Chapter 2

Bella blinked in astonishment, thinking she saw it wrong. "This is..."

"A supermarket," a low, husky male voice softly uttered.

"I know it's a supermarket, but why are we here?" Bella glanced back at the two unusually excited dogs in the back seat, then lowered her voice cautiously. "Dogs can't go in."

Dogs?

Cotton and Snowflake immediately perked up their ears and stared closely at their owners, alertly listening. 

"Don't worry! With you around, they would never dare chase away your dogs," Ethan lazily reassured her.

"Why?" Bella's elegant face showed a hint of confusion. His words were so hard to understand!

"You'll find out later," Ethan confidently drove the Jeep into the supermarket's exclusive parking lot.

Due to the White family's old house being located on the outskirts of the city, all it took was a short drive up a mountain road to reach the bustling city, which was quite convenient. Moreover, there were many large supermarkets and restaurants nearby, and this supermarket was one of them.

Once the car was parked, Ethan and Bella each took hold of a dog and walked confidently into the supermarket building.

"Sir, I'm sorry, pets are not allowed inside," a cashier immediately approached them to stop them upon seeing their group.

Ethan halted and threw her a smile full of masculine charm. "Excuse me, could you please tell me where your manager is? I'd appreciate it if you could call him out."

He firmly held onto the lively Cotton while reaching out his other hand to help stabilize Bella, who was being pulled away by Snowflake.

The cashier was momentarily captivated by his handsome smile and stammered, "U-u-um, the manager, where is he?"

"Wait, wait a moment." After saying that, she blushed and hurriedly ran into the shop, occasionally stealing glances at Ethan.

"Bella, what are you daydreaming about? Snowflake is about to run away." If he wasn't holding onto the two dogs, Ethan would have definitely knocked her on the head before saying anything.

Bella snapped out of her trance, unbelievably wide-eyed. "Ethan, you just smiled casually, and that lady blushed and her heart raced! How did you do that?"

This guy could easily make a living by "selling smiles."

"What's so surprising about that?" Ethan muttered irritably, knowing that probably only she couldn't see his charm among all the women in the world, and she still treated him like a little brother.

Bella didn't hear his muttering, staring blankly at his handsome face, deep in thought.

Honestly speaking, Ethan really was good-looking. He had a handsome and rebellious face, along with a tall and sturdy physique. Coupled with an air of coldness, it made him effortlessly the center of attention, just like the description of a bad guy in a romance novel, possessing a strong killing power over female compatriots.

Just in that short walk, he had attracted the admiring gazes of countless women, while she was relatively pitiful, receiving only hateful and malicious glares. It made her walk trembling with fear, a little scared.

"Ethan, there's no need to call me... Oh? Sister, it's you!"

A rugged man first frowned and complained, but when he saw the graceful figure of Bella, his dark eyes immediately lit up with delight. He quickly moved his sturdy body, as thick as a black bear's, and prepared to rush over and hold Bella's lovely little hand.

"What are you doing? Don't touch me recklessly," Ethan said displeasedly, pushing away his hairy hand.

"Woof, woof, woof..." Cotton and Snowflake also barked a few warnings, not happy with someone touching their master.

"What do you mean by touch recklessly? I just wanted to get close to my sister, why do you have to say it so harshly?!" "Big Bear" protested loudly. This guy is really impolite!

Ethan stared coldly at him. "Get close? Weren't you close enough yesterday?" This pervert is even drooling and still wants to pretend innocence.

"Oh, you're the tall guy from yesterday!" Bella's face lit up with a smile as she finally remembered who he was. "So you're the manager of this supermarket! Amazing!"

"Where, it's just that my sister doesn't mind!" The tall guy laughed embarrassedly, feeling a bit dizzy from her praise.

"Um..." Bella's lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something but hesitating. Then, she cast a pleading look at Ethan.

"You can just call this guy Big Bearr," Ethan knew exactly what she wanted to ask. It's not like she's good at remembering names, and he wouldn't mind teasing Big Bear a bit more!

"Oh!" Bella nodded seriously and turned her slender body towards the tall manager. "Mr. Big Bear, can we leave the dog with you?"

"No problem," Big Bear patted his chest confidently. "As long as I'm alive, no one will dare to bully sister's beloved dog. Sister, feel free to go shopping."

Ethan disdainfully glanced at Big Bear. The man's creepy smile was really ugly!

"Thank you," Bella smiled lightly at him, then crouched down and softly instructed Cotton and Snowflake to behave.

At this moment, Big Bear quickly hooked Ethan's neck and dragged him aside, nervously warning him, "Ethan, don't think I haven't warned you. It's fine if you move into sister's house, but if you dare to touch a single hair on Bella's head, be careful I break your neck. Do you understand?"

Ethan impatiently shrugged off his hand. "I got it! You've threatened me like a woman several times yesterday. Aren't you tired yet?" Enough is enough!

Ethan walked back to Bella's side with confident strides, then intentionally held her small hand in front of Big Bear.

"Bella, let's go shopping."

"Okay."

Big Bear's jealous eyes immediately fell off.

...

When Ethan walked into the supermarket, he pushed the shopping cart directly to the fresh food section.

He carefully selected some meat and vegetables, while Bella could only follow him blankly, showing admiration in her eyes for his figure.

Impressive! Impressive! This man can actually cook! So talented and wise!

"Aren't you buying anything?" Ethan reminded her.

Bella lowered her head and calculated the budget for the month, then went to pick up a bag of apples and put it in the shopping cart.

"That's enough."

After Ethan casually glanced at the bag of apples, he took out two boxes of meat from the open freezer to compare.

"Bella, do you prefer beef or pork?"

"Beef," Bella answered without hesitation. Just the thought of the tender texture of beef in her mouth made her saliva immediately flow. 

Ethan nodded in silence, placing the box of beef in the shopping cart. 

They continued to push the cart forward. Along the way, Ethan still attracted the admiring glances of all female compatriots. Women of all ages would steal a glance at him as he passed by. But he obviously didn't pay any attention, going straight to pick out the daily necessities and the cans of dog food that Cotton loved to eat. 

Bella observed for a while and reluctantly picked up three luxurious cans of cat food. If Shadow saw that Cotton and Snowflake had cans to eat and it didn't, it would definitely get upset. 

But these little cans of cat food were actually fifty bucks for three, which was really a rip-off, wasn't it? 

When they reached the fast food section, Bella swiftly grabbed a pack of beef-flavored instant noodles and threw it into the cart. 

"What are you getting instant noodles for?" Ethan crossed his arms and took on a disapproving stance. 

Bella chuckled sheepishly. "Instant noodles are tasty." Her sweet voice sounded a bit modest. Who would want to eat instant noodles if they had money? She had no choice but to be frugal! 

"Put it back," Ethan's tone was dangerously gentle.

"But... that's not fair!" Bella protested, glaring at him with wide eyes. However, she couldn't withstand his stern gaze and reluctantly put the instant noodles back in place, feeling dejected.

Strange! Why was she so afraid of him? She was his landlady, the older sister of his good friend, and his benefactor! She had no reason to be afraid of him, right?

"Good girl," Ethan said, his charming smile rising as he affectionately planted a kiss on top of her head.

Bella stood frozen in place, unable to resist touching the spot where he had kissed her. What did that gesture mean? It didn't seem like something a younger brother would do to his older sister...

"Why are you standing there like a daze? Come on, keep up," Ethan chuckled when he saw her overly stimulated expression.

"Oh!" Bella scratched her head in frustration and slowly walked up to him. "Why did you... randomly kiss me?"

"I saw you do that to Cotton and the others. Don't you like it?" Ethan calmly replied, a wicked smile gleaming in his black eyes.

"It's not that... I don't like it! It just feels strange." After all, humans and dogs are different. Bella pondered, pursing her soft lips.

"You'll get used to it eventually." Ethan planned to gradually integrate himself into her life and make her accustomed to his kisses.

"Do you need anything else?"

Bella was still pondering what "getting used to it" meant, but her mind was suddenly distracted by his precise words. "Yes," she said. Afterward, she turned in place, trying to figure out the direction. "What are you looking for?" Ethan asked kindly. "Sa-" she began, but a blush stained Bella's clean face, and she was annoyed to the point of almost biting her tongue off. "Toilet paper?" Ethan guessed, staring at her rosy cheeks. "Hmm," Bella mumbled and nodded vaguely. As long as she saw toilet paper, she should be able to find sanitary pads, right? "Didn't you see it when we passed by just now?" Ethan led the absent-minded Bella and walked back. Why was Bella blushing like a monkey's butt? Buying toilet paper was normal! However, when he saw her comparing two bunches of sanitary pads on the shelf, he blushed instead. Bella looked at the price on the label and calculated it silently in her mouth. "Are you done yet?" Ethan urged her in a low voice, his face filled with embarrassment, and he looked around anxiously, afraid of being seen by someone he knew.

"Wait a moment." Bella glanced at him mournfully. His interruption had caused her carefully calculated numbers to become disorganized, forcing her to start over. 

"What are you doing?" Ethan shifted uncomfortably, pretending not to notice the suggestive glances he received from passersby of all ages and genders.

"Which brand is cheaper?" Bella struggled to overcome her shyness. 

While female dignity was important, money was even more so. If she could be a bit thrifty, she might be able to secretly buy a pack of budget sanitary pads when Ethan wasn't paying attention. 

Ethan stared at her beautiful profile in disbelief. Bella had actually put him in such an awkward situation just to save a few dollars. 

Bella set down a pack of sanitary pads and cautiously glanced at him, then picked up another brand from the shelf and compared the prices, her expression showing great difficulty in deciding. 

"How much longer?" Ethan asked through gritted teeth. Damn it! She's been taking longer than it would take to give birth.

Bella lowered her head, her black, shiny hair sliding down from her shoulders, covering her embarrassed face, with only her red ears peeking out from the hair.

"Ethan, if it were you, would you choose the cheaper... but less comfortable pads, or the slightly more expensive but better quality ones?" She couldn't make up her mind and needed someone else's opinion. 

Come on! How would he know about women's issues? Ethan rolled his eyes in annoyance and asked, with a hint of frustration, "Which one is more comfortable?" Damn it! This woman really doesn't see him as a man, or she wouldn't be asking such a terrifying question.

"This." Bella shyly raised her left hand a little higher. 

After Ethan saw clearly, he quickly swept four or five packs of that brand of sanitary napkins onto the shopping cart. 

"Okay, let's go!"

"Wait! I didn't bring that much money." Bella was completely dumbfounded. Ethan swept enough for her to use for a year.

"I'll pay for you." As long as he could get away from this damn area, Ethan was willing to pay any price.

"How can you..." Bella's protesting voice lingered, but she was already being forcibly dragged away.

...

Waking up in a rich aroma of coffee, Bella greedily took a deep breath and couldn't help but follow the scent to the kitchen.

"Did you sleep enough for your nap?" Ethan leisurely leaned against the dining table, his index finger hooked around the coffee mug, his face full of a laughter that restrained joy.

Ethan knew that she had a bad liver, so she was particularly prone to feeling tired. If she didn't get a full ten hours of sleep, she would be groggy all day. 

This morning, she was too early to be woken up by him, which made her exhausted. She even forgot to call Cotton and Snowflake in the car and went back to bed to catch up on sleep. 

"Um." Bella's shining eyes unconsciously fell on the pot of black liquid behind Ethan. Hmm... it's been a while since I had coffee. I really miss it! 

"Want a cup?" Ethan tempted her by raising the cup in his hand. 

"Okay." Bella happily nodded. Coffee doesn't have any energizing effect on her, she just loves its bitter aroma. 

Ethan turned around and poured a steaming cup of coffee, added a packet of fine sugar according to her preference, without milk, and handed it to her. "Here! Drink slowly." 

"Thank you." Bella held the cup and happily took a sniff. "Ethan, you have a great memory. You even remember that I don't like milk in my coffee." 

"I remember more than just that." Ethan grumbled unhappily. In comparison, she seemed heartless and unfaithful. She couldn't even remember his name. He was her first man, after all!

If he didn't know her well enough to know that she was absent-minded, careless, and incredibly thick-skinned, he would have thought she was pretending to be dumb!

"Huh? Say it louder." Bella mumbled with a mouthful of coffee, requesting unclearly.

"Not really," Ethan replied. Now was not the right time for him to explain things to her. "Oh, by the way! While you were sleeping, a publishing house called for you. You should call them back when you have the time."

"Oh!" Bella's joyful spirit immediately deflated like a deflated ball. "I see." Ugh! Reality can be so cruel!

"Is your writing not going well?" Ethan asked tentatively.

Bella disliked change, so her preferences and habits had remained unchanged. The only major change was three years ago when she quit her editing job that made her feel like she wanted to die. She started writing essays and short stories at home, sending them to the publishing house irregularly to earn a living.

Bella furrowed her soft willow eyebrows and spoke in a slightly frustrated voice. "It's not that bad! It's just that the editor I used to work with left, and now this new editor doesn't like my writing style. They keep asking me to revise it, and it's really affecting my mood."

She couldn't understand why the publishing house, which used to appreciate her writing, had changed so much after getting a new editor. It's so annoying!

"After getting a new editor, did you prepare a gift for her?" Ethan asked.

"Why?" Bella's delicate face showed a hint of confusion. She could barely support herself, so how could she support an editor? That's asking too much!

Ethan shook his head and smiled. He was already twenty-six years old, and this woman still didn't understand the ways of the world. No wonder she was being taken advantage of. "Forget it, I think you should rest for a while before making any decisions. Don't worry so much." Despite that, he loved her innocent and genuine nature and didn't want her to change.

In this competitive and utilitarian society, it was quite rare for her to maintain such a naive and romantic temperament. Apart from the protection of her family, Bella herself had to be naive enough not to progress. Why waste time trying to change her?

"You're right," Bella agreed with a sweet smile of appreciation. Ethan's words really touched her heart. "The summer sunshine is so bright and beautiful. It's the perfect time for eating watermelon and having lazy days. We should enjoy the sunshine instead of working so hard, don't you think?"

Bella suddenly realized that taking in Ethan was a good idea. At least he wouldn't pressure her to work or nag at her. On the contrary, he encouraged her to rest, which was nice.

"You lazy one," Ethan teased her by poking her forehead, feeling both annoyed and amused. "If you want to rest, just say so. Why make so many excuses?" It was too easy to please her with just a simple smile.

Rubbing her fair forehead, Bella pitifully complained to him, "Oh! You have no idea how tiring it is to write with a pen. My hand is almost worn out. Of course, I want to rest as much as possible!"

"Don't tell me you're still writing manuscripts with a pencil," Ethan couldn't believe she had been able to persist with that method for so many years and confidently called her a computer illiterate.

"What's wrong with using a pencil? Not only does it save money, but you can also erase mistakes with an eraser. Ethan, don't you know how expensive correction fluid is these days?" Bella enthusiastically praised the advantages of using a pencil.

"You can comfort yourself like this, I have no objection," Ethan understands her ostrich mentality. "But, if you want to learn computers, I can teach you."

"Well...let's talk about it later!" Bella hesitated and changed the topic. "Hey! How come we haven't seen Cotton and Snowflake for a long time?"

In the past, when she took a nap, she would often be disturbed by the dogs, but today was an exception, allowing her to have a rare full nap.

"I just bathed them and now they're tied up in the yard to sunbathe," Ethan said calmly, without explaining the effort it took to control those two ignorant dogs.

Bella sympathetically wrinkled her delicate face. "Oh! Poor dogs, they hate taking baths the most."