To be honest, Yu Mian really found it quite interesting to discuss various topics and stories he liked with these young and energetic students.
However, looking at the riverside, Yu Mian couldn’t help but think of that missing young man. If he really wanted to join in, was it really necessary to run away?
Moreover, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
“But, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, I still want to say thank you today! I was the first one you pulled ashore! Do you remember me?”
As the exchange meeting came to an end, many students gathered around again. One of them, unable to contain his excitement, eagerly introduced himself while holding several of Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ novels and squeezing forward.
Yu Mian signed autographs while glancing at him with a smile. “You’re the pilot?”
“And me! I was the second one, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!”
In an instant, the entire group became lively again. Previously, everyone had been fully immersed in discussing novels, but now, chatting casually with Teacher Fish Soup Noodles felt entirely different.
Especially for those who had been pulled ashore by Yu Mian, this exchange meeting was bound to become an unforgettable and beautiful memory of their student years.
“Goodbye, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!”
“Please offer an elective course next semester! I really want to show you my novel.”
“I’ve already written 300,000 words! I think I should finish my manuscript even faster.”
As they bid farewell, Yu Mian waved with a smile at the students who were saying their goodbyes loudly, suddenly feeling that Principal Charles had been a little “calculating”.
Such passionate, sincere, and adorable young fans, how could anyone bear to refuse them?
“Does this mean I have to prepare lessons? There is a lot of cultural knowledge about the ancient blue planet. If I hadn’t stepped in to save the situation today, I was a bit worried I might have disappointed everyone.”
Later, while taking a walk along the Starry Sky Lake after returning home, Yu Mian couldn’t help but share some of these concerns with Huo Ting.
“But your lecture today was great. Even Principal Charles was listening very attentively.”
Huo Ting recalled how Yu Mian had spontaneously talked about the ancient tradition of “floating goblets on winding streams” and naturally sensed that this mermaid had a unique emotional connection to such cultural knowledge of Ancient Blue Star.
Every time Yu Mian discussed the culture of Ancient Blue Star, he could see the excitement in his eyes.
Being acknowledged by Huo Ting made Yu Mian suddenly feel a little embarrassed.
“Aren’t you curious about how I know so much?”
Others mistook him for an expert in this field, but it seemed that only Huo Ting knew he had mysteriously appeared from an aquarium.
Thinking about it, Yu Mian realized that he had never really been on guard around Huo Ting.
“If it’s a secret, then keep it well.”
However, Huo Ting’s response was beyond Yu Mian’s expectations.
“Just like your fish tail.”
Yu Mian: !
“That was an emergency! I subconsciously wanted to go over… Besides, didn’t you remind me?”
Yu Mian wanted to grab Huo Ting and argue his case, but in the next second, Huo Ting took his hand, and they quietly walked along the scenic lakeshore.
The night breeze was intoxicating.
The feeling in the heart was also particularly strange.
The lake stretched endlessly, just like the vast starry sky. In addition, the lively and wonderful exchange meeting had come to an end, making it easy to feel small and lonely in the grand scheme of things.
But at this moment, he didn’t feel lonely at all.
Lost in thought, Yu Mian glanced up at Huo Ting beside him, only to find that Huo Ting was also looking at him.
His dark eyes were as deep as the universe.
“…Are you planning to swim again tonight?”
After looking away, Huo Ting routinely asked about Yu Mian’s plans.
Ever since moving to Starry Sky Lake, Yu Mian had spent most of his time freely swimming in the water.
“Not tonight.”
He had already soaked in the water earlier during the day.
Yu Mian looked again at the hand Huo Ting was holding and couldn’t help but lightly brush his fingertip against the calluses on Huo Ting’s palm. The rough texture tickled his skin slightly.
“…”
The next second, Huo Ting tightened his grip, leaving no room for Yu Mian’s fingers to move, almost like stopping a little prankster.
Caught red-handed, Yu Mian remained defiant.
“You’re holding my hand, so I can’t go upstairs to write! I want to finish the novel in one go this time.”
“We need to visit the old residence in a few days, don’t forget.”
“I know, and we also have to retrieve the conch shell. But why did my parents give Grandpa the conch shell when they saved him? Did they ever say what it was supposed to do?”
Yu Mian had always been curious, if his parents had saved Grandpa Huo, why did they give him a conch shell? Was it meant to be a keepsake or something else?
Surprisingly, Huo Ting didn’t answer directly for once.
“That’s also a secret.”
“Huh? How stingy!”
Without realizing his double standards, Yu Miami was perfectly fine with keeping his own secrets yet wanted to know Huo Ting’s.
Unfortunately, Huo Ting didn’t say a word this time. It was the first time he had refused to answer his persistent questioning.
Could there really be something he didn’t know?
After returning to the study, Yu Mian absentmindedly turned on the light brain to start writing, still wondering what kind of secret could be contained in it.
Sure enough, the dramatic and unique campus exchange meeting from yesterday was reported the next day.
A reporter even visited the school to interview Principal Charles about his thoughts on the exchange meeting.
Principal Charles, of course, had nothing but praise. He even revealed that he had formally invited Teacher Fish Soup Noodles to offer a long-term novel writing course next semester, as student enthusiasm was very high.
“Of course, it was absolutely wonderful! The kind of happiness you remember for a lifetime! It made me realize how many beautiful aspects of Ancient Blue Star’s culture that we have forgotten, especially the tradition of floating goblets on winding streams. It’s fun, elegant, and fascinating!”
“The aftershock is real, wuuu. After last night ended, I felt empty for so long, like a beautiful dream was suddenly cut short. Before I graduate, I really, really want to take Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ class.”
The participating students’ remarks, along with their overflowing happiness, easily infected every viewer in front of the screen.
[Dammit, is it really that fun? What is the Orchid Pavilion Gathering? I want to be like Teacher Fish Soup Noodles too! (Bursting into tears)]
[I told myself I wouldn’t be jealous. Fine, I admit it, I’m jealous to the point of madness. Ahhh. But the fact that the boat capsized is honestly hilarious, haha. Did everyone fall into the water?]
[As long as no one got hurt, it’s fine. Teacher Fish Soup Noodles wasn’t on the boat at the time, right?]
Waltz Academy’s highly innovative campus exchange meeting undeniably attracted a great deal of attention, especially since all the various rumors that had not been officially reported were interesting and fun.
Apparently, the carefully crafted huafang capsized due to overcrowding and trampling, leading to an impromptu but even more entertaining Orchid Pavilion Gathering.
[No, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles wasn’t on the boat, but he did jump in to fish us out, hehe. I was personally saved by Teacher, so I will be fished into sizzling fish noodles for the rest of my life.]
[That’s right! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is unexpectedly amazing at swimming! But now I’m really curious about that silver-haired guy who snuck in. Could he be from a neighboring school?]
Soon, firsthand witnesses couldn’t help but confirm everything on star network, revealing even more interesting details that left those who weren’t present completely shocked.
[What!? Someone actually hid underwater in advance to sneak into the exchange meeting? Damn, why didn’t I think of that?]
[How is this different from listening to a concert while perched in a tree? But this kind of learning spirit is outrageous, is this really a fish fan?]
The biggest twist, however, came when a distant photo under the trending hashtag #TeacherFishSoupNoodlesSavesPeopleInWater!# turned the Waltz Academy literature exchange meeting into the top hot search of the day.
The image captured the exact moment Fish Soup Noodles helped a student onto the shore. The interplay of sunlight and water reflections created a natural filter, making the scene breathtakingly stunning.
He looked like a water-borne elf.
[Fuck, a beautiful side profile water rescue shot!? I’m in love. QAQ. Huanyu, I need this as a card. Can you release it?]
[@HuanyuReading, here’s your chance. Don’t miss it.]
Interstellar book fans, who were currently obsessed with blind-box character cards, went wild over this rare capture of Fish Soup Noodles and were practically demanding Huanyu turn it into a collectible card for everyone.
[If this gets included in the physical edition of “God of Cooking”, wouldn’t it sell out instantly?]
Although this request ultimately didn’t get fulfilled, Huanyu did announce that the physical release of “God of Cooking” would come with five new extra stories, the first of which was the highly anticipated Orchid Pavilion Gathering.
In a way, the Waltz Academy exchange meeting had turned into a perfect promotional tool for the release of the physical book for “God Of Cooking”.
[HuanyuReading V: The physical edition of “God of Cooking” will come with exclusive food-themed photocards! Each card features exquisite artwork, and we can’t wait for you to share which ones you pull!~
These cards also incorporate a special technology, the card itself emits a unique food aroma! Each card stores a fragrance that can be activated about ten times, letting you experience the joy of food while collecting.
PS: Please remember to consume responsibly. [Huanyu sneaky peeking.jpg]]
However, the limited-edition card previews Huanyu revealed sent shockwaves through the fan community.
No one expected that, stimulated by Lightyear’s aggressive marketing tactics, Huanyu had developed yet another groundbreaking gimmick.
For instance, the golden “Candied Peach Slices” card featured a girl with peach blossom buds in her bun hairstyle, holding a plate of glistening candied peaches. The bottom of the card had a subtly raised, traditional peace knot pattern, which could be pressed to release the corresponding food scent.
Simply pressing it would allow one to smell the dish’s aroma.
It was paradise for food collectors.
[You? This? You tell us to consume responsibly, yet you’re blatantly tempting us!]
[I can’t even imagine how high the rare food cards will be scalped for. And if each card only has about ten activations, won’t flawless condition cards be even more valuable?]
[That’s no problem for me. If I don’t pull the Spicy Chicken card, I’ll just sprinkle some chili powder on it myself. DIY, no need to envy anyone! (Crying behind sunglasses)]
In fact, the launch day of the physical edition for “God Of Cooking” caused such a frenzy that even the largest bookstores struggled to keep up.
Many book fans had already read the entire story through online subscriptions, but still bought the physical copy for collection purposes. Now, they could get random gift cards when they opened the book, which adds a lot of interactive fun to the collection.
Soon, a compiled list of all the food-themed cards from “God of Cooking” appeared on star network.
The most unexpected phenomenon, however, was that the hottest card turned out to be the long-forgotten “Snail Noodles” card!
Even though the Food Research Institute, which was cooperating with Huanyu, stated that the machine-captured scent wasn’t an exact match for freshly cooked snail noodles. In fact, it might have developed a slightly “mutated” aggressive odor.
But the bizarre yet enticing scent on it had indeed made this little card become the most popular card, and countless readers wanted to try it out.
[I won’t buy food cards that taste weird, but I must buy food cards that taste really weird!]
[I’m dying. Screw it. I’m offering triple the price for a Snail Noodles card! Activation count must be three times max. If it’s in good condition, we can negotiate! Someone, please sell me one!]
Huanyu’s unexpectedly innovative gifts within books had inadvertently escalated the competition in the collectible merchandise industry. Even Lightyear couldn’t help but laugh when they heard the news.
“Looks like our marketing and promotion for “Bei Xing’s Necklace” was too successful, it gave Huanyu a sense of crisis.”
“If Teacher Fish Soup Noodles decides to write a new script instead of a novel for the next project, Huanyu might really not be able to smile this time.”
“To be honest, I’m really curious about what kind of story Teacher Fish Soup Noodles will write next. A work that is this heartwarming and healing is definitely a treasure of the universe!”
With “Bei Xing’s Necklace” approaching its grand finale, the entire Lightyear studio was just one step away from hosting a celebration banquet for the perfect conclusion of this phenomenal animated series.
Director Lin Ke looked on with gratification as this project, which so much effort and dedication had been poured into, was gradually released. The audience base expanded across all age groups, and was growing larger and larger.
Of course, the happiest thing was probably reading all the warmhearted comments left by both younger and older viewers after watching.
After all, even though “Bei Xing’s Necklace” didn’t feature any hardcore technology or grand star wars, the numerous cozy and heartwarming everyday stories in the animation always brought a unique sense of relaxation and joy to those exhausted from a long day.
It was as if, in the world of Bei Xing, all things unpleasant could be healed.
“I think so too. Maybe the new book will be a novel adaptation of “Bei Xing’s Necklace’?”
After all, Huanyu had apparently been brooding over the fact that this work was never written as a novel for an untold amount of time.
Looking forward to Teacher Fish Soup Noodles recreating the success of this work in novel form shouldn’t be surprising, right?
However, Yu Mian, who was in the study preparing the new book, felt a mixture of being both inexperienced and deeply passionate about writing.
Fortunately, he knew that Huo Ting was not far away. Otherwise, writing something like this alone at home would have felt really creepy. Orz
