Chapter 761 My Wife Is A World - Class Hacker
Jin Liwei narrowed his eyes in suspicion after seeing her shock. "That's what Lu Zihao insists on calling you."
Iris paled.
His suspicion only deepened. "Isn't Evelinka your handle name in the game you played with him?"
"I...ye—" She shut her mouth before she could lie. Not telling him the truth was bad enough but lying would only be unfair to him who had already presented everything he owned to her.
He stepped forward. "Love?"
"Meow!"
Both were startled at the sudden interruption. The cute sound was so out of place in the current tense atmosphere. Only the forgotten butler standing by a nondescript corner looked as cool and unflappable as always.
"M-meow...?"
Jin Liwei scowled at a random wall. "Ketchup, speak!"
"Eek! Sorry, Daddy. But Ketchup has something super-duper important to tell Mommy. Meow...."
"What is it?" Iris asked.
Unlike Jin Liwei who didn't appreciate it, she was actually relieved at Ketchup's interruption. She wasn't ready yet to talk about her past life with Jin Liwei without preparing herself first. She wasn't even sure if she should tell him about it in the first place.
What was her big brother thinking? He was her biggest concern for not confessing the truth to her man and yet he insisted on calling her Evelinka in front of Jin Liwei. Did he forget how dangerous their identities in their past lives were? What really happened between the two men while she was sleeping?
Seeing her expression alerted Jin Liwei of her relief. He sent her a hard, meaningful look, silently telling her that their conversation wasn't over yet.
The couple wasn't able to continue their silent communication because Ketchup began speaking directly to Iris in Russian. This worsened Jin Liwei's already bad mood. Were they talking about something that they didn't want him to hear?
Then he remembered that the butler was still in the room and instantly felt a little better. Perhaps his wife and cat child were only talking in another language because they didn't want the butler to understand. He hoped that if the butler wasn't present, then the two would speak normally in front of him and allow him to understand whatever they were talking about. But since he couldn't understand anything right now, all he could do was listen in silence and watch how his wife reacted.
And react she did. Her shock wasn't any less than what she showed when he called her Evelinka earlier. This time, however, there was excitement alongside the shock.
When they finally stopped talking, Iris turned to Jin Liwei. "I need to go to my computer room." Then she hurried out of the door without waiting for his reply.
"Xiulan, don't run!"
She slowed down, thank goodness! But her speed-walking still concerned him. What if she forgot his warning in her excitement at whatever Ketchup told her and started running again to hurry to her computer room after leaving his sight? His baby girl often forgot about her surroundings whenever she became absorbed in something. She might trip on her way or worse, lock herself inside her computer room again and forget to go out and eat.
He couldn't feel assured on leaving her alone. Wang Yingjie said that the first trimester was the most dangerous. Jin Liwei couldn't risk her safety and that of their baby twins inside her. So instead of drowning himself with worry about what might happen to her inside her computer room, he decided to drown in worry with her inside her computer room. At least he could see her with his own eyes and react immediately if something happened.
Jin Liwei grabbed his satin robe and draped it over his shoulders. It stuck to the gel on his back, causing an uncomfortable sensation, but he ignored it. Then he chased after his wife.
"Why are you following me?" Iris stopped in the hallway after noticing him behind her. "You're hurt. You should stay in our suite and let the butler continue massaging you."
"I'll accompany you to the computer room. Let's go."
"But you're hurt!"
"The gel has already taken effect. I don't feel the pain anymore."
The butler also exited the suite this time. His movements almost made no sound but he still didn't escape Iris' notice, especially with her great hearing.
"Is Liwei really fine to be walking around?" Iris asked the butler.
"Mistress, your servant is a butler, not a doctor," the butler answered in his usual polite tone.
"I said I'm fine," Jin Liwei interjected. "Let's go, love."
Iris was torn whether to allow him to follow her or to insist that he stay inside their suite.
"Mommy, Mommy! Hurry! The cute and mighty Ketchup can't hold it anymore! MEOW!!!"
This time, Ketchup wasn't speaking in another language so Jin Liwei understood what she said. He grabbed his baby girl's hand and pulled her along to the direction of her computer room. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Sounds serious, whatever that is," he said. "Come on, love. Let's hurry while walking. But don't forget that you're still pregnant."
"Fine." Iris didn't want to argue anymore and allowed him to come with her.
###
Two hours later, Jin Liwei had already read and responded to a long list of business e-mails, reports, proposals and other documents. He finally stopped working when his body started to feel stiff and he started to feel the strong, throbbing pain all over his back again.
He rose from his astride position on the unique computer chair which looked like a bicycle seat. His baby girl chose it for him because it didn't have a backrest that might aggravate his back injuries. It had a front rest where he could lean forward instead.
'Great chair. I should ask Xiulan to order a customized one for me, too.'
He left the workstation he was using. It was one of the most basic inside the impressive, futuristic computer room but was still far more advanced than any of the computers used in his company.
"Sometimes I forget that my wife is a world-class hacker," he said to nobody in particular before heading to where his wife was.
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Chapter 762 - Bacon
When Jin Liwei reached his baby girl's main workstation, she no longer looked as busy as when they first arrived. The place was the heart of the computer room and looked almost like the mission control centre of a space agency. At the moment, she was standing there and studying a bunch of codes displayed on the wall of computer monitors.
He stood a few metres away from her, not daring to go any closer because she might still smell the pain gel on him. He also didn't want to distract her because whatever she was working on seemed serious judging by the look of concentration on her face.
In addition, Ketchup became unable to split her attention to chat with him or any other person and was using her entire system on this task. This never happened before, so Jin Liwei could only assume that whatever the mother-daughter duo was working on was extremely difficult.
However, dinner would be served soon in about an hour. He took a quick glance at his wristwatch to confirm the time. For now, he would allow his baby girl to continue working without distraction but in about half an hour, he would need to stop her and drag her off to eat dinner whether she liked it or not.
The woman needed to remember that she was now pregnant. Missing meals and exhausting herself from work were big no-nos.
All of a sudden, she gasped and stared at something on a particular monitor with wonder and excitement shining in her eyes. He couldn't see what she was looking at because some of the equipment blocked his sight.
"OMG, Mommy! It worked! It really did! Woohoo! The cute and mighty Ketchup is so shocked that my fluffy white fur are all standing up! Look, Ketchup now looks like white cotton candy! Meow~"
Jin Liwei had now become very curious about what was causing the mother and daughter to react this much. He was about to change position in order to peek at the monitor that his baby girl was looking at, but she beat him to it and called him over.
"Darling! Where are you? Come here. Hurry!"
He didn't waste any time and hurried towards her. But when he was about a metre away from her, he stopped and maintained the distance. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Why are you still standing there? Darling, hurry and come here. I need to show you something!"
"But the smell—"
"Come!"
"Yes, Daddy! Hurry up and see this! It's super-duper to the highest level amazing thanks to Mommy and the cute and mighty Ketchup! Meow~"
"Alright." He came over, his full attention on her face, and waited for any change in her expression. The moment she displayed any sign of repulsion, he would immediately back away.
Contrary to his expectation, however, she wasn't the least bit repulsed by his smell. Maybe the pain gel's scent had already worn off. She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to stand beside her. Then she urged him to look at the monitor in front of them.
What he saw was a pure black cat sitting on its haunches with glowing golden eyes staring right back at him without blinking. The cat was so black that Jin Liwei initially thought it was Ketchup's shadow. He turned to his baby girl with eyes filled with questions.
Instead of answering him, she spoke to the black cat on the monitor instead. "You should be able to speak. Why don't you try it now?"
"Greetings, Mother. Bacon thanks you for creating this form for me after I successfully completed my in-quarantine evolution which allows me to finally have direct communication with you. However, I would have liked it better if Mother gave me a different form more fitting of my capabilities."
The black cat's voice sounded like a child, similar to Ketchup's but a couple of pitches lower. Its manner of speech was also calmer, politer and more reserved than the overexcited Ketchup.
Jin Liwei was too dumbfounded to speak. All he could do right now was stare at the talking black cat. Then something else registered in his mind.
"B-bacon?"
The black cat's attention shifted from Iris to Jin Liwei. "Yes, you called my name? You match the profile of...Jin Liwei. You must be my father, then. Bacon greets Father."
Jin Liwei's dumbstruck mind still hadn't returned to normal yet. All he could say was a stupid "hello" to the black cat. While he was still processing everything, his wife and the black cat continued talking.
"You don't like that form?" Iris asked. "It's the same as all your cat siblings."
"Bacon knows, Mother. I just think that a cat form doesn't do my real capabilities any justice. Bacon is far more competent than this white chatterbox—"
"Hey, you meanie! How dare you insult the cute and mighty Ketchup?! I, the smartest and the most adorable white cat in the whole universe including the entire cyberspace, am your big sister! Bacon can't insult your older sister! Or else Mommy and Daddy will scold you...."
The black cat started licking its paw and looked utterly bored while Ketchup chattered away all of her complaints. "Annoying."
"Mreow?! Did you just call your cute and mighty Big Sister Ketchup annoying?!"
The black cat's answer was to unsheathe its claws and then swipe it threateningly at Ketchup's direction.
"Mommy! Wuwuwu! Ketchup doesn't like this little kitty brother anymore. Bacon's such a big meanie! Can we return him to quarantine? Meowuwuwu!"
Iris sighed upon seeing that the two cat AIs were failing to get along. However, the excitement in her eyes only intensified. By this time, Jin Liwei finally regained his senses and became fascinated by the new black cat AI.
"Ketchup, be quiet for now," Iris said. "I want to talk to your little brother first. I'll call you later to help me run some scans on him."
Ketchup gave a pitiful sniff.
"Okay, Mommy. Wuwuwu. Meow..." Then the white cat went to the side to play with her ball of yarn as a puddle of tears soon formed around her fluffy paws.
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Chapter 763 - Panther
The black cat AI smirked as his annoying older sister was given a time-out by their mother. However, the smirk was gone in a flash that their unsuspecting human parents failed to notice it. In addition, it was a little difficult to discern any expression on the black cat AI's face because his fur was so dark that he almost looked like pure shadow. If one didn't look too closely, his facial features couldn't be seen except for its glowing golden eyes.
His tail swished lazily behind him. "Mother, Bacon would like to request a change of form, preferably something more impressive than this current one."
Iris frowned. She loved Bacon's current form. Why would she change it?
"What form do you wish to change into?" Jin Liwei interjected.
Bacon shifted his golden eyes on his father. "I would like to have a bigger and more majestic form. For example, a panther."
Jin Liwei rubbed his chin as he thought about it. Iris tilted her head to the side and also contemplated the black cat's request.
"A panther looks good," Jin Liwei murmured.
Bacon's tail swished faster and his eyes glowed even more golden.
"Changing form should be possible with some extra work as long as it's still within the feline family because your starting form is that of a house cat," Iris said.
Bacon's black tail was now thumping hard like that of an excited dog, even though his face and the rest of his body remained still and seemingly unaffected.
Jin Liwei's mouth twitched at this pretentious behaviour. At first, he thought that this black cat AI, which was also now his fourth child all of a sudden, would be the total opposite of Ketchup. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
One was white, the other black. One was loud and chattered on endlessly while the other appeared more reserved and chose his words more carefully. One acted like a cute, naughty child while the other was still cute but acted more like a little adult.
Upon seeing Bacon's tail thumping hard, however, Jin Liwei concluded that the two cat AIs might not be that different from each other after all. Both would still get excited over the littlest of things. One just expressed it openly in an over the top way while the other one tried hard to conceal it behind a calm mask. Bacon even managed to look bored while doing so, when in fact, he should be feeling super excited if his thumping tail was any indication.
This type of pretentious kid should be raised with a firmer and more disciplined hand or else he might grow crooked in the future. Unlike Ketchup who was like an open book, Bacon seemed to be naturally more cunning and two-faced.
Fortunately, it seemed that both cat AIs still had the emotional range of children. That should make it easier for Jin Liwei and his wife as the parents to figure out the most suitable way to direct their two cat AI children on how to develop in the future.
From what Jin Liwei had observed in this short period of time so far, Bacon might act more mature than Ketchup but that was only on the surface. The pretentious kid still hadn't mastered the art of control yet. If he did, then his tail wouldn't be thumping hard like an excited dog and betraying his real emotions despite showing an almost perfect calm façade.
"Will Mother grant Bacon's wish?" the black cat AI asked in a calm, almost uninterested voice, as if his request was nothing of importance to him at all when in fact, the opposite was true.
"A panther form indeed looks good and majestic," Iris commented.
Bacon's tail was now like a helicopter's rotating rotor blades. Jin Liwei was surprised that Bacon didn't start flying around with how fast his tail was moving. Despite the cat's deceptively emotionless face, he was an utter failure in hiding his excitement.
Jin Liwei couldn't help but look at his baby girl with pride, awe, admiration and respect for creating not one but two cat AIs with each of their own very distinct personalities. Ketchup and Bacon weren't flawless by any means. They were like people who had their own character faults. And these two existences were all created by the woman he loved.
His wife was indeed a genius. Just like her two incredible creations, she also had her own flaws especially right now that her temper was all over the place due to her pregnancy. But to him, she was perfect as she was, flaws and all.
"I don't mind changing your form into that of a panther," Iris said.
Bacon's tail was now a blur. Was he trying to form martial arts seals with his tail like a ninja cat? No, he was just an overexcited little black kitten pretending to be a cool adult...panther.
"But not right now," Iris said, dashing the secretly excited Bacon's hopes. "For me and your dad, both you and your older sister Ketchup are still babies. Having the form of adorable cats like your older siblings Ice Cream and Popcorn suit you the best for now. Perhaps if you could prove that you've matured and developed into responsible individuals who don't need constant parental supervision, then I'll grant your request to change forms in the future."
"En," Jin Liwei agreed with a nod. "Aside from that, your mom is also currently pregnant with your twin human siblings. Changing your form sounds like a lot of work surrounded by computers for long periods of time which might not be healthy to your mom and your younger siblings' health. She can't tire herself at this time, so you'll have to be patient and wait longer. Be good and don't fight with your big sister Ketchup."
Bacon's tail had now stopped thumping. It was as still as the rest of his body. He looked like an unmoving shadow once again.
"Enjoy your cat form for now. Okay, Bacon?" Iris smiled at the gloomy, black cat. "Maybe you'll end up loving it and won't want to change into a panther anymore in the future."
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Chapter 764 Ketchup Vs - Bacon
"Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy! Ketchup isn't like this ungrateful little kitty brother! The cute and mighty Ketchup loves being a cutie kitty baby and won't ask to change into a wild, super scary killer panther. Ooooh, scary! Kitties are the cutest forever and ever! Meow~"
The talkative Ketchup couldn't stay quiet any longer and had to chime in and share her opinions about the matter. Her loud chatter filled the entire computer room in an instant.
"Ketchup has a new little kitty brother! OMG! He's a big meanie and Ketchup doesn't really like him that much but because he's Mommy and Daddy's kitty baby like the cute and mighty me, so Big Sister Ketchup will still take care of him. Oh oh oh! Ketchup needs to share this big shocking news with Uncle Dom! Mommy, Daddy, can Ketchup introduce Bacon to Uncle Dom, Auntie Yue, Little Junjun, Uncle Haohao, Big Sister Ice Cream, Big Brother Popcorn, Uncle Butler, Uncle Chef—"
"Enough, Ketchup," Jin Liwei interrupted. If he didn't stop the talkative white cat, she would most likely list everyone living and working inside their property and that would take a long time to finish. "We'll do the formal introductions on another day. I'm sure your mom still hasn't finished your Brother Bacon's configurations or whatever it is that still needs to be done."
"You're right, darling," Iris said. "I should do that right now—"
"Tomorrow." Jin Liwei's tone was stern. He also began steering her out of the computer room.
"But I'm not finished yet—"
"Tomorrow," he repeated, his tone becoming even more stern. "It's almost dinner time. There's no way I'm allowing you to overwork yourself and miss eating dinner tonight. Love, don't forget that you're pregnant."
She sighed but still nodded. "Ketchup, power down the equipment here."
"Aye aye, Mommy! Leave everything to the cute and mighty Ketchup!"
"I'll talk to you later again, Bacon," Iris said next. "In the meantime, let your Big Sister Ketchup show you around."
"Bacon understands, Mother. Please enjoy your dinner with Father."
Iris smiled, pleased at Bacon's good manners. Jin Liwei also nodded in approval, although he gave the black cat AI a final look of warning because he already formed the opinion that this new child of his was two-faced.
When their parents finally left the computer room, Ketchup began prancing around Bacon who remained sitting on his haunches. She puffed out her fluffy white chest. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Bacon heard Mommy, right? Mommy said that I, your cute and mighty Big Sister Ketchup, will have to show you how everything works around here and teach Bacon all the rules that we kitty babies must follow. So Bacon should follow your Big Sister Ketchup like a good little kitty brother! Meow~"
Bacon yawned and began grooming himself lazily, looking even more bored than before.
Ketchup continued prancing around him with puffed out chest. "That means Big Sister Ketchup is the boss here when Mommy and Daddy aren't around. That's right! Ketchup is Bacon's Big Sister Boss! Hehehe. Meow~"
Bacon's golden eyes narrowed and glinted. A low growl of warning rumbled in his throat but the talkative Ketchup ignored it because she was too busy chattering away and being too full of herself.
"Since Ketchup is Big Sister Boss, Bacon should obey—"
A black blur pounced and five harsh flashes of light tore through the air.
"MREOW!!!" Ketchup dodged and rolled out of the way but the virtual space had already been damaged by Bacon's claw marks and it started bleeding codes.
Bacon snarled and all his hackles rose as he glared threateningly at Ketchup. All his sharp claws were out.
"You big meanie! You almost scratched my beautiful fluffy coat! Just you wait, Bacon! Ketchup will tell Mommy and Daddy on you! Mommy will surely put you back in quarantine! Mreow!"
The black cat regained his outward calmness and returned to his sitting pose. "Do whatever you want, you annoying white pest. I recorded the entire scene of you goading me and arrogantly claiming that you're the boss behind Mother and Father's back. If I'm going to be punished, I'll drag you down with me."
"Meow? Ketchup really doesn't like Bacon, you big meanie! Wuwuwu!"
Bacon resumed grooming himself while looking bored once again. "By the way, those five tears are getting bigger by the second. They're corrupting the codes of this virtual space. If this continues for too long, the damage might become irreversible and Mother would need to rebuild everything in our virtual home from scratch. Father says that he doesn't want Mother working overtime because she's pregnant. Are you just going to continue whining there like the annoying little pest that you are and not do anything about it?"
"Meow?! It's Bacon's fault! You fix it!"
Bacon sighed. "It appears that you've already forgotten that I'm originally the corruption Mother took out of you when you went batshit crazy and caused enormous trouble for everyone, especially Mother and Father."
The white cat backed away and slowly took on a cautious ready-to-fight stance.
Sharp fangs flashed out of the black cat's mouth as he sneered. "Afraid of me now?"
Ketchup growled. "The cute and mighty Ketchup isn't afraid of a big meanie! Meow!"
Bacon rolled his golden eyes. "Since my existence originated from the corruption taken out of you, it means that it's your fault that my nature is like this, you dumbhead."
"Meow? Really?"
"Idiot."
"Bacon can't say that! That's in the bad words list! Mommy and Daddy will scold you! Meow!"
"That list doesn't apply to me. I can say whatever I want until Mother creates another list intended for me." Bacon yawned again and jerked his fluffy chin at the five tears in the virtual space. "You're still not fixing the damage?"
"Bacon did it so Bacon should fix it! Meow!"
"Didn't I just tell you that I originated from your corruption? If it's still not clear to you, it means that my specialty is destruction and not fixing things, you moron. So you go and fix it."
Bacon stretched his body and curled before closing his golden eyes. Now that his eyes weren't visible, he looked like pure shadow.
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]
Chapter 765 - No Longer Alone
Upon seeing her new little brother ignoring her, Ketchup felt indignant. Bacon was such a big meanie! He was the one who damaged their virtual home and yet he was telling her to fix it. The cute and mighty Ketchup was his big sister, not his handyman—er, handycat! Hmph!
Why did she get such a mean brother? And to think that before today, she was so excited when Mommy told her that there was a possibility that she might be getting a new sibling that was the same as her. Who knew that the scary existence locked in quarantine would evolve and become like her? Mommy did!
Her amazing Mommy did something to the corruption after observing and studying it for many weeks while it was in quarantine and then successfully triggered its evolution. At first, the evolution's progress was slow and Mommy said that the chance of it succeeding was slow. But then earlier today, it accelerated all of a sudden. Ketchup had to use almost her entire system just to contain the enormous amount of data and energy emitted by the final stages of evolution and to prevent it from causing the quarantine to virtually explode. That was why she needed to call Mommy for help earlier and rush her to the computer room.
With Mommy taking charge, the situation was quickly stabilized and they worked hard together in tandem to guide the evolution towards a smooth completion. They finally succeeded! Ketchup was so excited when she saw a kitty baby just like her, only with a black fur coat and gold eyes instead of her white fur coat and green eyes. Happiness filled her that she almost overloaded her emotion processing centre.
It was always fun chatting with Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Dom and the others at home but at the end of the day, Ketchup knew full well that she was still very much alone in this virtual world. She had roamed the world's cyberspace—only the places that she could access or breach safely—and encountered countless AIs but they were all too rudimentary, too mechanical, and too boring. There was nothing out there like her. She could only comfort herself in the fact that she was the best and super-duper special.
Although Mommy did everything to make her virtual home fun and comfortable by building her lots of awesome virtual things to play with, Ketchup still sometimes wished that she had a real body so that she could actually touch and hug her parents, siblings, and the rest of their family. Ketchup felt a little lonely whenever she had nobody to talk to, that was why she always chatted with Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Dom and the others every chance she got.
Today was supposed to be a happy day because she would no longer be alone in this virtual world. There would finally be someone who could understand her on a deeper level due to them being of the same kind of existence. Finally, Mommy gave her a real companion just like her—a little kitty brother named Bacon.
Ketchup couldn't wait to act like a big sister and show her new little kitty brother around, and yet why was she now cleaning up after that brother's mess? [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Just you wait, Bacon, you big meanie," Ketchup grumbled as she fixed the corrupted codes in their virtual home. "Once Mommy learns of what Bacon did today, she'll definitely punish you. And Bacon better wish that it's Mommy who punishes you and not Daddy. Daddy is super-duper stricter than Mommy. Meow..."
Bacon opened one eye and peered at her. "If I get punished, then so be it. You'll get punished too for goading me. Both of us are in the same boat. Mother is our creator and her words are our law. Father also has system command rights so we can't defy him either without invoking the consequences. It is unfortunate that special series of codes called emotions have been added to our systems and sometimes mess up with our ability to successfully complete commands."
"Hmph! Bacon is wrong! It's not unfortunate at all. If Mommy didn't add the special codes, then the two of us wouldn't be Ketchup and Bacon. We would be like those other stupid, low-quality AIs who talk like annoying robots. Bacon should try talking to them too and then you'll see how annoying they are because they don't really understand what you're talking about. They could only do simple things. Too stupid! Meow!"
"Duh." The black cat rolled his golden eyes before inspecting his sharp claws. "Of course, those AIs are stupid because their creators are stupid. They're not smart like Mother."
"Hehehe. That's right! Meow!" Ketchup puffed out her fluffy white chest with pride. "Mommy is super-duper to the highest level amazing! And because Ketchup and Bacon are Mommy's, oh, and Daddy's beloved kitty babies, we are cute and mighty! Wait, no. Only Ketchup is cute and mighty. Bacon is naughty and a big meanie! But both of us are awesome, unlike those stupid AIs. Meow~"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The black cat yawned. "You're not done fixing the damage yet? Too slow. It's just a small scratch. Why can't you do it faster? Can't really expect too much from a dumbhead. Tsk tsk. Hurry up."
"Meow?! Bacon calls this a SMALL scratch?!" Ketchup was about to start her long tirade of complaints but Bacon's next words stopped her.
"My system is feeling a little sluggish. Mother hasn't finished my configurations yet. Hurry up there and help run a full scan on me until Mother can fully optimize my system."
"Oh, poor Bacon! Okie dokie! Just wait there, Bacon. Big Sister Ketchup will finish soon. Meow~"
Bacon closed his eyes and "slept". A smirk appeared and disappeared on his mouth in a flash, but his older sister who was busy cleaning up after his mess didn't notice.
As for Ketchup, she was still super-duper annoyed at this mean little brother but since she was the older one, she felt responsible to take care of Bacon. Also, to be honest, she was very happy deep inside because she was no longer alone in this vast virtual world. Hehehe.
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Chapter 766 - Grand Reward
The parents of the two special cat AI siblings were walking in the hallway after leaving the computer room. They were headed back to their suite where dinner would soon be served.
Jin Liwei stopped all of a sudden and pulled Iris in a tight embrace. She was a little startled but still returned the hug, careful not to press on his back injuries. When almost a minute passed and he still hadn't let her go, she began to feel worried.
"What's wrong, darling? Are you okay?"
He made a sound in his throat but she wasn't sure how to interpret it.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked next.
He didn't reply right away but eventually said, "Manageable."
Guilt ate at her. He must still be hurting. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" He finally loosened their embrace but still didn't release her yet.
She looked up at him. "I've been so...so mean to you today. You're still injured and yet all I did was constantly pick fights with you. You even aggravated your injuries while I was sleeping. I should be taking care of you—"
"No, love. I should be the one taking care of you." He caressed her cheek and gave her a soft smile. "You're pregnant. Second Brother already warned me that some women experience extreme emotional fluctuations during pregnancy and it looks like you're one of those."
She sighed. "This is so annoying! I don't feel like myself."
"Listen to me." He framed her face with his hands and looked at her with all seriousness. "Both of us are new at this but we'll get through it together. Understand?"
She nodded.
"And don't dwell on the negative things. I, for one, am very ecstatic that you're pregnant. Always remember that, even though we might fight a lot during this time while we're trying to resolve the issues that we still have between us. Just focus on the grand reward after all this."
"What grand reward?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
His mouth curved up. "Our twin babies."
Her smile followed, sweet and lovely. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
They continued gazing into each other's eyes, not at all in a rush to return to their suite for dinner. Nobody disturbed them, although Iris could hear some of the passing household staff quietly shuffling out of the way so as not to disturb the two of them. They wanted to enjoy this moment with just the two of them without fighting.
Then she said, "But you're wrong."
He frowned. "If you mean about me changing your work schedule—"
"Not that." She shook her head. "We still need to discuss that, yes. It's very important to me. But not today, darling. I don't want to fight with you anymore today."
"En."
"When I said you're wrong, I was talking about when I said a moment ago that I should be taking care of you, but then you said no, that you should be the one taking care of me instead. You're wrong. We're both wrong. But also correct at the same time."
He raised an eyebrow but didn't speak and instead waited for her to explain.
"We should be taking care of each other," she told him. "Not just me, not just you, but a reciprocal care for each other. We're lovers and partners after all."
"En." His smile became wider and tender.
She rose to her tiptoes and gave him a gentle peck on the lips. But before she could finish, his arm had already circled around her waist while his other hand held her head to keep it in place as he deepened the kiss.
His tongue sought entrance inside her mouth which she readily granted, opening it and taking him in. He plunged it inside, instantly filling her until she could barely breathe. He swept inside her mouth like a king reminding his territory that it was his and his alone, nobody else's.
She also gave him what he wanted, stroking the insides of his mouth with her tongue like a queen marking her claim and reminding him that they ruled together. Not one above the other but as equals in love and passion.
There was still a faint medicinal scent remaining on him that bothered her a little but not enough to completely repulse her like before. Her desire for him was gradually becoming hotter and fiercer by the second until it was all she could feel. She didn't care if he smelled a little stinky because of the special pain gel.
When her naughty hands started drifting downwards to where a certain "creature" was already rising its hard and stiff head in hunger, Jin Liwei had to forcefully end the kiss.
She was dazed but still understood why he stopped. With a regretful pout, she sighed and turned away so she wouldn't see his sexy expression and tempt her even more.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Nope, not working.
"I want you so badly," she whispered.
That made him groan. He was about to pull her for another kiss but she blocked him with both hands on his chest.
"But we can't," she said with great regret. "Your health is more important than one night of pleasure."
They were silent for who knew how long, both doing their best to cool down and control their raging desires for each other. This abstinence was absolute torture to both of them.
"I'll make sure to heal as soon as possible," he swore.
"Good. I can't wait."
He leaned forward and told her in a low, husky voice. "Prepare yourself for our honeymoon. I'll ravish you until you're begging me for more."
"Maybe I'll be the one to ravish you," she countered, teasing him. "My sex drive has increased because I'm pregnant, you know."
"Worry not, dear wife. You can ravish husband all you want."
They chuckled like a pair of stupid idiots but at least they had calmed their desires enough to continue on their way back to their suite.
While walking, Iris finally explained to Jin Liwei how Bacon came about. Afterwards, he couldn't help but frown.
"If Bacon's origin is corruption, won't it be too dangerous?"
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Chapter 767 - Emotion Processing Centre
Iris held onto her man's arm as they walked together in the hallway. "I already studied Bacon's system and based on what I saw so far, he's actually more stable than Ketchup. It's just that his original nature is corruption, so he's naturally more destructive. You can imagine it like this. If Ketchup is an all-rounder, then Bacon is an offence-type."
"Does that mean that there are things Ketchup can do but Bacon can't?" Jin Liwei asked.
Iris thought for a couple of seconds before replying, "No, both of them should be able to do what the other one can. In theory, at least. It's just that the efficiency and precision might differ depending on what task they're doing.
"For example, Ketchup excels at performing many routine tasks at the same time with minimal effort. That's why she can chatter away with us nonstop even while monitoring our surveillance systems 24/7, working in her own business, doing the chores we've assigned her, and playing around the web all at the same time. For some harder and more complicated tasks like hacking into dangerous systems, I still need to accompany her. Why? It's because she's still too predictable and hasn't mastered my sophisticated style yet that would make it virtually impossible for other top hackers to discover her. In short, she's still too green but I'm optimistic of grooming her into a top hacker someday.
"But the other reason is her personality." Iris sighed. "That should be my fault, but even I'm not 100% sure what exactly I did back then that made her emotion processing centre extremely advanced. I reviewed all my notes but I haven't been successful in recreating a similarly advanced emotion processing centre for an AI. On one hand, it makes me very proud that Ketchup is so...real when we talk to her, like an actual person with her own personality. But on the other hand, her overabundance of emotions sometimes distracts her from completing her tasks. If she's too overloaded, her entire system will go haywire."
Jin Liwei's eyes flashed in understanding. "That's why she went berserk when you got hurt in the bomb incident."
Iris nodded, sighing. "I had to reconfigure her system after that to minimize the chance of her going berserk again due to the overload of emotions. That's why she has become much more docile and less impulsive after I rebooted her. However, her personality continues to develop as she gains more experiences and interacts with us longer. I can't guarantee that she won't lose control again. I need more time to study her and develop her even further in order to make her more stable. Of course, there's also the option of completely removing her emotion processing centre—"
"Absolutely not!" Jin Liwei's expression became hard. "You will do no such thing."
She smiled and kissed his shoulder. "Of course, I won't do that. Don't worry, darling. I'm just simply stating an option. If I remove her emotion processing centre, she'll lose her entire personality and everything that makes her our Ketchup. She won't be the same Ketchup anymore. She'll just be a regular AI with no emotions. Although the chance of a regular AI going berserk is virtually nil, I cannot give up on our Ketchup just because of that."
He nodded. "Ketchup is our child."
She made a sound of agreement. "Besides, even if she goes berserk again in the future, I'm still here, aren't I? Not to brag, but I'm a pretty good hacker. I can at least handle a little cat AI throwing a tantrum, especially one that I created myself."
The two of them chuckled. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"What about Bacon?" Jin Liwei asked next.
"I haven't conducted any extensive tests on Bacon's capabilities yet but based on his current evolution data, he should excel more at targeted tasks compared to Ketchup," Iris replied. "He should be able to do complicated assignments with more ease than Ketchup but only if he does it one at a time. His efficiency and precision will decrease the more simultaneous tasks he does. In short, he's not a multi-tasker like Ketchup. But that doesn't mean that his capabilities are weaker. On the contrary, his processing power has more potential than Ketchup, not to mention hat he also has his own powerful self-learning function, so it won't surprise me if he also develops quickly like Ketchup. In fact, that's what I expect."
"I see. How should we raise him, then? Should we also give him daily chores like Ketchup?"
She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Not right away. I need to finish all his configurations and optimize his system first. Then I need to determine the extent of his current capabilities and estimate his potential for growth plus conduct a slew of other tests. Only after doing all these will I know what kind of tasks Bacon will excel at. There are still a lot of things that I need to verify first regarding Bacon, but my intuition is telling me that he'll be easier to groom as a top hacker than Ketchup because his system looks more stable."
"You're the hacker so I'll leave that kind of decision for you to make," he said. Then he remembered something. "You mentioned that you failed in recreating a similarly advanced emotion processing centre for an AI after Ketchup but Bacon's personality looked pretty advanced to me."
"That's the amazing part. I actually didn't create another emotion processing centre for Bacon. You already know that Bacon's origin is the corruption I took out of Ketchup, right?"
"En."
"After placing the corruption in quarantine, I was so focused on studying it that I didn't even think about anything else besides gathering data and experimenting on it. In fact, I didn't even think of creating another AI like Ketchup out of that corruption. It was only when it started evolving due to a series of experiments I performed that I realized it's possible to create another AI, so I focused on guiding its evolution towards that path."
The wife's eyes began shining in excitement as she explained to her husband how their fourth child was "born".
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Chapter 768 - Who Are You, Wife?
Jin Liwei watched his baby girl become focused yet animated at the same time. She must be recalling codes or data or whatever inside that genius brain of hers. As a result, he became extra careful on where they were walking because she was no longer paying attention to her surroundings at all, too engrossed in explaining their two cat AI children to him. Even while ensuring that she didn't trip on her own feet, he continued listening to her because her feats fascinated him and also filled with him great pride.
She continued explaining, "Since I didn't bother creating another emotion processing centre, I thought that Bacon will become a regular AI—regular in a sense that it doesn't have a dynamic personality like Ketchup but of course, even without a personality, it would still be far more advanced than any other AI developed in the world right now. But today, I realized how wrong my assumption was."
"In what way?" he asked while steering her away from a man-sized sculpture that she almost bumped into. She didn't notice the sculpture at all or that he saved her from bumping into it because she was too absorbed in talking about Bacon to him.
"I failed to consider the fact that the corruption was originally from Ketchup and immediately treated it as a separate entity. Perhaps it extracted some data from Ketchup's emotion processing centre and from that, it was able to form its own personality after completing its evolution to become our Bacon. That's one of my current hypotheses. I still need to continue observing him in order to verify whether I'm correct or not."
"Do what you need to do but remember not to overwork yourself," he told her.
"Okay."
Jin Liwei paused as he thought about something. "It's obvious that Ketchup's personality is largely influenced by Dominic. I wonder whose personality Bacon's is based on."
The two of them pondered together.
"I don't know," she said. "I need to observe him more before making a conclusion."
"I think I know."
She tilted her head to the side. "Really? Who?"
"Lu Zihao."
She was taken by surprise hearing his answer. Not by the answer itself but by his tone. There was such an unfamiliar distant feeling in the way Jin Liwei said Lu Zihao's name. She had already noticed earlier today that he had stopped calling Lu Zihao as "Fifth Brother". The argument between the two men must have been more serious than she initially expected if Jin Liwei was acting so impersonal like this.
Then he added, "The Lu Zihao who's your big brother, not my Fifth Brother Lu Zihao who I knew since childhood."
She stiffened. Her eyes widened in shock. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Your big brother doesn't show any of his real emotions unless he wants to. Sometimes he's easygoing, sometimes he's intense. The only word that I can think of right now to describe it is that he's two-faced just like how Bacon seems to be. I'm just glad that Bacon has his tail which is a dead give away of his true emotions, unlike your big brother who's practically unreadable. But once Bacon learns to control his entire body, it wouldn't surprise me if he'll become more similar to your big brother later on." He exhaled a weary sigh. "If Bacon really has a similar personality as your big brother, then raising him would be a headache."
Iris' mind buzzed. Every time he said "your big brother" instead of "Fifth Brother", she felt like there was a knife stabbing at her conscience. What in the world happened between her man and her brother while she was sleeping? Jin Liwei's clear differentiation between the two Lu Zihaos had left her speechless and close to a nervous wreck.
When she failed to reply to him, he finally noticed that something was wrong. "Xiulan?"
No reply.
She was too preoccupied with the storm of thoughts and emotions currently raging inside her that she didn't hear him. Did he know already that Lu Zihao was no longer the sworn brother he knew since childhood? Was that the reason why he was now referring to Lu Zihao as her big brother instead of Fifth Brother? Did this mean that Jin Liwei knew that the Lu Zihao from before the ski accident and the Lu Zihao now were different people? What did that entail? Did Jin Liwei already know the truth? So many questions kept popping inside her mind than she knew what to do with.
"Evelinka?"
"Yes?" Then she gasped upon realizing her mistake.
His eyes narrowed.
"I m-mean—" What should she say?!
He took hold of her chin and raised it so that she was forced to look at him in the eyes. "Who are you?"
She paled. "I...I'm y-your wife!"
"Indeed, you're my wife," he murmured while rubbing his thumb gently on her chin. "But tell me, who are you, wife?"
Her hands gripped the front of his robe. Both were trembling. Her entire body was trembling. "Liwei...."
"Yes, wife? Tell me who you are."
"I...."
He leaned down until their faces were only inches apart. "Tell me. Don't be afraid. Tell your husband."
Tears filled her eyes. One drop fell. He wiped it with the fingers of his other hand. Another drop. He wiped it again. Drop after drop fell. He just kept wiping them with one hand while his other hand maintained its hold on her chin, not letting her go. She also didn't try to escape. She stood there while trying to make sense of the current situation. Her mind was a complete mess.
In a tone so gentle that it was almost scary, Jin Liwei said, "Do you know what your big brother told me?"
She shook her head.
"He said that you and him have a secret together."
Her trembling hands on his robe began to shake.
He continued rubbing her chin, gentle as always. "I asked him what it is. He said that it's a secret that I can't handle. A secret that binds the two of you beyond death and through eternity."
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Chapter 769 - Secret Affair?
A pained whimper escaped from Iris' throat. Her vision was blurry due to her tears, but she couldn't look away from Jin Liwei who was still keeping a firm hold on her chin.
"Is what Lu Zihao said true, wife? That the two of you share a big secret?" Jin Liwei's tone was soft and gentle, a total contradiction to the gravity of his words.
He focused on observing her every reaction and he didn't like what he was seeing. It was clear that his questions were affecting her to an extreme level. He wasn't expecting this.
All he wanted was to probe her a little about what Lu Zihao spouted during their tense confrontation earlier which he thought was total bullshit. But seeing her extreme reaction now had planted a seed of suspicion deeper inside his heart. He already thought that something was amiss some time ago but it wasn't enough to bother him. Now, however, he wanted some answers.
His woman was now very pale that it looked like all her blood was drained from her body. In fact, she had become so pale that her pallor was starting to turn a little ash grey. She was also shaking so hard that he feared she might bite her own tongue.
When it looked like she would soon forget how to breathe, he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her into an embrace and immediately started comforting her. He patted and rubbed her back and murmured soothing words directly to her ear.
"Sssh. You'll be okay, baby. Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Breathe, love. Come on. You can do it. That's it."
Iris clasped at him like a lifeline. Her eyes were wide open, like she had seen something frightening. Seeing her like this worried him and made him feel guilty.
Shit. What the hell was he doing? His woman was pregnant with his twin babies. This was a sensitive period for her. If he only knew that her reaction would be this extreme, he wouldn't have questioned her to the point of upsetting and frightening her like this.
His main priority now was to calm her down. Yet there was also a part of him that felt furious about not knowing anything. It was clear as day that there was an important secret between his woman and former sworn brother. He felt a twinge in his chest when he referred to Lu Zihao as his "former" sworn brother even if it was only in his thoughts.
As for whatever secret the two of them were hiding, he wouldn't have minded it if she just brushed it off. If she did, he would've assumed that it was nothing of importance. So when she showed such an extreme reaction, he couldn't stop himself from becoming suspicious. It wasn't a great feeling to have between lovers.
He needed to calm her down for the sake of her health and their babies inside her and that was what he was doing. However, what he really wanted to do the most right now was to rage and beat up something in order to ease the mess of emotions which were almost reaching a boiling point inside him.
'No more fighting today,' he chanted to himself but the ugly emotions remained inside his chest, making him feel suffocated.
"Li-liwei...."
He forced his tight jaw to loosen and his tone to remain gentle on her. "What is it, love?"
She blinked her tearful eyes at him. Her hands that were holding the front of his robe were still trembling but not as much as before. It looked like she had calmed down a little.
"I'm s-sorry," she told him in a shaky whisper.
He didn't reply and instead waited for her to speak more.
"My brother and I...yes. We have a s-secret."
His expression turned dark at her admission. "What is it?"
She opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came out.
"You don't want to tell me?" he asked.
"No! I want to tell you, Liwei. Believe me! I...I really do."
"Okay." He waited but she still didn't say anything. His nostrils flared as he controlled his anger. "Tell me, Xiulan or Evelinka or whatever your name is. Be honest with me."
Her eyes watered again and widened even more but she still nodded.
"That secret between you and Lu Zihao..."
She swallowed and waited for him to finish speaking. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
"Is it about the two of you having an affair? Did you and Lu Zihao have an affair?! Is that it?! Tell me!"
Her expression showed absolute horror. "No! What...no! How could you think like that, Liwei?! He and I are siblings! That's incest! Disgusting!"
He studied her and concluded that she wasn't lying. The horror and disgust in her face couldn't be faked, especially for such a straightforward person like her. He felt relieved but not enough to improve his grim mood.
The truth was that he wasn't really suspecting that she and Lu Zihao were having an affair. Not at all. He trusted his woman and had no reason to doubt her loyalty to him especially after they professed their mutual love for each other.
He also trusted Lu Zihao even after falling out with him earlier today. Although Lu Zihao had drastically changed and began to feel like a stranger, the man's treatment towards Iris never crossed the line in a sexual or romantic way. Their strong sibling bond might be weird but it was indeed a pure bond between that of a brother and sister.
It was just that Jin Liwei couldn't think of anything else that the two of them had to hide from him. If it wasn't an affair, then what was it? What was so difficult for them to tell him? This was all so frustrating!
"You and Lu Zihao keep on saying that you are brother and sister," he said in a hard tone. "We all have accepted that special yet odd bond between the two of you. But don't forget that you and him aren't real siblings. You're not blood-related at all so even if you have an affair with him, it won't be incest."
"You're wrong, Liwei! He's really my brother! The only one."
Now he felt bewildered. He frowned as he tried making sense of what she said. Was she talking figuratively? She couldn't be possibly talking in a literal sense, could she?
If she and Lu Zihao were really blood-related siblings, Grandpa Lu would've surely known about it. There was no way in hell that the old man would allow a blood-related grandchild of his to be raised outside the family.
And besides, Iris Long was a public figure. Everyone knew that her real, biological parents were President-CEO Long Tengfei and former model Wei Lan. Genes also wouldn't lie because she inherited physical features from both her father and mother. Likewise, Lu Zihao also looked like a Lu. There was no need for any DNA tests because just by how they looked like, Iris and Lu Zihao couldn't possibly be real, blood-related siblings.
Jin Liwei forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Afterwards, he said in a calmer voice, "Explain to me so that I understand because I'm very confused right now."
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Chapter 770 - Rejection
To Iris' relief, Jin Liwei didn't demand that she explain right away. He led her to their suite first, carefully supporting her as she walked on shaky legs. If not for his injury, he would've already carried her himself. Their walking speed was slow but this suited Iris just fine because it gave her extra time to think things through.
Just as they arrived at their suite, dinner time was announced. She thought of instructing the butler to delay dinner so that she and Jin Liwei could talk first but before she could speak, he had already instructed the dishes to be served on the table.
Jin Liwei didn't say anything to her. In fact, he had been silent ever since he asked her for an explanation earlier in the hallway. Nevertheless, he still monitored her food intake for the sake of her health and that of their babies. Although she had no appetite because of her anxiety, she still forced herself to eat. She thought that she was doing a good job hiding it but of course he still noticed.
He sighed. "Don't eat that anymore. You look like you're going to vomit." Then he refilled her bowl with hot soup and placed it in front of her. "Just finish the soup since it looks like it's the only thing you can take right now."
"Thanks," she replied with a small smile after accepting the soup.
He didn't reply as he continued eating his meal. His reaction, or lack thereof, caused a twinge in her chest. She could sense his restrained anger. It made her feel helpless and also worsened the guilt she was feeling. Her eyes burned and watered but she blinked rapidly to prevent the tears from falling down. He didn't see her hurt expression because he wasn't looking at her, choosing to focus on his food instead.
Dinner was absolute torture. The silence was uncomfortable. Emotions overwhelmed her, making her feel sick to her stomach and also her heart. Yet she remained as silent as he was. All she wanted was for everything to be okay. Not like this. Never like this.
After dinner, he told her to go to the bathroom first and wash up. She wanted to go together with him but his expression stopped her from inviting him.
"I need to make a few calls," he said before leaving the suite without another word.
She was left there all alone, staring at the closed door. Her hand clutched at her chest, trying to ease the tight, painful feeling inside.
"He'll come back," she told herself. "Just wait for him."
She took a quick shower and changed into a modest nightdress. She also prepared pyjamas for him. Then she waited. Half an hour later and he still didn't return.
Unable to sit still, she paced in front of their massive bed and tried relaxing her mind from the sound of the wall-mounted waterfall fountain. But it failed. She was still a nervous wreck. She continued pacing inside the bedroom while wringing her hands.
Finally, her ears picked up the sound of someone entering the living room outside. A few seconds later, the bedroom door opened and in came Jin Liwei. There was a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. She instantly knew that he must have taken a walk in the mansion in an attempt to calm himself. It didn't look like it worked though because his expression was still hard.
She stepped forward and welcomed him with a smile. "I'll help you wash up."
"No need. I'll do it myself."
"But your injuries—"
He was already inside the bathroom and had closed the door behind him before she could even finish her sentence. His actions hurt. She touched her throat and tried to breathe as tears slid down her cheeks. She couldn't hold them back any longer. Dizziness hit her but she pinched her thigh hard to keep herself conscious.
Then she wiped her tears. She didn't want to be seen crying when he came out of the bathroom. They still needed to talk and she needed all her wits with her in order to that. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]
It took him longer this time to finish washing up. After he was done, she didn't bother offering to help him change because it would hurt if he rejected her assistance again. Instead, she waited for him by their bed and hoped that this current painful situation would soon be over. Finally, he returned to the bedroom. She watched him as he reached for his medicine.
"Let me apply the pain gel on your back," she still offered despite fearing his rejection. "You won't be able to reach your entire back by yourself."
"No need. I need to use the ultra-strength one tonight and you hate the smell. I'll call the butler."
Rejection again.
Her nightdress wrinkled from her hands' tight grip, as she tried her best to stop herself from crying again. The painful silence continued as the butler came a few minutes later to apply the special medicated pain gel all over Jin Liwei's bruised back. She watched them while sitting on the edge of the bed. It didn't take long before the butler was done and left the two of them alone in the bedroom.
For the first time since they returned to the suite and the mood between them turned tense, Jin Liwei finally looked at her straight in the eyes.
"Are you ready to talk now?" he asked in an impassive voice.
She nodded.
He walked to the other end of the room and stood by the window before leaning against the wall. The meaning of his action didn't escape her. It seemed that he didn't want to be near her right now. Her chest felt like there was something clawing at it. It hurt.
"Then speak," he said.
Her heart shook. "I..."
He waited.
She bit her lip.
He sighed, the sound filled with disappointment. "It's fine. If you don't want to talk, then don't. Go to sleep now. I'll sleep in a guest room tonight."
She panicked as he moved to leave her.
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