Louis’s remarks during the interview sparked a heated discussion online.
The netizens who had once insulted Elisa began to reflect on whether they had done wrong. They thought the harm they inflicted was trivial, but everyone had contributed a bit. How much pain did that person have to endure?
No one knew, and no one cared.
The fans who had once supported Elisa were left speechless after watching Louis’s interview. They felt as if a lump of cotton was stuck in their throats, unable to go up or down, a sense of panic gripping their hearts.
Indeed, they had known Elisa even before the rumors and gossips, watching her debut, acting, and growing all along. How could they choose to leave her because of a few words from others?
Those scandals had no solid evidence, no videos, no recordings. Elisa had only posted a few lines on Twitter before disappearing. They had initially thought Elisa was timid and afraid, or perhaps felt guilty and unable to apologize for these scandals in public.
But what if… she couldn’t speak out?
Looking at it from another perspective, based on these “scandals” surrounding Elisa, she had offended many people, made countless enemies, yet no one had come up with solid evidence to confront her. This indicated that she herself was not the problem.
At this moment, the realization struck the crowd like a thunderbolt, sending shivers down their spines. They had previously claimed to seek justice when they condemned Elisa, calling her derogatory names, demanding her exit from the entertainment industry, even wishing her death.
If she was innocent from the beginning, then what made them any different from murderers?
An almost forgotten fan club posted a tweet.
“Elisa, we have been waiting for your explanation, for your return.”
Elisa saw this tweet, her face expressionless, her heart unmoved.
Because the person they had been waiting for was no longer there.
If those people had been a bit more considerate with their words, Aoife wouldn’t have developed depression, wouldn’t have been alone at home, taking sleeping pills and turning on the gas to commit suicide. And now they wanted her to explain? She could explain, but could those who had hurt her face the consequences?
Louis waited all night but didn’t receive a text or a call from Elisa. He couldn’t help but wonder if she had forgotten to watch his interview last night.
If she hadn’t watched it, should he repeat what he had said during the interview to her?
But would it be too embarrassing to say those things in front of her?
Louis was torn all morning, and before he knew it, it was almost noon and he hadn’t sent the text.
He typed and deleted, deleted and retyped, back and forth. Why did emotions torment people so much?
Finally, Louis sent a vague message, deciding to test Elisa’s thoughts.
Louis: “Did you see the trending topic?”
Louis’s interview had become a trending topic because it discussed the emotions that netizens still cared about, and it was still trending now. If Elisa clicked on Twitter, she should see it.
Elisa might be busy at the moment, not having texted him back, so Louis kept an eye on the time, and after ten minutes, he received a reply from Elisa.
Elisa: “I saw it. The interview was fascinating.”
Louis: “What are your thoughts then?”
Elisa was straightforward in her speech, and everyone understood why not beat around the bush.
“I think our thoughts are similar. You’re right, relationships should involve mutual dedication, but it’s not my focus at the moment.”
Louis wasn’t particularly disappointed by this response. It was completely within his expectations. Elisa was currently focused on her career and wasn’t in a rush to start a relationship. He didn’t want to pressure her; he simply wanted to understand her thoughts on relationships.
It was his first time pursuing someone, and he didn’t know how to go about it; everything he did, he did cautiously, fearing he might startle her.
When Elisa mentioned that her thoughts were similar to his, it genuinely surprised him. As long as he was willing to get closer to her, not hiding or running away, then one day he would walk by her side.
“Are you afraid of marriage?” Louis asked.
This question hit the nail on the head. Elisa did indeed have fears about marriage. Until now, she still didn’t know what marriage could bring to her. It seemed that she could live well enough alone, as long as she had money.
After thinking for a moment, Elisa replied honestly, “Being with the right person and living together isn’t a bad thing.” But the premise was that the person had to fit her expectations, and her standards were high, eliminating most men.
Elisa didn’t dwell too much on “relationship issues” with Louis because it was still too early for them.
Elisa changed the subject and talked to Louis about how she had recently bought a stake in a film and television company, directly investing ten million dollars.
She sent over the details, and Louis was astonished when he saw them.
“Isn’t this film and television company on the verge of bankruptcy? Your ten million won’t even make a dent,” Louis remarked.
“What do you mean?” Elisa asked.
An outsider might see the spectacle, but an insider sees the door. Elisa was in the business, but she lacked experience in investing in the film and television industry. Louis analyzed the situation.
The company Elisa invested in was a team specializing in comedic skits. They had recently entered the film and television industry, only to stumble into a pitfall. Even their three comedy films had been ridiculed by the public. The humor in the films was awkward, and the filming quality was subpar. They would have been better off sticking to comedic skits. Now, they were at a loss and considering selling the company.
As Louis talked about films, his voice exuded enthusiasm. Just by hearing his spirited voice, Elisa could imagine the bright, cunning, yet earnest look in his eyes at that moment.
Louis was truly cut out for this. His questions hit the mark.
As he spoke, Louis glanced at the stock Elisa had invested in, seeing that it had already lost tens of thousands in just one day.
“You should consider pulling your money back. It can prevent a huge loss,” Louis suggested.
“This team is indeed not suitable for making comedies.”
Louis thought she had taken his advice, but Elisa’s next words left him speechless.
“Let them make a horror film instead,” she said. Now, she was the financier. If she withdrew her investment, the company would be finished. She believed that if she made a request now, they wouldn’t refuse to make a horror film.
The shift from comedy to horror was quite drastic.
Elisa explained, “I watched the three films they made. Just as you said, they aren’t suitable for comedy. The lighting is too dark, giving off a creepy and eerie feeling. I read the online reviews. Most of them say that a good comedy film was forcefully turned into a horror film. From the public’s perspective, it seems that I’m not the only one who thinks they are more suitable for making horror films. Considering how eerie their comedy films were, I can only imagine how good their horror films would be.”
Elisa’s critique left no room for rebuttal.
“But the domestic market’s reception of horror films isn’t great,” Louis pointed out.
“I’ve analyzed it. The main issues are the absence of a team suited for creating horror and poor scripts. I found a script that I think has potential. I’ll send it to you to take a look at.”
Louis didn’t expect that Elisa had everything prepared. Soon, he received the documents in his email. He quickly glanced at the character settings and the general storyline in the script, and was pleasantly surprised.
The script was called “The Ghost.” The beginning was humorous and interesting, the middle part was eerie, and the ending was tragic. It was a good script.
Louis closed his eyes and recalled the entire filming style. Come to think of it, the film studio Elisa invested in, which had collapsed, indeed suited this kind of style.
The main characters of the script revolved around a married couple.
“This script is good, but who will you get to act in it?” This was a big problem. Horror films really tested the actors’ endurance and imagination, and they had to constantly maintain their expressions without letting them crumble, in order to fully immerse the audience in the film.
There were plenty of excellent scripts in the country, but all the money was spent on hiring big-name actors and on promotion.
Now that a good script and team were in place, all that was lacking were the actors. Louis was thinking about this when suddenly his phone rang.
He looked at the caller ID and instantly felt as though he was holding fire in his hand. He quickly answered and heard Elisa’s gentle voice coming through the phone.
“Great actor, could I invite you to co-star with me in this unfinished ghostly love horror film?”
Louis almost bit his tongue as he opened his mouth: “Are you saying that we will act in this film together?”
“Don’t worry, I will pay you for your performance. You have the right to refuse now.”
“No, I don’t refuse,” Louis said incoherently, desperately suppressing the curve of his lips, and asked in a sticky manner, “I want to ask, why did you want me to act in this film with you?”
“Yesterday in that interview video, didn’t you hint that we would cooperate and appear on the same screen?”
Louis smiled, his ears moving all the time, a delicate pink appearing at the corners of his eyes: “Yes… yes.”
“Then let’s achieve this small goal in the simplest and quickest way.”
Elisa’s voice was very pleasant, like a beautiful violin melody slowly entering his ears and then turning into an electric current that flowed through his body, making him feel almost numb.
He didn’t expect that this goal was actually brought up by Elisa first, which caught him off guard and pleasantly surprised him.
The ultimate goal that Louis mentioned, appearing on the same screen, was to marry Elisa.
He would give her a grand wedding, he would wear a suit, she would wear a wedding dress, and the image of the two of them appearing on the screen would be broadcast to the whole world.
Louis was excited: “You don’t need to pay me for this film we act in. I’ll invest in it, consider it as me bringing capital into the project.”
They quickly reached an agreement. Elisa was about to start filming “Revenge and Love” and didn’t have extra time to handle this matter, so she handed it over to Louis, who happened to have no plans recently and was free at home.
Louis called his agent Jack to inform him to go to the studio to discuss his intention to take on a film. When Jack heard that Louis was going to work, he instantly perked up. What was originally a half-hour drive, he made in fifteen minutes.