Yara pointed at me, "You... you..."

As a person of high social standing, she couldn't bring herself to say anything truly vulgar, and in the end, she couldn't even finish a sentence.

Anyone looking at Julian's expression and mine could tell we weren't actually boyfriend and girlfriend yet.

Yara was devastated by Julian’s initiative.

"Julian! Are you two really..."

Julian cleared his throat twice, tacitly confirming it.

Yara’s expression shifted violently; she turned abruptly and ran away.

Julian didn't care at all about what Yara was thinking; his gaze remained fixed on me.

My fair cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, even to the tips of my ears.

"Sienna, you didn't deny it..."

"I only did it so she’d stop bothering you," I explained frantically. "You should thank me!"

Seeing my reaction, Julian smiled slightly. "Thank you."

With that one sentence, the feverish heat in my body suddenly dissipated. I felt this scene was all too familiar.

I could almost imagine Julian coldly saying something that would turn my heart to ice.

It wouldn't be strange; Julian had pushed me away and kept his distance countless times before.

Then, I heard Julian say, "Thank you for finally not rejecting me anymore."

Thump—

My heart skipped a beat.

I looked at the man before me and suddenly felt that he was serious.

He was earnestly discerning the difference between family affection and romantic love, and having found a bit of progress, he stepped forward without hesitation.

I had never felt Julian to be so close.

Within reach.

If I simply turned back and reached out, could this romance begin a new chapter?

I was thinking seriously—as long as we were together forever, my illness would no longer be a problem.

"I..."

Before he can give you absolute security, try to have as little contact as possible.

The doctor's words surfaced in my mind once again.

"Julian, do you truly want to be with me?"

I didn't know what expression I should make, so I could only ask dryly.

Julian nodded. "I think we can move to the stage of dating. It’s a bit of a pity, though; the setting for this confession is a bit rushed."

After he spoke, two thoughts warred in my heart.

One was joy, because Julian was starting to slowly fall for me, making everything worth it.

The other was doubt—could our love truly remain unchanged?

Julian was attempting to move forward, but the path ahead was shrouded in mist.

What if one day he says we’re not a good fit? Who could save me then, once I had fallen deep into love?

If it failed, I would die.

With tears in my eyes, I questioned him sentence by sentence:

"Aren't we brother and sister?"

"Not by blood."

"Dating leads to marriage. Do you really think that's okay?"

"If it's you, it’s fine. Think about how many years we’ve known each other."

"But I suffered so much chasing you. I don't want to agree so easily."

Hearing this, Julian suddenly laughed.

The man’s lips curled up slightly, and his handsome features were filled with mirth.

This took me back to my childhood, back when I was in middle school and he was already a university student.

Julian, dressed in a suit, had turned to ask me if the clothes suited him, wearing that same brilliant smile.

It was because he had been accepted into his dream university.

Now, he was smiling that way again.

Because standing before him was the girl he was slowly falling in love with.

Though the journey had been arduous, we were now close enough to touch each other.

Julian looked at me tenderly and said, "Then don't agree just yet. Let me pursue you for a while, and let me give you a proper, solemn confession, okay?"

My breath hitched.

I heard myself say, "Okay."

Chapter 25

After the truth was out, Julian didn't pressure me.

He helped Yu and me close the coffee shop and saw both of us back to our rented room.

Having witnessed the whole process, Yu teased, "Sienna, does this count as me being a matchmaker for a bit?"

If it hadn't been for Yu’s text message, I wouldn't have gone back to the coffee shop.

I wouldn't have run into Yara, nor would I have shared my feelings with Julian.

"Nothing is official yet!"

"Sigh—I don't understand the games you young couples play. You’ve shared your feelings, is the ceremony really that important?"

Yu shook her head, looking like an old master watching the younger generation, looking quite comical.

After playing around with her for a bit, I went back to my bedroom.

When taking my medicine that night, I stared at the pills in my hand for a moment and finally put a few back.

"Returning to the previous dosage... should be fine," I muttered.

Because my emotions had been soothed, I didn't need such a heavy dose.

Over the next few days, I tried reducing the pills bit by bit.

After all, taking too many psychiatric drugs isn't good, and since I was slowly becoming "normal," I didn't need them as much.

Perhaps it truly was because the knot in my heart had been untied, but my complexion was visibly much better.

Even Yu marveled, "This is the power of love."

Julian came by more frequently than usual, even rushing over for lunch.

The coffee shop didn't serve lunch, so I could only share my own food with him.

Later on, I simply made two portions.

Every day at noon, the two of us would sit in a corner, chatting about daily life while eating.

"I’m off tomorrow, and I bought movie tickets. Want to go together?" Julian suddenly suggested one day.

Of course, I agreed.

However, I was a bit curious why he suddenly wanted to watch a movie; Julian didn't usually like crowded places.

Before I could ask, Julian confessed, "That’s what the internet taught me. You don't object, do you?"

The moment he said it, I burst out laughing.

"You actually looked it up online—"

The man awkwardly adjusted his glasses and looked out the window.

Fortunately, there were no customers in the shop at that moment, so no one saw the girl laughing wildly and the guy experiencing embarrassment for the first time.

That night, I reduced the dosage by half again.

I also told Dr. Chen about my recent progress.

Dr. Chen was very happy that the person I was pursuing had reciprocated, but he didn't forget to remind me that while I could take less, I couldn't stop entirely.

My current dependence on the medication was too high; if an accident happened after a sudden withdrawal, it wouldn't be worth it.

I kept that in mind.

The next day, the two of us met at the cinema entrance.

One had rushed from the coffee shop, the other straight from work.

Hurrying toward each other.

"Why a romance film?" I complained softly, holding the movie tickets.

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that..."

I’ve always been spirited; even though I’d loved Julian for a long time, I preferred dramas over romance films.

But since Julian had bought the tickets, I would stay and watch.

We entered the theater and found ourselves surrounded by couples. Cases like ours—pursuer and pursued—were almost non-existent.

Having loved him for years but with zero practical experience, seeing them acting so intimately made me incredibly shy.

I was at a loss for a moment.

After finishing the entire movie with a burning face, I took advantage of Julian’s trip to the restroom to sneak out my phone.

I searched: "What should I do if my person of interest takes me to see a romance film?"

Seeing me leaning suspiciously against the wall, Julian was curious and walked up directly behind me without a word.

Seeing the words on the search engine, he gave a light chuckle.

"Oh!"

I was like a startled cat, my fur standing on end, my eyes glaring at him in anger.

"Peeping Tom! Shameless!"

Julian ruffled my hair and said with a laugh, "It doesn't count; it’s just because I’m too tall."

I felt my teeth itch with the urge to bite him.

Just as I was about to act on it, an unfamiliar voice interrupted us.

"Isn't this Prosecutor Julian?"

Chapter 26

In the bustling cinema, Julian instinctively shielded me behind him when he saw the newcomer.

It was a stranger’s face; I didn't recognize him.

"Mr. Lowery still has the leisure to come out and play? It seems your worries have been cleared away?" Julian mocked.

I was a bit surprised.

While Julian didn't put on airs in front of me, he was always polite to outsiders.

This was the first time I had ever heard him speak to someone this way.

The man called Mr. Lowery smiled and said nothing. He put his arm around the woman beside him and cast a curious glance at me.

Julian warily shielded me even more thoroughly.