Iris froze, feeling the blood drain from her face. She stared at Lu Zihao, her expression filled with incredulity. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. So many thoughts ran chaotically inside her mind, but she couldn't make sense of any of them.
Was it really possible that he could be…?
"Eh? Why are you speaking in Russian? Who's Evelinka?" Yu Mo asked. As a Systema instructor, he knew some basic Russian. However, Lu Zihao spoke too quickly for him to catch everything he said.
Lu Zihao ignored him, continuing to look at Iris. His posture and expression looked relaxed and carefree, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable.
Lin Yehan was about to open his mouth to say something but Wang Yingjie stopped him with a gesture. The three brothers were confused about what was going on between their Fifth Brother and their Third Brother's girlfriend.
After a minute of silence, Iris hesitantly spoke. "B-big brother?" she asked in Russian.
This time, Yu Mo understood it clearly. He didn't think anything was wrong with Iris calling Lu Zihao big brother. After all, just based on age, all of them were her big brothers. But why were the two of them speaking in Russian?
"I'm back, little sister," Lu Zihao replied with a soft smile.
Torrents of tears gushed down Iris' eyes. Her lips trembled, releasing soft whimpers.
The three brothers were alarmed.
Lin Yehan: "Xiulan, are you alright?"
Wang Yingjie silently observed her, but his brows knitted together. She was looking too pale.
"Come," Lu Zihao said, opening up his arms to her.
The next scene shocked the three brothers.
Iris jumped from her seat and dove into their Fifth Brother's arms. She clung to his waist and started wailing, her whole body shaking. The harder she cried, the harder her body shook. Their Fifth Brother was murmuring something they couldn't hear, but whatever he was saying, it was just making her cry even harder.
"Looks like they really know each other," Wang Yingjie commented.
Iris' cries were getting louder and more sorrowful that it alarmed even the servants. They ran to the living area to see what was going on. Seeing the scene, they didn't know how to respond. They decided to stand back and await their master's instructions, if there were any.
###
The phone call Jin Liwei received was an important business one. He took it in a nearby room so that he could speak in private. He just exited the room after finishing the call when he heard the loud cries. He immediately recognized the voice. His heart stopped for a moment before racing wildly inside his chest.
His baby girl was wailing while hugging his Fifth Brother's waist. He had never seen her cry this hard before.
"What the hell is going on?" His cold voice cut through the confusing atmosphere.
Everyone turned to look at him except for his baby girl and Fifth Brother. The two felt like they were in their own little bubble separated from the rest of the world. He didn't like it at all.
Since Lu Zihao was still sitting down on the couch, Iris looked like she was laying on top of his lap.
An ugly feeling surged up within Jin Liwei. He marched towards the two and pulled his baby girl up from his Fifth Brother. She flopped like a limp doll in his arms, still crying. He held her tightly in one arm while his other hand reached for the front of Lu Zihao's shirt.
"What the hell did you do to her?" he growled.
Lu Zihao didn't reply, but he looked at him with extremely cold eyes.
For a moment, Jin Liwei was taken aback by the coldness in his Fifth Brother's eyes. But then he felt his baby girl trembling in his other arm and the fury returned in full force.
"Third Brother, calm down. Let's listen to the two of them first," Lin Yehan tried to reason but he was ignored.
Jin Liwei's hold on Lu Zihao's shirt loosened. He felt surprised at his Fifth Brother's strength. However, he still didn't let go of the shirt.
"We need to calm her down first," Lu Zihao added, looking at Iris.
"Stay away from her!" Jin Liwei didn't want to listen. In his anger, he unconsciously tightened his hold of Iris, making her groan in pain.
Before he knew what was happening, his hand holding Lu Zihao's shirt was grabbed and twisted. He winced as his arm was bent into a painful position. His other arm released Iris and she staggered to the couch.
"How dare you hurt her, you bastard?" Lu Zihao hissed at Jin Liwei. His eyes looked cold yet feral at the same time.
"Third Brother, Fifth Brother, don't fight!" Lin Yehan stepped forward, but backed away again. His instincts were telling him not to go near the two.
"Fourth Brother, break them apart," Wang Yingjie instructed. He looked calm but the furrow between his brows and his narrowed eyes betrayed his anxiety.
Yu Mo didn't respond right away. He was still shocked at his Fifth Brother's smooth move. It was an advanced joint lock. A little more angle and Jin Liwei would've been thrown to the ground. A little more force and his arm would've been broken. To Yu Mo's expert eyes, Lu Zihao was holding back but not too much. It was obvious that Jin Liwei was in extreme pain, even though he was doing his best not to let it show.
"Hurt her again and I'll break your arm," Lu Zihao threatened in a low voice.
"You stupid bastard." Lu Zihao's aura completely changed, turning murderous.
Even the martial artist Yu Mo flinched and stepped back.
The sense of impending danger penetrated through Iris' chaos of emotions. Alarm cleared her thoughts, finally allowing her to clearly see what was happening in front of her. Jin Liwei was bent into a painful position by Lu Zihao.
When she saw Lu Zihao shape his other hand into a claw and aim for Jin Liwei's throat, her body moved before she could even think. She leaped over to them and started attacking Lu Zihao, trying to make him release Jin Liwei.
Lu Zihao blocked all her moves, releasing Jin Liwei in the process. Once Jin Liwei was released, she stopped attacking and went over to Jin Liwei. She quickly checked him for injuries, sighing in relief when he looked alright.
Her heart was still thundering in her chest. If Lu Zihao was really her brother, then that claw would have crushed Jin Liwei's windpipe. It was one of her brother's favourite moves in the past. It almost always resulted in death.
She hugged Jin Liwei, placing her body between the two men. Her eyes were wide in fear. In this position, she looked like she was seeking comfort from Jin Liwei but in actuality, she was protecting him from danger.
"Big Brother, please don't hurt Liwei."
This time she spoke in Mandarin. Everyone understood her.
Jin Liwei, who was still drowning in jealousy, frowned. "Baby, let me go. He can't hurt me."
"You stupid man!" Iris snapped at him. He had no idea how dangerous a situation he was just in.
He was taken aback by her reaction. All he could do was look at his baby girl in confusion.
Iris turned to Lu Zihao again. "Big brother, please. I like Liwei very much."
"Fifth Bro…let's stop this, alright?" Yu Mo finally stepped forward and cautiously put a hand on Lu Zihao's shoulder.
Everyone was very confused but the priority was to break up the fight first. To their relief, Lu Zihao relaxed and reverted to his usual easygoing self. The threatening aura also disappeared. He stuck his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. Then he looked straight at Jin Liwei's eyes.
"Third Brother, I don't see Eveli—Xiulan in the same way that you see her. For me, she's a precious little sister. Don't let jealousy turn you stupid. My relationship with her is purely that of a brother and sister. Let's sit down and talk, shall we? I'll explain everything."