Iris finished up her skincare routine (all Orchidia Beauty products, newly stocked and available online) and looked at her husband who was still observing her as if worried that she might suddenly collapse again. She gave him a reassuring smile.
They clasped their hands and walked the short distance to the nursery room together. Upon reaching their destination, they stopped at the door and didn't enter right away.
"Something wrong, love?" Jin Liwei asked.
She squeezed his hand. "I'm curious but I won't ask you anymore about the specific details of what my brother told you. Knowing him, the truth must have been many times worse than what he decided to tell you. I don't need to know everything about it. It's enough for me to know that all of our previous bodies had been desecrated after our deaths."
He raised her hand and kissed it, trying to transmit his own warmth and support to her through his lips. "Like I always tell you, I'll always stay right here beside you no matter what you decide to do. Just like what we vowed during our marriage, we are partners in life."
Her throat became choked with emotion. She nodded and leaned to him for a hug.
The door opened. Huang Yuyan was startled to find her son and daughter-in-law right outside the door. She pressed her hand over her chest.
"Hai, you too! You almost scared your old mother to death!" But right after scolding them, Huang Yuyan immediately pulled Iris and examined her all over. "Xiulan my dear, I was so worried about you! Are you really okay now?"
"Yes, Mother. Sorry to worry you."
"Don't mention it, my dear. Your health is more important."
"And also thank you for taking care of the twins, Mother. I heard that they gave you a hard time yesterday."
Huang Yuyan sighed but there was a doting smile on her face. "Indeed, my poor grandsons missed their mom so much that they didn't stop crying! That's why you need to take better care of your health, Xiulan. Your babies need you!"
"I understand, Mother."
Iris allowed her mother-in-law to pull her inside the nursery. Jin Liwei trailed behind them. The nannies greeted them before leaving so that the family could spend time together. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"Oh, my babies." Iris immediately went over to kiss her twins. Her eyes watered from missing her babies too much even if she had been gone from their side for only a day.
It was obvious that the babies missed her as well. The twins' vision had now improved and could now stare at people's faces at a close range.
Little Mochi couldn't stop smiling as soon as he saw his mother's face. The pacifier flew out of his mouth but he didn't care. He kept on waving his mittened hands and kicking his socked feet from excitement.
Even the usually quiet Little Matcha was also smiling and followed his mother with his eyes. He looked just like his father whenever Jin Liwei stared at Iris. Unlike his older twin brother who almost couldn't contain his excitement and was waving his little limbs all over the place, Little Matcha continued to obediently lie down on his back.
The babies' toothless smiles melted Iris' heart. They were fraternal twins so they didn't look the same at all. Even their personalities were completely different from each other. Despite this, Iris felt emotional that they were both equally excited to see her after only a day of absence.
Iris and Jin Liwei took turns holding their twins while Huang Yuyan updated her daughter-in-law about how her grandsons fared yesterday without their mother.
After Huang Yuyan left the nursery to let the parents enjoy their babies without an elder like her, Iris once again promised that she would work on improving her health so that what happened yesterday wouldn't happen again. It wasn't just her who suffered whenever she collapsed but also her husband and especially their little babies.
"Poor Little Mochi and Little Matcha," she cooed at her smiling twins. "Mommy is so sorry for leaving you yesterday."
Ice Cream gave her a disgruntled meow as if complaining about how her absence caused her precious baby brothers to cry nonstop yesterday. However, the fat, grey cat still rubbed herself all over her mommy.
"Thank you for looking after your baby brothers, Ice Cream. Such a responsible eldest sister."
Ice Cream responded by rubbing her big, fluffy head against her mommy before returning to the crib to continue guarding her twin baby brothers.
Jin Liwei stroked his eldest feline daughter who immediately started purring.
Iris felt a deep sense of fulfillment watching her family together in their home. The Vetrovs had amassed wealth far beyond what she or Jin Liwei currently have but she had never felt richer than she did right at this moment.
The feeling of richness didn't come from their current financial situation but rather from the happy family that they built together. To her, this was far more important than anything in the whole world.
Later, the parents finally put their babies to sleep.
"Liwei, we have to become stronger," Iris said. "More powerful, more prepared."
"En." Jin Liwei didn't need her to explain what she meant. He already understood.
"This sense of complacency can't go on. Even though I don't plan on openly declaring war against the enemies of the Vetrovs, I just can't let them continue to live in peace after what they had done. I accept that the Vetrovs deserve retribution but I believe that the enemies don't deserve to enjoy the power and riches they plundered after annihilating the former top dog either. If the Vetrovs deserved to be wiped out, then those criminal organizations including the government forces that secretly colluded with them deserved to be erased from this planet as well.
"I know that it's almost close to impossible to extinguish every single criminal group in the world but at least the world will be a so much better place without the biggest criminal organizations that have the power to control entire economies and reign like kings of their own nations."
Jin Liwei asked, "You mean big groups like the Alcatraz OrganizaciĂłn?"
She nodded.
"Overthrowing a huge criminal organization like Alcatraz is a difficult task but not impossible.. If the Vetrovs can fall, so can Alcatraz," he said.