Ch.139 1381 - 1390 - HIS GENIUS WIFE IS A...

Chapter 1381 Gala Invitation

Lu Zihao's stance for now was to neither accept nor reject his sister's offer. He had always trusted her abilities as a world-class hacker but allowing her to join in his path of revenge was another matter that needed careful consideration. Besides, his original path of revenge required some drastic modifications as well.

Iris didn't force him to accept her offer right away either. There would definitely be a time that he would need to borrow her skills as a hacker.

Bacon was powerful but still immature in so many ways. So was Ketchup. Her two cat AI children would definitely join the war against the Vetrovs' enemies but both of them still had a lot of growing up to do before that.

There were multiple methods that she could use to power up all of them but everything would be easier with her brother's full cooperation. He knew more things about the enemies than she did.

If they wanted to completely defeat those enemies, they couldn't do it alone. They needed to work together.

"Think about it some more, Big Brother," she told him. "Just remember that regardless of our different personal values, we have the same motivationâto destroy all the enemies and protect the families that we built in this life."

"Hm, alright," he finally replied.

Iris smiled and then rushed into his arms. When her brother hugged her back, it felt like home. Her old home. Her brother, Nikolai, was more of a parent to her than their mother and father in their past life.

She rubbed her face against his chest. His appearance and physique might be completely different from what she remembered in their past life but the warmth of her brother's embrace remained the same.

Lu Zihao chuckled and stroked her long hair. "You're already a grown woman, not to mention a mother, and yet you still dare to act like a little girl."

"It's because you're my big brother."

His gaze softened. "Yeah. I'll always be your big brother."

###

A week before Long Hui and Mao Qiuyue's scheduled wedding date, a large portion of their most important invited guests received another invitation.

This time, it was an invitation to an exclusive gala hosted by Lin Yehan to celebrate the national shooting team's silver medal win at the World Shotgun Championship. He was one of the coaches of the team.

Included in the gala invitation were the national team's sponsors. The main one was Jin Corporation.

The gala was scheduled at the same exact date and time as Long Hui and Mao Qiuyue's wedding.

When a portion of their invited guests received Lin Yehan's gala invitation, they immediately understood that it was a deliberate shady move to undermine the wedding. It wasn't a secret that Lin Yehan launched a defamation lawsuit against Long Hui and eventually won the case.

Lin Yehan might generally be a low-key person but he was nonetheless an agricultural tycoon in his own right. In terms of wealth and influence, he was leagues above Long Hui's current status. Lin Yehan was already an emperor of his own agriculture empire while Long Hui could only be considered as a crown prince with an unstable foundation. His other siblings including Iris Long were also vying for their father's throne.

A group of the wedding guests immediately cancelled their attendance in advance and planned to attend Lin Yehan's gala instead.

Even when Lin Yehan's own prestige as an agricultural tycoon was taken out of the equation, just the fact that he was hosting a victory gala for the national shooting team was already enough reason to attend his gala instead of Long Hui's wedding.

The national team didn't only take home the silver medal at the world championship but also great pride to the country. Helping celebrate these amazing athletes was more dignified than attending the union of a young, rich couple who were nobodies without their respective families' backing.

The other group of the wedding guests were more indecisive. They spent some time analyzing which event would be more beneficial to them. Most of them were close to the Long, Mao and Zheng families. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't cancel their attendance just like that.

It was only when they heard from the grapevine that Jin Liwei, Lu Zihao and their other sworn brothers would be attending Lin Yehan's gala that they finally made a choice. Even Jin Chonglin was rumoured to attend as well, though this information wasn't confirmed yet. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

These invited guests couldn't help but gossip among themselves.

"Didn't Miss Mao mention in various interviews a while back that she sent an invitation to CEO Jin and Iris Long?"

"It's no secret that Iris Long and Long Hui have fallen out after he cheated on that bodyguard with Mao Qiuyue. Iris Long sided with the bodyguard instead of her brother. Of course, she won't attend Long Hui's wedding!"

"I don't care about their family drama. I need to quickly find a dress to attend Mr. Lin's gala because the one that I commissioned for the wedding is now useless. My husband can't wait for the gala because he wants the chance to talk to CEO Jin about some business opportunities."

"My husband have the same plan, too."

"So many of us cancelled our attendance to the wedding. The Maos have been trying to call me and my husband nonstop. Even the Zhengs are stepping forward. Surprisingly, the Longs don't have much of a reaction."

"President Long Tengfei is rumoured to be closer to his daughters than his sons. It's not surprising because his daughters married extremely well. Iris Long married CEO Jin while his illegitimate daughter married Sir Lu Jianhong's grandson. Not only that. Both daughters gave birth to twins each. President Long will definitely prioritize his daughters in order to strengthen his in-law relationship with both the Jins and the Lus."

While these gossips fermented in several circles, Lin Yehan was drinking with his sworn brothers at Dragon Palace Home #10. Except for Wang Yingjie who had hospital duty, everyone was present.

Lin Yehan and Yu Mo drank brandy while Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao stopped at one shot each before contenting themselves with non-alcoholic cocktails for the rest of the evening.

"Eldest Bro, will you be in trouble for using the national team to hurt Long Hui and his bride?" Yu Mo asked.

"What using the national team?" Lin Yehan raised an eyebrow. "The victory gala that I'm hosting is legitimate. It's only a coincidence that it's scheduled on the same day as the wedding."

"Pft! Coincidence. Yeah, right!" Yu Mo rolled his eyes before laughing.

Lin Yehan turned to Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao. "Both of you are going to come, right?"

"En." Jin Liwei nodded.

Lu Zihao grunted.

Lin Yehan smiled. "Barring any emergencies in the hospital that day, Second Brother Yingjie said that he would be able to come as well."

"My wife will come, too," Jin Liwei said.

"Even better!" Lin Yehan was delighted. He turned to his fifth brother.

Lu Zihao swirled his cocktail. "Jinjing still hasn't decided yet. If she doesn't want to come, I won't force her."

"That's fine," Lin Yehan replied and nodded in understanding.

Yu Mo slung an arm over Lin Yehan's shoulders. "Eldest Bro, will you be escorting a lady in the gala?"

"If the lady agrees, then yes."

"Oh?" Yu Mo's eyes lit up. "Who's she? Do I know her?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

Lin Yehan only smiled but didn't reveal anything to his clueless fifth brother.

Yu Mo had been busy teaching Systema to his students in his studio and hanging out with his other less close friends. He didn't know that his eldest brother had been chasing a certain single mother.

Lin Yehan didn't publicize it to prevent his lady from feeling uncomfortable. Nobody told Yu Mo.

"Third Bro, Fifth Bro, do you know which lady Eldest Bro is talking about?" Yu Mo asked.

"En," Jin Liwei said.

Lu Zihao didn't bother replying. He didn't care about this topic.

"Tell me!"

Yu Mo whined for a long time but none of his bros revealed anything useful. He could only sulk by himself while downing shot after shot of brandy. In the end, he became too drunk that an annoyed Lu Zihao slung the man over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and tossed him at a random guest bedroom.

"I'm off," Lu Zihao announced and left without so much as waiting for a reply.

Lin Yehan shook his head while chuckling. He was also a little drunk but in a much better state than Yu Mo.

"You go ahead and return to Xiulan, Third Brother. I'm going to find a balcony for some fresh air to sober up a bit before I head to bed."

"Alright." Jin Liwei patted his shoulder before leaving as well. "Good night, Eldest Brother."

"Good night."

Lin Yehan went to the nearest balcony after Jin Liwei left. The air was chilly and made him shiver but he stayed put. A few minutes later, his mind cleared up a little.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and called someone.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Miss Ying Yue."

Pause.

"Are you drunk, Mr. Yehan?" Jiang Ying Yue asked.

"A little," he admitted.

She sighed. "It's late now. You should go to sleep."

"I miss you."

Silence.

"Miss Ying Yue, I miss you," he repeated. "I want to see you. Can I?"

"You're still at the mansion?"

"Yes. Yu Mo and I are staying here tonight. So...can I see you?"

"Right now?"

"Uh-huh."

"B-but...."

Lin Yehan inhaled the cold air and felt more refreshed. "Please, Miss Ying Yue. I won't do anything inappropriate. I promise. I really just want to see you, that's all."

Jiang Ying Yue didn't answer for what felt like a long time. Finally, she said, "Okay."

Chapter 1382 Let's Become a Family

Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue met in a secluded corner near Little Jun's room. There was an ottoman bench by a large window. Beside the bench was an accent table with a vase of fresh flowers on top, a glass display in the shape of the LX monogram, and a framed photo of Iris, Jin Liwei and Little Jun with Popcorn.

"After we marry, let's take a family picture like this with Little Jun," Lin Yehan said all of a sudden.

"Y-you...." Jiang Ying Yue turned red.

"Little Jun loves his cat cousins and his new puppy. It's clear that he adores animals. My farm villa has a lot. There are cute bunnies there that he might like. You and Little Jun should visit my farm villa one of these days. I'll teach him how to ride a pony. How about you? Do you know how to ride a horse? If not, I can teach you, too."

"Mr. Yehan!"

Lin Yehan faced her with his ever-present gentle smile. "Yes, Miss Ying Yue?"

"Please don't do this."

"Do what?"

"T-this...talking about m-marriage and doing things like a...f-family...."

He walked forward. She stepped back. Then she stumbled and fell on the ottoman bench. Now she was sitting down and had to raise her head to look at him.

Lin Yehan stopped about two feet away from her, giving her a bit of space but not enough to let her escape so easily.

He might not be completely drunk but the alcohol definitely had a hand in making him act so brazen like this in front of the woman he liked.

Then he sat on his haunches in front of her so that she wouldn't feel intimidated by him too much. This way, they could speak close to eye level.

"Miss Ying Yue, please don't worry," he told her. "I won't touch you without your permission. Rest assured that I do respect you and want you to feel more comfortable with me. I just want to talk to you and hopefully get closer to you."

She gazed down at her hands on her lap, too shy to look at him straight in the eyes. "Alright."

"May I take a seat beside you?"

"Y-yes." She scooted a little to the side and gave some space for him on the bench.

"Thank you." He sat down and looked at her.

Lin Yehan couldn't stop looking at her. In his slight drunkenness, Jiang Ying Yue seemed more beautiful than usual in his eyes. The red tint on her cheeks and ears were so adorable that he couldn't help but grin.

"Miss Ying Yue, I like you."

She curled her fingers on her lap. Her heartbeat felt like a thousand horses galloping while her breathing felt a little laboured.

"M-mister Yehan...please don't...."

"Do you like me, too?"

His sudden question startled her, and to be honest, made her panic. "W-what?"

"I want to know if you like me, too," he said in a patient tone. "Do you? Even just a little?"

"I..."

"I don't think you hate me."

"N-no! Of course, I don't hate you."

He leaned towards her but still made sure to give her some space so as not to scare her too much. He just wanted to be near hear while also trying to get her used to his presence as much as possible.

"Then do you like me?" he asked again.

"I...yes."

His eyes lit up. "Yes? You like me?"

She forced herself to look at him even though she wanted to flee from embarrassment. Despite this, she still forced herself to stay put and face the man's open pursuit. In the first place, she already agreed to let Lin Yehan to court her. There was no use to running away for something that she allowed. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

This wasn't the first time that a man had chased her anyway. Her ex, Long Hui, had also chased her back when she worked as his bodyguard.

She couldn't help but compare the two men.

Long Hui had been very suave and charismatic back then. Before working for him, most men didn't look at her as a girlfriend material because they said that her muscled body looked too masculine to be desirable. So when Long Hui said that he loved her body, she couldn't help but fall hopelessly in love with him despite knowing that their relationship would be met with hostility by the extremely prejudiced members of the Long clan.

And now, there was Lin Yehan. Unlike Long Hui, Lin Yehan never told her that he became attracted to her because of her muscled body. As a matter of fact, he said that he admired her character as a person, especially her strength and resilience as a mother.

Thinking like this, Jiang Ying Yue realized that Long Hui might only have been attracted to her muscled body. If he really respected her as his fiancÃ©e and most importantly as the mother of his son, then he wouldn't have said all those hurtful words and humiliated her in public.

Compared to him, Lin Yehan had always been courteous to her even back when they were merely acquaintances meeting as the friends of Iris and Jin Liwei. Even now, he remained respectful to her. Most importantly, he treated Little Jun well.

Of course, there was a chance that he might just be acting like this now and change in the future. But she doubted that.

Jin Liwei and their other sworn brothers all respected Lin Yehan as their eldest brother. Just based on Jin Liwei's character alone, she already trusted Lin Yehan and their other brothers.

More often than not, one could discern a person's character based on his or her close friends.

Back to the present, Jiang Ying Yue gathered all her courage and continued to look at Lin Yehan straight in the eyes.

"Yes, I like you," she told him.

His smile spread across his face slowly. It was like watching a star become brighter in the night sky.

She became dazed for a few seconds before catching herself.

Lin Yehan wasn't the most handsome among the five sworn brothers. In fact, even Long Hui was many times more handsome than him. He couldn't be considered ugly either. His features were arranged in a way that made him look very kind and pleasant rather than handsome.

Even so, he was still quite an attractive man. It was in the way that he carried himselfâconfident but not arrogant, kind but not weak, and warm but not overly friendly.

Everything about him was just...right.

At least, to her.

"Do you really like me?" she asked him after gathering another round of courage.

"Yes, I really like you," he replied, the smile on his face was gentle and delighted at the same time.

"Earlier, you mentioned something about...m-marrying me and taking a...f-family picture together with my son. Are you serious about that?"

His smile deepened. "Yes, I'm very serious about that. I do hope to marry you. If you give me a chance, I promise that I'll respect you as a husband and work together with you in raising your son. I also promise to treat Little Jun like my own child. If someday I'm blessed to have a child with you, I promise that my treatment of Little Jun won't change. Once we're married, your son will become my son."

Her eyes watered. "What about...my ex? What if Long Hui makes trouble again?"

Lin Yehan's eyes darkened but this only lasted for a couple of seconds before he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll protect you and Little Jun. I won't allow anyone to bully my family."

"F-family...." The redness spread from her cheers and ears all over her face and down her neck. "You really want to become a family with...m-me?"

He nodded. "Yes. Very much so."

"I have a degree but I only work as a bodyguard. Do you think that it's a waste of my education?"

His expression turned serious. "Miss Ying Yue, I don't believe that your education level or your job defines you as a person. I work in the agricultural industry. Many of my manual workers, especially the farmers, have low education. A lot of people in society also look down on them as inferior rural folks. But I know that they are some of the kindest and most compassionate people that I've ever met in my life. They are simple folks who won't bother to say one thing in front of you and then stab you in the back afterwards. If they like you, they will treat you like family. If they dislike you, they won't bother talking to you.

"That's why I don't want you to worry about me disdaining your work as a bodyguard. This is the field that you want to work in and I respect your choice. I have seen the kind of training and work that you do here at Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law's home. They're not easy at all. For a woman like you to do all these things that many men like me find difficult and torturous and you even excel at them, I sincerely admire you."

Jiang Ying Yue found herself smiling. "Thank you. I do love my work."

"I can tell." He was glad to see her smile. "Rest assured that I won't interfere with your work. If you want to continue working here, then that's fine. If you want to explore other careers in the field of security, I'll also support you 100%. I also love my work in the agricultural industry so I completely understand when others feel passionate about their work."

After hearing what he had to say, she made a decision right then and there.

She grabbed his hand.

He looked surprised and then delighted.

Then she said, "Mr. Yehan, let's become a family."

Chapter 1383 Slow But Steady

For a moment, Lin Yehan thought that he might have already fallen asleep and was dreaming all this.

"Am I still awake?" he murmured, a little dazed.

Jiang Ying Yue couldn't help but chuckle. She pinched his hand.

He hissed. The sharp pain immediately proved that this was all real. She didn't hold back at all in pinching him. It hurt!

"Oh, sorry. I didn't control my strength." She rubbed the part of his hand that she just pinched.

"It's fine."

"I'll control my strength next time," she said.

"There's a next time?"

She gave him a shy smile. "Maybe." She paused for a few seconds before asking, "So...are we considered...together now?"

"Huh?" His brain took a few seconds to load before he came back to his senses. "Yes! Of course!" He laughed in delight. "We're together now!"

"Y-yehan...."

He grinned while rubbing and squeezing her hand. It was calloused and a little rough, but for him, it was the most beautiful hand that he had ever held.

"Yes, that's right. You should call me Yehan now, Ying Yue."

Then he raised her hand and gave it a light kiss. His grin became wider after seeing her flushing even brighter.

"Ying Yue, thank you for accepting me. I'll do my best to show that you made the right decision in choosing me."

"Okay, Yehan."

He leaned closer towards her. "May I kiss you?"

Her face right now was as red as a baboon's butt but she still nodded. Without waiting for his next move, she already grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips.

His arms immediately wrapped around her as he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss.

Jiang Ying Yue felt the familiar stirrings of desire in her lower belly. She hung on to him and tried to intensify the kiss but he was in complete control of it. Before she knew it, she was already following his rhythmâslow but very thorough.

This was the first time that she had been kissed so meticulously like this. Lin Yehan was like a master explorer, taking his time to find her sweet spots and learning which techniques she liked best.

There was a steadiness in the man that assured her. Just based on his performance right now, he wasn't the kind to blow her mind from intensity right from the start. He seemed to prefer to take the slow but steady route.

Soft and gentle in the beginning and then gradually building up the intensity. The feeling that he gave her was more like a trickling stream rather than a raging waterfall.

At first, it felt like a stream flowing slowly but surely into a river that became bigger and faster the more he worked his magic on her. Then finally, she found herself plummeting down a waterfall that appeared out of nowhere, catching her off guard.

When she returned to her senses, she realized that she somehow moved from the ottoman bench on to Lin Yehan's lap. She stared at him in a daze. There was a slight taste of brandy on her tongue from his kiss.

"Ying Yue," he whispered before gently rubbing their lips together.

She sighed from the tender pleasure. It felt so nice, relaxing and hot all at the same time.

"You're drunk," she murmured. "What if you forget about all this tomorrow?"

He chuckled and rubbed her lower back. "Something so wonderful like this, how could I forget?"

###

The next morning, Lin Yehan woke up with a throbbing headache. He was in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed, but when he inhaled, he smelled a familiar scent.

From now on, he wanted to smell this scent every time he woke up in the morning. He smiled but winced when his head began hurting like a bitch again.

The door open a crack. Jiang Ying Yue poked half of her head through the door and peeked inside. When she saw that he was already up, she entered while pushing a small cart.

"Good morning, Yehan."

"Good morning, Ying Yue." He waited for her to arrive by the bedâher bed.

"I brought you some hangover soup. The butler also prepared fresh clothes and toiletries for you."

He pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed beside him before giving her cheek a quick peck. Satisfaction filled him at seeing the tips of her ears turn red.

"Don't get too close to me," she said and pulled away from him a little. "I just finished my morning training routine so I'm sweaty."

"I like you sweaty," he teased.

She turned red all over.

He chuckled and then winced.

"Headache?" She took the bowl of hangover soup and handed it to him. "Drink this first. I'll take a quick shower. You can go after I finish."

He hummed his agreement and took a few sips of the rich soup. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yes but I already burned most of it from my morning training routine. I'll eat again with you later."

"Okay."

He focused on finishing the soup while listening to the sounds of her showering in the ensuite bathroom. The smile stayed on his face almost the entire time. He felt so happy that he almost couldn't believe that they were actually together now. If not for his painful headache, then he would doubt that this was reality.

After placing the empty bowl back on the cart, he opened the curtains, letting the bright sunlight flood in the bedroom. He started stretching his half-naked body while studying the room's interior.

The overall style was quite masculineâstrong, bold textures with minimal decorations. It suited Jiang Ying Yue perfectly.

Last night, he followed Jiang Ying Yue to her bedroom where they continued to make out. Yes, he slept on her bed but nothing more happened between the two of them besides kissing and some touching over their clothing.

She had the intention of consummating their relationship but he managed to calm her down. Although he wasn't completely drunk last night, he still didn't want their first time to be influenced by alcohol in any way. He preferred to be alert when he made love with Jiang Ying Yue for the first time.

Neither of them were virgins but that didn't mean that he should be careless in his treatment of her. On the contrary, he was determined to become the best and the most considerate lover that she ever had in her entire life.

Jiang Ying Yue finished showering and putting on clothes in ten minutes. Lin Yehan was very impressed. Her discipline was comparable to soldiers. Even a former professional athlete like him couldn't compare to her.

He gave her a quick hug and another rather chaste kiss on the cheek before taking a shower next.

Afterwards, the two of them headed straight to the playroom where Little Jun was playing with Popcorn and his puppy, Gravy.

"Mommi! Anko Han!"

The little guy jumped into his mother's waiting arms. Lin Yehan made a "come here" gesture with his arms and was pleasantly surprised when Little Jun reached over to him. He carried the child and enjoyed the feeling.

Together, they headed to the dining area. Popcorn and Gravy followed by their heels.

When they arrived at the dining area, they saw almost everyone except for Grandpa Lu who apparently went out to visit some of his old friends again. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

"Yo, good morning," Yu Mo greeted. He looked haggard with listless eyes and dark circles.

Then his eyes widened and almost bulged out of his head when he saw the interlaced hands of Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue.

"Whoa! Holy Moly! What am I seeing?! Is this for real?! Am I dreaming?! Someone pinch meâOUCH!!! Ice Cream, you brat! I said pinch me, not punch me! Dammit! I think you also scratched me. Is it bleeding?"

The fat, grey cat landed on the floor after punching her Uncle Mo with agility and gracefulness that defied her size. She threw him a disgusted glare before hopping on top of a display table near her twin baby brothers and cousins but far away from the annoying puppies on the floor.

"Third Bro, look at what your eldest did to me!" Yu Mo complained while holding his face where Ice Cream punched him.

Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow. "You were being too loud. Ice Cream didn't want you scaring the babies."

"And so she attacked me?!"

"Not attacked, just warned you," Jin Liwei corrected.

Lu Zihao sneered at Yu Mo. "You're a Systema practitioner and yet you can't even win against a cat? How shameful!"

Long Jinjing giggled.

"My daughter is so mighty," Iris said in a tone filled with pride.

"Baby Ice Cream's cat punch just now is one of the bestest I've ever seen!" Dom exclaimed. "So fast and clean! Ehehe. I should've recorded it on video!"

"Meow~" Ice Cream's disdainful expression turned adorable after her mommy and Uncle Dom (a.k.a. Slave #1) praised her.

Yu Mo couldn't accept that nobody was sympathizing with him even for a bit. "You're all bullying me!"

Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue took this time to settle in their seats. It was Lin Yehan who put Little Jun in his high seat, looking so much like a dad. Their actions caught everybody's attention again, especially Yu Mo.

"Eldest Bro, is Jiang Ying Yue the special lady that you've been pursuing?" Yu Mo asked.

"Yes." Lin Yehan had no intention of denying it. In fact, he was very proud of it.

Yu Mo looked around the table. Nobody looked surprised. Only him.

"You all knew about them?"

Just looking at their expressions alone was enough to answer his question. He glanced at his happy eldest brother, the blushing Jiang Ying Yue, and the clueless Little Jun.

"Cool! Congrats, Eldest Bro! You too, Jiang Ying Yue! So tell me, when's the wedding?"

Chapter 1384 Rebound

Jiang Ying Yue became flustered when all eyes fell on her. She put on her expressionless bodyguard face to save herself from complete embarrassment but didn't fully succeed. The red tinge on her face, ears and neck gave her away.

"Fourth Brother, that's enough." Lin Yehan came to her rescue. "Ying Yue and I only became an official couple last night. We plan on deepening our feelings for each other before getting married."

Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Lin Yehan made his move after they all dispersed from their drinking session last night.

Lu Zihao didn't care. He continued to eat meat and put more food on his wife's plate instead.

As for Iris, Long Jinjing and Dom, all of them looked happy for their friend. Although they already knew that Lin Yehan had been courting Jiang Ying Yue before this and estimated that the two would become a couple sooner rather than later, they still didn't expect that the two would really get together this fast.

Unlike Iris and Long Jinjing who were both single when they got involved with their respective husbands, Jiang Ying Yue carried a lot of baggage from her previous relationship. It wasn't easy for her to enter another committed relationship compared to her friends especially since she had a child with her ex.

Everyone knew how hurt and humiliated she felt when she and Long Hui broke up. They thought that she would need more time to heal from her heartbreak before accepting a new lover. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

"Eldest Brother, please treat Ying Yue and Little Jun well," Iris said.

"Of course," Lin Yehan replied without hesitation.

While eating breakfast, they talked about Lin Yehan's upcoming gala that he was hosting for the national shooting team. At the same time, they all had a tacit understanding not to talk about another event that was scheduled on the same day as the galaâLong Hui and Mao Qiuyue's wedding.

"Ying Yue, please be my partner at the gala," Lin Yehan said.

"I...." Jiang Ying Yue looked torn.

"Just agree, Ying Yue," Iris interjected. "There's nothing to worry about it. Dom, Big Sister Jinjing and even Chen Fei and Meimei are all going. If Clover were here, I'm sure that she'll go with us, too. I hired extra people from LXC Studio to help my glam team style us for the event. No need to worry about the dresses either. A few of my favourite designers already agreed to send some dresses for us to choose from."

"Yep, just come with us, Sis Yue!" Dom piped in. "It's going to be so much fun! We, the girl squad, are going to be the most gorgeous and fabulous in the gala!"

"I originally didn't plan on attending but I changed my mind when I learned that most of our friends are also going," Long Jinjing said. "Little Sister Xiulan has already made arrangements for our styling so there's no need to worry about anything else other than our attendance."

Iris added, "Besides, even if we're not with you, I'm sure that Eldest Brother won't leave you alone to fend for yourself at the gala."

Lin Yehan nodded. "Exactly." He looked at Jiang Ying Yue. "Be my partner?"

Jiang Ying Yue still looked a little hesitant but she nodded. "Okay."

He smiled.

"Gah!" Yu Mo shielded his eyes. "Too bright! My eyes are melting from all the dog food! All of you are now couples. I'm the only one here who's a single dog!"

Dom batted her eyelashes. "I, the gorgeous beauty king, am also single. You're not alone, Teacher Yu."

Yu Mo sighed. "Dom, if only you were born female, I would have already chased you and made you mine. I think we're quite compatible."

Dom sighed as well. "If I were born female, I would reject you without hesitation, Teacher Yu. Even though we're quite compatible as you say, you're still not my type."

"Ah!" Yu Mo clutched his chest and showed an exaggerated expression of shock.

Everyone laughed at the antics of the two. Indeed, they were quite compatible. Both of them were lively, funny, and had the talent of lightening up almost any atmosphere.

After breakfast, the men were dawdling before going to their respective work, especially Lin Yehan who only became an official couple with his lady last night.

He didn't mind that the others were around them. He gave Jiang Ying Yue a peck on the lips.

Why should he be shy? What he did was nothing compared to what his third brother and fifth brother were doing to their wives. Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao were almost eating their wives' faces off by how hard, deep and enthusiastic they were kissing them in front of everyone else.

The kiss he and Jiang Ying Yue shared just now was very chaste compared to what the other two shameless couples were doing.

All of a sudden, Lin Yehan and Jiang Ying Yue felt something force itself between the two of them. They looked down at the same time and saw Little Jun.

"Junjun kiss-kiss, chu!" (Give Junjun a kiss, too!)

Jiang Ying Yue smiled and squatted down to her son's level. Then she showered her son's face with lots of kisses. Little Jun giggled from delight.

After his mother kissed him, he gave Lin Yehan an expectant look next. Lin Yehan turned to Jiang Ying Yue, silently asking her what to do.

"Little Jun wants you to kiss him, too," she translated what her son's expression meant.

"Oh." He chuckled before squatting down as well. Then he held the child gently and gave Little Jun a kiss on each cheek.

"Hehe." Satisfied, Little Jun abandoned his mother and Uncle Yehan to play with Popcorn and Gravy.

Lin Yehan's smile couldn't be any happier. He was beaming even when he left with his brothers.

"Ying Yue, let's chat," Iris called.

The friends dropped off the children, cats and puppies to the nursery first before heading to the nearby sitting area. The butler served them digestive herbal tea blend.

"Sis Yue, tell us how you and Eldest Brother Boss became a couple! Hurry!" Dom's curiosity and excitement were palpable in the way he bounced on his seat in anticipation.

"Uhm...." Jiang Ying Yue felt shy. But at the same time, she also wanted to hear her friends' opinion, so she told them everything that happened.

Dom was ooh-ing and aah-ing and kyaah-ing while Iris and Long Jinjing focused on listening to Jiang Ying Yue.

"So...what do you think?" Jiang Ying Yue asked.

"Weh, are you sure you and Eldest Brother Boss didn't chupa-choops yet?" Dom asked.

"Chuâwhat?" Jiang Ying Yue was confused at the unfamiliar term.

"You know!" Dom made a vulgar gesture with his hands.

Jiang Ying Yue threw an accent pillow at him.

"Ehehe!" The agile Dom evaded it. "I'm just teasing you, Sis Yue. But I'm really impressed at Eldest Brother Boss' self-control. You slept on the same bed and yet he only kissed you."

Iris finally put a stop to Dom's teasing. Jiang Ying Yue gave her a grateful look.

It was Long Jinjing who changed the light atmosphere with her question. "Sis Ying Yue, please don't be offended at what I'm going to ask but...I think that it's...uh, important."

"Go ahead, Jinjing."

"Are you sure that...you're not using Eldest Brother Yehan as aâsorryâa rebound?"

Jiang Ying Yue stiffened.

Even Iris and Dom became serious.

They all looked at Jiang Ying Yue and waited for her answer.

"Of course not!" She shook her head in a hurry. "I'm not that kind of person! I would never...there's no way...that I will use Yehan as a r-rebound."

"Okay, I understand," Long Jinjing also quickly said. "I'm sorry for asking this question, Sis Ying Yue."

Iris sipped her tea. She looked the calmest among the group. "That's actually a valid question, Big Sister Jinjing. But since Ying Yue says that her relationship with Eldest Brother is not a rebound, then we should believe in her. We know what her character is like. She's not like that."

Both Long Jinjing and Dom nodded.

Nevertheless, the matter about rebound made Jiang Ying Yue reflect on her true feelings and intentions towards Lin Yehan. She had never thought about it before but her current relationship with Lin Yehan might indeed appear like a rebound to others people.

It was actually good that Long Jinjing mentioned it this early. At least, Jiang Ying Yue could process it in a safe zone among her friends. If she encountered it in a public setting among strangers, then she didn't know if she would be able to react well.

"I truly...like Yehan," she told her friends. "I don't think that I love him yet...but I'm close to it. It's a different kind of attraction that I felt with...you know who. It's calmer...steadier...and more reassuring. Yehan is an excellent man."

"True that!" Dom piped in again. "Eldest Brother Boss has a different charm from other men. I can already see that he'll be a great daddy to Little Junie boy, too!"

Jiang Ying Yue sighed. "Long Hui will always be my son's father. That will never change. If he wants to see Little Jun, I won't obstruct him as long as he doesn't harm our son in any way. But you're right, Dom. I can also see that Yehan will be a great father to Little Jun. He also promised me several times that he'll treat my son like his own. To be honest, that promise was the clincher for me. It's one of the main reasons why I agreed to be with him."

"That's only natural," Iris said. "Liwei and I won't agree with your relationship with Eldest Brother if he doesn't treat Little Jun well. I trust Eldest Brother's character more than Long Hui."

Chapter 1385 Mother is Back

Unlike before, Iris and the others could no longer see that much pain in Jiang Ying Yue's eyes. Though there was still a lot of anger there, the pain had decreased a lot. This should be one of the positive effects of being in a new relationship with a much better man than her ex.

The friends chattered for a little longer before dispersing to do their own tasks for the day.

Long Jinjing headed to the nursery. Dom went to the home office. Jiang Ying Yue got ready for her shift later.

As for Iris, she dropped by the nursery with Long Jinjing to spend a few minutes with the children, cats and puppies before heading to her music room to continue working on her current composition projects, including her collaboration with her mentor, Enrique Valdez.

There was no hurry to return to her music career especially since she and Jin Liwei were determined to take advantage of this precious time watching their babies grow and bond together as a family. However, she still didn't want to neglect her passion for music. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

She continued to work on composing new music and fine-tuning old ones. She might use the ones she was fine-tuning in the future, but most of them would be given to the new LXC Studio artists to debut.

Any samples left behind would be shown to her producer, JJ. If he liked something, he would produce it for his own record label's artists. Of course, Iris Long would always be credited as the original songwriter even if she didn't involve herself in the actual recording and post-production process.

It was rather peaceful at Dragon Palace Home #10 but the same couldn't be said in other places.

###

Mao Textiles had been in a constant barrage of attacks from almost all directions. It was subtle at first. The Mao family initially didn't think too much about it. After all, which business didn't experience challenges?

But when the issues started cropping up almost every day and snowballing into danger zone, the Maos could no longer keep still and take the beating without doing anything.

It was only after investigating did they discover that Lin Yehan was the mastermind in bullying their company. He caused almost all of their old and trusted suppliers to terminate their cooperation with Mao Textiles.

As a result, the company had no choice but to find other inferior and less trustworthy suppliers in a hurry. They couldn't take advantage of the old client's price benefit anymore. All of the raw materials they needed had become so much more expensive with the new suppliers.

Even though the company could still afford these new prices, it still hurt them. If the company's higher-ups decreased their salaries and regular bonuses, then it was easy to circumvent these new expenses.

But how could the higher-ups allow this to happen?

There was no way that they would sacrifice their own benefits for the sake of the company. Mao Textiles didn't want to disturb the status quo either.

The consequence of this was that all of the lower-ranked employees had to bear the burden instead. Low salaries were cut even further. Meagre bonuses became even more miserable. Worst of all, many were laid off.

These poor and pitiful employees attempted to complain but did Mao Textiles care about them?

Of course not!

The company and the Mao family ignored them. They were too busy covering up these problems in order to maintain their wealthy front especially during this period when they were preparing for their daughter's marriage with the crown prince of the Long family.

In his farm villa, Lin Yehan just finished discussing the finishing details of the gala with the event planner. Then his phone rang and his assistant relayed what happened with Mao Textiles.

His usual gentle expression was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a deep frown of contempt.

"Contact those that Mao Textiles laid off," he instructed his assistant. "We have some businesses related to the textile industry. Although it's mostly in the supply stage, I'm sure that they won't be too picky when they need urgent employment."

The assistant obeyed.

After the call, Lin Yehan took a moment to calm his anger. He had already expected that this would happen when he started targeting Mao Textiles, but when it really happened, he couldn't help but feel disgusted.

As a tycoon who worked in one of the most humble industries in society, namely agriculture, Lin Yehan despised businesses who had zero moral ethics the most.

Mao Textiles was a classic example of a company that only cared about fattening up the already fat pockets of its higher-ups while bleeding the rest of its workers dry and casting them aside like disposable slaves without any hesitation.

It would be difficult to completely destroy a long-established company like Mao Textiles with a lot of connections but it wasn't impossible.

Lin Yehan fell into deep thought.

###

A couple of days before the gala (and Long Hui and Mao Qiuyue's wedding), Wei Lan finally returned to the country after her long shopping spree across Asia. She only freshened up in her mansion before dragging Randy and RenÃ© Alejandro to Dragon Palace to meet her new grandsons.

Finally, RenÃ© Alejandro had an excuse to meet Jin Liwei, Sir Lu Jianghong and the others again. Deep inside, he was grumbling about Wei Lan's tardiness in returning, but on the outside, he was all smiles.

Jin Liwei had a meeting at Jin Corporation and Grandpa Lu was out visiting Grandma Li up in her mountain villa so those two were absent when Wei Lan's group arrived. RenÃ© Alejandro was disappointed but there was nothing that he could do.

On a brighter note, he could try to develop a close relationship with the Jin and Lu twins instead. If the children became close to him and treated him as an uncle, then Jin Liwei and Sir Lu Jianhong would surely feel closer to him as well.

"Xiulan, honeeeeeeeey!" Wei Lan strutted after finally seeing her daughter after so long. "Mother is baaaaack!"

She air-kissed Iris on both cheeks before studying her daughter from head to toe and back up again. "Oh, goooooood! You've lost all thooooooose baby weight. Your figure is not as goooooooood as mine when I gave birth to you back then but not baaaaaaaaaaaad, honey. It's just that...your boooooooobs have become toooooooo big! Big booooooooobs are easy to sag, you know?"

The ever straightforward Iris replied, "My boobs are fine. My husband is more than satisfied with them."

Wei Lan laughed and looked...proud. "That's right, honeeeeeeeey! It's important to alwaaaaaaaays satisfy your husband's neeeeeeeeds! You can always have a boob lift in the future, riiiiiiiiiiight? I'm sure dear Liwei won't miiiiiiiiiind paying for the procedure when he's the one who's going to benefit with his wife's perky boooooooobs."

Iris rolled her eyes. "I can pay for my own procedures, thank you. And I might not need that kind of procedure in the future."

Wei Lan also rolled her eyes. "Trust meeeeeeeee, honey! With those biiiiiiiiiiig boobs, you'll definitely need a boob lift."

While the mother and daughter were talking about boobs, the other people around them were pretending that everything was normal.

The butler and the other staff were all professionals. They were already long used to their young madam's overly straightforward honesty. Their expressions didn't change at all.

Randy was barely holding on to his laughter. He couldn't wait to meet with Dom and gossip about it.

As for RenÃ© Alejandro, he showed a rather awkward expression. It was all for show, of course. He honestly didn't care about this kind of conversations at all. There was no way that someone like him would be embarrassed listening to something like this.

Iris was an attractive woman. That much he could admit. If not for the fact that he was focused on befriending Jin Liwei on the surface and entering the man's close circles, RenÃ© Alejandro might even attempt to seduce Iris. She was just his typeâbeautiful, sexy and appeared to know what she wanted.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the type to mix his work with pleasure. He wouldn't fuck anyone who was related to his missions in any way. He was different from the Matador who was now keeping their hostage, Rose Young, as a convenient mistress.

After the boob conversation finished (thank goodness), Iris sniffed and frowned.

"Mother, your perfume is too strong. I can't have you meet the babies like this."

Wei Lan complained but she still went to take a shower in the end.

In the meantime, Iris took RenÃ© Alejandro and Randy to the nursery first.

"Thank you for the presents," Iris said. "You didn't have to."

RenÃ© Alejandro smiled. His two dimples on both cheeks made him appear very charming but Iris wasn't affected at all.

"It's just a little something for the babies," he replied. "This is the first time that I'm meeting MamÃ¡'s grandsons after all. In a way, they're also my nephews. Of course, I have to get them something as their uncle. I also brought something for your sister's twins as well. I hope she doesn't mind."

Iris mentally raised an eyebrow at the man's reasoning, but on the outside, she only nodded before saying, "I don't know if Big Sister Jinjing will mind your gifts for her babies or not. You have to personally give them to her to find out."

"I understand." He smiled again.

At last, RenÃ© Alejandro met Jin Liwei's sons and Sir Lu Jianhong's grandsons when they arrived in the nursery.

Long Jinjing was inside with the nannies. She thanked RenÃ© Alejandro for the presents but didn't talk much.

RenÃ© Alejandro didn't mind. Long Jinjing wasn't one of his targets anyway. She was actually dangerous because her husband, Lu Zihao, hated him. It was better to steer clear of the woman to avoid any unforeseen problems to his mission.

Chapter 1386 Crying Babies

The Jin twins were on the carpet playing with their rattling and squeaking toys while the Lu twins were cooing at each other in the crib.

Each of the babies reacted differently to the visitors.

Little Mochi liked good-looking people. He was drawn to RenÃ© Alejandro right from the start. Even so, he was still cautious at the stranger and didn't smile too much. He just stared at RenÃ© Alejandro and ignored Randy for the most part.

Little Matcha only gave them a cursory glance before returning to his toys. He was still a baby but he already inherited his father's usual indifference to a tee.

Like Little Mochi, Little Misha seemed to be interested at the visitors. But unlike Little Mochi, Little Misha was more drawn to the flamboyant Randy than at RenÃ© Alejandro. It was mostly because of the Zumba instructor's bright, neon-coloured clothing. The baby's interest in the visitors only lasted for a short while before he ignored them.

Last but not the least, Little Dima had a more extreme reaction than his eldest brother and cousins but actually quite normal for babies. He cried as soon as he saw the strangers. Long Jinjing was quick to pick him up and comfort her baby.

RenÃ© Alejandro already had an idea about each of the babies' personalities based on their reactions. Among them, he had the highest chance of becoming closer to the eldest, Little Mochi.

The baby also resembled Wei Lan. Maybe this was one of the reasons why RenÃ© Alejandro felt confident about this particular baby. He needed to observe more. If Little Mochi also resembled his maternal grandmother's personality and not just appearance, then RenÃ© Alejandro was sure that he could make the baby like him.

First attempt.

"Hello, Haoyu," he greeted in his gentlest and friendliest tone. "I'm Uncle RenÃ©."

Little Mochi stared at him.

So far so good.

The baby's full attention was on him.

RenÃ© Alejandro took a squeaky toy and squeezed it in front of the baby. "You want this toy, yes?"

Little Mochi reached for it. RenÃ© Alejandro planned on teasing the baby a little and try playing with him so he moved the toy out of reach.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated Little Mochi's seeming openness to him. He didn't expect Little Mochi's expression to crumple so suddenly. Then a loud wail filled the nursery.

RenÃ© Alejandro panicked inside. He wasn't used to dealing with babies this young. He tried salvaging the situation by directly handing the damn squeaky toy to the wailing baby but Little Mochi slapped it away in distress.

Iris swooped down and immediately started comforting her baby in her arms. Little Mochi cried on his mother's chest and continued wailing in an aggrieved manner.

On the carpet, the indifferent Little Matcha was no longer indifferent. He finally made a scene. He threw the rattle that he had been playing at the strange man who made his brother cry. Then he also began wailing at the top of his lungs. Unlike his elder twin brother's aggrieved cries, his wails were furious.

At the moment, three of the babies were crying at the same time.

Little Misha wasn't crying at first but when Little Matcha started his angry wailing, he must have decided that it was fun to join the others so he wasn't the only one left out.

And so the three crying babies became four crying babies.

RenÃ© Alejandro was speechless.

Although the mothers didn't seem to blame him, the nannies and even Randy did. They threw him accusing looks.

"Iris, Jinjing, I'm sorry," he said while showing a guilty expression.

Long Jinjing didn't say anything. Iris, however, didn't mince her words.

"It's stupid to tease babies these young especially when they're not yet familiar with you," she told RenÃ© Alejandro to his face. "Be more careful next time."

RenÃ© Alejandro could only say, "I understand."

Iris nodded. She instructed a nanny to play a calming tune that she specially composed for the babies.

The Lu twins were the first ones to stop crying and calm down as soon as the instrumental music began playing.

Then Little Matcha finally stopped his furious wails. He snuggled with his mother and twin brother.

On the other hand, Little Mochi continued being dramatic. He only decreased his cries to pitiful whimpers after his mother kissed him several times.

"What in the wooooooooooorld is going on?" Wei Lan finally appeared and entered the nursery.

The Jin twins looked at the new stranger with even more caution.

RenÃ© Alejandro explained, "I have upset Iris and Jinjing by making their babies cry. It is my fault."

Wei Lan waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, is that soooooooo? Don't worry about it toooooooo much, dear RenÃ© Alejandro. I'm suuuuuuure you didn't mean it. You don't mind it, right, Xiuuuuuuuulaaaaaaaan?"

She only addressed Iris and ignored Long Jinjing.

Iris didn't bother answering Wei Lan. Instead, she wiped her sons' remaining tears and continued comforting them.

Wei Lan didn't mind being ignored either. After all, she was the type of person who could hold a full conversation by herself without any problem.

"Are these my graaaaaaaaandsons?"

"Yes," Iris nodded. "Be careful, Mother. Don't be too aggressive or they'll cry again."

Wei Lan rolled her eyes. Then her attention was soon caught by Little Mochi. "Oooooooooooh my! This baby looks just like meeeeeeeee!"

She was delighted. Not caring about her image, she also plopped down on the carpet in front of her daughter and grandsons.

"Ooooooooooooh! The other one looooooooooks exactly like dear Liwei!"

Iris observed her sons' reactions. They didn't look like they were going to cry again but their wariness was in full force after what happened with RenÃ© Alejandro.

Although she wasn't close to Wei Lan (and neither was the original Long Xiulan), the woman was still her twin sons' biological grandmother. She didn't want to alienate her children from their biological relatives as much as possible but only if said relatives weren't complete trash like Long Hui and most of the members of the Long clan. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

Wei Lan had a lot of faults but she was mostly harmless. Iris and Jin Liwei had already decided to keep this grandmother for their babies as long as she didn't make too much trouble.

Iris introduced Wei Lan to her sons. The Jin twins stuck closer to her while observing the strange woman with distrust.

To her credit, Wei Lan didn't mind the babies' less than ideal reaction to her. It was more likely that she didn't notice at all. She was too absorbed in admiring her grandsons' good looks.

One looked like her. She was already 100% certain that Little Mochi was going to be gorgeous just like her when he grew up. The other one looked like her handsome son-in-law. Little Matcha would surely become a heartthrob just like his father in the future.

She didn't attempt to hold or even touch the babies either. Even when Iris offered, she rejected.

"I already forgot how to hold a baaaaaabyyyyy! The laaaaaaaast time I held a baby this small was when you were one. And I oooooooonly held you a few times at that. Hahahaha!"

Iris rolled her eyes. At the same time, she couldn't help but pity the original Long Xiulan for having such an irresponsible mother.

Well, her own experience wasn't any better than the original Long Xiulan either. Back in her past life as Evelina, her mother was many leagues worse than Wei Lan.

Madam Vetrova wasn't an irresponsible mother per seâin Vetrov standards. As a matter of fact, she was too responsible. She presided over her children's education and training with a robot's precision and an anaconda's viciousness.

But when placed in the rest of the word's standards, Madam Vetrova would surely fail and be labelled as a dangerous and unfit mother.

Comparing the two, Wei Lan was actually the better mother than Madam Vetrova. At least Wei Lan never did anything to leave a heavy and irreversible trauma on her child.

Back to the present, Wei Lan couldn't stop praising her grandsons' good looks.

"I'll wait for my handsome grandsons to groooooooow up a little before I hold them. What iiiiiiiiiif I drop them? I don't want dear Liwei to scold meeeeeeeeee for accidentally hurting his sons."

Iris mentally rolled her eyes. Wei Lan was afraid of angering her son-in-law but not her daughter? Iris was already used to the woman placing more importance on Jin Liwei than on her. She didn't care about it that much anyway.

Randy excused himself to find Dom and gossip together.

RenÃ© Alejandro eventually managed to insert himself in the conversation. Even though Iris reprimanded him to his face earlier, he appeared not to mind it. He acted more carefully and attempted several times to change the babies' bad impression of him.

Wei Lan moved on from her own grandsons to the other babies in the crib.

"Wow, they really looooooook alike!" She studied the Lu twins more carefully. "How come they doooooooon't resemble any of their parents at all?"

She had been ignoring Long Jinjing all this time but now she cast a suspicious look on her daughter's half-sister.

Long Jinjing understood the look. She flushed from indignation.

Wasn't this Wei Lan implying that her sons weren't sired by husband?

"Mother, stop it," Iris said. "Liwei told me that my twin nephews look like their father when Big Brother Zihao was a child. They grew up together so Liwei knows. Big Brother Zihao's appearance apparently changed a lot after he hit puberty."

"Oooooooh." Wei Lan sniffed before admiring the Lu twins as if she didn't doubt the babies' paternity just now.

'Sorry,' Iris mouthed to Long Jinjing.

'It's fine,' Long Jinjing mouthed back despite still feeling angry.

Little Misha was curious about Wei Lan while Little Dima once again started crying upon seeing a new stranger hovering over their crib.

Chapter 1387 Crying Babies