The next morning, the lovers woke up at dawn with only a few hours of sleep. Iris forced herself out of bed to join Jin Liwei for breakfast, even though her work wouldn’t start until later. He tried persuading her to return to bed but she insisted on accompanying him.
She took the time while Jin Liwei was showering and dressing up in his business suit to fight off sleep and roll out of the bed.
Groggy from the lack of sleep, Iris walked like a zombie with Jin Liwei out of their bedroom suite to the breakfast table. Ice Cream and Popcorn greeted them.
The two cats were usually the ones who accompanied their daddy during breakfast whenever their mommy was still asleep. They also liked watching the chef cook (and stealing some scraps of food when he wasn’t looking).
Iris carried the two cats in her arms. Ice Cream had slimmed down a lot, although she was still bigger compared to Popcorn. At least now the veterinarian didn’t scold Dom anymore whenever he brought the cats for their regular check-up. However, they had to continue monitoring her weight because she had the tendency to overeat.
While eating traditional Chinese breakfast of congee and a wide array of side dishes, Iris gradually became more awake. She chatted with Jin Liwei and was extra attentive to him, serving him food and doting on him—things that he usually did for her.
Jin Liwei’s eyebrows rose at her unusual behaviour but he didn’t stop her. Why would he? He was immensely enjoying it, thank you very much.
After pouring him more coffee, Iris hesitated a bit. She wanted to talk to him about something but worried that it would ruin the nice atmosphere between them.
He noticed her hesitation. “What is it, love? Tell me.”
“Can you…” She cleared her throat and tried again. “Can you tell me more about your anniversary present for me? I want to know about the French perfumery you gifted me.”
“Darling, please. Don’t be like this.” She grabbed his hand on top of the table and held it. “It’s your anniversary present to me. I’ll keep it. I really will.”
He clasped their hands together. “You don’t have to force yourself to like it.”
“Tell me more about it, then. I’ll decide whether I like it or not after hearing more about it. Okay?”
“Hmm…” He took a few moments to think about it while sipping his coffee.
Iris waited for him. She massaged his hand clasped with hers, hoping that by doing so would soften him. It was partly her fault anyway that he had become prejudiced against the French perfumery, blaming it for causing their fight last night.
When he finished the entire cup of coffee without giving her an answer, she moved from her seat and sat on his lap instead. She gave him several smacking kisses on the cheeks, deciding to use the honey trap instead to persuade him.
“Tell me, please,” she asked again, batting her eyelashes at him.
His mouth twitched seeing her puppy eyes. He immediately softened, but he was enjoying her honey trap so he pretended to be unaffected. And it worked. His baby girl continued raining kisses all over his face and caressing him all over with her hands. After enjoying her tender loving care for some time, he finally relented.
“Alright, I’ll tell you about the perfumery.”
Sang Bleu was an old French perfumery established more than a hundred years ago. It was a family-owned business that originally catered to French aristocrats before gaining fans from other European nobilities and even some royalty.
Times changed but Sang Bleu refused to sell to regular people, stubbornly making their perfumes exclusive to people who had “blue blood” only. On one hand, it made their perfumes more desirable. But on the other hand, they were condemned for their discriminatory mindset.
“Oh. They’re just like the Longs,” Iris commented.
Jin Liwei chuckled. “I think you’re forgetting that you’re also a Long, love.”
She gave him a teasing smile. “That’s only for now. I’ll be Mrs. Jin in the future.”
His breath caught in his throat. Then the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk. “Oh? Are you excited to become Mrs. Jin?”
“Maybe,” she replied, drawing circles on his chest with a finger.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She nodded.
Even with the rise of the nouveau riche and the decline of the nobility’s power and influence, Sang Bleu still didn’t change. Their “exclusive” perfumes became increasingly associated with prejudice.
To appear as inclusive as possible and to present a good image to the public, the perfumery’s noble clientele began boycotting the perfumes. It came to a point that only a French marchioness was its sole client. When the lady died, Sang Bleu was also left on its last breaths.
Its new owner was from the direct line of the family who owned the perfumery. However, she had no interest in trying to revive a bankrupt business, so she decided to sell it to the highest bidder instead. Unfortunately, there weren’t many bidders who wanted a company with such a prejudiced reputation. That was until Jin Liwei came along.
He came to know about Sang Bleu while chatting with French executives during the international business conference. After a rigorous inquiry about the perfumery, he decided to purchase it for his baby girl. The new owner immediately sold it to him, afraid that he would back out like everyone else if she tried raising the price.
Iris tilted her head to the side after hearing about the perfumery’s history.
“It’s already bankrupt? Darling, please explain. I don’t understand why you would give me a bankrupt company.”
“Although it’s now bankrupt and technically doesn’t exist anymore, it still retains its high-end resources and connections in making perfumes. Don’t forget that this was a company that catered to nobility and even royalty at some point. Remember when I discouraged you from accepting a perfume endorsement before? Didn’t I suggest that you create your own line instead? I just thought that it would be easier for you to do that if I gift you the resources of Sang Bleu,” he told her.
Her eyes widened after hearing his explanation of why he gifted her another company for their anniversary. She felt guilty once again for not appreciating his present last night, hurting his feelings and even causing them to fight.
This man always thought about her. It seemed that she was always his number one priority in whatever he did. His thoughtfulness touched her deeply.
“You don’t have to force yourself to like it, love. Don’t worry. I can always sell it,” he said. His voice was muffled because his face was squished against her breasts.
He didn’t complain because he was loving it. He even rubbed his face deeper in the valley between her soft mounds. She just woke up and wasn’t wearing any bra underneath her pyjamas and robe.
“No, I’m already the new owner of Sang Bleu, so you can’t sell it anymore without my consent,” she said, enjoying the feeling of his head on her chest.
After kissing her soft mounds on top of her clothes, Jin Liwei finally lifted his head and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
“Alright. Do whatever you want to do with the perfumery. It’s yours now,” he told her.
“Okay. I’ll probably merge it with Orchidia Beauty. I’ll have to discuss this with the Bauer siblings, my sister and my friends first.” Her mind was already thinking about the various possibilities of how she could make use of Sang Bleu.
“En.”
Jin Liwei looked pleased seeing her interest in the perfumery. This was the kind of reaction he was hoping for when he first gave Sang Bleu as anniversary present. Her appreciation was delayed, but it was better late than never.
