His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1261
Iris wasn't ruffled at all by Wei Lan's opinion of her dress tonight. The important thing to her was that she personally liked it.
"The embroidered flower appliqué are big enough to conceal my growing belly," she whispered.
"You've gotten fatter," Wei Lan said.
Iris stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She was pregnant. It would be worrying if she didn't gain weight. In fact, she and Jin Liwei had grown quite worried that her baby bump seemed to be growing too slowly compared to other normal pregnant women carrying twins.
Fortunately, her doctor assured them that their twins were growing fine. It was only because of Iris' natural slender physique and tight abdominal muscles that were slow to grow more meat. As long as the babies were receiving enough nutrition, then they shouldn't stress too much about the outward size of her baby bump.
It was a good thing that Iris' overall temper had settled. She wasn't allowing Wei Lan's nonsense to provoke her.
As soon as Jin Liwei and Iris Long appeared in the ballroom, the other guests' eyes lit up and began crowding around them. Before Iris could feel uncomfortable, Yu Mo stepped forward and joined Jin Liwei in a protective stance beside her in order to ward off other people who were trying to get too close for comfort.
René Alejandro looked reluctant to leave their group to personally greet the rest of the arriving guests but he had to do it as the celebrant. Wei Lan and Randy followed him back to the main entrance.
"Are you okay, Xiao Xiu?" Yu Mo asked.
Iris nodded. To be honest, the surrounding scents bothered her but Jin Liwei's scent on her wrap was enough to ease her discomfort. For now, at least.
"We'll leave anytime you want," Jin Liwei assured her.
The party soon started. René Alejandro and Wei Lan each gave speeches thanking everyone for coming.
Although René Alejandro was supposed to be the start of the night as the birthday boy, everyone's eyes couldn't stop straying away from the Jin husband and wife.
The couple was gorgeous people on their own. Together, their combined attractiveness was out of this world. It seemed like they were magnifying each other's appearances and charisma.
Even those among the other guests who deep inside looked down on Iris Long for not being good enough a match for Jin Liwei couldn't help but admit that she was one of the most stunning women that they had ever seen in their lives. She was even more beautiful in person than she was on screen.
Iris, Jin Liwei and Yu Mo stayed in their own little group most of the time. They didn't need to initiate conversations with the other guests because people would come to them instead.
While having a shallow conversation with a couple of young misses from other wealthy families, Iris was observing René Alejandro from afar.
"Iris, are you close to René?" asked a young miss.
"We're alright," she replied in a rather bland tone.
The young misses didn't seem to notice it, though. The two girls were gushing over the handsome Spaniard.
"He's so hot! Those deep, smoky eyes can't compare to the local guys. Every time his eyes meet mine, I feel like I'm going to melt!"
"I like his dimples the most! Gosh, I want to poke my finger on them! Those dimples should be criminal!"
Iris maintained a pleasant expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the young misses. Indeed, René Alejandro was a handsome man. His charm was undeniable.
However, compared to her older brother's past life appearance, René Alejandro had nothing on Nikolai Vetrov. And in addition, deep in her heart, her husband Jin Liwei was the most handsome man in the world in her heart.
The rose-coloured filter of love would always make Iris view Jin Liwei in a biased way, magnifying all of his good points and minimizing, even sometimes completely erasing, most of his bad points. Even the rare skin blemish that he would get now and then became pleasing in her eyes.
More than the Spaniard's outward appearance, Iris noted René Alejandro's behaviour while interacting with other people. He was acting like a true prince charming. More interesting was that he didn't mind making fun of himself in order for the others to relate to him even as a foreigner who had obviously different values than the locals.
The party had just started but he was already catching many people's hearts, especially the ladies.
Music began playing from the live classic instrumental band. The guests started pairing up and dancing together.
Iris and Jin Liwei joined them. While on the dance floor, Jin Liwei couldn't help but notice his wife trying to stop herself from wincing. He tried stopping their dance but she pulled him to continue.
"Don't make a scene," she told him. "I'm fine, darling."
"Then what's wrong?"
She gave him a sheepish smile. "Nothing too major. The off notes and little harmony mistakes from the band are just bothering me to no end. I guess they didn't have enough time to practice together. If they were my band, I would never send them to play anywhere until they iron out their performance."
He chuckled and tried to listen to the music, but unlike his wife, he didn't have enough technical ability to discern the little mistakes that she was talking about. Nevertheless, he believed her. If she said that there were mistakes, then there must be even though he couldn't catch them himself. She was the musical expert between the two of them after all. She definitely knew what she was talking about.
After one song, the husband and wife left the dance floor to find a corner to rest. In the end, Iris couldn't stop herself. When the musicians were taking a short break, she approached them.
A few moments later, she replaced the pianist and began playing with the rest of the other classical musicians. This was the first time that she was playing with them but she insisted on following their set playlist.
Of course, everyone noticed her actions.. They all stopped what they were doing to watch her.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1262
The first musical piece that Iris Long played with the live band was a tango. It was a piece that she was familiar with but only played a few times in the past. That wasn't an issue for her, though. She only glanced at the musical sheet and all the notes came back to her like a good friend that she hadn't seen for a long time.
Even before starting to play, her posture and aura already commanded everyone's attention. There was pin-drop silence. She revelled in the brief moment while adjusting her state of mind.
Then her fingers began moving over the piano keys. The opening notes were full, dramatic and electrifying.
Instead of trying to match the other musician's level of playing, she played with subtle dominance to lead them, subconsciously encouraging them to increase their level to match hers. Even the conductor couldn't help but be affected and follow her tempo. It was already too late when he realized what was happening. The leader had changed without the other musicians noticing it.
There was smooth sharpness and electrifying pulsations in Iris' version of tango. It was romantic, intense and passionate.
Jin Liwei watched his wife losing herself in the music. She was at bliss, clearly in her element. He was happy for her, proud of her. But there was also a possessive part of him that didn't want to share her gloriousness with so many people. If only he was the only one who could enjoy her magnificence.
It took a bit of an effort for him to calm himself and stabilize his thoughts. He knew that his wife loved performing in front of an audience. It had been a long time since she performed like this. As a husband, he could only support her and never hinder her passion for performing music.
The other guests were visibly in awe of the impromptu performance. Many of them even thought that this was part of tonight's planned programme and that Iris Long had rehearsed with the other musicians beforehand.
Those who had more knowledge in music, however, could detect that the other musicians weren't on par with Iris Long's level. They could sense the other musicians struggling to match up to her.
Fortunately, she wasn't a merciless leader. She was able to slow down, wait for them a bit, and not run away and steal the show all by herself. All in all, her top-notch skills were capable of pulling other musicians who had inferior skills than her.
"Amazing," one of the audience murmured.
"I don't really like Iris Long but I must say that her musical talent is no joke," another commented.
Nobody danced this time. Everyone was too absorbed in the musical performance to remember dancing.
The tango finished. There was a moment of silence as everyone still reeled at the performance. Then Jin Liwei's strong, stable claps and Yu Mo's enthusiastic cheers interrupted the other people's daze. They all started clapping as well. The applause soon grew louder.
Before everyone got carried away, Iris pressed her forefinger on her lips. Everyone fell silent.
Then she led the next pieceâwaltz.
This time, it was more emotional, enchanting...and magical.
Encouraged by the applause just now, the conductor and the other musicians felt more confident. They played much more smoothly. The harmony between them and Iris become smoother. Of course, Iris wasn't satisfied with mediocrity in anything she did.
She gradually kept on infusing more of her personal touches in the performance and continued subtly encouraging her fellow musicians to step it up a little bit each time to keep up with her.
Many of the listeners closed their eyes to enjoy the music. This was no longer a simple party. It had become a musical concert starring Iris Long.
The last piece she played was a mambo. It was upbeat and demanded top-notch syncopation between all the instruments in order to sound smooth. The piano was the melody-maker and wasn't upstaged at all by the louder brass and percussion instruments.
This time, the other guests couldn't stop themselves anymore. The catchy beat and melody were too much to resist. Some of them slid to the dancefloor and started dancing to the mambo music.
Then everyone was surprised when Iris began singing in Spanish. Even the other musicians weren't expecting it. In fact, they didn't prepare any vocal elements in most of the pieces in tonight's performance, including this mambo piece.
The soprano singer hired to perform with them later in a handful of musical pieces hadn't arrived yet. She was said to be paid by the hour so didn't need to be present in the venue until it was time for her actual performance.
Fortunately, the other musicians were professional enough not to allow their shock to paralyze their playing. They quickly recovered. Iris' unexpected and thrilling performance swept them into a zone, causing them to enjoy themselves as well.
"Olé!"
Iris threw her hands and head up in the air when the mambo finally ended.
As usual, Jin Liwei and Yu Mo led the applause again.
"Brava!!!" René Alejandro praised out loud and even whistled.
Iris beamed amidst the standing ovation. She didn't forget about her temporary teammates and made sure to acknowledge their hard work for doing their best to keep up with her. She gave them a curtsey bow and shared the applause to them. The musicians were touched.
All of them, including Iris, lined up on the stage and bowed together to the audience.
Jin Liwei fetched his wife and carefully escorted her down the stage. He noticed that she was breathing a little harder and sweat glistened on her forehead but the big smile on her face restrained his worry for her. It seemed that she had been too absorbed in her performance to allow the sweaty odours from the other musicians to bother her.
The applause followed the husband and wife as they walked together to their own table. Yu Mo welcomed them.
Soon after, René Alejandro came to join them. He couldn't stop praising Iris' performance.
"Thank you," she replied with a smile. "Happy Birthday!"
"This is definitely one of the best birthdays that I've ever had! Iris, you are definitely on par with international musicians! No, maybe even better than many of them, yes? Cheers, my sister!"
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1263
Everyone was watching René Alejandro's interaction with the Jin husband and wife. Many of them heard him referring to Iris Long as his sister. They thought that maybe what Wei Lan had been telling them was true all alongâthat her Spanish step-son was close to her daughter, Iris Long, and son-in-law, Jin Liwei.
Those who had ulterior motives immediately decided that it would be wise for them to get closer to René Alejandro. If he was really close to Iris Long, and in extension to her husband, Jin Liwei, then maybe they could find a way to use the Spaniard to forge closer connections to the powerful CEO.
Wei Lan who was escorted by Randy also joined Iris' group. Despite her tasteless clout-chasing behaviour most of the time, she was still an extremely charismatic woman. If people didn't know about her past transgressions in high society circles, then they would think that she was a true elegant and sophisticated wealthy madam just by judging on how she was acting tonight.
The other guests observed the family. Although they weren't 100% certain whether the family members were merely acting close to each other or not, it wouldn't hurt to assume that the Jin couple was at least cordial to Wei Lan's Spanish step-son.
Not long afterwards, the soprano singer finally arrived. She was a promising young diva who had gained some recognition playing notable secondary roles in popular opera productions in Europe.
Once she started singing her set pieces with the live band, her high-pitched voice certainly caught people's attention.
Unfortunately, she came after Iris' impromptu performance. The audience wasn't as impressed by her as much as she expected.
While performing, she couldn't help but notice the rather lukewarm reception. Some even continued eating and conversing with each other. Of course, these people had good manners and etiquette. They continued on with their business without openly disrupting the musical performance.
One of the young misses who Iris chatted with earlier commented, "She's great but doesn't have Iris' charisma."
The other young miss nodded. "Kind of boring, really."
"Stop talking, you two! Don't be rude!"
Their mothers reprimanded them and they fell quiet. They weren't the only ones who felt this way, though.
After personally watching Iris' earlier performance, they agreed that Iris commanded absolute attention compared to this talented soprano singer.
It felt like they were currently watching a performance in black and white. There was a sense of dissonance that they couldn't explain.
On the other hand, Iris' impromptu performance earlier was a technicolour fantasy extravaganza. The pieces that she played, especially the mambo that she sang, was still replaying inside their heads over and over again. This caused to them to feel distracted. They couldn't focus on the soprano's current performance.
After what felt like an excruciating time for the soprano, her performance finally ended to her great relief. She didn't stay for too long and left soon after giving her polite greetings to Wei Lan and René Alejandro. Her initial intentions to make connections with high society members were thrown out of the window. Her pride had been too hurt by the audience's lack of interest in her performance to stay any longer.
Iris had no idea that she caused a situation like this. The soprano's technical skills impressed her. She wanted to chat with the soprano but the woman had already left before she knew it.
"I can have someone chase after her if you really want to talk to her," Jin Liwei said.
"Never mind. I only want to exchange notes with her about singing but it seems that she's in a hurry. She seems busy. Let's not bother her."
"En, up to you."
Jin Liwei didn't care about soprano singer anymore. He only offered to chase after the person to make his wife happy, but his wife said to not bother so he wouldn't bother.
Later into the party, the staff started getting everyone ready for the awaited fundraising auction for Iris of Hope. Everyone headed to their own tables.
As the unspoken but accepted guests of honour, Iris and Jin Liwei occupied the best seats beside the lady of the house, Wei Lan, and the birthday boy, René Alejandro.
"We'll leave as soon as the auction ends," Jin Liwei whispered to his wife's ear.
Iris nodded and stifled a yawn behind her gloved hand. If not because the auction was for the benefit of her own charitable foundation, she wouldn't have bothered waiting this long while fighting off drowsiness.
Just before the auction was scheduled to start, another foreign man hurried to their table and whispered something to René Alejandro's ear. The Spaniard's pleasant expression didn't change much but Iris noted his eyes turning cold.
"Please excuse me for a moment," he told everyone before hurrying after the other foreigner.
Wei Lan didn't look happy with René Alejandro's sudden departure at this critical juncture of the party when the all-important auction was about to start but she still covered for him and reassured the other guests that everything was fine.
As for Iris, her great hearing allowed her to hear what the other foreigner whispered to René Alejandro. The man spoke in Spanish. She shared her findings to her husband.
Jin Liwei didn't react much. He wasn't interested in the Spaniard's business unlike his curious wife.
Soon after, audible gasps was heard among the guests. The husband and wife followed everyone's gazes.
Following René Alejandro, an extremely beautiful man walked in. He was like the personification of an angel. His bright, vivid blue eyes were striking even from a distance.
Even Iris was stunned when she saw the man. Using the word "beautiful" was more accurate to describe him rather than the word "handsome". His beauty was the type to transcend genders.
He was masculine but not macho. He was also feminine but not girlish.
It was a confusing impression but also quite wondrous.
Iris only tore her eyes away from the new arrival when she felt a persistent tugging on her arm. When she turned her head, she saw a dark-faced Jin Liwei.
"What, you like that guy?" Jin Liwei asked in a low voice, his tone dripping with jealousy.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1264
Iris snapped out of her momentary daze and rolled her eyes at her husband. "I'm just admiring a beauty. What's wrong with that?"
Jin Liwei's dark expression turned grim. "So you like him?"
She released an exasperated sigh. "How could I like him when I don't even know anything about him? I just think that he has a beautiful face, that's all. I'm also like this when I see a beautiful cat or dog, or better yet an excellent computer, so stop feeling jealous, okay?"
He felt a little better after her explanation but his stance became much more protective over his wife as René Alejandro and the beautiful, blue-eyed foreign man made their way to them.
"I think he's the one called Boss Emil," Iris whispered to him.
It was the name that she heard the other foreigner whispered to René Alejandro before they excused themselves in a hurry earlier.
Jin Liwei hadn't been interested before, but now that he saw this attractive man presumably called Boss Emil with his own eyes, he instantly became wary.
It was very rare for his wife to become stunned upon seeing an attractive man. He had seen what her brother, Nikolai Vetrov, looked like in a photo. His brother-in-law's appearance in his past life was no joke. Even a man like Jin Liwei had to admit that Nikolai Vetrov was a gorgeous man. Being around an attractive man like her brother had made Iris, no, Evelina immune to other good-looking men.
If not for Jin Liwei's relentless pursuit of his wife, he knew that Iris wouldn't fall for him based on his looks alone. He was aware that he was a handsome man but knew that he couldn't compare to his brother-in-law's past life's appearance.
Even another good-looking man like René Alejandro didn't move his wife. Maybe this was why Jin Liwei didn't feel as wary towards the Spaniard as he was now feeling with the arrival of this extremely beautiful man.
Jin Liwei didn't care if other people were stunned by the new arrival but it was a different story when it involved his wife. Her unusual reaction was enough to raise Jin Liwei's inner alarm bells.
"My, ooooooh my!!!" Wei Lan clutched her chest, unable to stop herself from ogling the beautiful, blue-eyed foreigner. "René, my dear, why don't you introduuuuuuuce us to your friend heeeeeeeeeeere?"
Like her, Randy looked like he had just seen a mouth-watering piece of prime meat that he couldn't wait to gobble up. It wasn't only them who were reacting this way. The surrounding guestsâladies and even a few menâcouldn't conceal their lecherous gazes.
René Alejandro began introducing the beautiful man.
"Everyone, please meet my...uh, older brother. His name is Emilio Miguel. Like me and many of my brothers, he's also an orphan that Papá sponsored and sent to school to be educated."
"But René Alejandro is the only one who was lucky enough to be legally adopted by the vizconde," the beautiful man commented before smoothly saying, "A pleasure to meet all of you. Emilio Miguel at your service."
If René Alejandro's smile was charmingly criminal, then Emilio Miguel's smile was instant murder. It was deadly.
Many felt their minds go blank as if they had just died and gone to heaven.
What kind of smile was that?
It felt a little sacrilegious to even look directly at him. His appearance was so angelic that he didn't seem real at all.
"Mother, pull yourself together," Iris murmured to Wei Lan who was on the verge of passing out after Emilio Miguel's smile.
Fortunately, Randy hadn't completely lost all of his reasoning yet and was able to catch Wei Lan and support her before she could embarrass herself. Iris was relieved.
Although Iris didn't feel close to Wei Lan, she wouldn't want her body's recognized biological mother to be the subject of blatant humiliation from others. No matter how unpleasant Wei Lan could be most of the time, it was a fact that she doted on Little Jun, encouraged Jiang Ying Yue to be more confident, and was now a rather competent ambassador for Iris of Hope. For these alone, Iris was willing to tolerate the woman.
This was why she didn't want Wei Lan to be seen swooning at a young, attractive man when she had been working hard in presenting a new image of herself as a dedicated and loving wife to her new husband, especially since the younger man was apparently a close brother of her step-son.
It took Wei Lan some time to recover. Iris, however, was no longer affected by Emilio Miguel's face. It was only during the first time earlier that she had fallen prey to the man's otherworldly angelic beauty.
She was reluctant but could only admit that Emilio Miguel was the best-looking person that she had ever seen in both of her lives so far. Even her older brother, the gorgeous Nikolai Vetrov, hadn't been as stunning as this person.
Emilio Miguel faced Iris and Jin Liwei. His smile was a mix between holy and sinful.
After some more polite greetings, Emilio Miguel joined their table. Unlike René Alejandro who engaged Jin Liwei in conversations more while ensuring to maintain appropriate distance from Iris, Emilio Miguel was the opposite. He was clearly more interested in Iris. This caused Jin Liwei's expression to turn grimmer by the second.
When the auction finally started, René Alejandro kicked Emilio Miguel's foot under the table. They communicated via taps in their arms using their organization's own code.
"What the hell are you doing?! Stop trying to seduce Iris and angering Liam! If you cause me to fail my mission, your punishment will not be lighter than mine, no?!"
"Relax, my brother." Emilio Miguel silently communicated with his angelic smile. "I just now understand why Liam rejected the business elite Rose Young in favour of this starlet Iris Long. This woman looks delicious. I wonder if she's a better fuck than Rose Young. I'm curious about how she'll taste. Maybe...."
René Alejandro shot him a brief glare that lasted for less than a second. "Don't even think about it."
The extremely beautiful man shrugged his shoulders.. His face was heavenly but his attitude was devil-may-care.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1265
Iris squeezed Jin Liwei's hand under the table. Her husband's expression might be frosty but she could sense that he was close to exploding. At the same time, she could also feel the heavy and sticky gaze of Emilio Miguel on her. Her impression of the beautiful angelic man quickly collapsed.
The man knew that she was married and that her husband was right beside her, and yet he was looking at her with such eyes. With his angelic features, Emilio Miguel's gaze couldn't be said to be lecherous but even someone like her could sense the sexual undertones in the way he looked at her.
No wonder her husband was acting like a fuming, territorial lion towards a daring trespasser.
She glanced at René Alejandro. Although he maintained a pleasant smiling expression, his grey eyes were cold. She could also sense that he was tense around Emilio Miguel.
Why?
Was it because René Alejandro was unhappy at Emilio Miguel's rude behaviour towards her?
Or maybe there was another, deeper reason? Perhaps he wasn't nearly as close to the beautiful angelic man as he initially presented them to be.
Despite her displeasure at Emilio Miguel's lack of respect towards her and her husband, her curiosity about René Alejandro had now extended to include the extremely beautiful man as well.
Her instincts were telling her that the two Spaniards had something more than meets the eye.
René Alejandro was interesting while Emilio Miguel was...mysterious.
Emilio Miguel's angelic beauty should not be a reflection of his inner character. As to what kind of character he had, well, Iris still didn't know, but based on how he was acting right now, she wasn't pleased at all and neither was her husband.
While all of this tense undercurrents were happening at their table, the auction was already well on its way. Successful bids prompted enthusiastic applause and cheers.
The items presented so far were nothing unique but still fetched decent bids because of the nature of the auction. 100% of all the proceeds would go to Iris of Hope's charitable projects.
Since most of the guests tonight were members of high society, they regarded fundraising auctions like this as a way to show off their wealth in a positive manner to increase their reputation. It didn't matter if the item they were bidding for was useless. The most important thing was that their names would be certified as successful charitable bidders in the auction.
Next up for bidding was Iris Long's item.
"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you an original signed manuscript of one of the musical pieces that critically acclaimed musician Iris Long composed for the now legendary film, 'Strong Yet Broken'! If you all will remember, Iris Long won a Soleil d'Or for Best Soundtrack at the highly prestigious Sommet International Film Festival in France. She made history and brought great pride for our nation, so as you can all imagine, this original manuscript is extremely valuable! I'm telling you, if only I can afford it, I'll snatch it right away myself but sadly, I'm not as rich as all of you here."
The audience responded with laughter at the emcee's self-deprecating joke. However, his enthusiastic introduction of the item was effective. Although most of the guests weren't Black Stars, they still knew the benefits of successfully bidding for Iris Long's item.
They might not agree that it was a valuable collectible but that wasn't why they wanted to bid for it. What they wanted was to obtain the Jin couple's good impression of them, particularly that of CEO Jin Liwei. If they could make him happy by supporting his wife's work, then they would do it in a heartbeat! Nothing was more valuable than gaining such a valuable connection as CEO Jin.
"The bidding starts at 50,000!"
Iris' brows rose. She was expecting for the starting price to be around 10,000 because this particular musical piece wasn't one of the most prominent in the film. She was neither underestimating nor overestimating herself with this price. For her, it was fair.
She believed in her musical talents, but compared to her mentors, Enrique Valdez and Maestro Ludovico De Luca who had long and proven track records under their belts, she was only at the beginning journey of her career.
Unlike her mentors whose original manuscripts could fetch tens of millions of dollars each in auctions, she was already quite pleased with 50,000 RMB as the starting price for hers especially since it was only a minor composition for her.
It seemed that the auction's appraisers weren't the only ones who thought rather highly of her little manuscript. The price kept on rising as more and more people bid for it.
"110,000!"
"200,000!"
"260,000!"
"1 million!"
Gasps all around.
Iris snapped her head at her husband in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
Jin Liwei lowered his paddle. "I'm bidding."
"I can see that. But why?"
"I want to keep my wife's work in my possession."
She blinked her eyes. "No need to do this. I still have a lot of manuscripts in our home. Let other people bid for it. It's for charity, anyway."
"No, I want it."
She could sense his stubbornness. Sighing, she didn't bother arguing with him in front of other people. Let him do what he wanted. The money would go to a good cause anyway, and most importantly, the man would be happy.
"1.1 million!"
Jin Liwei frowned as he looked at Emilio Miguel lowering his paddle.
"1.5 million!" (Jin Liwei)
"1.6 million!" (Emilio Miguel)
"2 million!" (Jin Liwei)
At the moment, the other bidders had already withdrawn from the bidding war. It was unfortunate that they couldn't use this opportunity to get closer to CEO Jin but they didn't want to displease him even more by fighting it out against him. They could only watch in amazement as someone actually had the guts to go against CEO Jin.
It turned out that it was the extremely beautiful foreigner. They didn't know if he was stupid or just too bold for his own good.
Didn't he know that Jin Liwei was the reigning king of the country's business world? Was it worth it to go against an elite like CEO Jin?
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1266
Emilio Miguel gave Jin Liwei a smile. To others, it was a beautiful angelic smile that meant he was conceding defeat. But to Jin Liwei, it was an evil smile filled with provocation.
"2 million, going once, going twice. Sold! Congratulations!"
There was loud applause as the other guests cheered for Jin Liwei's victory.
The person in question, however, was tense all over. His expression was cold and tight. He only eased when he felt his wife's soft hands trying to loosen his grip on the bidding paddle. The poor paddle was now bent out of shape.
"Thank you, darling," Iris whispered.
Jin Liwei took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He smiled at her.
"Anything for you," he said, even though he wasn't entirely sure what his wife was thanking him for.
Was it because he bid for her manuscript, wanting to keep it for himself?
Or was it because he was effectively giving away 2 million tonight for her charity?
Or maybe was it because he didn't snap at the impertinent asshole eyeing his wife right in front of him?
Or maybe all of the above?
He didn't really care about the reason. He was already happy to hear her sweet thanks. His mood was already improving just by feeling her gentle but firm touch in his hand in an effort to calm him down.
Although all he wanted was to teach the foreign asshole a lesson in not letting his blue eyes roam on someone else's wife in front of the husband, Jin Liwei still restrained his temper and allowed his wife to coax him to a calmer state. He didn't care about making a scene in front of other people, but what he wanted to avoid was stressing out his pregnant wife. That was big no-no.
For now, he decided to ignore the asshole who shared the same table as them. He would just find an opportunity to get back at the foreigner at another time.
Next up for bidding was Jin Liwei's item. It was a collection of 50-year old Irish whiskies.
This time, the starting price was already astronomical at 3 million.
Even Iris was surprised. She made a face and muttered, "Why do people pay so much money for something that tastes like gasoline?"
Jin Liwei chuckled. "That's just the way it is, love. Don't worry. I no longer drink it often."
In the end, the whisky collection fetched a final price of 7.5 million, the highest so far in the auction. Iris Long's original signed manuscript was the second highest at 2 million. Quite a big difference between the items.
The winning bidder was a businessman. The man was ecstatic and made sure to make eye contact with Jin Liwei afterwards.
Jin Liwei nodded at the man out of politeness which thrilled the businessman to no end.
Other items went up for auction afterwards but couldn't compare to Jin Liwei's whisky collection or even to Iris Long's manuscript. It seemed that there was a tacit agreement among the bidders not to break the husband and wife's "records".
The final item was an 18-carat solid gold pocket watch.
"To introduce this special item, please welcome to the stage our celebrant for the night, Mr. René Alejandro del Aguila!"
The emcee led the applause until the charming Spaniard arrived on the stage.
"Thank you, my friends."
René Alejandro showed of his twin dimples. He looked even more like a handsome prince charming under the spotlight. He gestured at the golden pocket watch inside a glass encasement wheeled on the stage.
"You might not see anything special about this pocket watch. Looks quite simple, no? But for me, it is very precious. This is actually a heirloom passed down through generations of heirs of Castillo de Estrellas. My father, the current vizconde, owned this until he passed it down to me."
People were shocked to learn that it was an actual heirloom. Something like that should be valuable and yet he was putting it up for auction?
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!" The gob-smacked Wei Lan almost fainted in disbelief. "Take it off the auction right now! Quick! Take it ooooooooooofffffffff!!!!!"
Iris and Jin Liwei left it to Randy to calm Wei Lan down before the woman fell into hysterics. The couple was also quite surprised at René Alejandro's decision to auction off a heirloom.
"I know that many of you are filled with questions," René Alejandro continued saying with a sheepish, dimpled smile. "My answer is that my father is the most charitable person that I know in my life. He might be an aristocrat but if he sees a person in need on the road, he will take off his shoes and even the clothes on his back to give to the other less fortunate person. I learned a lot of from him. This is an important heirloom, yes, but so what? At the end of the day, it is a mere watch. What is a watch compared to helping those who are in need? Surely, all of us here have come to raise money for my sister's foundation, Iris of Hope, and share our blessings to the less fortunate ones, no?
"Also please do not worry. I have received my father's approval to auction off this pocket watch today. He is very busy with his work but is already very supportive of his step-daughter's charitable foundation, as am I. If he could, I know that he would have loved to be here with all of us in person to help my new mother, Vizcondesa Lan, in running today's auction to help celebrate my humble birthday and raise money for my new sister's foundation. So please do not stand on ceremony. Bid away, yes?"
Wei Lan had real tears running down her face which she was dabbing away with her lace handkerchief. Watching such a valuable aristocratic heirloom being auctioned away was extremely painful to her heart!
Her husband and step-son were too generous! If they didn't want the heirloom, they could've just given it to her! Alas, it was already too late. Sob sob.
The starting price that the appraisers had given was a rather humble 100,000 RMB compared to Jin Liwei's whisky collection which started at an astronomical 3 million.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1267
Those who were more discerning knew that although the gold pocket watch was a precious heirloom, it still couldn't compare to Jin Liwei's top-quality Irish whisky collection. A big part of the reason was the different identities of the original owners.
Yes, the pocket watch might belong to a long line of aristocrats but the Spanish viscountcy of Castillo de Estrellas was not really a major noble house. If not for Wei Lan marrying the current viscount, then they wouldn't even know that such a viscountcy existed. It might be a different story if the title was in the level of a duke, or better yet, a royal.
In comparison, the people present tonight put more importance on an elite businessman like Jin Liwei especially because aristocracy had already been long abolished in the country. For them, Jin Liwei was the epitome of a modern business emperor whose wealth was literally helping to finance various important industries across the world.
An old-fashioned viscountcy was indeed fascinating but it wasn't something that most people like them would prioritize getting involved in. It was better to work on building closer connections with a modern man like Jin Liwei than antiquated foreign aristocrats.
Nevertheless, the guests wouldn't say these to René Alejandro's face. That would be too rude especially since they came tonight as guests for his special birthday celebration.
The bidding for the heirloom was also lively. Its price also climbed up in a short time. When the price reached half a million, the bidding started to stall.
"1 million!"
Everyone turned their heads and saw the extremely beautiful man lowering his paddle that he just used to make the latest bid. Emilio Miguel flashed them an angelic smile, effectively causing many minds to blank out.
René Alejandro frowned for a second but his dimpled smile never wavered. Nobody noticed this momentary change of expression except for two people sitting at the same tableâEmilio Miguel and Iris Long.
"1 million, going once, going twice. Sold! Congratulations!"
The bid was finalized with the sound of the gavel.
Emilio Miguel's otherworldly smile became brighter. His beauty became even more pronounced.
René Alejandro returned to their table. He was smiling as he shook Emilio Miguel's hand and congratulated him. Everyone gave them polite applause.
Wei Lan had a hopeful expression. She planned on asking Emilio Miguel later to give her the pocket watch. The man looked like an angel so maybe he also had a golden, generous heart.
It would be nice if she could get it without paying. She was determined to get her hands on the heirloom. It was an important heirloom of her husband's family. Now that she was married to her husband, she was also a part of his family, so the heirloom should also naturally belong to her.
While she was absorbed in her own fantasies, René Alejandro silently communicated with Emilio Miguel using their organization's own code.
René Alejandro: "You only come tonight to ruin my plans, no? That pocket watch is supposed to belong to one of the guests tonight so that I can build more connections!"
Emilio Miguel: "Stop bitching like a little girl, my cute little brother. I just want the pocket watch belonging to Uncle, that is all. There is no rule in the auction tonight forbidding me to join the bidding."
It was taking a lot of René Alejandro's self-control not to slug it out with the motherfucker. Ever since the leadership of their mission in this country was split between the two of them, René Alejandro was filled up with growing dissatisfaction.
His team had been slaving away to assist the Matador's team with whatever they needed and yet the motherfucker wasn't even reciprocating.
It was almost driving him crazy but the success of the organization's missions was the number one priority. Always. His personal feelings had no place in the grand scheme of things.
These thoughts calmed him down in an instant. Indeed, he only needed to do his part. His life didn't belong to him anyway. If he failed, only death, or more likely something that was worse than death, awaited him. He had no choice but to do everything to succeed even if that included putting up with an unbearable monster like the Matador.
His charming façade was effective. Nobody noticed anything amiss about him or the beautiful man sitting beside him.
Iris originally wanted to observe the two Spaniards longer but her drowsiness was getting worse.
"Let's go home?" Jin Liwei whispered to her ear.
She nodded.
They were about to excuse themselves to Wei Lan and René Alejandro when the emcee spoke again.
"I know that I mentioned before that Mr. Rene Alejandro's heirloom pocket watch will be the final item of the night but there has been a change. An additional item was put up at the last minute. I request our dear guests to please remain in your seats as we present the final item. I promise that this will really be the last!"
Iris paused before deciding to settle back on her seat. Jin Liwei was displeased at the unexpected change in schedule.
"Let's stay a little longer," she said. "It'll only be a few minutes."
"Fine."
The emcee introduced the next item. It turned out to be donated by Emilio Miguel.
Iris glanced at the beautiful man out of the corner of her eye. He caught her and sent her a blinding smile. She didn't react and quickly returned her gaze forward to the stage.
When the emcee lifted the cloth and revealed the item, everyone glanced at the large monitor to see a close-up look at the small item.
"This is a uniquely crafted, one-of-kind gold and silver smoking pipe shaped into a devil bejewelled with diamond, rubies, emeralds and obsidian. It is said that this special smoking pipe was commissioned by a wealthy Armenian merchant to impress his prospective father-in-law a long time ago but got beaten up instead because of its devil shape. When I first saw this pipe for the first time earlier tonight, I couldn't believe how luxurious it is made. Look at the exquisite details! I say, this is the grandfather of all smoking pipes!"
Iris paled as soon as she saw the item.. She couldn't tear her wide, shocked eyes away from the smoking pipe.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1268
Many were interested in the smoking pipe especially the men regardless of whether they smoked or not. They didn't care much if the story about the Armenian merchant was true or not. The most important thing was that the silver, gold and jewels used to craft the pipe were all authentic.
It was, simply put, one hell of a smoking pipe. Even the ladies thought that it was a beautiful work of art.
The starting price was at 200,000.
It was extremely expensive for a mere smoking pipe, but if it was treated as a piece of art or precious jewelry, then this price was acceptable.
"210,000!"
"250,000!"
"300,000!"
This time, the price jumps with each bid weren't too high. It seemed that there was a tacit agreement between the bidders to control the price and prevent it from becoming too expensive. It was the unplanned final item. Although some of them wanted it, they wouldn't spend too much unnecessary money to fight for it.
They thought that the gold pocket watch earlier had already been overpriced even if it was an aristocratic heirloom. One million was too much for such a simple item despite its fascinating history. Well, it wasn't their financial loss anyway. Some of them thought that Emilio Miguel was rather foolish for spending so much money on a simple pocket watch.
This devil-shaped bejewelled smoking pipe was certainly more valuable in terms of precious materials used. Even so, the bidders didn't want it to reach a price of a million like the pocket watch.
The current bidders were all men. They were quite relaxed as they raised their paddles, increasing the price little by little within what they felt was an acceptable level.
"310,000!"
The emcee waited for a few seconds but no other bids followed.
"310,000, going once, going twiceâ"
"1 million!!!"
Everyone turned their heads to where the new bid came from.
And did they hear it right?
Another item reaching a million?
In addition, the bidder was female?
"Love?" Jin Liwei was dumbfounded at his wife's actions.
Iris ignored him. No, she was unable to hear him. All her attention was on the smoking pipe on the stage. She gripped Jin Liwei's bidding paddle until its handle was crushed in her hand.
"Oh? I didn't know that Iris is so interested in my smoking pipe," Emilio Miguel drawled. "If I had known, I would've given it to you as a gift and donated something else for the auction."
Jin Liwei sent him a cold look but quickly focused his attention on his wife. Now that he was looking closely, something was very wrong.
On the outside, Iris looked quite calm except for her fierce eyes staring at the smoking pipe.
As her husband, however, Jin Liwei could sense her abnormal state. He held her hands. They were cold, sweaty, and trembling.
"We have to get it," she told him through gritted teeth without tearing her eyes away from the smoking pipe on the stage.
"Alright," he replied even though he didn't know why she was so adamant in winning the bid for a smoking pipe when she didn't even smoke.
His wife must have a good reason for acting this way. She didn't bid for anything the entire night and even stopped him from bidding on some jewelry that he wanted to win for her. He didn't expect that she would aim for something as unexpected as a smoking pipe.
Nobody else bid after her. They didn't dare not because of their unwillingness to shell out that much money for a smoking pipe but because they didn't want to earn CEO Jin Liwei's displeasure for going against his wife.
"1 million, going once, going twice. Sold! Congratulations!!!"
The auction finally ended but the party still continued. The guests milled around and chatted with each other while eating food and enjoying a variety of cocktails. Those who won the bids wore big smiles while still trying to act humble and saying that everything was for charity.
Iris and Jin Liwei didn't stay any longer. There were many who wanted to speak to them, specifically to Jin Liwei, but they had already slipped out before anyone could try to stop them.
They were in another room where Iris requested to receive the smoking pipe as soon as possible. The staff left the couple alone with Iris' original signed manuscript that Jin Liwei won and the smoking pipe that Iris wanted.
Iris' hands were shaking as she carefully opened the solid wood case. Inside was the bejewelled smoking pipe.
"Smoking devil," she whispered.
Jin Liwei had no idea what the hell was happening with his wife. "You know this?"
She faced him. Then a torrent of tears gushed down her eyes all of a sudden. She started wailing, startling him.
"What's wrong?" He pulled her in his embrace and did his best to calm her down. "Love? Xiulan? Evelina, tell me what's happening. Please!"
Then she fell slack in his arms. The smoking pipe fell to the carpeted floor but he didn't give a damn. He was now frightened as his wife fainting.
"Evelina!"
Dragon Palace Home #10.
An exhausted and grim Jin Liwei closed the bedroom door where his wife was now asleep. The doctor excused herself with her medical bag and left.
Jin Liwei glanced at his brother-in-law leaning by the window in the master suite's living area. In Lu Zihao's hand was the bejewelled smoking pipe that Jin Liwei believed to have caused his wife's collapse earlier at Wei Lan's house.
Cursed thing!
He disliked the smoking pipe. No, he abhorred it!
If something happened to his wife and their twins, he would command someone to pulverize the damned smoking pipe to dust and throw it to a pigsty.
"You say that it was René Alejandro's friend called Emilio Miguel who put up this smoking pipe for auction tonight?" Lu Zihao asked while stroking the pipe with his rough fingers.
"En." Jin Liwei headed to the mini-refrigerator and got himself a can of coconut water.
He was craving for beer right now but it had been a long time since there was any alcoholic beverages in the master suite. Coconut water would do. He tossed a can to his brother-in-law before chugging almost half of his own can.
Lu Zihao also drank his coconut water with one hand while studying the smoking pipe with his other hand.
"Smoking devil," he whispered.
"You know it, too?" Jin Liwei asked. "That's what Evelina called it before she fainted."
"It's what it is called."
Lu Zihao finished his can of coconut water in just a few swigs, crushed it in his big hand, and tossed it to the trash bin without even looking. The crushed tin can accurately went inside the trash bin.
"Explain," Jin Liwei said.
"The story about the Armenian merchant commissioning this smoking pipe to impress his father-in-law is bullshit," Lu Zihao replied.
"I figured as much."
"But it's true that this smoking pipe originated in Armenia."
Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He waited for his brother-in-law to clarify while sipping his coconut water.
Lu Zihao popped the pipe into his mouth and blew imaginary smoke into the air. The movement was so natural as if he had been doing it all his life.
"The Smoking Devil belonged to the heirs of Vetrovs."
He looked at Jin Liwei with his dark, fathomless eyes.
"It was mine."
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1269
Jin Liwei was stunned. He looked at the bejewelled Smoking Devil, then at his brother-in-law.
"So that's why," he murmured.
Now he understood why his wife became so emotional like that over a smoking pipe and even fainted as soon as she held it with her own hands. Anything that had to do with her past life as a Vetrov would always cause her state of mind to descend into chaos.
He placed the can of coconut water on the table. His appetite to drink was already lost.
"Do you know?" Lu Zihao continued speaking. "We have some Armenian blood in our paternal great-grandmother's side. That's why my father was named Arman. Very non-Russian."
Jin Liwei didn't know about this. His wife had never mentioned this. Maybe she didn't think it was that important.
"It was my great-grandmother who commissioned this pipe from an Armenian craftsman as a present for my great-grandfather. Of course, she wanted it to be shaped into a devil because that's what the Vetrovs areâthe devils."
Jin Liwei frowned. His wife had also been a Vetrov in her past life as Evelina. She certainly wasn't a devil.
Then Lu Zihao added, "Well, except for my sister. Evelinka was an angel, never a devil. A total anomaly among us, the Vetrovs."
Jin Liwei nodded. Indeed, his wife was an angel. The motherfucker Emilio Miguel's appearance had nothing on his wife's original beauty as Evelina Vetrova. He didn't care about what anybody said. His wife, no matter if it was her past or present self, was an ultimate beauty.
"So that's the real story." Lu Zihao tossed the Smoking Devil in the air and caught it just as easily with one hand. "The only thing the story given during the auction about this pipe is that it has something to do with Armenia, but other than that, the rest are bullshit."
"Are you 100% sure that pipe is the real Smoking Devil?" Jin Liwei asked.
Lu Zihao gave a devilish smirk. "Even if you doubt me, do you dare doubt my sister?"
Jin Liwei fell quiet. Of course not. He didn't doubt his wife but it was imperative that they were 100% certain that the smoking pipe indeed belonged to the Vetrovs.
"Then how did that asshole Emilio Miguel get his hands on that and even dared to put it up for auction tonight?" he asked.
"Damn if I know," Lu Zihao said, his tone dripping with poison. "I can only imagine how many people benefited from our family's treasures after our organization's downfall. This Smoking Devil surely won't be the last item belonging to the Vetrovs that we'll see in auctions, some motherfuckers' collections, and in the black market."
That was what Jin Liwei thought as well.
"Do people know the Smoking Devil belonged to the Vetrovs?"
Lu Zihao thought for a moment, frowning. "Maybe the older ones. Only my great-grandfather and grandfather used the pipe. My father and I didn't really smoke that much. We also treated the Smoking Devil as an heirloom to pass down to the next generation and not really something to personally use."
"I'm worried that Evelina might fall in danger for getting her hands on something that used to belong to the Vetrovs."
If Jin Liwei could think this, then of course Lu Zihao had already thought of this possibility as well.
"We'll protect Evelinka."
"Of course. Always." Jin Liwei felt that it was only natural. She was his wife after all.
"And Evelinka is not an easy target either. She was Fantom and now Drakon. Not to mention that she made those two devil cat spawns who inherited most of her hacking skills."
"Meowuwuwuwu! Uncle Haohao is such a super-duper to the highest level baddie! The cute and mighty Ketchup is not a devil cat spawn! Ketchup is Mommy and Daddy's precious kitty baby! Bacon is a big meanie but little brother is not a devil cat spawn either! Daddy, do you also think that Ketchup and Bacon are devil cat spawns like what Baddie Uncle Haohao said? Meowuwuwu!"
"Of course not," Jin Liwei reassured his AI daughter. "Don't mind your uncle."
"Tsk. Such a brat who eavesdrops and interrupts while the adults are talking deserve a spanking."
"Ketchup's bum-bum doesn't want to be spanked! MEOWUWUWUWU!!!"
Jin Liwei sighed and sent his brother-in-law an annoyed look. Lu Zihao didn't give a damn.
Fortunately, it was very easy to coax Ketchup. If it were Bacon, they would definitely had to shell out some premium money to compensate the kid for his never-ending "emotional distress".
Bacon was not present because he was working overtime with ShaWn to dig for more information about Emilio Miguel and how the man had the Smoking Devil, something that originally belonged to the Vetrovs, in his possession.
"Leave Emilio Miguel to Shadow Winds," Lu Zihao said. "We don't know how the Smoking Devil fell into his hands. It might be by chanceâmeaning, he might not have any direct involvement with the Vetrovs' demise. But it's better to be safe than sorry especially since it's now known that Evelinka successfully won the pipe at the auction. If that Emilio Miguel really did have some involvement with my family's downfall...."
Lu Zihao released a deadly bloodthirsty aura.
"I'll make him and everyone involved in the massacre experience what the true devil from hell is like."
Jin Liwei closed his eyes but his brother-in-law's evil expression had already been deeply imprinted in his mind.
"Stay away from him," Lu Zihao reminded. "If he's dangerous and really involved in the underworld, then my Shadow Winds will deal with him."
"En."
Jin Liwei initially wanted to help in investigating the man but remembered that he and his brother-in-law had already long split their roles in protecting Iris (Evelina) and the rest of their family.
He would be in charge of protecting in the "light", a.k.a. the legal world, while Lu Zihao would guard them in the "dark", a.k.a. the criminal underworld.
It just meant that Lu Zihao and his Shadow Winds would take care of most of the dirty work while Jin Liwei had the responsibility of maintaining his prestige as Jin Corporation's President-CEO in order to have the legal power and influence to protect his wife and all their loved ones, including his brother-in-law if needed.
His Genius Wife is a Superstar Chapter 1270
The next day, Jin Liwei gave himself a day off. Both he and Lu Zihao were on edge about Iris' emotional state after waking up.
Contrary to their expectations, Iris woke up quite calm. Too calm, in fact, that she was making the two men extremely nervous.
She noticed that her husband and older brother were acting extra cautious around her but chose not to comment.
It was only after the doctor performed another check-up on her and the twins and concluded that the mother and babies were all okay that Jin Liwei's tenseness eased a little.
Afterwards, she called the two men over for a chat.
Inside the master suite's living area, she observed them while nibbling on a homemade biscuit.
"Where the Smoking Devil?" she asked.
Lu Zihao put his hand inside his pants' pocket and fished out the bejewelled smoking pipe.
Iris raised an eyebrow. "You bring it with you just like that?"
"It's mine." Lu Zihao shrugged.
"I paid a million for it so shouldn't it be mine now?"
Lu Zihao grunted before fishing out his phone from his pocket next. A few seconds later, Iris received a mobile notification informing her of a 1 million RMB transfer from him.
She sighed and didn't bother arguing with her brother. Fine. Since he wanted it and even paid her, then he could have it. The Smoking Devil originally belonged to him anyway.
Jin Liwei pulled her to him. "Are you really okay?"
No matter how many times he had witnessed his wife fainting, he would never stop worrying about her. He had really been frightened last night when she lost consciousness in his arms.
Iris kissed his cheek. "I'm really fineâphysically. Emotionally, I admit that I'm unnerved but I think I can manage. You're here with me, so I know that I'll be okay."
"En." He pecked her lips.
Lu Zihao snorted and refused to watch the annoying public displays of affection between his sister and her husband. He would never admit even to himself that their intimate actions were causing him to miss his fiancée.
He wondered how Long Jinjing was doing at work. She had been very understanding when he left their bed at her place last night to rush to Dragon Palace after hearing that something serious had happened to Iris. In fact, she also wanted to come with him but he told her to stay home after learning that his sister fainted because of the Smoking Devil.
Long Jinjing now knew about his criminal background as the leader of Shadow Winds and even accepted everything in order to stay with him. However, that didn't mean that Lu Zihao was prepared to reveal his past life as Nikolai Vetrov to her.
Lu Zihao, a small-time crime boss, was a completely different story than Nikolai Vetrov, the crown prince of the top criminal organization in the international underworld.
The gap between the two identities was like the difference between the ground and the sky.
His thoughts and the Jin couple's PDA were interrupted by Ketchup informing them that René Alejandro was calling.
The two men's expressions turned ugly. Before Iris could make a decision, Jin Liwei had already refused the call.
In the end, René Alejandro could only leave a voice mail expressing his sincerest apologies for Emilio Miguel's rudeness last night. He also inquired about Iris' health especially after hearing that she fainted.
Jin Liwei didn't have any serious animosity towards René Alejandro. Although he was suspicious of the Spaniard's too-squeaky-clean background on paper and intentions in trying to be close to them, he had decided to adapt a cautious yet still polite attitude towards him.
But after what happened last night, his impression of René Alejandro worsened because of Emilio Miguel. He didn't give a damn if almost everyone at the party last night thought that the man looked like a beautiful angel. For Jin Liwei, Emilio Miguel was an asshole.
Not only did the man look inappropriately at his wife during their first meeting but he also brought something that originally belonged to the Vetrovs for the auction, causing his wife to collapse.
The first reason was unacceptable while the second reason was extremely suspicious and even dangerous.
Although a part of Jin Liwei approved of René Alejandro's initiative to apologize today, he still felt furious about what happened to his wife at the Spaniard's birthday party. If only his wife had listened to him and opted not to personally attend. Maybe this wouldn't have happened.
But on second thought, he had to admit that it might be fate. What were the odds that his wife, a real Vetrov descendant in her past life, would encounter an authentic Vetrov heirloom in an auction for her own charitable foundation?
Prior to this, his wife often avoided confronting her past life as a Vetrov as much as possible. Now that a real, tangible item from her past life had popped up right in front of her, maybe he could help her to face her deep trauma and hopefully heal her once and for all.
Since René Alejandro had a connection in what happened last night, Jin Liwei hadn't closed all doors to the Spaniard yet. For the sake of knowing more information and possibly finding a helpful connection to the Vetrovs, he was willing to speak again to René Alejandro, but only after his anger had eased.
As for René Alejandro's friend, Emilio Miguel...Jin Liwei could only feel hostility and vigilance. He didn't want to have anything to do with the asshole, to be honest.
Lu Zihao's thoughts were similar to Jin Liwei's but more extreme.
He was completely hostile against René Alejandro but it was more akin to something like instinctive competitiveness rather than pure hatred.
To Emilio Miguel, he hadn't personally met the man yet but he already loathed him for possessing something that originally belonged to him in the past life as Nikolai Vetrov. He wanted to know more about the motherfucker.
If Emilio Miguel really had something to do with the massacre of the Vetrovs, he would bet his cursed life and fight to the death before dragging the motherfucker to hell with him.