Leslie openly stared at the bowl of egg fried rice served in front of her. Her hunger suddenly increased to another level.
The rice grains were lightly coated with sesame oil and light soy sauce. Yellow threads of scrambled eggs laced through the rice, a pop of color alongside the orange diced carrots and green chopped scallions.
Not only the simple egg fried rice was so visually appealing, but even the harmonious mixture of aroma enticed Leslie.
Gulp...
Was she that hungry until she thought so much over a simple egg fried rice?
Leslie didn't have a clear answer for that.
As Calix watched Leslie's behavior, his heart was tickled with a sense of amusement.
This lady suddenly appeared in a soul form, saying that she was temporarily separated from her body. That was already uncanny yet, weirder things kept popping up.
A soul like her had to sleep and eat? What else would come later?
Didn't this simply mean she retained her human functions even when she was in her soul form?
Calix shrugged. He got them two cups of plain water before he put one next to Leslie's rice bowl. They sat facing each other at the kitchen island.
"Why don't you dig in? Amazed to see a handsome young man like me cooked? You should be thankful ah. I don't cook for everyone."
Leslie's focus on the fried rice shifted to Calix. She refrained from showing an impassive look.
Really, ah. This guy thought nothing of ruining the aloof and mysterious image his fans had of him. Once he opened his mouth, nothing elegant came out of it.
But...
Leslie didn't want to admit it out loud in front of Calix. She actually preferred a lively and playful man, whether it was a book character or not.
Fortunately, Calix was such a man. If he was like his friend Xander, the cold and domineering male lead of this world, it might be super hard to get closer to him.
"The fried rice looks good," Leslie smiled softly. She picked up the chopsticks. Before taking a bite, she glanced around the kitchen, "No one else is here, right? I don't want them to see floating chopsticks."
Leslie had roughly explained what she could and couldn't do to Calix. A smart man like him easily understood the rules.
"Aunt Wendy and Uncle Raymond stay away from here at night unless I ask them to come. No worries. But, be careful ah. I don't want them to think my house is haunted."
Leslie was only able to hold an object when Calix was around but, she didn't know the exact perimeter. He also wondered the same.
Hurm, there was nothing to be worried about. They could do some trials and errors later.
Calix's words made Leslie laugh. Her eyes curved into two crescent moons.
"Hehe, I know. Let's eat. I'm hungry."
"Yeah, yeah, eat."
Leslie happily took her first bite. When she praised how tasty the fried rice was, a smug-looking Calix said he would make better food for her next time.
While filling her hungry tummy, Leslie took some time to think about what had happened so far. Her gaze landed on Calix's face as a thought crossed her mind.
This man was so easy to approach ah.
Leslie didn't foresee having a meal together with Calix this soon.
This afternoon, he fainted after exclaiming she was a ghost. Yet, this late at night, he already seemed comfortable interacting with her.
Nevertheless, this situation leaned in Leslie's favor.
'I need to tell him about Calliope soon. But, how?'
How should she explain this matter to him?
By directly telling him that she was looking for her lost child?
Wouldn't it surprise him again?
In the novel, the character of Charlene Li never had any lover. It was briefly described that she didn't have time to look for love or get to know a man.
Thus, what kind of excuse could she use?
Aware that she couldn't afford to make any missteps, Leslie understood that she needed to be extra careful when bringing up this subject.
"Ah, I've forgotten to tell you."
Calix's voice cut through Leslie's thoughts. As her gaze regained its clarity, she looked at the man.
"...yes?"
What did he forget to relay to her?
Calix put down his chopsticks. Only a few bites of rice were left inside his bowl. With a serious face, he said, "En, before that, how should we address each other?"
Perplexed, Leslie widened her eyes slightly.
"Mr. Xu, what..."
"No, no, no."
Calix wiggled one index finger and shook his head at the same time. Humming, he thought for a short moment before speaking again.
"Don't be so formal with me ah. Drop the honorific. Call me Calix. In return, can I call you Charlene? No matter what, we're husband and wife now."
Leslie slowly blinked her eyes, finding how plausible Calix's reasoning was.
Well, he was right, indeed.
They were husband and wife only on paper. But, forming a good relationship would bring benefits, especially to her who had lesser power. This also allowed her to think of him as something like a friend.
But...
"Call me Leslie."
Calix was caught in a daze, staring at the woman in confusion, "What? Leslie? Isn't your name Charlene?"
Where did that name come from? Calix was certain that his wife's name was Charlene Li. He wrote it down on the marriage registration form this morning.
"I like that name better," Leslie quickly gave an excuse, "Think of it as my nickname."
"...a nickname?"
Calix tried to wrap his head around the relation between the two names but, he gave up.
"Okay, I'll call you by that name," Calix shrugged, thinking that it was just a small matter, "Leslie. I'll call you Leslie."
"Thank you."
Leslie noticed the look of puzzlement on Calix's face but, she feigned ignorance. She couldn't bring herself to be addressed with Charlene's name yet.
At least, not now.
Once they reached an agreement, Calix brought up what he had unintentionally neglected.
"My grandmother called this afternoon. She told me to go back to the ancestral home tomorrow night. Your family will come too. We'll be having dinner together."
The mention of the Li family stunned Leslie.
"They... I mean, my parents... will be there?"
Referring to Charlene's parents as hers sounded so awkward. Still, Leslie needed to play her role well. Right now, they could be considered as her mother and father.
Calix nodded. He sensed something was off from Leslie's reaction but, he said nothing about it.
"Wanna follow me? You can choose not to, tho. It's not like they can..."
Leslie abruptly cut Calix before he could finish his words.
"No. I'll go. Let me follow you. At what time should we go?"
This was a good chance to see Charlene's parents for the first time. There were not many descriptions in the novel. Leslie only knew they were not favored by Old Madam Li, Charlene's paternal grandmother.
"Maybe around five-thirty. Dinner's at seven."
"Okay."
Without asking or saying anything anymore, Leslie finished the rest of the fried rice. Immersed in her own thoughts, she didn't see how Calix was staring at her.
Pursing his lips, Calix held back from asking a sensitive question to Leslie.
If possible, he wanted to know how exactly she fell into a coma.
But...
He had a feeling this was not the right time to inquire about it.
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A/N: From this chapter on, Calix will address Leslie with her name instead of Charlene. I hope it'll be clear to you :)