Chapter 421 - The Zheng Family
After that fateful makeover day, Wei Lan and Jiang Ying Yue started spending more time together, especially since Iris and Jin Liwei were always so busy working. Wei Lan would take Jiang Ying Yue out in her new outfits to help build her confidence around other people outside.
Sometimes when the weather was nice, they also brought Little Jun with them accompanied by his nanny and several of the younger staff. Of course, he also wore the most fashionable little outfits bought by his new Grandma Wei Lan.
Wei Lan would never get caught together with people in frumpy outfits, so everyone in the household staff also got mini-makeovers and updated their wardrobes. Even the cats. Now their collars changed every single day. Sometimes, Popcorn wore mini-hoodies and even tuxedoes. As for Ice Cream, she hated wearing any clothes, barely tolerating having her collars changed.
The big grey cat still didn't like Wei Lan, but at least she no longer hissed at her. In contrast, Popcorn loved everyone as long as they were nice to him and his family.
Wei Lan advised everyone on their fashion choices. It was one of the reasons why the younger members of the staff warmed up quickly to her. The penthouse's household staff weren't required to wear uniforms unlike the staff at the mansion. Iris scrapped this requirement after she woke up from her one-year coma. So her staff usually wore their regular clothes while working.
Only the driver liked wearing uniforms because he thought that it made him look professional, especially since he was also often photographed by the paparazzi and fans whenever he picked up Iris. But ever since Iris moved to the mansion, he didn't need to drive her around anymore. Jin Liwei had a full staff there ready to serve their mistress. There was a time when the driver felt unneeded. Fortunately, Clover arrived and started living at the penthouse. He now had a purpose again and drove Clover around.
Even the driver's uniform didn't escape Wei Lan's interference. Since he liked wearing uniforms so much, she had a professional designer make him a new set of uniforms. Now he looked more like an aircraft pilot rather than a car driver. He secretly loved it, though.
Under Wei Lan's influence, Iris' penthouse staff became the most fashionable staff in the area. Whenever Wei Lan, Jiang Ying Yue, Little Jun, his nanny and the younger staff walked out together, everyone would stop in their tracks and just stare at them.
"Who are this group of fashionable people?" they wondered.
And almost always, everyone would become even more amazed whenever the driver picked them up while wearing his customized pilot uniform.The group was so stylish and eye-catching that one day, their photos were published on a popular street fashion blog. Although Little Jun's face was blurred out because he was a child, everyone else's faces were clearly shown.
Soon, a few people quickly recognized both Wei Lan and Jiang Ying Yue.
Wei Lan was a former model but her career never really took off. She only became (in)famous because of her high-profile divorce from Long Tengfei and also because she was the mother of Iris Long. Now people knew her as Madam Wei Lan, the extravagant socialite who changed lovers like she changed her clothes.
As for Jiang Ying Yue, many recognized her as Iris' former bodyguard turned friend, future sister-in-law, and the mother of her godson. She became well-known when Wu Qianxi and her "friend" influenced people to bully her and Long Hui online. Jiang Ying Yue's pictures were spread all over the internet, causing her to receive so much hate until Princess Porkchop helped turn the situation around.
After Wei Lan and Jiang Ying Yue were recognized from the photos on the street fashion blog and associated them to Iris, the post immediately became viral.
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Zheng Ancestral Residence.
Like the Longs, the Zheng clan was an old aristocratic family. Their ancestral residence were also as ancient and as majestic. And like the Longs, they were proud of their noble roots, even though they didn't hold any official title anymore.
Inside the main house, the servants were serving tea to the master's only sister.
Her name was Zheng Suyin. She was Long Tengfei's first wife and Long Hui's mother. Because her husband divorced her to marry a model, she had to return to her maiden family in shame. Her clan considered her as a disgrace because she couldn't even stay married to her husband. But at least she did her duty and gave birth to a male heir. As a result of her "shameful" fate, she decided to live a reclusive life, barely going out of the ancestral residence.She didn't want to care about anything or anyone anymore. She just wanted to live in peace and not think about what happened in the past. Despite this, her heart still bore a heavy grudge against Long Tengfei and his numerous women and children.
However, the one person who she despised the most was Wei Lan, that homewrecker!
Zheng Suyin endured it even when she knew about Long Tengfei's other mistresses. After all, theirs was an arranged marriage. And she knew that he never loved her.
But at least, Long Tengfei always returned to her after playing around with those…prostitutes. Mistresses…prostitutes…what was the difference? Both opened their legs in exchange for something else.
However, everything changed with the arrival of that lowly model…that slut…that Wei Lan!
That whore was able to seduce her husband so deeply that he divorced his wife. Being suddenly stripped of her title as Madam Long, Zheng Suyin could never forgive Wei Lan. That slut destroyed not only her life and her family, but also her reputation!
Despite her deep grudge, Zheng Suyin chose to withdraw from society instead. Even though she was disgraced, at least she was assured by the fact that her son was the firstborn and would eventually become the next head of the Long clan and Long Industries. This knowledge was already enough for her.
Lately, however, her brother, the Zhengs' current master, was telling her something rather troubling. It seemed that her son's position as the Longs' successor had become unstable. So her brother had sent some spies within the Longs to learn how the situation became like this.
When they heard what really happened, her brother shook his head.
"Your son has inherited your former husband's philandering ways," he said. "How stupid to father an illegitimate firstborn with such an unsuitable woman! A bodyguard? What was he thinking?"Zheng Suyin pressed her lips together. "That bodyguard must've seduced my son, like how that slut model seduced my husband."
"Long Tengfei isn't your husband anymore. Well, it's no wonder that the Longs are suppressing your son. An illegitimate firstborn would never be accepted in their family, just like how we'll never accept it in this family."
After that, they dug more information about Jiang Ying Yue and her son, Long Jun. By doing so, they discovered the mother and son's close relationship with Long Xiulan, that slut Wei Lan's daughter.
As they gathered more and more information, the Zhengs also discovered how Long Xiulan was actually Long Hui's biggest threat in his position as successor of the Longs. This made Zheng Suyin furious.
"Not only did that slut Wei Lan steal my husband from me, her slut daughter is now trying to steal my son's heir position as well! Unforgivable! Curse them!"
Fueled by grudge and the desire to protect her son's rightful position as heir of the Longs, the Zhengs secretly allied with Long Meng's branch family after learning that the elder was Long Hui's biggest supporter in the clan. In addition to that, they were trying to invite Long Hui to meet them but hadn't been successful yet.
Long Meng informed them that Long Hui was injured but didn't know how. So the Zhengs could only wait until he was well enough to accept his mother's summons.
Back to the present, Zheng Suyin looked like a lady from the ancient past as she sipped tea. Her maids were well-trained in not making any noises. The place was incredibly silent.
The silence, however, was soon interrupted when Zheng Suyin's niece, her brother's teenage daughter, ran to her.
"Aunt Suyin! Look what I found!" the niece exclaimed while waving a tablet in her hand.Zheng Suyin looked unruffled and calmly took the tablet. Then she froze when she saw what was displayed on it.
Her eyes immediately zeroed in on Wei Lan's arrogant figure. It took a few moments before she recognized the young woman beside the slut. It was the woman who seduced her son!
"I knew it! Whores! All of them are whores! Birds of a feather really do flock together!"
Zheng Suyin was so angry that she threw the tablet on the low table. It crashed against the tea pot, spilling hot tea all over it. Not only did the poor tablet crack, it also got soaked by the tea. It sparked a little and made a soft zapping sound before it completely died.
"Ah! My tablet! Aunt Suyin, why?!! Dad just bought it for me last week!"
Zheng Suyin closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to control her raging emotions. After a few moments, she calmed down.
Without changing her expression, she told the teen, "Don't worry. I'll buy you a new one."
The niece's eyes immediately lit up. "Really? Can I get the latest one? Please, Aunt!"
"Sure."
"Yay!""But I need you to do something for me. If you see any more news online about those two women, tell me immediately," Zheng Suyin said.
"No problem, Aunt. Even if you don't ask me, I already plan on telling you. I overheard you and Dad talking about these two women plus Iris Long. Hmph! I don't understand why that bimbo became so popular. I hate her songs! They're so boooooring. I think her old songs are better but whatever. I still hate her because you hate her, Aunt!"
Zheng Suyin nodded.
"They're bullying your cousin, your Big Brother Hui, so they're our enemies."