Chapter 1177 Sharing Stench
Chapter 1177 Sharing Stench
Julien's gaze made her scalp tingle, and she touched the tip of her nose. "Are you afraid I'll share this embarrassing moment with others? Don't worry, I won't. This is our secret. After all, you're my man. If people laugh at you, I'll be embarrassed too. So rest assured, I won't breathe a word."
Julien remained silent.
Sydney blinked, struggling to decipher his thoughts. "Still not satisfied? What do you want, then? I know that drinking that soup was hard for you and that it left a trauma. But it's not a big deal, and it's not like you wanted to drink it. You were just tricked by Grandma and Felicia. Try to let it go. You'll forget about it soon... Mm..."
Before she could finish, Julien stepped forward abruptly, pulling her into his arms. He lowered his head and claimed her lips, silencing her chatter.
Sydney froze, wide-eyed and motionless. She hadn't expected him to kiss her so suddenly.
It wasn't until the man pried open her mouth and stuck his tongue inside that she smelled a strange odor and snapped back. She felt a wave of nausea and retched, her face turning pale and her hands forcefully pushing against his chest.
The smell in his mouth was just too foul.
It wasn't bad breath, but rather the taste of the soup.
She had smelled it before and recognized it instantly.
But she hadn't expected it to linger for so long.
The stench of the soup was potent and enduring.
Sydney struggled as the stench filled her nostrils.
She wanted to vomit, but Julien's relentless kiss prevented her from doing so. She had to endure it until her face turned ashen and tears welled up in her eyes.
After what felt like an eternity, when Sydney had almost grown accustomed to the stench, Julien finally released her.
As soon as she was free, Sydney pushed him away and bent over the edge of the stone table to retch.
From how violently she retched, Julien could tell her discomfort.
Standing by her side, Julien wiped his mouth with his thumb. Distressed by Sydney's suffering, he handed her a glass of water. "Rinse your mouth."
Sydney glared at the anxious man, rolled her eyes, and snatched the glass from his hand.
Aware of her anger, Julien gave a bitter smile.
Sydney was furious.
She had never met such a despicable man before.
With his mouth reeking of a stench, he kissed her and caused her mouth to stink too. She could smell it once she opened her mouth. It was revolting.
The thought of it caused her stomach to churn again.
Too uncomfortable to confront Julien, she quickly used the water to rinse her mouth.
Julien gently patted her back in a comforting rhythm.
The water, it turned out, was a godsend.
As she drained the glass, the foul taste in her mouth began to recede, and the nausea was momentarily quelled.
Sydney cupped her hands before her mouth and exhaled into her palms.
She then brought her hands to her nose and inhaled deeply. The scent caused her to retch once again.
Sure enough, the stench had lessened but not entirely vanished.
Sydney felt a wave of injustice wash over her. On the verge of tears, she turned to Julien with an accusatory glare. "This is all your fault. My breath reeks!"
Julien coughed awkwardly. "I know. I did it intentionally."
Sydney stared at him in disbelief. "What did you just say? You did it on purpose? You kissed me just to make my breath stink?"
Julien's gaze shifted evasively.
Sydney trembled with rage. "Julien! Look at me when I'm talking to you! Why would you do such a thing?"
Julien met her gaze once more. "There's no particular reason. You were laughing at me, which pushed me to share the stench with you. That way, I wouldn't be the only one who had to drink that soup. You'd share in the experience and never laugh at me again."
Sydney fell silent, taken aback by his petty retaliation.
Just because she had laughed at him, he had decided to punish her with bad breath as well.
"You're such a scoundrel! How did I not realize your pettiness?" Sydney's cold laughter echoed in the air, her exasperation with the man palpable.
Julien guiltily touched his nose and remained silent.
Sydney's chest heaved with indignation. "Mark my words, you're sleeping on the couch tonight. Stay out of my room."
"What?" Julien froze, disbelief etched on his face.
'Have I heard it right?
'She is banishing me to the couch outside the room?'
"Leaf..." He attempted to defend himself and explain.
But Sydney raised her hand in a halting gesture. "No! I don't want to hear it. You retaliated because I laughed at you. Now it's my turn to retaliate. Humph!"
With that, she stormed out of the pavilion, determined to brush her teeth and get rid of the foul taste.
It was all because of Julien, this petty man.
She had merely laughed at him for a moment, and he had retaliated so harshly.
She would stand her ground tonight and would not let him into the room.
Her eyes were red with anger as she quickened her pace.
Julien trailed behind her. He couldn't see her face, but he could sense her grievance.
He knew he had overstepped his bounds this time, but he harbored no regrets.
If he hadn't done this, he would have been the only one drinking that soup. And wouldn't she seize any opportunity to mock him in the future?
To avert the impending humiliation, he decided to pull her into his mess, ensuring they both shared in the disgrace.
That way, she would lose any future opportunity to mock him.
A faint smile played on Julien's lips as he contemplated this. His mood visibly lifted. Even the lingering taste in his mouth seemed more bearable.
He had anticipated Sydney's anger before he acted.
He wasn't perturbed. He knew he could coax her around.
As for whether he would be banished to the couch that night, who could say?
With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, he trailed behind her, his mood buoyant.
As she continued her way forward, Sydney was acutely aware of the man following her. His footsteps were unmistakable. Not deaf, she couldn't miss them.
Initially, she assumed he was trailing her to make amends, aware that his actions had upset her.
To give him a chance to catch up and apologize, she deliberately slowed her pace.
But even then, he didn't hasten to reach her. This puzzled her.
Given his long legs, it didn't make sense for him to lag so far behind. He should have caught up with her easily.