On July 1st, the weather remained pleasant and sunny.
If one were to go by that day's auspicious moment in the Chinese almanac, it suggested suitability for outings, weddings, ceremonies, renovations, and groundbreaking, while cautioning against burials and market openings.
Of course, foreigners didn't really believe in such things, and truth be told, neither did Lyman. As for Eva Green, she couldn't have cared less.
She had been busy with promotional activities for nearly half a month. In mid-June, Lyman had finally managed to meet her in France, and later, they both flew to Los Angeles.
After so long apart, they deeply missed each other.
The two spent their days being lovey-dovey in the hotel.
When the girl wasn't working, she rarely got up early. After all, they had just resolved a "conflict" the previous night and had enjoyed a peaceful rest.
Well, it seemed that if there was no conflict, sleep quality was quite good.
In any case, for the man, that matter was more of a burden.
Hadn't he heard of the saying "the more you sleep, the more nourished you become"? Lyman thought it made sense.
After all, if they kept "battling" day by day, his body would only grow weaker day by day. On the other hand, Eva seemed to be getting more spirited.
Odd, quite odd.
On this day, Lyman was still lying in bed as Eva carefully got up, trying her best not to disturb him.
After freshening up and dressing, she planned to slip away to the fitness center in the suite next door to exercise her body.
As a female star, one had to maintain their figure and pay attention to their physique.
Once done with her workout, she was covered in sweat and took a shower before changing into fresh clothes.
Glancing at Lyman, who was still lying in the bedroom, Eva felt a bit bored. Suddenly, she thought of her parents and decided to give them a call.
Her mother answered the call.
When she began speaking, her mother questioned why she was calling so proactively and if there was something wrong.
Eva felt a bit embarrassed.
Upon reflection, if she had nothing to discuss, she really didn't like calling them. Typically, it was her mother who called her.
Moreover, she usually only thought to call them when she had something to discuss.
"I need to rent a new apartment for myself. Tell Auntie about the previous one."
She had gone abroad to study, and her parents were at ease knowing that the apartment belonged to her mother's friend. Over the past two years, the friend had taken good care of her.
However, Lyman wanted her to live in the house he had bought if she intended to stay in Los Angeles in the future.
This way, they could live together again and not stay in hotels.
Naturally, Eva was quite excited about this and discussed it with her mother, explaining that they wouldn't need to trouble her friend anymore.
"Do you have the money? Why do you want to change apartments?" Her mother had a vague sense that something wasn't quite right.
After all, her daughter's relationship with Lyman hadn't been discussed, and while her younger sister had a faint inkling, she didn't know with whom.
"Just want to be closer to Hollywood for convenience in taking roles," Eva explained.
Persuading and cajoling, they finally managed to navigate through the topic.
"Well, you take good care of yourself over there."
"Okay, Mom, I'm hanging up now."
"You child, you don't have anything to talk to me about."
Mumbling to herself, she eventually ended the call.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly.
Eva stepped out of the hotel lobby and glanced at the pedestrians nearby.
Her gaze kept shifting left and right.
From childhood to now, she had never been out of sight of her family.
France was the same, and even during her studies, she had her mother's friend looking out for her.
Out of the blue, she thought about living with Lyman, and her mind couldn't decide on what to think. She felt a bit melancholic.
She shifted her gaze away and turned her head to look at the hotel's staircase.
The steps were clean. Then, she noticed Lyman holding an umbrella, coming down from above.
"What are you looking at?" As he approached, Eva stood at the hotel's entrance and observed herself, naturally asking.
"Nothing."
"Well, then, let's go. I'll take you to see the house, look at the renovations and all. If you're satisfied or if there's anything you want to change, just let me know. The renovation company hasn't finished yet."
He opened the umbrella and draped his arm around Eva's shoulder.
After resting at the hotel for these few days, once they grew tired of that, they decided to check out the house Lyman had bought.
First, the two went to a restaurant for lunch. The hotel's provided meals didn't compare to the flavors here.
They got into a car and slowly drove off.
It wasn't until 1:30 in the afternoon that they arrived in Beverly Hills.
Several weeks had passed since he purchased it.
The changes to the house weren't significant.
Originally, the requirements were quite simple – no major construction or alterations to the design style. They followed the original layout and added a few touches.
This approach did leave the contracted renovation company somewhat frustrated. They had nowhere to showcase their skills. How could they raise the charges? They weren't making much money from this.
"Wow, it's really beautiful."
Eva's eyes widened as soon as she stepped into the front yard.
A spacious lawn, modern minimalist style – it all caught her attention.
She glanced at Lyman and went through the motions of appraising it. "Good location, great lighting and ventilation. The view is nice too."
"Ah, yes."
Naturally. The house was on top of a hill. How could the view not be good? From here, you could see the bustling pedestrian street in the distance.
"Let's go inside."
Eva tugged Lyman's arm and headed back to the main building.
Entering the bedroom, she spotted the large bed and asked, "Is this the master bedroom?"
"Yeah. How is it? Aside from the bed, I made a few changes to the closet, but everything else is the same. Do you have any thoughts?"
"It's really nice."
Indeed, it was quite impressive.
From the vanity table, bedside cabinets, computer, and wall-mounted TV to the floor-to-ceiling windows and walk-in closet... everything was in place.
The key was the ample space that made it feel open and bright.
Having toured from this room to another, they explored the backyard, taking a look at the tennis court, swimming pool, and garage.
After viewing everything, they returned to the large balcony of the master bedroom.
This was where the view was the best, overlooking the foot of the mountain.
Though the surrounding woods were sparse, they still created a delightful atmosphere.
Sunlight streamed down, accompanied by a gentle breeze. It was a truly soothing experience for both body and mind.
In this setting, Lyman gazed at Eva. She seemed to have noticed his gaze, turning to look at him as well.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking, based on the clichéd scenes that movies love, at this moment, you should rush over and kiss me. I'm waiting."
Eva burst into giggles.
Her laughter was joyous, and suddenly, she took a deep breath, agilely leaping onto him.
The kiss was quite lengthy, almost leaving Lyman breathless.
Finally, he understood why he needed that deep breath.
He held her while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She clung to him like a koala.
Strange enough, even though she seemed slender, her body was quite substantial, curves in the right places.
Just a bit heavy.
More tiring than lifting a camera, in fact.
After a while, their lips parted.
She looked at him and laughed happily once again.
This summer hadn't passed yet, and busy days were bound to return.
As for Lyman, while his new journey hadn't yet begun, he still needed to wrap up the old one.
With the support of EuropaCorp, preparations for the project of "Effervescent" were proceeding systematically. However, there were also some matters to attend to regarding "Miscreant".
After being in theaters for so long, it was becoming unsustainable.
The market had become saturated, and with no more profit to be gained, there was no point in dragging it out. The curtain was drawn on its North American run.
But not ending it was also not an option, as the theaters wouldn't continue screening it.