The Christmas Eve celebration ended on a high note with Lu Zihao's successful marriage proposal to Long Jinjing. A few days later, the year also officially ended amidst a thick blanket of snow.
Iris and Jin Liwei chose to welcome the New Year together at home. This time, they didn't host a party because most people preferred to celebrate the New Year at the comfort of their own homes. Nevertheless, it wasn't lonely. On the contrary, the couple and their loved ones couldn't be any happier as they said goodbyes to the old year and ushered the New Year.
The holiday atmosphere quickly ended as people returned to work as usual. This was also true to Iris and Jin Liwei especially after the Chua family left and returned to the Philippines.
By this time, Iris' baby bump continued to grow bigger although she still didn't look pregnant yet when wearing loose clothing. Unless she wore figure-hugging clothes, others wouldn't notice that she was pregnant at all.
Work picked up quickly during this time of the New Year and soon everyone became busy. Jin Corporation maintained its position as the number one multinational company in the country. Yet instead of spending more time at work, Jin Liwei quickly shed his reputation as a workaholic.
The time he spent in the company became lesser and lesser. At first, the board of directors became worried that his shortened work hours would negatively affect the company's performance and profits. Then Jin Liwei showed them his might as a business leader, letting the results speak for themselves.
"It's not about quantity but the quality of work," he coldly told them during a meeting.
The voices of dissatisfaction were silenced. Still, Jin Liwei didn't allow himself to grow complacent. Even though he expressed his willingness to become a househusband many times before to assure his wife that their family was more important than his work, it didn't mean that he would allow the company to fall into ruins under his leadership.
His sense of responsibility had always been strong when it came to Jin Corporation. The company was the fruit of Grandfather Jin and Grandpa Lu's blood, sweat and tears after all. It would be a huge disrespect to the two elders if Jin Corporation collapsed in his hands. The least he could do was to maintain its glory before handing it to the next generation. For him, continuing this legacy was an important mission.
More importantly, he wanted his children to inherit the company and continue the legacy just like what he was doing right now. Of course, he wouldn't force his children if they didn't want to manage the company. His wife would most definitely be the first one to fight him if he ever forced any of their children towards careers that they didn't want.
These thoughts played in his mind as he sat behind his desk inside his top-floor office. His lips curved up and his gaze softened. It was a typical workday at Jin Corporation but his mind wasn't all filled with work.
There were no urgent tasks today so he had time to take frequent breaks to view his wife's photos on his phone. This had become a daily habit of him to relax himself.
His thumb paused when the current photo on his phone showed the latest ultrasound image of his wife. His soft smile became a grin. His twins were no longer small beans. They were growing well. Anticipation filled him. He and his wife would finally meet their human babies soon this coming summer, spring if the twins decided to come earlier than their due dates.
"As long as you don't put your mother through unnecessary pain and hardship, I won't hold it against you," he murmured, softly scolding his yet unborn twins through their ultrasound photo.
"Daddy, daddy!" Ketchup's adorable child's voice interrupted him.
He glanced at his computer monitor to see his AI daughter jumping in excitement.
"Uncle Dom says that Mommy will come here at the company to eat lunch with Daddy after her meeting at Orchidia Beauty! Is Daddy excited? Of course, you are! The cute and mighty Ketchup is super-duper to the highest level excited, too! Meow~"
Jin Liwei chuckled. His expression was the epitome of pure joy. After confirming with Ketchup the time his wife would arrive, he decided to be productive and finish as many tasks as he could so that he could spend quality time with his family without any worries later.
But before that, he used his phone as an electronic key to open a small, newly-added hidden drawer under his desk. It slid open. Then he took out a framed photo and stared at it, mesmerized.
The candid photo showed a gorgeous woman with a subtle smile. Her golden-blonde hair shone while her emerald-green eyes looked as if they were filled with profound mysteries.
He touched the beautiful face, tracing the soft, delicate lines on the photo.
"Evelina," he whispered.
No matter how many times he looked at his wife's photos of her past self, he always felt his heart drum as if something within him wanted to jump out of his body, out of this time and place, and find his wife in her past self. His heart was filled with love, of course, but it also ached whenever he remembered the tragedy his wife experienced in her past life.
He sighed, his eyes lingering on the beautiful woman, before returning the framed photo in the hidden drawer and locking it again out of sight.
It took him a few minutes to reorient his frame of mind and continue working on his tasks.
About an hour later, his grin was back as he personally picked up his wife at the lobby downstairs. Iris' arrival was soon spread throughout the company. The Black Stars within the company almost couldn't contain their excitement.
Jin Liwei swiftly led his wife to his top-floor office, not giving his employees a chance to pester his wife and intrude in their lovey-dovey time. It was up to him to control his employees because his wife would never disregard her fans no matter the time and place.
The Black Stars working in his company had long resented him for this but he didn't give a damn.. Not one bit.
