At noon the next day, Cooper and Scott arrived at Breya Road on time.
They also brought formal clothes to Lu Shi.
Because I didn't have enough time, I couldn't find a tailor to customize it, so I used ready-made clothes, which were more or less inappropriate, especially the shoulders, which had to be padded with some fabric.
Lu Shi also put on a bowler hat to cover his head, which was as smooth as a braised egg.
But generally speaking, a suit has a lot more spirit than a coat or something like that.
The three of them got into the carriage together,
Scott said apologetically: "Mr. Lu, although today is said to be a salon, the location is arranged at the headquarters of The Times. Therefore, you must pay attention, those reporters and editors are all cannibals. .”
The word salon originates from the Italian word "Salotto", which is the transliteration of the French word "Le Salon". It originally refers to the luxurious parlor in the residences of the upper class in France.
The living room is a private space, and it is precisely because of this privacy that people with similar interests can gather together, sipping drinks, listening to elegant music, and speaking freely.
Today's salon is arranged at the headquarters of The Times, which shows that those conservatives have no good intentions.
Soon, the carriage arrived at Fleet Street and stopped at the door of The Times headquarters.
A clerk led them into the editor's office.
Because the original publisher and editor-in-chief of The Times were the same person - John Walter, the editor-in-chief's office is equivalent to the general manager's office, so the area is ridiculously large and has multiple functions such as office, reception, living and resting. Extremely luxurious,
The two windows on the east side of the room are even floor-to-ceiling windows, ensuring that every corner is covered by bright sunlight.
The house was already full of people,
Not to mention the editors and reporters from the major newspapers in Fleet Street, as well as old acquaintance Arthur Conan Doyle.
At this time, he was chatting quietly with Bakker, the editor-in-chief of The Times.
Lu Shi's appearance attracted everyone's attention.
They whispered,
"Why are there Asians?"
"Look, he came with the conjoined twins Cooper and Scott. Could it be that he is Lu?"
"Impossible! How is it possible!?"
"Damn! They won't treat us like monkeys, will they?"
…
The chatter grew louder and louder.
Cooper touched his nose awkwardly and whispered: "Because Scott and I are both named Charles, and the political leanings of The Scotsman and the Manchester Guardian are similar, some old diehards will call us Siamese twins." .”
He was no longer shy about speaking to Lu Shi, and he would say words like "political tendency" whenever he needed to.
Lu Shi asked: "It's my first time attending such an occasion, what should I do?"
Cooper nodded in the direction of the editor's desk.
"Waiting for the master to take charge."
After that, he and Scott led Shi Lu to sit down next to him.
Not long after, Buckle stood up, cleared his throat, signaled everyone to be quiet, and then said: "I invited two friends today. To be precise, they are an old friend and a new friend."
He pointed to Doyle beside him,
"I think this old friend doesn't need any further introduction, right? All my colleagues should be eager to publish his works in their own newspapers and magazines."
In an instant, there was warm applause in the room.
There was even cheering.
Doyle smiled broadly, waved to everyone and saluted, and said calmly: "My new work "The Hound of the Baskervilles" will be serialized next Wednesday. I hope you will be merciful, criticize less and encourage more."
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
Everyone present tried their best to move forward.
"Dr. Doyle, is The Hound of the Baskervilles a new Sherlock Holmes series?"
"Are the rumors true? You have decided to resurrect Holmes?"
"Please be sure to accept our interview."
…
Doyle was overwhelmed by the sound.
Bucker coughed, turned his attention back to himself, and then said, "I'm going to introduce new friends next."
As he spoke, he walked behind the sofa where Lu Shi was sitting and held the back of the sofa with both hands.
Everyone's attention was naturally attracted.
Bakker said: "This one is the author of "No One Survived", Lu, whose real name is Lu Shi."
The atmosphere was completely different from when Doyle was introduced;
The room was quiet.
Lu Shi smiled and waved his hands and said, "Thank you everyone."
Cooper and Scott, who were standing by, almost couldn't hold back their laughter. They said to themselves that Lu Shi really had a big heart. Not to mention applause, no one even said hello. In this situation, they could still say "Thank you everyone." ", isn't it a naked reminder?
Sure enough, someone reacted,
Bang bang——
Sparse applause broke out.
Buckel chuckled,
"I didn't expect Lu to be a Chinese student studying abroad. But it seems very reasonable. That pen name has a Chinese charm."
Doyle also spoke up: "You can't blame Mr. Buckle for this. The writing style of "No One Survived" is vivid and the descriptions are sophisticated. It doesn't look like the work of someone from a non-English speaking country."
He looked at Lu Shi,
"I wonder which master Mr. Lu studied under?"
How could Lu Shi not understand what the other party meant?
It's a pity that Doyle and Bakker's wishful thinking will definitely come to nothing.
He had already prepared the answer to this question and said: "I like Mr. Oscar Wilde's works very much, especially "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I have read it over and over again no less than ten times, and I still read it frequently. Unforgettable memories.”
Listening to Lu Shi talk about Wilde, Doyle was quite speechless.
When they first met, he boasted to Lu Shi about the experience of being invited to a dinner with Wilde, saying that the meal gave birth to two masterpieces, "The Sign of Four" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
Therefore, it is definitely impossible for him to quarrel with Lu Shi on this issue now, because if he cannot say a word well, he will easily be "attacked with his son's spear and his shield."
On the other side, Bakker was also speechless.
Oscar Wilde is one of the greatest British writers and artists. His plays, poems, fairy tales, and novels are all wonderful.
But the problem is...
Oscar Wilde is such a seductress!
(The term "homosexual" had not yet been coined.)
None of the conservatives present could speak positively of Wilde.
In fact, it was not until the end of the 20th century, after nearly a century of being vilified, that the UK was finally willing to erect a statue of Oscar Wilde, which was unveiled on November 30, 1998, on Adelaide Street near Trafalgar Square in London.
It is impossible for Buckle to say: "Mr. Lu, the idol you picked is not very good, how about changing it to another one? What do you think of Shakespeare?"
After all, they came from Japan and studied abroad and yearned for English literature.
I really can’t say this. Hey!
As for those left-wing newspapers, they are originally in the same trousers as "The Scotsman" and "Manchester Guardian", and they are even less likely to come out to cause trouble.
The room was eerily quiet.
Lu Shi looked around and saw the expressions of these foreigners who were suppressing laughter or having constipation. He couldn't help but sigh.
Think about the obsessive political correctness in modern Europe and the United States, and then look at the British’s secrecy about Oscar Wilde in the early 20th century.
All I can say is that this world is changing too fast.
The corner of Lu Shi's mouth curled up,
"What's wrong with you guys? Mr. Wilde is a genius. It was because of his influence that I decided to come to London to study. But why are you doing the opposite...why are you not even willing to recognize the great literary figures of your own country?"
As he spoke, he sighed,
"Have the British lost their confidence?"
I don't know why, but saying this sentence feels inexplicably good.
