After Mr. Darcy and Emma were married, Mr. Bingley also married Miss Jane Bennet, whom he had fallen in love with at first sight. Although he could not travel together as often as he did before his wedding, Mr. Bentley would visit Bloombury two or three times a year.

This visit was just before Christmas.

After a long absence, Mr. Bingley must pull Mr. Darcy for a few drinks, and Mr. Darcy glanced at Emma. Emma nodded slightly, "Mr. Bingley must have a lot to say to you, Fitzwilliam." We went to the living room for a secret conversation among the ladies. ”

Emma and Miss Jane, who became Mrs. Bingley, came to the living room and sat down.

Jane said with a little envy, "You have a really good relationship with Mr. Darcy. He will also ask for your opinion on whether or not to drink alcohol. ”

Emma had a bit of a headache. She understands that men occasionally drink a little out of social and friendship, and Mr. Darcy doesn't have to ask for instructions at all, and the reason why he overreacts is because she said something she shouldn't have said last month. "My brother came to see me last month and mentioned that he was dealing with Yorkshire. There was a husband and wife whose husband was drunk and beat his wife. I said that if I had such a husband, I would have to get a divorce. ”

"Is Mr. Darcy serious?" said Jane. She had always been in awe of Mr. Darcy, but she didn't expect Mr. Darcy to be so innocent in front of his wife, and even take such jokes seriously.

Emma said vaguely, "He has some concerns." ”

In fact, Mr. Darcy is bitter in his heart, generally speaking, drama novels end with marriage, because after marriage, the two of them do not have any big problems, at most they quarrel. But he realized that he shouldn't have been relieved so early, given that he had married back to a less ordinary wife. He knew very well that Emma wasn't joking. With an independent personality and her own property, divorce is not impossible for Emma. This lifted Mr. Darcy's heart, which had been relieved after he got married.

Emma, of course, would not tell Jane like this, she changed the subject: "I just have a new chef, who is very good at cooking French food, so let's stay a few more days this time." ”

Jane smiled shyly. "I'd love to stay longer, but my sisters are coming to the house for Christmas and will arrive a few days early. ”

Emma was very understanding. Although Lydia did not elope with Mr. Wickham, Jane's two little sisters did not change their personalities. Christmas is a very important holiday, and it is not appropriate to go to the house of my sister who is already married. Jane is afraid that she will have to worry about these sisters all the time until they get married. "Maybe at the Christmas ball, they can find the right person. ”

Jane sighed softly. "I hope so. "Mr. Bingley was very tolerant of his wife's family, but Miss Bingley, who was not yet married, was not so kind. This is also the reason why she and Mr. Bingley must go back early, Miss Bingley and Lydia may not be able to get along. Charlie also said that he would help invite more outstanding young people of the right age. ”

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy have really different personalities. If it were Mr. Darcy, I'm afraid he wouldn't be so talkative. Emma suddenly thought of a question. "Do you know how Mr. Bingley and Fitzwilliam became friends?" she knew that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy had been students at the same school, but how they had been able to meet and become friends with different personalities and interests?

A look of embarrassment appeared on Jane's face. "This" she did know, but she wasn't sure if it was appropriate to sue Emma.

"Haha, this was more than ten years ago. Neither Emma nor Jane noticed, Mr. Bingley entered the living room. He just happened to hear Emma's question. "Fitzwilliam has gone upstairs to write a letter, and I'll answer that question. ”

Mr. Bingley was evidently drunk, his fair cheeks were red, his eyes were shining, and he said with high interest: "It was an incredible encounter." ”

Sixteen-year-old Mr. Charlie Bentley is a little distressed today. On weekdays, he always complains about the heavy workload and the depressing life, but today he hopes that the school rules can be more rigid.

The school is forbidden on weekdays

There are no girls in the school, and all female characters need to be played by boys, and the beautiful boy Mr. Bingley was coaxed by his friends and classmates to play the role, and reluctantly agreed. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" has a love story of two men and two women, a pair of lovers, Homeia and Lyced, as well as Demetrius, who is in love with Homeia, and Helena, who is in love with Lyside. Because of the elf's intervention, two men who are in love with Homeia fall in love with Helena. The goblin later corrected the mistake. Homeia and Leside, Helena and Demetrius, two couples eventually married. The lines are all love and love, whether it is to pour out love to a boy or to be courted, it is very shameful.

After arriving at the rehearsal venue, Mr. Bentley, who was a little reluctant in his apprehension, was quickly led to the person in charge. Mr. Bentley was warmly welcomed by the person in charge. "Oh, dear Homeia, here you are. Let me introduce you, this is your lover Leside. ”

A tall, handsome boy with one hand on his chest bent over Mr. Bingley. "First meeting. Frankly, pouring out my love for a man on stage is probably going to be a scar that will be etched in my heart for the rest of my life. But after seeing you, I don't think things are that bad. ”

Being joked, Mr. Bingley was not angry and responded with the same joke. "I thought the script was going to hurt both of us at the same time, which was fair, but I felt unbalanced to hear what you had to say. ”

"Lads, there's nothing to be ashamed of dedicating yourself to art and beauty. The person in charge continued: "This is Demetrius, who is also devoted to you. ”

The boy who played Demetrius appeared calmer and welcomed Mr. Bingley. “

Finally, the person in charge pointed to the young man with a straight face on the side and introduced: "This is Helena who likes Demetrius, uh, okay, okay." Stabbed by the cold eyes, the person in charge changed his words: "Re-introduction, this is Mr. Fitzwilliam D'Arcy, who plays Helena in the play." ”

Before the person in charge introduced him, Mr. Bingley noticed Mr. Darcy at first sight. He himself is often jokingly referred to as the beautiful boy Adonis, but he feels that the person in front of him is in line with the current aesthetics. The skin is pale characteristic of the nobility, and the appearance is handsome, and the body is slender. The only downside is the gloomy complexion. "Hello. After saying this politely, Mr. Darcy closed his mouth, and did not seem to intend to say another word.

Looks like a bad guy, Mr. Bingley muttered to himself. "Hello. ”

The person in charge sent the script to everyone. "Since we are not professional actors, there are many deletions and changes in the script compared to the original play. A few of you can read the script here and exchange it, and I'll come back later. ”

Mr. Bingley roughly looked through the script, and in order to reduce the difficulty of the performance, the script was changed a little messily. But anyway, it doesn't matter if you laugh at it. "I was worried about whether I would be able to act, but after reading the script, I was relieved. ”

The boy who played Leced said triumphantly: "I wrote this part of our adaptation. ”

Mr. Bingley politely replied, "It is a surprise to me." ”

Leced took this as a compliment to him. "Haha, I think as a nobleman needs to have a certain degree of artistic attainment. This is a basic cultivation, not something to boast about. And it's just a random write-up, it only took a day, and it would have been better if I had a little more time. ”

Mr. Bingley was not interested, but his face did not show it. His easy-going and sleek way of doing things, on the one hand, is due to his own personality, and on the other hand, it is also because most of the classmates he usually gets along with are from noble backgrounds, which has long made him form such a habit. The Lecette in front of him is the future viscount, and it is better not to be offended. He met with a standard smile, nodding affirmatively or making a sound of surprise from time to time.

Lesette was encouraged and spoke more energetically.

Mr. Darcy was not at all interested in the congenial conversation, and stood silently to memorize his lines. Excessive kindness and suspicion of inflammation were Mr. Darcy's first impressions of Mr. Bingley.

Lesette, though speaking with great interest, noticed Mr. Darcy, who refused to participate in the discussion. "What does Mr. Darcy think of the adaptation of Shakespeare's play?"

Mr. Bingley could see Mr. Darcy's disdain, and made a round out of good intentions. "Mr. Darcy thinks your script is good, right?"

Mr. Darcy didn't appreciate it at all. This kind of words that seem to be singing and harmonizing are like putting pressure on him. "I don't know much about art, so why don't you discuss this with the gentleman next to me who is also interested in art?"

Mr. Bingley blushed a little in embarrassment. He had also encountered some people who were condescending and despised him because of his origins. They thought it was a good idea to study in the same school as the son of a merchant. Is this unfriendly Mr. Darcy one of them? stern, rigid, unkind, and suspicious of looking down on people. This was Mr. Bentley's first impression of Mr. Darcy.

Although the first impression was not good, Mr. Bingley quickly admired Mr. Darcy. Everyone is a little scared of saying the lines, after all, they are all boys, and they always feel weird when they say it. Only Mr. Darcy, though with a bitter and hateful expression, could say to Demetrius in an emotional voice, "Don't leave me, please stay, even if you kill me." In contrast, Mr. Bentley felt that he was not strong enough.

The person in charge comforted him and said: "This is not an official performance, it just makes everyone laugh." Darcy was surprised by this. ”

"yes. Mr. Bentley felt the same way. "Mr. Darcy didn't seem to want to play the role. ”

"You see that?" the person in charge realized that he had said a word of nonsense. "Ah, no wonder, his expression is too obvious. In fact, he did not volunteer to play Helena. Because we couldn't find actors who volunteered to sign up, we used playing cards to determine the winners and losers, and those who lost had to sign up. ”

Mr. Darcy came over and heard this, and said lightly, "You're just looking for a chance to play cards." ”

The person in charge weakly avoided Mr. Darcy's gaze. "That's why I said the results can be nullified. ”

"Promises must be kept. Mr. Darcy ended the conversation with a sentence and turned to leave.

The next day, the lead actors were taken to try on the costumes.

"What is this?" said Mr. Bingley, who had never seen a woman's underwear before, and picked up a piece of fabric with shyness and curiosity. He originally thought that the first time he saw this kind of thing must be on the wedding night, but he didn't expect that the first time he saw it, he was going to wear it, and his mood was really a little complicated.

"Tights. Come, hold on here, take a deep breath. ”

There was a sudden pain in his lower back, and Mr. Bingley let out a defenseless cry of pain, and he felt like his ribs were about to be broken. It's a pity that there is still some distance to put on the tights.

"Sure enough, it doesn't work?" said the person in charge looked disappointed. "I've ordered a big-size tights. ”

Mr. Bingley grinned and rubbed his waist as he let go.

The person in charge was a little embarrassed and said, "Can I try again?" I can't tuck you into my skirt without tights. ”

"Spare me. Mr. Bentley took two quick steps back, as far away as he could from the dangerous tights. "I feel like my stomach is going to be squeezed out. I'm willing to pay for a looser dress. ”

The person in charge also knows that this is not humane, but this is also something that cannot be helped. "But it may not be in time. ”

Mr. Bingley, who was not very good at refusing people, turned his head in distress to find an Allied army. "Mr. Darcy also thinks "

Mr. Bingley felt that he was about the same size as Mr. Darcy, and he found Mr. Darcy to be equally difficult to fit in. But he forgot about Mr. Darcy's character. Mr. Darcy refused to hold the pole and took a deep breath, his feet slightly open and his waist straight. Even though the bones creaked, they did not waver in the slightest. The resolute gaze seems to speak of his strong will and unchanging determination.

After staring blankly for a moment, Mr. Bingley pleaded, "Please let me try again." Although Mr. Bingley still felt that Mr. Darcy was too proud, he now felt a sense of admiration for him. A man who is not knocked down by tights is a real man!

After overcoming the hurdles of the tights, Mr. Bentley has a new enemy - high heels. The difficulty of tights is over with gritting your teeth and enduring it, but it takes a certain amount of skill to walk in high heels as usual. Mr. Bingley wrestled frequently on stage for the next few days, but Mr. Darcy did not seem to have this problem at all.

Mr. Bingley hesitated for two days, but finally couldn't resist asking Mr. Darcy for his skills: "How did you manage not to wrestle?"

Although Mr. Darcy's face was not good-looking, after listening to Mr. Bingley's question, Mr. Darcy's face was simply gloomy to a new level.

Mr. Bingley was startled, not knowing what was wrong with his words. Just when he couldn't resist the pressure and wanted to apologize, Mr. Darcy dropped a word and left. "Practice makes perfect. ”

Practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect? Mr. Bingley suddenly understood. Although he was sorry for Mr. Darcy, he couldn't help but laugh as he imagined Mr. Darcy practicing walking in high heels at night with his face black.

Although there were various problems in between, the show was a success.

Mr. Bingley stepped down and returned to the changing room and put the props back on the shelves. He was about to take off his skirt when the door suddenly opened, and several boys walked in. "Oh, isn't this Homeia?"

Mr. Bingley was taken aback, and quickly recognized that these were the sons of several nobles. I don't look down on him much on weekdays. Although Mr. Bingley's contemptuous tone was very unpleasant, it was better not to conflict with them given the identity of the other party. Mr. Bingley smiled politely. "Hello. ”

The reaction was too flat, and the people weren't very satisfied. "Beautiful young lady, can you enjoy the light and dance with us?"

The smile on Mr. Bingley's face was gone. To refuse, or not to refuse? This kind of guy just wants to humiliate the son of a merchant for fun, and as long as he obeys their demands, he will not do anything more excessive at school, which is not a noble status. But his pride kept him from nodding. "If you wish to dance with the ladies, why don't you invite real ladies to the prom during the holidays? ”

Seeing that he did not comply, several people showed obvious displeasure. "Seeing that you are used to pleasing on weekdays, why do you suddenly have self-esteem today?"

Mr. Bingley just wanted to try not to cause trouble, after all, he was young and vigorous, and he could not bear such direct humiliation. "I am a gentleman in my dealings with people, and I hope you will do the same. ”

The guy in the lead kicked the shelf next to him hard. "Are you mocking us?"

Mr. Bingley's prop scepter fell from the side, and Mr. Bingley subconsciously dodged to the side when he heard the sound, but it was too late, and he saw that the metal scepter was about to hit his shoulder. In a flash of cold light, the scepter was picked open.

Mr. Bingley stared blankly at Mr. Darcy, who seemed to have fallen from the sky. The makeup on his face had not yet been removed, and he was still wearing a long dress, but perhaps because of his calm and sharp eyes, such a dress did not look weak or ridiculous in the slightest. "That's the end of the joke. ”

Swept by the cold eyes, several noble children quieted down. They just want to have some fun with nothing to do, and it's not worth it to face Mr. Darcy. Although Mr. Darcy is not the heir to the title, his mother is the daughter of the earl, his uncle is the first official of London, and Mr. Darcy himself is outstanding in language, horseback riding, fencing, and has an upright and tough character. He is by no means a good object of scorn and pleasure. A few people had to leave in a huff.

Mr. Bentley thanked Mr. Darcy solemnly. "Thank you so much for your help. ”

"Not necessarily. Mr. Darcy didn't feel how much favor he had giving. He checked the sword in his hand, because it was a prop, the quality was actually not good, just now he grabbed it in a hurry and used it, although he used his skills to pick open the scepter, but the sword was also bent.

Mr. Bentley hurriedly said, "Please allow me to compensate." "Although the sword was bent by Mr. Darcy, it was entirely to save him, and it is unreasonable for Mr. Darcy to make reparations.

Seeing that Mr. Bingley was resolute, Mr. Darcy nodded.

It's still as cold as ever. Mr. Bingley sighed in disappointment, he thought Mr. Darcy would be kinder. But on second thought, Mr. Bingley picked up his spirits again. Mr. Darcy is just not articulate and is not actually cold. Maybe Mr. Darcy is upset by this (no, Mr. Bingley makes up for it). Then he'll take the initiative to communicate. Mr. Bingley scratched his hair and said half-jokingly, "I thought you didn't like me, but I didn't expect you to help me." ”

Mr. Darcy said calmly, "If you had promised to dance with them, I would not have done it. Mr. Bingley, however, sternly refused, which made Mr. Darcy feel that Mr. Bingley, though too kind, was not a villain, and that he could not stand idly by.

Mr. Bentley was a little embarrassed. "Of course. Although I seem to have no temper, I also have my own bottom line. ”

Mr. Darcy nodded. "Not bad. ”

This was the first time Mr. Darcy had spoken positively about Mr. Bentley. Mr. Bingley was stunned for a moment, inexplicably feeling a great sense of accomplishment, and couldn't help but smile on his face. "What's going on in a moment?"

Mr. Darcy thought for a moment. "Go back and read the book. His classmates invited him to the evening's activities, but on the night of the party, a group of boys got together after drinking, and the topics of discussion were vulgar, and the activities made Mr. Darcy feel a little uncomfortable, and he preferred to go back to reading.

"You have to read a book only once a year for Christmas?" Mr. Bingley couldn't believe his ears, but when he thought about it, it was indeed Mr. Darcy's style. "So, how about we go play chess?"

"Chess?" Mr. Darcy likes to play chess, but he doesn't play chess with Mr. Bingley in his activity options, after all, the two had a relatively unfamiliar relationship.

"yes, you should be okay with this kind of entertainment, right?"

"Yes, but," Mr. Darcy thought the plot was moving a little fast.

Mr. Bingley was proud that he had guessed correctly. "Alright, let's go. You don't really want to read on this rare holiday, do you?"

"Yes. ”

Emma couldn't get enough of it. "You've been friends with Fitzwilliam ever since?"

Mr. Bingley shook his head. "Of course not, Fitzwilliam is a tough guy. I stayed with him for a long time before I grew closer. But if you want to talk about the beginning of friendship, it is this day. Although it was I who unilaterally made up my mind to become friends with Fitzwilliam. Maybe he was a little too sharp, but he didn't mean it, and he didn't mean to despise me. ”

Emma laughed. "I don't think that's the beginning of a one-sided friendship. Fitzwilliam doesn't play chess with people he hates. Isn't that right, Fitzwilliam?"

"Fitzwilliam?" said Mr. Bingley, who was so engrossed that he didn't notice when Mr. Darcy had returned.

Mr. Darcy's face sank like water. Tights and heels were a secret he hoped would be buried forever, but he didn't expect it to be told by Mr. Bentley. But looking at Mr. Bingley's hopeful eyes, he could not tell the lies that struck him. "I recognized you that day as a gentleman of character worthy of respect. After enduring and enduring, Mr. Darcy finally couldn't help but add. "But a true gentleman should be more solemn in his choice of topics!"

Mr. Bentley was not hit in the slightest. "I knew I was going to invite you after that day, and you didn't really want to refuse. ”

Emma sighed. After spending a long time with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's ears were automatically filtered out, which was able to filter out overly sharp words and leave what he wanted to hear. It seems that the last sentence was sifted out by Mr. Bingley.

Mr. Bingley continued to say gleefully, "Yes, Fitzwilliam. To this day, I will never forget the scene when you picked up the scepter with your sword in your skirt, and it was full of artistic beauty, as if your whole body was glowing. I thought, if you're a young lady, I'm going to propose to you. ”

Mr. Darcy shuddered, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Excuse me. ”

Mr. Bingley grinned and said, "Fitzwilliam, you are too serious, I am just assuming, and you are not a woman, how can I propose to you?"

"Don't make such assumptions. ”

"Do you want to be denied even hypothetical rights?"

Emma smiled and held her cheeks as the two argued. In front of his friends, Mr. Darcy seemed a little more naïve than usual. She didn't expect that Mr. Darcy was also a beautiful boy with red lips and white teeth, and he also wore women's clothes. Emma secretly wondered how to find an artist to paint the picture that Mr. Bingley remembered. The women's version of Mr. Darcy, a beautiful boy, will definitely treasure this painting. Well, though, this is to be hidden from Mr. Darcy

Mr. Darcy, who was arguing, suddenly felt a chill in his back.