Chapter 652: Dragon's Pool and Tiger's Den (End)

"No! The acting is completely no good! It's simply like a group of puppets hung by ropes!"

Backstage at the Central Cross Theater, after watching the final dress rehearsal before the performance, a middle-aged man wearing a double-breasted white suit that was ironed straight and without a single wrinkle on his body could not help but throw away the top hat on his head and point at a group of actors, scolding them angrily:

"Emotion! Where is the emotion?

You are living, breathing human beings, not machines reciting the lines I wrote! If you want to make the audience intoxicated by your performance, then you must first be intoxicated yourselves!

Don't always nitpick about those entry steps, worry about what limb expressions to use, consider what lighting and orientation to have. Drama is not afraid of you making mistakes; what it wants is not your precision. What drama truly wants is a performance that can make the audience empathize with you!"

"That kind of performance where the footsteps are not off by a bit and the movements are more precise than a machine simply has no soul! A long, smooth, and gorgeous line of dialogue where even the tail end of the aria is not off by a bit may not be as effective as a cry from the heart!"

You are truly... damn it! With the only one worth watching, Andrei, being boycotted and completely unable to get on stage, what kind of ghost things are you performing? You are simply ruining my script! A bunch of fools! I wish I could just hang you with strings and have you perform!"

The middle-aged man seemed to have an extremely high status in the troupe. Although he pointed at their noses and scolded them for a full ten minutes, among the dozens of veteran actors who had toured half the world and were very famous, not only did no one dare to talk back, but one female actor with a smaller heart even began to sob tremblingly.

And upon hearing the female actor's crying, the middle-aged man also seemed to feel that he had gone a bit too far. After being silent for a while, he actually did not scold anymore, but instead directed the group of actors to go through the first act of "Twelve Days of Traveling Together" again.

But unfortunately, even though the group of skilled actors had tried as hard as they could, the acting skills they had painstakingly honed for many years still could not meet the middle-aged man's minimum requirements.

And seeing that this rehearsal was still so unbearable, with no one able to meet his expectations, the anger that the middle-aged man had just managed to suppress could no longer be controlled.

"A bunch of trash! Trash! Trash!!!"

The middle-aged man, while hysterically cursing crazily, threw the crumpled top hat in his hand onto the ground, used all his strength to trample on it repeatedly, ravaging the expensive top hat until it was in a sorry state.

A moment later, after the disappointment and anger in his heart had been vented enough, although the middle-aged man had the intention to do it again, he lowered his head to look at his wristwatch and found that it was already time for the performance, so he could not help but sigh with disappointment, then reached out toward these trash actors who did not live up to expectations.

"It seems I can't count on you... Then I'll do it myself!"

Accompanied by his sigh full of regret, a row of large lights above the stage suddenly lit up, thoroughly illuminating the backstage filled with props and scenes. One by one, slightly trembling puppets slowly stood up following the movements of the middle-aged man's hands.

And on the face of the puppet of the heroine of "Twelve Days of Traveling Together," Agatha, wearing a waitress uniform, a series of strange teardrops condensed from wood rolled down her cheeks, smashing onto the backstage floor with a pattering sound.

"Quick, quick, quick!"

Grabbing Li Ang's palm, after quickly entering the reserved couple's box, the Princess pulled up her skirt and clamped it with her legs, then bent down without any lady-like demeanor, helped Li Ang and herself adjust the chairs, found the angle most suitable for watching the play, and sat down in a hurry.

"Come on!"

Reaching out and patting the empty seat beside her, Princess Veronika urged happily:

"Come and sit quickly. When we came up, I already saw the announcer preparing to go on stage. The first scene of the first act of 'Twelve Days of Traveling Together' is about to start. If you don't sit over here, it will be too late!"

"..."

Sitting over is fine... but are you sure this chair is for two people?

Looking at the double seat that was already occupied by more than half just by the Princess sitting on it, Li Ang could not help but offer a reminder:

"This box chair... is it a bit narrow?"

Otherwise, why would it be called a couple's box?

Hearing Li Ang's inquiry, the Princess, who was looking toward the stage with expectation, could not help but reveal a cunning, shallow smile at the corner of her mouth.

The Central Cross Theater is not short of money. Of course, making the chairs so narrow is intentional. With the width of the couple's box seats, even if two slim ladies sit together, the space is not very spacious. When a man and a woman sit together, they will definitely be squeezed together by the armrests on both sides.

And for a drama that averages over three hours, wanting to finish watching it all with legs together and posture upright, the average person absolutely cannot endure it and will definitely try to change to other postures... such as one person sitting on the chair and the other sitting directly on them, etc. ~

"Not narrow, not narrow, sitting for two people is just right!"

Although she knew clearly what was going on, the Princess, who originally had impure motives, naturally would not be stupid enough to explain it clearly to Li Ang. After trying hard to move to the side and making enough room for Li Ang to sit in, Princess Veronika pursed her mouth and urged repeatedly:

"Sit down quickly, sit down quickly, the curtain has already been pulled open, and the opening musical instruments have already sounded!"

"Fine..."

Although he still felt it was a bit narrow, seeing that the curtain on the stage had indeed been pulled open, Li Ang did not continue to speak, but sat on the half-seat that the Princess had vacated.

And after he sat down, the Princess, who had originally kept her body in, relaxed slightly, and her plump, warm, and soft body leaned over. Even with the obstruction of two layers of clothing, it still continuously conveyed faint heat and astonishing elasticity.

"..."

So that's how it is...

Faintly understanding the reason why the chair was so narrow, Li Ang subconsciously pulled in his body, but the Princess beside him actually took advantage of the situation and leaned over in a despicable manner.

And the small hand, whose fingertips were frozen cold, accurately found Li Ang's right hand and unreasonably crossed through his fingers, completing a ten-finger interlock that was tinged with faint coolness.

I knew it, this trip was definitely a Dragon's Pool and Tiger's Den!

"It seems... still a bit crowded..."

With his arm being pulled and continuously brought to the right, and his elbow faintly brushing against a mass of soft, tender flesh, the corner of Li Ang's mouth could not help but twitch, and he could not help but whisper:

"Actually, I can also stand and watch..."

"Shh!"

With her right index finger held in front of her lips, making a gesture for silence, the Princess, who had won a complete victory, slightly straightened her face and stopped him while selling well after getting the benefit:

"You must keep quiet when watching a drama. However, if you must speak, you can wrap your arm behind my back and lean over to hold my shoulder and speak~"

"..."

Then I'd better sit...

Having no way to deal with her set after set, Li Ang could only give up the plan of standing and watching the play, and sat down on the chair somewhat stiffly.

And the seaside tune full of port atmosphere on the stage had also played to the end. A "narrator" actor holding a shell bell chanted loudly amidst the sound of ocean waves simulated by the ocean organ and surge drums:

"Ankara, for this quiet port city, what is least lacking is the tide and the sea breeze, as well as young souls longing to unravel the melancholy in their hearts amidst the beautiful and vast sea waves..."

Amidst the clear introduction of the "narrator," a male puppet wearing a white top and with a sturdy figure walked out from behind the wooden prop house, sighing lightly with eyes full of melancholy:

"Twelve more days... Twelve days later, I will no longer be a free me, but a prisoner bird flying in a strange cage..."

Wait, it seems something is not quite right?

Looking at the male lead "Elijah" who was lamenting on the stage, Li Ang could not help but raise his hand and rub his eyes in disbelief.

Am I here to watch a drama or a puppet show? Why is the male lead on stage a talking marionette?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 653 =====