Jin Liwei felt even more confused by her questions. However, he could sense that his answers were very important to her. So even when he felt utterly confused, he still did his best to answer her questions to the best of his ability.
He framed her beautiful face between his large hands. He looked directly at her eyes, trying to convey his sincerity to her as much as possible.
"Love, like I just said, you are the one I love. Only you. If you're not really Long Xiulan, then I don't love Long Xiulan. The one I love is you, whoever you are." He dipped his head to kiss her gently on the lips. "If you ever disappear, then my love will also disappear. Your body is just a husk. If you're not in it, then it's not you."
Iris continued gazing at him, feeling like she was floating over the clouds. However, she still continued to ask him. "Will you really know it's not me, even if it's the same body?"
"Of course," he immediately replied. Then he put a fist on his chest over his heart. "We're connected here. If it's not you, I won't feel anything here. Don't underestimate my love for you."
She nodded. "Okay."
They continued embracing each other. Iris just fell in love with Jin Liwei more deeply at that moment. She could really feel how much he loved her. It brought her so much happiness.
'Someday, maybe I'll tell him everything or maybe not,' she thought.
As for Jin Liwei, he felt relieved that his baby girl finally relaxed. He was still very confused by her questions but love was love. It didn't need any explanations. He loved her and that was what mattered.
Then he remembered what they were talking about earlier.
"Hm? What is it?" she asked.
"I just want to tell you that you don't have to risk your health for birth control. There is no need for you to ingest a pill every day, or be injected with something, or have a foreign object inserted inside yourself," he told her. "I don't mind wearing condoms. I'll wear it until you're ready to bear my child."
She pondered about it. "We almost tore a few condoms already. You're very wild, you know…"
A slight smirk lightened his serious expression. "Only me? But I remember a few instances when someone kept on waking me up to ride me in the middle of the night—"
She giggled. Her cheeks turned slightly red, but she didn't really look embarrassed at all. "Okay, I'm wild too. We're both wild."
"En." He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Don't worry too much. I already switched to a different condom. It's supposed to be more durable."
"Oh, good."
"But of course, no matter how durable it is, it's still not 100% foolproof. Other than abstaining from sex which I don't want us to do, there is no birth control that is 100% protected. If you become pregnant, I'll be ecstatic. I'm always ready to have a child with you," he told her.
She looked at him nervously.
He pulled her again into his arms and kissed the top of her head. He gently rubbed her back, soothing her anxiety. "But of course, we'll wait until you're ready. Don't ever feel pressured about bearing my children, love. From now on, we'll take everything one step at a time. Okay?"
"Okay."
After that conversation between them, Iris and Jin Liwei became even closer to each other. She still felt nervous about the idea of bearing her own child because of her mother issues, but she never doubted that Jin Liwei would be an amazing father. That thought alone was making her a bit more comfortable with the idea of becoming a mother herself.
Back to the present.
After a day of tireless lovemaking in the hotel, Iris and Jin Liwei spent the next day exploring the city and enjoying the sights. It was mostly a business-focused city. That was why it was chosen as the venue for this year's international business conference.
Both of them were in full disguise. They wore sunglasses, face masks and hats. Usually, it would only be Iris who would wear a disguise, but there were still some paparazzi remaining in the city.
Jin Liwei was heavily featured in the news recently because of Jin Corporation's big presence during the international business conference. Those who followed the conference on the news would easily recognize him without the disguise.
Finally, they returned home the next day.
They spent a couple days more just enjoying each other's company before they returned to their own respective works. Both of them immediately became very busy.
Jin Liwei led Jin Corporation into negotiating and finalizing the deals they obtained from the international business conference. These deals, once successful, would reinforce Jin Corporation's position as the number one company in the country and one of the most powerful multi-national presences in Asia.
It was Dom who explained everything to her.
"Boss, of course you became even more famous! Everyone now knows that you're a genius! TV programs keep on featuring you speaking so many languages. Whenever someone recognizes the handsome and gorgeous me as your assistant, I feel so proud! Ehehehe."
Tang Yiyi also nodded. "Iris, we have received so many interview offers for you. I would like you to accept some of them and talk about your linguistic skills. This is an opportunity for the public to see a completely different side of you besides the musician and young beauty that you are. Working as an interpreter at the international business conference put you in a brighter spotlight than if you participated in the Bright Summit All-Stars summer concert. The concert was absolutely crazy, the competition extremely fierce. Only very few celebrities were able to shine brightly during the concert."
"I personally watched the concert, boss, so I agree with Elder Sis Yiyi. I think that Boss Brother Jin Chonglin shone the brightest. And oh! Pandemonium also rocked the stage. Almost everyone was screaming for them, including the gorgeous me. Ehehehe. Eros was so hot…wait, Night was also hot. Eh? What to do? I can't decide which was hotter!" Dom squealed and fanned himself dramatically with his hands.
Tang Yiyi rolled her eyes at Dom before speaking to Iris once again. "The Pandemonium boys have improved a lot on their techniques after working with you on 'Monster of Insanity'. Both Eros and Night improved the most…"
The three continued to talk about things that Iris missed during her leave. Both Dom and her manager helped her catch up. They also discussed her full schedule for the next few months.
During this busy period, the Long elders made several attempts to meet Iris. At first, they "summoned" her. Iris snorted in disdain. Summon her? Who did the elders think they were? Some royalty who could summon whoever they wanted?
The only people she really cared about from the Long family were Long Tengfei, Yang Jiahui and Meimei. Long Hui? Not so much. She tolerated him because he was the father of her godson and the fiancé of her friend. Of course, Little Jun was also a Long but she considered him as part of her and Jin Liwei's family more than the Longs.
If it was Long Tengfei who "summoned" her, she would probably listen depending on his reason for doing so. But the Long elders? No way.
These ill feelings also weren't as intense anymore compared to when she experienced them full-force during Long Tengfei's birthday. That time, her emotions were highly unstable and almost made her lose control.
But now she felt more in control of them.
After several failed attempts of "summoning" her, the elders tried a different tactic. They started sending her gifts and (not so subtly) asking her to formally introduce her fiancé, Lu Zihao, to the entire Long clan. They also expressed their desire to form a closer connection to her future grandfather-in-law, Sir Lu Jianhong.
Iris only ignored them. She decided to focus on her family with Jin Liwei, her career and businesses, rather than on wasting her time and brain cells on the Longs who only knew how to look down on others and overestimate themselves.
She didn't think much of them. However, they began to think highly of her during the international business conference. When the media started describing her as a genius, Long Hui silently lost a lot of his support within the clan. Many decided to support Iris instead.
It wasn't only because she would become the future Madam Lu anymore. Some of the Longs were already starting to think that she would become a more suitable successor than Long Hui.
A vicious battle of succession was about to engulf the Longs.