The mother and daughter had no idea that ever since the police surrounded the hospital, they had been under surveillance. The hospital fully cooperated with the authorities, not wanting to damage their reputation by protecting a criminal.
All of their conversations were being recorded both on video and audio. The police planned on using the surveillance tapes as part of the evidence against Fan Luo and even Fan Yuming at the criminal trial that was sure to happen.
However, the hacker KeymonSTER didn't want to wait until a criminal trial was scheduled. He hacked into the police system, stole the recordings, and then released them online for everyone to see.
In public, the police condemned the hacker for breaching their security system but they didn't do anything to stop the spread of the tapes. Their Chief ordered them to stay put. By this time, many already noticed that the Chief of Police must have had some sort of grudge against the Fans.
They were wrong, though. The Chief didn't have any grudge against the Fans at all. He was just granting his beloved wife's request to make sure that the Fans, especially Fan Luo, wouldn't have any chance of escaping.
Now the people didn't only hate Fan Luo but also her mother, Fan Yuming. The headlines exploded once again.
"Like Mother, Like Daughter: Evil Spawns Evil"
"'I Made the Fans Great!', Fan Yuming Says, Reveals She Used Friendship With Madam Jin to Climb the Social Ladder"
"Fan Yuming Insults Madam Jin, Calls Her a Dumb Fool Who Has Nothing But Beauty"
"Fan Yuming Wanted to Become Madam Jin?"
Jin Family's Old House.
The tablet fell to the floor. The video of Fan Yuming insulting Huang Yuyan was still playing. Each and every hurtful words were like knives stabbing painfully at Huang Yuyan's heart. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Was this her best friend? Her sister?
Perhaps Huang Yuyan still could've ignored the insults to her person. After all, she was well aware that she wasn't the smartest nor the strongest woman. She knew her own weaknesses. She could've written off the insults as something that Fan Yuming said at the heat of the moment.
However, Huang Yuyan couldn't accept that the person she treated like her closest sister wanted to marry her late husband, even fantasizing about becoming Madam Jin. For Huang Yuyan, her husband was her bottom line. What Fan Yuming said was just too shameless. It completely shattered her illusion of friendship.
Huang Yuyan bit hard on her lower lip in frustration until it bled. Her eyes watered but she wiped them furiously. She didn't want to cry over a traitor who used her in the pretense of friendship and sisterhood.
"I'm so stupid," she said.
"Yes. You've been very stupid," Grandma Li replied.
"Mother…please tell me how I can become strong. I know that I'm dumb, weak and gullible. And that my own children coddle me. I want to become stronger for them, for our Jin family and for myself. I don't want anyone to suffer anymore because of my own weakness. Please tell me, Mother."
Grandma Li looked at her daughter-in-law with a serious expression. "You've already taken the first step. You don't become strong in a day. Learn from your past mistakes."
Huang Yuyan nodded, her lips trembling. "I'm so sorry…"
"My dear, it's not me who you should apologize to. Our Liwei isn't saying anything, but I know that you've hurt your eldest son's feelings by ignoring his many attempts to talk to you. Your refusal to speak with him because of those evil Fans is an unjustified punishment. As for Little Chonglin, hai, what can I say? I don't think he would even give that evil girl attention if not for you." Grandma Li shook her head, sighing. "So Yuyan, if you want to redeem yourself and become stronger, start making amends with your own children first."
With that, Grandma Li left Huang Yuyan to ponder over her own foolishness.
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
It was already evening when Iris woke up. Although her surroundings were unfamiliar to her, she still felt at home in the arms of her man and the purring warmth of their two fur ball kids. She snuggled deeper in Jin Liwei's embrace, inhaling his masculine scent that she liked so much.
"Baby?" He stayed awake holding her the entire time.
"Mmn…Missed you…" she murmured.
His arms tightened around her. They embraced each other until Ice Cream and Popcorn started meowing loudly at them. The kittens were hungry.
"No. I don't really have an appetite especially after what happened today, but I'll try to eat."
At the mention of what happened earlier, her expression suddenly turned vicious before she was able to control it.
The expression was so unlike her that Jin Liwei was taken aback. His heart hammered inside his chest. Apprehension whirled within him, threatening to overwhelm him until he almost couldn't breathe. He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He strengthened his resolve in preparation for his confession later.
The two freshened up before carrying their kittens out of the bedroom suite. They headed to the dining area.
Iris kept looking around, curious at Jin Liwei's mansion. It was massive…and lifeless. The servants avoided eye contact and stayed quiet as much as possible, only greeting them briefly as per their duty. The place reminded her of the Vetrov estate.
Jin Liwei noticed her expression. "You don't like my house?"
She hesitated before answering. "It's not that I don't like it. This place is beautiful and elegant but…it feels like a necropolis."
He nodded, not surprised by her answer. "I get that a lot. If you don't like it here, we can buy another house together. Whatever you want, we'll get it."
She smiled at him. "Okay. I'll think about it. Grandpa Lu says that I should start investing in real estate anyway. But this place is good. Let's keep it. We just need to add more life to it."
His heart was filled with so much love for her that it felt like it was going to burst. However, fear and anxiety tainted the wonderful feeling. He almost blurted out the truth to her right then and there but stopped himself. He decided that he would confess everything to her after dinner.
The household staff served them a late dinner. They were extra attentive and more enthusiastic than usual because of Iris' presence. She smiled and thanked them, making them blush regardless of their age and gender.
Lu Zihao and Dom already ate earlier, but the glutton Dom joined them again to have another round of dinner. But first, he fed Ice Cream and Popcorn. A maid tried taking the kittens, but they hissed and bared their claws at the stranger. They only calmed down and reluctantly left their Mommy and Daddy's side once Dom arrived to take them. As for Lu Zihao, he seemed to have left and went somewhere.
Both Iris and Jin Liwei had no appetite during dinner. Ice Cream and Popcorn ate more than them.
After dinner, Jin Liwei toured Iris around the mansion while Dom took care of the kittens, helping them familiarize with the place and the household staff.
The two reached a rotunda with a glass dome where they could see all the twinkling stars in the night sky up above their heads.
Iris was admiring the place, while Jin Liwei was soaking in his own sweat because of his anxiety. He had met so many famous figures in the world and gave important speeches before, but he had never felt this nervous and afraid.
Finally, he decided to do it.
"Baby…I need to…I have something important to tell you."
"I've done something unforgivable to you. But even so, I still hope that you'll forgive me." He reached for her hands and held them. Without breaking eye contact, he knelt in front of her.
"Liwei! What are you doing?!" Iris was confused. At first, she thought he was going to propose but his expression looked off. She tried pulling him up but couldn't.
He tightened his hold on her hands. "Please listen to me. I…"
He confessed everything that happened two years ago. He started from his mother's birthday ball and overhearing Fan Luo. He told her all the sequences of events as he remembered them without trying to justify himself in the process. He gave her the unvarnished truth, the words rushing out of his mouth in an almost mechanical manner. Nevertheless, his trembling voice and pleading expression gave away his real emotional state.
"I'm so sorry," he said when he finished confessing. "Baby, I love you so much! Please forgive me. I regret all of the things I've done to you in the past. Believe me. I promise that I'll do anything for you from now on. You're the most important person in my life. Just please, I beg you, forgive me."
Iris froze into a statue of shocked disbelief, but her heart melted seeing him agonizing so much. Her expression softened.
"Liwei, I—"
She gasped.
Intense fury suddenly flared within her. Murderous intent flooded her veins like a lava blazing through her rationality.
Then she attacked him.