Platinum Sky Condominium.
After their business lesson that day, Grandpa Lu invited Iris to go with him somewhere. He said that he wanted to introduce her to his dearest friend who was currently staying in the countryside. Iris had no reason to decline and she was also curious, so she agreed.
She followed him up to the rooftop where a private helicopter was already waiting for them. She was only momentarily surprised seeing a helipad on top of the building, but since this was Grandpa Lu's property, she didn't think it was that unusual.
The pilot greeted them and assisted the two of them into the helicopter. Grandpa Lu glared at the male pilot who tried to fasten Iris' seat belt.
"No touching my granddaughter, boy!"
The poor pilot flinched at the sharp warning, but he was a professional and quickly recovered. He apologized before backing away.
Iris glanced at Grandpa Lu. Did he just call her his granddaughter?
"What?" Grandpa Lu asked, catching her looking at him. "You're my student but I already consider you as my granddaughter. You're already family to me. Besides, you're already calling me Grandpa! What's wrong with me calling you my granddaughter? I want to know!"
She felt touched by his words. "There's nothing wrong, Grandpa Lu. Thank you."
"Ahaha! Good. Very good!" Then he personally helped her fasten her seat belt.
Moments later, they were flying in the air.
Iris watched in fascination at the aerial view of the city she now called home. It was all concrete and modern buildings. Not really beautiful or breathtaking, but she imagined that it would be mesmerizing at night with all the city lights. Perhaps she would be able to see the aerial night view of the city later depending on what time they returned from wherever they were going.
"Xiulan my girl, I heard that you're having trouble with some young socialites around your age? Why do they hate you so much? I want to know!" Grandpa Lu's booming voice sounded over her headset.
She shrugged. "I'm not having trouble with them. I don't even know most of them. Besides, there are many people who hate me. They're not the first ones."
"Hmph! They're just entitled brats who are jealous that you're working for your own success when all they're doing is waiting for their parents to drop dead so that they could start collecting their inheritance! Absolute garbage! Those socialites have always been a bunch of snobs!"
Iris looked uninterested.
Grandpa Lu saw her reaction or lack thereof. He threw his head back and laugh uproariously. "Ahaha! That's my granddaughter! I'm so glad that you're not like those Longs who're some of the most snobbish people I've ever encountered in my life. They look down on other people too much that they're looking up instead. Maybe that's why your family crest depicts a dragon looking up! The Longs think too highly of themselves that they're forgetting to keep their feet on the ground!"
She leaned to the window and continued to observe the aerial view of the ground. They already left the city and was now above the highways.
"Don't take my words as an insult to your family, my girl! Your father, Long Tengfei, is a good man. He is like his father, your grandfather—bless his soul—who was a talented businessman. Not as good as me, of course! Ahahaha! Good men, both of them. A bit stupid when it comes to women but other than that, they're unlike the rest of the Longs, especially the old ones."
"By the way, my girl! That hacker who exposed those brats on the internet, I forgot the name, Cookie Monster or something? Are you that Cookie Monster hacker?"
"No, Grandpa Lu," she said, chuckling at his mistake. "It wasn't me. And it's KeymonSTER, not Cookie Monster."
"KeymonSTER, Cookie Monster…Cuckoo Monster. They all sound the same! Why choose such a weird and ugly name when there are so many other cooler names to choose from? I want to know!"
Iris just laughed, feeling very entertained by his words.
Grandpa Lu looked pleased that she was now showing interest in what he was saying. He didn't really mind her earlier disinterest because both of them were from Cross Academy. He understood and could relate to her. After all, most geniuses followed their own pace without really caring about what other people thought of them.
However, he must train her not to show her disinterest so obviously to others especially in the world of business. Networking was extremely important in business. Showing disinterest while networking was detrimental. He wasn't worried, though. The girl was a fast learner and would surely improve in this aspect.
"So you're not Cuckoo Monster. Then it means that there's another hacker who's helping you."
"Yes."
"Do you know who Cuckoo Monster is?"
"You do? Ahaha! Are you friends? Did you tell him to help you? I want to know!"
"No, we're not friends. I just met him once before, but he doesn't know that I'm also a hacker. He only knows me as Iris Long. And no, I didn't ask him to do anything for me. He did everything on his own volition."
"Well, Xiulan my girl. You may have many haters, but it seems that you also have many supporters. Good. Very good!" He reached over and patted her shoulder. "Don't mind the haters. The higher you go, the more haters you'll acquire and the bigger their jealousy will grow because they wish they can climb as high as you but can't. That's why they wish for your downfall, so that they can feel better about their pathetic selves."
Iris shrugged, beginning to become disinterested again. "I don't care about what the haters think about me. I don't think about them at all."
"Ahaha! That's what I want to hear!"