Although this time, the white-screen crash on StarBlog was resolved in just a few dozen seconds, it was still immediately noticed by countless sharp-eyed netizens.
[Okay okay, I thought my star network crashed, but turns out it was actually StarBlog that went down?]
[Such a big website, why do you crash at the slightest touch? Failing at critical moments, tsk tsk.]
[Yeah, why does it feel like every crash lately is related to Teacher Fish Soup Noodles? He’s always getting persecuted, hahaha.]
Perhaps it wasn’t entirely StarBlog’s fault, who told Fish Soup Noodles’ traffic to be so absurdly high?
Faced with the laughter and complaints of countless netizens, the StarBlog maintenance team, having learned from painful experience, was already treating a certain fish as their number one high-priority target.
By the cosmos, where did he get all these explosive hot topics from?!
Most celebrities struggle to even get on the hot search list, this guy seemed to be living there.
Though it wasn’t hard to understand, was he really a mermaid? Weren’t mermaids supposed to have disappeared a long, long time ago?!
Because of this, when the hot search topic reached the top with a flashing red ‘HOT’ marker, almost no one could resist their curiosity from clicking in, drawing in all the traffic like a black hole.
Meanwhile, the unaware culprit, a certain fish, was already standing at the podium.
Yu Mian thought he would be nervous, but the moment he stepped into the spotlight, he strangely felt at ease.
“Hello, everyone, I am Yu Mian. Of course, most of you might be more familiar with my pen name: A Bowl of Fish Soup Noodles.”
As soon as Yu Mian spoke the name ‘A Bowl of Fish Soup Noodles’, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Yu Mian looked up and couldn’t help but laugh, just as the cameras broadcasted his image to countless light brains across the universe.
“Teacher Fish Soup Noodles! It’s really Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!’
“Wow, this camera is intentionally zooming in for a close-up, it really knows what it’s doing!”
At this moment, whether it was the patrons of the dwarf tavern on the Garbage Star, Derqin’s old friends in the elven star system, or the Bart clan members in the Eternal Night star system who were rarely awake…
Just watching the scene on the screen made everyone unconsciously smile, their lips curling up uncontrollably.
Just like the wondrous words written by Fish Soup Noodles, he always brought everyone a deep sense of happiness.
No matter what was being said, everyone was willing to rest their chin on their hands and keep listening.
After a brief self-introduction, Yu Mian waited for the cheers to subside before continuing his speech as originally planned.
He started from the time he first set foot in the interstellar era and embarked on his writing journey, talking about the many unique readers and friends he had met among different races along the way and recounting the interesting experiences he had encountered.
From receiving the first luminous rose in the letter from Lilith after publishing “Eternal Night Rose”, to meeting Derqin, an elf who later founded the Taoyuan Studios, because of “God of Cooking,” and even the story of how he met Lady Landis over a pearl after publishing his last short story.
Behind every work, so many fun and heartwarming things had happened.
Because of this, even though it was supposed to be an official speech, it successfully captured the full attention of the countless viewers in front of their light screens.
Even the initial excitement of hearing Yu Mian confirm his mermaid identity gradually turned into an indescribable sense of emotion.
People from all over the universe, despite their vastly different identities and personalities, could all find resonance and love through the same stories and words.
In a way, Fish Soup Noodles’ stories had connected everyone in the universe in a truly special way.
“I once discussed an old Blue Star saying with Dr. Cook from the military: ‘Those with the same aspirations do not see mountains and seas as distant; those with differing paths are not close even if side by side.’ In fact, what attracts me most about the vast interstellar world is precisely this.”
“The Federation Star is indeed a very inclusive and wonderful place. From my Editor Shaxs to the countless readers who eagerly follow my updates, all of you have given me so many beautiful memories.”
As Yu Mian spoke, his amber eyes seemed to hold the twinkling of stars under the stage lights.
Everyone in the audience, immersed in an atmosphere of quiet listening, gradually felt the overwhelming emotion behind his words.
[Wuuu, hasn’t Teacher Fish Soup Noodles also given us so many wonderful memories? I still remember the feeling of that summer night when I first opened one of his novels!]
[Me too! I used to feel miserable commuting to work on the Star Rail, but now I can look forward to reading new updates every day, and the journey has become so much happier.]
[Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ stories have been my comfort, healing my insomnia…]
Only now, looking back, did everyone realize how many works Fish Soup Noodles had written over time, and how many cherished memories he had created for them.
And the most unexpected part was yet to come–Yu Mian announced a major plan at the end of his speech.
“Lastly, I’ve been considering something recently. I want to allocate one-third of my royalties to establish a Blue Star Literature Award, open to writers from anywhere in the universe.”
The moment Yu Mian mentioned giving away a third of his royalties, the previously quiet audience erupted in shock.
Many people couldn’t believe what they had just heard.
After all, Fish Soup Noodles’ royalties were an astronomical figure! Wouldn’t giving away such a large sum make his heart ache!?
[Fuck, I know Teacher Fish Soup Noodles made a lot of money, but giving away a third of it? I feel heartbroken just thinking about it! I was planning to work hard and raise my wife, and now this!]
[Damn it, and there were those black fans, how did they ever have the audacity to slander Teacher Fish Soup Noodles?!]
While the barrage exploded, even the black fans who had secretly tuned into the live broadcast were left speechless by Yu Mian’s decision.
After all, would someone really be willing to part with such an enormous amount of money just to encourage the development of literature across the universe?
Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces, Yu Mian smiled and explained:
“Everyone, don’t worry. I’ve already discussed this with my family, and they fully support my decision. There will be more details to follow.”
In a way, his royalties were starting to pile up beyond what he could spend.
Take “The Vast Immortal Path” as an example. Though the final chapter had yet to be officially released, all related copyrights had already been sold.
The earnings from just this one deal were enough for Yu Mian to live an extraordinarily wealthy life in the interstellar world.
Not to mention that he had also invested part of his royalties into Taoyuan Studios, whose profits had now reached a terrifying level.
By comparison, he spent most of his time at home writing, hardly having any real expenses. His star card balance continued to skyrocket, to the point that even he felt numb when he occasionally checked it.
Thus, the idea for this plan was born.
“Of course, if the day ever comes when I run out of royalties and have nothing to eat, what everyone promised on star network about raising me wasn’t a lie, right?”
When Yu Mian jokingly mentioned the memes on star network, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, the previously stunned audience quickly burst into laughter.
Not only did fans in the audience proudly declare that they weren’t liars, but the live broadcast barrage also instantly exploded.
[Of course, it wasn’t a lie! How could I ever deceive Teacher Fish Soup Noodles? I’d give up my entire family fortune if I had to! T^T]
[I’m a die-hard fan! Please, let me be the one to raise you! I’m already working hard and saving up to support you!]
Competing to “raise” their beloved author, fans suddenly found themselves facing an unexpected crisis.
After all, the number of love rivals competitors was simply too overwhelming. At this moment, they were no longer just universal book friends. They had all become Fish-Raising rivals!
Huo Ting watched Yu Mian, who seemed to be glowing on stage, and failed to notice the deep and unconcealable smile in his own eyes.
In fact, Yu Mian had already discussed this decision with Huo Ting during the speech rehearsal.
What surprised Yu Mian was that after a brief moment of contemplation, Huo Ting readily agreed. Moreover, he mentioned that Aunt Inas would likely be happy to provide practical advice regarding the establishment of the foundation.
After all, the Inas couple had previously set up a special aid foundation for the investigation of harsh planetary environments.
This piece of information instantly made the Yu Mian in the water flick his tail excitedly.
Previously, the biggest headache was how to implement the plan, but unexpectedly, Huo Ting provided the key information so reliably.
This made the feasibility of the plan even greater.
When it came to Yu Mian’s decisions, Huo Ting had always been supportive.
Besides, even if all the royalties were spent, it wouldn’t matter.
After all, taking care of a fish was something he had been skilled at from the beginning. Raising one for a lifetime had never been a problem.
On the side, Secretary Hals glanced at the overwhelmingly excited audience, then at Huo Ting, who was smiling unconsciously, and couldn’t help but think… Well, how should I put this?
Hopefully, the other fish fans in the crowd wouldn’t discover his true identity. Otherwise, no matter how strong he was, they might not be able to leave the venue in one piece.
Meanwhile, in the backstage area, Chairman Michaels and other senior officials, who had been closely following the event, had not expected that inviting Yu Mian to deliver the keynote speech for the year would yield such a perfect result.
“I told you Yu Mian was the best choice, didn’t I?”
Chairman Michaels looked very proud.
The only issue was that he had no concept of money. How could he just take out one-third of his royalties on his own?
Chairman Michaels felt that the military at least had a responsibility to contribute a sum. Just based on the effects of mental power soothing research, he personally had to get involved in this foundation.
“Tsk, as if you all are even needed.”
To everyone’s surprise, Huo Yuejiang spoke up, causing the crowd to turn and look at him in astonishment.
No one expected that the old General Huo had attended today.
Ever since the end of the interstellar war years ago, Huo Yuejiang had insisted on retiring and never involving himself in official military affairs again. Only when major decisions required consultation would Huo Ting occasionally be asked to contact him.
Upon reflection, Chairman Michaels realized that this wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Considering how close the two children, Huo Ting and Yu Mian were, there was no way old General Huo wouldn’t be aware.
“No need to stand up, just stay seated.”
Huo Yuejiang waved his hand, signaling for everyone to remain in place.
Like an ordinary elderly man from the neighborhood, he clasped his hands behind his back and smiled as he watched Huo Ting and Yu Mian from afar. Then, without hesitation, he offered a large sum:
“I’ll cover part of the funds for this foundation myself. None of you are allowed to compete with this old man!”
At this, Chairman Michaels and his group looked at each other in bewilderment. Who would have thought that the foundation’s funding would become a matter of competition?
The issue was, if you can contribute, why can’t we? It isn’t just you who has a good relationship with Yu Mian; everyone likes this young fish, okay!
On stage, Yu Mian had not no idea that as soon as he announced the plan, funding spots would become a hot commodity.
Amidst the applause, as he received the trophy from the ceremonial hostess, a loud voice from the audience suddenly called out:
“So, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, are you really a mermaid…?”
As soon as this question was asked, the audience, who had been immersed in the emotional and proud moment of the awards ceremony, suddenly realized they had nearly forgotten to confirm this with Yu Mian.
Although everyone had already guessed it, they just wanted to hear Yu Mian personally confirm it.
Yu Mian glanced at the eager eyes of the crowd below, knowing that he couldn’t avoid this topic.
So, he lifted the trophy in his hand, shook it lightly towards the audience, and simply smiled as he responded:
“The answer that everyone has been looking forward to is indeed that I am a mermaid.”
“But mermaids are not as perfect as everyone imagines. Really, it’s just having an extra fish tail, that’s all.”
“However, I can guarantee that the scale necklaces given away in ‘Star Beast World’ are indeed 1:1 replicas of the originals, and many of the descriptions in the story are quite authentic.”
Of course, Yu Mian’s explanations were completely useless in the face of the countless mermaid fanatics in the audience.
“Let me tell you! Brother Yu Mian is the most beautiful mermaid in the entire universe!”
Huo Yan, who had been holding back for too long, jumped up with his hands on his hips in triumph.
By the cosmos, from this moment forward, he could finally tell everyone around him that Brother Yu Mian was the most beautiful mermaid!
This official press conference, which was filled with explosive points and whose ratings had been climbing throughout, finally hit its peak when Fish Soup Noodles officially admitted to being a mermaid.
More importantly, many people suddenly realized something.
The so-called mermaid short story from before was not a criticized piece of fantasy literature.
Our Fish Soup Noodles clearly wrote a work of nonfiction!
It was a mermaid article written by a mermaid himself. How could any other monsters or demons object to it?
Where were those black fan accounts? We need to see how they were planning to respond right now!
At the same time, some others noticed a new critical point.
[That means if this is a documentary, then according to the plotline… when exactly is the Federation going to send me my mermaid, QwQ?]
[Oh right, I’d like to ask that too! Damn it, the Federation owes me a fish! We demand our mermaids now!]
Since mermaids truly existed, then why couldn’t one grow in our bathtubs?
The netizens of Federation Star had always been filled with a spirit of competition, unwilling to lag behind and determined to have what others didn’t.
As a result, the comment section of the press conference was instantly flooded with countless fish emojis, leaving the official personnel dumbfounded and at a loss.
Wait a minute, could you guys be a bit more rational?
If screenshots of this were seen by uninformed viewers from other star systems, they might actually think Federation Star was issuing a mermaid to every household.
That would be a huge misunderstanding.
Even if you scoured the entire universe, you wouldn’t find a second one, okay? Stop daydreaming!
However, the promotional effect at the press conference was undeniably excellent. The number of outer star system viewers who actively registered for long-term tourism in Federation Star surged significantly.
Even the data on immigration to Federation Star increased by several folds.
According to interviewed alien viewers: “Whether or not we settle down is secondary. The main reason is that we just want to see Teacher Fish Soup Noodles in person. After all, we also want to keep a mermaid!” OvO
Upon seeing this, the Federation Star netizens, who had been passionately sharing links and proudly trying to let the entire universe see their beautiful mermaid author, finally realized the severity of the situation.
That was…the better this year’s press conference promotion went, the more competitors they seemed to have.
Please, don’t come over! It was already a battle of swords just to raise a fish here!
As for the annual promotional video directed by Director Gu Qi, the number of downloads and shares behind the scenes had skyrocketed to a terrifying figure.
The total views of all previous years’ promotional videos combined probably couldn’t compare to this one.
Even though Fish Soup Noodles only appeared for a few seconds, it was an overwhelmingly healing experience, compelling people to replay it countless times.
[Honestly, I just want to be that whale that got head pats from Teacher Fish Soup Noodles TwT. My forehead is huge, please pat me!]
It was unimaginable how joyful and blissful it would be to have Fish Soup Noodles, in mermaid form, gently reaching out to pat one’s head.
[Hah, you’re all too naive. The most crucial question isn’t whether this is documentary literature, but whether Teacher Fish Soup Noodles would consider, just like Zhu Yu in the book, falling in love with a human fish-raising expert… O///O (shyly poking fingers.jpg)]
Amidst countless mermaid fans meticulously analyzing the official press conference that was packed with explosive information, a single comment suddenly emerged and dominated the discussion rankings.
[Fuck, could you actually be a genius?]
Netizens were instantly dazzled by this wild train of thought.
To be able to make such a sharp and tricky observation angle…
