Chapter 608 What are you craving?
It wasn't until Lilian got out of bed that she belatedly noticed a mild discomfort in her body, which thankfully diminished after walking around a bit.
Passing by the trash can, she noticed it was strangely full of tissues.
"Lilian, come here," Lucas called out, motioning toward a chair. " Please, have a seat. We need to talk."
"But I’d rather not sit right now; it makes my pants rub uncomfortably," she explained.
Lucas rubbed his forehead, wondering if he had also drunk too much the previous night, leading to his loss of self-control…
But given another chance, he might make the same choice all over again.
Who could resist someone as delicate as Lilian?
"Lilian, would you be my girlfriend?" Lucas asked, pausing between words to convey his seriousness.
The silence while waiting for her answer felt like awaiting a verdict.
Lilian's mind wasn't on the same wavelength as Lucas, and she asked in confusion, "Why?"
“Aren't you bothered by my shortness?”
“Don’t you think I'm too dim?”
"Responsibility," Lucas hesitated to simply say he liked her.
"Because of last night?" Lilian understood from her college days that such incidents weren't often taken seriously or followed by responsibility.
"Okay." She nodded earnestly. "I'll take responsibility for you."
Lucas was baffled and could only utter, "What?"
Who's responsible for what?
Lilian giggled, tilting her head playfully, "Hello there, new boyfriend!"
Her laugh and coy tilt disarmed Lucas entirely, and he chuckled helplessly.
He opened his arms and embraced Lilian, who stood a full head shorter, and greeted her with warmth, "Hello, girlfriend."
The girlfriend of his dreams.
He had wanted to ask her if she had any regrets, if she understood what had happened the night before, and what exactly he meant to her.
No matter what she would have said, he was ready to take responsibility, as long as she was willing.
Even if she wasn't, he was determined to ensure she'd be cared for the rest of her life.
But he never anticipated that none of this would matter because, just like that, he had become her boyfriend!
He felt an unexpected joy as if happiness had just descended from the sky.
Walking downstairs to meet up, Lucas still felt a bit dazed by his sudden good fortune. Yet when he glanced at Lilian, she appeared unchanged, her attitude towards him as casual as ever.
Did she truly understand what being a girlfriend entailed?
Of course, she did. These days, even elementary school kids understood what it meant to be boyfriend and girlfriend.
This realization made Lucas feel a bit deflated.
Oliver and Natalie, both early risers, were up at the break of dawn since neither had slept well.
As Lucas and Lilian descended the stairs, Oliver was tucking into a bowl of oatmeal and a perfectly fried egg, lovingly prepared by Natalie.
The others enjoyed a homemade sweet porridge, accompanied by a selection of side dishes.
"I want some of your fried eggs too, Natalie," Lilian said, her eyes glued to Oliver's food.
Oliver lazily looked up at his cousin, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Lilian immediately understood the unspoken message in his gaze: 'In your dreams!'
Feeling a bit sheepish, Lilian pouted. Fine, she thought, I'll just stick to porridge.
Oliver gave her a suspicious glance, surprised by her easy concession. It wasn't like her to back down so quickly without playfully coaxing Natalie.
"Lucas, you okay?" Natalie noticed Lucas looked off-color.
Snapping back to reality and almost failing to keep his composure, Lucas touched his nose, feeling guilty, and said, "Nothing, just didn't sleep well."
Natalie just nodded, not suspicious. It made sense since she and Oliver had also had a rough night.
After breakfast, the group thanked the couple who'd hosted them, expressing gratitude for their hospitality.
The road up the mountain had been cleared, and the production team had sent vehicles to pick them up, though a boulder still blocked the usual path, so they had to take a long detour around the highway.
Natalie, looking a bit worn out, went to the car to rest first.
Lucas approached Oliver hesitantly, struggling to find the right words.
Oliver indifferently said, "Spit it out already."
"I'll have something to discuss with you later," Lucas said, "but now's not the time. Let's talk when we get to our next stop."
Oliver nodded in agreement, a simple "OK" gesture.
It was clear Lucas had something serious on his mind, not fitting for the current setting.
Could it be that his annoying brother-in-law was finally acknowledging him, indirectly coming to lay down the law? Oliver wondered.
"Hey, cuz, I gotta ask you something," Lilian whispered, motioning Oliver to come closer.
Oliver barely batted an eyelid, signaling her to continue.
"What if I had a boyfriend? Could I call off the engagement to Morris then?"
Oliver gave her his full attention. "Who?"
"Huh?" Lilian pouted. "How did you guess so quickly?"
"Who," he repeated firmly.
Oliver was curious now. Lillian had been under his watchful eye recently – where did this boyfriend spring from all of a sudden?
He couldn't even begin to guess who it might be.
Maybe Lucas, but he seemed...unlikely.
"Lucas."
"…?"
In a bizarre moment of clarity, it dawned on Oliver what Lucas was about to discuss with him.
It wasn't an issue with his role as a brother-in-law; it was about Lucas potentially becoming his brother-in-law!
Lilian said pleadingly, "Just promise you won't tell Natalie, okay?"
"Why?" Oliver kept his cool, but his expression revealed a nuanced curiosity.
He knew Lucas had feelings for Lilian, and considered him a good match—smart and capable. Anyone raised by Natalie would have a solid character, a perfect fit for Lilian's personality. The only downside was his health.
Given Lucas's importance to Natalie, Oliver would move mountains to find a cure for him—especially since they were making progress on the bone marrow issue.
Other than Lucas's own hesitance, no obstacles remained.
Yet inexplicably, Oliver felt a surge of irritation.
" Lucas is afraid Natalie might kill him if she finds out," Lilian mumbled, her fingers nervously fidgeting.
In truth, Lilian had her doubts about the notion. Natalie was too gentle to ever strike anyone. Besides, Natalie liked her, and since Lucas was her brother, shouldn't Natalie be happy that Lilian was with him?
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