Chapter 69: Wait for Tonight

Julian Kingston looked at the soup bowl placed in front of him.

The scent from the young girl's body drifted into his breath, faint yet perceptible.

Identical to his.

As expected, it was the right move to switch her body wash with an empty bottle.

He raised his finger, pressing against the rim of the bowl where Willow Avery had touched, rubbing it over and over again.

Opening his mouth as if unconcerned: "Replenish what?"

Willow instinctively blurted out: "Replenish yesterday's..."

As she spoke, she quickly caught herself and clamped her lips shut.

She had almost let the cat out of the bag.

A smile flashed through Julian's eyes as he poured a glass of milk and pushed it over to Willow.

Willow truly didn't want to overthink things.

But they were both white...

Moving her line of sight away from the glass, her face flushed as she stood up: "Grandpa Sterling, I'm full. I'll go pack my things first to prepare for school."

After speaking, she stepped away from the dining table. Thinking it over, she turned around and spoke toward Julian: "I don't want to drink milk anymore."

Julian furrowed his brow.

Just now he had assumed she wanted to escape and hide again.

But if she truly didn't want to pay any heed to him, she would absolutely not turn back to mention whatever milk to him.

He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Adrian Cross.

Adrian sent over ten exclamation marks: 【Based on my years of experience analyzing gossip, the little sister absolutely likes you.】

Julian's fingertips paused slightly.

Likes?

Adrian messaged over again with a flurry of taps: 【It must be that you spoke too directly, causing her to be embarrassed, but fearing you would misunderstand, she specially dropped a hint to you.】

【You truly are something else too. The little sister doesn't like to drink milk, yet you still pour it for her. Can you put a bit more heart into chasing someone?】

Looking at the glass of milk, Julian couldn't help but find it baffling.

Willow always drank low-fat milk, normally one glass every single morning.

How come she wasn't drinking it today?

Pondering it over, he looked toward the butler: "Switch the brand of milk tomorrow."

"Understood, Third Young Master." The butler nodded.

At this moment, unable to wait for a message back, Adrian called directly over.

Julian went to the balcony to answer: "Speak."

Adrian shrieked: "Wow, wow, Julian, you truly have no conscience. If I hadn't lied to the little sister that the incense would leave a man without descendants, could the two of you have progressed this quickly?"

Julian understood: "I bought a car that I've never driven before, I'll have it delivered to you in a bit."

Hearing this, Adrian wailed: "Damned wealthy people!"

Sending a car with a single stroke of a hand! However, fortunately, the good friend was his. Not to mention, freeloading a car truly felt wonderful. "Look for me again next time if there's a matter, ha."

Adrian finished speaking and hung up the phone. Stowing his phone away, Julian leaned against the balcony, looking at the people below arranging the venue for the birthday banquet, lost in thought.

"Julian," Sterling Kingston called him, "Go over to that shop I frequently visit in a bit, and pick up the gown I had custom-made for Willa."

"Mm." Julian returned inside the room.

"Oh right, I also had a suit prepared for you," Sterling said. "Style your hair properly on that day, make yourself look a bit more handsome, and strive to win her over in one shot."

Hearing his words, Julian caught a rare wave of interest. It was a good idea.

...

Two days later, the birthday banquet arrived.

The Kingston Estate was anomalously lively. Everyone clearly understood Sterling Kingston's purpose, bringing their sons and daughters to attend one after another. Quite a few people paid visits even during the day.

At four o'clock in the afternoon. Willow was surrounded by stylists inside her room. Pinning up her long hair, she put on the gown.

"Old Mr. Kingston's taste is truly not bad; the tender pink sets off Miss Avery's person to look more delicate than a flower." "Far too beautiful, even as a woman I can't resist my heart racing."

Willow flashed a smile at them: "Thank you for the compliments."

"Alright, perfect." The stylist clipped on her ear cuffs: "Guaranteed to stun the entire room."

Knock, knock, knock— The room door was suddenly knocked. The man's magnetic voice traveled inside.

"Willa, is it convenient right now?"

"Mr. Kingston?" The stylist walked over and opened the door. "Please come in."

When the door sealed shut once more, only Willow and Julian were left inside the room.

Willow sat inside the chair of the walk-in closet, her fingers spinning around in circles non-stop. Beside her ear were the man's gradually approaching footsteps, and her heart also beat tensely along with them. Unable to distinguish exactly what the emotion was. Anticipation? Embarrassment? Or perhaps, a bit of panic.

Finally, the man pulled to a stop by her side. In the next instant, he bent his waist down, drawing close to her slowly, saying with a hoarse voice: "Very beautiful."

Willow let out a breath of relief in her heart. Only then did she raise her almond eyes to look toward him.

The man wore a black suit, possessing broad shoulders and a narrow waist, aristocratic, pure, and elegant. The most prominent feature was the bare-pink tie at his chest. Identical to the color of her gown.

She asked curiously: "Your tie was prepared by Grandpa Sterling?"

"I bought it myself." On the day he went to pick up the gown for Willow, he had specially gone to buy a tie of the same color palette.

Willow puffed her cheeks a bit: "Won't this be a bit obvious?" It looked far too much like a matching set. Grandpa Sterling and the butler had been watching far too many short videos recently, so their thinking wasn't ordinary in its liveliness.

"It's fine," Julian said in a calm voice, "I'll explain it well."

"Mm." Willow nodded her head obediently. Yet her thoughts drifted a bit far away. It had been agreed upon previously that on the day of the birthday banquet, she would give him an accurate answer. Right now, was he here to ask for it? Then should she open her mouth first, or wait for him?

Amidst her dilemma, she perceived that the man's gaze was growing hotter and hotter. Following the direction to look over, she saw that he was staring at her chest... This gown was a strapless design, and after the stylist helped adjust it for her, it was quite prominent.

Willow's cheeks immediately grew hot, and she covered her chest with her hands. "Don't look..."

"Okay." Julian rose, going to the side to select a tie-style shawl to drape over her. He then tied a proper bow for her earnestly. Blocking things cleanly and tightly.

Shifting to pull her hand, he brought her to stand up: "Go out to have a look?"

"Un..." Willow opened her mouth, but that remaining "cle" syllable simply couldn't be squeezed out. When a relationship underwent a change, these forms of address that were a generation apart got directly stuck in the throat. She could no longer voice it out.

Julian turned his head to look at her: "What is it?"

"Weren't you going to ask for my answer? I..." Before Willow's words could finish, she was interrupted by Julian: "No rush, wait for tonight."

Tonight? What kind of change could there be in a few hours? She actually wanted to tell Julian that she in all likelihood liked him. But since he wanted to wait a bit, then let's wait a while longer.

Julian turned his gaze sideways, looking at Willow beside him. She possessed a pure and exquisite appearance, yet revealing a young girl's exclusive obedience and delicate charm. Very beautiful. In his eyes, it was a beauty completely different from anyone else.

Thinking that once they exited the main building, there would be countless men charging toward her one after another... The palm he held her hand with couldn't resist tightening.

"Liking a little sweet milk-pup or a little fierce wolf-pup?"

Willow: ? Meeting the man's deep eyes, she shook her head decisively: "Don't like either."

Julian was still not at ease. Instructing: "Those people the old master looked for are mostly proper and serious on the surface; don't believe them when they show attentiveness to you."

Listening to this, Willow nodded earnestly. "Okay."

"Remembered it?" Although Adrian had previously insisted that Willow harbored thoughts toward him, a matter of speculation was ultimately inferior to her saying it with her own mouth to make him believe. But he didn't want to pierce this layer of window paper at this exact instant. Willow at this moment would only give him an ambiguous answer. What he wanted was for her to understand her own heart clearly and lucidly.

"Remembered it," Willow looked at him with an innocent small face, "Is there anything else?"

Julian's Adam's apple bobbed over and over, clamping her waist as he braced her entire person against the wall. "Willa, will you experience a sudden surge of desire toward others based on looks?"

The man's voice was both low and deep. Hearing it in her ears, Willow felt a bit of an itch. She took a half-step backward, her heel pressing against the corner of the wall. Asking back weakly: "I'm not that lustful, right?"

Thinking of those "offenses" she had committed against Julian previously, she forcefully defended herself: "It's just sometimes, it would be a waste not to look..."

Julian: "Mm?"