Jin Liwei didn’t allow himself to be intimidated. He looked at his brother-in-law straight in the eyes. “Your sister is my wife. So no, I’m not getting out of your way unless you stop shouting at my wife.”
”You motherfucking—”
”Big Brother, that’s enough.” Iris pulled her husband away.
Sensing that the two men might fight each other, her stimulated emotions calmed down quickly. Her logical reasoning returned. She analyzed that it wouldn’t benefit anyone if this argument continued.
Unfortunately, her brother remained in a triggered state. This was the first time that he looked at her with such fury as if he wanted to lop her head off from her neck.
”Don’t you fucking tell me what to do, Evelinka,” he growled. “Someone who has forgotten her true origins and refuse to acknowledge it has no right to lecture me on how I deal with my own past.”
His words were like an arrow shot straight into her heart. It hurt. She actually had to clutch her chest from the pain. “Big Brother, that’s not—”
”That’s low, Nikolai,” Jin Liwei defended his wife.
”What low?” Lu Zihao sneered. “It’s the fucking truth! Your wife’s soul is a Vetrov! Don’t delude yourself into thinking that she’s Long Xiulan because she’s not! Just like how I’m Nikolai Vetrov and not your fucking fifth brother!”
Jin Liwei snapped. “You fucking asshole!”
”Liwei, no!” Iris grabbed him by the waist and pulled her husband with all her might. “Stop it, please!”
It was a good thing that Jin Liwei still had a sliver of his sanity remaining amidst his own anger. He immediately stopped when his wife told him to stop. His main priority was to protect his wife. Anything else was secondary, including teaching his brother-in-law a lesson which he wanted to do so badly especially right now that the man was being such a big jerk.
Iris faced her brother while Jin Liwei embraced her in a protective manner.
She told Lu Zihao, “It’s true that I have been running away from my past, from our past as Vetrovs. But that’s because I’ve never felt so alive than I am right now as Long Xiulan. I was a walking dead as Evelina Vetrova, Big Brother. I thought you knew that. I thought you understood me. But how could you really understand what I felt? You were the heir, the one Mother and Father had been grooming to lead the organization in the next generation, while I was the worthless daughter. You know what? You’re right. I hold no bonds whatsoever with the past.
”You want to know the truth? I was actually glad to die that night. I thought that I was going to be free at last from the life that I believed was a suffocating cage for me. I thought that there was nothing after death and I accepted that. Then I woke up as Long Xiulan. Do you know how happy, how ecstatic, how thrilled I felt? This new life is a new beginning for me. I love it! You may not like to hear this but I love my life now as Long Xiulan more than my life as Evelina Vetrova.
”You may think that I’m a traitor, and in a way, maybe I am. Yes, I’m selfish and only think about my own happiness. But am I wrong to want to be happy? Am I wrong to chase after my passions and dreams now that I’m free to do so? Am I wrong to build a wonderful family with my husband and our children? Big Brother, tell me, am I wrong? In your eyes, am I really wrong?!”
Lu Zihao’s expression was unreadable but his eyes revealed the chaotic tempest of his emotions.
Iris closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was only calmness fortified with resolution in them. “Just as you dislike me lecturing you about how you handle your past, then I also dislike you lecturing me about how I handle my own past.”
He gritted his teeth but still didn’t say anything.
”Big Brother, you may not believe me but I also want the people who caused our downfall and annihilation in the past to pay, not because I have deep hatred for them like you do but because they are a danger to my peaceful life that I have with my family. You want revenge? In a way, so do I. But I believe that there are better, smarter methods to get revenge than a reckless zero-sum game.
”It wasn’t my intention to criticize you or to fight with you. All I want is to remind you that you also have your own family now just like me. Even if you don’t care about yourself, please don’t be so blinded by revenge that you forget about your wife and children. If something happens to you, Big Sister Jinjing will be so heartbroken. Look at her. She’s in therapy to help her avoid getting post-partum depression. If she loses you, she’ll go crazy! Therapy might not even save her. Also, don’t you want to watch Little Misha and Little Dima grow up with your own eyes? Your family needs you, Big Brother.”
Silence.
Jin Liwei’s entire body was taut as he observed the situation. He was worried that his wife would completely provoke Lu Zihao into going out of control. Even though he didn’t think that the man would lay a hand on his own sister, there was always a first time for everything. It was better to be safe than sorry.
”Ugh!” Lu Zihao clutched his head and groaned. He also staggered on his feet.
”Big Brother?” Iris stepped forward to help him but the wary Jin Liwei held her back.
Lu Zihao threw her a final glare before turning and leaving in a rush, almost stumbling on his own feet.
Iris wanted to follow him. He didn’t look alright. She was worried about him.
”Leave him,” Jin Liwei told her.
”But—”
”Love, give him some time,” he said in a firm tone. He also held her firmly, not allowing her to slip past him. “Your brother needs some space by himself to process what happened and all the things both of you said to each other. I’m sure that you also need to do the same.”
She sighed. Now that her brother left, the gravity of what just happened was starting to catch up to her. The quarrel left her reeling and hurt.
Her eyes stung but she was calm enough not to cry. Nevertheless, the pain still made it a challenge to breathe properly. Her chest felt like it was being squeezed.
”I can’t believe that just happened,” she murmured.
Jin Liwei hugged her and kissed her forehead. “You’ll be fine, love. You did the right thing in saying those words to him.”
Truth be told, Jin Liwei was pissed off at his brother-in-law. The words that the man said to his own sister were really hurtful. If it weren’t for his wife stopping him, Jin Liwei might really have punched Lu Zihao. The chances of winning was almost close to zero but it didn’t matter. His brother-in-law deserved a punch in the face for hurting his wife’s heart.
At the same time, Jin Liwei felt proud of his wife. She managed to remain calm despite the volatile situation and conveyed her thoughts in a clear manner to her brother. Whether Lu Zihao accepted what she said or not was another matter.
Neither Iris nor Jin Liwei could force Lu Zihao to change his way of thinking. Only Lu Zihao could change it himself. All they could do was try to persuade him. If it worked, then great. If not, then it would be a pity.
Iris sighed again. “I regret triggering my brother. This is the first time that we quarreled so seriously like this. But…I don’t regret the things that I said to him. Those were my real thoughts.”
”I know.” He stroked her back, trying to soothe her. “Your brother has been on edge for a while now. If it wasn’t you today, he would have been triggered by someone or something else. It’s not your fault.”
She took comfort in his arms and his scent. The fight with her brother was really hurtful, but oddly enough, it also felt cathartic.
There was a sense of relief that she was finally able to share the truth with her brother regarding her true thoughts and feelings about her past as Evelina Vetrova and her present as Long Xiulan.
She didn’t know if her relationship with her brother would change for the better or worse after this. Regardless of what happened in the future, she would always love her brother no matter what. Even if he ceased treating her the same way as before, it was enough that she still cared for him as her beloved brother. She would continue to help keep him safe whether he liked it or not.
Not wanting to dwell on the matter anymore, she changed the subject and asked her husband, “How come you’re here so quickly?”
”Ketchup alerted me,” Jin Liwei replied. “I rushed here from our home office.”
She understood. There was no need for additional explanation.
”Let’s go see our babies,” she said.
”En.”
They headed to the nursery room while holding hands. There was a tacit understanding between them not to speak about Lu Zihao for the rest of the day.
