Madam Vetrova turned her frosty eyes to Evelina next. “You, young lady, are also a member of the Vetrov family. After you finish your studies at Cross Academy, I expect you to also begin contributing to our organization like the rest of us.”
Evelina didn’t reply. Her expression didn’t change but her downcast gaze indicated her disagreement. When her memories reached this point, Evelina, now Iris, returned to the present and thought about what Ketchup discovered earlier today.
Based on what she knew about her brother, he never cared about the women he slept with before. They were just convenient sexual partners to satisfy his primal needs. This was why she couldn’t believe Ketchup’s report at first.
It was only when Ketchup played the zoomed and sharpened surveillance video clip to her that she finally believed that it was indeed her brother making out with Long Jinjing inside his car. With the state-of-the-art surveillance cameras at Orchidia Beauty in addition to Ketchup’s powerful system, Iris was able to see everything that happened inside the car despite the tinted windows. She was also able to read their lips clearly as they talked.
And what she discovered from reading their lips shocked her. They weren’t simply sleeping with each other but were actually in a relationship? Her brother got himself an actual girlfriend and even referred to himself as a boyfriend? It wasn’t just any girlfriend either but Long Jinjing!
Iris didn’t know what to feel upon learning about her brother’s relationship with Long Jinjing. Was he serious about this relationship and not just treating Long Jinjing as a convenient sexual partner?
She loved her brother but she was also aware that danger always followed him like a shadow. A kind and gentle soul like Long Jinjing would find it difficult to survive in that kind of dangerous world that her brother insisted on living in. Although her friends would sometimes tease Long Jinjing about her big brother, Iris never really took it seriously. She never would have thought that the two would actually hook up.
On one hand, her big brother was someone she would always love and respect. They had a deep sibling bond that even death couldn’t sever as proven by their respective rebirths.
On the other hand, Long Jinjing was not only her friend and colleague, but also the blood sister of the original Long Xiulan.
In a sense, both of them were her siblings. Lu Zihao (Nikolai) was her brother of the soul while Long Jinjing was the sister of her current flesh.
If she had to choose who to give her undying support between the two, she would no doubt choose her big brother. Always. She didn’t even need to think about it.
However, she also didn’t want Long Jinjing hurt in any way. The woman was an important friend and a truly good person. This was why Iris felt so torn. She found it difficult to imagine how their relationship was going to last unless her brother decided to keep Shadow Winds and its true nature a secret from Long Jinjing for the rest of their lives. And if he really did that, he might not feel guilty about it but Iris certainly would because she knew the truth.
Back at her office, Iris sighed and massaged her slightly aching temples. She hugged and smelled Little Liwei while listening to the loud Dom and Chen Fei as they interrogated the red-faced Long Jinjing. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please support the original author, ArriaCross. Thank you! Also follow me on Instagram @arriacross]
“Boss says that she heard the news from gossip but why didn’t I hear anything about it?!” Dom exclaimed in dramatic horror and disbelief. “I, the gorgeous and fabulous Dominic Chua, actually missed such an important gossip? Ah! This is a big disgrace to my stellar reputation! It seems like I need to work harder on sharpening my gossip radar!”
Chen Fei rolled her eyes. “You’re forgetting that Xiulan has super hearing, can read lips from afar, and all that shit. Thank goodness the bitch isn’t a big gossip like you, Dom. Just imagine how many scandals Xiulan is able to expose if she loves gossiping as much as you do.”
Dom stood up and thumped his chest with his perfectly manicured hand. “It’s because it’s my job to gather gossip! Boss doesn’t need to concern herself with trivial things!”
“What do you mean it’s your job to gather gossip?” Chen Fei scoffed. “I thought you’re Xiulan’s assistant, not a professional gossip collector.”
While Dom and Chen Fei bantered, Iris turned to Long Jinjing. She reached over and patted her shoulder. “Good luck, Big Sister.”
Long Jinjing’s eyes widened at her words but understanding soon dawned on her. She nodded. “Thank you, Little Sister. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry. This is my decision.”
Iris looked at her, not saying anything, before she nodded as well. “Call me if you need someone to talk to about Big Brother. I know him very well. He’s…a very complicated man. And intense. I imagine that he won’t be an easy man to have a relationship with.”
“Thanks.” Long Jinjing smiled.
Iris smiled back. “If it’s okay with you, I want to know how you ended up becoming Big Brother’s girlfriend. I’m very curious about how it happened.”
Dom stopped bickering with Chen Fei. He immediately returned to his seat and leaned forward with an expectant expression. His eyes were shining as he eagerly waited for Long Jinjing to reveal everything.
“I already know what happened,” Chen Fei said in a smug tone.
Dom harrumphed and flipped his nonexistent long hair before urging Long Jinjing to hurry up and talk.
In the end, Long Jinjing told them about how everything started with a one-night stand a few nights ago during that big storm. Dom was bouncing and squealing on his seat while asking salacious questions.
As for Iris, she turned pensive while listening to Long Jinjing’s story. Her intuition told her that there was something else that her friend was keeping a secret.
“Niko—I mean, Zihao is out of town right now,” Long Jinjing said.
Iris’ pupils contracted at Long Jinjing’s slip of the tongue. She noticed it right away. Did her brother tell Long Jinjing his real name?
