Chapter 211 In - Laws
Jin Liwei's mind went blank. His body became numb. Even his heart felt like it stopped beating. When he regained senses, the gravity of the situation hit him in full force. He felt utterly devastated.
"Second Brother, you said that she's not in any danger," Jin Liwei whispered. "Then why is she in coma now?"
"I don't know," Wang Yingjie admitted.
"How can you not know?! You're a doctor!"
"Third Bro, calm down." Yu Mo held onto Jin Liwei's shoulders, afraid that he would start attacking Wang Yingjie in his distress.
"I'm a doctor, not a god," Wang Yingjie said. Bafflement could be seen in his eyes. "Her vitals are low but not dangerously low. Her other test results also all came out normal. Medically speaking, she's relatively healthy with only a slightly lowered immune system because of her previous coma. I don't understand why she's not waking up right now."
He already contacted Dr. Ching. Iris' doctor would arrive at the hospital tomorrow. Wang Yingjie planned to discuss Iris' condition and to figure out why she kept on having these fainting episodes.
Jin Liwei rubbed his face with his hands. He looked miserable. He sat beside his unconscious baby girl on the bed. She looked like she was just sleeping. He gently held her hand which was still a bit hot from the fever.
"Baby, please wake up." He lifted her limp hand and kissed it.
"She'll be fine," Lu Zihao said. He sat on one of the couches.
Jin Liwei only grunted.
"Fifth Brother, it's late. You should go home first. You're due for a check-up tomorrow morning," Wang Yingjie told him.
"No need. I'll sleep on the extra bed here."
Wang Yingjie was about to argue but sighed instead. "Suit yourself. I'll ask for extra pillows and blankets and also some toiletries for the two of you."
Yu Mo and Wang Yingjie left and went home. Lu Zihao slept on the extra bed while Jin Liwei lay beside Iris. Jin Liwei didn't notice the dark look Lu Zihao gave him when he embraced Iris on the bed.
The next day, Iris still didn't wake up. Dom arrived at the hospital first thing in the morning. He cried his eyes out when he saw his comatose boss. If an outsider saw and heard him, they would think that he was grieving a loved one who just passed away.
Lu Zihao rebuked him. "She's not dead. Don't cry like that. It's bad luck."
Dom immediately stopped crying, staring in wonder at such a handsome hunk. Moments later, a nurse fetched Lu Zihao from the room for his check-up in the same hospital.
After some time, Long Tengfei, Yang Jiahui and Meimei arrived. Meimei immediately sat beside Dom.
"What happened?" Long Tengfei asked Jin Liwei.
Jin Liwei looked horrible. Dark circles were under his red eyes. His hair was a mess and his clothes wrinkled. He explained to Long Tengfei that Iris collapsed while the two of them were visiting his best friends.
"I'm sorry," Jin Liwei said. "I didn't take care of her."
Long Tengfei looked expressionless but Yang Jiahui knew that her husband was distraught inside. She rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.
"It's not your fault," Long Tengfei told Jin Liwei in a stiff voice. "My daughter already had this issue before. Don't be too hard on yourself. She'll wake up soon. I know she will." His voice shook at the last sentence.
About an hour later, another group arrived. Grandpa Lu, Grandma Li and Huang Yuyan came together. Lu Zihao was already back by that time from his check-up, chatting with Dom and Meimei, asking them about Iris.
When Long Tengfei saw the new arrivals, he needed a double take. Of course, he recognized them! Lu Jianhong was a business legend. All serious businessmen in the country knew and looked up to him. As for the two ladies with him, they were two generations of Jin Madams.
Long Tengfei couldn't believe that he was meeting such big-shots in his daughter's hospital room. Then he paused, remembering that it was also in a hospital room that he was shocked by Jin Liwei claiming to be his daughter's boyfriend.
Huang Yuyan burst into tears as soon as she saw Iris and her disheveled son. Grandma Li comforted her daughter-in-law.
"Liwei my boy, go take a shower! Your mother brought you a change of clothes. You look terrible! You'll scare Xiulan looking like that when she wakes up. Hurry up! We also ordered breakfast." Grandpa Lu's voice wasn't as booming this time.
"Later," Jin Liwei mumbled, refusing to let go of his baby girl's hand.
Grandpa Lu just sighed, not pushing him. He turned to his grandson instead. He wanted to ask his grandson a lot of questions, but decided to wait when everything was better. Now was not the right time. Instead, he said, "Haohao my boy! I brought you a change of clothes as well. Go take a shower!"
Unlike Jin Liwei, Lu Zihao looked fresh and well-rested. He looked wild and handsome as usual. Both Meimei and Dom were looking at him with sparkling eyes. If their pupils could change shape, their eyes would turn into hearts.
While Lu Zihao showered in the private bathroom, Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui greeted Grandpa Lu, Grandma Li and Huang Yuyan.
"It's unfortunate that we're meeting in this kind of situation," Grandma Li said, sighing. "This wasn't how I imagined meeting Xiulan's family. Yuyan and I were planning to invite you for dinner soon so that our two families can formally meet, yet here we are now. My heart aches for dear Xiulan. I hope she wakes up soon."
Huang Yuyan wiped the tears flowing from her eyes as she looked at her son and her comatose future daughter-in-law.
"She'll be alright!" Grandpa Lu's voice was determined. "If she doesn't wake up soon, I'll ask my doctor friends to fly over here and take a look at Xiulan. They're leading experts in the world's medical field. I'm sure they can figure out what's happening to her."
Breakfast arrived and they all ate together. Everyone tried to persuade Jin Liwei to eat but he refused. In the end, it was Lu Zihao who managed to persuade him with biting words.
"Heh, so you're gonna starve yourself? Go ahead. A weak and useless man like you can't protect Xiulan anyway. How can a man who can't even take care of himself take care of his woman? He can't because he's incompetent!"
Jin Liwei glared at Lu Zihao.
Lu Zihao just raised an eyebrow and smirked while deliberately eating his meal in slow motion.
The others just watched the brothers in silence. Grandpa Lu was surprised at his grandson's savage words but he nodded in approval. Sometimes, being hard to one's loved ones was the way to go.
Jin Liwei scowled before standing up. He bent down to kiss Iris' forehead before heading to the table to eat with everyone. Grandma Li and Huang Yuyan looked relieved. They nodded their thanks at Lu Zihao.
Lu Zihao responded by giving them a dazzling smile.
It was during the meal that Long Tengfei learned that his daughter was taken by the legendary Lu Jianhong as his student. Of course he was ecstatic. But what he learned next shocked him to the core.
"C-cross Academy?" Long Tengfei stammered, laughing awkwardly. "You must be mistaken, Sir Lu."
"You think that I, Lu Jianhong, will make a mistake in this matter? Hai! How can you not know that your own daughter is a genius? I want to know!"
Long Tengfei didn't know how to respond. He looked at his comatose daughter in disbelief. She was a genius? How come she didn't display any of her genius abilities while she was growing up? Was he really too busy that he never noticed that his daughter was actually a genius? It would take him a while to digest this revelation.
They continued to chat with each other, trying to lighten the mood even though they were all worrying about Iris' condition. In this kind of situation, they grew closer. Nobody said it out loud, but they already considered each other as in-laws in their hearts.
Evening came once again. They went home, except for Jin Liwei, Lu Zihao and Dom who refused to leave Iris.
Three days passed by, yet Iris still failed to wake up.
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Chapter 212 - Sleeping Beauty
In these three days, Jin Liwei felt barely alive. He refused to leave Iris' side. As a result, Grandpa Lu stepped in as acting President-CEO of Jin Corporation, astonishing everyone in the country's business world.
Immediately after, rumours started flying around. Did this mean that the Lus would finally demand their claim on half of Jin Corporation? Sir Lu Jianhong had always allowed the Jins to reign over the company after he stepped down and allowed Jin Liwei's father to take over as head.
It was still a big mystery who would inherit Lu Jianhong's half portion of the company. He already announced before that he would pass it down to the person he deemed the most worthy and capable, regardless of whether that person was a Lu or not.
Many business insiders interpreted this as Lu Jianhong planning to give the portion to Jin Liwei. It certainly wouldn't go to that happy-go-lucky Lu grandson who almost died skiing on some snowy mountain somewhere in the world.
Jin Corporation's stock prices rose with the return of the business legend.
As for Iris being comatose, the news was kept secret with the combined power and influence of the Jins, the Lus and the Longs. It also greatly helped that Wang Yingjie had the presence of mind to limit the hospital staff who knew about Iris right from the start. He only allowed people that he trusted to come close to her.
Even Tang Yiyi wasn't informed. It was up to Dom to think up of various excuses to explain why Iris couldn't be contacted. Tang Yiyi was trustworthy, but the same thing couldn't be said for the Bright Summit higher-ups. Dom and the others worried that if the management company learned that Iris was comatose again, they would stop prioritizing her career due to her health. As a result, Dom had to return to the penthouse to continue handling her affairs as usual while she was in coma.
However, Dom could only make excuses for a few days at most. Iris was currently one of the hottest musicians in the country. Not to mention that she was trending because of the upcoming film "Strong Yet Broken". People would become suspicious if she disappeared for too long. Dom prayed that his boss would wake up soon.
His prayer was finally answered.
The morning of the fourth day, Iris finally opened her eyes.
She immediately felt disoriented not recognizing where she was. But she soon calmed down when she felt a familiar warmth beside her.
She turned her head and looked at the sleeping Jin Liwei. He looked terrible. He hadn't shaved for days. He also looked a little thinner. The area around his eyes were dark and sunken. His brows were scrunched together from worry even in his sleep.
Jin Liwei woke up from a restless sleep when he felt featherlight touches on his face. His eyes snapped open.
What he saw was his baby girl's beautiful face smiling softly at him. She was looking at him while touching his face.
Was he still dreaming? Could it be...?
"Baby?" His heart began thumping.
"Good morning, darling," Iris greeted him in a dry whisper.
His eyes watered as relief flooded him, mixed in with excitement, joy and of course worry. He tensed his jaw as he tried to control his emotions.
Iris wiped the corner of his eyes with her fingers.
He carefully gathered her in his embrace and kissed her forehead. "Thank the heavens you're awake. I'm so sorry, baby."
She felt him tremble. "Why are saying sorry? It's not your fault."
He opened his mouth but closed it again. His eyes looked miserable. He looked like he wanted to say something to her but couldn't find the words. In the end, he asked her instead, "How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?"
"No, but I'm thirsty."
"Alright. Wait here. I'll get you water." He sat up from the bed and was about to leave when she tugged at his shirt. "What's wrong, baby? Do you need something?"
She nodded.
"What is it? Tell me."
"Mmn...I need a kiss first."
Jin Liwei blinked, not sure if he heard her correctly. "What?"
She pouted and tugged him again. "Hurry up. I need a kiss to make me feel better."
For the first time in days, his mouth twitched. His exhausted eyes danced with amusement. His baby girl was asking for something so of course he would give it to her.
He leaned down, making sure to support his weight on his arm, and then claimed her lips. He did his best to keep the kiss light, afraid that he would give her too much stimulus and cause her to relapse again.
For Iris' part, she didn't attempt to deepen the kiss. She had no energy, anyway. She just smiled in satisfaction when the kiss ended. "Mmm. Very nice. I'm thirsty..."
"Okay. I'll get you water," he said, chuckling. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before climbing off the bed.
"Heh~ Instead of being awakened by Prince Charming's kiss, it seems that our Sleeping Beauty is the one demanding a kiss upon waking up by herself. Oh my, what a bold Sleeping Beauty!"
Iris and Jin Liwei turned their heads and saw Lu Zihao sitting on the extra bed, looking attractive despite his ruffled hair. His expression looked teasing but his eyes made Iris shiver a little.
Jin Liwei pulled up the blanket to cover her more, thinking that she was feeling cold. Then he nodded at Lu Zihao. "Fifth Brother."
"Good morning, Third Brother," Lu Zihao greeted. "You look terrible! Little sister must really like you a lot, asking for a kiss when you look like a caveman who never had a shower."
Jin Liwei's response was a grunt. He left to get water from the kitchenette.
"Big Brother? Are you really Big Brother?" Iris asked Lu Zihao in a small voice while Jin Liwei was away.
"Ah, dear Evelinka. I am hurt! Oh, right. I should call you Xiulan now. I recognized my little sister right away but she's not even sure if I'm her big brother or not."
His devilish smile made her heart skip a beat with its familiarity. Indeed, he really felt like her Big Brother Nikolai. She noticed that Jin Liwei was on his way back, so she hurriedly pleaded, "Big Brother, please don't do anything to Liwei. I like him very much."
"Hmm...I won't," he said. But before she could sigh in relief, he added, "For now. He's Lu Zihao's brother and from his memories, I know that your lover is a dependable man. But my little sister deserves only the best. Is he the best?"
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Chapter 213 - New Slave?
Gathering her courage, Iris forced herself to look directly at Lu Zihao's eyes. "I won't let you hurt him, Big Brother."
He narrowed his eyes. "Heh~ What's this? You're really in love with him?"
"I..."
"What are you two talking about?" Jin Liwei asked when he arrived carrying a glass of water. He didn't sound jealous, just genuinely curious.
"Oh, I'm just asking her if she loves you."
Jin Liwei froze.
"Help me drink," she quickly requested, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.
Jin Liwei helped her drink water. Her body was still feeling sluggish. He supported her while she drank slowly. She was so thirsty that she finished the tall glass of water.
"So what's your answer, Little Sister? Do you love Third Brother?" Lu Zihao insisted on asking.
She pouted at him.
Jin Liwei kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby. Don't mind Fifth Brother. He's just messing around."
"Liwei, I—"
A brief knock on the door interrupted them. It opened and Wang Yingjie entered accompanied by Dr. Ching. Jin Liwei apparently contacted them when Iris woke up.
The doctors examined Iris and ordered a series of tests on her. They discussed her condition between themselves. Both felt baffled because all the test results came out normal. Medically speaking, Iris was healthy. Then why did she keep having these fainting episodes, even going into coma for a second time?
Wang Yingjie felt especially frustrated. He was a surgeon so this wasn't in his area of expertise, but he wanted to personally involve himself with Iris' case because he already considered her as a sister. He pored over countless medical texts, trying to find some answers but to no avail. He could only call her condition a medical mystery.
Lu Zihao noticed his frustration. "Second Brother, don't stress yourself too much. Look. Little Sister Xiulan is fine now. Even the test results are saying that she's fine."
"Yes, I'm fine now," she echoed.
Both of them knew that her recent coma wasn't something that could be explained by today's doctors.
Iris stayed at the hospital for one more night before she was discharged the next morning.
Lu Zihao came with them to the penthouse. He told them that he wanted to sleep over at his brother and sister's place.
Of course Iris agreed, saying she didn't mind. After all, he was her big brother.
Surprisingly, Jin Liwei also agreed. His usual jealousy and possessiveness didn't rear their ugly heads this time. He just felt too happy at the moment that his baby girl finally woke up from coma. His entire thoughts were all about his baby girl. He planned to pamper her and shower her with love in the next few days while she recovered her energy. He had no time to entertain negative thoughts.
As soon as they entered the penthouse, they were greeted by the entire household. All of them had tears in their eyes. Leading them was Yi Mei.
"Welcome back, Young Miss! We're so glad that you're back with us. We've been so worried."
Ice Cream and Popcorn ran to them and rubbed themselves against Iris and Jin Liwei's legs—mostly Iris'. They meowed loudly, as if asking their Mommy and Daddy where they had been for the past few days. The two were big now. They were still considered kittens based on their age, but they were already close to full-grown cats in size.
"Mama! Papa!" Little Jun called out. He struggled against his mother's arms, reaching for them with his little arms.
"Mama? Papa?" Lu Zihao sounded shocked. He frowned and looked at the toddler. He noticed that the child resembled Iris a little, especially in their phoenix eyes. He turned to Iris and Jin Liwei. "You two already have a child together?!"
Jin Liwei frowned, not liking Lu Zihao's tone. Why did he sound so enraged? So what if he and his baby girl had a child together? If that was the case, it was definitely something to celebrate about, not criticized.
"Big Brother, Little Jun is my nephew. He's also our godson. Jin Liwei and I are his godparents."
"Oh. So that's how it is. I thought that you...I see. Good. But calling you Mama and Papa is just inviting misunderstanding, you know."
"I'm sorry. I'll teach my son not to call them Mama and Papa anymore," Jiang Ying Yue looked embarrassed.
"No need. Mama and Papa are fine. Let him call us whatever he wants," Jin Liwei said coldly. He took Little Jun from Jiang Ying Yue.
Little Jun immediately started babbling to his Mama and Papa.
Iris picked up Ice Cream from the floor and began petting her in her arms.
Popcorn, on the other hand, leaped up Lu Zihao's pants and climbed to his shirt. Lu Zihao had no choice but to carry him as well. Popcorn kept on meowing, curious at this new person his Mommy and Daddy brought home. Maybe a new slave? How exciting!
Dom hopped beside Lu Zihao. "Big Brother boss, do you remember me?"
"Oh. You're the crybaby."
"Ehehe. Yes." Then Dom batted his eyelashes. "You're so handsome, Big Brother boss."
Lu Zihao gave Dom a taste of his devilish smile.
Dom gasped and stopped in his tracks, clutching at his chest. His eyes glazed over.
"Yi Mei, this is Lu Zihao. He's a brother of both Liwei and I. Have someone prepare one of the guest bedrooms. He's sleeping over," Iris instructed.
"Understood, Young Miss."
Lu Zihao winked at the old housekeeper. His charisma was so strong that even Yi Mei couldn't stop herself from blushing. However, she was a professional with decades of experience as a housekeeper. She was able to quickly recover from her momentary lapse.
'It seems that Young Miss brought another dangerous man home,' she thought.
After freshening up, they lounged at the living area while waiting for lunch. Popcorn fell in love with Lu Zihao, constantly rubbing himself against him and asking to be petted. On the other hand, Ice Cream didn't go anywhere near Lu Zihao, staring at him with suspicious eyes. She also stayed in her Mommy's embrace, hissing at Lu Zihao whenever he came close to Iris.
Little Jun sat on Jin Liwei's lap, entertaining himself with a rattle.
"Oh right! I almost forgot!" Dom suddenly exclaimed. "Boss, I have news about the Alarm Girls. They—"
He shut his mouth when Jin Liwei glared at him.
'Wuwuwu! What did I do? Don't murder me with your eyes, sir boss!' Dom cried inside.
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Chapter 214 - Trus
"Hm? What is it?" Iris asked.
"Don't mind those insignificant girls," Jin Liwei told her. "You just woke up from coma. What you need right now is to rest. Focus on your recovery first. Okay, baby?"
"No, I want to know. Tell me."
Dom felt torn. Sir boss was too scary!
"Dom." Iris' tone was commanding.
'Wuwuwu! Sir boss is scary but boss can be really scary too. Poor me. Wuwuwu!' Dom cried inside.
Dom had no choice but to reveal the latest news about the Alarm Girls. During the court hearing, the Alarm Girls pleaded not guilty against assaulting Mr. Chen's secretary and the other charges pressed on behalf of the nail polish company. The nail polish company's lawyer said in an interview that they had strong evidence and witnesses to support their case against the Alarm Girls.
The next day, however, the case was muddied when several young women sought out the media and began throwing allegations against Mr. Chen and several higher-ups of the nail polish company. The young women accused them of sexual harassment, sextortion and bribery.
The nail polish company quickly released a formal statement denying all these allegations. However, the public was already starting to sympathize with the young women, especially after watching them reveal their alleged traumatic experiences while crying.
How could such innocent-looking young women lie? And they looked so traumatized too. Of course the public would believe them more than the wealthy and powerful old men running the nail polish company. This type of men often used their status to get what they wanted.
Even though these young women didn't go to the police to formally report their accusations, the mass media headlined their stories. There weren't any conclusive evidence but because of the media, public sympathy was with the young women. The nail polish company became a big target for bashing, damaging its reputation.
While all of these were happening, the actual case against the Alarm Girls escaped the media spotlight. In an interview, the Alarm Girls' lawyer used these allegations to question the integrity of Mr. Chen and the nail polish company. Although it wouldn't help the Alarm Girls' case by serving as concrete evidence, it would nevertheless cause the nail polish company a huge setback in terms of their public image.
"These are what happened in the last few days while boss was in co—I mean while you were sleeping," Dom told Iris. "At first, I felt sorry for the young women. There are so many like them who are being preyed upon by men of power. But when I thought about it more carefully, I don't understand why they won't go to the police and request for an official investigation. Then I thought maybe they're lying! Of course, it could also be because they're too scared. But they're already talking to the media. Surely, it's better to talk to the police as well. I don't know what to believe. If it's true that they are victims, I feel so sorry for them and I hope that they get the justice that they deserve. Women shouldn't continue to suffer traumatic experiences from men! But if they're lying, then they're horrible! It should be a crime to accuse someone of **** or sexual assault when it didn't really happen! Pinning such serious crimes on innocent men, how horrible is that?! They should be legally punished for their unjust accusations!"
Iris frowned as she thought over what she just heard.
"Alright, that's enough," Jin Liwei said firmly. He worried that such a heavy issue would stress his baby girl out and make her relapse again.
He also just learned about these latest development regarding the Alarm Girls' case from his assistant, Xu Tian. However, he was too worried for his baby girl in the past few days while she was in coma to care about others. He instructed Xu Tian to find out more about the young women, but he already had an idea who might be behind all the ruckus.
"Baby, don't think about them for now," he repeated. "Let's focus on your health first, okay?"
"Fine," Iris finally said.
Fortunately, Yi Mei appeared at this time to call them for lunch. They all went into the formal dining area to eat because they had a guest, Lu Zihao.
The cook prepared special light but nourishing soup-based dishes for Iris to ease her recovery. Then she prepared heavy dishes for the men, especially after seeing Jin Liwei who lost some weight in just a few days.
After lunch, Iris and Jin Liwei headed to their bedroom. Lu Zihao followed them like it was the most natural thing in the world to accompany a couple to their bedroom. Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow at him, but Lu Zihao just winked.
Once inside, Jin Liwei helped Iris on the bed. She was feeling tired. Jin Liwei was about to shower but hesitated, looking pointedly at Lu Zihao who was checking out some of the books on the shelf. Jin Liwei didn't want to leave the two of them together alone, especially when there was a bed present.
Lu Zihao immediately knew what he was thinking. He smirked. "Heh~ Don't tell me you don't trust your girlfriend alone with a man? You don't think she'll stay faithful to you and will leave you when faced with a gorgeous man like me? Tsk tsk." Then he turned to Iris. "Look at your boyfriend, Little Sister Xiulan! He doesn't trust you at all!"
Jin Liwei scowled at his brother. But when he glanced at his baby girl, he saw her looking at him with sad and disappointed eyes. Her expression stabbed directly at his heart.
"Baby, I trust you," he told her. He lifted her chin up with his fingers, so that they were looking at each other's eyes. "Do you believe me?"
She blinked. Then she smiled softly and nodded.
His baby girl was too beautiful!
His body moved on its own, diving for a kiss. He kissed her deeply this time, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. The kiss became intense in no time.
Before they knew it, she was already flat on her back with him on top of her. Both of them had already forgotten that there was another person in the room with them. When Iris moaned and started pulling off Jin Liwei's shirt, a loud cough made her freeze.
Jin Liwei didn't hear it, continuing to kiss her passionately. She could feel his erection on her abdomen straining against his trousers. However, her lust already evaporated as she felt a strong murderous aura coming from one direction.
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Chapter 215 - Never Good Enough
Iris broke out in a cold sweat. She peeked from the corner of her eyes and saw Lu Zihao wearing a black expression. He looked like he wanted to behead Jin Liwei.
"Baby..." Jin Liwei murmured, sucking on her lips, trying to make her respond to his kisses. His hand crawled up inside her shirt and cupped her breast.
She wasn't wearing a bra. If there wasn't impending danger, she would've moaned and encouraged Jin Liwei to continue. However, she had to stop this right now or blood will flow—Jin Liwei's blood, of course.
"Liwei, stop." She pushed him off of her.
"Hm?" He was still very aroused. He trailed wet kisses from her mouth to her neck.
"Liwei...Big Brother is still in the room..."
Jin Liwei froze.
"Heh~ Is my presence that easily forgotten or are the two of you just too horny?"
"Go away," Jin Liwei muttered, glaring at his Fifth Brother. "It's none of your business when I make love with my girlfriend."
The murderous aura grew stronger. Iris paled. She pushed Jin Liwei off of her more forcefully. "Aren't you going to shower?"
"Wanna join me?" he whispered, squeezing her breast lightly.
'This stupid man!' she yelled in her mind.
"Second Brother said I can't take a shower for a couple of days. Towel baths only to be safe."
"Oh. Right." Jin Liwei's arousal dissipated as he remembered that his baby girl just came out of coma. He immediately straightened and released her breast. He mentally scolded himself for losing control when she was still recovering.
"Go shower now, okay? I'm going to rest. I feel a little tired."
"Okay." He kissed her forehead and stood up. He threw a warning look at Lu Zihao before heading to the bathroom.
When he was gone, Lu Zihao looked at Iris. He was expressionless but a dangerous aura emanated from him.
"So...you two are really sleeping together?"
"He sleeps here in my bedroom. Well, it's our bedroom now since we've been living together."
Lu Zihao rephrased his question, knowing that his sister could be dense when it came to things like this. "What I mean is are the two of you having sex?"
"..."
"Well?"
"Uh...if I say yes, will you hurt Liwei?" she cautiously asked instead.
His eyes narrowed. "So that's a yes?"
"No!"
"Then what is it? Have you had sex with him or not? Yes or no."
"I...we do a lot of things together but we haven't gone all the way yet. So no for full sex...but yes to the other ones. Please don't ask what they are," she quickly added.
"Heh..."
"Big Brother, I like Liwei very much."
"I noticed. So if he wants to have sex with you, you'll agree?"
"Yes," she answered without thinking. Her face burned up when she realized what she just said. "Oh. I mean...well, yes...I guess. I like him very much so...yes."
In the end, her honesty still prevailed. She just couldn't deny it when it was what she really felt.
Lu Zihao sighed deeply. "You..." And then sighed some more. "You're still too honest for your own good. Well, I guess he's not bad. If you were an ordinary girl, he'll be a great catch. But the problem is that you are not. Even if we don't include your identity in your past life, you are still a Cross Academy student right now. Your abilities and talents alone are already several levels higher than everybody else's, including mine. What about him? If he wasn't born a Jin, he would be no one."
"I don't care!" She finally lost her temper. She didn't like how he kept on disparaging her man. "I like Liwei because he's Liwei. He's who I like, so I'm going to keep him! If I want to have sex with him, I will! If I want to marry him, I will! If I want to make babies with him, I will! You're not going to stop me!"
Lu Zihao slammed his hand on the bookshelf. Several books fell to the floor.
Iris flinched but she lifted her chin in defiance. She could sense his cold fury but she still looked at him straight in the eyes. Her body trembled under his cold gaze, but she felt indignant on behalf of Jin Liwei.
He narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't let up. She lifted her chin even higher to show her determination. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
When he opened his eyes, the scary aura coming from him disappeared. He reverted to Lu Zihao's usual easygoing manner.
"Relax, Little Sister," he said in a light tone. Then he began picking up the books from the floor, rearranging them on the bookshelf. "I'm not really against Jin Liwei. Although I still think that he'll never be good enough for you, at least he's the most qualified man in this country right now. His wealth, status, power and influence are adequate enough, I guess."
"Hmph! In your eyes, nobody is good enough for me."
He chuckled. "That's very true. If we are still the Vetrovs, I wouldn't have to lower my standards like this for a suitable partner for you. Alas, I am no longer Nikolai Vetrov and you are no longer Evelina Vetrova. I guess we both have to make do with what we have now." He continued chuckling but there was bitterness in his tone.
Iris' chest tightened hearing him. She was perfectly happy with her new life, but what about her brother?
Their past situations were completely different. While she was a caged bird, protected and isolated to the point of suffocation, he was actively helping run the organization with their parents. He had the wealth, status, power and influence as the Crown Prince of the international Underworld. Was he missing his past life?
"Hm? What's this?" Lu Zihao suddenly asked. He was holding a black notebook.
Her eyes widened. "Oh. That's—"
He opened it and looked at the first page.
"Fan Luo, Wanwan, Feifei, Mimi," he read aloud. "Hmm... Fan Luo... Isn't she the fiancée of Jin Chonglin? And these three other names... Aren't these the Alarm b*tches?"
"Yes."
"Heh~ What is this, Little Sister? You copied my Black Note? But why haven't you crossed out any of the names yet?"
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Chapter 216 - Nothing But A Coward
"I'm too busy and it's too bothersome. I almost forgot I even have that notebook," Iris said, shrugging.
"Little Sister, that's not how you use the Black Note," Lu Zihao told her. "Once you write a name, you don't procrastinate. You immediately erase the person and cross out the name."
Iris frowned. "I'm not going to kill anyone."
"There are many ways to make people suffer fates worse than death." A dangerous look glinted in his eyes. "You are really too kind-hearted, dear Little Sister. For people like these, you have to root them out as soon as possible to prevent them from plotting against you again."
"I'll let my lawyer deal with the Alarm Girls. The law will decide an appropriate punishment for them."
"You'll trust a lawyer? The law?" He threw his head back and laughed like it was the funniest joke he had ever heard.
"Big Brother, I'm Long Xiulan now and you are Lu Zihao. We are law-abiding citizens, at least I am. We can't erase who we were during our past lives, but we no longer live in that kind of lawless world."
"Oh? And Drakon is a law-abiding citizen? I know that hacker is you, Little Sister. You caused so much chaos all over the world. You're a wanted person being hunted by several authorities in many different countries, yet you dare call yourself a law-abiding citizen?"
She pursed her lips. "But they don't know that I'm Drakon. Long Xiulan is a law-abiding citizen."
He chuckled in amusement at her logic.
"And as for Fan Luo, she only wrote some negative comments about me on the internet. She didn't really directly attack or hurt me or anything like that. I think I was too hasty when I wrote her name in the notebook in the first place."
"Is that what you think? That she didn't directly attack or hurt you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Have you even ran a background check on her?"
"No."
"Have you ever ran background checks on the people around you? Your household staff?"
She hesitated. "I did a background check on Dom and then on my two bodyguards. Only on the people that I personally hired after I woke up in this body. As for my housekeeper and the others, no. I didn't think that I needed to."
"How about on Liwei? Did you run a background check on him?"
"Why should I?" she asked, confused.
Lu Zihao looked exasperated. He released a heavy sigh. "You! How can you be so careless? You're a hacker and you don't even run basic background checks on the people around you? You're the most intelligent person that I know but you can also be so dumb."
She threw a sullen look at him. So mean. He just called her dumb.
"Little Sister, don't trust anyone. Not even me. Do you hear me? Only trust yourself."
"That's such a sad way to live life, not trusting anyone."
"It's the safest way to live."
"I don't want to live like that," she said. "I want to create genuine relationships with people. I can't do that if I act paranoid all the time, checking the backgrounds of everyone I meet. If someone betrays or hurts me, I'll just deal with it when it happens. I want to trust people according to my own judgment and not based on background check results."
He looked even more exasperated this time. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. Then he shook his head, sighing. "Our parents and I have always wondered how the Vetrovs could have produced someone like you. Your heart is too good, but that's also what makes you so precious. You were totally incompatible with the Vetrov's way of life. We had many enemies and someone like you was an easy target. That's why we fiercely shielded you from the outside. You always had been our treasure, Evelinka. Even if you're Xiulan now, you'll always remain my treasure. I'll kill anyone who dares hurt you."
"Big Brother—"
Her phone rang. She glanced at the caller and then answered the call.
"Hello, Mr. JJ?"
She gestured at Lu Zihao and rose from the bed. She walked out of the bedroom to speak with her music producer in private.
Lu Zihao was left alone. He sat by the study desk, fiddling with the black notebook.
Moments later, the bathroom door opened. A freshly-showered and freshly-shaved Jin Liwei walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Hm? Where's Xiulan?" he immediately asked.
"Taking a call from JJ," Lu Zihao replied.
"Oh." Jin Liwei nodded and then headed to the walk-in closet. He returned to the bedroom fully clothed, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
"How long has she been gone?" Jin Liwei asked.
"She just left." Then Lu Zihao raised the black notebook in his hand. "Do you know what this is?"
Jin Liwei didn't answer. He saw it before, but he didn't really know what its purpose was.
"I'll tell you," Lu Zihao said with a devilish smile. "It's a hit list."
Jin Liwei frowned.
"And do you know the lucky person who had her name written first?"
"Fan Luo."
Lu Zihao's smile became even more devilish. "Ah, so you know! It seems that you've seen this notebook before. So how do you feel that your future sister-in-law's name is written in your girlfriend's personal hit list?"
Jin Liwei's frown deepened.
"Heh~ Don't tell me you think that this Fan Luo is different from the Fan Luo you know? Come on, Third Brother. You're not that stupid."
Lu Zihao smirked when Jin Liwei stayed silent. "Feeling guilty?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know what you did, Third Brother."
"Speak clearly. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Heh~ Fine, I'll tell you. Isn't it funny how two years ago, you didn't even care about a dying girl and even covered up the truth about her attempted murder all for the sake of avoiding scandal for your family? Loyal and protective of his family, ruthless to his enemies. That's who Jin Liwei is, the most powerful man in the country's business world of today's generation. For the sake of maintaining the Jin family's pristine image and for making your beloved mother happy, you'll even allow a psycho to become your sister-in-law." Lu Zihao threw his head back and laughed. He sounded like the devil.
"What loyal and protective of his family? You just don't want the hassle of dealing with the sh*tstorm once that b*tch's real colours are exposed. You'd rather have things remain as they are and maintain the illusion of perfection." Lu Zihao sneered. "But wait a minute. Lo and behold! You suddenly fall in love with the girl you f*cked over! Funny, isn't it?"
"You...How did you—" Jin Liwei looked at him in shocked disbelief.
"You feel sorry and regret what you did," Lu Zihao continued as if not hearing him. "You love her so much that you want to marry her. You try to forget what you did and hope that she'll never find out. You tell yourself that you'll confess the truth. You're just looking for the right timing. But when will that be?"
An expression of utter shock was on Jin Liwei's face. He quickly turned pale. It felt like his entire body was suddenly submerged in freezing water. He couldn't breathe. His heart seized beating for a few beats before hammering wildly in his chest. All of Lu Zihao's words were like knives being stabbed into his heart.
"You want to redeem yourself, so you begin suppressing that b*tch's family. But oh! Here's the thing, you do it in a gentle and imperceptible way because you still don't want the hassle of dealing with a scandal. You don't want to rock the boat. Your mother will continue treating a cold-blooded snake like a cute furry bunny, and everyone will continue thinking that the Jin family is the epitome of perfection. At the same time, you'll be having your happily ever after with the girl who had no idea that she was f*cked over. Everyone's happy! Hooray! Wonderful, isn't it?"
Lu Zihao's devilish smile disappeared, replaced by a cold and merciless judge. "You're nothing but a coward, Jin Liwei."
'You're nothing but a coward nothing but a coward a coward A COWARD,' the damning words echoed endlessly inside Jin Liwei's mind.
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Chapter 217 - Moulding The Ultimate Protector
Lu Zihao watched as Jin Liwei froze into a horrified statue. A wave of dizziness overcame him as his body protested against hurting its Third Brother like this.
'Stop it. Lu Zihao is gone. You're my body now,' he mentally hissed.
The original Lu Zihao was already dead and gone, but the body still retained strong remnants of its original owner like muscle memory. After all, they had been together since conception in the womb up until the original Lu Zihao died and was replaced by the soul of Nikolai Vetrov. Suddenly finding itself housing a strange soul, of course there would be some form of rejection in the body one way or another.
To reduce rejection and increase compatibility, he did his best to match the original Lu Zihao's personality and habits. It proved to be an effective method, except at times like this when he reverted back to Nikolai's strong and intense personality.
The brotherhood between Jin Liwei and the original Lu Zihao was so deep that the body instinctively fought against him. He gritted his teeth and fought off the dizziness, feeling a little nauseous doing so.
"How do you know all of these?" the pale Jin Liwei asked in a whisper.
"I have my ways, Third Brother," he spoke in a cold tone.
Lu Zihao knew because once he recognized Iris as his beloved little sister Evelinka, he gathered all available information about Iris Long but it wasn't enough. Navigating through the familiar underworld channels, he hired a black hat hacker to dig more information about Iris Long and all the people around her. The hacker was above Hou Liang's level but nowhere near Iris' superior level.
When the hacker sent him the information, Lu Zihao was surprised to discover Jin Liwei's involvement in the original Iris Long's accident. The hacker even asked for extra payment for this information because it was harder to dig out.
"I almost missed it. Someone did a great job of erasing all the evidence. It's just that my skills are at a higher level so I was able to spot the small remaining trace. Only those at my level or higher will be able to pick up the trail," the hacker told him.
When Lu Zihao found out about Jin Liwei's involvement in the accident, he found it laughable that the man was now in love with Iris. That was until he realized that the current Iris was actually his sister. Then he began to treat it as serious business.
In all honestly, Lu Zihao didn't give a f*ck about the accident. After all, the original Iris was a stranger to him. He didn't give a f*ck that the girl died. In fact, he felt glad that she died in order for his precious little sister Evelinka to have a second chance in life like him.
"Are you going to tell Xiulan?" Jin Liwei asked.
"Are YOU going to tell her?" Lu Zihao threw the question right back at him.
"I...yes. I plan to. I love her so much." Sighing heavily, Jin Liwei rubbed his hands over his face. His expression looked extremely pained. "You're right. I'm a coward. I'm so afraid that she'll leave me once I tell her the truth."
'She probably won't care,' Lu Zihao thought but didn't say out loud. 'But the remnants of the original Iris in her body will.'
Thinking like this, he suddenly felt worried for his little sister. Unlike him, it was obvious that his sister didn't even bother matching the original Iris' personality or habits. She just did her own thing, not caring if others thought that her personality change was too drastic.
It was no wonder that her body was so fragile and would collapse whenever she experienced anything overly emotional. Despite this, he wasn't going to complain because he heard that the original Iris Long was a total b*tch and a spoiled brat.
Lu Zihao could see that his sister liked Jin Liwei very much. Perhaps she already fell in love with him but just didn't realize it yet. Since the original Iris' accident had no direct connection to Evelina, learning about Jin Liwei's involvement most likely wouldn't affect how she felt about him.
However, the same couldn't be said about her body. After all, its original owner was the one who was killed in the car accident. Lu Zihao feared that such a shocking revelation would increase the rejection between Iris' body and soul. It might even come to a point where her soul might be completely kicked out of the body.
He felt great dread but pushed it down. He had important business to accomplish today. He needed to be harsh on Jin Liwei and prompt the man to completely erase all the people that may endanger her sister. He needed to guilt the man to take action and ensure that his sister would always be protected and safe.
Although he belittled Jin Liwei earlier, he knew that the man had the wealth, status, power and influence to safeguard Iris. Jin Liwei was in a much better position than Lu Zihao to protect her from any danger.
And he knew that there would be danger. Immense danger. A fire burned within Lu Zihao.
He tried asking the black hat hacker to investigate what happened to the Vetrov family but the hacker panicked and ended all communications with him. He wasn't surprised at all. So he planned on asking his little sister to help him avenge their Vetrov family and their organization with her godly hacking skills.
But when he finally met her as Iris, he could sense that she was already happy with her new life. In their past lives, their family couldn't afford to give her the freedom that she desired. It was too dangerous. It was different now, though. For the sake of her happiness, he decided not to involve her in his dark and bloody path of revenge.
Of course without her, revenge would be harder to achieve especially since he currently had no power of his own. It would take time for him to gain power but he would do it, no matter how long it took. He swore that he would get revenge in this lifetime.
And if his sister were to learn of his goal, she might even volunteer to help him. If that happened, he wouldn't reject her help but that would endanger her.
That was why he needed to mould Jin Liwei to become Iris' ultimate protector. When Lu Zihao became too preoccupied with revenge, Jin Liwei would be able to keep Iris safe from any danger.
Using the original Lu Zihao's memories and knowledge about Jin Liwei's character, he guilt-tripped his sister's lover and steered him to the direction he wanted.
He cruelly mocked Jin Liwei and criticized the man's cowardly behaviour to force him to grow a stronger backbone and unwavering loyalty to his sister. He must make it so that Jin Liwei's number one priority would always be Iris and Iris only, not even his family or company.
It was only this way that he would feel at ease in pursuing revenge without worrying about his sister. Jin Liwei would keep Iris safe for the rest of her life, even if Lu Zihao were to die on his road of vengeance and leave this world forever.
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Chapter 218 - Exhausted
There was strong unwillingness within Lu Zihao to entrust his precious little sister to another man, but he just couldn't leave her unprotected. No matter what kind of life she lived from now on, whether it would be peaceful or not, he needed the assurance that she would be protected at all times.
So he continued to goad his sister's lover.
"Do you really love her?" Lu Zihao asked Jin Liwei.
"Yes, of course," Jin Liwei immediately answered.
"Then why the half-ass job in dealing with that psycho Fan b*tch and her family? Is your love for Xiulan also half-ass?"
"Of course not! My love for her is not half-ass! I love her with all that I am!"
"Heh... Is that so? Can't see it." Lu Zihao deliberately looked at Jin Liwei with critical eyes. "You know what that psycho b*tch has been doing behind the scenes, right? If you don't deal with her soon, it'll only be a matter of time before she tries killing Xiulan again."
Jin Liwei held his head with his hands, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. Then determination flashed in his eyes. He dropped his hands to his sides and clenched them. "I'll deal with Fan Luo and the Fans. No more half-assery," he declared through gritted teeth.
"What about those Alarm b*tches? That psycho b*tch even resorted to using them."
"They'll be dealt with as well."
Lu Zihao was pleased with his success but maintained a serious expression. This was only the first step. He had to see first whether his sister's lover would deliver on his declaration. If not, Lu Zihao would be forced to make alternative arrangements to ensure his sister's safety, whether she liked it or not.
"Fifth Brother, you really care about Xiulan that much?" Jin Liwei suddenly asked. He couldn't hide the suspicion and a hint of jealousy in his tone.
"Of course I care about her," Lu Zihao replied, raising an eyebrow. "I told you. She's my little sister. Do you have a problem with that, Third Brother?"
"I...no." Jin Liwei frowned. His expression kept on changing, unsure of what to think or feel.
"Don't waste your time feeling jealous at me. I already told you before that I don't see her the same way that you do. She'll always be a little sister to me. Nothing more, nothing less. But that also makes her very important to me. You're also my brother, but I'm going to tell you this now so that we're clear. If the two of you ever fight, I'll take her side. Always."
Another wave of dizziness overcame Lu Zihao. His body protested against his statement. Of course the body would side with Jin Liwei.
'Behave! Of course I'll side with my own sister, you idiot. Stop fighting against me,' Lu Zihao scolded his body.
Jin Liwei looked surprised and confused but in the end, he just nodded his head. If he fought with his baby girl, he wouldn't take his own side either.
"Ugh." Lu Zihao staggered and grabbed the edge of the study table to steady himself.
"Fifth Brother? What's wrong?" Jin Liwei quickly crossed the distance between them. "Sh*t. You look like Xiulan when she's gonna collapse. Here, sit down first. I'll call Second Brother...no, I better call an ambulance."
Lu Zihao sat down heavily on the swivel chair. "Don't bother." He waved a dismissive hand. "Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? You don't look well." Jin Liwei looked worried. His baby girl just came out of the hospital. He didn't want his Fifth Brother to go next.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lu Zihao closed his eyes and focused on steadying his erratic breathing. He was instantly drenched with his own cold sweat.
Jin Liwei observed him while holding his phone. He would immediately call an ambulance the moment his Fifth Brother's condition worsened.
Fortunately, Lu Zihao indeed recovered in about a couple of minutes. He opened his eyes and blew a big puff of breath.
"How are you feeling?" Jin Liwei asked.
"I'm okay now. I just feel...f*ck, I'm exhausted."
Jin Liwei looked relieved. "You need to rest, Fifth Brother. Let's go. I'll help you to your room."
"No need." Lu Zihao waved him off. "I'll go on my own. I'll ask Dominic or someone else to show me the way."
"Alright. Don't push yourself too hard. You're not fully recovered yet," Jin Liwei reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah." Lu Zihao pushed himself up with great effort. He felt like all his energy had been drained. He began to walk but stopped when he remembered something. "Third Brother, be careful when you tell the truth about the accident to little sister. We know what happens to her when she becomes overly emotional or stressed. We don't want her collapsing or going into coma again." He paused before adding, "She might not wake up next time."
Jin Liwei immediately became more serious. "Yes. I won't tell her right away. I don't want her to relapse again. I'll deal with Fan Luo, her family and the Alarm Girls first. When everything's resolved, then I'll tell her everything."
Lu Zihao nodded. "That's for the best."
The two brothers parted. Jin Liwei stayed in the bedroom while Lu Zihao headed out of the door. Dom was nowhere in sight, so he asked a maid to show him to his bedroom.
As soon as he laid down on the bed, he instantly fell asleep and battled himself within a world of white mist.
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Chapter 219 - I Feel Weird
"Thank you, Mr. JJ. Goodbye." Iris hung up the phone.
She and her music producer discussed her upcoming soundtrack album for the film "Strong Yet Broken" which would be released on the same day as the movie premiere. Although she wouldn't be part of the official movie promotions, she still needed to attend select interviews for her contribution as the official composer. In addition to this, she had to do her own promotions for the soundtrack album which would be under her name.
Excitement bubbled within her. She couldn't wait to hear her own music in a movie. This was something she only dreamed about in her past life. Now she was on the verge of achieving it. Once again, she felt thankful to have been given a second chance in life.
Ice Cream meowed daintily from her lap. Iris petted the plump and fluffy grey kitten. Popcorn was sprawled belly up by her feet on the carpet. He was sleeping soundly after tiring himself from running around the entire penthouse.
"Go back to sleep, Ice Cream. I need to return to Daddy," Iris whispered. Then she gently removed Ice Cream from her lap and transferred the kitten onto the couch.
Ice Cream was quite heavy now. Popcorn was slimmer because he always ran around whenever he was awake, unlike Ice Cream who liked sleeping and lounging the entire day.
Iris petted her two kittens before exiting the cat room.
When she returned to the bedroom, she saw Jin Liwei sitting on the edge of their bed with his head hanging down and his hands covering his face. He looked forlorn.
"Liwei, what's wrong?" she asked, quickly walking to him.
He raised his head and looked at her with a pained expression. "Baby..."
She sat on his lap and wrapped one of her arms behind his shoulders. She touched his face with her other hand. "What's the matter?" Then she frowned. "Did Big Brother bully you? Wait here, I'll talk to him."
She tried to stand up but he pulled her back down on his lap.
"No," he said. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her closer to him. Then he turned his face towards her neck and inhaled her sweet scent.
Iris could sense that he was troubled, but she didn't ask him again. She waited for him to speak instead.
"I'm such a coward," he said. "I love you so much, baby. I can't bear for you to hate me."
She felt confused. She already knew that he loved her but what did he mean by his other words? She didn't understand.
He took her hand and kissed it. Then he looked directly at her eyes. "Baby, I..." He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "I have a secret. I'm afraid that if I tell you, you're going to hate me and then leave me."
Her head tilted to one side, immediately feeling curious. However, she controlled her curiosity because he looked so distressed. Her chest tightened seeing him like this. She leaned down and pecked him on the lips. "Just tell me whenever you're ready. I'll listen to you and do my best to be understanding whatever it is."
His eyes widened at her in wonder.
"I don't know what your secret is but what I do know right now is that I don't want to leave you. I want to be with you." She released her hand from his hold and began caressing his face. Then she whispered, "I like you very much, Liwei."
Jin Liwei's breath hitched and his eyes watered before quickly leaning his head against the crook of her neck and shoulder. He tightened his embrace around her.
Iris rubbed his back while her other hand stroked his hair, soothing him. She patiently waited for him to control his emotions. Although she had no idea what kind of secret he was keeping that he would become like this, she didn't think much about it.
'Whatever your secret is, I'm sure it's nothing to my secret,' she thought.
What would be his reaction if she told him that she wasn't actually Long Xiulan but was someone else who transmigrated into this body? Would he even believe her? She didn't think so. Who in their right mind would believe such a claim?
She knew that he would never mock her. He would probably just think that she was joking or perhaps even hallucinating if she ever told him that she was a transmigrated soul. So as not to upset her, he would probably humour her and pretend to believe her. She smiled thinking about it. It was so like him.
She continued to rub his back and stroke his hair.
They remained in that position for a while. Nobody spoke. They just quietly embraced each other.
Finally, Jin Liwei lifted his head. His expression was no longer distressed but loving instead. He still looked a little troubled but he felt much better. He already cemented his resolve when it came to his baby girl.
"How about you rest, baby? You're still recovering," he said, tucking a lock of her long hair behind her ear.
"I want a towel bath first. I'll take a nap after."
"Alright. I'll do it for you."
"Okay."
He stood up and carried her to the bathroom.
She whispered close to his ear, "Thank you for taking care of me."
He stopped and looked at her.
They gazed at each other's eyes.
Guilt flashed in Jin Liwei's eyes before it transformed into a resolute expression. "I'll take care of you for the rest of our lives. I'll do anything for you, baby. Anything. Just please don't leave me."
Iris' heart skipped a beat, and then it started racing wildly inside her chest. She suddenly felt flustered and shy, so she hid her face against his neck.
What was this feeling? Was she going to faint again? But she didn't feel unwell. It felt weird but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, she felt excited mixed with...something else. She didn't know what she was feeling.
"Liwei, I feel weird."
"Are you feeling sick again, baby?" he asked in a worried tone. He tried to put her down on her feet to carefully inspect her but she tightened her arms around his neck, refusing to leave his arms.
"No."
"Tell me what you're feeling. We'll call Second Brother and ask him, okay?"
"No!" She lifted her head but felt flustered again when she saw his face. "I mean, let's not bother Second Brother. I don't feel sick. Really."
He observed her face. Indeed, she didn't look pale. On the contrary, she looked flushed. He pressed their foreheads together. Her temperature felt normal. Thank goodness she didn't have a fever.
"Oh." Iris felt her heartbeat race even faster.
What was wrong with her?!
After the towel bath, she would search this up.
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Chapter 220 - A Change In His Baby Girl
Both Iris and Jin Liwei endured their own arousals during her towel bath. He wiped her naked body with a warm and damp cloth, fighting against the urge to replace the cloth with his mouth and tongue instead.
His raging hard-on felt like it was going to burst out of his pants, especially seeing his baby girl looking so sexy. She looked even more flushed than earlier. She panted and bit her bottom lip, as her half-lidded eyes watched him wiping her body.
However, neither of them acted on their desire.
Although Iris woke up from her recent coma after just a few days, it still took a toll on her body. She wouldn't be able to keep up with both of their libidos at the moment. It would only frustrate both of them if they started something that they couldn't finish.
After the towel bath, he dressed her in pyjamas and carried her to the bed.
Her eyes were trained on his bulging pants. "Want me to help you?"
He became even more aroused hearing her offer, but he shook his head. "No need. You need to rest, baby."
"You can...you know...go back to the bathroom and take care of it."
That was what he originally planned on doing but now decided against it. From now on, he wouldn't waste his sperm anymore. Everything would be for his baby girl. If she was not present, he wouldn't allow himself to spew it out. He wanted to share all his pleasure with her.
"It's alright, baby. It'll go down on its own. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"En."
"Okay."
They lay on the bed together in each other's arms. Iris asked him to fetch her laptop because she wanted to search something up.
"Is it important? Why don't you take a nap first? You can always do it after you wake up," he suggested instead.
"Okay."
Tilting her head, she looked up at his face. He felt her gaze on him so he looked back at her. Her heart fluttered when their eyes met and before she knew it, the corners of her mouth lifted up and she was already smiling at him.
His breath caught seeing her dazzling smile. She looked so beautiful. He had no idea why his baby girl was smiling but he wasn't complaining. He couldn't stop himself from returning her smile.
Good thing that the two of them were alone in the room because they looked like two idiots doing nothing but grinning and looking at each other.
When Jin Liwei's eyes became intense, Iris began to feel flustered and shy again. She looked away, ending their eye contact. She hid her face against his chest. However, she still couldn't stop herself from smiling. She even started giggling because she just felt so happy being with him right now.
"Hm?" He looked at his giggling baby girl but couldn't see her face. "What's funny?" he asked, stroking her long silky hair.
"Nothing." Finally, she stopped giggling but the smile remained on her face. She looked up at him again. "Liwei..."
"Hm? What is it, baby?"
She didn't answer right away, tracing random shapes on his chest with her index finger instead.
Jin Liwei waited for her to talk while enjoying her touch on his chest.
Her hand stopped moving. She pressed her palm on the left side of his chest, so that she could feel his heart beating against her hand. Then she raised her upper body, not all the way, just enough so that she was looking down directly at his face.
"I'm so glad that I met you, Liwei," she whispered.
He froze, his eyes widening in surprise. The hand stroking her hair stopped in mid-air. Countless emotions flashed in his eyes.
Iris felt amused watching the various changes in his expression. Giggling, she gave him a quick peck on the lips before settling down in a comfortable position halfway on top of him.
A few seconds later, she was fast asleep with a smile on her face.
Jin Liwei regained his senses afterwards. His heart galloped in his chest. He pulled her closer to him, wanting to fill up any space between them.
"Meeting you is the best decision of my life," he whispered even though he knew that she wouldn't hear him in her sleep. "I'll make everything right, baby. I hope you'll forgive me when you learn about the truth. I love you so much."
He held his sleeping baby girl, wishing that they would be together forever. He would probably go insane if he ever lost her.
The warmth of her body and her deep, gentle breathing lulled him to sleep.
###
For the next few days, Iris and Jin Liwei stayed at home. They debated how long she should take to rest before returning to work. She felt that a couple of days was already more than enough. He disagreed, wanting her to take a whole week off from work to make sure that she was fully recovered.
He even called Wang Yingjie to ask for his opinion. Wang Yingjie was of the same opinion as Jin Liwei, telling Iris that resting for a week was the safest.
In the end, she could only acquiesce. Second Brother was a doctor after all. He knew what he was talking about.
Lu Zihao stayed with them, showing no signs of leaving. Someone even delivered his luggage to the penthouse and he just settled in just like that. Unlike the cold Jin Liwei, Lu Zihao was very charming. Everyone in the household quickly warmed up to him, even Yi Mei, who thought that he might be a better choice for the Young Miss than Jin Liwei.
However, Lu Zihao often went out somewhere during the day and only returned in time for dinner in the evening. He didn't bother Iris or Jin Liwei that much.
As for Jin Liwei and Iris, their lovey-doveyness during this week reached another level that the household sometimes couldn't bear to watch them anymore. Dom almost looked like a drooling crazed fan, cheering and bouncing and squealing at his boss and sir boss.
At first, it was just Jin Liwei over-pampering Iris. But after spending a few hours looking up something on her computer, Iris started openly expressing her affection for Jin Liwei. She began initiating their public displays of affection instead of just responding to him like usual.
Jin Liwei didn't know what triggered this change in his baby girl but he wasn't going to complain. In fact, he loved it!
One day, the two of them were lounging in the living area. They were sitting together on the couch but doing different things. He was watching the business news on TV while she was busy with something on her laptop.
Suddenly, she closed her laptop and stared at him.
"Baby?"
She didn't reply right away, just continued staring at him.
"Liwei darling..."
"Yes, baby?" He felt delighted hearing her call him "darling".
"I don't know... I'm not sure... But it's possible," she mumbled under her breath, looking nervous.
He switched off the TV with the remote and then pulled her to sit on his lap. "Tell me."
She fidgeted for some time but he waited patiently.
"Liwei darling, I think..."
"Hm?" He encouraged her with his eyes.
"I think I'm falling in love with you."
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