Chapter 2 - 76-90

Jin Liwei was able to coax Iris by persuading her that there was nothing to be embarrassed about in front of his brothers. His brothers were also now her brothers.

She finally calmed down and began to chat naturally with everyone.

Dismayed, Jin Liwei tried to shoo them away but they pretended that they didn't hear him, even when he was already being so direct, blatantly telling them to go the f*ck away. They may be his best friends, his brothers, but at the moment, they were all annoying flies buzzing around his beautiful girlfriend.

To his three brothers, this was such a rare moment. Their Third Brother finally got himself a girlfriend! The one among them who never showed any interest in women before and turned murderous whenever someone attempted to seduce him or even just flirted with him. Deep within their hearts, they even suspected that their Third Brother might be bent the other way but of course, nobody dared to voice this suspicion unless they wanted to die.

Yu Mo: "Xiao Xiu, Xiao Xiu! Tell Teacher how you and Third Bro met each other. Come on, we want to know!"

Iris: "Uh, we met at a hotel―"

Yu Mo: "What?! Hotel?! That fast?!"

Iris: "―lobby. Wait, what?"

Jin Liwei's scowl was so ugly that it alarmed Lin Yehan.

Lin Yehan laughed unnaturally and knocked Yu Mo on the head. "Wait for people to finish talking first."

Yu Mo: "Oh, lobby! Ahahaha! Of course you met at a hotel lobby! Lobbies are a great way to meet people. Go on, go on."

Jin Liwei: "Enough. Leave us alone. My girlfriend and I are on a date."

Yu Mo: "But Third Bro! We haven't seen each other for so long! And this is the first time we're meeting your girlfriend…well, not my first time meeting her because we see each other every week, but this is the first time I'm meeting her as your girlfriend. You know what I mean?"

Lin Yehan: "Let's go. Let's not disturb the two of them anymore."

Yu Mo: "But Eldest Bro!"

Wang Yingjie: "Xiulan, are we bothering you two?"

Jin Liwei: "Yes, you are all bothering us."

Iris: "No, of course not."

Jin Liwei's expression was so scary that Yu Mo subconsciously stepped back. Damn it! He was a martial arts expert but in front of his Third Bro, he felt like a weak little kid.

Iris looked up at Jin Liwei. "Why don't we let them join us? Your brothers are already here and it's rude that we're driving them away."

Jin Liwei: "No. They're the rude ones for disturbing our date."

Iris: "How about we make an exception for today? I won't be at peace if we just drive them away. Besides, we're the ones borrowing Eldest Brother's villa."

Jar Lajua efsu vuz fr prjaiiare immc.

Iris: "Please, Liwei…darling?"

His eyes immediately lit up. "Say it again."

Iris: "Darling. Let's spend time with your brothers today. Okay?"

Jin Liwei: "Again."

Iris: "Darling."

Her voice sounded robotic saying the word but it nevertheless was like music to his ears.

Jin Liwei: "Hmm…fine. But you have to give me a kiss first, baby."

She hesitated and felt the stares of his friends. Seeing Jin Liwei's expectant look, she relented.

Oh well. They already knew that she was his girlfriend anyway, so there was nothing wrong with seeing the two of them kiss.

Svu lommt mr vuz oannw-omul frt nzullut vuz ianl ypahciw mr val qmpov. Hal fzql hazhiut fzmprt vuz jfalo frt iadout vuz pn dmz guoouz fhhull.

Yu Mo: "Ah, my eyes!"

After the kiss, Iris was a little breathless while Jin Liwei had a pleased expression on his face. He turned to his brothers.

Jin Liwei: "Fine. You may join us but no touching my girlfriend."

Lin Yehan: "Ahahaha!"

Yu Mo: "What are we, stupid? You think we want to die?"

Wang Yingjie: "Alright then. Everything is now settled. So what shall we do now?"

Lin Yehan: "Let's eat lunch."

Yu Mo: "Ah, perfect timing. I'm starving! Let's go. Come, Third Sister-in-law!"

Iris frowned. "I'm not your sister-in-law."

Jar Lajua loaddurut gulatu vuz. Svu immcut fo vaq, hmrdplut fo val zufhoamr.

Yu Mo: "Ah? Of course you're our sister-in-law. You're Third Bro's girlfriend."

Iris: "That's not how it works, Teacher Yu. I'm his girlfriend, not his wife."

"Enough!" Jin Liwei snarled. He crushed her into a tight hug.

"What is wrong with you?!" Iris couldn't understand him. She wanted to stomp her foot on his leg. However, she stopped herself. They were in front of his brothers, after all. She would give him face in front of them...but only this time.

The three men looked at each other, staying quiet, as they watched their Third Brother throwing a tantrum. They wished their Third Sister-in-law good luck in their hearts.

Seeing her controlling an angry expression, Jin Liwei realized he went too far. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean it. Let's go eat?"

She ignored him, looking around the place instead.

Lin Yehan cleared his throat and tried to diffuse the awkward atmosphere. He instructed his staff first before leading the group out to the lakeside. They arrived at a large wooden pergola with crawling gr.a.p.e vines all over it, providing a dense cool shade from the sun.

The view was breathtaking. The clear lake reflected the blue sky and the white clouds.

Tvuzu jfl f caohvuruoou prtuz ovu nuzemif jaov f ezfraou hmprouzomn, larc frt lomsu. Tvuzu jfl film f gae gfzguypu ezaii. Tvu tarare ofgiu jfl imre frt jatu jaov f sflu md dimjuzl dzulviw nahcut dzmq ovu efztur. Tvu ezmpn lfo fzmprt ovu ofgiu mr hmqdmzofgiu hplvamrut lufol.

Jin Liwei continued to coax his sulking baby girl by hugging her and giving little kisses all over her face, hair, neck and her hands.

Iris slowly melted and responded to his tender ministrations. She was just too attracted to this man. She held his face with a delicate hand and couldn't help but shower light kisses all over his lips and jaw. She sighed in satisfaction as he rubbed her back, comforting her.

The two completely forgot that they weren't alone.

As for the other three men, they were forced to eat all the dogfood this couple kept on throwing at them. They couldn't believe that the amorous man in front of them was the same person as their cold and indifferent Third Brother.

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The staff arrived to deliver fresh meat cuts of chicken, pork, lamb and beef. There were also fresh corn and vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms. All of these were for grilling.

The four brothers started grilling the meat, the corn and the vegetables themselves, while the staff only assisted them by washing, seasoning, and skewering.

Jin Liwei blocked Iris' attempt to help out with the grilling. What if she got burned? He would end up murdering the grill.

Seeing her d.e.s.i.r.e to help, Lin Yehan suggested that she mix the leafy vegetable salad in the bowl instead. She happily went to work.

Finally, the food was ready and they began eating. Everything was delicious, especially since they were all fresh from the farm.

While eating, Iris listened to the brothers chatting happily about good times.

'It must be nice to have a group of best friends,' she thought.

She realized that she didn't have any friends, except for Dom and her own staff at home. However, they were her employees and as such, could not really defy her even in just a joking manner like friends sometimes do. She got along with them but at the end of the day, their employer-employee relationship limited the level of their friendship.

"What's wrong?" Jin Liwei asked, noticing the lonely expression in her eyes.

She shook her head.

"Hm? Tell me."

She was quiet for a few moments. He waited patiently.

"I'm just a little envious that you have such great friends," she finally said in a soft voice, barely audible. "I don't have any."

Hal h.v.u.l.o hmrlozahout fdouz vufzare vuz jmztl. Hu aqqutafouiw npiiut vuz ar f oaevo uqgzfhu, callare vuz vuft, frt zpggare vuz gfhc.

"Listen to me. I'm your lover and I'll also be your friend."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

Yu Mo: "Okay, okay. That's enough lovey-dovey. Xiao Xiu, Teacher is hurt! We see each other twice every week and yet you still don't consider me as your friend? Ah! I'm heartbroken!"

Wang Yingjie: "Xiulan, I already consider you as a friend. I hope you don't mind."

Lin Yehan: "That's right. You're someone important to our Third Brother, so that means that you're also important to us. You are now our sister and we are your brothers. From now on, we're friends."

Iris blinked and took a deep breath. Her c.h.e.s.t suddenly felt tight.

"Baby, all of us are your friends now." Jin Liwei told her, his eyes looked serious and sincere.

"Thank you," she said, smiling brightly at them.

The four men momentarily stopped breathing as they were blinded by her beautiful smile.

Jin Liwei frowned slightly and blocked his brothers' view with his body. Then he stood up.

"Let's take a walk," he suddenly announced, offering his hand to her.

"Okay." She placed her hand over his and let him pull her up.

"Good idea!" Yu Mo exclaimed and also stood up.

Jin Liwei glared at him.

Lin Yehan pulled his Fourth Brother back down to his seat and knocked on his head. "Learn to read the atmosphere."

"Let the lovers enjoy some alone time," Wang Yingjie added.

"Please excuse us, big brothers," Iris said sweetly before she was pulled away by Jin Liwei.

The three men watched the couple walk away in their matching outfits and dark aviator sunglasses. The two held hands and frequently kissed each other as they strolled by the lakeshore.

"Is it just me or Xiulan looks familiar?" Wang Yingjie suddenly commented.

Lin Yehan: "Yeah. I have a feeling I've seen her somewhere before."

Yu Mo: "Of course you've seen her before. She's a celebrity."

Lin Yehan: "Ah, what? Is there a celebrity named Long Xiulan?"

Wang Yingjie: "A celebrity named Long…wait. Oh!"

Yu Mo: "Now you recognize her?"

Wang Yingjie: "Yes."

Lin Yehan: "What? Tell me."

Wang Yingjie: "She's Iris Long, isn't she?"

Yu Mo: "Yup! The very one."

Lin Yehan: "Iris Long who? Iris…sounds familiar. Huh? Wait. That doesn't sound right. Don't tell me she's Iris Long, that scandalous starlet?"

Yu Mo: "Eldest Bro, not too loud! What if Third Bro hears you? You wanna die?"

Wang Yingjie: "Hmm…"

Lin Yehan: "No way. You're kidding me. Third Brother hooked up with that Iris Long? Didn't she used to chase after Little Chonglin before? There are even rumours of their affair and even her getting pregnant. And now she's hooked up with Third Brother? What is he thinking? Is he insane?"

Yu Mo: "Aiya…I've known Xiao Xiu for quite a while now since I've been teaching her Systema. I can confidently say that she's not at all like what the rumours say about her. She's such a serious and elegant lady that I even fell for her a little, but I can tell that she has no interest in me. And I follow a strict code of ethics not to pursue my students. Don't tell Third Bro or he'll kill me."

Lin Yehan: "I heard that she was comatose for a year?"

Yu Mo: "Yeah. In fact, one of the reasons why she wanted to learn Systema is to strengthen her body because it became too weak after the coma. And indeed, when we just started our classes back then, she tired so easily that she would almost faint. But what's amazing was she never quit. She's actually one of my best students. I only need to show her something once and she'd be able to do it."

Lin Yehan: "I think that their relationship is too suspicious. I know for a fact that Third Brother used to have her monitored because of Little Chonglin. I don't understand why she and Third Brother suddenly became lovers. If I had known that she's that Iris Long, I wouldn't have been this welcoming to her. She better not have any bad intentions. Even if Third Brother hates me, I will destroy her."

The usually gentle Lin Yehan had a fierce and dangerous expression on his face.

.

.

.

The atmosphere among the three brothers sitting under the pergola turned a little heavy. They continued to watch the couple by the lakeshore who were now intensely making out. Their Third Brother was pawing all over his girlfriend's body.

Wang Yingjie: "Hmm. I think that we should trust Third Brother's judgment. He's the smartest out of all of us. We all know that he's not someone who's easily deceived. There must be something about the girl that hooked him so much. I don't think she's a bad person. All of us had great impressions of Xiulan when we didn't know that she's actually Iris Long."

Yu Mo: "Second Bro is right. Don't judge Xiao Xiu based on hearsay, Eldest Bro. Besides, didn't we just pledge our friendship to her? Are we going to take back our words? Real men don't go back on our words without a valid reason."

Lin Yehan: "I didn't know that she's Iris Long then."

Wang Yingjie: "I personally think Xiulan is a great lady. I'll only judge based on what I see with my own eyes."

Yu Mo: "Well, I know that Xiao Xiu is a great lady. If she wasn't my student or Third Bro's girl, I would totally pursue her. But don't tell Third Bro. I don't wanna die yet."

Lin Yehan: "Hai. Fine, fine. I actually also think that she's a great lady based on today's meeting. But I'll keep up my caution just in case. We'll see how their relationship goes. I hope she's not acting and really cares about our Third Brother, not just using him for her own benefit."

Yu Mo: "Xiao Xiu isn't that kind of person."

The three men gradually moved on from the topic and started chatting about other things. When the couple returned to the pergola, the group all stood up and began touring Iris around the farm villa.

First they walked around a portion of the vegetable farm. Rows upon rows of different vegetables were planted neatly as far as the eyes could see. They showed her how to pick cuc.u.mbers, eggplants and potatoes. They placed their harvests in a basket, so she and Jin Liwei could take them home later.

Next, they visited the nearest part of the fruit tree plantation. There were guavas, mangoes, lychees, apricots, pomegranates, wampees, and figs. A little farther, they reached the passion fruits, dragon fruits and even the durians which Iris had never tried before.

"Xiao Xiu, do you want to try durian?" Yu Mo asked with a mischievous expression.

"Absolutely not!" Jin Liwei immediately rejected the idea.

"I heard that it's smelly. Is it really?" Iris asked.

Lin Yehan: "Yes, but it's delicious. My farm can only produce a very small amount of durian fruits because we can't grow them easily in this country. And we can't even guarantee that they'll all bear fruit. Caring for the trees in this type of climate takes a lot of effort and even science. That's why I don't sell them. They're only for personal consumption. "

Yu Mo: "Try it, Xiao Xiu!"

Wang Yingjie: "It's good to experience something even just once."

Iris: "Okay. I'll try durian."

Jin Liwei: "Baby, don't."

Iris: "But I want to."

Jin Liwei sighed.

Lin Yehan called one of his workers and instructed him. The worker picked up a durian fruit which had fallen under a tree and then hacked at it with a large curved blade. The durian cracked into two.

Iris looked at the fruit curiously. The outside was hard and spiky. Jin Liwei wouldn't allow her to touch the spikes. The inside looked like creamy-looking yellow flesh.

Yu Mo: "Try smelling it first."

Jar Lajua lhmjiut fo vaq.

She cautiously edged near the fruit and sniffed.

Her whole body stiffened. Oh!

She covered her nose and mouth. She ran fast and dived into Jin Liwei's embrace.

The others laughed loudly at her reaction.

Jin Liwei glared at them as he held her tightly in his arms. How dare these hooligans bully his baby girl?

Iris g.r.o.a.n.e.d softly. "Are you sure the one you picked is not rotten? Is that even edible?"

Yu Mo: "Ahahaha! Oh, my stomach hurts! Ahahaha!"

Wang Yingjie: "You're laughing too much. Pft!"

Lin Yehan: "Xiulan, do you still want to taste it?"

Jin Liwei: "No need. She doesn't want to."

Iris: "I'll try.

Jin Liwei: "Baby, don't force yourself."

Iris: "It's just a fruit. It's not like it's a bomb or something dangerous like that. Eldest Brother, please let me try."

With clear plastic gloves on, Iris broke a small piece of the yellow flesh. It felt soft. She had to take several deep breaths before she quickly placed the flesh in her mouth. She fought against the urge to gag.

Yu Mo: "Xiao Xiu, how is it? Tell us!"

The horrendous smell seeped inside her mouth and even to her nasal cavity. She almost vomited. She cautiously chewed the soft, creamy flesh. After a few moments, her eyes lit up.

"Oh! You're right, Eldest Brother. It's smelly but delicious," she finally said.

"Glad that you like it." Lin Yehan smiled gently. He was trying to find faults in her, especially after learning that she was Iris Long, the scandalous starlet. However, he couldn't pick anything against her so far. She acted so natural and elegant, even cute, that he couldn't really bring himself to dislike her. He would need to observe her further and more carefully. After all, she was a showbiz person and most of their kind were natural actors.

Yu Mo: "Aaaw. How boring!"

Iris turned to Jin Liwei. "Do you want to have a taste, too?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Okay, let me take some for you." She didn't notice his eyes darkening with d.e.s.i.r.e. She was about to take off another piece from the durian using her plastic gloves when her face was suddenly grabbed.

Jin Liwei covered her mouth, swallowing her gasp of surprise. His tongue quickly entered and gave a thorough sweep inside her sweet mouth.

"Mmmn. Delicious," he murmured after he was done tasting her.

Yu Mo: "Ah, my eyes are burning! This is too much, Third Bro!"

The couple, of course, ignored him.

"Smelly?" she asked, breathless.

"Inside your mouth, no."

.

.

The other men coughed hearing Jin Liwei's super cringey honey words. They almost choked. They couldn't believe that such words came out of their cold and indifferent Third Brother's mouth.

"Let's eat, too," Lin Yehan finally suggested.

The brothers had always liked eating durian, so they wouldn't reject the offer. Iris ate a couple more bites of the stinky fruit before stopping. The men, on the other hand, finished the entire fruit by themselves in no time.

Even Jin Liwei ate a lot, and then gave another deep kiss to Iris, f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y making the two of them share the pungent smell and taste.

She was already used to the smell by that time, so she didn't mind it anymore.

They drank water and rinsed their mouths, but still couldn't remove the smell. Iris opened her leather backpack and took out a pack of mints. She shared with everyone and the stink in their mouths decreased a little.

Afterwards, they walked to the animals. There were chickens, pigs and cattle. Iris was very amazed at the egg production. She listened intently to Lin Yehan as he explained the process. She asked intelligent questions, impressing him. More points for her!

Next were the goats. They entered the tall and sturdy pen. Someone handed a milk bottle to Iris for her to experience feeding the baby goats.

She stretched her arm and fed the kids, maintaining a good distance from them. She felt apprehensive but thought that the little goats looked (kind of) cute drinking from the bottle in her hand.

Jin Liwei took photos of her with his phone.

Then one of the workers called for Lin Yehan. The other men looked interested so they followed their Eldest Brother as he discussed something with the worker at the far corner of the pen. They left Iris alone.

She continued feeding the baby goats, when suddenly she noticed a big goat standing a few metres away from her with very long and sharp-looking horns. The goat stared at her with unblinking eyes while stomping its front hooves. To her, it looked like it was glaring at her. She felt spooked.

She glanced quickly at Jin Liwei and the others, but they were still busy talking with the worker.

The men, absorbed in their discussion, were suddenly interrupted by a high and piercing scream. The sound was so blood-curdling that Jin Liwei felt his heart stop for a moment.

Their heads snapped to one direction and saw Iris running for dear life before impressively jumping high and climbing the tall fence. She stayed on top, lying on her stomach and hugging the fence like her life depended on it.

"Whoa, she's like Spiderman," the worker commented when he saw her quick and agile movements.

"As expected of my beloved student," Yu Mo spoke with pride.

Jin Liwei immediately ran to her, his heart pounding.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"Aaaaah! Noooo! Get it away from me! It wants to kill me!"

"What?! Who wants to kill you?"

Iris refused to look at the goats again, pointing randomly with a shaking finger instead. "The goat! The goat wants to kill me!"

Jin Liwei: "…"

Yu Mo: "Pft! Bwahahahaha! Ahahahaha!"

Wang Yingjie: "Don't laugh too much…Pft!"

Lar Yuvfr jfl fgiu om lpnnzull val ifpevouz priacu val gzmovuzl, gpo ao ommc f imo md uddmzo. Hu jficut msuz om ovu hmpniu.

Jin Liwei's mouth twitched but didn't dare laugh at his baby girl. He cast a vicious glare at his imbecile brothers instead.

"Nobody wants to kill you," he spoke to her in a gentle, coaxing tone. "Come, I'll help you down."

"No!"

"Don't worry, baby girl. I'll protect you."

Iris calmed down a little hearing his voice. She turned her head and saw him extending his arms up to her. Reluctantly, she reached down and started climbing down from the top of the fence. He caught her in his arms.

Her eyes caught the evil goat running to her direction again. She screamed at the top of her lungs. The pitch was so high that it was impressive. Indeed, she was a singer. She quickly climbed up Jin Liwei's body until her legs coiled tightly around his upper c.h.e.s.t.

With her b.o.o.b.s on his face, Jin Liwei couldn't help but grin. Good thing that she couldn't see his expression.

"See? See that? The evil goat wants to kill me! It's still chasing me!"

Yu Mo: "Aiyo! I can't take it anymore. Ahahahaha!"

Lin Yehan finally reached them. He reached down for the big goat and patted it. "Xiulan, calm down. The goat would never kill you. It's chasing you because it likes you. Don't be afraid."

Eldest Brother's words made sense and she started to feel embarrassed of her overreaction. Indeed, how could a domesticated goat kill her? How ridiculous. She was about to ask Jin Liwei to put her down when…

"Meh!"

The evil sound almost made her soul fly out of her body. She shrieked again and closed her eyes tightly. She tapped Jin Liwei, begging him to exit the pen.

"Oh my god! Please oh please. Liwei darling please get me out here! Ah! Hurry up!" In her fear, she forgot her embarrassment in calling him this way.

Jin Liwei felt so happy hearing her call him "darling" that he felt like he was floating in the clouds. Added to her generous b.o.o.b.s squishing him on the face, he felt like he was in paradise. To prolong the moment, he walked slowly like an astronaut on the moon towards the pen's gate.

Once outside, Iris climbed off him and sat on the ground, catching her breath. Jin Liwei felt a little disappointed but became concerned when he saw her pale face.

"Baby, are you alright?"

She focused on her breathing. "Give me a moment."

Everyone exited the pen and looked at her with concern, but amus.e.m.e.nt still danced in their eyes.

Adouz f duj qarpoul, lvu darfiiw hfiqut tmjr frt zuefarut vuz zmlw hmqniukamr. Svu oaiout vuz vuft, ovarcare tuuniw. Tvur lvu immcut pn fo Jar Lajua.

"I…I have a fear of goats…a little."

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.

.

"Meh!"

Iris almost jumped out of her skin. What an evil sound.

She was trying to control herself and stop shaking but she couldn't. She felt embarrassed and ridiculous.

"How about we leave this place?" Wang Yingjie suggested upon seeing Iris becoming pale once again. His doctor's instinct told him that she was not faking it. If they stayed longer here, she might even faint.

Jin Liwei immediately scooped his baby girl up in his arms and carried her away princess-style.

Iris wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder. She felt so embarrassed.

"Xiulan, would you like to see some bunnies?" Lin Yehan asked in a gentle voice.

Yu Mo: "Maybe she has a fear of bunnies too!"

Iris felt insulted. "I do not! Teacher Yu, stop speaking nonsense."

Jin Liwei glared at his stupid Fourth Brother. Yu Mo immediately shut his mouth.

So off they went to the bunnies.

And indeed, she didn't have any fear of bunnies. She immediately forgot about her earlier embarrassment as she hugged and petted the fluffy fur balls. She took out her phone and snapped photos of them. Jin Liwei also took endless photos of his happy baby girl with his phone.

However, when she became too engrossed with the bunnies that she stopped paying attention to her boyfriend, Jin Liwei suddenly wanted to wrench the little furry monsters from his baby girl's embrace and throw them far, far away. How dare they act cute and hog all his baby girl's attention? But seeing the happiness and smile on her face, he controlled his murderous intent.

After much coaxing from Jin Liwei, Iris reluctantly left the adorable bunnies. The group then headed to the villa's shooting range.

They explained to Iris that Lin Yehan was a former sports shooting athlete who even competed professionally on the national level. Now he retired but would occasionally coach aspiring young shooters whenever his mood and schedule permitted it.

Additionally, he was also a hunting enthusiast. His farm villa was surrounded by a dense forest abundant with wildlife. The brothers all owned hunting licences so whenever it was hunting season, they would head to their Eldest Brother's farm villa and bond with each other while hunting.

When they arrived at Lin Yehan's shooting range, Iris' eyes contracted. Everything looked so professional. As expected from a former shooting athlete. Her expression momentarily darkened as memories of her previous life flashed in her mind.

"Xiulan, have you tried shooting a gun before?" Lin Yehan asked her.

She nodded before thinking.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? When?" Yu Mo asked.

She realized her mistake but quickly smoothed out her expression and replied with nonchalance. "Some years ago. I don't really remember it that much. My father has a friend from the military and he brought me along to the compound's shooting range for a visit."

"That makes sense," Wang Yingjie said.

After all, Long Tengfei was a man of power and influence in his own right. It was only expected that he had friends from different sectors, including the military.

She didn't exactly lie. The original Iris Long was indeed brought along by Long Tengfei to a military compound before to visit her father's friend. Iris just sat there along with the other kids, all of them bored out of their minds, as their fathers discussed a.d.u.l.t matters while shooting guns at the range. She only agreed to come when her father promised to buy her the latest handbag from one of her favourite luxury brands. In exchange, she had to chat with his friends' kids. In the end, the kids just ignored each other.

Iris inwardly sighed in relief after hearing Wang Yingjie, but then noticed that Jin Liwei was looking at her with unreadable eyes. She gave him her most innocent look.

Mmqurol ifouz, ovuw juzu fii uypannut jaov uwul frt ufz nzmouhomzl.

Iris chose a pistol. She was unmoving as she held and stared at the gun in her hands. Her eyes were a little unfocused, lost in her own memories.

Jin Liwei was about to walk to her, intending to teach and guide her, but Lin Yehan silently gestured for him to stop.

The men all watched as she finally moved. Their eyes widened in surprise when her aura suddenly changed.

Calm, steady, focused...even dangerous.

She settled in a stable stance before lifting the pistol with what looked like ease and familiarity.

Lin Yehan nodded as he watched her smooth and confident movements.

Bang!

Bullseye.

Yu Mo: "Wow! Xiao Xiu, that's―"

Bfre! Bfre!

Yu Mo: "―amazing…eh?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yu Mo: "What the hell?"

Wang Yingjie inhaled sharply.

Lin Yehan's eyes were wide and sparkling, his body trembling with excitement.

Jin Liwei's expression was unreadable, but his eyes were sharp as he stared deeply at his baby girl.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every single bullet hit the bullseye. In addition, all bullets exited accurately through the hole pierced by the first bullet. There was just one small clean hole on the target.

Iris finally lowered the pistol and removed her ear protector. She turned to the others and found them all staring at her like she was a ghost.

"Uh…I'm done…You can all start shooting if you want…" she said, a bit confused by their intense stares.

Yu Mo: "Holy! Xiao Xiu, oh my god! You're so cool! When did you learn to shoot like that? You're like Lara Croft! As expected of my beloved student!"

.

.

.

The brothers surrounded her, their eyes bright. They praised her shooting skills and asked her questions. Iris didn't know how to respond to all of them.

Jin Liwei blocked them and pulled Iris in his arms. He glared at his brothers, especially at his overenthusiastic Fourth Brother, Yu Mo.

Lin Yehan stepped forward with his usual gentleness. This time, however, he was more energetic. His excitement couldn't be contained. "Xiulan, you're magnificent! Amazing! I didn't know that you're this skilled! Do you like shooting? Do you practice it regularly? Are you interested in becoming a shooting athlete? Are you…"

His earlier doubts about her character and intentions to his Third Brother seemed to be blown completely away by the showmanship of her expert shooting skills. He shot rapid-fire questions at her.

"Uhm…thank you…" She didn't know how to answer all his questions. She looked helplessly at Jin Liwei.

He kissed her forehead, assuring her. Then he turned to Lin Yehan. "Eldest Brother, calm down. You're overwhelming my girlfriend. Ask your questions one at a time."

"Oh, oh. Of course. Sorry. Hahaha!" Lin Yehan wiped his forehead and forced himself to calm down. He was just about to open his mouth to ask her a question when…

Yu Mo: "Xiao Xiu, Xiao Xiu! Teacher is so proud of you! You're so cool! How are you so skilled in shooting?"

Of course she was skilled. In her previous life, she was required to train her shooting skills almost every day from when she was but a small child. Even when she didn't want to, which was almost always, she would literally get dragged to the training centre and forced to shoot countless stationary and moving targets. When she became old enough, her targets were replaced with live animals. She shuddered just remembering.

She hated it so much.

But she couldn't say all of these things, so she just shrugged and answered, "I don't know."

Yu Mo: "Eh? What do you mean by you don't know?"

Wang Yingjie: "How many times have you shot a gun before?"

She had no idea. In her previous life, she would be forced to shoot using different types of guns like a robot until her trainer was satisfied with her performance. There was one time she was forced to shoot for the entire day until her hands and body became numb and her mind became blank. Her lack of enthusiasm and poor performance in training always displeased her mother.

But of course she wouldn't say that to these brothers.

"Uh, just that one time when my father brought me to the military shooting range, I guess," she replied.

"What?!" Lin Yehan almost exploded in shocked excitement. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at Iris like she was a divine monster. "Talent…this must be talent! Superb skills yet having shot a gun only once before. If this is not talent, then I must be blind!"

Iris felt a little guilty but maintained an innocent expression on her face. She burrowed herself in Jin Liwei's embrace. She felt comforted when his arms tightened around her.

Yu Mo: "Wow! You're not only talented in Systema but also talented in shooting guns. As expected of my beloved student! Ahahaha!"

Lin Yehan: "Xiulan, can you shoot using other guns?"

Iris hesitated. She carefully answered, "I haven't tried…"

She mentally apologized for the lie, but she couldn't just tell them that she could shoot any gun. How would she explain it to them?

Lin Yehan: "Are you interested in trying other guns? Here, try this shotgun."

Iris: "Okay…"

She allowed Lin Yehan to show her how to use the shotgun. Although she already knew how to handle it, she still pretended like a complete noob.

Jin Liwei wanted to be the one to teach her and almost lost control when Lin Yehan touched his baby girl, but seeing his Eldest Brother's enthusiasm in teaching, he controlled himself. He repeatedly persuaded himself that his Eldest Brother didn't have any other intention. Lin Yehan was a shooting expert and it was inevitable to have some body contact when showing others how to use guns. He took several deep breaths to calm himself but still couldn't erase the urge to fling his Eldest Brother away from his baby girl.

Wang Yingjie sensed his Third Brother's turmoil, so he firmly patted his back. Jin Liwei just nodded at him.

Adouz ovu ypahc iullmr, Izal jfl zuftw om lvmmo. Lar Yuvfr gfhcut fjfw, val uwul juzu ukhaout frt vmnudpi.

Her aura changed again as she settled into another stable stance, the long gun lifted in front of her.

Calm, steady, focused...and dangerous.

Lin Yehan's hands closed into tight fists in his excitement.

Jin Liwei felt a certain part of his lower body harden a little as he watched how beautiful and domineering his baby girl looked holding a shotgun.

Bang!

Bullseye.

Yu Mo pumped his fist and even jumped up and down.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wang Yingjie: "Your girlfriend is amazing."

Jin Liwei: "I know."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Like before, all bullets hit the bullseye, leaving only a single clean hole on the target.

Afterwards, everyone swarmed around her again. Yu Mo jumped forward and was about to hug Iris when someone grabbed him away by the neck.

Yu Mo: "Ow ow ow! Please stop. It hurts! Third Bro, mercy! Ah! My neck's gonna break!"

Jin Liwei: "No touching my girlfriend."

Yu Mo: "Okay, okay. I won't touch. Please let me go."

Jin Liwei: "Hmph."

He flung this annoying Fourth Brother of his and made his way to his baby girl. He once again pulled her into his embrace.

Lin Yehan: "Xiulan, are you interested in becoming an athlete? I'll coach you personally. We'll aim for the championsh.i.p.s! Maybe we can even aim for the Olympics!"

Iris: "I…uhm. Not really…"

Lin Yehan: "But why? You're so talented!"

She smiled at him helplessly.

Lin Yehan: "Don't you like shooting?"

Memories of her previous life's training regimen played in her mind. Her expression darkened. She pushed all the memories away and smiled apologetically at the excited Lin Yehan.

"I…please don't feel offended, Eldest Brother…but I don't really like guns."

.

.

.

.

Disappointment flickered in Lin Yehan's face, but it quickly disappeared and his usual gentleness surfaced.

"I understand," he sighed. "I know that not many approve of guns especially in this country, so you don't have to worry about offending me. It's just that as a former pro shooter athlete, I get excited whenever I meet skilled shooters like you."

Iris was relieved hearing his words. "Sorry, Eldest Brother."

"It's fine. Don't apologize," Lin Yehan said, a gentle smile on his face. "But you're not against shooting with me here at the range, right? Just for fun. Nothing too serious. You'll visit my farm villa again, won't you?"

"Of course," she replied. If it was just for fun and she didn't need to shoot all the time, she didn't mind. Then she remembered something and turned to Lin Yehan. "But only at the shooting range. No hunting…"

Her eyes momentarily glazed over as memories of the pitiful, bloody animals she failed to kill in one shot flashed in her mind. She remembered that their wails of terror and agony gave her nightmares for many nights. Everything was for the sake of "correcting" her soft-heartedness, according to her mother.

She shuddered.

Jin Liwei rubbed her back when he felt her tremble in his arms. He assumed that she must be really against and scared of hunting wildlife.

Lin Yehan chuckled sadly but still nodded.

The group spent more than an hour shooting the targets at the range. Lin Yehan was indeed a former pro shooter athlete. Although he couldn't achieve Iris' abnormally perfect accuracy, he was still the best among the brothers. As for the others, they were all decent shots.

After they had their fun at the shooting range, they headed back inside the mansion for late afternoon tea. They chatted and laughed.

Lin Yehan: "Hai. It would have been better if Fifth Brother was here, too."

Iris tilted her head. Hm? Fifth Brother? There was still one more that she hadn't met yet?

Wang Yingjie: "True. I hope he's feeling better now and return to the country soon. It has been a long time since all five of us were together."

Yu Mo: "I talked to him on the phone a couple of days ago and he said that he's recovered now. He's still not sure when he'll be permitted to return to the country, though. He's still waiting for his doctor's approval. Let's call him later and tell him that Third Bro finally got himself a girlfriend. He'll be shook! Ahahaha!"

Jin Liwei: "No need. I'll tell him myself. I'll visit him in Toronto during my business trip to Canada this week."

Iris: "You'll be away this week?"

Yu Mo: "Uh oh. Someone's in trouble."

Jin Liwei glared at his annoying Fourth Brother. He turned to his baby girl and tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. "Yes, I was going to let you know later but I'll tell you now. I have to go on a business trip to Canada. I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll be back by next weekend."

She felt a little disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing him for many days. "Oh, okay."

He felt pleased when he saw her disappointed eyes. "I'll call you every day. You have to answer my calls, okay?"

She nodded.

"Will you miss me?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"Tell me."

"I'll miss you."

"Miss me what?"

She hesitated for a few seconds before whispering, "I'll miss you, darling."

He grinned. "I'll miss you too, baby girl. So much."

Yu Mo: "Okay, okay. That's enough lovey-dovey. It's too much for our currently single hearts. Are you really our Third Bro? Maybe you're an impostor! How can our Third Bro say such mushy things? Ah, I'm shivering!"

Jin Liwei glared at him and would have smacked him, but his baby girl felt so good in his embrace. He didn't want to let her go just to deal with an imbecile.

Lin Yehan and Wang Yingjie snickered.

After chatting a bit more, Jin Liwei announced that he and his girlfriend were leaving. The others tried to persuade them not to leave yet, with Yu Mo directly protesting and Lin Yehan inviting them to stay over for dinner. However, nobody could stop Jin Liwei once he made up his mind. In the end, the brothers walked the couple to the parked car outside the mansion after exchanging phone numbers with Iris.

Wang Yingjie: "Xiulan, it's such a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to have met you today. I hope that we see you soon again."

Iris: "Thank you, Second Brother. It's a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you, too."

Yu Mo: "Ahaha! Well, I'll be seeing our Third Sister-in-law tomorrow for our Systema class. See you tomorrow, Xiao Xiu."

Iris frowned when he referred to her again as sister-in-law, but she didn't want to argue so she just ignored it. "See you, Teacher Yu. Dom and I are looking forward to tomorrow's class."

Jin Liwei's mouth curved into a slight smile when his baby girl didn't protest hearing sister-in-law.

Lin Yehan: "Xiulan, you're welcome to visit my farm villa again anytime, even if you're not with Third Brother. Just give me a call. Let's shoot again at the range sometime. I'll make sure that the moving targets are set up the next time you're here."

Iris: "Thank you for having us today, Eldest Brother. Your farm villa is such a beautiful place. I would love to visit here again."

Lin Yehan gave her a gentle smile. He had a great impression of the girl, especially after knowing what an excellent shot she was. As long as she didn't betray his Third Brother, he would not discriminate against her.

Jin Liwei: "Eldest Brother, thanks again for having us. Second Brother, Fourth Brother, it's also…nice to see you two. I originally planned to have a date with my girlfriend with only the two of us but since Xiulan enjoyed your company, I'll forgive all of you for disturbing us."

The brothers smiled wryly.

Yu Mo: "Hey, Third Bro!"

Iris: "Please don't listen to him, big brothers. I'm glad that I met all of you today and spent the day with us. Thank you very much."

They said their goodbyes. The brothers placed the baskets of vegetables they harvested earlier in the trunk. Jin Liwei and Iris climbed into the car and the couple drove away.

.

.

.

Jin Liwei and Iris chatted about their day at the farm villa while driving. She enjoyed herself, while he felt dissatisfied that he wasn't able to spend the entire day with just the two of them. It was supposed to be a romantic date, not a group outing.

When the view started to transition from rural to urban, the sun was almost setting.

"Wait! Stop the car!" Iris suddenly exclaimed.

Jin Liwei parked by the curb. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the car door and jumped outside.

"Baby, where are you going?" He also unbuckled his seatbelt and followed her outside.

Iris trotted to the grassy and rocky roadside. Then she squatted in front of a cardboard box and poked at something inside.

He heard mewling sounds when he neared her. He looked over and found two tiny kittens shivering inside the box. His baby girl was rubbing them with a finger. Then he noticed a scrawled note taped on the box which read: "Please take care of us."

She looked up at him with adorable puppy eyes, even batting her eyelashes.

His mouth twitched. "You want them?"

She nodded.

He sighed, but immediately put on a stern expression. "Do you know how to take care of cats?"

"No, but I'll learn. I'll read lots of books and ask a veterinarian."

"Kiss me and we'll take them."

She immediately jogged to him and kissed him on the lips.

His arms circled around her tiny waist and then sn.a.k.e.d down to her plump behind to give it a pat and a squeeze. "Mmn. Alright, let's bring them."

She smiled up at him brightly.

His heart stopped for a moment. She was so beautiful. He pulled her against his body and kissed her passionately, making her m.o.a.n.

They were both breathless after the kiss.

Izal hfzzaut ovu gmk md caoourl frt ovuw hiaqgut gfhc arlatu ovu hfz. Svu nifwut jaov ovuq mr vuz i.f.n jvaiu Jar Lajua lufzhvut dmz f suouzarfzafr mr val nvmru. Wvur vu dmprt mru ovfo lfoaldaut vaq, ovuw lofzout tzasare fefar.

He glanced at his happy baby girl. "You should name them first."

"Hmm. What do you think? What names would you give them?"

Quickly looking at the tiny and thin fur balls, he replied, "Brownie and Blackie."

Iris stared at him with blank eyes at first, and then looked at him like he was the most stupid person in the planet. "They're not even brown and black. The striped one has a very light ginger coat. It's not brown. And this one here has a beautiful pure grey coat, almost silver. Which part of it is black?"

He just shrugged. "They're just names."

She pouted and then harrumphed. "You have no imagination. How dull. Fine, I'll be the one to name them. I won't allow my own cats to have such stupid names."

"Alright. Let's hear what great names you'll give them."

"This cute ginger will be…hmm…Popcorn! And this silver-grey beauty will be…let me think. Hmm… Oh, I know! You'll be called Ice Cream!" Then she turned her head to Jin Liwei with a proud expression.

He tried hard not to laugh. She said that Brownie and Blackie were stupid names? Popcorn and Ice Cream weren't? Compared to her crazy naming sense, he thought that Brownie and Blackie were more sensible names for cats.

"What do you think? Perfect names, right?" she asked him smugly.

He coughed. "Of course. The names my baby girl thought of are the best."

She giggled and then continued playing with the kittens.

His mouth curved into a smile. So what if she named the kittens Popcorn and Ice Cream? As long as she was happy. Even if she named them Toilet and P.a.n.t.i.e.s, he would praise her for thinking such creative names.

After driving for some time, they finally arrived at a small plaza where the veterinarian clinic was located. They parked and climbed out of the car. Jin Liwei carried the cardboard box.

The veterinarian was a kind man in his fifties. He immediately identified the kittens to be British Shorthairs with age at about four to six weeks old. They just looked smaller because they were malnourished. He examined them gently and talked about the basics on how to care for kittens. Then he handed them a list of kitten essentials and shamelessly told them that they could buy everything at his pet store next door.

Iris didn't want to leave the kittens alone at the vet, but Jin Liwei gently dragged her to the pet store next door, assuring her that the kittens would be safe in the clinic.

At the pet store, Jin Liwei took a cart. Iris handed the list to a clerk and asked him to direct them to where the items were located. She frowned when she discovered that there were different types and brands for every item on the list. Since she had no idea what was what, she just took whatever the clerk said were the highest quality which were almost always the most expensive.

She now had two kittens, so she would take at least two of everything. Her hands constantly pulled something from the shelves and dumped them into the cart. Soon, the first cart was filled.

Another clerk immediately followed them with an empty cart without even being asked. Someone took Jin Liwei's full cart and placed it at the cashier counter to wait for them when it was time to pay.

Bmov Izal frt Jar Lajua omllut aouql om ovu ozfar md hfzol dmiimjare guvart ovuq. Tvu qfbmzaow md ovu hiuzcl hfouzut om ovuq. Esur ovu lomzu qfrfeuz jfl hfiiut frt ommc msuz ovu bmg md zuhmqqurtare aouql, lquiiare gae qmruw dzmq ovu hmpniu.

All the books about cats were taken. Cat toys? They almost emptied the shelves. Even items not on the vet's list were dumped into the carts because of the manager's effective sales talk.

Finally, they headed to the cashier. Some of the other customers looked at them in awe and curiosity upon seeing the train of full carts. The scanning of the items took quite a while.

The manager refrained himself from shouting with joy upon seeing the astronomical final total of the scanned items. He was beyond amazed when he noticed that the couple didn't even bat their eyelids upon seeing the total price.

Rich! These people must be rich! Their pet store hit the jackpot!

.

.

..

"I'll pay," Jin Liwei fished out his wallet from his pocket.

"No. They're my cats so I'll pay," Iris stopped him. Then she unzipped her small leather backpack for her own wallet.

"Baby girl, they're OUR cats."

"Oh."

"So let me pay this time, okay?"

She thought for a few seconds. "Fine."

He handed a black card to the cashier. The manager's eyes popped wide open upon seeing the legendary black card. He pushed aside the cashier and hurriedly received the black card with shaking hands. It was the first time he ever saw one. He wanted to take a selfie with it, but stopped himself.

After the transaction, the manager reluctantly returned the card to Jin Liwei. He almost didn't want to let it go. He rubbed his fingers all over his body, hoping for some of the financial fortune from the black card he just touched would bring him good luck.

The clerks all helped carry the shopping bags and boxes out to the parked car. Jin Liwei instructed Iris to head back to the vet clinic first while he and the clerks stuffed and squeezed all their purchases inside the car.

Back at the clinic, Iris signed what needed to be signed and paid what needed to be paid. She was also given a schedule of appointments for the kittens' first vaccinations. Then she finally collected the kittens. They were all cleaned up and together inside a new carrier lined with a warm blanket. Iris thanked the veterinarian and then exited the clinic with the carrier.

Jar Lajua frt ovu hiuzcl bplo daralvut jvur lvu zufhvut ovu hfz.

Finally, they drove away headed for home. The sky was already dark. It was evening.

Gold Heights C.o.n.d.o.minium.

Outside the condo building, two of Jin Liwei's men climbed out of a waiting car. Iris recognized one of them as the one who delivered the silver car that morning.

"Master," they both greeted Jin Liwei and then politely nodded at her.

"Bring all of our purchases to the penthouse," he ordered.

"Understood."

One of the men handed Jin Liwei a garment bag. It was his business suit for work tomorrow. He and Iris headed up first. His two men made several elevator trips before all their purchases and the baskets from the farm villa were delivered to the penthouse.

Dom was already back in time for dinner. He squealed upon seeing the adorable kittens, immediately playing with them.

"Put everything in my bedroom," Iris instructed Yi Mei.

"Absolutely not," Jin Liwei rejected the idea.

"But I want the kittens in my room."

"Not a good idea, baby."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Now that we've adopted them, we're now their parents. And they're our kids. Baby girl, you're now a mother. Would you like our kids to personally see us, their parents, rolling on the bed n.a.k.e.d?"

Dom gasped in delight. Yi Mei's eyes widened in horror. The maids all blushed and avoided looking at the couple. Jin Liwei's two men had their usual stoic expressions but the suspicious flush on their faces, ears and neck betrayed their true emotions.

"Oh." Iris blushed a bit before nodding. Turning to Yi Mei, she instructed, "Put everything in one of the guest bedrooms. Convert it into a cat room within the week."

"Understood, Young Miss," Yi Mei replied, quickly recovering from what Jin Liwei said. Then she began instructing the maids and Jin Liwei's two men as to which room to place all the kitty stuff.

Afterwards, everyone had dinner together. Even Jin Liwei's men stayed over to eat before leaving.

The cook prepared a delicious Greek-style dinner. The main dishes were roasted lamb chops, chicken and pork souvlakia [1] with lemon rice pilaf [2]. The side dishes were horiatiki salad [3] and roasted potatoes sprinkled with feta cheese and choices of yoghurt and ginger sauce dressings.

Iris and Jin Liwei ate together at a small table by the living area, overlooking the dazzling night lights of the city outside the ceiling-high glass windows. Dom ate with the others at the big granite kitchen island, including Jin Liwei's two men. All the men wolfed down everything. Nothing was left when the meal was over.

After the meal was hot peppermint tea. Iris and Jin Liwei sipped the tea before heading to the cat room to visit the kittens.

Dom and one of the maids were feeding the kittens milk from tiny bottles. Seeing this, Iris immediately wanted to try and took the bottle from the maid.

"Sir boss, wanna try too?" Dom asked Jin Liwei.

Wordlessly, Jin Liwei took the bottle from Dom and started feeding one of the kittens as well.

"Ehehehe!" Dom took his phone and started snapping photos of the couple and the kittens while squealing. "Oh my God! Cuteness overload! I'm gonna die from too much cuteness! Popcorn, stay still and let daddy feed you milk. Sir boss, hold him gently. Yes, like that. Ah! Ice Cream is so well-behaved! So cute! Even the way she sucks milk is so elegant. Just like her mommy!"

###

Footnotes:

[1] Plural for "souvlaki". It's basically grilled skewer of either meat or vegetables. Yum!

[2] Rice cooked in stock and spices, sometimes mixed with small pieces of vegetables and/or meat.

[3] Tzftaoamrfi Gzuuc lfift plpfiiw hmrlaloare md omqfomul, hph.p.qguz, mramr, miasul, frt duof hvuulu. Vuzw vufiovw. Ypq!

.

.

.

.

Iris blushed upon hearing Dom refer to them as the kittens' "mommy" and "daddy".

Jin Liwei had an indifferent expression on his face, but his mouth slightly curved into a smug smile. He was very pleased.

However, when his baby girl spent almost an hour cooing and fussing around the kittens, his expression turned darker and darker. Would the two tiny fur balls take all her attention away from him from now on? If so, then he was starting to regret that they adopted the kittens.

"Baby girl, time for bed."

"Mmn. Later."

"But they're already sleeping."

"I know, but they're too cute. I want to look at them more."

He sulked. He wanted to throw the kittens out, but controlled himself especially since he was the one who first referred to them as their kids. He was a father now. He needed to learn patience with his kids.

Desperate to regain her attention, he used the guilt trip. "Baby, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll be gone for my business trip and we won't be able to see each other for a week. You can look at them whenever you want, but I want to spend more time with you before I leave."

"Oh." She finally stood up and walked to his embrace. "Let's go to bed."

He smiled and kissed her hair, and then held her hand as they walked together to the bedroom.

They showered together and made love with their hands and mouths. After drying their bodies, they blow dried each other's hairs, all the while playfully kissing and touching each other.

Finally, they fell on the bed. The stained bedsheets were already replaced with clean ones while they were gone for the day, smelling fresh of lavender.

"Liwei…"

"Call me properly."

"Darling…" She was starting to feel a little more comfortable with calling him "darling", although she still thought that it was stupid.

He smiled, pleased. "Hm?"

"Thank you for today. I'm so happy."

He tightened his arms around her and gave her a light kiss. "Anything for my baby girl."

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Hmm…about 5 AM. I need to go to the company first before my flight."

Io jfl vuz opzr om oaevour vuz fzql fzmprt vaq.

"Will you miss me?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Tell me."

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

"Miss me what?"

"I'll miss you...darling." She looked up at his face. "Will you miss me, too?"

"Of course. I'll always miss my Xiulan. So much. All the time."

They looked at each other's dark eyes filled with d.e.s.i.r.e. Then they started another fiery and passionate kiss while lying on the bed together.

Jin Liwei's hand played and squeezed her b.r.e.a.s.ts before crawling down her flat abdomen to the wetness between her legs.

Svu eflnut, q.m.f.rare imptiw frt mnurare vuz iuel jatuz om easu vaq guoouz fhhull.

"Touch me too, baby."

She wrapped his hard length with her hand and stroked him, as they continued kissing each other with open mouths. Their tongues danced together, s.u.c.k.i.n.g and nibbling each other's lips.

Iris was the first one to break the kiss as she panted and cried out her release. She bit his c.h.e.s.t hard and trembled, m.o.a.ning and whimpering.

When she finally calmed down, he kissed her cheek and then s.u.c.k.e.d his fingers dripping with her juices. He m.o.a.n.e.d as he tasted her. He felt his length hardening even more. He touched her wet slit again and then used her juices to lubricate his member.

"Baby."

"Hm?"

"Want to try something new?"

She looked at him with half-lidded eyes. "What?"

He gently pinched her n.i.p.p.l.e. "Something that will make me feel really good."

"Oh." She tilted her head. "Only you? What about me?"

"Well, I'm not sure if this will make you feel good. But let's try and then you can tell me if it feels good or not."

"Hmm…okay."

"Good girl." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Stay still."

Then he sat up and straddled her waist.

She watched him, curious as to what he wanted to do.

He scooted forward until he was on top of her c.h.e.s.t. Lowering himself without burdening her with his weight, he placed his hard length moistened with her juices between her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Then he grabbed each of her b.r.e.a.s.ts with his two hands and pressed them tightly together, sandwiching his hardness between them.

"Ready, baby?" he asked in a low, excited voice, breathing heavily.

Seeing his unusual position, she now somewhat understood what he wanted to do. "Yes," she replied.

He tested the newfound heaven by slowly moving in and out. He closed his eyes and g.r.o.a.n.e.d deeply. Opening his eyes, he looked down at her and started pumping in a steady rhythm.

Svu nifhut vuz vfrtl mr val ovahc, qplhiut o.v.a.e.vl, fl lvu jfohvut vaq n.i.u.f.l.p.z.u vaqluid jaov vuz g.z.u.f.l.ol. Hu immcut iacu vu jfl duuiare zufiiw emmt. Hal ljufo tzannut tmjr mr vuz lcar.

Her breath quickened and she became even wetter. She pressed her t.h.i.g.hs together and restlessly rubbed them, trying to ease the weird feeling of…emptiness between her legs. She didn't expect that watching him p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e himself would also affect her this way.

Jin Liwei rubbed her n.i.p.p.l.es with his thumbs as his rhythm became even faster. He hissed and closed his eyes, savouring the intense p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. When he heard a m.o.a.n, his eyes snapped open and he looked down at her.

She was biting her lip while m.o.a.ning, her hands gripping his t.h.i.g.hs.

"Do you feel good too, baby? Tell me."

"Oh. I don't know. Maybe. Yes. Liwei...darling, please. Me too…"

He chuckled. He loved that she wasn't shy in demanding what she wanted from him. Pausing his h.i.p.s, he released one b.r.e.a.s.t and gently pushed his forefinger between her lips. When she licked it, he pushed it further inside her mouth.

She s.u.c.k.e.d his finger and m.o.a.n.e.d, looking at him with hot eyes.

Her action made him leak a little. An image of her taking him in her mouth appeared in his mind, almost making him come that very instant before he controlled himself.

Next time, he inwardly promised. They would explore many things together.

He took out his finger from her mouth and once again held her b.r.e.a.s.t. He resumed pumping in and out between her b.r.e.a.s.ts, moving in a very fast rhythm while panting and grunting, climbing quickly to the peak of his p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.

Finally, he stiffened and g.r.o.a.n.e.d loudly, spraying his release all over his baby girl's neck and face.

.

.

.

.

"Oh!" Iris was a little taken aback that he shot all over her face and neck. She didn't know how to react. She thought of getting angry, but she was surprised that she kind of liked it. As a result, she just waited for him to finish without saying anything.

When he was done, he was panting. He climbed off her c.h.e.s.t and kissed her gently on the mouth. "Sorry. I couldn't control myself."

"Mmn…it's fine, I guess," she replied. "I think I read somewhere that it's actually good for the skin. Something like a natural moisturizer."

He laughed. "Yeah. I heard that, too. Want me to fill a container for you to use on your skin? Then you won't need to buy lotion or facial moisturizer anymore. "

"Eeew! That's disgusting!" She slapped his c.h.e.s.t. "No thanks."

They both laughed for a few more moments.

Then he went to the bathroom to wet a towel with warm water. He wiped his release from her neck and face when he returned.

After he finished cleaning her, she grabbed his hand and placed it between her t.h.i.g.hs. "I need…please…"

Chuckling, he gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the lips. "My lady's wish is my command."

He worked his fingers on her slit and was surprised to feel how wet she became. He lowered his head between her t.h.i.g.hs and ate her.

After pleasuring her with his mouth, she grabbed his hair and cried out as she convulsed. "Oh! It feels so good..."

They laid together in each other's arms after m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e without going all the way. Both felt like they were floating on the clouds.

"Baby."

"Hm?"

"I don't want to pressure you, but I just want to say that I want to enter you. I want us to be each other's first."

She looked up at him. "To be honest, I don't really mind now."

His eyes lit up.

"But not tonight. We're both tired."

"I'm not tired yet."

"Well, I'm tired."

"No problem. You just lay there and I'll do all the work."

"But that's unfair. I want to be active, too."

He sighed, then smiled softly. "Alright, baby. I'm ready anytime. Just tell me whenever you're ready."

She c.a.r.e.s.sed his c.h.e.s.t. "Maybe I'll feel ready when you come back home from your business trip."

His eyebrows rose and his smile widened. "Then I'll be sure to hurry home to you as soon as possible."

"Hmm…I guess you should."

They kissed once more before drifting off to sleep.

###

The next morning, 4 AM.

Jin Liwei's phone alarm woke him up. The first thing he noticed was his warm, soft, and beautiful future wife sleeping in his arms.

They were in a spooning position with her back on his c.h.e.s.t. Her head laid on top of his now stiff and numb left arm. His right arm embraced her close to his body with his hand subconsciously holding one of her b.r.e.a.s.ts while they slept.

He kneaded her soft b.r.e.a.s.t and inhaled her hair. She smelled so good, making his morning hard-on even harder.

Groping her, he softly called in a husky voice, "Baby girl…"

However, she was deeply asleep and wouldn't wake up no matter how much his hand explored her body or how hard his erection poked her from behind.

Sighing, he could only carefully remove her head from his arm. He looked at the sleeping beauty beside him and then rained kisses on her face, neck and b.r.e.a.s.ts before heading to the bathroom.

After showering, he went to the walk-in closet to put on his business suit that was delivered to him last night by his men.

He heard a toilet flush and water running from the bathroom. Ah, his baby girl finally woke up.

Moments later, Iris sleepily entered the walk-in closet wearing a satin kimono robe. She headed straight to his embrace, burying her face on his c.h.e.s.t and wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted.

"Mmmn…morning," she mumbled, yawning. The she looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "Let me dry your hair."

After blow drying his hair, she helped him with his suit, personally buttoning his shirt and putting on his necktie.

'This must be how it feels like to have a wife,' he thought.

He felt extremely pleased and almost wanted to carry her off to the Civil Affairs Bureau while she wasn't fully awake yet and register their marriage right then and there.

"Eat breakfast first before you leave," she said after he suited up.

"Alright, baby." He smiled and kissed her.

They headed to the kitchen where the cook was already cooking breakfast for Jin Liwei. Iris instructed the cook last night to wake up early and prepare breakfast for him.

The cook greeted them. The older woman's eyes shined meaningfully upon seeing the sleepy Young Miss's appearance. It was obvious that the Young Miss was n.a.k.e.d under her satin kimono robe.

She heard some of the maids gossiping by themselves after they replaced the stained bedsheets and towels from the Young Miss's room yesterday before being harshly reprimanded by Yi Mei. Although she had these thoughts, she didn't let them show on her face and instead served the couple.

Iris sat beside Jin Liwei while he ate breakfast. His breakfast consisted of a hearty wonton rice noodle soup with hard-boiled eggs and a separate dish of dim sum. He sipped a big mug of hot, freshly brewed Sumatra Mandheling premium coffee.

"You're not eating?" he asked, upon seeing her only sipping a cup of plain hot water.

"Mmn…not yet. Later. I'll go back to sleep after I see you off."

His lips curved into a smile. His future wife specially woke up early just to see him, her future husband, off. He dipped his head and captured her sweet lips.

.

.

..

When Jin Liwei was ready to leave, the two stood in front of the private elevator, both unwilling to part from each other. They just became an official couple, after all. They wanted to spend more time with each other.

He couldn't stop a big smile from spreading on his handsome face because Iris was hugging him so tightly, showing him with her actions that she didn't want him to leave.

Kissing the top of her head, he murmured, "I don't want to leave you."

She sighed, and then reluctantly loosened her arms around his waist. She looked up at him. "It's alright. Your work is important. Just finish your own matters and then come back to me soon."

He lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. "I haven't left yet but I'm already missing you. So much."

"Me too."

He grinned and then his expression became stern. "Don't get too close to other men while I'm not around."

"Why would I? I already have you. You're the one who shouldn't get close to other women. I'll cut off your p*nis if you do."

He chuckled. "Baby, I never get close to women. Only you."

She smiled, but then tilted her head to the side, thinking of something. Then almost carelessly but with a sincere tone, she told him, "If you ever feel that you don't want me anymore or you meet another woman who you like more than me, just tell it to me straight. I'll feel angry but I'll try to understand. I'm not unreasonable. Just don't cheat on me behind my back. At least break it off cleanly with me before you start another relationship. Then I won't feel too hurt or hate you too much. I'll also do the same if ever I like another man more than I like you."

His aura suddenly turned murderous. He grabbed the sides of her arms, squeezing them tightly. Then he shook her. In a dangerous tone, he whispered, "What did you say?"

Iris tried to pull away, but his hold was too strong. "Stop!"

"Long Xiulan, do you know what you just said?" he hissed.

Svu duio fifzqut luuare val sahampl uknzullamr. Svu jfl zuqartut md ovu duuiare md tfreuz lvu duio dzmq vaq ovu dazlo oaqu ovuw quo fo ovu vmoui imggw. Ir dfho, vu duio usur qmzu tfreuzmpl rmj.

"Don't say those things to me ever again! Do you understand?!"

"Liwei, I…" She was starting to feel panicked.

"You're mine, Long Xiulan. Only mine! I won't allow anyone, including you, to break us apart. Remember that!"

Then he smashed her against his c.h.e.s.t and hugged her fiercely, as if wanting to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y fuse the two of them into one being. Then he s.u.c.k.e.d her exposed ear.

"Liwei! What are you doing?!"

His mouth moved downwards to the side of her neck and s.u.c.k.e.d hard, leaving a dark red love bite. He alternated between l.i.c.k.i.n.g and s.u.c.k.i.n.g.

This man...she already told him not to leave hickeys on areas that were easy to see!

After marking her, he finally straightened and glared at her.

Her eyes watered. She didn't like this Jin Liwei.

Wfl jvfo lvu lfat lm jzmre? Svu ovmpevo ovfo lvu jfl bplo guare qartdpi md ovuaz zuifoamrlvan frt ovu nzmgiuql ovfo qfw fzalu ad ovuaz foozfhoamr omjfztl ufhv movuz dftut. Wvw jfl vu lm frezw?

Then fury bubbled from inside her. How dare he treat her this way? How dare he claim her? She was her own person! Not anyone's possession!

She clenched her teeth and kneed him hard on the crotch.

He g.r.o.a.n.e.d and doubled over, falling on his knees to the floor. He then looked up at her in disbelief.

She wavered, instantly feeling sorry for hurting him, but the wet feeling on her ear and neck reminded her of how he treated her just a few seconds ago. She hardened her heart. "You deserve it," she told him.

He gasped and gently massaged his poor little brother down below. It wasn't injured, right? It would still work properly, right? He would still be able to put a baby in his Xiulan's belly in the future, right?

Iris began to worry when Jin Liwei didn't get up after a minute already passed. Did she knee him that hard? She began to feel guilty. "Uhm...are you okay?"

He glared at her.

His look pissed her off. "What? You want me to knee you again? Come! This knee is still raring to go!"

They glared at each other.

Finally, he stood up slowly. He was breathing heavily, his expression completely black. Iris' expression wasn't any better either.

After glaring at each other some more, it was Jin Liwei who cracked first.

"I'm sorry..." he sighed. He still felt furious, but forced his tone to be gentle. "I lost control of myself. Xiulan, baby, you're the only woman for me. You're the only one I'll ever want. So I would never cheat on you. Trust me. And if I suddenly become crazy and stupid enough to cheat with some b*tch, I'll kill myself first. I'd rather die than taint myself with some other woman. I swear!"

She stared at his serious face, feeling his sincerity. "I don't want you to die," she whispered.

She had already experienced too much death in her previous lifetime, more than the average person. She didn't want to go through that again, especially with him who she already considered as an important person to her. Even if they came to a point that they weren't attracted to each other or weren't in a relationship any longer, she still wouldn't wish him dead.

He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Baby, we belong together. Remember that!"

She personally didn't believe in such words of finality because people's feelings change. Life was unpredictable. However, she still nodded at him because she could feel his sincerity at the moment. Whether or not his feelings would change in the future was something she only needed to deal with if it happened.

Besides, she herself still wasn't sure exactly how she felt about him. The only thing she was sure of at the moment was her undoubted attraction to him. She l.u.s.ted for him and wanted to spend time with him, to get to know him. She also realized that she now cared about him. But she still didn't know how falling in love felt like.

As for promises of forever with him…she wouldn't make. Because there was no such thing as forever.

Her previous life was a testament to this. Someone as powerful and formidable as her family who ruled the international Underworld for many generations was annihilated in just a single night.

Forever was just wishful thinking. It was better to enjoy the moment and try to live life to the fullest, so even when the good things ended, there wouldn't be any regrets.

.

.

.

Iris sighed and c.a.r.e.s.sed his face, pulling his head down to gently kiss his lips. "Alright. Just don't do it again. Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah."

She touched his crotch and massaged him gently.

He g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

She bit her lip. It seemed that it hurt quite a lot, since she didn't feel him harden even when she was already touching him. "I'm sorry I kneed you. But you really deserved it..."

He grunted and then sighed, taking her hand off his poor little brother. "I don't want us to fight anymore, especially since I'm leaving soon."

Hearing his words reminded her that they wouldn't be able to see each other for days. She felt her c.h.e.s.t tighten. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

He embraced her as well. "Are we okay now?"

"Mmn...yes."

He released a breath of relief. "Good. But I hope that you remember what I said today."

"Okay. But please don't do that again. I hate it."

"Alright, baby. I'm sorry. I just want you so much. Make sure to always answer my calls and reply to my messages, okay?"

"Okay." She gave him a peck on the lips. "You have to take care of yourself while you're there. Don't tire yourself too much."

"Alright. You too. Miss me while I'm gone. Think of me every day. Dream of me every night. Because I will miss you, think of you, and dream of you every single day that we're not together."

Huz vufzo ovpqnut fo val jmztl. Hmj hmpit vu lfw lphv ovarel lm uflaiw frt lm luzampliw? Io lmprtut cart md lopnat gpo f tuiahampl jfzqov lnzuft jaovar vuz pnmr vufzare val jmztl.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him. Pulling him down, she whispered to his ear, "Okay. I'll be waiting for you to come back home."

"I want to hear you call me darling."

"Darling."

Her hot breath on his ear finally gave him a hard-on. Thank goodness! His little brother was still functioning properly. Unfortunately, they didn't have time. He had to go.

His hands sn.a.k.e.d down to her plump bottom and squeezed, feeling pleased when he heard her m.o.a.n.

"I have to go. Bye, baby."

"Bye, Liwei...darling. Come back home safely."

He gave her a final deep, searing kiss before reluctantly releasing her and stepping inside the private elevator. His eyes were hot and intense as he looked at her before the elevator door closed.

Iris was already missing his kisses. Biting her lips, she righted her disheveled kimono robe. She stared at the closed elevator doors for a couple more minutes before coming to terms that he would really be gone for a full workday week.

Was this how having a boyfriend felt like? It seemed like she was discovering a new side of herself that she wasn't aware of before.

If she wasn't so attracted to Jin Liwei, she was certain that she would never want to become involved with someone like him. His personality completely clashed with her life goals.

However, oddly enough, she accepted him even when she felt bothered and a little scared at how fast their relationship was progressing. Perhaps she was feeling too attracted to him at the moment that she subconsciously didn't want anything to dampen the euphoria of being in a relationship for the first time.

Sighing, she turned around and headed to the cat room.

The kittens were asleep. She rubbed them softly with a finger, comforted by their fluffiness and warmth. Carefully, she scooped them up with her hands and brought them to her bedroom.

She placed them on her bed and enclosed them with pillows, so they wouldn't accidentally fall off the bed. Then she laid down beside them.

It was still very early in the morning, only a few minutes after 5 AM.

Although her quarrel with Jin Liwei was brief, it was very intense. She was now very awake with highly stimulated emotions.

Fortunately, the soft but deep breathing of both kittens plus the sound of falling water from the wall-mounted waterfall fountain were both relaxing and comforting. After a few minutes, she drifted back to sleep.

###

Tvfo qmzrare, ovu Aifzq Gazil (Wfrjfr, Fuadua frt Maqa) jaov ovuaz qfrfeuz jmcu pn ufziw om euo zuftw dmz f hmrozfho laerare om lufi fr urtmzl.u.q.u.ro tufi jaov f imhfi rfai nmialv hmqnfrw. Io jmpit gu ovuaz gaeeulo urtmzl.u.q.u.ro tufi wuo.

The company couldn't compare to the big, high-end and signature brands but it enjoyed a considerable amount of popularity among the tween demographic. This was because the company mostly used up-and-coming celebrities like girl groups to endorse its nail polish products.

More than half of the endorsers this company used eventually became quite popular, so the company had a bit of a reputation within the industry of helping newbies on their road to success.

Although the Alarm Girls couldn't be described as "up-and-coming" anymore, their climb to popularity throughout the years was slow but sure. They weren't the most talented nor the most eye-catching but their years in the industry gained them a decent number of fans.

Their manager worked very hard to obtain the trio this endors.e.m.e.nt deal. He almost sold his soul in order to get the necessary connections. When he was finally able to meet with the right people, his excessive brown-nosing was cringe-worthy.

There were many times that he was chased out and doors slammed on his face, but he was persistent. If he could get this endors.e.m.e.nt deal for the girls, he would get a share as their manager.

This thought alone motivated him. He would do anything just to get this endors.e.m.e.nt deal, even if he had to lick shoes.

In the end, he was doing this for himself. The Alarm Girls were just stepping stones for him on his road of becoming a manager with a stable position in the industry.

Finally, his persistence paid off and the Alarm Girls were scheduled to sign a contract that morning. The contract was only for a tentative period of one year, but the money and benefits involved were the best the trio would receive so far.

The nail polish company promised that the contract might be extended and the benefits increased based on the trio's effectiveness and performance in endorsing.

As for the trio, they thought that this endors.e.m.e.nt deal was a long time coming. Their hard work was finally starting to pay off. This endors.e.m.e.nt deal couldn't compare to the big stars, but it was certainly better than what newbies would usually receive.

Wanwan, Feifei and Mimi dressed to impress. They felt like bigshots as they sauntered inside the company building. Business hours just started and employees streamed in to start another work week.

The group headed to the reception desk.

"Hello. Good morning," their manager greeted the pretty receptionist. "The ladies beside me are the girl group called Alarm Girls. And I'm their manager. We have an appointment with Mr. Chen at 8:30 AM."

/.

..

.

"I understand. Please wait a moment while I confirm your appointment." The receptionist was very welcoming with a warm smile, her voice very pleasant to the ears.

She picked up the phone and spoke with someone on the other end of the line for a few seconds. Then she frowned, but quickly smoothed out her face back to her usual welcoming expression. After hanging up the phone, she turned back to the Alarm Girls and their manager, looking apologetic.

"I regret to inform our honourable guests that Mr. Chen is currently in an emergency meeting, so your appointment will have to be delayed. We don't know how long this meeting will take, so I suggest that the honourable guests wait in the waiting area. The meeting might end in a few minutes or a few hours, but it's best that you're ready to be called upstairs anytime."

"I understand―," the manager was about to say but…

"What?! We came so early and even called ahead to confirm our appointment but we still end up having to wait? This is so unprofessional!" Wanwan didn't hide her disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.

The receptionist's warm smile immediately froze and her expression turned cold. However, she was still a professional. Her tone didn't change, but her words were biting. "We apologize for the inconvenience, honourable guests. Mr. Chen holds an important position in the company and he has many responsibilities. Emergency meetings are normal occurrences in our company, especially for a key officer like Mr. Chen. If you are unhappy with the current situation, rest assured that I will convey your complaints to Mr. Chen once he's finished with his meeting."

"No no no! This is just a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding!" The manager laughed unnaturally. "Miss Receptionist, there is no need to bother Mr. Chen with such trifle matters. We will wait! Please don't concern yourself too much with us."

Wanwan glared at him, unsatisfied by his behaviour. Why must he lower himself to such a degree in front of a mere receptionist? She opened her mouth and was about to say something again but was stopped by Feifei.

Feifei was also disgruntled at the situation, but she was coolheaded enough to remember how important this endors.e.m.e.nt deal was to their career. It was better to maintain a good impression while the contract wasn't signed yet. They needed to make sure that the deal was 100% theirs before acting reckless.

Wanwan calmed down after Feifei gave her a meaningful look. Right, they just had to wait and endure for a few hours at most. When they signed the contract, they would automatically be treated as VIPs by this unprofessional company. Then they would be the ones to get the last laugh.

Their manager sighed, relieved, upon seeing Wanwan hold back. He was cursing the impulsive idiot for almost ruining this endors.e.m.e.nt deal that he worked so hard and so long to obtain for them.

He gave a fawning smile to the receptionist before leading the three girls to the waiting area at the lobby.

The couches were big and soft, very comfortable. Latest issues of magazines and newspapers were available for reading on the tables. After a few minutes, a different receptionist served them hot tea and some biscuits.

"Hmph. At least they know how to serve refreshments," Wanwan muttered as she sipped tea.

Mimi immediately attacked the biscuits.

Fuadua nzuourtut rmo om luu. Svu jfl mr tauo.

They read some of the fashion and entertainment magazines, looking at the clock every now and then.

After more than an hour of waiting, the three girls couldn't take it anymore.

Mimi: "What's taking so long? How long do we still have to wait?"

Wanwan: "This company is so unprofessional!"

Feifei: "Manager, go and inquire."

The manager smiled bitterly. He spent almost a year trying to obtain this endors.e.m.e.nt deal for them, but these girls couldn't even wait for an hour.

However, he too wondered what was taking so long. He was starting to feel uneasy.

He stood up and headed to the reception desk to inquire. He was told that Mr. Chen was still at the meeting and was unavailable to be contacted, so please be patient and wait until further notice.

The three girls were clearly unhappy that they still had to wait for who knew how long, but they still had the presence of mind to know that this endors.e.m.e.nt was important to their career. They had to endure this humiliation until the contract was signed.

Adouz frmovuz vmpz nfllut jaov rm jmzt dzmq Mz. Cvur, ovu ovzuu eazil imlo ovuaz nfoaurhu.

They marched to the reception desk and demanded to see Mr. Chen as soon as possible. They ganged up on the receptionist until the receptionist could no longer maintain her welcoming countenance.

Their manager was in the washroom, so he wasn't able to stop them.

"Honourable guests, please calm yourselves," the receptionist told them coldly. "I already informed you that Mr. Chen is still at the meeting. If you are unsatisfied with the current situation, please feel free to leave and I will be more than happy to inform Mr. Chen that you, honourable guests, are too busy to wait for him."

"What did you say, you b*tch?" Wanwan finally lost her temper. "You're just a mere receptionist! How dare you speak to us this way? Where's your manager? You deserve to be fired! So unprofessional!"

The receptionist inwardly sneered. Who did these girls think they were? She didn't even know who the hell these Alarm Girls were before they introduced themselves earlier. What were the higher-ups thinking wanting to sign these uncouth b*tches?

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience," the receptionist robotically repeated. "I have no way of contacting Mr. Chen until he comes out of the meeting. The honourable guests have two options: wait patiently until Mr. Chen is ready to see you or leave."

"B*tch, say that again!" Wanwan almost climbed over the reception desk to slap the receptionist.

Feifei pulled Wanwan and tried to calm her down. "Leader, let's just wait for now, alright? It's only been two hours. I heard that some business meetings take the whole day. Hopefully, we don't have to wait that long."

Wanwan glared at Feifei.

"I think Sis Feifei is right, leader. We can't lose this endors.e.m.e.nt deal," Mimi interjected.

Wanwan finally got a hold of herself. She took several deep breaths. Giving a vicious glare at the receptionist, she stomped back to the waiting area. Feifei and Mimi followed after their leader.

.

.

.

Mr. Chen's secretary watched her boss read the usual weekly reports before signing them. She served him a fresh mug of hot coffee. She cleared her throat.

"Mr. Chen, the receptionist called again. I told her that you're still busy in a meeting. The Alarm Girls and their manager have been waiting downstairs for more than three hours already. Will you not see them?"

"Hmph! Don't concern yourself with those insignificant people. Hand me the reports from the last week of the previous month, will you? I need to make some comparisons."

"Understood. Uhm, sir…excuse my ignorance, but aren't you supposed to sign the contract today with the Alarm Girls for our latest endors.e.m.e.nt deal?"

"Hai. Didn't you hear what I just said? I told you not to concern yourself with them."

"But you had me schedule this meeting with them a month in advance. So I thought that it's supposed to be important…"

Mr. Chen finally put down the report in his hand and sighed. "To tell you the truth, I was also looking forward to signing them up. I liked their perseverance in trying to survive for years in the cruel world of showbiz. They're not the most popular but they're still holding on. I felt that our company has a similarity to them in that both of us aren't the best or the most popular, but we're succeeding slowly but surely. Earlier this morning, however, I discovered that it's a big mistake to even think about signing them up as our endorsers."

"Why is that, Mr. Chen?"

"Hai! Did you know that our company CEO called me first thing in the morning and scolded me for getting involved with the Alarm Girls?"

The secretary frowned, confused. "Why would our CEO scold you, sir? I thought that he was already informed and aware of your plan to sign the Alarm Girls as endorsers? Didn't he approve it, too?"

"Exactly! However, the CEO suddenly changed his tune." Then he lowered his voice and looked around, making sure that nobody else was listening. "Don't tell anyone this. It seems like those girls offended someone from Jin Corporation. Hai! They can offend anyone but why do they have to offend someone from the number one company in the country? Are they stupid or what?"

The secretary gasped. "Jin Corporation? They're crazy. What did those girls do?"

Mr. Chen clicked his tongue. "Who knows? That's why our CEO backtracked from this endors.e.m.e.nt deal. Our company can't afford to get involved with the Alarm Girls or else we'll offend Jin Corporation. One word from Jin Corporation and our company is finished. Do you understand?"

The secretary nodded. "Uh, so sir…what do you plan to do with the Alarm Girls now? They're still waiting downstairs. Isn't it better to just tell them that the deal is off so that they can leave?"

"Hmph! Let them wait! I got scolded harshly by the CEO this morning. Do you think I enjoyed that? My mood is ruined for the entire day because of them! Let them wait until lunch time."

"Er…alright, sir. Understood."

###

Downstairs at the lobby waiting area.

Mimi splayed over the arm of the couch. "I'm so hungry! We've been waiting for over four hours already. I'm so tired of waiting. My b.u.t.t hurts from sitting for too long! Is he not done with that meeting yet? How long do we still have to wait?"

"I think they're doing this on purpose!" Wanwan's expression was ugly. She rolled a magazine and was twisting it out of shape in frustration.

Feifei turned to their manager. Her earlier impatience and anger already transformed into anxiousness. She felt that something was not right. "Didn't you say that this deal is a sure thing? They're not going to back out, right?"

The manager was also feeling quite panicked, but he gave them a reassuring smile. "I already talked with Mr. Chen a few times both on the phone and in person. I can confidently say that he's very enthusiastic and excited about working with you, girls. So don't worry too much. We'll get this endors.e.m.e.nt deal. I'm sure that Mr. Chen is just really busy with that emergency meeting. We just need to wait until he's ready to see us."

"But we've already waited for so long!" Wanwan threw the crumpled magazine hard on the table. Since there was no Mr. Chen to direct her anger at, she lashed out at their manager instead. "This is all your fault! You're so incompetent! You can only connect us with this kind of unprofessional and small-time company! We deserve better! We deserve endors.e.m.e.nt deals with the big companies!"

"Leader, not so loud!" Feifei warned her, looking around.

There were already quite a few people, most of them employees of the company, who were looking at them after hearing Wanwan's outburst. Their expressions showed obvious disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e that their company was described as unprofessional and small-time.

"Hmph!" Wanwan crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

Maqa fezuut jaov ovu iuftuz 100%, gpo lvu film prtuzlommt jvw Fuadua jfl guare lm hfpoampl.

The manager clenched his hands into tight fists, his fingers digging painfully on his palms, trying to rein in his anger at Wanwan's insult. "I…let me inquire at the reception desk again."

"Hmph! Incompetent!" Wanwan spat, watching their manager stand and walk for the nth time to talk to that b*tch of a receptionist.

"Leader, I'm really getting worried. What if we don't get this endors.e.m.e.nt deal?" Mimi finally voiced out.

Of course Wanwan was getting anxious as well. This was, after all, their biggest endors.e.m.e.nt deal yet. It would be a huge boost to their career. But her pride wouldn't allow her to show it. Instead, she let her impatience and anger spill out.

"Hmph! So what?! This is just a small-time company anyway. I don't even like their nail polish products. So cheap!"

Feifei: "Leader, please. Not so loud."

The employees nearby were already glaring at them. If these employees informed Mr. Chen, they would probably really lose this endors.e.m.e.nt deal.

Wanwan: "Tsk. Fine!"

It was already lunch time and many of the employees were heading outside to eat. However, there was still no word from Mr. Chen.