705 Long Industries’ Party Part II (1/2)
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.'