My Mister Ostrich

Chapter 24

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Gu Mingxi carried his backpack and visited several exhibition halls.

At first, he’d felt a bit dispirited. Even when he was looking at all the artists’ works, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling. That is, until he saw a demonstration by his favorite illustrator. His heart gradually calmed as he watched and learned.

The convention center was very large. The organizers also put a lot of thought and effort into planning it. There was one hall that displayed works by authors from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other people overseas. There was a hall for original works by mainland authors. There was also an exhibition for animated works and other products. There was even a comic contest there.

Gu Mingxi stayed in the competition hall for a long time. He stood on the side and watched the competitors draw. There were some older people who talked to him. Because of his special and eye-catching body, there were always curious people who would ask a few questions.

Gu Mingxi was always polite and courteous with these types of people. Sometimes, people would be too forthright with their questions, so he would just smile in response.

When he got to the booths selling things related to animations, Gu Mingxi looked around and an idea gradually floated to his mind.

He walked past booth after booth until he stopped in front of one, the one for the Cartoon King publications. They were selling a lot of their artists’ work on bookmarks, postcards, notebooks, and other little things.

Gu Mingxi saw a set of Tang Weiqing postcards, a very pretty set. There were 12 cards.

“Give me a box of that. How much?” He pointed towards the box of postcards with his chin and asked the young girl at the booth.

She looked to be about 20 years old. After seeing his empty sleeves, she felt a bit awkward, but answered, “30.”

Gu Mingxi nodded. Recalling that his money was in his backpack, he wriggled his shoulders and got his bag off. After considering for a moment, he just sat on the floor and used his right foot to pull out a pouch. He grabbed out a 100 dollar bill.

All around him, people’s eyes were drawn to him. He had on a white t-shirt, beige shorts, and there were blue flip flops on his feet.

He stood up and lifted his leg up high, dropping he money onto the booth counter. He looked at the girl a bit apologetically.

She hesitated for a moment before accepting the money. She took out 70 dollars for change, and Gu Mingxi said, “Can I trouble you to put the change into my trouser pockets? Thank you.”

The girl walked out from behind the booth and silently pushed the money into his pocket. She asked, “Should I put the postcards into your bag?”

“Mm, thank you.” Gu Mingxi smile shyly at her. The girl felt a bit upset. After she put the cards into his bag and zipped it up, she helped him return the backpack onto his shoulders.

“Student, are you here by yourself?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Gu Mingxi shook his head, “No, I came with a friend.”

“Are you buying the Tang Weiqing postcards for them?”

Gu Mingxi’s face blushed slightly as he said, “Mm, it’s a gift. She really likes Tang Weiqing.”

The girl smiled and picked up a small badge from the table, stuffing it into Gu Mingxi’s bag. “This is a gift from me. You can give it to your friend too.”

Gu Mingxi, “That doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s fine, it’s just a small token, not worth much.” She looked at him, eyes sharp. “Be careful of your safety. It’s best to stay with a group. There are thieves here.”