Iris' smile turned wry but only for a fraction of a second before reactivating her breathtaking smile as she and Long Jian greeted another department head or manager or whatever the person's position in the company was.
It took some time before the two reached the top-level group where Long Tengfei, the COO and the other executives congregated together. Long Hui was also there. If not for the cold glint in his eyes, the warm smile and friendly greetings coming out of his mouth almost made Iris believe that the man had turned over a brand new leaf.
Almost. But not quite.
Long Jian responded in kind, smiling and greeting even more warmly. The two half-brothers smiled and complimented each other, looking like they were almost flaunting their "brotherhood" to everyone, and eliciting a pleased expression from their father, Long Tengfei.
Standing beside Long Jian, Iris fought the urge to snicker at the masterful display of acting skills of the two. Unlike Long Tengfei who only chose to see the superficial interactions between his sons, Iris could feel the invisible sparks of hostility and resentment between Long Hui and Long Jian.
When Long Hui turned his "warm" smile and "friendly" greetings to her, she also felt the same hostility and resentment being thrown at her. A wave of irritation rushed over her, so sudden and intense that she almost allowed it to completely overwhelm her. It took a great deal of control for her not to kick Long Hui in the balls and permanently end his ability to father other children after Little Jun.
She relished the image in her head and almost went ahead with her impulse, but fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one's viewpoint), she managed to remember her original goal of why she was expending so much time, effort and energy in Long Industries even though she had no interest in it at all. It was all for the sake of her godson Little Jun's future.
Thus, she forced a smile on her face and greeted the good-for-nothing scum, even when all she wanted to do at that moment was crush his balls. It was only a smile and a few short words but Iris already felt drained. Now she understood Grandpa Lu's dislike towards what he called "people matters" because it usually involved pretending to be nice towards people who might or might not be total assholes just to forge advantageous business connections.
Long Hui's fake smile and words grated on her nerves, intensifying her irritation and causing a throb in her temples. She really felt at that moment that she might repeat history and punch the asshole in the face just like how Grandpa Lu said he punched that asshole CEO back in the old days.
Fortunately, Long Tengfei and the other executives distracted her from her growing irritation by chatting with her. She respected Long Tengfei as a businessman, although not so much as a father. And she also quite liked the COO who gave her a good impression when she pitched her Orchidia Beauty company to them at Long Industries last year. Chatting with them somewhat eased her irritation.
"Miss Long, Deputy COO Long, both of you did an excellent job," the COO praised them before offering them a toast. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone else drank wine except for Iris who opted for a warm, spiced apple cider drink instead. She noticed that Long Hui's pleasant expression cracked a little when the COO praised her and Long Jian.
'What a petty man.'
The party continued in a cheerful, albeit uneventful, manner so far. However, for some reason, Iris grew increasingly uncomfortable as time went by. The soft classical music felt too tacky, although she usually enjoyed listening to it on her own. The clinking and clanking of silverware were too loud, sounding like thunderclaps to her ears, and the noisy chatter as well. Everyone smelled bad—a mixture of sweat, heavy perfume, too much alcohol, or just plain body odour. Iris wanted to gag but quickly washed it down with the warm apple cider drink instead.
She really wanted to go home as soon as possible and rush to her darling's arms to inhale his unique masculine scent that she loved so much in order to clean and freshen her entire olfactory system which felt like it was being polluted the longer she stayed in this party.
"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Long Jian whispered.
She took a few deep breaths to get a hold of herself. "I'm just feeling a little tired. Busy schedule and not enough sleep. I'll be fine."
He examined her for a few moments before saying, "Maybe you're low on sugar again. Stay here. I'll get you a slice of cake or something."
Her eyes lit up. "Yes, please. Thanks! I want the chocolate-flavoured one."
When Long Jian was gone, Iris found a seat on a nearby table and gestured for a server to refill her drink. She turned her head when she noticed someone taking the seat beside her.
"Granduncle Jufang," she greeted.
"Xiulan, I noticed that you've grown close to that bas—to your half-brother Jian," he said.
Iris' eyes narrowed, knowing that the elder almost said "bastard" to describe Long Jian. She might not hold any love for Long Jian and only treated him as an ally but the elder's prejudiced view regarding illegitimate children made her irritation return in full force.
The elder's antiquated values and that of the majority of the Longs were some of the top reasons why she aimed to purge the entire clan from its disgusting old prejudices. Taking over Long Industries wasn't enough. She wouldn't allow her godson Little Jun to be bullied by these old coots. That asshole Long Hui couldn't protect his son from the clan, so she and Jin Liwei would do it!
Although she was drowning in frustration, she still forced a smile on her face and nodded. "Yes, Granduncle. Brother Jian and I are siblings after all."