30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 256: From Bickering to Bonding

Mr. Blackwood’s arguments could sometimes be... rather childish, and Nanny had grown accustomed to it.

Tommy Blackwood was rolling a heated egg over his bruised face, glancing at the two sitting on the sofa. Thankfully, when he’d sensed things were heading south earlier, he had blocked the plain-clothes soldiers outside. Otherwise, based on the content of their argument, it might have all been submitted as court evidence.

This back-and-forth of ignoring each other and bickering lasted until bedtime.

When Lily emerged from the bathroom after her shower, Ethan sat in bed, flipping through a magazine. The cover featured a sensational news story from a while back. Ethan’s strikingly handsome face was printed prominently alongside a bold headline: "Blackwood Enterprise CEO Exposed for Love."

The man was clearly showing her this magazine on purpose...

It wasn’t as if Lily didn’t know how much he had done for her. She was fully aware. She just didn’t want him to keep misunderstanding Alex Carter.

Lily walked to her side of the bed and climbed in. She had barely settled when Ethan suddenly rolled over, taking most of the blanket with him.

Lily watched helplessly as her side of the bed was left without a blanket.

This man...

Was he deliberately trying to keep her from sleeping?

Looking at Ethan’s turned back, Lily silently cursed him for being childish and decided not to engage. She got out of bed and headed to the study.

She had just opened the study door when she heard Ethan’s displeased voice behind her. "Lily, where are you going?!"

Lily paused momentarily but acted as though she hadn’t heard him. She continued into the study, closed the door, and began flipping through the schedule for the next couple of days.

Filming was progressing quickly. At this rate, they might not even need three months to finish. After that, it would just be post-production.

The final product should turn out quite well...

Bang!

The study door was pushed open with a loud bang, and Ethan’s tall figure filled the doorway, casting a shadow over her.

Lily didn’t look up at him. She kept her head down, focused on the schedule in her hands.

A large hand suddenly entered her line of sight, snatching the schedule away. Only then did Lily raise her eyes to meet the furious gaze of the man before her.

"Go to sleep!" Ethan ordered, his tone sharp.

"I thought you didn’t want me to have a blanket?" Lily replied indifferently.

"..." Ethan was momentarily at a loss for words. His tone became stiff and domineering. "I’m telling you to sleep, so go to sleep!"

"I’m not your pet that comes and goes at your beck and call," Lily said calmly, reaching out to retrieve the schedule from his hand.

Ethan threw the schedule aside and leaned down, gripping her wrist. "Don’t argue. Go to bed."

A pregnant woman planning to spend the night in the study? Absolutely not.

Lily tried to free her wrist but couldn’t break free from his iron grip. Helpless, she let him drag her out of the study.

Sitting by the edge of the bed, Lily still made no move to lie down. Ethan glared at her. "Sleep!"

Did he think sleep was something he could command her to do?

She wasn’t some doll he could mold to his will.

Lily remained seated, unmoving.

This woman... Did she not understand the reason?!

"Lily Anderson, I said sleep!" Ethan sat on the bed, staring at her unyielding posture, his frustration boiling. His dark tone carried a threatening edge. "If you don’t go to sleep, I’ll force myself on you!"

Lily shot him an exasperated glance, her eyes filled with anger. Couldn’t he come up with something new?

"What are you looking at?!" Ethan squirmed under her gaze, feeling oddly uncomfortable. She was looking at him as if he were a petulant child.

Lily said nothing, merely turning her face away.

"Lily—Anderson!" Ethan practically growled, his voice reaching a hysterical pitch. "How long are you going to keep sulking?!"

Wasn’t this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?

He had started this whole thing, hadn’t he? Who had the time to bicker with him?

"Who was it that childishly hogged the blanket?" Lily said coolly, lifting the corner of the blanket and slipping underneath it. If he dared to pull the blanket away again, she would absolutely not sleep.

Ethan watched her lie down, followed suit, and sat beside her. He stubbornly slid his arm under her head, pulling her into his embrace to sleep.

With her pregnant belly, even turning over was a hassle for Lily. She decided to just let him have his way.

Her eyes begged her to sleep, but her mind was too alert after their earlier fight.

Suddenly, a sharp pain in her belly made her gasp softly. She instinctively placed a hand on her stomach.

"What’s wrong?" Ethan hadn’t fallen asleep either. Hearing her sound, he immediately sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. His sharp eyes were filled with concern as he stared at her.

After a moment of silence, Lily finally said, "The baby kicked me."

"Does it hurt?" Ethan frowned, the anger from earlier wholly gone. He reached for the intercom. "I’ll take you to the hospital right now."

"..." Lily didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Didn’t you read those pregnancy magazines? It’s normal for the baby to move."

Had he just skimmed through those magazines and tossed them aside?

Her tone was light and casual.

Ethan’s hand froze on the intercom, his chest tightening as if pierced by a sharp blade. His first instinct had been that the baby might harm her body, not anything else.

This baby would be delivered in two months. Without the antidote, the child wouldn’t survive long after birth...

Aiko Nakamura still hadn’t relented.

"Ethan," Lily suddenly called his name, struggling to sit in bed.

Ethan snapped out of his thoughts, his voice low. "Hmm?"

"I’m hungry. I want duck blood vermicelli soup, mango sago pudding, and sour plums," Lily said, looking at him.

"I’ll have the kitchen make it," Ethan said, reaching for the intercom again. But Lily stopped him once more. "No, the chefs are all asleep at this hour."

Ethan’s dark eyes studied her soft, innocent face. His voice sounded as if it had been forced from his throat. "You want me to make it?"

"Don’t want to?" Lily’s clear eyes met his as she moved to get out of bed. "Fine, I’ll just make instant noodles then."

Instant noodles for a pregnant woman...

This woman was doing this on purpose, wasn’t she? She was clearly getting back at him!

"Lie down!" Ethan snapped, his voice sharp and impatient. He climbed out of bed, looking reluctant as he said, "I’ll make it. Don’t move!"

Lily beamed triumphantly, a broad smile spreading across her face. She was indeed getting back at him for hogging the blanket earlier.

Who told him to be so childish?

Let him play the role of her servant for once. A man who didn’t even know a baby kicking was normal had plenty to learn.

After Ethan left, Lily leaned against the headboard, reviewing tomorrow’s schedule. She mentally planned the angles and techniques for a few scenes and considered whether the script needed further tweaking.

Time passed, and Ethan still hadn’t returned. He had likely never made duck blood vermicelli soup before and was probably fumbling around in the kitchen. Hopefully, she wouldn’t wake up to a blown-up kitchen in the morning...

As she waited, drowsiness crept up on her. Despite her best efforts to resist, she eventually succumbed to sleep, her head drooping as she dozed off.

When Ethan finally returned, carrying a tray with mango sago pudding, sour plums, and a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup he had painstakingly prepared, he found Lily fast asleep. She was leaning against the headboard, her body still upright, with her long hair falling over her face.

She looked so peaceful as she slept, with no bad habits. Her fair, delicate face and serene expression were captivating.

She still held the script in one hand and a pen in the other, a long, crooked line drawn across the page where she had fallen asleep mid-note.

This woman had ordered him around, yet the moment he finished, she had fallen asleep without care...

Bang—

Ethan set the tray down heavily on the bedside table. Picking up a sour plum, he moved closer and waved it under her nose, trying to rouse her. But Lily remained completely unresponsive, sleeping deeply.

She was sleeping even more soundly than before.

Ethan’s expression darkened as he abandoned the idea of waking her. She was more exhausted than anyone else.

He tossed the sour plum into his mouth, only to spit it out the next second.

Was this even a plum? It was pure sourness... How could pregnant women enjoy such intense flavors?

His mouth was overwhelmed by the sourness, leaving a lingering taste he couldn’t shake.

Casting a glance at the sleeping Lily, Ethan decided against waking her. Instead, he carefully removed the script and pen from her hands and gently laid her down.

She remained quiet and still as she slept. Ethan’s fingers brushed her face, tucking her hair back. As he did, a strand of hair fell into his palm.

Ethan’s chest felt like it had been struck hard. She was losing hair—so much of it.

Clutching the strand of hair tightly, a deep sense of helplessness spread through him. He couldn’t bear to see her wither away in front of him.

He wanted her to live better than anyone else.

After throwing the strand of hair into the trash, Ethan lay beside her, holding her close. But no matter how tightly he held her, sleep eluded him.

Lily woke up the following day to find Ethan already gone. The space beside her was empty.

Was he still upset about yesterday? Arguing really was exhausting.

Climbing out of bed, Lily noticed the cold duck blood vermicelli soup left on the table. The noodles had clumped together.

Only then did she remember how she had asked Ethan to make the soup last night, only to fall asleep before eating it.

Why hadn’t he woken her? Now, the soup was wasted.

Picking up the chopsticks, Lily poked at the noodles. They were utterly ruined. Even reheating wouldn’t save them. Why had she fallen asleep? Ethan had only cooked twice before.

The first time, the food had made her sick. This time, she hadn’t even tasted it.

"Don’t eat that. It’s cold," Ethan’s deep voice came from behind her.

Startled, Lily looked up to see him walking out of the bathroom, towel in hand, drying his hair. Her mood lightened instantly, and she couldn’t hide her delight. "You’re still here?"

Ethan looked down at her, his mood visibly lifting as he caught her excitement. A smug glint flashed in his eyes. "I didn’t leave, and you’re this happy?"

His tone was arrogant, as if he had just won some grand prize.

Realizing she had been too obvious, Lily quickly schooled her expression. "Ethan, I have something to say to you."

"Is it that you love me so much you can’t help yourself?" Ethan teased, raising a playful eyebrow.

"We can’t keep arguing like this. If we fight, we have to make up immediately. And if I get mad, you must cheer me up until I’m no longer mad. No more yelling at me!" Lily stood firmly, speaking with utmost seriousness.

He always yelled during arguments. Her ears weren’t made of steel, after all.

"Lily Anderson!" Ethan immediately retorted like a child. "Every time you get mad, you ignore me. If I don’t yell, will you even listen to me?!"

"..." So he thought he was actually in the right?

Lily turned and headed toward the bathroom, only for Ethan to grab her arm. He looked at her as if he had caught her in the act of some crime. "See, you’re ignoring me again. You think I’d be afraid of your cold shoulder?!"

Afraid? This man wasn’t scared of anything. He was a tyrant, a dictator! 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Lily glared at him, speaking slowly and deliberately. "For the sake of the duck blood vermicelli soup, I won’t argue with you."

"So now I’m worth less than a bowl of soup?!" Ethan exclaimed, still not entirely understanding her words.

"I’m saying," Lily said, deliberately softening her tone to ease the tension, "because you made me the soup, I’ve decided to call a truce. But no more yelling at me."

The fire between them gradually cooled.