Chapter 81: Exclusive of Jinjiang 1/2

Looking into Shi Zhang’s eyes, gleaming with tears, Song Fuzhi was a bit surprised. He thought he hadn’t said anything too sentimental, so how did it become so touching?

They were still on the stage. Song Fuzhi bent down a bit, looked up at Shi Zhang’s face from below, and gently whispered, “Crybaby.”

In fact, the tears hadn’t fallen yet, but this nickname made Shi Zhang unable to hold back his laughter.

After a few seconds, Octopus Teacher turned back, looking at his slightly red eyes.

Song Fuzhi explained, “Octopus Teacher got sand in his eyes.”

The audience burst into laughter.

Some believed the explanation, while others didn’t, considering Octopus’s tough image over the years. Whether he shed tears during those few seconds of turning away became one of the unsolved mysteries in the cosplay community.

The host humorously made a couple of jokes, and the audience’s attention was quickly diverted.

Following the audience’s cheers, the host asked, “Everyone is curious; when you cosplayers were choosing the script, what did Octopus Teacher write on his board that made other teachers hesitate to choose?”

Song Fuzhi smiled. “Ah, you’re talking about that…”

“He wrote ‘Reserved, already booked’ on his board,” FuFu said, “just like the iron sign used to reserve seats in a restaurant.”

-Laughing so hard, Octopus, you are so unreasonable!

-Other cosplayer teachers:???

-Octopus, you really are something. It’s like loudly announcing through a megaphone: The partner is already chosen; don’t bother.

The host asked, “So the plot in today’s script was specially chosen by Octopus Teacher?”

Shi Zhang had already recovered by now and nodded generously, “Because we didn’t have a wedding ceremony after getting married. Although today’s performance interprets the story of Monk and Wanxiang, it does have some selfishness… It’s also considered a wedding ceremony for ourselves. Thank you all for your understanding.”

-“Understanding” is not the right word! I don’t mind a bit more trouble!

-I thought I was here to watch a program, but it turns out I’m here to eat dog food. Worth it! So worth it!

-Then just perform the post-wedding night after the wedding ceremony, hehe.

After chatting for a while, the host invited Octopus and FuFu to rest offstage, and then it was the final segment of the show.

As the curtain slowly closed, Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang had just returned backstage and were surrounded by the remaining cosplayers.

Everyone still had their full makeup on, wearing colorful clothes, with colorful hair, and holding various cosplay props, and they all shouted in unison, “Happy newlyweds! Oh oh!”

Just a few words, and then everyone started offering their own wishes—such as “Eternal union,” “Grow old together,” “Have a healthy and happy life,” “Live long, cosplay forever,” “You guys performed so well, let’s stage a play every anniversary from now on!” and so on.

The cheering came unexpectedly, hitting their faces, full of youthful exuberance. The two of them were a bit amused and moved at the same time.

Song Fuzhi thought that when he got married, it was like completing a life mission—not even having a wedding ceremony. Who could have expected that after so many years, they would receive such warm and lovely blessings?

It’s just pure joy; being with this group of people is so much fun.

Fei Fei is still the boldest one, extending her paw in a dog-like manner: “Do you have wedding candies?”

Teacher Song is best at dealing with kids. In a good mood now, he casually pats the air and says, “Here you go.”

Fei Fei, playful as always, picks up an imaginary candy, puts it in her mouth, and smacks her lips, “So sweet! Yummy.”

Shi Zhang silently watches the current Teacher Song, dressed in monk robes, with flowing long hair and delicate makeup, a combination of simplicity and allure, laughing heartily and joking with other cosplayers.

If you randomly pick a student from Teacher Song’s class, it would be hard to associate them with the usually serious class teacher cosplaying on stage.

But Shi Zhang thinks it’s great. Involuntarily, he also starts to smile.

“Oh, by the way, we have a blindfolded person pointing game at the end, right?” asked Xiao Mi Liang.

Someone responded, “Yeah, yeah! Liang Liang, don’t spoil the surprise of the gifts!”

“No, no.” Xiao Mi Liang waved her hands hurriedly, smiling. “I just think my gift is perfect for Octopus Teacher and FuFu Teacher. Just not sure if you can pick them, hahaha!”

Shi Zhang politely smiled. “We’ll try to pick them.”

With her words, everyone remembered the gift exchange part and started teasing each other to reveal hints about the gifts.

As the cosplayers were chatting and having a good time, the staff came in to quiet them down because it was time for everyone to return to the stage.

They were having so much fun that they almost forgot the program hadn’t ended yet.

The host said, “These past few days have been tough for everyone, bringing us such a wonderful stage play! Now, let all the guests return to the stage and enjoy some afternoon tea!”

During the break, the stage was set up with various sofas, large cushions, anime-themed pillows, and colorful snacks and drinks piled on a short coffee table, creating a large otaku-style living room.

The stage had a slope to ensure that the audience below could see everything.

The host joked, “I believe many of you have a similar setup at home.”

The whole audience burst into knowing laughter.

“Everyone can pick a spot you like, sit, lie down, and do whatever you want. The following activities will be quite casual. Just one thing: members of each group should sit together.”

With places to lie down and snacks to eat, it was fantastic. Each group quickly found their favorite spots.

Fei Fei directly settled into the central lazy sofa, and Hu Ya, originally planning to find a quiet corner, was reluctantly dragged by Qiangwei to the front row.

Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang chose a small sofa at the back.

For a moment, everyone on stage either lounged or sat, very casual, and the stage turned into a courtyard where lazy cats basked in the sun.

-Hahaha, so funny—the first time I’ve seen such a geeky program.

-To be honest, I’m lying in bed, holding my wife’s pillow, and watching the live broadcast, just like them, hahaha.

-Damn, I see the audience also has snacks; I’m jealous!!

Emie raised her hand, pointing at the pack of spicy strips on the table, and asked the host in broken Chinese, “Can I eat this?”

The host, sitting next to her, made a welcoming gesture: “Sure, you can enjoy any food and drink freely.”

-Emie, don’t try it lightly!

-Give Emie a little bit of Chinese shock ^ ^

-Grass, everyone is starting to eat now, hahaha.

As expected, Emie was shocked by the spiciness, desperately fanning herself with her hand, almost breathing fire. A cosplayer next to her immediately handed her a cola, and the scene became chaotic.

In this disorganized and undisciplined otaku atmosphere, the host said, “Now let’s play a blindfolded person pointing game, taking turns for each group. For example, Emie’s group goes first, everyone in the group closes their eyes, and the others, including me, can ask questions. You have to point to the person in your group who best fits the condition while keeping your eyes closed.”

Explaining the rules verbally wasn’t very clear, so Emie’s group decided to start right away.

There were six people in Emie’s group, sitting in a curved line, all closing their eyes together.

The host asked, “Who was the most nervous before going on stage?”

Everyone hesitated for a moment, then all pointed to Emie.

When they opened their eyes and saw such a unanimous choice, they all laughed.

Emie was the first one to laugh, raising her hand and saying, “It’s me. Because even though the lines were pre-recorded in advance, I’m not good at Chinese. I was afraid I would forget the lines and couldn’t match the lip-sync, so I’ve been very nervous.”

In this long sentence, there was also Japanese mixed in, and the translation girl translated it for her.

-Nervousness, hahaha, even learned the accent.

-Ah, ah, Emie speaking Chinese is so cute!

In fact, rather than a game, it was more like a disguised interview, letting everyone sit down and chat about their experiences of being together these past few days, as well as interesting things that happened during rehearsals.

Sometimes, different people were pointed out each time, making it more entertaining.

When it was Fei Fei’s group’s turn, the host asked, “Who stayed up the latest at night?”

Fei Fei pointed without hesitation to the brother sitting next to her, and the others all pointed to Fei Fei. When they opened their eyes, Fei Fei expressed shock: “Why did you all point to me? Brother Du definitely stays up later than me!”