At the other end of the table, Alona Bauer sat with his brother, Alric Bauer. The siblings hadn't seen each other for a long time. Although Alona would sometimes fly to China to celebrate some special occasions with Iris and her family, she wasn't able to stay for too long before flying back to Germany again to continue setting up Orchidia's first European base there.
Similarly, Alric was extremely busy developing new products and improving Orchidia's current product formulations. As a result, the Bauer siblings hadn't spent that much time together.
"How does it feel to be back home?" Alona asked his brother.
Alric shrugged. "Good."
She chuckled. "Many of our old customers have been asking me when my 'mad scientist' brother will return. I told them that if they attend and support Orchidia Germany's launch, they'll be able to see you again."
He nodded. "Orchidia is no longer just a beauty and skincare company. We also offer other products under the company's different brands. Don't just focus on advertising the products that I developed. Make sure that the customers also know the company's different brands such as Orchidia Mommy and Orchidia Baby."
"Of course! I'm not such a selfish person. I'm the one in charge of Orchidia Germany, so I sure as hell will make sure that it succeeds."
He nodded again. "Make sure to always remember where we came from, how we got here, and especially who's the one who allowed us to have our successful careers in the first place."
"You don't have to tell me that. I'm always grateful to Xiulan and Orchidia. Don't worry, Alric. You know me. I'm not the type of person to betray people's trust."
"Just making sure. Orchidia is growing at a fast rate. There's a lot of room for error. I can't help much in running the company, so I'm doing my best to develop the best products that I can. Xiulan is excellent but she's only one person. I hope that you can be as dependable as CFO Long Jinjing and COO Chen Fei when it comes to helping Xiulan run the company. Also, don't forget that I own shares in the company. As long as Orchidia succeeds, we'll also succeed."
"Wow, Alric. You've become much more talkative. I'm so proud of you!"
He gave his sister a cold stare. "I'm serious." freewёbnoνel.com
Alona laughed but still stopped teasing his brother. "Okay, I get it. Don't worry. I won't mess it up. I'll make sure that Orchidia Germany succeeds under my watch."
It was only after she said this that Alric looked satisfied. He continued eating and returned to his previous taciturn self, only nodding now and then at his sister's chattiness.
Unbeknownst to them, Iris heard their entire conversation due to her excellent hearing despite sitting at the other end of the table. She smiled in satisfaction. The Bauer siblings had been one of the best investments she made for Orchidia. There was no doubt about it.
Alric was the type of person who would do his utmost best as long as he had the right environment to continue with his experiments. This was why she always advised Long Jinjing to grant Alric more budget. As long as the man was happy, he would do his best to create more amazing products for the company.
After lunch, everyone returned to their hotel.
Huang Yuyan felt a little too excited and wanted to drag Iris to go shopping immediately.
Iris didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom, please rest first. We can go shopping tomorrow."
Her mother-in-law looked like she was about to continue persuading Iris.
Jin Liwei stepped forward. "Mom, go rest. If you get sick because you didn't rest, you won't be able to go shopping much less attend your daughter-in-law's company launch in a few days."
Huang Yuyan pouted like a little girl but still obeyed her son but not before muttering under her breath, "You're just like your dad. So rigid." Then she smiled at her daughter-in-law, "Xiulan, my dear, let's go to the hotel spa after shopping tomorrow. Half a day flying in a plane has dried out my skin so badly!"
"Okay, Mom. I'll make a reservation at the hotel spa for tomorrow."
Her mother-in-law smiled at Iris before hugging the twins.
Finally, Jin Liwei released a sigh of relief after his mother left. Iris was amused at his actions.
"Mom is just as lively as Brother Chonglin," she said. "Don't be too strict on her. It's good that she looks and acts younger than her age. Keeps her young."
He shook his head but there was a smile on his face. He knew his own mother. Huang Yuyan was a wonderful mother, but she could be quite selfish sometimes. Despite this, he was still thankful that his mother wasn't as bad as Wei Lan.
Perhaps Huang Yuyan's biggest fault was insisting on the engagement between Jin Chonglin and Fan Luo back then. That had been a huge disaster.
Fortunately, Huang Yuyan had already learned from her mistake and didn't interfere with Jin Chonglin's relationships anymore.
"Mama." Little Mochi hugged Iris' leg, interrupting them.
"Ma." Little Matcha hugged her other leg.
"Hm? What's wrong, my sweethearts?" Iris couldn't carry the two of them anymore at the same time so she just rubbed their fluffy heads.
"They're acting fussy," Jin Liwei said. "Time for a nap."
This time, Little Mochi didn't throw a tantrum when his daddy carried him. He rested her head on his daddy's wide shoulder, looking drowsy but still wanting to be coaxed.
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