Chapter 7: Proposing Separate Rooms

Julian finished his last task of the day and returned to Xiyuan. It was already very late at night.

He scanned the interior and noticed more belongings sent over from the Jiang estate, but the owner of those items was nowhere to be seen.

"Mrs. Martha."

"Yes!" Mrs. Martha came out immediately.

"She hasn't returned yet?"

"No. Clary said she has things to do at school and will be back late," Mrs. Martha said with concern. "That child is always so busy; I wonder if she’s even had dinner."

Julian picked up the car keys he had just set down. "I'll go pick her up. Send me her phone number."

"...Oh!" Mrs. Martha hadn't expected that the young master wouldn't even have his wife's number!

Julian had only taken two steps when the sound of a car engine came from outside.

"Clary is back!" Mrs. Martha immediately greeted her with a smile. "Clary, are you hungry? Do you want a late-night snack?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Clara smiled. "Is Julian back?"

"He is. Just a few minutes before you. He was just about to go out to pick you up." Mrs. Martha turned around, but the living room was empty. "Huh? Where did he go?"

"Probably went upstairs," Clara didn't think much of it. She pulled a rubber duck plushie out of a nearby suitcase. "I'm going up too. Get some rest, Mrs. Martha. Goodnight."

She pushed open the bedroom door and placed the rubber duck on her side of the bed.

The faint sound of water came from the bathroom.

She sat on the sofa, opened her laptop, and continued reading the papers she hadn't finished today.

Julian came out of the bathroom drying his hair and saw the woman asleep against the sofa.

He walked over, intending to wake her to sleep in bed, but his gaze caught the glowing screen and the books spread out beside her.

They were all introductory materials about lung cancer.

She was propping her head with one hand, her brows slightly furrowed, her face carrying undeniable exhaustion.

Julian leaned down, slid one arm behind her neck and the other under her knees, gently lifting her.

Clara let out a soft moan and opened her eyes blearily.

As her vision focused, she woke up and shifted uneasily. "You... put me down."

Julian carried her straight to the bed. "If you're tired, sleep in bed."

"I can't," Clara covered a yawn and forced a smile. "I haven't showered yet."

"Do it tomorrow morning."

"No, I have to remove my makeup and wash my face."

"You can't skip it just once?"

"No, leaving makeup on for too long damages the skin!" At the mention of this, Clara woke up instantly, sat up with a start, and dashed into the bathroom.

When she finished, Julian was no longer in the room.

She went out to look and saw the study door ajar, light spilling through the crack. She could faintly hear Julian’s voice.

Clara assumed he had work to handle and didn't disturb him, returning to the room to sleep.

Julian finished his call with a former classmate in the U.S. who specialized in lung cancer. When he returned to the bedroom, the person on the bed was breathing steadily, already fast asleep.

He watched her silently for a moment, turned off the light, and lay down beside her.

The next morning, Julian was woken by his internal clock. His arms were empty.

The woman who had spent the last two mornings snuggling into him was now hugging a raggedy duck, sleeping soundly.

Julian looked at her peaceful sleeping face, his gaze darkening.

The torment he had endured the past two mornings now seemed like a ridiculous one-man show.

Perhaps his gaze was too sharp; Clara sensed it. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes to meet the man’s deep, dark pupils.

He had phoenix eyes—narrow and long, with a slight hook at the inner corners and a double eyelid that tapered upward toward the ends. When his lids were half-lowered, he looked inscrutable.

Clara rubbed her chin against the rubber duck’s head and murmured, "Morning."

"...Morning." Julian looked away and headed to the bathroom.

Clara watched his back, faintly sensing his bad mood.

He was always cold and spoke little, but the coldness now seemed to have something extra. It was like the difference between "less ice" and "extra ice" in a lemon water.

Why was he unhappy?

Although Clara had been pampered since childhood, she was actually quite empathetic and considerate of others.

She began to reflect on whether she was hindering him.

Did she disturb his rest?

Highly likely, given her poor sleeping habits and late hours recently.

She was the one who had moved into the master bedroom; perhaps Julian didn't want to share a bed but just hadn't said so.

At this thought, she felt a wave of guilt.

Thus, Julian had only gone to brush his teeth and wash his face, yet when he came out, he heard his new wife say: "How about I move into the guest bedroom?"

Julian’s footsteps faltered, his thin lips pressing together.

Just as he was about to ask why, Clara’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and said, "Sorry, I need to take this."

"Hello," she said, walking out of the room.

A clear, bright male voice came from the receiver: "Clary baby, did you miss me?"

"Leo, where on earth have you been these past few days..." she complained in a low voice.

The door clicked shut. Julian stared at the door, his brows drawing down.

Five minutes later, Clara hung up and returned to the room, only to find it empty.

She scratched her cheek. She hadn't even finished her sentence.

She didn't go to school today. After organizing her things at home, she curled up on the sofa to work on her thesis. She worked until 9:00 PM before finally cleaning up the data she had collected, ready to start the regression analysis.

There was a light sound at the door. Clara turned; Julian had entered.

She set down her laptop and stood up. "You're back. Have you had dinner?"

"Yes," he replied curtly, a hint of weariness in his eyes.

Clara brought up the unfinished topic from the morning. "Should I move to the room next door tonight?"

"I don't agree." The man walked toward her, his tall silhouette closing in step by step until he completely towered over her.

His wife wanted to sleep in separate rooms on the fourth day of marriage? What would be next?

In her stunned gaze, he spoke again, his voice cold and his words sharp. "Ms. Clara, let me remind you again. Before we married, we agreed to ensure the stability of this marriage.

Now that we are married and the cooperation between the Vane and Jiang families is moving forward, I advise you not to engage in behaviors that affect the stability of our marriage.

Otherwise, for both our families—"

The rest of Julian’s words stuck in his throat because he saw the person in front of him slowly turning red in the eyes.

Tears brimming, Clara accused him piteously: "Why are you being so mean?"

Julian’s heart tightened. "I—"