Chapter 1409 Forced Acknowledgement
Jin Corporation.
Once again, Iris and her twins came to the company to eat lunch with Jin Liwei. Work was still hectic but had already begun to ease towards the end of the month. Nevertheless, Iris still did her best to bring her twins to see their father whenever she had free time. This was a crucial period in the twins' development. It was vital for them to spend as much time with their parents as possible to fortify their family bond. Also, it was easy for babies at such a young age to forget someone if they hadn't seen that said person for a while. Jin Liwei's current hectic schedule would have made his presence scarce in the twins' waking moments. If Iris didn't make an effort to bring their babies to him regularly, they might start to forget their father. Iris and Jin Liwei would hate it if this were to happen. Iris' constant efforts weren't lost on Jin Liwei. He felt like the luckiest man in the universe for marrying a woman like her. She wasn't only a beautiful genius but also a dedicated wife to their family. What more could a man like him ask for? His wife made him feel like the most blessed husband and father in the world. At the moment, the family was inside Jin Liwei's office as usual. The original large, modern and masculine space had long been softened by the addition of happy family photos, vases of fresh flowers, and comfortable furniture. The sleek leather sofas had been swapped with soft cloud sofas instead. In addition, there was now a sizeable fluffy rug where the twins could roll around as much as they pleased. Despite these changes, the CEO's office still retained its professional majesty. It just felt a lot more welcoming and comfortable than before. Of course, Jin Liwei did all this for his family. He wanted them to feel at home in his workplace whenever they visited. What was the use of being the President-CEO of a large multinational company anyway if he couldn't even at least do this much for his own family?
Lunchtime was already over. Fortunately, Jin Liwei didn't need to attend any meetings in the afternoon. He could stay in his office and work from there for the rest of the day. The workload was still heavy and required him to be on constant standby in case the various project leaders needed his verification in person. But at least he could see his family while working. Iris was playing on the fluffy carpet with Little Mochi. The baby was quite noisy with his adorable giggles and coos, but Jin Liwei didn't mind. He could still concentrate on his work even with his child's noise. Unlike the lively Little Mochi, his younger twin brother was quiet and well-behaved as always. Little Mochi sat on his father's lap behind the large desk. The baby was mesmerized by the moving executive pendulum clicker display beside a framed photo of their family. He had been watching the balls swinging for almost half an hour now.
This harmonious scene continued until Jin Liwei felt a gaze on him. He glanced up and saw his wife taking photos of him and Little Matcha with her phone. Iris checked the pictures. "You father and son look so much alike. Even your serious expressions are identical."
He smiled. What else would a father like him feel if one of his sons resembled him this much? Pride, of course! Though this didn't mean that he liked Little Matcha more than Little Mochi. Not at all. He loved both of his twin sons equally regardless of their differences. Maybe this would change in the future depending on how the twins grew up, but for now, he didn't give any preferential treatment to one son over the other. "Little Mochi fell asleep?" he asked after finally noticing quietness.
"Yes, he got tired playing," Iris replied. Little Mochi was now lying on a makeshift bed on the fluffy carpet made up of a blanket.
Jin Liwei glanced at his other son, who was on his lap. Little Matcha was yawning and was about to nod off as well. Jin Liwei paused his work. Then he carried his younger twin son and carefully placed him beside Little Mochi on the makeshift bed on the carpet. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow the author on Instagram: @arriacross]
The parents watched their sleeping babies.
"Little Mochi and Little Matcha are already treating this place like home," Iris commented.
"Because their mom and dad are with them," Jin Liwei replied. She smiled. "I wonder if Little Jun feels comfortable with his father. He hasn't seen Long Hui in person since last year."
"Our godson isn't a weakling like his father. He can adapt to new situations quickly and thrive."
She agreed with him. "I just can't completely relax today. I'm worried about Little Jun."
"I sent extra bodyguards to protect our godson just in case. Didn't you also modify his shoes and add a tracking and two-way communication device?"
"Yes, but I still worry," she replied, sighing. Little Jun refused to wear the kiddie smartwatch that she modified just as she had expected. The child didn't like wearing anything around his wrists. He was still too young to appreciate the technology of a smartwatch. So Iris decided to modify his shoes instead. She chose the shoes because they were the least likely to be removed, changed or lost during the day.
Of course, Jiang Ying Yue knew what Iris did and agreed to let his son wear the modified shoes to increase Little Jun's security. Ketchup was in charge of monitoring her human cousin.
"Does Mommy and Daddy want to hear a report on what my cousin Little Junjun is doing now?" Ketchup asked. "Meow~"
Iris almost agreed but hesitated before shaking her head. "Never mind that. Hearing about Long Hui's every single action today will just annoy me. Just let us know if your cousin is safe and alert us immediately if he's in danger."
"Aye aye, Mommy! Meow~"
Jin Liwei gave his wife a quick kiss and a hug to comfort her. He was also worried about their godson, but not to the point that his mind was filled with worry. Perhaps this was the difference between mothers and fathers. His wife had become so much more anxious about the children's well-being after giving birth.
"Go back to work," she told him. "I'll try calling Ying Yue and ask her about what Long Hui plans to do with Little Jun today."
"En."
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Mao Qiuyue was at the spa with some of her friends. She had been in a bad mood ever since she stormed out of the marital home she shared with her husband a few days ago. Since their argument, they hadn't spoken either in person or on the phone. To Long Hui's credit, he did send her some rather lovely presents. He also attempted to call her phone and sent her messages many times. However, she didn't reply to any of his gestures. They weren't enough for her. She wanted him to personally pick her up from her parents' home and coax her into returning with him. She had been waiting for him, but he still didn't come. She was already starting to lose patience but refused to be the first one to give in. It wasn't her fault anyway. So why should she be the one to make the first move? He was the man, wasn't he? His responsibility should be to make the first move and coax her, the woman.
Mao Qiuyue complained about her thoughtless husband to her friends while getting their nails done. Of course, she exaggerated most of what happened and pushed all the blame on Long Hui.
"This is the problem of marrying someone who already has a bastard child with an ex," a friend commented. "He already had most of his firsts with his ex, so he's not putting extra effort into his new relationship."
Another friend chimed in, "I agree. He already has a kid. He's not worried about producing another one with you. His son might be a bastard, but the kid is still his biological child. So even if you fail to give birth, he will always have that son."
"Qiuyue, if you really fail to conceive, Long Hui might even bring back that bastard child and force you to legally acknowledge it as his heir."
"Hell no!" Mao Qiuyue was enraged at the idea.
Her friend shrugged her shoulders. "This practice is quite common in our circles. You should already know that. My uncle did it. He brought back a secret bastard son because my aunt-in-law only gave birth to two daughters, no son. My uncle is one of those ridiculously old-fashioned men who still believe in that traditional rule of only letting sons inherit most of the family wealth and business. So my aunt-in-law was forced to acknowledge my uncle's bastard son and watch my uncle, her husband, train the bastard to inherit the family business when my cousins are way more competent than the guy."
"I know someone who went through a similar situation."
"So we're saying that you have to be careful, Qiuyue. You already told us that Long Hui refuses to abandon his bastard son and intends to maintain regular communication with it. These are all red flags for you. He might force you to acknowledge the bastard if you don't produce a legitimate heir."
"I dare him to do that to me!" Mao Qiuyue's eyes burned with fury and hatred. "Acknowledge that bastard and let it be the heir? Over my dead body!"