Chapter 1554 French Chateau
Chapter 1554 French Chateau
The others laughed at Chen Fei's words. Even the corners of Jin Liwei's mouth curved up ever so slightly.
"My younger brother is a handful," Jin Liwei said.
Chen Fei rolled his eyes. "Ain't that right? But what can I do? I already agreed to marry him." She sighed before smiling. "Alright, goodbye now. It's better to leave early so that you can reach your destination sooner. It's not easy to travel with babies in tow."
She kissed Little Mochi and Little Matcha who were being strapped to their baby car seats by their father. "Say bye-bye to Auntie Fei, Little Mochi and Little Matcha. Have fun! Don't be too naughty. I'll see you in a few days."
"Yah yah!" Little Mochi gave her a slobbery kiss and a big, bright smile.
Little Matcha was calmer. He allowed his Aunt Fei to kiss him on the cheek before settling in his car seat and yawning.
Chen Fei laughed. "I can't believe these two are brothers. Their personalities are too different from each other."
"It's because their parents' personalities are also completely different from each other," Iris said.
"True." Chen Fei nodded. "I just hope that Little Mochi doesn't grow up into a spoiled brat like you, Xiulan. You're fine now as an adult, but you were such a menace when you were younger. Jinjing suffered a lot because of you back then."
Iris couldn't reply. It wasn't her who was a menace back then.
The original Long Xiulan was undoubtedly not the easiest person to get along with. The original indeed bullied her half-sister and attempted to terrorize her half-brothers. She had a bit more respect for Long Hui, the first legitimate child. But for the other illegitimate siblings, the original Long Xiulan completely disregarded them.
Now, however, she had so much more sympathy and compassion toward the original Long Xiulan than when she first was reborn into this body. Especially after she became a mother, she gradually understood how the original Long Xiulan's personality became warped.
The original was so much like her eldest twin son. Little Mochi's love for showing off and his clingy personality were exactly like the original Long Xiulan's.
Fortunately, Little Mochi's parents weren't the self-absorbed, vain mother like Wei Lan and the emotionally neglectful father like Long Tengfei.
Iris and Jin Liwei were always doing their best to spend ample time with their children, to be present, and to guide them properly.
"You don't have to worry about my son," Jin Liwei said to Chen Fei, interrupting Iris' thoughts. "My wife and I will make sure that Little Mochi will grow up into a responsible young man. And so will Little Matcha."
Chen Fei cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed. "Don't take my words the wrong way. You know I love your kids."
Iris patted her shoulder. "We know."
Chen Fei smiled, feeling relieved.
Finally, the family temporarily said goodbye to Chen Fei and their Parisian residence.
The huge gates opened. There was literally a motorcade carrying everyone coming to the family trip. Of course, the nannies and bodyguards had to come with them.
Iris left a couple of bodyguards to protect Chen Fei, though, just in case the paparazzi mobbed her. The news about her engagement with the superstar Jin Chonglin was still very fresh. Every time she went outside, paparazzi would follow her around and snap photos of her. Having a couple of bodyguards should be enough to prevent anyone, especially the paparazzi from getting too close.
As for Iris' other entourage members who were tasked with helping her get ready for events, she temporarily granted them leave to do whatever they wanted. Most of them decided to stay in Paris and visit tourist spots and go shopping. When Iris and her family returned from their trip a few days from now, then her entourage would once again follow her to Germany and help her prepare for Orchidia's launch.
The motorcade wasn't eye-catching when they reached the highway because the vehicles weren't all the same. Each was a different brand, style, and colour. Once on the highway, they looked just like every other vehicle, albeit more luxurious than average.
As usual, the vehicle carrying Iris and her family was in the middle with the other vehicles protecting them from all sides.
The trip was quite long. They fell asleep several times, especially the babies, who got tired easily.
The sun was already setting in the sky when they reached their destination.
It was a huge chateau overlooking a small hill. A few butlers, several maidservants, and other household staff stood in two lines in front of the old yet well-maintained chateau.
"Welcome, Monsieur and Madame Jin," the head butler greeted them in French.
"Thank you." Iris smiled while continuing to examine the chateau.
Jin Liwei carried Little Mochi while Dom bent over to hold Little Matcha who insisted on walking by himself.
Their nannies and bodyguards started unpacking everyone's luggage.
The head butler carried a mobile phone and brought it to Iris.
"Hello, Madame Jin," the French magnate's voice greeted her on the phone. "I heard that you're going to visit the chateau for the first time, so I instructed the head butler and the rest of the staff to meticulously prepare for your arrival, and of course, welcome you as their new employer. Their work contracts are included in the estate, but please feel free to decide whether to keep them or not. Most of them are locals and know the best spots to visit in the area. If you and Liam want to go somewhere, don't hesitate to ask any of them. They'll be more than happy to assist you. Also, this will be the last time that I'll be giving them instructions before I hand them over to you."
"Thank you, Monsieur," Iris said. "The chateau looks incredible from the outside. My family and I can't wait to see what it's like inside. As for the staff's work contracts, my husband and I will decide what to do after seeing their work performance with our own eyes."
"Of course, Madame. They also understand what to do. They're all yours from now on and should all obey your orders."
She made a sound of agreement. After saying a few more polite words, she handed the phone to her husband.
Jin Liwei spoke to the French magnate. His tone wasn't as polite as his wife's, but it couldn't be said that he was rude either. He just didn't want to be friendly with the Frenchman, still holding a grudge against him.
Despite this, being civil was still a must. The Frenchman had already started fulfilling his promise to help Liberté gain a firm foothold in France. Just for this, Jin Liwei was willing to give the Frenchman some face and not embarrass him all the time. As long as the Frenchman could give his wife's perfumery some benefits, then he would be willing to return the favour someday.
The power was in his wife's hands, though. The French magnate also understood this.
As an active Cross Academy student, Iris had the power to vet the French magnate's company, help it pass the rigorous review next year, and hopefully, successfully extend its membership in the academy's exclusive business network.
The husband and wife could feel the French magnate's desperation, not only with his overly generous apology gifts but also in trying to help Liberté as much as he possibly could.
Today, they decided to stay in the chateau that the French magnate gifted Iris as an apology. This was a chance to check it out, see it with their own eyes, determine whether it needed any renovations or changes in the staff, and also send a signal to the French magnate that they were receptive to his efforts.
After the phone call, Iris and the others followed the head butler while some of their bodyguards scattered to secure the chateau's outside perimeters.
The inside was just as impressive as the outside.
It was clear that the French magnate did a lot of renovations to modernize the chateau. There was electricity, plumbing, and insulation.
However, Iris wrinkled her nose upon seeing the interior decorations. She liked antiques, but if all the things inside the home were antique, it wouldn't feel like a home anymore but a museum instead.
"I'll contact an interior designer," Jin Liwei said upon noticing her dislike of the decorations.
"Yes, but let's do that next time," Iris replied. "I want to enjoy our family trip and not worry about updating the chateau."
"En. Up to you, love."
"Yah yah yah!" Little Mochi couldn't stop pointing here and there, curious about the entire place.
His brother, Little Matcha, was also very interested in the new place. He kept on wanting to run here and there, struggling against his Uncle Dom's hold.
"Normally, I would let the babies run around but all of these decorations look like they're centuries old, so I want to preserve them as much as possible," Iris said with a sigh. Then she addressed the nannies, "Please help keep an eye on my sons and not let them break anything."
"Understood, Madam."
"Please don't worry, Madam. We'll keep an eye on the twins."
Iris gave them a smile of thanks. Then she spoke to the head butler in French. "Please move any important artifacts out of reach of the babies. My family and I are going to stay here for a few days. I want my babies to enjoy their time here, but I don't want them breaking anything important when they run around."
"Understood, Madame Jin."
The head butler signalled his subordinate butlers and maidservants.