Eventually, the slow-witted Director Han finally understood Cierra's implication. However, it was ultimately Cierra who, fed up with his denseness, straightforwardly told him she agreed to be his girlfriend.
(Here, we omit seventy-two hours of unnecessary details. Over three days, the innocent director cuddled with his new girlfriend on the sofa, watching six movies together and analyzing the acting and award-worthy performances of the lead and supporting roles. There's no need to go into detail, so we'll leave it at that.)
Today was the fourth day of their relationship. Early in the morning, still groggy, Basil accidentally answered a call from an unknown number.
"Basil, it's me," said Lettie on the other end. Her voice sounded like she had just been crying, with a heavy nasal tone. "Please don't hang up on me, Basil."
Basil glanced at Cierra, who was sleeping soundly on the king-size bed. He rubbed his nose, got up from the sofa bed, and walked to the kitchen to make himself a cup of black coffee. "What do you want? My girlfriend is right next to me, and I won't be able to take your calls after this." Basil made his stance clear to Cierra.
He cherished Cierra and the hard-won relationship they currently had. He didn't want Lettie to cause any rift between him and his girlfriend.
"Don't be so cold to me. I didn't willingly get together with Armando. I've always loved you, Basil. Armando is a scumbag. Did you know he uses violence? Every time he gets drunk, he uses our past as an excuse to beat me. Basil, please save me!" Lettie cried bitterly over the phone, but Basil only found her pitiful and somewhat laughable.
The Domestic Violence Prevention Law even covers unmarried cohabiting couples. At the very least, there are stalking and harassment laws to protect her. As a well-known celebrity, she could easily hold a press conference to rid herself of a violent partner. Lettie's current predicament was the result of her own greed for things that weren't hers—money, fame, status, marriage. If she had learned to let go, these terrible physical and mental abuses wouldn't have happened.
"Go to the police, or I can call them for you!" Basil sighed heavily, not knowing if he was lamenting her fate or regretting the lost years of his youth.
"No, you don't need to call the police—" The call was abruptly cut off.
Basil leaned against the sofa, lost in thought. He didn't know how much time had passed when a pair of cool hands suddenly wrapped around him from behind, and a head rested on his nape.
"Why are you up so early?" The soft fragrance of the woman's hair gently permeated his body, instantly lifting his previously gloomy mood.
"I accidentally answered a call from Lettie just now. It was from an unknown number," Basil slowly got up. "I'll go brush my teeth. Wait here for me."
Five minutes later, Basil returned feeling refreshed, intending to give the woman a morning kiss. But she gently pushed his face away with her soft right hand, which even smelled fragrant. Basil thought he must be starving or had watched too many horror movies; otherwise, why did he want to eat her fingers one by one?
Recently, Cierra had unlocked the achievement of being dubbed the "National Goddess" in the entertainment industry. This was something Cierra hadn't anticipated before signing her. As the editing of the show neared completion, some scenes were cut into highlights and released, and Cierra's fresh-faced look naturally won over a large audience. Consequently, the day the public would learn about the director and the goddess's relationship was postponed indefinitely.
He didn't want his name to be continuously linked with the goddess, even though she was his true goddess, because it felt like it would desecrate her.
He didn't want to see gossip media comparing Lettie and Cierra's personal details in charts, arrogantly stirring the pot just to attract more clicks. Even though he and Cierra had played this game before signing Cierra, he had to admit that he found his past self utterly shameful!
The self-loathing director tried once more to move closer, but was again rebuffed by the goddess.
Even when the goddess smiled without warmth, she was still beautiful, Basil thought.
"Aren't you going to tell me why Lettie called you?"
