“Third Brother, good to see you too,” Lu Zihao greeted back. He carefully stood up from his reclining position.
Jin Liwei gently gave his youngest best friend a man hug. “How are you? I heard your injuries healed nicely.”
“Yes. I’m now fully recovered but my doctor is too cautious. Tsk tsk. Once I get her approval, I’ll immediately fly back home to China to see our other brothers.”
Jin Liwei nodded, patting his friend’s shoulder.
The two men sat in front of each other. Lu Zihao sat back on the chaise longue while Jin Liwei sat on an armchair.
“You scared all of us when we heard that you were comatose. Good thing you woke up after a week. Grandfather Lu told everyone that you broke your neck from jumping off a snowy mountain. He called you the most stupid grandson in history.”
Lu Zihao chuckled. “I didn’t break my neck but close enough. I was paralyzed, but look at me now. Aren’t I just fine? You’re all worrying too much.”
“You’re too reckless.”
“You sound like the old man.”
“Grandfather Lu is just worried about you.”
“He did the right thing. If I was your grandfather, I would’ve done the same thing.”
Lu Zihao burst into loud laughter. His handsome, rakish face was hard to get angry at.
Jin Liwei noticed the book that his Fifth brother was reading before he came. His brow knitted. “What’s that book? It’s not Chinese or English. It looks…Russian?”
He didn’t notice Lu Zihao stiffening for half a second. All he saw was his Fifth Brother’s usual mischievous smile.
“Yeah, it is. Good eye, Third Brother.” He held the book up.
Jin Liwei frowned. He recognized it. It was the same book that Iris was reading when they met for the first time at the hotel lobby. However, his Fifth Brother’s book was a hardcover while his baby girl’s was paperback. “When did you learn Russian?”
“Oh, here and there when I had some free time.” Lu Zihao shrugged. His lips curved into a devil-may-care smile.
“Why?”
“To pick up some Russian ladies, of course! Russian ladies are hot, don’t you know?”
“Hm? Third Brother, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You just reminded me of my girlfriend.”
“Ohohoho. So now you’re finally telling me. I’ve been waiting for you to share it with me ever since I heard from Fourth Brother that you finally got yourself a woman. It’s been a long time coming. To be honest, we’ve all been worrying about you.”
“Fourth Brother is too much of a blabbermouth.” Jin Liwei felt irritated for having his thunder stolen. He already told their other brothers that he wanted to personally tell Lu Zihao about Iris.
Lu Zihao chuckled. He stood up. “Cognac or whiskey? Or maybe something else?”
“Cognac is fine.”
“Got it.” Lu Zihao walked over to the small bar at the corner. He pulled a bottle of cognac and two snifters. He returned to his seat and poured for both of them.
The two brothers enjoyed their drinks while listening to Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique”.
Jin Liwei had a weird feeling with the atmosphere. It strongly reminded him of Iris. He looked at his Fifth Brother. He was still the same carefree guy, but there was something a little off about him. It was not too noticeable, but Lu Zihao seemed more intense than usual.
Jin Liwei felt uncomfortable with the direction of his thoughts. What was he thinking? How could he doubt his own best friend, his brother? His Fifth Brother just survived from an otherwise deadly accident. If it weren’t for the quick response of the emergency workers, his Fifth Brother would probably now be dead.
Perhaps people who brushed closely with death all experienced some sort of change in personality, like Iris and Lu Zihao. However, it looked like his Fifth Brother’s changes weren’t as apparent compared to his baby girl.
Yes, this must be the reason. Jin Liwei nodded to himself.
“Third Brother, tell me about your girlfriend. What is she like? Fourth Brother is gushing nonstop about her, saying how she’s such a beauty. The way he’s praising her like she’s the most perfect woman in the world made me so curious.”
Jin Liwei snapped out of his musing. “Her name is Long Xiulan. She’s beautiful and I’m going to marry her.”
“Hooo?” Lu Zihao raised an eyebrow. “Marry? You’re engaged already? So fast?”
“No. I haven’t proposed to her yet. I don’t want her running away for the hills. I’m still letting her get used to me. Then I’ll make her my wife. She won’t be able to escape from me so easily then.”
“Wow. I’m surprised that she’s not jumping in a hurry to be your wife. So many women are vying for the position of Mrs. Jin Liwei. You’re even telling me that she might run away if you propose too early? I almost can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
Jin Liwei’s mouth curved into a soft smile. “She’s different.”
Jin Liwei explained about how he met Iris, how she was reading the same Russian book and said the exact same thing as Lu Zihao.
“Hmmm…interesting…” Lu Zihao rubbed his chin. Something unreadable flashed in his dark eyes, before reverting to his usual happy-go-lucky self. “Now I can’t wait to meet her in person.”
“She’s mine.” Jin Liwei frowned, his tone frosty.
Lu Zihao laughed out loud, clutching at his abdomen. “Of course she is. Only someone stupid with a death wish would snatch Jin Liwei’s woman.”
Jin Liwei nodded, pleased to hear Iris being referred as his woman. Indeed, she was his woman and he would kill anyone who dare steal her away from him. Anyone who dare steal his wife and the mother of his children deserved to die a horrible death.
