PDLP Chapter 47 Old Mark's Anger
Chapter 47 Old Mark's Anger
Who says Westerners don't understand social etiquette? Old Mark's behavior perfectly exemplifies the hypocrisy inherent in white men.
Whether Yu Zhen was truly moved by his enthusiasm is unknown to outsiders.
However, the Shanghai citizens who witnessed everything on the scene were completely unable to remain calm.
These days, even in Shanghai, foreigners with high noses and blue eyes are extremely rare, a true rarity.
Human mentality is generally rare and often strange.
Moreover, the people of Shanghai are among the most proactive in emulating international standards in terms of mindset.
People naturally have a sense of admiration and goodwill towards Westerners.
Many people are already shouting about capitalists' "respect for the virtuous and talented," but what kind of ridiculous adjectives are those?
In the eyes of onlookers, publisher Mark had already lowered himself to such an extent that if writer Yu still dared to be reserved, it would be incredibly inconsiderate and disregard international friendship.
Gong Ying quietly blended into the crowd.
In such a situation, she wouldn't have the courage to confront anyone again.
Moreover, when she suddenly realized that the man she had chosen at first sight was actually so outstanding, a true dragon soaring in the heavens, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself.
Yu Zhen didn't want things to be too conspicuous, and he especially didn't want Old Mark to have the opportunity to perform freely in public.
At least he didn't show his anger on the spot, but he had already given those self-righteous cadres a silent warning with his eyes, warning them not to do it again and to stop here.
The unplanned meeting between the two sides was very brief.
Yu Zhen accepted the flowers presented by Old Mark in front of everyone, said a few simple and modest words, and then declined Old Mark's invitation to travel with him to the Peace Hotel for a welcome banquet, citing physical fatigue.
The onlookers were unaware of what was going on.
They gave Yu Zhen and his entourage a warm round of applause as they departed.
But it's clear that news of the great writer Yu and the publisher from North America who flew to Shanghai to meet immediately after the college entrance exams has spread like wildfire.
It's estimated that by nightfall, every household in Shanghai will have heard the news.
Yu Zhen's reputation in Shanghai today is absolutely top-tier, like that of a superstar.
Perhaps not many people know what a person actually looks like.
But whenever the great writer Yu is mentioned, it is said that his creative work has earned the country more than one million US dollars in foreign exchange, which is an incredible feat.
The citizens were all beaming with pride, considering it an honor, and believing that the great writer Yu was a well-deserved source of pride for Shanghai.
The city's decision to grant the renowned writer Yu a place to settle down in the city, despite strong opposition, was nothing short of brilliant and demonstrates exceptional strategic acumen.
……
The group then moved out of sight of the onlookers.
They waved goodbye from the roadside.
Yu Zhen rode his bicycle away quickly, his figure disappearing completely at the end of the road.
Old Mark, unable to understand the language, kept asking him questions.
Only then did I realize that Yu Zhen was not attending the banquet.
Once he understood what was going on, Old Mark became very agitated and started yelling at the officials accompanying him.
"French bastards, why are you preventing me from meeting Yu directly? You idiots! You're blocking a multi-million dollar deal, understand? Oh God, you're testing my limits! Damn it, are you really going to ruin this multi-million dollar deal? Think about it, my visa is running out of time. I've already wasted 13 days. I've wasted 13 days in this damned city of yours..."
As he kept shouting, Old Mark actually started to cry from feeling wronged.
The two accompanying officials were completely at a loss, having no idea how to respond to the irritable and tearful Old Mark.
The most crucial point is that Selena von didn't come along today. It was Old Mark who, taking advantage of Selena von's absence, kept making demands, saying that he wanted to be the first person to meet Writer Yu after he finished his exams.
He also said he wanted to give writer Yu a surprise, a token of his sincerest concern.
All they had to do was help him find a place; they didn't have to worry about anything else.
Now, who could have imagined that it would end in such an unpleasant way? And who could have imagined that writer Yu would be so indifferent to the 'respectful and humble' old Mark?
No, to be more precise, they were clearly disgusted by Old Mark's behavior of blocking people at the entrance of the test center.
The two accompanying officials had no choice but to smile and lead the person back to the hotel while quickly conversing in the local dialect, discussing how to end this impromptu trip.
They took advantage of Old Mark's inability to understand the soft Wu dialect.
The conversation between the two cadres was quite unrestrained; they were directly smiling as they berated Old Mark for using a foreign gun and faking tears to gain sympathy.
One side speculated that Selena von's decision not to accompany him meant she was planning to ditch Mark and instead collaborate with the other publishers.
Five publishers from North America have suddenly flocked to Shanghai.
Five publishers, including Mark Leigh, were all vying to acquire the English rights to Yu's subsequent works, while the other four publishers who arrived later seemed to be far more powerful than Mark Leigh.
So, could it be that this anxious and frustrated old Mark has already been eliminated from the competition?
"French guy~~!!"
"I'm the one who made him famous, how could he be so cold and heartless to me, not even giving me a chance to have dinner together or hear my terms of cooperation..."
Seeing that his anger and tears had no effect, Old Mark turned to playing the emotional card, putting on a pitiful act and complaining that Yu Zhen was heartless, had forgotten his old love for a new one, and that his sincere desire for cooperation had been met with the coldest and most ruthless rejection.
The two accompanying officials stared at each other blankly.
To be honest, Old Mark's words really resonated with them, and they also felt that Yu Zhen's actions were too inhumane.
No matter what, it's better to be polite to foreign guests; at least it'll make sense on the surface.
This guy is so angry, he's spouting nonsense, laughing and crying like a madman. If he went back to North America, he'd describe everyone he met like this, cursing you, Writer Yu, and even taking the opportunity to criticize the Shanghai officials for only caring about money...
"No, no, we really need to find a way to salvage this!"
"But Comrade Yu Zhen warned us not to act on our own again, so what else can we do..."
"Look how angry the old man is. When it comes to business, there should at least be a first-come, first-served order. Comrade Yu Zhen has indeed been a bit too arrogant today..."
"What's the point of spouting this nonsense? We need to calm the old man down!"
"The one who tied the knot must untie it. Back at the hotel, I should first find Ms. Selena von and see what advice she can offer!"
"I do have an idea."
"What idea?"
"If we could help him find out the offers from the other publishers, giving this old man some information, wouldn't he...?"
When Old Mark heard this idea, he immediately got super excited and took out his wallet to give the two of them tips. Goodness, he handed them a green 100 dollar bill.
Moreover, one person directly stuffed three cards into their hand.
He immediately added that if he could find out the competitors' bottom line, he would offer an even larger tip as a token of his gratitude.
Good heavens, using this to test Ganbu, especially since he was only helping to gather information about business rivals...