Just the fact that he could always bring the latest special edition physical copies of Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ books to school first was enough to make everyone practically worship him as a god.
“Anyway, make sure to take lots of pictures and tell us all about the event when you get back!”
“Exactly! You’re our only hope, Huo Yan!”
The kids in his class were so envious they could barely speak, and even the teacher couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Huo Yan’s luck.
No wonder this little guy’s essay scores had been improving so much, how could he not be influenced by Teacher Fish Soup Noodles after living with him?
When the event day finally arrived, not only was the venue packed with invited guests, but even the news live broadcast room had started its pre-show coverage early, with the number of live viewers skyrocketing.
To maximize publicity, the event was one of the rare occasions that the star network was open to the entire universe and on a large scale. As long as the signal was strong enough, even the most distant star systems could tune in.
Viewers from different star systems who spoke various languages could watch the press conference with simultaneous translation provided by the AI translation system.
Even the comment section had, for the first time, become a joyous gathering place for countless fish fans.
[It’s clearly not the New Year, so why does it feel like a New Year celebration? I just realized that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ book fans are literally scattered across the entire universe!]
Many fish fans, upon joining the discussion, were amazed to see what had once seemed like a distant reality unfold right before their eyes.
As for the readers from other star systems, they were practically crying on the spot.
[Dammit, wuuuu, who understands how it feels?! This time we in the outer star systems can finally eat something hot! No delays on the official broadcast, this happiness is unreal!]
[But we do have a time difference. It’s 3 AM here, and I’m so excited I can’t sleep, refreshing nonstop. It’s finally live! When is Teacher Fish Soup Noodles coming on stage?]
[WOW, the Federation has so many people! The conference hall is enormous…so this is the star system where Teacher Fish Soup Noodles lives?]
Excited yet curious, the book fans from other star systems took in everything they saw.
Naturally, when people liked an author, they would also develop a fondness for the star system the author was from.
Before the event had even officially begun, the hype had already reached terrifying levels.
Not only that, but hosting such a massive official event meant that many platform maintenance teams were also on high alert.
Moreover, A Bowl of Fish Soup Noodles, who is always involved in all kinds of storms, was personally attending as a representative to receive an award and deliver a speech.
“Heh, we’re fully prepared this time. No matter how big the news is, Starblog will definitely not crash.”
Having suffered embarrassment before, Starblog was practically swearing that there would be no repeat failures this time.
They had been repeatedly testing their servers over the past few weeks just to ensure that no embarrassing crashes would happen again.
“Why do I feel so happy I want to dance? I really can’t wait to see Teacher Fish Soup Noodles on stage!”
Since the preparation work was considered foolproof, many of the younger team members, who were also fans of Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, were absolutely thrilled while waiting for the event to start.
In fact, after the first few segments of official policy announcements at the press conference, everything was running smoothly.
Even though the number of online viewers and the overall discussion volume had far surpassed the usual peak traffic for this timeslot, the event continued without issue.
While watching the live broadcast with great interest, people couldn’t help but wonder when Teacher Fish Soup Noodles would finally take the stage.
[Is Teacher Fish Soup Noodles coming up in the next segment? Urgent! I’m so anxious I’m kicking my blankets, will he be nervous?]
[I don’t know if Teacher Fish Soup Noodles will be nervous, but I know I’m more nervous than him! Thank you, Federation officials, for inviting him! Who understands how long we fish fans have been waiting to see our fish?!]
[Indeed, the last time was at the Eternal Night Star System’s offline signing event. This time, I can record the entire thing! Wait, why are there more segments? Why is this dragging on so long?! Hurry up!]
However, just as Yu Mian was about to take the stage, the lights at the venue suddenly dimmed. Instead, a massive screen lit up, and music gradually filled the hall.
It turned out they were playing the annual promotional video for the event.
A wave of small boos could be heard throughout the venue.
Because anyone with eyes could see that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was already standing by the stage! Urgent, urgent…why couldn’t they play this video later?!
“There are really so many people here.”
Guided to his designated position by an usher, Yu Mian let out a small sigh of relief. This was definitely a good thing. Having the promotional video play before going on stage gave him a little extra time to gather himself.
Yu Mian took another glance at his speech notes. Even though he had already memorized it, he still clung to the paper out of habit, finding comfort in holding onto something.
“Aren’t you going to watch the video?”
Huo Ting, who had also applied for an official task at this press conference, naturally stood beside Yu Mian and turned to look at the big screen.
“No, there’s no time! I need to go through my speech one more time. Ahem, besides, my part in the video was probably edited out.”
Noticing Huo Ting’s apparent interest, Yu Mian immediately tried to lower his expectations.
After all, when they had been called in for the filming, he had been too stiff.
Even after multiple takes, the results were unsatisfactory, and Director Gu Qi’s expression was so miserable it was unbearable to look at.
Yu Mian couldn’t help but cough awkwardly, admitting that he had absolutely no talent for acting, just like his complete lack of talent for singing…
“In the end, Director Gu Qi could only wave his hand in despair, allowing Yu Mian, who was eager to escape, to slip away and ‘play’ with his old and new friends.
As expected, Lady Landis had indeed come to the Federation Star, bringing a group of young aquatic descendants to participate in the filming, just as Director Gu Qi had mentioned. They were responsible for singing the theme song for this year’s promotional video.
Everyone’s singing was so beautiful that Yu Mian, the fish, felt very guilty.
However, just as Yu Mian absentmindedly recalled the ‘failed’ filming experience from that day, the entire venue suddenly erupted into an enormous uproar right as the promotional video was about to end and he was about to go on stage.
“T-Teacher Fish Soup Noodles?!’
Editor Shaxs, who had obtained a ticket to the event as a representative of Huanyu Reading Platform, stared at the final still frame of the promotional video with wide eyes and disbelief as it gradually faded away.
‘Ahhh, Brother Yu Mian looks so good in this shot…’
Huo Yan and Huo Yuejiang’s group also hadn’t expected that Yu Mian had actually participated in the filming.
Because in the final scene, a giant whale emerged from the sea, spraying water. The sky was dazzling with twin rainbows arching over the snow-white waves, and the vast ocean scenery was breathtakingly magnificent.
But the most astonishing part was the young man in the center of the shot, gently lifted by the playful whale.
His golden fishtail shimmered on the rippling sea surface like a flowing skirt, light and graceful.
In the next second, a group of young aquatic descendants who had been playfully chasing in the water continued to swim toward the depths of the ocean.
The brief few seconds of footage were so beautiful, like something straight out of a fairytale dream, yet it blacked out completely just moments later.
It seemed that no words could do justice to the beauty of that scene.
Amidst the stunned silence of the entire venue, Yu Mian himself was also in shock as he recalled the few seconds he had just witnessed.
No, Director Gu Qi’s capture was too natural, right?!
It wasn’t even a staged interaction; it was just everyone playfully chasing each other in the water after filming had ended. He had simply been smiling as he reached out to pat Lady Landis’ whale head.
Yet in the video, the footage was so breathtakingly beautiful, as if enhanced with a dreamlike filter, exuding a natural yet magical atmosphere.
No wonder he let him take a break for a while, it turns out he was secretly capturing him in a relaxed, natural state?
While the entire venue remained silent, only Huo Ting lowered his head and glanced at Yu Mian, who was still in shock. He couldn’t help but chuckle and remind him it was time to go on stage.
It seemed the buzz was truly about to explode.
But after practicing so many times in private, he shouldn’t still be nervous, right?
Yu Mian: !!!
Realizing what had just happened, Yu Mian finally understood the magnitude of the traffic boost Director Gu Qi had just gifted him…a mind-blowing gift that, in some sense, was also a huge test.
Help, wasn’t this just throwing him onto the stage at the exact moment when everyone was most excited, with their beauty filters turned up to the maximum, and making him wave and say: Hi, yes, I am a mermaid!
Was he supposed to just admit on the spot that he was the mermaid in the video?
This felt like a bit of a scam. The footage was filmed way too beautifully, wasn’t he far less dreamy in real life?
[Fish Collapsing.jpg]
However, before Yu Mian, who was slowly walking onto the stage, could even think of a way to break everyone’s filter of mermaids that was several hundred meters thick, everything had already boiled over into uncontrollable chaos.
[Ah? Wait, a mermaid?!! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, you’re actually a mermaid?!]
[Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, you! You hid this from us so badly, ahhh, confess honestly, were you afraid that I’d confess on the spot if I knew?! TwT I have to admit, your concerns were very valid. Hello, dear, let’s get married ahhhh!]
[I won’t even dream of raising Teacher Fish Soup Noodles anymore, I just want to ask…does Teacher Fish Soup Noodles want to raise a college student instead? One that’s been to school, can count, and knows to run home when it rains? QwQ Never mind, let me kiss first!]
At the moment when tens of millions of comments flooded the star network, the hot search #TeacherFishSoupNoodlesIsActuallyAMermaid# skyrocketed to the top at an unprecedented speed.
And at this moment when many people didn’t even have time to react, StarBlog lived up to everyone’s expectations and the screen went white in one second.
“Fuck! It crashed again!”
A wail of despair instantly echoed through the StarBlog headquarters.
