Chapter 6: He Has Neither Her Number nor Her Contact

In the living room, Arthur sat on the sofa, watching the two approach hand-in-hand with a smile. "Clary, Julian, you're back."

Julian spoke respectfully, "Grandpa."

Clara let go of his hand and ran over to sit next to Arthur, hugging his arm. "Grandpa, I missed you so much!"

She scrutinized her grandfather’s face, feeling that he had grown thinner in just a few days...

A dull ache filled her heart. She lowered her eyes to hide her emotions, but when she looked up again, she was radiant and playful, nudging his shoulder. "Grandpa, you’ve lost weight. Were you missing me so much you couldn't eat or sleep?"

"Who would miss a little monkey like you? Without you, my ears have finally had some peace." Arthur patted his granddaughter’s head. "Alright, stop acting spoiled. Aren't you afraid Julian will laugh at you?"

Julian interjected, "I won't. I think Clary is very cute like this."

The smile lines on Arthur’s face deepened. He patted the seat next to him. "Julian, don't just stand there. Come, sit and have some tea."

Julian sat as requested.

After some small talk, Arthur said gently, "Clary, take Julian to the ancestral hall to light some incense for your grandmother and parents. Tell them you’ve started a family."

"Okay."

In the hall, Clara held the incense and knelt before the prayer mat, closing her eyes and whispering:

Grandmother, Dad, Mom, I'm married. He’s a good person in every way. Please don't worry.

Opening her eyes, she bowed three times, placed the incense in the burner, and handed three sticks to Julian.

Julian knelt down formally, raised the incense to his forehead, and bowed three times with great respect.

Clara watched silently, a wave of warmth washing over her heart.

Coming out of the hall, she spotted her grandfather by the lake in the back garden and approached him. "Grandpa, what are you doing?"

Arthur gestured with the fishing rod in his hand. "Catching a fish to add to your lunch."

"Then I’ll stay with you."

"You can't sit still; you’ll only cause trouble." Arthur then called out to Julian, "Julian, want to fish together?"

"Sure." Julian rolled up his sleeves and sat down composedly.

"Then I’ll watch you two fish," Clara tried to join in.

"Go, go," Arthur shooed her away. "We men have things to talk about. You should go to your room and see if there's anything else you need to bring over."

Clara pouted in dissatisfaction. "What could you possibly say that I can't hear?"

"Men's secrets."

Clara had no choice but to leave and head to her room to pack.

It wasn't until the kitchen had prepared lunch that the two men returned from the lake.

Clara peeked into the bucket they were carrying; it was empty.

"Where are the fish?" she asked in surprise. "No way! Did you both strike out?"

The old man argued stubbornly, "I'm like a wise sage—I only catch the fish that want to be caught."

Clara turned her gaze to Julian.

Julian’s expression remained calm. "Although my last name isn't the same as the sage's, as the Jiang family’s son-in-law, I naturally only wait for the willing ones to bite."

Arthur burst into laughter. "Well said!"

Clara couldn't help but curve her eyes in a smile.

She hadn't expected him to make a joke.

During the meal, Arthur instructed a servant to bring out his prized 50-year-old liquor, saying he wanted to have a few drinks with his grandson-in-law.

"No drinking!" Clara immediately intervened, nudging Julian’s thigh under the table. "Um—Julian has an important ceremony to attend this afternoon; he can't drink."

Julian grabbed her mischievous hand. "Correct. I have to attend a signing ceremony for the South Industrial Park with provincial leaders this afternoon. It’s not convenient to drink. I’ll come back another time to drink with you as an apology, Grandpa."

Arthur had no choice but to drop it. "Fine, let's just eat then. Come, eat more."

After lunch, Julian stood up to take his leave. Clara wanted to stay a bit longer, but Arthur disagreed. "For the return visit, a husband and wife should arrive and leave together; otherwise, it’s bad luck."

The Jiangs were a century-old prestigious family, and Arthur still held onto traditional values in his bones.

Clara had no choice but to leave with Julian.

Felix was already waiting outside. Once they were in the car, he handed over a file. "Sir, here is the list of leaders and introductory materials for this afternoon’s meeting."

Julian looked down to review the documents.

Clara leaned quietly against the back of her seat, the image of her grandfather’s aged and thin face constantly surfacing in her mind.

A tear fell without warning. She quickly turned away, secretly wiping it with the back of her hand.

She thought she wouldn't be noticed, but then she heard the man beside her say, "I'll accompany you to see your grandfather again this weekend."

Clara turned around, her misty eyes looking at him. "Really?"

"...Yes." His gaze lingered on her face for a moment. "Don't cry."

Clara immediately beamed through her tears.

She was crying a moment ago and laughing now; Julian didn't understand why a woman's emotions were so changeable.

However, she looked beautiful when she smiled, like a spring camellia.

And of course, she was also beautiful when she cried, like a pear blossom in the rain.

"Sir," Felix spoke up with a hint of regret, "we've arrived at the venue."

Having been Julian’s assistant for years, he had always felt his boss was an emotionless work machine. This was the first time he had seen him comforting a woman. He really wanted to continue watching the drama...

Julian picked up his jacket and said to Felix, "Take the Madam back."

Clara said hurriedly, "No need, let him stay with you. I can just take a taxi back myself."

"I don't need him." Julian pushed the door open and got out.

Clara smiled apologetically. "Felix, sorry for the trouble."

The "unneeded" Felix grinned. "No trouble at all!"

Compared to being a workhorse for a cold and serious boss, driving for a beautiful and gentle boss's wife was clearly much more relaxing.

"Where would the Madam like to go? Back to Xiyuan or...?"

Clara thought for a moment. "Please take me back to school, the Changya Road campus."

"What a coincidence! I graduated from there too," Felix said with a laugh while driving. "Class of 2015, Finance and Management."

"Then you're my senior," Clara smiled.

"That is truly my honor!"

The two chatted all the way, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.

Before she got out of the car, Felix exchanged contact information with her and said enthusiastically, "If you ever need help with anything, Madam, feel free to contact me."

"Okay, thank you."

Watching her enter the campus, Felix drove back to the signing ceremony.

In the magnificent banquet hall, Julian was giving a speech on stage.

Felix picked a good angle, took a few photos, and recorded a short video to send to his colleagues in the PR department as promotional material.

After a thought, he also sent the photos and video to the boss's wife he had just added.

Clara happened to be replying to messages and clicked on them.

In the photos, Julian was in a black suit, the sharp tailoring highlighting his tall and slender build. His hair was slicked back, revealing his superior profile and features. He looked noble and composed, exuding the aura of someone in power.

Clicking the video, the man’s deep voice was amplified by the microphone, further accentuating his rich tone.

Clara instinctively touched her ear.

This man’s voice is actually quite nice.

And... his face is handsome too.

His build isn't bad either.

Realizing what she was thinking, she immediately locked her screen and tossed her phone aside.

The ceremony ended near 5:00 PM. Felix approached Julian. "Sir, are we going back to the office now?"

Usually, he would go back to the office at this time.

To his surprise, Julian asked, "Where did she go?"

Felix blinked, then said, "The Madam went to school."

"Then back to the office."

That sentence was interesting... If the Madam were home, would the boss go home? Felix began to imagine scenarios while starting the car.

The car was too quiet, so he tried to liven up the atmosphere. "The Madam is truly incredible, pursuing two degrees. When I was studying finance, writing my thesis was a total headache. She’s actually writing two theses for two different majors at the same time!"

He looked up and met Julian’s unfriendly gaze in the rearview mirror. His voice trailed off. "Sir, i-is something wrong?"

"How do you know that?" Julian asked.

"When I was taking the Madam back to school, we chatted. Also, she posted it on her feed." After saying that, Felix noticed his boss's gaze grow even colder.

"You," Julian asked, "also have her contact?"

Also?

The elite assistant Felix immediately caught the keyword.

But he wasn't as good at reading people as Mrs. Martha; he simply thought the boss was asking because he also had her contact. So he smiled and said, "Yes, the Madam added me before she got out of the car. We even exchanged phone numbers."

"Excellent." Julian closed his eyes and loosened his tie with one hand.

Contact, phone number—he had neither.