Chapter 26

The protagonist Kurosaki Ichigo, who seems like a hothead but is actually loyal and righteous; Abarai Renji, who failed to protect his most cherished childhood friend and calls himself a "stray dog"; Kuchiki Byakuya, who is cold on the outside but hides concern for his sister on the inside...

These characters, each with distinct personalities and three-dimensional images, were what supported this nationally popular hit drama.

However, this week was different.

The audience and fans had only one topic of discussion—

Aizen Sosuke!

It was now close to the start of the school year, and many college students had already returned to campus.

Unlike middle and high school students who are forced to wear uniforms, most universities allow students to dress freely.

As a result, one could see... half the people in the university town wearing Shinigami robes.

Among them, the captain’s haori with the number [5] printed on the back was the most common.

The two latest episodes pushed Aizen’s popularity to the extreme.

So much so that the Aizen 5th Division captain’s haori and the Zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu in Xu Feng’s store were sold out.

And Aizen’s influence didn't stop there; in all sorts of places, people were imitating Aizen’s classic quotes.

It was mainly because Aizen’s lines had such a high level of pretentiousness!

Just saying them gave off a thick air of showing off.

Especially for middle school, high school, and college students in their "chuunibyou" phase, especially the boys, who were competing to imitate him.

For example...

On the campus basketball court.

"Old Zhang, want to play? Let me show you the power of your daddy!"

A few boys shouted to a passing classmate.

"Watch your language. It is difficult to control one's strength so as to step over an ant without crushing it."

Hearing this student named Zhang naturally recite Aizen’s lines, the surrounding students were in an uproar, joking around.

However, another student holding a basketball on the opposite side immediately retorted:

"I advise you not to be too arrogant; don't just show your weakness."

Once these words were spoken, various sounds of "Holy crap" erupted from the sidelines.

This male student holding the basketball suddenly felt every pore in his body was satisfied.

At the same time, in the teachers' office.

"Why didn't you do your summer homework?"

The head teacher, with a dark face, questioned the student in front of him who was sporting a slicked-back hairstyle with a lock of hair hanging over his forehead.

"Oh? You have already discovered that I didn't do my summer homework? You have grown; I am very happy."

Then, he received a disciplinary record. ===== CHAPTER 58 =====

Just as many girls like to imitate the famous lines from the hit drama *Empresses in the Palace* from years ago,

Aizen’s famous lines in *Bleach* had also become the object of imitation for countless fans.

And compared to the lines of the concubines in *Empresses in the Palace* that left straight men confused,

Aizen’s remarks were truly concise and practical.

While being literary, they also carried a thick air of showing off.

Now, when boys go out to chat with their brothers, if you can't recite a few of Aizen’s famous lines, you seem outdated.

The power of an idol is truly terrifying.

After the latest two episodes of *Bleach* aired, they completely pushed this drama onto a pedestal.

Douban rating: 9.8!

And many Aizen fans even stated in the comments section

that of this 9.8 rating, at least 7.8 was supported by the character of Aizen.

[This is the best action drama, costume drama, and even the best domestic drama of the last decade.]

[Xu Feng’s portrayal of Aizen brought this drama from 'excellent' to the level of 'deified'.]

[Help, after watching Xu Feng play Aizen, I can no longer look at the characters he played before, like Li Xiaoyao, Erlang Shen, and Li Yuanfang...]

[Yes, yes, yes. After finishing *Bleach*, I always feel unsatisfied and want to revisit Xu Feng’s previous dramas, but as soon as I see Aizen’s face, I always feel like he’s plotting some conspiracy.]

Until last month, the biggest beneficiaries of *Bleach*’s popularity were the lead actor Hu Ge and Gao Yuanyuan, Jiao Enjun, and others who had significant roles.

And as for the female lead, Zhao Jinmai, it goes without saying.

Her Weibo follower count rose directly from five digits to eight digits, and even began to impact nine digits.

Only then did many viewers discover

that as early as many years ago, when Xu Feng was filming *Lotus Lantern*,

this petite "Kuchiki Rukia" in the show had already collaborated with Aizen.

Back then, Zhao Jinmai played Little Nezha in *Lotus Lantern*.

However, with the four latest episodes of *Bleach* updated over these two weeks, it is no exaggeration to say that it was Aizen’s personal show.

And the biggest immediate beneficiary was naturally Xu Feng himself.

It’s just that, unlike Zhao Jinmai, the growth in Xu Feng’s Weibo follower count was not much.

Because he had played so many classic characters over the past ten years,

anyone who uses Weibo and follows the entertainment industry had basically already followed him.

I’m afraid only if Jay Chou opened a Weibo could he barely compare to him in follower count.

But Jay Chou doesn't play with this...

His follower count was already at the ceiling level; it couldn't grow much more.

And the biggest manifestation of the benefits Xu Feng gained was in the merchandise store.

Just as the two episodes of this week were updated, the second and third anime merchandise stores Xu Feng opened in Kyoto and Chengdu began operations.

And following the release of Xu Feng’s blog post,

everyone knew that next week would be the finale of *Bleach*, or rather, the finale of *Bleach: Soul Society Arc*.

Thinking about it, it makes sense; after all, having watched these two episodes, the audience also realized that the battle between the protagonist group and Aizen had only just begun.

How could the remaining plot possibly end in just two episodes?

And when they saw Xu Feng say that he would use all the profits from the merchandise store for the filming of the next *Bleach* work,

the heat of the character Aizen and the drama *Bleach* had already been pushed to an unprecedented height by these two episodes.

Now that Xu Feng had said this, countless fans were instantly hyped.

After watching Aizen’s personal show, most fans now wanted a set of the same Shinigami robes as Aizen and the 5th Division captain’s haori, plus a Kyoka Suigetsu with an overpowered ability.

And upon hearing that Xu Feng would use the operating revenue for the filming of the next *Bleach* installment,

the fans only wanted to say, "Shut up and take my money!"

One after another, they went on a shopping spree as if money were no object, cleaning out all the products in the three merchandise stores.

Seeing the empty store, Xu Feng stroked his chin, wondering if he was being a bit bad? Tricking fans like this?

However, this trace of conscience was immediately buried at the bottom of the valley by the revenue reported by the finance department.

He was doing all this to film better works!

And one was willing to pay, and the other was willing to sell; how could that be called tricking?

Just as Xu Feng was counting money with glowing eyes, a phone call suddenly came in.

It was from Hu Ge.

Is this kid coming to butter him up again?

Ever since Xu Feng let Hu Ge play Kurosaki Ichigo and he became a huge hit,

this guy had basically become Xu Feng’s number one sycophant.

Hmm, Jiao Enjun ranked second.

Besides Xu Feng and Zhao Jinmai, the biggest beneficiaries of *Bleach*’s huge success were the two of them. ===== CHAPTER 59 =====