Forge a path to success

Everyone looked at their opponents and adopted serious expressions. Lico clicked her tongue and said, "I didn't expect there to be so many experts this month... It looks like it's going to be a fierce battle."

The large seal rolled around frantically in the pool: "Quack! I don't want to see! I don't want to see!!"

Chu Heng felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. Ji Huaisu asked curiously, "What's wrong, A-Kong? Why do you have that expression?"

“Huaisu, you don’t know this,” Chu Hengkong said in a heavy tone, “Every work that appears here has its own unique skill. Whether it’s thriller, boring, illogical, or malicious… regardless of its average quality, they all bring a considerable impact to the audience, an impact so profound that it can be unforgettable!”

Upon hearing this, Ji Huaisu was greatly alarmed: "So that means..."

"They're all rubbish!" Chu Hengkong said decisively. "Their influence in the rubbish circle is as terrifying as a legend among Ascendants!"

Van der was quite surprised: "How did we end up eating X here all of a sudden..."

Miss Lico pulled up a chair and sat down first, crossing her long legs and eating popcorn: "Little Squid, you don't know this, but people are naturally fickle. If you eat too much good food, you have to eat something else to change your appetite. You'll get tired of watching one masterpiece after another, but if you finish watching a terrible masterpiece, everything else will seem beautiful."

"That's the very reason why the 'Fuck Movie Carnival' exists," Bangbangji chimed in. "Watching bad movies helps you appreciate the good ones!"

"Delicious! I love it!" "I can't live without this!" "Let's get started, I can't wait!"

Amidst the chatter of the little animals, Chu Hengkong learned that this "Bad Movie Carnival" was actually a monthly event held by the bookstore. The initial intention seemed to be to recall past hardships and cultivate tolerance for works, but now it seemed to have fostered a unique group of enthusiasts.

And the sheer volume of bad movies at the end of this month seems to be exceptionally high.

"God have mercy on us, we just had a really big one last quarter..." Lico said with a pained expression. "Everyone was shocked by something too crazy. We've gathered here to soothe our pain with bad movies."

“Miss Lico is right.” “That’s crazy, that’s insane.” “Let’s get started, I can’t wait!” the little animals chimed in.

The carp began adjusting the water curtain, preparing to vote on which terrible movie would be played. The large seal leaped out of the pool, dragging its massive body up the stairs, announcing an emergency evacuation. The poison otter cackled maliciously at the sight.

"It claims on the surface that it doesn't watch," the poison otter told people, "but halfway through, it can't resist its curiosity and secretly follows up from upstairs to watch, eventually getting poisoned and being struck by lightning, letting out a pitiful howl."

“You know it so well,” Ji Huaisu said.

“It’s a monthly event, I’m used to it.” Poison Otter carried his wine glass up the stairs. “Hehehe, but I will never participate in this event. I’m going to drink to the wails of idiots upstairs.”

Just as the poison otter was about to leave the disaster site, Vande slapped Gulibo on the shoulder. Gulibo dashed up the stairs, beaming, "Editor, since everyone's watching movies, why don't you try the female-themed animated film I brought you?!"

The editor, Dudu Otter, looked embarrassed and said tactfully, "I'll do that when I have time..."

"That movie is amazing, it would be a shame to miss it even by a day!" Gulibo encouraged enthusiastically. "When I was buying the movie at Huilong City, I saw two groups of fans fighting tooth and nail at the entrance. They can be this enthusiastic about buying the deluxe edition!"

"This sounds more like extreme fans fighting."

"And there are so many elements from the previous work that you, editor, love!" Guli Bo enthusiastically encouraged, "It's said that there's even a performance by the band from the previous work, so emotionally charged that longtime fans were moved to tears on the spot!"

The venomous otter's ears perked up at the question, clearly swayed. It pondered, "Are there still concerts from the previous game...?"

"Yes, yes, look, look, it's absolutely gorgeous!"

The Poison Otter, initially skeptical, changed its mind upon seeing Gulibo's beaming face—why would a little white mouse deliberately harm you? It retrieved the "Dream Explosion Girl" that Gulibo had brought back and chuckled, "Since you recommend it so strongly, I'll give it a try. If it's uninteresting, I'll punish you by sending you out to gather material."

"Don't worry, it'll be a pleasant surprise!" Gulibo patted his chest and assured him.

Chu Hengkong, who also loved watching anime, joined in the fun, asking, "Mind watching together?"

"Why not? Time should always be spent on worthwhile films rather than watching bad ones."

The otter led him up to the sixth floor, to the editor's private screening room. The room was very soundproof; you could barely hear anything around him. The single sofa was as comfortable as a luxury car seat.

The venomous otter placed the image crystal, thought for a moment, and then went to the wine cabinet to get a bottle of good wine. It nestled comfortably on the sofa and asked, "Detective Chu, have you seen the previous work?"

"I don't watch many works about girl bands." Chu Hengkong shrugged.

“I was the same at first, but the quality of the previous work was really high. Its carefully constructed character relationships could impress the audience across genres.” Poison Otter said with relish, “Because of my profession, I have seen many works, but even so, the previous work was enough to impress me - it was an interesting and serious work, which is especially valuable in this era.”

"So you deliberately didn't watch the sequel?"

Poison Otter sighed: "No matter what, there is no perfect work. The direction of the sequel is too extreme, and it seems to have changed drastically from the style of the original. The discussion atmosphere became terrible after the work became popular. A lot of the bad movies downstairs are sequels. I have little hope for sequels."

"However, there are also sequels that surpass their predecessors," Chu Hengkong said. "Works like 'Daoya 2' and 'Fanma Daoya' are far superior to the first game in terms of overall quality. It would be a pity to give up the opportunity to appreciate excellent works because of one-sided concerns."

“Detective Chu is right.” Poison Otter poured him a glass too. “It’s rare for Gulibo to give such a guarantee. I’m curious to see what the sequel to Female Musician is all about…”

The video crystal began playing, opening with a performance resembling a stage play, in which five masked girls performed a short skit before starting to sing. Chu Hengkong watched and commented, "A bit cringey."

"This band's theme is puppet theater style," commented the editor, Poison Otter. "The opening performance was a bit awkward, but the songs were pretty good..."

After the performance, there was a rapid-fire conflict scene depicting the band's core members' arduous struggle. Then, seemingly devoid of genuine emotion, internal conflicts erupted within the band. Finally, at the end, the girls removed their masks, revealing their true identities, causing a stir among the audience.

"What's the point of having this mask if it's taken off at the end of the first episode?" Chu Hengkong laughed.

“This should be a tribute to the first episode of the original series, where the group explodes…” Poison Otter hesitated, “but it’s a bit forced, let’s take another look.”

A while passed.

"Are you sure this is a girl band?"

"Theoretically yes."

Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the green-haired woman with multiple personalities on the screen: "Then why would someone have multiple personalities?"

"Well, I'm wondering about that too," the Poison Otter said, bewildered. "What's going on?"

The story then takes a sharp turn, delving into the complexities of multiple personality disorder, and the expressions of the two audience members become increasingly nuanced. Meanwhile, the heavy family background and complex relationships of the band's core member, the blue-haired woman, also begin to surface…

·

On the first floor of the bookstore, Gulibo, who was watching a terrible movie, couldn't stop laughing: "I can't take it anymore! What on earth were they drawing in the last few episodes of 'Mahou Kaisen'?!"

"This is no joke—it's one of the greatest comedy comics of recent years."

"Do you like it when I defeat the main villain and then have a meeting to assign blame?"

The little animals were eating with great relish, and the large seal, who was peeking from upstairs, laughed heartily along with them. During a break from changing the discs, Lico inquired about the gossip: "So, what discs did you give the otter? It seemed so interested."

Gulibo proudly declared, "It's the sequel to the Dream Girl series, which is editor Poison Otter's favorite!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. The crystal in Bangbangji's hand clattered to the ground, and the little animals, who had been happily eating it just moments before, looked as if they had accidentally eaten something truly disgusting.

"No, no, no, it can't be," Bangbangji said, trembling. "The Divine Sound Puppet?"

Gulibo nodded repeatedly: "Yes, bo... Why are you guys making that face?"

A chorus of gasps filled the air as the small animals trembled and cried out, "No!" "I don't want to eat female entertainer!" "Gulibo, are you crazy?" "Why are you torturing the editor like this!"

Gulibo turned his head in confusion: "W-what's going on?! Doesn't the editor always like female musicians?"

Li Ke looked at Gulibo with the same eyes she would give a terrifying demon king.

"You...you really don't know? You really don't know what we've gathered here to heal?"

"Bo?"

“Everyone here watched *Shinon Kaguya* last quarter,” Rico said, her voice trembling. “We’ve been very careful about keeping information under wraps, never discussing anything about female entertainers with Otter. Because *Shinon Kaguya* is… a fusion of a series of crazy elements, including a schizophrenic high school student fighting a small clique of conglomerates, internal strife within a close-knit female group, repressed emotions, catharsis, and character breakdowns…”

Lico took a deep breath: "The worst animation of last season!!!"

Vande quietly slipped out the door. Gulibo froze on the sofa for three seconds, then suddenly jumped up and dashed upstairs: "Oh no! Editor, don't look! Editor, stop right now, Bo—!!"

However, the editor's private video room was on the sixth floor, and Gulibo's short legs turned that long staircase into a desperate journey. By the time it pushed open the door and tried to persuade the editor to stop, it was already too late.

It could only watch helplessly as Detective Chu and the editor stared at the water screen with the eyes of mental patients. The film happened to be showing a shocking scene: the previously mysterious and mature blonde female lead singer on the big screen was now crawling on the ground like a dog, howling and screaming wildly, shouting, "Little Elephant! Little Elephant!"

Gulibo was so terrified that its whole body went cold, as if it had fallen into an ice cave. The next moment, it saw something even more terrifying than a bad movie: the face of a terrifying poisonous otter slowly looking towards the door.

"Gu...Li...Poo...!"

"No! Help! The editor is killing me!"

More deafening than any bad movie was Gulibo's panicked scream.

·

ten minutes later.

"Editor, please forgive me! I'll never do it again!"

Gulibo was suspended in the center of the hall by a rope, facing the big screen from the best angle. The little animals were all hiding in the corners of the bookstore, trembling. The Poison Otter editor himself stepped in and selected the most famous and most aggressive king of bad movies for it.

—"Beast Zoo 2"!

"Watch season one first, then season two. If you don't finish watching, don't even think about getting this month's salary." Poison Otter said expressionlessly.

Gulibo screamed in agony, "Help! This is torture! I don't want to see this, Gulibo!!"

Chu Hengkong shuddered slightly, and Ji Huaisu asked curiously, "And who is this person?"

"This... is probably the worst animated film in the last decade, it's not even in the same league as the previous ones..."

Several small animals watching couldn't help but run to the toilet to vomit, while the rest of the audience let out hellish screams. Ji Huaisu clicked his tongue and said, "Ugh, Gulibo, good luck to you."

In conclusion, Gulibo's torment didn't end until late at night. Unfortunately, the little animal lost its first-quarter performance bonus, and due to the severe psychological trauma caused by this month's "Bad Movie Carnival," even the most enthusiastic viewers who love bad movies exclaimed that they were utterly disgusted, leading to the cancellation of the following month's "Bad Movie Carnival."

The sea lion said: It's not necessarily a bad thing.

(Note: All the bad movies mentioned in this chapter are just jokes, intended to create entertainment value. The author has no ill intentions towards any of the works mentioned in this chapter and has absolutely no intention of offending fans. Please don't take it too seriously and be kind with your words.)

Chapter 291 Comic Con Charity Sale

"The long wait is over, the composition is complete!" Sreil exclaimed, beaming. "Please find a suitable venue for the poet, so that the melody can reach the ears of the audience!"

The dark-faced poet pushed open the door, looking smug. Chu Hengkong, who was reading a book, immediately stood up and asked eagerly, "Is the piece finished too?"

After recounting his memories, Chu Hengkong privately added some details to enrich the story, while Sriel began composing lyrics and music. The poet's professionalism in this area was truly exceptional, maintaining his storytelling style as always: not revealing personal privacy, but perfectly preserving the key elements. The lyrics had been written a few days prior and had been reviewed by him; even the most discerning eye could find no fault with them. This song for finding someone was ready in every way, lacking only the music and a title.

"The best piece of music in five hundred years, the poet dares to boast of it."

Vande practically pounced on him: "Please sing a couple of lines first! I'm a huge fan, I really want to hear it!!"

Ji Huaisu grabbed it with one hand: "Have you forgotten what this song is for...? It's for finding people, okay? What's the point of singing it in a bookstore? At least find a place with lots of people and good circulation."

"Then let's hold a concert," Chu Hengkong suggested.

Sriel, however, was not interested: "I'm naturally lazy and can't stand so much trouble. How can I go under the spotlight and sing endlessly?"

Upon hearing this, Bangbangji, who was listening in, said, "There's a fundraising event tomorrow!"

Sriel pondered for a moment, then plucked the strings and laughed, "Excellent, excellent! The manager is truly perceptive. This is the perfect occasion for singing. Once everyone has warmed up the atmosphere, the poet will arrive later tonight!"

He strolled out of the bookstore, his movements comical, as if he'd stepped on a banana peel. Ji Huaisu, not understanding, asked in confusion, "A fundraising event?"

"It's an event that the city-state holds regularly." Gulibo ran around carrying a small water bottle. "All sorts of shops gather together to sell all sorts of things. The five major events take turns hosting them, and it's our turn to participate tomorrow!"

Today, the seafood bookstore was anything but relaxed; everyone from the seals to the staff was busy. Gulibo was running around watering various bottles and jars, not the usual cucumbers and tomatoes, but all sorts of uniquely shaped ornamental potted plants. Miaonu was leading the little animals who could draw to create chibi-style stickers. Each time they finished a stick figure, they would put it into a large clay slab, and then identical chibi clay figurines would be produced with a few quick clicks.

The sixth-floor deadline-chasing team swarmed down and gathered around the pool, working while watching the large seal in the water with bated breath. The seal, with two sausages dangling from its mouth, wrote with incredible speed, occasionally letting out a pitiful cry: "Mmm!" (a plea for a break!)

"Don't you even look at how many pages are left in the manuscript? What do you mean by 'rest'?" Poison Otter sneered. "You can rest until you finish writing the publication!"

"Mmmmmm!" (Evil spirit! Demon! Poison otter!)

Chu Hengkong found the bustling atmosphere strangely familiar, as if he had seen a similar scene somewhere before. He searched around for a while, then asked with a strange expression, "...A comic convention?"

“A comprehensive exhibition,” Poison Otter corrected. “Calligraphy and paintings, potted plants, food, relics and secret manuals... everything that people in the city-state sell has a share. Come and visit this exhibition, and I guarantee you'll leave with more than you can eat.”

Van der chuckled upon hearing this: "Wow, that bookstore looks like it's going to make a fortune tomorrow."

The Poison Otter revealed a mysterious smile, while the Carp chuckled and said, "Profit—not a single penny!"

"?"

·

The next morning, because the sea seal was listless and the venomous otter wanted to look after the store, Manager Bangbangji led a group of veteran employees, including Gulibo, to the exhibition.

It blew out fluffy "bubble clouds" with a bamboo straw, each cloud about the size of a small car. The bubble clouds poured into the store, wrapping up the magazines and various goods packed the day before, and floated lightly into the sky.

Bangbangji took a few deep breaths and blew out an unusually wide and long cloud. The little animals scrambled onto it, bouncing around on the cloud like they were on a trampoline. Vande looked on curiously from the cloud: "This spell is quite convenient, Turbid Tears plus Free Wind?"

“Add a little shaping dust—that’s a cloud,” said Bangbangji cheerfully. “Everyone, hold on tight, we’re about to set off—Miss Ji, please don’t poke, it’ll open a hole.”

Ji Huaisu chuckled and withdrew his finger: "I'm just learning a bit about life..."

"You just want to play!"

Long clouds drifted up, carrying wispy, bubble-like clouds towards the city. Children on the street reached out, trying to catch the drifting clouds. Small animals plucked pieces of cloud and scattered them to the ground like flower petals. Musicians played melodious tunes, and the bubble-like clouds drifted away slowly to the music, as leisurely as a fairy tale.

As they floated above the venue, the rooftop opened up like flower buds. Bangbangji directed the bubble clouds to fall in clusters, finally letting the cloud carrying people drift down. Once on land, the cloud transformed into soft, long tables and chairs. Bangbangji then used colorful clouds to draw a sign for a "Seafood Bookstore," and the stall was ready.

"The Supreme Path is really convenient," Chu Hengkong exclaimed.

"The power of elements is inherently closest to daily life, and it is much more convenient than our unification in terms of creating and shaping things," said Ji Qiufeng.

The city lord disappeared a few days ago, and no one knows where he went or what he did. He only returned to the bookstore yesterday and happened to be exhibiting with them. He tapped his daughter's head: "Huaisu, you should learn more from Manager Yu when you have time. Look how well he controls the wind."

Ji Huaisu made a face: "Manager Yu has already crossed the first abyss! I don't even know how to control the wind."