Almighty painter

Chapter 257 Silence
The red double-decker bus passed in front of Kelly, and she looked across the street through the glass.

A long queue has already gathered in front of Shuishi Bookstore with a white English letter W sign on the black facade.

"There are so many people. How could this signing event gather so many readers?"

Even the blond girl who had been full of anticipation for "The Little Prince" was taken aback by the bustling scene in front of her.

There is an English proverb that says.

The life of a traditional upper-class gentleman can never avoid the three Oxfords—Oxford University, Oxford shoes, and Oxford Street.

They study at Oxford University, the oldest university in the world, wear the most decent Oxford shoes with carved wing patterns on the toe to attend formal banquets, and spend weekends shopping with their wives on Oxford Street, the busiest business street.

The commercial street in front of Kelly is a representative shopping street in the UK.

The empire on which the sun never sets has long since collapsed.

But pedestrians standing on this commercial street can still feel the afterimages of the old empire described by George Eliot and Conan Doyle.

The statues of the gods on the facade of the building are lifelike, the high ceiling is decorated with exquisite patterns, the huge columns are surrounded by various beautiful reliefs, and outside the large lattice window booth, tourists from different countries and different skin colors are Talk to each other in various languages.

Neoclassical and Romantic architectural art styles complement each other.

20 meters diagonally opposite the head office of the luxury brand Burberry is the branch of Waterstone's, the largest bookstore chain in the UK.

Oxford Street is a top-notch shopping street as famous as Fifth Avenue in Paris and Wangfujing in Beijing. The annual rent for a store of this size is conservatively estimated to be more than 800 million pounds.

Used to open a bookstore.

Rather than saying that it is for making money, it is better to say that it is a physical signboard for tourists to see that Waterstone Bookstore wants to show its strength.

Some media even photographed celebrities such as King Charles III, David Beckham and David Bowie walking into the door of this bookstore under the black signboard as ordinary readers before taking the throne.

In tradition,
Only the most important and most anticipated book works in the UK and even the English-speaking world around the world can have the signing meeting of the works held in this Waterstone bookstore.

On rank.

The last fairy tale writer who held a book signing here was Alan Garner, the author of the nominated work "Syrup Walker" for the 87 Booker Prize. He is one of the most important fairy tale writers in British history. The age of [-] broke the world record for the age of nominations for the highest award in English literature.

The reprint of "The Little Prince" is not a new book in the true sense after all, and it is still a bit unqualified.

Fortunately, Osborne is really awesome.

He managed to entrust a lot of connections, and then relied on the group's network channels to arrange the first important commemorative signing event of the "Little Prince" project team on Oxford Street.

Whether it is sales success or failure, the results of this signing will be multiplied.

It was within his purview, a small gift for Anna who was under pressure at this time.

Inside the closed dark glass shop door.

The staff in bookstore uniforms hung ribbons and prepared small souvenirs and promotional posters for readers who participated in the book signing.

In the afternoon, a reader meeting and signing ceremony will be held for Dean Hawke, a famous British scholar and translator.

early noon,
The Waterstone Bookstore on Oxford Street closed its doors for a short time and began to decorate the venue.

Readers outside will not be rescheduled to enter until 5 minutes before the signing session starts.

When Kelly and her best friend arrived, the line in front of the store was conservatively estimated to have hundreds of people.

The line has been lined up from under the black signboard of Shuishi Bookstore to the Hermès store next door.

Everyone was talking like a party.

"What did I say! It's less than ten o'clock, and so many people have already gathered. If you come late, maybe you really won't be able to attend Detective Cat's new book conference."

Kelly let out a sigh of relief, and hurriedly pulled her girlfriends to line up at the end of the crowd.

"It's Saint-Exupéry's book, signed by the translator Charlie Hawke. In terms of the importance of this book, illustrators like Detective Cat can only be ranked third. With her alone, but Not qualified to hold a readers' meeting in Oxford Street."

My best friend corrected it on the side.

"It's not the same, other books are fine. "The Little Prince" is a fairy tale with pictures and texts from the moment it was born. Even Saint-Exupéry himself stated to the outside world that the illustrations and text are important in the content of this book. equally important.”

The girlfriend pouted, but didn't find anything to refute this time.

She looked at the crowd around her in great confusion.

Even in the top shopping street, there are more than twice as many people here than she expected.

It is not uncommon to queue up to buy in Oxford Street shops, it happens every day.

When Takashi Murakami and LV's co-branded bags were on sale, the queue alone was 200 meters long by various scalpers staying up late.

The strange thing is that this is a bookstore!
Not a place to sell bags, shoes, cosmetics, perfumes.

When did people become so passionate about knowledge?
My best friend saw that not only professional reporters were taking pictures of the crowd in line.

Even at the front, there were two policewomen wearing green reflective backgrounds and tall helmets with silver police badges that are very common in British dramas.

After the rise of the Black live matters parade movement, the Metropolitan Police Department will introduce new regulations in 2021, in order to prevent zero-yuan purchases or robbery riots from affecting the normal operation of Oxford Street.

Once the traffic camera finds that the crowd gathering on the commercial street exceeds a certain limit, there will be street patrols to help maintain order.

The police force is limited, this is the treatment only available in the most popular shops!

"The policemen in these police stations are all dead-headed in enforcing orders. Someone really came to do zero-dollar purchases, leaving Hermès and Burberry next door to grab the fairy tale books in the bookstore? training?"

My best friend couldn't help laughing at the scene where a group of thieves ransacked the bookstore and went back to read them separately.

She muttered a few words: "If you want me to say, don't look at the crowds here, maybe they are all hired by the publishing house to support the scene. It would be too embarrassing if no one cares about the signing meeting on Oxford Street. Those who published The group will do everything for marketing!"

Probably because of anger, the opportunity to have a good drink of beer and watch a handsome guy was spoiled by Kelly.

It may also be the deepest part of my heart, the complex jealousy that I can't express about my roommate's inexplicable big advertisement.

The round-faced girlfriend is somewhat displeased and prejudiced against that detective cat.

Kelly smiled.

"Hey, sister, are you here to buy "The Little Prince" too?" She patted the girl who was wearing a plaid petticoat and pink earrings in front of her. She looked very literary and artistic.

The girl nodded.

"I am a loyal reader of Mr. Charlie Hawke. He is a very great translator. The previous two French works, "Notre Dame de Paris" and "The Three Musketeers", were classics by Hawke. This time he There was going to be a book signing, so I ran over here."

"So this is the signing event of "The Little Prince"?"

Next to him was a black guy with a Starbucks in his hand, a schoolbag, and a programmer. Hearing Kelly's question, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Don't you know? Why don't you buy books." My best friend asked suspiciously.

"I am an international student at Royal Holloway University who came to Oxford Street in London for the first time with my friends today. The train back to the suburban campus leaves at night, and I can't afford luxury goods. I saw everyone queuing in front of a bookstore, anyway. I have nothing to do. So I'm just queuing here."

The guy was very familiar and said with a smile, "I seem to have seen the news about the new version of "The Little Prince" on the Internet in the past two days."

"But it's fine to buy books. I probably won't pay for it just to see. I'm not a lover of literature and art. Your British books are so expensive. The cost of teaching materials alone is almost making me unable to eat."

Kelly opened her hands to her best friend, showing a bright "look" smile.

The number of tourists in Oxford Street is close to half a billion a year, and anyone can come across it.

However, this kind of truthful answer definitely sounds like it's not some kind of childcare.

"One doesn't know how to buy books, and the other is a reader who comes for Dean Hawke. They have nothing to do with the Detective Cat you've been thinking about for half a penny."

My girlfriend "cut".

She couldn't understand Kelly's idiot expression of "my detective cat is really good".

What are you proud of?
You chick doesn't get a penny.

"I participated in the early market research meeting of the new version of "The Little Prince", and all I can say is that the illustrations and illustrations this time are amazing. The detective cat drew one of the best illustrations I have seen so far. You must Will love it."

Detective Cat seems to have the tendency to become a new idol idol in the heart of illustrator Kelly.

"The paperback version only costs the price of a piece of fish and chips, and the hardcover version is only the price of a 12-inch pizza. Believe me, buying it will definitely make you feel that it is worth the money." She took the trouble to help the African big sister Advertise to other readers in line.

"In fact, I would rather buy the version with pictures written by Dean Hawke and Saint-Exupéry. That is the most original picture that fits the feeling of the story. No matter how good the supplementary pictures are, they are missing. artistic conception. Not to mention, Detective Cat is just an illustrator who has been criticized by Internet celebrities."

The literary young woman shook her head assertively: "Unfortunately, the copyright of the illustrations of the original book is with Scholastic Group's main competitor, Townsend Man Publishing, and they cannot get it."

The black guy just grinned and bared his shiny white teeth: "I don't know illustrations, but I once snapped up a creative painting T-shirt of the trendy brand Amida. It seems that the artist is also a very famous artist. But wearing It looks no different from AJ or Coconut. If I had a choice, I would definitely choose a 12-inch pizza. Fairy tale books are something children read, but pizza can make me happy all day."

"That's because you haven't seen the works of Detective Cat with your own eyes. The styles of Detective Cat and Van Dorn's works are completely different."

Kelly shook her head stubbornly: "As long as you are not too dull, you will be infected by that beautiful feeling."

The blond girl looked at the girlfriend next to her who was hesitant to speak and seemed to be unable to help complaining.

"It's the same for you. Maca, when you walk into the bookstore and see the little prince written by Detective Cat on the shelf, you can't help but have it."

Kelly's tone seemed to be a prophet who was giving a prophecy.

"It's convincing, it's not a marijuana leaf, so you can't forget it after seeing it?"

My best friend Maca doesn't believe it!

She sniffled: "If I don't have the urge to buy books. This semester, we will do the manual work of patterning and cutting clothes in our group homework. Kelly, would you dare to cover it all?"

The fashion design department is also an art student.

However, in addition to art design and painting skills, coursework often requires you to thread needles in front of the sewing machine.

These hard jobs are also dubbed by the Royal Academy of Arts as the work of "the tinkerer".

"What if you want to buy it? That's up to you."

Maca was half angry, half funny.

"Want to buy? If that detective cat is really so tempting, sister, I will not only do it, but also—"

She casually whispered beside Kelly: "Hmph, and I won't sleep with my boyfriend until the end of next month."

When girls and girlfriends are together, boys can't stand the dirt.

Making a nasty joke is also a random thing.

Maca can say this kind of guarantee, which shows that she is also serious.

"That's what you said yourself."

Kelly squeezed Maca's round face, revealing a narrow and sympathetic mysterious smile.

Maca puffed up her cheeks and was about to bicker with sarcasm.

At this moment, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Huh?
She turned her head and tiptoed to look forward.

Maca vaguely felt that the atmosphere in front of the crowd suddenly became strange, as if... suddenly became quiet.

After a few seconds, she realized that it was not her illusion.

The queue in front of the bookstore was spontaneously formed by people, and it was already a bit chaotic.

Everyone was chatting boringly while waiting, eating hot dogs sold by street stalls, and there was a lot of noise.

Suddenly, it was like the mute button was pressed.

The noisy human voice just disappeared.

Maca can listen to the DJ music in front of a department store in the distance, and can see people in other areas of Oxford Street not far away are still bustling and chatting and laughing.

There were couples arguing, children holding hydrogen balloons running and laughing, and in the farthest square, brother Ah San was yelling and performing Indian flying cakes to the onlookers.

Everything is normal in Oxford Street.

Only around the Shuishi Bookstore was suddenly cut off from the entire bustling commercial street by an inexplicable force.

Starting from the front of the team, the feeling of silence continued to spread backwards.

"It's amazing..."

Maca spoke half of her words, then suddenly stopped.

The round-faced girl saw a staff member in Shuishi Bookstore walking out of the bookstore's door with a stand-up promotional poster.

It was a piece—a work that she couldn't describe for a while.

　I know that everyone is unhappy with the broken chapters here, so I'm sorry.

　　But today is really the speed of life and death.

　　After simply correcting the typo, there are more than 12 seconds left before 100 o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)