Iris nodded and patted Jiang Ying Yue's arm. "That's a start."
Then Ketchup interrupted them once again. She reported that the guards outside allowed a car to enter the property. It was Lin Yehan.
"I told Eldest Brother what happened," Jin Liwei explained to Jiang Ying Yue. "He deserves to know. He's already involved in the situation. After all, he's presumably the reason why that son of a bitch went crazy and started accusing you of cheating on him. Do you blame Eldest Brother?"
Jiang Ying Yue shook her head. "No, of course not. I don't blame him at all. On the contrary, I feel sorry that he got dragged into my mess with Hui…I mean with Long Hui. I'm just afraid that Long Hui's camp will use the photos and videos of us together against me during the custody battle. I don't want Mr. Lin to be painted as the man who destroyed a family. I'm already feeling bad for him."
"Don't worry about Eldest Brother. He can take care of himself," Jin Liwei told her.
Iris nodded. "Just worry about yourself and Little Jun for now." Then she patted Jiang Ying Yue's arm. "Don't worry about the photos and videos. Ketchup and I already confirmed that he indeed plans on using them against you, but we won't let him spread them to the public through the internet. Liwei is also using his connections to sniff out any intentions of publishing them through traditional media."
She paused, remembering something. Then she turned to Lu Zihao. "Big Brother!"
"Hm? What is it, little sister?" he asked, a faint demonic smile on his lips.
"Is that paparazzo still with your group?" she asked.
His expression remained blank for a couple of seconds before he understood what she meant. "Oh, that guy. Yes, he's now a full-fledged member of my group. He's one of the most loyal to me, actually. Why? You want to use him?"
"Heh~ I see. Alright. I'll tell him to keep an eye on the photos and videos," Lu Zihao told her.
"Thanks, Big Brother!"
Jin Liwei nodded at his Fifth Brother. Jiang Ying Yue also thanked him.
The paparazzo they were talking about was the one who snapped the photos of Iris and Jin Chonglin together with Little Jun when they picked up the cats at the vet's clinic. The tabloid story insinuated that Iris and Jin Chonglin had a love child together. Iris asked for Lu Zihao's help during that time. In the end, the paparazzo joined Shadow Winds.
Back to the present, Lin Yehan finally arrived at the mansion. The butler showed him to the living area.
"Miss Jiang, I'm so sorry" was the first thing that came out of his mouth when he reached them.
"No, Mr. Lin. I'm the one who's sorry that you've become involved in my personal problem," Jiang Ying Yue told him instead.
Lin Yehan's expression looked guilty, even though he had nothing to feel guilty about. His face wasn't smiling, but he still looked kind and gentle.
"I'll try to contact Mr. Long Hui. I'll talk to him and explain what really happened. I'll assure him that there's nothing between us and it was just pure coincidence that we met each other that day," he offered.
"Don't bother, Eldest Brother," Iris added. "That man's brains have been disintegrating for quite some time now. He has already turned into a stupid idiot. He didn't give Ying Yue a chance to explain. He won't listen to you either. There's no use wasting your time trying to reason with a person who only has one brain cell left inside his head."
"Xiu-xiulan… Your words are too…" Lin Yehan sighed. "He's still your brother."
"No, he's not. I only recognize Big Brother Zihao as my true brother. Biologically speaking, yes, that stupid idiot is my brother. The sperms which contributed to the creation of Long Xiulan and him came from the same man, after all. But emotionally and spiritually speaking, I don't consider him as a brother, especially after all the idiocy he has done to my friend and godson. So no, he's not my brother."
Jin Liwei's mouth twitched but he nodded in full agreement with his baby girl. Of course, he would always side with her. Lu Zihao threw his head back and laughed out loud.
As for Jiang Ying Yue, she felt hurt when Iris insulted Long Hui but she quickly scolded herself. The hatred inside her overpowered the subconscious tender feelings for him. She acknowledged the growing hatred and didn't stop it. However, she didn't want it to completely overcome her. Hatred was too strong of an emotion that she didn't want to harbour for the rest of her life.
For now, she still needed to process her chaotic emotions. Like what Iris said, she needed to become strong for her son. If possible, she wanted a more amicable separation and joint custody. Unfortunately, he was the first to wage war against her. It was heartbreaking, but there was no way she would let him win. Take her son away from her? He would need to kill her first before she would allow that to happen.
Later…
Lin Yehan felt partly responsible for Jiang Ying Yue's current trouble. He decided to sleep over at the mansion to show his support. Despite this, he gave her space. They didn't even talk that much. He just wanted her to know that if she needed any help, she could always ask him. He already considered her as a friend.
Of course, Little Jun was delighted when he found out that his "Anko Han" visited. The toddler immediately stuck close to Lin Yehan. At first glance, it looked like the child had already forgotten about what happened with his daddy three nights ago. He acted like the usual happy child that he was. However, everyone in the mansion noticed that he had become clingier to all of them, especially to the men. As a result, he preferred his Papa Liwei more than his Mama Iris these days.