'Where am I? Who am I?'
As Calix was slowly stirred awake, those questions popped into his mind. At the same time, he perceived something soft enveloping his body, providing him with warmth.
Oh, the back of his head felt nice too, fluffy.
But...
Why did he feel like lying on something hard?
What happened earlier? He remembered coming home with Edward in tow, intending to meet his newlywedded, comatose wife.
Then...
"...argh!"
Calix sprang his torso up, his body jolted forward, causing the blanket to pool around his waist. Eyes widened in surprise, the scenes that had just occurred before flashed in his mind.
"M-mister... you've woken up ah."
The sound of the slightly familiar, soft female voice ghosted shivers down Calix's spine. He unconsciously straightened his posture before slowly, so stiffly slow, he turned his head like a robot.
Until...
His blank gaze met her concerned countenance.
Calix and Leslie stared at each other, caught in a stifling silence. The emotions that lay underneath their exteriors were different.
Leslie was actually so nervous. She hoped Calix wouldn't faint again. How could she request his assistance if they couldn't communicate well?
"..."
Calix's eyes shifted from Leslie's face down to her feet. His brows raised slightly.
Why did they touch the floor? Didn't they hang above the floor earlier?
Then, Calix slowly and reluctantly looked at the body lying on the mattress, tucked properly under a blanket.
It was just the same as his final memory before he blacked out. The woman who was sitting on the edge of the bed had the same appearance as the one resting behind her.
Besides...
The woman could float in the air! He still remembered that!
Did it mean...
"Mister, please don't faint again."
Leslie's plea almost made Calix choke. They stabbed into his conscience. Coughing a few times, he finally placed his gaze properly on her.
Those words successfully chased away his urge to zonk out.
"Ahem! S-so... are you... actually a ghost?"
Calix had the urge to smack himself right after shooting that question out of his mouth.
What the heck was he trying to ask now? To clarify whether his newlywedded wife was a supernatural being? To let himself go crazy?
Gosh.
Was this his punishment for picking a weak and helpless young lady as his bride to fend off his nagging grandmother?
Leslie quietly watched how the young CEO's expression kept changing, morphed from shock to despair. His face was still slightly pale but, at least he didn't show any sign of fainting again.
En... how should she answer him? She didn't want him to pass out again ah.
Softening her tone, Leslie put up a pitiful look before explaining, "I'm not a ghost. My soul kind of slipped out of my body. I can't enter it back before my body recovers further... I think."
Calix narrowed his eyes, still in disbelief. In a skeptical voice, he asked, "Is it an out-of-body phenomenon? Something like that?"
Well, he had heard and read about the subject. Yet, he never thought to meet someone who experienced it himself.
If he was a fan of anything related to paranormal activity, he would be jumping for joy right now, not sitting here in fright. He even fainted once.
"Yes! Yes! Something like that!"
Leslie nodded her head repeatedly like a chicken pecking grains. She desperately hoped to be on Calix's good side. After all, he was the only one who could see her thus, helping her.
Please!
She was harmless ah!
Calix blinked. In a daze, he lightly patted one side of his head, seemingly trying to knock the fact into his mind.
"Then... how could I see you? Oh... Did you cover me with this blanket?"
Calix lightly grabbed the blanket that was still pooling around his waist. With one look, he saw the pillow.
No wonder only his back felt uncomfortable. It seemed like his new wife lay the blanket on him. She also put a pillow under the back of his head.
"I didn't know how long you'd faint, so... I got the blanket and pillow. About how you can see me, it happens because we're married."
Leslie didn't mention that the ability required him to make skin contact with the original host's body. This young CEO might be surprised again.
Shaking his head, Calix still couldn't wrap his head around this matter. He didn't foresee such a twist after marrying the young miss of the Li family.
Leslie pursed her lips. Her gaze was still on Calix. Even though he had no signs of rejecting her presence outright, he didn't fully believe her either.
Leslie knew that she couldn't blame Calix. Despite this world being inside a book, he was just like any other human being. Surely, this phenomenon was hard to be accepted by him.
'Mimo, can you hear me?'
|I can, Leslie.|
What Mimo mentioned before was true. Calix couldn't see the crochet fox toy.
Leslie was relieved to know how easy to connect telepathically with it. If not, it would seem as if she was talking alone.
'I don't want to waste time. Should I blackmail him?'
|Oh? How? Show me! Show me!|
Leslie held back from laughing. She refused to scare Calix further.
But, she might really need to blackmail him if she wanted to get his help.
In a higher tone, Leslie exclaimed, "Mr. Xu, I know why you chose me to be your wife."
Perplexed, Calix returned his focus to Leslie. Cold sweat broke on his back, "W-what... what did you know?"
Did she hear his conversation with Edward?
The guilty look on Calix's face almost made Leslie laugh. She couldn't help but wonder how a man of his status wore his heart on the sleeve.
Shouldn't he be more careful in expressing his feelings?
But, because of this behavior, Leslie could be comfortable with him.
If Calix was as cold and unapproachable as the original male lead, Xander Qin, Leslie would be the scared one.
Smiling with a hint of a smirk, Leslie said, "You wanted to stop your grandmother from forcing you to attend blind dates, en? You chose me because I am in a coma. So, I can't interfere with your life."
Calix's breath hitched. Leslie's words resembled a huge ball being thrown down into his throat to strangle him.
"..."
They were enough to prick his conscience.