Chapter 961 - Delay Tactic
Jin Liwei listened to his private investigator's findings about the high society matrons. He personally didn't care about any of them but there was no way that he would allow anyone to spout malicious things about his wife.
"Share your findings to my lawyer, Atty. Kang Huizhong," he instructed. "I'll be suing all those women for slander."
"Understood, sir."
"I'm also sure that you already know what to do with the information you have in your hands. Since those women chose to attack my wife's name, we have to pay them back in kind for all the malicious lies they said about her."
The P.I. definitely noticed Jin Liwei referring to Iris as his wife but didn't comment about it. Jin Liwei decided not to keep it a secret anymore especially since the P.I. was now exclusively working for him anyway. It also grated on his nerves whenever the P.I. kept on referring to his wife as his fiancée. They were already married!
A burst of satisfaction filled Jin Liwei but he quickly returned his focus on the matter at hand. He knew that his wife had the ability on her own to uncover all the information that his P.I. and brother-in-law's Shadow Winds were gathering but both he and Nikolai agreed that it was best not to worry her about these things especially right now. Keeping her healthy and safe during her pregnancy and childbirth was their main priority.
"I also found out more details about the confrontation of the viscountess with the matrons." Then the P.I. proceeded to tell him a more accurate account of what really happened according to eyewitnesses.
Jin Liwei frowned. He already heard from Wei Lan that her Spanish stepson was with her and Randy at the time the incident at the exclusive restaurant happened. He knew Randy because as his wife's Zumba instructor before Iris got pregnant. There was nothing suspicious about Randy's background.
It was Wei Lan's stepson, a man named René Alejandro del Aguila, who made Jin Liwei pause. Perhaps it was because he knew very little about the Spaniard and hadn't met him yet. All he knew for sure was that René Alejandro was the adopted son of Wei Lan's husband, the current viscount of Spain's Castillo de Estrellas.
When Wei Lan called a few days ago, she invited him and Iris to meet her stepson for dinner after the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon. He and Iris accepted the invitation but the dinner date hadn't been set yet. They would leave it to their respective assistants, Xu Tian and Dominic, to arrange the dinner date with Wei Lan and René Alejandro. It was because he and his wife already had work waiting for them after their honeymoon.
He had Jin Corporation to run while Iris had several things to finalize regarding the new entertainment and talent management company that they would be establishing with his younger brother, Jin Chonglin. She also needed to attend meetings with JJ and the other artists who were currently recording the songs that she wrote. And of course, she was also working on what she considered the main priority of her career right now—her collaboration with her mentor, the legendary hitmaker, Enrique Valdez.
Jin Liwei was extremely worried that his wife would overwork herself so he was determined to watch her like a hawk without being too obvious about it so as not to piss her off. Fortunately, he already had a secret agreement with their two AI children, Ketchup and Bacon, to closely monitor their mom and ensure that she was always healthy and safe.
Both of them had all of these commitments so Wei Lan and René Alejandro would have to wait. But the real reason for the delay tactic was because Jin Liwei wanted to dig for more information about the Spaniard before meeting him in person.
"Sir, this René Alejandro arrived in the country with several other people who we identified as people working in his cybersecurity company," his P.I. reported. "They are all staying in the same hotel but only René Alejandro is checked in at a penthouse unit. We attempted several times to find out more details about them but I'm sorry to say that we are unable to discover anything more substantial than what we have right now."
Jin Liwei frowned.
"I think that it's maybe because they're all working in a cybersecurity company. Securing their own personal information and making it hard for just anyone to get them are the best assurance that they can provide to their clients."
"Maybe," Jin Liwei murmured.
He wanted to dispel all of his suspicious as soon as possible but a quick glance at his wristwatch showed that it was almost time for his wife's daily afternoon nap. If he didn't remind her, she would compose music until tomorrow without any break.
After giving his P.I. additional instructions, he ended the phone call and returned to the makeshift piano room. And indeed, his wife was still in the zone. He paused by the doorway because he just had to admire the music. It sounded fuller than earlier, as if she was slowly injecting soul into the music that she was composing.
Incredible as always.
Then he finally approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist before pressing a soft kiss on her cheek. Her hands stopped mid-movement on the piano keys. It took a few seconds before she could pull her consciousness out of her creative zone and return to her present surroundings.
"Darling," she murmured, still a little absentmindedly.
"Yes, love. It's me. Time for a nap."
She looked torn but eventually sighed and nodded. Her hand subconsciously rubbed her stomach.
"Hungry?" Jin Liwei asked.
She started to shake her head but stopped before nodding.
He smiled. "Then let's eat some snacks first before taking a nap."
"I want chocolate."
"Alright. Let me call the chef." Even as he said this, he was already leading his wife out of the piano room.
She yawned and followed him. Her eyes were already starting to feel heavy but she wanted some chocolate desserts first.
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Chapter 962 - The Wait
Orchidia Beauty.
"Whoa, girl!" Chen Fei exclaimed when Long Jinjing emerged from the bathroom. "I thought that you were pooping because you were taking so long in the toilet. It turns out that you were actually dolling up! Date with the boyfriend?"
Long Jinjing turned red but still nodded. "Ni—Zihao will be picking me up soon. He's taking me out for dinner at a restaurant."
"Ah." Chen Fei nodded before slowly circling Long Jinjing and inspecting her entire outfit. "You look hot in that turtleneck dress. But why are you covering it up with that blazer? Take it off!"
Long Jinjing pulled her blazer tighter to her body to prevent her best friend from removing it. "Xiao Fei, please stop. I need to wear something over the dress because...uhm, it's cold! I'll feel cold if I don't have this blazer."
"Bullshit." Chen Fei snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I bet you're just hiding another set of new hickeys. You really need to tell your boyfriend, that beast, not to leave too many marks on the visible parts of your body. This kind of possessive caveman crap is so outdated!"
Long Jinjing didn't reply and instead started walking back to her office to get the rest of her things before leaving. Chen Fei followed her, still lecturing her about not allowing any man, no matter how hot and yummylicious, to have total dominance over her body.
The workday was already over. Most of the employees, especially the entry-level ones, had gone home. There were still a number of people who chose to work overtime, though. Chen Fei, the COO, was one of them.
Long Jinjing's workload wasn't as heavy as her best friend's or Alric Bauer's, who were the company's key people in developing Jin Chonglin's men's line of products, but she was still nonetheless busy crunching the numbers every day to prevent Orchidia Beauty from going over the budget. This was especially the case for Alric's product development department which sucked huge amounts of money like a vacuum almost on a daily basis.
Long Jinjing began to hate Alric's department a little because every time it needed money, she would always have to redo the company's budget. However, she also knew that Alric and his department were integral parts to the company. In fact, her sister could replace her and Chen Fei anytime but the same thing couldn't be said about Alric Bauer. He was the developer of Orchidia Beauty's revolutionary products after all. Most importantly, his products were proving to be a huge commercial success.
She sighed, already starting to feel stressed at the mere thought of their German CPO. Forcefully pushing him out of her mind, she focused on organizing her bag instead and checking that she indeed completed all her tasks for today.
"Hey, are you listening to me?!" Chen Fei's annoyed voice interrupted her distracted mind.
"Yes, I'm listening," Long Jinjing lied.
Her best friend's words were entering in one ear and exiting on the other. She only just realized that Chen Fei was already talking about something else.
"Your sister, that bitch—I mean, President Long will soon be returning from her honeymoon," Chen Fei was saying in an irritated tone. "She tells me that she wants to personally oversee the shooting sessions for Jin Chonglin's ads for the men's line when she comes back. For goodness' sake, the woman is pregnant! Can she just relax a little and not make all of us panic whenever she goes into workaholic mode? Doesn't she understand that her husband will murder all of us if something happens to her on our watch? Grandpa Lu will also go apeshit if something happens to his much-anticipated great-grandbaby. I'm telling you that the old man can be freaking scary sometimes. Tsk! If being pregnant brings so much trouble like this, I'm not going to become pregnant in the future. Ever. I'll just adopt a dog or a cat or something. Or better yet a goldfish!"
Long Jinjing paused and finally paid attention to her best friend. Her brows drew together in concern before she thought of something. Then her expression improved.
"Brother-in-law Liwei has become much more protective of my sister now that she's pregnant so I'm sure that he won't allow her to endanger herself and their baby from working too hard."
"Well...what you say makes sense."
Long Jinjing nodded and glanced at the clock. Lu Zihao hadn't contacted her yet and she was starting to worry that he might cancel their date tonight at the last minute.
Chen Fei rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'll leave you now while you wait for your boyfriend. I still have some e-mails and documents that I need to look over."
"Okay. Take care, Xiao Fei."
"That's COO Chen for you. Hmph!" Chen Fei was already walking out of the office. "Remember what I told you! Don't always allow that beast to leave hickeys on your body and make you unable to wear certain outfits."
Long Jinjing bit her lower lip and didn't reply.
"Bye, CFO Long! Good night! See you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Chen Fei finally left.
Long Jinjing grabbed her phone and debated whether to call Lu Zihao and ask him where he was now. As the minutes ticked by without any message from him, she became more anxious. She wouldn't be surprised if he cancelled their date but it would be another painful blow to her already broken heart.
Then her phone rang all of sudden while she was thinking of several negative scenarios if Lu Zihao really cancelled their date tonight. She yelped and accidentally dropped her ringing phone on the floor. She quickly picked it up and answered the call.
"Sorry, I'm late," Lu Zihao's devilish voice said. "I had to take care of some urgent matters at work that took longer to finish than I expected but everything is okay now."
"Oh. It's okay, really."
"I still need to shower and change my clothes but I'll pick you up as soon as I can. Wait for me a little longer. I'll be there."
"Okay."
The call ended before she could tell him "I love you".
"It's fine," she comforted herself.
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Chapter 963 Countdown - 3 Nights, 2 Days Left (I)
Long Jinjing waited for more than half an hour before Lu Zihao finally arrived in front of Orchidia Beauty's building. Instead of feeling annoyed by his tardiness, however, she simply felt happy that he didn't back out of their date. She also started to feel a combination of excitement and nervousness.
She climbed into the waiting car and quickly closed the door, not allowing anyone to see him. The security guard and one of the building's night cleaners were stretching their necks, hoping to see what their CFO's mysterious boyfriend looked like. She sighed in relief after seeing their faces filled with disappointment.
Then suddenly a huge bouquet of red roses blocked her view.
"For you," Lu Zihao said.
"Oh! T-thank you."
Her heart skipped a beat before starting to race inside her chest as she received the heavy bouquet. This one looked more elegant than the bouquet he bought for her last night but she loved both because it came from him, the man she loved.
He cleared his throat. "You're welcome." Then he added. "You look beautiful, by the way."
"Thank you, Nikolai. You look handsome, too."
His response was a short grunt as he started to drive.
She smiled and felt all warm inside even though she knew that he was just going through the motions of a date.
It took another half an hour before they finally arrived at a posh French restaurant.
"Is this place alright with you?" he asked.
"Yes, of course."
Dinner was pleasant and felt romantic because of the restaurant's ambience. Although Long Jinjing preferred home-cooked meals over fine dining, she was truly enjoying this dinner date with Lu Zihao. She was certain that even if he brought her to a simple roadside street food stall, she would still enjoy herself as long as it was with him.
Her only complaint during dinner was the way other women were looking at Lu Zihao with obvious lust in their eyes. Granted, their first reaction upon seeing him was fear because he was so big and covered in scars. But as soon as they got a closer look at him and realized how attractive he was, their fear quickly transformed into desire to the irritation of their own dates.
The restaurant had no private rooms so the diners could see each other if their tables were in the same area. Fortunately, Long Jinjing didn't recognize anyone familiar. She didn't want to waste her time making small talk with any acquaintances tonight.
All she wanted was to spend time with Lu Zihao as much as she could. After all, the countdown to the end of their current relationship had started.
Only three nights and two days left.
And then everything would be over forever.
She pushed all negative thoughts to the very back of her mind and focused only on making good memories with the man she loved for the limited time that they had left. It seemed that Lu Zihao also had the same idea because he was also warmer and talked more than usual, obviously trying to make the date pleasant for her.
After dinner, they left the restaurant. She thought that they were heading straight to her condo but he parked nearby an upscale shopping district instead.
"Why are we here? Do you want to go shopping?"
"No," he said.
"Then why—"
"There's a nice park walkway by the river here. Let's take a walk and digest our dinner first before going home."
"Oh." A bright smile burst out of her face, lighting up her entire expression.
He paused and then grabbed her before kissing her on the mouth. It was a quick kiss, no more than two seconds, but certainly very possessive.
She could feel a tingle in her lips and somewhere else. She was also now struggling to keep her IQ from falling to amoeba level like it usually did whenever he overwhelmed all of her senses.
He reached to the backseat and handed her a thick coat, scarf, socks and ankle boots. "Wear these first. It's cold outside and what you're wearing isn't enough."
She blinked at the items. "You planned this?"
"Hurry up and wear them," he said instead of answering her.
It was a struggle to put on everything inside the car but she managed to do so with a lot of assistance from Lu Zihao. His hands would linger on her body for too long, leading them to some short but hot intermittent make out sessions. What should have taken a maximum of three minutes to put on the coat and other items took her almost fifteen minutes because of the giant distraction called Lu Zihao or Nikolai as he preferred to be called.
Finally, when both of them were ready, they climbed out of the car and headed towards the river. There were other couples walking on the park walkway framing the river. A large, brightly lit bridge in the distance added a more romantic atmosphere in the place.
"I forgot to bring you gloves," Lu Zihao murmured.
She looked and saw that he had no gloves either. The coat he was wearing was also light. Despite this, he didn't look cold at all.
"I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry about it." She looked around and watched the other couples. "Uhm, Nikolai?"
"Hm?"
"May I...uhm, may I hold your h-hand?" She was glad that the illumination from the lampposts weren't too bright so he couldn't clearly see her blushing face.
His answer was to grab her hand and hold it. She blushed even harder.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"No need for thanks. You're my girlfriend."
She felt a twinge in her heart because they both knew that her title as his girlfriend would end in two days. Fortunately, she managed to shake off the depressing thought and enjoy her walk with Lu Zihao. The wind blowing from the river felt chilly so Lu Zihao pulled her in a side hug to share his body heat with her as they continued their late-night riverside stroll.
"Nikolai."
"Hm?"
She stopped and looked at his eyes. "I love you."
He stiffened. Again.
Her eyes watered because it hurt. Yet she accepted it.
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Chapter 964 Countdown - 3 Nights, 2 Days Left (II)
A rare, complicated expression appeared on Lu Zihao's face.
"Jinjing, I—"
Long Jinjing forced herself to smile before shaking her head. "No need to explain yourself. I already know that you don't...l-love me. It's okay, Nikolai. Really."
His expression became even more complicated. He opened his mouth but no words came out so he just shut it again.
She looked away and avoided his gaze while doing her best to blink away her unshed tears before they fell without her control.
"If you're uncomfortable with me saying that I love you, I'll stop." Her whisper blended with the cold wind but she knew that he could hear her. "I won't say it out loud anymore. It's just that...I can't...I c-can't help it. I really do love you, Nikolai."
He sighed. A heavy feeling was pressing within his chest. It was so damn uncomfortable, but he had no idea how to deal with it, or how to deal with her, and this entire situation between the two of them.
All he could do was to pull her in his arms and embrace her. Then he pressed a kiss on top of her head.
"I'm sorry, Jinjing."
Those words broke her control. She pressed her face against his chest. Tears spilled from her eyes and soaked his light coat. However, she kept silent, preventing herself from sobbing loudly, not wanting to bring unnecessary attention to the two of them in this public place.
He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. His warm and rough fingers wiped away her tears but more flowed out from her eyes.
"If I weren't who I am, I would marry you in a heartbeat, Jinjing. But I can't give you the happily ever after that you desire. A devil like me doesn't deserve an angel like you."
She couldn't see him clearly anymore because of the darkness and the tears clouding her vision.
"You keep calling yourself a devil...but y-you're not. And I'm not an angel either. Both of us are only h-humans."
He didn't reply but his expression indicated that her words didn't shake his beliefs.
"But even if you're really a devil, I'll still love you because...that's who you are."
It was then that he felt something inside his chest shake. No, it was more than that. It felt like something inside his entire being shook. She didn't know this, however, and kept talking after seeing that he didn't react.
"It's okay, Nikolai. I understand that you don't...l-love me at all. I already accept it even though it hurts. But t-thank you for indulging me and taking me out on a date today before our relationship...ends."
He frowned but still didn't say anything. Her words from earlier about loving him for who he was continued to echo inside his mind, sending his own emotions into utter confusion.
"And although I know that it's just an excuse when you said that you'll marry me in heartbeat if you weren't who you are, it still made me a little happy inside."
This time, her smile was more natural than her earlier shaky and pitiful one.
He embraced her more tightly, almost crushing her soft and petite body, while he looked up at the night sky. His expression showed none of the tumultuous emotions raging inside him. He knew that she was crying because of him but couldn't do anything about it. He didn't know how to.
Then he sensed a faint sigh of frustration within his consciousness. It was the remnant of Lu Zihao.
He didn't respond to it. The remnant also didn't speak to him.
It was when the temperature dipped again and Long Jinjing's teeth started chattering from the cold that Lu Zihao finally broke their restless embrace. They retraced their way back to the car.
A few minutes later, the heat was blasting inside the vehicle, gradually warming both of them up. Long Jinjing removed her scarf and glanced at the time on the dashboard. It was already getting late but she refrained from reminding him, wanting this moment with him to last longer. She took a peek at him.
Although his expression didn't show her any of his real thoughts and emotions like usual, she still took comfort in the fact that he wasn't making any moves to leave this place aside from turning on the engine and the heater. Perhaps he also wanted this moment with her to last longer.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Then his low voice interrupted her bittersweet thoughts.
"Jinjing."
It took her a few seconds to respond.
"Y-yes?"
He faced her. "I want you."
She swallowed hard upon seeing the fierce hunger in his eyes.
"Right now," he growled.
She couldn't see her face right now but knew that the same hunger was reflected in her own eyes.
"Me, too," she whispered.
He reached for her face and gently pulled her closer until their faces were only inches apart. Their warm breaths intermingled and became heavy.
"Ride me."
Her eyelashes trembled as a familiar warmth pooled in her lower abdomen at his devilish voice. She raised her eyes and looked straight at him. Her face was completely red but she took a deep breath and reached over to him with her hand.
He groaned when she touched and gently squeezed the hardness on his groin. Despite her shyness, she never took her eyes away from him. Elation filled her at his response to her touch.
Feeling more daring, her hands continued to grope him through his pants. When he became rock-hard, she started unbuckling his belt. He neither said anything nor moved to offer her any assistance, only watching her through half-lidded eyes.
She struggled for a bit before finally freeing his erection. She swallowed hard again while staring.
'Mine,' she declared in her mind.
"Yes." His voice was hoarse.
She jumped in her seat, startled, not realizing that she had spoken out loud. Her face and neck burned with embarrassment. She let go of his manhood but he quickly caught them and placed them back on his lap.
"Yours," he said.
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Chapter 965 Countdown - 3 Nights, 2 Days Left (III)
Nervous chuckle escaped from Long Jinjing's lips even as her heart shook at what he said. But before delusion could take over her mind, she quickly forced herself not to take what he said seriously, knowing that he wasn't hers in the first place no matter how much she wished for it.
Not wanting to dwell on her painful unrequited love for him, she took hold of his hard length again and began to slowly stroke him. He closed his eyes and groaned, allowing her to pleasure him in her own pace.
'I love you,' she told him in her mind.
She wanted to declare her love for him again and again even though it hurt. However, she stopped herself from doing so because of her promise not to make him uncomfortable with her constant declaration of love. And most importantly, doing so would only make her feel more pathetic.
"I want you, Nikolai," she told him instead.
His response was to pull her closer again for a deep open-mouthed kiss. They kissed just like that for some time as her hands continued stroking him, causing his manhood to grow harder and bigger.
Her instincts took over as she kissed him with all the passion that she could muster. When she sucked his tongue, his actions became impatient. His hands started fumbling to remove all of the layers covering her body. First, her scarf. Next, her coat and blazer. Then the rest of her clothes.
When only her underwear remained, she pushed his hands aside and removed her own bra. She shivered a little when her bare skin was exposed to the air. However, heat spread throughout her body again after seeing him lick his lips in appreciation of her nudity.
He reclined his seat all the way back and pulled her to straddle his lap. Although the car was customized for his larger than average frame, it was still a tight fit for the two of them.
She felt the steering wheel digging on her back. It didn't hurt but wasn't comfortable either.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded, feeling herself becoming wetter at his husky voice. She still felt shy, especially at the thought of what both of them were about to do.
Goodness! Were they really going to have sex in the car parked in a public place?
But she soon forgot about her worries as his moist kisses trailed down her neck to her chest. She gasped when his mouth caught a nipple and he began sucking on it. Her hips began grinding on his lap without her control.
"Yes," he hissed.
His hands kneaded her butt before ripping her panties without any warning.
"No—" Her protest was swallowed by a hard kiss.
A small sigh escaped from her mouth as she allowed herself to sink into the hot kiss, mentally dropping her complaint against his savage action as usual. It was only an underwear anyway. He had already ripped so many of her clothes whenever they had sex that she had gotten used to it.
All thoughts flew away from her mind when two of his fingers sank inside her wet heat. She trembled and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingers slowly moving in and out of her.
"Fuck. You're soaking so much. You want me so badly, huh?"
Her response was a moan.
He grabbed her hand and wrapped it around his manhood. "Look at how hard I am. I want you badly, too."
She bit her lower lip and looked at him straight in the eyes. It was dark but she could see him clearly. In fact, he was the only one that she could see right now. Everything else disappeared from her perspective—the car, the parking lot, all of it. It was only his existence that was the most important to her at the moment.
Giving his hard length a light squeeze, she positioned it on her opening. They were both panting as she rubbed him on herself.
His devilish eyes became more beast-like, yet he didn't take the lead from her, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. She continued to tease the two of them. In the end, it was her who lost patience.
After ensuring that they were in the right positions, she slammed herself down, burying his hard length deep inside her. They both gasped at the same time.
"Fuck, Jinjing."
"Nikolai. Oh, Nikolai."
All she could do was to babble his name over and over again as she completely let go of all her inhibitions. He held her hips but it was her who was controlling their wild pace. She bounced on his lap with reckless abandon as if racing against time.
Lu Zihao was making animalistic sounds. His expression looked like he was barely holding on to his self-control. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and restrained himself from his instinct to take over.
"This is for you, Jinjing. Do what you want."
She was too far gone to hear what he said but her body was already doing what she wanted—and that was to make love with the man she loved. Although for him, it was only having sex, but for her, she was making love with him.
Pleasure filled her as her hips sped up even more. His hands cooperated, helping her with the urgent pace. The musky scent and wet, slapping sounds of their coupling filled the car's interior, magnifying their desire for each other severalfold.
Long Jinjing slammed down one last time and screamed as her mind went blank, feeling as if a volcano erupted within her. His hot essence poured deep inside her, mixing with her soaking heat.
It felt glorious!
She vaguely felt Lu Zihao pulling her in a tight embrace as her body couldn't stop trembling. He was murmuring something to her but she couldn't understand what he was saying. She was still reeling from her intense orgasm.
It was only when she finally recovered some of her wits that she noticed the tears flowing down her face. She was sobbing hard.
Her body felt light and satisfied, yet her heart felt heavy and frustrated.
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Chapter 966 - Throw Under The Bus
Dragon Palace Homes #10.
Jin Liwei breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally at home. Thank goodness!
There was a part of him that wished their honeymoon didn't end so soon but another bigger part of him wanted Iris to focus on resting in the comfort of their own home.
He continued to worry about his wife who still looked sick and listless. They were supposed to return home yesterday but they had to cancel their original plan because the doctor had evaluated that Iris wasn't fit to travel in her condition. Her morning sickness had worsened and lasted for almost the entire day. She had barely eaten or drank anything, almost sending Jin Liwei into panic mode. They had to stay at the private island villa for an extra day until she got better earlier this morning.
Iris was now lying on their bed with their two cats who missed them very much. Popcorn was circling around his mommy nonstop while meowing loudly, checking her from head to toe to confirm whether she really returned unharmed. On the other hand, Ice Cream contented herself with cuddling with her mommy, taking her daddy's usual spot on the bed and looking like she was never going to leave.
Jin Liwei sat on the bed and caressed his wife's pale cheek. "How are you feeling, love? Better?"
She hummed an assent and gave him a soft, reassuring smile. She didn't look convincing though, given her worrisome pallor.
Although she didn't say it, he could sense that her body was exhausted yet her mind was active. This was normal for her. Geniuses like her possessed minds that almost never rested.
"I already finished all of Ketchup and Bacon's new configurations." She stroked Ice Cream in a lazy manner. "All they need to do is to adjust to the changes and continue the training I assigned to them. Their overall functions should become much more powerful after this."
He nodded and started petting Popcorn who bumped his furry head against him, seeking his attention. "I can monitor the progress of their daily training. You already showed me how to do it. I can do that much, so you don't have to constantly worry about the two of them. Ketchup and Bacon are very smart and obedient to us. I'll let you know if I encounter any problems with them that I can't solve by myself."
She smiled and nodded but not before releasing a small sigh. He could tell that it was a challenge for her to delegate this kind of tasks, especially when she was used to doing it by herself. Nevertheless, he felt pleased that she was putting the effort to slow down and focus on her pregnancy even though it was proving to be more difficult than expected.
Her other hand started rubbing her stomach where their twin babies were growing inside. She continued this gentle and comforting action while thinking about something.
He lay down beside her and pulled her in an embrace, earning him an annoyed glare from Ice Cream who suddenly got squeezed between the two of them. He stroked their eldest's head to appease her but neither did he let go of his wife. The fat, grey cat snorted before moving to her mommy's other side with great reluctance, grudgingly giving up her place to her daddy.
"What a brat," he muttered under his breath.
Iris chuckled. "Dom says Ice Cream is grumpier than usual these days because the vet recommended for her to lose weight again."
Jin Liwei grunted and hugged his wife more tightly.
They stayed in this comfortable silence but it was obvious that Iris' mind felt too active to fall asleep.
"Bacon?"
A response came in an instant. "Yes, Mother? Bacon is here."
Popcorn greeted his younger kitty brother's voice with a friendly meow at a random wall while Ice Cream only opened her eyes briefly before closing them again and returning to sleep.
"Are you at work right now?"
"Yes, Mother." Bacon paused for a moment before elaborating before he was asked to do so. "But don't worry. Bacon can still chat with Mother and Father without any problems. Also, my work is currently lighter than usual because Uncle Zihao scolded all the ShaWn members for being lazy asses—"
A certain white cat AI gasped in a familiar dramatic manner and butted in the conversation. "Uh-oh, Bacon! That's a bad word! Daddy will ground you! Ooooh, so sad and scary! Meow~"
"You are overreacting, Big Sister Ketchup." Bacon's tone was still polite but Iris and Jin Liwei could detect the faint annoyance underneath his words. Then he addressed them. "My apologies, Mother and Father. It wasn't Bacon's intention to use a term included in our bad words list. I am only paraphrasing Uncle Zihao's exact words. Please excuse Bacon. And Father, I hope that you put Uncle Zihao's role in this case into consideration before you decide whether to ground me or not."
Jin Liwei's mouth twitched while Iris laughed. His wife's melodious voice filled their entire room with warmth and tenderness. He almost laughed with her but stopped the urge just in time. Their AI children already knew that he was the strict parent.
Bacon, the cunning rascal, already knew how to throw his own uncle under the bus and push all the blame on Lu Zihao.
Jin Liwei sighed. He couldn't really put all the blame on his AI son because it was true that his brother-in-law had a foul mouth.
He made a decision. "Fine, I'll let it slide this time. I won't ground you but don't always copy what your uncle says. And don't always use paraphrasing as an excuse. You're smart. Find other words that are more appropriate."
"Bacon understands, Father."
"Wow wow! Why is Daddy so kind today? Ketchup wishes that Daddy will be less strict to us kitty babies like this forever and ever! Meow~"
Jin Liwei's mouth twitched again. "I only ground you when you deserve it."
Iris patted his hand and looked amused at his conversation with their AI children. "Go on, Bacon. Tell us more about your work right now."
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Chapter 967 - None Of Your Business
Bacon immediately obeyed. "As I was saying earlier, my work is lighter now compared to before because Uncle Zihao told the ShaWn members that they're being too lazy lately and that they're depending on Bacon too much to complete their missions. To be honest, Bacon wishes that they all continue to be lazy, although I know that it's not classy to think this way. It's because Uncle Zihao mentioned that he'll give me their salary instead if they don't work properly. But after being scolded, they're now working hard again. I'm a little sad and disappointed because this good opportunity for a salary raise is now gone."
Both Iris and Jin Liwei were amused. Nevertheless, Jin Liwei still lectured their AI son.
"Don't be too obsessed with money. Our family has a lot. You know that your mom and I will never deprive you and your siblings with your monthly allowances as long as you're reasonable enough with how you spend it."
Iris nodded.
"Understood, Father. Bacon just likes money because I feel secure when I have lots in my savings."
The husband and wife looked at each other with raised eyebrows. However, they didn't criticize Bacon because his reason was relatable. Afterwards, Iris continued to chat with Bacon about his work at Shadow Winds with Ketchup butting in the conversation now and then.
Knowing that his mother was hesitant in involving herself with Shadow Winds, Bacon didn't delve into too much detail about his work. In contrast, his father didn't have the same concern as his mother, so he planned on giving his father a complete report later.
"How about your Uncle Zihao?" Iris asked next. "How is he?"
"Uncle Zihao broke up with Aunt Jinjing."
"What?!" Iris sat straight up, startling both Ice Cream and Popcorn.
Jin Liwei was also surprised at the news but didn't say anything. He wasn't too interested in his brother-in-law's relationship with Long Jinjing or with any women. What he cared more was preventing his wife from becoming too stressed and worsening her already difficult pregnancy symptoms.
Bacon had no problem exposing his uncle's private affairs to his parents. "Uncle Zihao would sometimes limit Bacon's surveillance so I don't have complete information about what happened. But I do know that Uncle Zihao and Aunt Jinjing had been busy making a baby daily in the past few days just like when Father and Mother tell us, your children, not to disturb you—"
Jin Liwei scowled. "Where did you learn that?"
Bacon paused. "...from Uncle Dominic..."
And the cunning rascal threw another uncle of his under the bus. But at least, he sounded hesitant when it came to exposing his Uncle Dom unlike earlier when he pushed all the blame on his Uncle Zihao without showing any guilt.
"Oh oh oh! The cute and almost mighty again Ketchup knows what that means! Poor Uncle Haohao and Auntie Jinjing! They must be dog-tired after all that sleepy time! But don't worry, Mommy and Daddy! Ketchup already warned my little kitty brother Bacon not to disturb Uncle Haohao and Auntie Jinjing during their sleepy time just like how we never disturb Mommy and Daddy during your super-duper important sleepy time! Ehehehe. Meow~"
Both Iris and Jin Liwei became speechless.
Iris bit her lower lip and looked sad. "Our children grow up so fast."
Jin Liwei was still scowling.
She patted his face and gave him a reassuring smile. Then she spoke by mouthing words to prevent their too-smart-for-their-own-good AI children from listening. "Don't worry, darling. I already programmed them to automatically limit their memory and comprehension if they were to be accidentally exposed to...uh, inappropriate scenes outside of our supervision."
He immediately looked relieved. He and his wife were of the same mind in wanting to keep their AI children's "innocence" longer just like normal human children. They both knew that they couldn't keep censoring all inappropriate information from Ketchup and Bacon forever, but for now, Jin Liwei and Iris wanted to raise their AI children this way.
Iris quickly remembered the main topic at hand. "Call your Uncle Zihao. I want to talk to him."
"Oh oh oh! Let the cute and almost mighty again Ketchup call Uncle Haohao! Ketchup missed my uncle sooooo much! Meow~" Then assuming that her parents approved, she immediately made the call.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
It rang for a long time. They almost thought that Lu Zihao wasn't going to answer, but he did at the last moment.
"Kid, I don't have time to chat with you right now." Lu Zihao didn't even say hello. His tone was filled with annoyance. "I'm busy. Go watch cartoons or something."
Apparently, Ketchup called him using her own number.
"Big Brother," Iris greeted in Russian.
There was a distinct pause before Lu Zihao replied to her in a more neutral tone.
Iris didn't beat around the bush and directly asked him, "You broke up with Big Sister Jinjing?"
Another distinct pause, longer this time.
"That money-grubbing brat of yours told you?" he asked instead of answering.
"Bacon is your nephew and he loves working with you."
Lu Zihao snorted.
Iris didn't give up. "Well? Is it true that you and Big Sister Jinjing broke up?"
"None of your business, Little Sister."
She was taken aback by her brother's blunt refusal that she wasn't able to respond right away.
Listening to their conversation, Jin Liwei frowned. He understood what his brother-in-law just said to his wife with the basic Russian that he had been trying hard to learn recently. He couldn't help but defend his wife in Mandarin.
"Your sister is pregnant. Don't upset her."
"I'm alright," Iris said.
"No, love. You're already starting to stress out."
"Fine. Sorry." Lu Zihao sighed. "But I'm really not in the mood to talk about my breakup with Jinjing."
"So you really broke up." Iris pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side while hugging Ice Cream. Jin Liwei took this chance to also hug her. Of course, Popcorn didn't want to be left out and squeezed with them for a family group hug.
"...yeah." Lu Zihao sighed again, deeper this time. "We broke up."
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Chapter 968 - No Need To Choose Sides
This was the first time that Iris heard this kind of dejected tone from her brother. "Are you sad?"
"No." Lu Zihao snorted as if the very idea of him being sad over a breakup was ridiculous.
"Don't believe what Uncle Zihao is saying, Mother," Bacon interrupted in his usual bored, polite and no-nonsense tone. "He's lying. The truth is that Uncle Zihao has been moping around and drinking alcohol like a loser ever since he broke up with Aunt Jinjing. Everyone at Shadow Winds is avoiding him because he snarls at them like a grumpy lion who has a splinter stuck on his butt—I mean, his derrière but couldn't get it out. He has been beating up everyone at the headquarters in the name of 'training'. As his young nephew, Bacon is ashamed to watch such pathetic behaviour from my uncle. Uncle Zihao is not being classy at all."
"Gasp! Uncle Haohao is acting like a pathetic loser?! Shocking! And he's bullying his subordinates?! Uh-oh! What a big meanie, even bigger than my little kitty brother! Bacon, don't be like Uncle Haohao or you'll break our mommy's heart! Then Daddy will ground you forever and ever because Daddy hates seeing Mommy hurt. Oh no! That's too sad! Meowuwuwu!"
"You brats!" Lu Zihao growled through gritted teeth.
"See? Uncle Zihao is very grumpy," Bacon commented in a bored I-told-you-so tone.
"Bacon, Ketchup, that's enough." Iris pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing at her brother's expense. She knew his temper. If her AI children continued to tease him like this, he would explode at any moment and might traumatize them.
"Did you call just to make fun of me, huh? I'm hanging up now. I don't have time for this shit."
And indeed, Lu Zihao hung up in the next second.
"Oopsie daisy! Looks like Uncle Haohao is angry! Oh no! Ketchup feels bad! What should we kitty babies do? Meow!"
"It'll be alright. Uncle Zihao won't stay mad at us for too long because we are family. Most importantly, we are Mother's beloved children. Uncle Zihao loves his sister, our mother, very much, so he'll always care about us, her children, whether he actually likes us or not."
Iris interrupted the two. "Try calling your uncle again."
"Okie dokie, Mommy! Meow~"
The phone kept ringing but Lu Zihao didn't answer.
"Just make his phone automatically answer the call," Bacon suggested.
"But that's bad manners! Ketchup is a good kitty baby! Right, Mommy and Daddy? Meow~"
Iris didn't reply but looked at her husband instead before sighing. "What do you think happened between my brother and Big Sister Jinjing? They couldn't keep their hands off each other during our wedding, yet they broke up so soon."
Jin Liwei shrugged. "Maybe they're just not meant for each other."
"And they were even the ones who caught my bouquet and garter. Although I don't really believe in the superstition about being the next one to marry after catching a wedding bouquet and garter, I didn't expect for the two of them to break up so soon after our wedding."
"Both of them are already grown-ups. I'm sure that they can figure it out by themselves."
She looked reluctant, thinking of something. Then she asked Ketchup to text Long Jinjing asking her if she was alright. A few minutes passed by but Long Jinjing didn't reply.
"Should I call her?"
"Not today, love. Maybe tomorrow."
"I wonder how she's feeling right now. I hope she's okay. I could tell that she likes my brother very much. Maybe she already loves him." She released a deep sigh. "Now I feel bad and also torn. I consider Big Brother as my real sibling but Big Sister Jinjing is also a close friend of mine. They're basically both my siblings. Since we don't know the real reason why they broke up, I don't know who to side with."
"There's no need to choose sides. Like you said, they're both your siblings. Meaning, they're members of our family. We just need to be there for them." He paused before admitting, "But things might be awkward for the two of them during our gatherings."
She nodded.
He pulled her back down to a lying position on the bed and tightened their embrace. "Stop stressing yourself over their relationship. I'm sure that they don't want to worry you about their problem knowing that you're pregnant."
"Fine." She rubbed her face against his chest and inhaled his scent. Her simple actions made him smile. A few minutes later, she finally fell asleep.
"Father, is my mother asleep?" Bacon's polite whisper interrupted the comfortable silence in the bedroom.
"En."
"May I have a few minutes of Father's time, then? Bacon is ready to report on the things you asked me before."
"Oh oh oh! The cute and almost mighty again Ketchup also has something to report to Daddy! Ketchup will report after my little kitty brother because I'm a kind and understanding big sister! Meow~"
Jin Liwei stilled and glanced at his sleeping wife before sighing in relief after seeing that she didn't stir. Although Ketchup also whispered, her excited voice might still awaken Iris who had great hearing. He carefully disentangled his arms around her before going out of the bedroom to the suite's living area.
Bacon immediately provided him with the latest updates about Shadow Winds. Jin Liwei frowned after he was done reporting.
"Shadow Winds is handling too much at once. This doesn't look good. The authorities are beginning to take notice of them especially after that issue with the latest shipment of weapons. They're acting too conspicuous."
"Bacon agrees with Father. I also already warned Uncle Zihao about possible complications if things continued to progress in this way, but so far, he has not made any significant steps to err on the side of caution."
Jin Liwei's frown deepened.
"Bacon told Uncle Zihao that he's being too reckless but he threatened to cancel my upcoming holiday bonus. His actions are not classy at all. Father, please fight for a salary raise for me as compensation for my emotional injury caused by Uncle Zihao's threat."
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Chapter 969 - You'll Never Understand
Jin Liwei ignored the part about his AI son trying to get him to negotiate another salary raise. "Tell your Uncle Zihao to pause Shadow Winds' activities that are the riskiest to discover by the authorities. This period is too dangerous since it looks like the authorities are starting to get suspicious. He shouldn't be too impatient in strengthening Shadow Winds quickly. Instead, he should focus on building a firmer foundation or everything he has built so far might come crashing down."
"Understood, Father. Bacon will tell Uncle Zihao your exact words and not just paraphrase."
"En. Good." His frown remained as he glanced at the closed bedroom door with worry. "And don't let your mom know about this for now. You know how she frets when it comes to your uncle's purpose in creating Shadow Winds."
Bacon didn't reply right away. When he finally replied, he did so in a careful tone. "Alright, Father. But if Mother notices something and asks Bacon, I will immediately tell her the truth without leaving anything. Mother might reprogram Bacon if she discovers that I hid something from her."
Jin Liwei sighed. "That's fine."
"Don't worry, Father. Bacon remembers Father and Mother's repeated reminder to always prioritize Uncle Zihao and my safety once I started working for him at Shadow Winds. In fact, I already devised a few recommendations on how Shadow Winds could act safely during this risky time which I will present to Uncle Zihao as soon as he stops sulking like a spoiled, little child because of his breakup with Aunt Jinjing."
Ketchup went next after Bacon finished reporting. Since her scope of tasks were much larger and diverse than Bacon's, she had a lot to report on. Jin Liwei was patient in listening to her entire report, feeling pleased about how organized she was in the task. Her business reporting style was deeply influenced by his long-time assistant Xu Tian's way.
Everything was excellent. His only complaint was that his AI daughter had the tendency to veer-off topic mid-report and start chattering away about something completely unrelated. As a result, the report which should have lasted for only thirty minutes went on for over one hour despite Jin Liwei's repeated stern attempts to redirect her back to her current task.
It was increasingly obvious that Ketchup might surpass his Uncle Dom very soon and take away his crown of being the number one chatterbox in their household.
Jin Liwei released a big sigh of relief when Ketchup finally went to her own merry way playing in who knows where on the internet. He immediately returned to bed and hugged his sleeping wife. However, sleep eluded him.
There were many worries running in his mind—his wife's pregnancy, the current risky state of his brother-in-law's Shadow Winds, the Vetrov's history, just to name a few.
An hour passed by and he still couldn't fall asleep. Sighing, he reached over and grabbed the tablet on his bedside table. Then he began reading the familiar report that he had read for so many times now.
The Vetrov Report.
He skipped the first few pages to the part about his brother-in-law.
Nikolai Armanovich Vetrov.
The sense of horror and rejection toward a villainous figure that Jin Liwei instinctively felt when he first read about his brother-in-law's former identity in his past life had already long been numbed after reading the Vetrov report over and over again.
He had read the report so many times now that he already memorized a large chunk of it, especially the part about his wife. He could recite the part about her line by line.
After rereading the part about his brother-in-law, his eyes lit up upon seeing his wife's beautiful name.
Evelina Armanovna Vetrova.
He caressed her name on the tablet, a small smile playing on his lips. His eyes also gentled as he began reciting in a low murmur the information his wife wrote about herself on the report.
After he was done, he glanced at his sleeping wife beside him and stroked her soft cheek.
"I wonder what you looked like when you were Evelina. I bet you were beautiful. Even your brother says so. He always tells me that you had many suitors that he intimidated."
He continued watching his wife sleep while imagining how beautiful she was in her past life as Evelina Vetrova. There were no photos included in the Vetrov report that she gave him. He also didn't ask for one knowing that her past life was filled with unhappy memories for her, including her tragic death and that of the entire Vetrov family. Not wanting to upset her, he restrained himself from searching for any photos of her, his brother-in-law, and the other members of the Vetrov family on the internet despite his curiosity.
Iris stirred beside him and opened her sleepy eyes. "Hm? What're you doing? Why are you still awake?"
He immediately turned the tablet's screen off as soon as he felt his wife move. Tossing the tablet to the side, he hugged Iris and gave her a peck on the forehead. "I was just reading something. Go back to sleep. It's already late."
Instead of replying, she reached over and took the tablet he tossed on the bed. It was already too late for him to stop her.
"You're still reading this report?" She looked at him in confusion.
"En."
"Why?"
"Because I want to better understand where you and your brother Nikolai came from."
Her eyes became downcast. "I appreciate your willingness to understand and accept the origins of my brother and I but...there's no need to force yourself to find something that you can relate with to the Vetrovs. Our family is...was extremely different to everybody else. We were criminals, Liwei. You're not. You're an upstanding citizen who's admired by many people not only in this country but all over the world. So you can never really understand what it's like to be a criminal. To be a proud top criminal reigning over the other criminals in the world. And I hope that you'll never understand what's it like in the future. I won't allow you."
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Chapter 970 - Searching For A Photo Of Evelina
"I know, love. I know." Jin Liwei held his wife's face and lifted it up, making her look at him straight in the eyes. "Don't worry. I know my limits. My priority will always be you and our family. There's no way I'll allow myself to become a wanted criminal and risk our family's safety."
Iris touched one of his hands holding her face. "I know that you have some kind of deal with my brother."
He stiffened but only for a moment. "En."
In the end, he still admitted it. He was already prepared to confess it to her for quite some time now but just couldn't find the right time.
She pulled his hand and squeezed it while continuing to look at him. "You know what kind of business my brother is involved in with Shadow Winds."
"I know what you're worried about." He turned his hand and grabbed hers instead before pulling it to his lips and kissing her palm. "Don't worry, love. Like I told you, I know my limits. I won't involve myself at all in any of Shadow Winds' operations. But Nikolai is family. He's your older brother and living my fifth brother's life. I still need to make sure that he and his group won't get into trouble with the authorities because I know that not only will you be devastated but also me, the rest of our sworn brothers, and most especially Grandpa Lu. I can do this much with my current position."
He didn't rush her when she didn't reply right away, stroking her soft hair instead while she continued squeezing his other hand.
"I feel awful," she finally whispered.
His face immediately registered alarm as he sat up and started scanning her from head to toe and back up again. "What's wrong? How are you feeling? Should I call the doctor?"
"No, not that kind of awful." She took his hand and placed it on the valley between her b.r.e.a.s.ts where he felt her heart beating underneath his palm. "I feel awful here inside."
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He understood what she meant and forced himself to calm down after scanning her one final time to make sure that she was really fine. "We already talked about this before. Your brother and I already know that you're reluctant to join him in his pursuit for revenge for what happened to the Vetrovs back then. In the first place, he doesn't expect you to join him at all. Furthermore, you already did him a great service by allowing Bacon to assist him at Shadow Winds."
"You think that's enough?"
"Your brother and I both think that it's more than enough. Just focus on staying healthy and stress-free during your pregnancy, wife. That's the most important thing that you can do right now, alright?"
She nodded.
He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Go back to sleep."
She hummed her assent and then murmured something.
"What?" He didn't hear what she said.
"I said I'm already a wanted criminal, so you shouldn't be one, too."
He scowled. "The hell you are!"
She raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on her lips. "Have you forgotten that I'm Drakon? I'm wanted in several countries right now."
"Oh. Right."
"But it's still nothing compared to when I was hacking left and right as Fantom back when I was still Evelina." She sighed as she reminisced about her past exploits as one of the legendary hackers in history.
When she mentioned her name Evelina, he remembered what he was imagining a few moments ago before she woke up. "Evelina," he called, saying each syllable with relish.
"Hm?"
"What did you look like before?"
She looked at him and tilted her head to the side. "You want to see what I looked like when I was Evelina?"
He didn't reply immediately and observed her expression first instead. He was afraid that his curiosity was going to upset her but upon seeing her normal expression, he felt relieved. Nevertheless, he still decided to tread around this subject with great caution, knowing how much his wife suffered in her past life and how tragically she died.
Before he could speak, she asked another question. "Did you try searching for pictures of me or of other members of the Vetrovs on the internet?"
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He shook his head.
"Why not?"
"I want to but I don't want to do it behind your back."
Her amused smile transformed into a bright smile that lit up her entire face. Then she gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the mouth. "My husband is so considerate."
He cleared his throat but a pleased grin was already threatening to split on his face. "Of course. You're my wife!"
She took the tablet again and searched for "Evelina Vetrova" on the search bar for images. Several photos of different women appeared. They apparently had the same name. She showed the search results to him.
He glanced at the different photos, hoping that he could pinpoint his wife just based on his deep love for her, but no photos tugged on him. "Which one are you among these?"
"Guess." Her eyes glinted with mischief.
He took the tablet from her and began carefully examining the photos. However, like before, none tugged on him. He shook his head and returned the tablet to her. "I don't know."
Her bright smile became even wider and brighter. "Good answer."
He felt confused but decided to wait for her explanation.
"None of these are me."
"Oh."
"Actually, there are no photos of me on the internet at all," she revealed, her smile dimming a little. "I'm the—I was the most protected and sheltered member of the Vetrov family so only very few people outside the organization knew about my existence. I was also the hacker Fantom so it was only natural for me to erase any substantial traces about my identity on the web."
She typed a new search term on the tablet.
Nikolai Vetrov.
Similar to before, the search results showed many photos of different men who had the same name.
"But unlike me, my brother was very famous, or should I say infamous? He rarely attended social events, but whenever he did, he would always attract widespread attention."
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