Chapter 1575: North City Theater

"Lei Lei Qianya, is my taste that bad in your heart?"

He withdrew his gaze from the wall and asked the girl sitting opposite him with a slight frown. Of course, he also knew Lei Lei Qianya was joking.

"Just joking, but this place is really not bad."

The red-haired girl looked around, and her gaze finally returned to the face of the handsome young man sitting opposite her:

"Sometimes, I really envy Duo Luo Qian, envy this kind of life."

Xia De looked at her:

"But you are different from her. Perhaps she is also envying your life. Lei Qianya, I love you and Duo Luo Qian as two people, not viewing you as a whole. Princess and female writer, the rose of Ka Wen Di Xu and the second daughter of the Lu Yi Sha family. What I value is your individual souls, not a distorted liking for the bond between you and her, approaching you because I want to pursue some kind of stimulation."

The noble lady of To Bei Si Ke looked at him:

"You don't have to emphasize these things. I know I didn't choose the wrong person, just as Duo Luo Qian firmly believes this point. I noticed that recently you seem to always emphasize the difference between me and her. Did something happen?"

The words were calm, but in her heart, she was suppressing the agitated emotions caused by Xia De's "confession."

"I knew you would see it sooner or later; you are all very smart girls."

Xia De wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and put down the knife and fork in his hand:

"I don't know if you have noticed, but you and she are becoming more and more alike. Not in appearance, but in demeanor, habits, and certain temperaments in certain moments. This is not a good sign."

The red-haired girl's expression didn't change, but she asked in a sorrowful tone:

"If Duo Luo Qian and I truly merge into one person, will you still love us?"

"Of course I will, but that's different."

"Why is it different? Although I know it's not quite right, for a long time I have felt that we are destined to become one person from two... Perhaps we were one person to begin with, just divided into two."

Emerald eyes looked at Xia De, and Xia De also looked at her. This time he really frowned:

"You have never said such things before. Did those diaries that were not open to me contain these contents?"

"Because this is a manifestation of losing control. I know myself that this is very crazy."

She suddenly laughed, a smile that turned from sorrow into something more beautiful than any flower blooming in spring:

"Don't worry, these thoughts were generated before I met you, before she and I could truly contact each other. At that time, we knew of each other's existence, knew every secret of the other, but were always unable to get close, unable to touch, and could only produce a feeling of closeness in the moment of soul exchange. This seeking but not obtaining, this farthest distance, made us increasingly crave to become one."

The emerald eyes reflected only Xia De:

"It's just like what you said to Duo Luo Qian last night—the farthest distance in the world is, I am by your side, but we can never touch. But those are things of the past. Now I won't think like that anymore. Xia De, it was your appearance that helped Duo Luo Qian and me meet and contact each other, and you became the third person in the relationship between the two of us, drawing a clear dividing line in the individual of Lei Lei Qianya·Duo Luo Qian. As long as you are still by our side, we won't think about becoming one person."

Xia De had known for a long time that the inexplicable connection between them was definitely not a small matter. This bond that transcended kinship, love, and all relationships would definitely lead to very serious consequences. But it wasn't until he heard these words that he finally confirmed his worry:

"I still want to emphasize that I like you two people, not viewing you as a whole."

Lei Lei Qianya pursed her lips and nodded with a smile:

"Understood. Confessing to two girls at once, and you still say you aren't a dissolute knight? But now I can feel your worry. Rest assured, we won't merge into one. After all, I can't bear to..."

She lowered her voice, signaling Xia De to lean closer. So Xia De left his stool and leaned over, and Lei Lei Qianya, whose face was flushed, also leaned over and whispered in his ear:

"I can't bear the disappearance of the Day of the Red Butterfly. Three people together is much more interesting than two people."

After saying this, she saw Xia De looking at her without blinking.

"What are you looking at?"

The Princess felt a little shy.

"Recently, Duo Luo Qian learned the ability to turn pictures into photos. I want to record your shy appearance when you are wearing this outfit, under the gas lamp of the Three Cats Hotel, with a flushed face, whispering to me, and let Duo Luo Qian turn it into a photo and put it at home."

The red-haired girl pursed her lips and smiled. The worries about the future and the entanglement about ideals seemed to be put down at this moment. She sat back down, lowered her head, and continued to eat with a knife and fork, thinking that arranging such a date was indeed very good, and at the same time, she was looking forward to the warm and powerful hug she would only be able to feel a few hours later.

After dinner, Xia De and Lei Lei Qianya lingered at the Three Cats Hotel for a while, listening to the bard wearing a green beret finish singing that long heroic poem. He also had a white lily stuck in his hat.

The date time was of course not over yet, and the activity Lei Lei Qianya arranged for tonight was to watch an opera. However, tonight they weren't going to the three most famous opera houses in To Bei Si Ke, but deep into the lower city area in the north of the city to watch a play for commoners.

It is worth mentioning that folk theater troupes are very prevalent in To Bei Si Ke, the Pearl of the North, and are an important part of civic culture. The popularity of some folk theater troupes among the public is no less than that of official theater troupes that can perform at the Empress Maria Opera House.

Of course, folk theater troupes are also divided into two categories. One type truly loves art; the performance content, although not elegant, is very much in line with the preferences of the citizen class and actively explores brand-new artistic methods; the other type is illegal underground theater troupes, which usually rely on some sensitive performance content to make a living, and there is no lack of color performances among them. Of course, the theater troupe Lei Lei Qianya chose tonight was the more formal one.

The two left the Three Cats Hotel around seven o'clock, then crossed the Saint Song Square, and walked less than a hundred steps on the brick-paved street in the north, only to see a kerosene lamp hanging in front of the closed door on the left, and a man yawning under the kerosene lamp watching the passersby. Although it was already night, in the spring night, seven o'clock still belonged to a relatively lively time, and the night security in To Bei Si Ke was relatively good.

"Two tickets."

Lei Lei Qianya said skillfully to the man watching the door. After the man reported the price of "8 pence," Xia De paid for the tickets. Of course, saying it was a ticket, there was actually no physical ticket. After Xia De paid the money, the man waved his hand and let the two in.

The 8-pence ticket for the two was very cheap, but in fact, even for the tickets of regular opera houses, commoners might not necessarily be unable to afford them. At the Empress Maria Opera House, in addition to the boxes for nobles and ladies, the auditorium was also divided into upper, middle, and lower seats according to the position, among which the cheapest ticket was only one shilling. Although the ticket price was still high for workers with an average weekly wage of less than 10 shillings, the real reason that hindered them from going was the requirement to wear formal attire.

And the ticket prices for folk unofficial theatrical groups varied depending on the region, performance type, and repertoire, usually much cheaper than regular theater tickets. Small theatrical groups were involved in many fields such as comedy, juggling, dance, music, and drama, and the prices were even more approachable. 4 pence a ticket was the average price.

Xia De and Lei Lei Qianya entered the courtyard gate composed of two doors on the left behind the man, and Xia De then discovered that the courtyard was the theater. Rows of benches were placed in the open space, and the stage was built on the right side of the entrance, only that there was no one on the stage at this time. On the left side of the entrance was a small white building, and facing the door was a low wall that was clearly built by themselves, dividing this courtyard into the theater's auditorium and backstage.

Lei Lei Qianya said the opening was at seven-twenty, and now there were about ten minutes left, and at least half of the people were already sitting on those benches. Counting roughly, there were about twenty people, which meant the revenue of this performance was far lower than Xia De had imagined.

When preparing to sit in the last row, Lei Lei Qianya saw Xia De's confusion, and she said softly:

"Such folk art groups are mostly composed of people who love art. And look over there, the sources of income are more than just tickets."

She pointed, and only then did Xia De see a very conspicuous donation box placed on the left side of the entrance.

"Are you very familiar with this place?"

Xia De asked softly, and Lei Lei Qianya shook her head:

"Duo Luo Qian is very familiar with it. She has some folk artist friends, and it was she who recommended this performance to me. Oh, thank you."

She took the soft cushion handed by Xia De and placed it on the somewhat cold bench.

Before the performance officially started, some more audience members came one after another. Because Xia De was sitting in the last row, it was very convenient for him to observe other audience members. Most of these people were residents of the North City, mainly ordinary citizens, but there was also a bard whom Xia De had seen at the Three Cats Hotel, and two or three children who came with their parents.

Xia De and Lei Lei Qianya were not very conspicuous among them. The most conspicuous was an elderly person with a cane who came accompanied by a servant and was dressed decently. According to Lei Lei Qianya's introduction, Xia De also knew that this courtyard belonged to this old man sitting in the front row, and he was also one of the important sponsors of the upcoming opera troupe.

"Duo Luo Qian is also one of the sponsors here. There are quite a few people who love art."

The red-haired girl continued to whisper in Xia De's ear, and the warm wind brushed past Xia De's ear, causing restlessness in Xia De's heart as well.

The performance started soon. The band consisted of three people, on the side of the auditorium. And as the monologue sounded, the first person to walk onto the stage was a young girl whose makeup was not very exquisite, but whose pronunciation was clear and emotions were deep:

"My knight, about to travel far..."

As soon as she opened her mouth, Xia De understood what play this was:

"The Clock Tower Lover?" ===== CHAPTER 1576 =====

"'The Clock Tower Lovers'?"