Chapter 407 - Safe Haven
Jin Liwei immediately understood what Iris meant. He pulled her from behind him to his front, urging her to sit between his legs on the carpet. Their positions reversed. He was now the one hugging her from behind, pulling her close until her back touched his chest. He embraced her in an almost protective manner.
"If that son of a bitch decides to fight for custody, we can't do anything to make him and Jiang Ying Yue stay together. In fact, I'd rather that your friend stay away from a fucker like him," he told her. "But what we can do is to give our utmost support and protection to our godson and Jiang Ying Yue. We can't fully shield them from the pain, but we can lessen the damage that stupid idiot could do to them, if ever."
Iris looked unsatisfied that they couldn't fully protect Little Jun and Jiang Ying Yue in that kind of possible situation. However, she could only nod at Jin Liwei's words.
"As much as possible, I don't want to destroy Little Jun's relationship with his father," she said. "Although that stupid brother of mine isn't a reliable enough man for my friend, he's still a great father to our godson."
"No, love. We're not going to destroy our godson's relationship with his father. If it's ever destroyed, it will be that stupid idiot's fault, not ours. So don't ever feel guilty about that. You don't deserve to carry a guilt that's supposed to be his."
She nodded, feeling better after listening to him. However, she still couldn't stop worrying about Little Jun and Jiang Ying Yue. If they weren't in the picture, she would've already declared war against Long Hui. Alas, the situation was much more complicated with the mother and child directly involved in the situation.
Jin Liwei continued speaking. "This is what I was talking about when I said that I see a weakness in Long Hui's character. He just proved that my guess was correct. He's nice and confident when he's secure in his position as the heir, but the moment his top position is threatened, he completely loses his cool. We just saw him crumble from all of the pressure. What's more, he has shifted the blame on you. What a weak man."
Sighing, Iris leaned back against his chest. She felt comforted by his strong arms and protective embrace. "I agree with you. He's a weak man but Ying Yue still clearly loves him. I just hope that he sees that and adjusts his attitude. If not, he's going to send their little family into a great heartbreak."
"It's difficult, but it's possible for a man to change. I did for you," he told her in a low tone.
A lovely smile lit up her serious expression. "I know. Thank you for doing it for me.""I love you."
"I love you, too."
The lovers were side-tracked by the lovey-dovey moment. They smiled at each other like idiots before Iris made them return to the topic about Long Hui. Her worry about her godson and friend because of her fight with Long Hui bothered her like a pest crawling inside her heart. She needed to get it off her system or she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
"A man can change but not every man can do so," Jin Liwei said. "The question is if Jiang Ying Yue and Little Jun will be enough reason for Long Hui to change himself into a better man."
"You're right. We can only hope that he changes for the better. But I don't want to bet everything on hope." Iris pursed her lips, not really liking what she was about to say. "We need some insurance just in case he continues being a weak, stupid idiot like this."
She straightened and turned her body around so that they were facing each other.
"Darling, I don't have any interest in Long Industries and most especially not in the matters of the Long clan, but I've decided that I'm now going to fight for control of them. I'll show everyone, especially Father, that I'm the best person to lead the business and the clan," she said in a determined voice.
Jin Liwei didn't look surprised at all. He even looked like he was already expecting this. However, he didn't talk yet. He waited until she finished speaking.
"Our godson, Long Jun, is a rightful member of the Long clan. Our godson shouldn't be treated like an outsider like this. It's unfortunate that his father, that stupid idiot, is too weak to really do anything to fight for him. So I'll do it in that stupid idiot's stead, whether he likes it or not."
"We'll do it together," he told her. No, he promised her.Iris held his hands and smiled. He clasped them together.
"He's too afraid to clash directly against the elders and the relatives, but I'm not. We're not," she corrected herself. Then she continued, "We'll purge all the scum out of the Long clan and make it into a safe haven for our godson. I'll hold the reins for him until he decides if he wants to become the next head when he grows up. If he does, I'll hand everything of the Longs for him to manage. But if he decides that he doesn't want to become next head, maybe one of our future kids would want to do so instead. What do you think, darling?"
Jin Liwei's eyes lit up hearing her talk about their future children. "If our kid is qualified to do so, then why not? Likewise, our other kid could inherit Jin Corporation if he or she wants to and is qualified for the job. But if they don't have the qualifications, they have no business inheriting any of these companies."
She giggled and played with his hands. "Mr. Jin, our children haven't even been born yet, but you're already so strict on them."
"My dear future Mrs. Jin, our children need to experience some tough love for them to learn discipline and grow into responsible adults. It's our responsibility as their parents."
A blush coloured her cheeks at being called "future Mrs. Jin". She was already becoming more open about the idea of having children. The fear and insecurity were still there, but she felt assured by Jin Liwei's reliability.
She just knew that he would be an amazing father, just like how he was an amazing godfather to their godson. That was why she wanted to do all of these things for Little Jun, not only because she loved him and wanted what was best for him, but also because she wanted to prove to herself that she could be a reliable godmother…and maybe a good mother in the future as well.
"So I guess things will become more chaotic and stressful now that we've decided to do this. We're going to end up making a lot of enemies from the Long clan, darling." Then she sighed before saying, "And it's going to be super expensive, too. Those shares are no joke, but I need to buy them to gain more control. The saddest part is that I don't even want them." She sighed again.
"It seems that someone is forgetting that her fiancé is a global billionaire."
"But—""No buts, love. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is…I'll ask to share."
She giggled and then teased him. "If you ask very nicely, maybe I'll share with you what's mine…"
After being distracted by another round of lovey-doveyness, Iris finally agreed to allow Jin Liwei to help her purchase some shares if the price was too much for her. She could still afford minor shares like the 5% she recently purchased, but if it were anything more than 35%, it would really hurt her personal finances. There was no way she would tap into Planet Monkey or Orchidia Beauty's funds.
Later, both of them felt better and lighter after talking. They moved to the bed and prepared to sleep. Before they could even lay down, however, the sound of the ringing phone interrupted them.
"It's already so late! Who could be calling me at this ungodly hour?" Iris complained as she climbed off the bed once again for her phone.
When she saw who was calling, she looked at the ceiling and sighed in annoyance. She was tempted to reject the call and turn off the phone, but in the end still decided to answer it.
"Hello, Mother?"
It was Wei Lan.