“Elisa!”
Louis’s sudden voice startled Elisa, and she stared at Louis’s just-opened eyes in bewilderment. “I’m here…”
How could Elisa be in front of him? Was he still dreaming? When a person wakes up from drowsiness, the whole brain feels wooden, as if filled with paste, and there’s also a ringing in the ears.
He didn’t react for a while, staring blankly at Elisa for a while, then habitually raised his right hand, feeling a sharp pain at his elbow.
“Don’t move, you’re still injured,” Elisa hurriedly stopped him.
“I’m injured?” His voice was hoarse from just waking up.
Elisa gave him a glass of water and slowly raised the bed to help him drink. After moistening his throat, he remembered everything, why he had the car accident, and the dream he had.
In the dream, Elisa had turned into someone else, and was with Autumn, who looked like him. Even though it was just a dream, it still made him feel sour.
Especially Hamish’s words, “Elisa just sees you as a stand-in,” felt like brainwashing from a pyramid scheme organization.
Louis felt a tightness in his chest and only then noticed that Elisa was still wearing her costume, and outside the window, it was already pitch black.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Five or six hours, it’s almost eight-thirty now. I was worried we wouldn’t be able to order takeout at night, so I bought some congee. The hospital has a microwave, I’ll go heat it up for you.”
Louis didn’t feel hungry at all, but seeing Elisa wanting to share the burden for him, he swallowed back his refusal that was about to come out.
“Thank you, Elisa.”
Elisa smiled and said, “The microwave isn’t in the ward, I have to go through a corridor to heat it up. I’ll get the congee from the cabinet.”
“Then rest in bed and don’t move, I’m leaving.”
“Mm.”
Watching Elisa’s back, Louis’s thoughts were in turmoil, and a hot flow surged in his chest.
He was truly afraid, afraid that the dream he had was real, and afraid that Elisa’s current tenderness towards him was just using him as a substitute.
He never expected that one day, he, Louis, would have a day worse than others.
Louis looked at his hand; moving it slightly tugged at his nerves, causing a sharp pain that made him gasp for breath. His head was also wrapped in bandages, and he could smell a pungent medicinal odor. He raised his uninjured left hand to touch his forehead, wondering if his face had been disfigured.
If he really was a “stand-in” and his appearance was ruined, not resembling Autumn anymore, would Elisa still look at him?
Louis had never felt so lowly before, like a deflated ball. Even though there were all kinds of inexplicable and bizarre things, when combined, everything made sense.
He had always had a feeling that when Elisa looked at him, it was as if she was seeing another person through him.
Elisa came from a rural background, she didn’t have time to meet someone like Hamish. Yet Hamish seemed to have known her as if from a previous life; he even gave Elisa the cat they had at home, and Elisa didn’t treat Mimi like an ordinary cat.
Things that didn’t make sense before, when analyzed from a different perspective, if Elisa was the same “Elisa” who died in the fire at the age of twenty-seven, then everything made sense.
With his eyes closed, Louis suddenly heard a vibration. Following the sound, he saw Elisa’s phone on the cabinet.
Notifications from Twitter popped up, and Louis, upon seeing them, his pupils contracted slightly, not because he saw anything important. He was just thinking.
He had a car accident, and Elisa had come to the hospital to find him. Wouldn’t his two million followers on social media have posted something?
Even if Elisa hadn’t seen it before, hadn’t she seen the tweet he posted about the accident? How could she not have seen it? She must have seen it but pretended not to, not wanting to make things difficult for him.
Actually, this was fine, at least he could still be by Elisa’s side, unlike Hamish, who couldn’t even get close.
There was a sound from outside the door. Louis looked over, “Your phone rang just now, it’s a Twitter notification.”
“It’s nothing important.” Judging by the time, it was probably a scheduled contract termination notice.
Elisa didn’t even look at her phone, sitting at the bedside. The congee was just the right temperature, and he could swallow it immediately.
Elisa spoon-fed him”Is it okay?” she asked as she watched Louis swallow.
“Yeah, it’s delicious,” he replied. In reality, it was just ordinary congee with a hint of salt and some vegetable leaves, nothing particularly tasty. However, when fed by Elisa, it seemed to taste better with each bite.
While eating, Louis asked, “Did you just rush over from the set? Without even changing out of your costume? Aren’t you afraid someone will see you?”
“I didn’t think about that at the time,” Elisa murmured.
Louis probed, “Can I assume that you were concerned about me?”
“No need to assume. I am concerned about you. When I saw the news of your accident trending, I came to the hospital to find you.” As she spoke, Elisa kept her head down, her eyelashes trembled like tiny fans.
Louis’s heart raced as he watched her lashes, and he asked, “How did you know I was in the hospital? Did you see it online?”
“Do you remember anything after the car accident?”
“I have some recollection, but not much.”
Elisa didn’t hide anything from Louis, and explained in detail. The news about his accident and hospitalization had been blocked by his family online, so she couldn’t find anything. She went to Tobias and then asked Hamish, which was how she found out he was in this hospital. She even talked to his parents when she came in.
Her manner of speaking was like a wife reporting her daily activities to her husband.
Elisa was completely unaware of the change in herself.
“That’s how it is. Aunt Burns said there was something at home and left, asking me to stay and keep you company. They will come tomorrow.”
Louis automatically ignored the beginning and end, focusing on her call to Hamish.
“You called Hamish?”
Elisa nodded, “Yes, I couldn’t reach you on your phone, and I didn’t have the numbers for your family. I also didn’t know your agent’s number.”
“Give me your phone.”
Elisa handed him the phone from the cabinet, and Louis, with one hand, saved each number as she recited them.
“This is my parents’, and I have a younger sister at home. If you can’t reach any of them, there’s the home phone, the butler’s, the maid’s, and my father’s assistant’s numbers. They are available 24/7. Lastly, this is my agent’s number. Is this enough?” After saving the last name, Louis handed the phone back to Elisa.
“You don’t need so many.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to find me…” But in truth, Louis was selfish, not wanting Elisa to go and find Hamish again.
Elisa took the phone and placed it back on the cabinet. Although there were many irrelevant numbers, it did make her feel somewhat relieved.
Louis hadn’t finished the congee, and Elisa continued to feed him.
Whenever Autumn came to mind, he also noticed the fangs that appeared when she smiled. Whether it was a misconception or not, he always felt that Elisa deliberately brushed the spoon against his fangs, her gaze fixed on his lips as before.
Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Louis reached out his left hand. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Your hand is injured, it’s inconvenient. Let me feed you, you’ll eat faster this way.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I have,” Elisa replied, though in truth, she hadn’t had a sip of water during the time Louis was unconscious. She had lost her appetite after the accident, and although she might have been hungry, she had long since stopped feeling it.
Louis woke up still feeling dizzy, and the pain came in waves, a lingering effect of the concussion. After eating nearly half the congee, he felt he couldn’t eat anymore, fearing he might vomit.
Elisa noticed he didn’t want to eat anymore and offered to throw the rest in the trash.
The single room only had one bed, so Elisa went to the nursing department to get a blanket.
“Would you like to sleep on the bed?”
As Elisa laid the blanket, she looked up at him. Only then did Louis realize what he had said earlier and felt his ears ringing louder than before.
“You’re the patient now, where would you sleep if I took the bed?”
“I didn’t consider that,” Louis pinched his thigh under the covers. “It’s uncomfortable for you to sleep in these clothes. I’ll have someone bring you a change of clothes.”
“Now? Isn’t it too late?”
“It’s fine, they’ll deliver it by ten at the latest.” Louis searched for his phone but couldn’t find it, probably left in the car.
“Can I borrow your phone to make a call?”
“Sure.”
Louis had a good memory and was sensitive to numbers; he could remember any number he had seen in his phone. He made a call, identified himself, and asked the person on the other end to bring two sets of clothes. As for intimate wear, Louis didn’t feel comfortable discussing it in front of Elisa, even though he knew her size.
The clothes arrived quickly, before ten o’clock. Elisa took the clothes and went to change in the bathroom, deciding to take a shower while she was at it.
“Did you ask for leave from Mr. Kentala?”
“I did. Lorelei’s issue has been resolved. They’ve found a suitable lead actress, and they’ll be reshooting her scenes soon. My scenes can be postponed.” In reality, his role wasn’t significant, at most another week of shooting.
“Lorelei’s matter has been resolved?”
“Overall, it’s been partially resolved, but it’s a good start.”
“Have you seen anything on Twitter recently?” Louis paused suddenly.
Elisa was blow-drying her hair, and the sound of the blow dryer filled her ears, making it hard to hear what Louis was saying. She turned it off and asked, “What did you just say?”
“Nothing… it’s nothing.” He recoiled.
Seeing his strained expression and conflicted gaze, Elisa misunderstood. “Are you wanting to use the bathroom? I can help you.”
There was a urinal and a bedpan in the ward, placed under the bed. Elisa squatted down to get the urinal.
Louis was shocked to see what she was holding. Already speaking unclearly, he now stuttered, his face turning bright red. “What are you doing with that… I only injured my hand, my leg isn’t broken.”
After lying down for so long after waking up, his head was no longer as dizzy as before. He propped himself up with his left elbow and sat up.
Elisa put down what she was holding, unfazed. In the eyes of a doctor, patients had no gender distinction, and even though she wasn’t a doctor, she was still caring for a patient.
Louis had an unusual constitution; his face turned red from his cheeks to his neck, and his earlobes were the reddest, like wild berries in the mountains.
Elisa supported him to the bathroom. He seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, so she made sure he had something to lean on in the bathroom, ensuring he wouldn’t fall.
“Can you take off your pants?” Elisa asked with concern.
Louis quietly replied, “Yes.” He was now wearing hospital gowns, loose enough that he could undo them with just one hand.
Once she was sure he could manage, Elisa left the bathroom and closed the door.
She started blow-drying her hair outside, keeping an eye on the direction of the bathroom. When she saw Louis come out, she breathed a sigh of relief.
After helping Louis back to bed, Elisa brought a basin of hot water to help him wash his face. Louis was tensed up, like a boiled shrimp.
By the time she was done, it was almost eleven. Elisa lay down and covered herself with the blanket, not checking her phone, but she could guess the commotion online.
Apart from Louis’ car accident, the biggest trending topic was about Lorelei terminating the contract for “Revenge and Love.”
The polite term was “contract termination,” but the harsh reality was that Lorelei had been rejected and dismissed by “Revenge and Love.”
“Our artist Lorelei has exhibited personal misconduct, breached the contract, and has not had a positive impact on the internet or public morality. Therefore, we have accepted the production’s decision to terminate the contract.”