As the performance finally ended, Sebastian barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief. His face was red with embarrassment, and the returning Filippa didn’t look any better.
Before going on stage, she had planned to mock Elisa, but she hadn’t expected the clown to be herself. The pressure of being on stage with Elisa felt like facing a towering mountain that pressed down on her, making it impossible to lift her head!
It was terrifying. What was the matter with Elisa’s acting? Even after the script was changed, she managed to effortlessly twist it back to her advantage. This was no longer just acting, it was as if she had become a different person.
“I can’t believe that’s Elisa,” voices of disbelief rose from the audience, “It’s like she’s become a completely different person. I feel like I never knew her at all.”
This version of Elisa was so captivating, both beautiful and charismatic. It was hard for anyone, male or female, not to be drawn to her.
It was nearly a minute of silence before anyone could gather themselves to discuss.
“I have to admit, Elisa’s face is truly stunning, it’s a paradise for beauty lovers.”
“With looks like that, it’s no wonder she’s so alluring.”
“Did Elisa hire a private coach?”
The live audience had witnessed Elisa’s superb performance from start to finish, and at this point, no one dared to voice any more objections. At this moment, criticizing Elisa’s acting would be like slapping themselves in the face.
Meanwhile, the online viewers focused entirely on the barrage of comments, completely disregarding Elisa. Since they had no interest in her, they began attacking her with comments.
“This is disgusting, what terrible acting.”
“Tell me a joke, does Elisa deserve to be on ‘Weekend Show’?”
Elisa quickly rose to the top of the trending topics once again. She had no idea what was happening online at that moment, nor did she realize that her performance would bring trouble earlier than expected.
…
Ever since Hamish had first seen those eyes similar to Elisa’s in the elevator, he had shut himself in his mansion’s study, working day and night, as if only by exhausting himself could he momentarily forget that scene.
Tobias was busy with a business trip, preparing to take the annual leave from two years ago upon returning to the company, intending to approve Hamish’s leave. However, Hamish’s secretary informed him, “Mr. Burns hasn’t been to the office for almost two weeks.”
Upon hearing this, Tobias thought Hamish had finally come to his senses, finally prioritizing his health over work. After all, since Elisa’s death, Hamish hadn’t taken a break.
He remembered the words Elisa had uttered before her death, urging him to live well, to live until old age.
So he dared not commit suicide, only seeking to age himself quickly through exhaustion and reversing day and night.
Tobias hadn’t noticed anything unusual, assuming Hamish was resting at home. Rushing without tidying up, Tobias drove to Hamish’s house.
Entering the door code, Tobias immediately felt that something was wrong. The vast mansion was eerily silent, as if no one lived there. The curtains and windows were tightly shut, creating a daytime darkness inside.
Tobias pressed the light switch on the wall, and as the light illuminated the room, he jumped in surprise at the sight of the hideous stuffed cat on the sofa.
“Mr. Burns,” Tobias called out, but there was no response. Could he still be sleeping?
Tobias went upstairs, the cat following closely behind him.
He checked the bedroom first, finding it empty. Tobias didn’t need to think twice. If Hamish wasn’t in the living room or the bedroom, the only place left was the study.
What was he doing in the study? Of course, working.
Tobias walked to the study door and pushed it open. Inside, it was pitch black, except for the light shining on the desk where Hamish sat, with a computer in front of him and documents in his hand, his brow furrowed.
It was clear that during the time he was absent, Hamish had been busy with work.
Tobias sighed and walked to the window, opening the curtains and windows to let in light and fresh air.
“Mr. Burns, it’s time for you to rest,” Tobias said, looking at Hamish’s pale, almost bluish face, his crimson eyes and stubble on his jaw.
Hamish reacted, looking up at the window with some discomfort, squinting until he adjusted to the light, then turning his gaze to Tobias, hoarsely saying, “Tobias, I saw some gray hairs today, probably about six of them. I must be getting old.”
Over the years, Hamish’s most frequent question was probably, “Am Igetting old?” Tobias knew that Hamish felt that living was worse than death, but he had to keep living. He didn’t say anything, just looked at Hamish’s exhausted face, skillfully transitioning from assistant to caretaker.
Taking off his coat, he casually placed his phone from his pocket onto the table and said to Hamish, “Mr. Burns, I’ll go to the kitchen and see what there is to eat. You freshen up, and after we eat, you can rest.” Before leaving, he answered Hamish’s question, “You’re far from old.”
Hamish remained silent. He had exhausted too much of his mental and physical strength, and work had become an impossible task. He just stared outside, lost in thought. It had started to rain outside, a light drizzle, causing the glass to fog up.
It was nearly noon. Whenever it rained or snowed, he always felt like Elisa should be by his side at that moment.
Suddenly, his phone rang, jolting Hamish back to reality. His mind hadn’t caught up yet, but his hand had already reached out and picked up the phone.
The screen displayed various push notifications. He realized it was Tobias’s phone, as his own phone had long been silent from all entertainment news and trending topics. Just as he was about to put it back down, a trending topic suddenly popped up. When he saw the word “Elisa,” he forcibly stopped his movement. He knew it couldn’t be the person he was thinking of, yet he couldn’t resist clicking on it.