"Haaa..."
Calix finally took refuge in his own bedroom. He still couldn't forget how Edward and Aunt Wendy looked at him earlier.
Urgh...
Calix stood alone inside the walk-in wardrobe, facing the full-length mirror. He inspected his right cheek, the one he slapped in a reflex to avoid losing consciousness.
In the end, the shock of seeing his wife in a soul form overcame the stinging pain.
"Why did I slap myself so hard? Ow..."
Calix rubbed some cooling gel on his cheek. After changing into comfortable casual clothes, he dragged his exhausted body and heart to the bed. The sun was still hovering above the horizon.
Calix threw his body onto the bed. The mattress sank under his weight. Another heavy sigh expelled from his mouth. Countless thoughts kept popping into his mind.
Staring at the ceiling, Calix couldn't help but picture his grandmother's face there, complete with a smirk.
"If Grandma knows this, she'll say it's karma for deceiving her ah."
Calix rolled again until he lay on his stomach. After painstakingly chasing his grandmother's smug face away from his brain, an image of Charlene, the soul one, came. What she said to him also followed.
"Mr. Xu, I know why you chose me to be your wife."
"You wanted to stop your grandmother from forcing you to attend blind dates, en? You chose me because I am in a coma. So, I can't interfere with your life."
Those words were more than enough to make Calix feel guilty.
Trying to get away from his grandmother's constant pressure to get him to marry someone, Calix ordered Edward to find more details related to Charlene Li. His chief personal assistant thought he chose her because of her current comatose state.
But...
That was not the only reason. There was another one which only known to him.
"What kind of help does she want?"
Speaking to himself, Calix's voice was muffled by the mattress. He noticed the traces of desperation when Charlene asked for a favor from him.
"I won't intervene with your life. But, I really hope you'll do me a favor soon. I'll stay away from you if that's your condition."
Charlene didn't show any hesitation when promising him that. She didn't seem to want to utilize her position as his legal wife, the spouse of the Xu family's heir. Her new title brought her a high reputation with endless wealth.
Intrigued by what might be in Charlene's mind, Calix silently hoped that she would come clean with him soon. Doing her a favor was one way to ease his guilt.
Sigh, this was just a small price to pay ah.
Who told him to use someone innocent as a shield against his grandmother's nagging?
"Urgh... I am so stupid," Calix silently berated himself.
Even though Charlene was currently in a coma, she might wake up soon. She told him earlier that her soul was separated from her body until her injuries healed more.
Hurm, should he get to know her better? Not in a romantic sense but, something like friends?
This would help both of them once Charlene regained her consciousness later. Calix didn't want to feel awkward with his own wife when that time came.
But, but, would Charlene still remember her memories when she was in her soul form?
In the books and even in the movies, the people who underwent the out-of-body experience recalled nothing once they woke up.
Hurm...
How about...
Ring! Ring!
"..."
The loud ringtone shattered Calix's imagination. It came from his personal phone. Only a select few people knew this number.
And, he could guess who was calling him now.
Groaning, Calix forced himself to sit up. He put the phone on the bedside table on the right.
The mattress could comfortably fit four people thus, the table was a considerable distance away from where he was rolling right now.
Once Calix grabbed the phone, he looked at the Caller ID. A faint smirk hung on his lips. As expected, the one who contacted him was his grandmother.
Once Calix accepted the call, he immediately said out loud, "Hello~ You've reached your newly wedded beloved grandson. Do you have any congratulatory words to say to me, Grandma?"
Old Madam Xu scoffed, expressing her clear displeasure. Calix held back from laughing. He knew full well that his grandmother was annoyed by his stunt.
"You always make my blood boil! Since you're already married, there's nothing that can be done anymore. I'm not heartless enough to make a family's beloved daughter a divorcee right after marriage."
"Hehe, that's my compassionate grandmother! The kindhearted, benevolent, pretty..."
Calix's flowery words got cut off by Old Madam Xu mercilessly.
"Shut up. Don't try to flatter me, you brat. I'll accept this marriage but, don't think I won't cane your bum."
Calix winced, recalling how his grandmother's cane became his childhood enemy. He always got punished for being the naughtiest among his siblings.
Unwilling to reenact his childhood punishment, he quickly tried to earn his grandmother's pity.
"Grandma, I'm thirty-two this year ah. Not two years old."
Old Madam Xu clicked her tongue, "Then, act like someone in his thirties."
Calix grimaced. He had no choice but to accept another form of his grandmother's nagging. She surely was mad because he got married behind her back.
"I've contacted your parents-in-law. Come back tomorrow. We'll have dinner together. Your parents and siblings will be there too."
Old Madam Xu's words shocked Calix.
"...Grandma, when did you call them?"
"It doesn't matter ah. Our family is linked to the Li's now. We should treat them properly. Even though you've registered your marriage, we still have to plan for a wedding."
Unable to resist teasing his grandmother, Calix jokingly said, "Grandma, do you want me to stand alone on the altar? My bride is still unconscious. Won't the wedding seem like a funeral?"
If the grandmother and grandson were talking face to face, certainly Calix would be a victim of Old Madam Xu's piercing glare.
"Come. Back. Tomorrow. Night."
"Yes, ma'am."
With a huff, Old Madam Xu hung up the call. Calix laughed at himself. He hoped his grandmother didn't need to double the dose of her high blood pressure pills.
"Meeting as one big family, huh?"
Calix lay down on the mattress again. He recalled the meetings he had with Rowan Li, Charlene's father.
When Calix first proposed the idea of marrying Charlene, Rowan was a bit reluctant. The middle-aged man asked why he didn't pick Gladys, Charlene's cousin.
Between the two young ladies of the Li family, Gladys was the popular and sociable one. Calix had bumped into her a few times during banquets. She also had tried to approach him before.
"Uncle Rowan, I'm sure you don't know about this. But... I actually have been in love with Charlene since a few years ago. I only admired her from afar. When I heard she's unconscious due to an accident, I know that I should be true to my feelings."
Following more persuasive words, Rowan's defense was gradually lowered. Calix even brought up the topic of how Charlene was neglected in the Li family.
"You can't go against your own brother, Uncle Rowan. By marrying me, Charlene will be safe. You surely know how harmonious our family is, en?"
The final remark that helped Calix to secure the deal was...
"I'll make a contract. Once Charlene wakes up and she says she doesn't want anything to do with me, I'll divorce her. But, please give me at least one year to win her heart first."
In the end, Calix got the comatose Charlene as his wife.
Only, he didn't know that her soul form would haunt him days and nights.
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Leslie was bored staying inside the bedroom without anything to do. Even though she really wanted to explore the manor, she had to hold herself back.
"Don't wander outside this room. I'll show you around the place later."
Those were Calix's words before he walked out of the room.
Like her who needed time to think about how to voice out that important request, he also required moments to accept her strange presence.
Right now, Leslie was floating above Charlene's body. She intently took in the little details of the latter's appearance, the one reflecting her new physical traits.
"She's a beauty," Leslie whispered softly. She still remembered her short meeting with Charlene before, "But... why did she look so hopeless back then?"
A desperate Leslie was easily persuaded by Charlene when the latter kept telling her to transmigrate into her body.
"Take my body, use it to find your child and live a new life with her."
"I want to be free. You need to get into a body if you want to find your daughter. Why don't you just transmigrate into my body and live my life? Of course, I won't take it back from you."
When Charlene was coaxing Leslie, she showed no signs of regrets. Her intention was clear. She no longer wanted to be bound to her own life.
Frowning, Leslie shifted her eyes to Mimo. The fox toy was sitting on a couch facing the bed.
"Hey, Mimo... Her soul is still in there, right? She's still breathing. But, what happens after I enter her body? When will she go?"
Mimo lifted its head. Its eyes, which were simply round black beads met Leslie's.
|It's up to her. She might wander between worlds or, settle in another with a new identity.|
"You don't know or can't tell me?" asked Leslie again. This time, she brought up the points she needed to know.
Mimo paused momentarily before replying, |Both. There are certain things I can't tell you. And, I don't know everything either.|
Its answer was vague. Even though it was not helping, Leslie didn't want to force anything out of the fox toy. Perhaps, Mimo was bound with some rules unknown to her.
"It's okay, Mimo. I'm just wondering about it."
What happened today had mentally and physically drained Leslie. A wave of exhaustion started hitting her.
"It's night already."
Leslie glided in the air, heading to the closed French doors. Once she passed through the curtain and solid glass panels, the soft ray of moonlight basked upon her.
Lifting both of her hands, Leslie spread out her palms. A smile was carved on her lips.
This was so nice. Even though she was without a physical body, she could still feel the coolness of the night spring breeze. Her luscious dark locks tousled behind her.
Hovering near the railing, an idea struck Leslie's mind. She quickly sat on the top of the white balcony railing. The passing wind gently brushed against her feet.
'Poppy, Mama misses you.'
Not a day had gone by, but Leslie longed for her precious daughter. Calliope was her only light when darkness loomed over her life after losing her lover.
No matter what, Leslie wanted to be reunited with Calliope. She didn't mind if Calix told her to live in hiding after successfully finding her daughter. She just needed her dearest Calliope.
To Leslie, her life kind of mirrored Charlene's. Even though the latter came from a wealthy background, her life was not easy.
Because CEO Xu and Charlene Li were supporting characters in the book, the information related to them was not much. The side plot of them getting married also happened much later.
'Mimo, will I get all of her memories? How about the information of her life?'
In the next second, Mimo's voice echoed in Leslie's mind, answering her telepathically.
|Unless the original host suppresses the memories, they will be triggered once you come across anyone or anything important.|
Leslie let out a helpless chuckle. Shrugging, she murmured, "Seems like it won't be easy ah. I still need to find something for her."
Being given this second chance was already miraculous enough.
Leslie told herself that not everything would be served in a platter. She needed to use her wits if she wanted to find Calliope and survive here.
Also...
To fulfill Charlene's wishes.
With her gaze thrown around the spacious yard of the mansion, Leslie took her sweet time enjoying the aesthetically pleasing scenery. Even though this whole compound was huge, the area was well taken care of.
The petals of the blooming flowers danced in the air, fluttering along the passing of the breeze. Colors pink, red, yellow and white formed various floral clusters on the garden of greenery.
Uncle Raymond was the only gardener here but, it didn't mean the entire place was tended by him. A group of specialist gardeners would come twice a month.
"I think the novel mentioned there's a small lake here."
This was Leslie's first time being in a grand mansion like Graceville Manor. The feeling was real enough until she forgot this was a world crafted by an author inside a book.
The scent of the flowers was carried by the breeze, helping to expel some of her distress. In the tranquility of the night, she tried to remember some details from the book.
Graceville Manor was located in one of the wealthiest residential neighborhoods in City S, Mapleview Hills. Calix's private residence rarely made appearances in the story, unlike the male lead's.
"His mansion is this grand. I can't imagine Xander's place. Sigh, being the male lead's rich supporting friend is good enough already."
Leslie propped both hands on the railing, arching her body forward. It was hard not to be envious of these characters' wealthy lives when hers was full of struggle.
Well, perhaps she could ask Calix to give her a job recommendation later. She still needed money to raise Calliope.
With CEO Xu's influence, Leslie was positive that she could get a good one. Bitterness flashed in a second as she remembered her previous life.
Despite struggling to take care of Calliope alone, Leslie was able to graduate with flying colors. Her soft skills also were exemplary.
Yet, more often than not, the positions she was aiming for went to people who came through the backdoors. Fortunately, she was able to secure a teaching position at an elementary school.
"Hurm... I think even this world has..."
A loud scream cut off Leslie's words.
"ARGH! What are you doing there? It's dangerous!"
"...?! Ack!"
"Ow!"
In the momentary confusion, Leslie felt sturdy arms pull her by the waist. Before she could register what was happening, she already fell against a hard surface.
Just...
The solid thing was not the marble floor. It was a certain young CEO's six packs.
Caught in a daze, Leslie slowly understood what had just occurred. Seemed like Calix was shocked seeing her sitting on the balcony railing. In a reflex, he dragged her down.
Fortunately, they didn't fall to the floor. If not, the young CEO would be the one who suffered more.
Calix anxiously looked at Leslie. Both of his arms were still around her waist.
"What did you think? What if you fell down? Do you have a death wish?"
Leslie blinked.
"...do you forget what am I?"
"..."
Clamping his mouth shut, Calix swiftly released Leslie from his unintentional embrace.
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