For the fairy tale short story “Fallen Morning Star”, the first children-themed area in history was opened.
“This picture book is so exquisite! It’s perfect as a gift for my younger cousins during the holidays.”
Audrey dragged her brother Kane along to visit the carnival, and couldn’t help but be drawn to the exceptionally delicate picture books.
Some were designed as pop-up books, where the cartoon images of the two main characters, the stargazing girl and the star girl, rose upright each time the page is turned.
Others featured interactive crafts. For instance, by sliding open a frame, the cartoon Isabel would successfully meet Nemo.
There were also maze games, where you could help Isabel who has sneaked into the cabin find the correct route so that she can break through the planks and release water to submerge the king’s huge ship.
“…”
Kane frowned, his fingers fiddling clumsily for a long time before he managed to awkwardly guide the little Isabel figure out of the maze.
“Was it fun?”
Audrey glanced at Kane, who immediately placed the picture book back with a nonchalant expression, unwilling to admit he had been intrigued by something so childish.
Seeing this, the nearby sales assistant smiled warmly and introduced, “These were also designed with guidance from Teacher Fish Soup Noodles himself. If you’re interested, you can pre-order them now. We’re running a discount promotion for early orders.”
“Teacher Fish Soup Noodles also participated in designing these picture books?”
Audrey asked in surprise, stroking the book in her hands.
“Yes, they were inspired by the author, our magazine rushed to create this batch of samples for exhibition!”
Hearing this, Audrey didn’t hesitate for even a moment and signed off on a large order, leaving the sales assistant momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, Shaxs, who had been stationed at the event, was constantly updating Yu Mian online about how lively and successful this year’s carnival activities and exhibitions were.
Apart from the incredible story about the star pirate reader that had left Yu Mian covering his face in disbelief, Shaxs focused on the booming sales of the picture books in his reports.
[Crispy Shark: The pre-orders for the picture books alone have already broken historical sales records! It’s like no child can leave the exhibition empty-handed. How did you come up with these ideas? It’s simply magical.]
Amused by Shaxs’ enthusiastic descriptions, Yu Mian, who occasionally tuned into the live broadcast while working on his new book, couldn’t help but smile.
[Fish: I only provided some general ideas, the real credit goes to “Interstellar Youth” magazine for implementing them. The quality of the picture books is indeed excellent.]
Yu Mian had realized during the creation of “Fallen Morning Star” that most children’s books in this interstellar era were hardly different from those written for adults.
So after submitting the manuscript, he whimsically described several interactive picture book concepts that were popular on Earth.
Who, as a child, didn’t try to find a little character wearing specific clothes among a bunch of little people in a picture book, and even spend an entire afternoon playing with it?
Yu Mian even played with a kind of children’s story book that could be cut. He could open the paper windows on the picture book, and even stuff paper clothes into the washing machine.
Given the vibrant and imaginative fairy tale elements in “Fallen Morning Star”, it was a natural fit for an interactive picture book.
[Fish: Oh, and I have another idea. Next time, we could design a children’s dress based on Belle’s gown. I’m sure many little girls would love it.]
When Yu Mian thought of the countless little kids in the amusement park who were holding on to Elsa’s dress and couldn’t let go, he felt that Belle’s outfit seemed quite suitable.
[Crispy Shark: Ah! You’re absolutely right!]
From Yu Mian’s few words, Shaxs instantly grasped the immense appeal of this “moonlight white” dress to young readers.
At that moment, Shaxs suddenly felt his author was so terrifying.
How can such a crazy idea that could definitely make countless parents so frustrated that they had to pay pop up in just a few seconds?
Even if he didn’t write novels, Shaxs felt that his author could probably top the sales charts in retail!
As for the biggest surprise of this year’s carnival, it came during the closing ceremony when the exclusive Fish Soup Noodles area revealed a new book announcement.
[Countdown to New Book Release: 3 Days!]
A massive black billboard featured side silhouettes of two male protagonists on either side, with the words “Countdown to New Book Release” prominently displayed in the center, immediately captivating attention.
[What?! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is finally starting a new novel?!]
[Oh my gosh, I’m so excited QAQ! So what exactly does the true and false identities in this theme refer to?!!]
[Ahhh, I can already feel the thrill of chasing updates like I did for “Contract Marriage” and “Eternal Night Rose”! Although I feel like I have really forgotten the pain after the wound healed…]
Although Fish Soup Noodles had delivered unexpected delight with several short stories recently, reviving a wave of nostalgia for magazine-style literature, long-form serialization on Huanyu Reading Platform remained his forte.
The pain and joy of following updates were unforgettable. Fans still vividly recalled the chaos when “Eternal Night Rose” and “Contract Marriage” collided…one ended up getting updated daily, the other weekly.
Yet, they couldn’t help but miss the exhilarating thrill of waiting for updates at a fixed time every day.
“The new book will certainly be very exciting too.”
After setting the release time for the three consecutive updates on launch day in the draft box, Yu Mian couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
After all, the success of this long-form serialization would directly determine whether he could finally get rid of the time limit on his fishtail transformation and move out of this study to live independently.
[Crispy Shark: By the way, about the house-buying plan you mentioned earlier, I’ve compiled some suitable materials for you. Would you like to take a look?]
[Fish: Wow! Thank you, editor~ OvO]
Yu Mian accepted the materials from editor Shaxs, then subconsciously glanced at the documents Huo Ting left on his side of the desk.
“It’s actually houses?”
Flipping through the pages, he realized that after his casual mention last time, Huo Ting had actually taken note and started looking for properties on his behalf.
—Some suitable options for reference. -Huo
Looking at Huo Ting’s note, Yu Mian could easily imagine the man meticulously reviewing each listing.
[And these properties actually look quite good!]
The little system couldn’t help but chime in, helping to evaluate the options.
Compared to the materials compiled by Shaxs, Huo Ting’s selections clearly had a different style.
“I guess Secretary Hals helped organize these.”
However, as Yu Mian flipped through the first few pages, he noticed Huo Ting had personally annotated each one.
For example, details about the safety of the surrounding environment and past incidents.
“Did he do this during breaks at work?”
Staring at the familiar sharp handwriting, the more Yu Mian turned the pages, the more he felt a strange mix of amazement and disbelief.
If these materials were circulated publicly, it would be hard to convince anyone they were written by Huo Ting…
[Wow! This one is beautiful!]
While Yu Mian was still in a daze, the little system suddenly gasped in shock at a particular listing for a waterfront courtyard residence.
“It’s really dreamy…”
After thoroughly reviewing both Shaxs’ and Huo Ting’s materials, Yu Mian had to admit that the Starry Sky Lake property in the water-view area was a perfect fit for a mermaid like him!
“Just looking at the pictures makes my tail feel relaxed…what do I do?”
The sparkling lake was surrounded by lush, towering trees, with a serene private residence nestled within the stunning environment.
The highlight? At night, the lake shimmered with vibrant starlight, creating an almost fairy-tale-like atmosphere.
It was easy to imagine how blissful it would feel to swim freely under such starlight with his tail in the water.
[Speaking of which, it’s been a while since you last swam.]
“Fine, I admit it. This place is irresistible…”
For Yu Mian, it seemed impossible for a mermaid to reject such a lake.
How did Huo Ting find this place!?
—The property also features a natural hot spring that can be incorporated.
“There’s a hot spring too!”
On the second page, Yu Mian noticed yet another annotation from Huo Ting, which was practically radiating temptation.
[That said…you probably shouldn’t make your preferences so obvious. Also, the only issue with this place is how close it is to the old Huo family estate. Wouldn’t that increase the chances of being discovered later?!]
The little system’s cautious suggestion didn’t fall on deaf ears.
It was a valid concern.
But this place was just so perfect for him!
So, when Huo Ting received feedback on the properties, he wasn’t surprised to find the Starry Sky Lake residence marked prominently among Yu Mian’s choices.
—It’s indeed very appealing, but wouldn’t this be expensive?
There was also a new note attached.
For a moment, a rare trace of amusement flickered in Huo Ting’s eyes. He promptly took out a new note and wrote down his response.
—Not at all. One of the residences is currently on urgent sale by its owner, he’s leaving the star system. -Huo
Meanwhile, Secretary Hals was bewildered upon receiving follow-up instructions.
“But what if the old master wants to go fishing after he comes back this year? Sure, this property has been vacant for a long time, but still…”
**He won’t mind at all! That’s his future son -in-law!! But Huo Ting, you’re already giving away family property even before marriage! 😆
“Isn’t East Bay enough for fishing?”
Without even looking up, Huo Ting signed off and motioned for Secretary Hals to proceed with the paperwork.
While Yu Mian was house-hunting, his fourth novel was officially released!
Thanks to the innovative countdown campaign on Huanyu, the platform reached its peak active users at precisely 6 p.m. on release day.
When readers refreshed the page and saw a new work by Fish Soup Noodles under his column, a huge amount of reader traffic immediately poured into the first chapter and the number of clicks increased dramatically.
But the first second that everyone excitedly clicked on it, they opened their eyes wide in shock.
Big brother and little brother?!
The CP in Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ new book was… brothers?!
[Wait, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles! You can’t write this! Huanyu strictly prohibits this kind of relationship with blood relatives!]
[What happened? Didn’t the editor remind our dear Teacher Fish Soup Noodles?!]
[Exactly! Niche sites may allow this kind of forbidden love theme, but Huanyu, as a mainstream platform, has clear regulations against it.]
But the panicked cries of the first batch of readers who turned into screaming loudspeakers were quickly drowned out by the second wave of readers who read further.
[Everyone, calm down! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles clearly stated in the next words that they aren’t in the same household registry!]
What!?
This revelation only deepened the confusion.
Can blood relationships be faked? [Shocked.jpg]
