[Wei Yong] Looking for Lilia

From Viktor's pupils, Yuuri could clearly see his own shadow—with a blank face and a gaping mouth, like those orangutans in the zoo who were asked to "put on a show."

"Wh-what?" he stammered, "What did you say?" Viktor put his arm around his shoulders, that familiar high-spirited smile deepening, and Yuuri looked at him like he suddenly didn't know him He seemed to know—no, if anyone suddenly didn't know someone, it should be Victor.

He forgot about Yuuri's... question.

"I said, you should go to the interview." Victor actually explained it again kindly. He pointed to the poster with his other hand. The smiles of Leroy and Iglesia were shining, forming a background with Victor It's a very harmonious picture - they belong to one world, and Yuuri belongs to another world.

"I—" Yuuri glanced at Chris begging for help, and found that the latter was in deep thought with his chin resting on his back. He became even more flustered, and threw off Victor's arm, "You're crazy!" he yelled , Almost all the hairs on his body stood up.

Victor spread his hands and smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why not?" he said. "You're about Iglesia's size."

Yuuri stared at him, his eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets, listen to what he said, what is this called!As if "body" is the only criterion for a dance troupe to select actors, both Victor and he should know that there are many more criteria than that: such as healthy and intact legs.

"I..." Yuuri blushed, "You know that!" he exclaimed, beginning to suspect that this was a particularly mild joke, and that it would be a little too cruel if it was.Just as he was staring at Victor, waiting for an explanation, Chris suddenly interjected: "Well, this may not be my business..."

"Leave it alone, then," Viktor said unexpectedly harshly, startling Yuuri.Victor what's wrong?A second ago he was smiling at Yuuri.

Chris smacked his lips loudly, dismissing Victor's warning. "I think," he said, "it wouldn't do any harm to go, would it?"

Yuuri opened his mouth in surprise, feeling his jaw drop to the floor.

"You too—" He felt absurd, it must be that the two good friends had discussed it and were playing tricks on him, he concluded. "Stop it!" he snapped, feeling bad that people were making fun of it, even though he knew it shouldn't be—hasn't he himself been telling Viktor he's out after eight years?And everyone knows that if you can't smile about something, you haven't let it go.

He said one thing, but did another.Yuuri was speechless.

"I have my reasons," Victor said, glancing at him as if he was upset by Chris's interruption, "This is a good way to get closer to the dance company, and maybe we can find out more quickly. Lilia's news."

"That's not necessary..." Yuuri said vaguely, and suddenly realized that something was wrong, "No!" He said, "That female director, Yang or something, isn't she your friend?"

Victor and Chris looked at each other.

"That's right..." Victor said, "but the one who is closer to Lilia is her ex-boyfriend Leroy—I don't have any friendship with him." Seeing Yuuri turn his gaze to him, Chris said quickly: " Me too, I'm not familiar with him, yes, that's it, and Yang has been in Paris for the past two years, how long has it been since I saw her, more than ten months?" Victor nodded, and Chris was encouraged Said: "You can't suddenly run up to a person and ask her if she can tell you the address of her ex-boyfriend's teacher who has lived in seclusion for many years! Right?"

Yuuri was at a loss for words for a while, and Chris said it seemed to be very reasonable, but something seemed wrong, but Victor didn't give him more time to think and said: "And our purpose is not to be selected--we just want to be with them They've been interviewing and rehearsing all day, you just go up there and tell them what you really want, and try to be as genuine as possible—she'll like you."

"She likes me, so what?" Yuuri said, feeling completely confused, they were both so tall, and their smiles were brighter than the other, and his mind was completely stunned, there seemed to be something wrong with his intuition, but Victor Like a painter who slathered everything that wasn't right.

"She likes you and thinks you're cute, so she'll be willing to help you with this little favor," he said. "Me and Chris—she sees us as two old fritters, and you..."

"But you are a fresh young sapling," Chris said, "still with small shoots." Victor frowned again after hearing this, but Chris pretended not to see it.

The two of them looked at Yuuri together with such persuasiveness that anyone would soften if they were stared at like that.

"I...I think I could..." Yuuri stammers, "but I'm sure I'll be embarrassed..."

"No," Victor reassured, "There are too many opportunists. I assure you, the backstage of the theater is definitely full of ineffective dancers."

He puts his arm around Yuuri's shoulders again and leads him towards the back door, Chris following them, this time Yuuri doesn't move away.

Five minutes later, they walked through the side door and followed the signs to a corridor outside the rehearsal backstage of the theater.The hallway was full of people, at least fifty young boys in their early twenties were standing there, chatting quietly in small groups, with number plates on their chests.They all looked radiant and self-satisfied, each confident they could take the role, and speaking to others with a superior kindness on their face - they were all quite sure the others would be knocked out .There was a small table at the door of the rehearsal room, and behind the table sat a young man who looked less than 5 years old. His shoulders were very thin, he was not tall, and his hair was dyed like a weed, with strands of yellow and strands of red dyed. It looks crazy.

It didn't go well with his nervous, sweat-nosed childish face, and when Viktor approached with his arms around Yuuri, he stood up abruptly, banging his knee on the table with a loud bang that shook the hallway. The people were startled.

"You—hello!" He said very loudly, his eyes fixed on the table, and his eyes were a little bit crossed. He didn't even dare to look at Yuuri and Victor who walked in front of him, and grabbed a number plate in a panic, Stick it on Yuuri's chest - number 49, and stick it backwards. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, "look what I've done, let me..." He tried to adjust it, but it got worse and he tore it apart.

Yuuri guesses he must have recognized Viktor - which isn't easy as Viktor's temperament and puberty have changed a lot, and he doesn't have that beautiful long hair that used to be his for a long time sign.

When he thought of this, he couldn't help feeling the same kind of empathy for this boy—if he hadn't grown up with Victor, he should have the same reaction now, no, he suddenly thought, if he hadn't grown up with Victor Big, then Victor will still be that dazzling dancer now, and there is no distance between them that can be separated by this small table.

"I'll do it myself," Yuuri said, and the boy sat down blushing, breathing heavily.Victor laughed, and at that moment, the door behind him opened, and a man of at least 40 years old was pushed out.

"I told you, for God's sake Joseph!" a woman's voice said loudly, "You have no talent for dancing, and it's useless to shake your pectoral muscles in front of me! You're a supermarket packer. Do that! Gosh! - Hey Victor, what took you so long, man here?"

She sounded like she knew Viktor was coming... Yuuri was busy adjusting his number plate sticker behind Viktor, it's split in two and it looks worse than before, the only thing that could be worse Only Yuuri was in the mood. Hearing her strange question, he couldn't help poking his head out from behind Victor and looking at her.

She was a very pretty girl, dark-haired, tall, with scarlet lipstick, and she seemed the aggressive type compared to Sara's easy-going beauty, or Meera's nonchalant demeanor, but This does not detract from her outstanding appearance, on the contrary, it makes her look glamorous.As if she had just discovered Yuuri, her eyes fell on his face, a sluggish expression appeared on his shrewd face.

"Uh..." she said, "That...uh..."

"You knew we were coming?" Yuuri asked, and Victor didn't say a word, which made him feel embarrassed by the silence and had to speak, but it made the girl look even more unresponsive.

"Uh……"

"She's waiting for me, wait for me!" Chris rushed out from nowhere, and put his arm around her shoulder, startling the people by the door.After seeing him clearly, the girl called out, "Chris! You're finally here—" She glanced at Victor, "But why..."

"I told you on the phone yesterday, I met Victor and came here with him, oh poor Liz, you must be confused." Chris said loudly, smiling at Victor and Yuuri, Yuuri I noticed that Victor's face had changed.

"What's going on?" he asks, and Yuuri thinks he's asking Chris, but his eyes are fixed on Yang.

"Uh..." Yang said, "This... we are short of an executive director..."

"So I volunteered!" Chris said happily, "Surprise or not? Surprise or not? Remember when I told you that my place of work is only a day's drive from Birch Town?"

"Very pleasantly surprised." Viktor gritted his teeth and said, he was still staring at Yang, as if a storm was brewing between the three that no one could understand, Yuuri and the young man who issued the number plates were both arrogant and dared not speak out One sound. "I just..." Victor's face softened, and he said unnaturally, "I just thought you would be more cautious, after all, this is," he said, "It's a very important performance for 'you', I thought You'd give a... more 'consideration' before you invite someone like Chris."

But then he smiled again, a patterned smile.

"But that's your own business," he said. "I'm just expressing concern that you know how much Chris likes asking actors to give up their costumes."

"I know, I know..." Yang said, "but he broke up with Samuel and had nothing to do, I think..."

"Hey!" Chris exclaimed dissatisfied, "Is this how you treat rescuers, charity work?"

The other actors waiting for the interview gathered at the other end of the corridor at some point, keeping them far away, as if they were afraid of being affected.Yuuri glanced bewilderedly at the young man handing out the number plates, only to find that he was staring at him.Their eyes met, and he looked away as if stung by a bee.

"Okay okay, I was wrong, I was wrong—" Yang said, coughing, with a businesslike air, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Victor? If not, I'll be with you." I auditioned with my executive director, and you know, this is—a legendary choreographer." When she said this, she glanced in Yuuri's direction, not knowing whether it was intentional or not.

Yuuri kind of hoped that Victor would take this opportunity to ask about Lilia, but instead he said, "It's nothing, Yuuri and I will just wait here."

"He can stay," Yang said, lifting his chin at Yuuri, "you go without an interview, the theater has a cafe. You're going to cause chaos here." She was right, someone pointed at Victor already Whispering now.

"Don't you go!" Yuuri said hastily. The people in this hallway were all young, beautiful and domineering, and he couldn't bear to wait with them for hours.He grabbed Victor's coat tightly, but Victor pulled it out of his hand, whispered "good luck", turned and walked away.

"Come on," Chris said, looking smug, Yuuri remembering when they first met he said that work was less than a day's drive away, and he was clearly trying to scare Viktor with that— - He is so boring.

"NO.16." Yang called, a boy with earrings came over, and the door closed in front of Yuuri.The contestants still hid away, only Yuuri and the young man remained on the ground and looked at each other.

"...Come on." He whispered this when he found Yuuri looking at him, "I...I think you're great."

Facing his inexplicable nervousness, Yuuri was silent for a moment.

"You've got the wrong person," Yuuri said.

Where is this going?