2012年9月，林榮基因攜帶24件出版物入境俾羅湖海關行政處罰。2014年，37歲女子胡某通過網路認識林榮基，兩人很快喺深圳一酒店約會並確立男女朋友關係。林榮基答應同妻子離婚，再同胡某結婚，並將胡某嘅仔接到香港定居。之後，林榮基委託胡某向購書人寄送書籍，並向胡某支付郵寄費。2015年5月，寧波警方發現，胡某喺廣東將香港銅鑼灣書店嘅書籍通過快遞向寧波地區傳播。寧波警方透露，胡某轉寄嘅出版物達368單，香港銅鑼灣書店收取的書款達40餘萬元。2015年9月，寧波市公安局對林榮基等人以涉嫌非法經營罪立案偵查。2015年10月，寧波警方將胡某抓捕。2015年10月24號，林榮基準備去深圳見胡某，從深圳羅湖口岸入關時被寧波警方拘捕。寧波警方將胡某和林榮基抓捕後監視居住，並告知他們有聘請律師的權利。胡某自稱不想讓家人知道自己和林榮基交往，於是不聘請律師。寧波警方自稱應林榮基嘅要求，每天爲其提供水果，爲其量血壓。2016年2月4號，香港警方向寧波警方來函詢問，寧波市公安局通過廣東省公安廳港澳警務聯絡科，向香港警方通報了林榮基案的有關情況。2016年3月21號，寧波警方自稱林榮基認罪態度較好，由監視居住改為取保候審。2016年4月4號，林榮基自稱同妻兒關係不和，喺香港居住困難，向辦案機關申請喺廣東某地給他安排一個有關圖書管理嘅工作。林榮基被安排進入韶關市圖書館。2016年6月2號，林榮基提出返港處理個人相關事宜，並保證遵守取保候審有關規定，公安機關同意其返港。2016年6月16號，林榮基召開記者會，並表示不會返回中國內地。2016年6月17號，胡某指責林榮基喺記者會上透露兩人之間嘅情侶關係，係一種自私行為。韶關市圖書館館長陳偉清斥責林榮基顛倒黑白，抹黑韶關市圖書館。寧波市公安局相關負責人警告，根據刑訴法規定，取保候審的嫌犯喺被傳訊時應及時到案，鑑於林榮基已宣稱不會返回內地，將敦促佢返回內地接受調查。如果拒絕返回，將依法對其變更刑事強制措施。
In September 2012, Lin Rongji was administratively punished by Luohu Customs for carrying 24 publications into the country. In 2014, Hu, a 37-year-old woman, met Lam Wing-kee through the Internet, and the two soon dated a hotel in Shenzhen and established a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. Lam Wing-kee promised to divorce his wife, marry Hu again, and take Hu's children to Hong Kong to settle down. After that, Lam entrusted Hu to send the books to the book buyer and pay the mailing fee to Hu. In May 2015, the Ningbo police found that Hu had disseminated books from Hong Kong's Causeway Bay Bookstore to the Ningbo area through express delivery in Guangdong. The Ningbo police revealed that Hu forwarded 368 publications, and the Hong Kong Causeway Bay Bookstore collected more than 40 yuan for books. In September 2015, the Ningbo Municipal Public Security Bureau opened a case for investigation against Lin Rongji and others on suspicion of illegal business operations. In October 2015, Ningbo police arrested Hu. On October 24, 2015, Lam Rongji was about to go to Shenzhen to meet Hu, and was arrested by Ningbo police when he crossed the border at Luohu Port in Shenzhen. The Ningbo police placed Hu and Lam under residential surveillance after arrest and informed them that they had the right to hire a lawyer. Hu claimed that he didn't want his family to know that he was dating Lam, so he didn't hire a lawyer. The Ningbo police claimed that at Lam's request, they provided him with fruit every day to measure his blood pressure. On 4 February 2016, the Hong Kong police sent a letter to the Ningbo police asking about the incident, and the Ningbo Municipal Public Security Bureau, through the Hong Kong and Macao Police Liaison Division of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, informed the Hong Kong police of the relevant circumstances of the Lam Wing-kee case. On March 21, 2016, the Ningbo police claimed that Lam had a good attitude in pleading guilty, and changed the sentence from residential surveillance to bail pending trial. On April 4, 2016, Lam Wing-kee claimed that he had a discordant relationship with his wife and children, and that it was difficult to live in Hong Kong, so he applied to the case-handling agency to arrange a job related to library management for him somewhere in Guangdong. Lam was admitted to the Shaoguan City Library. On 2 June 2016, Lam Wing-kee offered to return to Hong Kong to deal with personal matters and to ensure that he would comply with the relevant provisions on release on bail pending further investigation, and the public security authorities agreed to his return to Hong Kong. On June 16, 2016, Lam held a press conference and said that he would not return to Chinese mainland. On June 17, 2016, Hu accused Lam of revealing the relationship between the two at a press conference as a selfish act. Chen Weiqing, director of the Shaoguan City Library, rebuked Lam Rongji for reversing black and white and smearing the Shaoguan City Library. The relevant person in charge of the Ningbo Municipal Public Security Bureau warned that according to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law, suspects released on bail pending trial should appear in time when they are arraigned, and that Lam Wing-kee will be urged to return to the mainland for investigation in view of the fact that he has declared that he will not return to the mainland. If they refuse to return, they will be subject to criminal coercive measures in accordance with the law.