Chapter 58: Indirect Kiss

Like... him?

Willow Avery's breath hitched.

Seeing her dazed and frozen, Luna Hayes cried out in utter disbelief, "He is your uncle, do you have any sense of shame? Willow, if I were Julian, I would have been disgusted by you long ago."

Sense of shame, disgusted...

These words tunneled straight into Willow's brain.

Snapping out of her daze, she shook her head. "He wouldn't think of me that way."

Even if Julian Kingston knew she might harbor feelings for him, she was certain he would never treat her like that.

Luna let out a light snort. "Willow, as his niece, the thing you ought to do most is give your uncle your blessings."

Clutching her bag, she walked past Willow with a high and haughty stance. "I'm heading back first. Oh, by the way, starting from tomorrow, don't come to the hospital anymore. Having you here heavily affects my mood."

Willow stood on the spot for a moment, took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, and returned to the ward.

When she walked in, Adrian Cross was peeling a mandarin orange. "I truly didn't expect that an old tree like you would actually have a time to blossom..."

Hearing the commotion at the door, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

Willow walked in carrying the food boxes and gave Adrian a polite smile. "Hello, Doctor Cross."

"Hello."

Adrian responded, his eyes continuously sizing Willow up.

He truly hadn't expected that Julian liked this type.

Pure and sweet, looking so incredibly obedient.

Compared to Luna Hayes, her aura was much more gentle, making people feel very comfortable.

Perceiving the gaze landing on her body, Willow looked at herself in bewilderment.

She hadn't put her clothes on wrong either.

"Adrian," Julian opened his mouth, "Haven't you finished eating that orange yet?"

Adrian could tell he was driving him away, but he didn't possess the slightest self-awareness to leave. "I bought this fruit basket, am I not even allowed to eat from it?"

After speaking, a look of slyness appeared on his face. He leaned close to Julian's side and asked in a small voice, "This time it's truly that child of yours, right?"

Julian gave an "mm" in response, then added, "Keep your eyes to yourself."

"Tsk, tsk," Adrian teased, "Possessiveness this strong?"

Julian lifted his brow. "So what?"

He liked her, so he naturally didn't want others to spare her an extra glance.

Willow watched the two of them huddling together to whisper secrets, thinking that perhaps it was inconvenient for her to be here.

Thus she spoke up, "Uncle Julian, I'll head out first, you two chat."

"Uncle Julian???"

This form of address caused Adrian to uncontrollably repeat it.

He had been talking for a long while, and Julian hadn't paid any attention to him.

Initially, he had assumed it was some kind of brother-sister relationship.

Turns out it even crossed a generation.

Uncle and niece.

"Julian, you're playing a game this big?"

Julian: "..."

Adrian turned his head, and seeing that Willow was truly about to leave, he hurriedly called out to stop her, "Little sister, don't misunderstand, I bought a small cake, come have some."

"Doctor Cross, my apologies, I study dance, so I can't eat these things."

Willow waved her hands apologetically.

"Then eat some fruit," Adrian handed her the mandarin orange he had just peeled. "Peeled by this brother's own hands, it's guaranteed to be sweet."

Seeing Willow accept it, he pointed at the pink roses on the table again. "This brother specially bought these for you, do you like them?"

Watching his good friend show attentiveness to his young girl, Julian couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. "You've already seen what you came to see, you can leave now."

"I'm not working today, I'm not in a hurry," Adrian familiarly pulled Willow to sit down by the table. "Little sister, what type of guys do you like?"

Hearing this, Julian's line of sight fell upon Willow.

The young girl's face was completely masked in astonishment, and it took a good while before she opened her mouth to say, "I've never thought about it."

Adrian followed her words and said, "Then think about it right now."

Willow's hand instinctively rubbed the mandarin orange.

For some reason, what appeared in her mind at this exact instant was entirely Julian's face.

She secretly lifted her eyelids, looking in the man's direction.

He was looking at her too, his gaze shallow and light, yet seemingly carrying many things she couldn't understand.

Instantly, her heart beat exceptionally fast.

"Little sister, haven't thought it through yet?"

Adrian caught a glimpse of Willow's tense expression and speculated, "Do you happen to have someone you like? But right in front of your uncle's face, you don't dare to say it?"

"No," Willow smiled with guilt, changing the topic stiffly. "Doctor Cross hasn't eaten yet, right? I bought a lot, let's eat together?"

"Oh well, forget it," Adrian shrugged, "No hope left."

A pun with a double meaning.

Julian understood it clearly.

It meant he didn't please the young girl.

His heart felt a bit uncomfortable.

He spoke up decisively, "Adrian, I suddenly thought of a matter I need your help with."

"Don't," Adrian had a bad premonition and decisively chose to slip away. "I'll leave first."

With his words falling, he quickly vanished from the ward.

With one less person, Willow felt a bit uneasy.

She opened the food boxes, picked up the porridge, and sat on the chair beside the hospital bed.

Wanting to feed him like usual, she simply couldn't calm her mind down no matter what.

The heat spread all the way from her face to her neck, making her exceptionally panicked.

Looking at the young girl's face filled with hidden thoughts, Julian's eyes gradually darkened.

Could it be that Adrian truly hit the mark?

She had someone she liked?

He opened his mouth tentatively, "Wanting to be in a relationship?"

Listening to his words, Willow felt somewhat guilty.

It wasn't that she wanted to be in a relationship, but she discovered she seemed to be a bit uncle-brained.

"No." She hurriedly stuffed the spoon into his mouth. "Uncle Julian, eat quickly, otherwise it will get cold in a bit."

Half of it was left over.

"I'm full." Julian stopped Willow's thought of continuing to stuff porridge into his mouth in a timely manner. Pausing for a moment, he said further, "Go to school to attend classes tomorrow, and come over after classes are finished."

She studied dance after all; dropping her basic skills for a period of time wouldn't be easy to make up.

"Okay."

Willow felt this was fine too.

Since there was a caregiver anyway, it would be fine for her to come over and lend a hand in the evening.

Thinking of this, she unconsciously took the porcelain white spoon and placed it into her own mouth.

Julian's eyes instantly turned deep.

"Willow," he called her, "You are using the spoon I just used."

"Huh?"

Willow looked at Julian, then looked at the spoon.

Only then did she react to what she had just done.

This behavior of theirs, wasn't it... an indirect kiss?

Willow set down the bowl, covering her mouth, her almond eyes looking at him helplessly. "Uncle Julian, I didn't do it on purpose."

Julian continued to say, "Take your hand down, come a bit closer."

Willow didn't understand the reason, but she still listened obediently and followed suit.

She rose slightly from the chair, leaning her upper body forward, slowly drawing close to the man.

Closer and closer.

His warm breath fell upon her face.

Bringing a scorching, ticklish sensation.

Willow couldn't help but space out, until a touch was added to her lips.

The man voiced a question, "How did it get bitten open?"

Julian's arm couldn't have large movements; he lightly moved his wrist, brushing against the corner of her lips. "Does it hurt?"

"I..."

Willow's body was suspended in the air, her hand clutching the blanket, making it a bit difficult to leverage force.

Coupled with the fact that the man's breath seemed to carry a strange bewitchment, it made her unable to stop her intense nervousness.

Her upper body softened, forcing her to fall in Julian's direction.

And she kissed his thin lips squarely.

Willow closed her eyes in a total collapse.

This time it wasn't an indirect kiss.

It was direct.