The sunlight spilled onto her slightly curly long brown hair, coating her entire being in a soft halo.
She just stood there, yet her whole person radiated a fresh, healthy, and stunning beauty, as if she were an elf born from the sunlight itself.
Leon's brain short-circuited for a moment.
He subconsciously raised his hand, scratching his golden curly hair with a bit of awkwardness.
"Rachel?" Leon asked tentatively.
"Ha, Leon." Upon hearing him, the girl's smile grew even more brilliant, her dimples deepening.
"What's wrong with you? Don't recognize me anymore?" Rachel's tone was light, teasing him with a touch of intimacy. "Please, we only haven't seen each other for a few days!"
"Haha!" Leon gave a couple of dry laughs, trying to hide his embarrassment with a silly grin.
Using the laughter as a cover, he recalled the memories regarding this girl.
Rachel McAdams, from Canada, a neighbor living in the adjacent unit. Like him, she harbored dreams of being an actor. She was cheerful, beautiful, and kind.
Rachel and Leon had a good relationship; they often chatted and ate together.
However, as more memories surfaced, Leon's heart suddenly sank.
Looking at the sweet-smiling girl with delicate features before him, an indescribable sense of absurdity and a frustration born of wasted potential welled up in his heart.
He grumbled inwardly, almost cursing out loud: "This damn original owner! What was he thinking? Having such a beautiful girl right next to him who clearly likes him, yet he didn't cherish her and instead went to seduce an underage girl? Truly led by his crotch, he deserved to ruin himself!"
This stark contrast deepened his contempt for the original owner even further, while also making him feel more helpless about his current situation.
"What are you doing heading out so early?" Leon pulled back his drifting thoughts, trying to make his tone sound natural. He noticed Rachel was carrying a simple canvas bag.
Hearing this, the bright smile on Rachel's face faded slightly, replaced by a look of helplessness as she gave a light shrug.
"Sigh, don't mention it. Auditions haven't been going well lately, and I can't find any roles to play. My savings are almost gone." Her tone carried a hint of resignation and uncertainty about the future, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"I plan to go out and find a part-time job first—coffee shop clerk, restaurant server, anything will do. I have to earn enough for rent and living expenses first."
Leon saw the sparkle in her eyes dim, and his heart tightened for some reason.
"Alright," Leon nodded, though he couldn't help her for the time being.
In this city of dreams, there were too many young actors like them struggling between basic survival and their aspirations.
Leon followed up casually: "Then I hope you find a good job. Um... if you're free tonight, want to have dinner together?"
Leon subconsciously felt that since she had just said she was looking for a part-time job, whether she would be working tonight was an unknown; she would likely politely decline or say "we'll see."
However, Rachel's reaction was completely beyond his expectations.
"Okay!" Almost the instant the words left his mouth, Rachel's eyes suddenly lit up like stars being ignited in the night sky. The previous helplessness and confusion were instantly dispelled, replaced by a face full of joy.
She didn't hesitate for a second, agreeing very decisively.
"Then I'll look for you when I get back!" she added, her tone very brisk.
"Oh!" Leon was completely stunned, his mouth slightly agape, not reacting for a moment.
Looking at Rachel's almond eyes full of expectation and smiles, he could only respond somewhat stutteringly: "O-Okay!"
Then, an even more unbelievable scene occurred.
Rachel took a few steps forward, came up to him, stood slightly on her tiptoes, and intimately pressed a soft kiss to the left corner of Leon's mouth.
That soft sensation, carrying a hint of a young woman's fresh fragrance, was there and gone in a flash.
"It's a date then!" A faint blush appeared on Rachel's face, but her smile remained sweet and generous.
Having said that, she didn't linger. She turned and walked with light steps along the sidewalk toward the distant bus stop.
Leon was completely petrified on the spot, as if a freezing spell had been cast on him.
The lingering warmth at the corner of his mouth was so clear, constantly reminding him that everything that just happened wasn't an illusion.
He stood there blankly, even forgetting how to react.
Several seconds passed before he stiffly turned around, his gaze following that receding, graceful figure.
Just then, Rachel, who was halfway there, also looked back. Her face still held those infectious dimples as she smiled at him, raising her hand and waving it gently in the air, silently mouthing "See you tonight."
The sunlight outlined her profile as she turned; her hair fluttering and her smile bright, the scene was as beautiful as a still frame from a movie.
Leon subconsciously raised his hand as well, waving clumsily. He didn't slowly lower his arm until he saw Rachel's figure disappear into the crowd waiting at the bus stop.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, and two voices in his mind were in fierce conflict. One voice was screaming: She likes you! She really likes you!
But another voice sneered: Yeah, too bad the original you was a bastard who let down such a good girl.
Leon touched the corner of his mouth where Rachel had kissed him; her temperature still remained there.
He took a deep breath and turned toward the apartment. No matter how unbelievable all this was, he was Leon Williams now, and Rachel McAdams, that sweet-smiling girl, clearly had genuine feelings for him.
"Maybe this is actually quite nice!" Leon murmured to himself.
Leon pushed open the wooden door of the apartment building and walked in.
The hallway was somewhat dim. Following his memory, he walked up to the second floor and arrived at a door at the end of the corridor.
He pulled the keychain out of his pants pocket and found the door key.
He inserted it into the keyhole and turned it gently. With a "click," the door opened.
He pushed the door open, and the scent common to a single man's apartment wafted toward him.
Leon stepped inside and closed the door behind him, the wooden door sealing out the light and noise of the outside world.
He leaned his back against the door panel and let out a long sigh, finally beginning to look over this rented residence.
The apartment wasn't large and the furnishings were simple. There were a few messy clothes on the bed, but the whole apartment looked reasonably clean.
Leon went straight to the bathroom and stood before the sink, looking up to seriously examine this unfamiliar face in the mirror for the first time.
Even with his blonde hair in disarray and weariness in the corners of his eyes,
this face was still excessively handsome.
Deep blue eyes like water-soaked gemstones, a high-bridged nose outlining a perfect profile, and a sharp, clean jawline. Combined with fair skin and pale gold eyelashes, he looked exactly like a cover model stepped out of a teen magazine.
He took off the T-shirt he had just straightened, and the mirror reflected an inverted triangle upper body.