Chapter 1009: The Comic Plan

Success is an ideal that no one can give up.

Just like Fang Minya and Sun Jun, for them, the only way to change their fate and become stronger is to seize every opportunity.

So even though Zhao Fusheng told them to come back when they had time, the next morning, the couple showed up at his doorstep.

“Oh, why are you here?”

Zhao Fusheng, who had been sent out by his father to take out the trash, looked at Fang Minya and Sun Jun with considerable surprise. He really hadn’t expected them to come so quickly.

“Brother Zhao, you’re…” Sun Jun’s expression was somewhat startled, as if he hadn’t expected Zhao Fusheng to look like this.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and raised the trash bag in his hand: “My dad, he’s not happy with me, so he finds me things to do.”

Winking, Sun Jun laughed: “My dad likes to do that too.”

After saying that, the two suddenly felt much closer.

The saying that daughters are close to their fathers and sons to their mothers may not have scientific basis, but in most families, it holds true.

Father-son relationships are rarely particularly harmonious, especially for the generation born in the seventies and eighties. Fathers more often play the role of the strict parent, maintaining absolute authority in front of their sons.

In comparison, mothers tend to be gentler.

Simply put, one plays the bad cop, the other the good cop. Whether the child is a boy or a girl, this makes discipline easier.

Of course, there are also relatively rebellious children, whom parents find very difficult to discipline. Often, the more they try to steer them away from detours, the more rebellious they become.

I suppose there’s no helping that.

“Come on, let’s talk inside. It’s cold out here.” Zhao Fusheng smiled and ushered them in.

Once inside, Fang Minya greeted Zhao’s parents familiarly, and Sun Jun politely offered New Year’s greetings to the elders.

Zhao’s parents were naturally delighted. Zhao’s mother brought out fruit, and they all sat around chatting about everyday matters.

It had to be said, in terms of affability, Zhao Fusheng was no match for his mother. She sat there chatting so warmly with Fang Minya and her husband that no one felt intimidated, and she had already started asking when they planned to have children.

Seeing Fang Minya and Sun Jun’s faces turn red, with Fang Minya’s blush even reaching her neck, Zhao Fusheng quickly stepped in to rescue them: “Mom, I asked them here for serious business. Spare them, please.”

Hearing this, Zhao’s mother reluctantly let Fang Minya and her husband off and dragged Zhao’s father off to see Fan Beibei.

Of course, it was really just to give Zhao Fusheng and the others space to talk.

“Do you like drawing?”

Zhao Fusheng looked at Sun Jun and asked directly.

Sun Jun nodded shyly: “I learned when I was a kid. I almost became an art student.”

Zhao Fusheng smiled: “Did you study oil painting or something else?”

“I studied a bit of everything, but I prefer line drawing.” Sun Jun answered honestly.

Line drawing, simply put, is sketching.

Fang Minya had already told Zhao Fusheng about this earlier.

“Would you mind drawing one for me?” Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and asked Sun Jun.

Sun Jun was taken aback. Though he found it a bit odd, he still nodded in agreement.

There were pens and paper at home. Sun Jun took them without ceremony and began to draw, head down.

Zhao Fusheng turned to chat with Fang Minya.

“Minya, did you like drawing when you were little?” Zhao Fusheng asked.

“Yes, when I was in school, there was an art teacher who was very kind to me. She was good at sketching and taught me for a while. I really liked it too.” Fang Minya looked up and smiled at Zhao Fusheng: “Director, are you planning to have me draw too?”

“Yes, I’m thinking that if necessary, making you a manga artist wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Zhao Fusheng nodded with a smile: “What do you think? Do you have confidence?”

Fang Minya was stunned, then shook her head like a rattle-drum: “How could I possibly do that? My drawing skills aren’t good enough, let alone conceiving a manga. I could assist someone, but if I messed up your plans, that would be bad.”

Clearly, she was afraid that her lack of skill would hinder Zhao Fusheng’s important project.

“What’s so hard about it?” Zhao Fusheng waved his hand dismissively. “Aren’t many Japanese manga split into scriptwriters and artists? If I provide a story, can you draw it well?”

“What story?” Fang Minya’s eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly: “Director, you have a story that can be turned into a manga?”

“Of course.” Zhao Fusheng smiled. “It’s an interesting story about pirates.”

“Pirates?” Fang Minya looked puzzled. “That sounds a bit strange.”

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily: “You don’t understand children’s minds. Let me tell you, many people actually love the sea, love grandeur and galloping freely…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly thought of another meaning of “galloping freely” and felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, Fang Minya didn’t get it, or it would have been really embarrassing.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Fusheng said to Fang Minya: “If you’re interested, I’ll give you the scripts for the first few episodes sometime. You and Sun Jun can look at the settings and then draw them. How about that?”

“We really have to draw it?”

Fang Minya’s mouth fell open, her face full of surprise.

By then, Sun Jun had finished his sketch. Handing it to Zhao Fusheng, he said apologetically: “Sorry, Director, I was in a hurry, so it’s a bit rough.”

Zhao Fusheng took it and looked at it, quite surprised.

It was clear that Sun Jun had put effort into sketching. The few strokes of the figure were remarkably vivid, with a hint of the manga style from later years.

“Sun Jun, you heard what I just said. Can you help me?” Zhao Fusheng looked up at Sun Jun and asked.

Exchanging a glance with his wife, Sun Jun recalled what his father had said to him before they left.

When he learned that Zhao Fusheng had business with Fang Minya and Sun Jun, Sun Jun’s father said meaningfully: “Xiao Jun, our family’s resources are limited. If you and Xiao Ya want to go further and leave Ninghai, you need to seize this opportunity. I can tell, your director is no ordinary person.”

Even his usually steady father said that, so how could Sun Jun not understand that the man before him might be his chance to change his fate?

“Director, rest assured. Whatever task you give me, I will complete it.” Sun Jun’s expression was solemn, and he spoke decisively to Zhao Fusheng.

Clearly, his attitude was different from Fang Minya’s.

Men and women often have different ambitions when it comes to their careers.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. He felt that his manga kingdom plan could finally be set in motion.

…

…

When it comes to Japanese manga after the millennium, One Piece is definitely one of the best.

Known as one of the three great long-running shonen manga, it’s full of hot-blooded youth and chuunibyou. Though it may seem a bit ridiculous, every reader can find a bit of themselves in it.

That’s the most remarkable thing about Japanese manga.

Creating manga that appeals to all ages, that everyone loves—such influence is truly astonishing.

Compared to these excellent Japanese manga, to be honest, Hollywood’s so-called blockbusters are just so-so.

Hollywood blockbusters live up to their nickname—popcorn movies. You watch them and forget them.

But these Japanese manga, and the anime adapted from them, are still enjoyable to watch even ten years later.

Other classics like Slam Dunk and Naruto are beloved by many born in the eighties and nineties.

However, when Zhao Fusheng searched online earlier, he found no trace of these works.

In other words, in this parallel world, the manga industry seemed to have taken a different turn.

But for Zhao Fusheng, that was a good thing. At the very least, he could develop his manga career without restraint.

Though he might not remember every detail, he still recalled the general plot of chuunibyou manga like One Piece. Besides, he only needed to provide the rough storyline; the rest could be drawn by others.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng thought he could consider recruiting manga artists in Japan, giving them the opening plot and story outline, and letting them develop the rest on their own.

He was always one to act on his ideas. After seeing Fang Minya and her husband off, Zhao Fusheng shut himself in his room to write the outline.

The story of One Piece is actually not complicated. It’s about a chuunibyou boy named Luffy who dreams of exploring the sea. After eating a Devil Fruit, he strives to become the Pirate King.

On his journey to become the Pirate King, he meets many companions.

Zoro, who aims to become the world’s greatest swordsman; Nami, the navigator who wants to draw a map of the world; Sanji, the sea cook searching for the All Blue; Usopp, the great liar who wants to become the sniper king; Chopper, the adorable ship doctor who wants to become the best doctor; Robin, the mature and feminine archaeologist; Franky, the top-notch shipwright and cyborg; and Brook, the skeleton musician who vows to reunite with the whale Laboon…

Though he was reluctant to admit it, Zhao Fusheng had to say that the world-building of One Piece was grand, arguably the strongest among all manga. This made writing the outline quite an effort.

But fortunately, he himself had been a big fan of this anime in his previous life, so he still remembered it quite well. With some effort to recall, he wrote it all down.

However, this also served as a wake-up call for Zhao Fusheng. He felt that what he needed to do was not just write down the manga in his mind, but also encourage original creation, because that would be an inexhaustible source of wealth.