Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 559 "I am your loyal reader."

It turns out this was a request from the organizer.

Since you, a Hong Kong sister, have been invited with a lot of money to add popularity to the book fair, you can't just wave and strike a pose on the stage. You should at least walk around like last year's Hong Kong sister Anita Yuen did. Even if you don't buy books, you should still pretend to talk.

So, Guo Aiming walked around and just like Anita Yuen last year, she picked up a book and pretended to flip through it. Under the flash lights of the reporters, she pretended to like it very much.

In fact, she really liked reading since she was a child.

Guo Aiming was born in a middle-class family in Hong Kong. Both her parents were knowledgeable intellectuals and they were very attentive to Guo Aiming's education since she was a child.

She has loved reading since she was a child and she still loves it now, but she is not very interested in martial arts and romance novels. Apart from professional books, she reads most serious literature.

Unfortunately, there are very few serious literatures in Hong Kong. After going to study in the United States, I read a lot of British and American novels, and of course a small number of works by Chinese writers living in the United States.

For example, Yu Lihua and Zhang Ailing.

She has also read novels from mainland China, and was particularly interested in one written by a writer named Minghua.

The long novels include "Crossing the Guandong", the short and medium-length stories include "Selected Pioneering Novels of Ming Hua" and "Selected Realistic Novels of Ming Hua", and even two best-selling love books "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Ghost".

She was very surprised when she read it. How could a young writer have so many writing styles and could write novels of different types with ease?

Now, when you come to the serious fiction section, you naturally have to take a closer look.

Suddenly a poster of Sanlian Bookstore caught her attention.

Minghua?

Could it be?

Thinking of this, Guo Aiming walked towards the Sanlian Bookstore booth, followed by a large group of people.

Seeing Guo Aiming walking towards her, Fang Minghua looked up and smiled politely.

Guo Aiming came over, looked at Fang Minghua and asked softly: "Hello, Mr. Minghua, have you ever published your novel in the United States? Hello, Mr. Minghua, have you ever published your novel in the United States?"

It’s neither Mandarin nor Cantonese, it’s English!
It turned out that Guo Aiming could not speak Mandarin, and was worried that the other party would not understand her Cantonese, so she simply spoke fluent English.

She thought that if the other party had published several novels in the United States, he should understand English, right?

Guessed it.

Fang Minghua was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted, stood up and replied with a smile: “Yes, like “Breaking through the Kanto“ which won the National Book Critics Association Award in the United States, it was published in the United States. Have you seen it? (Yes, like “Breaking through the Kanto“ which won the National Book Critics Association Award in the United States, it was published in the United States. Have you seen it?

The two of them actually spoke to each other in English.

"Yes, I have read them. I have also read your short and medium-length novels, as well as two romance novels. I see that I am your loyal reader." Guo Aiming said with a smile.

"Thank you"

"Is this your new book?" Guo Aiming curiously picked up the hardcover version of "Fragments of Civilization" on display at the book fair.

"Yes, this is a collection of essays, mainly about visiting some historical sites in China, the humanistic atmosphere in this context, and some vicissitudes of life in the context of life."

Fang Minghua briefly introduced the situation of this collection of essays.

"It's quite interesting. I want to buy one." After saying this, Guo Aiming immediately took out a 100 Hong Kong dollar bill from her small bag.

Without Fang Minghua doing anything, the bookstore staff nearby immediately took it, gave 10 Hong Kong dollars in change and handed it to Guo Aiming respectfully.

Books in Hong Kong are really expensive.

Although book prices in mainland China are also rising, a hardcover simplified Chinese edition like this one costs 16 yuan, but in Hong Kong it costs as much as 90 yuan!
Of course, Guo Aiming doesn't care about these.

Fang Minghua signed his name on the title page in a flamboyant style as usual. After practicing calligraphy for several years, his brush writing has improved by leaps and bounds, not to mention his fountain pen writing.

The two characters "Ming Hua" look bold and elegant, and they are in traditional Chinese characters. Guo Aiming saw it and couldn't put it down.

"Minghua, can we take a photo together? I am your loyal reader." The girl invited.

Of course Fang Minghua would not refuse. The two stood together, and without them saying a word, they heard several flashes of light and the sound of cameras clicking in front of them.

This is fucking awesome!
The newly elected Miss Hong Kong actually took the initiative to take a photo with a mainland writer and claimed to be his fan!
The two also showed off their English and talked about serious literature in front of everyone.

The style of a top student is undoubtedly revealed.

Guo Aiming left soon after buying the book, but there were obviously more readers in front of the Sanlian Bookstore booth, and many people wanted to buy Ma Minghua's "Fragments of Civilization".

Fang Minghua took a look and saw that most of the people were young people.

Is he interested in his own book, or is it because Amy Kwok bought the book?

whatever.

Just sign! Work is important.

After a busy whole day, except for a lunch box at noon, Fang Minghua basically sat at the back of the table to perform his duties. He signed more than 500 books in a day, which was a good result.

After today's book signing event, Liu Jiawei naturally treated everyone, and several staff members went to eat at a food stall on Wan Chai Road near the Convention and Exhibition Center.

Hong Kong's food stalls are very famous, and there are many kinds of snacks, such as pork skin radish, fried oyster cakes, lemon chicken, and stir-fried chicken.
We were drinking Carlsberg, and once we started drinking everyone started talking more casually.

"Minghua, you are going to be famous today." Liu Jiawei said with a smile.

"You mean Amy Kwok came to buy books and take photos?"

"That's right. Miss Hong Kong came to buy books for you to sign and even took a photo with you. Wow. I suddenly think you and Miss Guo are a good match."

Listening to Liu Jiawei's poor Mandarin, Fang Minghua almost spit out the beer he had just drunk.

Are you kidding me?
Although Fang Minghua didn't know how old Guo Aiming was, she knew that most of the contestants for Miss Hong Kong were young girls around 20 years old, and she was already over 30 now!

"Manager Chen, please don't talk nonsense. I heard that the paparazzi in Hong Kong are very powerful. I don't mind if it gets out, but Miss Guo is still unmarried." Fang Minghua said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Liu Jiawei chuckled and said nothing.

When Fang Minghua returned to the hotel that night, he watched TV and saw the Hong Kong Book Fair being reported on the Hong Kong Wireless Television (TVB) News Channel.

However, the book fair was only mentioned briefly, and the focus was on reporting on Guo Aiming's attendance at the book fair, especially the moment she bought books and signed autographs at the Joint Publishing Company and took a photo with Fang Minghua, all of which appeared in the footage.

Oh my god.

Why is the news so long? And the report so detailed?
Later, Fang Minghua found out that after winning the Miss Hong Kong pageant, Guo Aiming signed a contract with TVB and became an artist under the company. She starred in a TV series "The Greed of Man" that TVB was preparing to shoot, playing the role of Long Jiwen, the daughter of Long Chengbang, a retired corrupt inspector who fled to Taiwan.

The next morning, Fang Minghua came to the convention and exhibition center again. According to the arrangement, Fang Minghua needed to sign and sell books for two days.

Perhaps because of the TVB news report last night, the number of readers who came to the Joint Publishing Company booth to ask Fang Minghua to sell books suddenly increased today, and they even lined up for the first time.

Fang Minghua naturally has to do his job conscientiously.

It was almost time for lunch and there were still a few readers holding the books they had just bought at the book signing counter. Fang Minghua was about to sign for these people and then eat his lunch. At this moment, a woman who looked like a reporter walked up to him and asked politely.

"Mr. Minghua, I am Zeng Huiyan, a reporter from the Hong Kong Daily News. Can I interview you?"

Zeng Huiyan?
Fang Minghua looked up and found that the female reporter looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere.

After thinking about it carefully, I suddenly remembered.

I came to Hong Kong for the second time in 86 and interviewed the female reporter who had interviewed me!
It was she who instigated the bet between herself and Huang Ying!

(End of this chapter)