Chapter 581 - Damn Stupid Ca
"Ketchup sees blood! Mommy is bleeding!! Mommy is injured!!! Ketchup is MAAAAAAAAAD!!!! Ketchup will kill that bad man!!!!! MREEEEOOOOW!!!!!!"
Jin Liwei felt like his heart dropped to the ground after hearing what Ketchup said. His baby girl was injured?!
"What?! Injured?!!"
"How did she get hurt?!"
Both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao asked at the same time. They agreed with Ketchup wanting to kill that son of a bitch who dared hurt the most important woman in their lives. They continued to ask Ketchup but the cat AI didn't respond. She was still going crazy, wreaking havoc in the online world and to the surrounding electronics.
At the moment, Ketchup's silver-green eyes were turning into gold. Half of her white tail and legs were now completely black. Her mouth was snarling, like a feral wild beast.
On the other end of the line, Lu Zihao became distracted. Someone seemed to be speaking to him.
"Third Brother, tell your youngest to calm down," he told Jin Liwei afterwards. "My subordinates just informed me that someone is recklessly hacking the police system, combing through all their records in reckless abandon while damaging important data in the process. I have a bad feeling that it's your youngest. She's losing control and attracting too much attention to herself. The police are now in chaos and on high alert."
Jin Liwei had a complicated expression. So many emotions were flashing in his eyes. His usual coldness was nowhere to be seen. He was worried to death about his baby girl and wanted to prioritize getting to her as quickly as possible. He didn't want to deal with anything else but couldn't just ignore Ketchup going out of control. Even his Fifth Brother was concerned.
"Ketchup! Calm down! Stop what you're doing! Listen to me! I'm your dad!"
His scolding, however, fell on deaf ears. Ketchup continued to rage.
"Oh shit!" Lu Zihao cursed.
"What happened?" Jin Liwei asked.
"Turn that damn stupid cat off! My subordinates tell me that there are now other hackers trying to catch her! Some are from the police while some are unknown!"
"What?!" Jin Liwei became dismayed. "Ketchup! Listen to me!! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!!!"
"No, Daddy! That bad man hurt Mommy!! Ketchup can't forgive him!!! MREEEEEOW!!!!"
"Can you turn her off?" Lu Zihao asked.
"I can't. Only Xiulan has full admin authority."
Both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao were also angry like Ketchup after learning that Iris was injured. They wanted to rush to where she was and see with their own eyes the extent of her injury. However, they needed to stop the raging cat AI first. The consequences of Ketchup going out of control and being exposed to others were too dangerous, especially if those with bad intentions discovered that Iris was the creator. They needed to calm the cat AI before it became too late.
"Cut it out, you damn stupid cat!" Lu Zihao roared in Russian. There was also a loud crash on his other end of the line, like he threw something out of anger.
Taking advantage of the traffic chaos, Xu Tian stepped on the gas pedal and weaved through the confused vehicles on the road. As for Jin Liwei, he was repeatedly calling the phones of everyone from Iris' group. After a few attempts, one of his subordinates finally answered his call.
The call between Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao was still active, becoming a three-way call after the subordinate answered. Both of them could hear the frantic screaming, crying, and several sirens blaring in the background on the other end of the line.
Jin Liwei's subordinate quickly explained that everything was extremely chaotic right now. They were still inside the mall, unable to safely exit because of the huge, panicked crowd. Fortunately, they managed to remove Iris and everyone in their group from getting crushed from the resulting stampede caused by the bomb explosion. Ã00vâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
"How is she?" Jin Liwei asked, interrupting his subordinate's explanation in impatience and worry. All he cared about was his baby girl's well-being.
Lu Zihao felt the same way. He was also attempting to contact his own subordinates but none of them was answering. Perhaps they also got injured.
"The mistress is being treated by the paramedics right now, including Sir Dom, Miss Tang and some of us. Hold on, Master. Let me go inside to where they are right now and show you."
The voice call switched to a video call. Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao saw what looked like a small, crampy and messy office. Iris sat on a sofa with bandages wrapped around her neck. A small bandage was also taped on her jaw. At the moment, she was holding a towel over her chest because the upper part of her dress was cut up in order to allow the paramedic to treat her injuries. The pieces of the bloody dress lay on the floor next to her bruised bare feet which had traces of blood. Her smooth, milky-white shoulders were exposed.
If this was under any normal circumstance, Jin Liwei would have already raged at the males in the same room as her for not averting their eyes while his baby girl was basically half-naked in front of them with only a towel covering her upper body. However, he didn't care about that right now.
His heart clenched when he saw his baby girl's perfect shoulders marred by an ugly jagged wound about two to three inches long. It wasn't big but not small either. A paramedic was currently cleaning the red, swollen wound.
Beside Iris, Dom was also being treated. His forehead was wrapped in bandages. His torso was also naked but didn't bother covering himself with a towel, proudly showing off his thin yet lean muscled body to everyone. Most of his wounds were on his back, jagged and irregular in shapes and sizes. Another paramedic was treating him.
All around them, Tang Yiyi and the other injured subordinates were waiting to be treated as well. There were only two paramedics treating their group.
It might sound heartless but Jin Liwei didn't care about the others. All he cared about was his baby girl.
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Chapter 582 - I Just Want To Hug You
"Give the phone to your mistress," Jin Liwei instructed his subordinate.
"Understood, Master."
Moments later, Iris held the phone and started talking to Jin Liwei. She looked calm, not making any sound or expression of pain unlike Dom who was crying like a baby every time the paramedic touched his wounds.
"Love, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"I'm alright. Don't worry too much," Iris replied to the worried Jin Liwei.
Dom had her phone but during the stampede, he dropped it including his own phone and other valuables. The same thing happened to Tang Yiyi and some of the bodyguards. Those who still had their phones were too busy protecting her and taking her to safety. They had no time to make or answer any phone calls. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
Jin Liwei released a sigh of relief. However, his worry would remain heavy in his heart until he could check his baby girl with his own eyes and hands. He opened his mouth about to say something but his Fifth Brother beat him to it.
"Where's the son of a bitch who did this? Was he caught?" Lu Zihao asked, his voice sounding like the devil. "Don't tell me he escaped."
Iris' faint smile disappeared, replaced by a grave expression. "After the explosion when some of the people started recovering, that man, he called himself Tian Kong, was mobbed and attacked by those who saw him as the one who gave me the boxwhich turned out to be a bomb. I don't know where he is now or what happened to him afterwards."
Both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao looked bloodthirsty. They wanted to rip the son of a bitch into pieces.
"We're on our way there, love. I already contacted my helicopter. We'll leave together by air later," Jin Liwei informed her. "So just wait for us and stay safe until we get there."
She nodded and then informed Jin Liwei that Jin Chonglin's group got separated from them, so she had no idea where he was right now.
Their conversation was interrupted by Lu Zihao.
"Little Sister, you have to stop your damn stupid cat. She's going out of control," he said in Russian. "She's wreaking havoc in the police and government systems all over the country, destroying a large amount of data. Your man and I have tried to make her stop but that damn stupid cat refuses to listen to us. Her conspicuous and reckless actions have already attracted unwanted attention. My hacker team has detected the presence of other hackers, some from the authorities and some from unknown origins. They're trying to probe and catch her. So far, it looks like that damn cat is safe from exposure for now but any mistakes will result in a dangerous disaster."
Iris paled.
Jin Liwei may have not understood what they were talking about in Russian but seeing his baby girl's reaction, he figured out that his Fifth Brother must have told her about Ketchup. He kept silent, allowing the two of them to talk. He swore that he would learn some Russian so that he wouldn't feel so out of place whenever the two started talking in the language.
After the paramedic finished treating her injuries, Iris moved to a corner and tried contacting Ketchup. Unfortunately, the cat AI was too far gone in her insanity. Iris was unable to control and calm Ketchup down. She had no time to check on the extent of the damage caused by Ketchup or how many hackers were trying catch her. All Iris cared about was to forcefully stop Ketchup as soon as possible to prevent any disaster from happening if the cat AI's real identity was revealed.
Iris used the subordinate's phone to access Ketchup's intricate command system. The servers inside both her computer rooms at the Gold Heights penthouse and at the Dragon Palace mansion lit up and started receiving her remote commands.
A gasp escaped from her lips and her eyes widened in shock when she saw Ketchup's virtual appearance. The white cat was now almost completely back with golden eyes. Only a long strip of white coat remained on its back. Iris performed a quick check on the cat AI's system and became even more alarmed.
Ketchup's system was mutating in a frightening rate, as if a malevolent virus had infected it and started changing the cat AI's very essence.
Iris gritted her teeth and forcefully disabled the out of control Ketchup. Doing this would damage the cat AIâto what degree, even Iris was unsure. However, it was better than being discovered by others who harboured bad intentions.
'Oh, Ketchup. What have you done? Was I wrong to create you?"
Iris closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted by everything that happened. After a minute, she opened her eyes and called Jin Liwei.
"Darling, please hurry. I need you right now," she said.
"What's wrong, love?" Jin Liwei's worried voice asked.
"No. I just want to hug you," she whispered.
"I'll be there in 5 minutes."
###
Later that day, the bomb incident was all over the news. The tally for the number of injured was being constantly updated. There were so many people at the mall show that it was difficult to count them all, especially those who were injured.
Those who were close to the explosion received the bloodiest injuries from the shrapnel shooting down on them. Iris and her group's injuries were caused by the bomb shrapnel.
However, this wasn't the sole cause of injuries among the people. The stampede also caused many to get crushed. Fortunately, most of the people present at that time consisted of the Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans. They were already familiar with each other and had excellent coordination. The leaders quickly recovered and took control of their own groups, organizing everyone to escape in the safest way possible without hurting themselves or others in the process.
The police were now investigating the bomb incident, treating it as a terrorist attack while gathering witness accounts of what happened.
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Chapter 583 - Disturbing
From the messy information dumped on the internet by a lunatic hacker who not only invaded the various police and government systems in the country but also destroyed large amounts of data in the process, almost causing a national crisis, the authorities were able to identity the main suspect's identity. The police worked on organizing the messy information but couldn't do so in peace because of the chaos caused by the lunatic who hacked into their system. As a result, the media ended up moving faster than them, piecing the disorganized information and uncovering the main suspect's identity.
Tian Kong. 24 years old. Waiter at a family restaurant.
According to his medical records, he had been diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder during his teens and had been on and off treatment ever since. However, it seemed that nobody was aware of his mental condition, not even his closest family or friends. He came from a regular low-income family from a rural area. After he graduated from high school, he didn't bother enrolling in university and directly entered the workforce. He was unable to hold a job for more than two years. Past co-workers reported that he was a nice, normal guy who did his job properly. But after a few months, he would become silent, lethargic and antisocial all of a sudden before disappearing and not returning to work.
There were some police officers present at the mall show but they weren't enough to immediately control the stampede after the bomb explosion. The massive crowd also prevented them from arriving quickly at the area where the explosion happened. Overall, these police officers had no idea what was happening until the bomb exploded.
Fortunately, an angry mob of fans had detained the suspect, Tian Kong, beating him until he was half-dead. The police were able to arrest him this way. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
These police officers knew that they were in trouble with their superiors especially after hearing that their big boss, the National Chief of Police, had stepped forward and announced that he would be leading the investigation of the case. They were the ones assigned to ensure the safety of the citizens during the mall show. Part of their job was to do a quick security check at all the mall's entrances because they already anticipated that there would be a great number of people who would attend the mall show due to the presence of famous celebrities Jin Chonglin and Iris Long.
Nail clippers, tweezers, Swiss knives, lighters, alcoholic drinks and other prohibited items were seized at these security checks. There were even temporary metal detectors installed just for that day, including a handful of police dogs.
How was it possible then that this man named Tian Kong was able to smuggle in a bomb despite all of these tight security measures in place?
For now, nobody knew exactly how Tian Kong accomplished this feat. It was the police's job to investigate the matter and solve the case. The bomb incident was declared a high-priority case because it might be a possible terrorist attack. This was why the Police Chief needed to be directly involved even without his beloved wife's urging.
His wife was Madam Si Xinyue, one of Feng Wan's posh friends, all members of the Black Stars. Feng Wan and her three posh friends originally wanted to attend the mall show to support Iris Long but were discouraged by Si Xinyue's husband, the Chief of Police, because he knew that public mall shows were less safe than official concerts.
Tian Kong was arrested. Witnesses were being questioned. The police were doing their best to investigate the matter but they were hindered by their severely damaged system caused by the insane hacker. Even though it was that son of a bitch who dumped relevant information regarding the bomb incident and the main suspect Tian Kong, the authorities still hated the bastard. They felt humiliated that their systems were not only compromised but also became partially useless because of the severe damage and loss of data. This affected their speed and efficiency in investigating the bomb incident. So in addition to investigating the case, they were also hunting the crazy motherfucker who fucked up their systems and trying to repair all the damage he caused.
Despite the inconvenience caused by their damaged systems, the police were still able to uncover more information about the main suspect Tian Kong. They searched through his apartment that same day and found a disturbing room dedicated for the celebrity Iris Long.
Her photos, magazine covers, posters, and other related printed materials related to her covered all four walls of his bedroom including the ceiling. An altar dedicated to Iris Long stood in one corner with her albums prominently decorating it.
These weren't the most disturbing contents of the room, however.
A blow-up sex doll lay on a futon bed in another corner. Its face was covered by a picture of Iris Long. Based on the several dried stains and the unpleasant smell near the futon, it was obvious that Tian Kong often used the sex doll.
One of the police officers sent to search the place almost flipped out after seeing the disgusting pervertedness. He was a secret Black Star.
Soon after, the media this to the public, concluding that it was a major case of a crazy, obsessed fan who began to hate Iris Long and plot her death after learning that she wasn't single anymore.
The Black Stars were all worried about their Boss Iris, knowing that she was the main target and could have been killed that very day.
CaptainBlackStar: "We send all our thoughts and prayers to our dear Boss Iris, our fellow Black Stars, Prince Lin Lin and his fans, and all the others who experienced the terrifying incident earlier today at the mall show. We are all worried about you. Please get well soon from your injuries! I know that there are many who got injured but I'm glad that nobody died. I also condemn that crazy devil called Tian Kong! He's not a Black Star! I refuse to acknowledge him as one of us! He's an evil lunatic who attempted to murder our boss and our comrades!"
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Chapter 584 - Losing
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The other Black Stars followed their captain's lead and condemned Tian Kong. Their comrades who were injured during the bomb explosion at the mall show and were currently being treated in hospitals felt tremendous hatred and fury against him. Tian Kong instantly became the Black Stars' number one enemy after what he did. It wasn't only them. Jin Chonglin's army of fans also felt the same way.
While these fan clubs were banding together against a common enemy and worrying about their boss and prince, a vile hate campaign was launched that night against Iris Long.
"So many people got hurt during the bomb explosion. This happened because of Iris Long's fan! It's Iris Long's fault! She was utterly irresponsible in performing at such an unsafe public place like the mall! Look at what happened! A crazy, obsessed fan was able to sneak in and bomb everyone! "
"Iris Long doesn't care about her fans, that's why a fan like that Tian Kong became an obsessed lunatic! If she didn't perform at that mall show, there would've been no bombing!"
"My sister and her classmates were injured and are in the hospital because they attended the mall show. They weren't even Iris Long's fans but Jin Chonglin's! I'm so angry that my sister and her friends had to suffer because of that Iris Long!"
These vile comments infuriated the Black Stars. Even Jin Chonglin's army of fans couldn't tolerate these people's twisted logic. They all worked together with the Slippers Army as their main attackers to battle against these haters. The Slippers Army waited for KittyBaby to appear, hoping that she would lead them to another victory. However, she didn't appear.
LittlePhoenix: "Maybe KittyBaby got grounded by her mom and dad again. She must be very naughty or maybe her parents are just too strict. I just returned home from school so I guess I'll lead you all instead since KittyBaby is not here. How dare these villains say all these evil things about our Boss Iris?! Unforgivable! Comrades, raise your mighty slippers and prepare to attack!!!"
The online battle between the Black Stars in cooperation with some of Jin Chonglin's army of fans versus the haters blaming Iris Long for the bomb incident raged all night. It was a difficult battle. LittlePhoenix was a good leader but compared to Ketchup's lightning-quick, precise and vicious trolling methods, she was still lacking. Even the non-troll members of the Black Stars led by CaptainBlackStar unleashed their inner trolls because they felt furious upon reading all the unfair accusations against their Boss Iris.
"Shut up! You're all despicable for blaming Boss Iris for the bombing incident! I don't understand how you can think that way!"
"I was on the second floor looking down on Boss Iris' group while they moved through the crowd at the ground floor. I saw everything that happened! If it wasn't for Boss Iris throwing the bomb up in the air, many people would've died! There might be many injured but there are no deaths!"
"I agree! Iris Long saved the people from becoming minced meat! If she didn't do what she did, many people would've died including her! She saved my fellow Prince Lin Lin's fans! So shut it!"
The Black Stars and some of Jin Chonglin's army of fans continued to defend Iris, insisting that she saved everyone. However, the haters just wouldn't stop in their vile hate campaign against her.
Not everyone present at the mall show were Black Stars or Jin Chonglin's army of fans. There were regular shoppers and mall employees who got injured during the bomb incident. The haters in the hate campaign claimed that they were family members, friends or acquaintances of those regular people. They might be lying but they might also be telling the truth.
The online battle only intensified as the hours passed by. For the first time ever, the Slippers Army seemed to be...losing?
Feng Wan and her three friends also tried defending Iris using their online usernames MrsLovePhantom and JJNumber1-3Fan. However, they were posh and elegant ladies who disdained such coarse words being fired during the battle. In the end, they regretfully had to withdraw.
Unable to turn the tides, Zhou Mei'er (CaptainBlackStar) and Ming Li (LittlePhoenix) contacted Wu Chen (iEatSlippers) and Hou Liang (MonkeyFace).
"Dammit! I want to join and wave my almighty slippers together with all of you, my dear comrades, but our company's big boss made Bro and I sign an agreement not to publicly involve ourselves with the Black Stars anymore!" Wu Chen said after he picked up their call.
He and Hou Liang were at Planet Monkey working late. However, they couldn't concentrate knowing that their Boss Iris was being unfairly blamed for the bomb incident.
"What?!" Zhou Mei'er was dismayed. "Your big boss is so selfish!"
Wu Chen opened his mouth, about to say "Our company's big boss is Boss Iris!" but Hou Liang gave him a warning look. He shut his mouth and sweated upon realizing that he almost revealed Boss Iris' identity as the real Owner and President of Planet Monkey.
Iris brought her lawyer, Attorney Hong Shaoqiang, to Planet Monkey a while ago and urged them to sign an agreement preventing them from publicly involving themselves with the Black Stars. It was because many were already aware that Planet Monkey's CEO Hou Liang and CFO Wu Chen were Black Stars' MonkeyFace and the notorious iEatSlippers respectively.
"I didn't want to do this because I don't really care about what others think but my mentor, financial manager and Attorney Hong here all persuaded me to make you sign this agreement to protect the image of our company," Iris told them back then while sighing deeply.
Wu Chen complained but Hou Liang nodded after a few moments of silence. Hou Liang was the first one to sign the agreement. Seeing his bro's actions, Wu Chen grudgingly signed as well.
"The agreement only says not to 'publicly' involve ourselves but it doesn't say that we can't do it anonymously," Hou Liang said.
The two men remembered Iris smiling after he said that.
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Chapter 585 - ShaWn
Earlier that day, both Hou Liang and Wu Chen were both busy working at Planet Monkey as usual when they heard the news about the bomb explosion. They became alarmed and worried after realizing that it happened at around the same time as their Boss Iris' mall show.
Hou Liang immediately started hacking to gather more information about the bomb incident and to make sure that Iris was safe. However, all avenues of doing so were blocked by a lunatic hacker who was wreaking havoc, damaging the police and government online systems in the country.
Who was this hacker?
He became curious and wanted to probe the unknown hacker who was gutsy enough, no, crazy enough to dare invade and create chaos to the most important online systems in the country. However, he stopped himself when he sensed other hackers doing the same thing. He recognized some of them as authorized ones working for the nation's authorities. Hou Liang wasn't afraid of these white hat hackers. What made him stop were the hackers of unknown origins. He could sense that he wasn't a match for them.
So although he also wanted to probe, he decided to withdraw instead for safety's sake. He was now the CEO of the fast-rising gaming company, Planet Monkey. He needed to be responsible and not bring shame to the company and its hidden boss, Iris Long. He didn't want to risk the company's reputation for his personal curiosity.
Unable to hack for information, Hou Liang could only wait for news the traditional way like everyone else. To his surprise, however, the lunatic hacker dumped a huge, disorganized information on the internet about the bomb incident and the perpetrator Tian Kong. Hou Liang actually pieced together the mess more quickly than either the media and the police. He just didn't release it to the public.
Knowing that Iris was alive, he and Wu Chen felt relieved. However, they still felt concerned about her.
Back to the present, Wu Chen felt extremely restless while talking to Zhou Mei'er and Ming Li on the phone. He was about to go crazy that he couldn't lead his beloved Slippers Army in battle. If they lost, he would ask his bro, Hou Liang, to find out the real identities of all those motherfuckers involved in the hate campaign against Boss Iris. Then he would buy a powerful toy cannon and shoot heavy-duty slippers at their houses. If he couldn't troll them online because of the agreement he signed, he would troll them in real life! Hmph!
While Wu Chen was talking with his comrades who were valiantly fighting a fierce battle without him, asking them for updates in real time, Hou Liang was hacking in the deepest shadows of the online world. His brows were knitted and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"How much longer, bro?" Wu Chen asked.
"I think that there's a hacker protecting this hate campaign," Hou Liang muttered.
"The hacker's fighting you?"
"No. He's evading me."
Wu Chen opened his mouth about to comment but closed it again, deciding not to disturb his bro. He could tell by the look on Hou Liang's face that he was having a tough time. Were they going to lose like this? His mighty slippers refused to accept it!
"Big Bro! We're gonna lose! I don't want this!" Ming Li cried.
'This would be piece of cake for Drakon,' Hou Liang thought, unsatisfied by his level of hacking. Although Iris told him that he just needed to focus on game-making, he still felt frustrated that he was having a hard time stopping the hate campaign against her. 'Dammit! Who are these people?!'
He didn't want to give up but couldn't help the growing sense of despair as he failed again and again.
Then suddenly a fierce wave of attacks from all directions completely annihilated the entire hate campaign. The hate comments popping up every second were all deleted, as if they didn't exist in the first place. It also seemed that new hate comments were being prevented from being posted.
Zhou Mei'er and Ming Li immediately reported what happened to Wu Chen.
"Bro! You did it! As expected of the Great MonkeyFace!" Wu Chen praised. Ã00vâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
"It wasn't me," Hou Liang whispered in shock and confusion.
"Huh? What do you mean? If it wasn't you, then who did it? Oh! Maybe we have unknown comrades in the Black Stars who are also hackers."
Hou Liang frowned, thinking of the possibility.
Ding!
He received a message.
"A friend of Drakon is a friend of ours. KeymonSTER, we'll take over for now. âShaWn."
The message deleted by itself.
Hou Liang's frown deepened. 'ShaWn? Who is he? Not only does he know that I'm KeymonSTER but he also knows that Drakon and I know each other. This ShaWn helped out now but is he really a friend?'
Although the hate campaign against Iris was stopped, resulting in a big celebration among the Black Stars, its subunit the Slippers Army and their allies, Hou Liang didn't feel comfortable that there was an unknown hacker helping them. This ShaWn popped out of nowhere that Hou Liang couldn't feel at ease. He could sense that ShaWn had better hacking skills than him.
'Maybe it's KittyBaby? No.' He shook his head. 'There are no meows. And besides, the kid should be spending time with her mother right now especially after the bomb incident.'
He remembered that Iris and Jin Liwei admitted to him that they had an adopted daughter who was being groomed to follow the steps of her mother, the great hacker Drakon.
'Who are you, ShaWn? Are you a friend or foe?'
###
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
The helicopter landed on the massive "backyard" of the property. Jin Liwei carried his baby girl and climbed out of the helicopter, followed by Dom, Lu Zihao and a couple of their subordinates. Their other subordinates travelled by car and would drop off Tang Yiyi to her home.
It was cold and drizzling that night. The waiting subordinates opened several umbrellas and led the group to the nearest backdoor of the mansion. There were two designated helipads in the property, one at the front and one at the back, but they were too far away for Jin Liwei's liking. He wanted to bring his baby girl inside their warm home as soon as possible, so he instructed for the helicopter to land just a few metres away from the mansion.
Chapter 586 Bomb - Sniffing Training
Iris was sleeping deeply in the arms of Jin Liwei. She had a long day. The combination of exhaustion, painkillers and everything that happened at the mall knocked her out into a dreamless slumber during the helicopter ride home.
Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao's expressions were grim as they walked inside the mansion. The butler and other household staff bowed, the concern for their mistress obvious in their eyes. Even the usually talkative Dom who always tried to lighten the atmosphere stayed silent. He was still in shock, unable to understand how another human being could give his boss a bomb, wanting to kill her and other innocent people.
It was already late in the evening. A few hours ago, Jin Liwei and Xu Tian finally arrived at the mall and met with Iris' group. Jin Liwei barely had any time to express his concern for his baby girl when the police found them, wanting to question Iris and the others.
Jin Liwei wanted to bring his baby girl to the hospital first for a comprehensive check-up, but the police insisted that the questioning couldn't wait because the bomb incident was declared a high-priority case.
The police's main question was how Iris knew that the cake box contained a bomb.
"I didn't know," Iris told them.
"Then why did you throw the box in the air?"
"I just followed my intuition."
The police officers looked a little skeptical at first but continued listening to her.
"The way the man kept on looking at me made me uncomfortable. I felt that something wasn't right. And also the weight of the box felt wrong. I receive a lot of cakes and pastries as presents from fans so I know how to discern if what I'm holding is a cake or not. I don't know how to explain it but I guess it's all thanks to my intuition. As they say, women's intuition is frighteningly accurate sometimes. So I just tossed the box as far away as I could. I was also shocked that it turned out to be a bomb. I had no idea." The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
Her grave and sincere tone, in addition to her beautiful face and the bandages covering her jaw, neck and shoulder, somewhat persuaded the police and prompted them not to question her too hard. They knew that Tian Kong was an obsessed fan of hers and specifically handed her the cake box. It was obvious that his main target was to kill her. Iris Long was the main victim of this bomb incident. Most importantly, the police considered her as the heroine who saved a lot of innocent lives from being killed. If she didn't throw the box up in the air...it would have been a huge tragedy.
The police believed her. After all, how could a pampered young woman who was also a popular celebrity, a young miss of a wealthy family, and the fiancée of Jin Corporation's President-CEO know anything about bombs? She must be telling the truth.
Dom, Tang Yiyi and the bodyguards were also questioned. Their statements all matched, cementing the police's judgment that Iris was telling the truth.
Everyone was relieved when the police officers left. When they were gone, Lu Zihao walked out of a corner in the hallway. His hearing might not be as great as his sister's, but it was still extraordinary compared to normal people. He arrived while the police were questioning his sister's group. Since he was "allergic" to the police, he didn't enter the room and hid behind a wall at a corner instead, eavesdropping on the conversations inside.
He knew that his sister was not telling the entire truth during her statement to the police. Yes, he also believed that her intuition told her that the box contained something dangerous. However, he knew that it wasn't the sole reason why she threw it up in the air.
Memories of their past life flashed inside his mind. He remembered a child Evelina being lectured by their mother because she was resisting the "lessons" their mother was forcing on her. One of the "lessons" included a bomb-sniffing training. Security bodies all around the world employed sniffer dogs to search for explosives, bombs and other contrabands but the Vetrov organization trained humans instead.
He and his little sister also had to go through this bomb-sniffing training as part of their education, but both of them weren't talented in this area. Despite this, they could still easily identify the most common explosives through their sense of smell due to the training, even though they weren't as skilled compared to the elite human contraband sniffers in their organization.
Lu Zihao walked inside the cramped mall office and saw his sister being cradled in the arms of Jin Liwei. Although her outer shell was now different, she was still his beloved little sister. His hands clenched into tight fists, resisting the urge to punch Jin Liwei in the face. A silent humph sounded inside him but he ignored it.
Back to the present, Jin Liwei carried Iris and headed to their bedroom suite. Lu Zihao followed them. Dom headed to his own room. Ice Cream and Popcorn were meowing loudly, their concerned eyes not leaving their sleeping mommy as they trotted beside their daddy's feet.
Lu Zihao watched as Jin Liwei laid his little sister gently on their bed and covered her with the duvet. The two cats jumped on the bed and curled beside her. Jin Liwei kissed her forehead, her closed eyes, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. His kisses were feather-light, as if Jin Liwei was afraid of hurting her. Jin Liwei stroked her hair while various emotions flashed in his eyes.
Watching the scene, Lu Zihao could see how much the man loved his sister and felt reassured that Jin Liwei would always prioritize her no matter what. He watched Jin Liwei trying to control the myriad emotions from overwhelming him, breaking his usual cold expression.
###
Chapter 587 - Hate Campaign
Jin Liwei looked at his baby girl's sleeping face. His heart clenched at the sight of the bandages on her jaw, neck and shoulder. He had also seen the scratches and bruises all over her body during her hospital check-up earlier. How he wished he could take away all of her pain and suffer them in her stead.
'I almost lost her.'
The thought almost paralyzed him with fear. If she didn't throw the box, she would have been....
He gritted his teeth, forcefully destroying the frightening image in his mind. If he ever lost her in such a tragic manner, he would make sure to punish all the motherfuckers who took her away from him. After avenging her, he would follow her without any second thoughts. Now that he was experiencing the joys of finding one's mate, life would be meaningless without her.
Hatred and desire for revenge were starting to take root inside of him. He wanted to beat the life out of that bastard. What was the motherfucker's name? Tian Kong. How dare he try to murder his baby girl? Anyone who dared to harm Jin Liwei's woman, future wife, and the mother of his children deserved the worst punishment in the world!
"Meow..." Popcorn nudged his daddy's arm with his head. The striped ginger cat could sense his daddy's murderous intent, scaring him a little.
Ice Cream squeezed herself closer to her sleeping mommy while staring at her daddy with caution.
Jin Liwei took a few deep breaths to control his raging emotions. He gave his sleeping baby girl another light kiss on the lips before standing up. Then he petted the two cats.
"Ice Cream, Popcorn, take care of your mom."
The two cats mewled their promise, purring and transferring their body heat to their mommy.
Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao quietly left the bedroom suite and met with their subordinates. They listened to the latest reports and gave out new commands. This was when Jin Liwei heard about the online hate campaign against Iris which blamed her and tossed the responsibility on her head for all the people injured during the bomb incident. He instantly became furious.
"How dare they?! If it wasn't for Xiulan, many people would have died! She saved them! And now they're blaming her?! Idiots!"
Lu Zihao was already aware of the hate campaign. His hacker team had been monitoring it as soon as they detected it.
Jin Liwei was unaware because it was usually either Xu Tian or Ketchup who monitored anything related to his baby girl online. However, both had missed it today. Xu Tian drove Jin Liwei to the mall and then returned to Jin Corporation afterwards. As for Ketchup, Iris had disabled her because of the ruckus she made earlier to the police and government systems.
"Don't worry about it, Third Brother. I already instructed my subordinates to take care of it, Lu Zihao told Jin Liwei.
One of his subordinates stepped forward and reported, "Boss Hao, the hate campaign has just been taken care of by our team."
"A little later than I expected but good," Lu Zihao replied, nodding.
Jin Liwei still looked furious but began to calm down after hearing that his Fifth Brother had already taken care of the hate campaign. He hadn't seen the actual comments in the hate campaign but if his Fifth Brother stepped forward to take care of it, then it must have been serious. Just imagining all those vile motherfuckers blaming his baby girl for the bomb incident made him gnash his teeth and want to beat them all up with his own fists.
"Thanks," he said. The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ãøvâ¬lÃ1n.
Lu Zihao nodded. Then he turned to his subordinate. "Have we found out who's behind the hate campaign?"
"Not yet, Boss Hao."
"What do you mean by not yet?"
Both Lu Zihao and Jin Liwei frowned while waiting for the subordinate's answer.
"Boss Hao, we suspect that the people behind the hate campaign against Miss Xiulan are not simple anti-fans by how quickly the comments spread online right after the bomb incident. It was too deliberate and unnatural. The fact that we're still unable to uncover any identities despite our whole hacker team working on it makes us believe that there's an even more skilled hacker behind the hate campaign."
Lu Zihao and Jin Liwei's frowns deepened.
"Even more skilled than Drakon?" Lu Zihao had full trust in his sister's hacking skills but he still asked this question just for the heck of it.
"Of course not, boss. What I meant was more skilled than our team but nowhere near the great Drakon."
Lu Zihao nodded. Pride flashed in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. His face reverted to an impassive expression.
Jin Liwei also felt proud but he hid the emotion behind his usual coldness. He kept quiet, choosing instead to listen to his Fifth Brother speak to his subordinates. Although they hadn't talked about it, he suspected that his Fifth Brother already knew Iris' real identity as Drakon. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case given the close sibling relationship between his baby girl and his Fifth Brother.
However, he wasn't sure if his Fifth Brother's subordinates were aware of it. He wished that they didn't know because he couldn't fully trust them with the truth. Even Jin Liwei's own men didn't know that their mistress was the great hacker Drakon. Although he believed in the loyalty of his men, he still didn't want to risk exposing the truth to them, especially if there was a chance that it would endanger his baby girl's safety.
"Boss Hao, if I may make a suggestion...."
"Go ahead."
"Exposing the identities of the people behind the hate campaign should be a piece of cake to Drakon. If we ask..."
"NO!!!"
Both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao outright rejected the subordinate's idea even before they heard it. They looked at each other before glaring at the subordinate.
"There is no need to bother Drakon at this time. Let our hacker team deal with the hate campaign for now," Lu Zihao said.
"Understood, Boss Hao."
###
Chapter 588 - Where's The Third One?
Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao didn't need to explain themselves out loud as to why they reacted so strongly against the idea of asking Drakon to dig up the identities of the people behind the hate campaign.
Iris was currently injured. They wished for her to focus on healing and resting. There was no way that they would dump this matter on her, especially if they believe that they could handle it themselves. But if she learned about it on her own, they wouldn't stop her from taking action as long as it wouldn't interfere with her recovery. The two men looked and nodded at each other in silent understanding.
Their subordinates continued reporting to both of them. There was no distinction between Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao's groups at the moment. It was as if all of them were one army reporting to and obeying two commanders.
Then they were interrupted by a maid informing them that some guests had arrived. Jin Liwei excused himself to greet the new arrivals. His own men followed him.
Lu Zihao and his subordinates were left in the room.
"Leave the hate campaign to our hacker team for now. Prioritize investigating the bomb incident and that goddamned shithead Tian Kong. Don't hurt him...not yet. I want to meet him in person. I'll decide what to do with him then," Lu Zihao instructed.
"Understood, Boss Hao."
Lu Zihao nodded and stood up. A sinister smile lifted the corner of his lips. "You want to kill my sister? Heh..."
The smile disappeared, replaced by a heavy and dense murderous aura.
His subordinates' hearts shook. They steeled and forced themselves to endure their boss' overwhelming bloodthirst. Even though every single one of them reeked of danger themselves, they still had no way of comparing to their Boss Hao. To them, he was the most dangerous person that they had ever met in their whole lives. No, he wasn't just a mere dangerous person. He was the devil incarnate! Behind his handsome smile lay a cold-blooded malevolence that could crush and exterminate lives without batting an eye. It was only Miss Xiulan who had the key to open his dark heart. At least, for now.
They masked their sighs of relief when their boss retracted his intense murderous aura. His usual roguishly devilish smile returned.
"Let's go," he said, standing up and leaving the room.
All of them followed him. He was their leader, their teacher, their saviour...and their executioner if they ever made the mistake of betraying him or Miss Xiulan.
###
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The guests who arrived were Grandpa Lu, Grandma Li and Huang Yuyan. They dragged Jin Chonglin with them, dumping him at the mansion because they reasoned that Dragon Palace Home #10 was the safest residential property in the country. Jin Chonglin headed straight to the Jin Family's Old House after the police questioned him at the mall. His own home was currently surrounded by paparazzi and reporters who wanted to interview him about the bomb incident.
Moments later, a crying Wei Lan also arrived, accompanied by Clover and Yi Mei. Gold Heights Condo building was also surrounded by paparazzi and reporters who wanted to interview Iris. They didn't know that she had been living with Jin Liwei at Dragon Palace Home #10.
"Where's my daughter?! Ooooooh! Where's my baaaaaaaabyyyyy?! Is she okay?! Where is sheeeeeeee?!!!" Wei Lan cried, clutching the butler's lapels and shaking him.
Even the usually composed old housekeeper, Yi Mei, was teary. Clover was also crying. Fortunately, they weren't creating a big ruckus unlike Wei Lan who was almost stripping the butler naked by how hard she was pulling the poor man's suit.
The butler looked helpless but managed to maintain his composure, allowing Wei Lan to shake him like a rattle while reassuring her and everyone else that the mistress had arrived safely and was now sleeping.
"I want to see my daughter! Where is sheeee?! Show me the waaaaaaay! Xiuuuulaaaaan, Mother's here! Oh, my poor baaaaaabyyyyy!"
"Madam, I'm afraid that it's not convenient for you to meet the mistress right now. The master instructed us not to allow anyone to disturb her while she's sleeping," the butler explained.
Huang Yuyan stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Wei Lan's shoulders. "As a fellow mother, I know how terrified and worried you must be feeling. All of us also feel the same way about dear Xiulan.Please calm down and let's wait for my son to explain to us what really happened, alright?"
Wei Lan sniffed and dabbed her tears with a silk handkerchief. Her waterproof makeup was still immaculate despite crying so hard. She nodded before hugging Huang Yuyan.
Jiang Ying Yue appeared after hearing that they had arrived. She welcomed them on behalf of Jin Liwei who was still on his way. She left Little Jun with a maid. He was already asleep, unaware that his mama almost died earlier that day.
Afterwards, Long Tengfei, Yang Jiahui and Meimei also arrived, followed by Long Jinjing and Chen Fei.
Wei Lan started crying again as soon as she saw them. This was her way of showing Long Tengfei and his third wife that she was more concerned about their daughter Iris. Huang Yuyan continued comforting her. This chapter was first shared on the Ãøvâ¬lÃ1n platform.
Jiang Ying Yue was about to lead everyone to the living area when a booming voice interrupted them, forcing them to listen to him.
"Huh?! Did Liwei my boy and Xiulan my girl get another cat?"
Everyone looked at where Grandpa Lu was pointing at. It was a large portrait hanging at the top of the twin grand staircases. Before, it showed Iris and Jin Liwei with their two cats Ice Cream and Popcorn. All of them had seen that portrait before. However, the portrait had been changed. It now showed Iris and Jin Liwei with Ice Cream and Popcorn and an additional white cat. The new addition looked adorable, smiling cheekily, like it was planning to do something naughty.
"Where's the third one? When did Liwei my boy and Xiulan my girl get another cat? I want to know!"
In their minds, they also wanted to know.
Chapter 589 - Afterthough
This chapter was first shared on the Ãøvâ¬lÃ1n platform.
Grandpa Lu's booming questions about the new white cat lightened the atmosphere and temporarily diverted everyone's attention from their worry about Iris' safety and well-being.
"Sir, that's Ketchup. She's Ice Cream and Popcorn's new cat sister," Jiang Ying Yue answered him.
Jin Chonglin began muttering under his breath. "Huh... Ice Cream and Popcorn... Now it's Ketchup... What the hell is with that woman's naming sense? Now I feel nervous about what she's gonna name her kids with my brother in the future... I don't want a niece named Tofu or a nephew called Steamed Bun..."
The others cringed after hearing Tofu and Steamed Bun, except for Grandpa Lu who threw his head back and guffawed. His booming laughter echoed in the grand foyer. Like Jin Chonglin, the others also worried about what Iris and Jin Liwei were going to name their future children. They prayed that it wouldn't be Tofu or Steamed bun or any other food names for that matter.
"So where's this Ketchup then? I want to meet her! Also where are the other cats? They haven't greeted their beloved great-grandpa yet!"
"Sir, Ketchup is, uh, she's...er, shy around people. She likes to hide all the time. She must be hiding somewhere, I think," Jiang Ying Yue explained in an awkward tone. "Or maybe she's with Ice Cream and Popcorn in Xiulan's room."
"I see, I see. Liwei my boy and Xiulan my girl got a timid one this time, huh. Tsk tsk."
The ones who knew that Ketchup was a talkative and naughty cat AI could only blink in discomfort. Ketchup was timid? That was an adjective least suitable to describe the cat.
Jiang Ying Yue used the break in the conversation to lead everyone to the living area where the butler and a maid served them calming tea and light biscuits. Dom appeared at this time, coming out of his bedroom after hearing about their arrival.
After a dramatic "reunion" with his sister Clover and the other members of the girl squad, he began telling everyone about everything that happened. Despite his injuries, he was very energetic in re-enacting the scenes, complete with exaggerated expressions and gestures, and of course, self-made sound effects.
"Boss threw the cake box up in the air like a professional baseball player. It went up so high to about the same level of the second floor and then she grabbed me and Big Sis Yiyi to the floor..."
He actually threw himself to the floor. "And then BOOM!!! The bomb exploded and I can't remember all the things that happened after that because I was so shocked and scared!" Then his face suddenly contorted in pain. "Aiyaya! My back! Oh, my back! It hurts! Wuwuwuwu!"
"Big Bro!" Clover helped him from the floor and peeked at the injuries on his back underneath his shirt.
"Don't move too much, you careless child!" Yi Mei scolded him but there was worry in the old housekeeper's eyes. She also checked his injuries.
Jin Liwei arrived while Dom was taking a break from his dramatic re-enactment. Everyone asked him about Iris. A flash of worry broke his usual cold and hard expression.
"Xiulan has a lot of injuries all over her body but nothing life-threatening. She's sleeping right now and I don't want her to be disturbed. I want her to get plenty of rest and focus on recovering," he told everyone in a firm tone, knowing that they all wanted to see her, especially Wei Lan who started crying again in the arms of his mother.
Hearing about Iris' injuries, all of them were concerned about her. On one hand, they felt relieved that she was alive. On the other hand, they were all shaken after learning that Iris was the central target of a bomb attack from a crazy, obsessed fan. It was no wonder that Jin Liwei was being extra protective of her right now and didn't want anyone to disturb her.
"Yes, dear Xiulan should focus on healing from her injuries," Grandma Li agreed. "It's already very late, anyway. We'll talk to her tomorrow instead."
Jin Liwei nodded at his grandmother before addressing everyone. "Talk to my butler if you wish to sleep over here tonight. He'll arrange your accommodations. If you'll excuse me, I need to be with Xiulan right now. I don't want to leave her for too long."
"Big Bro, wait!" Jin Chonglin called.
Jin Liwei turned to look at him.
"I want to stay here for a few days. Can I?"
Jin Liwei raised an eyebrow.
Huang Yuyan spoke up. "Son, let your brother stay here for now, alright? Even though he didn't suffer any major injuries like Xiulan, he's still involved in the incident today. The media are already starting to hound him. It's safer for him to be here in your place."
Jin Liwei didn't answer right away. The others waited in silence for his decision. When he finally answered, everyone could hear the reluctance in his voice. "Fine. But don't disturb your sister-in-law too much while she's recovering or I'll kick you out."
With that, he left.
Jin Chonglin couldn't help but sulk a little. Huang Yuyan only shook her head, a helpless smile on her face, at her eldest son's attitude towards her youngest son.
"Bahahaha!"
The corners of Jin Chonglin's lips turned down even more when Grandpa Lu started laughing in his booming voice.The old man was laughing at him.
His family was so mean, especially his older brother. Although his brother had never been warm and outwardly affectionate to him, Jin Liwei was never this sharp-tongued before. Ever since his brother became engaged to Iris Long, Jin Chonglin felt like he was just an afterthought to his brother.
'If I was him, I think I'll also be the same way and start treating other people except for her as an afterthought,' he thought, sighing.
Despite understanding his brother, he still couldn't stop himself from inwardly grumbling at Jin Liwei's poor attitude towards him.
'We're flesh and blood brothers, you know!'
He also felt traumatized by the bomb incident, even though he didn't have bloody injuries like Iris, Dom and the others in their group. He only suffered some scratches and bruises from the resulting stampede. Nevertheless, he thought that he still deserved some tender loving care from his family. He also had his fair share of obsessed fans and even stalkers in the past, but this was the first time that he experienced something as terrifying as this. A bomb! Who wouldn't be traumatized? Just remembering it caused him to shudder.
In addition to Grandpa Lu's boisterous laughter, to which Grandma Li was already scolding the old man, snickers could also be heard from the girl squad.
Jin Chonglin turned to glare at them, looking at Chen Fei first because he was expecting that the annoyingly bossy woman would be the one laughing at him the most. Contrary to his expectation, however, Chen Fei had a solemn expression on her face as she looked him. It was actually just Meimei, Dom and Clover who were snickering at him. Long Jinjing was too nice to laugh at anyone.
Jin Chonglin and Chen Fei stared at each other. He felt a little surprised that she wasn't laughing at him like her friends.
Was that...concern in her eyes? Concern for him?
The corners of his lips curved upward.
###
Chapter 590 - I Thought I Lost You
Jin Chonglin flashed Chen Fei his iconic killer smile. A desire to tease the bossy woman made him toss aside his earlier self-pity.
Chen Fei scowled as soon as she saw him smiling at her. She glared at him and turned her head to the side to avoid looking at his annoying smile. The snickers of her friends grew louder. She knew that they were now laughing at her. The rascals! If she wasn't friends with Meimei, Dom and Clover, she would have already smacked their butts. She didn't notice that her face and neck had turned red. All she felt was a bellyful of irritation.
'That indecisive diva-man! What is he smiling at me for? Did he go bonkers from the bomb incident? I was just concerned that he might be traumatized after what happened and affect the progress of his men's skincare and perfume lines! I shouldn't have worried about him! Just wasted my precious energy and goodwill! Hmph!'
Jin Chonglin's smile grew wider when he saw Chen Fei's irritated expression. It was making him want to tease her more. However, he controlled himself because his family was present. He didn't want them to misunderstand. What if they started matchmaking him to that bossy woman? He inwardly shuddered.
Living with such a bossy woman who didn't think much of his superstar status would be a nightmare for him. She would probably control his entire life once they were married...
'Huh? What the hell are you thinking, Jin Chonglin?! Get a hold of yourself! Why are you imagining yourself married to that bossy woman? You don't even like her,' he scolded himself.
His killer smile turned into a surly pout at the sudden direction of his thoughts. Once again, he envied his older brother for finding a treasure of a woman like Iris Long. If he were faster and more decisive back then, perhaps Iris would've been his. He forcefully tamped down this thought as soon as it appeared.
Jin Chonglin and Chen Fei thought that nobody noticed their silent quarrel. Well, except for the girl squad. The elders continued talking to each other.
Unbeknown to them, a certain old man and old lady noticed. The old man's eyes glinted with mischief. The old lady beside him glared at him, warning him not to interfere in her grandson's love life.
As for Huang Yuyan, she was too busy comforting Wei Lan who once again set off her theatrics.
Wei Lan was trying to drown out the presence of her ex-husband and his third wife. She had bad feelings about them but didn't want to create a commotion in front of her future in-laws.
'I'm such a magnaaaaaaanimous viscountess!' The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ãøvâ¬lÃ1n.
Just before midnight, Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui left. They planned on visiting again tomorrow to see Iris. The others decided to sleep over at the mansion.
The night ended with many troubled hearts. Everyone at the mansion hadn't come to terms yet that they almost lost Iris that day. It was a frightening experience, something that they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
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The first thing that Iris heard as she slowly awakened was the gentle sound of flowing water from the wall-mounted waterfall fountain.
Next were the comforting sounds of two cats purring behind her. She could feel one source of fluffy heat against her back while the other one was pressed against her thighs.
As her consciousness became clearer, she could also hear a strong, steady heartbeat against her cheek.
All of these sounds comforted her, making her feel safe and warm. She was lying on her side, embraced by a warm and hard body. She could feel the steady rise and fall of a hard chest in front of her and the soft breathing on top of her head. Her body subconsciously pressed closer to her man. Then she inhaled the familiar masculine scent that she loved so much.
A gentle touch stroked her hair and a gentle kiss touched her head.
Iris sighed in contentment, wanting to stay like this for longer but the injuries on her body started stinging, aching and throbbing until she could no longer ignore them. Her eyes fluttered open.
"G'morning, love," Jin Liwei's low and husky voice greeted her.
"Mmn... Morning, darling." She looked up and saw his handsome face. For some reason, the pain that she was feeling in her body lessened when she looked at him.
"Meow..." Ice Cream poked her head from behind her and patted her cheek with her fluffy grey paw.
"Meow~ Meow!" Popcorn was also awakened and jumped between his parents.
"Popcorn, be gentle. Your mom is injured," Jin Liwei scolded the hyper-active cat.
Iris smiled. The couple greeted the cats and petted them.
"Ketchup, what's the time?" Iris asked.
No answer.
Then she remembered what happened yesterday and her smile disappeared. She felt her chest tighten. Her eyes closed.
"Ketchup..." Iris pressed her face against Jin Liwei's chest, as she tried to calm herself while remembering that Ketchup had been damaged yesterday from going out of control. She was forced to disable the cat AI as a result.
Jin Liwei hugged her closer, careful not to touch and hurt her injuries.
Ice Cream and Popcorn seemed to sense that their mommy wasn't feeling good so they didn't disturb their parents, even though the two cats felt hungry and needed to go to the bathroom. They kept quiet and purred loudly, trying to comfort their mommy.
Iris opened her eyes and tried to sit up. "I need to examine Ketchup. I need to fix her. I needâ"
"Love, not now. Please rest and heal first, okay?"
"But Ketchup isâ"
"Please?" Jin Liwei implored, looking straight into her the eyes.
She wanted to argue and insist on checking Ketchup's systems but seeing his concern for her, she could only restrain herself for now. A heavy sigh escaped from her lips before she nodded, reluctantly agreeing with him.
He dipped his head down and gave a gentle kiss on her lips.
"You're the most important to me. Always remember that. I thought I lost you yesterday," he said, his voice a little choked.