Chapter 136: 1351 - 1360

Chapter 1351 - Regal Calmness

As someone who had the original Long Xiulan's memories, Iris could sense the similarities between the original and her eldest twin son more intensely than others. It was like seeing another version of herself through her son, even though that self wasn't even her own but the original Long Xiulan.

Like what Jin Liwei said just now, Little Mochi was also making her appreciate the original Long Xiulan. Even though she, Evelina, had already long taken over the life of Long Xiulan, the original's presence could still be felt in many different ways. The most noticeable was in her eldest twin son, Little Mochi's personality.

Iris and Jin Liwei were both determined not to make the same mistake as Wei Lan and Long Tengfei. Given what happened to the original Long Xiulan with her personality, they already had a clue what to do in order to prevent Little Mochi from following in her footsteps.

They just had to do the opposite of what Wei Lan and Long Tengfei did when raising the original Long Xiulan. Well, what they did couldn't really be called "raising". But that was the point.

Iris and Jin Liwei would make sure to "raise" Little Mochi properly, and of course, all their other children as well (human, feline and canine) to the best of their abilities.

Thinking about their children was very effective in distracting Iris from worrying about Lu Zihao and Long Jinjing.

Jin Liwei was relieved to see his wife's expression softening and even brightening when talking about their family. Deep inside, however, he was still extremely upset at Long Jinjing for blaming his wife.

###

It had already been a week since Lu Zihao fell into coma. Long Jinjing basically lived in the hospital wing. If not for remembering that she still had babies, she wouldn't even leave her husband's side for a second.

All this time, she and Iris never spoke with each other again. Even when Dom and their other friends tried to mediate between the two, nobody budged.

Iris acted as if Long Jinjing didn't exist even when they happened to pass by each other in the hallway. As for Long Jinjing, she tried to avoid Iris as much as possible.

The atmosphere in the mansion was very awkward.

Long Jinjing wanted to leave this place but the doctor advised her that it was better for Lu Zihao to stay in the mansion's hospital wing. The equipment and facilities here weren't any inferior to the best hospitals in the country. Also, they could invite the best medical specialists using Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu's names anytime.

She knew this but it was still hard to feel comfortable staying here especially after she lashed out at her sister a week ago. After so many days, she had already reflected on her behaviour back then. She wanted to apologize to her sister but seeing how Iris ignored her like she didn't exist always made Long Jinjing timid. Whenever this happened, she would back out from her initial intention of apologizing and end up avoiding Iris.

Even Ketchup and Bacon refused to interact with her. They wouldn't show up no matter how many times she called for them. It was understandable because the two considered themselves as Iris' children. They were only siding with their own parent.

Back in the hospital room, Long Jinjing held her husband's big hand and rubbed it against her cheek. She could feel the rough ridges of his scars on her delicate skin and they gave her some comfort. His hand was heavy but she didn't mind. As long as it was warm and still had throbbing pulse, her hope that he would wake up would remain alive.

"Please wake up soon," Long Jinjing whispered.

Lu Zihao looked like he was only sleeping and would wake up at any moment. She had been waiting for a week but he still failed to wake up. Each passing day was like torture.

"Little Misha and Little Dima miss their daddy very much. I also miss you so much. Nikolai, please don't let us wait too long. If you continue to be like this, our babies will eventually forget what you look like."

Nothing.

He didn't stir at all.

"You know...I quarreled with my sister after you fought with her. Now she's...ignoring me. Bacon and Ketchup also won't talk to me. I feel...horrible."

Tears flowed down her face.

"Wake up soon, you jerk! How long will you continue to sleep? Hurry and wake up! Help me fix all this mess that you left me with Xiulan!"

She wiped her tears in an angry and clumsy way.

"Fine! I'll apologize to Xiulan right now! So you...you better wake up, okay? Don't go back on our deal or I'll...I'll bite you! Wake up after I apologize to my sister. Okay, Nikolai?"

Like before, there was no change in his state. He remained in coma.

Long Jinjing pouted. She pressed her trembling lips on her husband's cheek before leaving the hospital wing.

She found her sister in the nursery room with the nannies.

The Jin twins were already rolling over on the carpet. Little Mochi's excited laughter and energetic coos filled the room. He would always look at everyone after a successful roll-over, asking for lots of praises. On the other hand, Little Matcha was in his own little world and didn't care much about all the noise that his eldest twin brother was causing. He looked like a little soldier training in a boot camp as he focused on rolling over again and again.

As for the Lu twins, they were currently drinking milk. A nanny was in charge of Little Misha while Iris was bottle-feeding Little Dima.

Long Jinjing paused at the doorway. Iris swept her a glance before ignoring her. Despite this, Long Jinjing felt choked up with emotion because her sister still continued to care for Little Misha and Little Dima without any prejudice.

One of the nannies couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Mrs. Lu, would you like to come in?"

Long Jinjing caught herself and nodded. She entered the room and took over in bottle-feeding Little Misha from the other nanny. Her hand trembled a little when holding the bottle because she knew that it contained her sister's breast milk.

After feeding the Lu twins, the two of them handed the babies to the nannies.

Iris played with her own twins next before moving to leave the nursery.

"Wait!" Long Jinjing called before she realized what she was doing.

Iris paused and looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Uhm, Xiulan...can we...uh, speak for a moment...in private?" Long Jinjing stammered.

"Sure, why not?" Iris kissed Little Mochi and Little Matcha before leaving.

Long Jinjing followed her. They didn't go far and stayed in a nearby sitting area where the kids were introduced to their puppies.

Iris sat down, leaned on the sofa and crossed her legs. There was no expression on her face except for regal calmness.

She looked like a queen.

Her aura wasn't overbearing at all but it still caused Long Jinjing tremendous pressure. There had been several times before that Iris emanated this kind of majestic aura in the past but this was the first time Long Jinjing felt it so closely and so deeply.

Long Jinjing was unsure if it was because she didn't notice it more carefully before or if Iris' aura had become stronger.

"How's Big Brother?" Iris asked after waiting for so long and yet Long Jinjing still didn't speak.

"He's...still not awake yet." Long Jinjing's eyes watered.

Iris cast her gaze down. There still wasn't any change in her expression but Long Jinjing managed to catch her subtle action. She knew that her younger sister was also worried about Lu Zihao but just wasn't expressing it like she did.

"Xiulan...."

Iris looked at her again.

"I'm sorry." Long Jinjing bit her lower lip as she waited for a reply.

Iris didn't answer for a full five seconds. Then she said, "Alright."

That was it.

Long Jinjing waited for more but Iris didn't saying anything else. "To be honest, I wasn't really blaming you. I was just...upset. I'm sorry that I lashed out at you. That wasn't my intention. I'm really sorry, Xiulan."

This time, Iris' lips finally curved up in a subtle smile. Long Jinjing found herself exhaling the breath she didn't notice that she was holding.

"I accept your apology," Iris told her.

"I wanted to apologize to you sooner but...I was...uhm, intimidated."

"Intimidated? By who?" Iris raised an eyebrow.

"By you."

Iris looked surprised.

Long Jinjing pouted. "You looked so....scary...and you were ignoring me. I didn't have the courage to approach you."

"Scary? I don't think that I'm scary. I was just acting like my normal self." Well, her normal self as Evelina—calm, quiet and a little cold. "Also, I wasn't ignoring you. I was trying to give you space."

"Oh." Long Jinjing knew that she misunderstood her sister.

"Do you feel better now?" Iris asked.

"Yes, a bit. Well, a lot. Uhm, not really. I'm still so worried about Ni—Zihao."

"I understand." Iris sighed before her eyes flashed with certainty. "Big Brother will be fine. I'm sure of it. He's not a quitter. He'll definitely wake up soon. There's no way that he'll miss the growth of his sons. He adores Little Misha and Little Dima. And of course, you."

Long Jinjing's cheeks turned pink but she still nodded. Indeed, even when her husband kept on calling their twin sons "brats", he did it with affection. And as a husband, he was very supportive of her especially during this trying time when her self-esteem and overall mental state weren't the best.

Lu Zihao was definitely not the ideal husband or even father material unlike Jin Liwei, but he had already gone far beyond Long Jinjing's initial expectations of him. He had been doing his best for their little family and that was more than enough for her.

Chapter 1352 - Beautiful Family

Long Jinjing couldn't imagine being with another man other than Lu Zihao now. If their marriage ended up failing in the future—of course, she always prayed that this would never happen—she considered spending the rest of her life alone without entertaining suitors. She would just dedicate her time and energy on raising her children and improving herself as a career woman.

Without a doubt, Lu Zihao had become the love of her life. She loved him so much that it literally hurt just imagining her life without him by her side.

This was why she had been unable to stop herself from lashing out at Iris when Lu Zihao became comatose. All the fear, anger and panic overwhelmed her so much to the point that she had to release them or go insane. It was unfortunate that her sister became the most convenient target for her volcanic emotions.

Now that she apologized to Iris and resolved the misunderstandings between them, the invisible pressure weighing down on her had lightened up a lot. She didn't expect that the conversation with her sister would go this smoothly.

"Thank you, Xiulan." A drop of tear flowed down her face.

Iris grabbed a box of tissue from the side table and handed it to her. Long Jinjing wiped her watery eyes and smiled at her sister.

"By the way, I already finished the custom configurations of your new house's surveillance system," Iris said. "Bacon will be in charge of it. He's excited to help protect his twin cousins."

Long Jinjing's eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you so much!" Then she became a little unsure. "I think Bacon and Ketchup are upset with me. They haven't spoken to me since we fought."

Iris sighed, shaking her head. "Everything should be fine now. They were just throwing a bit of tantrum for my sake. Their dad...."

"I get it." Long Jinjing smiled in understanding.

Her brother-in-law, Jin Liwei, must be feeling upset with her after she blamed Iris for causing Lu Zihao to fall into coma. Bacon and Ketchup must have followed their father's example and refused to interact with her. Long Jinjing didn't blame them. Even she would cringe whenever she remembered how she blamed her sister for what happened to her husband.

After a moment of hesitation, she called out to the air, "Bacon? Ketchup?"

"Aunt Jinjing," Bacon answered in the next second.

"The cute and mighty Ketchup is in the house! Meow-yeah!"

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.

"Since Aunt Jinjing already made up with Mother, Bacon is not angry anymore."

"Don't worry, macaroni! Ketchup is filled with so much cuteness and mightiness that there is no space to hold a grudge against Auntie Jinjing for too long. Love ya, Auntie Jinjing! Please don't fight with my mommy anymore. Mwah mwah tsup tsup! Meow~"

"Thanks, Bacon and Ketchup."

Long Jinjing felt relieved. It was like the air she was breathing felt fresher.

That night, Iris told her husband about her conversation with Long Jinjing. Jin Liwei didn't react much.

"Don't be angry at her anymore," she said. "Okay, darling?"

He made a sound of assent.

She pouted and coaxed him with some hugs and kisses. He took advantage of the situation and changed the mood into something more sensual.

They only stopped when Little Mochi's loud, demanding wail interrupted them.

Jin Liwei sighed. It was always their eldest twin son who interrupted their sexy time. He gave his wife another hard, deep kiss and her butt a light squeeze before changing Little Mochi's diaper.

Truth be told, he was still a little upset with Long Jinjing. Not kicking her out of his home after what she did to his wife was already the limit of his kindness to the woman.

Now that Long Jinjing apologized to his wife, his anger had reduced a lot but a bit still remained. Maybe it was because he didn't personally witness the apology.

Well, it didn't matter what he felt about the situation. His wife already made up with Long Jinjing. It wasn't like he could force his wife to continue being at odds with the woman.

Perhaps he was being petty by nursing this little bit of grudge but his wife would always remain his main priority. Anyone who offended her would automatically become his enemy. He was angry at Long Jinjing but he was also angry at Lu Zihao.

The things that Lu Zihao said to Iris were more hurtful than what Long Jinjing said. Despite this, Jin Liwei still wouldn't wish something ill to happen to his brother-in-law. As a matter of fact, he wished that Lu Zihao would wake up from coma soon so that the two of them could talk man to man.

Jin Liwei was distracted with his own thoughts while changing his eldest twin son's diaper. He didn't notice the mischievous glint in Little Mochi's eyes. Before he knew it, a jet of pee hit him.

Only his quick reflexes allowed him to move his face out of the way at the last second. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the rest of his body. Everything from the neck down didn't escape from the sudden pee attack.

"Jin Haoyu!" Jin Liwei stood there in disbelief as he looked down at his pee-stained self.

Little Mochi giggled. He farted, too.

Even the well-behaved Little Matcha laughed at his daddy's current state.

"What happened?" Iris asked as she came out of the walk-in closet where she had been organizing the new apparel products from Orchidia Baby for Little Mochi and Little Matcha to try.

Jin Liwei didn't answer. He just showed her the front of his clothes soaked with their eldest twin son's pee.

Iris paused before doubling over in laughter. Hearing their mommy's lovely laughter, the twins laughed harder.

The target of the mother and sons' laughter, Jin Liwei—poor guy, couldn't maintain his annoyance for too long. His mouth twitched before he, too, chuckled.

Sighing, he could only clean up Little Mochi's mess and continue changing the naughty baby's diaper. It was only then that he removed his clothes and took a quick shower. He wanted his wife to join him but there needed to be someone watching the kids so she stayed with the babies instead while he showered.

No matter how annoyed Jin Liwei felt, happiness and contentment still filled his heart. The family that he managed to build with his wife was something he never could have imagined when he was still a bachelor.

Back then, he thought that he would just marry anyone that his mother or grandmother arranged for him when he couldn't avoid it anymore. He never felt sexually attracted to anyone in the past. He thought that he could at least force himself to bed whoever became his wife even if he didn't love the woman or felt attracted to her in any way.

Marriage and having children were just duties to him to continue the family line.

It was only when he met his wife that everything in his life suddenly felt alive and colourful. He never thought that he would become this passionate for a woman. It turned out that he always had this capability. He just hadn't met the right person yet until his wife came along.

After showering, he watched as his wife sang an English lullaby to their twins. It didn't take long before Little Mochi and Little Matcha sank into dreamland.

Iris kissed each of her babies. Then a pair of strong arms hugged her from behind. She turned her head and Jin Liwei kissed her.

The kiss was soft and slow. The sensuality would always be there, but this time, it was more to demonstrate their contentment with each other.

"Thank you, Evelina," Jin Liwei told her after their mouths separated.

"For what?" She turned around so that they were facing each other.

"For giving me a beautiful family."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Likewise. I'm also very grateful to you for giving me this beautiful family."

They were about to dive into another kiss when Little Mochi woke up and interrupted them again with another wail.

Jin Liwei looked up at the ceiling in resignation while Iris went to figure out what their fussy eldest twin son wanted.

It took a while for her to finally realize what Little Mochi wanted. He settled down and immediately returned to sleep after she gave him a small stuffed teddy bear.

"Little Mochi must be missing his Big Sister Ice Cream," Iris murmured while caressing their fussy baby.

"Ice Cream has her own schedule," Jin Liwei said. "Tonight is with her Lu cousins. I'm sure that she'll be back to accompany her baby brothers tomorrow night."

Iris chuckled.

Ice Cream adored her twin baby brothers and twin baby cousins. She rarely left the babies on their own. On the other hand, Popcorn still wasn't too interested in the babies. He still preferred his older cousin, Little Jun, who could actively play with him every single day. Perhaps when the babies became a little older, Popcorn would also accompany them more along with Little Jun.

"Second Brother Yingjie will be coming to take a look at Nikolai tomorrow," Jin Liwei mentioned after they climbed on their bed.

"Oh." Iris nodded. "That's good. I doubt that he'll find anything new but we never know. I'd rather have Second Brother, someone we trust, to take a look at my brother than a stranger. What if other doctors insist on studying my brother's condition? That's something we want to avoid at all costs. I might even be implicated because I already experienced this before."

He hugged her. "Don't worry, love. I won't allow anyone to study you or your brother. I'll always protect you."

She smiled. "I know."

Chapter 1353 - Welcome Back to the Living

The next day, Wang Yingjie came and took a look at the comatose Lu Zihao with the mansion's private doctor. He didn't find anything new as expected. Despite this, he remained optimistic because he had already personally witnessed this kind of case in both Lu Zihao himself, and of course, Iris.

"Fifth Brother's brain waves are very active," he said. "He's seemingly unresponsive to outside stimuli but it's clear that he's dreaming a lot based on his brain's activity rate. At least, I see no damage in his brain. This is very similar to his brain scans during his previous coma. Oh, and Xiulan's, too."

Long Jinjing and Grandpa Lu hung on to Wang Yingjie's every word. Iris and Jin Liwei were also present.

Wang Yingjie looked at the private doctor. "I'm more familiar with Fifth Brother and Third Sister-in-law's very similar medical cases. Although we haven't figured out the exact cause why the two have a tendency to fall into coma now and then, we already know that the common denominator between the two of them is their history of experiencing severe injuries that left them comatose for the first time—almost dead, basically. Both of them also experienced some drastic changes in their personalities after they miraculously woke up. Just like before, we can only conclude that their tendency to fall into coma might be one of the sequelae both of them need to live with after their life-altering injuries back then. All of these are just deductions, nothing concrete yet."

He was speaking to everyone but his gaze was on Iris. "If you all want more definite answers than what I'm providing you right now, then Fifth Brother and Third Sister-in-law Xiulan must consent to letting me and maybe some of my medical peers to study the two of them."

Jin Liwei frowned and pulled his wife closer to him. "Absolutely not."

Wang Yingjie sighed but didn't insist. He already expected this answer.

"I don't want to become a test subject," Iris said. "I'm sure that Big Brother won't want to become one either."

Long Jinjing bit her lower lip. Like Grandpa Lu, she wanted more definite answers than mere assumptions but couldn't argue at what Iris said. Knowing her husband, Lu Zihao would most likely flip out if she tried persuading him to become a medical case study.

Grandpa Lu narrowed his wizened eyes at Iris. She wasn't unnerved at all and looked back calmly at the old man. He harrumphed but didn't try forcing her into anything that she didn't want to do.

"May I speak to Big Brother?" Iris asked Long Jinjing.

Long Jinjing hesitated before nodding. "You can go in now. Grandpa Lu and I will continue talking here to Second Brother and the doctor."

Iris and Jin Liwei entered the hospital room together. She sat on the chair beside the bed and studied her unconscious brother. Jin Liwei stood behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, silently sending her his support.

Lu Zihao's features had become sharper as he lost some weight after being unconscious for this long. His impressive muscles were all still there, but if he remained in coma for longer, then he would surely lose some of them.

"Big Brother, I'm here," Iris spoke in Russian.

No response.

"I just want to tell you...that I'm not sorry for all the things I said to you when we fought. I meant everything I said that day. I still believe that...you should prioritize your family over the need to avenge what happened to us back then."

Silence.

Iris sighed but wasn't dejected. "As for me, I'm now willing to face my past life unlike before. But it's only because I want to protect the family that I built with Liwei, so I don't want anything from our past life to interfere with my happiness right now. This is not revenge but a self-defence mechanism. I'm not saying that your method of dealing with our past life is wrong and I'm right or vice versa. My point is that I prefer for us to focus more on living in the present to the best of our abilities especially since both of us already have our own families. We have spouses who'll be heartbroken if something bad happens to us, and of course, young children who depend on us.

"Hopefully, this time, I'm able to convey my point to you more clearly than the last time. I hope that you'll understand where I'm coming from. It's not that I'm criticizing you. I'm just worried about you and your family. I don't want us siblings to lose each other again. One time is enough. I don't want to experience it a second time. I'm sure that your wife and children wouldn't want to lose their husband and father either. Please understand, Big Brother."

Her eyes reddened but she was able to control her emotions better this time. She continued to observe her unconscious brother, hoping to detect any tiny signs that he might wake up soon. No such luck, unfortunately.

She touched his hand. It felt cool to the touch and rough from the scars. "Please wake up. Your wife looks terrible from worrying day and night about you. At this rate, she'll waste away just like you."

As usual, there was still no response.

Iris glanced at her husband. Jin Liwei rubbed her shoulders, comforting her.

"Let's go?" she asked.

"En, in a minute," he replied. "Let me talk to my brother-in-law first."

"Okay."

Jin Liwei moved and stood right by the bed. He looked down at the unconscious man lying on the hospital bed.

Right at this moment, Lu Zihao didn't look intimidating at all. He looked almost the same as Jin Liwei's original fifth brother, the one he grew up with since childhood.

Jin Liwei's heart softened at this thought but once again hardened upon remembering that the man in front of him was no longer his fifth brother but his brother-in-law instead.

"Nikolai," he called in a soft, measured tone.

No response.

No surprise there.

Jin Liwei leaned a little over the bed. "It's fine if you want to stay comatose like this."

Iris frowned when she heard what he said but didn't say anything for now. She waited what else her husband was going to say to her brother.

"As your brother-in-law, I can at least afford to have you taken care of in this hospital wing for as long as you want. Years, decades, no matter how long you want to waste away in this bed, it's no problem. This is the least I can do for my wife's brother."

"Liwei," Iris interrupted, unable to stop herself anymore.

He gestured for her to trust him. She hesitated but still acquiesced. Nevertheless, she was ready to force him to stop if needed.

Jin Liwei continued speaking to Lu Zihao, "Just so you know, your wife, Long Jinjing, is still young. Your children are also still young. It's not impossible for her to give up on you especially since none of us are sure when you'll wake up again. Long Jinjing is not bad. She's also quite successful in her career. Only a blind and foolish man will dismiss someone like her.

"When she moves on from you, she'll surely get together with another man. Then your children, Little Misha and Little Dima, will grow up calling and treating another man their father. Maybe they will also change their last name from Lu into something else. I guess it doesn't matter to you whether they change their last name or not because you yourself don't like being Lu Zihao anyway. You prefer to go back being Nikolai Vetrov.

"Don't worry, Nikolai. Your sister and I will continue to dote on your children as our beloved nephews even when they start calling another man their father. They might also have other siblings—half-siblings when Long Jinjing gives birth to her new man's children. I'm sure everything will be okay. Rest assured that Evelina and I won't let your children be bullied by their step-father and step-siblings."

Iris was staring at her husband in disbelief. She was too speechless to stop him from going too far. At the same time, what he said wasn't completely impossible. That was the crazy part. Everything sounded logical.

Although Long Jinjing was extremely devoted to Lu Zihao right now, who was to say that she would remain this way if her husband failed to wake up from coma after a long time? What if she really met another man who would give her what Lu Zihao couldn't?

Iris was confused why her husband would goad her brother like this right now. It didn't seem right but she still chose to trust him. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and continue to watch her husband's antics.

"What do you think of Alric Bauer?" Jin Liwei asked. "The man is smart and respects Long Jinjing. What's more, they work in the same company together. It's not impossible for something to develop between the two of them."

Iris' jaw fell.

"What about Amanpio Kileksky? Now this man is many times smarter than Alric. He's a certified genius just like my wife. He's not a bad choice either. A little crazy but what do you expect from a genius?"

Iris glared at him. She looked a little offended.

"Who else? Hmmm. Oh, right. There's also René Alejandro. Didn't he happen to meet Long Jinjing in a store somewhere and even helped her choose a gift for you? Although he's suspicious, he has always treated Long Jinjing with courtesy. If we can prove that the man is really clean, perhaps—"

"Shut...the fuck...up," a hoarse voice interrupted him.

Iris covered her mouth and gasped. Her eyes welled with tears.

Jin Liwei smirked. "Welcome back to the living, asshole."

Chapter 1354 - Hallucination

The hospital room became crowded after Wang Yingjie and the private doctor finished examining Lu Zihao. When he woke up earlier, the two doctors entered immediately and kicked out Iris and Jin Liwei, leaving no time for Long Jinjing to see her husband.

Finally, she was able to see an awake Lu Zihao. She threw herself on him and sobbed.

Lu Zihao wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed and patted her back, stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead. These were his ways of comforting her because he wasn't good with saying any sweet, romantic words.

"Thank the heavens that you're awake!" Long Jinjing cried on his chest. "I'm so glad that you're fine! I was so...w-worried about you!"

"I know." He tried wiping her overflowing tears with his hand but his movements were too clumsy.

After being comatose for this long, he felt a little weak. Well, to be honest, he was so weak that he already felt exhausted after being awake for not even an hour. He wouldn't admit it, though.

"How are my sons?" he asked instead.

Long Jinjing smiled through her tears. "Little Misha and Little Dima have gotten bigger. They miss their daddy so much!"

"I want to see them."

"Of course! I'll have the nannies bring them to you immediately!" Then she paused. "Wait. I have to ask the doctor first if it's okay...."

Wang Yingjie who stayed with them in the hospital room replied, "You can bring the babies later. For now, let's not overwhelm Fifth Brother with too much stimuli."

"Oh, okay. I'll listen to you, Second Brother." Long Jinjing was very obedient.

Grandpa Lu stepped forward and examined his grandson from head to toe. "How are you feeling, Haohao my boy? Any pain? Discomfort? Tell me, I want to know!"

"I'm fine, old man," Lu Zihao replied.

"Calling your beloved grandpa 'old man' again! If you didn't just wake up from coma and make Jinjing my girl cry so much, I'll hit you right now, you dunderhead! Hmph!" Grandpa Lu pretended to be angry but it was clear from his shaky, booming voice that he was still shaken at what happened to his grandson.

Long Jinjing couldn't stop looking at her husband's face. It was as if she wanted to make sure that he was really awake, that this was real, and that she wasn't dreaming.

"Is it true that you woke up because of Brother-in-law Liwei?" she asked.

Grandpa Lu and Wang Yingjie were also very interested. They pricked their ears and listened.

Lu Zihao glanced at Jin Liwei who was sitting on the couch with his sister. He sneered.

"What does that mean?" Long Jinjing asked. She was confused at the expression he made just now. "Is it not true?"

He snorted but still said through gritted teeth, "It's true."

"Oh." She looked at Jin Liwei. "Thank you so much, Brother-in-law."

"En." Jin Liwei nodded and accepted her thanks. His tone was cool and even a little distant.

This irked Lu Zihao. Remembering what the man told him while he was unconscious angered him even more.

Iris and Jin Liwei stood up. They excused themselves to give Lu Zihao and Long Jinjing some alone time. Grandpa Lu and Wang Yingjie followed suit.

Now that the husband and wife were alone in the hospital room, Long Jinjing grabbed her husband's head and smashed their mouths together.

There was no sexual desire in the kiss at all, just desperate yearning and pure gratefulness that her other half was alive and well.

Lu Zihao felt too weak to bring the kiss into an erotic territory. He was also happy to see his wife again.

The journey he went through within his consciousness during his coma felt like forever. He was actually surprised he had only been comatose for this long. To him, it felt much longer—like years long, maybe even decades.

He couldn't remember everything that he experienced while he was in coma this time. All he knew was that he felt exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally, and yes, even spiritually.

As for the things he remembered, they were too overwhelming for him right now. He needed some time to process them first.

It felt good, though. He felt good despite everything that happened.

There were still a lot of things that he needed to figure out, but at least for now, he was no longer filled with too much negative thoughts and emotions. The chaos that exploded within him and caused him to go into another coma had now calmed down a lot.

He caressed his wife's face. She lost some weight and had dark under eyes. The pallor of her skin showed that she had been unable to take care of herself properly while he was in coma. This upset him.

His chest tightened as he began to worry about her health. Knowing how much the woman loved him, he could only imagine how she neglected her own wellbeing while waiting for him to wake up. He had a lot of things to say to her but didn't want to scold her right way when he just awakened.

"I'm hungry," was what he ended up saying instead.

Long Jinjing smiled. "Wait here a bit. I'll call the kitchen and ask them to cook some soup or porridge for you."

He frowned. "I want meat."

"You can't, Nikolai."

In the end, he could only eat plain congee. It was extremely unsatisfying but his wife wouldn't budge at all. His only consolation was that he enjoyed being personally spoon-fed by Long Jinjing.

After the small meal, Lu Zihao felt his eyelids becoming heavy. He couldn't stop his drowsiness.

Long Jinjing gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep for now. I'll bring Little Misha and Little Dima to see you after you wake up. They're a lot bigger and fatter now."

"Hm, good." He was already half-asleep.

"I love you, Nikolai," she whispered as his eyes fell close.

"Love you, too," he murmured.

Long Jinjing froze and stared at him in disbelief. Her IQ crashed into a level below that of an amoeba.

It was a full five minutes before her lagging brain started working again. Her heart thundered inside her chest. She was also struggling to breathe. Tears welled in her eyes as she continued staring at him.

"Ni-nikolai?"

No response. He was already fast asleep.

She placed her trembling hand over his chest. The deep, rhythmic rise and fall of his hard chest helped her calm herself a bit. She was still freaking out deep inside but at least she wasn't shrieking like a demented banshee and jumping around like a lunatic.

"Did I hear you...correctly? Did you really say that you...l-love me, too? Oh, Nikolai. I hope that I'm not mishearing things. I hope that you really love me, too."

She grabbed his hand and rubbed it against her cheek before kissing it. "I love you so much...too much that I think I'm hallucinating. Maybe I'm having some kind of withdrawal symptoms from missing my weekly therapy sessions while you were in coma. Oh, please. Let this not be a hallucination."

Unfortunately for her, Lu Zihao was far too exhausted and too deeply asleep to hear what she said. She could only wait for him to wake up and ask him for clarification.

###

In another part of the mansion, Iris and Jin Liwei were taking care of the four babies in the nursery.

Their own twins, Little Mochi and Little Matcha, were very energetic. They were shaking and squeezing their toys while rolling over on the carpet now and then.

Their nephews, Little Misha and Little Dima, had just been put to sleep by their nannies after a thorough feeding.

The babies had another exciting day because they spent half an hour with their puppies while their parents were in the hospital wing earlier.

Every day, the handlers would bring the puppies to spend some time with the babies and help them bond with each other. They were still small so this was the best arrangement for now.

Unlike the babies, Little Jun was already big enough to be with his own puppy, Gravy, day and night. Popcorn hated Gravy at first, but after only a couple of days, the two became best friends. The hyperactive cat gained another fun playmate.

It was a different story with Ice Cream. The fat, grey cat absolutely despised the puppies whenever the handlers brought them to bond with the babies. Despite her very vocal protests, the puppies kept on coming every single day. She only learned to tolerate their presence in the past few days.

Iris and Jin Liwei watched all the children with soft gazes. Watching them grow before their very eyes was a great source of joy for them as parents.

"Little Misha and Little Dima look a lot like Fifth Brother when he was a kid," Jin Liwei commented.

"Really?" She studied the Lu twins but couldn't really agree.

The babies didn't exactly resemble any of their parents.

"En. Fifth Brother's appearance changed a lot when he hit puberty but I still remember what he looked like when we were kids. I'll show you some of his old photos later."

"Okay. I want to look at your old photos, too." Although she already saw plenty of her husband's photos as a child thanks to her mother-in-law, she still wanted to look at them again.

He smiled. "Sure, love."

She leaned forward and plucked a kiss from his mouth. "Thank you, Liwei."

"Hm?"

"Thanks for waking up my big brother."

He chuckled. "I didn't think that it would work. But I'm glad that it did. Fortunately for me, he was too weak to punch my face as soon as he woke up."

"Oh, darling." Iris laughed and hugged him.

Chapter 1355 - Angel Among a Family of Devils

It only took a couple of days for Lu Zihao to recover almost back to normal. In fact, he already felt well the day after he woke up but the doctor insisted that he should stay in the hospital wing until all other medical examinations were cleared.

Although he felt impatient, he still tolerated everything in order to ease his wife's anxiety over his health. These two days after he woke up also gave him some time to reflect on his fight with his sister and what happened during his coma.

He and his sister still hadn't spoken about their fight. Long Jinjing only informed him today that she and Iris also fought when he fell into coma.

"I apologized to Xiulan and we already made up," she told him. "Bacon and Ketchup are also speaking to me again. But I feel that Brother-in-law Liwei still acts cold to me."

Lu Zihao snorted at the mention of Jin Liwei. "Don't worry about that jerk. He's not someone important to us."

She pouted at me. "Don't say that, Nikolai. He's the one who managed to wake you up when so many of us had failed. I'm forever grateful to him because of it."

He rolled his eyes but chose not to argue with her about Jin Liwei. As much as he wanted to deny the man's role in waking him up and insist that it was just a coincidence, it was still a fact that he had heard Jin Liwei goading him into matching Long Jinjing with different men while he was still comatose.

Alric Bauer and Amanpio Kileksky.

These two men didn't affect him much. They were nerds who would put more attention on their projects than their lovers. Long Jinjing might be timid and clumsy but she was wise enough not to choose this kind of men.

Then Jin Liwei, the asshole, just had to add René Alejandro into the mix.

What the fuck, man?

It was pure nonsense! Bullshit!

As soon as he heard Jin Liwei suggest pairing the damned Spaniard with his wife, the fury he felt literally had filled him up with enough energy to drag himself out of his comatose state. He wanted to punch Jin Liwei in the face but all his limbs felt too heavy at that time. What a shame!

He also couldn't forget Jin Liwei's smirk as soon as he opened his eyes. So annoying! Just remembering it was enough to make him feel violent.

Even though he knew that the things Jin Liwei spouted then were all baloney, Lu Zihao still felt jealous of those three men. He stared at his wife as she sliced an apple for him to eat.

"What?" Long Jinjing asked after noticing his heavy gaze on her. "Is there something on my face? Do you find me...ugly?"

He scowled. "What ugly? Did you hear me say that? Don't put words in my fucking mouth, Jinjing."

"Then...am I...p-pretty?" She immediately turned red after asking this. It took her a lot of courage to even say the words.

"Of course." There was no hesitation in his reply.

"R-really?"

He wasn't good with saying any mushy words so he decided to just show it instead. He reached over and pulled her before smashing his mouth on hers. His tongue snaked inside her mouth and declared its sovereignty. Her body went limp as she started moaning.

When the sudden open-mouthed kiss ended, Long Jinjing was dazed. He smirked at her.

"Do you still doubt me?" he asked her in a low, devilish voice.

Her amoeba-level brain took a few seconds to register what he said. She shook her head.

"You're so...h-handsome," she stammered like a stupid idiot.

His devilish laughter filled her ears and went straight to her core. For a moment, she had the urge to become pregnant and give birth to his child again as soon as possible. Then she caught herself.

What in the world was she thinking?

Their twin sons were only a few months old and she was already thinking about giving birth to the next one?

'Are you crazy, Long Jinjing?' she mentally asked herself.

'Yes, I'm crazy,' she also mentally answered herself. 'I'm so crazy in love with this man that my brain sometimes malfunctions and becomes dumb.'

She could only sigh at her embarrassing thoughts.

"Why are you sighing?" he asked.

"Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow.

She smiled and pulled away from his embrace with great reluctance. Then she continued slicing an apple before feeding it to him.

"You feel a little...uhm, different," she commented while observing him eat the apple slices.

He paused. "How so?"

"You feel...uh, how do I describe it? Less intense? Less threatening? Something like that. I feel a bit more comfortable with you than before. I don't know. Maybe it's because I missed you so much while you were in coma and I'm so happy now that you're awake."

He fell silent.

She didn't notice anything amiss from his reaction—or lack thereof. It was just commenting on something trivial. She didn't think much of it.

After finishing all the apple slices in silence, he asked, "Do you like me better now then?"

"Huh?" His sudden question stumped her.

"You say that you feel more comfortable with me now than before. So does this mean that you like me better now?"

She thought about it first. "I don't think that the matter of me liking you more is directly related to me feeling more comfortable with you now. I just like you—no. I just love you, that's all. I love you more now after experiencing a taste of losing you when you suddenly became comatose. I felt so...helpless, especially since we haven't been married for that long and our sons are still very young. They're still babies. I don't want to lose you so early. Neither do I want our babies to lose their father so soon."

He reached his hand and touched her face. "What if I'm gone someday?"

She freaked out. "What are you saying? Are you planning on leaving me? Our family? You can't, Nikolai!"

"Not leave. Just gone."

She became even more frightened. "What do you mean by gone? Like missing? Or dead? What's happening, Nikolai? Did something happen to you that I don't know about?"

He sighed before giving her cheek a light pinch. "Nothing. It's just a...rhetorical question. Don't worry about it. It's nothing serious."

"Nikolai, don't joke about something like that!" She pulled his hand from her face and slapped it. "You're going to give me a heart attack someday, I swear!"

"My sons have become too fat," he said out of the blue.

Long Jinjing's brain lagged for a couple of seconds at the sudden change in topic. She glared at him but still went along with him even though she knew that it was deliberate on his part.

"The doctor says that their weights are still within the normal range," she replied. "They're fine. Xiulan's breast milk is just too nutritious, I guess."

He nodded.

"You should talk to her," Long Jinjing suggested. "I don't think the two of you have resolved your fight yet. Both of you are acting civil since you woke up but...I can still feel some tension. You were so close before."

He grunted.

She wasn't sure whether it was a yes or a no.

"Actually, just like you, I feel that Xiulan somewhat changed recently as well," she said.

"You also feel more comfortable with her?" he asked.

"Not exactly. To be honest, I feel that she has become more...uhm, intimidating. But not in a bad way, I guess. Intimidating in a sense of being calmer...and more detached? Something like that. You know how she can get really emotional especially when she was pregnant, right? She's not so much like that anymore. I feel like we can fight with her and she'll still hold it together without losing an explosive temper. Isn't that scarier than usual?"

"Hmm."

Lu Zihao thought about it. Based on what his wife told him just now, an image of his sister popped in his mind. Not the Evelinka who was Long Xiulan now but the original Evelina Vetrova in their past life.

Due to her resistance to joining the family organization, Evelinka's personality had grown extremely detached from everyone and everything except for him, her brother, and her passions such as music and computers. It was initially her defence mechanism brought by their family environment but soon became a large part of her personality.

Her detachment gave others the impression that she was a cold and indifferent person even though this was far from the truth. He knew that she was kind, warm and loving.

An angel among a family of devils.

This was how he had always known his sister's personality. Imagine his surprise when he met her as Long Xiulan. She had become so outgoing, expressive, emotional and passionate in a way that he had never known her before.

A big part of him was happy for her. This was her dream life—to be free to pursue her own passions and showcase all her talents to the world without being tethered by her identity. He wanted her to live in joy, peace, and more importantly, freedom—something that she never had before as Evelina Vetrova.

However, there was still a tiny part of him that felt resentful. He had always denied this part of himself and pretended that it didn't exist. It only came to light and exploded in the open during his fight with his sister.

Then he fell into another coma. He reflected on a lot of things during and after being comatose.

One of the most important things that he reflected on was the resentment he had with his sister. Indeed, he needed to address it with her as soon as possible.

Chapter 1356 - Indelible Mark on the Psyche

While Lu Zihao was immersed in his own thoughts about how to properly make up with his sister, he heard his wife speak.

"Repeat that," he said. "I didn't catch what you said."

Long Jinjing pouted. Her face was red all the way to her neck.

"What is it?" he asked again.

She avoided his gaze. "I asked...if you remember on the day you woke up from coma, just before you fell asleep...I want to know if I heard you correctly...."

He waited until she finished meandering around her main question. By this point of their relationship, he was already used to her long-winded ways of speaking due to her innate shyness. Although this way of speaking always made him impatient especially when it came to his subordinates, he was willing to tolerate it when it was his wife doing it.

"I think that I heard you say...that y-you, uhm...that you l-love me," she stammered and turned even redder.

"Huh?" He stared at her, feeling dumbfounded.

What was she talking about? Did he say that? How come he couldn't remember?

She peeked at him and saw his bewilderment. Her expression crumpled. "I guess...I heard you incorrectly. I might have really been hallucinating that time." She smiled but it was so bitter that her lips trembled. "F-forget it."

Embarrassment filled her. She stood up and was about to leave but Lu Zihao grabbed her hand.

"Tell me what happened," he said.

She shook her head.

"Come on, Jinjing," he urged in a much gentler tone.

After a few moments of hesitation, she sat back down and told him everything that she remembered.

"It was just a whisper but I think I heard you say that...you l-love me, too."

"Oh."

Long Jinjing was disappointed at his reaction. She was about to cry but forced herself to suck it up. This was already expected. She had already prepared herself for the long haul when it came to gaining her husband's love.

Once again, she stood up and tried to smile at him, pretending that everything was fine. "I'll go check on our twins first. Rest here and focus on recuperating. I'll be back later to accompany you again."

He grabbed her again for a quick kiss before letting her go. When she was gone, his expression turned serious.

"Bacon."

It took a full minute before the black cat AI responded to his call. "Bacon is here, Uncle Zihao."

He was frowning at Bacon's tardiness. "What took you so long, kid?"

"Bacon actually didn't want to come because Uncle Zihao still hasn't apologized to Mother for saying all those mean things. But since I'm still technically your hired freelancer, Bacon is contract-bound to respond to Uncle Zihao's call."

Lu Zihao clicked his tongue. "Your mother will always be my sister. That's never going to change no matter how many lifetimes we both live. I'll resolve my issues with her in our own time."

Bacon didn't answer. Lu Zihao knew that the little devil must be holding a grudge against him. It was only Bacon's employment contract with him that was forcing the kid to at least show up when he called.

He sighed but didn't bother to give any additional explanations. Besides, he had a more urgent matter that he want to confirm first.

"Kid, do you have a recording of what transpired in this room when I woke up from coma?"

"Affirmative."

The short and dispassionate reply only proved that Bacon was indeed bearing a grudge against him. But at least the kid wasn't completely ignoring him. That was a relief.

Lu Zihao asked Bacon to play that part when he fell asleep in the middle of talking to Long Jinjing. Like before, Bacon deliberately delayed his response for almost a minute. Lu Zihao restrained himself from snapping at the little devil because Bacon indeed had grounds to bear a grudge against him.

It was already quite impressive that Bacon would even speak to him like this. He heard that when his wife and his sister fought after he fell into coma, both Bacon and Ketchup refused to speak to Long Jinjing and completely ignored her.

Bacon's willingness to speak to him right now despite the kid's grudge only proved that his sister and Jin Liwei's education of their children was top-notch. They always taught their children, especially the AI ones, excellent work ethics and professionalism. Bacon might be a two-faced crook most of the time but he was, without a doubt, a professional.

The audio from that day began playing.

Long Jinjing: "Sleep for now. I'll bring Little Misha and Little Dima to see you after you wake up. They're a lot bigger and fatter now."

Lu Zihao: "Hm, good."

He remembered until this part of the conversation.

Long Jinjing: "I love you, Nikolai."

Lu Zihao: "Love you, too."

His voice was very faint and a little unclear but he still heard the words he uttered in the audio. Bacon's audio recording could be trusted at the very least. The little devil might be a regular extortionist but he would never falsify evidence in front of him, his uncle.

Long Jinjing: "N-nikolai?"

The deep, regular sound of his breathing could be heard in the audio. The quality was excellent.

"That's the end of the recording," Bacon announced. "If Uncle Zihao wishes to play it again, you must pay an additional charge. If you wish to play other parts of the recording, it is another additional charge. Bacon has already fulfilled my duty as stated in my employment contract by playing the recording once. Any other extra requests involving this particular audio recording qualify Bacon for additional pay rate."

"Once is enough," Lu Zihao muttered, choosing to ignore the little devil's attempt to squeeze more money from him as usual.

"Then Bacon will leave now."

Finally, some peace and quiet.

Well, he wasn't exactly feeling very peaceful after hearing his own words that he couldn't remember saying being played back to him, but it was indeed quiet now that Bacon left.

Emotions that he had always ignored flooded through him. It was so damn uncomfortable because he wasn't used to it, but surprisingly, he didn't outright reject it this time.

"I love Jinjing?"

He drummed his fingers on his thighs while rolling the unfamiliar emotion and words within him.

This kind of love was different from the love he had for his sister. He loved his sister as a precious sibling. That was familial love.

But the love that he felt this time...was this the so-called romantic love?

"Is this love?"

'Of course, it is, asshole.'

His expression darkened when he heard the familiar voice within his consciousness. The motherfucker was one of the main culprits in causing his most recent coma. In fact, he almost lost complete control of this body because of the original Lu Zihao's remnant. The fucker fought with him until his soul almost got kicked out into nothingness or wherever souls went after death.

He heard a loud scoff inside his consciousness. It was clear that the remnant was mocking him.

'Remember that it's not because of your sheer willpower that you get to stay in my body. Don't forget that there's a moment that you completely gave up when the pain got too much to handle!

'It's because I, Lu Zihao, gave you another chance and allowed you stay! But don't get me wrong. I didn't do it because of an asshole like you. I allowed you to stay because I don't want my grandpa, my brothers, Third Sister-in-law, your wife and our children, and so many others who care about you and me to lose both of us forever.

'It's enough that they had unknowingly lost me, Lu Zihao, before. I don't want them to experience losing Lu Zihao completely, even if the Lu Zihao they have now is no longer me, but you, Nikolai, the biggest asshole that I have ever met!'

Lu Zihao—no, Nikolai gritted his teeth but didn't lash out at the remnant. Everything that remnant said was true anyway. There was no point in denying it when the remnant had free access to all his thoughts and emotions. It was already good that remnant had enough decency to give him some sense of privacy most of the time.

"Fine," he spat. "I fucking get it, okay? So stop rubbing it in my face!"

'But I like rubbing it in your face! Hahaha! Take that, asshole! You deserve it. If you continue rejecting your identity as me, Lu Zihao, then get out of my body! It's as simple as that, dude.

'Although it sucks to share this body with an asshole like you, I tolerate it because you are giving my loved ones the one thing that I failed to give them—my continued presence in their lives.'

Nikolai rubbed his face, not caring if his movements were too rough. The battle he experienced to stay in this body just before and during his coma left an indelible mark on his psyche.

He was no longer able to dismiss the remnant as something that he could always triumph over because of his confidence in his original identity as Nikolai Vetrov.

Before he realized it, the remnant had become so much more powerful while he, Nikolai, was starting to struggle to remain true to his original mission after being reborn again.

Just like what the remnant said, it was because of its mercy that he got to remain in this body and not be kicked out into oblivion.

'Don't forget this favour that you owe me, Nikolai,' the remnant warned.

He remained silent, unable confirm or refute.

'Lu Tianyu and Lu Zhiyuan are my body's children. Whether you like it or not, they are the next generation my Lu clan, not the Vetrovs. I won't allow you to rob them of their father and make them into orphans so early!'

Chapter 1357 - Icky Feelings

Nikolai couldn't retort at what the remnant said.

While comatose, he experienced a lot of disjointed dreams. One of the several scenarios included in the series of dreams was that he died after setting off for his revenge. The revenge eventually failed but he still left Long Jinjing widowed and their sons orphaned.

In that tragic dream, Long Jinjing became too heartbroken and depressed that she neglected their children. She became too focused on her career and transformed into an unemotional iron lady. Their twin sons grew up without proper parental guidance and ended up turning into problem children. They became wastrels that even their Aunt Xiulan and Uncle Liwei couldn't save.

Nikolai did everything. He scolded and shouted at them but they couldn't hear him because he already died. He had no power to interfere in their lives. He wanted to fix everything but could only watch in helplessness as they wasted their lives away.

This was just one of the dreams—no, nightmares that he had while comatose. There were other more tragic ones that he preferred not to recall or risk going insane.

Not once did he dream of something positive.

He truly felt that he had died that time and went to hell.

Experiencing all those seemingly never-ending tragic scenarios was the worst form of torture. Yes, it was the worst even when compared to the inhumane torture he faced after the downfall of the Vetrovs.

In his past life, he lost his beloved sister. It was excruciating.

Then in his nightmares while comatose, he had to face losing the family he built in his current life as Lu Zihao. Watching his sweet wife turn into an unemotional robot and their sons into hopeless wastrels was a whole new level of excruciating torture.

Especially when it came to his children—he couldn't bear it.

Now that the remnant was lecturing him without mercy, he no longer had the energy to argue. He could only take it.

'It's good that you're starting to realize the error of your ways. Even if you don't care about yourself, at least think about your family—our family. If only I wasn't so reckless back then, maybe I would still be alive today and be able to build my own family and accompany my grandpa for longer. I'm envious of you, dude, don't you know? That's why I'm so furious that you don't treasure what you have and just continue speeding towards your demise. Atrocious! Hmph!'

Nikolai rubbed his head and stayed quiet. He still hadn't completely given up his desire for revenge, but after experiencing his latest coma, he realized that maybe his sister was right after all. Perhaps there were other ways to fulfill his revenge without resulting in his own death in the end.

'Now let's talk about your wifey,' the remnant said next.

Nikolai paused.

'You love Jinjing, dude. Be a man and just admit it!'

"Maybe," he murmured.

His attitude was neither denying nor confirming.

The remnant scoffed inside his mind. 'Aren't you a real macho man? Why are you acting like a scared chicken whenever love is involved? Pft! So funny!'

His expression turned even darker. "None of your damn business."

'Of course, it's also my damn business! Your wifey is the mother of my body's children! There's no way that I'll just ignore your relationship with the woman. The two of you are already married, for fuck's sake! Dude, you've been in love with Miss Prim and Proper for a while now but you just won't admit it.'

The remnant's words were annoying but they still hit him like a bulldozer. He didn't know how to react.

'Can you feel the love tonight?

Tonight~

It has been here all along~

It's not enough for this blind ass Nikolai~

That he is in denial~

Oh, can you feel the love tonight?

Tonight~

His ass is on denial~

It's enough to admit that he fell in love~

Believe the very best~

Advice from the love guru~

Yours truly,

Luuuu Ziiiihaaaaaoooooooooooo~'

The fucking song made another comeback. Nikolai's expression couldn't be painted anymore. It looked like a constipated devil who was forced to eat a rotten durian dipped in a feces salsa yet had lost the ability to spit out whatever was inside his mouth.

Fortunately, the remnant still had a sliver of mercy. It sang the horrible song just once and didn't repeat it like a broken record.

'Dude, I just thought of something.'

"What is it?"

'Remember what my third brother said that angered you into waking up from coma? Hahaha! I laugh whenever I remember it. Third Brother Liwei is the best! Bahahaha! Anyway, I was thinking, what if he is right? He might have said those words as a joke but think about it for a second. Everything he said is possible.

'What if one of these men—Alric Bauer, Amanpio Kileksky, René Alejandro or any other men for that matter—manage to woo your wifey? It's possible, you know. She might give up on you one day if you take too long to admit that you love her, too. Not everyone can be a devoted martyr for an entire lifetime, you know.'

Nikolai didn't hesitate to say, "Impossible. I won't allow it! Jinjing is mine!"

'Blah blah blah! Possessive cavemen mentality is so out of trend. If you won't allow your wifey to be with another man, then it's not enough to stake your claim with an official marriage and children. There's divorce and custody arrangements for that. If you really want to keep her by your side for the rest of your life, then you have to do your part in keeping her happy and emotionally invested in your relationship as lovers.

'If you continue being stubborn, then you don't have anyone to blame but yourself when she leaves you with our children. Hmph! I will never forgive you if our children acknowledges another man as their new father and even change their last names from Lu! Grandpa will be heartbroken if his great-grandbabies become another family's children. So stop being a dumbo and just open up to your real feelings once and for all!'

The lecture continued and started to wear out Nikolai, yet he didn't complain. This time, he seriously thought about what the remnant said.

After his most recent coma, he realized that the original Lu Zihao's remnant wasn't his enemy. It might have felt that way for the longest time because Nikolai hated the idea of sharing his body and everything else with another entity that he couldn't drive out of his system no matter how much he tried.

The remnant only wanted what was best for him. This was what Nikolai learned after so many challenging battles between the two of them. He no longer doubted that the remnant had become strong enough to kick him out of his body but it still continued to allow him to stay. This was so that he could continue living as Lu Zihao and accompany all of the original's loved ones and also the little family that he, Nikolai, had built using this identity.

He understood what the remnant wanted, and that if he failed to obey, his right to stay in this body would be terminated.

Sighing, he stared at the white ceiling and thought about Long Jinjing. Their sons too, of course.

It was safe to say that these three people had now occupied the biggest part of his heart previously occupied by his sister alone. Evelinka was still extremely important to him, but after the birth of his children, he realized that his sister's place in his heart had been bumped down a level or two.

As the mother of his children, Long Jinjing's importance in his heart also rose. Even when he didn't think that he loved the woman, she was still someone he cared about and wanted to protect.

But now...after hearing Bacon's audio recording where he clearly heard his own voice telling Long Jinjing that he loved her and listening to the remnant's harsh lecture, he realized that maybe he had underestimated his wife's place in his heart.

Something inside him felt like it dropped.

When he recovered, he rushed out of his hospital room.

'Hey! Where are you going? We still have a medical exam scheduled later! Oy! Crazy Nikolai, listen to me!'

The remnant continued yelling inside his mind but he ignored it.

'Eh? What are these...icky feelings flooding all over me? These aren't mine! Oof! Okay, I get it. Ohoho. Good luck, bro!'

Nikolai—no, right now, everyone who saw him believed that he was Lu Zihao.

"Boss Hao! Good to see that you're fine now!"

"Boss Hao! Osu!"

"Mr. Lu, please slow down."

He ignored his subordinates and the household staff as he hurried along the hallways like the wind.

Being comatose took a toll on him. He was out of breath when he finally reached the destination—the nursery.

"Ni—Zihao?" Long Jinjing was startled to see him.

It wasn't only her. Iris, Jin Liwei and the nannies were also inside. They all looked at him in surprise.

Long Jinjing handed Little Dima to a nanny and went to her husband. She was concerned about his winded appearance which was a rare sight. "What happened? Why did you come here? Are you okay?"

Lu Zihao didn't reply. He just grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace by the doorway.

"Zihao?" She wrapped her arms around him and felt the sweat soaking the back of his shirt.

Next, he held her chin and tilted it up, making her look at him in the eyes.

"Jinjing," he said.

"Yes?" She was very confused at his behaviour.

"I love you."

Chapter 1357 - Icky Feelings

Nikolai couldn't retort at what the remnant said.

While comatose, he experienced a lot of disjointed dreams. One of the several scenarios included in the series of dreams was that he died after setting off for his revenge. The revenge eventually failed but he still left Long Jinjing widowed and their sons orphaned.

In that tragic dream, Long Jinjing became too heartbroken and depressed that she neglected their children. She became too focused on her career and transformed into an unemotional iron lady. Their twin sons grew up without proper parental guidance and ended up turning into problem children. They became wastrels that even their Aunt Xiulan and Uncle Liwei couldn't save.

Nikolai did everything. He scolded and shouted at them but they couldn't hear him because he already died. He had no power to interfere in their lives. He wanted to fix everything but could only watch in helplessness as they wasted their lives away.

This was just one of the dreams—no, nightmares that he had while comatose. There were other more tragic ones that he preferred not to recall or risk going insane.

Not once did he dream of something positive.

He truly felt that he had died that time and went to hell.

Experiencing all those seemingly never-ending tragic scenarios was the worst form of torture. Yes, it was the worst even when compared to the inhumane torture he faced after the downfall of the Vetrovs.

In his past life, he lost his beloved sister. It was excruciating.

Then in his nightmares while comatose, he had to face losing the family he built in his current life as Lu Zihao. Watching his sweet wife turn into an unemotional robot and their sons into hopeless wastrels was a whole new level of excruciating torture.

Especially when it came to his children—he couldn't bear it.

Now that the remnant was lecturing him without mercy, he no longer had the energy to argue. He could only take it.

'It's good that you're starting to realize the error of your ways. Even if you don't care about yourself, at least think about your family—our family. If only I wasn't so reckless back then, maybe I would still be alive today and be able to build my own family and accompany my grandpa for longer. I'm envious of you, dude, don't you know? That's why I'm so furious that you don't treasure what you have and just continue speeding towards your demise. Atrocious! Hmph!'

Nikolai rubbed his head and stayed quiet. He still hadn't completely given up his desire for revenge, but after experiencing his latest coma, he realized that maybe his sister was right after all. Perhaps there were other ways to fulfill his revenge without resulting in his own death in the end.

'Now let's talk about your wifey,' the remnant said next.

Nikolai paused.

'You love Jinjing, dude. Be a man and just admit it!'

"Maybe," he murmured.

His attitude was neither denying nor confirming.

The remnant scoffed inside his mind. 'Aren't you a real macho man? Why are you acting like a scared chicken whenever love is involved? Pft! So funny!'

His expression turned even darker. "None of your damn business."

'Of course, it's also my damn business! Your wifey is the mother of my body's children! There's no way that I'll just ignore your relationship with the woman. The two of you are already married, for fuck's sake! Dude, you've been in love with Miss Prim and Proper for a while now but you just won't admit it.'

The remnant's words were annoying but they still hit him like a bulldozer. He didn't know how to react.

'Can you feel the love tonight?

Tonight~

It has been here all along~

It's not enough for this blind ass Nikolai~

That he is in denial~

Oh, can you feel the love tonight?

Tonight~

His ass is on denial~

It's enough to admit that he fell in love~

Believe the very best~

Advice from the love guru~

Yours truly,

Luuuu Ziiiihaaaaaoooooooooooo~'

The fucking song made another comeback. Nikolai's expression couldn't be painted anymore. It looked like a constipated devil who was forced to eat a rotten durian dipped in a feces salsa yet had lost the ability to spit out whatever was inside his mouth.

Fortunately, the remnant still had a sliver of mercy. It sang the horrible song just once and didn't repeat it like a broken record.

'Dude, I just thought of something.'

"What is it?"

'Remember what my third brother said that angered you into waking up from coma? Hahaha! I laugh whenever I remember it. Third Brother Liwei is the best! Bahahaha! Anyway, I was thinking, what if he is right? He might have said those words as a joke but think about it for a second. Everything he said is possible.

'What if one of these men—Alric Bauer, Amanpio Kileksky, René Alejandro or any other men for that matter—manage to woo your wifey? It's possible, you know. She might give up on you one day if you take too long to admit that you love her, too. Not everyone can be a devoted martyr for an entire lifetime, you know.'

Nikolai didn't hesitate to say, "Impossible. I won't allow it! Jinjing is mine!"

'Blah blah blah! Possessive cavemen mentality is so out of trend. If you won't allow your wifey to be with another man, then it's not enough to stake your claim with an official marriage and children. There's divorce and custody arrangements for that. If you really want to keep her by your side for the rest of your life, then you have to do your part in keeping her happy and emotionally invested in your relationship as lovers.

'If you continue being stubborn, then you don't have anyone to blame but yourself when she leaves you with our children. Hmph! I will never forgive you if our children acknowledges another man as their new father and even change their last names from Lu! Grandpa will be heartbroken if his great-grandbabies become another family's children. So stop being a dumbo and just open up to your real feelings once and for all!'

The lecture continued and started to wear out Nikolai, yet he didn't complain. This time, he seriously thought about what the remnant said.

After his most recent coma, he realized that the original Lu Zihao's remnant wasn't his enemy. It might have felt that way for the longest time because Nikolai hated the idea of sharing his body and everything else with another entity that he couldn't drive out of his system no matter how much he tried.

The remnant only wanted what was best for him. This was what Nikolai learned after so many challenging battles between the two of them. He no longer doubted that the remnant had become strong enough to kick him out of his body but it still continued to allow him to stay. This was so that he could continue living as Lu Zihao and accompany all of the original's loved ones and also the little family that he, Nikolai, had built using this identity.

He understood what the remnant wanted, and that if he failed to obey, his right to stay in this body would be terminated.

Sighing, he stared at the white ceiling and thought about Long Jinjing. Their sons too, of course.

It was safe to say that these three people had now occupied the biggest part of his heart previously occupied by his sister alone. Evelinka was still extremely important to him, but after the birth of his children, he realized that his sister's place in his heart had been bumped down a level or two.

As the mother of his children, Long Jinjing's importance in his heart also rose. Even when he didn't think that he loved the woman, she was still someone he cared about and wanted to protect.

But now...after hearing Bacon's audio recording where he clearly heard his own voice telling Long Jinjing that he loved her and listening to the remnant's harsh lecture, he realized that maybe he had underestimated his wife's place in his heart.

Something inside him felt like it dropped.

When he recovered, he rushed out of his hospital room.

'Hey! Where are you going? We still have a medical exam scheduled later! Oy! Crazy Nikolai, listen to me!'

The remnant continued yelling inside his mind but he ignored it.

'Eh? What are these...icky feelings flooding all over me? These aren't mine! Oof! Okay, I get it. Ohoho. Good luck, bro!'

Nikolai—no, right now, everyone who saw him believed that he was Lu Zihao.

"Boss Hao! Good to see that you're fine now!"

"Boss Hao! Osu!"

"Mr. Lu, please slow down."

He ignored his subordinates and the household staff as he hurried along the hallways like the wind.

Being comatose took a toll on him. He was out of breath when he finally reached the destination—the nursery.

"Ni—Zihao?" Long Jinjing was startled to see him.

It wasn't only her. Iris, Jin Liwei and the nannies were also inside. They all looked at him in surprise.

Long Jinjing handed Little Dima to a nanny and went to her husband. She was concerned about his winded appearance which was a rare sight. "What happened? Why did you come here? Are you okay?"

Lu Zihao didn't reply. He just grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace by the doorway.

"Zihao?" She wrapped her arms around him and felt the sweat soaking the back of his shirt.

Next, he held her chin and tilted it up, making her look at him in the eyes.

"Jinjing," he said.

"Yes?" She was very confused at his behaviour.

"I love you."

Chapter 1359 - Don't Hate It Anymore Because I Love It

It had be so long—too long—since they had made love. Long Jinjing's post-partum recovery had been extremely slow compared to Iris. As a result, she and Lu Zihao had to hold back their sexual urges and wait until her body was ready.

Of course, Long Jinjing still did her best to give pleasure to her husband now and then using her hands and mouth even when her body wasn't ready for the full experience yet.

Lu Zihao wasn't the only one always on the receiving end either. Before his recent coma, he also did his best to pleasure his wife as much as he could despite the many limitations of her post-partum body.

His wife was different to his former bedmates. He couldn't just treat her as someone disposable to vent his lust. As long as they were married, they were stuck together. Besides, he couldn't get it up for any other women anyway except for her.

He continued to kiss the brains out of his wife, knowing that once she became aroused enough, all her inhibitions would be thrown out of the window. She would become a seductive siren, the opposite of her usual prim and proper self.

"Nikolai," she panted.

He nibbled and sucked her lower lip, and then let his hand snake down her back, along her waist, and finally on her butt before giving it a light squeeze.

She moaned and seemed to melt in his arms. "I need...you...please...."

He smirked and then whispered to her ear, "Please what?"

"Please...f-fuck me...."

"Heh~ You want your husband to fuck you so badly?"

"Y-yes," she groaned. "Nikolai...husband...."

The way she said husband made his control snap. He lifted her up. She yelped and wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders and her legs around his waist like a koala. He walked a few steps and carefully laid her down on the small couch on the islet.

It wasn't the most comfortable for a big man like him but he didn't give a damn. His need for his wife was the best form of physical comfort than what a mere comfy couch could give him.

Hell, he could even fuck the woman on a bed of nails if necessary. Of course, he would be careful to take all the discomfort and not allow his woman to experience anything else than mind-blowing pleasure.

They continued to make out on the small couch. Lu Zihao's hands were all over her body, making her tremble and moan in a way that resonated with his own desire. The more she responded to his actions, the more aroused he became.

Despite wearing a pair of loose and soft lounge pants, it still felt tight from how hard his erection was continuing to grow. He pressed his hardness against her thigh, trying to ease his need even for just a little.

"L-let me," Long Jinjing whispered before reaching down between them and touching his erection underneath his pants.

He sucked her lips before moving to sit on the other end of the couch. Long Jinjing pushed herself up and turned her body until she was lying on her stomach. Her head was facing his lap.

She tugged the waistband of his pants. He lifted his hips and helped her pull it down to his knees.

His hard length sprang up, almost hitting her face. She caught it with one hand and stroked it while watching his expression.

He watched her with half-lidded eyes. Then he sucked in a harsh breath when she lowered his head and took him inside her hot, wet mouth.

Hiss!

"Fuck, Jinjing. Oh, yeah." He ran his fingers through her hair and tickled her neck as she pleasured him with her mouth.

The combination of her hands and mouth was too much. Less than two minutes later and he was already ejaculating.

He cursed—more from pleasure than embarrassment—as he enjoyed his climax.

Long Jinjing swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked like a cat who ate a canary.

"This..." Lu Zihao gasped while giving her smug wife an ineffective side eye. "This doesn't...count. My stamina has worsened because I...just recently came out of coma."

"Right~" she drawled, her expression remaining smug.

He chuckled, not minding it. To be honest, he preferred it when his wife was feeling smug and confident like this and not always wallowing in her insecurities.

"Want more?" he asked.

Her answer was to continue stroking his now limp member and make it hard again. He groaned and closed his eyes to enjoy her ministrations. Then he opened her eyes and urged her up before kissing her.

He tasted a bit of himself in her mouth. He disliked it so he kissed her harder to mask his own taste. In no time, he became aroused again.

"Is it safe now?" he asked in-between their kisses.

She paused. "I think so...no, yes!"

"Which one is it?"

"Yes because I'm all healed up now. No because...I'm not on the pill. You should wear a c-condom...."

"Ah." He had no condom with him. He doubted that she was carrying one right now. "Should we move to our bedroom?"

The indoor forest was pretty far from their bedroom.

"It's fine," she told him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Let's not go all the way today."

His brows furrowed.

She giggled and poked at his erect member. It twitched from her action.

"I can't tire you out. You still have a medical exam scheduled later this afternoon. The doctor will scold us if we...you know...."

"If we fuck?" he finished her sentence.

Her already flushed faced turned even redder but she still nodded.

"I'm good," he told her. "This won't tire me out."

The look she gave him was skeptical. "You finished in a minute just now and you're telling me that you won't get tired? You're still a patient, Nikolai. Don't overestimate your endurance when you're not fully recovered yet."

He scowled. "It's not a minute! It was two minutes! Give or take a few seconds, but it should be two minutes if we round it up!"

"Hehe." She tightened her hand around his erection, making him gasp. "Okay, if you say so."

He leaned towards her until their faces were only a couple of inches apart. They could feel their warm breaths intermingling.

Long Jinjing felt a little flustered. She backed away but he caught her.

"Merciless woman, trying to run away from your husband in the middle of his excitement that you caused?"

She felt wronged. "You're the one who seduced me first!"

"Heh, is that so? Who's the one who asked me to fuck her?"

"Y-you! You're so bad!"

His devilish laughter returned. "Hm, I'm so bad indeed. But this bad man is now your husband. Do you deny this?"

"Of course not! You're my...h-husband. How can I deny this?"

"That's true. And now I, your husband, want to show you, my wife...."

She blinked her eyes and waited for him to finish his sentence.

He leaned closer and whispered directly to his ear, "...how much I love you."

Boom!

Once again, Long Jinjing's IQ dropped to a level worse than that of an amoeba. When she gradually gained some of her senses, most of her clothes had already been removed and her husband was on top of her busily sucking on her breasts.

She moaned and held his head. Her body arched upwards, pushing her chest closer to him.

He continued playing with her nipples while his head moved downwards. He kissed her soft abdomen.

"W-wait!" She tried pushing him away and covered her belly but he held her hands.

"Don't hide," he said.

"B-but my belly is so...flabby. It's...ugly." She turned her face away, feeling too embarrassed.

He sighed but still told her, "Not flabby. It's beautiful."

She faced him again and glared. "Liar!"

"I'm not lying." He touched her belly and ran his fingers over it. Her belly twitched. He lowered his head and kissed several spots of her belly.

His actions were gentle but they still made her sigh in pleasure. Even so, she still felt insecure about her flabby belly.

Finally, he raised his head again and looked at her straight in the eyes. "For me, this belly is beautiful. The most beautiful."

She pouted, not believing him at all.

"Why? It's because this belly carried my children. Your belly became like this because of me and my sons. That's why I find it so beautiful. There's only one woman in the world whose belly changed like this from carrying my sons—you. Only you. So don't hate it anymore, Jinjing, because I love it."

Tears filled her eyes and flowed down the sides of her head.

"No matter what you look like, you're still the woman who I chose to marry. You're the woman who gave me my sons. You're the woman who I want to be by my side. You're the woman who...I fell in love with."

"Oh, Nikolai..." She pulled him up and kissed him with desperation, gratitude, and of course, love.

This man sucked in saying anything romantic but these words were the most romantic thing that she ever received in her entire life.

"I love you so much, Nikolai!"

"I love you too, Jinjing."

The frenzied kisses stopped as they gasped for air.

"Nikolai? Can you get off for a second? You're heavy."

"Hm." He dragged himself off her and plopped himself back on the couch.

His erection was now softening. It was clear that he was too drowsy to continue what they had been doing.

Long Jinjing didn't mind that she was unable to have an orgasm today.

What she had today was more amazing than physical orgasm.

Her husband had given her emotional and mental orgasm through his sudden love confession and his attempt at making her feel better about her body image.

She had never so happy than how she felt right now.

Chapter 1360 - Erased From History

Long Jinjing put on her clothes while smiling. Then she looked at her half-asleep husband. Even when his eyelids were heavy, he still made sure to watch her. She flushed under his heavy gaze.

No matter how much he insisted that he was already recovered, it was clear that his normal energy still hadn't returned yet. Look at the man, he could barely stay awake. His current performance was pitiful, a far cry from his usual capability.

"Pull up your pants," she told him.

He grunted but didn't move.

"Do you want me to help you?" she asked.

He peeked at her through half-lidded eyes. Then she noticed that his manhood was starting to stir again.

The sight left her speechless. Man, he was just about to fall asleep. Why did he get in the mood again?

Even when she gestured for him to hurry up, he still refused to move.

"Let's go, Nikolai. I don't want you to miss your appointment later. The faster you complete all your medical exams, the sooner the doctor will discharge you from the hospital wing."

Once again, he only grunted but didn't move.

What was this? Was he acting like a spoiled child? Did he want her to coax him?

Her mouth twitched. But far from annoyed, she felt amused instead. It was very rare for her husband to act childish like this in front of her.

Was this the effect of his love confession?

After admitting that he loved her, he must have felt more comfortable in showing his authentic self to her. This was exactly what she wanted. Joy filled her.

She couldn't help but giggle from delight.

"Laughing at me?" he asked.

"No." She shook her head, still smiling. "Come on and get up now, Nikolai. I can't carry you. If you fall asleep here, I would have to ask others for help in carrying you. I'm sure that you don't want that."

He scowled but eventually forced himself to stand up and pull his pants up.

"This damn body is so weak," he muttered.

"Of course, your body is going to weaken. You were comatose for that long! Just focus on recovering. Knowing you, I'm sure that you'll be back to your usual energetic self in no time."

"Heh~" He smirked. "It seems that my wife can't wait for me to regain my usual energy. I'll have to work hard then. I can't let my wife hold it in for too long or she might despise me, her husband, for not satisfying her."

She flushed and glared at him. "W-what are you saying? You're so bad!"

He flashed her with a devilish smile. Coupled with his drowsy appearance, it made him even more roguish. A hot and sinful rogue!

After teasing her, they left the indoor forest while holding hands. Lu Zihao attempted to return directly to their bedroom but Long Jinjing stood her ground and insisted on returning him to the hospital wing.

He watched as his woman dragged him back to his hospital room. Her strength was nothing to him. She was only able to drag him along like this because he let her.

The feeling was not bad. As a matter of fact, he felt like a soft cat's paw was scratching his heart. It tickled and itched at the same time.

Was this love?

Even though he now admitted that he loved Long Jinjing, he still hadn't fully comprehended yet what it meant to be in love. In a sense, he was a complete newbie in this realm of romantic love and how to keep it alive for a long time.

He still had a lot of things to learn when it came to romancing his woman. And he was willing to learn for the sake of his wife and the little family that they built together.

"Go take a nap," she said while tucking him in his hospital bed. "I'll wake you up later when it's almost time for your medical exam."

"Hm."

She gave him a quick peck on the mouth and whispered, "I love you, Nikolai."

"Love you, too," he mumbled before falling asleep.

This time, she no longer doubted what she heard. It wasn't a hallucination. Her husband really loved her!

She couldn't stop smiling until the doctor arrived much later.

###

In the next few days, Lu Zihao was finally discharged from the hospital wing. The first thing that he did after his discharge was to have a proper talk with his sister.

He had wanted to speak with Iris much earlier but she had been extremely busy in the past few days. Knowing how absorbed his sister could get whenever she did something that she was passionate about, he didn't want to disturb her. He delayed the talk and instead used the time to think about all the things that he wanted to tell her.

The day they made the appointment to talk, the siblings walked in the huge gardens of Dragon Palace Home #10. The weather was just perfect. It was sunny but the temperature felt cool.

Both of them wore autumn coats and walked side by side while admiring the remaining greenery in the gardens.

They stopped just outside the large hedge maze. Iris sat on a stone bench while Lu Zihao remained by the fountain.

"I won't take back the things that I said during our fight that day," Iris spoke in Russian, direct to the point.

Lu Zihao preferred this straightforward manner of talking. "Hm, I know."

She studied her brother and noticed that he really felt a lot different from how she remembered him. "You've changed."

"Hm." He didn't deny it.

Indeed, even he could feel the change in him. He still wasn't sure if this change was good or bad. Only time would tell.

"Do you still resent me?" Iris asked.

He glanced at her. "At first, yes. But now...no. Not anymore."

She sighed in relief. "I understand why you would resent me. But I stand by my position. You and I are different, Big Brother. I'm happier in this life."

"I know."

"What about you, Big Brother? Are you still intent on pursuing your revenge?"

Silence.

He glanced at the rippling water in the fountain's pool. His hazy reflection showed Lu Zihao's face, not Nikolai Vetrov.

Then he finally replied, "Yes."

"Alright." Iris accepted his answer.

"But I realized that you are also right," he said. "It's true that I now have my own family who would be heartbroken if they lose me. I...also don't want to leave them."

Iris smiled. "I'm glad."

"Evelinka."

"Yes?"

"I am still Nikolai Vetrov."

"I know."

"But you're correct again. I am now Lu Zihao as well. I have been trying so hard to reject this identity even when I have no choice but to live with it. My children bear the surname Lu. My wife is referred to as Mrs. Lu. Even the old man...I respect him and also think of him as my real grandfather."

Iris' smile deepened.

"In so many ways, I have been trying to live as Nikolai Vetrov. Despite all the limitations that Lu Zihao's identity have in the criminal underworld, I still push on acting like my old, original self. In hindsight, I now realize that doing this might be my attempt not to let Nikolai Vetrov be completely erased from history. I don't want to be forgotten because I, Nikolai Vetrov, am still here despite living as Lu Zihao now."

The smile disappeared from Iris' face, replaced by solemn understanding. She knew what he meant. In a sense, what he had been doing was similar to what she had done.

In order to catch Cross Academy's attention, she deliberately used the same style as Fantom. Once they reached out to her, she revealed that she was Evelina Vetrova's sole disciple before passing away. She did this in order to give herself a legitimate reason to be admitted to the exclusive school and also to fast-track her enrollment.

However, this wasn't her only motive. Truth be told, she did it so that Evelina Vetrova wouldn't be forgotten. As the sole disciple of her past self, Long Xiulan (a.k.a. Drakon) would be able to continue her own legacy—the legacy of Evelina (a.k.a. Fantom).

She didn't think that it was narcissistic to do this. Not at all.

It was just a matter of proving to others that she existed. Was it bad for her to do it?

If her existence was completely erased, then what was the point in living? Even though she felt miserable in her past life due to her inability to freely become the person that she always wanted to be, she still didn't want to be completely forgotten and erased from history.

It turned out that her brother also thought the same way. Their methods might be different from each other but their goals were the same.

Lu Zihao looked at her straight in the eyes. She didn't shy away either.

Their bond as siblings might not be telepathic but it was powerful enough to follow them after their deaths to this new chance in life that they received as completely different people.

"Thanks to you, I'm going to rethink my original plan of revenge," he said. "I still can't allow those motherfuckers who annihilated us to run freely in the world, but I also need to think about my family. You're right, Evelinka. I love my wife and our children. I want to spend many years with my family."

Iris stood up and walked towards him. She stopped and stood a few feet from him. "I'll help you, Big Brother."

He frowned.

"Don't reject my offer," she told him before he could reply. "Fantom might have disappeared but Drakon has risen in its place. When the right time comes, I'll introduce to the world the fusion of these two hacker identities—Fantom Drakon."