Chapter 143: Let’s Mooch a Bit
Vivian scooted back a little. She decided to stick to her bottom line—she absolutely could not bully someone while they were "incapacitated"!
But alas... As the saying goes, while one tries to pull away, the other draws closer. Just as Vivian shifted her body, Julian moved too.
He rolled over. Going from lying flat on his back to lying on his side, his arm reached out toward Vivian, brushing against her shoulder.
Vivian was so startled by Julian’s touch that she nearly jumped out of her skin in a mix of nervousness and excitement. She turned her head to look at him. Julian seemed to be sleeping soundly, but in his groggy slumber, his nose twitched slightly.
Huh? Was he dreaming of turning into a dog?
Several absurd thoughts popped into Vivian’s head, but she quickly shook them off, dismissing the strange ideas.
She cleared her throat mentally. It was fine if she merely thought about it, but if Julian ever found out...
While she was lost in thought, the man beside her had woken up at some point. Julian shifted his head, nuzzling into the bed like a drowsy kitten. He buried his face into his pillow, curled up his body sleepily, and leaned closer to Vivian.
"You’re awake?" he asked, his voice muffled and groggy.
Vivian didn’t answer. She honestly had no idea whether Julian was truly awake or still sleep-talking.
After a long while, the only sound beside her was his even breathing. Gathering her courage, Vivian rolled onto her side to look at him.
Julian was still facing her. Now that she had turned toward him, the distance between them closed significantly. If she leaned forward just a tiny bit, she could kiss his forehead.
The way he was curled up was actually quite cute.
Unable to resist, Vivian reached out and stealthily brushed a finger over Julian’s eyebrow. It was soft and fine, quite a contrast to the sharp, defined angles of his face.
She had heard that people who curled up in their sleep lacked a sense of security. Vivian had always thought that someone as powerful as Julian wouldn’t sleep in such a posture. She was wrong.
Perhaps, deep down in his heart, there was a soft spot too?
Vivian thought of Julian’s childhood. Julian’s mother had passed away early due to a painful illness. Those days must have been agonizing. Julian had still been so young, right at the age when a child needed their mother the most. Without her, it was inevitable that he would grow up lacking a sense of security.
At this thought, her heart ached for him. Seeing his brow slightly furrowed even in his sleep, she decided to help smooth it out.
"Don’t be afraid. You still have me. And, well, you have Grandmother too," Vivian thought to herself.
As she leaned forward slightly, her lips gently brushed against the center of Julian’s forehead. A warm sensation spread from her lips, making her feel as though she had been struck by a jolt of electricity.
She was a bit surprised by her own boldness. She didn’t really know why she had chosen to kiss him in that moment. Perhaps it was because realizing that even someone as formidable as him had a vulnerable side made her feel the need to cherish and comfort him.
It felt like a wicked witch taking advantage of a child. Vivian reflected deeply on her actions.
She decided to turn over a new leaf. Shifting her body, she prepared to close her eyes and go back to sleep, erasing everything that had just happened from her memory.
But who would have thought? Just as Vivian decided to give up, a certain someone chose to persist.
"What are you doing, Vivian?"
Julian was actually awake!
He had been fully aware of her actions the entire time. He asked the question with a groggy voice, his brain still reacting a bit sluggishly. After asking, he nudged slightly closer in her direction.
Julian had a robust and well-built physique. The moment he moved closer, Vivian felt an overwhelming sense of pressure bearing down on her. She had no room left behind her. If she retreated any further, she would fall right off the bed.
Even though the bedroom floor was carpeted and she wouldn’t get hurt from the fall, wouldn’t it be far too embarrassing for a grown adult to roll out of bed in the middle of the night?
Before she had time to overthink it, the man closing in on her shifted his head again, nuzzling straight toward the crook of her neck. For a "big cat" like Julian, the hollow between Vivian’s neck and shoulder was the perfect place to rest his head.
She didn’t know if this was his way of seeking a sense of security. Right now, Julian acted entirely like a child.
Vivian stopped moving. Then, Julian’s head settled comfortably onto her shoulder.
"Could he be treating me like his mother?" Vivian muttered inwardly, unable to help herself.
Probing carefully, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and asked, "Julian, do you know who I am? Do you... do you know what you’re doing?"
"Mhm." A muffled voice sounded by her ear once again, proving that Julian wasn’t asleep at all, but rather quite lucid. "You are Vivian. Let me lean on you for a bit, okay?"
He phrased it as a question. His tone was soft, carrying an inexplicable hint of coquettishness.
Vivian surrendered.
She had always believed that people were generally defenseless against the cute, clingy acts of sweet and delicate girls like Eleanor. But to her surprise, when a man like Julian acted coaxingly toward her, she was equally powerless to resist.
It was just leaning for a bit. Vivian silently gave her consent.
Who didn’t have moments of exhaustion when they just wanted to rest? Even someone as strong as Julian was no exception.
Vivian felt that if it were her, she would also want a shoulder to lean on when she was tired. However, reality was often cruel. The only person she could rely on was herself. Even a shoulder to lean on felt like a luxury.
Otherwise... why would there be news stories about women sitting in subway station corridors, sobbing uncontrollably? That woman must have been incredibly exhausted. Without even a shoulder to lean on, she had finally broken down, venting her emotions right there. And once she finished letting it out, she would have to pull herself together and carry on with her life.
Not even a shoulder to lean on. Vivian felt that such a situation was truly heartbreaking.
Fortunately, Julian had a shoulder right now.
He was the CEO of the Faulkner Group. In front of everyone else, he was the invincible Julian Faulkner with no weaknesses.
But right now, he was just Julian.
A tired Julian who could act a little spoiled and willful, resting his head on Vivian’s shoulder to unwind.
"Go to sleep," Vivian whispered gently, a small smile playing on her lips. In that moment, she really wanted to stroke his head. Just like comforting a little kitten, perhaps she could also soothe this big cat named Julian.