Great-grandfather Fang's post on the spur of the moment had been mentioned by many media outlets. Some people had somehow managed to find out his contact information and contacted Great-grandfather Fang for an interview, but they were all rejected by Great-grandfather Fang.
After rejecting yet another interview, Great-grandfather Fang grumbled angrily, "How vexing! You call me all day long! "
But if you looked at Great-grandfather Fang's expression, you would realize that although this old man's tone wasn't pleasant, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face, and his wrinkles had deepened considerably.
Today, he didn't even need to go out and brag. Many of his old friends in the retirement facility had come running over after seeing the news.
Great-grandfather Fang hadn't even kept the box containing the military medal. He had left it outside to flaunt to others.
When they were young, they compared their careers, military merits, and military ranks. When they retired, they compared their children and descendants. It wasn't that the Fangs didn't have outstanding descendants, but they had nothing to do with military merits. Great-grandfather Fang felt that his long-cherished wish had been fulfilled. If he didn't brag a little, he would be letting down all these years of anticipation.
After hanging up, he saw another old man walk in from the retirement facility carrying a box. Great-grandfather Fang knew that the other party had descendants in the military who were doing rather well and had earned quite a lot of military merits. He also had more than one third-class merit medal. Great-grandfather Fang was here to pick a fight!
However, Great-grandfather Fang didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Instead, he beamed and praised, "These few from your family aren't bad. In the future, they will surely be even more successful than you. My little great-grandson can't compare to yours. Your family graduated from a military academy, but mine dabbles in the arts. I'm already satisfied with a third-class merit after serving and getting promoted! "
Behind every military medal was an unimaginable sacrifice. Great-grandfather Fang wouldn't belittle or slander these medals or the people behind them, but he wouldn't forget to brag about his great-grandson.
He wasn't wrong. A literary youth who hadn't graduated from a military academy and had such a performance not long after his military service was indeed rare. Didn't the news say that he was the only one in the past 100 years? Thus, Great-grandfather Fang bragged confidently.
Great-grandmother Fang, who was watering the plants on the balcony, only smiled when she heard the discussion in the room. This was enough. Third-class merit, second lieutenant. They were indeed satisfied. Now, they only hoped that Fang Zhao could safely pass the rest of his military service.
However, when she thought about the comments online, Old Madam Fang frowned. She was worried that the praise would be too much. Fang Zhao was too young and had an unstable mentality, so he would easily go astray. Moreover, too much flattery could easily make people feel disgusted. She looked at some of the comments under Old Man Fang's trending status. They seemed to be flattering her, but in reality, they were all honeyed words and malicious words.
Old Madam decided that the next time Fang Zhao contacted them, she would have to remind that kid.
However, the person who everyone thought would be praised to the skies was calmer than anyone else.
Far away on planet Baiji, even though Fang Zhao had heard from Kevin Lin about how popular he was and had also seen some of the news reports that had come in praising him, he did not have many thoughts or emotional fluctuations.
Fang Zhao knew very well that in this current situation, he was just taking advantage of his celebrity status and timing. It just so happened that the higher-ups also needed to set a benchmark. That was how the current situation had developed. He did not think that he had done very well. He was not being humble. Compared to what he had done in his previous life, this was really not a big deal. However, having legal gun ownership was still very convenient, and Fang Zhao was satisfied.
Now, he still did what he had to do. After helping Fan Lin tidy up the fields, he started to participate in the expansion of the outpost.
In planet Baiji's development plan, the first batch of outposts to be expanded included the five that had been attacked. During the day, he would participate in the expansion of the outpost. At night, when he returned home, Fang Zhao would take some time out to jot down his daily inspirations in his notebook or make changes to what he had written previously.
Kevin Lin did not find this strange. Once, before going to bed, he even turned on his video camera and shot a half-minute video of Fang Zhao and sent it back, letting everyone know how diligent Fang Zhao was off camera.
Kevin Lin was now very popular. This was something he had not expected when he had been assigned as a special correspondent. Furthermore, Fang Zhao did not like to show off in front of the camera, so during the daily live broadcast, Kevin Lin actually appeared more often than Fang Zhao. However, Fang Zhao did not mind. From time to time, Kevin Lin would shoot a few videos that could help Fang Zhao increase his popularity and send them back.
The "Project Starlight" program team broadcast the video on the same day they received it, and it immediately became a hot topic among netizens who had been paying attention.
"Composing at night? Is Fang Zhao going to release a new work? "
"If I had not seen this, I would have almost forgotten that Fang Zhao has a composing background."
"What, composing background? Don't tell me Fang Zhao doesn't play games? "
"New fans should check how Fang Zhao first became famous. Indeed, Fang Zhao has a composing background. He has some fame in Yanzhou's composing circles. Only after that did he become famous in gaming."
"Am I the only one paying attention to the lamp beside Fang Zhao?"
"I saw it. When the outpost was attacked, it was in the video Kevin Lin took in the basement!"
"That's not a lamp! That's a sea slug! It's a shaggy-haired species, but we like to call it a sea hare. Sea slug owners all know that. "
"A living lamp!? Where can I find a similar model? Who knows? I want to buy one! "
"There's also a pen and notebook that Fang Zhao uses. Does anyone know where to buy them?"
...
The online discussions had started off with discussions about Fang Zhao's profession and later on, "Fang Zhao's style."
Everyone knew that "celebrity style" was the hottest marketing phrase. Previously, for Project Starlight's five channels, apart from Fang Zhao, the other four celebrities' accessories were all available in the market. Even their hairstyles were imitated by many people. This was the effect of a celebrity.
As the four celebrities of channels S1-S4 did not need to serve in the military, they had greater freedom in their clothing styles and were more particular. From their hairstyles to their daily necessities, they used the products they endorsed and the brands they collaborated with. Shirts, outdoor sportswear, backpacks, and so on, every detail had been arranged in advance.
Fans liked to use the same things as their idols. Even if they could not be exactly the same, they would try their best to use something that looked similar. They felt that this would bring them closer to their idols.
Businesses would also help create hype and at the same time, borrow the celebrity's popularity to market their own products. This sort of thing was very common. Basically, as soon as a celebrity appeared on a live broadcast, the same style of clothing, backpacks, sunglasses, accessories, and so on would be released online.
In comparison, Fang Zhao's side was at a disadvantage. Because he had to serve in the military, everything he used was the same as the military. Even his hairstyle was the same as the military's — no long hair, sideburns, beards, wigs, hair dye, and so on. There were only a few simple hairstyles. In the military, anyone who acted up would be criticized.
When Project Starlight had first been announced, in terms of commercial value, Fang Zhao was a far cry from the other celebrities. Therefore, at the start, many people did not think well of Fang Zhao. Very few businesses sought out Fang Zhao to collaborate with.
Now it was different. Other than Fiery Bird and a few other big names that had sought out Fang Zhao because of his reputation as "Diting Ear," following the explosion of S5's popularity, more and more brands sought out Fang Zhao to collaborate with.
Wasn't it just military service? It was just a year. Given the current level of publicity, even if Fang Zhao's popularity dropped after his military service, there would still be profits to be made. This was what many businesses were thinking.
As for fans, Fang Zhao was not on Earth and was too far away. Even if they wanted to stop him, it was impossible to do so. Thus, many people turned their attention to the things that Fang Zhao used on a daily basis or came into contact with more frequently.
A certain online military goods shop had been booming business recently.
"Shopkeeper, do you have the same style of Fang Zhao's combat uniform?"
"It's illegal to buy and sell military uniforms, but there are imitations. They look the same and don't have planet Baiji's insignia. Military goods are strictly regulated."
"Do you have the same style of epaulets?"
"... Second Lieutenant epaulets? Selling those is also illegal. Even if you can get your hands on one, you won't be able to wear it. If you get caught, you'll get a heavy sentence. But our shop has a few epaulet substitutes... "
"What about guns? If you really can't, you should have a model, right? "
"Oh, we do have that, but there's a 1: 1 model. There are models that have been sold out. Do you want one?"
"No, when will the 1: 1 model be available? I'll order one first! "
Similar conversations were happening everywhere. Internet celebrities also seized the opportunity to ride on Fang Zhao's popularity. They imitated Fang Zhao's appearance, donning a replica combat uniform, epaulets substitute, high-cut replica military boots, and holding a 1: 1 model of the same gun. Then, they posed in what they thought was a sharp gaze and cool pose for a photo. Then, they eagerly posted their own "identical photos" on various social media platforms. Regardless of whether they were praised or scolded, as long as there was traffic and popularity, their goal would be achieved.
And the sea slug that served as a night light also started to sell like hotcakes in the pet market. Various shops displayed the slogan "Fang Zhao's Pure Color Shredded Hair Sea Rabbit." The pictures and videos on the online shops also seemed to be the same. A white blob that looked like a white rabbit that lived in the water. At first glance, it really did look like the one Fang Zhao kept.
In the past, the shredded hair variety had also been a hot seller and had been in the top 10 of the sales charts. But during this period of time, it had directly jumped to the top spot. When the slogan "Fang Zhao's Same Style" was displayed, it was snapped up.
However, the first person to buy it gave a negative review the moment they received it.
"Shopkeeper, why can't your shredded hair sea rabbit glow?!" the buyer questioned.
The shop owner was helpless. "It's not just my shop. Other shops are the same. They don't glow. There's no way around it. It can't be compared to Fang Zhao's. Other people's shredded hair sea rabbits have half of extraterrestrial genes. "
"That's fine, but why is it so small!" the buyer asked again.
"... Because it doesn't have extraterrestrial genes."
In the entire ornamental seawater pet market, it was indeed impossible to find an identical breed. There was no other way. Everyone could only settle for the next best thing.
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