The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 249: "I Am His Husband"

Julian Sterling furrowed his brows in pain, silently certain that this guy had completely lost his mind and turned into an absolute lunatic. He was just about to use his strength to yank his hand away from the guy’s rough grasp when someone else intervened with far greater speed. A large, steady hand with long, powerful fingers clamped firmly around the male student’s wrist, the force so decisive and unyielding that it felt as though it could crush the very bone. At the same time, a deep voice, carrying an immense and oppressive aura, growled out: "Let go!"

This voice was truly far too familiar, there was no need to even look up to know exactly who had just arrived.

After the student was forced to release his grip due to the excruciating pain in his wrist, Julian seemed to completely shed his sharp, defensive exterior, immediately throwing himself into the warm embrace of the newcomer and softly calling out with utter reliance: "Ethan."

The surrounding crowd was perhaps still in a state of shock, unclear of the identity of the tall man with the freezing aura who had just appeared, and so the student, despite being ruthlessly restrained, still recklessly hollered: "You slut, a leopard really doesn’t change its spots, throwing yourself into someone’s arms the moment you see them!"

A flicker of murderous intent flashed through the man’s profound eyes: "Keep your mouth clean, otherwise do not blame me for showing no mercy." Ethan Caldwell violently tossed the guy’s hand away as if discarding a piece of trash, then carefully pulled Julian tight against his own body, his strong arms providing a secure haven for Julian to bury his face and hide the grievances swelling in his chest: "I am his legal husband, do you have a problem with that?"

This declaration was exactly like a bomb dropped right into the middle of the crowd. It was possible that these ordinary students did not frequently pay attention to financial and economic news outlets, or perhaps many of them had never had the opportunity to see Ethan Caldwell’s face in real life. But when the scandalous uproar surrounding Julian blew up on the university forum over the past few days, everyone had secretly done their research and knew very well that Julian’s current legal husband was the most powerful executive of the Caldwell Empire.

What kind of terrifying existence was the Caldwell Empire, anyway? It was the towering, sky-concealing colossal tree in the financial sector of Saint Lawrence City, its influence even spreading widely across the entire nation. It was a monumental power that they could not necessarily afford to provoke, even if they happened to hail from high-society elite families. Let alone these ordinary individuals coming from middle-class backgrounds standing right here.

Therefore, the moment he heard Ethan Caldwell coldly speak up to confirm his identity, the male student instantly went mute, cold sweat pouring out and drenching his forehead. The guy desperately wanted to stubbornly open his mouth to confront him, to crane his neck and question if Ethan Caldwell actually dared to blot out the sky with one hand and assault him right then and there. But he possessed absolutely none of that courage.

Above all else, deep down in his heart, he knew perfectly well that out of the current crowd, absolutely no one would be foolish enough to step forward and support him anymore.

Rebellion and criticisms aimed at those in high positions of power only held effect and value when he was surrounded by a massive crowd harboring the same anti-rich sentiments, sharing the same blame-shifting mentality, considering themselves the victims while believing everyone else was at fault. However, the people around him at this moment had long since scattered, not a single soul was foolish enough to take his side to oppose the Caldwell Empire, for in a head-on collision, the only one to suffer the disastrous consequences and come out the loser would be him alone.

"I will ask the university to reconsider your student status. At the same time, the lawyers of the Caldwell Empire will contact you to file a lawsuit regarding today’s incident. That includes the people slandering Jules on the internet as well. I will absolutely not allow them to run rampant, nor let society tolerate people with such filthy mindsets like yours blatantly poisoning the minds of others."

Having said his piece, Ethan Caldwell scooped Julian up entirely and carried him away, while Julian’s belongings were left for the accompanying bodyguards to pack up and bring back later.

Ethan Caldwell unabashedly carried Julian straight down the corridor, swaggering past the various lecture halls. Initially, Julian kept his face buried in the man’s chest, primarily out of sheer embarrassment. But a moment later, Julian suddenly thought of something, and so he squirmed slightly to change his posture.

"What is it?" Ethan Caldwell’s footsteps slowed down a fraction, his hand supporting Julian’s back to bear his weight so that Julian could comfortably adjust himself: "Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"

Julian shook his head, whispering softly: "Lift my bottom up a little higher."

"What for?"

"So my face is higher up, allowing me to rest against the crook of your shoulder. I don’t want to keep my face hidden like this."

"What is it, is my darling shy?"

"No!" Julian took advantage of the blind spot and lightly patted the man’s chest: "Only then will people be able to see my face. I can’t let all this effort of crying go to waste with only a few people knowing about it."

There was no need to say anything further, Ethan Caldwell already knew that Julian was worrying about his theatrical performance. The man sighed, using a bit of strength to hike him up gently. And so, Julian simply needed to drape his arms lightly around the man’s neck, burying his head into the crook of Ethan’s neck, perfectly revealing his reddened, tear-stained eyes. Ethan Caldwell was also incredibly cooperative, his strides becoming much slower than before, acting almost as if he were parading around the university’s corridors.

Naturally, the two of them acting with such swagger invited quite a few murmurs and gossiping whispers. Before Ethan Caldwell’s footsteps had even completely faded away, the whispering had already begun. Some people brought up Julian’s scandal on the forum, voicing both good and bad opinions. Others judged their current actions. After all, cuddling like that right on the campus grounds was truly lacking in proper decorum.

Ethan Caldwell did not care, and Julian cared even less.

It was just that all along the way to the gates, the unpleasant gossip regarding Julian grew increasingly rampant. Perhaps due to him making an appearance in this manner, adopting a fragile demeanor while being carried off by a man, it only provoked people to want to attack Julian even more. Some people recognized who Ethan Caldwell was, while others did not. But even if they did recognize him, their foul mouths remained foul all the same. They simply had no idea what restraint meant.

By the time they reached the car, Julian could clearly see Ethan Caldwell’s jaw clenching tight. It was obvious that the man was trying his hardest to hold back his temper. He could only nestle closer into Ethan’s embrace, gently coaxing: "I am perfectly fine, do not worry."

Ethan Caldwell did not reply, his footsteps quickened, seemingly unwilling to keep up the theatrical act any longer. He carried Julian straight into the backseat of a car that was already parked by the curb, and the moment the door shut, the vehicle roared to life. Even after getting into the car, Ethan Caldwell still did not set Julian down, but instead kept him seated firmly on his lap. Fortunately, this car had been slightly modified, possessing a partition in the middle, so there was no fear of the driver seeing anything.

Moreover, Julian guessed that even if the driver did see them, Ethan Caldwell would not give a damn anyway.

And neither would he.

Julian remained nestled in Ethan Caldwell’s embrace, asking: "How are things going?"

"I’ve already instructed the media department, and our lawyers have gathered enough evidence. Before I came to pick you up, they had already established the bailiff’s records and officially filed the lawsuit. Once the notice of the lawsuit is out, the media will publish the articles." Speaking up to this point, Ethan Caldwell paused for a moment before asking: "Do you know who that guy arguing with you in class was? I will have the lawyer draft a separate lawsuit entirely for him."

Julian shook his head, he had only attended a few classes, so how could he possibly recognize all of those people’s faces?

"It seems he is from the same faction as Vince Sutton. It’s fine, I will text Kian Foster to ask him this evening, he probably knows."

Ethan Caldwell merely hummed in acknowledgment and said nothing more. The atmosphere inside grew palpably heavy and silent. Julian lifted his head to shoot the man a glance, only to see that his expression was deeply pensive. Thus, he reached out his hand, touching that rigidly tense jawline: "Don’t pull such a dark, brooding face."

"I am not angry at you, I promised to follow your lead, so naturally I have to be able to endure it." Ethan Caldwell let out a heavy sigh: "It is just that their words are getting increasingly abhorrent to listen to."