The drizzling London reveals a touch of clear deep blue and dark gray in the washing, and occasionally reveals a touch of burgundy and emerald green, but it does not light up the city, but sets off the deep and quiet blue, which spreads all over the sky, just like a peerless ink painting.

New York is always bustling and atmospheric, with an occasional hint of brutality, while London is always quaint and seized, sometimes capturing a little gentleness, but it is a unique temperament that is imperceptible in modern cities.

There is an appointment at one o'clock in the afternoon, which is real, not an excuse to look for for polite greetings.

Walking into the restaurant, the waiter politely walked up, took Lan Li's coat and umbrella, and whispered, "Your Excellency Lan Li, Your Excellency Hall has arrived." But now, he has another guest, do you decide to wait in the lounge for a while, or head to the bar for an aperitif?"

It's a traditional British restaurant with a fusion of French and British cuisine, and the chef occasionally tries a little innovation, with no Michelin rating and no foodie patronage, because most of the guests served here are the elite of the upper class, they don't need publicity or popularity, and keeping a low profile and being elegant is the way to survive.

Even the most ordinary waiters need to go through a long period of training.

Salutation is the most basic one. "Lord Hall", this refers to Arthur Hall.

As the successor to the next Baron Hall, Arthur was the only child among the siblings who could use a surname - Baron Hall was George Hall, of course, while all other children used their first names, with close or special people using their middle names.

Also, the waiter used the word "guest" instead of the name. There are two possibilities, first, in order to protect the privacy of the guests, all the waiters hide their specific names, and second, Arthur explained to the waiters in advance and consciously omitted the names of the guests, as for why he needs to hide his identity, there may be countless reasons.

"Let's lounge. Arthur's strong network is spread all over London, and he may meet acquaintances wherever he goes, and Lan Li has no intention of invading his privacy, nor is he too surprised, "Please give me a glass of vodka, thank you." ”

The waiter nodded politely, and then guided Lan Li in the direction of the lounge.

The entire interior is covered with Turkish carpets, all the sound of footsteps is almost gone, the sound of breathless conversation bubbling in the warm, slightly humid air, and the occasional slight collision of cups and saucers can be captured, even slightly louder, and the "perpetrator" will politely nod his head in apology – an essential gesture whether the other guests see it or not.

Every detail is delicate and delicate, and the quiet and elegant atmosphere gradually settles down the irritability of the city and the gloom of the rainy day, but if you live in such an environment every day, the constraints will gradually become breathless.

Everybody says Hollywood Vanity Fair looks like a besieged city, with people outside the city trying to rush in, people inside the city trying to escape, and the upper class probably doing the same. Or rather, life is what it is.

Walk through the narrow portico in the middle of the hallway, behind the entrance, past the restaurant, and into the lounge and smoking room at the end of the hallway – a design that doesn't make sense, but that's always the case in old buildings, and it's hard to fit modern people unless they are overturned and rebuilt.

Then, Lan Li saw Elph Hale walking towards her.

A light pink silk shirt top with a sky blue spinning long skirt, jet black low heels, and smart short hair show a neat and sassy posture. This kind of Elph seems to have changed somewhat, but it still seems to have not changed.

Lan Li was a little surprised by Elf's appearance.

But Elf was not surprised at all, and a light smile appeared on the corner of her relaxed mouth, "Is everything okay? It's raining again today, and people can't help but worry about the weather this autumn." ”

"This year's weather was already much better than expected, and the summer sunshine seemed to have increased, but I didn't expect it to be more variable before the end of August. I thought that the temperature might warm up this autumn and winter. Lan Li also replied calmly, like every Londoner, he chatted casually when they met.

'Philippe mentioned, you're looking for an apartment in Chelsea. It's a little closer to the River Thames, where the summer is much better, and it's a good idea to take a walk along the river and get some wind than Hyde Park. Elph took the initiative to bring it up, not to question or to explore, as if it were just talking about the scenery there.

Lan Li didn't plan to take the initiative to explain, "It's also relatively close to the West District." ”

If you want, you can go along with Lan Li's words at this point, "Hey, are you ready to stage on the West End again?" or, "There's a new show coming out in the West End recently," and so on.

But, Elf didn't, "Yes. It is more livable than Kensington. After smiling and greeting, she gently bowed her head, "I still need to go back to the hospital, and I have a limited lunch break, so I hope everything is fine." ”

Lan Li nodded politely and moved out of the way.

Elph bowed her head again, and walked away.

After a brief conversation, the two staggered away from each other, and Lan Li continued to walk towards the lounge, while Elf left the dining room.

After entering the lounge and waiting for about ten minutes, the waiter reappeared, guiding Lan Li into the dining room, and saw Arthur who was already seated in the distance.

Sit down, pour water, order food, change utensils, and confirm wine.

During the whole process, Lan Li and Arthur never talked or talked, until all the links were completed, Arthur looked at Lan Li carefully, and finally didn't hold back, "Someone said, are you actually very similar to Elf?"

Lan Li is noncommittal.

Arthur chuckled, "Everybody says Elph and I have more in common. You and Edith are two of the more deviant ones. But in fact, you and Elph are the same kind of people. You are the same in your bones, you know clearly what you are pursuing, so you will not waver, and you will always continue to rush forward with difficulty. ”

Arthur's words were steady and indifferent, and there didn't seem to be much fluctuation, but Lan Li savored a hint of amazement. He guessed it had something to do with Elph's appearance.

But Lan Li has no intention of spying, this is Arthur's privacy, and it is also Arthur's life.

Arthur waited for a moment, not waiting for Lan Li's voice, he couldn't help but show a light smile, not so much disappointed as lost, "Look, you just met Elf, but you still don't plan to ask. This is not an interrogative sentence, but an affirmative sentence.

Lan Li raised her head and met Arthur's gaze. He didn't speak, his eyes were sincere.

This left Arthur a little embarrassed. He understood what that looked meant.

In aristocratic life, family affection is as thin as paper, they are independent individuals, they hide all their emotions and problems in their hearts, refuse to communicate, even in the face of their closest relatives, they cannot reveal their vulnerability, there is no special reason, because this is how they get along.

What's more, everyone has their place and responsibilities.

There are some things that Lan Li can do, but Arthur can't, as he is the successor to the next baron's title, and Elph can't, because she is the eldest daughter of the Hale family. Vice versa.

In the same way, the relationship between Lan Li and Edith, although Arthur is very envious, he can't show support and affirmation like Edith after all, both publicly and privately.

At the beginning, Lan Li resolutely chose the path of an actor. Arthur and Elf have always stood by and watched, and not only that, but they also contributed to the situation at some critical moments, not to say that they were abusive, but they were also cold. This is their life, status and glory, inheritance and history, all of which are like a framework, tightly bound to their words and deeds, and enjoy the dignity, they must pay the corresponding price.

So, now that Arthur and Elf are facing their own dilemma, Lan Li chooses to stay out of the matter, which is the right way to deal with it. Arthur had no way to blame, not even chagrin and anger.

It's fair trade.

However, Arthur needed Lan Li's help, and he took a deep breath, and he finally spoke, it was not easy, but it was not as difficult as he imagined. After the meeting on Oscar night, the banquet of the Earl of Oxford, and the conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, Arthur is still different after all.

Luckily, Lan Li and Elf have countless similarities, but Lan Li is not Elf after all.

"Now George and Elizabeth have cut off almost all social activities and are quietly and mundane about their daily lives, but we all know that they will not give up. ”

"The reputation, glory and status that they have fought for all their lives are now beckoning in front of them, and because of your existence, they have returned to a glamorous life, how can they give up?"

"Once the incident settles down, they'll start moving around again. Openly borrowed the name of 'Hall' and returned to the social circle. No one will care. ”

Arthur had a shallow smile on his face, and a hint of tiredness appeared on his handsome face, which reminded Lan Li of the encounter at the Oscar night at the beginning of the year, but that night, Arthur was drunk, even drunk, and today, Arthur did not drink a drop. Perhaps, things will be different after all.

"We all need to make our own choices, you do, Edith does, Elph and I do. Ellef made her choice, she decided to take on the glory of the surname 'Hall', and she's now starting to appear at social parties, you know, she never liked it before. Now, it's my turn. ”

is a simple sentence, but it is embarrassing.