Later that night, Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui released big sighs of relief when they finally lay down on their bed. They talked about what happened earlier during the meeting with the elders.
The tense atmosphere and arguments during the meeting was very exhausting to both of them. Even more so for Long Tengfei who had to mediate between his son and the elders. But he wasn't the head of the family for nothing. After a few moments of venting his frustrations to his wife, he put the matter of the elders aside.
He began to worry about his youngest daughter instead. He partly blamed himself for not properly monitoring contents about Iris in the news. If he had caught a whiff of the latest tabloid news about her, then perhaps he would've been able to stop it from being published.
Yang Jiahui comforted him. "Tengfei, Xiulan is a celebrity. Something like this is common and a way of life for celebrities like her. This is the choice she made for her career. I know that you don't want your daughter to suffer, but she's already an adult. Besides, it's impossible for you to protect her from the harsh realities of life. She also needs to experience all of these in order for her to grow stronger and become more independent. She's doing an excellent job so far, isn't she? All you can do as her parent is to watch over her and lend her a helping hand whenever she needs it."
"You're right."
"And you don't need to worry about her too much anymore. Not only has she grown into an amazing young woman, but she also has Jin Liwei by her side. That boy loves your daughter very much."
A complicated expression appeared on Long Tengfei's face. On one hand, he was happy that his daughter was engaged to a powerful man like Jin Liwei. But on another hand, he thought that his daughter was too young to marry. She should be enjoying her youth more as a single lady. Being a father to a daughter was really difficult. It was hard to let go of his beloved princess and give her hand away in marriage to another man.
He could only sigh and nod. Then he frowned, remembering something.
"I wonder where Wei Lan is right now. What is that woman doing? Our daughter has suffered so many things, yet she has not visited our Xiulan. She hasn't shown herself ever since Xiulan's second coma. The last time we heard from her, she was somewhere in the Mediterranean. Has she abandoned our daughter just because Xiulan is now an adult? Is she still a mother?
Long Tengfei was very displeased about his ex-wife.
"Busy? You mean busy enjoying herself."
"I don't really know Wei Lan personally, but as a fellow woman, I'm sure that she loves her own daughter. She may not know how to act like a proper and caring mother, but there's no way that she'll forget about Xiulan. Your daughter is not someone that is easily forgotten, you know."
Long Tengfei smiled. "Indeed. My daughter is unforgettable."
"I think I heard from Xiao Mei before that Wei Lan sometimes sends Xiulan text messages or pictures of places she visited. I think the last message was sent from Egypt. I'm not very sure."
He frowned. "What's she doing in Egypt? Building a pyramid? Raiding a pharaoh's tomb?"
Yang Jiahui only sighed at her husband's sarcasm. "Anyway, Xiulan doesn't look bothered by her mother's absence, so you shouldn't be. But I still think that it's better to try to find Wei Lan and check up on her just to make sure that she's safe and alright."
"Why should I? We're not married anymore. She's no longer my responsibility."
"I know, but she's still the mother your child. What if we discover that something bad happened to her? Xiulan will be so heartbroken."
Long Tengfei looked unwilling. However, at the mention of his daughter, he could only sigh. "Fine," he muttered, massaging his temples. "I'll ask Cao Guang to assign some people to try and locate Wei Lan. But I bet she's having the time of her life living in luxury with a lover."
"My beloved wife, that was before I met you. Now I only have you in my heart."
Giggles gradually turned into quick breaths and then gentle moans of pleasure. The night drew to a close with satisfied smiles on the husband and wife's faces, as they slept in each other's arms.
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
Everyone at the mansion felt absolutely terrified. Their master was like a walking, seething, furious beast that could explode and rain terror on them at any given moment. Their mistress wasn't any better either. She was like a cold demon queen who could freeze even hell with just a single look. The two of them weren't talking, so the staff didn't dare make any unnecessary sounds.
Jin Liwei fished out his phone from his pocket, but before he could use it, Iris took it from him. He scowled at her.
"Don't be rash," she told him.
"The longer we leave those motherf*ckers alone, the more damaged your reputation becomes," he said through gritted teeth.
She gave him a cold glance but he didn't flinch at all, unlike the poor staff who quaked and quailed. He was too upset to be affected by her icy look.
Jin Liwei looked torn, on the verge of going berserk against the people slandering his baby girl, but he forced himself to nod at her. If she wasn't there trying to stop him, he would've already razed the tabloid paper and the paparazzo who secretly took the photos to the ground. It was difficult, but he controlled his fury.
Yi Mei called them earlier saying that the condo building was once again surrounded by reporters. Although Jin Liwei already upgraded the building's overall security, the risk was still great as there were some residents who began talking to the reporters, telling them stories about seeing Iris with a toddler.
Iris felt furious after hearing about it. When this ordeal was over, she would send out eviction notices to some of the building's loose-tongued residents. It wouldn't be too hard to find reasons for the evictions. Besides, she was the new owner of Gold Heights company. She had all the authority to evict people.
The reporters and rumourmongers wanted to catch sight of Little Jun. It came to a point that some of the reporters managed to infiltrate inside the building with the help of the loose-tongued residents.
It alarmed Jiang Ying Yue. She carried her son and ran to the penthouse, not daring to come out for fear of being mobbed by reporters. The penthouse had the best security in the entire building. However, they couldn't just lock themselves up there forever.
That was why Iris and Jin Liwei sent several groups of his subordinates to help the mother and son escape from the penthouse. Iris would only feel at ease once Little Jun and Jiang Ying Yue safely arrived at the mansion.
Jin Liwei's phone beeped in Iris' hand. It was a message from his subordinate. It read:
"We got them. On our way to the mansion."
Iris felt relieved after reading the message. Then it was her phone that rang next. It was a call from Jin Chonglin. But before she could answer it, Jin Liwei grabbed the phone from her and rejected the call.
"I'm not in the mood to talk to him at the moment. Maybe in a few days," he told her.
"Well, it's my phone he's calling. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."
"I'm not in the mood to allow him to talk to you either."
Her phone started ringing once again. It was still Jin Chonglin. And just like before, Jin Liwei rejected the call.
"You're so childish, Jin Liwei! Give me my phone." She tried reaching for it, but he refused to return it to her. "Give it to me or I'll…I'll…I'll bite you! Very hard!" It was the only threat the she could think of at the moment.
Then the man pulled down his collar and offered his chest to her. "Here, love. Bite me all you want."