Chapter 53 Sweet Mutual Criticism
Lily didn't know Ethan was ready. As soon as she finished speaking, he quickly replied, "Lily."
Lily was momentarily taken aback, and he was a little confused.
God knows how much she'd been hoping to hear him call her that. She'd been thinking about it for four years.
Lily was still in a daze, as if she'd seen a new world. Inside, she was surprised and happy, and she really wanted to ask him why he'd called her that.
Although they say she should be called by her given name, there are many different ways to call her, and "Lily" is the most intimate and banal of them all.
Was their relationship really supposed to be that good?
Ethan, as if nothing had happened, calmly said, "Let's practice."
"Oh..." Lilly hesitated for a long time, whether to feign foolishness and revel in the hard-earned sweetness stolen from Ziyan, or to deal with his love and offer him a name change. Finally, she decided to swing her sword: "That name doesn't seem very good. Should you change it?"
"Why is it bad?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"It gives me goosebumps." Lilly put on a serious face and rubbed her hands realistically.
"So..." he feigned deep thought, then spoke slowly under her gaze, forcing out the syllable: "Lill?"
This time, Lilly actually felt goosebumps; the name was sweeter, as if Cupid had pierced her heart with an arrow!
"No... That’s even worse," Lilly retorted righteously.
"Really?" he said coldly. "Then call him that." "Hey, hey, hey... How can this be? Human rights, my human rights!" Lilly protested. No, if he really called her that, she'd be so drunk she wouldn't be able to stand!
"Just call it that." His words left no room for argument. Seeing that Lilly still wanted to protest, he impatiently warned, "I don't like repeating the same thing a third time."
Lily had to close her half-open mouth in frustration. After so many years together, she completely understood one thing. If he got angry, she definitely wouldn't be in the mood for fun.
Seeing that she had calmed down, he curled his lips coldly, "Practice."
Lily said, "Ethan."
"Lill." He smoothly followed her and encouraged, "Keep going, and don’t stop."
"Ethan!" Lily had cursed herself many times, and every time she felt irritated, she added "pain" to her words.
So on the way to Lily's house, they called out to each other and "quarreled" sweetly the entire way.
When they arrived, dinner had just begun, so they weren't late.
Getting out of the car, he raised his hand slightly, and his cold eyes glazed tenderly at her.
Lily almost trembled at that gaze and softly patted her chest.
What a good actor! Could ordinary people match such a quick change of pace? His gaze had clearly been frozen in the car, but it melted as soon as he got out. With such acting ability, why shouldn't he pursue a career in the entertainment industry? Maybe he could even win a Best Actor award...
Lily thought silently, trying to steady her racing heart. She reached out and hooked her hand around his elbow.
Getting out of the car, she... They walked side by side in the hallway. Before she'd taken more than a few steps, Lilly felt someone's nails dig into her shoulder hard.
Suddenly, a familiar, charming female voice called from behind: "Hey, Ethan, why doesn't your girlfriend even have a decent dress?"
Lilly turned angrily and saw Jessica, dressed elegantly and draped in jewelry.
Jessica looked Lilly up and down and said in surprise, "Ethan, why are you so indifferent to her? Listen, is this really how you feel about a real girl?"
"Not like that..." Lilly thought, blaming him, and subconsciously wanted to defend him.
But before she could explain, he gently pinched her arm to keep her from speaking.
"I'm afraid it's not your turn to judge my attitude toward my girlfriend." His tall stature blocked Lilly's path, and he said calmly,
"Then how do you explain her not wearing a dress?" Jessica asked aggressively,
"Explain?" He chuckled and replied coldly, "Even if you need to explain, explain it to Liney, the organizer. I don't need to explain anything to you. Remain calm."
Jessica was speechless, but she didn't want to let Lilly go. Ethan couldn't argue with her, so he pointed his gun at Lilly and said, "I know your identity. Chairman Johnson's granddaughter was only recognized as such last year, the Johnsons' daughter. Johnson and Liney are already partners. Are you dressing like this on purpose...?"
"No..." Lilly found herself in a quandary. If it had been about anything else, she could still refute Jessica's words, but since it was about the Johnsons' business, she couldn't do what she wanted.
Lily didn't know how to explain the dress. She couldn't simply tell the truth: Ethan, who had sent the dress, had sent the wrong style. Not only would that have embarrassed him, but it would have confirmed Jessica's account of his assault.
His attitude toward her was completely different from his attitude toward his legal girlfriend.
Ethan frowned and was already packing.
He was about to help Lilly again when another voice interrupted him.
"Jessica, what are you doing?" An old man of about seventy appeared in the hallway doorway, still energetic and hardworking. It was Jessica's grandfather, the old head of the Liney family. He leaned on a black wooden cane and began scolding Jessica for being dissatisfactory.
"Mr. Liney." Ethan nodded slightly. Seeing Liney glance at Lilly's dress, he must have just overheard the conversation. Then he calmly explained, "I accidentally got Lilly's dress dirty on the way here."
Liney approached, patted him affectionately on the shoulder, and said indifferently, "What's the big deal? If you're willing to bring your beloved to an old man like me, I don't care if you're dressed like a man."
They then exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the matter was referred to the floor for discussion. Jessica was displeased and coquettishly called him "Grandpa!"
"What are you arguing about?" Although he had no intention of indulging his granddaughter's arrogant behavior, when Jessica interrupted him, the old director merely scolded him lightly, without much anger: "The guests arrived early this morning and are still waiting inside to dance with you."
"I don't need this, Grandpa, you know who I like." Jessica took his hand, and her blue eyes, without any concealment, cast an electric glint upon Ethan. "I like him, I like Ethan, and I won't marry anyone else."
These gestures were clearly not taken seriously by Lilly, Ethan's girlfriend. Such blatant provocation instantly shattered the calm.