Jin Liwei was stunned. He looked at the bejewelled Smoking Devil, then at his brother-in-law.

historical

"So that's why," he murmured.

Now he understood why his wife became so emotional like that over a smoking pipe and even fainted as soon as she held it with her own hands. Anything that had to do with her past life as a Vetrov would always cause her state of mind to descend into chaos.

He placed the can of coconut water on the table. His appetite to drink was already lost.

"Do you know?" Lu Zihao continued speaking. "We have some Armenian blood in our paternal great-grandmother's side. That's why my father was named Arman. Very non-Russian."

Jin Liwei didn't know about this. His wife had never mentioned this. Maybe she didn't think it was that important. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]

"It was my great-grandmother who commissioned this pipe from an Armenian craftsman as a present for my great-grandfather. Of course, she wanted it to be shaped into a devil because that's what the Vetrovs are—the devils."

Jin Liwei frowned. His wife had also been a Vetrov in her past life as Evelina. She certainly wasn't a devil.

Then Lu Zihao added, "Well, except for my sister. Evelinka was an angel, never a devil. A total anomaly among us, the Vetrovs."

Jin Liwei nodded. Indeed, his wife was an angel. The motherfucker Emilio Miguel's appearance had nothing on his wife's original beauty as Evelina Vetrova. He didn't care about what anybody said. His wife, no matter if it was her past or present self, was an ultimate beauty.

"So that's the real story." Lu Zihao tossed the Smoking Devil in the air and caught it just as easily with one hand. "The only thing the story given during the auction about this pipe is that it has something to do with Armenia, but other than that, the rest are bullshit."

"Are you 100% sure that pipe is the real Smoking Devil?" Jin Liwei asked.

Lu Zihao gave a devilish smirk. "Even if you doubt me, do you dare doubt my sister?"

Jin Liwei fell quiet. Of course not. He didn't doubt his wife but it was imperative that they were 100% certain that the smoking pipe indeed belonged to the Vetrovs.

"Then how did that asshole Emilio Miguel get his hands on that and even dared to put it up for auction tonight?" he asked.

"Damn if I know," Lu Zihao said, his tone dripping with poison. "I can only imagine how many people benefited from our family's treasures after our organization's downfall. This Smoking Devil surely won't be the last item belonging to the Vetrovs that we'll see in auctions, some motherfuckers' collections, and in the black market."

That was what Jin Liwei thought as well.

"Do people know the Smoking Devil belonged to the Vetrovs?"

Lu Zihao thought for a moment, frowning. "Maybe the older ones. Only my great-grandfather and grandfather used the pipe. My father and I didn't really smoke that much. We also treated the Smoking Devil as an heirloom to pass down to the next generation and not really something to personally use."

"I'm worried that Evelina might fall in danger for getting her hands on something that used to belong to the Vetrovs."

If Jin Liwei could think this, then of course Lu Zihao had already thought of this possibility as well.

"We'll protect Evelinka."

"Of course. Always." Jin Liwei felt that it was only natural. She was his wife after all.

"And Evelinka is not an easy target either. She was Fantom and now Drakon. Not to mention that she made those two devil cat spawns who inherited most of her hacking skills."

"Meowuwuwuwu! Uncle Haohao is such a super-duper to the highest level baddie! The cute and mighty Ketchup is not a devil cat spawn! Ketchup is Mommy and Daddy's precious kitty baby! Bacon is a big meanie but little brother is not a devil cat spawn either! Daddy, do you also think that Ketchup and Bacon are devil cat spawns like what Baddie Uncle Haohao said? Meowuwuwu!"

"Of course not," Jin Liwei reassured his AI daughter. "Don't mind your uncle."

"Tsk. Such a brat who eavesdrops and interrupts while the adults are talking deserve a spanking."

"Ketchup's bum-bum doesn't want to be spanked! MEOWUWUWUWU!!!"

Jin Liwei sighed and sent his brother-in-law an annoyed look. Lu Zihao didn't give a damn.

Fortunately, it was very easy to coax Ketchup. If it were Bacon, they would definitely had to shell out some premium money to compensate the kid for his never-ending "emotional distress".

Bacon was not present because he was working overtime with ShaWn to dig for more information about Emilio Miguel and how the man had the Smoking Devil, something that originally belonged to the Vetrovs, in his possession.

"Leave Emilio Miguel to Shadow Winds," Lu Zihao said. "We don't know how the Smoking Devil fell into his hands. It might be by chance—meaning, he might not have any direct involvement with the Vetrovs' demise. But it's better to be safe than sorry especially since it's now known that Evelinka successfully won the pipe at the auction. If that Emilio Miguel really did have some involvement with my family's downfall..."

Lu Zihao released a deadly bloodthirsty aura.

"I'll make him and everyone involved in the massacre experience what the true devil from hell is like."

Jin Liwei closed his eyes but his brother-in-law's evil expression had already been deeply imprinted in his mind.

"Stay away from him," Lu Zihao reminded. "If he's dangerous and really involved in the underworld, then my Shadow Winds will deal with him."

"En."

Jin Liwei initially wanted to help in investigating the man but remembered that he and his brother-in-law had already long split their roles in protecting Iris (Evelina) and the rest of their family.

He would be in charge of protecting in the "light", a.k.a. the legal world, while Lu Zihao would guard them in the "dark", a.k.a. the criminal underworld.

It just meant that Lu Zihao and his Shadow Winds would take care of most of the dirty work while Jin Liwei had the responsibility of maintaining his prestige as Jin Corporation's President-CEO in order to have the legal power and influence to protect his wife and all their loved ones, including his brother-in-law if needed.