章節 23: **Chapter 23: The Little Girl and the Handsome Guy**
"The little girl was as pretty as a picture, truly loved by everyone who saw her. She was radiant and beautiful. Her skin was as white and smooth as snow, with a rosy glow like blood beneath it. Her hair was as golden as the sun. The Queen gave her a lovely name, calling her Snow White."
On the sunny lawn of Mount Sinai Hospital, Luca sat in his wheelchair, gently reading aloud from a fairytale book.
A wool blanket was spread on the grass next to him, scattered with fruits—apples, bananas, cookies—and plush toys: a brown teddy bear and a blue reindeer.
In the middle of the plush toys lay a little girl, about ten years old, with copper-colored hair, sapphire blue eyes, and a few playful freckles dotting her pale cheeks.
Her name was Eve Hester, the precious daughter of Nina and Ed.
Luca had met the little girl before, but back then, he was a troubled kid, and Ms. Nina didn't allow him to interact with Eve.
Now, he was better—looking good, even.
Whenever Nina and Ed came to the hospital, they often brought Eve along.
Today was the weekend, and the little girl was back.
"Wow~ Snow White again," Eve said with a hint of discontent, patting the teddy bear. "Luca, I'm ten years old now, not a little kid. I don't want to hear Snow White anymore."
Luca put down the book and smiled. "What do you want to hear then?"
"Emmm~"
Eve pressed her hands against her cheeks, thinking hard for a while. "How about *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*?"
"That story's not in this book."
"Well, I still don't want to hear Snow White. She's silly and not cute at all." Eve waved her hand dismissively, her eyebrows scrunching up like two little worms, and even her freckles seemed to express annoyance.
Luca chuckled softly and suggested, "Eve, how about I tell you a vampire story?"
"Vampires?"
The little girl's eyes lit up as she gestured, asking, "Like bats with fangs?"
"No, the vampires in my story are beautiful girls like you, and handsome guys too."
"Well, alright then, hurry up and start!"
Eve lay back on the blanket, her blue eyes sparkling like diamonds, filled with excitement.
"Eve, this story takes place in a small town called Forks, in the northwestern part of Washington State. The town is nestled in the Olympic Mountains, and it's shrouded in mist all year round. The amount of rain they get is unbelievable."
"Is there really a town like that? No sun all year? Won't their hair get moldy?" the little girl asked curiously, wrinkling her pale eyebrows.
"Of course, Eve. The world is a vast and mysterious place, full of wonders we can't always perceive. But just because we can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Vampires, for example, can't be in the sun, so they live in places constantly covered in mist. Vampires are like wizards—they have magic, so no need to worry about moldy hair."
"Oh, magic! Like *Harry Potter*?"
"Yes, vampires are all like superheroes with magical powers."
"Wow~ sounds interesting! Go on, Luca!"
Eve wiggled her little feet as she lay comfortably on the blanket, ready for the story.
Luca smiled and continued reading, "I escaped from that town when I was just a few months old. I was forced to go there every summer for a month until I turned fourteen. That year, I finally made it clear that I didn't want to go, and a few months later, my father, Charlie, took me to California for a two-week vacation instead."
Luca read the opening lines from *Twilight*.
In the past, when analyzing the movie, he had read the original *Twilight* novel. Now, after his rebirth, he had a sharp memory.
He roughly copied *Twilight*, making some changes. The original author, a very imaginative housewife, described the male vampire in overly detailed and dreamy language—his "radiant chest," "silky smooth skin," "angelic face," and so on, all very much a female fantasy.
Of course, he didn't copy it word for word.
If a male writer used that kind of language, he'd be seen as strange.
He made the style more masculine and added some action scenes, drawing inspiration from *Underworld*, *Van Helsing*, and *The Vampire Diaries*, mixing in classic scenes from those stories.
Whether the rewritten novel would sell well, he didn't know, but he was staking his claim on it first.
"Edward was extraordinary. After hunting, his skin gleamed with a crimson glow, as if thousands of tiny rubies were embedded within it," Luca read.
"Luca?"
Someone called out to him from a nearby path. Luca shielded his eyes from the sun and glanced over to see a handsome guy standing there.
"Wow~ it's Leonardo!" Eve shouted excitedly.
"Hey, Leon!" Luca waved.
"Luca, it really is you!"
Leonardo said something to the person next to him, then strolled casually onto the lawn, hands in his pockets.
As soon as Eve saw him, she jumped up from the blanket, tidied her messy red hair, and straightened her white princess dress. She held the corners of her skirt like a proper little lady.
"Eve, do you like Leon? You can ask him for an autograph," Luca said, handing her a pen and the storybook.
"Oh, that's awesome!" The little girl eagerly took them.
Luca smiled and watched as Leonardo approached.
Recently, Leonardo's movie *Catch Me If You Can*, co-starring Tom Hanks, had been released in North America. In two weeks, it had grossed over $75.7 million, and global box office projections were set to break $300 million.
With another hit movie, Leonardo had become one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
"Luca, I heard you're a hero now?" Leonardo glanced at his wheelchair, teasing with a grin.
Luca smiled wryly. A few days ago, *The New Yorker* had published a smear piece about him. Ed had fought back, reporting on how Luca had saved someone in the street, but without surveillance footage or witnesses, few believed the story. Yesterday, another paper accused him of seeking fame.
Leonardo was clearly poking fun.
Luca shrugged it off with a smile. "Congrats on your movie topping the box office again."
"Uh, thanks!"
Leonardo was momentarily stunned. He had expected Luca to be jealous and bitter, but Luca's calm and friendly tone, without a hint of envy, surprised him.
"Hi~ Leon, I'm Eve. Can I get your autograph?" Eve asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Haha, of course!"
Leonardo squatted down and signed his name inside the cover, adding a little message.
"Thanks, Leon!" Eve's face flushed with excitement.
Luca chuckled. Leonardo certainly knew how to charm.
"Leon, tell me, how did you become such a heartthrob?"
Leonardo raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Luca, you'll never learn my methods."
With that, he waved to Eve and left the lawn as swiftly as he had arrived, seemingly forgetting his original purpose or simply not caring anymore.
"Leonardo is so cool!" Eve exclaimed, watching him leave.
"Eve, who's cooler—me or Leon?"
"Leon, obviously," she replied without hesitation.
"Eve, good kids don't lie." Luca waved his notebook teasingly.
Eve pouted, her eyebrows scrunching again like little worms. "Fine, Luca, you're cooler."
"Haha, Eve, you're such an honest kid."
"Luca, don't be so smug! Get back to the story!"
"Alright, alright. The vampire adventure continues. Edward stretched out his hand, and with a deafening crack, he effortlessly tore a two-foot-thick branch from the spruce tree…"
(End of Chapter)
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