can you do it

It is rainy in London, and towards evening, there is a drizzle of rain.From south to north, the buildings on Cross Street are in a Victorian Gothic style. At this time, it is foggy and more simple and elegant.

The wind is very strong, no one is holding an umbrella on the street, and the pigeons in the square are nesting under the bronze statue, flapping their wings slightly.Jiang Shu also bypassed the sculpture and walked unhurriedly to the bookstore at the end of the street.

The two in front were probably Chinese studying abroad at C University, and they were laughing and chatting while complaining about the weather.

The tall and thin man in the hoodie gloated and said, "The International Physics Forum held by the college has been very noisy these days. Do you know Samuel? There is an Australian in the class next to me, who is notoriously discriminating against Asians. This time, he encountered a hard problem. .”

"He's about to become notorious, who doesn't know," the companion asked curiously, "What happened?"

The man in the hoodie: "Students from various countries who participated in the forum gathered together last night. The professors were not present. Samuel made a provocative provocation. The people from the universities in Japan and South Korea didn't want to cause trouble, so they pretended not to hear. Jin Yuan from University A answered the phone from outside. When I came back, I happened to pass by him and put his head in the cake."

The companion laughed, "Fuck, finally someone did something I didn't have the guts to do."

"They even made a move. Samuel seems to have practiced taekwondo, I think. He looked so thick and tough, but he was beaten to the ground by Jin Yuan within two strokes." The man in the hoodie laughed, "It's a pity that I have something to do I didn’t go, otherwise I could watch it on the spot.”

……

Jiang Shu also had conflicts with Samuel student union, and looked forward.

The man in the hoodie talked more and more vigorously, "It's not over yet, the physics league in the morning, just halfway through, Jin Yuan handed in the exam, and before leaving, he provoked Samuel with his eyes looking at garbage, it's a double kill hahaha..."

"I was sitting behind Samuel. When I looked up during the calculation, I happened to see their eyes meet. The sense of substitution is too strong. It's still very cool to think about it now," the man in the hoodie laughed and muttered, "But this time it's so difficult, it's all proof questions , God knows why Jin Yuan wrote so fast. I heard that he is only a junior, and he came out with a graduate student and a doctorate..."

As the rain got heavier, the two quickened their pace and turned into a retro coffee shop.Jiang Shu also looked away, and stopped when he reached the bookstore at the end of the street.

The color of the bookstore is retro, mostly dark green and brown yellow, and the carved decoration on the porch is elegant and luxurious.There is a sign in front of the window, which reads to recruit volunteers to maintain order at Hogan’s signing event. The English handwriting is very casual, and the date is last month.

Hogan, a Chinese-British mixed-race writer who has risen to fame in the world literary world in recent years, has won several international awards. He was unknown before the age of 60, and he is a model of a late bloomer.

Today is the signing session of his new work "Allmylife" in London. Half an hour before the start, there is a long queue at the door of the bookstore. Volunteers wear the uniforms provided by the bookstore and shuttle around.

Jiang Shu also walked through another door, and a boy with freckles came up to him and greeted him with a smile.He took off his trench coat and hung it on the wall, asking if Hogan had arrived.

"He'supstairs." The little freckles frowned.

Jiang Shu also thanked quietly.His face was covered with moisture, revealing a cold whiteness, the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, appearing quiet and distant, full of a sense of distance that can be seen from a distance but not played with.

Little Freckle's heart was beating a little faster, and he took out something from behind his back, stumbling and speaking illogically, "Aysen, I'm learning Chinese, this is... a gift for... for you."

A black rose with layers of petals, exuding the texture of black gold velvet, and the green shoots are light in color.

An ambiguous yet modest gesture.

Jiang Shuyi refused very euphemistically, tied the rose to the retro chandelier by the window, carefully adjusted the position, as if playing with a work of art, and then boasted to the swaying light and shadow, "It's very beautiful."

Little Freckle couldn't hide his disappointment, and stared blankly at him.

Not far away, the blond-haired female shop assistant waited for Jiang Shu to go upstairs, and came over to comfort the little freckle.Translated into Chinese is - don't be sad, you are cute and cute, your butt is up, it's not your fault, it's the boss who doesn't have that kind of worldly desire.

Jiang Shu also walked through the oak corridor, stopped outside the small room at the corner, knocked on the door, and pushed the door open after getting a response.

The ceiling in the house is very high, and the glass roof is made of glass. The dripping rain makes a crisp sound.Oak bookshelves are arranged in rows, and a rattan chair is placed in the middle, on which sits an old man with frosted temples, reading an old newspaper.

Jiang Shu also called Hogan familiarly, saying it had been a long time.

He came to the UK with his parents after graduating from junior high school. Hogan was unknown at that time, living next door to his house, and we knew each other from time to time.

Hogan has been rejected countless manuscripts, and has a small habit of rejecting manuscripts - lying on the floor and rolling around, swearing a series of swear words, and when he is tired of cursing, he invites Jiang Shuyi to eat pizza in frustration.

But Jiang Shu also paid the bill every time, and he bought it for five or six years.

Hogan laughed too, the wrinkles piled together looked kindly.He put away the newspaper, cleared a place for Jiang Shuyi at the desk, and said in fluent but somewhat blunt Chinese, "Aysen, aren't you going to participate in this signing?"

In order to cover more readers, a small part of this batch of books is printed in both Chinese and English. In addition to the author's name on the spine, there is also the translator Aysen.

When Hogan was making waves in the British literary world, Jiang Shu was also a junior. One day, Jiang Shu also went to his house and saw the steaming beef pizza on the table, so he knew that he had won a very important literary award.

As Hogan's influence grew, countries began to translate his works.After Jiang Shuyi came to the UK, although the time between China and the UK was divided, but influenced by his family, he read a lot of classics, and has always studied Chinese traditional culture. In addition, he majored in literature, so he assumed the responsibility of his family. Chinese translation of works.

I have translated several books, but I didn't appear in the signing event in China, let alone this time.

They are used to chatting in both Chinese and English. Hogan used Chinese, so he also replied in Chinese, "I won't participate, there's not enough time."

Most postgraduates in the UK are one-year. Jiang Shu also studied comparative literature in C University, which is research-oriented. It takes two years and is now studying one year.

University C in the UK is closely connected with University A in China, and students are exchanged and exchanged every year.He submitted an application to go to the Faculty of Arts of University A for a semester exchange to prepare for the subsequent doctoral application.

It happened that students from University A came to participate in the International Physics Forum and the International Chemistry Forum, and the closing ceremony just ended in the afternoon.For the sake of convenience, the college asked the exchange students to go back with them, on the plane at 08:30 tonight.

Jiang Shu was also thinking about Hogan's book signing, so she took time to come to the bookstore to meet him.

Jiang Shu also picked up the Chinese-English bilingual "Allmylife" at the bottom of the bookshelf, and signed a small stack with a brush.

Hogan asked him why he suddenly wanted to go back to China, and Jiang Shu responded casually, saying that he wanted to do a comparison between Chinese and English in his graduation thesis, and there was a professor at University A who had been working on this for many years...

After Hogan listened, he turned his head to observe his expression, didn't speak for a while, and suddenly asked, "Are you okay?"

The tip of the pen paused, and continued smoothly, "It's the same as before, pretty good."

Jiang Shu also put the stack of books on the table, changed the subject and chatted with Hogan for a while.

After discussing the controversial ending of the novel and the progress of the next one, he checked the time, the signing session should start, and got up to leave.

Jiang Shu also walked down the old hand-held oak stairs to the second floor. It was very windy outside, the traditional style sash windows were half open, and the curtains were bulging and rattling.

He went to close the window and found that the rain had stopped, large clouds appeared in the sky, and the sunlight poured down, covering the long queue of people at the entrance of the bookstore like pieces of gold.

He hadn't slept well for a long time, and was drenched in the rain again, feeling inexplicably irritable. He walked to the outdoor corridor, leaned against the wall, unbuttoned his shirt, and lit a cigarette.

The mixed smoke is mild, not spicy enough, and the aftertaste is pure, which is the best choice for soothing the mood.

The closer it is to the start of the signing, the longer the line will be. According to visual estimates, it will take at least three or four hours to end.Jiang Shuyi casually scanned the street, and saw a strange person among the orderly crowd.

A tall man, dressed casually and standing casually, waited at the back end of the line for a while, then went to strike up a conversation with Little Freckles, not like attending a signing party.

Sure enough, after striking up a conversation, the man withdrew from the crowd, and went to the shopping mall next door through the back door.

Jiang Shu also felt the wind for a while, and after answering the tutor's email, he raised his eyes and saw the man coming out of the store, wearing a uniform that was exactly the same as the one provided to the volunteers in the store.

He remembered slowly that the uniforms in the store seemed to be bought from the store next door.

Jiang Shu also watched the man avoid the little freckles, sneak into the crowd of volunteers, and hurried into the bookstore.

At that moment, Jiang Shuyi sounded the alarm in his heart.Some time ago, there was a terrorist attack on a luxury store on Cross Street. It was done by two low-level homeless men, who changed into decent suits, entered the store and opened fire with guns, causing dozens of casualties.

The bookstore covers a large area, and the clerks and volunteers are all downstairs. The British indoor places are completely non-smoking. He is in the smoking area of ​​the open-air corridor connecting the second floor of the bookstore and the rear building. It is far away from anywhere, and no one can hear it.

The man has already entered, but there is no movement. If it is not an indiscriminate attack, the target is probably Hogan.Jiang Shuyi strode towards the third floor. When the time came, readers flocked in. There were stairs from the door to the third floor, which was faster than Jiang Shuyi walking the long corridor.

Jiang Shuyi rushed to the small room at the corner, and was about to stop readers from approaching, when Jin Yuan pushed open the door, holding a bilingual copy of "Allmylife" in Chinese and English in his hand.

The cover was folded, and the title page was signed, with "Hogan" and "Aysen" up and down.

Jiang Shu also breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out that he just wanted to sign.

Someone went to so much trouble for a signature.

Brain powder.

Jiang Shu also stepped back, giving way to the readers, and turned back to the second floor.As he was walking, he heard footsteps coming from behind, he turned his head and met Jin Yuan's eyes.

There are no books in this area, and few people pass by. The corridor design is very cramped, with a wall covered with quills on one side, a carved window on the other, and a copper chandelier hanging from the roof with a sense of age.

Jin Yuan has a cropped head, deep-set eyebrows and eyes, a straight nose, and a gap in his chin, looking vicious and irritable.He has broad shoulders and long legs, and his uniform is the most common style in the store. The jacket, belt, black pants, and short boots are worn like a special police combat uniform.

As he was approaching Jiang Shuyi, the narrow aisle made him bigger, his body exuded a vigorous hormonal aura, full of the oppressive feeling of expanding outward.

He walked up to Jiang Shuyi, posing as a volunteer to maintain order, and told him to put out his cigarette.

Jiang Shuyi realized later that he forgot to throw the cigarette in a hurry.

But this person lined up out of order, bought a uniform to act as a volunteer, and really entered the role, which is too outrageous.

The chandelier was on, with a faint yellow glow, Jiang Shu also stood in the light, a few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, the neckline was a little loose, revealing half of his fair collarbone.The knuckles of the fingers are clear, holding the cigarette, and the fingertips are loosely resting on the window sill.

Jin Yuan repeated, in a low voice, "Nosmoking here."

Just now when Jiang Shuyi went downstairs, he was about to leave too. An old lady in a plaid coat pointed at Jiang Shuyi and asked him to take care of it, saying why the smoke alarm didn’t respond. Smoking is prohibited here, and you can only smoke in the open air district.

Seeing that Jiang Shu was indifferent, Jin Yuan wanted to get his cigarettes, but Jiang Shuyi put away his wrist and looked at Jin Yuan with a slightly impatient look.

Jin Yuan tried again, the corridor was long and narrow, and Jiang Shu had nowhere to hide.The quills on the wall collided with each other, shaking non-stop, the shaking quills scratched his neck itchy, Jiang Shuyi bent his knees and bumped into Jin Yuan, propping his body apart.

Just as the cigarette was burning to the end, Jiang Shuyi raised his hand and touched the inconspicuous date label on the chest of Jin Yuan's shirt with the cigarette butt, his expression cold, like a warning or a reminder, "Mind your own business."

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The author has something to say:

I'm back!

*Secondary two Jack Su early warning.

Thanks to Ray's broccoli for the rainbow candy and the fish food you have to run~