Chapter 181: A Walk

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: A Walk

Julian Faulkner’s voice held a hint of exhaustion.

He had been running around all day, and on top of that, he’d had to deal with that whole mess with Felix Faulkner. It was no wonder he was in a bad mood, utterly drained both mentally and physically.

Thinking of this, Vivian Lowell decided to share something nice she’d seen with Julian Faulkner.

"This! Look, isn’t this kitten adorable? Do you remember that night at Aethelburg University...?"

Vivian brought up that night.

A flicker of light entered Julian’s eyes, and some of his exhaustion seemed to melt away. He remembered. Looking at the cat on Vivian’s phone screen, he couldn’t help but press his lips into a smile.

"I remember."

Julian said slowly, "I can’t believe it’s gotten so big in just a few days. Vivian, you really like this little kitten, don’t you?"

Vivian.

It wasn’t the first time Julian had called her that.

But for some reason...

Tonight, as the two of them stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, the glittering nightscape of Valeria stretched out before them. Across the way were The Starlight Spire and the skyscrapers of Prydania.

The view, combined with the dim lighting inside the room, created a dreamlike, enchanting atmosphere.

Vivian’s heart skipped a beat. It felt like an illusion, but she could have sworn Julian’s tone was incredibly gentle just now when he said "Vivian."

She liked that tone. It made her feel like she could rely on him.

"Mhm, I do," Vivian said, lowering her head, not wanting Julian to see her blush. At the same time, she wasn’t quite sure what—or who—her "I do" was referring to.

’Is it the kitten, or...?’

"If you like it, once we’re back in Aethelburg and the kitten is weaned and has its shots, why don’t we adopt it and bring it home?"

"You wanted to adopt a long-haired Lion Cat before, but something came up and it didn’t work out. This time, we finally have the chance, right?"

Julian’s tone was light, as if he too was looking forward to it.

After listening, Vivian thought for a moment and replied, "Okay. Thank you, Julian."

’Thank you for being so considerate of me.’

"It’s nothing."

Julian chuckled softly. Gazing at the night view outside, at the cruise boats passing on the Krystan River, he suddenly asked, "Want to go for a walk? We have to head back tomorrow afternoon."

"It’s not often we get to come to Valeria. It would be a real shame if we only came for work and didn’t get a chance to look around."

’Huh?’

It was rare for Vivian to hear Julian say something like that.

In her mind, Julian had always been a workaholic, so dedicated that he would forget to eat or sleep, let alone rest.

’He’s actually suggesting they go for a walk together!’

’How rare!’

"Alright," Vivian agreed. She turned to look at Julian, the beautiful Valeria nightscape reflected in his eyes, and said, "Let’s go. Let’s go for a walk."

"I haven’t been here in years, either. The last time I came was right when Disney opened—the first one on the mainland, finally!"

"Back then, I was thinking how great it would be if I didn’t have to work at the Lowell Group. I would’ve definitely moved to Valeria to build my career!"

"I’d get a Disney annual pass so I could come whenever I wanted! I could ride the Tron Lightcycle Power Run, watch the fireworks at night, and see the parades in the afternoon. It would’ve been amazing."

Vivian loved Disney.

It was a fantastical, joyous place, a vessel for so much happiness.

Julian could see the light in Vivian’s eyes. "If you want to come in the future, just come anytime. It’s okay to put work aside for a bit."

"Besides, SpectraCorp is opening soon. Then you’ll have a place in Aethelburg you can go to whenever you want, won’t you?"

Vivian nodded.

Julian had already taken her to SpectraCorp once. The Faulkner Group had contracted and invested in its construction, and it was already complete. After some final adjustments, it was scheduled to open before summer.

Julian even gave her an annual pass!

It didn’t just cover admission; even the associated hotels were free.

’Haha.’

’In a way, Julian had helped her achieve her dream, just from a different angle.’

Julian and Vivian left the hotel and went down to the riverbank.

In late April, the weather in Valeria was perfect. With the May Day holiday approaching, the number of tourists along the riverbank had started to grow. There were people taking photos, checking in on social media, admiring the night view, and vendors selling bubble machines.

"Should we buy one?"

Vivian loved bubble machines.

When she was little, she used to be silly and blow bubbles with her body wash in the bathroom during bath time.

Back then, they also sold bubble wands in the park—just a little tub of soapy water and a small wand, and she could play for hours.

It was just that...

Sharon Galahad had looked down on it, feeling that such an activity was "unbefitting" and not something a girl from a prestigious family should be doing.

Vivian herself loved it, but unfortunately, after she played with it once, Sharon Galahad forbade her from ever playing with it again. She could only watch others play with envy.

Times were different now. They had electronic bubble machines that could produce a huge cloud of bubbles at once, filling a whole area.

Under the multicolored lights, the bubbles also became multicolored. They were gorgeous.

Julian and Vivian played with the bubble machine on the bank of the Krystan River.

Vivian aimed the bubble machine at Julian, and a cloud of bubbles appeared over his head.

Julian moved his head to dodge them, but a few bubbles were right at the back of his head. As soon as he moved, they all popped.

"Hey, don’t move."

Vivian couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Julian’s helpless expression made it even more amusing.

"Excuse me, miss."

Just then, a girl tapped Vivian on the shoulder from behind.

She didn’t look very old, probably a college student in her early twenties. A little shyly, she pointed to her phone and said, "Could you please take a photo of me and my boyfriend?"

"We saved up from our part-time jobs to come to Valeria for a trip, and we’d love to get a picture in front of The Starlight Spire as a souvenir!"

"Of course."

Vivian agreed without a second thought. Seeing the sincerity in the young woman’s eyes, she said, "Go on, get in position and strike a pose! I’ll take the picture for you!"

"Okay, thank you."

The student thanked Vivian and hurried over to the railing with her boyfriend, where they made a heart shape with their hands.

Vivian’s photography skills were quite good. She timed it perfectly, capturing their sweet, loving moment. She even had Julian use the bubble machine to create a bubble effect for them.

The resulting photo was a dreamy, brilliant scene that looked incredibly romantic.

「A few minutes later.」

Vivian finished taking the photos. The student came back to look at them and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, thank you so much! These pictures are all so beautiful!"

"And thanks to your boyfriend for making the bubbles for us!"

The student was thrilled and called her boyfriend over to see the pictures.

Her boyfriend was a little shy. As he ran over, he nodded at Vivian, presumably to thank her as well.

When the two of them saw the photos, they smiled blissfully.

Vivian thought it was lovely, too.

She could tell the couple in front of her had a wonderful relationship; there was a light in their eyes when they looked at each other.

After looking at the photos, the student came back over to Vivian and offered, "Miss, would you and your boyfriend like to take some photos together too?"

"You took ours for me, so I want to thank you! If you want bubbles, my boyfriend can help with that!"

The student was very enthusiastic.

Vivian hadn’t been thinking about taking pictures, but at the student’s suggestion, she glanced back at Julian, asking for his opinion.

Julian didn’t object.

He walked over and said, "We can. But... she’s not my girlfriend."

’Huh?’

A flash of surprise crossed the student’s eyes. She had just seen Vivian and Julian interacting, teasing each other so affectionately, and had assumed they were a couple. ’They aren’t?’

"She’s my wife."

Julian continued, looking surprisingly proud. The corners of his lips lifted as he added matter-of-factly, "We’re already married."

!!!

The student was stunned for a moment, then she burst out laughing. "Hahaha, I guess I just got a face full of PDA!"

Her boyfriend laughed too.

He hugged her from the side and said, "Babe, what are you talking about? Why would you be getting a face full of PDA when I’m right here? Don’t look, don’t look, spit it out."

"Hahaha, okay, okay."

The student agreed, holding back her laughter. She then told Vivian and Julian to also make a "heart" pose, promising to take the most romantic photo for them!