Chapter 22 The Right to Choose

Evelyn's hand holding the book trembled uncontrollably. "Then tell me all the things you've hidden from me, all of it. Can you say it?"
William fell silent, unsure of how to begin.
In any relationship, there would always be someone constantly moving forward while the other tried to catch up. But he was afraid that his efforts would never be acknowledged by the other party.
And at this moment, he finally realized that the divide between them was not something he could bridge through his efforts alone.
When Vivian came in, she noticed that there was a handsome guy in the hospital room, a stranger. However, she adhered to the belief that handsome guys were always familiar faces and stared intently at William. "Hello."
She looked at Evelyn, who still had her head down in silence, portraying a demeanor of keeping her distance. Something was amiss, no, there was a situation.
"You two, one reading a book and the other looking at people. What's going on?" Vivian approached Evelyn. "This handsome guy is very attractive. Can't understand French, right?! Tell me! How did you two meet? There's a handsome guy, and you didn't share him!"
To prevent this girl from blabbering, William interrupted her.
"Hello, my name is William," he greeted.
"Oh! You speak French so well? Hello, I'm Vivian. Who came up with your name? It's really interesting!" Vivian said, and for some reason, she burst into laughter.
In the room, one person laughed while the other remained speechless.
Vivian continued to have a string of associations with William's name. William restrained himself from losing his temper, and for the first time since childhood, Evelyn felt relieved by Vivian's actions. William made a mental note of the name.
"You can go now," Evelyn said, without any politeness.
"I... Alright." William knew that at this point, no matter how much he explained, it would be useless. "I will give you a reasonable explanation."
Evelyn smiled, her mouth curled. "Sure, I'll wait."
After William left, Vivian asked Evelyn, "What's going on?"
"If you ask again, I'll call your parents." Evelyn always had a way to disarm Vivian.
"Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to tattle on me anymore. I'll pack up this afternoon and go home tomorrow," Vivian lamented.
"I'm relieved. Congratulations," Evelyn said.
"I knew you were heartless. You won't find someone as loyal and righteous as me. Even if you treat me like this, I still want to help you."
"Thank you for your hard work." Evelyn continued reading but her mind was not on the book anymore.
Vivian rushed out of the door and collided with someone with a loud thud. The other person's chin barely missed hitting anything, and they almost mimicked a concussion. As Vivian looked up to see who it was, the person politely took a step back. Vivian couldn't help but think, "Why are there so many handsome guys today?"
"Sorry," she said, and couldn't take her eyes off the other person.
Charles was startled by the person in front of him. He extended two fingers and pushed away this strange woman. "Sorry, you were in my way," he said before entering the hospital room.
Vivian completely forgot who she was and where she was. Besides this face, the only thing in her mind was the deep and pleasant voice from earlier. She took a few absentminded steps and wanted to go after him, but she realized that she needed to go through the discharge procedure and the hospital was closing soon, so she had to give up.
"Evelyn, we meet again," Charles walked into the hospital room and greeted the person in the hospital gown with a smile.
Evelyn looked at him, nodded in acknowledgement, but showed no intention to continue the conversation.
"Alright then. I broke my hand while filming. How about you?" he said, raising his injured hand.
"Not feeling too well," Evelyn decided to be considerate due to their encounter on the plane. She didn't want to shoo him away directly, but at the moment, she didn't want to engage with people.
Upon hearing her response, Charles knew that she still didn't want to interact with him. He bid farewell and left the room.
Indeed, Evelyn's reputation as an ice queen was well-deserved. When they had dinner with the crew, he saw her for the first time and thought her beauty was striking...
It is quite rare. Later, when faced with the director's challenges, she remained composed and unaffected. Having seen people who would do anything for a role, he was witnessing this for the first time.
Later, at the airport, meeting her, he felt that Evelyn was lonely and helpless. She was curled up in the airport lounge, with the noisy crowd becoming her backdrop. He couldn't help but approach her and offer a blanket, but her guardedness was evident.
Today, when he came to the hospital after getting injured, he didn't expect to see her name. Uncertain, he decided to take a look out of curiosity, but didn't expect it to actually be her.
But ultimately, we couldn't get closer.
Vivian held the payment slip in the lobby and encountered the handsome guy she had just bumped into. Without much thought, she approached him, "We meet again!"
Charles politely nodded and took a glance at this girl with sparkling eyes, ready to leave.
"Hey! Why are you leaving? I'm Vivian. You..."
Impatiently, Charles took the paper and pen from her hand and quickly wrote down his name in a blank space. "Thank you for your support."
"...What is your name?" Vivian didn't finish her sentence. Holding the sheet of paper and looking at the man who had already walked away, the silly smile on her face hadn't disappeared yet. "What?" Seeing the signature on the paper, she couldn't understand. She confirmed multiple times - was this really written in characters?
Returning to the ward, she was still in high spirits. "I just saw a handsome guy again! Being by your side brings me good luck. Unbelievable!"
Evelyn had finished getting ready and changed clothes. Vivian looked at this beautiful woman about to put on sunglasses. A simple dress that looked so good on her. "Wherever you go, it's like your own fashion show. It's impossible for you to be low-profile."
Evelyn ignored her.
They got in the car and didn't speak. Vivian thought of that signature, and her heart was still filled with joy. "What should I do? Right now, my mind is completely occupied by that person. He's exactly my type! What if I never meet him again in the future?"
Looking at Vivian's infatuated expression, Evelyn thought about how many ideal types she had heard about since childhood, and managed to hold back her eye-rolling impulse.
"How did your Mr. Garciad aunt know you were back?"
"I just forgot to keep it a secret and posted it on my Moments. I exposed myself like that."
Evelyn found this reason quite fitting for her intelligence. "I worry for the people who will have to sue you in the future."
"Don't doubt my professional integrity, okay?"
William was wandering on the street when he received a call from Jason.
"You handled this matter very well. In the future, we entrust the Chevalier Group to you, and both your mother and I are confident in you. Come back soon."
"I don't have any plans to take over the Chevalier Group for now. I always thought we had an understanding about this," William said.
"Why? You are my son, and everything here belongs to you. You don't have the right to choose!"
"That's exactly why I refuse!" William said.
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
William was extremely helpless, "Why am I your son? Why didn't I have a choice? Why is it that I have to kill someone as soon as I'm born? Why? You ask me why? Then who should I ask?"
William hung up the phone. When he looked up, he realized that he had unknowingly walked to this place. He saw the sign with flashing colored lights, various playful dolls with exaggerated expressions, and the words "Enchanted Playground" written in the middle.
It was the first time he saw Evelyn here, at his lowest point.
Perhaps this was his last chance.
Tomorrow was Evelyn's press conference announcing her contract with Silver Media. It was her first public appearance after the recent news events. Antonio was also nervous since public opinion could only be guided, difficult to control, and he was afraid that there would be strong reactions to this matter.
"How are the security measures at Silver Media?" Antonio still felt unreliable. "I'll come with you!"
"You are in Stardlight, what would they think if you suddenly come with me?" Evelyn said helplessly.
"Then bring more people tomorrow. Some fans are being irrational. Be careful. I heard you scolded away the assistant again?" Antonio frowned.
Evelyn didn't say anything. That young man really couldn't handle it.
"How is this going to work?" Although he didn't like William, Antonio actually wished he was with Evelyn at this moment. After all, he was the only assistant that Evelyn found slightly satisfactory. "What about William? Let me contact him."
"Don't make decisions without thinking. I can handle my own affairs."
Antonio understood Evelyn's temper and knew it was difficult to say anything. What she decided couldn't be changed by others.
The next morning, on the way to the station to drop off Vivian, tears welled up in her eyes, making Evelyn a bit reluctant. "If your parents give you a hard time, just give me a call."
"I knew you loved me and couldn't bear to see me suffer! Come, give me a hug," with no regard for the seatbelt, she rushed towards Evelyn for a hug. In that moment, Evelyn regretted it, her heart softened.
"Let go, sit back, don't risk your life!"
Vivian obediently sat back down.
When they arrived at the station, Vivian was still reluctant. "I'm going back, but I'll be back soon. Take care of yourself, I can't bear to leave you..."
Evelyn closed the car window and stepped on the gas, leaving without looking back. If she stayed any longer, it would never end.
Vivian smiled brightly, dragging her suitcase to wait for the train. On the TV wall in the waiting hall, a movie was playing that successfully caught her attention. It was the man from the hospital, she didn't expect him to be an actor.
She stood there in the hall watching for a long time, becoming aware of the surprised looks from people around her. She silently found a seat and attentively watched the movie until the end.
The movie depicted a love story between the male and female characters who met and fell in love during the war era, and their heartbreaking separation in the end, using a poignant love story to highlight the cruelty of war. The man portrayed an officer in the movie.
Dressed in military uniform, he exuded a strong and righteous aura. Every frown and smile on his face intoxicated people's hearts. In the end, he was shot and killed in the war, still holding the amulet given to him by the female lead. The whole drama came to an end.
Vivian's face was already soaked in tears. She didn't even have time to read the names on the subtitles and silently cried her heart out.
Every passing pedestrian stared at her with eyes filled with disdain. When she snapped back to reality, she immediately asked the young girl beside her, "What's the name of the male lead just now?"
The girl beside her had an expression of disbelief. "Charles. He's simply a god-like man!" She finished her sentence with starry eyes.
"Charles?" With this name in mind and thinking about the autograph, she immediately understood.
This city, it seemed that she must come back again.