Chapter 2: Two-Dimensional 1/2

On Friday afternoon, Song Fuzhi was quite busy.

Parents picked up their children after school and took the opportunity to talk to the homeroom teacher to understand their child’s situation.

It happened to be right after the monthly exams, and many parents came to Song Fuzhi with exam papers. There were sighs, anxieties, and blaming of teachers; all sorts of parents were there.

Many teachers found dealing with parents to be the most troublesome, but Song Fuzhi remained calm about it. He had encountered various types of families and adults too many times.

Song Fuzhi was cornered by parents for almost two hours, without even a moment to drink water, and his throat was sore.

The office finally became quiet.

Song Fuzhi tilted his head back slightly, a faint line forming between his eyebrows. He placed his hand on the left side of his head and pressed it hard.

His head felt like it was being hammered by someone—an old problem.

Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.

The door wasn’t closed, and Song Fuzhi opened his eyes to see a timid head, and Fan Tong softly called, “Teacher Song.”

Song Fuzhi asked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

Fan Tong hesitated and showed a timid smile. “My book is still here with you.”

Oh, that manga book.

Song Fuzhi rarely forgets things, but lately, he’s been so busy that he forgot about this.

“This time, deduct one week. If I catch you again, I’ll wait until the end of the semester to return it.”

Song Fuzhi took out the manga and pushed it forward on the table.

“Okay, Teacher Song.” Fan Tong nodded like garlic being pounded. “I won’t do it again.”

This was a rule set by Teacher Song since they entered high school in their freshman year.

No phones, game consoles, or books unrelated to study could be brought into the teaching area. You could sneak them in if you had the ability, as long as Song Fuzhi didn’t catch you.

Song Fuzhi was strict in this regard, and rules were rules, no exceptions.

Fan Tong took the book and was about to slip away when Song Fuzhi stopped him with a “Fan Tong.”

“Huh?”

Fan Tong’s scalp exploded in fear, afraid that Teacher Song wanted to have a private conversation with him about grades.

Song Fuzhi raised his eyes. “Are you going home by yourself?”

Fan Tong stood hesitantly. “My mom is working overtime; she’ll come to pick me up later.”

Song Fuzhi relaxed a bit. “Hmm.”

The office fell into silence again. Song Fuzhi sat with his eyes closed at the desk for a long time, enduring the headache, before slowly starting to pack up.

Friday night was one of the few moments truly belonging to him.

The streets were crowded, but Song Fuzhi preferred tranquility. He went to his favorite wonton shop.

The small shop was in an alley, open from morning to night, selling only wontons. The diners here were all local residents. The owner was a simple and kind-hearted lady who warmly remembered the tastes and preferences of regular customers.

Song Fuzhi ate quietly, listening to the landlady and the elderly customers chatting. She mentioned that she planned to retire in a few weeks, and the shop had been negotiated with the next tenant. It would be turned into a coffee shop.

Song Fuzhi listened in a daze, slowly swallowing the wontons.

“You’re not continuing?” Song Fuzhi spoke with a warm and deep voice, drawing the attention of the landlady and the elderly customers.

The old man quickly slapped his thigh. “Our landlady is going to enjoy her retirement with her granddaughter.”

“Old age, it’s time to take a break.” The landlady laughed happily, her face slightly flushed with joy.

Song Fuzhi smiled. “Congratulations.”

He rarely spoke in the shop, so the landlady usually didn’t engage him in conversation. Now that Song Fuzhi took the initiative, the landlady naturally wanted to chat a bit more.

Elders cared about a few things, and since the landlady had a happy family herself, she liked to worry about others. “Teacher Song always comes alone. Are you married?”

Song Fuzhi was in his thirties, and he had heard this kind of question too many times. He didn’t mind the concern and shook his head gently. “No.”

“Then do you have friends?”

“None.”

The landlady showed a surprised expression, quickly turning to helplessness. “Young people nowadays…”

She didn’t finish the second half of the sentence, paused for a moment, and then looked at Song Fuzhi. “Having someone by your side is always good. When you feel uncomfortable, there’s someone to talk to, right?”

Song Fuzhi smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m looking for someone.”

Perhaps it was the warm mist in the wonton shop at night, or maybe it was the momentary relaxation of the tense nerves, or more likely, it was because Fan Tong’s manga book happened to stop at an exciting part—

Walking alone on the street, Song Fuzhi gradually had some different thoughts, swaying back and forth.

The winter night wind was surprisingly warm.

On the way home, Song Fuzhi entered a small store and came out with an extra bottle in his pocket.

After returning home, Song Fuzhi didn’t bother turning on the living room light and went straight into the bathroom.

In Song Fuzhi’s mind were the few pages of manga that the students in his class had been reading and the picture of Octopus Teacher cosplaying with a sky-high power level.

He particularly liked that set of pictures, and it was stored in his phone’s album, vividly remembered.

A man stood with one foot on the jeep’s bar, carrying a heavy atomic gun on his shoulder. The training suit was loose, and the black, tight combat vest inside was stretched tight by muscles. Behind him, the primitive jungle grew lush, exuding a wild and masculine temperament.

Octopus Teacher’s works always had a dynamic sense of power, perfectly restoring the atmosphere and aura of the original work. The makeup, temperament, and cosplaying were all spot-on; whoever he cosplayed looked exactly like the character.

Now there’s a new term called “manga tearing man,” meaning a man who tears out of a manga and is as handsome as a paper character.

Although the term is new, anyone who knows a bit about cosplay knows that Octopus Teacher has been tearing manga for more than ten years, with consistently high-quality works and countless masterpieces.

In the early days of the cosplay community, beautiful ancient-style handsome men were more popular, and Octopus Teacher’s tough style was not common, especially with a physique to this extent. So, it immediately caught Song Fuzhi’s attention.

Song Fuzhi liked this style and this physique.

In the past, when he browsed online, he would save pictures of the ones he liked. Later, he found that most of the pictures he saved were from the works of one cosplayer.

His original pseudonym was “Octopus_S” because his aura was so strong that he was called the “total attack leader” of the cosplay community, and also because of a certain letter in his name.