Chapter 301 - Hey, It's Me
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. Performing the titular song of his new album for the first time on television, please welcome the one and only Jin Chonglin singing "Hey, It's Me"!!!"
His army of fans went crazy. They cheered for him and unfurled huge banners saying, "Welcome back, Prince Lin Lin! Always #1!" They chanted his name. Many of them even burst into tears. They missed him so much.
He took a break for only a few months around the same time Iris Long disappeared but the way his fans were acting, it was as if he had been gone for years. His connection to his fans was definitely on a deeper level than what Iris had with the Black Stars. Many of them started following him way back since he debuted during his teens.
They literally watched him grow and develop into who he was now as one of the most successful artists in the country. As for the Black Stars, they only formed when Iris made her first comeback after recovering from coma.
Finally, Jin Chonglin appeared on stage. His get-up looked a lot more casual than what he usually wore in his performances before. Nevertheless, he still looked as handsome and charismatic as ever. His natural sex appeal was something that could never be taken away from him no matter how much he changed the way he dressed. At the moment, however, his sex appeal was toned down, overshadowed by a refreshing ease and gentleness in his countenance.
Another thing that was different from usual was that he was carrying a guitar slung across his shoulder. What was more, he had other musicians and a DJ performing with him. It seemed that he was going to play the music with actual instruments instead of performing a recorded track with his back-up dancers. He looked so different from the usual sexy and flashy Jin Chonglin.
He smiled at everyone as if seeing his old friends. Then he spoke to the microphone.
"Hey, everyone. It's me, Jin Chonglin. How are you all doing? Thank you for welcoming me back. I also missed all of you. This song is very special for me because it reminds me of who I am as an artist, as a musician. I wouldn't be the Jin Chonglin that I am today without music. So please listen. This is my voice, my music. This is for me and for you."
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and began strumming his guitar. The keyboardist harmonized with him, playing a relaxing melodious music. Then the DJ added a slow catchy hip hop rhythm.
Jin Chonglin opened his eyes and began singing in a smooth voice that seemed to cling to the listeners like warm and sweet caramel.
"The golden sun or the thunderous storm
Everything has music if you open your heart"
Then the beat slightly changed and he began semi-singing and semi-rapping in a wonderful pop-rap tune.
"Hey, it's me
Do you wanna know
Where the music plays in this great big world?
Close your eyes
Listen with your heart
Look deep inside
You'll find music everywhere"
A violinist joined the serene melody, adding more emotion to the music. Jin Chonglin's army of fans began waving their light sticks up in the air. The Black Stars, the Pandemonium fans and the rest of the audience all followed suit.
"Hey, it's me
Do you wanna know
That everyone can sing without any words?
Words are just words
Sing with your heart and soul
You can make your own music
If you just let your feelings flow"
He looked directly at the camera in front of him. All the people watching him on TV felt like he was looking straight at their souls. They could feel the sincerity of his feelings in this performance.
"What do I do?
Who would I be?
I would be no one without music deep inside me
Can you imagine a silent world?
A world without music
To feed our very souls?"
Usually, his audience wouldn't stop screaming or singing with him during his performances. This time, however, the people just savoured the easy melody and his smooth singing while clutching their chests or swaying their hands up in the air.
Jin Chonglin continued to sing while strumming his guitar. His eyes glistened, as if he was holding back unshed tears.
"How can I live in a world
Without the beat of the music?
Such a world without melody
Such a world without beauty
Such a dark, silent world
Without music filling you and me"
Some of his fans began sniffing and wiping the corners of their eyes. The song started off as lightheartedâit was still lightâbut somewhere along the way, their chests just filled up with so much emotions that they couldn't help but become teary-eyed. The feeling, however, wasn't sad. It was joyful and somewhat nostalgic.
"Hey, it's me
Listen to my song
Everything has music
Just open up your soul
Look deep inside
Let it all out
Sing like a bird
Sing it to the world"
The pop-rap melody started to transition into something akin to sentimental ballad. The violin and the keyboard made the music soar and Jin Chonglin's voice followed suit.
"Life might be rocky
Life might be hard
But every day I'm thankful that I'm still alive
Every day I feel my soul sing like a bird
Every day I sing my heart out to the world"
His voice reached impressive high notes but still managed to sound smooth and effortless. He made the feat look so easy. It was incredible.
Many of his fans started crying, but still continued to sway and wave their hands up in the air. They also started singing along the easy and catchy melody. It was relaxing yet still very emotional. They felt like their troubles were melting away while listening to him sing this song.
Suddenly, he stopped playing his guitar. The keyboardist and the violinist also stopped. It was only the DJ's slow hip hop rhythm that was left. Then he began singing in a soft voice, just him providing the melody without any musical instruments.
"Thank you for the music
Thank you for the beauty"
He slowly began strumming his guitar again, as he sang the last lines of the song.
"I am who I am
Because of the music in...you...and...me~"
The song ended softly and smoothly like how it began. He closed his eyes, even trembling a bit from the emotions that he could barely hold back from spilling.
His eyes were still closed when the applause started like the pitter-pattering of raindrops. The standing ovation was as gentle like his song. It started like a drizzle but then gradually intensified into a heavy rain. More than the sound of the applause, it was the audience's emotions that could be felt by everyone in the studio.
Jin Chonglin finally opened his eyes. They were slightly red. He gave everyone a grateful smile. He raised both of his hands high up in the air and took a bow.
Backstage, Iris and Pandemonium watched everything on the monitor. The members of Pandemonium looked dazed, still affected by Jin Chonglin's song.
Admiration shone in Iris' eyes. She clapped her hands along with the audience.
"Amazing," she said in a soft voice.
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Chapter 302 - True Battlefield
After the interview, the show officially ended. Jin Chonglin returned backstage. He was greeted by the staff and the other artists congratulating him on a great performance. He thanked them in a hurry, looking for the one person he wanted to compete with. He wanted to know her reaction to his performance.
Fortunately, Iris Long and Pandemonium stayed backstage to wait for him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them. At least, he wouldn't have to look for her in the dressing rooms. He immediately marched towards her.
Before they could greet him, he asked her, "What did you think about my song? My performance?"
"Simple yet genuinely emotional." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "It was a great song, Brother Chonglin. I felt it here," she said, touching her chest above her heart. "You should be proud for creating such music."
"I am," he replied, also looking at her straight in the eyes. He could see that she was sincere in her words of praise to him.
"Hmm..." She nodded but then added, "But our performance was better than yours."
Pandemonium's eyes widened in surprise at her words, but they quickly became excited and proud. Their backs straightened and they all stood behind her to show their solidarity and agreement with her words.
Tang Yiyi and Lin Dong also appeared shocked. However, they remained quiet, not interrupting the conversation between the two. Their artists were still acting civil to each other. They would only step forward and separate the two if the situation escalated into a full-blown argument. Tang Yiyi especially wasn't that worried because she already knew the relationship between Iris and Jin Chonglin. They were future in-laws.
Jin Chonglin's eyes narrowed but he didn't contradict her claim.
Another great stare-down arose between the two of them. This time, however, Jin Chonglin appeared more subdued. It seemed that he somewhat accepted her claim.
The sound of a ringing phone interrupted them.
"Aiya!" Dom exclaimed. When he saw the caller, he immediately answered it. "Hello, sir boss? Yes, please hold on. Boss, it's sir boss!"
"Hello, darling?" Iris' demeanour became sweeter and more feminine. She instantly became more attractive than she already was.
Jin Chonglin looked away and took a few deep breaths. For some reason, he didn't want to watch Iris acting all lovey-dovey to who he knew was his brother on the other end of the phone line. He was about to leave and return to his dressing room when Iris called him.
"Brother Chonglin, wait!"
"What?" he asked, a little annoyed.
She handed him the phone.
Sighing, he answered.
"You did well," Jin Liwei's voice told him without even a greeting.
"Thanks." Jin Chonglin felt a bit better.
"But my wife shone the brightest tonight."
Jin Chonglin scowled. Although he inwardly agreed, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He grunted in response and shoved the phone right back to Iris. With a nod to her and to the others, he turned and left. His manager, Lin Dong, followed after him.
"What did you say to him? His expression didn't look good," Iris asked.
"I praised him," Jin Liwei said.
She tilted her head to the side. 'If you praised him, why did your younger brother look like he's sulking?' she thought to herself.
"Don't mind him anymore, love. Like I told you before, he's a grown man. He can take care of himself." He changed the subject. "I can't wait for you to come home. I miss you already."
A big smile blossomed on her face. Her eyes softened and sparkled as she continued to exchange cloyingly sweet words with her darling. The other people around them couldn't stop looking at her. Her sweet expression didn't match her evil demonic queen attire, but the contrast only made her more alluring.
The members of Pandemonium all stared at her. They couldn't tear their gazes away, mesmerized by her beauty. Tang Yiyi looked a little alarmed and distracted them.
"Come on. Let's say goodbye to Director He and the others before we head home. You did well tonight. Make sure to rest up. You deserve it," she told them and started pulling them away.
She wanted to tell these rascals not to have any wayward thoughts for Iris. Their senior's fiancé was too powerful. If these rascals did anything to displease or offend Jin Liwei, their careers would be over. Even Bright Summit wouldn't be able to do anything to protect them.
###
Inside his executive van on the way home, Jin Chonglin felt exhausted. He set his seat on a reclining position and rested with his eyes closed. He wondered why he was feeling so tired. It was weird because he didn't even dance during his performance earlier.
The exhaustion he felt wasn't really physical but mental instead. He put so much of himself in his new music. From the conception, development and finally performing one of the songs for the first time to the public, he felt proud of himself. He knew that he improved so much as a musician this time.
Yet what was this feeling of dissatisfaction that was weighing down on him right now?
An image of Iris Long's performance with Pandemonium flashed in his mind. His hands clenched into tight fists.
As a musician, he recognized the technical genius of the song "Monster of Insanity". It was an explosive powerhouse when it came to difficulty in terms of playing and even singing. He was once again in awe of Iris Long's ability as a musician.
'I want to see how her mind works,' he thought.
He wondered if her brain consisted of musical notes or something. It was like all she needed was to sneeze and voilà ! She just produced another masterpiece.
Compared to the innovative "Monster of Insanity", his song seemed too easy, simple and uncomplicated. He didn't think that "Hey, It's Me" was in any way inferior to "Monster of Insanity", but if the criteria was about musical techniques, then Iris Long would win hands down.
As for their performances, he also had to give this round to Iris and Pandemonium. Theirs was just too mind-blowing. He definitely believed it when they said during the interview that they trained long and hard just to be able to play the song at that level.
"Your performance was amazing, Chonglin," Lin Dong told him. His manager was sitting on the seat beside him.
Jin Chonglin opened his eyes. The vehicle's dark ceiling greeted his sight. "Yeah, I know. Butâ"
"You were amazing," Lin Dong insisted in a firm voice. They had been working together for so long now that he already knew what was bothering Jin Chonglin even though the guy wasn't telling him anything. "Yes, their performance was more spectacular but yours was more heartfelt. I'm sure that the audience resonated more with you."
Jin Chonglin frowned. He was about to open his mouth to refute his manager, but Lin Dong's resolute gaze stopped him. He smiled instead.
"Thanks, man."
"At your service."
They chuckled. The two assistants in the driver's seat and front passenger seat also smiled. All of them had been working together for so long now, that they already started treating each other like brothers. Whatever happened, these guys would always support Jin Chonglin no matter what.
"Well, this is just the beginning. The true battlefield will be on the music charts when both our music debut next week. I'm Jin Chonglin, the king of the music charts. I'm not going to back down against anyone, especially since this is the best music that I've ever worked on so far in my career."
"Hear! Hear!" Lin Dong and the other two guys called out in agreement.
With that, the dissatisfaction roiling within Jin Chonglin transformed into determination and motivation.
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Chapter 303 - Lovers' Quarrel
The next day, all the entertainment news and online discussions were talking about last night's episode of "MusicFest Tonight". It topped the TV ratings and even broke an online record as the most viewed local episode within 24 hours.
Needless to say, Director He was very pleased. It even made the national news, featuring the festival-like atmosphere among the fans watching the show in tents outside the TV station building. The people praised Iris Long, Jin Chonglin and Director He for taking care of the fans waiting outside in the cold. It even prompted the other fandoms to complain and demand their respective celebrities to treat them better.
Both the final two performances of the episode became top trending online. The people couldn't get enough of Iris Long and Pandemonium's spectacular performance and their bizarre music. Similarly, many swooned after watching Jin Chonglin's emotional performance.
Their music were the total opposite of each other. The people couldn't decide which one was better. Finally, someone posted an online poll. It was titled "Which song is better?". So far, the results were:
69.73% - "Hey, It's Me" by Jin Chonglin
30.27% - "Monster of Insanity" by Iris Long and Pandemonium
Jin Chonglin was winning. However, it was not surprising. His army of fans far outnumbered the combined forces of the Black Stars and the Pandemonium fans by a large margin.
A fairer result would only be obtained once their music debuted in less than a week, and the reviews of music critics and the response of the general public started pouring in. The moment of truth would be determined by how "Monster of Insanity" and "Hey, It's Me" performed in the music charts.
While all of these were happening, the artists in question were hard at work in promoting their upcoming music. Bright Summit spared no expense in giving the best resources to their artists. But of course, the higher-ups still placed more importance on Jin Chonglin based on his longer track record and extent of popularity.
Despite this, Tang Yiyi fought fiercely to obtain top-notch resources for both Iris Long and Pandemonium. She was determined to elevate the status of her own artists she was managing within the company. She wanted to show the higher-ups that Iris Long would be the next big thing alongside Jin Chonglin.
She found it quite funny that these two artists were actually future in-laws. It would benefit Bright Summit tremendously to treat Iris Long well. After all, she was the future wife of THE Jin Liwei and the future madam of Jin Corporation, the number one company in the country.
The buzz and anticipation for Jin Chonglin's new album and Iris Long and Pandemonium's upcoming single continued to increase as the days passed by.
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
Monday night. Four more days until the launch of Iris and Pandemonium's single "Monster of Insanity".
Jin Liwei stepped out of the walk-in closet. He was wearing pyjama pants with no top on. His bare muscled chest was on full display. He rubbed his wet hair with a towel, as he walked to the bedroom. He wanted to shower together with his baby girl earlier, but she was busy on the phone. Not only was she discussing her work schedule with her manager, but she was also busy making important business calls regarding her companies.
She was still on the phone by the window. She spoke in German, so it was likely that she was talking to the Bauer siblings about Orchidia Beauty. He didn't want to interrupt her, so he just waited. He saw some documents on the low table. Curious, he sat down on the chaise longue and began checking them out.
About half an hour later, Iris finally completed all the phone calls. She heaved a big sigh of relief. When she turned, she saw Jin Liwei looking through the documents she left on the low table earlier. They were endorsement offers for her. She frowned when she realized that he messed up the organized piles she made.
"Darling, please don't mix them up. I already separated them into the ones I'll accept and the ones I'll reject."
"I know," he murmured.
She walked to him and tried to rearrange the documents back to how she originally organized them, but he didn't let her. Annoyed, she scowled at him.
"Darling, what are you doing?"
"This is the accept pile and this is the reject pile. Am I right?"
"Yes. So you knew. Why did you mess them up then?" She sighed, feeling a bit exasperated at him.
"You made a mistake and put one of the endorsements in the wrong pile," he said.
"Hm? Really? Which one?"
"This." He showed her the document.
It was an endorsement offer from a high-end lingerie brand. Many famous celebrities, models and even socialites already confirmed that they loved the products. Even some foreign celebrities and supermodels reportedly liked using them.
"Oh, it's not a mistake. I was planning on accepting that endorsement offer," she told him.
He immediately stiffened and scowled.
She ignored him and tried taking the document from his hand but he refused to let it go. He even gripped it harder, making the papers wrinkle.
"What are you doing?! Darling, why are you being so obnoxious? Give it to me!" Her patience reached its limit. She was tired and didn't want to deal with his childishness. So she snapped at him.
"Love, you are NOT going to accept this endorsement." There was anger in his tone.
"What did you say?! You're not going to make that decision for me! I already decided that I want to accept this endorsement so I will!"
His face contorted in fury. Iris didn't back down and glared at him.
He abruptly stood up and paced back and forth. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. His hands continued to grip the document, wrinkling it more. He wanted to rip the blasted endorsement offer into pieces, but he knew that it was just going to upset his baby girl even further. He was desperately trying to calm himself down, but he just couldn't accept her decision. He stopped pacing and faced her.
"Love, think more carefully about this, okay? Please don't accept this endorsement offer," he begged her.
Iris already felt angry seeing the wrinkled state of the document. She didn't understand why he was so upset. The brand was by a well-known and respected company who was competitive in the international market. Why wasn't he happy that she received an endorsement from such a great company?
"Darling, I really want to accept that endorsement offer," she told him. "The majority of my lingerie and nightwear are from that brand. I love using their products. They're beautiful, high quality and very comfortable to wear. You even told me before that you like them too and that I look sexy wearing them!"
"Yes, I like them when you wear them in PRIVATE, showing only to me." He waved the document in his hand. "If you really love their products, I'll buy the whole d*mn company for you! You'll have a lifetime supply! Why must you endorse them? Endorsing means you'll have to do a photo shoot while wearing these...these lingerie...and then they'll use your photos and videos wearing only underwear in their ads for all the world to see! How do you think I'll feel knowing that other men are ogling your beautiful body wearing only underwear?! Love, I can't! Please, I beg you. Don't do this!"
Iris froze and blinked her eyes a few times after hearing his reason.
His shoulders were heaving as he panted. He continued to grip the document. His eyes implored her to understand him.
"Love, look at it this way. Imagine a photo or video of me naked being seen by countless other women. How would you feel?"
"No way! You're mine!"
Intense possessiveness and fury gushed forth from within her as she imagined such a situation. A strong urge to strangle all those women overwhelmed her.
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Chapter 304 - My Everything Belongs To You
Jin Liwei's heart skipped a beat after hearing Iris' possessive words. He was actually a bit taken aback by the extent of her reaction. His baby girl was so furious that her face turned completely red. She looked like she wanted to beat up someone and cry at the same time.
How cute!
His mouth twitched, but he fought against the wide grin threatening to break out of his face. He covered it up by clearing his throat instead. Although he was extremely pleased by her reaction, he forced a serious expression on his face.
"See? What you're feeling right now is the same as how I'm feeling just imagining you being ogled by other men," he told her. "It's not a great feeling, is it?"
She shook her head. Her delectable lips formed into a cute pout. With her contrite expression, she looked absolutely adorable. Jin Liwei's breathing sped up and his eyes became a bit dazed at the sight of her, as a familiar hot ball of desire started burning in his lower abdomen.
'Calm down, Liwei. Now's not the time. The two of you are having a serious conversation,' he scolded himself.
Then Iris suddenly ran and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a fierce hug. She rubbed her face against his bare chest, inhaling his scent before biting him hard.
He grunted from the pain. But other than that, he showed no reaction from her bite. He even hugged her more tightly. He began rubbing her back and stroking her hair to soothe her because he could feel her frustration. At herself, perhaps.
After biting him, she licked the deep bite mark on his chest. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Hmm. It's okay. You can bite me more," he murmured.
"No, I don't mean that." She lifted her head from his chest and looked up his face. "Well, I'm also sorry for biting you but I'm sorrier for fighting with you. I wasn't thinking about how you'll feel."
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I'm glad we're able to talk it out. I'm also sorry that I raised my voice at you. I almost lost control of my anger."
"Mmn. It's fine. I'm not hurt." She moved her arms from around his waist and wrapped them around his neck instead. "How about this? Let's look at my endorsement offers and then let's decide which ones to accept together."
"En."
Iris stood on her tippy-toes and pulled his head down. Then she pressed her lips against his for a chaste kiss. Afterwards, she led the two of them to sit down on the chaise longue together. But before they could look at the documents on the low table, she stopped as she remembered something. She faced him, giving him a strict look.
He raised both of his eyebrows.
"I'm not going to accept the endorsement offer from that lingerie brand," she told him.
"En. Good."
"Darling..."
"Hm?"
"Don't show your body to other people besides me, okay? If they're not your doctor or masseur, nobody is allowed to see your body except me. Understand?"
A chuckle escaped from his lips.
She huffed, displeased at his reaction. "I'm serious!"
He stopped laughing but his eyes still looked amused. When he replied to her, however, his tone was sincere.
"Of course, love. My body, all of me, my everything belongs only to you. Happy?"
She nodded, pleased at his declaration.
After smiling at each other like idiots, the couple finally started reviewing and discussing her endorsement offers together. There were two others besides the lingerie brand that they tossed to the reject pile.
One was for a perfume line by a famous European fashion company.
"This is an excellent offer and will definitely boost your popularity by a lot, not only in the country but also in the international level. However, I suggest that you don't accept this," Jin Liwei told her. "I personally think that you can have your own perfume line if you want to. You can even put it under Orchidia Beauty or release it independently. Totally up to you. No need to endorse another company's products when you can manufacture and sell your own. Won't it be so much better to endorse your own products?"
Iris thought about his suggestion and agreed with him. She thought that his idea was great. Now she was glad that they were discussing her endorsement offers together. Jin Liwei was really an experienced businessman. Although she was Grandpa Lu's student, there were still a lot of things that she didn't know in the world of business. Jin Liwei could provide her with an additional set of advice to steer her to a more advantageous direction.
As for the other offer, they argued about it for some time before Iris "tentatively" agreed to reject it. It was an offer from a premium tea company. For a tea lover like herself, she was excited to accept this endorsement. It was actually her first choice in her original accept pile. That was why she was dismayed that Jin Liwei was discouraging her from accepting it.
"Why?" she asked him.
"I'll get you another tea endorsement," he told her.
"Which company?"
He hesitated before giving her an unclear answer. "Give me some time to prepare everything. I'll have the offer drafted out soon. Okay?"
She was very unhappy with his answer.
Seeing her expression, he kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry, love. I want it to be a surprise. But I think that you'll like it more than this one."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Tell me, is it your company?" she asked.
"No, it's not."
She tilted her head to the side, confused. "If it's not yours, how are you so sure that the company will want me as endorser?"
He just gave her a mysterious smile and told her, "I just know."
After some time, they finally finished going through all of the endorsement offers. Iris took a quick shower before joining Jin Liwei on the bed. Although he wanted to make love with her, he controlled himself because she looked so exhausted. So he just satisfied himself by embracing her in his arms.
She was about to sleep when she remembered something important.
"Darling?"
"Hm?" He stroked her back.
"Please don't buy that lingerie company. I don't want it. I'll just stay as a customer. I don't want to be its owner. I already have my hands full with my own companies plus Gold Heights which you gifted me. I don't need a new company for now. Okay?"
He chuckled softly. "Alright. I won't buy it. Now let's sleep."
"Mmn...'kay."
She snuggled deeper in his embrace while he continued stroking her back. Moments later, she fell asleep.
"G'night, love," he murmured before following her into another sweet dream.
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Chapter 305 - Sacrilege
The next night, Iris returned home to the mansion after another busy workday promoting her upcoming single "Monster of Insanity" with Pandemonium. There were only three more days left until its release.
To her surprise, Lin Yehan was there to welcome her home with Jin Liwei. There was also a stern-looking woman he introduced as his lawyer.
Iris figured that they came for Jin Liwei to talk about some business. After eating dinner, however, she realized that Lin Yehan and his lawyer actually came for her.
They handed her an endorsement deal offer for a tea company. It turned out that Lin Yehan acquired an enormous tea plantation about a couple months ago. It was a plantation which originally produced tea for several companies in the country. However, after acquiring the plantation for himself, Lin Yehan stopped selling the tea to these companies and created his own tea company instead. He wanted his plantation to produce tea solely for his own company.
Since it was a completely new and unknown company, it would benefit them greatly to use a celebrity to endorse their products. Hence, the idea to use Iris as an endorser.
Of course, it was Jin Liwei's idea. What better way to help his brother promote his new company than recommend his future wife as the endorser? It was killing two birds with one stone. This way, he could also make sure that Iris would be getting a fair and trustworthy deal. One that would never f*ck her over if the company ever got into trouble.
"We will send a copy of the official endorsement offer to Bright Summit, but we want you to see it first," Lin Yehan's lawyer told Iris. "Let's review the contract together. Feel free to ask if there's anything you don't understand. I'm here to explain every single detail to you. If you want to change anything, we'll negotiate."
The money in this endorsement deal was lower than the offer she received from the other tea company, but not by much. It was understandable as this was still a completely new company which only launched on a small scale a few weeks ago. In fact, Lin Yehan was the one taking a gamble by paying her this much to endorse.
"Yes, I accept this offer," Iris decisively announced after only a few minutes of discussion.
Jin Liwei smiled, but Lin Yehan and his lawyer were both surprised by her quick decision.
"Xiulan, are you sure? You're not going to discuss this with your own lawyer first? What if I'm swindling you?" Lin Yehan cautioned her.
She tilted her head to the side. "Eldest Brother, Liwei is here. He would never let me be at a disadvantage," she answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
Jin Liwei's smile widened before nodding his head.
"Besides, I prefer to endorse your company rather than others," she added.
"I'm going to ask you one more time, Xiulan. Are you sure? Once you say yes, I won't allow you to back out anymore," Lin Yehan told her.
"Yes."
"Alright then. We have a deal." Lin Yehan stood up and extended his hand towards her.
Iris accepted his offered hand and they shook hands to symbolize the sealing of their deal. Jin Liwei and Lin Yehan's lawyer also joined in the handshaking.
With the matter about the endorsement deal done, Lin Yehan and his lawyer prepared to leave. It was already late in the evening and everyone still had work early the next morning.
As Iris and Jin Liwei stood in the grand foyer to see them off, Lin Yehan observed the couple. His eyes fell on the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. When he first heard that the two were engaged, he thought that their relationship was progressing too fast.
Although he liked Iris as a person, he still harboured some reservations about her based on her troublesome history and past reputation. Though they were slowly diminishing especially after knowing that she was Grandpa Lu's student and his new favourite grandchild.
He could also see that she was a hard worker and dedicated to her craft as an artist. A person like that wasn't just some wishy-washy spoiled brat who would drag his Third Brother into trouble with her. At least, Lin Yehan hoped not.
In addition to this, he also thought that she was too young for his Third Brother. However, seeing them together now, he could tell that the two were genuinely in love with each other. He also had never seen his Third Brother so happy and relaxed before.
'I hope their love lasts, and that she's really true to Third Brother and she continues to make him happy,' he wished.
After saying goodbye to the couple, he left with his lawyer.
'Third Brother looks really happy. I won't have to worry about him too much anymore. As for our other brothers..."
He sighed.
"Fifth Brother, what is really happening with you?"
"Sir? Did you say something?" his lawyer asked beside him inside his car.
"Oh, nothing," he replied.
However, his usual gentle expression was marred by a frown. There was something off about their Fifth Brother lately and it was worrying him to no end. He had no idea what was going on with Lu Zihao. He still acted like his usual easygoing self whenever they spoke on the phone, but Lin Yehan's gut feeling was telling him that something wasn't right.
'Maybe I'm just overthinking. This new company is stressing me out. Maybe it's time for me to take some time off to relax.'
###
Friday.
The most awaited day of the week in the country's music industry finally arrived.
Jin Chonglin's album "Hey, It's Me" and the single "Monster of Insanity" by Iris Long and Pandemonium were both released at exactly the same time. They were the most anticipated music since the new calendar year started.
As soon as they were released, their fansâJin Chonglin's army of fans and the combined forces of the Black Stars and the Pandemonium fansâcommenced their step-by-step plans to help boost their prince, boss and hubbies' music. With the fans' power, "Hey, It's Me" and "Monster of Insanity" trended online as soon as they were released.
"Hey, It's Me" ranked number 1 in the trending lists in various websites while "Monster of Insanity" ranked number 2. It could be seen just how massive Jin Chonglin's army of fans were. He even trended in other Asian countries courtesy of his fans abroad.
Compared to him, Iris Long and Pandemonium's popularity and influence were mostly contained within the country. It wasn't such a big surprise that Jin Chonglin held the advantage when it came to online social media influence.
As a result, "Hey, It's Me" by Jin Chonglin debuted at number 1 in the music charts while "Monster of Insanity" by Iris Long and Pandemonium debuted at number 2.
Jin Chonglin's army of fans celebrated their victory.
The Black Stars and Pandemonium felt disappointed but only for a short moment before they quickly recovered and continued to support their boss and hubbies' music. The fight had just began. They truly believed that "Monster of Insanity" deserved number 1 more than "Hey, It's Me."
"Hey, It's Me" continued to rule the music charts and the radio airwaves for the next few days. The general public seemed to react more favourably to it. Its type of music was more familiar. "Monster of Insanity", on the other hand, sounded too bizarre to most of them.
While "Hey, It's Me" continued to reign supreme in the music charts, the musicians, the experts and critics in the music industry were all busy studying, deconstructing and analyzing everything about "Monster of Insanity". It was a treasure trove of advanced musical techniques that were rarely used by musicians in the country. Some of the experts even concluded that Iris Long created some new techniques that was uniquely hers. Overall, they all could agree that it was definitely one of the most original songs that they had ever heard in their careers.
Finally, the reviews started pouring in.
"Hey, It's Me" received mostly great reviews. Critics praised Jin Chonglin for focusing more on emotions and connecting to the listeners instead of relying on his sexual appeal like usual. Of course, there were a few critics who blasted him for producing such a simplistic and effortless music. For the most part, Jin Chonglin's new album was well-received among the critics.
As for "Monster of Insanity", the reviews were completely mixed. There was a clear division between the critics.
One side absolutely hated it, calling it a sacrilege to both rock and classical music. A critic wrote:
"What kind of music is this? It's just painful noise wrongly labelled as music. Does Iris Long think that music is a hotpot that she can just throw whatever ingredients she wants to and it'll taste good? 'Monster of Insanity' is absolutely revolting, horrendous and a torture to the ears. This single just demonstrates how the songwriter is trying too hard to prove herself but failing to do so. The advanced techniques are too much and over-complicated. They don't make any sense! Don't waste your time listening to this garbage. You'll thank me for saving your eardrums from bleeding."
These were mostly the purists who didn't respond well to unconventional music.
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Chapter 306 - History Maker
The other side of the critics absolutely loved "Monster of Insanity" by Iris Long and Pandemonium. Many of them even dared to call it a new masterpiece of the country's music industry. One such critic, DJ Song, wrote:
"I have never heard of such a masterful musical composition and songwriting as 'Monster of Insanity' before. The details, techniques, lyrics and overall musicality are all superb. I know that there had been many attempts before in other countries to seamlessly harmonize hard rock and classical music, but I personally think that 'Monster of Insanity' is the only one that succeeded with such precision.
"I almost can't believe that a song with such technical difficulty that could even make seasoned musicians puke from attempting to play it was created by a young woman with the tender age of twenty years. I also heard that some experts, historians and even academics in the music field are now trying to confirm whether Iris Long has really created new musical techniques. If she really did, then it's a great achievement and pride for our country's music industry. Even if she didn't, it's already a big accomplishment to utilize all of these advanced techniques that are rarely used by our own musicians.
"I don't throw this word around carelessly, but I'm going to say it today. In my decades working in the music industry, I daresay that Iris Long is a musical genius. We should be encouraging her to nurture her talents. I'm looking forward to how she'll develop and what kind of music she'll release in the future. With a figure like her, I'm reassured and optimistic about the future of our country's music industry."
Although DJ Song focused a lot on Iris Long in his review, he also praised the members of Pandemonium for their contribution to the song. He especially commended Eros. Besides the piano and the vocalists, the lead guitar had the most technically difficult role in "Monster of Insanity". Of course, he didn't forget to throw some words of praise for his dear friend JJ who co-produced the song and was the mastermind behind Night's rap which got a lot of panties wet.
When all of these mixed reviews started pouring in, others joined in on the debate of whether "Monster of Insanity" was a musical sacrilege or masterpiece. The debate was a popular topic everywhere. Many music schools started using it as a topic for lessons. Popular TV programs also invited various experts to weigh their opinions in on the debate.
And just like that, the interest for "Monster of Insanity" increased day by day. It went beyond casual listening to a serious topic of discussion.
While all of these were happening, "Hey, It's Me" by Jin Chonglin continued to reign at the top of the music charts. "Monster of Insanity" by Iris Long and Pandemonium was close behind at number 2. With these two music at the top, all the other music had no choice but to compete for number 3 instead because they just couldn't reach the level of these two songs.
By the third week, however, a great disruption in the music charts occurred. The group of experts, historians and academics who made it a mission to research and confirm whether Iris Long created new musical techniques or not finally released a statement. In an informal press conference in front of a top university, their representative, a well-respected music professor announced:
"Of the eight unfamiliar music techniques we found in the musical piece 'Monster of Insanity', we have confirmed three to be completely new, original, never recorded in the history of music in the entire world. Therefore, our team of experts with the assistance of other experts from other countries, all have concluded that 'Monster of Insanity' has one new instrumental technique and two new compositional techniques that have never been seen or heard of before in music history. We'd like to offer our deepest and sincerest congratulations to Miss Iris Long. Miss Long, we're all extremely proud of you as your fellow countrymen and women for such a groundbreaking and history-making achievement!"
Once this announcement was televised and reported in various media outlets, everyone went crazy. Sales of "Monster of Insanity" soared exponentially in just a single day. Countless people called radio stations to request them to play it more.
Music students started feeling important because almost everyone they knew constantly asked them to explain the music techniques in "Monster of Insanity".
Regular TV programming was even interrupted to report on these history-making musical techniques by Iris Long as breaking news. They even revealed that the achievement was also featured in some foreign news in several countries around the world.
When it came to the point that even the government's press secretary also offered his congratulations to Iris Long during his regular briefing, the citizens had no choice but to know about Iris Long and her latest music "Monster of Insanity", regardless of whether they liked the song or not.
Needless to say, all of these contributed to a colossal amount of buzz for "Monster of Insanity". No one was surprised when immediately the next day after the music academics' announcement, "Monster of Insanity" kicked off Jin Chonglin's "Hey, It's Me" from its number 1 spot in the music charts. Finally, "Monster of Insanity" took the music charts crown.
Even the Black Stars and Pandemonium fans didn't know how to react for a moment with how things developed and escalated in just a day. Everything happened so abruptly and so quickly!
CaptainBlackStar: "Can someone pinch me? I think I'm dreaming. Is this...is this really happening? Tell me this isn't a dream!"
LittlePhoenix: "Big sister Captain, it's not a dream. .:ã(;'â©ï½;)ã:."
iEatSlippers: "Pinch? Let me whack you with my mighty slippers instead, Captain! Our boss is really the best! Who else can top our boss when it comes to musical prowess in this generation? No one! Comrades, all the Black Stars and Pandemonium fans, especially my beloved Slippers Army, raise all of your mighty slippers high up in the air and let's show our congratulations and support to our unrivaled Boss Iris!"
"All hail Boss Iris!"
"Congrats, boss! You're the best! We're so proud of you!"
"Hahaha! I'm waiting for those narrow-minded critics who were so savage before in ridiculing our Boss Iris and calling 'Monster of Insanity' as painful noise and garbage. Where are you now? Come on, say something! I can't hear you~ Never mind. We'll never hear from them again because they're all choking from eating their own disgusting words!"
"Hmph! They're just idiots who pretend to know everything about music when they're all just bitter and jealous idiots who criticize our boss and her music because they can never reach her level of genius."
The outpouring of support and congratulations continued. Pandemonium was also riding this gigantic wave of success, pulling their careers to new heights thanks to Iris Long's achievement.
Amidst all of these hullabaloo, Iris Long's first informal statement since the news came out was recorded by a horde of reporters waiting for her after a magazine photo shoot. When asked about how she was feeling about her achievements, she tilted her head to the side.
"Hmm. Yes, some people were telling me about it just now. But really? Three new musical techniques? I had no idea. I need to search this up myself. Hmm... How nice," she replied in a careless manner before disappearing inside her executive van like it was just a regular day like always.
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Chapter 307 - A Day Of Congratulations
Iris called her two music instructors Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Enrique Valdez to inform them about the reports saying that she invented three new music techniques in "Monster of Insanity". And similar to her reaction earlier when asked by the reporters, her two instructors were also unmoved by the information.
They were more interested and pleased by the song "Monster of Insanity" itself than by the individual techniques used in it. Enrique Valdez was especially happy by the song. It was something right up his alley. In fact, Iris took a lot of inspiration from him when she created the song.
Of course techniques were also important because the way they were used greatly contributed to the development of a musician's unique style. But at the end of the day, they were just techniques. They were only tools to create music and make it sound better, not music itself.
Moreover, both Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez were accomplished composers and songwriters in their own right. If someone made a tally of all the techniques they used throughout their entire music careers, one was bound to discover completely new techniques that they "invented" as well. Their "inventions" were surely more than Iris' current three.
Of course, there were some techniques that were officially credited to Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez in the past (when someone noticed them). But for the most part, they didn't make a fuss and boast to the whole world about inventing new techniques. What they cared about the most was the final music they created in the end, not the individual techniques.
It was only the country's music experts that made such a big fuss about Iris' supposed new music techniques, even involving the world of academia to ask for confirmation. Although she was glad that she would be given credit for inventing those techniques, she was happier that "Monster of Insanity" finally reached the number 1 rank in the music charts.
She had achieved the goal she set together with JJ and Pandemonium.
"Now let's make sure to hold the position as long as we can," she murmured to herself, determination flashing in her eyes.
###
For the next few days, Iris received congratulations from many people.
Of course, the first person to congratulate her was her darling. Jin Liwei immediately called when the news broke out. They spent quite a long time telling each other sweet nothings before she realized that he was actually in an important business meeting. She scolded him first before spending another five minutes just saying goodbye to each other.
After hanging up, her phone rang again. It was JJ.
"Hello, Mr. JJ?"
"Ahahaha! Ahahaha!"
Iris waited patiently for him to calm his delighted laughter. It took an entire two minutes before they were able to talk properly.
"Brat! Why didn't you tell me that you invented new music techniques?"
"I didn't know."
"Ahahaha! Fine. Never mind that! What's more important is that we finally beat the sh*t out of Jin Chonglin in the music charts! The veins in my head were just about to pop out when we failed to move from the number 2 position. But now, ahahaha! Finally! Serves him right for not accepting my invitation to sign under my record label when I graciously extended it years ago!"
"Brother Chonglin is a loyal artist. He has stayed with Bright Summit and the record label he started with since he debuted."
"Hmph! Whatever! Listen to me, make sure to work hard with those Pandemonium rascals to maintain our top position."
"Naturally."
Then JJ's voice lowered into a dramatic whisper. "Listen to me, brat. I heard some rumours that they're thinking about giving you a special award for your achievement. They are apparently still debating whether you deserve such an award or not. Hmph! Of course you deserve it! Those music purists are just too bitter that you achieved such a history-making feat after they spouted so much nonsense in their vile reviews. I bet they're all drowning in envy, that's why they're protesting against you getting the award. Bunch of petty a**holes."
"I see."
Iris listened patiently to JJ chatter on. Finally, he ran out of things to say so they ended the call.
Next, she received a call from Tang Yiyi.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so proud of you, Iris!"
"Thank you, Elder Sister Yiyi."
Then her manager gave the phone to Bright Summit's president. The president personally congratulated Iris for her achievements and invited her to have a meal with several Bright Summit higher-ups. Iris was not really interested, even thinking it as a hassle, but she accepted the invitation because she knew that this meant so much to Tang Yiyi as her manager.
After the calls, Iris worked on some translation exercises Professor Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa assigned to her. Her lessons were becoming more intense and difficult now because the international business conference was coming soon.
She was interrupted by another phone call. She answered it without looking at the caller display.
"It's me, Chonglin."
"Oh." Iris was surprised. She stopped what she was doing to concentrate on this conversation. "Hello, Brother Chonglin. How may I help you?"
"Before anything else, I just want you to know that I'm not stalking you. I had to beg Big Bro many times before he 'very reluctantly' gave me your number so that I can call you."
"That's fine," she replied. She could imagine her darling doing just that. She was actually surprised that he gave in to his younger brother's request.
"I called because..."
A long pause.
Iris could almost see Jin Chonglin's expression as he struggled to speak.
Finally, he told her, "Congratulations. Not only did your music with Pandemonium took the number 1 spot from me in the music charts, but you also achieved something that'll forever be recorded in the history books. 'Monster of Insanity' is a magnificent song. Ignore the haters. They don't know good music when they hear one."
She smiled. She could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Thank you, Brother Chonglin."
"Uh...Sister Xiulan?"
"Yes?"
"You haven't forgotten that you agreed to make some music with me, right?"
"I still remember. If there's an opportunity and both our schedules permit it, we can start working together anytime."
"Alright! I'm looking forward to it. Don't go back on your words."
"Me too. Don't worry. I won't."
"And also..." He hesitated once again. However, it sounded deliberate this time.
"Yes?"
"Don't get too comfortable. I haven't given up yet. 'Hey, It's Me' will reclaim the number 1 spot in the music charts again," he told her in a determined voice.
Her eyes narrowed as she smiled, accepting his challenge. "Ah, but Pandemonium and I rather like the feeling of being on top. We won't let go of it so easily."
The two of them had another great stare-down even though they couldn't see each other. The competitiveness between them was born from their respect of each other as musicians.
Music was a connection that even Jin Liwei couldn't insert himself between the two of them. Whether he liked it or not, his future wife and younger brother would always have this connection. He had no choice but to accept it because music ran in the blood of both Iris and Jin Chonglin.
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Chapter 308 - Meltdown
About a week before the much-awaited Spring Festival holidays, a.k.a. Lunar New Year, Iris and Jin Liwei had a rare matching day off. They decided to spend the day with family, visiting the Jin Family's Old House.
They brought Little Jun with them at the request of the elders. They absolutely adored the child and couldn't wait to see him again. When Grandpa Lu heard that Little Jun was coming over, he also invited himself.
Both Dom and Jiang Ying Yue caught bad colds, so they stayed at home. Dom at the mansion, Jiang Ying Yue at Gold Heights.
This time, the couple didn't bring any bodyguards. It was only the three of them like a happy family. Iris just had to make sure that her face was covered well. She wore dark sunglasses, face mask, scarf and a hat.
When they arrived at the Jin Family's Old House, Jin Chonglin was also surprisingly there. It seemed that he volunteered to come when Huang Yuyan mentioned that Iris and Jin Liwei were coming over. Coincidentally, it was also his day off.
"You're tough to beat, Sister Xiulan," Jin Chonglin told her. "However, there's still time. 'Hey, It's Me' will reclaim the number 1 spot in the music charts again."
"Give it your best shot, Brother Chonglin."
The two had another great stare-down. Jin Liwei decisively stretched his hand between them, cutting their eye contact with each other.
Jin Chonglin could only smirk at his brother's antics. The elders were too busy playing and doting on Little Jun to notice what happened between the three younger adults. For the elders, the three were just extras. Little Jun was the current apple of their eyes.
After eating lunch together, Jin Liwei suddenly received an emergency business call. His assistant Xu Tian informed him that an important foreign business partner, a CEO, suddenly arrived in the country and wanted to meet up with him on short notice.
"Schedule it tomorrow," he instructed Xu Tian.
"I'm sorry, President. It seems that he's leaving the country tomorrow, so the only time that you can meet up is today."
Jin Liwei was very displeased. He didn't want to leave his baby girl. He wanted to spend the entire day with her, especially since she had been so busy working and studying every day. The only time that they could really spend together was the short time before they went to bed at night. He was about to reject the meeting when Iris caught what the call was about.
"Darling, it's alright. Go to that meeting. It sounds important," she told him.
"Butâ"
"Little Jun and I will stay here for a little bit more. I'll just call home and ask someone to pick us up from here."
"No need. I'll send Sister Xiulan and Little Jun home later. I brought my car," Jin Chonglin spoke up.
Jin Liwei frowned. He didn't like the idea of his baby girl and his younger brother alone together. But since Little Jun would be with them, he didn't protest against Jin Chonglin's suggestion.
"What kind of car? I hope it's not a sports car. There has to be space for a child's car seat at the back."
"Don't worry, Big Bro. I brought a sedan. Your wife and son...I mean, godson will be safe with me in my car."
Iris stood up. "Hurry up. I'll see you off."
Jin Liwei nodded and then turned to his brother. "Come with us. We'll transfer Little Jun's car seat into your car."
The three told the elders what happened and what they were going to do. The elders just waved them away, continuing to focus all of their attention to Little Jun.
After the car seat was transferred from Jin Liwei's car to Jin Chonglin's, Iris gave her darling a kiss. He hugged her tightly and deepened the kiss. It was obvious that he was reluctant to leave her.
"If my brother makes any moves on you, feel free to castrate him," he told her in a very serious voice.
"Hey! I heard you!" Jin Chonglin's voice sounded a few steps away from them. "Am I still your brother?"
Iris couldn't stop herself from giggling. However, she still replied to her darling. "Okay."
"Gah! I'm done with you both! You couple are too much. How dare you treat me this way? I can't believe that you're doubting me, your own brother! Don't worry. I'm not such an immoral person as to cuckold anyone, much less my own brother with his own wife! Hmph! I'm going back inside! I've had enough dog food for today. I'm about to puke from it all."
The couple watched Jin Chonglin march off back inside the house. They felt a little guilty after hearing his rant.
"Let's buy him a gift or something," she suggested.
"Yeah," he agreed. Then he gave her another lingering kiss before sighing. "Go back inside now, love. It's cold. I don't want you to get sick like Dominic and Jiang Ying Yue."
Jin Liwei only left when he saw his baby girl safely back inside the house.
Iris, Little Jun and Jin Chonglin spent a couple more hours with the elders when it was Iris' turn to receive an emergency call. It was from the cat sitters.
Since Dom was sick, the cat sitters were the ones who took Ice Cream and Popcorn to the veterinarian that day. The cats were scheduled to be spayed and neutered respectively. The cat sitters informed them that the procedures were successful.
Popcorn was still groggy and preferred to sleep the anesthesia off. Ice Cream, on the other hand, was having a full-blown tantrum. Even though she was also groggy from her own procedure, she had already scratched the vet, the nurses and the cat sitters.
The poor cat hadn't been in the best of moods lately because she had been forced to diet and exercise. And now she had to go through such a scary procedure without her Mommy or Daddy or even Slave #1. She just snapped and was having a complete meltdown.
Everyone became alarmed when she started banging her head and body against the walls. The vet didn't want to use a tranquilizer because her body was still full of anesthesia from the procedure. They could only wrap the cage with blankets to prevent Ice Cream from hurting herself even more.
Iris' eyes watered when she heard the painful and pitiful cries of Ice Cream over the phone. The sounds went straight to her heart, squeezing it painfully.
"Don't worry. I'm coming," she promised.
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Chapter 309 - Clandestine Affairs
Although the elders were regretful that Little Jun needed to leave, they understood Iris' predicament. They also adored Ice Cream and Popcorn, especially after Jin Liwei brought them to the house for the first time and announced them as his children.
"I'm sorry. I'll bring Little Jun again next time," Iris told the elders.
"Xiulan my dear, don't apologize. Go now. I hope dear Ice Cream is alright," Grandma Li said.
"Son, drive safely. You have a child with you," Huang Yuyan reminded Jin Chonglin.
"Don't worry, Mom. I will."
"Here, Little Junjun. This is from Great-Grandpa Lu. And this and this and this...oh, and this too..." Grandpa Lu gave a lot of treats, toys, picture books, clothes, shoes and a lot of other presents to the child.
Little Jun clapped his hands and gave the old man a hug and a wet kiss on the cheek, delighting Grandpa Lu to no end. He almost didn't want to let go of the child when Iris tried to take him.
"Xiulan my girl, how about Little Junjun stay here for now? I'll send him home later! What do you say? Good idea, right?"
"Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm sorry, Grandpa Lu. Little Jun's mother will worry if her son is not with me. Don't worry, I'll try to bring him to see you next time," Iris promised.
Grandpa Lu was disappointed but felt better after her promise.
After packing all the presents in the car and buckling Little Jun in his car seat at the back, they drove away. Iris gave Jin Chonglin the veterinarian's address.
During the entire drive, Iris felt extremely worried for Ice Cream. Her eyes filled up with tears, but she didn't cry. She forced herself to calm down instead. If she could, she would've flown to her cats to reach them faster. She wanted to tell Jin Chonglin to hurry up, but she noticed that he was already driving at the speed limit. Not to mention that they had a child with them, it was not safe to speed up on such busy roads.
Within half an hour, they finally arrived at the small plaza where the veterinarian's clinic was located. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of cars in the parking lot so they quickly found a spot.
Iris opened her door in a hurry and was about to run to the clinic when both Little Jun and Jin Chonglin called to stop her.
"Mama! Mama!" Little Jun reached out his cute little arms towards her, wanting her to bring him along with her.
"Are you crazy?! Have you forgotten you're a freaking celebrity? Cover up your face first, for goodness' sake! Where's your sunglasses? Your mask? How careless! Good grief!"
"Oh, right." Iris fumbled inside her purse and put on her dark sunglasses. She didn't wear the mask, but just covered the lower half of her face with her scarf.
"I'll take the little guy. You go ahead to the clinic first. We'll follow you," Jin Chonglin told her.
"Thanks," she said before climbing out of the car and running to the clinic.
As soon as she entered inside, Iris could hear Ice Cream's loud crying meows. The cat sitters immediately recognized her. Everyone was relieved that she had arrived.
Iris couldn't spare any time greeting the people, immediately heading to the cage padded with towels and blankets. A pitiful looking Ice Cream was still throwing a tantrum inside. She was wearing a big and ugly cone around her neck. She lost a little bit of weight from her diet, but she was still very fat compared to her brother, Popcorn.
"Ice Cream," Iris called out.
It was as if the cat was jolted. Her head snapped towards Iris' direction. It was amazing because everyone could see the expressions of relief and happiness on her round, grey face when she saw her Mommy.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!" She reached out her front paws through the cage's slits, trying to reach for her Mommy.
"Please open her cage quickly!"
A nurse opened it.
Iris reached inside and took Ice Cream in her arms. "Oh, my baby. I'm so sorry. Don't worry. Mommy's here. Ssssh. It's okay."
Ice Cream's loud tantrums stopped. She began purring and whining instead, as if asking her Mommy why she didn't come with them.
Finally, Ice Cream calmed down after being comforted by her Mommy's tender loving care. She didn't complain when the vet started examining her wound again. As long as she was in Mommy's arms, she didn't care if the evil monster (a.k.a. the vet) stabbed her with the Ouchy once again.
It was this sight that greeted Jin Chonglin when he arrived inside the clinic carrying Little Jun in his arms. He had to blink a few times because for a moment, he saw a baby in Iris' arms instead of a cat.
They stayed at the clinic for an hour, as the veterinarian continued to monitor the cats' condition. He also explained the cats' after care for the next few days to Iris.
Ice Cream finally succumbed to the anesthesia's after-effects plus her exhaustion from throwing a tantrum for so long. She fell in deep sleep in her Mommy's arms.
When it was time to leave, Iris continued to carry Ice Cream. One of the cat sitters carried the sleeping Popcorn.
Jin Chonglin carried Little Jun. The little guy wanted his Mama but he already had some understanding that his sister Ice Cream was sick, so he didn't insist on wanting to be carried by her. It was not very comfortable being carried by this uncle, but he somehow reminded him a little of his Papa. Although the feeling was different, it was still a little comforting to Little Jun.
###
At a small congee eatery in the same plaza, a man finished his first meal of the day. He had been following a famous actress around for almost a week now who was rumoured to be dating a director twice her age.
The man received a tip from one of his sources that the actress and the director would be meeting at a secret apartment unit around this area. He had been waiting for them since the crack of dawn, but he saw no signs of them for the entire day.
A paparazzo's job was really hard. The amount of work he put in didn't always equal the pay he received. Many also condemned his job as low-taste. Sometimes he wondered why he entered this kind of work. However, whenever he snapped photos of celebrities' clandestine affairs, the thrill and excitement of being the one to reveal it to the public was something that he wanted to experience again and again.
Today was an unfruitful day. He was terribly disappointed that he wasn't able to snap even a shadow of the actress and the director. However, this kind of disappointments was part of the job.
After paying for his meal, he left the eatery. He intended to return near the apartment building, hoping that he would still catch a sight of his targets. But before he could leave the plaza, his paparazzo senses started tingling.
"Huh?"
He squinted his eyes, looking at the group of people exiting a nearby vet clinic. A tall masked man wearing stylish shades looked terribly familiar. What was more, he was carrying a child and was together with a woman whose face was also covered. The woman also looked a little familiar.
Hiding behind a concrete column, the paparazzo zoomed in on the group with his camera and started snapping photos.
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Chapter 310 - LinRis
Two days passed by in relative peacefulness.
At home, Jin Liwei had no choice but to temporarily allow their cats to sleep in their bedroom at night because Iris couldn't bear to leave them especially after Ice Cream's meltdown at the veterinarian's clinic.
When she told him all that happened after he left for his emergency meeting, he felt guilty for not being there with them. Even though Ice Cream and Popcorn were currently hogging all of Iris' tender loving care, he didn't dare complain. The two poor cats looked so pitiful and in pain after their procedure.
During the day, the couple left the cats to the sitters. Dom and Jiang Ying Yue were already feeling better from their colds, but Iris didn't allow them to return to work until they were fully recovered.
She continued to work hard with Pandemonium in promoting their single "Monster of Insanity." Their careers were all going extremely well. Their song maintained its number 1 spot in the music charts with no signs of being ousted.
"Monster of Insanity" was the kind of song that the more people listened to it, the more they loved it. Even if they didn't like it at all when they heard it for the first time.
Moreover, people really didn't have much of a choice but hear it multiple times every day. Especially after being featured in the news so much after Iris Long was confirmed to have invented three new musical techniques. There was a sense of pride within the people while listening to the song because their fellow countrywoman, Iris Long, did something that would forever be recorded in the history books.
With all of these attention, Iris Long was now quickly becoming Bright Summit's darling artist alongside Jin Chonglin. She hadn't reached his level of stardom yet, but Bright Summit now had great expectations of her career prospects and was ready to support her.
As her status within the management company was elevated, so was the status of her manager Tang Yiyi. In extension, the other artists under Tang Yiyi were also enjoying an increase in resources, most especially Pandemonium who collaborated with Iris in "Monster of Insanity." After all, Iris repeatedly stated during interviews that she wrote the song because she wanted to collaborate with them. They jokingly claimed that if it weren't for them, there would be no "Monster of Insanity".
Everything was going well.
That was until a tabloid paper published a shocking headline accompanied by secretly taken photos. It had tremendous scandalous implications.
"Jin Chonglin and Iris Long Have a Secret Love Child All Along!"
The photos showed a disguised Jin Chonglin and Iris Long together at a small plaza. For hawk-eyed people, it wasn't that difficult to identify him even when he was wearing dark shades, mask and a cap.
As for Iris Long, it was a bit more difficult to recognize that it was her but her cats' appearance gave away her identity. Actually it was Ice Cream's fatness that gave Iris away, in addition to the cats' unique gold collars. Many remembered the collars when Iris showed a photo of her cats during her interview with Feng Jiu. The gold collars wouldn't be noticed if it wasn't for the paparazzo zooming in on them.
If it was only Jin Chonglin, Iris and her cats in the photos, they could still explain it as just friends hanging out together. However, Jin Chonglin was clearly shown carrying a toddler in the photo.
Although the child's face was blurred out in the tabloid's publication, the paparazzo who took the photos claimed that the toddler's features looked very similar to Iris Long's. He also claimed hearing the child calling Iris "Mama".
The tabloid article insinuated that all of Jin Chonglin and Iris Long denials in the past about their relationship were all lies. That they really had an affair when Jin Chonglin was still in a relationship with Fan Luo. It even insensitively said in an indirect manner that Fan Luo had grounds in attempting to murder Iris a couple of years ago and that her jealousy was justified.
What was more, it accused Iris Long of lying about her coma despite the fact the she already showed her medical records to the public before. The article implied that it was a trick to cover up the real truth which was that Iris Long had been pregnant with Jin Chonglin's child all along. And she had to take a long break from showbiz to give birth to their love child.
The article added:
"Don't be surprised when it's revealed later on that Iris Long's mysterious fiancé is actually Jin Chonglin. She said that her fiancé is a businessman and not from showbiz during her interview with Feng Jiu. The photo of the man she showed at Feng Jiu's talk show must be an actor to misdirect us from the truth that Jin Chonglin is her real fiancé. With all the lies she had been telling us in the past, her credibility is not the most trustworthy at the moment. Perhaps the two think we would all forgive and forget all of their lies with the passing of time."
When the tabloid was published, it caused a great uproar.
Bright Summit was caught completely unawares. One moment it was basking in its artists' successes. The next moment, the same artists that it was so proud of were involved in a scandal together. They immediately contacted Jin Chonglin and Iris Long to ask them about the truth of the matter.
The general public, who was proud and celebrating Iris Long's history-making accomplishments in music earlier, was now viciously criticizing her. They called her an immoral woman for having an affair and bearing a love child with the then engaged Jin Chonglin. They especially condemned her for lying to the public.
Compared to Iris, the attacks to Jin Chonglin weren't as harsh. He was a man, the people said. Besides, he was already a known playboy even before all of these happened.
The people were more critical to the woman, Iris, calling her a sl*t and a homewrecker because Jin Chonglin was already in a relationship with Fan Luo during that time. Some malicious people even started saying that Iris Long should've died in the car accident planned by Fan Luo as punishment for having an affair with a taken man.
With all of the bashing, the Black Stars and some of the Pandemonium fans were quick to defend Iris Long. However, as they did so, they still begged their Boss Iris to tell them the real truth. Some of them were already wavering, feeling betrayed at the thought that she lied to them for so long.
CaptainBlackStar: "Don't waver, comrades! Let's believe in our Boss Iris! Some of us have met her personally several times before. We know that she has a straightforward personality. She wouldn't lie about something as important as this. The tabloid is the one that's full of lies! If you're going to believe a tabloid, then you don't belong to the Black Stars!"
Their leader's words somewhat reassured the Black Stars. They continued to defend their Boss Iris while waiting for her to release an official statement.
Amidst all of these, a distinct group of Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans started rejoicing. Their stance was the complete opposite of everyone else's. They wanted for the contents of the tabloid to be the real truth.
"OMG! It would be amazing if Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin really have a child together and are engaged! Then they would get married and be together forever!"
"Kyaaaah! Oh please let it be true! With the genes of these two gorgeous people, I'm sure that their kid looks adorable! The tabloid says that their son looks like Boss Iris. I really want to see how he looks like. Maybe he'll follow in the footsteps of his parents and become a hunk celebrity in the future. Uwah! I'm so looking forward to that day!"
"LinRis is the ultimate couple in this century! All the people wanting to break them apart are our enemies! #LinRis #WeLoveLinRis #LinRisForever"
All of these LinRis shippers were thanking the tabloid for revealing the "truth". They were all excited and looking forward for their Prince Lin Lin and Boss Iris' official confirmation of their relationship. They couldn't wait for LinRis to become official. They even started calling the child as "Baby LinRis."
That same day, both Jin Chonglin and Iris Long released official statements through Bright Summit and on their own social media pages. They denied the tabloid's allegations of any affair between the two of them. They claimed that it was only recently that they had grown closer as friends and fellow artists under the same management company.
Iris also cleared up the matter about the child. She said that it was her godson and that her godson called her "Mama."
The Black Stars believed her wholeheartedly. As for the general public, some believed her, some didn't. They were unsatisfied by her statement. If she and Jin Chonglin weren't really the child's parents, then why didn't she reveal anything about his real parents? They felt that the couple should just admit that they had an affair and a love child together.
Despite all the criticisms and Bright Summit's advice, Iris continued to work as if not affected by the attacks being thrown at her.
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