He needed to know immediately!

Chapter 16: Fate from Over a Decade Ago

Deep in the night, Julian stepped out of his black car.

A white figure came running out.

"Julian! You're finally back!" Eva looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Compared to Eva’s enthusiasm, Julian’s reaction upon seeing her was an instinctive desire to avoid her.

Eva pouted and acted like a spoiled child. "Julian, what's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"

Julian sighed deeply, reached out to ruffle Eva’s hair, and said, "Silly girl, that's not true. Don't let your imagination run wild."

"I made soup for you; it's still hot."

Eva pulled Julian to the dining table, served the chicken soup she had stewed, and urged, "Try it quickly, I’ve been stewing it all day!"

In truth, his stomach didn't feel well, but looking at Eva’s excitement, Julian couldn't bring himself to say he didn't want to drink it. He had to grit his teeth and drink half a bowl.

"Julian, I haven't seen you for almost a month. If I hadn't stayed up so late waiting for you today, I might not have run into you."

Julian’s movements stiffened. He avoided Eva’s eyes and said, "The company has had a lot of things going on lately; I’ve been too busy." Before Eva could say anything else, Julian put down the white porcelain bowl. "I just remembered there’s a document at the company that needs my reply. You go get some rest; I’m going to the study to handle company matters."

Eva watched Julian’s retreating back, which looked as if he were fleeing, and stomped her foot in anger.

For the past few months, Julian’s whereabouts had been uncertain—leaving early, returning late. And every night, he slept in the study. Julian said it was because he returned too late and didn't want to disturb her sleep.

She didn't believe Julian’s explanation at all; it was entirely because of that woman, Clara.

Julian had become this strange ever since Clara died.

Although he secretly sent people to search for Clara behind her back, she still knew about it.

That woman, even after death, was still causing trouble between them!

Julian returned to the study like he was running for his life. He pricked up his ears and, hearing that Eva hadn't followed, breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't know what was wrong with him either.

Guilt?

Not entirely.

It was just that after Clara left, he couldn't seem to focus on doing anything.

Because no matter what he did, he would think of Clara.

Just like with the soup—if it had been Clara, she would have been able to tell he had just come back from a business dinner. She always served a bowl of anti-hangover soup, and the discomfort caused by the alcohol would diminish significantly after drinking it.

It wasn't like now; his stomach was bloated, and his mouth was full of the greasy taste of chicken soup.

Julian shook his head violently. "Julian, oh Julian, what are you doing? You married a wife, not a maid. You married for love, not because of who can make a bowl of soup. For hangover soup, you can just hire a chef to make it specifically; it wouldn't be any worse."

He didn't want a lover, nor a cook.

For Clara, it was just guilt—he must not confuse these feelings again.

Chapter 17: The Past

"Mr. Lin, this is the investigation regarding Miss Clara's background. These materials were organized from the orphanage."

The assistant held two file bags and placed them on Julian’s desk.

Julian nodded, picked up one of the files, and began to read it carefully.

Clara was an orphan—an orphan who had been abandoned by her parents multiple times.

The first time she was abandoned in a shopping mall, the police found her parents through surveillance. Unexpectedly, her parents stated they never wanted this child in the first place, but under police persuasion, they reluctantly accepted Clara back.

There was a first time, then a second, a third...

The last time she was abandoned, when the police finally tracked them down, Clara’s parents had already vanished.

It was a premeditated abandonment.

Clara was still small then, so she could only be sent to an orphanage.

The orphanage records were relatively simple. This file was a record of Clara’s growing up. The folder contained everything: Clara’s notebooks, awards she had won, and some video footage of her participating in orphanage activities.

In Clara’s composition book, in a child’s shaky handwriting, the title was "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up."

Clara wrote: "When I grow up, I want to be a good mother."

【I have envied other children since I was small. In kindergarten, every time after class, the other children would be happy waiting for their mothers to pick them up and go home. I don't look forward to the end of class, because after class I don't know where to go. Mom and Dad are never home; I can only stand outside the door and wait.】

【Mom says the thing she regrets most is giving birth to me. I don't understand. Why is it that, even though they are both mothers, QiQi’s mother is different? On QiQi's birthday, her mother said that QiQi is the greatest gift God gave her.】

【If I become a mother in the future, I must be just like QiQi’s mother.】

Julian pursed his lips and sighed deeply. He picked up a pink diary.

Clara’s method of keeping a diary was very special. She didn't record things daily, but only occasionally, and each time she recorded something, she wrote down happy things.

However, there weren't many things that made Clara happy. Throughout the year, sometimes the entries totaled only two or three pages.

【Today Chen He bullied me again, but the 'Big Brother' helped teach him a lesson. Big Brother made Chen He’s nose bleed. Now Chen He runs away as soon as he sees me; I’m so happy.】

Julian’s lips curled into a faint smile. He hadn't expected Clara to have such tiny, naughty thoughts—hitting someone until they hid from her; she had been quite happy about it.

The subsequent diary entries suddenly became frequent, but all were about one person.

【Big Brother told me to do my homework...】

【Big Brother is so amazing; his drawings are particularly beautiful.】

【Big Brother gave me a pink hairpin.】

【Lily from Class 2 said she likes Big Brother. I was angry, but Big Brother said he doesn't like Lily. I am particularly happy today.】

Flipping through the pages, Julian couldn't help but shake his head and laugh silently.

Clara had even had a childhood crush.

Suddenly, a photo slipped out of the diary.

Julian bent down to pick it up, his body freezing.

In the photo were two children, a boy and a girl. One could still recognize the girl as Clara, but that boy was actually him!

He flipped the photo over, and on the back, the words "Big Brother" were written in pencil.

The person who had been in her diary all that time was actually him.

He didn't have a single memory of it.

Julian furrowed his brow, thinking. After a few minutes, he finally remembered.

Back then, he was in his third year of middle school. His father asked him to participate in social activities; the school organized them to go to an orphanage to help the children there.

As soon as he arrived at the orphanage, he ran into a chubby boy who was bullying a skinny girl. He couldn't stand it and stepped in to help. Later, that skinny little girl became his little follower.

It was a summer vacation activity. In the blink of an eye, the summer vacation passed, and he left the orphanage. Immediately after, his father sent him abroad for high school. The demanding life of high school had made him forget those few short months.

That inconspicuous little follower was actually Clara!

Julian suddenly remembered a sentence he had seen in that post that day.

【I have only loved one person in this life, and it seems I won't be able to fall in love with anyone else like this again.】

His gaze sank. Had Clara actually loved him for nearly twenty years?

From beginning to end, that person had been him?

How—how could that be possible!

He hadn't sensed it at all!

Chapter 18: He Should Not Be Wavering

Zhao Feng pushed open the door to the CEO’s office, and the stench of alcohol that hit him made him frown.

He reached out to turn on the office lights, and the scene inside left him looking astonished.

In the black-and-white toned office, empty liquor bottles were scattered everywhere. Julian was lying on the sofa, still clutching a half-empty bottle in his hand.

Zhao Feng walked over, snatched the bottle from his hand, and said, "Have you lost your mind? Drinking this much."

Julian lifted his eyelids slightly. Seeing who it was, he sat up and asked, "Is it time for the merger meeting? Wait for me a moment, I just need to freshen up and I can head out."