Chapter 1501 You're Richer Than Me
Grandpa Lu had his own residence in Paris as well. Since his primary purpose for coming to France was to take a break and meet up with some old friends, he didn't want to squeeze with Iris and Jin Liwei's family in their residence. The family brought a massive team of staff.
The old man thought that it would be too crowded there. The annoying brat, Jin Chonglin, was also staying there with his girlfriend, Chen Fei girl. Grandpa Lu still held a little grudge against Jin Chonglin for telling him in their family group chat that Little Mochi and Little Matcha didn't share a drop of blood with him.
Although Iris and Jin Liwei invited him to stay with their family, Grandpa Lu declined because of these reasons. But it would be too lonely to live by himself in his residence, so he invited Yin Meixing and Tang Yiyi to stay with him instead alongside their small staff of assistants, glam team, and a bodyguard.
Yin Meixing hesitated but her manager, Tang Yiyi, immediately agreed. Tang Yiyi also thought that Iris and Jin Liwei's residence would be too crowded.
In addition, Tang Yiyi didn't want Yin Meixing to stay under the same roof as Jin Chonglin. Although the superstar already had a girlfriend, his reputation as a womanizer was still deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. She didn't want to risk her new managed artist's reputation.
Yin Meixing could only follow her manager's arrangements. To be honest, she also preferred a quieter place to stay.
Grandpa Lu was also a very amusing old gentleman. Most importantly, he held many decades' worth of wisdom that Yin Meixing greatly appreciated.
At Iris and Jin Liwei's residence, things looked livelier. Everyone was bustling about arranging rooms for everyone. Those who couldn't fit in the house were arranged to stay at a nearby hotel instead.
The other half of the Shadow Winds team that Lu Zihao sent to protect his sister and twin nephews in advance had also met up with Iris and Jin Liwei. They coordinated with the others and even held a meeting to ensure that Iris and the babies were always protected.
Of course, Jin Liwei's own security team covered their whole family's protection. But the Shadow Winds team was adamant that they were only commanded to protect the mother and sons, not the father.
Jin Liwei was unaffected. He was already used to it when dealing with his reborn brother-in-law.
As a superstar, Jin Chonglin also brought his own entourage including a team of bodyguards. More than protecting him, he wanted them to protect his girlfriend, Chen Fei, instead. He didn't want any crazy fans bullying his girl.
Because the plane touched down in Paris in the evening, everyone grabbed a quick dinner before resting for the night.
The next day, everyone met up for breakfast at Iris and Jin Liwei's residence. Clover Chua also came to meet up with everyone.
"Sis!" Dom ran to his younger sister with open arms.
"Big Bro!" Clover also did the same thing.
Everyone expected the brother and sister to give each other a big hug.
But no.
Instead, Dom reached out to his sister's hair and pulled it while Clover bit his arm.
"I miss you so much, you little witch!" Dom said while shaking his sister's head. "Ouch, that hurts! Are you a dog?!"
"I also miss you so much, you half-horse!" Clover replied while elbowing his stomach. "Let go of my hair! I just had it straight-permed!"
Yin Meixing, who came with Tang Yiyi for breakfast, looked anxious watching the Chua siblings hurting each other. She glanced at the completely relaxed Iris drinking tea.
Little Mochi and Little Matcha were by their mother's feet cheering for their Uncle Dom and Auntie Clover.
The naughty Little Mochi was even punching the air with his little fists. Nobody knew who he was cheering for. Was it his Uncle Dom or Auntie Clover?
Little Matcha was more subtle, but Iris could see her son's excitement in his eyes.
"How about someone stop them before someone gets injured?" Yin Meixing asked.
Iris smiled at her. "Why? The brother and sister are expressing their affection for each other." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Affection?" Yin Meixing was confused.
She was about to stop the siblings from fighting but Dom and Clover already stopped fighting. Clover was trying to dig out her brother's pockets, looking for money.
"Why do you want to take my money?!" Dom asked. "You're the one who's a COO!"
"I know you're richer than me!" Clover retorted.
Dom smirked. "That's because my boss helps me invest my money!"
"Give me my pasalubong!" "You little witch!" Dom was about to smack his sister but Clover dodged. "Your pasalubong is in my room!"
"Yay!"
Clover was about to go to her brother's room but she didn't know where it was located in the big house. Then she saw everyone watching them. She felt a bit embarrassed but not too much.
"Hi, Boss! Hi, Little Mochi and Little Matcha!"
She also greeted Yin Meixing, Tang Yiyi, and the others. The twins' adorable appearance made her forget her original intention to raid her brother's room. She played with the twins instead, causing Little Mochi to squeal with delight and Little Matcha to smile.
Iris smiled and glanced at Yin Meixing. "See? I told you that they were just being affectionate with each other."
"Oh." Yin Meixing smiled back with relief.
Iris looked at everyone. "Let's go eat now."
"Where's Grandpa Lu, Prince Lin Lin, and Sis Fei?" Clover asked while carrying Little Mochi.
Dom also carried Little Matcha.
"Grandpa Lu and my brother-in-law are chatting with my husband somewhere while drinking coffee," Iris replied. "Chen Fei should be in her room working remotely."
"I'll call her!" Clover said and carried the baby away.
"Hey, come here! You don't know her room!" Dom followed with Little Matcha.
Iris chuckled. Then she said to Yin Meixing, "Both you and my brother-in-law are free today. You can also tour around the city if you want but should rest well for tomorrow. The launch is on the third day but I'll bring both of you to the site tomorrow for rehearsals."
"Sir Lu said that he'll tour us around Paris after breakfast," Tang Yiyi answered for Yin Meixing.
"That's good, then." Iris nodded.
"Don't worry, Xiulan," Tang Yiyi said. "I'll make sure that Meixing rests well for tomorrow."
Chapter 1502 Flowers to the Most Beautiful Woman
After breakfast, Jin Liwei followed his wife with their children to Liberté. Clover followed Iris' instructions to renovate the entire place.
The original perfume company, Sang Bleu, catered to aristocrats and later to wealthy members of high society. Its location could be considered as a private historical site. There were very few improvements throughout the centuries. It might look good on the outside, but if one looked closely at the little details inside, it was obvious that it was slowly falling apart.
Iris didn't want to move the company to a new location. She liked the charm of the historical property.
This was why it took a long time for Liberté to launch because of the extensive renovations. In addition, they waited for Clover Chua to complete her studies and training in France, so that she could better manage the company in the right direction.
Although Iris originally didn't feel thrilled about being gifted the now-defunct perfumery by her husband, she couldn't help but feel excited now that everything was completed after a long wait.
This was also a new business territory that she hadn't explored before. She couldn't wait to apply all the things that she learned from Grandpa Lu and the tips shared by her Cross Academy friend, AJ Zheneres.
Of course, Clover was the one managing the company, but Iris still had the final say in the business' major decisions and general direction.
Back to the present, Iris listened to Clover as she inspected her newly rebranded perfumery, Liberté.
There was a subtle relaxing fragrance in the air that would put everyone walking inside at ease. It wasn't like other perfumeries where the different scents all clashed against each other, causing discomfort to customers if they stayed inside for too long.
Iris nodded in appreciation before glancing at her family following behind.
Jin Liwei smiled at her while holding their twins in each hand.
Little Mochi was curious about everything, pointing here and there, wanting to touch things. Little Matcha was quieter but he also looked around with great interest.
"The ambience is lovely," Iris commented. "Great job, Clover."
"Ehehe." Clover tucked a lock of her recently straight-permed hair behind an ear. "We'll do a garden party for the launch. Come, I'll show you what it looks like so far."
Iris and her family followed Clover outside at the back.
There were already workers doing the final touches on the decorations. It looked simple yet elegant at the same time. The beautiful blooms and artful, flowy drapes made people feel like they were walking in paradise.
"Yah yah yah!" Little Mochi became even more excited at the beautiful scenery.
Even Little Matcha fought against his father's hold, wanting to run where the large flowers were being arranged.
Clover laughed at the twins' antics. She spoke in French to a worker, "Please give the babies some flowers."
Iris' brows lifted in pleasant surprise. "Your French has improved a lot."
"Thanks, Boss! I have no choice but to learn it because otherwise, some French people would snub me if I didn't. Most are nice, but some are just plain rude."
The worker obeyed Clover's instruction and picked a few flowers for the babies.
Little Mochi squealed when he held the large blooms. He raised a hand and waited.
"Yah? Yah yah?!" He looked annoyed and urged the person to hurry up.
The amused worker also raised a hand, unsure of what the baby wanted. Little Mochi tapped his little palm on the big hand, high-fiving the worker who already had his heart stolen by the adorable twins.
Little Matcha also grinned at the worker as thanks before shakily walking to his mother. Then the baby gave the flowers to Iris. "Mama!"
Iris felt like an arrow of love had shot itself straight to her heart. She squatted down and hugged Little Matcha while clutching the flowers.
"Thank you, Little Matcha! Mama is so happy! Why is my son so cute?! Whose son is this adorable child? Mine, of course!"
"As expected of my son," Jin Liwei also couldn't help but comment, pleased that the son who looked the most like him also inherited his tendency to prioritize the most important woman in their life.
Little Mochi watched them. He glanced at the flowers in his hands, and then at his mother. He looked back and forth between the flowers and his mother like this for a few moments. He looked so torn that the sight made everyone watching him laugh.
Jin Liwei shook his head at his other son but didn't force Little Mochi to give up the flowers for his mother like his twin brother.
In the end, though, Little Mochi still did something commendable.
He chose the biggest flower from among the bunch in his hands and offered it to his mother.
Then he looked at her with his big, innocent eyes, as if saying, "Are you happy? Now where are my hugs and kisses?"
Iris laughed and pulled Little Mochi, giving her adorable twin sons a big hug together and plenty of kisses.
Of course, she didn't disdain her eldest twin son for only giving her one flower. At least, he gave her oneâand the biggest flower to boot. It showed that she, the mother, was still the most important in his little heart.
Little Mochi's personality wasn't as selfless compared to his younger twin brother, Little Matcha, who would give everything he had to her like their father.
It was already impressive that Little Mochi knew how to share, even for something that he wanted to hog all for himself.
Iris continued to shower her sons with love, causing them to giggle in delight.
"Ahem."
She looked up and saw her husband also presenting her with a bunch of flowers. Clover and the workers watching the family were snickering by the side. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"What are you doing?" Iris asked him, feeling a bit speechless.
Why was her husband trying to compete with his own sons?
"Flowers to the most beautiful woman in my life," Jin Liwei said.
The complaints got swallowed in her throat. Her cheeks turned pink.
"You..." She sighed before laughing in helplessness. "You all are really father and sons."
Chapter 1503 One Big Family
Although Iris was exasperated at her husband for trying to compete with his own sons, she still felt sweet in her heart.
It was good that the workers were already finishing up the decorations, so there were extra flowers to give away. Before Iris could offer to buy lunch to everyone working hard on preparing for the launch party, Clover had already arranged it.
Iris gave her an approving smile.
Clover felt good about receiving the boss' validation. She worked her a** off to learn a completely different language and train to become an effective COO for Liberté.
But the most difficult part was living so far away from everyone else. At least, when she lived with her brother and the boss' family in China, she could always hop on a plane and arrive home in the Philippines in just a few hours.
Living in France which was on another continent was a completely different matter. Not to mention that she now lived in a completely different time zone from her loved ones. Even communicating in real time needed to be scheduled to prevent disturbing each other's sleep.
Now that she reached this point, however, Clover felt that all her sacrifices had been all worth it.
More than feeling happy for her own achievements, she felt happier now that her family was so proud of her.
Iris and her family along with Clover and their huge security team walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
There were only a few Chinese tourists and overseas residents on the streets who recognized Iris. Some recognized her, some didn't. And from those who recognized her, not many dared approach her.
But the real fans were a different matter. They moved to approach, hesitated, moved again to approach, but hesitated yet once again.
Seeing the numerous bodyguards surrounding her, they felt intimidated. However, Iris welcomed them. She waved them over and began interacting with her fans on the streets of Paris.
"Boss Iris, I'm a Black Star. I love your music and I can't wait for your new album with Enrique!"
She smiled at the fan while signing an autograph. "Thank you for your support. Want to take a photo?"
"Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!"
A bodyguard took several photos of Iris with the fan.
Then Iris did the same thing to the other fans. One of them glanced at the tall, handsome man by the side who had a cold and intimidating aura while carrying two babies in each arm.
"Uhm, Boss Iris. Are those Little Mochi and Little Matcha?"
Iris smiled. "Yes, my sons."
As usual, the babies wore superhero masks while outside. Although they weren't in their home country, Iris and Jin Liwei didn't want to risk exposing their children's appearances to the public eye. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The fan got excited and looked at the twins longer with sparkling eyes. Fortunately, the fan was a real Black Star. She respected the twins' privacy and didn't ask to see what they looked like behind the superhero masks.
"Clover, do we still have extra invitations?" Iris asked all of a sudden.
"Yes, I still have some here."
Clover knew exactly what Iris planned, so she fished out some invitations from her handbag and handed them to the Black Stars.
Iris felt pleased that Clover understood her intentions just like Dom. This was one of the reasons why she adored and respected the Chua family so much. They always went above and beyond in everything they did from their work to treating their loved ones well.
"Oh my gosh, is this what I think it is?" a fan asked while looking at the beautifully sealed envelope in amazed disbelief.
"It's an invitation for Liberté's launch party," Iris said. "If you are all available that day, please come and take a look."
The fans squealed together.
"Thank you, Boss Iris!"
"Wow! I didn't expect that I'd be able to come to the exclusive launch party. I was going to wait the day after the launch to visit the Liberté store and buy the 'Eve' perfume in person, but now I can actually attend the launch!"
"I also want to buy 'Eve' for myself, then I'm going to give 'Valliance' and 'Sérénité' to my parents when I fly home."
Iris told them, "If you come to the launch party, you'll receive those perfumes as giveaways."
"What?! Really?!"
"We're going to come!"
"Of course, we're coming! Boss Iris, thank you so much! We won't hold you and your family any longer. Have a happy lunch!"
The Black Stars waved goodbye to Iris and the others before respectfully leaving.
Iris laughed and waved at them.
Inside the restaurant, they ate lunch. Their group occupied several tables in a more private corner. Although people were curious about their identities, nobody came to bother them.
Iris noticed something about Clover's expression.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Clover sighed. "I'm just thinking...It's a pity that my parents won't be able to come here and attend Liberté's launch party."
Iris patted her back. "Sorry about that. I think it's partly my fault that Auntie Reina and Uncle Domingo are unable to come to Paris this time. They're too busy helping out your sister, Linda, for the upcoming launch of Orchidia Philippines."
"Don't apologize, boss! I just spoke with my family last night. They're only too happy to help you out in setting up Orchidia Philippines."
Iris felt amused. "What 'help me out'? They're not my employees but my partners instead. Your family owns 60% of Orchidia Philippines. Even without your country's stringent laws on foreign businesses, I'll still be willing to give that much stake to your family. From Dom, to you, and your entire Chua familyâall of you have been so good to me and my family. We're all one, big family now, right?"
"Yes, boss!" Clover beamed but her eyes turned moist. "But what our family has achieved today is in large part because of you and your kindness to us. You allowed my big brother to recommend our entire family to you, and you accepted all of us with open arms."
Chapter 1504 Too Much Sweetness
Iris replied, "Even if I help you, but if you don't work hard, you still won't achieve anything in life. It's because of your family's work ethics and commendable values that you are all becoming more and more successful together. Linda has great business acumen. That's why I chose her to lead Orchidia Philippines. I also know that Auntie Reina and Uncle Domingo will help guide her in the right direction."
"Yes, my second elder sister is feeling very motivated right now, I heard," Clover said. "My eldest sister also wants to help with Orchidia Philippines, but my brother-in-law is also busy setting up his own business. So she's helping out her husband instead."
This time, Jin Liwei joined the conversation. "Paul has good leadership qualities. It's a shame for him to continue working for another company as a real estate agent when he can earn so much more by himself."
Clover nodded. "Yes. That's what my eldest sister said. That my brother-in-law didn't dare to set up his own company before due to a lack of capital and also because of all the risks. But thanks to sir boss, he's now able to build his own construction and development company."
Iris turned to her husband and asked, "How much stake do you own in Paul's company again?"
"Jin Corporation owns 10% and our family's LX Holdings owns 30%," he said. "I decided to include Jin Corporation in the equation because it can give material assistance and even manpower to Paul especially when he's just starting out."
"Marjorie is also business-minded," Iris commented. "I'm sure that she'll do well in helping her husband in their new company."
Clover agreed while helping wipe sauce from Little Mochi's mouth. "But my sister isn't helping out her husband full-time. She actually prefers to become a stay-at-home mom."
"That's fine, too." Iris held a small glass of water for Little Matcha to drink. "Not everyone finds fulfillment in having a career. To others, focusing on just the family and raising children makes them happier. I still respect that. Now that I'm a mother, I understand the need for other mothers to constantly be with their children. It's just that I'm the type of person who needs to have my own career to feel complete. Fortunately, I have a husband who supports me in my choice."
Jin Liwei's eyes softened. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Ah! Did I just get bitten by ants? Where did they come from? Oh, right! From the sweetness!"
Iris chuckled at Clover's dramatic quip. "You're just like your brother, Dom. Oh. Speaking of Dom, let's order some soup to take home for him. I wonder if his stomach ache is gone now."
Clover snorted. "That's what he gets for eating too many escargots for breakfast! He didn't leave enough for me! Hmph! Our mother always says that he must have been a starving ghost before he reincarnated into her only son."
"Mama!" Little Mochi interrupted their conversation.
"What is it, baby?" Iris asked her son.
Little Mochi pointed at a bright red macaron on the dessert plate.
"Okay, here you go." She gave him one.
Little Mochi gave Iris a wet kiss on the cheek as thanks.
"Jin Haoyu, you can only eat one macaron," Jin Liwei said.
"Yah yah, Dada!" Little Mochi grinned at him and deliberately blinked his eyes, trying to use his cuteness to melt his strict father's heart.
It didn't work.
"I said just one, so you can only eat one," Jin Liwei repeated.
Little Mochi pouted but his attention was soon diverted by the macaron's sweet taste. He ignored his father and began enjoying his single macaron. Maybe he could ask his Auntie Clover to sneak him another piece later behind his father's back.
Little Matcha pulled Iris' sleeve next and pointed at an apple slice. "Mama."
Of course, Iris gave him one. Like his brother, Little Matcha gave his mother a kiss as a thanks.
This time, Jin Liwei didn't say anything about limiting his son's food intake. His son could eat an entire apple, and not just a single slice, if he wanted.
Iris tore a small piece of a green macaron and offered it to her younger twin son. "Want this?"
Little Matcha hesitated before nodding.
She fed her son the small macaron piece. "Yummy?"
Little Matcha nodded, his eyes crinkling while he smiled.
"More?" she asked.
This time, he shook his head and continued nibbling on the apple slice instead.
Iris couldn't help but sigh while murmuring, "Little Matcha doesn't like eating sweets that much. Exactly just like you."
Jin Liwei smiled. "He might look and act like me, but he also inherited a lot from you. He sleeps deeply like you. He also tilts his head to the side like you sometimes especially when he's focused on something. He also got his generosity from you. All our children's best qualities, they got it from you."
Before Iris could respond, Clover grabbed her chest and pretended to faint slowly. "Ah, help me! I'm dying from too much sweetness! Where is my big bro when I need him?! I need him to give me life support because I'm drowning in the sea of other people's love!"
"Yah yah yah!" Little Mochi clapped his hands and laughed at his Auntie Clover's antics.
Little Matcha, on the other hand, was wholly focused on nibbling his apple slice. He had already seen similar scenes with his Uncle Dom. It wasn't anything new. He was more interested in watching new things like Uncle Dom and Auntie Clover's playfight this morning. If their playfighting happened too often, then he would lose interest again.
Everyone finished eating lunch and left the restaurant. Clover returned to Liberté to continue overseeing the preparations for the launch party.
Jin Liwei brought his family to tour around Paris. Only two bodyguards remained by their sides all the time while the others spread themselves around them to make it less obvious.
The family avoided crowded places and the obvious tourist traps, focusing instead on spending quality time together.
By the end of their afternoon trip, the bodyguards were carrying many shopping bags.
The twins were already asleep when Iris and Jin Liwei returned to their Paris residence.
Chapter 1505 Twin Stars Haoyu and Lingyu
The next morning, Iris and Dom brought Jin Chonglin and Yin Meixing to Liberté for rehearsals. Chen Fei came as well to see how Clover ran the perfumery. Tang Yiyi also accompanied Yin Meixing.
The twins were left with their father, Jin Liwei. The father and sons went together with Grandpa Lu to visit some of the old man's friends.
These friends were, of course, all powerful people. Most were billionaires like them. Many were Cross Academy alumni like Grandpa Lu.
It was a given that everyone showered Jin Liwei's twin sons with generous gifts upon meeting them. Most were material presents like toys and money. But there were more impressive ones like an astronomer who declared that he would name the twin stars he recently discovered after the twinsâHaoyu and Lingyu.
Jin Liwei was relieved that the astronomer chose to use his sons' proper names and not their nicknames. What would the science community say if they studied the stars named Mochi and Matcha?
Although he didn't care about what other people thought about himself, he didn't want anyone criticizing his family, especially his wife and their children.
Jin Liwei was like a fish in the water while interacting with these powerful people because he, himself, was one.
His eldest twin son, Little Mochi, was once again showing off to the group of new grandpas and uncles. He loved the attention they were giving him.
As for his other son, Little Matcha wasn't interested in showing off. He went ahead to check the gifts they received from everyone, looking for something new that he hadn't yet seen before.
The grandpas and uncles, all of them from different backgrounds and nationalities, immediately adored the twins. They were well-behaved and didn't throw tantrums at all.
Both Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu enjoyed listening to others praising the twins. They felt proud, especially Grandpa Lu who couldn't stop himself from showing photos of his own blood-related great-grandbabies on his phone to the others.
"If only my Lu great-grandbabies were old enough, I would have brought them for all of you to see! They're so cute and big and sturdy, just like their father when I raised him as a fat baby back in the day. Bahahaha!"
The others humoured the old man and asked about his Lu great-grandsons, making Grandpa Lu more excited.
"You mustn't forget to give presents to my great-grandbabies! You must also name stars after them!"
The astronomer sweated after hearing his friend Lu Jianhong's request...no, it was a demand.
A French magnate asked Jin Liwei, "Liam, your wife's launch party for her perfumery is tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," Jin Liwei replied while personally wiping drool from Little Mochi's face with a silk handkerchief. "Are you coming?"
"Yes, I received an invitation. Several of your wife's companies are members of Cross Academy's exclusive business network. Although I'm not personally an alumnus, my late business partner was, so our company still remains a member of the academy's business network up to this day. We have to help each other out."
Jin Liwei nodded. "I thank you in my wife's stead. She's busy preparing for the launch tomorrow."
"I can't wait to meet your wife in person. Sir Lu has a high opinion of her. Well, even I already have a high opinion of her, especially after learning that she's a Cross Academy student. I have high respect for certified geniuses like her."
Even more than hearing praises for his children, Jin Liwei loved listening to praises about his wife. His usually cold and indifferent expression considerably softened.
The French magnate leaned closer and whispered, "I know that men of our status like to keep...er, females by the side, if you know what I mean."
Jin Liwei frowned but the other man didn't notice.
"I also keep a few mistresses now and then, but for you, I suggest that you be more careful. Cross Academy students and alumni are a very tight-knit group. If you offend one of them, you offend all of them. You might love your wife now, but what will happen in the future when the love fades?" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
This time, Jin Liwei's entire expression had turned ugly. Unfortunately, the other man continued to gossip with him in a low voice, unaware of the approaching danger.
"You must have several contingency plans when that happens. Listen to me, if Sir Lu Jianhong passes away, Jin Corporation might have to depend on your wife's status to remain in Cross Academy's exclusive business network. Even my company's membership will have to be reviewed next year because my business partner died. My point is that even when you're tempted to cheat, don't make it too obvious, or you'll suffer a lot. Not only you but your entire company, too. There are too many benefits to remaining in the academy's exclusive business network. Don't f*ck it upâouch!"
Little Matcha, who had long noticed his father's fury at the Frenchman, threw a solid metal toy car hard. The French magnate immediately developed a bump on his forehead.
The baby wasn't satisfied yet. He clenched his little hands into fists and prepared to pummel the Frenchman, but Jin Liwei quickly carried his son away.
Little Matcha struggled in his father's arms, wanting to beat up the Frenchman. He didn't know what the Frenchman did, but nobody was allowed to upset his father, except for his mother!
"Daddy is fine now, Jin Lingyu," Jin Liwei soothed his son. "Don't be mad anymore."
Jin Liwei had been furious at the French magnate's ugly words just now. He was about to shut up the other man, but after seeing his own son acting so protective of him, his fury cooled down a lot. He even felt amused.
Little Matcha's personality was usually silent and indifferent, but when truly angered, he had a worse temper than his twin brother. Even Little Mochi would sometimes feel scared and immediately stop acting naughty when Little Matcha lost his temper.
Little Matcha was extremely protective of their family just like Jin Liwei. He understood this son of his because Little Matcha resembled him the most.
"What happened?!" Grandpa Lu's voice boomed in the room. He pointed at the Frenchman. "What did you do to my great-grandson?! Tell me, I want to know!"
Chapter 1506 Little Mochi's Impromptu Performance
The French magnate realized that things had suddenly gone awry. More than the painful bump on his forehead, he was more afraid of offending anyone in this room.
Although he was a veritable billionaire and respected almost wherever he went, that was mainly because of the company that he founded with his now-deceased partner. If his company failed the review next year and lost its membership in Cross Academy's exclusive business network, then his company's shares would lose a lot of value. His billionaire status would be in danger then.
This was why he was doing everything to ingratiate himself to this group. Once he learned that Sir Lu had invited many of his old friends, he used his connections to attend today's gathering.
He chose Liam Jin (Jin Liwei) as the easiest target because, like him, the man wasn't a Cross Academy student or alumnus. He thought that by advising Liam about juicy topics, the Asian billionaire would feel closer to him. He never expected that the opposite would happen.
His face and neck heated up under the other men's judgmental and accusing gazes. Each of these men was even wealthier and more powerful than him, especially the Cross Academy alumni.
Little Matcha shrieked in his father's arms, looking like he still wanted to have another go at the Frenchman.
"Jin Lingyu, that's enough," Jin Liwei told his son in a firm tone.
Little Matcha looked extremely unwilling, but he still obeyed his father. He went silent but his expression told another story. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
If looks could kill, then the French magnate wouldânever mind. Little Matcha was still a baby and even his glare looked adorable. Nobody would die from it.
Now the baby was sulking because his father reprimanded him in front of others. Little Matcha was just protecting his father, yet why was he the one scolded?
He couldn't bear the injustice. His lips trembled. His eyes watered.
Seeing this, Jin Liwei panicked a little inside, but his expression remained cold and intimidating. He was about to hurry out of the room, planning to comfort his son first before dealing with the French magnate, but his other son beat him to it.
"Cha cha, yah yah yah!" (Matcha, don't cry!) Little Mochi reached up to his twin brother in their father's arms, but their father was too tall. He couldn't reach his brother at all.
He looked around and saw a golden toy microphone among their presents. He picked it up and called out to his brother.
"Yah, Cha cha!" (Look at me, Matcha!)
Little Matcha's attention was soon diverted. He watched his twin brother with teary eyes and pouting lips, waiting to see what Little Mochi planned to do.
Everyone also watched Little Mochi with interest.
Even Grandpa Lu stopped glaring at the Frenchman to focus on his great-grandbaby instead.
Little Mochi struck a cool poseâhe thought it was cool, but in the eyes of those watching him, it was cute instead. He closed his eyes before slowly lifting the mic to his mouth. Next, he raised his hand and pointed it at the ceiling. Then he opened his eyes.
"Yah yah yah~ Yayayaya! Yaaaaaaaah~"
Little Mochi started singing in baby babbles while shaking his body, wriggling like an itchy worm, dancing to the beat of the music that only he could hear.
"Hehehe." Little Matcha soon giggled.
The others also started laughing including the French magnate, but Grandpa Lu glared at them, silently warning them not to make his precious great-grandbaby feel embarrassed.
Little Mochi didn't notice at all. He was too absorbed in his impromptu performance.
Jin Liwei's lips curled up, amusement filling his eyes. He recognized some of his son's rough, clumsy movements as steps in one of his wife's performances.
Within his arms, Little Matcha had already forgotten about his earlier feelings of fury and injustice. He rested his head on his father's shoulder while watching his twin brother's performance, giggling and laughing.
"Yah yah...YAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
After his performance, Little Mochi glanced at everyone for a couple of seconds before performing a shaky curtsy bow. Unfortunately, his feet were still too unstable. He stumbled and fell on his butt.
He was about to cry but heard everyone's applause. He looked around and saw Daddy, Great-Grandpa Lu, and the new grandpas and uncles all clapping and cheering for him.
"Hehehe." He beamed and glanced at his twin brother.
The twins looked at each other and laughed.
Little Mochi clapped for himself, loving all the attention. But most importantly, he was happy that his twin brother finally stopped crying and started smiling again.
Then he looked at his father, obviously waiting for praise.
Jin Liwei chuckled. He walked to his eldest twin son and rubbed the baby's fluffy head.
"Good job, Jin Haoyu."
Little Mochi beamed, showing off his two-and-a-half teeth.
"Oh no! I forgot to take a video!" Grandpa Lu suddenly said.
From behind the group, a slightly nerdy new billionaire raised a hand. "I...I took a video...."
"What?!" Grandpa Lu immediately marched to the younger man. "Really? Let this old man see!"
The nerdy billionaire handed his phone to the old man.
"Bahahaha! You did well! Thanks!" Grandpa Lu was delighted and "patted" the younger man's back.
The nerdy billionaire almost puked out his lungs. But he pretended to be okay, adjusting his now crooked eyeglasses with trembling fingers. He didn't want to appear weak in front of this group of powerful men.
"Y-you're very"âcoughâ"welcome, Sir Lu."
While the grandpas were admiring Little Mochi's video performance on the phone, Jin Liwei carried both of his sons in his embrace. Then he faced the French magnate with a cold expression.
This time, Little Matcha no longer paid the man any attention. He was wholly focused on Little Mochi. The twins were too busy babbling with each other, seemingly talking about what happened.
"First of all, I want you to know that I don't appreciate your talk about keeping mistresses," Jin Liwei said in a clear voice.
The other men in the room all went silent as they strained their ears trying to listen to the conversation.
Chapter 1507 Real Man
Jin Liwei deliberately spoke louder so that everyone could hear what he was about to say. He didn't want similar incidents to happen in the future.
"I love my wife," he continued saying. "I've always loved her, and I'm certain that I'll continue loving her for a lifetime. I don't care about what many of you think, what your experiences are, whether you believe me or not. I don't care at all. But I want you all to know that I take my marriage vows very seriously.
"I've never kept mistresses in my life, and I'm not interested in keeping any in the future. Just the thought makes me nauseous. There is only one woman that I want to be withâand that's my wife. Only her.
"I know that many of you might scoff at me for saying this, but I. DON'T. GIVE. A. F*CK. My wife, my kids, my whole family are the most important to me. Even if Jin Corporation's membership in Cross Academy's exclusive business network expires one day, I'm not afraid. My family will always remain my number one priority."
Jin Liwei glanced at each and every man in the room, not allowing the grinning Grandpa Lu to distract him, before finally settling his heavy gaze on the French magnate.
"So I want you to know that I feel extremely insulted whenever someone assumes that I'll follow the 'norm' of men of our status in disrespecting my beloved wife by cheating on her with other women who can't even match to a single toenail of hers.
"I already have the best woman, so why would I choose to lower my standards? For the thrill? For the prestige among a bunch of immoral cheaters? To boast to other men, proving to them that I'm more masculine by sleeping around with so many different women? Bullsh*t.
"I don't know about all of you, but my criteria of being a real man is completely different. I feel the most masculine whenever my wife, our kids, and our entire family all trust me to always be there for them no matter what. It doesn't matter if I'm wealthy or not, as long as I can protect my wife and our beautiful family, then I believe that I am a real man."
Jin Liwei was interrupted by loud clapping.
"Bravo!" Grandpa Lu's voice boomed in the room. "Well said, my boy! Well said!"
The other older men, most of them widowers, joined in the applause. The others, though, wore awkward smiles. Jin Liwei's words felt like arrows shooting at their now wounded pride.
Although they didn't agree with Jin Liwei's words, they didn't dare to openly protest, especially now that the older ones approved and supported his so-called monogamous values.
The older gentlemen were people that they couldn't offend. They literally had the wealth and power to affect the trajectory of several nations. If politicians were the visible leaders on the surface, then men like Sir Lu Jianhong and his old friends could be considered the real decision-makers.
Fortunately, they didn't exercise this dangerous power often. Now most of them were enjoying their retirement life free from most worries. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even so, the dangers of a dormant volcano still remained. In fact, dormant volcanoes were more dangerous when they exploded.
The other men who felt stung by Jin Liwei's words wisely kept their mouths shut and pretended to be unaffected.
Like what he just said, Jin Liwei didn't give a f*ck about other people's opinions. It was none of his business if they kept mistresses or not, but they shouldn't force their own immoral values on him either. That was something that he would never tolerate.
Even just the thought of cheating on his wife was unforgivable.
His wife was the biggest miracle and blessing that ever happened to his life. If anyone dared to destroy his marriage, then he would be the first one to fight to the death.
Jin Liwei looked at the French magnate. "I'll let it slide this time because my son injured you. We're even now."
The French man felt the growing bump on his forehead. It throbbed painfully like the beating of his anxious heart.
"Yes, yes, of course we are even now!" he said in a hurried tone. "But I must still express my deepest apologies to you, Liam, your wife, kids, and family. Blame my ignorance. Please don't hold it against me. I am genuinely sorry about my careless insults."
Jin Liwei looked at him with cold eyes for a few seconds before saying, "Up to you."
The French man released a sigh and smiled at everyone. "If you will all excuse me while I have my injury treated first. I apologize for today. I'll make it up to you next time, especially to you, Liam, and your family."
After apologizing, the man left in a hurry.
"Hmph!" Grandpa Lu snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Even if Liwei my boy doesn't hold a grudge, I do! How dare that pipsqueak even suggest that Liwei my boy cheat on my precious disciple?! Does he think that I'm dead?! Tell me, I want to know!"
One of his old friends tried calming him down. "Now, now, Jianhong. Don't be too angry. Our hearts aren't as strong as when we were younger."
"Hmph!"
"Jianhong, you haven't changed a bit. You still like interfering in other people's affairs. Let the youngsters solve their own problems. I think that Liam defended himself and his wife quite beautifully. You don't need to fight your successors' battles anymore. They can do it themselves."
"Hmph!"
Although Grandpa Lu still looked angry, his expression had somewhat improved.
Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu stayed for another half an hour before leaving when the twins started becoming restless. It was almost time for lunch, and they wanted to eat with their family, not with this bunch of men.
"Don't forget to come to my disciple's launch party tomorrow!" Grandpa Lu reminded them, especially his old friends, before leaving.
Jin Liwei carried his twins in each arm while Grandpa Lu continued complaining about the Frenchman. The bodyguards surrounded them, carrying the twins' many presents.
Chapter 1508 Apology Gifts
Iris Long didn't know that someone tried instigating her husband to cheat on her behind her back.
Jin Liwei had asked Grandpa Lu in advance not to reveal it because he wanted to be the one to say it to his own wife. Grandpa Lu grumbled for a bit before agreeing.
Iris only learned about the incident later that afternoon when the French magnate sent his own butler to their residence and presented her with several beautifully packaged boxes and a sealed envelope addressed to her. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"What's going on?" she asked her husband.
Jin Liwei didn't reply right away. He looked at the gifts with a cold expression, but in the end, he told his wife, "Open the letter first and see what it says."
Iris observed his expression but couldn't guess what happened. So she opened the sealed envelope.
It read:
"Dearest Madame Jin,
"I would like to express my deepest apologies for offending your husband, your younger twin son, and in doing so, offending you as well."
Iris read this part and frowned. "What happened?"
"Just continue reading it, love."
So she continued reading.
"I must admit that my ignorance and utter disregard of your husband's loyalty to you and your marriage landed me in this quagmire."
Iris raised an eyebrow and glanced at her husband. She was now beginning to have an idea why both her husband and Grandpa Lu had arrived home earlier with ugly expressions. So something really did happen while they went out together.
She continued reading the letter.
"I do hope that Madame Jin would find it in your heart to forgive me for my transgressions and still allow me to attend your perfumery's launch party tomorrow. I swear upon my name that I would never do anything to offend you, Mr. Jin, and your family ever again.
"I pray that you and Mr. Jin would give me another chance to prove my sincerity."
Iris finished reading the letter and felt complicated. Along with the letter, the French magnate sent them many gifts of apology.
Most were jewelry for her. There were also presents for the twins, and of course, Jin Liwei. But compared to the mother and sons, Jin Liwei received less.
However, this also meant that the Frenchman knew how to apologize. He targeted Jin Liwei's weakness which was his wife and kids. He directly addressed the apology letter to Iris instead of Jin Liwei who the Frenchman apparently offended.
"Should I return all of these?" she asked her husband.
"Keep them," Jin Liwei said. "Doesn't matter if you use them or not. Just accept the apology. We can use him for Liberté's smoother development here in France."
"Okay, I'll listen to you," Iris told the French magnate's butler that she accepted his master's apology.
The butler gave them a respectful bow before leaving to report to his master, the French magnate.
Iris faced her husband. "Now tell me exactly what happened. I want to know every little detail."
Jin Liwei told her everything, not keeping anything from her.
"What?! Little Matcha injured the man with a toy car?!"
"Love, our son is just very protective," he said, trying to calm her down. "He tried to defend me."
She sighed. "I know that. And I'm proud of him for being protective. But his temper..." She released another sigh, heavier this time. "Little Matcha might look exactly like you and inherited most of your personality, but his vindictiveness is definitely a Vetrov trait. We must guide him carefully, Liwei. I don't want his vindictive personality to become too extreme. It won't be good for our baby's future."
Jin Liwei finally realized why she reacted so alarmed. And indeed, she was right. Little Matcha's vindictiveness was like Nikolai and Bacon's. If not guided properly, then it would be detrimental to Little Matcha's personality development.
"En. Don't worry, love. We'll guide him and all our children properly."
He continued telling her about the rest of the incident. When he reached the part where Little Mochi gave an impromptu performance in an attempt to distract his twin brother, Iris laughed.
"Where's the video? I want to see."
Jin Liwei was now smiling, too. "I have it here. Grandpa Lu got it from a new tech billionaire who smartly recorded our son's performance while the rest of us were distracted."
The husband and wife laughed and enjoyed watching their eldest twin son's adorable performance.
"He's definitely imitating my 'Passionate Flames' stage performance with your brother," Iris commented with a laugh. "Look. These are my moves and these ones are Brother Chonglin's. Little Mochi is just a baby, but he can already remember some dance steps. Isn't our son amazing, darling?"
"Of course." Jin Liwei kissed her cheek. "The mom is an amazing genius, so of course the son is also amazing."
Iris' cheeks turned pink. She giggled and leaned on his chest. The couple watched their son's performance video a few more times, not getting tired of it at all.
Iris sent Little Mochi's performance video to their family's group chat.
As expected, enthusiastic praises once again flooded the chat with Grandpa Lu claiming credit for taking the video, although he wasn't the one who recorded it. Well, technically, he was the one who asked the nerdy billionaire to send him the video, so yes, he still had the right to take credit for it.
Later, Iris asked Dom and some of the French household staff to organize the French magnate's apology gifts.
"Boss, there's something in this box," Dom said.
Iris took it. It was a thin box, almost like a wooden folder. She opened it. Inside was a property deed for a castle in the Western part of France. It was now titled to her, Long Xiulan.
Iris Long gasped. "What in the world?! Liwei, take a look at this!"
Jin Liwei studied it.
"We can't take this," she said.
He shrugged. "It's part of his apology. Just take it."
She hesitated and examined the property deed again.
"It's a good location," he commented.
She sighed. "I really profited today."
He kissed her forehead. "It's what you deserve. That man made a terrible mistake. He should pay for it."
Chapter 1509 Miracle of a Caged Bird Rising Like a Phoenix
Iris had no time to overthink the French magnate's overly generous apology gifts because Ashandra Knightson called and informed her that she had arrived in Paris.
Iris was happy to see her friend again, so she invited the genius artist to her family's Parisian residence.
Ashandra arrived by dinner time. The two friends greeted each other with a tight hug.
"Thank you for coming!" Iris said.
"Anything for you, Xiulan," Ashandra replied. "The others would have come here as well but they're too busy."
"That's okay. I'm already happy that you came." Iris pulled her inside the house.
Ashandra greeted Jin Liwei, Dom, and of course, the adorable twins.
"Ah, Mochi and Matcha!" Ashandra hugged the twins and refused to put them down.
The twins were familiar with the gorgeous foreign woman. Although they couldn't remember the last time that they met the foreign woman in person, they were familiar with their Auntie Asha because their mother would sometimes video call her.
Little Mochi was especially drawn to Ashandra's beautiful face. He couldn't stop looking at her.
"Asha, yah!" Little Mochi said while tapping her face.
Ashandra's big beautiful eyes crinkled with joy. "Yes! I'm your Auntie Asha." Then she looked at Little Matcha.
The other baby hid his face on her neck but peeked at her shyly. Even the usually indifferent Little Matcha couldn't resist Ashandra Knightson's piercing beauty.
Iris and Dom laughed at the twins' reactions.
Jin Liwei's expression didn't change much, but his gaze was soft when he looked at his sons. Unlike most other men, he wasn't affected by Ashandra Knightson's beauty at all.
Although she was mesmerizing like a goddess of darkness, he preferred his wife's captivatingly bright beauty.
Besides, he had seen exactly two women who were more beautiful than Ashandra Knightson. One was his wife's current appearance as Long Xiulan and the other was his wife's past appearance as Evelina Vetrova.
His wife's past appearance as Evelina Vetrova was definitely the kind of out-of-this-world type of beauty.
And this wasn't only because she was now his wife. Even if he took their relationship out of the equation, he would still think that Evelina Vetrova was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Jin Liwei caught himself and immediately put a stop to the dangerous direction of his thoughts. His wife's past life had always been a painful memory for her.
Even though he had always wanted to have been there for Evelina, he knew that was impossible. For one, his wife's past life background was too dangerous even for a powerful billionaire like him. And finally, he wouldn't trade the life that the two of them built together in her current reborn life for anything in the world.
He forced himself to focus on the present and helped his wife welcome one of her dear friends from Cross Academy.
Ashandra loved Iris' twins dearly. If possible, she wanted to carry the babies even while eating dinner. But Little Mochi and Little Matcha had their own high chairs.
The dinner table tonight wasn't as crowded compared to the previous meals. It was only Iris, Jin Liwei, their twins, Dom, and their guest Ashandra eating tonight.
Jin Chonglin took Chen Fei out on a date night. Grandpa Lu stayed in his own residence with Yin Meixing and Tang Yiyi. Clover was at her own place, probably still busy preparing for tomorrow's launch party.
Ashandra's arrival tonight was unexpected.
Even Iris didn't know the actual time or day that her friend would come, or if Ashandra would even be able to come in the first place or not.
If the others knew, then maybe they wouldn't have made their own plans for the evening and helped Iris welcome her friend. All of them weren't strangers to Ashandra Knightson, anyway.
Even without the others, Ashandra didn't mind. She liked Iris' family and friends, but she preferred spending one-on-one time with her dear friend.
After dinner, Jin Liwei and Dom carried the babies away to sleep, leaving Iris and Ashandra to catch up with each other.
The two ladies sat in a courtyard-style garden with a glass roof. Ashandra sipped a cocktail with low alcohol content while Iris had a mocktail of tropical fruit juices.
"You have a beautiful family, Xiulan," Ashandra commented with a sigh. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Yes, I do." Iris' smile shone under the moonlight.
"I feel a bit envious," Ashandra confessed.
Iris glanced at her.
Ashandra sighed again. "You know that I married very young at nineteen but I still ended up divorcing that son of a b*tch because he wasâno, I hear that he's still a serial womanizer and a total gaslighter. Even now, I still have complicated feelings about my ex. Maybe that's why I still fail to have long-term romantic relationships until now."
Iris settled into a more comfortable position on her seat. She didn't say anything and continued listening to her friend.
Ashandra continued, "We are proud Cross Academy students, certified geniuses. We can reach the top of the world just with our status as Cross Academy students alone. But what's the use of extremely high IQ if we're all alone in the world? That's how I feel sometimes, Xiulan. No, I feel like that more often these days. Perhaps because I see you and our other friends building your own beautiful familiesâwell, except for Florence, she's too busy travelling and making the world a better place with her sustainable inventionsâbut you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean," Iris whispered and thought about her past life as Evelina Vetrova.
What she experienced in her past life should be worse than what Ashandra Knightson was feeling right now. At least, Ashandra was free to do whatever she wanted to do, go wherever she wanted to go, and decide how to live her life on her own terms.
Evelina Vetrova didn't have that right at all.
She was a caged bird dying little by little each day.
Then she died.
But unexpectedly, a miracle occurred.
She was reborn into a different body.
Now she felt like a phoenix that had risen from the ashes.
This life of hers as Iris Long was something that she would never trade for anything in the world, especially the beautiful family she built with Jin Liwei.
Chapter 1510 Most Exclusive Club in the World
Ashandra Knightson felt the atmosphere quickly turning negative. She sniffed and downed her entire cocktail before giving Iris a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that, Xiulan. I had been feeling melancholic for a while now. My latest artworks that I recently completed deal with family, relationships, and roots. So exposing myself to that kind of theme every single day has made me reflect on my own situation."
Iris patted her hand. "That's fine, Ashandra. No need to apologize. Are those artworks the ones that will be included in the exhibition here in Paris?"
"Yes. Oh, right! You reminded me. I'll give you the invitation to my art exhibition later. It will be after your launch party, so the two events shouldn't conflict. I hope that you can come."
"I would love to attend your art exhibition, Ashandra."
The friends chatted for a while more before Iris walked the slightly drunk Ashandra to the guest room. Ashandra didn't forget to give Iris an invitation to her art exhibition before retiring for the night.
Iris walked along the hallway. When she reached the corner, she bumped into her husband who had been waiting there for her. She wasn't surprised because she had already heard him following behind her and her friend.
"Why haven't you slept yet?" she asked, allowing him to support her while walking.
"I can't sleep without you," Jin Liwei replied.
She smiled. "The twins?"
"Sleeping like pigs."
This time, she laughed out loud. Then she stopped walking.
"Hm?" Jin Liwei looked at her with a puzzled smile.
She reached out to him with arms wide open. "I want you to carry me, husband."
He chuckled. "Your wish is my command, wife."
Iris' squeal echoed in the hallways.
The night-shift bodyguards and household staff patrolling the residence looked the other way and pretended that they were air.
###
The next day, everyone got ready for Liberté's launch party.
It wasn't a grand launch at the scale of Orchidia Beauty before, but the level of its quiet luxury was on another level.
Even though the media presence was muted, the level of attendees was like watching the guests arriving for a royal wedding.
Billionaires, multi-millionaires, academics, scientists, athletes, A-list celebrities, aristocrats, and so many other people whose status and influence were undeniable arrived one after another.
Their arrival was also quite low-key that the surrounding areas operated as usual without knowing that so many VIPs were congregating nearby.
Only those who received invitations could attend today's launch party. The actual grand opening of Liberté for the general public was tomorrow.
Uniformed ushers welcomed the guests and led them to their assigned tables. Before the party started, everyone was free to roam around, check out the newly renovated perfumery, and chat with other equally renowned people. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Liberté was able to invite all these impressive people because of its membership in Cross Academy's exclusive business network. Of course, only insiders were aware of Liberté's widely sought-after status in such an exclusive network.
The public only knew that Sang Blue, the perfume maker to European royalty and aristocracy for centuries before its bankruptcy, had been purchased by a Chinese billionaire and then gifted to his wife.
Now the wife rebranded the perfumery into a company called Liberté.
The guests, especially those who only tagged along as plus-ones like the trophy wives and girlfriends, were very curious about the Chinese billionaire and his lucky wife. They didn't know much about the couple from the East.
But they heard that the Chinese billionaire's wife was also a celebrityâa singer, in fact.
The celebrities who became trophy wives among the guests couldn't wait to meet another creature of the same ilk as them. Whether they could be friends (plastic or not) remained to be seen.
The French magnate who offended Jin Liwei yesterday morning knew what was going on in his new wife's mind. Artfully styled hair covered the bump on his forehead.
"Whatever you're thinking of, stop it," he warned her.
The young model pouted while clinging to his arm. "I heard that Liam Jin's wife is a singer. I just want to become friends with her."
The Frenchman sighed. "If you could be friends with her, then that would be a blessing to me. But don't go around thinking that you and Madame Jin are the same kind of people. Even before marrying Liam Jin, Iris Long is already a wealthy heiress."
His new wife continued to pout and even rolled her eyes. "So what if she's an heiress? She's still a singer, isn't she?"
He glared at her. "You don't know anything! Don't look down on Madame Jin and embarrass me or I swear I'll divorce you right here, right now!"
She immediately sobered up. There was no way she would allow her billionaire husband to divorce her before she could milk him of all the benefits that he could provide her. She hadn't even bore him a child yet! The child would be her lifetime meal ticket to the world of unimaginable wealth and luxury even after a divorce.
"Let me tell you that it's better for us to offend Liam than his wife," the French magnate lectured his new, young wife in a low voice. "See that group over there? That's the most powerful group in this room right now. My deceased business partner was once a part of their group. I reached my current success because I tagged along with him and rubbed shoulders with those people. They're at the top of the hierarchy when it comes to everything in the world. Liam is a billionaire, but he's not a direct member of that group. But you know who is a direct member?"
His model wife shook her head.
"His wife," he told her. "Iris Long has more right to interact with that group than her husband, Liam Jin. He might be wealthier in terms of pre-marital assets, but she's more powerful when it comes to connections."
The woman appeared confused.
He continued, "In short, Iris Long or Madame Jin is a direct member of the most exclusive club in the world. So never ever compare yourself to her. She's completely different from you. She might be a singer, but her IQ is definitely many times higher than both of ours combined. So you better behave yourself when we meet her and her husband later!"