Sean and the group stood up and walked towards the backstage.
Generally, such literary exchange events would have the guests' official books for sale.
To get an autograph, one naturally had to buy the book first.
"Teacher Mailin's hottest book right now is this 'Complete Fairy Tales'," Lauren recommended to everyone.
As an Englishman, he was most familiar with Mailin.
"Huh, this book doesn't seem to be written by Teacher Mailin, does it?" Jin Chengxian said doubtfully, holding the book and glancing at the cover.
The cover featured a beautiful hand-drawn illustration of a little girl sitting in a corner, holding a burning match, with the image of an old grandmother reflected within the flame.
However, the author's name was written in two Chinese characters: "Jiang Nan."
Mailin's name was followed only by the words "Translator."
This meant that the author of this book was this Chinese individual, Jiang Nan, and Mailin had merely translated his work.
"That's right, this book wasn't written by Teacher Mailin, but Teacher Mailin translated it and published it himself. He poured a lot of effort into this book," Lauren explained.
"Then this Jiang Nan is quite impressive."
"Indeed, he's managed to get Teacher Mailin to translate and publish it himself."
Everyone marveled.
Jin Chengxian frowned, he felt he had heard the name Jiang Nan somewhere before.
However, that was not important. The priority now was to buy the book and get Mailin's autograph.
Fairy tale books like this were very popular overseas. Not only children loved them, but adults also enjoyed reading them occasionally, as there would always be times when they needed to tell stories to their children.
After buying "Complete Fairy Tales," Jin Chengxian prepared to find Mailin for an autograph.
It was usually very difficult to meet Mailin. This time, since everyone was a guest at the exchange event, it was much easier to find him.
An autograph from such a world-renowned literary master was not just about monetary value. If it was from a partner one greatly admired, the value it brought was immeasurable. Moreover, masters took their signatures very seriously; to obtain one, one first needed connections or their personal approval.
This was why when Tingyu mentioned getting Mailin to sign dozens of books, Sean and the others had laughed at him.
Such a request, let alone from Mailin, even a regular author wouldn't sign.
"So envious, Master Mailin's autograph!"
"Envious of what? Whether Master Mailin will sign is still uncertain."
"He probably will, after all, these few people are considered top producers in the music industry."
"Whether he signs or not, it would be good to exchange a few words with Master Mailin."
The viewers watching the live stream were filled with envy.
After all, he was a master of fairy tales!
Even the book signing event for "Complete Fairy Tales" only had ten autographed copies, given to the luckiest fans.
Ten autographed books worldwide, what did that concept even mean?
However.
As the comments scrolled by,
A voice was heard.
"Fifty copies should be enough, right?"
Su Yu, holding Lin Yanyu's small hand, asked her.
"Will... will it be too many?" Lin Yanyu wasn't thinking about too many signatures, but rather if they could carry fifty books.
"Alright, let's buy ten first, and he can mail us the rest after signing," Su Yu nodded.
There were still performances to watch later, and carrying a pile of books was indeed inconvenient.
"I'll buy ten copies of 'Complete Fairy Tales'," Su Yu told the seller.
The seller was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and counted out ten books for him.
"How much?" Su Yu asked.
"Twenty," the seller held up two fingers.
Su Yu gasped.
It was important to remember that this was in the UK, and they were naturally not using RMB.
Twenty pounds was too expensive, wasn't it?
But then he remembered it was his book, and he would get royalties.
Never mind then...
As expected, celebrity status commanded a premium.
Su Yu was somewhat glad he had given the translation rights to Mailin; otherwise, if he had tried to sell it overseas himself, not only would there be no market, but he wouldn't be able to sell it at such a high price.
"Sh*t! What is he doing?"
"My secondhand embarrassment is acting up again. Is he really going to get so many books signed by Master Mailin?"
"This isn't signing, this is clearly stocking up. Unbelievable!"
Overseas netizens were stunned by Su Yu's actions.
However, the domestic entertainment audiences had much fewer comments. Very few Chinese phrases were visible in the bullet comments, but there were more dog emojis.
Although they didn't quite believe Tingyu could get Mailin to sign, they chose to remain silent out of trust for Tingyu.
Then there was the matter of Tingyu and Jiang Nan's relationship, which was undoubtedly excellent. Everyone felt that Tingyu dared to do this because of this reason.
The domestic audience knew this, but not many overseas. Even though Jiang Nan's "Journey to the West" was very popular, and people knew about Monkey King and Tang Monk, very few knew the author Jiang Nan.
After all, the screenwriter's name only appeared at the end of the TV series, and most ordinary viewers focused on the actors and the plot. Jiang Nan's initial fame in the domestic entertainment industry began with writing books.
...
Sean and the group of producers walked towards Mailin's lounge, silent on the way, but everyone's expression was somewhat strange.
Following behind them were Su Yu and Lin Yanyu, each holding five copies of "Complete Fairy Tales."
Sean and the others didn't mock their absurd behavior; they had already said what they needed to say earlier. Now, they were in a spectator's posture, ready to see what capability Tingyu possessed to get Mailin to sign for him, and to sign so many.
Of course, they would be even happier to see Mailin angrily kick Tingyu out.
The group followed the cameras to the entrance of Mailin's lounge.
After the assistant announced their arrival, they were soon invited in.
"Hello, Teacher Mailin!"
Upon entering, everyone greeted him in unison.
"The show 'Era Music' is very good, I enjoy watching it very much. My assistant just told me you are here for autographs, right?" Mailin said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over everyone as if searching for someone.
"Teacher Mailin, I have always admired you. It's finally a pleasure to meet you." Since the lounge was not large, the group was bunched together. Jin Chengxian, holding "Complete Fairy Tales," pushed past Sean in front of him and gave Mailin a charming smile.
Sean frowned displeasedly but said nothing. Everyone knew that Jin Chengxian had a crush on Mailin's daughter, Mina. Letting him show off at this moment was also considered giving him some face.
"The second son of a Korean conglomerate, with such high artistic talent, very good," Mailin took Jin Chengxian's book and signed it.
After a compliment, he paid him no further attention.
Jin Chengxian opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was pushed aside by Sean.
"Teacher Mailin, my daughter loves your fairy tales the most." He was not as subservient as Jin Chengxian, treating Mailin with a more casual conversational style, as he was considered a top figure in the music industry and didn't need to humble himself too much.
"Thank you," Mailin nodded and then signed Sean's book.
Before long, everyone had finished signing their copies of "Complete Fairy Tales."
Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Could you guys move aside after signing? I'm tired of carrying so many books..."