Edith Hall looked down at her black wide-legged suit pants and white vertical shirt, and hesitated inwardly for a moment, but finally looked up in annoyance and sighed, "Oh!" scolded in a low voice, grinded her teeth viciously, and then picked up the red wine glass on the balcony, muttered and complained, but her movements were not slow at all, she quickly packed her handbag and quickly left the box.

I walked next door, knocked on the door, and then carefully pushed the door open, and then felt the eyes of the whole box projected.

At this time, there were four people sitting in the box. In the center is a couple, one man on the left and one on the left.

The couple looked to be about forty years old, dressed up, the lady even wore a small lady's hat, but the style and fabric were a little old and did not keep up with the recent trends in London, and on the side of the stage sat a little boy, about eleven or twelve years old, in a suit and bow tie, with a gentlemanly demeanor, and a familiar face sitting away from the stage.

Edith politely raised her red wine glass and greeted her comfortably, "Good afternoon." Sir, Madam. ”

Then, Edith's vision caught the young man on her left, and he took the initiative to stand up, but in his early twenties, a navy blue suit and a pearl white shirt, cold and haughty, like the blue ice in the depths of the Arctic Ocean, but clean and clear.

Met the other party's confused gaze, Edith gave a look, and the two of them walked to the open space near the door, she explained in a low voice, "Is there still a space in your box?" Arthur just sent a red alert, and George and the Marquis of Dublin are on their way. ”

Capturing the other party's slightly frowning eyebrows, Edith rolled her eyes directly, "Yes, you heard it right, Baron George Hall, he is on his way to the Almeida Theater." Hah!" The dry laugh was full of sarcasm, "In this game, Lan Li still had the last laugh after all, but this is not unusual, is it? ”

The smile on the corner of his mouth was slightly raised, and a trace of envy flowed from his eyes. The four children of the Hall family, they always thought that Elph was the happiest one, not only to pursue the profession of his choice, but also to win the attention and respect of his family, but in fact, it was actually Lan Li, who had always been Lan Li, because he had something that none of them really understood: freedom.

"But, damn it. He could choose to come at any time, but he chose today. Edith thought about it, but was still annoyed.

She sneaked back to London and picked up the most ordinary weekday to see "Les Miserables" at the Almeida Theatre – not specifically for the show, but for some backstage photo shoots to see if any magazines were interested. work, she came here for work.

As a result, she bumped into George, and she was dressed in a capable strong woman style today, and if George saw it, she would have to say a lot of words.

"At least, you didn't wear smoky makeup today. The young man standing in front of him said lightly, which made Edith roll her eyes again, and complained, "You are not Lan Li, there is no sense of humor at all when you say this, only sarcasm and embarrassment." ”

The other party didn't mind, just shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not kidding." ”

Edith choked in her throat in one breath, then looked at the young man in front of her, and without warning, she gave the other party a heavy belly with her right elbow, and laughed triumphantly, "I can't deal with Lan Li, and it's no problem to deal with you." "How could she forget that Lan Li's group of friends were all damaged by Lan Li, and they had to use strong means.

Then, Edith gracefully picked up her wine glass, which was still unfazed, "Matthew, your box looks like it could fit a person, how about I'm here today?"

Matthew Dunlop straightened up, inhaled a little, the tight muscles relieved the pain, and looked at Edith helplessly, "Do you need to sit in my place? Or shall we retreat to the second row?"

The box can accommodate up to seven people, and can be divided into two rows, the front and back, and the stage can be seen as well, as can the butler or attendant standing in the doorway.

"The second row will do. Edith said dryly.

Matthew opened the box door, raised his hand to signal, and the staff quickly greeted him, whispering the matter; when he raised his head, the figures of George and Richard appeared in the corridor, Matthew did not dodge, but stayed in place, politely said hello, and said a few words of greeting, but Richard was in a hurry to watch the play—a real literal play, so they immediately said goodbye to each other.

Back in the box, Matthew saw Edith's sparkling eyes, full of curiosity and expectation, "How is it, is George's face terrible?"

"In front of the Marquess of Dublin, George behaved very well. Matthew said coldly, seemingly reluctant to gossip, and then he sensed Edith's strangulation and disappointment.

But Mathew couldn't help but think that Lan Li was likely to meet George in the box today, especially in the presence of Richard, which would be a torment for George. Thinking of this, Matthew seems to be able to understand Edith's state of mind.

"Matthew, is the Marquis of Dublin here? should we go over and say hello?" the man stood up to the couple who had never spoken, interrupting Matthew and Edith's conversation.

Edith couldn't help frowning slightly-everyone likes to listen to the corner, and the nobles are naturally no exception, the gossip in the corner is bound to be exciting, but they won't say it to their face so loudly, the gossip itself is small, and it exposes their eavesdropping actions, which is rude.

Matthew was very well-mannered, and talked to the couple for a while, and then led them and the little boy to the next box to greet George and Richard.

After a short wait, Matthew came back alone, noticing Edith's gaze, and explained, "They need to stay a little longer and come back before the show." As if sensing Edith's curiosity, Matthew took the initiative to add, "They are all ordinary office workers, white-collar workers sitting in the office. Nothing but the title of baron, living in Cardiff. ”

Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and the simple interpretation is: 108,000 miles away from London's high social circles.

"Henry is courting their daughter, and today is supposed to be Henry's companion, and they want to take their young son to enjoy the play, but ......" Matthew shrugged his shoulders and didn't go any further, the meaning was clear enough.

Edith tucked her jaw to show that she understood, and did not dwell on the topic any further. The staff had just moved their chairs, and Edith and Matthew sat down in the second row, "What about your job in New York?

"Yes, I've been back for a month. Matthew replied succinctly.

"Jesus Christ, you came back to London like this, are you sure there is no problem with your company?" Edith widened her eyes, but before Matthew could answer, she waved her hand, as if she already knew the answer—

From childhood to adulthood, Lan Li's friends have always been like this. Their group of people gathered bustlingly, Lan Li didn't seem to be the center, just an ordinary member of it, but as long as Lan Li raised his arms and shouted, they were willing to gather quickly. I used to think it was the brotherly righteousness when I was young and frivolous, but after leaving school, this friendship was still maintained.

"Why?" said Edith curiously, simply changing her question.

A smile appeared in Matthew's eyes, "Edith, you are sitting in the VIP box of the Almeida Theater right now. Even Edith herself asks Matthew "why", which doesn't seem accurate.

Edith opened her mouth, unable to refute it, and finally said stiffly, "I'm just here for work today." ”

Matthew didn't refute, not even a superfluous expression or movement, as if he had accepted Edith's claim. However, this response made Edith a little aggrieved, picked up the red wine glass, and took a big sip sullenly, which was a little relieved.

"Did you know that Heather Cross has passed away? Without warning, Matthew spoke, Edith was slightly stunned, but didn't know how to answer, and then Matthew continued, "I always have a ridiculous delusion, perhaps, that's the only person in this world who really understands Lan Li. ”

Heather, the girl who was stuck in the hospital bed because of her illness, the girl who had her dreams stranded because of a terminal illness. She and Lan Li didn't have anything in common before, if you barely want to have any dreams, there are really too many people in the world who have dreams, and it can even be said that she and Lan Li are two completely different individuals.

Matthew turned his head, a smile flashing in his calm eyes, "It's ridiculous, I know." However, there was no wavering or joke in his eyes.

As he spoke, the box door opened again, and the couple and the boy returned, and within a minute of sitting down, the lights dimmed, and the show began.

Edith retracted her gaze, looked at the stage in front of her, and gradually became a little distracted, and her mind followed the light and music, and entered the world of Victor Hugo's pen, and fell on the actor's figure.

Three hours, six hours, the passage of time began to lose its meaning, and every audience member was immersed in it, the magnificence and grandeur of the waves, which made every soul so small, followed the ups and downs of the picture scroll of history, that at the end of the final performance, there was no way to vent the passionate emotions, and could only follow the guidance of instinct/ability: stand and applaud.

Edith stood up, clapping her hands vigorously, and involuntarily burst out with a foul mouth, "God the hell." He's such a genius. ”