Chapter 30 Do not bully Her

Finally, they arrived at their destination. Evelyn took William to the house where she had lived since she was a child. She hadn't been back for a long time. The keys were at Vivian's house, and Mrs. Garcia would come here occasionally to clean. So the room was still clean and tidy.
"Were you and Vivian neighbors since childhood?"
"Yeah, our parents were good friends, well, they used to be," Evelyn said, opening the curtains as the warm sunlight poured in.
"No wonder," Evelyn, being naturally solitary, could tolerate someone as vivacious and noisy as Vivian.
They cleaned the room from top to bottom before finally sitting down on the sofa to rest.
Mrs. Garcia knocked on the door, her curiosity getting the better of her. After all, Evelyn hadn't come back for a long time, and their communication was usually just occasional phone calls.
Evelyn opened the door and let her in. "Hello, Auntie. Vivian's company hasn't finished their holidays yet, but she'll be back in a few days."
"Don't bother with that girl. I can't stand her," Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. Mrs. Garcia continued to size up William. It seemed like she was genuinely curious about him.
Evelyn signaled with her eyes for William to stand up and come over, then turned to Mrs. Garcia and said, "He's a friend who hasn't been to a small town like this before. He came to visit. His name is William."
William also stood beside Auntie and extended his hand, introducing himself, "Hello, Auntie! I'm William."
"You speak French so well," Mrs. Garcia's gaze wandered between the two of them. "That's great."
Evelyn was speechless and saw Mrs. Garcia off. William leaned back on the sofa, squinting at Evelyn. Evelyn looked helpless. "What's wrong?"
"I never expected to see this side of you!"
Evelyn glared at him but remained silent.
"This gentle side of you, haha," William just hadn't expected to see this obedient and gentle version of Evelyn.
Evelyn felt speechless. She took a shopping bag and prepared to go out to buy daily necessities and vegetables. Naturally, William couldn't miss this opportunity, so the two of them went out together.
Both of them were already good-looking, and coupled with Evelyn's long absence, many people no longer recognized her. With William's handsome face, it made them even more noticeable.
A journey that should have taken just over ten minutes ended up taking over an hour, and they still hadn't arrived at their destination. The townspeople, who were mostly warm and hospitable, cast curious glances at them. Once they inquired, they found out who the girl was.
"It's Evelyn! Look how much she's grown all of a sudden!"
"She's back for the holidays! How wonderful, she's a big star now!"
"Is this her boyfriend? How nice!"
Evelyn felt like her face was about to freeze from smiling, while William tirelessly greeted everyone, as if it were only natural and they were long-lost friends.
Finally, they reached the supermarket after a long and arduous journey. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the store was packed with people. Looking down from the escalator, it was a sea of black.
Standing in the crowded and chaotic supermarket, on the left, a middle-aged woman shouted, "What did you buy? The fish today is very fresh! Hurry and go buy some!" On the right, someone else shouted, "Really? Cabbage is also very cheap!" Similar voices rang out incessantly.
Evelyn pushed the shopping cart, carefully choosing items while William followed behind, helping to navigate the crowd. Mischievously, he led Evelyn into the busiest areas. He had grown accustomed to her aloof demeanor and always wanted to get closer, to see a different side of her.
Suddenly, someone approached, and he quickly pulled Evelyn into his embrace, avoiding the pushing and shoving crowd.
Evelyn wasn't used to such noise and just wanted to escape as soon as possible, but William was the opposite. He always held her back, still unable to finish their shopping and leave.
William secretly observed Evelyn's expression, relieved that she wasn't too angry. It meant they could continue browsing for a while.
"It's been a long time since you've shopped in such a crowded place, hasn't it?" William casually asked her.
Evelyn picked up a bottle of red wine and nodded slightly. "When I was young, I liked to come to the supermarket and wander around with my mom."
Even though her expression remained the same, William saw a different kind of tenderness in Evelyn's eyes, and he loved it so much that he wished he could buy the entire supermarket.
"Besides your mom, have you come with anyone else before?" William asked.
"No one else," Evelyn replied.
William couldn't help but feel satisfied. "Actually, I find it hard to imagine how someone with your personality can make it in the entertainment industry! You don't like showing off, you're not fond of crowds, and you don't deliberately cater to others."
"At first, when I started doing magazine shoots, people would say the pictures were really good. But later, the compliments changed to 'As long as it's taken by you, it will be beautiful.' So, the key is not about pleasing the masses, but having that kind of shining quality that blinds others to everything else. That's the way to survive in this industry," Evelyn explained.
William didn't expect Evelyn to have such a serious conversation with him, and her words truly surprised him. This woman was just perfect, leaving him speechless.
"What's wrong? Did my calculations frighten you?" Evelyn turned her head slightly, looking at William who remained silent, her face slightly upturned. There was nothing untoward about her expression, but there was some unease in her eyes.
"If this is considered scheming, then we're all quite scheming. I'm just surprised that you see through it so clearly," William replied.
"It's easier to avoid getting hurt if you learn to let go. Otherwise, you'll just deny yourself whenever something happens, and I wouldn't have survived this long," Evelyn said, smiling faintly after finishing her sentence.
"That's good," William said, casually reaching out to tousle her hair.
The two of them left the supermarket and leisurely walked back home along the path paved with pebbles along the river. Evelyn recalled some childhood memories and shared them as they walked.
William listened attentively, occasionally offering responses. Evelyn had never realized how much she talked until now.
Approaching dinner time, Mrs. Garcia called them to come over for a meal. They checked the time and realized they wouldn't have enough time to cook, so they went home to grab a gift and headed to the neighboring house.
To Evelyn, Mrs. Garcia was like another form of reliance. Her mannerisms and laughter always reminded her of her deceased mother. There were many things that brought about helplessness and regret.
Therefore, Evelyn always reminded herself to treat every important person in her life seriously.
Family discussions were inevitable at the dinner table, but this time, with William present, the conversation revolved around him.
Mr. Garcia knew Evelyn was sensitive and didn't want to stop Mrs. Garcia, so he jokingly said to her, while picking up a piece of beef, "Are you still going to let Evelyn eat? Don't scare her away with all these questions! It's like conducting an interrogation!"
Mrs. Garcia glared at Mr. Garcia and said, "What do you know?! Evelyn is just as much our child. Now that she has a boyfriend, we must understand him well!"
William, seeing this, spoke up, "It's alright, Auntie, you can ask me anything. You can trust me; I'll take excellent care of Evelyn!"
These words almost brought tears to Mr. and Mrs. Garcia's eyes. "Evelyn is a good girl. She has been through a lot on her own, and now that she has found someone who loves her, it's wonderful. We are all happy for her. But remember, from now on, don't you dare mistreat Evelyn. We all support her!" They emphasized.
Evelyn's hand, holding the chopsticks, trembled. She kept these words in her heart; they were truly moving.
William nodded sincerely.
After finishing the meal, Evelyn returned to her own home feeling very emotional.
"Feeling touched?" William asked.
"Of course!" she replied.
"That's right! You have many people like this around you, caring for you, showing you love. So, from now on, always remember this, no matter what happens, we'll be there for you," William said with a smile.
"You talk too much," Evelyn said as she turned and entered the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, splashed water on her face, and looked at herself in the mirror.
Evelyn finished bathing but had yet to come out of the bathroom. As she gazed at the familiar surroundings, she was momentarily lost in thought. Faint images in her mind became clear once again.
"Mom! Mom, please don't!" she softly repeated, squatting on the floor.
Upon hearing the sound, William rushed in and embraced Evelyn, who was crouching on the ground. "It's alright, it's alright."
"William, I'm scared. I'm so scared," Evelyn cried, trembling.
William could feel her uncontrollable shivering in his arms. He tightened his grip and comforted her gently.
Gradually, Evelyn began to relax, and only then did he release her. He carried her into the bedroom, gently placing her on the bed, covering her with the blanket, and soothing her to sleep. Afterward, he left and went to shower.
When William finished showering and came out, he saw that Evelyn had awakened again. She was sitting on the bed without turning the lights on, so he couldn't see her expression clearly. Setting aside his towel, he approached her and lifted the other side of the blanket, lying down while holding her. "It's alright now, it's all in the past. Sleep, just sleep."
He then spoke softly and tenderly, and only after that did Evelyn enter a light slumber.
With the goddess in his arms, how could William fall asleep? He could only silently laugh at himself. This night was destined to be a sleepless one. However, he still felt extremely happy in his heart.
Vivian called, and William quickly answered, "Evelyn, Evelyn, how do you feel at home?"
"Hello! Evelyn is sleeping."
Vivian, on the other end of the line, was startled by the voice. "So soon? William, I underestimated you, hahaha."
"I'll have her call you back tomorrow." William just thought Vivian was too formidable to argue with her, so he hung up quickly.
Vivian, however, was still unsatisfied. She didn't expect things to progress so fast between Evelyn and William.
Vivian stepped out of the elevator and, upon opening the door, thought there might be a problem with her eyes.
In her own living room, Vivian actually saw Charles. Rubbing her eyes once again to make sure it wasn't an illusion, she then changed her shoes and entered. "What are you doing here?"
"I lost something here last time, so I came to retrieve it," Charles said casually, causing Vivian to become even more annoyed.
"What did you lose? I don't have anything here!" She was absolutely certain about this; she cleaned the room every day, and if there was anything extra, she would have found it long ago. "How did you even get in?"
"The landlord gave me a spare key," he replied, shaking the key in his hand.
Vivian was speechless. Did attractive people have a pass to go anywhere? Even the famously intimidating landlady here was easily manipulated by him. Truly impressive.