On the second day, when Fang Zhao arrived at the base, Curly Hair was led out from the aircraft tarmac and was wearing a custom-made military uniform.
As a temporary service dog, there were also requirements for clothing, but they weren't strict. Getting Curly Hair to wear this uniform was more for protection purposes.
The one leading Curly Hair was a military officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel. During this period, he was the one who had frequently brought Curly Hair onto transport ships for inspections, and he could be considered to be on friendly terms with Fang Zhao.
When he saw Fang Zhao, that lieutenant colonel untied the rope, and Curly Hair ran like the wind toward Fang Zhao, wagging his tail vigorously.
Fang Zhao rubbed Curly Hair's head and asked the lieutenant colonel, "Didn't you say there was overtime? He seems very energetic."
Noticing some residue between Curly Hair's teeth, Fang Zhao asked, "What did he eat before?"
The lieutenant colonel replied, "He ate a lot. Dog food, bones… and the commander's sofa."
Fang Zhao's hand that was rubbing Curly Hair's forehead paused. "Sofa?"
"Cough, he doesn't normally do it, but he likes biting stuff when he gets excited."
"How many has he ruined?" Fang Zhao asked.
"Three... Hey, it's all right, our commander didn't get angry." The lieutenant colonel laughed when he brought it up. He wasn't asking for compensation and was just joking about it.
"Oh, right, our commander got someone to specially prepare lunch for you! Such a huge pot! Let me bring you there." The lieutenant colonel led the way.
The news of Fang Zhao being especially able to eat had spread from the cast and crew over to the surrounding garrisons. Along the way, the lieutenant colonel even said to Fang Zhao, "Now, Curly Hair's appetite has increased. While other dogs have two meals per day when off duty and three to four meals when they have training, Curly Hair has to eat six or seven meals a day or he will rebel." As if he had remembered something, the lieutenant colonel smiled. "At the start, the veterinarian also advised against feeding him so many times, so Curly Hair destroyed the vet's chair and went on strike. Left with no other choice, we tried feeding him extra meals for a few days, and when the vet's checkup found no problems, Curly Hair got his own way."
Fang Zhao had heard about this from an animal specialist before, but he only now found out that Curly Hair would destroy chairs and sofas when angry.
The lieutenant colonel thought that Fang Zhao was displeased when he didn't reply, so he hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Curly Hair is brought for a checkup every 10 days. If there were any issues, they would surely have been detected. Every dog has a medical record with the veterinarians and a record is made of everything when there is a checkup. You should have seen them already. As for Curly Hair destroying chairs and sofas, those are nothing but a trifling matter!"
Actually, the lieutenant colonel was thinking to himself about the saying that a dog had the same characteristics as its owner. Since his owner could eat so much, this dog having a huge appetite wasn't strange at all. He had already decided to let Curly Hair have eight to ten portions a day in the future.
Knowing that Fang Zhao would be coming over today, Wai base's commanding officer, Huo Yi, had freed up some time to have a talk with Fang Zhao.
In Huo Yi's office, only Huo Yi, Fang Zhao, and Curly Hair were in the room. The sofa that had been damaged yesterday had already been removed, and the new sofa still had the scent of fresh leather.
"You still can't bring Curly Hair away yet," Huo Yi said.
Fang Zhao's gaze was slightly restrained. "Hmm?"
Huo Yi let out a faint sigh. "Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to steal your dog." The wrinkles on his forehead accumulated as he tapped his fingers on the tabletop before laughing bitterly. "There is some stuff that isn't convenient to share with outsiders, but since this involves your dog, there isn't any need to keep it from you."
Huo Yi opened up an electronic file and showed it to Fang Zhao.
This was a list of items intercepted during security checks. Although it was only a portion, the more Fang Zhao read through the list, the more apprehensive he felt.
Explosive materials, drugs, controlled weapons, and materials that seemed harmless yet when combined could cause a threat. There were also attempts to smuggle out Wai native plants and animals.
Commanding Officer Huo Yi was even angrier. Their situation here was different from planet Baiji's. Planet Baiji would be a future planet for immigration, and their military might would be formidable after some expansions. Planet Baiji had better construction times, comprehensive supervision, large stockpiles of high-grade power ore, and a vast amount of capital.
But planet Wai had no way of competing with them. First, they did not have sufficient capability, and they had to contend with the moods of the bunch of big bosses. Planet Wai touched upon the entertainment circles and planned its development along the lines of entertainment and tourism. Previously, they had released large batches of land and relaxed the requirements for firms entering the planet for the sake of increasing planet Wai's popularity, attracting more investment firms, and raising taxes, but now...
"There are more and more people coming over to planet Wai, and it has gotten even more chaotic. Our military might is limited, and we are unable to supervise every single place. It is because of this that there are holes that can be exploited. We are already trying our best to prevent dangerous materials from being smuggled in. A while back, there were even people entering restricted zones to poach! D*mn them! One was caught and thrown in jail for a long time!"
Every place had its own rules. Planet Wai might not be as strict as planet Baiji, but they were still the local bosses here. Huo Yi wasn't willing to let people trample all over his face right from the start. If there was no stricter control, no rules and regulations, these people would climb all over their heads.
Fang Zhao had already thought about the problems that planet Wai would encounter as it developed this way.
By tightening up control, Huo Yi was doing the right thing. Otherwise, planet Wai would surely get thrown into turmoil in the future.
In the future, planet Wai would be a getaway spot for entertainment and leisure, but it would not be a place where one could do whatever one pleased.
Fang Zhao pointed to the list on the electronic file and asked, "Were these all discovered from Curly Hair's inspections?"
Huo Yi shook his head. "More than 60% of the items there were discovered by Curly Hair. As for the remainder, the scanning equipment caught about 30%, and less than 10% were discovered by the other dogs." Huo Yi heaved a heavy sigh as he spoke about this. "Our latest security apparatuses have no way of detecting everything. Many smugglers have shielding devices that counter the frequency of our scanning equipment. They even have measures that work against a dog's sense of smell. Luckily, Curly Hair was still able to detect all of these."
This was also something that Huo Yi was very pleased with. Even if his favorite sofa had been ruined by Curly Hair, he still could not bring himself to get mad.
"We have already reported the matter of the scanning machines to the top, but it will take some time before the latest equipment can be delivered here. The other dogs at the base have already grown up and can take up posts. Now, they are undergoing extra training, and the results are pleasing, but they still cannot replace Curly Hair. Besides, you have said that you won't be leaving planet Wai for the time being, which means you can only stay at the film entertainment complex. Currently, that area is a little chaotic. It isn't safe to bring Curly Hair over there. He might even be targeted. Have you heard about the news of a meritorious dog being murdered in the past? You have to be wary! Nothing will happen to Curly Hair if you leave him at the base. As long as he works overtime, I will always keep him in my office."
"I heard that Curly Hair has ruined three of your sofas, and one of them was your favorite? Are you really comfortable leaving him in your office?" Fang Zhao laughed.
Huo Yi brandished his hands and waved them vigorously. "No problem! He can bite them as entertainment! Working overtime can be stressful. Dogs have to relieve stress too!"
"I can pay for the damaged sofas," Fang Zhao said.
Huo Yi made himself appear magnanimous. "No need. This sofa isn't expensive!"
Actually, according to market prices, the three sofas were quite expensive, but no matter how expensive they were, when compared to the service Curly Hair had rendered, it could not be considered much.
"I will be taking him today and will bring him back tomorrow," Fang Zhao said.
Huo Yi seemed a little unwilling, as if he wanted to say something, but he acquiesced in the end. He could not be too controlling. After all, Fang Zhao was the dog's owner.
After leaving Huo Yi's office, Fang Zhao did not head straight to the Wai film entertainment complex. Instead, he visited the nearby kennel. The batch of dogs brought over from Muzhou had already grown big. When Fang Zhao went over, the dogs were still undergoing training.
They'd had overtime patrolling and inspections last night and had training today, but these dogs were still very energetic. They weren't elite Muzhou dogs for nothing. In terms of IQ, physical capability, and other aspects, they were top tier.
Every once in awhile, Huo Yi would lecture his subordinates: Take a look at the kennel next door. Even dogs are so hardworking. How do you guys have the cheek to slack off!?
The instructor at the kennel was also delighted every time this was mentioned. He even told Fang Zhao, "Because Curly Hair was here and served as a model, these dogs also learned much quicker."
Fang Zhao's previous few visits had been rushed. This time, because he had time, the instructor dispatched over from Muzhou displayed some training results these dogs had received since entering the military and proving that they were indeed the cream of the crop from the Muzhou Police Dog Academy.
The instructor had originally wanted Curly Hair to join in with the other dogs and listen to his commands and participate in the training drills, but because Fang Zhao was here, Curly Hair would only listen to Fang Zhao, not the instructor.
After Fang Zhao left the kennel, the instructor recounted the matter to Huo Yi.
Huo Yi summoned the lieutenant colonel that handled Curly Hair.
"Didn't you say that all dogs love you? Yet you can't even dupe a small dog!"
That lieutenant colonel hurriedly defended himself. "Commander, you don't understand. Dogs are loyal creatures, and dogs with high IQ are even more difficult to dupe. Those dogs that come from the Muzhou Police Dog Academy, regardless of whether they are military dogs or other service dogs, require time before they will acknowledge someone. If you want them to be loyal to you, nobody knows how long it will take."
"That little Curly Hair isn't from the Muzhou Police Dog Academy."
"But he is even more impressive than dogs from the Muzhou Police Dog Academy! It is even more difficult to dupe him!"
Huo Yi nodded. "...That makes sense."
"Furthermore, it is said that Curly Hair was a stray. It was Fang Zhao that picked him up and changed his fate. Under these circumstances, Curly Hair will surely be much more loyal to Fang Zhao. Back when Fang Zhao was away for a year during military service, Curly Hair did not switch loyalties at all. Now, it is impossible. Commander, you might not believe this, but if Fang Zhao asks Curly Hair to eat a bomb right now, Curly Hair would do so."
Huo Yi clicked his tongue in disgust. "Which idiot abandoned this dog back then? Fang Zhao lucked out!"
Elsewhere, Fang Zhao had taken advantage of nightfall to keep a low profile and return to the film entertainment complex. Only after Yan Biao had driven the car into the residence did Fang Zhao bring Curly Hair out.
Curly Hair wagged his tail as he followed Fang Zhao and entered the room. After the door was shut and no sounds could be heard outside, Curly Hair started whimpering.
Fang Zhao understood that this little thing was suffering withdrawal from a lack of gaming.
When Yan Biao noticed Fang Zhao bringing the gaming helmet into the room, he reminded Fang Zhao, "The internet connection is quite unstable, so only some solo games can be played."
"Got it."
After Fang Zhao entered the room, Yan Biao even lamented to Zuo Yu, "I never expected boss's addiction to gaming to be so severe."
Zuo Yu did not find it strange. "Before his military service, our boss was a dark horse in the gaming circles. At that time, he was famous worldwide and placed first on the global individual leaderboards. Many people hoped that he would return to gaming after his military service, but in the end, after he held his first concert, he went on to acting. He took a really bewildering path."
"Oh, right, we can never guess what the boss is thinking."
Yet another day and it was time for the "Founding Era" cast and crew's internet access.
Fang Zhao had not borrowed internet access to release his news immediately after he had left the cast. One reason was that the internet at the film entertainment complex wasn't particularly stable and communicating wasn't convenient. The second reason was to coordinate with the timing arrangements the company had made.
Yanzhou Qi'an City. Silver Wing gaming department.
"Captain, is it their internet access time yet?" someone asked Jinro.
"Almost time. Two more minutes. Later, everyone should go and light a [candle]. Our Zhao god is receiving his bento box this time."
During last week's internet access time, Jinro had received news from Fang Zhao about the filming developments. If filming went smoothly, during this week's internet access time, they would get to see a photograph of Fang Zhao's bento box. As members "directly under Fang Zhao," they should occupy the most conspicuous and popular position on the comments sections of Fang Zhao's post.
Jinro had also informed the company's operations department beforehand, and they were to pin it to the hot topics and not let anybody else snatch it first.
Everyone counted down the seconds till it would be refreshed. Indeed, Fang Zhao had already edited the post beforehand and had set it to post automatically.
Fang Zhao: "Received my bento box. [image]"
Jinro, who had been had already been waiting originally, wanted to light a [candle], but when he saw the image of that super-huge bento set, his hands trembled and he clicked on [like].
Jinro: "..."
Just as he was about to inform the people in the team to ignore his [like], he saw that the comment with the huge [like] had been already pinned the top of the comments section.
Jinro: "..."
Brothers in the operations department, why were you so quick this time!
Using all his strength to wipe his face, Jinro hurriedly sent a message to Fang Zhao, "Boss, let me explain! I didn't do it on purpose, my hand trembled!"
The other members of the gaming team stood around foolishly and stared at that image of the bento set before turning to Jinro. "Captain, so should we light a [candle] or should we follow you and [like]?"
"Light a [candle]!" Jinro roared.
At the same time, a bunch of netizens that were keeping watching to light [candles] for actors that had just received their bento boxes heard the news of Fang Zhao receiving his bento box. Originally feeling a little heavy-hearted from lighting all those candles, they gloomily came over to Fang Zhao's social platform to add on to the line of [candles], but in the end...
"Hahahaha, the cast's largest bento box has been born! [Like][Like][Like]..."
"My Zhao god is worthy of acting as a great person! Even his bento box is a heavyweight!"
"When I heard that he received his bento box, I was feeling a little sorrowful, but seeing this bento box, I suddenly feel like laughing. Still going to light a routine candle, though [candle]."
"My Zhao god is impressive. Even his bento box has to stand out from the masses [like]."
"What, filming for season nine has already been completed over there? [candle]."
"Very much unwilling to see this, but I still came over. Sigh, what a pity for that great person of that generation [candle]..."
"Don't worry, it's still early. The cast might have filmed till season nine, but online broadcasts are still only at season seven [like]."
"We already learned about Fang Zhao's ending during secondary school history examinations. Those watching the Yanzhou chapter should long have made mental preparations. [Like]."
From the start of filming till now, among the actors from "Founding Era" that had received bento boxes, Fang Zhao was one of the few that received [candles] and [likes] in the comments section.
Yanbei Retirement facility.
Great-Grandfather Fang and Great-Grandmother Fang were waiting there.
During internet access time, Fang Zhao directly make a long-distance call, telling them his scenes were completed.
Great-Grandfather Fang was delighted. "Finished filming already? That means you can return? Good, good, we can all watch season nine together! Hahahaha!"
Great-Grandfather Fang had only let out a few hahas when his laughter was cut short by a sentence from Fang Zhao.
"I still can't return yet. The director told me to not leave planet Wai for the time being in case there are scenes that need to be reshot."
They could randomly find people to substitute for minor roles, but for these important characters, the director wanted the original actor for reshoots. Of course, they might not be any reshoots, but this was just a precautionary measure, so they wanted Fang Zhao to remain on planet Wai and wait.
Actually, the directorial team had not expected Fang Zhao to immediately receive the all-clear from the psychologist. They had all been prepared for Fang Zhao to remain with the cast and crew for a period of time and leave only after season 10's filming had been completed. They had not expected this sort of situation, so before Fang Zhao could leave the cast and crew, they had informed him that it was all right, but he could not leave planet Wai since filming for the entire project was close to being wrapped up.
Mo Lang also hoped that Fang Zhao would not be in a rush to leave. He did not know when he might require Fang Zhao to exchange some tips. Fang Zhao did not mention this reason to Great-Grandfather Fang.
Although the two old Fangs were a little disappointed that they would not be able to watch season nine together with Fang Zhao, they could also understand, and they reminded Fang Zhao to stay safe and look after himself well.
After the call, Great-Grandfather Fang grumbled, "Our little Fang experiences hardship over there! Say, can such a huge company like Silver Wing even be considered one of Yanzhou's top three? They can't even assign him an assistant!"
Great-Grandmother Fang reasoned, "What you just said are groundless accusations. Didn't little Fang also say that he didn't want an assistant with him? Besides, doesn't he still have his two bodyguards over there?"
"What can a bodyguard do when it comes to work-related matters? They can't act as a nanny too! Let's advise him to look for an assistant next time. Other third-rate celebrities also bring along an entourage of assistants! Given Fang Zhao's reputation in Yanzhou, he isn't shabbier than a third-rate celebrity, right?"
Great-Grandmother Fang agreed with the matter of finding an assistant.
Knowing that Fang Zhao had no way of rushing back to watch season nine with them, Great-Grandfather Fang heaved a heavy sigh. But when he browsed through the comments online, his spirit immediately returned.
When they saw the super-huge bento box, the two Old Fangs beamed with delight.
"Our worthy grandson indeed. Even his bento box is larger than others'!"
Great-Grandfather Fang saved Fang Zhao's image and status as well as other photographs from different angles of the bento box that Fang Zhao had sent. Then, he sent them to other chat groups, sharing them with even more friends and family. He also sent a flurry of images to the retirement facility's internal chat group.
"Across the entire showbiz circles, besides my Xiao Zhao, who else has received such a huge bento box!?"
The one and only!
Great-Grandfather Fang chuckled as he told his wife beside him, "How great having a good appetite is! He is like me. Back then, when I was young and I first embarked on the Sirius for military service, how many people had no appetites because of the poor conditions and were unable to adapt well? Only I was able to eat a lot and adapt fast! My strength was really great too... Hey, now that I mention it, Fang Zhao is really like me!" Great-Grandfather Fang got more excited as he spoke, and he patted his old wife. "Do you still remember? Right at the beginning of military service, because I was able to eat a lot, was full of vigor, and adapted well, the captain even praised me for being a role model!"
Great-Grandmother Fang's lips curled upward at these past memories. "Yes, during those times, many people could not adapt well and fell sick easily. The captain even personally made a visit to the sick bay and ran into you, wearing a sleeveless shirt and underpants, rushing in with your sick roommate."
Great-Grandfather Fang's entire face was beaming. "Ah ha! I just knew that you fell in love with me at that moment. Otherwise, how were you able to remember it so clearly! Heh, and this old lady is still unwilling to admit it!"
Great-Grandmother Fang: "..."
"How many people took a fancy for me all those years ago! This bit of Xiao Zhao is just like me, he is surely especially charming, just that he seems a little boring sometimes. This part of him isn't so good. He is just like you in this aspect."
Great-Grandmother Fang: "..."