Chapter 26 Willing to Help

Vivian, who stood at 5 feet 5 inches tall, supported Charles, who was taller than her.
Charles, who was over 6 feet 1 inch tall, walked for nearly ten minutes and became so tired that he couldn't help but burst into tears. "Did you forget where you live? Do you have any money? Let's take a taxi to the hospital, okay?"
Charles couldn't help but look down at the girl with her hair in buns in front of him. Who asked her to be so kind-hearted? He didn't know why, but he had the urge to mess with her, so he pressed his weight against her.
Vivian couldn't support herself and almost fell to the ground, but Charles caught her in time. Vivian could feel his hand placed on her waist. It felt warm, causing her face to turn red immediately.
Finally, they entered the elevator, and Vivian leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. "Wh-what floor?"
"12."
She pressed the floor button. "Is there anyone in your house? Hurry up and take your medicine, or you'll get delirious with the fever!"
"No one."
"Oh." Vivian's mind raced, trying to figure out what this meant. Charles wondered why he answered such a question. It seemed like he really was delirious from the fever.
After they got out of the elevator, Vivian dragged him all the way back home. Suddenly, she felt radiant.
Vivian practically threw him onto the couch, and as she sat on the floor, she could barely get up. She took out cold medicine from a plastic bag but realized this guy didn't even bother boiling hot water. The kitchen was brand new and untouched. She started to wonder how this person managed to survive until now.
After boiling water, just as she was about to feed him the medicine, she saw instant noodles. Vivian felt it would be a waste to not use the hot water, so according to the principle of making the most of what she had, she cooked a pack for herself as well.
Charles swallowed the cold medicine drowsily and fell back into a deep sleep. Vivian knew it was almost impossible for her to move him to the bedroom on her own. So, she grabbed a blanket and decided it would be more pragmatic to sleep on the couch. She opened the bedroom door and found his style evident - simple, clear, black, white, and gray. What a boring person.
Vivian fed him the medicine, finished her noodles, washed her face in the bathroom, and when she came out, he was still asleep. She touched his forehead—it wasn't hot anymore. "What should I do? Why do I have such encounters with sick people lately? If I leave now, and he happens to die in a coma, wouldn't I be held responsible?"
When Charles woke up, he smelled the scent of instant noodles and almost threw up. Then, when he saw the blanket on his legs, he was about to sit up but felt something heavy pressing on his legs.
Vivian also woke up and rubbed her eyes. "You're awake?" she said naturally, reaching out to touch Charles's forehead. "No more fever."
Charles was still a little dazed, looking at the person in front of him, not knowing what to say. After all, she had saved him.
"Can I borrow your phone?" Vivian, still half asleep, extended her hand towards Charles. He took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to her.
Vivian checked the time, 10:27? She quickly dialed Evelyn's number, and as she entered the first few digits, Evelyn's name appeared on the screen. "You know Evelyn too?" It was more like talking to herself as she made the call.
Vivian dialed the phone and someone answered on the other end. "Evelyn, has he left? Can I come back now?"
"Vivian? Why are you using this number? Where are you now? Where have you been running around all afternoon?" Knowing her tone, Vivian knew she had caused trouble again and grinned widely. "Evelyn, I'm sorry. I'll come back right away. Please don't be mad."
Charles looked at her expression and found it amusing. It was like a guilty child, trying hard to admit their mistake to make someone happy. He was surprised to see such an expression on an adult's face.
After listening respectfully to another lecture from Evelyn, Vivian hung up the phone and returned it to him. "No need to thank me! I'm leaving."
And then she disappeared in a flash. All that was left was a dumbfounded Charles and the smell of instant noodles throughout the room.
Evelyn was furious, and the consequences were severe. Seeing Vivian return unharmed, Evelyn didn't say anything and just grabbed a glass of water, preparing to go upstairs. Vivian saw this and quickly thought to herself, "Uh-oh! The consequences will be severe this time. I must act fast."
She rushed upstairs, almost begging on her knees, "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have stayed out so late, I shouldn't have gone out without taking anything with me, I shouldn't have rushed to help someone who was about to faint, I shouldn't be so eager to help others." Evelyn found her words increasingly absurd.
Seeing Evelyn's expression soften slightly, Vivian played her trump card. "What I really shouldn't have done is make you worry!"
Evelyn couldn't do anything about her. "Just make sure there isn't a next time!"
"Yes, yes, I promise there won't be. I'll sleep with you tonight."
"You'd better not come back. I prefer being alone."
After taking a shower, Vivian held a pillow and opened Evelyn's bedroom door. It was always like this, she would say she didn't want to come, but the door would never be locked. "Evelyn is always saying one thing but meaning another."
Evelyn kicked someone to the ground with one foot, and Vivian rubbed her bottom as she got up from the floor.
They both lay there for a while, then Evelyn said, "It's been a long time since we did this."
"Yeah, whenever Mrs. Garcia chased me and I needed to hide from her, I would come to your place and sometimes even stay the night."
"I used to wonder why you called your mom Mrs. Garcia."
"Because she was too domineering, always in charge of everything in our family. She listened to you more than anyone else, so I would always make you speak on my behalf."
"Well, I really do get annoyed with you."
"I know! But don't you think I have this magical charm? Even though I'm annoying as hell, you can't seem to live without me. There's no way around it."
Listening to her self-assessment, Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. It was so accurate.
After a long pause, Vivian finally asked, "Is it him?"
"Yeah." Evelyn responded barely audible.
"Is he good to you? No! Do you like him?"
"Maybe."
"That's great, Evelyn. You've grown up." Vivian patted Evelyn lightly on the back.
"Tired of life?"
"Just look at you scaring people every time you hit the nail on the head. I've been scared by you since I was little, so I'm immune now. But you can't do that to someone you like! They'll be scared off..."
Vivian drifted off to sleep while talking, leaving Evelyn speechless. Vivian indeed had many flaws, but as long as she had that one virtue, it made it impossible to dislike her.
Evelyn knew that whenever someone seemed angry, regardless of whether she was right or wrong, she could always find a reason to apologize to them. It was always sincere, and by looking into her eyes, one could see that she never wanted to lose you. So, any kind of compromise was possible, and her little whims and tantrums should be forgiven.
Evelyn truly envied Vivian for being like this. She thought helping her find a job was just an excuse Evelyn used to deal with Mrs. Garcia, but she had actually arranged a job for her.
"Adrian had already set his sights on you," Evelyn said.
"By saying that, now I can't say anything to him anymore."
"He's a talented young man, and you've found just the right one to bring home," Evelyn muttered.
This time, Vivian was left speechless.
In the blink of an eye, it was already deep autumn. Evelyn hadn't expected that she would really fall in love with acting, and the filming life on set became something she looked forward to every day. If they finished shooting early, she would go learn some physical techniques.
The scenes she filmed didn't make her nervous, nor did they put any pressure on her. William saw her happiness in all of this. After several months of shooting, they were nearing the end.
Today, they were filming the last scene where Diana leaves her child with Carter and says goodbye before leaving. They had shot it a few times, but the director wasn't quite satisfied. He felt that there was room for improvement. "Let's take a break and try again later!"
Evelyn walked over to the monitor. "When turning around for the last time, if Diana can show a little more sadness, will it be better? Diana loves Carter, but she's been strong for a long time. If she reveals some feminine tenderness in the end, wouldn't it highlight her humanity even more?"
The director nodded, saying they could give it a try.
The result that came out surprised everyone. In the moment Diana turned around, her brows furrowed slightly, a teardrop slid down her face and disappeared, as if she hadn't shed any tears at all, yet that tear was undoubtedly present.
The director couldn't help but applaud. "That'll do. Not too much, not too little! Evelyn, you're a natural actress. And Aron, you were great too. Both of you are so young, and your future is limitless. Keep up the good work!"
Months of hard work had earned Evelyn such praise, and she was genuinely happy. That night, the group organized a dinner at a high-end venue. Evelyn felt that she might not be able to resist drinking tonight, so she brought William along to ensure her safety.
William was pleased with her trust. During the evening's drinking session, he also didn't want to stop it. Anyway, she's responsible for getting drunk, and he's responsible for carrying her home.
Maybe she really liked the atmosphere of the film crew, or maybe she really put in a lot of effort, so she felt extremely reluctant when they separated. Evelyn surprisingly cooperated that night, which surprised William.
After the dinner, it was already very late. William supported Evelyn, but she refused to get in the car and insisted on walking back. It wasn't far, so William stopped trying to force her and took Evelyn's phone instead. He called Vivian and asked her to help retrieve the car, and they both waited by the roadside.
Evelyn kept talking, but it was fragmented and not very clear, yet William listened attentively, not missing a single word.
When Vivian arrived in the taxi, she saw the two people by the roadside. Thinking about how difficult it had been for Evelyn all these years, and now seeing someone who cherished her so much, she couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Her eyes welled up with tears.
She quickly got out of the car, took the keys, and didn't say anything. She just started the car and left. She only had one thought in her mind, to return home later.