The journalist smirked, after all, it hadn’t been long since Elisa and Louis had hit the hot search. It was Louis’ first time being involved in a scandal, so it was natural for the journalist to not resist asking a few more questions.
The journalist posed a few work-related questions to Louis, all of which received proper and formal responses. It seemed that any hope of digging up some sensational news from Louis was bound to end in disappointment. Several minutes passed.
The journalist asked, “Louis, can we talk about your love life?”
Louis responded nonchalantly, “You can ask, and I can choose whether to answer or not.”
Internally, the journalist ground their teeth, “Do you currently have someone you like?”
Louis responded, “Feelings can be categorized into friendship, family affection, and romantic love. I seem to have quite a few people I like.”
The journalist emphasized, “I’m asking about romantic love.”
“In that case, I choose not to answer. This is the test of your abilities. Let’s see if you can catch anything through clandestine filming,” Louis said, with a nonchalant expression.
They were getting nowhere. That was the journalist’s current thought. It was practically a direct challenge to the paparazzi, but which paparazzo would dare to secretly film him? Were they asking for trouble?
Louis had only debuted three years ago, and he had rarely given interviews. Why was he able to smoothly handle the journalists with such ease, like an old fox? And his attitude was exceptionally good.
The journalist asked, “Louis, do you believe in love at first sight, or does love grow over time?”
Louis replied, “Both are indispensable. Love at first sight is a crucial factor, but it cannot sustain what comes after. If I like someone, I will have liked her from the beginning, and it will be everlasting.”
“Once you like someone, it won’t change?”
Louis affirmed, “No, I only recognize her, unless she doesn’t want me anymore…”
The journalist caught a whiff of gossip but suppressed their excitement and asked, “If you were in a relationship, what would you do together?”
“Of course, I would do what she likes. In my understanding of love, the details are mutual, love is reciprocal, accommodating each other, mutually advancing. Regardless of whether it’s mountains of daggers and seas of flames or a thousand miles of rivers, I would unhesitatingly walk towards her,” Louis said, looking into the camera. In his pitch-black eyes, it seemed as though a candle had been lit.
Elisa was momentarily dazed, caught off guard as she fell into his gaze. Her heart warmed.
They were not only locking eyes through the phone screen but also across time and space. However, this kind of eye contact felt completely natural.
How could someone speak words of love so beautifully? She had never imagined that being someone’s cherished one could feel like this. The feeling of being cherished like a treasure far exceeded her imagination.
…
In marriage, women don’t have so many standards, but it’s essential to understand that you are getting married, not just becoming someone’s wife.
There’s a big difference between the two. Establishing a home together is called marriage, not a woman moving to the man’s family and becoming someone else’s family member.
Why are women nowadays becoming increasingly afraid of marriage? The family is the biggest factor.
The former Elisa could be described as someone with a foolish love brain. She could hold onto a childhood memory for over ten years. Knowing that Hamish didn’t love her, she still tried to be with him. A forcibly picked fruit is not sweet; there is a kind of fruit that, when unripe, eaten forcibly, can cause poisoning.
She paid with her life, and now she only wants to become independent and strong.
A woman can only change her surroundings by improving herself. Broadening one’s horizons and thoughts will determine the path of the future.
Narrow-minded people, even if they achieve something, will find it hard to go far.
So, the current Elisa only wants to focus on her career, to quickly rid herself of the scum around her. Only by becoming strong herself can she avoid walking the same path in the next life.
In terms of relationships, after watching Louis’ interview, she had developed some standards.
Find someone obedient, capable of doing household chores, considerate, understanding right from wrong, close in ideology, able to control their lower instincts. Don’t say it’s just a mistake that every man makes; not all men want to be compared. By unjustly blackening a gender, such men have problems themselves.
For the few standards she currently had in mind, Louis ticked almost all the boxes. Now it remained to be seen if she had the courage to take the next step.
Elisa finished her noodles and continued watching Louis’ interview. Half an hour had passed, and the soup in her bowl had gone cold.
She put down her phone, took the bowl to the kitchen to wash it, and when she came back, she noticed Mimi looking up at her from the table.
Mimi couldn’t jump as high as before. It was okay for her to climb onto the sofa from the stairs, but anything higher was beyond her reach.
Elisa felt sorry for her. She picked up her bag and held her phone. “Do you want to watch more?” she asked Mimi.
When Elisa was watching the video of Louis’ interview earlier, Mimi had been right by her side the whole time. Elisa had searched for a photo of Louis on Twitter, and Mimi had meowed towards the screen.
“Do you like him?” Elisa asked.
Mimi raised her paw and tapped on Louis’ face in the photo.
Mimi was easily pleased, just like she used to be. As long as someone was kind to her, she would like them. But in reality, Mimi preferred it when people were good to Elisa. Only when someone was kind to Elisa would she accept them.
Cats mostly rested during the day and were more active at night. But Mimi was quiet all day, either lying in her cat bed or quietly sitting by Elisa’s side after she fell asleep. She would watch her for a long time, and if Elisa didn’t wake up halfway, she’d watch her all night.
In the dark, her cat eyes widened as she looked at Elisa’s peaceful face. She cautiously approached and nuzzled her head against her hair.
Cats knew the span of their lives. They knew they wouldn’t live for long, so they wanted to find someone to take care of them.
Mimi hung her head low, one ear drooping. She wanted to find a comfortable spot to lie down, but no matter how she lay with her deteriorating body, it was painful. Even breathing felt like being pricked with needles.
Quietly, she lay down next to Elisa, kissed her fingertips, and gently nudged her head against her hand.
Even a cat had many wishes. She waited for Elisa to come to take her, but she also wanted to see Elisa happy, to see her smile always, and to see her give birth to a beautiful baby. But she might not get to see these things.
“My owner, you must be happy in this life. Your wishes must come true. Perhaps one day soon, I will disappear, but I am not leaving you. I am just going ahead to the next life to welcome you.”
…
Elisa woke up to see Mimi sleeping beside her, curled up and holding her hand. She reached out and gently stroked her head.
Every time she saw Mimi sleeping, she felt afraid, afraid that she might never wake up. It was only when she heard Mimi purring softly that she relaxed.