Chapter 60: Exclusive to Jinjiang 1/3

A few days later, Song Fuzhi released the second set of cosplay works prepared for Shi Zhang’s birthday.

This time, he chose a character from a domestic animated movie released two years ago.

The character was quite obscure, and the work itself wasn’t very popular. However, because of Teacher Zhang’s cosplay set, which exuded a strong atmosphere, many people, including casual viewers, were drawn into the fandom.

There were many examples of derivative works boosting the popularity of the original, but Teacher Zhang’s case of directly doubling the heat of the original work was rare.

The domestic animated film had only been in theaters for a few weeks at that time.

Due to the simultaneous release of European and American blockbusters and films by renowned directors, the audience for animated films was already limited. Coupled with the intense competition, the animated film had to be taken down from theaters quickly.

Consequently, the exposure of the film was minimal, even though those who watched it praised it for its depth, art style, humor, and tears. Unfortunately, it couldn’t compete with the foreign blockbuster trend at the time.

Teacher Zhang not only cosplayed the character but also wrote an unprecedented movie review. The language was simple, yet it made people eager to watch.

After seeing Teacher Zhang’s Weibo, many people went to the website to buy the domestic animated film and found that it was indeed worth watching. It was no exaggeration to say that Teacher Zhang gave this work a second chance.

Later, the film’s producer personally reposted Teacher Zhang’s cosplay, praising him for the faithful portrayal and jokingly calling Teacher Zhang the “reborn parent” of the movie. Teacher Zhang then reposted it, saying that it was because the movie itself was excellent and everyone should recognize the quality of domestically produced gems. Good works by fellow countrymen should not be buried; gold will always shine.

At that time, Song Fuzhi followed Teacher Zhang’s recommendation, watched the movie, and liked it. He believed many others did the same.

The entire work was filled with a rich fantasy Chinese style, skillfully blending traditional elements with vivid imagination.

The male lead was a robust and arrogantly confident young man with a hint of Tibetan charm in his appearance. Cat-eye stones and agate adorned his clothing, with emerald dots and sandalwood beads hanging from his exposed waist, exuding a classical tension.

Teacher Zhang’s cosplay didn’t recreate the grand scenes from the movie but simplified them, blurring the background. In the foreground, only his lazy posture sitting on a rocky mountain was visible.

This time, Song Fuzhi didn’t completely adopt the elements used by Teacher Zhang. Instead, he recreated a dreamlike segment from the movie—

The young man sat on the surface of a planet, with the vast universe behind him. Purple galaxies fluctuated in and out, and solar storms surrounded him with golden light, blurring his face into a sacred obscurity.

At the moment when his eyelashes were about to open, he fell from the brilliant and vast universe, awakening on the cold stones. The gemstones he wore had disappeared, leaving only rough fabric.

In the suddenly cold and silent darkness, the young man slowly opened his palm, holding a blue-glowing meteorite.

The caption below the video read, “May the vast universe be in the palm of your hand.”

Not long after, Teacher Fu updated again, and the audience was stunned.

Damn, you’re reaching a new level of beauty! My favorite character from a Chinese animation!

Although there are special effects, they don’t overshadow the main character. The camera is considerate, focusing on Teacher Fu’s teasingly exposed abdominal muscles. Hehe, I love watching. Show me more.

I feel like every time Teacher Fu releases something, it’s not just cosplay but a small story with plot twists!

I also think so. It’s like a fanfiction sequel to the original movie created by Teacher Fu. He has his own ideas in it, innovative yet still true to the original. Really great.

Isn’t anyone else amazed by how beautiful and romantic Teacher Fu’s captions are? Quietly takes out the quotation book.

Forgive me for being straightforward; I’m calling you my husband.

– Husband!

Husband, husband!

Although aware that netizens were just having fun, Song Fuzhi couldn’t help but find it amusing. After all, the term “husband” was mainly used in Teacher Zhang’s comment section before.

Why is Fu Fu so diligent lately? Keep up this frequency of diarrhea!

I’ve settled at Teacher Fu Place. I’m following you now, and I’ll be a long-time fan!

Seeing the word “Fu Fu,” Song Fuzhi’s eyelids jumped.

Although he chose this circle name when his mind wasn’t very clear before, he found himself stuck with this nickname. He had no choice but to compromise.

Teacher Song understood that, no matter where he went, he couldn’t escape the fate of being given a nickname.

While reading these comments, Song Fuzhi was sitting at his desk.

Shi Zhang was just a few steps away, quietly reading his own book.

Song Fuzhi nonchalantly scrolled down the screen, feeling an inexplicable thrill at doing something mischievous.

After confirming that Shi Zhang was earnestly reading, Song Fuzhi secretly clicked into Teacher Zhang’s account on the video platform.

Teacher Zhang primarily posted his main works on Weibo, but in recent years, with the rise of short videos, he also created an account to keep up with the trend.

The number of videos wasn’t too many or too few, mostly simple compilations of cosplay photos into videos, turning them into dynamic slideshows. Even with just that, many people loved watching.

Teacher Zhang followed several other cosplayers, anime enthusiasts, and some official accounts on Weibo. However, on the live streaming platform, his follower list was empty. Probably because it wasn’t his main platform, and he wasn’t keen on interacting here.

Although Teacher Zhang didn’t follow others, he had a large number of followers. It was probably several hundred thousand.

Song Fuzhi checked his own profile and found he already had a five-digit number of followers. For him, this was already an astronomical figure.

Teacher Song was unfamiliar with the sensation of suddenly becoming popular on the internet.

When he posted the first two videos, Song Fuzhi hadn’t even realized it, thinking that some people had seen his work.

After the third video was posted, Song Fuzhi started to feel that he might be gaining some popularity. The most tangible evidence was the surge in his backend data.

For example, the number of people following him exceeded five digits. Almost every time he refreshed the video, new comments would appear.

Song Fuzhi, who was not used to being the center of attention, felt fortunate that he hadn’t revealed his face, allowing him to feel a bit more at ease.

Song Fuzhi thought it was good this way, but the viewers weren’t satisfied; they were making a ruckus in the comments.

Another day without a clear face! Waaah, I really want to see Fufu’s face.

Like and comment to crowdfund a face for Fufu!

Fufu must be afraid his handsome face will bewitch us; that’s why he won’t show it. No worries; show it; we can handle it!

Song Fuzhi didn’t plan to respond to this. In his upcoming videos, he probably wouldn’t show his face, even if he put on full makeup. He still wasn’t comfortable with it.

A new comment caught Song Fuzhi’s attention.

The user said, “Teacher Fu is rising fast on the rankings! Fufu, go go go! Can you dream of becoming a champion?”

Many replies below said, “Wow, really! Teacher Fu, go for it! The biggest dark horse this season, you deserve it!”

“What ranking?” Song Fuzhi was confused.

He wandered around the app but didn’t see any ranking.

So, for the first time, Song Fuzhi replied to a comment, asking, “May I know what ranking this is?”

The fans found him adorable, replying respectfully.

They eagerly explained, “It’s the quarterly special competition that the platform just started. Video creators in different subcategories compete for the title through comprehensive factors like video popularity, data growth, tips, and votes. Winners are chosen by the audience in their respective fields, and the platform offers some rewards. Fufu, do you want to check it out? It’s below the search bar. You update more, and we’ll give you more likes, hehehe.”

Following their instructions, Song Fuzhi found the rankings and located the “Cosplay” category, further divided into female and male cosplayers.

In the ranking of male cosplayers, Song Fuzhi scrolled down a bit and found himself in the teens.

The cosplayers above and below him were unfamiliar, seeming like young newcomers.

At the tenth position, he saw a cosplayer named Feifei, and at the sixth, he saw Huya.

The cosplayer ranked first was someone Song Fuzhi had brushed past before, named “Wen Qian.” A beautiful and delicate young man, he had gained high popularity in recent years. He had collaborated with Teacher Zhang, and Song Fuzhi had seen their interactions on Teacher Zhang’s Weibo.

At the top, the rules of the rankings were written. The cosplayer with the highest accumulated points for the season could receive rewards, including opportunities to participate in network variety shows, collaborate with a major game company, a cash prize, and a platform splash screen ad slot.

Song Fuzhi wasn’t particularly interested in the first few rewards. What caught his attention was the last one.

The splash screen ad—basically, the image people see for a few seconds when they open the app.

Song Fuzhi directly contacted the online staff and asked, “If I win, can I use the splash screen ad slot for the image I want?”

The staff probably hadn’t encountered this question much, replying, “Of course, we will negotiate with you. We will provide some design concepts, and if you have your own ideas, you are very welcome to propose them.”

Song Fuzhi agreed.

Although getting first place was likely challenging, given that other cosplayers on the list had accumulated popularity for many years, Song Fuzhi wanted to clarify things first.

After handling these matters, he finally addressed the heap of red dots in his private messages.

In recent days, more and more business inquiries have flooded in, with significantly higher quotes than before. The most exaggerated one could cover several months of Teacher Song’s salary.

How should I put it? Song Fuzhi was originally distant from this industry. He didn’t have any concept of how much a net idol could earn.

Deep down, Teacher Song was quite traditional, viewing teaching as an excellent profession.

However, the tangible figures of gold and silver were now in front of him, making him realize that in this new era, some novel professions could attract so many people to join one after another.

Song Fuzhi was silently digesting the new industry information he had encountered on this side. Professor Shi, sitting behind him, was also preoccupied with his thoughts.

Professor Shi seemed to be diligently reading a book, but in reality, his gaze seemed somewhat vacant, and his mind was running other programs.

As early as elementary school, the mischievous child Shi Zhang developed the skill of pretending to be serious. The veteran, Song Fuzhi, also didn’t notice Professor Shi’s distraction.

Naturally, his thoughts were still focused on Song Fuzhi’s birthday.

What was Song Fuzhi’s favorite anime character? This was Professor Shi’s biggest challenge at the moment.

The manga that introduced Song Fuzhi to the world of anime twenty years ago must hold a special significance for him. However, the manga was a classic, and its overall tone was quite passionate. It would be a bit odd to truly cosplay as a romantic character from it for Song Fuzhi’s birthday.

It would be best if Professor Shi could figure out whether Song Fuzhi had ever felt a “heart-fluttering” sensation for a particular character.

Just like many girls nowadays commissioning cosplays, they want to have a date with a handsome anime character in the real world. That kind of meeting and heart-fluttering experience beyond the dimensional barrier is the most sensational.