“This seems to be more than just about finding a parking spot,” Elisa pondered for a moment, “Are you wanting to come home with me, big movie star?”
Louis, caught red-handed with a guilty conscience, felt his ears tremble for a moment. After hesitating for a while, he straightforwardly asked, “Can I come home with you?”
Elisa mentioned ‘going back’, while Louis mentioned ‘going home’, just one word apart, but the meaning was completely different.
Elisa was momentarily speechless, staring at his face without making any indication.
She was just speaking casually, but Louis took it seriously.
In her impression, Louis was like a teenager just entering puberty, with a passionate dedication to his emotions and a cautiousness in his approach; he was particularly prone to shyness.
Previously, she would often tease him as “big movie star,” from the redness on his ears extending to his neck, like a boiled shrimp.
She had thought that this time he would also be shy and evasive, but to her surprise, he stubbornly gazed at her, like a little dog waiting to be taken back by its owner.
“Sorry, I was too sudden,” finally, Louis relented first. He took a breath, took out four mints from the car drawer, popped them into his mouth, and crunched on them loudly.
Elisa could smell the mint from his mouth, pleasant and refreshing, never as pungent and harmful as the smell of cigarettes.
“Should we park nearby here?” Elisa responded with a sound of agreement, looking at the familiar scenery outside the car window. She murmured softly, “Not now, but maybe in the future.”
She spoke softly, as if inadvertently letting out her inner thoughts.
“What do you mean, ‘in the future’?” Louis stepped on the brake and pulled over to the side of the road, resting his hand on the steering wheel as he leaned towards Elisa, “Elisa, are you saying that I can come home with you in the future? How long is ‘in the future’? A week, a month, or a year, two years?”
Elisa, holding the cat, absentmindedly scratched Mimi’s neck. She looked up after a moment of contemplation. For Louis, these few seconds of pause felt like an eternity of waiting. He felt as if everything around him had entered into slow motion, becoming almost unbearable.
Elisa thought seriously for five seconds, then smiled, “When my new house here is finished being decorated.”
Louis tried hard to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth, but his lips couldn’t help but curl upwards. He couldn’t even press them down with his fingers.
“Then I have to help you a lot on that side, to strive for the decoration to be completed this year. It’s only six or seven months until the New Year. I want to spend Christmas at your place, watch the New Year’s Gala together, set off fireworks together, and count down the New Year together…” Louis tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, stabilizing the emotions of both of them with each point he made.
Suddenly, Elisa felt the warmth in her heart rekindle, a warm sensation spread throughout her body, making her eyes feel warm.
Spending Christmas together, celebrating the New Year, setting off fireworks together, exchanging gifts at Christmas – these were all things she had once thought about but had never been able to realize.
Could all of this really come true this year?
Elisa discreetly sniffled, “The construction period of five or six months is a bit rushed, and the new house will need to be vacant for a few months, with dust and formaldehyde.”
“Then, this year, will you come home with me? Spend the New Year in Bankshire.”
Nothing is absolute; Elisa dared not make any promises. Moreover, she needed time to confirm the relationship between her and Louis.
Friendship first, love not yet fulfilled, to be precise, it was understanding or perhaps affection.
Elisa was much more rational than before. After coming back to life, she became very rational, no longer believing that love was necessary in life.
For her, love was a seasoning; it could bring rich happiness to life, but at the same time, it could bring a lot of trouble.
Before marrying Hamish, Elisa longed for love, thinking that marriage would bring a real home.
“Marriage” is remarkable; it can bind two strangers together, but it cannot guarantee even the simplest happiness.
Once bitten by a snake, one will be scared of a well rope for ten years. From God’s perspective, perhaps it was a small problem, but only through personal experience can one understand how terrifying it is.
Elisa asked, “Louis, why are you so good to me? We haven’t known each other for long, and my reputation is not good. Others would rather avoid me.”
“II don’t believe in rumors and gossip. I only believe in you, and the Elisa that I have come to know with my own eyes.”
“But have you considered that eyes and ears can deceive you, and maybe I’m not the person you imagine?”
“Wouldn’t that be more interesting? I would slowly explore and understand the real you, as long as you don’t hide from me.” He seemed surprised, as if he had found a treasure map.
He had heard people say that liking someone was sweet to the point of being terrifying, but now it seemed that “terrifying” was an understatement; “horrifying” was more appropriate.
When he spoke these words, he felt as if his heart was about to explode.
Elisa did not answer his question. She swiftly unbuckled her seatbelt and carried Mimi out of the car.
“Big movie star, let’s make another appointment next time.”
Tease and run away, truly irresponsible. Louis also unbuckled his seatbelt, wanting to walk her up, but was stopped by Elisa.
It was now the end of the workday, and there were many people on the road. Louis was quite well-known, and there was a high chance of being recognized. Elisa didn’t want to take that risk.
Elisa stopped him, “You don’t need to get out of the car. I’m going back.”
Louis glanced at the people around and restrained himself, retracting his leg that was about to step out and closed the car door.
“I have an interview at 8 o’clock tonight. If you have time, you can watch it.”
“Okay.” Elisa closed the car door and stood outside, waving to Louis.
…..
The most difficult part of the task at hand had been accomplished, a good start had been made, and now it was time to consider investment matters.
There were many places where money would be needed. Currently, there was still over six billion in hand, but despite the large number, it could quickly diminish.
Elisa was not one to squander her resources. After returning home, she lay on the sofa with her computer, analyzing the recent stock market trends, and finally invested ten million in a stock.
The Powell family had engaged in a variety of businesses in the past, including jewelry, building materials, real estate, and more. If Elisa chose to continue in the family’s line of business, it might be much easier, but these were fields where Hamish and Finn were the leaders, and if she got involved, she would inevitably clash with them.
After much contemplation, Elisa ultimately gave up. She was too weak at the moment, and she didn’t have the strength to confront these two.
The only choice was to invest in the film and television industry. Elisa had no prior experience in this area, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t excel in it.
Her fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard. Two hours passed in a blur, and Elisa finally stopped, her hands sore. She rubbed her wrist and looked at Mimi, who was obediently curled up nearby.
Mimi lifted her chin and let out a “meow.”
“Are you hungry?”
Elisa glanced at the time; it was almost eight o’clock, and she hadn’t cooked yet. Whenever she got busy, she tended to forget to eat, a habit she needed to change. She wanted to keep her health in this life; she couldn’t let her stomach issues escalate into something serious like stomach cancer, as it did in her previous life.
Elisa made a bowl of noodles for herself and opened a can of food for Mimi. While eating, she felt like she had forgotten something, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember. There was a lingering feeling of emptiness.
She took out her phone and first checked her messages. There was only one, apart from promotional messages. Then she glanced at the time; it was exactly eight o’clock.
Eight o’clock… eight o’clock…
Finally, Elisa remembered what she had forgotten. Louis had asked her to watch his interview online. She clicked into Fruits TV, and Louis’ interview appeared prominently on the homepage.
As Elisa, Filippa, and Sebastian exited the Weekend Show, Louis also made his exit. His interview was meant to explain his actions.
“I joined the Weekend Show to find a partner for collaboration, and now I have found one.”
“Can you give us a hint about who it is?”
“I can’t. I’m afraid you will bother her. In my eyes, she is the best actress I have ever met. In the future, you will definitely see us standing together on the screen.”
There were over sixty guests on the show, mostly male actors, so Louis’ fans speculated that the person he wanted to collaborate with was definitely a male actor. After all, they hadn’t seen him in any serious roles with female actors. He was as straight as an arrow.
Louis rarely gave interviews. Reporters hoped to get some juicy information from him, but his lips were sealed tight.
“Louis, can you tell us who you think highly of among the guests on the show?”
“I can’t. After the show airs, as a mentor, I will give detailed evaluations. Every artist is outstanding, except for those who use petty tricks. I can only say their motives are foolish.”
Facing the reporters’ tricky and relentless questions, Louis had long since learned how to counter them the moment a question was asked.
Reporters had a love-hate relationship with Louis. It was too difficult to extract the answers they wanted from him, but just when they were about to give up, he would throw them a bone, giving them something to work with.
A reporter asked, “What are your thoughts on Elisa, who has been trending a lot recently?”
Louis earnestly replied, “I don’t know the whole story, so I can’t judge. I can only say that her acting is excellent, and rational netizens can make better judgments than I can.”
“But netizens are very interested in any scandals related to Elisa.”
On this point, I would like to ask Elisa’s fans, who knew her earlier than any gossip, why they stopped believing in her later? Furthermore, I hope netizens can speak rationally. Praise can be spoken freely, but slander should be carefully considered.”
The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but Louis jokingly interrupted, “Let’s move on from this topic, or else people might think you’re here to interview Elisa.”