Chapter 1191 - Tempting Offer And Irresistible Incentives
The mansion became extremely lively with the arrival of the entire Chua family. Little Jun was delighted to meet his playmates from last year again. He didn't remember the big sister and brother right away but gradually found them familiar. Grandpa Lu was also thrilled to have more children at home.
Reina Chua instructed her two eldest daughters, Marjorie and Linda, to bring many items from the Philippines for Iris. Marjorie, a two-time mother, recognized most of the items as ones for pregnant women.
"You're pregnant?" she asked.
Iris smiled and touched her flat belly. "I am."
"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you and Liwei. Where is he? Is he still at work?"
"Thank you, Marjorie. My husband is very busy at the company. You'll see him when we eat dinner tonight. If you don't mind, I want to talk to you about pregnancy, giving birth, and motherhood. I already talked to Sister Ying Yue and Auntie Reina and many of the household staff who are mothers about their experiences. I want to talk to as many mothers as I can. I feel so anxious. I don't want to fail as a mother."
Marjorie held her hands and squeezed them, trying to comfort her. "No problem, Xiulan. You can talk to me as much as you want. I'm no expert. I'm not a perfect mother either, but I do my best. My husband and our families also help out a lot. Knowing you, I can already see you being a great mother. Liwei will also surely support you every step of the way."
Iris couldn't help it. Her eyes watered. She released a sheepish sigh. "You know how it is. I can barely control my emotions. I cry at the littlest things."
"That's normal. Don't worry about it."
While the new arrivals were catching up with Iris and the others, Reina and Dom were coordinating with the butler, the chefs, and the entire household staff to prepare for the upcoming Christmas gathering. Iris wanted to help out at first but the mother and son duo stopped her, telling her that she should focus on relaxing and regaining all the weight that she lost since becoming pregnant.
Iris glanced at Clover who was playing with the children and cats. "How's your progress in France?"
Clover gave her a double thumbs up. "Excellent, Boss! My perfumery and French studies are going very well. Having the experts personally mentor me is so awesome. I love it!"
"Good. Continue working hard. The most important thing for you to do right now is to finish your studies. Only then can we go ahead to the next stage of our plan. I'm depending on you to lead Liberté in the future."
"Don't worry, Boss! I won't waste the resources you arranged for me."
Marjorie and Linda looked proud of Clover. Imagine, their youngest sister was going to be a COO of a perfume company. That was too impressive!
Of course, this wouldn't have happened without the hard work and loyalty of their only brother, Dom, who paved the way for all of them to get in the good graces of Iris.
Although technically speaking, Clover would have a higher position than her brother as COO of a company, Dom still held more power than her as the executive assistant and right-hand man of Iris, the big boss. As Iris' representative, his words held almost the same authority as Iris herself.
Of course, this kind of comparison meant nothing to the Chua siblings. One sibling's achievement was the achievement of everyone.
This was also one of the reasons why Iris and Jin Liwei loved the Chuas. They were extremely family-oriented and loyal. Iris wanted them around her children because they were a great influence.
Later that evening, everyone ate dinner together. Reina personally cooked some of the dishes in cooperation with tonight's chef. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
Actually, she was training the chefs to cook authentic Filipino dishes for Iris. Jin Liwei was the one who requested that Reina do this after noticing that his wife didn't have any issues eating the food that Dom's mother cooked. Reina accepted his request without any second thoughts and even scolded him for offering to pay her, saying that it was an insult. He apologized but there was an approving smile on his face. His trust towards the Chua family deepened.
During after-dinner tea, Iris and Jin Liwei requested to speak to the entire Chua family about something important. Grandpa Lu was also present as a witness. Except for Dom, the other members of the Chua family had no idea what the couple wanted to speak to them about. They thought that the husband and wife only wanted to chat and continue catching up with them.
"Linda, you're a marketing professional, right?" Iris asked.
"Yes."
"I heard from Dom that you've just been promoted to Marketing Vice President at the company you're currently working in."
"Yes. It was very hard because of some company politics but I fought tooth and nail for the position and showed off my abilities because I know that I deserve it."
Iris approved of the woman's calm confidence. Linda wasn't cocky at all. She knew her worth. That was all. And that was exactly what Iris was looking for.
"I have a business proposition," Iris said. "I plan to open an Orchidia Beauty branch in the Philippines. I need someone I can trust to become my resident agent to represent me, and of course, to run the branch."
Linda's eyes widened in surprise and amazement before entering business mode. Based on her expression, she already had an idea why Iris was talking about this to her.
"You want me to become your resident agent and run Orchidia Beauty Philippines?"
"Exactly." Iris nodded. "I see a market in your country. I also feel comfortable starting with the Philippines in Southeast Asia because of our connection with your family. Not to mention that your family helped set up Black Stars Philippines. I think this is already a good starting point because people will know that I own Orchidia Beauty."
Linda nodded. "Your offer is indeed tempting but my current job is quite good as well. It's stable whereas setting up a completely new branch in another country is very risky."
Iris crossed her leg and gave a devastating smile. "Then I'll just have to offer you incentives that you can't resist."
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Chapter 1192 - Second Thoughts
While Iris was discussing her business proposition to open a Filipino branch of Orchidia Beauty with Linda Chua, Jin Liwei was also having a similar discussion with Marjorie's husband.
Paul Ferrer was a rather successful senior real estate agent in the Philippines. The first time that Jin Liwei met the man was when the Chua family celebrated Christmas with them last year. He had already chatted with Paul about the real estate situation in the Philippines.
"Now that my wife wants to open a branch of her business in the Philippines, I think that it's good for our family to buy a vacation property there," Jin Liwei said. "Xiulan has been wanting to visit your country."
"There are property ownership restrictions for foreigners in the Philippines," Paul replied before explaining the rules.
Jin Liwei nodded. "I'm already aware of some of these rules. Although Jin Corporation doesn't have a Filipino branch, we have partnerships with several well-established Filipino companies. Jin Corporation has quite a number of investments in the Philippines but they're not that substantial compared to what we do in other countries where we have official branches. I never thought of buying a property there before this. But my wife's close connection to your family has made me very interested."
"I can help you if you're really interested. But like I said, there are a lot of restrictions for foreigners like you. I think that the best option for you is to buy through a corporation but the only issue is that the corporation must be at least 60% Filipino-owned. If you're willing to give up that much equity, then I'll find you and Xiulan the best property in the Philippines that suits you."
Jin Liwei glanced at Grandpa Lu who was chilling with the lazy Ice Cream on his lap. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"Up to you, my boy!" Grandpa Lu told him. "This old man is already retired! Your beloved grandpa just wants to enjoy the rest of my days and dote on all my precious great-grandbabies before my life in this world ends. You've been the head of Jin Corporation for many years now. Do what you think is best. I won't interfere as long as you don't send the company that your late grandfather, my brotherâbless his soulâand I worked so hard to establish back in the days!"
"Alright, Grandpa Lu. Please don't worry and leave everything to me."
Grandpa Lu nodded but had a thoughtful expression while stroking his perfectly groomed white mustache with one hand and petting the napping Ice Cream with his other hand.
Then he said, "But I think that it's better if you let Xiulan my girl do it instead. Jin Corporation has a board of directors that will want to feel involved in every major decision that you plan for the company to take. They'll demand endless bloody meetings, voting, and deliberations. Bah! Who knows how much time those numpty-tumpties will waste until you can start with your actual plan? Hmph! This is why I was so against when your grandfather gave away a portion of his personal shares to so many others back then. Although those people deserved them, many of their heirs who inherited the shares don't!
"If I didn't continue to hold on to my original shares, then so many backstabbing vipers might have already succeeded in swallowing our company! Hah! As if I, Lu Jianhong, will allow that to happen! Over THEIR dead body, not mine!"
It didn't take long for Jin Liwei to consider Grandpa Lu's suggestion. He agreed with him. He glanced at his wife who was now smiling in satisfaction. It seemed that Iris succeeded in poaching Linda Chua.
"Indeed, it might be better for my wife to do it instead. All of her companies are private companies and don't have board of directors for now. She has more freedom and flexibility to do what she wants as the owner. I'll discuss this with her first."
Grandpa Lu nodded and didn't bother about any of their conversations anymore.
Jin Liwei told Paul Ferrer, "I'll talk to you again when I have a more concrete plan after discussing with my wife."
"No problem at all."
Later that night, Iris was doing her night-time skincare routine (all Orchidia Beauty products, of course) in the walk-in closet while Jin Liwei was reading a digital pamphlet on his tablet that Paul Ferrer sent to him about foreign property ownership laws in the Philippines. She glanced at his reflection on the mirror.
"You're having second thoughts?" she asked.
"En. The Philippines have strict prohibition of majority foreign ownership of businesses operated there and also of residential properties. Jin Corporation can bear the risk but as for your companies, they're all still new. Well, except for Gold Heights which is previously owned by someone else."
"I trust Dom's family. I don't mind giving them 60% equity. Almost all of them also have backgrounds in the business field. Besides, even if they have a change of heart for the worse someday, we still have Ketchup and Bacon who can monitor them and make sure that we're up to date with what's happening in the Filipino business. I'm sure Dom will also constantly remind them not to betray us. He knows about our AI children's capabilities. He would never want his family to put themselves in a dangerous position against us."
Jin Liwei put down the tablet on the vanity table, took a hairbrush, and started brushing his wife's long, silky-smooth hair. Iris smiled at him while continuing to gently massage a serum into her face.
"Alright," he said. "If that's your decision. I'll help you set up a new Filipino company with the Chuas. For now, you can just focus on your deal with Linda about opening a Filipino branch of Orchidia Beauty."
"Okay, darling. Thanks."
"If the new company with the Chuas is successful, then it will make it easier and more convenient for any of our businesses to enter the Filipino market from now on. We can just partner with the Chuas again and again. It saves time compared to trying to strike a deal with other Filipino companies that care more about getting more benefits from the foreign businesses interested in entering the local market."
"True. Let's do it soon. It's better to finish everything before I give birth. We might become too busy if we wait after the twins arrive."
"En."
The husband and wife discussed their business plans together. It felt natural for them, as if they had been doing it for a long time. The trust they had for each other was clear in the way they respected each other's ideas and opinions, despite their different business leadership styles.
After Iris finished her skincare routine, the couple headed straight to their bed. Jin Liwei started massaging her body to help promote blood circulation, and of course, to relax his wife who had been working hard in the past few days.
His movements were almost like that of an expert's. He was already used to it from doing it almost every night when Iris was still in bed rest. Even though she already recovered, he still insisted on continuing the massage routine on her.
She sighed in satisfaction, moaning when he soothed a particular knot on her shoulder area. His eyes darkened at the sound of her moan.
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Chapter 1193 - Naughty Wife
Iris continued to lie on her back on the bed with her eyes closed, enjoying her husband's gentle body massage. Jin Liwei's hands moved from her shoulders down to the sides of her breasts. His thumbs flicked her soft mounds.
At first, she didn't think too much about it, believing that it was by accident. When it happened a couple more times, however, her nipples couldn't stop from reacting. They hardened underneath her nightdress.
She opened her eyes and saw that her husband was watching her face intently. His expression was deceptively calm yet she could see the desire burning in his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.
While continuing to look at her straight in the eyes, he deliberately cupped her breasts through her nightdress and gently played with her hard nipples. She gasped and whimpered. The warmth of his hands transmitted into her chest and converted into a familiar heat, spreading throughout her whole body, before collecting into a hot ball of pure desire in her lower abdomen.
"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice low and husky. "Does it hurt?"
"It's fine," she replied in a breathy voice. "I can handle this."
Then she watched him knead her breasts a little harder and roll her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs. She cried out and arched her back, indicating that she wanted more.
He leaned down and caught a nipple with his mouth, sucking lightly, before moving to the other nipple, making sure that he was fair to both. His saliva wetted the thin material of her nightdress, making it sheer so that he could see her areolas and the hard nipples on top. The sight made his mouth water even more.
Shifting upwards, he trailed wet kisses along his wife's soft and delicate neck. His tongue swirled on her fragrant skin. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"I want to leave a mark on you, love. Can I?"
Iris looked dazed so he repeated his question. She pondered about it for a few seconds before nodding. It should be fine. She had limited her public appearances anyway. It was also now the winter season. She could cover up her entire body without looking too out of place.
Jin Liwei smiled and immediately sucked hard on the skin of her neck. He took a look at it and decided that it wasn't enough so he once again sucked hard on the same spot. He only stopped when he felt satisfied and spent a few moments admiring the kiss mark.
"You haven't kissed me here yet," Iris complained while pointing at her lips.
His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Ah, how neglectful of your husband. Don't worry. He'll remedy the issue as soon as possible."
Her chuckle transformed into a moan when he gave her one of the hottest kisses that he had given her since their marriage. At least, that was how she felt.
He removed his hands on her body. His upper body was leaning over her on the bed, not touching any part of her except for her mouth.
The kiss was slow yet powerful, gentle yet intense, and teasing yet also dominating.
It was making her crazy. She tried to pull him down, wanting him to press his body on top of hers, but he didn't budge. A whine of complaint escaped from her mouth that was filled with his erotic tongue. However, he still insisted on keeping his position.
Annoyed, she bit his lip, not hard enough to draw blood but painful enough to make him inhale sharply and pause kissing her.
"Why does my wife look so angry?" he asked, pretending to be clueless, when it was clear from the look in his eyes that he also wanted exactly what she wanted. "Tell your husband."
She pouted. He wanted to play first, huh? Well, she could do it, too!
With a snort, she rolled to her side and hugged a pillow. "Good night!"
He touched her shoulder but she slapped his hand away.
"Love."
"Hmph."
Jin Liwei watched his wife turning her back on him. He couldn't sense any anger from her. This wasn't one of her mood swings. If it were, she would've already kicked him out of their bed. Observing her body language, he knew that she wanted him to coax and seduce her. He inwardly chuckled.
His wife was so cute. If she wanted him to coax and seduce her, then that was what he was going to give her and more. Oh, so much more.
He pulled out a mental calendar and scanned it in his mind. Impatience and frustration flashed in his expression upon confirming that today wasn't safe for his wife yet. Vaginal penetration was still out of question. They had to wait for a few more days.
Iris felt the shifting of weight on the bed. Curious, she looked over her shoulder and saw her husband climbing off. Her anticipation quickly turned into anger. He didn't plan on touching her tonight?!
Before she could explode on him, she saw him starting to unbutton his pyjama shirt. His movements were slow, deliberately seducing her. She went into a daze while watching him undress in front of her. He pulled down his pyjama pants including his underwear.
When he stood upright again, her sight immediately zeroed in on his erect manhood jutting out from his groin. She swallowed hard.
She waited and waited...and waited....
"Are you not coming to bed?" she asked with a confused and impatient frown.
"You want me to?"
She looked at him like he was the most stupid person in the planet. "If I don't want you in bed, then where do you think I want you? Outside the house so that everyone in our household staff can see you freezing your butt and dick offâ"
He lunged to the bed and covered her mouth with his own mouth in another open-mouthed kiss. His body finally pressed on her body but he still made sure that he wasn't putting too much of his heavy weight on her. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as their legs intertwined. Their glistening mouths separated when they couldn't breathe anymore.
She smirked at him.
He laughed and rubbed the tip of their noses on each other. "Naughty wife."
"But you love it when I'm naughty."
"En, I do. Very much."
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Chapter 1194 - Precious Equipment
The kiss continued. Jin Liwei's tongue delved deeper inside his wife's mouth, making her toes curl. The ball of delicious fire inside her lower abdomen kept on growing until Iris couldn't bear it anymore. She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his erect manhood.
He groaned but didn't stop kissing her. When she started stroking him, his hips also began rocking against her hand. She could feel him getting bigger and harder in her palm as he continued grinding against her.
If only he could do it inside her, then she would be so happy. However, both of them knew that it was not safe for the babies yet. They had to be patient but the long wait was so frustrating.
"Liwei," she whimpered.
His hips stopped moving. He broke their kiss and pressed his head against the crook of her neck and shoulder while he panted. His wife was so sexy that he craved her so badly. It was taking almost all of his self-control to restrain himself from going wild and ravishing her.
In his eyes, she looked even more beautiful and more desirable now that she was pregnant with his babies. It was a primal feeling of triumph from impregnating his mate with his own seed.
She was already his from the moment that she accepted him. But now that they were expecting their own human babies, the feeling of her belonging with him became stronger. Likewise, he also belonged with her even more so now than before. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
Something even more concrete than their deep love for each other had cemented their bond. Their babies were the fruits of their love. Half of him and half of her created their babies. They both understood the science of conception but just the thought that they created two new humans together was magical on its own.
He stared at his wife's beautiful face and stroked her soft cheek. "Thank you, Evelina."
She blinked a few times and tilted her head to the side. "For what?"
"For agreeing to bear my children."
Her eyebrows rose, a little surprised that he was saying something so sentimental like this while she was holding his erection in her hand.
Before she could reply, he continued speaking, "Pregnancy brings so many changes to your body. You've suffered and endured so much ever since becoming pregnant. You even have to pause your showbiz career during this critical juncture of your fame as a celebrity. The amount of things you've sacrificed so far just to bear our babies makes me guilty."
She frowned and touched his face with her other hand. "Don't say that."
"It needs to be said, love. I didn't sacrifice anything. None at all. In fact, I gained so much ever since you accepted me into your life as your lover. Now I have a beautiful wife, adorable children, loving family, warm home, and a fulfilling life. I'm so thankful."
Tears filled Iris' eyes. She smiled while tears flowed down the sides of her face to the pillow underneath her.
"I've changed so much since I met you, Evelina. You've changed me to become a better man. I still have many shortcomings but I'll do my best to continue loving you and to protect you better, and of course, to become the best father that I can be to all our children. No matter what happens, you'll always have me."
Iris sobbed. She wanted to say so many things to him but couldn't because of her overflowing emotions. She was still in the middle of sobbing when Jin Liwei stiffened and groaned.
"H-huh? What's wrong?" she asked while still crying.
Jin Liwei looked like he was in pain.
She became worried. "Liwei? Darling? What happened?"
He didn't answer right away, making her even more anxious. When he finally replied, he spoke through a tense jaw. "Love...you're squeezing me...too damn...hard."
She felt confused at first before realizing what he meant. She glanced down between them and saw that her hand was still holding his erection. Her emotions made her forget about it. His poor manhood was being strangled by her hand and looked like it was going to explode any second now.
"Oh. Sorry!" She loosened her hold of him and started massaging his swollen member in an effort to soothe it. Poor thing. "Come up here. Let me blow on it to make it feel better."
"Evelina," he groaned.
"Hurry up. Come here."
As a good husband, of course he listened to his wife. He shifted his position and moved his lower body closer to her head. Iris used some pillows to prop herself in a more comfortable position on the bed while holding her husband's erection with both hands. Then she kissed the tip of his manhood which was already moist with a few drops of white leakage.
"Poor baby. Sorry for squeezing you." She blew on it a few times.
Jin Liwei growled and forced her to look at him. He looked angry but also pained at the same time. "That's not your baby!"
She wanted to laugh but forced herself to hold it in. Her husband looked so serious that she would feel bad to laugh at him.
"Don't treat it like your baby, Evelina. This is your husband's precious equipment that gave your belly not one but two babies in one go! Understand?"
"Y-yes, it's your 'precious equipment'...hahahahaha!" Iris doubled over and clutched her stomach. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
Iris tried her best but she just couldn't calm herself down. One minute, she was sobbing her heart out. The next minute, she was laughing so hard that she almost peed on the bed! When Jin Liwei's "precious equipment" softened right in front of her eyes, she laughed even harder. His expression was ugly but she couldn't stop herself no matter how much she tried.
"I'm so sorry, darlingâHAHAHAHAHA!!! I don't mean to laugh at your 'precious equipment'âHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Really, I don't. I love it so much. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Oh, my stomach hurts. I can't anymore! Help! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!"
Jin Liwei was pissed off at first but eventually felt helpless watching his wife's uncontrollable laughter. In the end, he just embraced her and laughed with her.
It seemed like his "precious equipment" would have to wait another day to do its duty. Hearing his wife's joyful laughter was worth sacrificing its pride. It already did a great job making babies after all.
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Chapter 1195 - Because You're Mine
"Bye, CFO Long! See you tomorrow!"
"Goodbye, everyone!" Long Jinjing waved at the company employees before climbing inside the waiting car.
Robin closed the door and got on the driver's seat. "Where to, Miss Jinjing? Dragon Palace?"
"My condo first. I need to pack a few things."
"Got it, Miss."
"Thanks, Robin."
"No problem, Miss."
The car began moving. Long Jinjing noticed a golden-eyed, black cat staring at her from the dashboard monitor.
She smiled and greeted her AI nephew. "Hello, Bacon."
"Greetings, Aunt Jinjing."
"How are you?"
"Bacon is fine. Thank you for asking."
She chuckled. The wonder of being able to chat with her cat AI nephew still hadn't worn on off yet. Perhaps it never would. It was just too amazing. Her younger sister, Xiulan, was truly a genius.
Bacon had been accompanying her almost every day. He would even help her out at work sometimes when she was pressed for time, but of course, he didn't forget to ask her for payment for his assistance. Lu Zihao had already mentioned to her beforehand that Bacon liked money, calling the kid a "little money-grubbing devil".
Long Jinjing didn't mind paying Bacon as long as he did his assigned tasks well. It was just that the kid had a tendency to ask for an exorbitant amount as his remuneration. Fortunately, she was not a pushover when it came to negotiating about money. As long as money was involved, she would never allow herself to be on the losing side as much as possible. In the end, Bacon could only reluctantly agree to accept a lower remuneration than he initially asked.
At first, Long Jinjing thought that Bacon liked spending time with her, hence why he was always accompanying her a lot recently. However, Bacon confessed to her after she "bribed" him with a red packet that his Uncle Zihao ordered him to keep an eye on her. Ever since the incident when she unknowingly met Wei Lan's Spanish stepson at a menswear boutique, it seemed that Lu Zihao immediately increased the security around her. Bacon told her that there were many Shadow Winds members guarding her besides Shun and Robin that she couldn't see every single day. Of course, he boasted that he was the best out of all of them.
She was upset upon learning that Lu Zihao had her followed everywhere without her knowledge and was ready to argue with him about it. However, when she remembered all the things that she had seen at Shadow Winds headquarters when he brought her there and revealed his secret criminal identity, she couldn't stop herself from shivering.
The truth was that she still felt afraid of Lu Zihao's criminal background. She wasn't afraid of him per se but of all the dangers that came with him being the leader of a criminal group. This was why even though she didn't like that he ordered his people to follow her everywhere, she felt safer from hidden enemies albeit uncomfortable.
Until now, she still hadn't completely processed everything that Lu Zihao revealed to her. Her love for him hadn't changed, not at all, but her moral values kept on urging her to stay away from him. However, she just couldn't do that. She loved the man so much.
Perhaps this was the reason why she decided not to kick up a fuss when Lu Zihao took it upon himself to send a number of his subordinates to secretly protect her from the shadows without consulting her first. She still needed more time to completely process everything about his revelation first and what it meant to their future togetherâIF they would have a future together. She hoped that they would always be together, of course, but time would tell if her wish would come true.
For now, she would take things as they came while trying to live with the knowledge that her boyfriend was basically a criminal with a whole army of criminal underlings. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
She sighed and watched the busy highway road outside the car window. Then she asked, "Is your uncle busy right now? Can I call him?"
"Please wait, Aunt Jinjing. Bacon will ask Uncle Zihao now."
Before she could tell him never mind, Bacon had already disappeared. She released another sigh, heavier this time. It took more than a minute before the black cat AI reappeared in the dashboard monitor.
"Aunt Jinjing, Bacon is back. Now connecting Uncle Zihao to you in 3...2...1."
Long Jinjing didn't even have time to prepare herself when Lu Zihao's voice filled the entire car.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Her heart skipped a beat. His voice was already like sex on its own. "Uhm, am I disturbing you?"
There were some unidentified background noises on his line. A few seconds later, things sounded quieter. Maybe he moved somewhere else.
"It's fine," he said. "The kid said that you want to talk to me?"
She bit her lower lip and knew that he must be busy. "I just miss you."
A slight pause, then he replied, "Hm. I miss you, too."
A wide smile spread across her face. She was pleased that he was getting more and more comfortable in telling her this kind of sweet words. What she wanted to hear the most, however, was him telling her that he loved her, but this too was already okay. For now. She would wait until the day that he could love her as much as she loved him.
"I need to go now," he said. "The old man expects both of us to eat dinner with the others at Dragon Palace tonight."
"I know. Grandpa Lu called me earlier today. I'll head straight there after getting some things from my condo."
"Good." Pause. "Don't let other motherfucking bastards flirt with you, especially a certain Spaniard who doesn't know his place."
She pouted. "I know already! You've already repeated this warning so many times. And even if another man flirts with me, it's not like I'm going to flirt back!"
"Of course. That's because you're mine." His tone sounded smug. "Alright, I really need to go. See you at dinner."
"Okay, see you. I love you."
"Hm."
The call ended.
In a good mood, Long Jinjing fished out her phone to search for ideas online about appropriate presents for the upcoming Christmas gathering that her sister and brother-in-law were throwing soon.
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Chapter 1196 - Panic
Lu Zihao had already given Long Jinjing the right to buy presents under both of their names together. He didn't care much about personally buying presents for others, except maybe for their younger sister Xiulan, but he wasn't the type to agonize over what gift to give for whom. Without Long Jinjing, he most likely would just instruct a subordinate to buy appropriate presents in his stead.
She was excited to do this mission of choosing Christmas presents for loved ones. She felt like a wife preparing everything but addressing all the presents under her and her husband's names.
Her phone was already filled with many bookmarked products when the car stopped. She glanced outside and realized that they were in front of her condo building.
"We've arrived, Miss Jinjing," Robin announced.
"Thanks, Robin. I'll go in first."
"Alright, Miss. I'll follow you inside after I park the car."
Long Jinjing nodded and climbed out of the car by herself, not waiting for Robin to open it for her. She was already making a mental list of all the things that she was going to pack while waiting for the elevator.
Although she preferred to stay in her own place, she didn't mind staying with Lu Zihao at her sister and brother-in-law's home. But only temporarily.
She understood the importance of what Lu Zihao and Jin Liwei were coordinating together in order to catch all the true culprits of the bombing incident back then. The two men also seemed to be working on other things together but she didn't know what exactly. She felt curious but also reluctant to ask because her intuition told her that whatever additional things they were working on must be dangerous.
Her thoughts continued to run wild until she finally reached her condo unit. She went inside and immediately started packing. It didn't take her that long to fill a small suitcase. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
She headed to the kitchen next. She disposed a few expired food and ingredients. Seeing all the waste pained her wallet. It couldn't be helped. She hadn't been staying here recently. Nobody was eating the remaining food stored in her kitchen.
Sighing, she continued checking all the cupboards to make sure that nothing would rot while she was away. She opened the last cupboard and was about to close it when her whole body froze.
Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. She reached a shaky hand inside the cupboard and took out a medicine bottle. Her heart was hammering inside her chest so loudly that it was all she could hear. She stared at the medicine bottle's label and felt like fainting.
"Oh no."
She ran back to the living room and grabbed her phone to check the calendar. At the same time, she was frantically doing mental calculations.
"Oh no no no."
Panicking, she immediately abandoned the suitcase that she just packed and ran to the front door. Then she backtracked to grab her handbag, tossing the medicine bottle inside, and then rushed out of the door to the hallway. It just happened that Robin was on her way to her unit.
Seeing Long Jinjing so agitated, the countenance of the usually friendly Robin changed in an instant. She turned cold and arrived next to Long Jinjing while quickly scanning their surroundings for any threats. Her frightening aura made the already panic-stricken Long Jinjing shake even more.
This was the first time that Long Jinjing really felt how dangerous Robin could act. Robin really was a female assassin. Just standing next to her made Long Jinjing's heart stop and turn cold.
"Miss Jinjing, what happened?"
"IâI...." She couldn't stop shaking.
Robin seemed to realize her aura's effect on her. She returned to her usual friendly countenance. "My apologies for scaring you, Miss Jinjing. Please tell me what happened. Did someone harm you?"
Long Jinjing shook her head. "N-no, I'm...f-fine...."
Robin studied her for a few moments and confirmed that she wasn't injured in any way. However, Long Jinjing's emotional state wasn't good. Robin also already scanned the surroundings and couldn't detect any immediate danger. Her comrades also reported that everything was normal in the area through her hidden earpiece after she silently alerted them.
It was difficult but Long Jinjing managed to calm down enough to speak more coherently. "Sorry for worrying you, Robin. I didn't mean to alarm you. Nothing really...uh, happened. I just need to, uhm, buy something really important. Yes. I was going out to buy something."
Robin raised an eyebrow. She could tell that Long Jinjing was lying but didn't ask too many questions. "Miss, you forgot your coat. It's cold outside."
"Oh!" Long Jinjing was embarrassed.
Robin didn't wait for her to say anything more and just went ahead inside the unit to grab Long Jinjing's coat for her. She saw the suitcase lying on the living room floor and closed it before bringing it with her outside.
"T-thank you...." Long Jinjing obediently wore her coat and followed Robin to the elevators.
Once inside the elevator, Robin asked, "What do you need to buy, Miss? I'll buy it for you. The wind chill outside is getting colder. It's better for you to stay inside the car."
"No!" Long Jinjing realized that her refusal was too quick and suspicious. She added in a hurry, "I mean, I prefer to buy it myself. I may also want to grab other things. Just drive me to the nearest convenience store."
Robin stared at her. Long Jinjing restrained herself from squirming under the inquisitive gaze of the other woman who was also a female assassin.
"I understand, Miss."
Long Jinjing breathed out a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, she stood inside the convenience store. There were quite a number of other customers inside. She glanced at Robin waiting by the car outside.
Trying to act nonchalant, she roamed all the aisles and started grabbing random things like magazines and junk food. Finally, she found what she was looking for. She looked around and quickly took three different brands of the same item, not bothering to read the product information on the packages, before hiding them between the magazines.
When the cashier was scanning her items, she was soaked in her own sweat. She felt like everyone was looking at her but told herself that it was just her own imagination.
'Calm down, Jinjing.'
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Chapter 1197 - Being Human Is SuChapter A Hassle
Dragon Palace Home #10.
For the remainder of the day, Long Jinjing was distracted. There were many times that she failed to respond when Robin tried to speak to her. Once they arrived at the mansion, she immediately headed to the bedroom she shared with Lu Zihao. He hadn't arrived yet.
She triple-checked that she was alone in the room. Ignoring the small suitcase that she packed earlier in her condo, she fished out the medicine bottle from her handbag. Her hand trembled before tossing the small bottle back into her bag as if it burned her.
Next, she dumped all the items she purchased from the convenience store. She didn't care about the magazines and all the junk food. When she saw the three packages, she immediately separated them from the rest of the items.
Then she checked her phone. It was now late in the afternoon, just before dusk. She still had some time before dinner. However, she wasn't sure what time Lu Zihao would be coming home. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"Bacon?"
Her phone screen flickered and an image of a bored-looking black cat appeared. Bacon was grooming himself, looking like an idle little cat prince.
"Bacon is here, Aunt Jinjing."
"Do you know what time your Uncle Zihao will be arriving home?"
"Uncle Zihao is already on his way home and will be arriving in approximately thirty-two minutes. Does Aunt Jinjing want to talk to him again?"
"No! I mean, I can wait until he comes home. No need to keep on disturbing him."
"Understood, Aunt Jinjing." Bacon continued grooming himself.
Long Jinjing's mind was already racing with so many thoughts about her current situation.
"Aunt Jinjing," her AI nephew called.
"H-huh?" She was still distracted so her response was a little delayed.
"Does Aunt Jinjing suspect that you are pregnant like Mother?"
She paled and was unable to respond in time.
Bacon tilted his fluffy little head to the side and stared at his dumbfounded aunt with his golden eyes. "Aunt Jinjing bought three pregnancy test kits at the convenience store. Mother has a lot of them stored that she was unable to use up when she became pregnant. You could have just asked Mother for some. Isn't Mother your sister? I'm sure that Mother will give you as much pregnancy test kits as you want."
Long Jinjing clutched her tightening chest. She could feel the thundering of her heart inside. "Y-you know that I bought the...test kits?"
"Of course. Didn't Bacon already tell Aunt Jinjing before that I am keeping an eye on you?"
"Then do others also k-know about what I...bought?"
"No. Only Bacon knows. For now."
Relief filled Long Jinjing before she gripped her phone and pleaded, "Bacon, please don't tell anyone else. Especially not your Uncle Zihao! Okay, Bacon? Can you keep this a secret for Aunt Jinjing for now?"
Bacon tilted his head to the other side and blinked his golden eyes, contemplating about it. "Why won't Aunt Jinjing tell Uncle Zihao? Isn't he the father?"
"Y-yes, of course! But we still don't know that I'm pregnant, right? What if I'm not? Then I'd have bothered your Uncle Zihao for nothing. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Besides...your uncle...he's not even sure yet whether he wants to be with me or not. I'm sure that he'll be, uhm, very upset if I become pregnant now. Our relationship right now...it's, uh, complicated."
"Uncle Zihao is indeed a scumbag. Bacon is still young so I don't yet fully understand all this complicatedness." Then the black cat AI concluded, "Being human is such a hassle. It's so much easier being a cat."
Despite her current agitated emotional state, she couldn't help but laugh at what her AI nephew said. He even looked so serious while saying it.
"You're right," she said, sighing. "Being human is such a hassle."
Then she pleaded again, "Bacon, please? Can you just keep this a secret for now? I'll...uh, give you a red packet."
"Bacon thanks Aunt Jinjing for the red packet."
"You'll keep it a secret?"
"Yes, Aunt Jinjing."
"Thank you, Bacon!"
Long Jinjing almost cried tears of relief but this wasn't the time for that. She had more urgent matters to do before Lu Zihao arrived. After getting reassurance from Bacon, she headed straight to the bathroom with the three pregnancy test kits. Fortunately, she didn't have any trouble peeing.
The process was quick but the wait was torture. She paced back and forth inside the bathroom while waiting for her phone's timer to ring. When it rang, she almost slipped on the floor from her startled nerves. It took a few seconds for her to barely calm herself down.
The moment of truth had come.
Taking a few deep breaths, she looked at the first pregnancy test kit.
Negative.
"Oh." Relief flooded her.
The second test kitânegative as well.
She felt even more relieved.
The third test kitâhuh?
She did a double take. "Why is it like this?"
She grabbed the test kit's original packaging and re-read the instructions. There was no mistake. The third test kit's results showed that she might be pregnant.
"Is this is a faulty test kit? The first two said negative but this one says positive."
Confusion filled her. She was still trying to figure everything out when her phone rang.
"Ah!"
The test kit and the torn packaging flew out of her hands from the shock. With her current emotional state, any sudden sound might send her into heart attack. She pressed on her chest before hurrying to look at her phone.
It was a phone call from Grandpa Lu.
The conversation was short. Grandpa Lu wanted her to join him and the others for a pre-dinner gathering to chat with each other.
Although she didn't feel like joining them, she didn't want them to worry about her and ask too many questions. So she agreed.
She didn't want them to wait too long for her so she just shoved all the pregnancy test kits and their torn packaging in the least used bottom drawer of the bathroom sink. She planned on disposing them properly when the opportunity arose. After quickly changing out of her office clothes, she hurried to join the others while doing her best to appear normal and not suspicious at all.
Hopefully.
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Chapter 1198 - Live A Life Of Integrity
Almost everyone noticed Long Jinjing's distracted state during the pre-dinner gathering. They asked her about it but she told them that it was just a case of exhaustion.
"Do you want to apply for vacation?" Iris asked.
Long Jinjing declined the offer. "I'm fine, little sister. I love my work at Orchidia Beauty. The company is also only a few months old. There's no need for me to take a vacation so soon. The regular days off and holiday breaks are already more than enough."
Iris studied her for a few seconds before nodding. "If you're really okay, then that's fine. Just don't overwork yourself and end up abusing your body. Trust me, Big Sister. It's very unpleasant to be ill."
"I know. Thank you, little sister."
Seeing Long Jinjing's obvious lack of energy, nobody forced her to participate in the lively chat. Even Grandpa Lu who invited her in the first place urged her to rest instead.
She smiled at the old man. "Don't worry, Grandpa Lu. I'm really fine. I'll rest after dinner."
Grandpa Lu narrowed his old but sharp eyes at her. Fortunately, even though he looked like he doubted her words, he didn't insist on extracting the truth from her.
Everyone left her alone. She was relieved and thankful. Now she had more time to reflect on her current situation.
Dinnertime arrived. It was yet another cheerful affair especially with the Chuas around. Laughter filled the dining area. Even Long Jinjing was able to temporarily forget about her worries to join in some of the conversations. That was until Lu Zihao arrived.
He and Jin Liwei both ran late. Dinner had already started before the two men arrived. Both of them headed straight to their own women and joined dinner without much fuss.
Lu Zihao sat beside Long Jinjing, kissing her in front of everyone without any shame. Jin Liwei was the same with his wife, Iris. Unlike Iris, however, Long Jinjing immediately turned red and couldn't look at everyone due to her shyness.
The others only gave the two pairs some teasing looks and remarks but didn't dwell too much about the lovey-dovey actions. Everyone was already used to being force-fed dogfood every day after all, especially by the shameless couple, Jin Liwei and Iris. The husband and wife had already been caught making out so many times than these people could count.
Good thing that the mansion was so big. It was easy for people to avoid the over-affectionate couple if one wasn't in the mood of eating dog food. Well, except if they gathered for meals like this.
"What's wrong?" Lu Zihao asked in a whisper.
"W-what do you mean? Nothing. I'm...f-fine." Long Jinjing was so nervous that her hands were trembling.
Lu Zihao's presence beside her was making her nerves go haywire. She almost couldn't swallow her food anymore.
He frowned. "We'll talk later."
She nodded. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
Dinner ended. Long Jinjing was so glad that she was able to survive it without drawing too much attention to herself. She and Lu Zihao didn't join the others for the after-dinner tea and headed straight to their bedroom instead.
"Now tell me what's wrong," Lu Zihao said as soon as they entered the room.
She didn't answer. Her original plan was to confirm things first on her own before talking to him.
"My subordinates reported to me that you've been acting weird since you went to your condo earlier today. What happened, hm?"
Her heart raced inside her chest. Before she could spout off a random excuse to him, her phone rang. She excused herself in a hurry to answer her phone. It was Chen Fei.
Lu Zihao stared at his woman talking to her best friend on the phone. It looked like they would be talking for quite some time. He was very suspicious about Long Jinjing's actions. It was clear that she was hiding something from him.
Robin and his other subordinates only reported Long Jinjing's unusual actions to him when he was almost at Dragon Palace. He had been busy hunting for the rest of Jin Chenggong's people who helped in the bombing incident. There were only two left that he needed to catch. By the time he learned about his woman's suspicious behaviour, he had no time to investigate it further before speaking to Long Jinjing. Well, it was better to ask the actual person, but from the look of things, she didn't seem ready to tell him anything yet.
Since it looked like she would be busy talking with Chen Fei for a while, he decided to take a shower first. He headed to the bathroom with his phone.
"Bacon," he called while stripping himself naked.
"Uncle Zihao," a bored child's voice answered.
"Tell me what happened to your Aunt Jinjing."
"Bacon can't tell Uncle Zihao."
Lu Zihao scowled but then realization hit him. "She bribed you not to tell me anything, didn't she?"
Silence.
"I'll pay you double, no, triple what she paid you. Tell me what happened."
Bacon replied in a careful tone, "My apologies, Uncle Zihao, but Father taught Bacon to live a life of integrity. Bacon may like money a lot but I am not an unprincipled child. I promised Aunt Jinjing to keep her secret until she's ready to tell it to Uncle Zihao herself so that's what I will do."
"Even if I offer to pay you five times what she paid you?"
Long pause.
"Uncle Zihao's offer is very tempting but Bacon will have to reluctantly decline. I don't want to disappoint Mother and Father by causing them to believe that Bacon is an easily corruptible child who'll be swayed to abandon my principles because of money."
Lu Zihao raised an eyebrow and actually felt impressed by the little devil.
But then Bacon added, "If only Uncle Zihao stops being a scumbag, then Aunt Jinjing wouldn't feel so scared of telling you the truth."
Lu Zihao scowled and didn't feel impressed anymore. The little devil's poison tongue was still the same as always. He snorted and ignored Bacon.
After a quick hot shower, he brushed his teeth. He also planned on shaving his facial stubble but ran out of shaving cream. He checked the sink's bottom drawer for a new bottle but froze when he saw the items lying inside.
He took out the three used pregnancy tests and their torn packaging.
"What the fuck?"
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Chapter 1199 - Speak Your Mind
Long Jinjing was sitting on the windowsill and looking at the night sky outside while listening to her best friend talking on the phone. She couldn't fully concentrate on what Chen Fei was saying but her best friend didn't seem to mind. It was because Long Jinjing was a quiet person to begin with. This wasn't too unusual for her. Nevertheless, she still did her best to reply at the right moments so that Chen Fei wouldn't notice her distracted state and question her about it.
She heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. From the reflection on the glass of the window, she saw Lu Zihao walking out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. She turned her head to take a good look at him when she saw the items he was holding.
The phone in her hand dropped to the floor.
Her body went cold. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard inside her chest that it felt like it would explode. All she could do was watch Lu Zihao walk with deliberate steps to the seating area and toss the pregnancy test kits and their torn packaging to the coffee table. Then he sat down on the couch.
"Explain," he said while looking at her with dark eyes.
She couldn't speak.
He waited. The more seconds ticked by, the colder and tenser the atmosphere became.
She still didn't speak. No words could come out of her mouth.
The silence was interrupted when her phone rang again. She almost jumped out of her skin. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"Turn your fucking phone off. We need to talk, Jinjing."
She nodded and quickly picked up her phone from the floor. It was Chen Fei who was calling her again, most likely to ask her what happened. Long Jinjing had no time to provide an explanation to her best friend. Lu Zihao's gaze was like a mountain of pressure pressing down on her right now. She needed to deal with him first before anything else. She cancelled the incoming call and sent a "Sorry, I'm busy. Talk to you tomorrow" text to Chen Fei instead.
After that, she had no choice but to face Lu Zihao. He wasn't showing any emotion but this was much scarier to her than if he openly expressed his anger or whatever he was feeling. At least, she would know how to approach him based on his expression.
"Come here, Jinjing."
There was no use procrastinating. She sighed and walked with heavy steps to sit on the couch opposite him. The pregnancy test kits on the coffee table were between them.
"You think you're pregnant?" he asked. "You're having pregnancy symptoms?"
She shook her head. "It's not that I think I'm pregnant...."
Then she explained to him how she found her oral contraceptive pills in her kitchen when she dropped by her condo earlier today.
"I stopped taking the pills after we broke up. I hid it in the cupboard because seeing it...reminded me of y-you. I was hurting so much when we broke up, Nikolai. Then when we got together again after you woke up from coma, I completely, uh, f-forgot about it. I only took the pills for...less than three weeks, I think, before we broke up so the habit hasn't really been ingrained in me yet. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to forget about it."
He was silent.
She panicked when he didn't react. "Believe me, Nikolai. I didn't do it on purpose! Really! Yes, I admit that...I want to marry you and give birth to your children but...I'll never force you to be with me by using this kind of underhanded methods!"
He sighed. "I know that you're not like that, Jinjing."
She sighed in relief but the nervousness didn't leave her. Her eyes were watery and she was shaking in her seat, especially with the evidence that she tried to hide from him now laid out in front of her.
"D-did Bacon tell you....?"
Bacon's child's voice interjected, "Aunt Jinjing, please don't suspect that Bacon told Uncle Zihao about your secret. I promised you not to tell him so I didn't even when he tried to bribe me so many times. Bacon is not a corrupt child. My parents raised me to live a life of integrity and to follow my own principles. Please don't think that I'll betray a promise I made just like that. It hurts Bacon's feelings."
"N-no, Bacon! I don't think that way at all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I trust you. Really, I do!"
"If Aunt Jinjing is really sorry, then Bacon will accept another red packet as compensation for the emotional distress this conversation has caused me."
"Yes! I'll give you a red packet. I'll give it to you now, Bacon. Don't worry." She grabbed her phone and really sent a red packet to her AI nephew.
"Bacon thanks Aunt Jinjing."
Lu Zihao watched everything just now. "You done?"
"Y-yes...." She placed her phone face-down on the coffee table.
"Go play with your sister, kid. Don't disturb your aunt and I. We have something very important to talk about right now."
"Understood, Uncle Zihao. Bacon will leave now. Oh, before I go, Aunt Jinjing."
"Yes?"
"Please don't be scared to speak your mind to Uncle Zihao. Mother and Father say that communication between lovers is important to avoid any misunderstanding. Uncle Zihao may be a scumbag but he's not an impulsive man who'll react without understanding the situation first. Well, most of the time. Also, please don't worry. If he hurts you, you can always tell Bacon. I'll help you ask Father to demand heavy compensation from Uncle Zihao for any emotional distress he causes you."
Tears flowed down Long Jinjing's face. She wiped them with her long sleeves and smiled. Her AI nephew's words might be bitingâtoo biting most of the timeâbut he cared especially to those he considered his family.
"Thank you, Bacon."
Lu Zihao didn't look happy at being called a scumbag once again but he didn't scold Bacon because the kid still spoke up for him in a way. "Now go, kid."
"Bacon will really leave now."
Finally, the couple was alone in the bedroom. They looked at each other before glancing at the pregnancy test kits on the coffee table between them.
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Chapter 1200 - Borderline
"You really don't blame me?" Long Jinjing asked in a small, careful voice.
Lu Zihao sighed. "I don't blame you. It's my fault as well for being careless and not asking if you're still taking the pills before having sex with you without a condom."
She bit her lower lip but still felt better knowing that he wasn't blaming her at all.
"But what's this?" He pointed at the pregnancy test kits. "Two are negative but one is positive."
"I don't know either. Maybe the positive one is faulty."
"Or the two negatives are the ones that are faulty."
She paled. "N-no! I don't think so."
He stared at her, making her squirm in her seat. Then he stood up. "Let's go."
"Go where?"
"Bacon," he called.
It took a few seconds before the bored, child's voice responded. "Uncle Zihao."
"Inform your mother's doctor that your Aunt Jinjing and I are coming for a check-up."
"Bacon understands. Please wait a moment."
About a minute later, Bacon returned. "The doctor says that she'll meet you at the clinic."
"Hm, good." Lu Zihao pointed at the pregnancy test kits and told Long Jinjing, "Bring those and show them to the doctor."
"Okay." She grabbed the shopping bag from the convenience store on the bed and put the test kits and their packaging inside. Then she remembered something. She also took the bottle of oral contraceptive pills from her handbag.
"Ready?" Lu Zihao asked.
She nodded.
"Let's go."
She didn't move.
"What are you waiting for?"
She looked at his body up and down. "You're going out like that?"
"Ah." He shrugged and removed the towel wrapped around his waist before tossing it on the couch. "Fine. I'll wear some clothes."
Her face turned red when he sauntered naked to the walk-in closet like it was nothing. She turned her head to the side, feeling shy to look at his nudity even though there was basically nothing in his body that she hadn't seen before. Her traitor eyes, however, couldn't help but take a peek and enjoy his impressive muscles and magnificent body. Despite the seriousness of their situation, she still felt like something was melting inside her just by looking at his sexiness.
She was still in a daze, her brain once again falling to amoeba level, when he returned wearing a pair of jeans. It rode low on his hips, making her mouth water. She swallowed hard as her eyes feasted on his ripped abs and big, wide chest that she could just lay on forever.
"Continue looking at me like that for a second longer and we won't be able to go to the doctor tonight because I'll want to fuck you all night long instead," he said with a raised eyebrow. "Like what we always do."
His words woke her up from her daze. She shook her head, forcing her mind to focus on the present.
Lu Zihao smirked and allowed her to look at his naked chest for a few more seconds before finally wearing a shirt. Then he held out a hand to her. She took it and they held hands while heading out of their bedroom.
Later, they sat in the clinic while Iris' private doctor examined the three used pregnancy tests and the pill bottle.
Long Jinjing looked around, feeling nervous. She heard that this suite was converted into a temporary clinic for her pregnant sister. The hospital wing on the other side of the mansion was still under construction. Jin Liwei mentioned before that he wanted Iris to give birth at home but with all the technology of a modern hospital and the skills of great doctors and nurses.
Lu Zihao draped an arm over Long Jinjing's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She pressed herself to him and felt her anxiety abate a little.
The doctor started asking her questions.
"When's your last period?"
She answered that it was last month. Her next period was due in a few days.
"Any exhaustion, urinating more than usual, sensitive breasts, nausea, vomiting?"
"N-no...I'm fine, I think."
"When's the last time you had sexual intercourse?"
She blushed.
It was Lu Zihao who answered instead. "Last night."
"Did you wear a condom?"
"No. I haven't worn a condom since she started taking pills last month."
"I see." The doctor glanced at Long Jinjing. "Come with me. I need to examine you. Then we'll do a pregnancy test."
"Y-yes." Long Jinjing followed the doctor behind a curtained bed while Lu Zihao waited in his seat.
The physical examination wasn't too bad. Afterwards, she took a blood test.
"I'll have to analyze your blood sample in my in-house laboratory here so you'll have to wait a few hours for the results."
She nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Doctor."
Long Jinjing and Lu Zihao left the clinic and returned to their bedroom. Neither of them spoke, too preoccupied with their own thoughts. They just embraced on the couch.
It was already past midnight when Bacon informed them that the doctor was calling them with the results. They immediately went back to the clinic where the doctor was waiting for them.
Long Jinjing was covered in cold sweat. She was gripping Lu Zihao's shirt so hard that it already stretched out of shape.
"I have the results here," the doctor told them.
She nodded.
"Your hCG levels are in the range of being borderline pregnant."
Lu Zihao frowned. "Borderline pregnant? What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means that it's above the range of non-pregnant women but below the range of certain pregnancy. This usually occurs when conception is one week old or less. It takes around two weeks, preferably more, for the body to develop hCG levels high enough for our tests to detect and ascertain a pregnancy."
"So...that's the reason why two of the pregnancy test kits I used showed negative while the other one said positive?" Long Jinjing asked.
The doctor nodded.
Lu Zihao was still frowning. "So is Jinjing pregnant or not?"
"Yes, it's safe to say that she's pregnant but we have to conduct another pregnancy test a week from now to confirm it 100%."
"Oh." Long Jinjing touched her belly, looking at it in utter shock. "Oh!"
"Congratulations," the doctor told them.
Long Jinjing covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced by the body during pregnancy. It supports fetal growth. Doctors test hCG levels in the urine and blood to confirm pregnancy.
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