Chapter 831 - Beas
A manic Chen Fei burst into Long Jinjing's office. Long Jinjing looked up from her desk where she was reading and replying to e-mails on her office computer. Her best friend barrelled towards her as if her butt was on fire.
"Is it true?!" Chen Fei asked in a loud voice while banging her hands on Long Jinjing's desk.
"What are you talking about, COO Chen?" Long Jinjing asked in confusion.
"As soon as I arrived at the company, I overheard some of our employees gossiping about you. They said that CFO Long was dropped off at the front entrance by a huge man. And that when you got off the car, your face was all red and your lips were swollen like a baboon's butt! They said that it was obvious that you and the man who dropped you off were fiercely making out inside the car!"
Long Jinjing's face became red as a baboon's butt right in that instant. She covered her face with her hands and wished for the ground to swallow her up. Was it so obvious to everyone what happened this morning?
How naïve of her to think that Lu Zihao's tinted car windows were enough to keep what happened inside the vehicle a secret! To think that it would be her transparent expression that would give it away! Ah, so embarrassing!
"D-did they see the man's face?" she asked her best friend.
Chen Fei's eyes goggled at her in disbelief. "What the hell, Jinjing?! It's really true?! A man dropped you off today?! And you made out with him inside the car?! Who is it?! WHO?!! TELL ME!!!"
"So they didn't see his face?" Long Jinjing asked next instead of answering Chen Fei's barrage of questions.
"Hmph! No, they didn't see the man's face. But a couple of employees said that they saw the man's figure in the short moment that you got off the car and closed the door behind you. They said that he's a huge, muscled man." Chen Fei narrowed her eyes. "The only huge, muscled man that I know you like is...shit. Don't tell me it's him!"
Long Jinjing felt too shy and embarrassed to reply. She couldn't meet her best friend's eyes.
"Jinjing, what's going on?" Chen Fei moved beside Long Jinjing and forced her to look at her. "Was the man Lu Zihao?"
If there was a competition for people who could blush the most right now, Long Jinjing would probably become the world champion. Just hearing Lu Zihao's name was enough to make her feel like having a heart attack.
She hadn't thought that far ahead yet how she was going to tell Chen Fei and their other friends about her relationship with Lu Zihao. At first, she contemplated letting others find out about it naturally because she was too shy to tell them herself but she didn't expect that Chen Fei would discover it this soon.
"Holy shit!" Chen Fei already knew the answer to her own question just by looking at Long Jinjing's expression. They were best friends and knew each other extremely well. "You got together with Lu Zihao?! Is he your boyfriend?"
Long Jinjing bit her lips before nodding.
"Jinjing, you bitch! Am I still your best friend?! How dare you not tell me about this?!" Chen Fei sounded furious but her eyes were shining with extreme curiosity. She grabbed Long Jinjing's arms and shook them. "Hurry and tell me how Mr. Yummylicious Lu Zihao became your boyfriend?"
"Don't call him that," Long Jinjing said with a wince.
"Don't call him what? Mr. Yummylicious? Don't we always call him like that whenever we talk about him?"
Long Jinjing turned even redder. "Only you and the others. I n-never called Nik—Zihao Mr. Yummylicious. That's too...embarrassing."
Chen Fei snorted and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. More important than that, I need the details! All of it! Hurry! I'll never give you peace and will pester you nonstop until you confess everything!"
Long Jinjing hesitated for a few moments before relenting with a long sigh. With a face as red as a ripe tomato, she told her best friend about how she met Lu Zihao on the streets the night of the big storm and how they ended up having a one-night stand. She didn't give explicit details about the deed, of course, although Chen Fei was dying to know every single little detail.
"One-night stand?!" Chen Fei was shocked out of her mind. "Holy fucking fried mackerel, Miss Long Jinjing! You, a one-night stand?! Fuck! Did I wake up in a parallel dimension today?!"
"Sssh!" Long Jinjing covered her best friend's mouth. "Xiao Fei, not too loud! What if others hear you? I won't be able to hold my head up high in our company after this."
Chen Fei removed the hand covering her mouth. Then she talked in loud, excited whispers, asking Long Jinjing about what happened next.
Despite not giving the juiciest of details and most especially not about her 30-day deal with Lu Zihao, Long Jinjing still told her best friend almost everything else that happened. If her best friend were to know about the 30-day deal, it wouldn't be surprising if Chen Fei exploded with fury on her behalf and marched to wherever Lu Zihao was at and kicked him in the balls. Even if the deal was Long Jinjing's idea in the first place, Chen Fei would still defend her no matter what. She was the type of friend who would help bury a corpse if Long Jinjing ever murdered someone.
"Damn. The man's that good in bed?" Chen Fei didn't mince any of her words.
Long Jinjing flushed but still gave a shy nod. Then she gasped when Chen Fei pulled her shirt up all of a sudden, revealing all the hickeys on her skin.
"I knew it! So this is why you've been wearing these clothes for the past few days!" Chen Fei pulled Long Jinjing's long sleeves next and also her turtleneck collar to reveal more hickeys. "Damn. Lu Zihao's a beast!"
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Chapter 832 - Teddy Bear
Chen Fei's hands reached for Long Jinjing's trousers. Long Jinjing had to stop her best friend before she was stripped of her clothes.
"Do you have hickeys down there, too?" Chen Fei asked while waggling her brows.
Long Jinjing made a face but still nodded. She could keep certain secrets from her best friend but couldn't lie when asked so directly. She didn't know if she could still feel more embarrassed than she already was now.
"Oh my! On a scale of 1 to 10, how good is Mr. Yummylicious Lu Zihao in bed?" Chen Fei asked next.
"Stop asking me this kind of questions, Xiao Fei!" Long Jinjing slapped her arm. "So embarrassing!"
"Just tell me."
Although embarrassed, her best friend's questions made her remember all the wicked things that Lu Zihao did with her body last night. The images flashing inside her mind made her feel hot and bothered. She hoped that Chen Fei wouldn't notice and just think that she was still feeling embarrassed and not horny.
Chen Fei continued to pester her, so Long Jinjing finally answered. "He's a 15. No, maybe a 20."
"Whoa! If a Math person like you gives a 15 in a scale of 1 to 10, then it must mean that he's really good. But then, I wouldn't trust your judgment because you had no other experience having sex with other men before him." Chen Fei laughed after making fun of her.
Long Jinjing pouted but still couldn't help releasing a dreamy sigh. Now that she started talking about this with her best friend, she began to feel a little more comfortable. "Oh, Xiao Fei. He's really amazing. He made me...orgasm so many times that I thought I was going to die."
"Dammit! I never thought that you'll be the first one between the two of us who'll lose their virginity first. I wish my future boyfriend will also be good in bed like yours. All the guys I've dated before suck so there's no way I'd give my first time to chickens like them. Should I also have a one-night stand? Maybe I'll find my own Mr. Yummylicious."
Releasing another sigh, Long Jinjing shook her head at her best friend's idea. "Well, the guys you've dated before couldn't keep up with you. They always end up feeling intimidated by your achievements and strong personality. And you hate it when they begin to become too compliant with all your demands. Unlike me, you've never been dumped before. You're the one who always does the dumping."
Chen Fei shrugged. "Who wants a sissy man? I have a dominant personality but that doesn't mean that I want a submissive partner. I don't want a caveman either. I want someone who can make me feel feminine without throwing his annoying macho shit on me but neither do I want a doormat who'll give in to all of my wants. If I can find someone who can keep up with me and balance me out, then that would be wonderful."
"You'll find your Mr. Right someday, Xiao Fei," Long Jinjing said in her most sincere tone.
Chen Fei threw her head back and laughed. "Of course, I will! Lucky you. It seems you've found yours."
Long Jinjing's smile stiffened and she looked down.
'Nikolai is not my Mr. Right. He was once my Mr. Right Last Night who became Mr. Right for One Month. But he's definitely not the man for me.'
Despite her thoughts, she didn't correct her best friend. No matter what happened, she would enjoy this one month with Lu Zihao who promised to treat her as a real, official girlfriend in the limited time that they had.
Chen Fei continued to ask more questions about her relationship with Lu Zihao, but they were interrupted when Long Jinjing's assistant knocked on the door and announced in an excited rush that President Long, the big boss, had arrived. Both Long Jinjing and Chen Fei straightened their spines.
They had a scheduled meeting today to discuss Jin Chonglin's men's line. Although Chen Fei was in charge of the project, they still needed Iris' final approval.
In addition, even if Chen Fei didn't expressly admit it, she still sought Iris' opinions on business matters because Iris was the most creative person that the two best friends had ever met. Iris' brain just worked in a different way than normal people. The way she approached business was a mixture of orthodox and unorthodox methods, totally different from what Long Jinjing and Chen Fei learned from business school. Perhaps it was because Iris was an artist first before she was a businesswoman. There was no such thing as "limitations" in her vocabulary.
"We'll talk later," Chen Fei whispered before hurrying to her own office to prepare her presentation for the meeting.
Long Jinjing also started gathering her materials for the meeting with the help of her assistant. Her face was still red from her embarrassing conversation with her best friend earlier but she had now switched to business mode.
Later, Orchidia Beauty's trinity of goddesses were congregated in a meeting room. Iris sat at the head of the table while Long Jinjing and Chen Fei sat on either side of her. On a smaller table by the wall, Alric Bauer was busy writing ideas about his latest experimental products. The others were already used to his sometimes anti-social behaviour so they didn't bother him. Other key personnel were also present.
The meeting hadn't started yet. They were still waiting for the star of this project, Jin Chonglin. He already called and informed them that he would be arriving soon.
"President Long, what the hell is that?" Chen Fei asked after not being able to hold herself back anymore.
"Oh, this?" Iris smiled as she hugged and pressed her nose against the big teddy bear wearing a men's pyjama shirt sitting on a separate chair beside her. "My fiancé gave it to me. Cute, isn't it?"
Chen Fei curled her lip but Long Jinjing gave her a warning look. The others pretended that everything was normal. After all, they couldn't just call their big boss "weird" to her face, right?
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Chapter 833 - Little Liwei
Iris didn't care what the others thought about her bringing Little Liwei, the big teddy bear that her darling gave her to replace the pillow she had been using to clothe with Jin Liwei's used overnight shirt in order to bring his scent everywhere when he wasn't available in person. Her current oversensitivity to smells was a big inconvenience, but she couldn't allow it to hinder her daily activities, including her work which had already been reduced a great deal by an overprotective Jin Liwei.
"Little Sister—I mean, President Long, how are you feeling?" Long Jinjing asked. "We were all so worried when we heard that you fainted backstage during the TV awards. When I called you the morning after it happened, you said that you were okay but I still want to make sure that you're really fine now."
"Don't worry," Iris replied. "I feel well now. And the truth is that I didn't completely lose my consciousness that time, so technically, I didn't really faint. I just felt extreme dizziness and sudden weakness."
"That still sounds worrying. Please take care of your health."
"Thanks, CFO Long."
Chen Fei interjected, "Maybe it's your body telling you to slow down a little. All of us here work hard but you work harder. What's more, you have other work outside Orchidia Beauty. Being a workaholic is admirable but you also need ample time to rest or your body will break down at this rate."
All the others nodded in agreement with Chen Fei, except for Alric Bauer who was still very much absorbed in his own world. He was also not that proficient in Mandarin yet.
"You don't have to come to Orchidia Beauty in person on a regular basis to complete your work, you know," Chen Fei continued saying. "You're the big boss so you make the rules. If it's more convenient for you, then you can schedule our meetings at your house. We can always go there. No problem."
The eyes of the other people present in the meeting began shining in excitement after hearing their COO Chen's suggestion. They wanted to go to their big boss' house. Most of them were Black Stars and applied to work at Orchidia Beauty mainly because of their Boss Iris. They were all well-educated, young professionals. Some even already had experience working at other big-name companies but resigned after successfully passing their interview with Orchidia Beauty. They were willing to leave secure jobs at the other established companies for a new company like Orchidia Beauty because they wished to work with their Boss Iris and believed that as long as they followed her, she would lead them to great success.
Chen Fei added, "But if you're going to have our meetings at your place, our transportation costs and meals better be covered as well."
"Absolutely not," Long Jinjing cut in, shaking her head. "We better avoid that kind of unnecessary extra costs for now. Also, we're already in the process of building a canteen right here at the company. It should be ready by next year. President Long insists on having a custom-designed canteen that will offer high-quality and healthy food choices. The cost of that kind of canteen alone is not cheap. We also have other renovations happening at the same time because we're hiring more people and need better facilities. In short, I already finished allocating all our budget for the remainder of this year to what we as a company need the most right now. And we certainly don't need to pay for that kind of extra meal and transportation costs."
The enthusiasm in the room deflated after their CFO Long denied their COO Chen's exciting suggestion for the sake of saving the company's money. As expected of the Gentle Money-Hoarding Dragon Goddess! She would always become tight-fisted and not so gentle to anyone wanting to spend Orchidia Beauty's funds.
Chen Fei curled her lip at her best friend's miserly behaviour. She opened her mouth, no doubt about to exercise her fierce, corrosive tongue, but the big boss, Iris, spoke first.
"CFO Long, I don't think COO Chen intended to use the company funds on her suggestion," Iris said with a lovely laughter that tinkled like crystal bells and lightened the deflated atmosphere. "I think COO Chen wanted me to personally cover the food, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs from my own pocket, not use the company funds, if I really plan on having meetings at my home."
"Yes, that's right!" Chen Fei nodded. "That's exactly what I meant."
Long Jinjing looked relieved that nobody was going to mess with the company funds. Then she turned to Iris and said, "You don't have to do it, President Long. It's just a suggestion."
"It's a good suggestion," Iris said.
Chen Fei's expression became smug. The others felt excited again.
Iris hugged her Little Liwei closer and inhaled deeply at the teddy bear's shirt. Despite her weird, childish action in a business setting, she still managed to project a dignified aura of a leader.
"I'll think about it first," she said. "But for now, I enjoy coming here at the company in person."
Everyone nodded.
Iris glanced at the clock. "It's time for the meeting."
Spines straightened at her words.
"Alric, come," she called in German.
Their Chief Product Officer snapped out of his own little world and moved to sit beside Long Jinjing.
Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door before it opened and in walked Jin Chonglin followed by Lin Dong.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said, flashing everyone his killer smile.
The females in the room except for the trinity of goddesses became dazed by his handsomeness and almost blinding charisma.
"You're right on time, Brother Chonglin," Iris said. "Please take a seat and we'll start the meeting right away."
Jin Chonglin sat on the opposite end of the table with his manager. His eyes zeroed in on the big teddy bear beside Iris, or more specifically, on the pyjama shirt the stuffed toy was wearing. He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment about it.
The important meeting finally started.
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Chapter 834 - Gossip
After the meeting, everyone felt elated that they would finally be proceeding to the actual production of Jin Chonglin's men's line. They were filled with great purpose and felt excited to meet their original plan of releasing the men's line before the end of the year. It would be a huge deal.
If they were successful, Orchidia Beauty would have truly made its mark in the country's fiercely competitive beauty industry dominated by well-known foreign companies for many years. Jin Chonglin's influence as a superstar was no joke. If his image was used effectively, he had the power to make a completely new, unknown brand into a household name overnight.
Orchidia Beauty was certainly a new brand but it was not unknown thanks to its successful and record-breaking grand launch. If Jin Chonglin's men's line became a hit, Orchidia Beauty would become a skincare and beauty brand targeting not only females but the male population as well.
They wanted to be a trusted brand of high-quality natural beauty products for all genders and skin types. It was better to set the tone this early so that the public impression of the brand wouldn't be too fixed on a limited range of products.
Back at the meeting room, the trinity of goddesses left first with Jin Chonglin and Lin Dong. Alric Bauer returned to his lab.
Jin Chonglin walked beside Iris and leaned close before whispering, "Is that my big bro's shirt that your teddy bear is wearing?"
Iris smiled and nodded. Then her smile froze and was replaced by a frown. "Ugh. What's that horrid perfume you're wearing today?"
Dom appeared seemingly from out of nowhere as soon as he saw Iris' expression change. He immediately blocked Jin Chonglin, allowing Iris to put distance between them in a hurry.
Everything happened so fast that the others who witnessed the scene couldn't understand what happened. All they saw was Dom blocking Jin Chonglin and Iris escaping as if her future brother-in-law was a plague. Then she plopped down on a nearby sofa with her big teddy bear and pressed her face against it.
Jin Chonglin's expression also indicated how confused he was at the current situation. His cologne smelled horrid? He sniffed his sleeve and even his armpits but thought that he smelled good, amazing even.
"Do I smell bad?" he asked his manager.
Lin Dong sniffed Jin Chonglin, too. "No, you smell fine."
Jin Chonglin stared at Iris who looked like she was strangling her teddy bear with how tightly she was embracing it. He wondered if the woman had some sort of grudge against him and this was her way of expressing her anger towards him.
Dom pulled him away from Lin Dong and whispered, "Sorry, Prince Lin Lin. Please don't think that Boss has something against you. That's not it at all. I heard that you're already aware of her condition. As a result of that, she can't stand a lot of smells right now. That teddy bear is wearing sir boss' shirt because sir boss' scent is only one of the very few scents that she's able to tolerate. Actually, sir boss' scent is her favourite right now. It's like her medicine to prevent herself from fainting. I hope you understand, Prince Lin Lin."
"Ah." Jin Chonglin finally understood. He nodded as relief flooded him. So it wasn't because of anything he did but due to her pregnancy instead.
Long Jinjing and Chen Fei hurried to where Iris was sitting. Dom also returned to his boss' side after giving Jin Chonglin an explanation.
"What happened?" Lin Dong asked beside him.
"Sister Xiulan is still feeling a little sick, I guess," he answered vaguely.
Fortunately, Iris recovered rather quickly and assured everyone that she was alright. The concerned employees soon dispersed and returned to their work. Soon after, Jin Chonglin and Lin Dong also left after saying good bye.
The four friends—Iris, Dom, Long Jinjing and Chen Fei—all headed to Iris' office. As soon as the door closed, Iris headed straight to the biggest couch and made herself comfortable with her ridiculous teddy bear. Then Long Jinjing and Chen Fei watched as Dom pull out a pack of chocolates before handing it to Iris.
"You want some, too?" Dom then asked the two.
In the end, all of them ended up eating chocolates. Iris was back to her normal self, so Long Jinjing and Chen Fei didn't continue asking what was wrong with her. Dom also covered for her and distracted everyone with his usual lively chatter, so the two didn't suspect anything wrong with Iris. They figured that it must really just be her fragile health due to the after-effects from the car accident and coma acting up again.
Then all of a sudden, Iris asked Long Jinjing a point-blank question. "Are you really together with Big Brother Zihao?"
Chen Fei's eyes popped wide open. "Bitch, how did you know?!"
"WHAT?!!" Dom gasped out loud and looked at Long Jinjing with shock. "Is that true?! Uwah! You go, girl! Although my own maiden heart is crying in despair that Mr. Yummylicious Big Brother Boss is taken, at least it's one of us and not some other hateful witch."
Long Jinjing turned red and covered her face with her hands.
"You're really in a relationship with Big Brother?" Iris asked again.
Long Jinjing slowly lowered her hands before nodding.
Dom squealed and starting bouncing on his seat.
"How did you know?" Long Jinjing asked Iris. Then she remembered something. "Oh no. Did you hear it from our employees? Are they still gossiping about what they saw this morning? This is too embarrassing!"
"Yes, I heard it from gossip," Iris said.
It was true that Iris heard the news from gossip. However, she didn't overhear it from their employees. The truth was that she heard it from a certain gossip-loving, talkative white cat who told her mommy this morning that she saw her Uncle Haohao kissing her Auntie Jinjing inside the car in front of Orchidia Beauty. Tinted windows were not a hindrance to the powerful surveillance system of Iris' AI daughter.
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Chapter 835 - Needs Of A Vetrov Man
Although Iris prohibited Ketchup from spying on her brother's private life, who would have expected that he would appear in front of Orchidia Beauty and drop off Long Jinjing? All of Iris and Jin Liwei's private properties and also their companies were under Ketchup's extensive surveillance system 24/7. It was no wonder that the white cat AI immediately detected such as an unusual sight as Lu Zihao and Long Jinjing being intimate in front of Orchidia Beauty.
Iris remembered Ketchup's excitement earlier this morning when her AI daughter reported the sighting to her. At first, she thought that Ketchup was mistaken or maybe her AI daughter's system had a glitch because she couldn't believe that her big brother would hook up with her close friend.
She had always been close to her brother but never saw him as a pure man. Despite her innocence as Evelina back then, she had always known that he had a regular sex life with numerous women. The first time that she witnessed it with her own eyes was when she and their mother visited him in his apartment in Italy. Nikolai Vetrov came there to take care of an important business on behalf of their organization.
The memories rushed back in her mind, vague at first but gradually became clearer as she continued remembering it.
Her brother's subordinates warned her and their mother that there was someone with him inside his unit. She remembered their mother not batting an eye upon hearing that.
When they entered her brother's apartment, he was already up but looked rumpled and wearing only his pants. A topless Italian woman in only her panties was running around the place searching for the rest of her clothes.
Evelina was curious at the situation but their mother didn't acknowledge the woman and treated the outsider like air. Even her brother ignored the woman he slept with. Evelina didn't say anything either and just continued observing until the woman finally found all of her clothes and slipped out of the apartment without so much as a word to Nikolai.
"You're a man so I'm not going to interfere with how you deal with your sexual needs," their mother said after the Italian woman left. "Just make sure that the women you sleep with aren't moles. If they're clean, good. But make sure that they don't know who you are or discover anything about you that will endanger our family and organization. If they do discover something whether it's by accident or not, off them immediately."
"I already know, Mother," Nikolai replied.
"I'm just giving you a reminder. You're the next head of the Vetrovs and the future of our organization is resting on your shoulders. You better make sure that you're always thinking with your head and not with your penis."
Evelina tilted her head to the side and listened in fascination at the conversation. She saw her brother's mouth tightening but he didn't retort at their mother.
"You can have as many women as you want," their mother continued saying. "But don't you dare do something as stupid as falling in love and insist on marrying whoever that woman is. I'll be the one to choose your wife. The woman you'll marry has the responsibility of birthing strong offspring to continue our family and organization's long legacy. If in the event that you still fall in love with some random woman, then she could only become your mistress but never your wife. But only if she's clean and won't be a threat."
"Understood, Mother." Her big brother looked apathetic by the topic of conversation but he still responded in a respectful tone to their mother.
Their mother lifted her chin and looked at them, her two children, with her ever-cold eyes. "Keeping mistresses is not unusual for Vetrov men. In some ways, it is expected as a show of power, status and wealth. Vetrov men, in particular, have especially big needs. They can certainly afford that kind of lifestyle. Even your father had several women before but once he married me, I killed all of them off. I never once confronted your father about his other women. I won't stoop to the level of an annoying, nagging, jealous wife.
"But what I will always do is defend my status as the official wife of the Vetrov head and the mother of the successor. I won't allow anyone to threaten my status and that of my children. Even an illegitimate child is a threat. There had been some cases in the Vetrov family history where an illegitimate child succeeded in becoming the head. As long as I'm alive, I won't allow something like that to happen. My son will become the next head and nobody else."
The brother and sister were silent as they listened to their mother. The teenage Evelina was especially intrigued.
Their mother continued, "Eventually, your father stopped sleeping around after he discovered that I killed all of his other women. Despite the things that I've done, he never reprimanded me because he knows that I'm the most suitable person to stay by his side in leading the Vetrov organization, not those other women. It's nothing more than survival of the fittest. They were weak and I am stronger. Simple as that."
Madam Vetrova was a beautiful and delicate-looking woman, yet she was also considered to be the deadliest living female in the Vetrov organization. Even their father, the head, would think twice before offending her. After all, the previous Vetrov patriarch personally trained her.
"Unless your wife is someone like me, you are free to sate your sexual needs with as many women as you want as long as you take the required precautions," their mother told her big brother. "Just fulfill your responsibilities and duties as the heir. I'll make sure to choose a submissive wife that you'll be able to control no matter how many mistresses you decide to keep."
Evelina glanced at his big brother who nodded at their mother's words. She, herself, didn't feel weirded out by the topic of conversation especially since it wasn't about her and also because she had no interest whatsoever in sex or marriage.
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Chapter 836 - Brother Of The Soul And Sister Of The Flesh
Madam Vetrova turned her frosty eyes to Evelina next. "You, young lady, are also a member of the Vetrov family. After you finish your studies at Cross Academy, I expect you to also begin contributing to our organization like the rest of us."
Evelina didn't reply. Her expression didn't change but her downcast gaze indicated her disagreement. When her memories reached this point, Evelina, now Iris, returned to the present and thought about what Ketchup discovered earlier today.
Based on what she knew about her brother, he never cared about the women he slept with before. They were just convenient sexual partners to satisfy his primal needs. This was why she couldn't believe Ketchup's report at first.
It was only when Ketchup played the zoomed and sharpened surveillance video clip to her that she finally believed that it was indeed her brother making out with Long Jinjing inside his car. With the state-of-the-art surveillance cameras at Orchidia Beauty in addition to Ketchup's powerful system, Iris was able to see everything that happened inside the car despite the tinted windows. She was also able to read their lips clearly as they talked.
And what she discovered from reading their lips shocked her. They weren't simply sleeping with each other but were actually in a relationship? Her brother got himself an actual girlfriend and even referred to himself as a boyfriend? It wasn't just any girlfriend either but Long Jinjing!
Iris didn't know what to feel upon learning about her brother's relationship with Long Jinjing. Was he serious about this relationship and not just treating Long Jinjing as a convenient sexual partner?
She loved her brother but she was also aware that danger always followed him like a shadow. A kind and gentle soul like Long Jinjing would find it difficult to survive in that kind of dangerous world that her brother insisted on living in. Although her friends would sometimes tease Long Jinjing about her big brother, Iris never really took it seriously. She never would have thought that the two would actually hook up.
On one hand, her big brother was someone she would always love and respect. They had a deep sibling bond that even death couldn't sever as proven by their respective rebirths.
On the other hand, Long Jinjing was not only her friend and colleague, but also the blood sister of the original Long Xiulan.
In a sense, both of them were her siblings. Lu Zihao (Nikolai) was her brother of the soul while Long Jinjing was the sister of her current flesh.
If she had to choose who to give her undying support between the two, she would no doubt choose her big brother. Always. She didn't even need to think about it.
However, she also didn't want Long Jinjing hurt in any way. The woman was an important friend and a truly good person. This was why Iris felt so torn. She found it difficult to imagine how their relationship was going to last unless her brother decided to keep Shadow Winds and its true nature a secret from Long Jinjing for the rest of their lives. And if he really did that, he might not feel guilty about it but Iris certainly would because she knew the truth.
Back at her office, Iris sighed and massaged her slightly aching temples. She hugged and smelled Little Liwei while listening to the loud Dom and Chen Fei as they interrogated the red-faced Long Jinjing.
"Boss says that she heard the news from gossip but why didn't I hear anything about it?!" Dom exclaimed in dramatic horror and disbelief. "I, the gorgeous and fabulous Dominic Chua, actually missed such an important gossip? Ah! This is a big disgrace to my stellar reputation! It seems like I need to work harder on sharpening my gossip radar!"
Chen Fei rolled her eyes. "You're forgetting that Xiulan has super hearing, can read lips from afar, and all that shit. Thank goodness the bitch isn't a big gossip like you, Dom. Just imagine how many scandals Xiulan is able to expose if she loves gossiping as much as you do."
Dom stood up and thumped his chest with his perfectly manicured hand. "It's because it's my job to gather gossip! Boss doesn't need to concern herself with trivial things!"
"What do you mean it's your job to gather gossip?" Chen Fei scoffed. "I thought you're Xiulan's assistant, not a professional gossip collector."
While Dom and Chen Fei bantered, Iris turned to Long Jinjing. She reached over and patted her shoulder. "Good luck, Big Sister."
Long Jinjing's eyes widened at her words but understanding soon dawned on her. She nodded. "Thank you, Little Sister. I know what I'm doing. Don't worry. This is my decision."
Iris looked at her, not saying anything, before she nodded as well. "Call me if you need someone to talk to about Big Brother. I know him very well. He's...a very complicated man. And intense. I imagine that he won't be an easy man to have a relationship with."
"Thanks." Long Jinjing smiled.
Iris smiled back. "If it's okay with you, I want to know how you ended up becoming Big Brother's girlfriend. I'm very curious about how it happened."
Dom stopped bickering with Chen Fei. He immediately returned to his seat and leaned forward with an expectant expression. His eyes were shining as he eagerly waited for Long Jinjing to reveal everything.
"I already know what happened," Chen Fei said in a smug tone.
Dom harrumphed and flipped his nonexistent long hair before urging Long Jinjing to hurry up and talk.
In the end, Long Jinjing told them about how everything started with a one-night stand a few nights ago during that big storm. Dom was bouncing and squealing on his seat while asking salacious questions.
As for Iris, she turned pensive while listening to Long Jinjing's story. Her intuition told her that there was something else that her friend was keeping a secret.
"Niko—I mean, Zihao is out of town right now," Long Jinjing said.
Iris' pupils contracted at Long Jinjing's slip of the tongue. She noticed it right away. Did her brother tell Long Jinjing his real name?
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Chapter 837 - Thinking, Worrying And Stressing
With her great hearing, Iris felt certain that Long Jinjing was about to say "Nikolai" before her friend corrected herself and said "Lu Zihao" instead. The others didn't notice Long Jinjing's slip of the tongue, and even if they did, they wouldn't know its significance. If Iris really heard her friend correctly, then it meant that her big brother told Long Jinjing his real name.
What did this mean? Were his feelings for Long Jinjing for real, hence why he revealed his real name to her?
Iris narrowed her eyes, unable to figure out her brother's real intentions, especially since he was so pissed off at her for telling Jin Liwei some part of the truth about their past lives. He refused to give her his blessing to tell Jin Liwei everything, even with her repeated assurances that Jin Liwei was a trustworthy and loyal man who loved her with his life.
She had been in a relationship with Jin Liwei for more than a year now. They were engaged and would be marrying very soon this month. Despite this, her brother still couldn't fully trust Jin Liwei with the truth, even though he had Lu Zihao's memories and should know what kind of character his "Third Brother" was.
For all his oppositions against telling Jin Liwei, now Iris discovered that he might have told his real name to Long Jinjing just like that, someone he must have hooked up only recently?
Iris felt unhappy about what she thought was her brother's unfairness. All of these thinking, worrying and stressing were worsening the ache in her temples.
Before anything else, however, she still needed to confirm first if Long Jinjing really meant to say "Nikolai". Although Iris felt sure that she heard correctly, it was still preferable to be 100% certain. But before she could ask Long Jinjing about it, her phone rang. Dom answered it before passing it to her.
It was her darling. Just hearing Jin Liwei's voice made her aching temples feel a lot better. Her entire mood also lightened up.
The lovers chatted over the phone, not noticing that they were throwing dog food to Iris' three friends. Dom looked ecstatic while listening to the couple's lovey-dovey conversation. The single dog Chen Fei was the opposite with her surly expression. As for Long Jinjing, she was smiling with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"After you've rested in your office, come home immediately," Jin Liwei urged. "I'm also on my way home right now from Jin Corporation. I want us to eat lunch together today. Then I'll accompany you to your meeting with Qiao Yu and Elder Long Jufang later in the afternoon."
"Okay, darling," Iris agreed while already wondering what kind of chocolate dessert their chef prepared today for her.
After more lovey-dovey talk, Iris ended the call with great reluctance. She sighed and hugged Little Liwei while making sure to take a good inhale of her darling's residual scent on the pyjama shirt. These days, she didn't feel comfortable being apart from her man for too long. The combination of her pregnancy hormones and the trauma she acquired from his recent accident at the construction site made her very clingy to him.
Both of them had to compromise regarding their return to their respective work as they were worried for each other's health and safety. Jin Liwei hadn't fully healed yet but he already started working again for half a day. Sometimes in the morning while at other times in the afternoon depending on what schedule was best.
Excited to see her man as soon as possible and eat lunch with him, Iris stood up with Little Liwei and announced, "Let's head home, Dom."
###
On the way home, Iris realized that she had forgotten to ask Long Jinjing for confirmation if she was really going to say "Nikolai" earlier. Should she call Long Jinjing and ask right now? No, maybe later. Everyone at Orchidia Beauty was busy working on Jin Chonglin's men's line. She shouldn't disturb them unnecessarily during this period.
How about her big brother? Long Jinjing mentioned that he went out of town for work, so he should be busy. He hated being interrupted while he was working. Although that never had been an issue before where she was concerned because he always had time for her, he was pissed off at her right now, so she shouldn't annoy him too much. He hadn't been in the best of moods ever since she blackmailed him using Bacon.
This conflict between the two of them was stressing her out. She could only comfort herself with the hope that he would eventually come around because of their deep bond and love as siblings.
In addition to worrying about her brother, she also thought about her appointment with Elder Long Jufang later in the afternoon. The elder informed her that he had successfully persuaded a couple of minor shareholders to consider selling their equity to her. However, the shareholders wanted to meet her in person first.
She heaved a long sigh. "I don't really want to meet Granduncle Jufang later. I remember feeling repulsed by his smell during the Long Industries party. I might faint again later."
"Don't worry, boss," Dom told her. "Didn't you say that sir boss will be accompanying you? You can use sir boss as a stink-repellent like always! Ehehe!"
Ketchup's childish voice also went "ehehehe" inside the vehicle, following her Uncle Dom's example.
Iris massaged her temples which were starting to ache again. "If not because I want to acquire more Long Industries' shares the fair way, I wouldn't have agreed to this tedious meeting with the elder and those shareholders. I would just let Qiao Yu handle everything. We're not even sure yet if those shareholders will really sell their equity to me after the meeting later."
"Mother, we can just snatch their shares by force if they refuse to sell," Bacon's voice interrupted. "How dare they waste Mother's time and energy demanding this meeting with you if they have no intention of selling? If that's the case, they're despicable and don't deserve to be treated fairly."
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Chapter 838 - Family's Loyal Boy
"Snatching by force is very bad and Daddy will ground us if we do something bad," Ketchup chimed in. "Oooooh, how sad and scary~ But if the other party is despicable like you say, then the cute and mighty Ketchup agrees with Little Brother Bacon that they don't deserve to be treated fairly! But of course, Mommy will be the one to decide what to do in the end so Bacon, you big meanie, be a good kitty baby like the cute and mighty me or Daddy will ground you again! Meow~"
"Kyaaaaaah! Our babies are growing up so fast! Baby Bacon is Mommy's boy while Baby Ketchup is Daddy's girl! Both of you are sooooo CUTE!" Dom made kissing noises towards the dashboard monitor where the two AI cats, one black and the other white, were shown.
Iris threw Dom a side-eye and gave a light harrumph. "What do you mean that Ketchup is Daddy's girl? Both of them are Mommy's boy and Mommy's girl!"
"Ehehehe. Don't be angry, boss. Baby Ketchup is a good girl. She loves her mommy and daddy equally! Am I right, Baby Ketchup?"
"Of course, you're right, Uncle Dom! Ketchup LOVES Mommy and Daddy so very much! Ketchup is both Mommy and Daddy's kitty baby girl! Ehehehe! Meow~"
Iris' annoyed expression eased which made Dom, the driver and the bodyguard in the vehicle all release sighs of great relief. They were afraid that she would have another one of her increasingly frequent extreme mood swings. Jin Liwei and Little Jun were the only ones guaranteed to stop an onset of her mood swing in its tracks before it got worse. Dom also had satisfactory success, so Iris' team of bodyguards depended on him to handle her whenever Jin Liwei or Little Jun weren't present.
As for Iris, she was learning how to cope with her mood swings a little better each day. It was difficult to control her emotions when they started overwhelming her in an instant, but she was determined not to become a Wombzilla that everyone wanted to avoid.
Sighing, she hugged Little Liwei more tightly while looking at her two cat AI children on the dashboard monitor. Ketchup had a big smile on her face while Bacon was stone-faced as usual but the enthusiastic swishing of his tail revealed that he also cared. What an adorable pair of AI children she had!
"What about you, Bacon?" Iris asked, curious. "Are you Mommy's boy or Daddy's boy?" Then she paused before adding, "Or maybe you're Uncle Zihao's boy?"
"Ooooooh~ Ketchup wants to know, too! Meow~" The gossip-loving white cat shook her fluffy white butt as she looked at her little kitty brother with glowing green eyes filled with curiosity.
Bacon's swishing tail slowed down a little. "Mother, Bacon is our family's boy."
Dom snickered at the black cat AI's careful answer. Seeing her Uncle Dom snickering, Ketchup followed his example and snickered as well. Iris was a little unsatisfied by her AI son's diplomatic answer because she wanted to hear him say that he was Mommy's boy, but in the end, she couldn't criticize the child for being smart. The child appeared to have a better EQ than her.
"Anyone who threatens our family will have to go through Bacon first," her AI son added.
Iris sighed at Bacon's fierceness. Indeed, Jin Liwei was right. Their AI son's personality was very similar to her big brother's. It made her feel nervous about the extent of things that he might do in the future but at the same time, she also felt assured of Bacon's loyalty to their family.
One thing was clear in her mind. Bacon would have been a perfect AI for the Vetrovs. This was one of the reasons why she felt confident that her big brother would eventually give in to her blackmail to talk to her and Jin Liwei in person in exchange for allowing Bacon to assist in his work with Shadow Winds.
Although she couldn't help but hesitate a great deal at the thought of allowing Bacon to assist her brother in his criminal activities, she knew that he was already set on his old ways. Even she felt powerless to dissuade him. If she couldn't stop him completely, then she might as well lend him her AI son to give him an additional layer of safety.
She might be against the criminal aspects of his work and his obsessive desire for revenge, but she understood and accepted why he was like this. Her own selfishness had already failed to help protect her family once before. She was beginning to realize that now. There was no way in hell that she would allow a repeat of the Vetrov annihilation from happening to her lovely family in this life. If lending Bacon to her brother would help keep him safer, then as a sister, she had the moral duty to do that.
"Bacon," she called in a soft voice.
"Yes, Mother?" Bacon's childish voice was polite, almost bored, but his swishing tail sped up a little, indicating that he was pleased that his mother called for him.
"I hope that you'll always stay loyal to our family. Your Uncle Zihao is part of our family. When you get the chance to start assisting him in his work, your first priority is his safety. Always."
"I understand, Mother. Bacon will obey."
She nodded.
"I hope that Uncle Zihao will pay me a good salary," Bacon said all of a sudden.
Iris and Dom chuckled at Bacon's concern.
"If Uncle Haohao ends up being stingy, then Little Brother Bacon is always welcome to work part-time in Ketchup's company, the super-duper awesome White Tigress International Virtual Assistant Services!" Ketchup suggested in excitement. "Daddy said that Ketchup's company profits are really good! Ketchup will pay Bacon well even if you're a big meanie. Ehehehe. Meow~"
Bacon yawned and started licking his paws. This time, his boredom was genuine. He wasn't the least bit interested in his older sister's offer. "No, thank you. Father promised Bacon that he'll negotiate a fair salary for me with Uncle Zihao. Bacon wants to assist Uncle Zihao in his work."
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Chapter 839 - PantherBaby
Iris sighed again and massaged her aching temples. It was clear that Bacon was hell-bent on assisting his uncle in his work with Shadow Winds. Perhaps it was the similarity in their personalities that made Bacon gravitate towards his uncle's shady work.
Since both uncle and nephew wanted to work with each other so much, then she would allow it but only if her big brother agreed to finally talk to her and Jin Liwei in person. It was better to allow Bacon to go to his uncle's side if it was what he really wanted than have him eventually rebel against her if she insisted on forbidding him. She had a strong abhorrence against being restrained herself, so she wouldn't be surprised if her children inherited the same trait.
"Mother, are we going to snatch those shares by force from those people you're going to meet this afternoon?" Bacon asked, reminding her of their previous conversation.
"We're not snatching by force," she replied.
Bacon's tail drooped. "Oh."
"Snatching by force is stealing," Iris continued saying. "Stealing is a crime and we can't do that openly."
"Then can we do it if it's not openly?" Bacon asked next, his tail starting to swish in excitement.
Iris shook her head. "We're not going to steal anything, Bacon."
"Oh." Bacon's excited tail drooped again.
"But you're right. If those shareholders refuse to sell their equity even after demanding a meeting with me in person today, then they're just wasting my time and energy which I don't have an abundance this time because of my pregnancy. I'm also lacking in patience right now when it comes to acquiring more Long Industries shares. We may not steal but we can still use other methods to force them to sell. That's all."
Bacon's tail started rotating like a helicopter's rotor blades. His excitement was clear in his tail even though his face looked bored as usual. "Mother, Bacon would like to help in this matter when you're finished devising your plan."
"Oh oh oh! Ketchup wants to help Mommy, too! Meow~"
Iris chuckled at her AI children's eagerness. "Alright, I will. Thank you, Bacon and Ketchup."
Bacon's tail rotated faster. It was now a blur. Ketchup was also in a similar but more showy state of excitement. The white cat was jumping all around her little kitty brother.
Since they were talking about Long Industries, Iris remembered her deal with Long Jian. "In the meantime, I want the two of you to work together in searching for more clues to help free Zhu Ning from jail. Big Brother Jian has already done a lot to fulfill his part of the deal. I need to do my part as well."
"Okie dokie, Mommy! Ketchup is on it!"
"Bacon will do as Mother says."
Iris nodded and smiled at her two adorable cat AI children. "I'll also work on it when I have time. Your dad doesn't want me spending too much time inside our computer room without his supervision."
"Please rest, Mother, and leave this kind of work to this white lamebrain and I," Bacon said.
Iris scowled. "Put 'lamebrain' in your bad words list. And call your sibling Big Sister Ketchup."
Bacon's rotating tail stopped and drooped. "I'm sorry, Mother. Bacon is wrong. I'm sorry, Big Sister Ketchup."
"Bacon, you big meanie! Ketchup is always telling you to stop being a bad, naughty kitty and always listen to Mommy and Daddy! Meow~"
Iris sent Dom a meaningful look.
"No, boss! It's definitely not me who taught Baby Bacon that bad word!" Dom then turned to Bacon. "Be honest, Baby Bacon. Tell your mommy that it's not your handsome and beautiful Uncle Dom who taught you that word!"
"It's not Uncle Dom who taught me that word, Mother," the black cat AI said obediently. "Bacon learned it from the Slippers Army."
"Ah! Ehehehe." Ketchup gave a guilty smile. "Mommy, the truth is that Ketchup recruited Little Brother Bacon to Black Star's Slippers Army. Bacon is an excellent troll and is already popular in Mommy's fan club. Meow~"
"Oh?" Iris raised an eyebrow in amused curiosity.
"But of course, the cute and mighty Ketchup is still the most popular. Well, second most popular actually. Uncle iEatSlippers is still the number 1 in the Slippers Army even though he's not active anymore and is busy working at Mommy's Planet Monkey. He holds a legendary position in the Black Stars because he's the founder of Slippers Army. Meow~"
Iris nodded. Indeed, her fan club's elite troll group, the Slippers Army, had become infamous because of the efforts of Wu Chen, a.k.a. iEatSlippers. It only became more powerful on the internet when her AI daughter, Ketchup, a.k.a. KittyBaby, joined. Now that her AI son also joined, she could only imagine the Slippers Army becoming even fiercer and more despicable in their trolling skills.
"What's your username, Bacon?" she asked.
"PantherBaby," Bacon said, his tail swishing with pride. "Bacon chose it myself."
"Kyaaaaah! KittyBaby and PantherBaby! Our babies are super-duper to the highest level CUTE!!!" Dom threw each of the cats a flying kiss each.
Iris smiled. Indeed, their usernames were adorable. Nevertheless, she still reminded her AI children, "The two of you should keep an eye on each other whenever you're roaming and playing around on the internet. Ketchup should already know how dangerous the web can be. Keep each other safe and call for me immediately if you encounter something that both of you can't handle by yourselves."
"Aye aye, Mommy! Meow~"
"Bacon understands, Mother."
"And don't always learn bad words from the Slippers Army or anywhere," Iris added. "I won't ground you today, Bacon. Just be thankful that your dad isn't here to hear what you said to your sister."
"Thank you, Mother. Bacon will do my best not to do it again."
Iris nodded, satisfied. Then she used Little Liwei as a pillow while continuing to massage her aching temples. "Go chat quietly with each other. I'll sleep for a bit. Wake me up when we reach home."
As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep without hearing their replies.
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Chapter 840 - Stressful
Dragon Palace Home #10.
When a groggy Iris was awakened later in front of the mansion, she wasn't in the best of moods. Her headache didn't improve at all after her nap. In fact, it worsened after waking up.
It was only when Jin Liwei came to get her that she felt a little better. She immediately abandoned Little Liwei for the real thing.
"Let's eat lunch now," Jin Liwei said while hugging her and kissing her aching head. "Okay, love?"
She made a strangled sound in her throat and tightened her arms around his waist but immediately loosened her hug after remembering that his back injuries weren't fully healed yet. Her face was pressed against his chest as she took a deep inhale of his scent, hoping that it would help ease her throbbing headache.
"I know that you're not feeling well but you need to eat," he said. "And our babies need to eat, too."
Sighing, she nodded and followed him to their suite.
###
Lunch was an ordeal for Iris. She could only stomach the herbal sweet egg soup and that was it. Even her beloved chocolate desserts had to be pushed aside because she couldn't take them today no matter how much she wanted to eat them.
She wasn't vomiting or anything like that but something was just off with her today. Her headache plus her nausea were a dreadful combination. They weren't helping to improve her mood, that was for sure.
Afterwards, Jin Liwei helped her lie down on the couch. They were in their suite's living room. Ice Cream and Popcorn rubbed themselves against her while meowing loudly as if asking what was wrong with their mommy. The grey cat laid her fat body on Iris' flat abdomen and started purring.
"Ice Cream's not too heavy for your stomach, is she?" Jin Liwei said, sounding worried.
Despite her horrible state, Iris couldn't help but chuckle at his question. "It's fine, darling. Ice Cream is heavy but not that heavy. She won't crush our twins."
Jin Liwei nodded but still looked worried. He sat by her legs and started petting Popcorn who jumped on his lap. "Why don't we cancel your appointment with Elder Jufang and the shareholders this afternoon? Let's reschedule it when you're feeling better. Okay, love?"
She considered his suggestion before shaking her head. "I think I'll be fine after I rest for a little bit. We still have time until the appointment, anyway. If I still don't feel well later, we'll cancel. But if I'm fine, we'll go."
Jin Liwei's expression hardened. "You don't look well. You barely ate anything during lunch. I want you to rest today."
She sighed. "I want to rest, too. But I don't want to delay this meeting. I want to get this over and done with."
"How about this? I'll meet with Elder Jufang and the shareholders on your behalf this afternoon."
"But—"
He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't argue with me about this. Please, love. I know that you want to do it by yourself and prove to everyone at Long Industries that you're an independent businesswoman. But right now, you're suffering from pretty difficult pregnancy symptoms and your new OB-GYN said that this is just the start."
Iris groaned at his reminder that she might experience worse symptoms at any moment of her pregnancy.
"Stay here at home today and rest while I'll go to the meeting on your behalf later, okay?" Jin Liwei's tone was gentle but firm.
She was hesitant. "But your injury...."
"I won't stay for too long. I'll just show my face, make up an excuse of why you can't come, and then find out the real intentions of the shareholders for asking a meeting with you in person. If they want to sell, then good. If they don't want to sell, then at least you didn't waste your time meeting them. Qiao Yu will be there so he can take over after I show my face."
She rubbed her temples. He moved from his position by her legs and sat by her head instead. Then he took over in massaging her head.
"Alright, it's decided. You're staying here at home to rest. I definitely won't allow you to go out if you're like this." Jin Liwei's tone brooked no further argument from her.
Although reluctant, she still nodded because it was true that she felt unwell. There were so many things that she needed and wanted to do but couldn't because her pregnant body just wouldn't allow her. Thinking about all of these was stressing her out.
Before her pregnancy, she thrived in stressful situations. In fact, it was during stressful situations that she often went above and beyond her limits and produced extraordinary results. Now, however, she couldn't do that.
She rubbed her still flat stomach and hoped that her stress wouldn't affect her babies. But just thinking that her stress would affect them was yet another source of stress for her.
Jin Liwei leaned forward and gave her a light but lingering upside-down kiss on the lips. "Let's get you ready for bed."
She nodded and allowed him to help her to their bedroom. Ice Cream and Popcorn followed them inside.
Later, a fresh Iris in her warm and comfy pyjamas was lying in bed. Jin Liwei sat beside her while reading some business news on a tablet. Ice Cream was also lying on the bed beside her mommy while Popcorn played by himself inside the bedroom.
"Go to sleep now," Jin Liwei told her. "I'll leave later for the meeting but I'll be back before you know it. Hopefully, you'll be able to eat more during dinner tonight."
"Thanks, darling."
He caressed her cheek. "Don't mention it."
"I hope that the shareholders would sell willingly," she murmured.
"Don't worry, wife. Your husband can be very persuasive at the negotiation table."
She chuckled. "More like intimidating than persuasive."
"I'll get you those shares," he promised. "Now sleep."
She smiled and hugged his hand before letting her eyes close. Before long, she fell into deep sleep.
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