394 Sang Bleu (1/2)

The next morning, the lovers woke up at dawn with only a few hours of sleep. Iris forced herself out of bed to join Jin Liwei for breakfast, even though her work wouldn't start until later. He tried persuading her to return to bed but she insisted on accompanying him.

She took the time while Jin Liwei was showering and dressing up in his business suit to fight off sleep and roll out of the bed.

Groggy from the lack of sleep, Iris walked like a zombie with Jin Liwei out of their bedroom suite to the breakfast table. Ice Cream and Popcorn greeted them.

The two cats were usually the ones who accompanied their daddy during breakfast whenever their mommy was still asleep. They also liked watching the chef cook (and stealing some scraps of food when he wasn't looking).

Iris carried the two cats in her arms. Ice Cream had slimmed down a lot, although she was still bigger compared to Popcorn. At least now the veterinarian didn't scold Dom anymore whenever he brought the cats for their regular check-up. However, they had to continue monitoring her weight because she had the tendency to overeat.

While eating traditional Chinese breakfast of congee and a wide array of side dishes, Iris gradually became more awake. She chatted with Jin Liwei and was extra attentive to him, serving him food and doting on him—things that he usually did for her.

Jin Liwei's eyebrows rose at her unusual behaviour but he didn't stop her. Why would he? He was immensely enjoying it, thank you very much.

After pouring him more coffee, Iris hesitated a bit. She wanted to talk to him about something but worried that it would ruin the nice atmosphere between them.

He noticed her hesitation. ”What is it, love? Tell me.”

”Can you…” She cleared her throat and tried again. ”Can you tell me more about your anniversary present for me? I want to know about the French perfumery you gifted me.”

Just like what she expected, his expression darkened. However, his voice was gentle when he replied to her. ”Don't think about it anymore, love. I'll give you a better present soon.”

”Darling, please. Don't be like this.” She grabbed his hand on top of the table and held it. ”It's your anniversary present to me. I'll keep it. I really will.”

He clasped their hands together. ”You don't have to force yourself to like it.”

”Tell me more about it, then. I'll decide whether I like it or not after hearing more about it. Okay?”

”Hmm…” He took a few moments to think about it while sipping his coffee.

Iris waited for him. She massaged his hand clasped with hers, hoping that by doing so would soften him. It was partly her fault anyway that he had become prejudiced against the French perfumery, blaming it for causing their fight last night.

When he finished the entire cup of coffee without giving her an answer, she moved from her seat and sat on his lap instead. She gave him several smacking kisses on the cheeks, deciding to use the honey trap instead to persuade him.

”Tell me, please,” she asked again, batting her eyelashes at him.

His mouth twitched seeing her puppy eyes. He immediately softened, but he was enjoying her honey trap so he pretended to be unaffected. And it worked. His baby girl continued raining kisses all over his face and caressing him all over with her hands. After enjoying her tender loving care for some time, he finally relented.

”Alright, I'll tell you about the perfumery.”

In clear and concise words, he described what the company was and how he was able to acquire it.

Sang Bleu was an old French perfumery established more than a hundred years ago. It was a family-owned business that originally catered to French aristocrats before gaining fans from other European nobilities and even some royalty.

Times changed but Sang Bleu refused to sell to regular people, stubbornly making their perfumes exclusive to people who had ”blue blood” only. On one hand, it made their perfumes more desirable. But on the other hand, they were condemned for their discriminatory mindset.

”Oh. They're just like the Longs,” Iris commented.

Jin Liwei chuckled. ”I think you're forgetting that you're also a Long, love.”