Bab 30: **Chapter 30: A Special Gift**
Half a month later, in the apartment gym, Luca was doing rehab exercises on the training machine.
After more than a month of recovery, he had gained ten pounds. Although he was tall and it wasn't very noticeable, his body was now more prone to gaining weight. Exercise was essential—he didn't want to end up playing water gun fights with Leonardo in the future.
Since his lumbar spine was still healing, he couldn't push himself too hard each day and was limited to simple exercises.
After an hour of working out, his shirt was soaked in sweat, and his muscles had swollen slightly. He slowly stood up, using the leg press machine for support.
After several days of secret practice, he had regained enough mobility to walk without feeling pain in his waist. If Joel saw this, he'd surely be amazed at Luca's recovery.
"Luca, why are you standing up?"
A voice suddenly called out from the door.
Startled, Luca said irritably, "Kate, you scared me!"
Kate laughed heartily, walking into the gym in knee-high boots, tight jeans, and a loose pink knit sweater. She had a wild, stylish, and fiery look with a touch of girlish charm.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but Joel said your lumbar spine hasn't fully healed yet and that you should rest for at least another month," Kate said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Luca shook his head and smiled, "They say doctors are always right, but you don't have to follow everything they say."
"Hmm~ sounds logical. Who said that?"
"A great writer from the East!"
Luca chuckled, grabbed his cane, and walked out of the gym, noticing a stack of letters on the table. "What's this?"
"Reply letters from various publishing agencies," Kate shrugged. "They all say the same thing: 'We regret to inform you that your work does not meet our submission requirements. We look forward to your future submissions.'"
"Rejected again?"
Luca sighed. After their last discussion, Nina had taken the manuscript for *Twilight* to negotiate with several major publishing houses, including Random House, HarperCollins, and Hachette Book Group—some of the largest in the U.S.
Nina had hoped *Twilight* would do well to enhance Kate's reputation as a supermodel-turned-author.
But reality was harsh.
In the U.S., the literary and fashion worlds are clearly divided. People in the literary world tend to look down on models from the fashion world, let alone a novel written by one.
When Nina met with the editor at Random House, they laughed like a pig when they heard the novel was written by supermodel Kate.
The HarperCollins editor barely looked at two pages before criticizing numerous mistakes, claiming the work wasn't up to standard.
Hachette was willing to publish it but with very harsh terms—offering only 5% royalties and requiring Kate to participate heavily in promotion.
Nina immediately rejected the offer, knowing they were just trying to profit from Kate's fame, not the novel itself.
Other publishing houses had similar reactions, either rejecting it directly or indirectly.
The most common reason for rejection was that there were already too many vampire novels on the market, and this one wasn't outstanding enough to make much profit, so they declined to collaborate.
With no other options, Nina and Kate lowered their standards and submitted the manuscript to over a dozen small to mid-sized publishers.
A week passed, and rejection letters came rolling in.
Seeing these letters, Luca was also a bit discouraged. He had heard that even the original author faced repeated rejections when submitting the manuscript. He never expected that when Kate tried, she would receive the same treatment.
He began to wonder if his memory was faulty—did he copy too different a version from the original, or had he made too many changes and messed it up?
Noticing his disappointment, Kate comforted him by draping her arm over his shoulder, "Luca, don't lose heart. It's not that your novel isn't good; those people just lack vision. One day, they'll regret it."
"Well, I hope that day comes soon!"
Luca smiled lightly, not overly concerned. The failure to publish just meant he couldn't claim the spot first and would miss out on a big payday. Hmm, when the original book eventually comes out, should he sue the author for plagiarism?
*Ring, ring...*
The phone rang.
"Hello, Emily?"
Luca smiled. Emily was the mother of the baby he had saved. Her Chinese name was Han Li. She was 28, a former student at New York University, and had stayed in New York after marrying an American.
During the filming of *Superhuman*, Emily and her husband had brought their child to thank Luca in person and even offered to cover his hospital bills.
Luca had refused, not needing the money.
Since then, Ms. Han had called a few times to check on his recovery.
"Yes, this afternoon? Sure, you're welcome!"
After hanging up, Luca told Kate, "Emily and her husband are coming to visit."
"Alright! I'll go to the store to buy some fruit."
"Hey, Emily, Felix, and little Jessica!"
That afternoon, the apartment welcomed three guests: Emily, her husband Felix Mason, and their ten-month-old baby Jessica.
Emily's husband, Felix, was a man in his thirties of German-American descent, with brown curly hair and fair skin. He looked ordinary but well-mannered in a high-end suit, with a baby strapped to his chest, blinking its big eyes, adding a playful touch.
Emily stood beside him.
She was petite, slightly chubby, with a round face that gave her a blessed look.
"Oh, Luca, you can stand already? You're recovering so fast!"
Emily was surprised to see him standing at the door.
Luca smiled and gestured for the couple to come inside. "The doctor says I have great recovery abilities. Maybe in a few days, I'll be able to run."
"God bless, that's wonderful!"
Emily exclaimed.
"Emily, looks like the gift you brought won't be necessary," Luca teased.
"No worries, it's the thought that counts."
As Luca walked ahead, he overheard Emily and Felix quietly conversing in Chinese behind him.
*A gift?*
What kind of gift?
"Please, make yourselves comfortable, Felix, Emily!"
Once they were in the living room, Kate served two cups of coffee and some fresh fruit.
Emily hesitated for a moment before opening a box and pulling out a glass jar.
When Luca saw the jar, his eyes widened. It was a jar of medicinal liquor, with ginseng, angelica root, fo-ti, and a six-inch bone soaked inside.
The sight of it was oddly comforting, making him feel like he had been transported back to his homeland.
"Emily, what is this?"
Kate eyed the bone with some concern, thinking it resembled a medical specimen.
"This is called *tiger bone wine*. It's made with Chinese medicinal herbs and tiger bones. In our country, people drink it to heal bone injuries. It's very effective," Emily explained with a smile.
"Tiger bone wine? Is that really a tiger bone?"
Kate leaned in curiously, staring at the jar.
"Yes, it's a Bengal tiger bone," Emily confirmed, looking at Luca. "Would you like to try it?"
"Why not?"
Luca chuckled. "I've heard a lot about Chinese medicine. It's said to be quite miraculous."
"Luca, are you sure you want to try this?"
Felix laughed.
"I'll give it a go,"
Luca said confidently. He deftly opened the jar, and a strong, pleasant aroma of alcohol wafted out, resembling a fine Chinese liquor.
"Luca!"
Kate shook her head in disapproval. Drinking something soaked with bones seemed reckless.
"It's fine, Kate. I drank something similar in Brazil while recovering from an injury."
Luca poured a small glass, tasted it, and downed it in one gulp. The rich medicinal fragrance and the warmth of the alcohol spread through his body.
"Great wine!"
He couldn't help but praise.
"Luca, you're brave!"
Felix marveled. He hadn't dared try it himself, worried it might cause stomach issues. This guy truly lived up to his reputation as a superhero willing to risk his life.
Kate blinked, clearly thinking someone was being a fool.
"Emily, I really like this gift. Thank you!"
Luca grinned.
"Thank you, Luca, for liking it,"
Emily sighed with relief and exchanged a glance with her husband, her eyes twinkling.
Felix smiled too and pulled out a simple booklet from his briefcase. The cover bore the title *Twilight*.
"Hey, Felix, why do you have that manuscript?"
Kate asked in surprise.
Felix smiled. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm the general manager of Greenwood Publishing. You submitted this manuscript to our company, didn't you?"
"Greenwood?"
Kate had forgotten. Nina had handled the submission. If he said so, it must be true.
"Felix, are you here to personally return the manuscript?"
Luca joked.
"No, we're here to seek cooperation! Our company is very interested in publishing *Twilight*."
"Really?"
Kate was pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, Kate!"
Emily beamed. "I'm an editor at Greenwood Publishing, and your submission landed on my desk. I thought it was excellent. When I checked the author's details, I found that the name and address matched yours. What a wonderful coincidence!"
Could it really be just a coincidence?
Luca stroked his chin
and looked at the baby on Felix's chest with a subtle smile.
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-- Peringkat
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