Late in the afternoon, Jin Liwei finally arrived home from work. But it wasn't only him. Lin Yehan, Wang Yingjie and Yu Mo also came. It seemed that Jin Liwei picked his brothers up from a meeting place before coming home to the mansion. They all came because they heard that their Fifth Brother, Lu Zihao, arrived today and would be staying at the mansion for a longer period this time.
When their vehicle entered the property, they were surprised by the large number of people patrolling the place. They knew that the majority of them weren't members of Jin Liwei's security team because his subordinates always wore black suits whenever they were on duty. The new people didn't wear uniforms. They just wore casual clothing—mostly, utility pants, shirts and jackets.
"Third Bro, you hired more people?" Yu Mo asked.
"No. Those must be Fifth Brother's subordinates," Jin Liwei replied.
Lin Yehan's gentle face frowned, while Wang Yingjie wore a contemplative expression.
"He's concerned about Xiulan's safety. There have been increasing instances when fans tried to grab or tackle her in overexcitement. You already know how close Xiulan and Fifth Brother are, and how protective he is of her like me. If something bad happens to her, the two of us will be the first ones to hunt down any stupid motherfuckers who dare hurt her," Jin Liwei explained to them.
It wasn't the entire truth, but what he said was part of the real reason. He didn't want to endanger his other brothers by telling them about the Youngs and their connection with a group of hackers including Eagle and a formidable hacker whom his baby girl referred to as "one of the old guys". It was already enough that he and his Fifth Brother knew about it. There was no need to involve their other brothers and place them in danger.
"The two of you are spoiling Third Sister-in-law 1 too much," Yu Mo commented. "Calling so many people—basically an army—to protect her from a few wild fans? Talk about overkill! A couple of bodyguards is already enough. Besides, you should trust in my skills as a trainer more. With me as her Systema trainer, Third Sister-in-law will be able to defend and protect herself just fine on her own!"
Lin Yehan nodded. "Not to mention that she is an excellent sharpshooter as well."
Jin Liwei glanced at Yu Mo. "My wife deserves to be spoiled. 'Too much' is not enough when it comes to what I should be doing for her."
"I think you're forgetting that you aren't married yet," Wang Yingjie reminded him.
"We will marry. I'll make sure of it," Jin Liwei replied, unperturbed.
Later…
The four brothers encountered more of their Fifth Brother's subordinates patrolling inside the mansion. Of course, the security was tighter outside the door leading to the indoor forest. Fortunately, their Fifth Brother's people seemed to recognize them by their appearance, letting them inside without any problems.
"This is so weird. I feel like I'm walking in prison or something and not in your home, Third Bro," Yu Mo muttered.
Lin Yehan and Wang Yingjie agreed with him.
Jin Liwei didn't say anything. His expression remained impassive, but he was actually feeling rather shocked inside. Yes, his Fifth Brother informed him that he would be bringing his own subordinates to help increase Iris' security, but Jin Liwei didn't expect this large number of people. Although he already long suspected that his Fifth Brother had something strange going on in recent months, Jin Liwei never expected that he would be amassing so many subordinates in such a short period of time.
Where did all of these people come from? Their professionalism and dangerous aura were obvious in just their postures alone. He could sense that they weren't weaker than his own subordinates who mostly came from military backgrounds or were former mercenaries. For now, he put these concerns aside. He could always ask Lu Zihao later.
Jin Liwei led his brothers inside the forest until they finally saw the others. After being greeted by Little Jun and the cats, they headed to the islet.
"Damn, Fifth Bro! What happened to you?! Are you taking steroids or something?! Look at that body!!!" Yu Mo exclaimed as soon as he saw Lu Zihao.
The brothers were astonished seeing how much their Fifth Brother had changed in appearance. He looked like a completely different person.
Wang Yingjie, the doctor, was especially concerned about the long scar on Lu Zihao's face. He immediately approached his Fifth Brother to examine his face.
As for Lu Zihao, he wore a nonchalant expression all throughout. He didn't look bothered at all by the brothers' shocked reactions.
Everyone greeted everybody. Iris once again made introductions to the people who hadn't met yet. The islet became crowded with the new arrivals, so Jin Liwei pulled his baby girl to sit on his lap as if it was the most natural thing to do in front of others.
"We just arrived and the two of you are already planning on drowning us in dogfood?! You couple never have any consideration for single dogs like us!" Yu Mo complained. "Right, bros?" Then his eyes lit up, as he turned to the girl squad. "Right, ladies?"
Unfortunately, the member of the girl squad who responded to him wasn't biologically a "lady" at all. Dom disagreed with him.
"No way, Teacher Yu Mo! Let boss and sir boss drown us with dogfood. My gorgeous self is always hungry for more! Right, sisters?"
Of course, the other members of the triplets, Meimei and Clover, agreed with Dom. Then they started another round of squealing. Used to them, the shameless couple Iris and Jin Liwei continued acting lovey-dovey without a care in the world.
Beside them, Long Jinjing was relieved that Lu Zihao became preoccupied chatting with his brothers. Her face would heat up and turn red whenever he glanced at her. Despite this, she didn't think that she was attracted to him. Sure, he was very nice to look at despite his scarred face. But he wasn't her type at all—or so she persuaded herself.
'I like the kind, gentle, sweet…and 'safe' type of men. The exact opposite of him,' she told herself, thinking of Lu Zihao. Then she glanced at Lin Yehan. 'Someone like him, perhaps.'
Then she mentally shook herself and tried to ignore Lu Zihao's presence, even though everyone else seemed to focus on him. He was definitely the star of today, judging by how much everyone was paying attention to him.
Later, everyone ate dinner together at the dining area. Taking inspiration from the Chua family when they visited last Christmas and New Year, the chef prepared a buffet-style dinner for everyone. The atmosphere was casual and there were no formal seating arrangements. They sat wherever they wanted.
Jiang Ying Yue fed her son, Little Jun, who was still very energetic despite playing with his cat cousins for hours. Perhaps it was because of the excitement from having a lot of people over. After eating, he started exploring around the dining area with Popcorn. Ice Cream was already sleeping on Iris' lap.
Lin Yehan was just returning from the washroom when he saw Little Jun trip right ahead of him. He ran and tried to catch the child but he was too late. Little Jun fell on his face and a painful-sounding thump rang throughout the room. There was a couple of seconds of silence before the toddler started wailing.
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
Since he was the nearest to the child, Lin Yehan immediately picked up Little Jun from the floor. Little Jun's arms quickly wrapped around his neck, continuing to wail loudly and alarming everyone in the household.
"Dada! Dada!! Dadaaaaaaaa!!!"
Lin Yehan felt awkward carrying a child, but he did his best to comfort Little Jun. He patted his back and murmured in a gentle voice.
"I'm not your daddy. I'm Uncle Yehan. Don't cry anymore."
Little Jun's wailing decreased in intensity and volume. "Ouchy! Junjun ouchy!"
"Yes, yes. I know it hurts, Little Jun. But it'll get better," Lin Yehan continued comforting the toddler. "Uncle Yingjie is a doctor. We'll have him take a look at you. I'm sure you'll feel better in no time."
By this time, Little Jun's wailing had become regular crying and whimpering instead. However, he continued hugging Lin Yehan's neck with his little head resting on the man's shoulder.
Late in the afternoon, Jin Liwei finally arrived home from work. But it wasn't only him. Lin Yehan, Wang Yingjie and Yu Mo also came. It seemed that Jin Liwei picked his brothers up from a meeting place before coming home to the mansion. They all came because they heard that their Fifth Brother, Lu Zihao, arrived today and would be staying at the mansion for a longer period this time.
When their vehicle entered the property, they were surprised by the large number of people patrolling the place. They knew that the majority of them weren't members of Jin Liwei's security team because his subordinates always wore black suits whenever they were on duty. The new people didn't wear uniforms. They just wore casual clothing—mostly, utility pants, shirts and jackets.
"Third Bro, you hired more people?" Yu Mo asked.
"No. Those must be Fifth Brother's subordinates," Jin Liwei replied.
Lin Yehan's gentle face frowned, while Wang Yingjie wore a contemplative expression.
"He's concerned about Xiulan's safety. There have been increasing instances when fans tried to grab or tackle her in overexcitement. You already know how close Xiulan and Fifth Brother are, and how protective he is of her like me. If something bad happens to her, the two of us will be the first ones to hunt down any stupid motherfuckers who dare hurt her," Jin Liwei explained to them.
It wasn't the entire truth, but what he said was part of the real reason. He didn't want to endanger his other brothers by telling them about the Youngs and their connection with a group of hackers including Eagle and a formidable hacker whom his baby girl referred to as "one of the old guys". It was already enough that he and his Fifth Brother knew about it. There was no need to involve their other brothers and place them in danger.
"The two of you are spoiling Third Sister-in-law 1 too much," Yu Mo commented. "Calling so many people—basically an army—to protect her from a few wild fans? Talk about overkill! A couple of bodyguards is already enough. Besides, you should trust in my skills as a trainer more. With me as her Systema trainer, Third Sister-in-law will be able to defend and protect herself just fine on her own!"
Lin Yehan nodded. "Not to mention that she is an excellent sharpshooter as well."
Jin Liwei glanced at Yu Mo. "My wife deserves to be spoiled. 'Too much' is not enough when it comes to what I should be doing for her."
"I think you're forgetting that you aren't married yet," Wang Yingjie reminded him.
"We will marry. I'll make sure of it," Jin Liwei replied, unperturbed.
Later…
The four brothers encountered more of their Fifth Brother's subordinates patrolling inside the mansion. Of course, the security was tighter outside the door leading to the indoor forest. Fortunately, their Fifth Brother's people seemed to recognize them by their appearance, letting them inside without any problems.
"This is so weird. I feel like I'm walking in prison or something and not in your home, Third Bro," Yu Mo muttered.
Lin Yehan and Wang Yingjie agreed with him.
Jin Liwei didn't say anything. His expression remained impassive, but he was actually feeling rather shocked inside. Yes, his Fifth Brother informed him that he would be bringing his own subordinates to help increase Iris' security, but Jin Liwei didn't expect this large number of people. Although he already long suspected that his Fifth Brother had something strange going on in recent months, Jin Liwei never expected that he would be amassing so many subordinates in such a short period of time.
Where did all of these people come from? Their professionalism and dangerous aura were obvious in just their postures alone. He could sense that they weren't weaker than his own subordinates who mostly came from military backgrounds or were former mercenaries. For now, he put these concerns aside. He could always ask Lu Zihao later.
Jin Liwei led his brothers inside the forest until they finally saw the others. After being greeted by Little Jun and the cats, they headed to the islet.
"Damn, Fifth Bro! What happened to you?! Are you taking steroids or something?! Look at that body!!!" Yu Mo exclaimed as soon as he saw Lu Zihao.
The brothers were astonished seeing how much their Fifth Brother had changed in appearance. He looked like a completely different person.
Wang Yingjie, the doctor, was especially concerned about the long scar on Lu Zihao's face. He immediately approached his Fifth Brother to examine his face.
As for Lu Zihao, he wore a nonchalant expression all throughout. He didn't look bothered at all by the brothers' shocked reactions.
Everyone greeted everybody. Iris once again made introductions to the people who hadn't met yet. The islet became crowded with the new arrivals, so Jin Liwei pulled his baby girl to sit on his lap as if it was the most natural thing to do in front of others.
"We just arrived and the two of you are already planning on drowning us in dogfood?! You couple never have any consideration for single dogs like us!" Yu Mo complained. "Right, bros?" Then his eyes lit up, as he turned to the girl squad. "Right, ladies?"
Unfortunately, the member of the girl squad who responded to him wasn't biologically a "lady" at all. Dom disagreed with him.
"No way, Teacher Yu Mo! Let boss and sir boss drown us with dogfood. My gorgeous self is always hungry for more! Right, sisters?"
Of course, the other members of the triplets, Meimei and Clover, agreed with Dom. Then they started another round of squealing. Used to them, the shameless couple Iris and Jin Liwei continued acting lovey-dovey without a care in the world.
Beside them, Long Jinjing was relieved that Lu Zihao became preoccupied chatting with his brothers. Her face would heat up and turn red whenever he glanced at her. Despite this, she didn't think that she was attracted to him. Sure, he was very nice to look at despite his scarred face. But he wasn't her type at all—or so she persuaded herself.
'I like the kind, gentle, sweet…and 'safe' type of men. The exact opposite of him,' she told herself, thinking of Lu Zihao. Then she glanced at Lin Yehan. 'Someone like him, perhaps.'
Then she mentally shook herself and tried to ignore Lu Zihao's presence, even though everyone else seemed to focus on him. He was definitely the star of today, judging by how much everyone was paying attention to him.
Later, everyone ate dinner together at the dining area. Taking inspiration from the Chua family when they visited last Christmas and New Year, the chef prepared a buffet-style dinner for everyone. The atmosphere was casual and there were no formal seating arrangements. They sat wherever they wanted.
Jiang Ying Yue fed her son, Little Jun, who was still very energetic despite playing with his cat cousins for hours. Perhaps it was because of the excitement from having a lot of people over. After eating, he started exploring around the dining area with Popcorn. Ice Cream was already sleeping on Iris' lap.
Lin Yehan was just returning from the washroom when he saw Little Jun trip right ahead of him. He ran and tried to catch the child but he was too late. Little Jun fell on his face and a painful-sounding thump rang throughout the room. There was a couple of seconds of silence before the toddler started wailing.
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
Since he was the nearest to the child, Lin Yehan immediately picked up Little Jun from the floor. Little Jun's arms quickly wrapped around his neck, continuing to wail loudly and alarming everyone in the household.
"Dada! Dada!! Dadaaaaaaaa!!!"
Lin Yehan felt awkward carrying a child, but he did his best to comfort Little Jun. He patted his back and murmured in a gentle voice.
"I'm not your daddy. I'm Uncle Yehan. Don't cry anymore."
Little Jun's wailing decreased in intensity and volume. "Ouchy! Junjun ouchy!"
"Yes, yes. I know it hurts, Little Jun. But it'll get better," Lin Yehan continued comforting the toddler. "Uncle Yingjie is a doctor. We'll have him take a look at you. I'm sure you'll feel better in no time."
By this time, Little Jun's wailing had become regular crying and whimpering instead. However, he continued hugging Lin Yehan's neck with his little head resting on the man's shoulder.
