Chapter 311 Genius is materialized
Chapter 311 Genius is materialized
"What kind of hatred or grudge is that?" Gu Lu looked at the crowd of opponents on the street.
Yes, when I woke up early the next day, I saw more than a dozen people gathered on the streets of Fulham to march, expressing their opposition and not welcoming the arrival of the Chinese genius Gu Lu.
So here's a small question, are these people hired by our own people to stir up hype, or are they instructed by someone with ulterior motives?
Because it was hard for Gu Lu to believe that just publishing a novel abroad could cause such a reaction, just like seeing a bullfighting covered with red cloth.
For safety reasons, it is better not to go to the West District.
Going west from Charing Cross Road, through Leicester Square, towards Piccadilly Circus, you will reach the West End of London. Where Europe and America are side by side with Broadway. Gu Lu originally wanted to pass by Charing Cross Road, after all, "84 Charing Cross Road" is too famous.
Hearing about it is worse than meeting it in person. He didn’t go there, but he still had a thought in his mind. After all, No. 84 is no longer a bookstore, but a McDonald’s…
"Ding Dong" the doorbell rang, Gu Lu opened the door, it was Teacher Zhang.
Before King Gollum could say a word, Zhang Hanli hurriedly comforted him.
"Don't take it too seriously. Britain is very unfriendly to Chinese people. Just last January, Clarkson, a famous British host, insulted China in The Sun. Although Clarkson was condemned by the mainstream media at the time, the BBC has not fired him so far."
Zhang Hanli was in a hurry to go out and didn't even straighten his shirt collar.
He continued: "So to the British, Xiao Gu, you are very wrong."
"?" Gu Lu was still thinking about other things and his brain didn't react for a moment.
"The Chinese are too prominent in the UK, and there is a high possibility that they will not find anyone to suppress them. This is the biggest mistake," said Zhang Hanli. He observed the bookstore for a long time yesterday and found a magical scene.
First of all, most of those who leave messages on sticky notes have not read The Little Prince, but only read the newspaper. And those who are interested in buying books basically do not leave notes.
Then Zhang Hanli bought a lot of newspapers. The Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Telegraph all reported on Gu Lu. He also showed the newspapers to Gu Lu, worried that the latter was not clear about his current situation.
The newspaper that Gu Lu was shown was the Sunday Telegraph, and today happened to not be Sunday.
The front-page headline was a news discussion about a British Prime Minister proposing Brexit at the beginning of this year. Half a year has passed, and it is still hot.
This is not what Gu Lu is interested in, see what comes next——
[“The biggest problem in some Eastern countries is television and newspapers. They don’t tell the truth and keep silent about what really happened.”
The Chinese writers who are praised as geniuses are puppets held up by Eastern countries to reflect the national system. According to the news sent back by our correspondents in China, Eastern countries will force their students to buy Gu Lu's works.
Gu Lu has written many works, including "Flatland", "Mr. Holmes", "The Little Prince", "Flowers for Algernon", etc.
Why only "The Little Prince" was translated? Because "The Little Prince" is the only work of this Chinese genius that is worth mentioning. The rest of his works are not worth reading. Would you read the weak and old Sherlock Holmes? Are you interested in the diary of a fool? Is a content that popularizes elementary school mathematics meaningful?
It's like "a child in kindergarten cries loudly because he did very badly on the test, and then another child sees it and feels upset, and goes to the principal, and the principal uses a red pen to change a false score."
[…]
The newspaper also had pictures, which were lists of "Recommended Reading List for Junior High School Students" and "Must-Read Popular Science Novels for Beginners", but the English translation was problematic.
Pick and choose, the English translation means "a must-read for junior high school students".
The piece ends with a call for the entire industry to resist this ideology.
"The British media really knows what it means to quote out of context. I can't even refute the old and weak Sherlock Holmes, the diary of a fool, and the popular science of elementary school mathematics." Gu Lu couldn't help laughing. He was actually mentally prepared for Britain. Who doesn't know the famous BBC TV station?
Zhang Hanli was surprised when he heard that, and then he calmed down a little. He found that Gu Lu's face did not look depressed, but rather full of interest?
"Ahem." Zhang Hanli coughed dryly. "As long as your mentality is fine, then there's no problem."
"I'm in a good mood. Teacher Zhang, don't worry." Gu Lu said, looking through the window at the people marching below.
[Let culture remain culture, and national consciousness propaganda go to the trash can! ] No wonder some people held up signs with this content.
You have a good attitude, but what should I do? Teacher Zhang thought about his own predicament. Principal Chang asked him to come to receive good news!
Ask the agent Yao Xiaoju, Zhang Hanli thought. When Mr. Zhang sighed in his heart, he accidentally saw through the mirror on the left that his shirt collar was not straight. He quickly adjusted it a few times. When going out, he still had to save face.
"Teacher Zhang, can I ask you a favor?" Gu Lu suddenly said.
"What's the matter?" Zhang Hanli thought, he was just a nanny sent by the school, just tell me what's the matter.
"Can you help me collect these reports? It would be best if they are discriminatory," said Gu Lu.
"?" Zhang Hanli was curious about what was the point of these mindless criticisms, but then he thought about it. The student in front of him was a good writer of short stories, so it seemed reasonable for him to write two short stories satirizing discrimination!
Therefore, Zhang Hanli didn't ask any more questions and nodded to agree to this matter.
Everyone has their own job, but some people have particularly easy jobs and receive particularly high salaries.
The book signing event was in the afternoon, and Gu Lu invited Teacher Zhang to taste delicious food at noon. After traveling through time, Gu Lu developed a habit of being more frugal with money, and it was rare for him to be extravagant.
It is said that Great Britain is full of dark cuisine. Who said that? Gu Lu was the first to disagree. Without investigation, he had no right to speak.
The Chinese and Italian restaurants in the UK are still good. Apart from that, McDonald's and KFC have no negative buffs and the taste is consistent.
"Teacher Zhang, I'll come, I'll come. It was me who asked you to spend time with me to come and explore the store."
The waiter came over with the bill, and Gu Lu hurriedly stopped Teacher Zhang. This Italian restaurant was quite high-end, opened by an Italian chef.
How can you ask students to pay for a meal? As a teacher and an elder, don’t you have any face?
Besides, he was on a business trip abroad and had meal allowance. At most, he could give him a little more… He glanced at the bill and thought, well, for a man with a family to support, face is still not that valuable.
Zhang Hanli's butt had already left the cushion. To ease the embarrassment, he reached out to grab a tissue.
"Then I'm the one who got the upper hand today." Zhang Hanli brought up another topic to ease his embarrassment, "Xiao Gu, you collected reports on discrimination, do you want to write something about it?"
Gu Lu said that, but he was actually thinking, how could he miss such a good opportunity? Anyway, the background of the Book of the Dead is a remote town in America, so changing the location to England would not feel out of place.
Talking about other things, Zhang Hanli felt much better. His cheeks, which had been burned by his self-esteem, cooled down a lot.
After graduation, Zhang Hanli became a teacher at No. 8 Middle School. He was rarely poured cold water on. After a few more experiences, his self-esteem would not be so hot.
Three o'clock in the afternoon!
There was wind blowing in from the North Atlantic, but thankfully it didn't rain.
Note that at Waterstones, there was a crowd of onlookers.
"I'm going to write an article when I get back, against Yilin and Reader." Gu Lu forgot which of the two magazines he was referring to, but he said that the British are very efficient. Not only do they not use their phones when riding the subway, they only read books. They also don't just watch the fun. Even if there's a car accident on the road, they won't stop for a second on the busy streets.
Now, the crowd gathered in a circle to watch the fun. Watching fun is in the nature of human beings, unless the British are not human...
Due to Gu Lu's popularity, almost all the well-known print media in the UK have sent "outposts".
The reporters were armed with cameras and sharp eyes, and their overall temperament revealed that they were not friendly.
Editors of Puffin Books, bookstore owners, authors, and overseas agents all showed up. Hundreds of books of The Little Prince were piled up like a small mountain.
The two books on the top of the hill were unwrapped for easy viewing by passing readers. At this time, the cold wind was blowing, and the "top of the hill" was turning, just like the mood of Yao Xiaoju next to him.
"Welcome everyone to the book signing event for The Little Prince. There is a lot of discussion about the writer Gu Lu on the Internet today, so if you have any questions about the author and the book, you may ask them now." Yao Xiaoju's words served as an opening remark.
To be safe, agent Yao Xiaoju first named The Daily Telegraph, which was a relatively mild choice.
"Hello, Mr. Gu Lu, I'm Martin." Telegraph reporter Martin said, "You have written a spin-off of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Do you like this British mystery novel very much?"
"I like reading British and French literature. Mr. Conan Doyle and Mr. Shakespeare are both British writers whom I admire very much." Gu Lu responded, and Yao Xiaoju translated it for him.
"Since Mr. Gu Lu likes British writers, he must also understand British culture?" Martin ignored France. France is a piece of shit. The worst offenders are not the Chinese, but the British.
In fact, Gu Lu knew the intention of the other reporter, who probably wanted to conclude that China's number one genius also liked British literature in order to elevate himself.
"I can't say I understand," Gu Lu responded. "I'm still a student, so it's an exaggeration to say I understand." The Telegraph reporter was not very satisfied with this answer.
Yao Xiaoju's strategy was successful, and the problems of major newspapers were not that acute.
Gu Lu also answered the last two questions quite cleverly.
The reporter from The Sun, who had not been named until now, finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
He spoke directly, "Sir, do you have any response to the controversy in the media about you and your work?"
"The individual's cumulative sales were fake, the work was sold with the help of the government, and the genius persona was also fake." The Sun reporter spoke very quickly, "May I ask how many of these things are true and how many are false?"
"Sir, please translate my question truthfully, otherwise I have reasonable doubts that you dare not respond to this question at all." The Sun reporter did not give Yao Xiaoju a chance to refute.
Indeed, Yao Xiaoju deliberately did not click on the notorious Sun newspaper.
When Yao Xiaoju was about to take a tough stance, he saw Gu Lu's calm expression and finally conveyed everything.
"Individuals falsified sales and officials helped. Do you have any evidence for these two charges?" Gu Lu said, "I'm not referring to the fabricated stories in some newspapers, but real evidence."
"Any normal person can see the falsity of the data," the Sun reporter said. "These accusations and suspicions are just my normal logic."
Gu Lu smiled when he heard this. "I have read a lot of print media these days and I am familiar with their reports. Would you like to hear my comments first?"
Changing the subject? The Sun reporter flashed a barely perceptible sneer at the corner of his mouth. Will it work?
"Mr. Gu Lu, are you avoiding the question now?" the Sun reporter followed closely.
"The readers of The Mirror are those who think they are governing the country; the readers of The Guardian are those who think they should govern the country; the readers of The Times are those who actually govern the country; and the readers of The Daily Mail are the wives of those who govern the country." Gu Lu ignored the reporter and continued his narration.
Fortunately, Gu Lu read a lot of books, although he was not exposed to British and American TV series. Fortunately, he had read the books "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister". Gu Lu still remembered it clearly, published by Sanlian Bookstore.
"The readers of the Financial Times are those who hold the country in their hands; the readers of the Morning Star are those who want to hand over the country to other countries to govern; the readers of the Daily Telegraph think that we are being governed by other countries." Gu Lu paused and looked at the reporter from the Sun. "The readers of your newspaper don't care who governs the country, as long as the girls on Page 3 are curvaceous."
Gu Lu was also disappointed that the synthesis sequence was not triggered. Logically speaking, the words should have been triggered after Yao Xiaoju translated them into English again!
Is it because these two works were first published as TV series and then as novels, so they don't count? Or is it because Yao Xiaoju is just a translator and has no autonomy, so it can't be triggered?
"No one told me that The Sun is not suitable for children. I have to say that your newspaper has caused great psychological trauma to a minor like me." Gu Lu was doing two things at once and looked at the reporter while speaking.
In the 1970s, in order to increase sales, The Sun would publish topless models on page 3 for decades. They were also known as Page 3 girls, along with the cover girls of European and American magazines and Playboy.
He continued: "Is my evaluation accurate? I think it is very accurate. The four gentlemen who asked the question before are very professional, but..."
"From a normal logic - sir, your words have nothing to do with these three words." Gu Lu said, "First of all, this is not normal, because as a reporter, you did not conduct further investigation when questioning, but just followed the trend without thinking. Secondly, this is not logical. Why can't I have such good grades at the age of 16? There can't be someone like me in China with 1.36 billion people? I can't think of the logic behind your words."
"Finally, I think you were not standing, sir. You were crawling outside the door, looking at me through the crack in the door." Gu Lu tried not to use idioms as much as possible to avoid making it difficult for Yao Xiaoju to translate.
If Yao Xiaoju doesn't become an agent, he can also become a translator, and his translation is fast, accurate and sharp.
"So in your eyes, I am narrow and incomplete. Then, sir, can you open the door and really stand up and look me straight in the face?" Gu Lu said, "Just like I am looking at you now."
To be honest, the reporter from The Sun was careless. Oh no, all the reporters from the British print media were careless. No one expected that this Chinese student would be so sharp-tongued.
"Chinese people love sophistry and will not reason like civilized people." The Sun reporter was a little embarrassed when a foreign student said this to him in public.
"Sir, where are you from?"
"Weymouth, Dorset, England, what's the problem?" The Sun reporter told the truth. He is holding you, so can't he ask someone to do something to me in my hometown?
"It's okay, sir. Your hometown will be proud of you. It should be." Gu Lu said something nonsensical with a smile.
Gu Lu ignored The Sun and continued to answer questions from other reporters.
In fact, in the eyes of many colleagues, the reporter of The Sun has already lost. It is too embarrassing to say that he can't win. Everyone looks at the reporter of The Sun with ridicule.
This is also related to the fact that The Sun has a very bad reputation in the UK. This newspaper is very unpopular. Therefore, there is no intention to unite against the outside world, and other reporters just want to watch the fun.
Under the pressure of the gaze, the Sun reporter retreated from the front row in disgrace and retreated to the end of the crowd. He did not leave, he wanted to stay until the end and talk about this Chinese author in the newspaper.
Genius writers are different. Even when they were besieged in this situation, they could still fight back in an orderly manner. Yao Xiaoju silently praised Gu Lu in his heart, and at the same time, he felt that it was very reasonable. To be able to write so many wonderful works at this age, he must be different.
The reporters below were more polite in their questions, after all, there were precedents.
Is the book signing event a successful conclusion?
Anyway, by refuting the Sun reporter, Gu Lu attracted a lot of onlookers to buy "The Little Prince".
Geniuses who are outspoken and confident seem to be more popular in Europe and the United States.
From around four o'clock to seven-thirty, Gu Lu signed more than four hundred books.
Great achievements!
Yao Xiaoju treated everyone to dinner to celebrate the day's success.
This occasion was rather private, so Gu Lu did not invite Teacher Zhang.
Yao Xiaoju chose a Japanese restaurant, and on this point he and Gu Lu surprisingly agreed not to choose British local food.
"Your comments on major British newspapers are really sharp," Yao Xiaoju said, "and your rebuttal to The Sun is also very sharp. Tomorrow, your news will definitely be everywhere, which will help sales."
If there were only two or three media outlets present, the signing event might have been distorted. But with so many media outlets present, they would all think, if I distort it, and others don’t, wouldn’t I be a clown?
The newspapers were divided into different factions and none of them was willing to submit to the other.
Based on the above reasons, Yao Xiaoju judged that Gu Luming would be outstanding.
Gu Lu said: "It's OK as long as it helps. My trip was not in vain."
We ate while chatting and laughing. Is it a bit cruel to talk about food at night? The staple food was eel rice, and the others were wagyu sushi and tuna sushi. They tasted good after one bite.
For Gu Lu, a carnivore, just having meat is enough.
"Are you asking the Sun reporter where he is from and what he does? Or are you just asking casually?" Yao Xiaoju suddenly remembered this incident. All the reporters present did not understand the meaning of Gu Lu's words.
"Oh, speaking of this, Brother Yao, do me a favor." Gu Lu said, "I want to write a short story based on the hometown of the Sun reporter."
"?" Yao Xiaoju was confused about what this operation was. Even though he had seen a lot of storms, he was still bewildered for a moment.
"Also, please help me collect some information about Weymouth." Gu Lu asked.
"Oh, sure. Weymouth is an important port tourist city in the UK. The sailing competition for the London Olympics was held in that town last year." Yao Xiaoju agreed, "So the information is easy to collect."
"Then please help, Brother Yao." Gu Lu thanked him.
He didn't ask any more questions. He was staring at him anyway, Yao Xiaoju thought to himself.
After having a good meal and a drink, Yao Xiaoju returned to the hotel.
I received a phone call just after returning to the room. As an overseas agent, I must be on call 24 hours a day because there is a time difference between countries.
"Okay, November 11rd? Is it in time for publicity? Okay, no problem. But I'm afraid I don't have time for the new book launch. Yes, there's really no way." Yao Xiaoju hung up the phone.
"アルジャーノンに花bouquet" has been translated!
The confirmed listing time is about ten days later.
(End of this chapter)