Chapter 56:Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

In Mr. Song’s eyes, Shi Zhang was the kind of person who had been gentle and well-mannered since childhood, with excellent grades and good behavior. It was unimaginable that he would casually skip class.

In theory, Song Fuzhi should also be surprised, but before that, he had received “Shi Zhang’s Evidence of Sin” sent by Shi Zhenglin. Considering his childhood experiences, he thought Shi Zhang might not be an ordinary student.

So when Mrs. Wang mentioned Shi Zhang skipping class, Song Fuzhi wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, he squeezed Shi Zhang’s hand.

“So what happened next? How did my mom punish you when she saw you skipping class to read?” Song Fuzhi asked.

Mrs. Wang exclaimed, “Oh right, how did I handle it? It’s been so long I don’t remember. I was probably quite angry.”

“I remember it very clearly,” Shi Zhang said. “At that time, Mrs. Wang was indeed quite angry. She scolded me directly in the bookstore and told me to go back to class immediately.”

Mrs. Wang: “…”

Song Fuzhi laughed heartily at Shi Zhang’s revelation.

Shi Zhang smiled and lowered his eyes. “But later, Mrs. Wang told me that she had the school library buy that book. She told me to go to the library in my free time to read instead of running so far away.”

Song Fuzhi was stunned and said, “Mom, indeed, you are an exemplary professor.”

Mrs. Wang hesitated a bit. “People get old. I really don’t remember doing these things.”

Shi Zhang reached over to support the old lady and said, “Mrs. Wang, you’ve done a lot of good for the students. You may not remember, but you will be remembered for a lifetime by countless students.”

Mrs. Wang playfully tapped Shi Zhang, “Good boy.”

Discussing these interesting past events in the sunset was quite entertaining.

They gradually walked quite far, almost to the edge of the small town. The road surface became uneven again, and the houses nearby visibly deteriorated.

Wastewater flowed on the ground, and electric scooters and bicycles were scattered everywhere on the sidewalks. An old man casually ate at the roadside with his shirt open, speaking in a heavy rural accent and spitting watermelon seeds on the ground without a care.

Dr. Song was a decent person; he didn’t like this area before, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s dirty and chaotic.

“Let’s go back this way,” Old Song suggested.

Mrs. Wang said, “Sure, let’s go.”

Song Fuzhi wanted to pull Shi Zhang back, but he found that he was still standing in place, staring in a certain direction.

Song Fuzhi wanted to go up and ask him, “What’s wrong?” but suddenly felt a pain in his leg. A child ran over playfully, collided with his leg, and even stepped on him hard.

Song Fuzhi frowned and made a hissing sound, looking at the child with a less than pleasant expression.

The child made a face, didn’t even say “sorry,” and ran away like a madman.

Shi Zhang frowned, rubbed Song Fuzhi’s leg twice, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Song Fuzhi shook his head and said, “It’s fine. It’s just that the child is very rude.”

Mr. Song sighed on the side. “More than ten years have passed, and there’s still no change here. Low-quality residents and a chaotic environment. Let’s not come here often.”

Mr. Song was speaking the truth, and Shi Zhang’s face turned white.

Mrs. Wang suddenly pulled Old Song’s sleeve. “You old man, that’s why there should be a school nearby! Just because you’re educated, you’ve read some books, you think it’s a big deal? Character should be cultivated through education. Those who study well will have a future.”

Just now, Shi Zhang’s expression was all seen by Song Fuzhi.

Song Fuzhi intentionally lagged behind his parents, pulling Shi Zhang and asking, “What’s wrong?”

Shi Zhang gazed at him for a few seconds, then turned around and pointed in the innermost direction of the dilapidated building.

“That’s where my mom and I used to live. After she left, I lived here alone,” Shi Zhang said.

Song Fuzhi held Shi Zhang’s hand, soothingly rubbing it. “It’s okay; it’s all in the past. Let’s go back.”

“Teacher Song,” Shi Zhang interrupted him softly, “let’s come back here again tomorrow. I want to take another look.”

—

After returning from the edge of the small town, Song Fuzhi’s mood was not particularly high.

He hadn’t expected that Shi Zhang used to live in such a place. He might have had some imagination before, but seeing this environment with his own eyes was impactful, making Song Fuzhi feel uncomfortable.

Shi Zhang, on the other hand, was as usual, still holding Song Fuzhi’s waist and coaxing him, “I jumped out of here like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, living happily. Cheer up, okay?”

Only then did Song Fuzhi tug at the corners of his mouth, teasing Shi Zhang’s handsome face, “Shi Carp.”

The hotel conditions here were quite ordinary, with narrow shower rooms. When Shi Zhang went to take a shower, Song Fuzhi remembered the cosplay work he posted at noon.

It had been most of the day, and there might be some feedback by now.

Song Fuzhi anxiously took out his phone, opened the app, and was immediately greeted by a long row of red “99+” notifications. His heart skipped a beat, and he opened up the details.

The comments section was exaggerated, filled with exclamations like “Ah ah ah” and “Woo woo woo.” People with a limited vocabulary praised it as “amazing, cool, handsome,” while those with richer vocabularies wrote long paragraphs of cheesy compliments and showered rainbow farts.

Look at what I found! Fu Teacher, you finally updated.

The quality is too high! I thought walking on the street was already cool, but I didn’t expect to walk straight into another world. The transition is really amazing!

Ah, ah, ah, FuFu, why didn’t you say anything and do something big suddenly? A sudden big move, and I almost lost my mind. When will the next work be released?

Begging for a front view of Fu Teacher! There’s no clear front view in this video. But just from the details of this side profile, I know Fu is definitely big! handsome! guy!

The last time I saw a character cosplay with such fidelity, it was an octopus (slurping).

I think Fu Teacher is more suitable! The temperament seems to be a bit more beautiful. Lol Octopus Teacher: Oops, I’ve been stepped on.

I say upstairs, each coser interprets the character differently; Octopus Teacher has already retired; there is no need to compare again.

Song Fuzhi silently liked the last comment.

Really, what’s the point of comparing? He wasn’t here to compete with the Octopus Teacher.

Also, Fu Teacher’s caption is well-written. Although it’s not the character’s lines, it strangely fits well and is very romantic.

“You walk in my boundless reality and dreams.”

This was the text that Song Fuzhi paired with the video.

This time, unlike last time, Song Fuzhi not only felt affirmed in terms of his physique and styling but also in the shooting ideas.

Song Fuzhi admitted that he added a bit of personal touch to the captions; it was something he wanted to say to Shi Zhang.

Song Fuzhi saw a system message, a colorful congratulations, saying, “Congratulations on making it to the rising list of the 2D section!”

He only now realized that this video seemed to be rising even faster than the last one.

Indeed, works with added effects and thought put into them were different.

Song Fuzhi didn’t feel particularly excited; he just felt relieved. The audience’s response was enthusiastic, and Octopus Teacher should also think this work was good.

Just as he was about to exit, Song Fuzhi suddenly received several consecutive private messages.

Ah, ah, FuFu Teacher! I love your cosplay so much; it’s my favorite character. You’ve captured my heart, sob sob sob. Just one word, handsome!

I’m a coworker too, named Feifei. You can call me Feifei. There are my cosplays on my homepage; if you’re interested, please take a look. Can I add you as a friend? If there’s a chance later, we can cosplay together!

If this offends you, I’m sorry. You can just ignore me.

Anyway, I just wanted to say your cosplay is amazing! (throws flowers)

This kid’s words were so dense; Song Fuzhi’s phone had been buzzing for half a day.

Song Fuzhi couldn’t handle such excessive enthusiasm, feeling a bit psychologically scarred, so he didn’t reply with a single word.

But out of politeness and a desire to see other cosers’ works, Song Fuzhi clicked on the homepage of this coser named “Feifei.”

Unexpectedly, hanging at the top wasn’t his cosplay work but an exclamation-filled daily Weibo post.

@Feifei: I’m angry, I roar, I pound the table, and I run wildly! Why is it that these two people get married, @Huya and @Yan Mei’s husband, Teacher Dan, and they receive a wedding gift from Octopus Teacher? Why! And the packaging is so exquisite, there’s even a handwritten card. Sob sob sob, I also want to get married!

Clicking on the picture, it was exactly the pigments and cosmetics he and Shi Zhang had chosen together that day.

The second picture was a handwritten card from Octopus, with a clear line written on it: “The gift was chosen by my husband and me together.”

Staring at the elegant and free-flowing penmanship that belonged exclusively to Professor Shi, a small firework bloomed in Song Fuzhi’s mind.

Once again, Song Fuzhi felt the strange sensation of the overlapping identities of “Shi Zhang” and “Octopus,” sending shivers down his spine.

So Song Fuzhi went back to the private chat with coser Feifei, and with a slow and concise tap, he typed, “Okay.”