Chapter 21: An E-mail from Jin Liwei
Long Industries.
It was already dark outside, yet President-CEO Long Tengfei and his assistant were still busily working in the office at the topmost floor of the company building.
The two should have been on their way home by this time, but the President's daughter was involved in yet another embarrassing situation. Granted, it was not her fault this time but it was a fact that her name was still dragged through the mud.
She was still a Long, no matter what. And the Long family cared a lot about their face and image.
Long Tengfei was already exhausted, but the girl was his daughter. He couldn't allow her to be slandered just like that.
"President, we've already taken care of the newspapers and the tabloids but we can't entirely control what's being said on the internet," Cai Guang reported.
Long Tengfei had his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. "Just do your best. Don't let this blow up into something bigger that we can't control. I don't want to give the family, especially the elders, more reasons to force me to disown my own daughter. Xiulan is changing for the better. She's even able to get that tough Qiao Yu to willingly work for her without my influence." A rare, proud look showed on his face. "I want to see how far she can go now that she started taking control of her own life. Don't let others interfere with her."
"Understood."
"Hmph. If it wasn't for the Jin family's protection, I would destroy that bitch. How dare that Fan girl say those things to my, Long Tengfei's, daughter? Unforgivable!"
###
Gold Heights Condominium.
Inside the computer room, Iris read all the malicious comments about her online. She especially paused when reading Fan Luo's post.
She smirked.
Taking out a black notebook, she wrote the name "Fan Luo".
Making all these posts and comments disappear was something extremely easy for her. She could even create a program in minutes to automatically delete anything on the Internet slandering her. However, she chose not to do anything.
Did these people think that their words would hurt her?
She was no longer the same Iris Long from before. For her, these words had nothing to do with her. In fact, she even felt amused reading all the ridiculous rumours about her. As long as her life, safety, or bottom line weren't provoked, mere trash talk wouldn't affect her.
For a hacker like her who treated the web like her own backyard, trash talking was just child's play. Getting involved was not worth her time and effort. However, these noobs better be prepared when she decided to join in on the fun.
Next, she read Jin Chonglin's post. She raised an eyebrow. Not bad. Lucky for him. He didn't get his name written on her black notebook. If she and Jin Chonglin became enemies, she was certain that his arrogant older brother would never give her peace in this life.
Jin Liwei, that villain, warned her to stay away from his younger brother. As if she would be interested in a womanizer like Jin Chonglin.
Besides, she planned to live a life of freedom since waking up in this new body. Getting involved with a superstar like Jin Chonglin would be pure stupidity on her part, even more so with someone as powerful and influential as Jin Liwei. In her mind, Jin Chonglin was attached to his arrogant older brother. She didn't want to have anything to do with either brothers.
For some reason, she kept on feeling that Jin Liwei was dangerous. It was better for her to avoid the brothers from now on.
Ding!
She turned to the computer next to her. Her heart thumped.
Speak of the devil.
Why would Jin Liwei send her an e-mail? She was tempted to delete it without reading but her curiosity won over.
Jin Liwei: "My company won't be partnering with Galaktika. What do you think about these companies?"
He listed five Russian companies. She was familiar with two of them from her past life. The two were involved in some illegal activities, but not as bad as Galaktika. As for the other three, she didn't know any of them.
She wasn't surprised that he knew her e-mail address, or to be exact, the original Iris' old e-mail address. She created a new, more secure e-mail account, but this old e-mail address had a lot of important contacts that might prove helpful for the current her. She wouldn't lose anything by keeping this old account.
For someone as powerful as Jin Liwei, finding her e-mail address was easy. But what kind of e-mail was this? Not even a greeting. What a rude man.
Did he think that she was his personal consultant or something? How audacious!
Delete!
After a few seconds, however, she clicked on the recycle bin and restored the e-mail. She began typing.
Princess Iris: "1 million RMB per company."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 22: Pay up First
Her plan to live the life of freedom that she always wanted needed a lot of resources. It wouldn't hurt to earn extra cash by doing some freelance work.
Besides, Jin Liwei was filthy rich. A million was just pocket change for someone like him.
Ding!
Jin Liwei: "Deal."
Oh? He agreed quickly. Fine, then. She switched to her new, more secure e-mail account and typed.
Long Xiulan: "This e-mail address is more secure. Pay up first."
She sent him her bank account information.
She moved to another computer and worked on creating a new, personalized music software which would make it easier for her to compose music.
After a couple of minutes, her phone received a message. It was from the bank informing her that her account received a 5 million RMB deposit.
She raised an eyebrow. The man acted fast. She might as well work since he already paid her.
Long Xiulan: "I'll send the information about the companies within 3 days."
Jin Liwei: "OK. But if 3 days pass and you have nothing or what you send me is useless, I want a full refund plus interest. 10 million RMB."
Thief!
Long Xiulan: "Fine. Don't bother me in the meantime."
Jin Liwei: "I'll be waiting, Long Xiulan."
Arrogant bastard.
She went to work immediately by turning on all of the computers in the room. With all of them working at the same time, it was an impressive sight. In truth, she only needed a night to gather all information about the five companies, from what was made public to the most classified ones.
As long as there was an electronic trace, she would be able to find anything no matter how obscure. But a mountain of disorganized information was probably not what the arrogant man wanted. Thus, she told him to wait three days.
For the initial step, she let the software she created herself to automatically gather information. She didn't even need to oversee the process personally.
Looking at the time, she left the room for dinner, letting the computers complete the tasks she inputted by themselves.
She ate a Filipino-style dinner with Dom. The cook finally relented after Dom's constant bugging. He whined about how he felt homesick and wanted to eat some Filipino food. The cook told Dom that if he wanted to eat Filipino food, then he could go cook for himself.
So Dom tried cooking and it was a disaster. He had no culinary skills whatsoever. If the cook was any second later, Dom would've burned down the entire penthouse. The cook promptly kicked him out of the kitchen. Dom redoubled his whining afterwards. The cook couldn't take it anymore, so she especially researched and practiced cooking some Filipino dishes. Dom was, of course, ecstatic.
After a hearty dinner, Iris enjoyed a couple cups of hot white pearls tea1.
Afterwards, she composed music at her recording studio, until her phone received a notification informing her that some of the computers already finished the tasks they were assigned.
For the next two days, she spent almost all her time inside the computer room, only going out to eat, exercise a bit, and answer nature's call. After a lot of hacking and verifying accuracy, she translated the information into Chinese and organized everything into shockingly detailed and comprehensive reports about the five companies.
Information that even the companies themselves may not know was included in the reports. What Iris was about to send Jin Liwei were something that would completely destroy the companies, if given in the wrong hands.
She also included a recommendation for two of the companies, giving them a "clean" rating. As for the other three, well, if Jin Liwei had any decent judgment, he would not have any dealings with them.
53 hours since she started working on this job, she finally sent an e-mail to the arrogant man.
Long Xiulan: "See attached files. Send 590,025.73 RMB to my account for the expenses accrued while gathering information. See attached invoice. The original 5 million payment was only for the final reports."
She looked at the time. It was almost midnight. She stretched, yawning. Then she walked around the room, shutting down the computers one by one.
Her phone sounded. She walked over and checked.
It was a message from the bank notifying her that 590,025.73 RMB was deposited to her account.
Iris smiled. Turning off all the lights, she left the computer room, making sure that the door was closed, before heading to her bedroom to sleep.
Not actual sea pearls, but a tea made of white peony leaves shaped into little balls by hand.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 23: The Mysterious Long Xiulan
One of the most expensive, most sought-after, and most fortified exclusive villages in the country was Dragon Palace Homes. There were only ten properties in the village, but each of them occupied large expanses of land.
Security in the village was even tighter than that of the major banks and even comparable to the security team of the country's highest government officials. In fact, some of the property owners had private securities that were even superior.
Dragon Palace Home #10 occupied the largest land and the most impressive mansion in the exclusive village. This property's owner was Jin Liwei, President and CEO of the number one company in the country.
One needed to drive for about twenty minutes by car from the property's massive gates before reaching the palatial mansion.
The mansion was impressive, not only because of its size but also because of its glacial aura, just like its master. Jin Liwei lived alone in this huge house with his servants.
It was silent and chilly to the point that visitors would feel creeped out, like walking in an endless labyrinthine graveyard.
When Jin Liwei returned home from work, it was already night time. He ate a high class dinner alone on the long dinner table; his butler standing silently behind him, ready to serve him at any moment.
After dinner, he took a quick hot shower and changed into pyjamas. Then he headed straight to his home office to continue some of his unfinished work.
Ding!
His eyes lit up. Finally, an e-mail from the damn girl.
Long Xiulan: "See attached files. Send 590,025.73 RMB to my account for the expenses accrued while gathering information. See attached invoice. The original 5 million payment was only for the final reports."
He immediately opened the attachments. After some time reading the five reports the damn girl sent him, he inhaled sharply. The more he read, the more shocked he became. His pupils contracted.
A few days ago, he finally received the results of the second investigation he ordered on Galaktika. When the results matched what the damn girl said about them when they first met at the hotel lobby, his interest in her increased. He was burning with curiosity as to how she got such secret information.
After just a couple of days, five Russian companies immediately sent their own business proposals, showing interest in partnering with his company after hearing that he rejected Galaktika's offer.
The new proposals presented both in Russian and in Chinese and even in English translations reminded him of the damn girl.
He didn't know what came over him to send her an e-mail. Perhaps he wanted confirmation that it was just a coincidence that the girl got it right the first time. Surprisingly, the girl had the audacity to ask for a total of 5 million payment from him. Amused, he immediately sent the money to her.
When she told him to wait three days, he couldn't stop himself from laughing. He smirked.
What did she need three days for? Fine. Just humour the girl and see what she would come up with.
He wasn't really expecting anything. He just treated this deal as a joke to amuse himself. However, there was still a niggling hope inside him for the damn girl to repeat her accurate assessment. He didn't want to acknowledge this tiny hope, but it was still there.
But now, not even three days since they e-mailed each other, he didn't feel amused at the deal anymore. Not at all. Reading the detailed and comprehensive reports she sent him, he felt absolutely shocked.
Each of the reports were worth many times more than what he paid for. He immediately sent the additional bill of a little over half million that she asked for. He was even tempted to send her an additional million as tip but managed to stop himself.
If she made a similar report about his Jin Corporation and handed it to his enemies...he didn't even want to think about it.
He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the night sky outside. The black clouds covered the moon and the stars.
One thing was clear after this experience. If she was really the one who created these reports, then the damn girl wasn't someone to be offended. She could destroy anyone whenever she wanted to.
Even someone like him.
His lips lifted to a smile, his eyes glinting dangerously like that of a predator who finally locked on to its much-awaited prey.
"Long Xiulan, who are you really? What other mysteries are you going to show me?"
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 24: Iris Long is Back
Iris slept for a long time after completing the reports and sending them to Jin Liwei. She woke up a few minutes after noon in time for brunch.
As they ate, Dom informed her that JJ's people finally called in the morning while she was still sleeping and asked for a meeting to negotiate contract terms.
For the next few days, Iris together with Dom and her lawyer were busy meeting with JJ's team. Finally, they signed a contract that satisfied both parties. JJ's record label didn't make any public announcements that she signed under them as an artist as per her request.
Next order of business was to sign under a talent management company. JJ recommended Bright Summit Entertainment Company, which was one of the top in the industry and also had the best relationship with his record label.
Although JJ worked with a lot of talented musicians from different talent companies, he liked working with artists under Bright Summit because they were the least troublesome. A big part of this was because Bright Summit protected its artists very well. Unless an artist did something unsalvageable, the company would use its full might and glory to ensure the artist's career.
When Iris went into coma after the accident, her father spent a huge amount of money to dissolve her outstanding contracts with her previous talent agency, record label and endorsements when she failed to wake up after three months.
JJ went the extra mile to contact someone he trusted from Bright Summit. After a few days of negotiations, Iris was already signing a contract with them. She was also given a new manager. Like before, this was not publicly announced as per her request.
The next few weeks were extremely busy. Iris worked personally with JJ and his team of experts at JJ's own studio to record all the songs she composed for her comeback album.
The other people working with them learned to cope (a.k.a. sit there quietly like statues) whenever Iris and JJ clashed like two evil dragons.
"Listen, Iris brat! I'm an award-winning music producer. I'm always right when it comes to music! I say we should change this part of the song to a faster tempo, so we should do it!"
"No, Mr. JJ. You're wrong. That's so stupid. Are you planning to make this into a disco song? Or maybe a dance song?"
"What did you say, you brat?!"
Another one....
"Mr. JJ, this song doesn't need electric and bass guitars. The symphony orchestra is already more than enough."
"Hai! You don't understand. The guitars add another dimension to the song!"
"What another dimension? Mr. JJ, they're just annoying background noise."
"What did you say, you brat?!"
And yet another one...
"Mr. JJ, I want an acoustic guitar as accompaniment for this song."
"Brat, it's better to keep this song as raw as possible and focus on the emotional impact of your vocals instead. No need for other accompaniment. Just the piano is enough."
"Hmm...fine. But I still want to try another version with an acoustic guitar. Then we can just choose which version sounds better."
"You brat! You don't listen to what I say!"
Although the two argued a lot because both were extreme perfectionists when it came to music, they would always find a way to grudgingly compromise with each other and meet in the middle ground. These compromises always produced songs that left everyone in the recording studio, including Iris and JJ, in shocked amazement.
All 13 songs were successfully recorded and polished to their final versions. Next was shooting the music videos. Both JJ and Iris wanted to release the album as soon as possible, so they shot all the music videos for the 13 songs every day in just two and a half weeks.
Everyone was exhausted but seeing their artist Iris Long working nonstop without complaints, they gritted their teeth and worked just as hard.
After a two-day break, Iris was once again busy posing for the album's cover and promotional posters.
Finally, Iris' part in the album production was done and JJ's record label took over in putting everything together. She felt so exhausted that just opening her eyes took extreme effort, but this was the first time in her two lives that she felt so alive. Her blood sang with excitement.
She could hardly wait to release her album and hear her music being played everywhere.
Almost two years since the accident and her abrupt retirement from showbiz, JJ's record label and Bright Summit Entertainment Company officially announced the upcoming release of her new album.
Their message was clear.
Iris Long was back.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 25: Rebirth
An hour before JJ's record label and Bright Summit Entertainment Company's announcement.
Almost two years since Iris Long disappeared from the public eyes, she had remained silent online. Even when a commotion broke out after her social media accounts were wiped clean, and when Fan Luo and Jin Chonglin almost caused a scandal involving her with their blog posts, nobody heard a word from her.
This fateful morning, however, all of her empty social media accounts were finally updated.
No greetings, no words.
It was just a single video.
The video started with the back view of a teenage girl wearing a skimpy dress and high heels. Club music echoed in the background, as she walked out to a parking lot and climbed into a sports car.
She drove away and then the scene suddenly blacked out with the sounds of squealing tires and a loud crash.
An ambulance siren blared.
Next was a frantic scene at a hospital with paramedics wheeling the unconscious teenage girl whose face still wasn't shown; her blood splattering on the white floor tiles. The door to the operating room closed behind them.
The next scene showed a hospital room filled with several life support machines. The girl on the bed laid unmoving, her face still not shown.
The camera shifted its focus to a calendar atop a table beside the bed, its pages flipping to the next month again and again, faster and faster, showing how much time passed.
Then the screen gradually turned darker and darker until it completely blacked out. Muffled sounds could be heard, like that when one was underwater.
Sounds of breathing and heartbeat, loud and regular at first, but gradually weakening and slowing down until everything became silent.
A few seconds of total darkness and silence.
A small speck of light appeared in the middle of the screen, gradually becoming bigger and brighter until it swallowed the entire screen.
The next scene showed an ethereal paradise-like mountain forest. A fairy with golden hair and emerald eyes flitted among a garden of colourful wildflowers. She wore a flowing white dress which sparkled delicately whenever she moved.
The beautiful fairy walked towards a deep, blue lake and sat by the shore, leaning over to caress the still waters with her graceful hands.
A loud gasp! The water pulled her violently down into its dark depths.
As she sank deeper and deeper, a shadowy figure could be seen floating slowly towards her direction. As the two neared each other, the other figure became visible. It was the teenage girl still wearing the skimpy dress. Her eyes were closed. She looked lifeless, her black hair billowing out in the water as she was slowly pulled upwards.
The fairy and the teenage girl finally appeared in the same screen, floating in front of each other. They had the same face, yet looked completely different, especially the aura they emitted.
The teenage girl was sickly pale, dark shadows under her closed eyes. The fairy, on the other hand, exuded a soft ethereal glow within her. Her golden hair floated around her like a halo, her emerald eyes glinting with divine light.
The fairy stretched out her arms and gently pulled the unconscious teenage girl into her embrace. The two fused as they touched, until only one figure remained.
The new figure wore the teenage girl's skimpy outfit, a dimming ethereal glow on her skin. Her golden hair gradually turned black. Slowly, her emerald eyes opened before dimming into a dark brown colour.
She gracefully swam upwards like a mermaid until her head broke out to the surface. The scene abruptly cut and reverted to that of the comatose girl on the hospital bed opening her eyes. A faint emerald light visible in her dark brown pupils.
The screen faded to darkness. A rich beautiful fairy-like voice sang a melody without lyrics in the background.
The back view of a young woman appeared. She wore an elegant, deep emerald long dress. Her long, straight black hair flowed behind her like a natural cape.
Her figure stood under a blooming sakura tree, the blossoms raining down like pink snow. She turned and the camera closed up and focused on her beautiful face. Her dark brown phoenix eyes looked fierce yet detached at the same time. Her plump, pink lips lifted into a mysterious smile.
Black out.
And then the word "Rebirth" appeared in big characters, followed by the name "Iris Long" and a date two weeks from now. The logo of JJ's record label appeared before the video finally ended.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 26: Viral Video
Ever since the energetic discussions surrounding the rumours about Iris Long, Jin Chonglin and Fan Luo, many netizens frequented these three people's social media accounts like loyal watchdogs to check for their latest posts.
As soon as the video was posted on Iris Long's social media accounts, it immediately went viral.
+397
+51,002
+200,064 likes and counting.
"Oh my God! What did I just watch? Did Iris Long just announce her comeback with a video?"
"Iris Long finally updated her blog! Watch the video!"
"Is the woman in the video really Iris Long? She looks so different! She looks more mature and elegant now."
"Ptui! What mature? What elegant? No matter how grandly a chicken dresses up, it'll never become a phoenix!"
"I think the video is based on the true story of what really happened to her. We all heard about the accident. Now it turns out that the rumours about her being comatose is real. I counted how many times the calendar in the video flipped. She was in coma for a year."
"If Iris Long was really comatose for one year, then I feel bad for her. Everyone keeps on saying that she got pregnant and talked shit about her, saying that she stayed silent because of her guilty conscience, when the truth was that she was actually comatose the entire time. Poor girl."
"Don't feel bad for her. Her reputation as a bitch and a slut is well-known in the industry. This video is just one of her gimmicks."
"Yeah! We all know how hungry for fame she is."
"Look at the end of the video! I think she's releasing either a single or an album called 'Rebirth' two weeks from now."
"Fuck! That's JJ's record label. Don't tell me she's one of his artists now."
"No! I can't believe that JJ's standards dropped so much. Why, JJ? Why would you sign a trash like Iris Long?!"
"Poster above, did you really watch the entire video? The artistry shown in the video is far from trashy. I think Iris Long is aiming for an image change. I like what I'm seeing."
"Hah! With her trash reputation, of course she's desperate for an image change. It's too late! Everyone hates Iris Long!"
"Hey, not everyone hates her. I may not like her as a person, but I really like her voice. Her older songs are really shallow, but her voice is actually great. I, for one, am looking forward to her new music."
"I'm going to share a real experience. I was lucky enough to hear Miss Long sing a while ago. I was with my friends eating lunch at a restaurant when suddenly a beautiful young woman sat on the piano and started singing a song. Her song made me cry so hard. It was the most beautiful and meaningful song that I have ever heard since a long time ago. I really didn't know Miss Long from before, so I wasn't aware of her 'bad reputation' that everyone else keeps on saying. All I know is the Miss Long that I met at the restaurant. Such a lovely and beautiful human being. I hope that everyone gives her another chance because I can guarantee that whatever song she sings from now on will be amazing! I hope these two weeks would come faster. I want to listen to that song she performed in the restaurant again."
"Poster above, is that true? Now I'm getting more and more curious about Iris Long. I'll hold my judgment until 'Rebirth' is released."
"Wait, are you saying that Iris Long fell so low that she became a mere restaurant performer? Ahaha! How embarrassing."
"Hey! Don't look down on restaurant performers!"
An hour after the video was posted online, JJ's personal account, his record label and Bright Summit Entertainment Company's official accounts shared the video causing another round of speculations and fervent discussions.
A few minutes later, both JJ's record label and Bright Summit posted official statements confirming that Iris Long was now an artist signed under them and also announced the release of her comeback album titled "Rebirth" two weeks from now.
Their announcements caused an uproar.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 27: Jin Liwei Barges in
Gold Heights Condominium.
Iris headed to the living area after taking a shower. She found Dom sitting on the floor, his back leaning against the lower part of the couch, watching a documentary about exotic cuisines on TV.
He turned his head when he heard her approach. She sat on the couch beside him.
"Boss, a Mr. Jin Liwei called while you were in the shower. Do you know him? He wants you to either reply to his e-mails or give him a call. He said that he's been trying to contact you for weeks now. Hmph! He sounded so bossy. He left his number. Do you want it?"
Iris frowned. "No. I don't want that man's number. Why does he keep on bothering me?"
"Who is he?" he asked.
He continued watching the documentary as he repeated the man's name in his head. After some time, his eyes widened. "Wait. Don't tell me he's that Jin Liwei? Jin Corporation's Jin Liwei?"
"Yes."
Dom gasped. "Oh my God! Boss! That Jin Liwei is bothering you? Wow. As expected of my boss! Even people bothering you are on another level. Maybe he likes you. Ehehe."
"Don't be ridiculous. We don't like each other. I don't want to have anything to do with that arrogant man."
"Ehehehe."
"Stop. You're creeping me out."
The housekeeper, Yi Mei, appeared. "Young Miss, the receptionist downstairs called saying that a Mr. Jin Liwei wants to see you."
"Ayiiii! I knew it!" Dom covered his mouth, his eyes shining with excitement.
Iris' heart thumped.
What did the damn arrogant man come here for?
"Young Miss? Should I invite him up or turn him away?" Yi Mei asked her.
Iris frowned.
"Should I turn him away then?" Yi Mei asked again.
"Yes! Wait, no. No. Invite him up." Iris sighed.
Dom squealed. "Oh my God oh my God oh my God!!! Jin Liwei is coming! Aaaah!" He fanned himself dramatically with his hands.
"Let's find out what he wants. Dom, tell the maids to prepare some refreshments." Iris inwardly wondered why she suddenly started feeling nervous.
"Right away, boss!"
A few minutes later, Yi Mei led Jin Liwei inside the penthouse to where Iris and Dom were waiting.
He looked tall and immaculate in his custom-made business suit. His handsome face wore a cold, irritated expression. When he saw the damn girl sitting and sipping tea, looking all relaxed, he felt even more irritated. He hurried towards her.
"Why aren't you replying to my e-mails?" he growled when he reached her.
"And hello to you too, Mr. Jin," she said, placing the teacup on the table gently. "Please have a seat."
"No. Answer me first. Why are you ignoring me?"
Iris' eyes twitched, trying to rein in her temper.
Were they close? Why was this man acting so familiar with her?
She replied to him coolly, "I see that you're still very rude, Mr. Jin."
Dom looked at the two, his eyes sparkling.
"Long Xiulan, don't test my patience," he snarled.
"Mr. Jin Liwei, I have no intention of testing you or anyone else's patience." She finally snapped. "I already told you before that I don't want to see you ever again. Tell me. Why did you come? What do you want from me?"
Her face flushed with anger, making her even more attractive in his eyes. Her last sentence echoed in his mind: What do you want from me want from me want from me from me...
His control snapped.
He pulled her roughly to his chest. His right hand grabbed a fistful of hair behind her head, his left arm circled around her tiny waist lifting her up. She gasped, alarmed. His mouth smashed against her lips.
She squirmed in his embrace, fighting against his sudden aggression, hitting his shoulders and trying to push his head away. She wanted to escape but he was too strong.
She bit his lips until she tasted blood, yet he didn't stop. Angry that he got bitten, he growled and kissed her even more deeply, sucking hard on her lips.
"Oh oh oh! Oh my God! What should I do? My boss' tofu is getting eaten! Should I save her? Should I punch him? But he's Jin Liwei! Oh my. This is so hot. I want to take a video, maybe just photos...but they'll probably murder me...oh oh oh."
Dom mumbled in excitement, pacing from side to side as he watched the kissing scene in front of him.
Yi Mei stood frozen in shock, one hand clutching her chest. The poor housekeeper looked like she would fall over at any moment.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 28: Need to Search it Up
Iris' heart thundered inside her chest. She was so furious that she wanted to bite this damn man's head off! She was going to murder this villain! How dare he do this to her inside her own home?!
But but but...what was this?
She felt breathless and a bit dizzy. She slackened a bit, trying to determine the sensations she was currently feeling. She had never felt this way before in her two lives.
Jin Liwei felt her resistance weakening. Of course, he didn't let this opportunity escape him. A strong desire to possess the damn girl in his embrace overcame him.
His tongue snaked inside her sweet mouth, invading her. He sucked her tongue, making her whimper.
Iris moaned, closing her eyes. She lost the ability to think. All she could feel was the man kissing her senseless. She wasn't aware that both her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.
He groaned, the hand on her hair slid down to her butt and squeezed hard.
"Ay kabayo!1" they heard Dom exclaim followed by a loud crash, interrupting their kiss.
Jin Liwei felt irritated to be interrupted and was about to dive in for another kiss, but Iris turned her head to look dazedly at her assistant who was now lying on the floor together with a fallen chair.
"Ehe. Don't mind me. Go on. Please continue what you're doing." Dom climbed up from the floor and righted the chair he crashed into in his overexcitement.
Dom's words cleared her dazed state. She pushed her hands against Jin Liwei's chest.
"Mr. Jin, put me down."
"No." His arms tightened around her.
"Put me down this instant!"
They glared at each other for a few moments before Jin Liwei reluctantly released her.
Iris quickly put some distance between them, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. This...she frowned. She knew that she didn't like the damn arrogant man and didn't want to see him again, yet why...
She looked at him intensely, her head tilted to one side, trying to think of a logical explanation of why he induced these weird sensations on her body.
Jin Liwei ran a hand through his hair, trying desperately to calm his inner beast. He lost control. Dammit! He actually lost control.
The frustrating weeks of her not replying to his e-mails made him think about her constantly, souring his mood every single day. He wanted to request more of her reports about other companies but the damn girl kept on ignoring him. He couldn't take it anymore, so he called her but still wasn't able to talk to her directly. He was so frustrated that he impulsively rushed to her place.
He looked at the damn girl once again and saw her intense gaze on him.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did you fall in love with me?" He teased.
"I don't know how to exactly determine such an illogical and unscientific state as falling in love," she told him in a serious tone. "I can somewhat understand the idea based on what others and the media say. I think I can even act like one who has fallen in love, but the descriptions explaining this state are too abstract for a 100% certainty. Hmm. Maybe what I'm feeling is...lust?" She frowned, thinking deeply. "Dom, get my laptop. I need to search this up."
"Eh? Er...okay, boss." Dom looked at his boss weirdly and then at Jin Liwei, his eyes drifting down to the man's bulging crotch.
Oh. Dom's eyes glinted with a knowing expression. It was difficult, but he was able to peel his eyes away. He started to leave, but then returned to gently drag the still frozen housekeeper away.
Jin Liwei was taken aback. "You...why would you search up something like that? Have you never felt horny before?"
Well, not like he felt horny before either until now in front of this damn girl. But he wouldn't tell her that.
Iris looked at him like he was stupid. "I'm not a man. I don't have a penis that gets hard, so I don't have anything concrete to determine whether I'm feeling horny or not."
His mouth fell open. He tried several times to say something but failed. Finally, he told her, "You know you're feeling horny if you want to have sex."
"I see. I'm not feeling horny then. I don't want to have sex with you, Mr. Jin."
"Kabayo" literally means "horse" in Filipino. In this case, it's used as an exclamation of surprise, similar to how "Aiyo!" is used in Chinese but not quite. More like how most people use "Oh shit!", but not as explicit. For a more explicit version, I've heard some use "Ay, puke ng kabayo!" which literally translates to "Oh, horse's vagina!". Pft! Poor horse.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 29: I Forbid You to Kiss Other Men
"Hah! Says someone who clearly liked my kiss!" Jin Liwei glared at her.
"Hmm. I suppose I liked your kiss," Iris admitted. "But I don't have other experiences to compare it to."
"What do you mean? Don't tell me that I'm your first kiss? I don't believe it." He subconsciously licked his lips. He wanted to taste her again.
Her lips pressed together. "I don't care whether you believe me or not."
In her past life, she had never been kissed by any man other than the forehead and cheek kisses her father and older brother gave her. They were so protective that they practically imprisoned her within the estate. They didn't allow her to meet other people who weren't approved by them.
She was well-trained in etiquette and could converse comfortably with almost anyone, but she was severely lacking when it came to understanding intimacy between the opposite sexes. In short, she was extremely dense when it came to flirting.
As for the original Iris Long, she knew based on her memories that despite her party girl reputation, she never kissed or had sex with any man.
She didn't want to be like her mother, Wei Lan, who had so many lovers that the line-up could reach all the way up the Milky Way.
However, the original Iris was too much like Wei Lan in how she loved herself the most. She loved herself too much that she didn't have the time nor the mental capacity to take a lover. She also thought very highly of herself, believing that no man was ever good enough for someone as amazing as her.
The rumours of her pursuing men were actually just her trying to leech off popularity from more famous people. This was the situation with Jin Chonglin.
She also pursued famous females, but everyone just focused and gossiped on the men she tried getting close to.
"Are you serious?" Jin Liwei asked her, shocked. Didn't she have a promiscuous reputation? She must have kissed many men before.
She ignored him, mumbling to herself. "I should probably find other men to kiss in order to have more choices for comparison. Will I feel like this in every kiss regardless of the partner? Hmm. This is something worthy to experiment on." Her brain was already in overdrive formulating a hyphothesis and experiment methods.
He heard her and felt possessive. "Like hell I'll allow you to kiss other men."
"It's none of your business, Mr. Jin."
"Long Xiulan, I forbid you to kiss other men."
She was angered. "You don't have the right to forbid me to do anything. I own myself."
He gritted his teeth, glaring at the damn girl. He had to use all the willpower he had not to push her down to the floor and take her right there and then.
He didn't understand why he was suddenly feeling so possessive of her. The damn girl was making him go crazy!
"Now tell me, Mr. Jin, why you came here today. If not, please leave. I'm busy."
"Yeah, right. Busy sipping your tea."
She glared at him.
He had to take a few moments to calm down and remember why he came here today. At first, it was just because he wanted to form a business relationship. Her detailed and comprehensive reports were simply too invaluable.
For a head of a big company like him, she was an untapped resource waiting to be exploited. He felt like an explorer who chanced upon a deep mine of gold and diamonds. His first instinct was to mark his territory, claim ownership and prevent competitors from taking a share.
Everything was his! She was his!
But when she ignored his e-mails, he got more and more frustrated to the point that she was on his mind every day. He wanted to see her, to talk to her, to get to know her.
He didn't care about her at all before, treating her as just one of the countless women trying to catch his brother. Her bad reputation didn't help either.
But when he met her in person for the first time at the hotel lobby, he discovered that there was more to her. Way, way more. He had the urge to keep her to himself, not allowing others to discover this unknown, fascinating side of her.
And now, finally seeing her after so long, he wanted to possess this woman!
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Chapter 30: How to Know if You're Feeling Horny
Finally, Jin Liwei was able to calm down a bit.
He sighed before answering her. "I came today to make an official offer of a business partnership between us. I have hired countless private investigators before but not one of them can reach the level of the reports you sent me. I will pay however much you ask."
Iris was silent for a few seconds. "Mr. Jin, I'm quite busy at the moment. I'm making my comeback to showbiz. I have to do extensive promotions for my upcoming album."
"I know. You don't have to accept all of my requests, just the ones that you can do when you have free time. Surely you can do that? As I said, the price is not a problem."
"To be honest, I don't mind accepting this kind of work. It's just that, Mr. Jin, I feel uneasy whenever I'm dealing with you. That's why I'd rather not accept your offer."
"You feel uneasy with me? Why?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't know the exact reason. I need to think about it more. "
"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin, looking at her with amused eyes. "Isn't it because you're attracted to me?"
Iris frowned. "But I don't like you."
He walked closer to her, looked directly at her eyes and whispered. "Are you sure you don't like me? You liked my kiss. That means you like me. Shall I kiss you again to make sure?"
She stepped back, putting her hands in front of her. "Stop, Mr. Jin. I may be inexperienced but I'm not stupid. I'm busy and you're busy. Let's not waste each other's time. Go find another woman if you really can't hold it in. I'm sure that with your status, there are a lot of women more than willing to satisfy you. I'm not interested. If there isn't anything else, please leave."
His expression turned black. He took a few deep breaths before he was able to control his temper.
He turned, sat on a chair and poured himself a cup of hot tea. After sipping, he nodded in appreciation. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Gyokuro tea1.
He checked the time on his gold watch. "It's almost lunch time. I'm hungry. Do you want to stay here or shall we go out?"
Iris' eyes twitched. The damn arrogant man was acting like he was in his own home!
She sighed, suddenly feeling tired.
She didn't want to waste time and energy arguing with him anymore. "I plan to stay at home today. This is my last precious day off until I start promoting my comeback album."
"Alright." He grabbed a small sponge cake from the plate and ate it, sipping tea in between a couple of bites.
Dom returned with a laptop in his arms. When he saw his boss and Mr. Jin Liwei, he was a bit disappointed that they weren't kissing anymore. "Boss, I brought your laptop."
"Thanks, Dom." Iris walked forward and sat on a chair opposite Jin Liwei. Dom placed the laptop on the table in front of her. "And also, Dom, check when lunch will be ready. Mr. Jin will be joining us."
"Right away, boss! Ehehe." Dom hurried to the kitchen.
Maybe he would be able to witness another kissing scene later. How exciting!
Jin Liwei ate the sponge cakesâgood stuff, he would ask for some to take home laterâwhile admiring the serious expression on the girl's face as she typed on her laptop.
She frowned while reading something, tilting her head to the side. Moments later, her expression looked more and more confused.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, unable to hold his curiosity any longer.
Not hearing an answer, he stood up, walked to her side and looked down at her laptop screen. Seeing what she was reading, his jaw fell down in shock.
She was reading an English article from a foreign website. The title?
"How to Know if You're Feeling Horny".
One of the finest Japanese green tea. The plant is grown under a shade rather than in the full sun.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!