traffic intermediary or a product promoter without engaging in upstream production or downstream 售后服务， he will inevitably face the same 困境 as past live-streaming influencers.

Thus, Dong Yuhui is merely a follower of the old live-streaming e-commerce model, not an innovator. His lack of deep 改造 and innovation to address the model's contradictions is the root cause of his inevitable fate.

III

If traffic and business model 困境 are external factors in Dong Yuhui's fate, then the broader market context represents deeper, intrinsic reasons for his inevitable 困境。

Increasing evidence suggests that live-streaming e-commerce is essentially a traffic-driven business, no different from past traffic models.

However, as a traffic model, it will inevitably reach a dead end.

This has been proven true for both traditional and new 互联网 players.

Of course, we're not saying all traffic models are bad, but focusing solely on traffic and its conversion without addressing upstream industrial or downstream service issues is problematic.

Especially without finding ways to integrate with industrial chains, once traffic 红利 diminishes or demands shift, this traffic-driven model will face new 困境。

Another reason for Dong Yuhui's inevitable fate is his detachment from industries—acting merely as a middleman or matchmaker without true participation.

Without deep integration methods, even if there's temporary growth space, once exhausted, Dong Yuhui will face the same dead end as past 互联网 players.

Ultimately, Dong Yuhui's lack of integration with 实体 industries confines him to a virtual economy-based model，注定 to be reshuffled.

For Dong Yuhui and his platform, finding ways to blend virtual and 实体 economies is key to escaping this fate.

Conclusion

In the end, Dong Yuhui has faded into obscurity—or more precisely, vanished into the vast tide of influencer live-streaming e-commerce.

From the moment he went viral, this fate seemed sealed.

Ultimately, Dong Yuhui remains a product of short-video platform rules, not a disruptor of its business model.

Without traffic or 红利， he will become just another wave in the live-streaming tide.

Once this wave settles，退出 may be his final 归宿。