Julian has been my "house husband" since childhood, raised by my family. Every day he cooks, cleans, and takes care of everything, yet he never lets me touch him. I always thought he wanted a proper title or commitment. Until one day, I saw him blush just because his hand brushed against another girl's. Suddenly, comments floated across my vision like a live stream chat: [The male lead is so innocent! Blushing just from a touch.] [Hurry up and leave the female side character! Go have a sweet and spicy romance with our heroine!] [Thanks to the side character for raising him so well, but does she really think she can marry him?] Calmly, I sent him divorce papers and vanished without a trace. Years later, I returned to the country for a conference. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was kidnapped and dragged back. The kidnapper kissed me frantically while sobbing: "Wife, please don't leave me." 1 I got off work very late today. When I arrived home, I was surprised to smell the aroma of a hot meal. "Wife, you're back." Julian poked his head out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spatula. "Wash your hands and eat." The warm lights created a cozy atmosphere that softened my heart. My voice softened too. "I told you I was working late. You didn't have to wait." I've raised Julian for over ten years. Year after year, day after day, he's played the perfect husband. Cleaning, organizing, cooking, doing laundry—he has no life of his own. His only hobby seems to be revolving around me. I once reminded him, "You don't have to revolve around me every day. Go do something you like." He always gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and said, "What I like is taking care of you, Chloe." Usually, I'd just smile. Then transfer an extra ten thousand dollars to his account as allowance. 2 After dinner. Julian was washing the dishes. His white tank top was soaked with sweat from his work. Without the apron, the fabric clung to his body, revealing the defined contours of his chest. My eyes darkened. I'm twenty-four. He's five years older than me, twenty-nine this year. Does he really have no desire at all? "Leave it for tomorrow." I walked over barefoot and gently grabbed Julian's wrist. He noticeably stiffened. His voice became unnatural. "Wife, stop..." "You call me wife, so why not?" I pressed closer to him, my hand slowly sliding under the hem of his tank top. Julian's body was burning hot. The scent of expensive cologne mixed with sweat and cooking oil gave me a secret thrill. "Julian," my hand reached dangerous territory as I whispered, "are you truly innocent, or just pretending?" "No—" Accompanied by the loud crash of a ceramic bowl shattering on the floor. Julian pushed me away. He leaned against the sink, head down, gasping for air. I slammed into the marble countertop. The cold, hard edge sent a sharp pain through my lower back, sobering me up instantly. "Wife, I..." Realizing what he had done, Julian rushed to help me. His hands were shaking violently. I slapped his hand away. "Forget it." I took a deep breath and walked away. 3 The next day, I went to the office early. My assistant brought me coffee and asked, "Ms. Jiang, what happened to your hand? Do you need first aid?" There was a tiny cut from the shattered ceramic last night. It didn't hurt, but on my pale skin, it looked glaring and annoying. Just like my marriage to Julian. Feeling a sudden wave of irritation, I left my office and went to the staff area. I stopped in front of someone's computer for a long time. "Ms. Jiang, do you think... my proposal is good?" I looked down and saw a young face. His badge said "Intern." Shawn. Quite bold. I narrowed my eyes and asked, "Why do you think you can pull this off?" He began to explain his case. Since I'm slightly nearsighted, I leaned down to look at the screen, listening carefully. Suddenly, my assistant poked me and whispered, "Ms. Jiang, a man is here. He says he's your husband." I looked up in surprise. Shawn looked too. We realized Julian was standing not far away. Who knows how long he'd been watching us? The staff were all staring at him. "Why are you here?" I walked over, instinctively grabbing his sleeve to lead him away. But Julian didn't move. His gaze was still fixed on the intern. I frowned and called softly, "Julian." He turned his head. A pair of misty peach-blossom eyes looked straight at me, rims red. Losing patience, I asked again, "What are you doing here?" Julian forced an ugly smile and said, "You didn't eat breakfast this morning. I made a fresh one and brought it over. You have stomach issues; you can't skip meals." His voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either. Enough for the employees around us to hear. Whispers started: "Isn't Ms. Jiang single? Someone sent her flowers last time..." Julian's face looked even worse. I didn't say anything, just signaled him to follow me to my office. 4 "Leave the food. I'll have my assistant drive you back." As soon as we entered, I dropped the act. Julian stood before me. "Let me stay a while. You used to say you wanted me as your assistant because you were afraid I'd be bored at home." "You don't meet the educational or language requirements for an assistant," I replied habitually. Unaware that he had quietly clenched his fists. Clenched, then quietly released. Like countless cowardly compromises before. "I'll go then," Julian said. "Remember to come home for dinner, wife." I nodded. Watching him leave, my restless heart calmed down a bit. I hadn't expected him to come personally just because I skipped breakfast in a fit of pique. It made me feel I was being overly cold to him. For over a decade, the fact that he was raised by my family to be my husband was an open secret in our circle, but never discussed publicly. At the company, everyone thought I was single. Business partners had even expressed interest in me. Even for a "house husband," he was a bit too spineless. So, his refusal to let me touch him was normal, I suppose. I grabbed my car keys and ran downstairs. It had only been a few minutes; Julian shouldn't have gone far. I finally ran to the company entrance, panting, looking around for that handsome figure. To my surprise. Next to the bus stop, there was a splash of white beside Julian. A girl in a white dress was gently touching his face, looking sad as she said: "After so many years, you're still exactly as I remembered." "Don't suffer for others' sake. It breaks my heart to see." I saw it clearly. Julian, who always resisted my touch, now had a blush rising on his cheeks. At the same time, rows of comments appeared in the air: [The male and female leads finally meet! Exciting!!!] [The male lead is so pitiful. Without the heroine, he's just a wronged puppy every day. Boohoo.] [And he's so innocent! Keeping himself pure for the heroine all these years. Blushing just from a touch.] [Hurry, dump the side character! We want to see the pitiful puppy get spoiled by the heroine!]
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388175", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel