Chapter 30: Tsundere
Julian suddenly leaned over, and Vivian felt a weight on her shoulder.
She tilted her head to take a look.
Julian’s long eyelashes cast faint shadows on his face. His nose twitched slightly, and his breathing was perfectly even.
When he was asleep, he was unusually gentle. The faint, unapproachable coldness that shrouded him during the day had largely dissipated.
His expression was calm, his face serene, and his lips were a faint shade of red.
Vivian’s lips curled up in a smile.
She suddenly felt that Julian was like an incredibly noble-looking cat.
When you weren’t familiar with him, you’d think he was always icy cold. But once you got to know him, you’d discover a deep-seated gentleness in his bones.
"Be a good boy. It’s not good to sleep like this. I’ll go get a towel and wipe your face, okay?"
Vivian cradled Julian’s head with both hands, gently lifting it off her shoulder and placing it steadily on the sofa.
"Mhm," Julian hummed softly. Looking groggy and a bit hazy-eyed, he said, "I’ll rest for a bit, then get up to wash up later."
"Okay, okay."
Vivian patted Julian’s shoulder with a beaming smile. Treating him just like one of the stray kittens she had rescued, she fetched a towel to wipe his face.
Julian lay there obediently the entire time, letting Vivian do whatever she wanted without moving an inch.
It was all done very quickly.
After tucking Julian in with a blanket, Vivian went to wash her hands, then returned to her room to take a shower and rest.
Right before bed.
Eleanor Rhodes sent over some pictures of the kittens they had rescued today. Two of them had already been adopted, leaving the mother cat and a calico kitten still at the pet hospital.
The mother cat had a very gentle temperament.
When Eleanor took the photo, she was petting the mother cat’s head.
"I’ve had the mother cat tested for antibodies," Eleanor sent Vivian in another message. "She can be spayed in a few days. She has a great personality, so I think we’ll be able to find her a suitable adopter."
Vivian replied with a "cute" sticker and typed out, "I suddenly had an emergency this time, leaving you to handle all the follow-up work.
"In a few days, once things at my studio are settled, how about I treat you to dinner?"
Eleanor replied swiftly, "Yep, yep! What are friends for? Anyway, the kitten still needs to be dewormed, so I’ll get back to work. Nighty-night~"
"Good night, get some rest soon!"
After replying, Vivian casually scrolled through her Moments.
Coincidentally, she spotted a Moments post made by Rachel Faulkner just a minute ago.
The post included photos of the jewelry she had gone out to buy with Grandma Faulkner today, along with a selfie.
In the selfie, she looked every bit the wealthy socialite, adorned with expensive jewelry and exuding an air of elegance.
Seeing Rachel like this, Vivian silently turned off her phone.
She recognized the jewelry brand—a very famous international luxury label. The pieces Rachel was wearing were limited editions, the kind that cost nearly seven figures.
It seemed that Grandma Faulkner had truly bought quite a lot of things when she took Rachel out today.
Word had it that when Rachel got married, Grandma Faulkner had scraped together tens of millions in dowry for her. After a few years of marriage, it had all been squandered. When Rachel returned with her suitcase, it only contained some ordinary clothes.
Now... Vivian didn’t know what to say about Rachel’s situation.
However, although Grandma Faulkner was kind-hearted, she was no fool. She would surely know how to handle her attitude toward Rachel. Vivian didn’t need to overthink it.
If the time came when Rachel became truly insatiable in her demands, Vivian would just step forward then.
No matter what, Vivian wanted to protect Grandma Faulkner.
Having made up her mind, Vivian felt much more at ease. After finishing her washing up, she got into bed and went to sleep.
The next morning.
When Vivian woke up, she got ready and opened the door to head out. To her surprise, she found that Julian, who was usually an early riser, was still lying on the sofa.
He was still fast asleep with his eyes closed, his breathing perfectly even.
However, the blanket covering him was no longer the one Vivian had tucked around him last night. It seemed he had woken up on his own and gotten up to wash up after all.
As expected of someone who was practically a germaphobe.
His face was completely clean, without a hint of oiliness. Looking at that face, Vivian couldn’t help but squat down and lean in a little closer.
Under the faint morning sunlight, the skin on his face was clearly visible.
The fine peach fuzz, and those striking, long eyelashes.
Vivian studied him carefully, wanting to lean in closer, and closer still.
Ahem.
She just wanted to take a closer look, with no other ulterior motives. After all, Julian’s godly good looks were genuinely on par with those of male celebrities.
She figured getting a few more glances was an absolute steal!
Along with that, Vivian also wanted to reach out and touch him. Julian’s face looked incredibly smooth, with practically invisible pores, giving off the impression that it would feel amazing to stroke.
Halfway there, Vivian’s hand stopped, hovering in mid-air.
Because she realized Julian was awake.
He slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps because Vivian was blocking the sunlight for him, Julian only had to squint slightly to clearly see the person in front of him and what she was doing.
Julian revealed a look of utter confusion.
Vivian felt a bit awkward. She instantly hid her hands behind her back, feeling slightly guilty, like an elementary school student caught red-handed making a mistake.
"Um, ahem! I just saw a mosquito, but now it’s gone! That mosquito is really sly!"
Vivian changed the subject. Looking at Julian and seeing that the flush had completely faded from his face, she asked, "Do you still feel unwell anywhere?
"It’s seven o’clock. Do you want to get up?"
Julian shook his head, clearly answering Vivian’s first question. He then stood up and walked steadily toward the vanity sink.
Upon reaching the vanity sink, Julian noticed something—
When had his toothbrush been put into Vivian’s toothbrush cup?
Noticing the issue, Julian subconsciously glanced back at Vivian.
Seeing this, Vivian gave a helpless shrug and said, "It was like that when I got up this morning. You probably put it in the wrong place by mistake when you woke up to wash up last night.
"Ahem. However, President Faulkner, out of a sense of rigorous caution, I didn’t know what your intentions were, so I didn’t touch your toothbrush. I let it stay right where it was."
After saying that, Vivian let out a light chuckle.
Sure enough, she saw Julian’s face darken slightly, turning back into an iceberg.
She wondered, "Huh? Is he angry? Is he just acting aloof?"