Chapter 54 Why are you hugging me?
A light flickered in the old man's clouded eyes, and his wrinkled lips moved briefly. He said nothing, but looked at Lilly, wanting to understand what it was about this girl that Ethan found so appealing, and how she would react to his granddaughter's difficulties.
Ethan realized the old man was testing Lilly's intentions, and he instantly grew angry and was about to speak out against it.
But at that moment, Lilly reached out, took his hand, shook her head slightly, and then smiled brightly at the haughty Jessica and the old man, who was waiting for the performance to begin with a grim expression. She quietly, her lips reddened, said, "Want to grab it? Well, you can, if you really can, really..."
Lily deliberately hesitated, and when Jessica couldn't resist asking the next question, she answered a step faster: "If you can shake that huge iceberg of Ethan's as much as I did."
The old man's eyes showed admiration for Lilly's determination and confidence. He smiled and fingered his crutches. It seemed Ethan had truly mastered something unique.
"Grandfather..." Jessica was so angry she almost clenched her teeth and shook the old man's hand.
"You are a descendant of my family. If you want it, fight for it yourself," the old man said. "If you succeed, that's your ability. If not, just accept your fate."
Jessica looked at the two of them with shame and envy. Since her grandfather was there and she had spoken those words, she didn't dare be too presumptuous.
Ethan didn't want to pay attention to their conversation. His gaze had been fixed on Lilly from the start. Seeing her witty retort and confident defense of her position, his hardened heart immediately softened.
He truly admired her bold and vibrant appearance.
Ethan's eyes were filled with tenderness, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around Lilly's waist.
"Huh?" Lilly noticed his actions, and her body tensed for a moment. Still playing, she could only try to relax her limbs to avoid making mistakes.
But Ethan's hand, pressing against her waist through her thin skirt, still made her tremble slightly. She involuntarily suppressed her slightly ragged breath and leaned toward his ear, lowering her voice. "Why are you hugging me? Let me go..."
He leaned toward her ear and replied indifferently, "Don't move, it's best to behave properly."
In the eyes of Jessica and the old man, their behavior resembled the whispers of a loving couple.
The old man looked away with relief and happened to notice a beautiful figure in the room. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he smiled at Ethan and said, "I forgot to tell you that your daughter is here too. I invited her producer to this dinner, and somehow I brought her here too." Hearing this, Lilly, a little confused by Ethan's behavior, froze slightly. Daughter? Could it be Ziyan?
"Producer?" Ethan's attention was momentarily distracted by his words, and he didn't notice that Lilly was different.
"Yes, that's him. He's handsome," the old man pointed in the right direction and said, "but he likes to get these new, pure female stars. His methods are quite effective. Even if you're the biggest investor, he's no small man."
Ethan glanced over and saw Ziyan, dressed in an exquisite turquoise dress, drinking. She was chatting with a tall, graceful man.
This man is the most infamous producer and the most cunning in the entertainment industry.
Ethan frowned and said, "Liney, we'll sit down later. Excuse me." He then removed his hand and walked over to Lilly. Linay had already achieved her goal of finding out who Ethan's girlfriend was, so she ignored him and let him go, Lilly, clutching her granddaughter Jessica, who was trying to escape, and heading toward the guest.
The closer Lilly got to Ziyan with Ethan, the more confused she became. She couldn't figure out why Ziyan was there?
Had Ethan told Ziyan he was coming with her today to play out this drama?
No, given Ethan's silent nature, he definitely wouldn't have told her.
And judging by his reaction to Ziyan's appearance, it was obvious he hadn't known Ziyan would show up. If she saw them together like this, wouldn't she have misunderstood?
When Ziyan turned and saw them, Lilly subconsciously wanted to pull her hand away from Ethan, but Ethan intercepted it as soon as she moved slightly.
"What happened?" Ethan asked, tilting his head toward her.
"Nothing," Lilly managed a smile and replied. They had already approached Ziyan and the producer. Seeing them, Ziyan was surprised, then looked sadly at Lilly, who had grabbed Ethan's hand.
He hadn't really told her about it; she would never have had that expression.
Lilly sighed to herself. This misunderstanding was serious, and she had to find a way to explain it later.
"Dad!" Ziyan said.
Producer Quinn, standing next to her, had already extended his hand to Ethan, smiling ingratiatingly. "Mr. Ethan, I've heard about you for a long time." From a distance, he did indeed seem attractive, very handsome, with a pleasant face, but there was a dark shadow in his eyes that inexplicably sent shivers down his spine.
Ethan didn't shake his hand, but merely replied indifferently, "Quinn." Then he turned to Ziyan and said seriously, "Come to dinner when you're free." "The show's over, right?"
Ziyan, noticing his tone wasn't very good, replied a little fearfully, "Yes, I finished filming today. It just so happened that Quinn said he was going to dinner and needed a companion, so he asked me to help, so I..."
Hearing this, Lilly sighed helplessly. Judging by Ethan and the old man's conversation, as well as Quinn's gaze wandering around Ziyan, it was obvious that Ziyan had fallen prey to someone else.
But Ziyan didn't know this, likely because after his parents died in a car accident and he was raised by Ethan, he had been well-protected ever since.
To use a metaphor, Lilly is like someone who's never eaten pork but has seen pigs run, not to mention her aunt, who works in the entertainment industry, has been under her influence for a year now. Ziyan, on the other hand, is an extremely simple child who's never eaten pork or seen pigs run.
The reason this child maintains such a clear mind even into adulthood is that Ethan protects her from the wind and rain.
Thinking about this, Lilly felt a little depressed. She felt like she'd have trouble breathing if she stayed here any longer, so she hurriedly interrupted Ethan and the others' conversation and said, "I'm thirsty. I'll go get a drink. You can chat."
Ethan was about to give her a "warning" and didn't want Lilly here. At that moment, Lilly suggested they leave. He felt a great sense of relief, thinking that Lilly had understood his thoughts. He looked at her with a softer gaze, then gently released her hand and said, "Go."