In the livestream, following Yang Lin's explanation, netizens quickly understood the nature of this special painting competition.
"Interesting, a painting competition between humans and a pig."
"I knew there were no normal animals in the West Rainbow Zoo - now even the pigs can paint."
"I really wonder what experiences the zoo director had, and how he managed to teach a pig to paint."
"Indeed, all the animals in this zoo seem a bit off. When I visited yesterday, I thought that beautiful parrot would be normal, but it immediately told me to call it 'daddy.'"
"You should have seen Shitty Steve smoking three cigarettes at once, and what's more, he knew to hide them when children came by."
"It's starting! I want to see which fool loses to a pig."
...
When Yang Lin announced the start of the competition, all participating visitors picked up their brushes and began painting, including Li Fugui in the pig pen.
They watched as he gracefully placed his front legs on the low wall of the pig pen.
His front legs held down the drawing board while he gripped a paint-soaked brush in his mouth.
Sometimes he would furrow his brow in concentration, other times his brush would fly across the canvas.
His actions immediately amused both the onlookers and the livestream audience.
"Oh my god, that poor guy in the pig costume must be suffering, acting just like a real pig."
"Wonder how much they pay him to pretend to be a pig all day."
"I seriously suspect all the animals in this zoo are just employees in costumes."
"Okay, I'll admit it - that pig is actually my ex-boyfriend. Even as a pig, I'd recognize him anywhere."
"Look at those intelligent little eyes."
"I have to say, his brush technique is quite professional."
"Looking at him like this, could he actually win first place?"
...
As people discussed, time ticked by, and the contestants' paintings gradually neared completion.
Just as they were putting on their finishing touches, a pig's squeal came from the pen.
Hearing this, Yang Lin immediately walked over with his phone.
When he got closer, he realized that Li Fugui had finished his painting.
Looking at the landscape painting on the board, which combined both realism and artistic interpretation, not only were the livestream viewers shocked, but Yang Lin himself was also surprised.
"Holy cow, was this really painted by a pig?"
"If I hadn't watched the whole thing without anyone approaching, I would have thought someone switched the paintings."
"Damn, I've wasted my life - a pig can paint like this, and I can't even draw a decent turtle."
"I wonder if any of the contestants can beat him, because I certainly couldn't."
"I'll never call my son as dumb as a pig again - clearly, pigs are much smarter."
"Obviously, the zoo director's true expertise must be in raising pigs. He's made the other animals act like pigs, but he's made this pig act like a human."
"How much for this painting? I'll offer 5 million. If it's not for sale, forget I said anything."
"This must be the world's first pig with an independent artwork. I declare him the GOAT of pigs."
"He's like the Da Vinci of pigs! Does this mean his brain would be extra nutritious?"
"Pig-casso might be more appropriate, given the slight abstraction in his work."
"If I had a pig like this, I'd have him paint every day and live off his earnings."
At this moment, everyone was generous with their praise.
Although they could tell that Li Fugui's painting wasn't exactly masterful by professional standards, they reminded themselves - he was a pig, after all. Why hold a pig to such high standards?
By this time, the competition was drawing to a close, with all contestants finishing their works.
Next came the public voting phase.
According to Yang Lin's rules, all visitors present would participate in the voting.
The visitors were quite enthusiastic about this part.
After about ten minutes of voting, the final results were revealed.
The black pig Li Fugui won first place with an overwhelming 784 votes.
A student reportedly from an art academy took second place with 564 votes.
Yang Lin wasn't surprised by these results, not because he knew Li Fugui's painting was superior.
Rather, he knew few people could resist voting for a pig that could paint.
In fact, most people who voted for Li Fugui weren't voting for his artwork, but for him as a pig.
"Your vote and my vote, when will piggy become a star?"
"If you don't vote and I don't vote, piggy will end up as meatballs."
"Piggy worked so hard, sure you won't give him a vote?"
"If piggy doesn't win first place, the director will probably reduce his food. Look at him, he probably hasn't eaten in ten whole minutes."
"Pig girls never give up, long live the Piggy Cult!"
During the voting, these playful chants filled the air.
It was thanks to these pig-loving visitors' enthusiastic campaigning that he received over seven hundred votes.
What surprised Yang Lin was that the contestants who received fewer votes than Li Fugui showed no signs of disappointment and were quite gracious about it.
Seeing everyone's positive attitude, Yang Lin immediately announced more exciting news that thrilled the crowd.
"Considering everyone's excellent performance, I've decided to give all participants a photo stamped with Ball and Round's paw prints."
"I've also contacted manufacturers to place orders, and soon we'll have merchandise featuring our animals."
"This includes animal plushies and other derivative products. You can purchase them through my livestream channel, and ticket holders will get a 20% discount."
As soon as Yang Lin finished speaking, both the on-site visitors and livestream audience showed visible excitement.
The animals currently featured at West Rainbow Zoo had undeniable charm, and with online exposure, they had become true animal celebrities.
People had been eagerly anticipating their merchandise.
With this, the event officially concluded, and Li Fugui's fame was firmly established both in the zoo and online.
After all, he was a genius pig who could paint.
Yang Lin's goal of redistributing visitor traffic in the zoo was finally achieved, with crowds naturally flowing to different areas without specific guidance.
Seeing that the safety concerns were temporarily resolved, Yang Lin headed toward the artificial lake, where two other big fellows were waiting for him.