"Big Brother!" Iris stood up and greeted with a nervous smile.

Lu Zihao stopped walking before he could reach them and just stood there, his heavy presence filling up the entire room in an instant. Jin Liwei frowned but didn't say anything. Instead, he moved to stand beside Iris and wrapped an arm behind her. 

"Fifth Brother," he greeted with a brief nod, no longer appearing as welcoming to Lu Zihao as when his fifth brother just entered the room. He didn't appreciate that his fifth brother was causing his pregnant woman to become jittery like this.

"Little Sister, Third Brother," Lu Zihao drawled his greeting. His expression looked deceptively relaxed. There was even the usual faint devilish smile on his lips. However, his eyes had a sinister opaqueness that prevented others from reading his real emotions and deterred them from digging deeper. It was like a black hole existed within his pupils, sucking in those foolish enough to want to get to know the real him. 

There was something different about Lu Zihao this time, but Jin Liwei couldn't pinpoint it. It wasn't physical or else he would've noticed it immediately. No, it was something more intangible.

On the other hand, Iris knew exactly what was different about the Lu Zihao standing in front of them right now. She leaned closer to Jin Liwei, her palms starting to sweat. This Lu Zihao reeked of more danger and felt closer to how her big brother was, the Nikolai Vetrov she knew in her past life. It seemed that he was having more difficulty in concealing his true nature from leaking out in detectable waves.

"Sit down, Fifth Brother. Let's eat." Jin Liwei took over the situation because his baby girl was too nervous.

After sitting down, Jin Liwei also led the conversation, asking Lu Zihao different questions. Lu Zihao didn't make anything difficult and responded in an easy manner while eating his meal. 

Soon, the heavy atmosphere lightened and Iris acted more like herself, even joining the conversation between the two men. She also snatched their portions of sweets without any shame, believing that all the desserts on the table belonged to her. 

The two men didn't say anything at her greedy display. Jin Liwei had a doting smile on his face and even assisted in serving more brownies and chocolate fudge slices onto her plate. As for Lu Zihao, his real emotions were unreadable as he watched the couple in front of him while eating his meal.

After the meal was over, the three moved to the couches while the table was being tidied up. Then hot, digestive, herbal tea was served next. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria Cross]

Iris felt content after filling up her stomach with delicious food. She was like a cat who wanted to curl up and sleep after a meal. The feeling was so nice and comfortable, but then her brother's next words made her stiffen.

"I heard that you're pregnant." Lu Zihao's tone was very casual, but she could feel the dangerous undertone in his voice.

Iris shrank a little and pressed herself closer to Jin Liwei's side. He rubbed her waist before smiling at Lu Zihao. "You heard correctly, Fifth Brother. Xiulan is indeed pregnant. We are both very happy and excited to become parents soon."

"Heh~ Is that so?" Lu Zihao swirled the hot tea in his cup before taking a sip. His eyes moved from Jin Liwei and settled on his sister.

She instinctively avoided his gaze but then felt a firm pressure from Jin Liwei's hand around her waist. Just a simple touch conveyed a clear message. 

'Don't be afraid. I'm here.'

A warm stream of courage flowed from Jin Liwei's hand pressing on her waist and filled her with a reliable sense of security, allowing her to lift her gaze and look at her big brother straight in the eyes. The apprehension of facing her brother's wrath was still there, but Jin Liwei's presence lessened the uncomfortable feeling inside her heart. 

"B-big Brother," she called.

"Hm?" 

The pressure of Lu Zihao's gaze eyes on her became heavier but she straightened her spine and spoke in a shy but upbeat tone. "You're going to be an uncle to…to t-twins soon. In less than a year."

He didn't reply right away but his gaze dropped from her face to her flat abdomen. "You're having twins?"

She nodded while Jin Liwei grinned with pride.

"Heh~ Twins, huh." Lu Zihao asked Jin Liwei, "Do you have twins in your family?"

Jin Liwei said he didn't know but would investigate his genealogical records. Lu Zihao looked at Iris, silently asking her the same question. She shook her head. Lu Zihao became pensive and no longer spoke as he withdrew inside his own mind. 

Iris didn't know what to make of his silence. It felt like the eerie calm before a disastrous storm. She almost hoped that her brother would rage at her and Jin Liwei to get it over with. She preferred an open reaction like that instead of this uncomfortable silence which made her unsure of what her brother was really thinking.

"Sorry to interrupt! Daddy, it's time to take your medicine. Meow~"

Iris rose with Jin Liwei from their seat but he gently pushed her down. "I can take my medicine by myself. You stay here and relax. Chat with Fifth Brother and tell him how happy we are with the upcoming two additions to our family. I also need to make a few, quick calls but I'll be back soon. Alright, love?"

"Okay." She watched him go inside their bedroom, closing the door behind him. Then she looked at her silent brother whose eyes had once again focused on her after Jin Liwei left.

"Tell the white cat to stop eavesdropping," he said.

"Meow! Uncle Haohao, my name is Ketchup! It's K as in kiss, E as in elf, T as in—"

"Kid, I know how to spell 'Ketchup'."

Iris immediately instructed Ketchup to stop eavesdropping in this room and go find someone else to chat with before her talkative cat annoyed her brother.

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