Liu Jiazhen couldn't help laughing.
Liu Jiazhen said: "When I was staying at home writing novels, my parents said the same thing, saying that I never went out and had no friends, and asked if I had depression."
Mingyin sighed: "It turns out that we have all encountered such problems."
Liu Jiazhen: "People who engage in this kind of creative work will more or less encounter this situation."
Mingyin turned to look at Lu Yanhe, smiled, and said, "Big star, is it difficult for you to understand us on this matter?"
Lu Yanhe nodded honestly, "I've definitely never had this kind of experience before."
"But I can still relate to this feeling," Lu Yanhe said. "When I was reading 'Star Orbit,' there was an illustrator who spent most of her time alone. She was clearly working and drawing, but her family thought she had nothing to do at home and was lazy. They didn't understand her work schedule and even thought she didn't need to live in a big city and could just go home. When I read that passage, I wondered if it reflected your feelings, Sister Mingyin."
Mingyin nodded in surprise and said, "You really read my novel carefully."
"I like it very much." Lu Yanhe said.
"I thought you preferred crime novels."
"I like crime novels, but I also like other well-written novels," Lu Yanhe said. "I like all kinds of stories. I loved listening to them as a child, and as I grew older, I started finding stories myself, stories I liked."
The three of them stood at the door and chatted for a while. At this time, Xu Xiaoyin came over again.
She saw the three of them standing together again and started laughing too.
"It's perfect. All three of you are here, so I don't have to ask everyone one by one. Our publishing house is planning to shoot a documentary about this book fair. The original plan was to just record the event without any interviews, but the editor-in-chief just decided on a whim to include some interview clips. Could you please arrange that? This documentary will only serve as a behind-the-scenes feature and will be broadcast on some of Jiangyin Publishing House's media accounts. No other promotion will be done."
Lu Yanhe looked at the two writers, smiled, nodded, and said, "I have no problem."
He is an artist, so of course he needs exposure, big or small, at this stage.
Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin hesitated instead.
"I get really nervous in front of the camera," Mingyin said. "I was really nervous last time in Lu Yanhe's live studio."
Liu Jiazhen also nodded, "Me too."
Xu Xiaoyin clearly knew her two socially anxious authors very well. She smiled and said, "How about we give it a try first? If it doesn't work, we can just not have this interview clip appear in the main film, okay? The main thing is that many of your readers are looking forward to seeing you."
Mingyin: "Okay then."
"Yeah." Liu Jiazhen also nodded.
-
The book fair opens on time at 9:30.
In the lobby on the first floor, there is information about the activities arranged by various publishing houses, writers, and celebrity guests.
Li Pengfei squeezed into the crowd and quickly found the information of Jiangyin Publishing House.
"On the fifth floor! Lao Lu will have a presentation at ten o'clock." Li Pengfei turned around and said to everyone.
As soon as he finished speaking, a girl beside him said in surprise, "Lu Yanhe is here today!"
Her companions immediately asked in surprise: "Really? Where is he? I want to go and see!"
"On the fifth floor, in half an hour."
"Then let's go to the fifth floor first!"
"Uh-huh."
As the two girls talked, they happily squeezed out of the crowd and went upstairs.
"Oh, that celebrity who scored over 600 points on the college entrance exam is here too." A mother with her child saw Lu Yanhe's name and her eyes lit up instantly. "He has a speech at 10 o'clock. Let's go listen to his speech first. He has such a good score, you should listen carefully!"
The child's face instantly wrinkled into a bitter gourd.
"No! I want to see Jiangshan!"
"Jiangshan's signing session lasts two hours, there's still time! Let's go to Lu Yanhe first!" Mom dragged him away without saying a word.
Similar conversations are still happening at the same time.
…
Li Pengfei blinked in surprise and turned to Linyu and the others and said, "It seems that Old Lu doesn't need us to support him at all."
Chen Qin rolled his eyes and said, "I told you a long time ago, he's very popular now, he doesn't need us to support him at all."
Li Pengfei: "Then why don't you increase the popularity of your old classmate?"
"I didn't say it's impossible. I just said that you underestimated Lu Yanhe too much." Chen Qin spread his hands and said.
Lin Yu: "Let's go up. It looks like there will be a lot of people at the Jiangyin Publishing House booth later. Let's hurry up and grab a good spot, otherwise we might not be able to see Lu Yanhe."
Li Pengfei: "Let Chen Qin pick you up and sit on his shoulders to watch."
Lin Yu: “…”
Chen Qin: “…”
Chen Siqi found Li Pengfei's words funny, but was too embarrassed to laugh out loud, so she turned her head and looked to the other side.
-
The exhibition hall of Jiangyin Publishing House is very large, occupying nearly half of the fifth floor.
There are both book booths and book signing tables.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the stage in the middle.
This small stage is backed by a high wall and has a large electronic screen erected on it. The screen is broadcasting the activities scheduled for today by Jiangyin Publishing House.
The site is already running.
A lot of people came to the place where the books were sold.
People also gathered on the stage side.
There are five rows of seats in front of the stage, all with name tags on them. These are the seats for the publishing house itself and specially invited media and partners.
When Lu Yanhe arrived at the scene led by Xu Mingyue, he immediately caused cheers and screams.
He didn't do any styling today and dressed a little more formally, in black trousers and a white shirt, looking refreshing and sunny.
But this scene caused discussion among some media people.
"He didn't wear any makeup today."
"Yeah, but he's still handsome. It's good to be young. He's still so handsome even without makeup."
"Nineteen years old, what a nostalgic age."
"We're almost 30."
"However, isn't Lu Yanhe's collaboration with Jiangyin Publishing House a little too close? I was already surprised when he helped two authors from Jiangyin Publishing House sell books before, and he even came to the book fair today."
"People are taking this cultured approach now, and everyone gets what they need."
"Why do you make it sound so utilitarian? Can't I just really love reading?"
"Why would someone who loves reading go to a livestream to read? Isn't it just to let others see him reading?"
…
These discussions reached Lu Yanhe's ears intermittently.
He was sitting in the first row and heard the voices, but he controlled his expression so as not to be affected.
As an artist, he finds himself hearing this voice more and more.
Everyone has their own interpretation of everything he does, and they firmly believe in their own interpretation.
The cultural route?
Lu Yanhe really wanted to make it clear to these people that he had never considered taking this route.
How could a nineteen-year-old boy choose such a path for himself?
But if you think about it, there's nothing to explain.
Mainly, explanation is useless.
Chen Ziyan had told him this a long time ago.
He doesn't know himself.
It’s not like I really don’t understand the entertainment industry.
"Yan He, are you OK?" Ming Yin, who was sitting on his right, suddenly asked.
Lu Yanhe came back to his senses and smiled at Mingyin, "Hmm?"
"Did you hear those people behind you talking about you?" Mingyin asked in a low voice.
A look of worry crossed her face.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "It's okay."
"It seems like your job involves a lot of bad situations that we haven't experienced," Mingyin said with a chuckle. "Do you often hear voices like this in your work environment?"
"I wouldn't say it's often, but occasionally. But that's nothing. I have a job where I have to face a lot of criticism." Lu Yanhe said this to comfort himself. "I have to convince myself to accept it."
Liu Jiazhen heard the two of them whispering, looked over and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Mingyin shook her head, "Nothing."
At this time, the host walked onto the stage and reminded everyone that today's book fair activities were about to begin.
-
"It's about to begin!" Chen Qin glanced back at the host who had appeared on the stage and said to Lin Yu, who was still browsing the book market. Upon hearing this, Lin Yu pulled Chen Siqi and said, "Let's go over there."
Li Pengfei had already helped them secure the seats closest to the stage.
Seeing the three of them coming over, Li Pengfei complained: "Where were you guys just going? You're so slow."
Lin Yu said, "We were just browsing the bookstall next door. Didn't Yan He recommend a few books before? I plan to buy some and take them home to read."
"Do you have time to read now? You seem to be having a hard time coming out today. Aren't you preparing for your competition?"
"We always need to rest. We can't always be preparing for the competition." Chen Qin said immediately.
Linyu: "Yes, you always need to rest."
Li Pengfei felt a little regretful that Xu Zijun had to be a tutor today and could not attend the book fair.
Otherwise, Xu Zijun should like this place very much.
She is also a person who loves reading.
Li Pengfei planned to buy a few books for her.
Among the writers who came to sign books today, in addition to writers who have just debuted such as Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin, there are also several national-level great writers. Xu Zijun prefers to read traditional literary works. Li Pengfei plans to buy a set of signed copies of the books of these great writers and take them back today.
"Where is Lu Yanhe?" Chen Qin asked.
Li Pengfei pointed to a spot a little to the right in the first row and said, "It's over there."
"Oh, I see." Chen Qin sighed. "After graduating from the college entrance examination, it felt like he and we were in two different worlds. We were still waiting for the acceptance letter, curious about the future university life, but Lu Yanhe had already entered the adult world."
Lin Yu smiled calmly and said, "We both have to enter the adult world. He entered earlier, and we entered later, but we are still in the same world. We should not feel that we are separated from him by a world because of this temporary gap."
"Look at your girlfriend, she's so open-minded and generous. Then look at you." Li Pengfei glanced at Chen Qin with disdain. "Show some courage, Chen Qin."
Chen Qin took a deep breath in anger.
Instead, Chen Siqi looked at Linyu thoughtfully.
What Lin Yu said just now was calm and mature, unlike someone their age.
Linyu is the top scorer in liberal arts at No. 13 Middle School this year and is also among the top ten in Yuming City. She was previously the class monitor and has always had excellent grades. She is a star-level student in the school and has received much attention.
Chen Siqi had heard that Linyu was calmer and more composed than her peers, but hearing these words with her own ears today still surprised Chen Siqi.
Compared with her, Chen Siqi felt that her pretense of maturity seemed much more "pretentious".
Not true maturity.
At this time, the person standing on the stage began to introduce Lu Yanhe after the president of the publishing house made relevant introductions.
"Reading is an indispensable part of everyone's life. This summer, we all got to know a young man named Lu Yanhe. He has many identities. Before June of this year, he was a senior high school student. Before that, he was an idol artist who debuted at the age of fifteen. After the college entrance examination, he became an actor and just finished filming a new play directed by Luo Yuzhong. Under these multiple identities, he is also a reader who loves reading. Many people know that because of his recommendations in his live broadcast room, the two books "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" and "Stellar Orbit" produced by our Jiangyin Publishing House have entered the bestseller lists of major books. He once said in the live broadcast room that reading is a kind of rest for him. I am very happy to invite him to come to the scene today to share with you about reading. Please welcome Lu Yanhe."
"Oh——" Li Pengfei suddenly cupped his hands, put them in front of his mouth and cheered loudly.
There were many people applauding at first, but his applause was too loud, even so loud that it was shocking, so that many people's eyes shifted away from Lu Yanhe who stood up and turned to look at Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe also looked over in surprise.
When he saw that it was Li Pengfei and the others, he showed a surprised expression and waved to them.
Li Pengfei also waved back excitedly.
When so many eyes met, Chen Qin felt so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
Chen Siqi also has the same feeling.
She glanced at Linyu, and seeing that she could hardly hide a hint of embarrassment under her pretended calm appearance, Chen Siqi breathed a sigh of relief.
-
Lu Yanhe walked onto the stage and took the microphone handed to him by the host.
"Hi, good morning everyone. I'm Lu Yanhe. I'm very happy to meet you all here today."
Lu Yanhe greeted everyone with a smile, but then he realized he was a little nervous facing hundreds of people in the audience.
"Those guys just now are my high school classmates. I didn't know they would come today. It's a big surprise. Don't sneak away. I'll go downstairs and find you later." Lu Yanhe said to Li Pengfei and the others.
The others looked at them again.
Li Pengfei smiled brightly (silly).
Lu Yanhe retracted his gaze. "Actually, I was quite apprehensive when I received this invitation. I'm only nineteen years old. If it weren't for my status as an entertainer, I'm afraid no one would want to hear me speak on such a serious topic as reading."
Everyone laughed good-naturedly.
Including those in the media.
"But after thinking about it, it's pretty good. Some people ask me to sing, some ask me to act, and even now some people ask me to tell everyone how to study and how to do well in exams. You may find it hard to believe, but there are even tutoring institutions that asked me to be their spokesperson." Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Yanhe waited two seconds, waiting for the laughter to die down, before continuing, "But no one will ask me to talk about reading, which makes me very sad, because reading is a very important part of my life. I'm not saying this because today is a book fair, but because reading means something special to me. That's why I'm brave enough to come here, risking many people laughing at me and asking, 'Why are you standing here?', to share what reading means to me."
Lu Yanhe could see that the expressions on everyone's faces gradually became serious.
"During my senior year of high school, I worked incredibly hard. My foundation was so poor, but I wanted to get into a good university, so I had to give it my all and go for it. It was during this time that I experienced so many things I hadn't anticipated, things unrelated to the exam but deeply personal. When I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyelids open, I questioned the true meaning of getting into a good university. When I was questioned and ridiculed, I asked myself why I couldn't just give up and become mediocre. When I faced countless difficulties I couldn't fully describe right now, I asked myself if I could achieve a positive outcome through persistence and uncompromising perseverance, and if not, what would I do?"
"This is what I'm asking myself as a senior high school student. Do other people have similar questions about themselves?"
"But where can we find the answers? Not every question has an immediate answer," Lu Yanhe said. "One day after the college entrance exam, I went to a bookstore with a friend. I didn't really know what books had been published recently or what was worth reading. I just wandered around aimlessly and picked out a few books based on my interests. One of them was 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records.'"
At this moment, the live broadcast camera suddenly cut to Liujia Town.
Liu Jiazhen's face appeared on the big screen behind Lu Yanhe.
Liu Jiazhen also saw his face and looked surprised.
Lu Yanhe glanced back at the big screen and laughed, "Yes, it's the book written by this teacher Liu Jiazhen. Perhaps this might give you the impression that reading this book helped me find the answers to my questions, but it didn't. That's not the case."
"My mind was filled with so many questions, but at this time, I started reading 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records'. I read it in one breath, and then I completely entered another state. Simply put, I temporarily forgot about myself." Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "It was as if I had another perspective. While reading 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records', in between readings I looked back at myself in the past year. The boredom, melancholy, and helplessness that I had experienced throughout my senior year of high school seemed to have been plucked away from me."
“Reading is the key to a world that has nothing to do with ourselves. We can generously put aside all our concerns and enter a new world.”
"I'm not saying that reading can reduce our worries. In fact, when we enter a new world, it may be like landing on the moon. Everyone who has landed on the moon from Earth can't help but look back at what Earth looks like. In every book, I think I've entered a new world, but I keep seeing shadows of my own life and past." Lu Yanhe gripped the microphone tightly. "Would you think I'm contradicting myself when I say this? One moment I say it allows me to temporarily forget myself, and the next I say it allows me to see myself. Please believe me, this is the only description I can think of right now that truly expresses my feelings."
Xu Xiaoyin and Liu Cheng were both standing on the side of the stage.
They were originally discussing the subsequent work process, but unknowingly stopped what they were doing and started listening to Lu Yanhe's sharing.
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyin couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect him to share such genuine feelings."
"Didn't that girl Xu Mingyue write a manuscript for him?"
"Completely useless." Xu Xiaoyin said, "I've read the manuscript. Lu Yanhe is completely useless."
"What he said was too personal, and many people at the scene might not understand it."
Xu Xiaoyin said, "But anyone who has read the book will definitely understand what he is talking about."
Lu Yanhe stood on the stage and continued, "From forgetting myself to seeing myself, reading is like a filter. It filters out the sorrow and pain that real life brings me, while leaving behind all the warmth and strength. Because it is filtered, it becomes clearer."
"I still remember the story of the autistic son who silently supported his mother behind the scenes in Mingyin's work Star Orbit. After his mother's death, the son learned that the friends around him now were all asked by his mother to try to be his friends. At that moment of knowing this, sadness, discomfort, warmth, happiness, and reluctance all appeared in an instant. I was touched by the story and these emotions." Lu Yanhe said, "I don't have autism, nor have I encountered difficulties in making friends, let alone the support and care of my mother. Logically, I don't have similar experiences that I can empathize with, so I wouldn't be so moved. But I must admit that I cried my eyes out at that moment, and I couldn't help but wonder why."
"I was thinking, 'It's because I saw myself, another possible version of myself. In a certain world, I have autism, and I've been silently supported for many years by a mother like this. I have such a happy group of friends. I put myself in that world, and thus, there was another me in my life. So, after coming out of the book, I looked at my real self and gained a new perspective on myself."
“When I read adventure stories, I am the brave, overcoming, wise and courageous me.”
“When I read fantasy stories, I am the me with the magic wand in my left hand and the philosopher’s stone in my right hand.”
“When I read mystery stories, I am my quick-witted and insightful self.”
"Every time I read, I see a new me. Reading doesn't require similar experiences to empathize. Reading gives us another experience, so we can gain more feelings and experiences."
"So, when you have nothing to do, go to a bookstore, buy a book or two, and find some time to be alone to meet the self in the book," Lu Yanhe said. "When you think you are reading someone else's story, you certainly don't realize that, in your subconscious, that other person is you. In another life, the questions and answers about your own life often seem less important."
"Thanks."
After Lu Yanhe finished sharing, he bowed to everyone.
There was silence for two seconds, and then applause broke out.
Lu Yanhe returned the microphone to the host and left the stage.
Many people were filming him with their cell phones and cameras.
When Lu Yanhe passed by Li Pengfei, he stopped and looked at them with a smile.
"Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were coming?" Lu Yanhe said.
"You don't have to worry about us, why would I tell you in advance?" Li Pengfei said, "Old Lu, I was confused by what you just shared. I didn't understand a lot of it, but I could still feel what you were saying."
Lu Yanhe smiled and looked at Chen Siqi who was standing at the back.
Chen Siqi also glanced at him.
"Let's have lunch together later." Lu Yanhe said.
"I can't. I have to go pick up Xu Zijun. You guys eat." Li Pengfei said immediately.
Chen Qin also said, "Linyu and I have something else to do later. She has an appointment with a teacher to prepare for a competition next month."
Lu Yanhe: "You're all so busy. Well, we haven't had dinner together for a while."
"Let's make an appointment later." Li Pengfei said, and suddenly remembered something, "Chen Siqi is still here, why don't you eat with her?"
Chen Siqi subconsciously wanted to say that she had something else to do, but Lu Yanhe immediately nodded, "Then it's settled. Wait for me a moment, I'll be done soon."
The ceremony has not yet ended, so Lu Yanhe cannot withdraw now.
Especially with the upcoming signing events of Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin, he was planning to go to the scene to ask for their autographs.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi nodded, turned around and returned to their seats.
Chen Qin sighed, "Lu Yanhe looks completely different now than he did a year ago."
"Are you envious?" Li Pengfei asked.
"I admire you." Chen Qin shook his head. "Such a complete transformation must have taken tremendous effort."
"That's right." Li Pengfei rarely argued with Chen Qin and nodded in agreement.
A few young people were talking when suddenly a young man came over and said with a smile, "Are you Lu Yanhe's classmates? I'm a reporter from the Art Newspaper. Can I ask you a few questions about Lu Yanhe?"
Several people shook their heads at the same time.
Lin Yu said, "Sorry, we don't answer any questions about Lu Yanhe."
She shook her head slightly.
"It's just a few simple questions. We can find a place to sit down and talk. We can also pay you."
"Thank you, but no." Lin Yu still refused firmly, "Please don't disturb us."
