How to Feed an Abyss!

Tracy had no doubts at all: "Then you are indeed younger than them."

They entered the corner room, pushed open the door, and the shiny costumes were huddled together and hung on the iron rods, from gowns decorated with glass and stones, to gorgeous long skirts, to oriental crane cloaks and robes, Red yellow blue green everything.

Tracy went to the corner and dragged out a large cardboard box with great difficulty: "Here are the clothes of the dryad. There are four sets in total. It depends on what kind of tree you want to play."

"What kind of tree?" Shi Yuan asked.

"Yes, we have pine, cypress, maple, and sycamore. The script doesn't say which one, you can pick one you like and audition." Tracy said.

Shi Yuan said, "Then I want a cypress tree."

Tracy pricked up her ears: "Why?"

"Because I like cypress trees." Shi Yuan replied.

A small patch of cypress trees grew beside the abyss. It was one of the few living creatures that Shi Yuan could see. Their scales and leaves were flat, lush and green, and they had a unique fragrance.

Shi Yuan's consciousness was hidden in the black mist, when he couldn't see Lu Tinghan and felt bored, he would stare at the cypress leaves, watching them tremble in the wind.

Teresia: "Then I'll help you with that set."

She was weak, and the dryad's clothes were heavy. In the end, Shi Yuan and her worked together to take out the cypress costume.

Compared with other clothes, it is much more cartoony, like the Muppet characters in the amusement park to make children happy. The trunk is brown and fluffy, with several twigs extending from the shoulders, covered with emerald green leaves, lifelike.

Shi Yuan hugged it and left the room with Tracy.

"Your lines are only half a page," Tracy said, "I can print a copy for you later. When you are about to go on stage, remember to go to the dressing room and change."

"Okay, thank you." Shi Yuan said.

"You're welcome." Tracy smiled. "We're the same."

She touched her cat ears, looked at Shi Yuan's devil horns again, smiled even more happily, and then briskly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Shi Yuan went back to the waiting room, and after getting the lines, he studied silently. Half an hour later, the audition started, and the first person stepped onto the stage. Shi Yuan went to the dressing room to change into a cypress costume, feeling like he was staggering when he walked.

After the other door of the waiting room opens, it is the backstage of the theater. Emma moved a bench to sit in the background, lazily raised her eyelids, and looked up the stage.

Shi Yuan walked over to her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Observe." Emma answered him slowly, "Observe, understand?"

This word is no stranger to Shi Yuan.

He often observes human beings. When he was in the convoy, everyone around him was observed by him—Old He yawned while holding the steering wheel, he poked his head out from the back seat to watch; Wang Yu sorted out the medical equipment, and he squatted beside him to study; Lu Bafang took a beauty magazine, found a corner, and was about to taste it carefully, when Shi Yuan suddenly appeared behind him and asked him what he was doing, which scared Lu Bafang into flying.

Shi Yuan said, "Of course I know what 'observation' is."

Emma: "Then let's take a look, what do you think are the personalities of those people doing the assessment?"

Shi Yuan also moved a bench and sat beside her. A corner of the crimson curtain was raised, just enough to see the stage.

The first audition was a blond man, who was playing the bartender, and he was saying, "Sir, let me buy you two more drinks and see you off. No one comes back from the forest alive. There are terrible dryads there!"

The terrifying tree demon Shi Yuan: "..."

There were three people sitting in the front row of the auditorium.

On the left is a beautiful black-haired woman, on the right is the man who fills in the form at the door, and in the middle is a middle-aged man wearing short sleeves, the cuffs are tightened by his bulging muscles, he leans back like a strong head lion.

Emma said: "Here, sitting in the middle is the head of the troupe, Wolfgang. They will score the audition actors, and I am observing who is easy to talk to."

"Why do you want to observe this?" Shi Yuan asked.

"Isn't this trying to get a high score?" Emma yawned, "Besides, it's not a bad thing to get to know potential colleagues in advance. I've already seen that the man is the most demanding, and women are neutral, but Wolfgang He's the one who talks the most, he always smiles... well, very kindly."

So Shi Yuan watched with her.

The man who played the bartender finished his last line forcefully: "I hope you can kill the terrible dryad and end this nightmare!"

The woman was expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded with a smile—in terms of his size, he was the most oppressive. With this smile, the contrast was fascinating, like a kind lion.

The second actor came on stage, playing the role of a businessman, rubbing his cheeks and saying: "Boss, the price really can't be lowered, I'm already losing money!"

The woman remained expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

The third actor played the role of the savior, with a noble face: "I am the one who gives you salvation, and I am your light."

The woman remained expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

It was Emma's fourth turn, and she also acted as the bartender: "Have another drink, I respect your courage, and I hope you can return safely."

The woman remained expressionless, the man sighed softly, and Wolfgang nodded.

Shi Yuan was the last one to come on stage. He wore a cypress costume and staggered onto the stage.

Standing on the stage, he realized how big the entire performance hall was. Looking far away, countless seats are arranged in steps, staring at him condescendingly, the dark red velvet is soft, and there is a row of private rooms on the second floor, carved with patterns. It must have been luxurious and lively in the past.

The three people in the auditorium stared straight at him.

Shi Yuan's tail curled up.

But after these few days, his anthropophobia has eased, and he is still afraid in his heart, which is not obvious on the surface.

He took a deep breath, and recited the lines viciously: "Traveler, you have disturbed the souls in the woods, and today is your death day!"

"You humans have cities and weapons, but we monsters also have our own world. You have crossed the line! I will kill you, nourish the ancient trees with your flesh and blood, grind your bones to feed the beasts, and release your soul Under the scorching sun, to be eaten by flames and vultures, life after life cannot escape!"

Everyone: "..."

The woman raised her eyebrows, the man sighed heavily, and Wolfgang shook his head.

The woman said: "This character is a villain, and the tone should be more fierce, not like this...such...er..." She was speechless for a while.

The pale man patted the table unceremoniously: "Are you here to show off your cuteness? This is a monster that kills without blinking an eye. How can a monster talk like that! It wants to kill the hero, torture him to death, and kill him." Frustrating, not sounding like you can be bullied and cry all at once!"

Shi Yuan: "..."

He was as vicious as he could be.

Shi Yuan asked again: "Then did I fail the audition?"

"No." The man said, "0 points."

Shi Yuan was a little sad: "Can I try other roles?"

He promised Xie Qianming, so he wanted to try harder.

"You can't play other roles." The man said bluntly, "You are not suitable for this job, and I shouldn't let you try it."

"Okay." Shi Yuan said.

He swayed and prepared to go backstage, but the woman suddenly stopped him: "Wait."

Shi Yuan stood still, the woman looked at him carefully, and smiled like a fox with her eyes bent: "Aside from acting, would you like to do something else? The troupe has a lot of chores to deal with, if you are willing to take over some , For example... ahem, responsible for publicity, then we can hire you."

Shi Yuan said, "No problem."

The pale man's eyes widened: "Hey, this is my script! If I say he's inappropriate, he's inappropriate! I don't allow a dryad who only acts like a baby to appear in..."

"I agree." The woman slapped him on the back, "Shut up."

The man shut up.

"Commander, do you have any objections?" The woman looked at Wolfgang.

Wolfgang's dark face was a bit tangled, but he quickly compromised: "Of course not."

"Okay, then it's settled." The woman smiled, "Shi Yuan, you've been hired. I'm Qin Luoluo, please add my contact information and come to work tomorrow."

So Shi Yuan was hired inexplicably.

He is very happy.

Qin Luoluo said that he could go back early today, and added: "Take this costume with you, and go home to practice. You can't even walk steadily in it, so how can you perform on stage? Also, hurry up and read the script, Watch as much as you can, and learn from other people's 'vicious tone'."

Shi Yuan hugged the cypress clothes, left the theater, and squeezed onto the No. 3 bus with difficulty. The suit attracted a lot of attention, and a child reached out and touched its branches.

Lu Tinghan gave him the permission to enter and exit. He pressed his fingerprints at the gate of the community, scanned his irises, and finally returned home.

Before Lu Tinghan came back, he put on his clothes and walked around the room while shaking, reading the script.

Watching and watching, Shi Yuan began to be absent-minded.

He hadn't seen Lu Tinghan for a long time. He is an abyss afraid of being alone, with very high emotional needs and a need for immediate human attention.

He turned on the phone, stared at the screen in a daze for a while, and sent a text message to Lu Tinghan: "When are you coming back?"

Lu Tinghan didn't reply.

Shi Yuan lay on the sofa and continued to read the script.

On this day, Lu Tinghan came back with the sound of curfew whistles.

The adjutant said goodbye to him, Lu Tinghan opened the door, and the warm lights of the living room flooded out. He went in and hung up his clothes, and said, "Shi Yuan, are you still up?"

no respond.

Lu Tinghan: "Shi Yuan?"

After a few seconds, there was a rustling sound from behind the sofa, and a few branches rose slowly.

Lu Tinghan: "...?"

Under the fluffy branches and leaves is Shi Yuan.

He just woke up, with his chin resting on the back of the sofa, and he said with a strong sense of sleepiness, "You're back."

"Why are you dressed like this?" Lu Tinghan walked around to the sofa and saw the cypress costume clearly.

Shi Yuan said, "I want to touch my head."

As soon as Lu Tinghan sat on the sofa, Shi Yuan leaned over, contentedly getting Momo and his human attention.

He said: "I passed the audition of the troupe, and I played the dryad."

"That's pretty good." Lu Tinghan said, "Are you practicing?"

"Yes, this dress is too wide, it's hard to walk." Shi Yuan said, "And I'm still reading the script."

"Come on." Lu Tinghan said, rubbing his head, "Go to bed early after practice, I still have things to do."

"Can I stay by your side, I won't disturb you." Shi Yuan said, "We haven't seen each other for a long time."

What he said "for a long time" was actually a day.

Lu Tinghan was thoughtful, and put his hand on the back of Shi Yuan's neck again.

Shi Yuan: "Snoring, snoring, snoring."

After a while, Lu Tinghan said, "Come upstairs with me."

With Lu Tinghan with him, broken copper and rotten iron finally did not stop Shi Yuan. They went up to the second floor and entered a study room with several bookcases filled with thick books, long tables and chairs. Lu Tinghan really didn't come back often, there were very few things on that ancient wooden table: a pen and two thin notebooks.

Lu Tinghan sat down, opened something, and the holographic screen was projected in the air.

Shi Yuan moved a chair and sat across the table, burying his head in the script. It was very difficult for him to read the script, and he had turned over dozens of pages with guesses, half understanding.

Anyway, Shi Yuan felt much better after having company. Occasionally he would look up - the holographic screen was one-way, he couldn't see the content on the screen, only saw Lu Tinghan's focused expression.

Most of the time, Lu Tinghan was expressionless, and it was difficult to judge his mood. It's the same now, he wrote the records against the screen, his writing was swift, and his handwriting was like a silver hook painted on iron.

Shi Yuan was distracted for a while.

"Don't look at me, just read the script." Lu Tinghan said without looking up.

Shi Yuan continued to read the script, many words made him dizzy, so he could only check and read. The script is based on a western fantasy background. It tells the story of the male protagonist wielding a sword to slay demons. At the very beginning, he sets off from a small tavern to a dangerous forest and kills the first monster—the tree demon played by Shi Yuan.

The dryad is good-looking and ruthless, turning all travelers into the nourishment of the forest to keep himself young forever.

Dryads are no strangers to Shi Yuan.

During the long journey, Shi Yuan has seen many infected objects of trees. Some have deformed eyes and limbs, and some emit pheromones that attract other monsters into their prey range.

He once met a towering banyan tree, which occupied the village. There was a huge eye in the center of the trunk, and the branches stretched like a crouching dragon.

Shi Yuan asked it: "Hello, do you know how to get to the city?"

The old tree said nothing, the huge eyes examined him, and then slowly closed.

The monsters that Shi Yuan encountered were always like this, when he spoke to them, they either hurriedly avoided them, or they didn't respond at all.

He bid farewell to the banyan tree and continued his journey.

Now he looks at the script and thinks of the tree. According to the standards of the script—or, according to human standards, the banyan tree should be a terrible monster. He wanted to learn about its ferocity, but after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't figure it out. He curled up his tail in confusion, wondering if it was scary because of its big eyes?

He opened his eyes wide, rested his chin on the script and stared at Lu Tinghan, his mind wandering.

Lu Tinghan quickly noticed his actions, and reminded again: "Shi Yuan, you must concentrate on doing things."

"Oh..." Shi Yuan responded, but still didn't move.

Lu Tinghan asked: "Why do you look at me with wide eyes?"

Shi Yuan said, "Because it will make me look more aggressive."

"..." Lu Tinghan's eyes were full of doubts for half a second, he continued to write, and said, "You went to the Wild Rose Theater, right? I forgot to ask you, what is your hourly salary according to the contract? Work How long is it?"

"The hourly salary is 5 yuan, and the working hours have not yet been determined."

Lu Tinghan said: "Five yuan is the minimum wage, especially if you don't include food or lodging, it stands to reason that you should get more for performing on stage. You can discuss it with them again, and ask them if you don't understand. I."

Shi Yuan explained: "I played the villain, and they said that my tone was totally bad and didn't fit the character's image."

Lu Tinghan: "What exactly is wrong?"

Shi Yuan said: "I'm already very fierce, but they still say that I'm acting like a baby, and I acted as a mascot."

"This evaluation is a bit harsh." Lu Tinghan stopped writing, "Please tell me a few lines for me to listen to."

He suspected that the troupe deliberately hit Shi Yuan so that he could accept such a low hourly salary.

Shi Yuan turned to his lines: "Traveler, you have disturbed the souls in the woods, today is your death day! You humans have cities and weapons, but we monsters also have our own world. You have crossed the line!"

Lu Tinghan: "..."

Shi Yuan: "I will kill you, nourish the ancient trees with your flesh and blood, grind your bones and feed them to wild beasts, and then put your soul under the scorching sun for the flames and vultures to eat, and you will not be able to escape from life to life!"

Lu Tinghan: "..."

Shi Yuan: "How is it?"

Lu Tinghan was silent for a while: "Shi Yuan, they are right."

Shi Yuan:?

Shi Yuan asked, "Then is my salary really too low?"

Lu Tinghan was silent for a while: "It's not that low."