Long Jian didn't consider his youngest half-sister, Long Xiulan, as a threat. The one he wanted to overpower was the heir, Long Hui.
He heard from Long Xiaopeng's latest report that Long Hui was having a difficult time with the elders after leaving the ancestral residence to move in with his lover and his child. The elders thought that it was disgraceful. They were accusing him of disregarding his duty as heir of the Long family.
Their father's birthday would be coming in a few days. All of the Longs would be gathering together for a grand celebration in honour of Long Tengfei. Long Jian couldn't wait to witness with his own eyes how Long Hui was being suppressed by the elders and the other members of the Long family.
'Now he'll experience something similar to the oppression that I experienced just because I'm an illegitimate son. Let's see if he can handle it. The Crown Prince will soon fall,' he thought.
Long Jian passed through other tables along the way. It was dinner time, so there were a lot of diners eating at the moment. A line-up also formed by the entrance for people waiting for the next available tables. The restaurant was very busy.
It looked like a small accident happened between a waiter and a diner. There were spilled food and broken plates all over the floor. Long Jian's way back to the private dining room was currently blocked until the mess on the floor was cleaned up.
Annoyed at the inconvenience, he sighed and waited by the side. A group of young office ladies were dining at a nearby table.
"Did you hear about the latest news? Iris Long is nominated for Best Original Score in the upcoming Diamond Guild Film Awards."
"Of course I know! I'm a Black Star and we're the first ones to hear any news about our Boss Iris. She's so awesome! After winning those insane number of awards at the Harmony Music Awards, she's nominated again for another award. I'm just in awe of her!"
"Ah, the competition is much fiercer this time than at the music awards, though. She's up against veteran composers who already won this award several times in the past. Based on what most of the film industry experts are predicting, Iris Long is not a favourite to win."
"That's because the song has been released as another version before. It's not eligible for Best Original Song. How unfortunate. I think that if it was eligible, then it has the best chance of winning among the nominees in that category. Too bad that it wasn't nominated. But still, it's already impressive that she's nominated for Best Original Score. That's another achievement under Iris Long's belt."
"As a Black Star, I'm so proud of Boss Iris. This is definitely her year. Her star is just getting bigger and brighter."
Finally, the mess on the way had been cleaned up. Long Jian gave a last glance at the office ladies before heading to the private dining room where his soon-to-be former co-workers were waiting for him.
He thought about what he just heard about his youngest half-sister.
'That's all she is, a showgirl. So what if she shines in showbiz? She'll never be an important existence in the Long family. The final battle for succession will be between me and Long Hui.'
According to the elders, Long Xiulan was even more of a bigger shame to the Long family than Long Jian and Long Jinjing, who were the children born from mistresses. As a public figure, every scandal she got involved in would be exposed to the masses. This was absolutely shameful in the elders' eyes because they thought that it tarnished the family name.
And by getting closer to her, Long Hui was damaging his reputation and standing within the family.
Long Jian's lips lifted into a smirk at the thought. When he opened the door to the private dining room, the smirk transformed into a gentle smile as he greeted his co-workers.
###
After putting Little Jun to sleep in the bedroom, Jiang Ying Yue headed to the open kitchen where Long Hui was working on some documents by the granite island. The laptop in front of him displayed a spreadsheet with complicated numbers. Despite being busy with work, he still paused what he was doing to smile at Jiang Ying Yue when he heard her approach.
"Is our son asleep?" he asked.
"Yes. It's harder to put him to sleep now because he has more excess energy. When Xiulan was still living upstairs in the penthouse, Little Jun would play with Ice Cream and Popcorn until he tired himself out," Jiang Ying Yue said.
"Should we get him a cat, then? Hmm. But I personally prefer a dog…"
Jiang Ying Yue smiled. She stood behind him and started massaging his shoulders. He groaned and enjoyed her massage.
"Finish your work. We'll talk about getting a pet next time," she told him.
"Give me a kiss first."
Her cheeks blushed, but she still leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. It was a soft, lingering kiss filled with sweetness.
"Hmm. Nice…"
"Hurry up and finish your work. I don't want you staying up too late again," she told him with a light laugh.
He sighed and smiled at the same time before nodding. Then he resumed working.
They were at the unit gifted by Iris to Little Jun. Before Long Hui and Jiang Ying Yue got together again, she and Little Jun barely stayed at the unit. They only used it as a place to sleep. They mostly spent their time upstairs at the penthouse.
But now that Long Hui moved in with them, the place was feeling more and more like a home. They were spending more time in here compared to before. Of course, they still visited Yi Mei and the others upstairs at the penthouse, but Long Hui preferred that they spend more time as a family together.
As the new head of security of the condo building, Jiang Ying Yue didn't need to leave the place anymore for work. She now had more time for her family. It was like a dream come true.
Her earlier worries about her relationship with Long Hui gradually stopped bothering her so much. Despite this, she still couldn't completely erase the fear that this happy moment would be shattered someday.
But she loved Long Hui and wanted to have a happy family with him and their son. She already gave up on him once before when she was a vulnerable young pregnant woman. Although fear and anxiety still lingered in her heart, she wanted to try again with him, especially since he was trying so hard to assure her with both his words and actions. If she still pushed him away, then it would truly be unfair to him.
She left him to his work and headed to the living area. Then she switched on the TV to watch the evening entertainment news. She started watching them because of Iris.
"Successful interior designer, Wu Qianxi, finally returns to the country for good after living and working on and off in America for a number of years. Her clients include some of the most famous celebrities in the world and even designed the home of a Danish princess. She says that she is excited to be back home and to reconnect with old friends. Some may remember that she dated Long Hui a few years ago. Long Hui is the heir of Long Industries and also the elder brother of multi-award-winning musician Iris Long…"