Chapter 312 The Shadow of Weymouth
Chapter 312 The Shadow of Weymouth
The next morning.
It rains all the time. It is said that the water quality here is not good. Locals here don’t like to use umbrellas, so it is very easy to cause hair loss...
Before dawn, newspaper deliverymen deliver "fresh" newspapers with a faint smell of ink to supermarkets, 24-hour convenience stores and bookstores.
There are basically no small sales points such as street stalls and newsstands on the streets of London.
People come and go, and no matter what newspaper British office workers open, they can see the same name "GuLu".
Even if it doesn't make the front page headlines of major newspapers, it will be in a prominent position on the second or third page.
"Chinese writer Gu Lu dare not answer the questions directly and expose the true face of the forgery genius!" - The Sun
The first to appear was the Sun, whose content was a blatant smear campaign, even going so far as to spread rumors that Gu Lu was either rich or noble, proving that his identity as a genius was a fake.
This is quite normal, a traditional skill of The Sun.
Last year, London police arrested several Sun staff members who bribed police for news tips.
Then there are the three major British newspaper companies.
"Debate at the book signing event: Is Gu Lu the foreign writer who knows his country's media best?" - The Guardian
"Gu Lu accused the Sun reporter of being unprofessional, which cast doubt on the press." - The Daily Telegraph
"Chinese writer Gu Lu is suspected of threatening reporters. Please pay attention to the London Metropolitan Police." - The Times
Plus a more mainstream newspaper
"His talent lies in his mouth." - The Mirror
They all reported what happened at the book signing last night in a relatively objective manner, but the details were only divided into bad and worse.
Those who are less critical still criticize "The Little Prince" for its poor quality. To quote the original article of the Daily Telegraph, "I think the work (The Little Prince) is wonderful, and I am tolerant of the author because the author is still young."
Worse... Well, just like what the Times said, Gu Lu threatened the personal safety of reporters.
Let me tell you a joke. Chinese students threatened a reporter bearing the Union Jack in the capital of the country where the sun never sets.
This joke is a bit dull.
It doesn't matter if it's cold or not, but some people take it seriously. Kane, the Sun reporter who interviewed Gu Lu, didn't think the Chinese could do anything to him, but he hated the feeling of being threatened.
"Kane, your news yesterday was fabricated, right? It was about the life experience of the Chinese boy. I found that the Asahi Shimbun had reported it." said my colleague Max.
Asahi Shimbun has an English version, so it is normal for Max to be able to find it.
"You think Mr. Mosabi doesn't know?" Kane said, "This is more shocking, and readers love it. Just like they love to see another star cheating."
"Aren't you really afraid that Gu Lu will sue you after he becomes a cultural celebrity?" Max asked.
"What? Mr. Max, you just said that Northern Ireland is independent?" Kane pretended not to hear what the other party said.
He continued, "Oh? Sir, what you are saying is even more impossible than Northern Ireland's independence."
Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom all have very complicated grievances with each other. Anyway, what Kane meant was even more impossible than impossible.
[My personal suggestion is to investigate Conan Doyle’s property rights association. They actually included Mr. Holmes in the “excellent catalog”. Chinese people simply cannot understand Sherlock Holmes.]
Kane from The Sun then posted this on the Internet. He has not yet vented his hostility!
It was easy for Gu Lu to walk out of Neon, but it was very difficult to walk out of Europe.
On the one hand, it was a boycott of China, and on the other hand, while "China's No. 1 Genius" and "3 million cumulative sales at the age of 16" accumulated initial popularity for Gu Lu, they also brought about greater boycott.
Goodreads and LibraeyThing both have low ratings. The former is the largest book review website in Europe and America, while the latter is the largest novel exchange website in the UK.
"Why are they all discussing Chinese people? What's there to discuss about a high school student writing a fairy tale? It's appropriate for his age."
“From The Little Prince, I don’t see his genius.”
"On the contrary, I bought The Little Prince by accident, and as an adult, I benefited a lot after reading it. He is truly a genius to be able to write such a work at the age of 16."
"What kind of joke are you talking about? Adults benefit a lot from reading fairy tales? You were paid by the Chinese, right?"
"The Sun's credibility in reporting ordinary news is not high, but when has it ever missed reporting this kind of gossip? I now believe that this Chinese author is an oriental noble and has invited many people to give good reviews."
……
Few Asian authors have made such a splash in the United Kingdom.
There are also benefits. Let’s not talk about the practical things, let’s talk about some abstract things first.
With such exposure and heated discussion, no matter whether you are willing to believe it or not, the impression of Chinese genius "Gu Lu" is deeply left in the minds of the British.
Before 2018, it would have been extremely unthinkable to have made such a name for yourself in the UK.
The last Chinese writer who caused widespread discussion in the UK was Lao She, who was a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. As early as ten years ago, Lao She's former residence was officially recognized as a cultural celebrity's former residence by London.
The first person after Lao She, Xiao Gu’s united front value has increased again!
"Don't worry. Although the current British public opinion is not favorable to us, our reputation has been spread. I predict that the sales of books will also rise this week as the popularity increases."
The meaning of Yao Xiaoju's words can be simply put as follows: since we have gained fame and made money, it doesn't matter if we get scolded a little.
"And it should be much better after 'Mr. Holmes' is released," said Yao Xiaoju.
This is not a consolation. Most of the netizens and media who scolded the little prince did not read the article at all. He saw a netizen say "Just look at the name and you will know that this is the autobiography of an oriental noble boy."
It's very typical just looking at the name!
Yao Xiaoju wanted to refute but didn't know where to start. The Little Prince was Gu Lu's autobiography, how could that be possible?
As for the readers who have read it, their voices on the Internet were too small and were instantly drowned out by the big wave.
With the sales of "The Little Prince" laying a solid foundation, the next book "Mr. Holmes" will be able to obtain more publicity resources from Puffin Books, as well as Holmes' own popularity.
Isn't that a sure kill!
On Earth, there was no obstacle to the introduction of The Little Prince into the UK. Gu Lu sighed.
"By the way, the information about Weymouth has been collected and sent to your email." Yao Xiaoju is still very reliable.
"Incredibly fast." Gu Lu gave a thumbs up.
After finishing his serious conversation with the agent, he stood up and prepared to leave, as he would be leaving England the day after tomorrow.
We must get things done quickly.
"This gift to you is also to congratulate us on our successful first anniversary of cooperation."
When the writer walked to the door, Yao Xiaoju suddenly handed him an envelope.
It was a dark blue envelope, sealed with a wax seal, which looked quite formal.
What is this? Gu Lu wanted to open it immediately, but Yao Xiaoju stopped him, implying that he should take it back to his room and open it.
Okay, Gu Lu walked back with the envelope. Out of curiosity, he was still weighing it before getting on the elevator.
Could it be a check?
Back in the room, Gu Lu couldn't wait to open it. It was a ticket, seat 6 in row A.
Box Tale Soup, another less famous children's theatre company, performed the children's play The Wind in the Willows.
The fairy tale novel "The Wind in the Willows" was published in the early 20th century and has long been in the public copyright pool, so any theater company can adapt and perform it. At present, this theater company is still unknown.
"Brother Yao is so reliable. I almost forgot about this." Gu Lu glanced at the time on the ticket. There were still a few hours left before the ticket checking, which was plenty of time.
Gu Lu sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, using his mobile phone to check the information collected by Yao Xiaoju.
His toes swayed, occasionally kicking the coffee table in front of him. On the coffee table was a thick stack of newspapers, which were reports on xenophobia collected by Teacher Zhang.
The room was quiet and I looked carefully, and I found that it was quite different from hotels in China.
Compare it with the room Gu Lu lived in by the West Lake and in Sijiu City.
The current room is very small, and the wardrobe and storage cabinets are built-in to save space. Gu Lu guessed that it might be because the land in London is expensive?
After reading it, let's get started. Gu Lu had borrowed a laptop from Yao Xiaoju before.
He started typing away.
It's true that Yao Xiaoju, who looks like an elite, is actually a dog slave. The computer desktop and keyboard are all German Shepherd patterns.
[It was my frantic escape from Weymouth on the morning of July 1927, 7, and my panic-stricken pleas for government inquiry and action that set in motion the whole affair which has since been reported in the newspapers…]
There is a lighter, less severe, and more subtle piece in the collection of short stories called The Necronomicon, called "The Gloom Over Innsmouth."
We can't come up with an outrageous article right from the start, can we? We should proceed step by step. We finally got the chance, and we must let the Sun reporter enjoy it.
Cthulhu works are different from other horror thrillers. Their greater horror comes from the unknown.
The unknown about one's own identity, the unknown about what one has learned, the unknown about unknown creatures, and then Lovecraft tried his best to depict this unknown and the feeling of being excluded.
If the birth of Cthulhu came from British xenophobia, it would be very interesting...
Gu Lu was so focused that he did not forget to watch the children's play. When the time came, he stopped typing, took the translator given by Yao Xiaoju, and took a taxi to the West District.
There are dozens of theaters in this not-so-large area, and unlike Broadway, most theaters only perform one play.
After many twists and turns, Gu Lu even asked passers-by for help before he found the right place.
Row A was actually the third column. Gu Lu was a little curious when looking for his seat. Isn't the alphabet arrangement in the UK ABC?
After sitting down, Gu Lu looked around. It was a small theater that could accommodate more than a hundred people, and the attendance rate was about 50%.
Most of the audience were parents with their children. The Wind in the Willows is a very famous fairy tale in the UK. It is basically equivalent to the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood in China and is well-known to everyone.
Before watching the children's play, Gu Lu also learned a little about the story.
A cowardly mole.
The hospitable water rat.
An old badger with leadership qualities.
A fashionable toad.
Wait, animal anthropomorphism is what Mr. Shen is good at. To be honest, although Mr. Shen's works are not realistic at all, and even many descriptions violate animal common sense, they are no less exciting than The Wind in the Willows.
When the performance started, even though Gu Lu could only understand bits and pieces of what was said with his English listening ability, he still watched it very seriously, which was also a sign of respect for the performers.
After watching for more than ten minutes, the synthesis list did not trigger, and Gu Lu thought he was going in the wrong direction. He continued to watch with the intention of trying something he had never tried before.
Half an hour into the show—there was a familiar ringing in my head.
The three labels became the title of the book "Mr. Toad Goes to a Psychologist"
Details: This book uses the characters from The Wind in the Willows to tell the story of Mr. Toad receiving psychological counseling. It is a British national book and is regarded as the best popular science book on psychological counseling. It has been a bestseller for more than a decade and has saved countless confused teenagers.
It really triggered!
"Look at the title. Is such a minor book really that great?"
The children's play lasted two and a half hours, with a fifteen-minute break in the middle. Gu Lu watched it from beginning to end, and at the end he stood up and applauded with the other children.
Flatland is a popular science book, and this one is about liberal arts.
Gu Lu discovered that he could dominate popular science in both arts and science!
"Put it on the agenda, it must be put on the agenda!"
It has to be said that this year is the year of King Gollum's explosion, with success both at home and abroad.
Go home satisfied.
Finish writing The Gloom over Weymouth.
Who should I vote for?
Almost all newspapers in the UK can publish serial novels, even the three major ones. However, the Times and the Guardian have strict requirements for the publication of works, requiring the works to be more literary.
"The requirements for the works published by the Daily Telegraph are not so high, but it is so famous that there is no shortage of manuscripts, so..."
Gu Lu chose the Daily Express, which had good sales and coverage. The key was that the review mechanism for publishing novels was very relaxed and any subject matter was acceptable.
Before leaving by plane, he handed the manuscript to Yao Xiaoju.
Why didn't he submit it directly? The nonsense he typed out was in Chinese, and Yao Xiaoju needed to find someone to translate it before submitting it.
Now that King Gollum has flown away, let’s summarize the practical benefits of his trip to London for the book signing.
In just two days, the sales of The Little Prince increased by 8 copies. Even though Gu Lu only received a % royalty rate, the semi-hardcover version of The Little Prince was priced at pounds.
24 pounds for copies, the small change we get is not a small amount!
After finishing the overseas business, at home——
"Tang Tian, Tang Tian, how do you explain it? Why did you deceive our young feelings?" Shu Rou was excited.
"?" Tang Tian was stunned.
"What did you say before? The club's activity rooms are all great." Shu Rou said, "There is no such thing as an activity room. There isn't one at all!"
Gu Jiayu also deeply agreed with this point, "Indeed not, all club activities are held in the classroom."
"I didn't expect that there was only a publication club in the club activity room..." Tang Tian couldn't explain it clearly. She knew that the president was awesome, but she didn't expect it to be so exaggerated!
"I was looking forward to the dance club's practice room, but it turns out that the indoor sports stadium can only be used on Wednesday afternoons," said Gu Jiayu.
The three of them were talking as they packed up their things and prepared to leave the classroom. School was over on Friday.
Coincidentally, Gu Lu, who had just returned from England, came to the class without stopping.
He brought a gift for his sister, and also wanted to take the heroine to see a big surprise - her room!
(End of this chapter)