Chapter 591 - Blaze Of Heat And Zap Of Electricity
Sensing her man's pain and fear of losing her, Iris' unhappiness of being stopped from checking and fixing Ketchup evaporated. Her full attention was now on Jin Liwei. She could understand how he must be feeling.If their situations were reversed, she would also feel the same way as him.
"I'm sorry that you had to experience something dangerous and scary like that yesterday," he told her. "I wish I was there to personally protect you, not allowing you to suffer even just one bruise on your body. I wish that I could take away all of your injuries and pain. I don't want you to suffer anything."
A smile softened her expression. She caressed his cheek. There was mutual tenderness in how they looked in each other's eyes.
"Don't apologize. What happened yesterday was not your fault," she replied. "I know that you love me and want to protect me. In fact, I'm now thankful that you and Big Brother insisted on providing me with a large security team. If it weren't for both of your subordinates, I might have been more gravely injured. So thank you."
"This is natural. It's what I should do for the woman I love."
The couple continued staring into each other's eyes, kissing gently and then smiling. Stare, kiss, smile. They repeated these actions until they were interrupted by their two cats who couldn't endure their hunger and full bladders any longer. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via noovelllbbin
"Meow!" Ice Cream's expression looked pitiful. She really tried hard to wait and endure for the sake of her mommy but couldn't anymore. The call of nature was something that was difficult to ignore.
"MEOW!!! MEOW!!! MEOW!!!" Popcorn had already jumped down the bed and walked around restlessly in circles in front of the door.
Jin Liwei sighed while Iris chuckled.
"Alright, I understand. I'll let you out now," Jin Liwei told them, as he gently disentangled himself from his baby girl. He froze when he saw her wince. "Sorry, love. Did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine. Go on and let the cats out. I don't want them having an accident inside our room."
He nodded and got up, careful of his movements so as not to hurt her. The cats followed him as he led them all the way out of the suite. Fortunately, Ice Cream and Popcorn already knew where to go to do their business without Jin Liwei needing to accompany them.
Iris was on her way to the bathroom when he returned to their bedroom after letting the cats out. He hurried to her and supported her, alarm and worry in his expression.
"I can walk perfectly fine, you know," she told him.
He didn't reply, still continuing to support her to the bathroom.
She was helpless at his overprotectiveness but didn't argue. In fact, she liked it. She felt warm and loved by him, so she allowed him to do what he wanted. It was his way of easing his worry for her. Besides, she didn't have the energy to deny him. Her entire body ached and felt stiff. The wound on her jaw was stinging while the major injuries on her neck and shoulder throbbed, spreading the pain to the surrounding parts of her body.
Jin Liwei saw her discomfort even if she tried to hide it from him. There was a little furrow between her brows, hinting that she was enduring some kind of pain. It pained him so much to see her suffering like this, especially since she was doing her best not to show it.
Then hatred for Tian Kong flooded him. His baby girl was in pain because of that motherfucker! He would never be at peace if he didn't make the bastard pay for attempting to kill his woman.
Iris sensed his sudden fury and instinctively knew to whom he wanted to direct it to. She also felt the same way. That Tian Kong who claimed to be her fan needed to pay. It wasn't only her who was hurt but also many of her true loyal fans, some of Jin Chonglin's fans and also a few innocent bystanders. However, she didn't want that bomber and attempted murderer to ruin this moment between the two of them. Both of them had been extremely busy ever since they returned to the country from France that their time spent together were limited.
She patted his cheek to get his attention. He tossed the son of a bitch out of his mind to focus on his baby girl's needs.
Both of them brushed their teeths and did their business. Afterwards, Jin Liwei washed her body with a damp cloth. Then he cleaned her wounds and changed her bandages. His expression hardened and turned colder seeing all the bruises, scratches, and the swollen wounds on her body. He listened like an attentive student when the doctor showed him how to treat and bandage her wounds yesterday at the hospital. It was obvious that he wasn't used to it because his movements were a bit clumsy.
However, he was gentle, careful and tender, so Iris swallowed her suggestion of asking someone more experienced among the household staff to dress her wounds. She didn't want deprive him of his desire to take care of her. He treated her like the most precious treasure in the world, making her feel all mushy inside.
While he was dressing her wounds, her hands subconsciously began caressing his nape and arm. Her wounds hurt and her body ached, but every time he touched her, she could feel a blaze of heat and a zap of electricity on her skin. It made her forget about the aches and pain in her body. Her breathing quickened and a familiar ball of desire slowly formed and tightened in her lower abdomen.
Jin Liwei immediately sensed the change in his baby girl. His eyes were on the same level as her naked breasts, so he saw how her nipples hardened. The rapid rise and fall of her chest was also unmistakable, making her enticing breasts all the more mouthwatering. He looked up and saw that her eyes had gone cloudy and half-lidded with desire. His body reacted in an instant. Blood rushed downwards. He felt something stirring between his legs.
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Chapter 592 - I'll Make You Scream
For a moment, Jin Liwei was at a loss of what to do. He had already been half-hard when he helped her remove her clothes earlier. However, he wasn't such a beast as to lose his rationality when his baby girl wasn't in tip-top condition. His concern for her trumped his desire. That was until he noticed her excited reactions to his "innocent" touches.
When he looked up and saw her heavy-lidded eyes filled with desire for him, his own desire for her rushed downwards like a raging tsunami. He was so hard that it felt like his erection would burst out of his pyjama pants any second. Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
If this was under any normal circumstance, he would have already grabbed her and eaten her right there and then. However, the sight of her wounded body was like a splash of cold water on his animalistic instincts, helping him regain his senses.
Jin Liwei swallowed the saliva pooling inside his mouth and forced his eyes away from her luscious breasts. It was difficult to restrain himself but he knew that he would never forgive himself if he ended up hurting her just because of his inability to control his urges.
The hand caressing his nape moved to his shoulder and down his chest. Despite wearing a shirt, he could clearly feel the burning trail of her touch on his skin down to his hard abs...down, down, down to...
He caught her naughty hand before she could touch his hard-on, knowing that he might not be able to continue controlling himself if she touched that hot spot.
"Liwei...."
Her voice was like a siren's call, enchanting him to lose his mind and do all of her bidding. He was already starting to pant as an internal battle between his instinct and rationality raged inside him.
"Darling..."
She pressed herself against him and wrapped her other arm around his waist while he still held her other hand. Her flat stomach rubbed against his erection, eliciting a groan from him.
"Love, not today," he told her with much difficulty.
Her expression turned sullen.
"You're injured. I don't want to hurt you."
Although disappointed, she understood his reason for rejecting her seduction. She didn't plan on seducing him either. Her entire body ached and her wounds hurt. However, she couldn't stop herself from reacting to his touches. Her body had already been conditioned to crave him.
She sighed and nodded while straightening her body to put some distance between them. She took a few deep breaths to control her desire.
He was also doing the same thing.
Later, goosebumps appeared on her skin. She rubbed them and shivered a bit.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm too careless," Jin Liwei cursed at himself before grabbing her fluffy bathrobe and covering her body. Then he carried her to their walk-in closet to help dress her.
After she was all dressed up, he even combed her hair. She tried stopping him, saying that she could do it on her own but he insisted. Not wanting to argue with him, she allowed him to take care of her. She still wore a slightly sullen and disappointed expression because the fire of desire within her had not been quenched.
Seeing her expression, it was his turn to sigh. He also didn't want to disappoint her but he would rather choose this than accidentally hurt her and aggravate her injuries. She never complained about pain even once but her little winces here and there didn't escape his eyes. His heart would clench whenever he saw her wincing in pain and then pretending that she was alright.
He wrapped her in his arms, careful not to hurt her. Her arms also wrapped around his waist. He stroked her hair and exposed her ear before leaning down to kiss it. A pleased smile lifted the corner of his lips when he felt her shiver from his feather-light kiss.
"Not today. But don't worry, love. Once you recover from your injuries, I'll make you scream all night long," he whispered to her ear.
Her hands gripped the back of his shirt. He could sense her excitement.
She looked up at him. "Only all night long?"
His smile turned into a smirk. "All day long. All week long. However long you want."
She also began smiling, her naughty hands rubbing up and down his back. "Mmn... Promise?"
"En. Promise."
Her smile became brighter, dazzling him for a few seconds.
"So hurry up and get better," he told her after recovering a bit from being bedazzled.
"Okay."
'I can't make love with her but I can still kiss her, right?'
He didn't want to waste too much time thinking about it so he went ahead and did it. His head dipped down and caught her sweet lips, gently nipping, licking and sucking. It made both of them breathless and desiring for more, but he stopped before both of them could lose control.
"I'll call for breakfast," he announced after the kiss. "Second Brother will be dropping by later after his hospital duty to take a look at you. There's no need to leave our suite today. You should focus on getting better."
She nodded.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Our families and friends have slept over. They arrived last night but you were already sleeping. Uncle Tengfei and Aunt Jiahui returned home but will visit again today. I'll allow all of them to see you later."
"They're here? Then we must join them for breakfastâ"
"No, love."
"It's okay. I'm fine, reallyâ"
"I want to eat breakfast with just the two of us."
"Oh. I see. Okay." Something warm and mushy filled her inside. She didn't notice the big, stupid grin on her face.
Jin Liwei also had a big, stupid grin on his face.
The two looked and smiled at each other like stupid idiots, but they were in love so both of them thought that she looked the most beautiful and he looked the most handsome in the world even with the stupid grins on their faces.
Knock! Knock!
The two didn't notice the sound. Or rather, they chose to ignore it.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!
Jin Liwei scowled. Which pest dared to interrupt his special time with his baby girl?! Courting death!
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Chapter 593 - Great To Be Alive
The knocking came from outside their suite, not their actual bedroom, so it wasn't that loud. But to Jin Liwei, it was the most irritating sound at the moment.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!!!
Iris also felt annoyed but not to the same degree as him. She patted his cheek, trying to calm him down. "Why don't you answer it? Maybe it's something important."
He grunted in obvious displeasure but still nodded. He gave her another quick kiss on the lips before leaving to answer the damn door. If it wasn't anything urgent, the damn intruder should prepare to face his wrath.His irritation was clouding his rationality. He poised himself for battle.
Iris followed behind him with slow footsteps. Now that his back was facing her, she carefully touched the bandaged wound on her neck and shoulder. They hurt. She was also beginning to feel a throbbing headache. Perhaps it was because of hunger or the overall pain in her body. She wasn't entirely sure. It seemed that she needed to eat soon so that she could safely take painkillers.
However, all this pain was still bearable. Yes, the pain was uncomfortable and inconvenient, but for someone who had experienced being shot by a barrage of bullets in her past life, something like this was nothing. At least, she was still alive. For that, she was thankful.
'I'm alive. I can still be with Liwei and our cats,' she thought.
It was great to be alive.
Ahead of her, Jin Liwei moved to open the door with a vicious scowl on his face. His raging expression was the total opposite of his usual cold fury. He opened his mouth to scold the damn intruder as soon as he opened the door but...
"Papa!" Little Jun stretched his little arms towards him.
"Liam," Enrique Valdez greeted him with a nod. He retrieved his fist in the air. It appeared that he was the one who kept on knocking.
Enrique Valdez was the damn intruder?
The legendary hitmaker was carrying Little Jun in his arms. He looked a little awkward doing so but the toddler didn't seem to mind. Little Jun had already met this handsome grandpa before and considered him as part of the family.
Jin Liwei was too surprised seeing Enrique Valdez inside his home first thing in the morning that he wasn't able to react in time. He stood there like a frozen statue while Little Jun continued to call for him, trying to catch his attention.
Jiang Ying Yue stood a few steps behind them wearing an embarrassed and apologetic expression. She wasn't the only standing behind her son and Enrique Valdez.
"What are you standing there for like a nitwit, Liwei my boy? What's taking you so long to invite us inside? I want to know! Do you want this old man to fall asleep while standing here waiting and waiting outside your door?"
Grandpa Lu's booming complaint forced Jin Liwei to regain his senses. He finally noticed that his grandmother, mother and mother-in-law also came. A little farther behind them stood Dom and Yi Mei, each carrying a cat in their arms. He didn't see his younger brother, though.
Jin Liwei took Little Jun from the legendary hitmaker and opened the door wider. "Please come in."
"Mama!" Little Jun immediately forgot about his papa upon seeing his mama and excitedly reached out for her. However, he stopped, his eyes widening, when he saw her bandages, bruises and scratches. He immediately knew that his mama was hurt. His little face scrunched up and burst into tears. "Mamaaaa! Mamaaaaaa!! Mamaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Iris attempted to take the crying child from Jin Liwei but he was reluctant because Little Jun might accidentally hurt her injuries. "It's okay. I'll be careful."
"No, no! Xiulan, please don't carry Little Jun for now," Jiang Ying Yue said, squeezing from behind Enrique Valdez to take her son instead. "He has become heavier and stronger. You might get hurt."
Little Jun struggled in his mother's embrace. He continued to cry while reaching for his mama. "Junjun want Mamaaaaa!"
Two cats also arrived and rubbed themselves against their mommy's legs.
"Little Jun, be good," Jiang Ying Yue told her son in a firm tone.
The toddler whimpered.
Iris sighed and patted her godson's back and stroked his head. Little Jun felt a little better after that. He really wanted his mama to carry him but his mommy wouldn't allow him. So sad.
The others also entered the suite. Wei Lan and Yi Mei burst into tears upon seeing Iris' bruised and wounded appearance.
"Oh, my poor baaaaaabyyyyy!!! How did my beeeeaaaauuuutiful daughter end up looking like a zombiiiiiiieeee?!!! Where does it hurt, honeeeey?! Where?! Tell Mother!!"
Huang Yuyan busied herself trying to comfort Wei Lan again.
"Young Miss!" Yi Mei was shocked when she saw Iris covered in bruises and scratches from head to toe. And those bandages?! Her young miss's beautiful face was marred by the bandage on her jaw. The bandage around her neck also looked serious. Yi Mei could also see another large bandage peeking under Iris' clothes. The old housekeeper didn't expect that her young miss's injuries would be this many! Yi Mei completely lost her usual composure. She turned around to leave.
"Grandma Yi Mei, where are you going?" Dom called.
"I'm going to the kitchen and get a butcher knife! Where is that evil monster who tried to kill Young Miss! My old bones won't be at peace until I hack that villain into pieces!"
Jin Liwei's expression also turned murderous. Iris held his hand and squeezed it, silently telling him to calm down.
"Yi Mei, grab an extra knife! This viscountess also can't forgiiiiiiive that son of aâthat...that murderer who tried to kill my beloved daaauuuughteeeer!"
"Wei Lan, please calm down. There's a young child here," Huang Yuyan gently reminded her.
And indeed, Jiang Ying Yue was covering her son's ears. Little Jun might not yet understand what they were talking about, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
A loud growl interrupted the emotional atmosphere. Everyone froze, wondering who it was.
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Chapter 594 - Shameless Businesswoman
Another growl sounded, louder this time. It sounded like a grumpy lion.
"This old man is so hungry and can't wait to eat breakfast!" Grandpa Lu announced without any shame while rubbing his stomach. "I've been waiting and waiting for the two of you to come out of your room but you're taking so long so I dragged everyone here! Enrique came on time so I also dragged him here to wake you two up! What's taking you so long? I want to know! Do you want this old man to die of starvation? Your beloved grandpa can't die yet! You still haven't given me great-grandbabies! When are you going to give me great-grandbabies? I want to know!"
"Oh, be quiet, you noisy old gorilla," Grandma Li scolded him.
The two elders' bickering made the atmosphere lighter. Everyone smiled and chuckled. Wei Lan and Yi Mei stopped being emotional.
Later, everyone was seated in the suite's living room. The butler and some maids delivered a simple buffet-style breakfast because there wasn't enough space for everyone to fit at the suite's small table.
Little Jun wanted to sit on his mama's lap but his mother wouldn't allow him, so he plopped his butt on his papa's lap instead, refusing to budge when his mother tried taking him. His papa sat close to his mama so sitting on his lap was the next best thing.
Jiang Ying Yue had no choice but to sit beside Jin Liwei to feed her son.
Everyone ate and chatted. The atmosphere was light and cheerful. They seemed to have reached a silent consensus not to talk about the bomb incident yesterday. However, Iris noticed the concern in their eyes every time they glanced at her injuries.
Dom informed Iris that his sister Clover, Long Jinjing and Chen Fei also came last night but they left early that morning to go to work at Orchidia Beauty. Meimei brought her equipment when she came and had been drawing her webtoon until the sun rose so she was still sleeping right now. As for Jin Chonglin, nobody saw him leaving his room so he must also be still sleeping.
"What about Big Brother? Where is he?" Iris asked.
Grandpa Lu heard her. "Hmph! That pinheaded big brother of yours disappeared to who knows where! His little sister is injured and all of us are here. Instead of staying and spending time with family like a good, filial boy, he goes out gallivanting! Watch this old man pull and twist his ear when he comes back!"
Iris didn't reply, going into deep thought instead. She suspected that her brother disappeared because he was doing his own investigations about the bomb incident. She sensed his dangerous fury when he arrived at the mall to check on her yesterday. He was already restraining his aura during that time because of the public place but the malevolence still seeped out, making her shudder a little. His outer shell might be that of Lu Zihao, Grandpa Lu's grandson, but he was without a doubt her Big Brother Nikolai deep inside. Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
She glanced at Jin Liwei. He might be spending time beside her right now but she knew that he must have also commanded his subordinates to take action. Perhaps the two men were cooperating with each other.
Knowing that her man and her brother were doing all of these for her, she was also itching to conduct her own investigation. Even more important than this, she wanted to examine Ketchup and fix the cat AI. She had already gotten used to hearing the white cat's cute and cheerful chatter every day that a sense of loss and panic was now pervading her heart. It felt like she had really lost her own child.
She couldn't wait to fix Ketchup and then conduct her own investigation about the bomb incident but Jin Liwei and the others wouldn't allow her right now because of her injuries. She could always defy them and insist on doing her own thing but chose not to do so. It wasn't worth it to cause negative feelings between them when all they were doing was show their love and concern for her. She also had to admit that her body's condition right now was very poor. It would only hinder her efficiency in accomplishing the tasks that she wanted to do. All she could do at the moment was wait until her body recovered enough.
Jin Liwei saw her sighing. He was watching her like a hawk.
"What's wrong, love? Are you in pain?" he asked in a whisper.
"I'm..." She was about to say that she felt alright, don't worry, but decided to be honest...to some extent. "Yes, a bit." She actually felt like she had been run over by a truck.
His expression turned serious. He handed Little Jun to Jiang Ying Yue and headed to their bedroom. The others looked at him. They appeared to be chatting with each other but were actually eavesdropping on the couple's conversation.
Moments later, Jin Liwei returned with Iris' medications. After she had taken all of them, he pulled her close to his body, resting her head on his shoulder. All of his movements were gentle and careful.
Digestive tea was served after breakfast. Iris chatted with her music instructor, Enrique Valdez.
The legendary hitmaker had been staying in the country since Orchidia Beauty's launch party. He planned on a music collaboration with Iris but they hadn't started yet. Iris was still extremely busy with her current work commitments with Orchidia Beauty and her second music collaboration with Jin Chonglin plus a slew of other things. Even though she and Bright Summit offered to rearrange her schedule to prioritize her collaboration with Enrique Valdez, he refused. He told them that he would travel the country first and enjoy the culture and cuisine. They could start working on their collaboration after he returned.
And that was what he had been doing. Bright Summit provided him with a local guide and a personal interpreter free of charge to accompany him to his tourist trips all over the country. No contract for a music collaboration had been signed yet but it was only a matter of time. As long as the legendary hitmaker retained his intention of collaborating with their artist Iris Long, Bright Summit would treat Enrique Valdez like a king and was even prepared to take financial loss. The most important thing for the entertainment company was the increase in prestige and reputation from collaborating with such a prominent and world-famous musician like Enrique Valdez. Who wouldn't want to work with a living legend?
Bright Summit also offered to provide him with long-term high-class hotel accommodations but Iris was quicker. She leased him a penthouse unit from another Gold Heights Condominium building instead. Even though he was her music instructor, she didn't give him any discount. The price she offered him was reasonable though, not too expensive but not too cheap either.
As a shameless businesswoman who learned the majority of her business smarts from Grandpa Lu, she would never allow herself to be on the losing end of a deal even to family and friends. Besides, Enrique Valdez was rich and famous. He could afford it. He didn't bother negotiating with her about the price, immediately signing the residential lease agreement without even reading it. He trusted her not to cheat him.
Her shamelessness as a businesswoman kicked in after the signing of the agreement. Iris requested her music instructor to sign a huge portrait of him taken inside the penthouse unit. The fact that Enrique Valdez, the world-famous legendary hitmaker, lived in the penthouse was already a guarantee that the unit's market price would soar several folds afterwards. Adding the signed portrait to the package would boost the penthouse's value even more. Iris was already estimating the huge profits the penthouse unit would fetch her in the future, all thanks to Enrique Valdez and of course, her shamelessness.
Back to the present, Enrique Valdez was talking a bit more than usual. His concern for his student was obvious in his eyes.
"I've been in this industry for decades. I witnessed a lot of crazy fans. What you experienced yesterday is one of the scariest I've ever heard," he told her in English.
The others stopped talking and listened to their conversation instead. They had been avoiding talking about the bomb incident. Enrique Valdez was the first one to open the topic.
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Chapter 595 Almighty Diamond - Encrusted Golden Slippers
Once Enrique Valdez started talking about the bomb incident, the others also joined in. However, they didn't dwell on it too deeply because they were afraid that it would upset Iris or trigger her trauma, if she was indeed traumatized by the incident. They figured that it was still too early to determine if she was traumatized or not because it only happened yesterday. All of them were cautious of distressing her because they knew that she had already been traumatized before by the car accident that almost killed her and sent her into a year-long coma.
Jin Liwei looked murderous when they talked about the perpetrator, Tian Kong. His expression frightened Little Jun, so Jiang Ying Yue and Dom moved the little guy and his cat cousins to Iris and Jin Liwei's bedroom.
Iris also joined the conversation and shared her experiences during the mall show and the eventual bomb incident. Her brief and straightforward account of what happened was very different from Dom's overdramatic re-enactment the night before. However, it affected them more, chilling their hearts and almost making them breathless in fear for her life.
As for Iris, she didn't feel traumatized by what happened yesterday. Comparing to how she died in her past life, the bomb incident was nothing. Nevertheless, she still felt disturbed and wanted to get to the bottom of it. There were so many questions that she wanted to be answered.
Before she knew it, her eyes had closed and her breathing became deep and regular. She had fallen asleep due to her strong painkillers despite just waking up that morning. Everyone stopped talking and watched Jin Liwei carry her to their bedroom. Afterwards, Jin Liwei kicked them all out of the suite, including Little Jun and the cats despite their pitiful protests. Jin Liwei wanted his baby girl to have a nice, safe andquiet place to recover from her injuries.
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The bomb incident continued dominating the headlines in the next days. There was very little progress in the investigation. The authorities were still recovering from the devastating hacking attack. It affected the speed and efficiency of their work.
The lunatic hacker really caused them a great deal of chaos and destruction. The authorities cursed the unknown hacker for giving them so much trouble. A bounty had already been issued for the anonymous hacker, even though little to no information was known about him or her.
As for the perpetrator, Tian Kong, he was already in police custody. Thanks to the furious fans who mobbed and detained him at the mall, the police was quickly able to arrest him. It was more or less already guaranteed that he would receive heavy punishment for his crimes. Perhaps he would even be punished with the death penalty, ifâno, "when" the court found him guilty. The evidence against him was too strong.
However, there were still many unclear aspects of the case that needed intensive investigation. The police were already suspecting that there was an additional unknown entity supporting Tian Kong in the shadows. Unfortunately, Tian Kong refused to say anything else. He had been ready to die with Iris Long and the other innocent people when he set off the bomb at the mall. He felt no guilt, only regret that he wasn't successful in blowing everyone up to death.
Moving on to the entertainment news section, Bright Summit cancelled both Jin Chonglin and Iris Long's current work schedules. For the next couple of days after the bomb incident, there were no updates from the two celebrities.
The Iris Long hate campaign had stopped spreading on the internet like wildfire but it still managed to plant a seed of resentment and even hatred against Iris in the minds of some members of the general public. Although they couldn't effectively bash Iris on the internet because hate comments against her mysteriously disappeared, they continued to criticize her in real life to their family, friends, co-workers and even strangers on the streets. They blamed her for causing so many innocent people to be injured during the bomb incident. To these negative people, Iris Long was on the same level as the bomber Tian Kong and deserved to be hated, condemned and punished.
Bright Summit, the Black Stars, and many of Iris Long's allies in showbiz like JJ, DJ Song, Feng Jiu, all the Pandemonium band members, Guan Jintao, Yin Meixing and the other cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken", Director He and the hosts of "MusicFest Tonight", and the other artists managed by Tang Yiyi all defended Iris Long against these unreasonable accusations. Princess Porkchop, creator of the highly popular webtoon "Queen of the Shadows", also defended Iris Long on her blog and rallied her own fans to do the same.
However, it was difficult to reason with close-minded and negative people. They only listened to words aligning with their own beliefs and rejected anything else. It didn't help that Iris Long hadn't released any statement defending herself. These people took her silence as an admission of her "guilt".
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The Black Stars were chatting on their members-only chat group. They were all filled with worry about their Boss Iris and also anxiety about the hate campaign against her in real life.
LittlePhoenix: "I got into a fight at school because I heard some jerks from the other classes talking trash about our boss. I'm so angry! I wanted to smack them with my mighty slippers but my friends stopped me and dragged me away."
CaptainBlackStar: "Behave at school. Your parents will be called to your school if you cause trouble. If they discover that you got into a fight because you're defending Boss Iris, your parents might start blaming our boss for corrupting you. We don't want that to happen."
LittlePhoenix: "You're right, Big Sis Captain. I didn't think about that. Thanks for the reminder. I'll be more careful from now on. But it's just so frustrating hearing all of those people blaming Boss Iris! What's wrong with them?!"
MrsLovePhantom: "There are quite a number of our members who were injured in the blast. I think a handful of them are still in the hospital. I think that we should do something as a fan club to support them in some way. Maybe we can send some flowers, food, even some financial help pay for their medical bills."
Her friends JJNumber1Fan, JJNumber2Fan and JJNumber3Fan all agreed with her. They all promised to donate something for their fellow Black Stars who were injured.
CaptainBlackStar: "That's a great idea, @MrsLovePhantom! Thank you! Although I can't donate much because I'm still a poor university student, I can at least write a card or something, maybe even cook or bake goodies for our injured comrades."
Many of the regular Black Stars echoed her sentiments.
iEatSlippers: "Don't forget this Lord of All Slippers! Although I'm no longer publicly active as a Black Star, my almighty slippers will never abandon my comrades! This lord is now richâmwahahaha! So I can now afford to donate more! If you want, you can start calling me the Lord of the Almighty Diamond-Encrusted Golden Slippers!"
CaptainBlackStar, LittlePhoenix, MrsLovePhantom and her three friends all welcomed iEatSlippers back. The members of the Slippers Army were especially ecstatic and rejoiced that their original leader popped up to join them again.
"Shut up and stop bragging about your wealth, you son of a bitch! Shit! I missed you, you shithead! I'm not crying, you are!"
"Did you come back just to make all of us feel poor, Mr. Moneybagsâoops, I mean Mr. CFO of Planet Monkey?"
"Uwah! It's the legendary @iEatSlippers! I'm a new member of Slippers Army! You're the #1 troll that I admire the most in the world! Please lead us in a trolling battle if you have time! My mighty slippers can't wait to witness the magnificence of your almighty diamond-encrusted golden slippers!"
iEatSlippers: "Mwahahaha! Sure. This Lord of Slippers will create several smurf accounts to lead you to some battles when I'm free. Unfortunately, I can't use this account anymore to lead you to battles or else I'll be in trouble with my company boss. By the way, where's @KittyBaby? That weird kid can function as her own troll army. My almighty slippers recognize her trolling skills."
"I think she got grounded by her parents again. Poor kid. Her parents are so strict."
"Well, she's a naughty kiddo. I bet her parents frequently smack her butt."
"I hope not. I'm against parents using corporal punishment to their children."
LittlePhoenix: "Big Bro @iEatSlippers! You're back! We haven't been able to reach @KittyBaby ever since the bomb incident. We were hoping that she could help lead us in battle against the online hate campaign but unfortunately, she didn't show up. I think that her parents grounded her again. Good thing that an awesome anonymous person helped us and they made all those hate comments disappear."
CaptainBlackStar: "Yeah, he was a big help. I wish that he introduced himself to us, so we can at least thank him."
MonkeyFace: "There's no need for you to know him. Or her. Just know that he or she is on Iris' side."
Everyone became excited once again as soon as MonkeyFace appeared. Many idolized him, especially the "Supreme Ascension" gamers. Their excitement buried the conversation about KittyBaby and the anonymous hacker who helped them thwart the hate campaign against their Boss Iris.
MonkeyFace interrupted them and returned the group's focus to their plan of helping their fellow comrades who were injured in the bomb incident.
Chapter 596 - This Prince Is A Superstar
Afterwards, MonkeyFace set up a simple donation webpage to help not only their fellow Black Stars but also the others who were injured in the bomb incident. Those who couldn't afford to donate financially pledged to help in other ways instead.
In addition to this, they didn't forget to prepare get well soon letters and presents for their Boss Iris. They knew that she was also injured but didn't know to what extent. According to their fellow Black Stars who witnessed the bomb incident, the area that she had been located was where the worst injuries occurred. They couldn't help but worry about her.
Isolated cases of the Iris Long hate campaign in real life continued to distress the Black Stars. It intensified when Jin Chonglin appeared in public on the fourth day after the bomb incident. He visited the injured in hospitals and in their homes. Bright Summit took advantage of the situation and made a big deal out of it by inviting a few reporters to document Jin Chonglin's visit. It was reported in the news throughout the day.
When the general public learned of his visit, they praised him. His army of fans fell even more deeply for him.
However, those who had been corrupted by the hate campaign took this chance to criticize Iris Long.
"Look at Jin Chonglin. He's taking responsibility as a celebrity seriously by personally visiting his injured fans and making sure that they're okay. How about Iris Long? Where is she right now? We haven't heard anything from her. She doesn't care about her fans at all. All she cares about is herself."
"I never bought into her image change after her comeback. I'll always remember her as the spoiled bitch that she was before. She managed to enchant a lot of people into believing that she became an angel but when something serious like this happens, she reveals her true colours. What fans? She doesn't care about you! Haha."
The Black Stars immediately came to defend their boss. However, they found it hard to do so this time because this hate campaign was occurring in real life. The hate comments online were quickly taken care of by either the Slippers Army or that anonymous person who helped them before. Now they realized that battling online was so much easier than in real life.
###
###
Earlier that morning, Jin Chonglin arrived at the first hospital on his agenda for today to visit six people. Two of them were his fans while three were Black Stars. The other person was a member of the mall security. All six were among those who suffered the worst injuries. They were currently recovering from their minor operations, hence their extended hospital stay.
Although only two of them were Jin Chonglin's fans, he still planned on visiting all of them. He brought flowers, food and presents plus signed CDs, posters and merchandise.
Lin Dong and Jin Chonglin's assistants accompanied him. Most importantly, he also brought his entire team of bodyguards. Even though he didn't suffer any serious injuries during the bomb incident, he still felt traumatized. He didn't feel safe and comfortable leaving the house anymore without a full team of bodyguards.
In the hospital, the six injured stayed together in a single ward. It made it easier for Jin Chonglin and the people following him because he didn't have to visit multiple rooms to visit all of the six patients.
When he arrived, he saw that they already received the same things that he brought. There were elegant flowers arranged in beautiful glass vases on each of the patient's bedside tables. Seeing them made him feel like the flowers he brought were too gaudy.
On the far side of the ward, there were several bento boxes for the patients and their loved ones. There were also many gift bags and baskets arranged at a corner so as not to interfere with the nurses and doctor checking in on the patients.
Jin Chonglin's eyes narrowed before smoothing out his expression and flashing everyone his famous killer smile.
'I think I just saw the Orchidia Beauty logo,' he thought.
He wanted to take a closer look at the gift bags and baskets at the corner but Lin Dong was already leading him to the patients. He could only toss the matter aside for now, as he began speaking with the six patients and their families.
They were all starstruck in front of the superstar. His two fans were so happy that they started crying. Even the Black Stars and the mall security guard were dazed in front of him.
Then his eyes noticed a simple yet exquisite card beside one of the patients who was a Black Star. He recognized the tiny printed graphic on the card as his brother and Iris' official monogram, LX. He was currently staying at their Dragon Palace mansion so he saw the monogram everyday on the towels, curtains, carpets, pillows, plates, utensils, and just about everything else in the place.
The Black Star noticed where he was looking at and flushed. She took the card and held like it was her most precious treasure in the world. "Uh...P-prince Lin Lin, this, uhm, this is a...card that B-boss Iris personally wrote to me." Then she giggled.
"I received one, too!"
"Me too!"
It turned out that all six patients received handwritten cards from Iris.
Jin Chonglin looked at the flowers, the bento boxes and the gift bags and baskets.
"Did Junior Iris send all of these to you?" he asked. Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
They all nodded.
"Sir Dom and a man called Mr. Xu Tian all came yesterday with a bunch of hot guysâI mean, with a bunch of men in black suitsâ"
"They're bodyguards. I recognized some of them as Boss Iris' bodyguards. Why are all of them so hot?"
"I know, right? I wonder if CEO Jin drinks vinegar everyday seeing all the hot bodyguards around Boss Iris."
Jin Chonglin raised an eyebrow, amused at the sudden topic of their conversation. They stopped talking as their faces burned upon remembering that Jin Chonglin was in front of them.
"Kyaaaah! So embarrassing!"
"Don't worry, Prince Lin Lin! To me, you're still the hottest man in the world!" his fan said.
Everyone laughed in amusement. Then Jin Chonglin asked more about Iris and the things she sent for the patients. They told him that it wasn't only them. Iris also sent things to everyone who were injured in the bomb incident.
Jin Chonglin glanced at Lin Dong and found that his manager looked surprised. His team and Bright Summit thought that he would be the first celebrity to reach out to the injured. This was why Bright Summit wanted to publicize his visit today. Jin Chonglin sighed and gave a wry smile. He remembered what one of the Black Stars said earlier, that Dom and Xu Tian were the ones who delivered the presents in person.
'It looks like Manager Tang didn't come with them. Maybe they didn't tell her on purpose so that Bright Summit wouldn't know about it. Dom represents Xiulan while Xu Tian represents my brother. They sent all of these presents yesterday but as far as I know, nobody reported it on the internet yet.'
Jin Chonglin found it weird. Shouldn't they be publicizing her generosity to counter the crazy hate campaign against her? Then he realized that based on Iris' personality, she wouldn't care whether the public knew about her kind actions or not.
'Xiulan and Big Bro sent all of these to everyone who was injured without publicizing it but here I am tooting my own horn.'
For a few moments, he regretted agreeing to Lin Dong and Bright Summit's suggestion of inviting the reporters to shadow him during his visit. His actions now felt tacky compared to the couple's secret generosity. However, he quickly recovered.
'This prince is a superstar! I should always do things with a bang! Yes, that's right!'
After his mindset returned to normal, he suspected that it was his older brother's idea to keep it a secret despite the criticisms being thrown at Iris at the moment.
'Big Bro is a formidable leader. This must be part of his plan. I can only imagine how furious he's feeling right now knowing that people are targeting his wife.
'Stupid idiots. Prepare yourselves because you've just hit Big Bro's bottom line.'
Chapter 597 - Generosity
Before it was time to go, Jin Chonglin offered to pay for all six patient's medical expenses.
"Thank you, Prince Lin Lin. But there's no need for that," one of his fans said. "Miss Iris Long is already paying for our hospital bills."
"Yes! A-also...the man called M-mr. Xu Tian said that, uhm, Boss Iris and your b-brother, CEO Jin, will be paying us a month's worth of salary to, uhm, aid us because we missed work..." the shy Black Star told him.
"Hey! Ssssh!"
The shy Black Star's eyes widened and covered her mouth.
Jin Chonglin and his entourage, particularly the reporters, looked surprised at the accidental revelation. The reporters started asking the patients to elaborate but they refused to say anything more.
"Did Iris Long's representative tell you not to reveal that she and CEO Jin are helping you financially?" a reporter continued asking.
The patients didn't answer. After a few moments, however, the mall security guard sighed. Then he told everyone, "We weren't 'told' per se. We were 'asked' not to divulge this information because they don't want Miss Long and CEO Jin's generosity to be twisted by all those evil haters who keep on blaming Miss Long for the bomb incident. There would definitely be people who'll say that Miss Long is acting fake and pretentious and using us to make herself look good. For the life of me, I can't understand those kind of jealous bastards and bitches who always try to drag good people down like Miss Long. If she didn't throw that bomb in the air, I'm pretty sure that all six of us here and many others wouldn't just suffer injuries but would've died already."
Seeing him talking encouraged the others to start talking as well.
"Y-yeah! B-boss Iris saved all of us!"
"We don't blame Iris Long for the bomb incident at all. She's also a victim like us. In fact, I think she's the biggest victim of this incident. That scary bomber is an obsessed fan of hers and specifically targeted her. She didn't ask for that. Even so, she still managed to save us and many other people. We're so thankful for her, and yet all these despicable people are blaming her? Ridiculous!"
"We were told that Boss Iris is also injured. I bet that she's traumatized more than us." This Black Star started crying. "She's not responsible for any of us. She already saved us. Despite being injured and traumatized, she still thought about us and sent Sir Dom to visit us and send us so many things, pay our hospital bills, and also pay one month's worth of salary. Who does that? She's already so generous! I bet that CEO Jin only stepped in to help because of her. If boss is not in the picture, CEO Jin wouldn't care. Excuse me, Prince Lin Lin, for talking like this about your brother but I believe that what we're receiving from him right now is because of Boss Iris."
Jin Chonglin didn't reply, only giving a faint nod of understanding.
Behind him, the reporters looked excited. This was big news!
Seeing their expressions, Lin Dong was displeased. He was Jin Chonglin's manager. Naturally, he wanted the reporters to focus on Jin Chonglin alone, not Iris Long. Bright Summit invited the reporters to specifically follow Jin Chonglin today to make him look good. Yet now the reporters looked like they were going to make Iris Long the centre of attention instead of Jin Chonglin.
As for Jin Chonglin, he finally realized something. Iris was being protected like a treasure at Dragon Palace mansion. Although Jin Chonglin was temporarily living there at the moment, he didn't have many opportunities to meet or talk to her because his older brother was guarding her like a stingy evil dragon. Except for their godson and their cats, everyone who wanted to see Iris needed to go through his brother and receive his permission first.
He didn't doubt that Iris was the one who originally wanted to help the injured in the bomb incident. But now that his older brother was involved in it, Jin Chonglin couldn't help but suspect that his brother had an ulterior motive for keeping their generous deeds a "secret". His brother was a powerful man. Jin Chonglin believed that Jin Liwei knew that he was going to visit the injured today, especially now that he was temporarily living at Dragon Palace mansion.
'I think I've been used by my brother.'
###
###
That same day, news about Iris Long's secret generosity was reported by the media. It completely overshadowed Jin Chonglin's high-profile personal visit to the injured victims of the bomb incident.
The news reports revealed how Iris Long not only sent plenty of presents but also paid for all of the injured people's medical expenses. Not only that. She also promised to pay those who missed work with one month's worth of salary.
When the news broke out, those who promised not to divulge the information started going forward and revealing that they indeed received generous benefits from Iris Long and CEO Jin Liwei. Many of them were Black Stars. They were relieved that they could finally talk about their boss's generosity, instead of enduring the frustration of hearing the haters constantly criticizing her and blaming her for the bomb incident.
The Black Stars rejoiced and flooded the internet to praise their Boss Iris.
"All hail our Almighty Boss! The epitome of beauty, class, kindness, selflessness and generosity without asking for anything!"
"Take that, haters! You kept on harping about how our Boss Iris doesn't care about us! Tell me a celebrity in this country who would send presents, pay medical bills and one month's salary for all the injured despite being injured and traumatized herself!"
"Bunch of jackasses! Shut up and stay away from our beloved boss! Don't taint her with your jealous black hearts!"
"My mighty slippers will defend Boss Iris until the end of time!"
All the Black Stars felt proud of their Boss Iris. Hearing how much she cared about all of the injured in the bomb incident and how generous she was, they became even more loyal to her. Those who started following ever since her comeback and image change after a two-year hiatus had reached a level of blind faith. They revered her so much that they would now treat everything that came out of her mouth as right and anything opposing her as wrong.
While the general members of the Black Stars were busy lauding and worshipping their Boss Iris, the fan club's former and present officers were talking in their private group chat.
CaptainBlackStar: "Boss Iris has already paid for all the injured medical bills and living expenses for a month. Even Prince Lin Lin didn't have a chance to contribute financially anymore. What are we going to do with all the money we raised?"
LittlePhoenix: "May I know how much we collected?"
MonkeyFace sent a figure.
LittlePhoenix: "!!!"
LittlePhoenix: "(shocked sticker)"
LittlePhoenix: "(soul flying away sticker)"
CaptainBlackStar: "Whoa! It wasn't this much when I checked this morning!"
iEatSlippers: "It's because this Lord of Almighty Diamond-Encrusted Golden Slippers donated today. Oh, and Bro MonkeyFace did, too."
MonkeyFace: "Madam MrsLovePhantom, Madam JJNumber1Fan, Madam JJNumber2Fan and Madam JJNumber3Fan also donated today. There are also quite a number of wealthy Black Stars who contributed a lot."
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MrsLovePhantom: "Wealthy or not, many of our fellow members contributed. What we collected are all thanks to everyone."
Her three friends all echoed her.
CaptainBlackStar: "Then what are we going to do with all this money? Boss Iris already took care of everything before we even took action."
LittlePhoenix: "How about we make this our fan club's budget instead?"
CaptainBlackStar: "No, that's just too shady. We collected this money from our comrades because we wanted to help those who were injured in the bomb incident, not to fund our fan club."
LittlePhoenix: "Oh, you're right. Sorry. I didn't think it through."
CaptainBlackStar: "We can return it to everyone...."
LittlePhoenix: "How about we donate to Iris of Hope instead?"
MrsLovePhantom: "My dear child, what a great idea!"
Her three friends agreed.
iEatSlippers: "My almighty slippers approve of your suggestion!"
MonkeyFace: "(nodding monkey sticker)" Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
CaptainBlackStar: "Nice one. Alright, I'll make an official announcement on our fan club's website that we're donating all the money we collected to Iris of Hope instead."
That evening, another news broke.
"Black Stars Fan Club Donates Half Million RMB to Iris Long's Foundation!"
Chapter 598 - The Danger Is Not Over Ye
Dragon Palace Home #10.
Iris was focused on recovering from her injuries. Although she wanted to return to work as soon as possible, she also enjoyed spending quality time with Jin Liwei, their godson, cats, and the rest of their families who frequently visited her.
On the first three days after the bomb incident, Jin Liwei didn't go to work and instead stayed with her at home. Iris felt a little worried, so she encouraged him to return to work, knowing how busy Jin Corporation was at the moment. He refused, insisting that he wanted to stay with her and personally take care of her. However, he couldn't abandon the company just like that even for just a few days. Thus, he continued working at home.
Starting from the fourth day, Iris managed to persuade him that she was feeling much better. He would go to the company and work for half a day. Then in the afternoons, he would come home, eat lunch with her, before continuing to work while taking care of her.
A week after the bomb incident, Iris was in her bedroom suite with Yi Mei who just finished changing her bandages. Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
Her minor injuries already healed, including the one on her jaw. There was only a thin scab left. The major wounds on her neck and shoulder were still in the process of healing, but at least they were no longer as painful and swollen as before. Iris also felt better overall. However, dark blue and purple bruises still decorated her body. They were very noticeable on her pale skin. Jin Liwei always looked like he wanted to murder someone whenever he saw them.
Yi Mei started organizing the medical kit and discarding the used cottons and bandages. The old housekeeper had insisted on staying at the mansion to take care of Iris. Yi Mei took over treating Iris' wounds and changing her bandages because the housekeeper wasn't satisfied with Jin Liwei's clumsy work.
"Sir Jin, the way you bandage Young Miss isn't neat enough. Harmful bacteria might enter and infect the wounds," Yi Mei told him a few days ago.
Jin Liwei was unwilling at first because he wanted to personally take care of his baby girl but eventually handed over the task to the old housekeeper with great reluctance because he was afraid that her wounds might really become infected because of him.
"Thank you, Yi Mei," Iris said and stood up from the couch while carrying the lazy Ice Cream. Popcorn also jumped down and paced near her feet.
She was about to head outside the suite to walk around the mansion for a light exercise when the door opened, revealing the handsome Jin Liwei in his sharp business suit.
The hyperactive Popcorn shot like an orange cannon towards him while Ice Cream only meowed, too lazy to jump from her mommy's arms to greet her daddy.
"Welcome back," Iris greeted him with a smile.
Jin Liwei's cold expression thawed, returning his baby girl's gentle smile, as he caught Popcorn who was meowing nonstop, asking to be petted.
"I'm home," he said when he reached her before giving a soft kiss on the lips. "How are you feling?"
"Much better."
He nodded, relieved. However, the concern in his eyes was still obvious.
Yi Mei excused herself and left.
"I want to walk around the mansion," Iris announced.
"Alright. Wait for me to change my clothes. I'll accompany you."
"No need, darling. I'll be fine. I know that you still have a lot of work to finish. Ice Cream and Popcorn will accompany me. We'll return here when it's time for lunch."
"Hmm... Wait for me. I'll accompany you," he repeated, already heading to their bedroom to change out of his suit, giving her no room for discussion.
Iris could only sigh, knowing that it was useless to argue with him right now. He would go with her no matter what she told him. Jin Liwei had been like this ever since she got injured in the bomb incident. Wherever she went, be it the walk-in closet, the bathroom or anywhere else, he would be there trailing behind her and making sure that he could always see her with his own eyes.
It took her quite a lot of effort to persuade him to return to work. But even then, he constantly video-called her. If she didn't answer right away, he would immediately raise the alarm at home and order everyone to check up on her to make sure that she was safe and alive.
'It's like he's afraid that I'll disappear if he didn't see me for a few moments.'
Iris felt a little annoyed and helpless by his actions but happiness drowned these feelings. She could really feel him treating her like his most precious treasure in the world. His current actions were still within her acceptable range, especially right now that she was recovering from injuries.
'I'll tell him to back off a little if he continues acting paranoid like this about me even after this danger is resolved,' she decided.
Moments later, Jin Liwei appeared wearing comfortable casual clothing. The couple and their cats then began walking around the mansion.
The already tight security at Dragon Palace Home #10 became even tighter after the bomb incident. Both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao weren't taking any chances when it came to her safety.
Iris hadn't seen her big brother a lot in these past few days. When she asked where he was, Jin Liwei only briefly told her that both of them were combining their respective resources to investigate the bomb incident and all the hidden perpetrators behind it. The police were moving too slowly for their liking.
The two men were doing all of these for her. Lu Zihao was doing all the outside work while Jin Liwei stayed with her at home to make sure that she was safe.
After hearing what the two were up to, she had to restrain her desire to conduct her own investigation by hacking. She wanted to fix Ketchup so badly so that the two of them could join forces to speed up the process. However, even she was aware of the current state of her body. She needed to recover from her injuries first in order to be in the best state possible when conducting her own investigations. In addition, she didn't want to take too long a break from her showbiz work and also from her companies. Jin Liwei was supposed to be busy at work and so was she.
The couple walked together along the hallways and headed to the indoor forest. Jin Liwei was now carrying the lazy Ice Cream while Popcorn ran all around but still kept pace with them. Iris held onto Jin Liwei's arm while making mental plans of what she needed to do after her body recovered.
There were more security personnel patrolling inside and outside the mansion. The scene was reminiscent of her past life, making her feel a little uncomfortable. If this was before, she would have already complained to both Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao, but now, she held her tongue and forced herself to accept it.
'The danger is not over yet,' her intuition told her.
###
Chapter 599 - Meow
Days passed and Iris felt well enough to resume her daily activities. Her minor wounds all healed. The bruises on her body gradually faded, although the larger ones still stained her skin an ugly yellowish-brown, infuriating Jin Liwei whenever he saw them. She would then need to assure him that she was feeling fine because if she didn't, he would most likely drag her big brother and beat the shit out of Tian Kong together, even though the attempted murderer was still in police custody.
It would take some time for the major wounds on her neck and shoulder to heal completely, but at least they had already closed and didn't hurt as much anymore. With her body feeling better and her mind rested, she decided that it was now time to work on the tasks that she needed to do.
Iris headed to her computer room. The security personnel nodded at her while she passed by them in the hallways. Fortunately, they didn't follow her around, only taking note of her whereabouts.
Jin Liwei returned to full-day work a couple of days ago after reassuring him that she could manage on her own. If she didn't, he would continue rushing home every lunchtime to check up on her and follow her around the house. She loved him very much but it was beginning to feel annoying with him always following her wherever she went. If it was up to him, he would probably tie their waists together so that she would always be with him.
She sighed, a helpless smile on her face. Warmth and annoyance mixed together inside of her.
"Well, he was already annoying to begin with yet I still chose to be with him," she muttered on the way to her computer room. "He managed to seduce me and make me fall in love with him even when I find him annoying."
Her helpless smile turned into a stupid grin, as she chuckled like an idiot by herself. She might be a formidable genius enrolled in the legendary Cross Academy but falling in love with Jin Liwei had drastically changed her. She didn't mind the changes, though. On the contrary, she welcomed them because they made her feel free to explore and express her deepest emotions and desires.
Finally, she arrived at her computer room. Her good mood plummeted when she had to open it by herself. It was Ketchup who usually welcomed her with her adorable child voice and opened the door for her.
Standing inside the familiar computer room, it felt colder and emptier than usual. There was no naughty white cat jumping from screen to screen while chatting about inappropriate words she learned from her Uncle Dom and Auntie Clover. Iris sighed and then took a few deep breaths before getting to work.
First, Iris examined Ketchup's system. She gasped seeing how badly the cat AI was damaged. It made Iris' head and heart hurt. She could see the corrupted part which caused Ketchup to lose control. It was like a virus multiplying and infecting all the healthy cells.
Despite this, Iris believed that she could fix Ketchup. The only problem was that there would be an inevitable change to the cat AI afterwards. As to what kind of changes, even Iris wasn't 100% certain. This was the first time that she developed such an advanced and dynamic AI with a powerful self-learning function like this. She was also still learning about her own creation.
Next, she worked on separating the corrupted part from Ketchup's system. She tuned out everything else in order to fully concentrate on this important task. Any mistake from her and she might spread the corruption even further. This process took almost six hours.
"Done."
She sighed in relief after the removal. However, she couldn't relax yet. The original plan was to destroy the corrupted part but something stopped her from doing so.
"I'll study it for now," she decided. "Maybe I'll learn something new to improve Ketchup and tighten her security so that something like this won't happen again."
And so she ended up not destroying the corrupted part, locking it under heavy quarantine instead. She looked at it for a few moments before allowing herself to finally relax.
She took a five-minute break to stretch her body, rest her eyes and hands, and drink water. Then she returned to her station and started fixing Ketchup. This time, it only took her less than two hours to complete the repairs on the cat AI's system.
"Meow..."
Iris trembled a bit, as she watched the screen in front of her show a familiar ball of white fur. A pair of bright, glowing green eyes opened and stared at her with a dazed expression.
"Mommy..."
Iris reached out and touched the screen with her fingers.
"Ketchup, welcome back."
###
###
It was already evening when Iris came out of the computer room. She had forgotten to check the time, unknowingly spending more than eight hours in the computer room.
Jin Liwei was waiting for her outside the door with a stern expression. He was still wearing his business suit, obviously rushing here after arriving home from work instead of changing his clothes first. He looked angry but restrained himself from scolding her. Instead, he remained silent and waited for her to explain herself.
Iris wanted to feel annoyed and defensive but felt guilty instead. She was recently injured and yet spent more than eight hours locked in her computer room without eating and taking her medications. Biting her lips, she walked towards Jin Liwei and hugged his waist.
"I'm sorry," she said, not bothering to defend herself.
He didn't move.
She hugged him tighter, pressing herself closer to him. Then she looked up at his face and gave him her most sincere expression.
"Sorry."
His stern expression cracked. Then he sighed. His arms also wrapped around her, embracing her tightly.
She smiled, knowing that everything was okay now. He was pissed at her but not enough to pick a fight with her. His concern for her well-being trumped his anger.
"I really want to smack your butt right now," he mumbled before framing her delicate face with his large hands. "My hard-headed baby girl."
Her smile widened. It felt like a long time since he called her his "baby girl". She somewhat missed it.
"Don't smile. I'm still angry at you," he said, although his voice had already become gentle. "You know that you're not 100% recovered yet, so why did you lock yourself inside your computer room again? I heard that you didn't eat anything. Yi Mei has been crying and wanted to call the firefighters to rescue you inside. Five more minutes and I would've already ordered my subordinates to blow up the damn door. I shouldn't have left you alone so soon. Don't do this again. Okay, love?"
She felt even guiltier after hearing that Yi Mei cried. The old housekeeper rarely allowed herself to lose her composure, so it was a big deal whenever she did so. Sighing, she apologized again.
Jin Liwei finally allowed himself a small smile. "I'm not forbidding you to go into your computer room. I only hope that you'll let us know that you're okay inside. Food can be delivered here if it's not convenient for you to leave the computer room. Please don't skip your meals. We all worry about you. I worry about you."
"I understand."
He rubbed her dry lips with his thumb, then lowered his head and gave her a soft kiss. "Let's go before Yi Mei or someone in the staff have a heart attack worrying about you. It's also time for dinner."
"Okay." She moved her arms from around his waist to his neck. Then she leaned her head on his chest, feeling exhausted.
He bent down a little and carried her like a bride. But before he could walk away...
"Meow... Daddy..."
Jin Liwei froze and looked at the door of the computer room.
"Ketchup?"
"Meow..." Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
He looked at Iris. "You already fixed her? So quickly? This is the reason why you locked yourself in your computer room today?"
She nodded. "I had to fix her. I missed her."
His eyes became even more gentle.
"I love you...Mommy... I love you...Daddy..." A feline yawn sounded.
"Go to sleep while you complete your updates, Ketchup. I'll check you again tomorrow," Iris said.
"Okay, Mommy. Good night, Mommy and Daddy... Meow..."
"Good night, Ketchup," both Iris and Jin Liwei said.
Chapter 600 - Corrupted Par
"Good morning, Daddy! Ketchup missed you so much! Meow~" Ketchup greeted Jin Liwei as soon as his alarm went off the next morning. The cat AI no longer sounded sleepy and dazed like last night. She was back to her usual cheerful and lively self after "sleeping" and completing her updates.
"Morning, Ketchup," Jin Liwei smiled, glad that their third cat was back. "Not so loud. Your mom is still sleeping."
"Oh. Okay, Daddy. Ketchup will be quiet. Meow," she whispered.
Later, Jin Liwei finished showering and dressing in his business suit before heading to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Ice Cream and Popcorn accompanied him, and of course, Ketchup as well. The chatty cat AI talked nonstop about different topics but never once did she talk about the bombing incident or the hacking mess she caused. His baby girl must have done something to prevent Ketchup from touching these subjects.
"Mommy's coming, Daddy! Meow~"
Indeed, his baby girl appeared just before he finished his meal. Iris still looked sleepy as she greeted and kissed him good morning. She liked sleeping in whenever she didn't have work early in the morning but would try her best to wake up just to see him off before he left for work.
On one hand, he wanted her to rest as much as possible for her health and well-being. But on another hand, he loved that she was doing this for him.
Only for him.
"Take care at work, darling," she told him, straightening his tie, as they stood facing each other at the grand foyer.
"En. Thanks, love."
"Mommy, can I go help daddy at work today? Meow~" Ketchup asked.
"Not today," Iris replied. "I still need to observe you for a few days before you can return to assisting your dad and playing with the others."
"Aaaaaw~"
"Listen to your mom, Ketchup," Jin Liwei said.
"Okay, Daddy! Ketchup will be a good kitty and listen to Mommy always. Meow~"
He nodded, satisfied. Then he saw the distracted expression on his baby girl. He kissed her forehead.
"I know what you're planning to do today. I won't stop you but don't forget to eat proper meals and take your medicine. Didn't you say that you want to return to work in a few days? Then you need sufficient rest to do so. Don't push yourself too hard," he told her.
Iris nodded, smiling. Then she stood on her tippy-toes and pressed her lips against his lips. "I'll send lunch for you later. Call me when you have time. Ketchup will answer for me if I'm too distracted."
"En. I have to go now. I love you." Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
"Be safe. I love you, too."
Iris and the cats watched Jin Liwei leave. When the car disappeared from her view, she ate breakfast with Dom, Jiang Ying Yue and Little Jun. Yi Mei fussed over her and had nagged the chef to cook nutrition-rich dishes to speed up her recovery.
Lu Zihao was out as usual doing his own thing. The brother and sister rarely saw each other during this period, even though Iris was always at home recovering. He became busier after what happened to her in the bomb incident, same as Jin Liwei. Both men were doing this for her.
By mid-morning, everyone became preoccupied with their daily tasks. Even Little Jun, a toddler, had a daily schedule just like the adults. He had hand painting activity this morning with his nanny while his mother, Jiang Ying Yue, went to train with Jin Liwei's subordinates. She was now an informal member of Dragon Palace Home #10's security team.
Iris took this opportunity when everyone was busy to head to her computer room again and immediately went to work. Ketchup assisted her but Iris forbade her to do any serious hacking. The cat AI seemed more docile after Iris repaired her. Ketchup still retained her curious and naughty personality but seemed to lose her impulsiveness.
'It has only been yesterday. I need to observe her longer,' Iris thought.
She also checked the corrupted part she removed from Ketchup's system yesterday which was still locked in heavy quarantine. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she examined it. Even though it was already separated from Ketchup's advanced and dynamic system, the corrupted part managed to continue developing on its own. The changes were minimal (for now) but Iris immediately noticed them.
'What's going on?'
Her curiosity was aroused. She set the quarantine under priority surveillance so that she could closely observe the changes as they happened. She had a few hypotheses in mind as to why these changes were happening but nothing was proven yet. Caution told her to be careful because the specimen was essentially made up of pure corruption. Despite this, a sense of excitement caused her to look forward as to what kind of thing it would develop into.
'If it turns out to be something bad, I'll just destroy it. There should be no big problem.'
After observing it for a few more moments, she left it alone and worked on her next tasks.
Her eyes sharpened and a calm yet predatory aura emanated from her. She began hacking, roaming the vastness of the online world, from the surface to the deepest and the darkest parts, as if it was her own backyard. Dangerous, yes. But it was part of the deal as one of the most wanted hackers in the world. No, two of the most wanted hackers in the worldâfirst as Fantom and then now as Drakon.
Ketchup wasn't allowed to assist her this time. Iris still felt uneasy in assigning her an important hacking task, so she decided to do this on her own this time. She instead assigned Ketchup to remind her of the time and watch for Jin Liwei's call. In the meantime, the white cat played with her virtual ball of yarn, chased virtual butterflies, and jumped on her virtual trampoline to prevent boredom while Iris was absorbed in hacking.
Finally, Iris' labour today began to produce some fruits. She managed to unearth some e-mails, messages and even call recordings from an unknown person to Tian Kong despite them being completely erased. Other hackers had been unable to uncover any of these clues since the bomb incident.
Iris managed to do it but that didn't mean that it was easy. Whenever she tried digging deeper, she encountered a formidable wall blocking her from going any further. Her eyes narrowed. The hell she would give up. She continuously probed, trying to find a weakness.
Then she was attacked all of a sudden.
Whenever she was in the zone, panic was non-existent for her. Instead, she became calmer and more focused. Her fighting and competitive spirit also surged forth. Since she didn't need to worry about Ketchup this time, she could go all out as she wished.
'Strong. Very strong,' she inwardly commented about the hacker fighting against her.
Was it one of the old guys? Or maybe there was a new god-level genius hacker who surfaced after her?
Her expression didn't show any worry. In fact, the corners of her lips curved into a smile instead.
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