Ivy Holden walked in, with Jensen Morrison right behind her.
"Well, Morandi colors. I didn't expect you to have such good taste," Ivy Holden praised sincerely as she surveyed the room's blue-gray, British-style decor. The Morandi palette, known for its supremely gentle hues, originated from the artistic aesthetic of the great 20th-century Italian artist, Giorgio Morandi. It was as if a thin, gray veil had been draped over every color, neutralizing their original vibrancy and intensity to strike a serene and noble artistic balance.
The apartment's central theme was a precise blend of black, white, and gray, establishing a sophisticated, grayscale aesthetic. The wood-brown cabinets, dusty-blue bar stools, and gray sofa all formed a Morandi-style ensemble. The fusion of blue and gray imbued the dusty-blue hue with a subdued character, much like Jensen Morrison himself.
Jensen Morrison let Ivy Holden survey his home as she pleased. He walked into the bedroom and emerged a few moments later, having changed clothes, before heading into the kitchen.
The kitchen was open-concept, with a kitchen island separating it from the dining area. A vase of coffee-colored dried flowers sat on the pure white stone countertop, as if time itself was carefully preserved within their petals, forbidden to escape. Ivy Holden's fingertips brushed lightly across a petal. "Your taste isn't half bad," she sighed.
Jensen Morrison wordlessly plugged in the egg cooker and placed two eggs inside.
"Making eggs for a late-night snack at this hour?" Ivy Holden asked, leaning over the kitchen island.
Jensen Morrison remained silent, simply walking to the study. He returned a moment later carrying a small first-aid kit and set it on the island.
As Ivy Holden opened the kit and began rummaging through it, Jensen Morrison's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and put the call on speaker.
"Oh, for crying out loud! Are you okay?!" Diana Dunn's voice was frantic.
"If you have something to say, say it. If not, I'm going to bed," Jensen Morrison said coldly.
"Just go look online! It's been less than an hour and you're already trending! Saving one damsel in distress is bad enough, but two at once?! You're really something else!" Diana Dunn yelled, utterly exasperated.
"Got it," Jensen Morrison replied dismissively, his expression blank. With a flick of his slender fingers, he hung up.
Ivy Holden suddenly recalled a rumor from her past life and couldn't resist gloating, "Aren't you afraid Diana Dunn will ditch you and strike out on her own one day?"
Jensen Morrison glanced at the first-aid kit, giving Ivy Holden a look that urged her to hurry up and treat his injury.
'Forget it. Spilling secrets about the future is never a good idea. Besides, there's no point in doing something if there's nothing in it for me,' she thought. Ivy Holden shook her head, pulling a roll of white gauze and a bottle of iodine from the first-aid kit. "Will this do?" she asked.
Jensen Morrison wrinkled his brow in distaste. A mischievous smile touched Ivy Holden's lips. "Silence means yes." With that, she twisted open the iodine bottle, used a small pair of tweezers to grab a cotton ball, and pressed it to the corner of Jensen's mouth.
Jensen Morrison didn't pull away, which puzzled Ivy Holden. She lost the heart to tease him any further and instead carefully dabbed the bruised area.
Silence fell for a moment. The water in the pot on the stove came to a boil, making a soft BUBBLING sound. Ivy Holden was suddenly in a daze; the memory of waking up in his bed after her rebirth surfaced again, making her feel a little awkward.
A phone suddenly rang, shattering the quiet moment between them.
Ivy Holden quickly pulled her hand away and turned to check on the boiling eggs, trying to look casual. Jensen Morrison turned his back to the kitchen to answer the call.
"Hello, Uncle Holden." Jensen Morrison's deep voice came from behind her, and Ivy Holden's hand, which was holding a spoon, involuntarily tightened its grip.
"Jensen, your mother was just scrolling through social media and saw what happened with the fight. She's very worried about you."
"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm fine."
"You…" Before Carson Holden could finish, Brooke Morrison took the phone from him. "Jensen, how are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm already back at my Genesis Garden apartment," Jensen Morrison explained in a low voice.
"I saw the paparazzi photos. The girl who got into your car… was that Ivy?"
"…" Jensen Morrison glanced back at Ivy Holden before replying in a low voice, "It was."
Brooke Morrison's tone immediately turned stern. "Jensen, how could you take Ivy to a place like that? And get into a fight?!"
"Mom, it's already ten-thirty. If you don't get some sleep, you'll have terrible dark circles under your eyes tomorrow, and you wouldn't want that!" Jensen Morrison's voice suddenly became exceptionally gentle.
"How sappy," Ivy Holden muttered, rubbing her arms as if she had goosebumps. She scooped the eggs out of the pot.
Jensen Morrison didn't quite hear what Ivy Holden said. After hanging up, he turned and asked, "What was that?"
"Nothing." Ivy Holden placed the boiled eggs in a bowl and set it in front of Jensen Morrison. "Director Morrison, aren't you worried about trending online?"
"What's there to worry about? New things trend every day. What's a little incident like ours? By the time we wake up, something else will have pushed it off the list."
"Good point. Say… should I release the recording of James Zimmers and Issac Sutton fighting in the bathroom?"
"You have such a good card to play. You're willing to use it now?"
"You're right. I was saving it for something else."
"So there you have it." Jensen Morrison picked up the bowl and ran cold water from the faucet over the eggs inside.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Ivy Holden raised an eyebrow. "Well, if there's nothing else, I should get going. It's late, and it'll be a disaster if my grandfather finds out I snuck out. Tomorrow is his birthday banquet, and I can't afford to make him angry."
"You actually remember that tomorrow is Grandpa's birthday banquet?" Jensen Morrison tapped an egg on the counter a few times, deftly peeled it, and began rolling it gently over the bruise at the corner of his mouth.
Only then did Ivy Holden realize he hadn't boiled the eggs to eat them, but to treat his face.
"Well, you have fun rolling that. I'm leaving. Bye." Ivy Holden grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
"Wait," Jensen Morrison said. He walked to the door and pressed a button on the side of an electronic screen.
The screen lit up, displaying a live feed of the building's entrance. Ivy Holden couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. "Why are there so many people out there? They look like professional reporters on a stakeout. They're here for you, right?"
"If you go out there right now, they'll be coming after you," Jensen Morrison said, shooting Ivy Holden a cool glance. He turned and went back to the living room, collapsing lazily onto the sofa.
"Then what should I do? I…" 'I can't possibly spend the night here!' Ivy Holden thought.
"Get what's in the right-hand drawer of the TV console," Jensen Morrison said, his head tilted back against the sofa as he continued to roll the egg over his bruise.
Ivy Holden walked over and pulled open the drawer. Inside was a file folder bearing the Genesis Garden real estate logo. She picked it up and held it out to Jensen Morrison. "Here, this is for you."
"It's for you. Go on, open it."
"For me?" Ivy Holden looked at Jensen Morrison in astonishment. The latter didn't even look up.
Ivy Holden shook her head, opened the folder, and pulled out a stack of documents. In addition to a home purchase contract, a property inspection certificate, and various paid utility bills for water, electricity, gas, and heating, there was a bright red property deed. When Ivy Holden opened the deed, she saw her own name printed clearly in the owner's section.