Julian was pushed back, slightly bewildered, standing there clueless about what had just happened.


    Adrian red at him with a voice full of anger, "Call me your big brother!"


    Despite being slow to react, Julian had some sense of reasoning. He was confused, "Uncle said I''m the older one."


    Adrian clenched his little fists, refusing to ept this injustice, and pointed a finger at Julian''s nose, eximing, "You''re so short, how can you be my brother! If you don''t call me that, I won''t y with you anymore."


    Julian''s eyes brimmed with tears.


    Even as naive as he was, he could sense Adrian''s dislike for him. However, he felt


    a warmth from Adrian reminiscent of his mother, aforting familiarity.


    He wanted to y with him.


    He didn''t have a strong concept of who should be the older or younger brother, so seeing Adrian''s insistence, he relented, "Brother."


    Adrian felt satisfied and then grew curious, "You really want to y with me?"


    Julian nodded obediently.


    Feeling valued, Adrian was quite pleased, his head held high with pride on his handsome little face.


    "If you want to y with me, you have to listen to me. Do whatever I tell you and never call me your little brother again. I''m the big brother!"


    Thinking of his father''s stern face, he hesitated but added, "You don''t have to call me that in front of adults, and don''t tell anyone about today, or I won''t y with you again!"


    Julian blinked and nodded obediently, then reached out to hold Adrian''s hand.


    That''s how it always was with his mom.


    Adrian pped his hand away, "Don''t touch me!"


    Julian was bewildered, not understanding why Adrian was upset again, so he dared not move.


    Seeing how obedient Julian was, Adrian felt in a great mood, leading him into the ssroom like a little entourage.


    He thought to himself that having a little sidekick wasn''t so bad after all-


    In the hospital.


    With the new year, everyone had be busy.


    M was alone in the hospital room, working on her design sketches when she received a call from her great-aunt, Jade, who sounded quite cheerful.


    The Rosalia Fashion Week had concluded the previous day.


    The show primarily set the theme, styles, and colors for the uing autumn and winter fashion trends, and it was a great sess.


    The direction for the uing seasons had been set by thirteen of the world''s top fashion brands, who had already divided the market among themselves. Next up was tailoring the designs for different audiences andunching them into various price brackets.


    As one of the top thirteen brands worldwide, Splendid had once again showcased the work of a few new-generation designers, which received a positive reaction— one of them even creating quite a buzz.


    No wonder her great-aunt was so thrilled; nurturing talent was no easy feat.


    Although M had watched the live stream of the show online, hearing the insider details from her great-aunt was much more precise and intriguing, so she listened intently.


    But as they talked, the conversation took a turn.


    "M, at the show, I met some old friends, and some brought their children, quite


    a number of promising young men, all quite handsome. I''ve made arrangements


    to introduce you to them when youe to Verdelune. Perhaps you''ll find someone you fancy..."


    M felt a bit embarrassed and hurried to interrupt, "Great-aunt, I''m not even divorced yet!"


    "I know, but it''s almost done."


    Before she left, she had checked with thewyer, who said everything would be settled by March. During her meet-up with old friends, she made sure to discuss the younger generation''s marriages.


    In her view, the quickest way to forget someone was to find someone new to love!