Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Courtship

Opening the door revealed a whole other world inside.

The room was spacious, about ten square meters. This wasn’t a storage room for pigments; all around stood artworks draped in white canvas. They looked rather old, yet there wasn’t a speck of dust on the canvases, showing how well the owner had preserved them.

Jeanette was curious about what kind of works Caleb had left here, all shrouded in such mystery and wrapped so tightly in canvas.

Her hand brushed against a canvas—the texture was incredibly smooth. She took hold of a corner.

“Jan!”

The sudden voice made Jeanette jump. She dropped her hand and walked over to Caleb, pouting playfully. “Is dinner ready? I just discovered you have a second studio. It’s all my fault for not paying any attention to your art.”

Caleb’s gaze swept across the room. “You’ve seen everything in here?”

“Not yet. Why?” Jeanette looked at him, confused.

“It’s nothing.” Caleb smiled, took her hand, and led her out, closing the hidden door behind them. “I was just surprised you came to the studio. You’re usually not interested in these things.”

“Are you blaming me for not knowing enough about you? I admit I haven’t done a good job with that. I’ll definitely try my best to learn more about your hobbies and be a proper girlfriend.”

“You don’t need to change for me. You’re fine just the way you are,” Caleb said. “If you’re not interested, there’s no need to force yourself to learn about it. Things are perfect as they are.”

Jeanette’s heart filled with sweetness. She nodded. “Okay.”

*

Naomi Kenway was back on the set of *Youth*. One day, due to the sweltering heat, Ruby Preston treated the entire cast and crew to dinner at a hotel.

The main cast sat at one table, with Ruby Preston at the head. Naomi saw Luke Lowell, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. Their scenes were always scheduled apart, so they had little screen time together. Plus, as an A-lister, Luke was often juggling several gigs at once, so their chances to meet were few and far between.

Luke had been observing Naomi for some time. Since learning that her temper wasn’t as explosive as it used to be, he had let his guard down considerably, and his greetings had become more sincere.

His cousin had told him that Naomi’s foul temper was due to postpartum depression and that he should be more patient with her. At first, he hadn’t believed it at all; after all, Naomi had always been sly and unpredictable. But after spending more time with her on set, he realized she was indeed quite normal—much more so than before.

Naomi had just raised her glass to greet Luke when a subtle gaze flickered her way. She looked over and saw Clementine Coleman staring straight at her with an utterly smitten expression, practically drooling. When caught, the younger actress even tried to hide her face with a chicken drumstick.

Clementine had a round face, and the single drumstick only covered the lower half, revealing a pair of wide, circular eyes.

Naomi couldn’t help but chuckle. She leaned forward deliberately. “Like what you see? Want a closer look, little Miss Clementine?”

Clementine nodded furiously, then abruptly realized her mistake and shook her head vigorously. “I’m not a little kid! I’m in college!”

Naomi rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful look on her face. “If you’re not a little kid, then what are you? Why were you sneaking glances at me? Are you trying to hide your face with a chicken drumstick to cover your tracks?”

Everyone around them watched the scene with great interest.

“I was not!” Clementine said stubbornly. “A bad woman like you is not someone I…” She gritted her teeth. “…would ever like! You remember this, Naomi Kenway. No matter how divinely beautiful you are, I will never like you! I wasn’t staring at you just now. I, I was just…” Her eyes lit up, and she pointed to a lush green decorative plant behind Naomi.

“See that behind you? I was clearly staring at the plant! That plant is so… pleasing to the eye.”

Naomi was about to burst out laughing at her stubborn denial. “So you were drooling over a potted plant?”

Clementine subconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth. “…I’m a vegetarian.”

An actor from the same crew sitting beside her used the serving chopsticks to pile a heap of greens onto her plate. “So you like vegetables! You should have said so earlier. Don’t be so shy. Think of our crew as your family. Were the vegetables too far for you to reach? I was wondering why you were only eating meat. Here, let me help you. Just let me know when you finish, don’t be polite!”

Clementine, a devout carnivore, took a couple of bites of the greens and said through gritted teeth, “Thank you!”

Many bottles of wine had been opened at the table. Naomi, who now had something of a complex about alcohol, hadn’t so much as touched her glass. The people next to her were very persuasive with their toasts, and after barely fending off two waves, Naomi made an excuse to get some fresh air on the rooftop terrace.

A tall, slender figure stood ahead. It was only when he turned around that Naomi recognized him as Luke Lowell.

Luke was also taken aback to see Naomi. “Well, well. Why aren’t you down there drinking? I thought you couldn’t have fun without a drink.”

Naomi walked forward a few steps and leaned her body against the railing. The night breeze was cool and felt wonderful against her skin.

“I quit.”

“You quit drinking, just like that? Don’t people say addictions are hard to break? True for smoking, true for drinking.”

“It wasn’t easy, but not as hard as you might think.”

Standing in complete silence would have been incredibly awkward. Besides, the two of them were practically related, so Naomi and Luke made small talk. The main topic was Ethan Shaw, the one subject they had in common.

Luke was a chatterbox and naturally friendly. He talked nonstop about Ethan, endlessly singing his praises and talking about how amazing his cousin was at this and that.

“I can see you really admire Ethan.”

“Of course!” Luke turned into a total fanboy. “I worship my cousin. He’s my idol! He’s gotten me out of so much trouble since we were kids. If I could just be half as outstanding as him, my mom wouldn’t be nagging me all the time!”

“What else does your aunt do besides nagging you to get married?”

Luke clutched his head. “Isn’t that enough? I’m about to die from her nagging. Whoever wants to get married can go right ahead. It’s not for me. I’m perfectly happy and free on my own, with no one to answer to.”

The party downstairs was still going. They chatted a bit more about their recent lives. Then, remembering something, Naomi glanced around to make sure no one else was there before speaking, her voice laced with curiosity.

“By the way… does your cousin have a thing for exhibitionism?”

“What?” Luke’s eyes went wide as saucers, but he still knew to keep his voice down. “What did you say?!”

He leaned in, his face a mask of pure gossip. “Huh? Just how much of an exhibitionist is he? Come on, sis-in-law, you have to give me the details.”

“Well…” Naomi’s ears inexplicably turned a little red. “He likes to walk around the bedroom naked. I only just recently discovered it.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep