“Starbound” is ready for production and the funds provided by Elisa, coupled with the success of “The Ghost,” have attracted investors who have sniffed out the business opportunity and have come knocking one after another.
The director has selected the shooting location. Since Louis’ departure, this will be the first time the two of them have been apart for such a long time, at least a month.
Elisa helps Louis pack his luggage, regardless of whether it will be used, she stuffs it into the suitcase first. She takes out the categorized bags from the bottom of the closet, carefully categorizing and labeling all the clothes Louis will need so he can easily find them.
The flight is at 2 p. m. After having lunch, time passes slowly. Louis starts preparing lunch, and when he’s done cooking, he goes to call Elisa to eat. However, he discovers that Elisa has already packed his luggage for him.
Looking at the two large suitcases, Louis clicks his tongue, “So much?”
“You’re going away for a month or two, of course I need to consider everything for you. And since the shooting locations are not the same, I’ve packed a bit more clothes considering the temperature difference in different places. Autumn and winter clothes are in this suitcase, summer clothes in this one, and there are also shoes. I’ve only packed two pairs for you, I can’t fit any more. When you arrive, your assistant can buy the rest for you… ”
“I’ve also put your toiletries in there. The toothbrushes at the hotel are not good, you’re used to using this brand’s soft bristles. I’m afraid you won’t find a suitable one… I checked the weather forecast. The temperature difference at the shooting location is large, so be careful not to catch a cold. I’ve put everyday medicine in there, you’ll see it as soon as you open the suitcase.”
“When you’re there, pay attention to sun protection. There’s a lot of ultraviolet rays there. When you have time, spray on some more, don’t turn into charcoal.”
Elisa explains one thing after another, growing increasingly worried about Louis. “You must pay attention to safety when you’re away from home. Remember to call me every day. If you’re too tired, just send me a text to let me know you’re safe.” Elisa lifts her head, her clear eyes looking at Louis, her eyelashes trembling slightly, making people’s hearts soften.
Louis takes the opportunity to pull Elisa into his arms. “What should I do? Suddenly, I don’t want to leave.”
Elisa smiles and leans on his shoulder, “I’m still waiting for you to make money to support the company and bring back a few big awards.”
“Okay, all the awards I get will be yours.”
Elisa also finds it hard to part with Louis. When she first heard about the one or two months apart, she didn’t think much of it, but now that they are parting, she realizes how difficult it is on her heart.
Everyone has their own pursuits. “Starbound” is the gift she prepared for Louis. A qualified lover should not restrain the other person.
Louis still belongs to the sky for now. After a brief embrace, he will have to return. Being apart for a month or two is nothing. If she really can’t bear it, she will take leave to visit herself.
Louis has the same idea. If he can finish shooting quickly, he will do so, but if not, he will take leave to come back and see Elisa.
The lunch Louis prepared is all dishes that Elisa likes.
After washing the dishes, it’s half past twelve, and the driver has arrived at the door, along with an assistant responsible for carrying the luggage.
Louis is strong, effortlessly carrying a 26-inch suitcase in each hand.
“I’ll be back soon. If anything happens, call me, or find my parents, and Patrick. Let him stay by your side all the time. I won’t be at ease without him.”
“Okay, don’t worry. Send me a text when you arrive.”
Louis gets in the car and keeps staring at Elisa in the rearview mirror until the car drives far enough that she can’t be seen anymore.
At the airport, the assistant moves to help Louis with his luggage.
Louis directly refuses. It’s a joke, how can he let someone else touch the luggage his girlfriend packed for him?
The assistant awkwardly withdraws his hand. If he’s not mistaken, did Louis just look at him with a threatening gaze? Was it a threat?
Louis sighs as he watches the time in the waiting hall. The assistant instantly becomes more energetic when he hears Louis’ sigh.
“It’s only been a short while, and I’m already missing her.”
The assistant agrees, “A day apart feels like three autumns. It’s most difficult right after separating, but you get used to it over time.”
Louis glances at him, “You seem quite experienced?”
The assistant shyly rubs his head, “Don’t judge me by my appearance. I actually have two children.”
That’s really hard to tell.
“I used to be just like you. Whenever I was separated from my wife, I would miss her, meals wouldn’t taste good, and I couldn’t sleep well.”
Louis nods earnestly, fully agreeing.
“And how about now?”
“Now, I still miss her, but not as much as before.”
So, does love really disappear over time? Louis wonders.
“What kind of wedding did you have when you married your wife?”
“Just a simple wedding. We ordinary people don’t pay too much attention to these things. Louis, are you planning to propose to your sister-in-law?”
Louis blushes discreetly. Recently, he watched “Revenge and Love,” where Elisa played a character who married into the palace, looking especially stunning in traditional wedding attire.
He had never seen anyone wear red so gorgeously. Despite Louis’ outward appearance, he’s actually a rather traditional man. He longs for a wedding filled with the color red, and wants to see Elisa dressed in traditional wedding attire, marrying him with a red veil covering her head.
In reality, there’s no such thing as getting used to someone over time, only day by day, wanting Elisa more than ever.
During filming, Louis can’t afford to be distracted. He must muster his energy to shoot and aim to finish as quickly as possible.
Louis has the capability, but the other supporting actors he works with always seem to have frequent issues. Louis’ expression darkens, and just as he’s about to lose his temper, a staff member nearby familiarly takes out a phone.
“Louis, Elisa is calling for you.”
Louis’s face instantly cleared up from cloudy to sunny. Everyone was used to this, Elisa was his emotional regulator, and every day she would coquettishly coax Louis to film. Elisa’s mood was good, and she followed the old method to coax Louis first.
“I miss you,” Louis’s voice could no longer be so aggrieved.
“Be good, film well, we’ll video chat tonight.”
This time, Elisa didn’t reply with a similar sentiment of missing Louis. In a split second, Louis was horrified, suddenly recalling the assistant’s words that day about getting used to it over time.
So? Does love really vanish, right?
Elisa wouldn’t talk on the phone for too long, considering the filming schedule, at most for five minutes.
“Are you busy these days?” Louis asked.
“It’s alright, just some minor issues, but I’ll resolve them quickly,” Elisa replied.
Elisa also missed Louis; with him gone, she returned home alone every day, lacking someone to flirt with. Life had lost much of its joy, but these past two days had provided her with a bit of amusement.
Aoife’s “relatives” had brought their whole family to Chiwood to find her. Elisa temporarily set aside her work, leaving someone to look after the large family, and she herself booked a flight to Chiwood.
As “Revenge and Love” aired, the show became increasingly popular, and more and more people learned about Elisa. This show, loved by everyone from five or six-year-old kids to eighty-year-old grandmas, was the first choice on television.
It’s not “Revenge and Love” being so popular that’s surprising; it’s that the quality of TV shows nowadays is declining. They’re either poorly made or their plots are outrageous.
“Revenge and Love” is a rare female-oriented show, lacking the cliché innocence and sweetness. The female supporting characters are not saintly, and when the time comes, the scheming third female lead exits decisively without being forcibly redeemed.
This show’s popularity naturally drew a lot of attention.
After receiving $20, 000 from Aoife, the Powell family built a new house. The Powell family consisted of four people: Aoife’s parents, Christopher Powell, Rachel Keller, their son Matthew Powell, and grandson Michael Powell.
The Powell family was not wealthy. The elderly couple had no money, and their son Matthew liked to smoke, drink, and gamble. If it weren’t for the $20, 000 he snatched from Aoife, they might still be living in a mud house.
Matthew was useless, and his wife had left him after giving birth to their child. Now he was preparing to remarry, but he had no money. At times like this, he would always think of his sister Aoife. If Aoife were still around, he could sell her to the neighboring village to marry a pig farmer and get quite a dowry, so he would have money to marry a wife.
Matthew was jobless, lazy, and never did any farm work. He would go to town every day to freeload, and when he had no money, he would mooch off his parents.
One day, he went to a noodle shop to have a meal with a few friends, and a TV was playing “Revenge and Love”.
“Hey, Matthew, look at the woman on TV. Doesn’t she look like your pretty sister?” one of his friends said.
When Matthew casually looked up, his gaze immediately froze. The woman on TV was beautiful, with an amazing aura, and the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed, looking a bit like his useless sister.
Aoife’s only advantage was her beauty, which didn’t seem to come from the Powell family. Having such a beautiful daughter made her parents happy, especially since they could exchange her for a dowry. In rural areas, a dowry was worth at most $80, 000 to $90, 000, but for someone like Aoife, the man she was promised to initially gave $160, 000.
They had planned to have Aoife taken away, but she had escaped that night.
Finally, it is not known where Aoife got the $20, 000 from, but she had insisted on severing ties with the Powell family, threatening to commit suicide otherwise. They had no choice but to agree and tear up her identification documents.
Matthew looked at the person on the TV, stunned for a long time before he reacted: “Who is this person?”
“Don’t you know? She’s the female star of the recent hit TV show. Her name is Elisa. Doesn’t she look a lot like your sister?”
She did, but how did Aoife become a big star?
Matthew secretly pondered, then saw a red mole behind the woman’s ear on the TV, and he was instantly stunned.
“I have something to attend to, please cover my meal,” Matthew said abruptly, then went to an internet cafe, where he quickly searched for the TV show’s cast list. He clicked on the “Elisa” section and soon her resume popped up, matching her age, and the difference between her debut photo from three years ago and her current appearance was significant.
At first glance, Matthew couldn’t recognize her, but when he found a photo from three years ago, it was indeed Aoife.
He hadn’t expected it. Aoife had some ability; she had become a current big star, acting in both TV shows and movies. Looking at the movie box office earnings of over $6 billion, he had never seen so much money in his life.
He had hit the jackpot. This was hitting the jackpot.
Matthew took out his phone, took a photo, and ran all the way back.
“Mom, we’ve hit the jackpot, we’ve hit the jackpot!” Matthew burst into the yard.
“What jackpot, did you win the lottery?” Rachel looked up at Matthew.
“Mom,” Matthew continued, “this is more than winning the lottery. Have you ever seen $6 billion? Let me tell you, my sister has hit the jackpot and made something of herself.”
“What could she possibly make of herself?” Rachel scoffed. “She’s just a money-losing item. She’s not even worth half of her son’s finger. He’s been away for so long-most likely, she’s dead by now.”
Rachel rocked her grandson, and Matthew went over and showed her his phone. First, he showed her Aoife’s photo from two years ago.
“Isn’t this that useless girl Aoife? How do you have her photo?”
“Take a look at this one.”
It was like a completely different person. Just looking at their faces, it was the same person.
“This…”
Matthew laughed. “Mom, let me tell you, my sister is a big star now. She’s acting in TV shows that are being aired everywhere. At first, I didn’t recognize her, I just felt like I’d seen her before. Then I went online to find information about her, and sure enough, it was her. She’s changed her name to Elisa now, and she’s even acted in a movie that made over $6 billion.”