Chapter 38: 371 - 380

Chapter 371 - Reputation And Prestige

The audience gave a collective gasp before the loud applause and cheering ensued, mostly from the Black Stars and the general public. As for the celebrities, productions crews and nominees from the other films who were sitting at the front and centre rows, they gave a more modest applause.

Some of them thought that Iris Long deserved the win, but the others thought that it was still too early for her to win against the seasoned veterans. Many of these people worked in the film industry for a long time. And more often than not, they didn't take it well when there was a change in the status quo, especially for an individual who they perceived as not belonging to the film industry.

Indeed, Iris Long was a great and talented musician. Her film score in "Strong Yet Broken" was beautiful, creative and sophisticated, emotionally harrowing yet also dynamic at the same time. It truly enhanced the film experience and magnified the emotions the viewers felt while watching the film.

However, these people thought that she should've gathered more experience working in the film industry first before actually winning an award for it. Many of the seasoned veterans that she was up against started this way. They didn't immediately rise to the top. They started from the bottom.

There were plenty of them who thought that it was unfair for Iris Long to win such a prestigious award for the first film score that she composed. These people were forgetting that Diamond Guild Film Awards chose winners based on the nominated pieces of work and not on the creators' previous experiences.

It was inevitable that Iris Long's rise to the fame in the past few months would garner envy, even to those who weren't in the music industry.

At the moment, however, the group of "Strong Yet Broken" didn't care about any of that. They all jumped up their seats and cheered for Iris Long's win. They congratulated her and shared her victory. Even Guan Jintao and his wife joined in. Of course, JJ was ecstatic. He looked even more excited than Iris Long, as if he was the one who won the award.

Iris headed up the stage and accepted the heavy, sparkling, diamond-shaped glass award. The female presenter was very warm and sincere in congratulating her. However, Iris could tell that the male presenter wasn't too happy about her win.

Keeping a polite expression, Iris stood in front of the microphone. She swept her eyes across the front and centre rows where she could see similar discontented expressions regarding her win.

Iris didn't give a damn about any of them.

Something flared up within her and the corner of her lips lifted into a smirk. But it only lasted for about a second before the polite expression returned to her face. Even she didn't realize that she smirked.

She focused on looking at her "Strong Yet Broken" group and the suits-wearing Black Stars at the far end of the audience. Then she began her speech. It started as a generic "thank you" speech. At the end, however, she added:

"I am deeply grateful for those who believed that I can do this. JJ and my fiancé never doubted that I can compose a film score and complete it. Now I am standing here in front of you with an award in my hands. Regardless of whether others think that I deserve this or not, it is enough that my loved ones and fans believe in me, that I believe in myself. I am me and I don't compare myself to others. I have my own road and others have their own.

"At the end of the day, music is my passion. I composed the film score with the goal of harnessing the film's story to enhance its emotional impact with music. That was my goal, not to win this award. Of course I am delighted to win this award and receive recognition for my work in 'Strong Yet Broken'.

"All I want to say is that my work, my film score, is the one that won this award, not me as a person. It was the one that was judged, not me. I am just the agent who created it. That is all. Thank you, everyone."

Those who resented her for winning the award felt like they were slapped in the face by her speech. They deemed her unqualified to win the award because of her youth and inexperience in the film industry, believing that the seasoned veterans were more worthy than her to win. They disregarded the criteria of judging which was based purely on the nominated piece of work and not the creator.

The general public in the audience, led by the Black Stars, all gave a loud standing ovation for her. In contrast, there was a vague sense of awkwardness among the front and centre row seats.

There were even those who glared at her while she made her way back to her delighted group. They didn't like her seemingly harmless speech but was actually quite a barbed one. Iris unknowingly made a few enemies in the film industry tonight. She herself had no idea about this.

For the rest of the ceremony, "Strong Yet Broken" won three more times. They won Best Actress, Best Director and the most important award of the night, the Best Picture Award.

Overall, they won five of the eleven awards that they were nominated for. Although they won the most sought-after awards, they didn't win the most awards. Another film won a total of seven awards. It was a blockbuster film with an all-star line-up.

Nevertheless, "Strong Yet Broken" was still deemed to be the biggest winner for the night. After all, it won the Best Picture Award.

The day after the awards ceremony, almost all of the news reported about the winners. People discussed the film awards and the winners.

"Dammit! I hate that movie 'Strong Yet Broken'! Made me cry like a fucking baby! But yeah, it deserves all of the awards it got. I still hate it, though! And damn you, Iris Long! I cry every single time I listen to 'Phantom of Your Love'! I request for the radio stations to stop playing that cursed song! She totally deserves to win because it's so beautiful and amazing. Doesn't mean I like it, though. "

"Total respect for making such a socially relevant film as 'Strong Yet Broken'. I wish that more films like this are made to raise awareness on the issues we as a society face. To be honest, I'm so tired of all those xianxia movies. I still like watching them, but sometimes they feel too similar and repetitive. 'Strong Yet Broken' deserves to win those five awards. But it seems like xianxia films won't die anytime soon, winning those seven awards and all."

Sentiments like these floated all over the internet. The general public accepted most of the results. Nobody raised any complaints that "Strong Yet Broken" won those five awards. In fact, some even thought that it should've won more. They also didn't complain that Iris Long won the Best Original Score Award. It was only those in the film industry who weren't completely happy with her win.

As for the Black Stars, they were absolutely overjoyed.

"Go Boss Iris! You're the best! Congratulations on winning Best Original Score! We're so proud of you!"

"We wave our mighty slippers in celebration of our Boss Iris' triumph! Begone haters! You're just envious of our boss' awesomeness!"

After a few days, the country's film industry was rocked by a shocking news. LX Productions released an official announcement. It said:

"We are excited, joyful and proud to announce that our film 'Strong Yet Broken' is short-listed for the Sommet International Film Festival. We will be proudly representing our country in this prestigious international film festival in France...."

The news spread like wildfire with the media outlets reporting about it left and right. It had been six years since a Chinese film was short-listed for the Sommet International Film Festival. This was a big achievement to the country's film industry.

People sent their congratulations and well-wishes to everyone involved in "Strong Yet Broken". Of course, they included Iris Long as well because her film score was such an integral part of why the movie was so memorable to the viewers after watching it.

As a result, Iris Long's reputation in showbiz was only growing better and better. All of these achievements in just a span of months were developing her prestige as one of the greatest musicians of her generation.

Although her star was still not yet on the level of someone like Jin Chonglin, she was already on her way there.

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Chapter 372 - Opportunistic Couple

Even though Iris Long had an incredible winning streak at the music and film awards, she didn't take a break from work. On the contrary, she worked even harder after the Diamond Guild Film Awards. Interviews, guest appearances, performances, endorsement events, plus acting workshops and a whole slew of other things. Iris worked almost nonstop.

This was because she needed to take a break soon to prepare for the upcoming international business conference. Jin Liwei was extremely busy at work as well. He would also be participating in the business conference for Jin Corporation.

Both of them were extremely busy. There were days when they didn't see each other at all and nights when they didn't sleep together. These were the times when Iris had job commitments in other parts of the country.

Similarly, Jin Liwei sometimes had to sleep at Jin Corporation to finish some work. There were also times when he needed to attend business meetings out-of-town or even abroad for a few days.

They missed each other terribly during these times. There was a time when they didn't see each other for more than three days.

Surprisingly, it was Iris who couldn't bear it. She was at the penthouse, exhausted from her long day, but she couldn't sleep no matter how much she tried. She longed for Jin Liwei. So she flew to Singapore that same night using one of Jin Liwei's private jets just so they could be together for a few hours.

They were too exhausted to do anything other than cuddle and sleep together. Early the next morning, Iris almost didn't want to return home and leave him. She hugged his waist and buried her face against his chest.

"Love, I'll come home in two days. Although we'll still be too busy, at least we can sleep on the same bed every night." He kissed the top of her head. "Or if you want, you can cancel your schedule for today to stay here with me. Or maybe, I can cancel my meeting and come home with you. Which do you prefer?"

She was tempted, but she shook her head and sighed. "It's okay. I don't want either of us holding each other back when it comes to our work. Besides, this is only temporary. I'll take a break from my showbiz work soon for the international business conference. We could spend some quality time together again during our free time when we're not at the conference. I'll fly home in an hour. But give me two minutes...no, five minutes. I still want to cuddle with you."

He chuckled softly and smiled lovingly at his baby girl. He pulled her into his arms and embraced her more tightly.

Thirty minutes later (Iris refused to leave him after the five minutes was up and Jin Liwei didn't remind her), the two finally said goodbye to each other. Both of them were already late for their own respective schedules, but they didn't care as long as they could spend more time with each other.

It was very difficult, but they were able to survive these challenging times that they had to spend apart.

###

Dragon Palace Home #10.

Finally, Iris' took her much-awaited break from her busy showbiz schedule. She already started her intensive preparations with Professor Kalisha Schwarz, Professor Hisakawa Akio, and of course with Grandpa Lu as well.

During her free time in-between her preparations, she sneaked in some time for her three companies. In addition to this, she also worked on the theme song for an upcoming TV drama.

At the moment, she and Jin Liwei were at home. It was a weekend. They were still busy, but not as much compared to their insane schedules from before.

They were currently inside Iris' home music studio that Jin Liwei built for her. His expression was grim while she called someone on the phone.

"Hello? What's up?" a familiar male voice answered, sounding distracted.

"Brother Chonglin, where are you? Why aren't you here yet?" Iris asked, feeling a little annoyed. She glanced at her darling who looked more annoyed than her.

"Huh? Why do I need to go there?" Jin Chonglin asked in a totally clueless tone.

Jin Liwei's expression darkened. He extended his hand, gesturing for Iris to give him the phone. A big scowl was on his face. She gestured back at him to give her a few moments.

"Brother Chonglin, have you forgotten that we have an appointment to meet each other today? Didn't you agree that you'll sing the duet with me?"

"Oh shit! Our meeting is today?! Fuck! Hold on. I'll go get ready quickly!"

Iris could hear hurried, rustling sounds on the phone. Curious, she asked him, "What were you doing? Why did you forget about our meeting?"

"Ugh. Don't ask..."

Jin Liwei snatched the phone from her, and then barked at the phone, "Answer her."

"Big Bro!" Suddenly, they heard loud crashing sounds. "Ouch! Fuck! My toe!"

Iris and Jin Liwei, the merciless couple, didn't react at all when they heard Jin Chonglin get hurt. It was his fault anyway. Why did he have to be so careless? They just waited (a little impatiently) for him to answer their question.

Moments later, Jin Chonglin returned to the line. "Fine! I was playing a computer game, okay? This new game is just too damn addicting! It's called 'Supreme Ascension' and many celebrities are starting to get hooked into it. So don't blame me for being late. Blame this fucking game, okay?!"

A big delighted smile broke out of Iris' face. She hugged Jin Liwei by the waist and giggled.

The corner of Jin Liwei's lips also tugged upwards. However, he maintained the stern expression on his face. He also hugged his baby girl back with one arm while his other hand held the phone on loudspeaker.

"Go ahead and play more of that game since you like it so much. Your meeting with Xiulan can wait another day," Jin Liwei told him.

He was actually quite sincere and serious. His words were meant to be understood literally, but Jin Chonglin thought that he was angry and using reverse psychology on him.

"Big Bro! I'm sorry, okay? I'm not usually this unprofessional! It's this game's fault! I'm coming in half an hour. I promise! Wait for me a bit more!"

Then the call ended.

Iris still looked delighted. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Jin Liwei. "Darling, don't be too hard on your brother. He's a great customer for my gaming company. And did you hear about him saying that lots of celebrities are getting hooked on the game?"

"En." He was also pleased to her that "Supreme Ascension" was getting widely popular among gamers. Then he thought of something. "Let's have my brother write about it on his blog. It'll be a great advertisement for your game."

She tilted her head to the side. "Will he do that? I don't want to impose. Planet Monkey isn't at a stable state yet that we can afford to pay for endorsers, especially a big celebrity like Brother Chonglin."

"Love, he's your future brother-in-law. He should do this much for family. I told you before, use him in whatever way you need. Hmm. Don't worry. I'll be the one to tell him to write something about your game on his blog. He won't dare say no to me."

(Jin Liwei also followed Grandpa Lu's teachings of not being afraid to be shameless when it came to family.)

"Darling, you're so evil. I love it." Then she blinked her eyes up at him. "I love you," she whispered.

He smiled, pleased. Then he dipped his head and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you more."

Poor Jin Chonglin. He hadn't even arrived yet but he was already doomed to be exploited by the opportunistic couple who was currently being lovey-dovey with each other.

About forty minutes later, Jin Chonglin finally arrived at the mansion. The butler led him to the music studio where Iris was singing a song to Jin Liwei while playing the keyboard. Before he could even greet them, Jin Liwei swept his frosty eyes at him.

"You're very late," Jin Liwei told him in a cold voice.

Jin Chonglin could only purse his lips and mumble "sorry".

Iris greeted him more warmly than his own brother. Then they started discussing about the love song they planned on singing together for the TV drama. At the moment, Iris opted on not informing the TV drama's production team that she was going to work with Jin Chonglin. They would surely go crazy once they learned about it. She didn't want it leaked to the public yet. She wanted it to be completely secret for now.

After the initial discussion, they tried singing it together. Nothing too formal. They just wanted to test out how they sounded together.

While they were working, Jin Liwei stayed in the music studio with them. His laptop and some documents were in front of him, as he finished up some of his work.

Then Iris and Jin Chonglin started arguing. Jin Chonglin wanted to make some changes to the song, but Iris didn't like his ideas. It was similar to how Iris fought with JJ a lot during music production.

"Be good and do what Xiulan tells you." Jin Liwei, of course, sided with his baby girl.

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Chapter 373 - Trophy Wife

"Big Bro, am I still your brother?" Jin Chonglin couldn't help but whine. Then he threw a resentful look at Iris.

"Don't be such a drama queen!" Iris snapped at him, extremely annoyed. "You just need to sing the song with me. It's my song. Why are you suddenly wanting to change everything?" Then she turned to Jin Liwei. "Darling, which is better? My current song or the version he wants the song to turn into?"

"Of course yours is better, love," Jin Liwei immediately replied. He looked at his brother coldly. "Xiulan's song is already perfect as it is. Don't go around changing it just because you want to. Besides, I'm the inspiration behind it. So it's basically my song as well. I don't want you changing my song."

Jin Chonglin looked at the couple in exasperation. The bullies! They were clearly ganging up on him.

He took a few deep breaths to calm down and prevent himself from losing his temper. Then he explained to them, "I've been in the music industry longer than Sister Xiulan. I think that my suggestions are worth considering. Yeah, this song is great and all but it's not perfect. It's too sweet and sappy! With this kind of lyrics and melody combined together, I think it's too much! Do you want the listeners to die from dog food overdose? We should at least change up the melody a little to make it more modern and appealing to the younger generation."

"It's a love song! It's supposed to be sweet and sappy! And what's wrong with dog food? We're singing it for a romance TV drama! Its main selling point is to drown its viewers with dog food! Dom and Meimei say that people love this kind of stories!" Iris retorted. She turned to Jin Liwei again. "Am I right, darling?"

"Of course you're right, love."

Jin Chonglin threw his hands up in the air in surrender. Now he was starting to understand why Iris Long was one of the very rare handful of people in the music industry who wasn't the least bit intimidated by the notorious hothead producer JJ. She was extremely stubborn and liked getting what she wanted just like JJ. The only difference between them was that Iris wasn't in the habit of exploding into extreme rages unlike JJ.

Seeing his younger brother's discontent about the situation, Jin Liwei's heart softened a bit. Jin Chonglin would always be his flesh and blood brother no matter what happened. But he could also understand his baby girl's protectiveness towards her song. Jin Chonglin basically wanted to change the entire melody, only keeping the lyrics.

"Why don't you write another duet instead of trying to change Xiulan's song? Is there a rule that says there should only be one duet for you to sing together?" Jin Liwei suggested to his brother.

"Oh!"

Both Iris and Jin Chonglin's eyes lit up at his suggestion.

Jin Chonglin nodded, immediately diving into deep thought. He grabbed a piece of blank paper and a pen from a nearby table and started jotting down some of his ideas.

Iris went to Jin Liwei and sat beside him, hugging his arm. "Darling, that's such a great idea! We'll keep my song as it is, while Brother Chonglin will write another song that'll suit his tastes better. Then we can have two songs to sing together."

"Yes. Let's do that instead," Jin Chonglin agreed. "We'll go ahead and release your song as the theme song for the TV drama. Then we can release my song as a stand-alone single afterwards."

With that, everything had been decided between them. Jin Chonglin jotted down a few more ideas before putting the paper aside.

Then Iris and Jin Chonglin resumed working on her song. Although Iris rejected any major changes to the song, she allowed Jin Chonglin's other minor tweaks as long as she thought that they improved the song.

She didn't want any major changes in the song at this point because JJ would surely fight with her again when they begin recording the song. The music producer would definitely try to make some sweeping alterations once again.

JJ was harder to deal with than Jin Chonglin because he wasn't afraid of anyone, including Jin Liwei. Just thinking about her upcoming arguments with JJ was already making Iris' head hurt.

Since Iris limited Jin Chonglin's power to make changes in the song, Jin Chonglin also made her promise not to make any major changes to the song he would write. Iris agreed. It was only fair.

Their work proceeded more smoothly and peacefully this time.

As for Jin Liwei, he finally realized what he had done. He was already regretting making the suggestion in the first place. Another duet meant that the two would have to work together longer and more closely with each other. He trusted both of them but still couldn't stop the green-eyed monster inside him from rearing its ugly head.

All he could do was scowl as he watched his baby girl and brother sing a love song together. He had no idea if his brother would also write a love song. The song wasn't even written yet but he felt like he already hated it.

'Calm down, Liwei,' he told himself. 'He's your brother.'

Jin Liwei could only sigh at his unkind thoughts. But at least he noticed that he wasn't that jealous of his brother anymore regarding his baby girl compared to before when they just started their relationship. It was because he felt more secure in his position in her heart now.

The thought made him smile.

###

With her winning streak in the awards show and the recent revelation of her close connection with the legendary business genius Sir Lu Jianhong, people in high society continued to talk about Iris Long as their hottest topic of discussion.

Her reputation in these circles weren't that good. There were two big reasons for this.

The first one was because of Iris' mother, Wei Lan, who these people scorned as a gold digging and social climbing slut. They loved to mock her. Some even hated her because of suspicions that she had affairs with their husbands. However, nothing was ever proven from these suspicions.

The second one was because of Iris' own trouble-making behaviour as a teenager. She had terrorized and bullied many of these people's children in the past. She thought that being a celebrity gave her the right to do whatever she wanted.

In short, Iris Long was nobody but a problem child to these people.

Although many of them were amazed at her drastic change for the better, some of the old-fashioned ones still thought of her as nothing but a showgirl. These people were similar to the Long elders. They looked down on people working in the showbiz industry. They even looked down on Jin Chonglin.

Nevertheless, Iris Long's status and reputation within these circles improved recently when it was reported that she was engaged to Lu Zihao. If she married him, then she would become a Lu. The Lus were many levels higher than any of them on the social hierarchy.

Of course, this generated a lot of envy and hate from them.

"What's so special about her? She'll just become a trophy wife in the end. The Lus gain nothing from her. What can she contribute to the Lu family? She has nothing but her beauty and her ability to sing. That's it."

This kind of opinions were widely spread in these circles. Many of them just couldn't accept the possibility of Iris ascending several levels above them on the social hierarchy. Why couldn't it be them instead?

Even most of the Longs, especially the elders, only saw her worth as the bridge which would connect their family to the Lus. They still didn't think highly of her own abilities and accomplishments. However, they must act nicely to her on the surface for the sake of leaving a good impression to the Lus.

As for Iris herself, she wasn't directly aware about any of these, nor did she care. So what if they were looking down at her? To her, these people were nobodies and strangers. What they thought about her was none of her business. They could look down on her however much they wanted.

It was a different matter to Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu. They were clearly aware of all of these talks about her. Both of them were enraged for her sake. However, they didn't do anything to shut them up.

The two couldn't wait until Iris slapped them all when she made her translating and interpreting debut at the upcoming international business conference in a few days. It would be much more effective and satisfying that way.

"I wish I could record the reactions of all those snobs who keep on looking down on Xiulan my girl! That would be so funny! Bahahaha! They dare look down on Lu Jianhong's beloved granddaughter and student? Hah!" Grandpa Lu (who felt very bored) told Jin Liwei after disturbing him at work.

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Chapter 374 - International Business Conference

The international business conference was a five-day long event. Executives and delegates of companies from all around the world already started arriving a few days before the conference. Many of them were from the top multi-national companies in the world.

Normal operations of any businesses within a certain radius from the venue were suspended. All nightclubs were temporarily closed and traffic rerouted to other roads. Security was also tightened with police officers patrolling around the area at all hours.

The media were also covering this event because it was the first time the country was hosting such a huge international business conference as this. Almost all of the top companies in the world confirmed that they would be sending representatives to the event.

First day of the business conference.

Jin Liwei arrived at the venue with Grandpa Lu. His loyal assistant Xu Tian followed closely behind him. A handful of Jin Corporation's other executives and their assistants also came with them.

They entered the hotel-like lobby of the conference centre. The marble floors and the brass details gave the place an elegant and luxurious ambience. It was a sophisticated combination of classic and contemporary interior design.

There was already quite a crowd of delegates milling around the lobby when they arrived inside. Everyone looked sharp and commanding in their best tailored business suits. There was still some time before the official opening ceremony, so many of them decided to greet each other first and network in a combination of social and business purposes.

Well-dressed ushers with warm and welcoming smiles guided the delegates in English to where they wanted to go. There were also several tables of light refreshments for those who were hungry or those who just wanted something to nibble on.

As soon as Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu's group appeared, both local and foreign executives and delegates flocked to them. These delegates, especially those from multi-national companies, mostly knew each other.

Jin Corporation was also at the level of a multi-national company, so Jin Liwei was a well-known figure in the international business world as its current President-CEO.

They all greeted him, but who would dare ignore the presence of the old man beside him? Sir Lu Jianhong was Jin Corporation's co-founder together with Jin Liwei's grandfather. He was a highly respected and admired figure in the business world, regardless of the country.

Soon, Grandpa Lu's booming laughter echoed throughout the entire lobby, attracting more of the other delegates to their group. It was as if a rock star just arrived with how everyone was acting.

If Jin Liwei's grandfather were still alive today, he would most likely receive a similar treatment as Grandpa Lu.

Everyone wanted to shake Grandpa Lu's hand and chat with him. He was no doubt a superstar in the international business world. As the current head of Jin Corporation and the leading businessman in the country of his generation, Jin Liwei also received respect from his fellow executives and delegates.

It was this scene that greeted Long Tengfei and his group when they arrived. Walking beside him was Long Industries' COO. On his other side was his right-hand man, Cao Guang.

Following closely behind them were Long Hui, the Deputy CFO, and surprisingly Long Jian as well. Long Jian was currently working as a direct subordinate to the COO.

Long Tengfei wanted to take his two sons to the international business conference for them to gain experience and the opportunity to network with some of the top businesspeople in the world.

There were also other people from Long Industries attending the conference with them. They all walked together in a group, looking confused at why the crowd was gathering in a single spot.

At first, they didn't know what was going on. Then they were informed that the delegates were greeting Sir Lu Jianhong and Jin Liwei from Jin Corporation.

"Should we go and greet them as well, Father—I mean President?" Long Jian asked, quickly correcting his form of address to Long Tengfei.

Although Long Tengfei didn't have any rule for his children to call him "President" or "CEO" at work, Long Jian started calling him "President" after hearing Long Hui doing the same while working.

"Hmm... We should. They are our future in-laws after all," Long Hui murmured.

'I wasn't asking you,' Long Jian retorted inside.

Despite this, he still smiled at his older brother and nodded. He thought that Long Hui was referring to Grandpa Lu as their future in-law. Like most of the guests during Long Tengfei's birthday party, Long Jian also thought that Lu Zihao was Iris' fiancé. He still didn't know that it was actually Jin Liwei.

"We'll greet them later. There are too many people around them," Long Tengfei said.

The crowd around Jin Corporation's group only multiplied as more delegates arrived at the venue. At the moment, it seemed that Grandpa Lu was the biggest attraction.

Finally, a PA System announcement instructed everyone to please make their way inside where the opening ceremony would be held. The delegates immediately returned to their own groups. Ushers guided each group to their own respective seating areas.

The executives and delegates from the biggest multi-national companies in the world were given the best seats at the front. Of course, Jin Corporation was among them. The company's presence in Asia was undeniable.

Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu sat in the front row along with some of the other executives from the top companies in the world.

Long Tengfei, his sons and the others from Long Industries sat near the middle

Later, the opening ceremony finally began. The MC appeared on the stage. Beside him was a beautiful women in an eye-catching red business suit. She looked sharp and powerful but still feminine at the same time.

The foreign delegates had no idea who this woman in a red suit was, but most of the Chinese delegates, especially the younger ones, recognized her after looking a little more closely. They began murmuring among each other, wondering why she was on the stage. Was she also an MC? Why her?

The male MC and the beautiful woman stood at the centre of the stage. Each of them were holding a microphone.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the opening ceremony of this year's International Business Conference! I'll be your master of ceremony for today," the MC greeted and introduced himself both in Mandarin and in English.

Similarly, Iris also introduced herself both in Mandarin and then in English. "Hello, everyone! My name is Iris Long, and I'll be the official interpreter for this opening ceremony and in selected conferences for the entire duration of this event."

The Chinese delegates' mind went blank after hearing what she said.

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Chapter 375 - Official Interpreter

Iris Long was the official interpreter of the international business conference?! What in the world?!!!

The foreign delegates didn't think much about it. They didn't know who Iris Long was. They just accepted that this beautiful woman in a red business suit was an interpreter who the conference officials had chosen. Why should they doubt their choice? Besides, this Iris Long spoke fluent English in an elegant British accent.

On the other hand, the Chinese delegates were incredulous that the international business conference would hire a mere musician as an official interpreter.

The ones sitting near Long Tengfei all turned their heads to silently ask him what was going on. Unfortunately for them, he couldn't give them any answer because he also had no idea that his youngest daughter was hired to do this. He was as shocked as them all.

However, it only took a few moments before both Long Tengfei and Long Hui recovered from their initial shock. They already knew that Iris was a Cross Academy student and that she was majoring in Foreign Languages.

Remembering these, they calmed down and treated the situation as something to be expected. After all, she wasn't only a Cross Academy student but also the personal student of the legendary business genius Sir Lu Jianhong.

"Hmm... Xiulan looks calm and prepared. Very good," Long Tengfei murmured while nodding his head. The unmistakable pride was very obvious in his eyes.

"She should've at least informed us beforehand, so we wouldn't feel so surprised like this," Long Hui also murmured.

Long Jian heard their low conversation. He couldn't hide his disbelief. Why were these two so calm? Weren't they worried that Iris would embarrass herself in such an important event like this? If she embarrassed herself, she would also embarrass Long Industries because of her connection to them.

"Father—I mean President, should we really allow Little Sister Xiulan to do this? I don't know how she was able to get this job, maybe she asked Sir Lu Jianhong, but this isn't something that she can handle so easily. This is the international business conference! The whole business world is basically watching. Her every mistake would be noted. As her older brother, I'm very concerned for her. I don't want her to humiliate herself."

'She can humiliate herself for all I care, but I don't want people associating her to me,' he added in his mind.

Long Hui only gave him a side-eye.

"Don't worry too much. I think that your sister knows what she's doing," Long Tengfei told him. "Let's just sit back and watch her performance. Similar to how I wanted the two of you to gain experience from this international business conference, this will also be a great experience to your little sister."

Long Jian frowned before he could smooth it away. His disbelief turned into bitterness.

'That brat is really Father's favourite,' he silently muttered to himself.

He watched Iris on the stage. The MC was now speaking in Mandarin only, while Iris was consecutively interpreting his words in English.

'Hmph. So what if she improved her English skills and learned how to speak in a British accent? I bet she's not even interpreting right now but just saying the words she memorized from a script. Let's see if she can do this for unscripted conversations later on. I can't wait until she humiliates herself.'

Long Jian was filled with mockery towards her.

Beside him, Long Industries' COO leaned a bit towards Long Tengfei, saying, "President Long, your youngest daughter managed to astound me once again. First was when she did her presentation for her business asking for a shipping deal from us. And now this? Language interpreter for the international business conference? I'm finding Miss Long Xiulan more and more impressive the more times I encounter her. You must be very proud of your daughter, President."

"Hmm." Long Tengfei nodded, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint smile. He looked on proudly at his youngest daughter.

Long Jian gritted his teeth and tried hard not to clench his hands into fists. He fought against the urge to sneer.

'Is the COO crazy? He's impressed by that spoiled brat? She only got that shipping deal because of Father. She's Father's favourite! And I'm sure that she also got this interpreting job because of her connection to Sir Lu Jianhong. Without these connections, she can't do anything by herself! She should just stay in showbiz where she belongs! Why is she suddenly poking her nose in the business world? She's too full of herself!'

He couldn't admit to himself that he was actually jealous of Iris. He just continued to trash-talk her in his mind, thinking that she didn't deserve any of these opportunities in the business industry.

At the front row of the audience, Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu watched Iris on the stage. Jin Liwei's expression appeared cold and indifferent as usual, but for people close to him and who knew him well like Grandpa Lu and Xu Tian, they could see his indiscernible smile and pride.

More obvious was Grandpa Lu. He had a big smile on his face. He turned his head to the back and gave two thumbs-up to Professor Kalisha Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa Akio who were sitting several rows behind him.

On the stage, several officials and guest speakers were called to make speeches. Iris and the MC moved to the side of the stage. The MC sat down, while Iris stood behind a side-facing lectern.

The invited speakers spoke in either Mandarin or English. As a result, Iris interpreted in English or Mandarin. She had no notes or anything. She just looked directly at the speaker.

There was no hesitation in her translations. Whenever the speaker paused, she would seamlessly start interpreting in Mandarin or English. In addition to the interpretations, she would also try to match her tone to how the speaker just spoke. So far, she hadn't fumbled even once yet.

Those who couldn't understand either Mandarin or English wore headphones. Other assigned interpreters fed the translations directly to their ears. Most of these interpreters couldn't match the clear, smooth and unhesitating interpretations of Iris.

The delegates looked very impressed at her performance. Even the Chinese delegates who initially doubted her appointment as official interpreter to the international business conference were now changing their impression of her.

"CEO Long, I didn't know that your daughter is such a skilled interpreter," an executive from another company told Long Tengfei.

"Yes. I'm very shocked. My children are big fans of your daughter Iris Long. Our house plays her music almost nonstop," another executive commented. "I bet my children will be so shocked as me when I tell them that Iris Long is the official interpreter of this conference. Maybe they'll finally start gaining interest in our company once they learn that their favourite celebrity is now involved in the business world as an interpreter."

"Your daughter is amazing, CEO Long. As someone who is fluent in both Mandarin and English, I can tell that her translations are virtually accurate. Her clear enunciation makes it very easy for everyone to understand what she's saying."

Long Tengfei couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Thank you, everyone. I'm very proud of my daughter."

Hearing his father's words, Long Jian glared at Iris on the stage. It was difficult, but he forced himself to put on a pleased expression, pretending to be proud of his sister as a brother.

He was waiting for Iris to mess up, but what the hell was happening? Even he could tell how skillful she was as an interpreter. Some of the speakers made clear adlibs during their speeches, but Iris was still able to translate them smoothly. He hated to admit it, but she was indeed impressive. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

After some entertaining cultural performances, the opening ceremony finally ended. The delegates started chatting among each other.

Then they noticed the beautiful Iris Long meet with Professor Kalisha Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa Akio down the stage. Many of the delegates immediately recognized the two, especially Professor Schwarz who was one of the most well-known translators and interpreters in the world. Some of them treated her as their first choice whenever they needed an interpreter or translator. Unfortunately, Professor Schwarz wasn't always available.

"Madame Schwarz, Hisakawa-sensei, please pardon me for being nosy but may I know what is your relationship to the young and beautiful Iris here?" a British executive standing nearby asked them directly.

Professor Schwarz gave him a stern look. "That's 'Miss Iris Long' for you. She is my current student."

"Mine as well," Professor Hisakawa also said.

Those who overheard the conversation, both local and foreign delegates, looked very surprised. They started looking at Iris with even more interest than before.

"No wonder Iris—I mean 'Miss Iris Long' is such a skilled interpreter. So she's a student of Madame Schwarz and Hisakawa-sensei. Now it makes sense that the international business conference chose her as official interpreter."

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Chapter 376 - Calm Down, Boy

The information quickly spread among the delegates: that Iris Long was a student of both Madame Kalisha Schwarz (world-renowned translator and interpreter) and Hisakawa Akio-sensei (celebrated author and polyglot).

Of course, it also reached to where Long Tengfei's group was chatting with delegates from other companies. When they heard about it, they were more shocked than when they first saw Iris on the stage at the beginning of the opening ceremony.

They craned their necks to see all the way to the front. Indeed, they saw Iris speaking familiarly with the two distinguished figures.

"CEO Long, this business conference just started but your daughter already managed to impress me so many times today," a Chinese delegate told Long Tengfei.

"Exactly! I thought that Iris Long is just a musician but it turns out that she's also a skilled interpreter with world-class teachers," another commented.

"Your daughter must be very brilliant to be accepted as a student to both Madame Schwarz and Hisakawa-sensei," an executive from another company said. "They're known to have extremely high standards when it comes to accepting personal students. And it looks like they're watching over her closely, seeing that they even came today to accompany her."

Long Tengfei smiled and nodded at them. He replied to their words of praises with modesty, but he was actually preening inside on hearing about his own child's achievements. It was such a wonderful feeling!

Hearing all of the praises for his sister and the proud expression of their father, Long Jian's jealousy only intensified. He still didn't want to admit that he was jealous of Iris, though.

Long Jian still looked down on Iris, considering Long Hui as his biggest rival among his half-siblings. However, he was beginning to feel that Iris was becoming a bigger threat.

'Relax. She's only skilled in languages, not in business. Her language skills aren't enough for her to succeed as next head of Long Industries. I'm more capable than her,' Long Jian told himself.

Back at the front, Professor Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa led Iris away from the curious delegates.

Before they left, Iris made eye contact with Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu. The two were chatting with several top executives from other multi-national companies. Grandpa Lu gave her a big smile and a wave, while Jin Liwei's lips moved imperceptibly.

Iris returned Grandpa Lu's smile and wave, and then read Jin Liwei's lips.

'I'll see you later,' he silently told her.

She smiled more widely and nodded at him in response. Her smile was so beautiful that several of the delegates stopped talking to stare at her. However, she quickly disappeared with Professor Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa.

Jin Liwei's cold and indifferent expression cracked a bit when he saw the others going in a daze because of his baby girl. He didn't know exactly what to feel.

On one hand, he felt smug that they had such a reaction at her beauty. After all, that was his baby girl! His woman! His (future) wife!

On the other hand, he wanted to gouge out their eyes, both men and women alike, for looking that way at his baby girl. She was his, not theirs!

"Calm down, boy!" Grandpa Lu told him knowing what Jin Liwei must be thinking. Then he thumped Jin Liwei's back hard three times.

Jin Liwei only blinked his eyes, not showing much reaction. But actually it felt like he was going to vomit all of his internal organs from the force.

The other delegates heard the loud sounds and winced a bit. They looked at Jin Liwei in admiration for not showing any reaction, even though those thumps must hurt quite a lot.

They had no idea why Grandpa Lu was telling Jin Liwei to calm down, but they dismissed it as one of the old man's eccentricities. After all, Grandpa Lu was a known genius.

There were many who noticed the exchange of smiles and waves between Iris and Grandpa Lu earlier. Some were surprised while the others weren't. Many of the Chinese delegates were also members of high society. They had heard that Iris was engaged to Grandpa Lu's grandson. They informed the ones who didn't know about the matter.

After learning about such a connection between Iris and Grandpa Lu, it wasn't surprising anymore that they smiled and waved at each other. The foreign delegates were becoming more and more interested in her. She looked so young, yet she had such impressive connections.

Nobody thought that her breathtaking smile before she left was actually not for Grandpa Lu but for Jin Liwei instead.

There was a two-hour lunch break after the opening ceremony before the first batch of individual conferences would commence in the afternoon.

After eating, those who didn't have any conference in the afternoon and were done for the day returned to their hotels. Some even went on tours in the city. The ones who had conferences in the afternoon gathered in their own respective groups.

Jin Corporation's group continued to chat with the groups from the top multi-national companies. This time, however, another group joined these top dogs.

Grandpa Lu invited Long Industries to join them. Of course, Long Tengfei immediately accepted the invitation. This was an important opportunity to directly speak with the top executives in the world.

The other Chinese delegates looked on at Long Industries in envy, knowing that Grandpa Lu and Long Tengfei were future in-laws.

As for Iris, she ate with the two professors at a private room at the conference centre. Professor Schwarz was busy preparing Iris for her first official conference later.

Finally, lunch time was over.

Iris and the two professors headed to the conference she was assigned to as its sole interpreter. It was a conference between the Chinese and French delegates.

Jin Corporation and Long Industries were among the attendees. Both the Chinese and the French delegates were surprised to see Iris in this conference. Was she interpreting again? Did she know French too? They thought she could only interpret in English and Mandarin.

She smiled warmly at Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu from Jin Corporation's group and at Long Tengfei from Long Industries' group.

When everyone was seated, the host officially began the China-France business conference. And of course, Iris Long was introduced once again.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Iris Long and I'll be your interpreter for this conference," she said in both Mandarin and French.

The delegates' eyes widened in surprise hearing her speaking in perfect Parisian French.

Just like during the opening ceremony in the morning, Iris interpreted for all of the speakers in this conference. The Chinese and French delegates took turns in giving presentations. So far, Iris was able to interpret for them smoothly.

Her skills were put to the test during the questions and answers portion. The discussion had a quicker tempo and the exchanges between the delegates were rapid-fire.

As a result, there were instances when Iris fumbled and hesitated for a bit. Fortunately, she was able to recover quite quickly each time. Most of the delegates didn't notice, but Professor Schwarz certainly did.

Professor Schwarz sat beside Professor Hisakawa at a nondescript corner of the conference hall. She was taking notes while observing Iris' performance.

The China-France business conference finally ended in the late afternoon. Because of Iris' quick tempo of interpreting, this conference was actually the first to finish ahead of the other conferences happening at the same time.

Many of the delegates crowded around Iris to greet her personally.

"Miss Long, thank you very much for the hard work. You're amazing," a Chinese executive told her.

"You speak French like a native," a French delegate commented.

"Miss Iris Long, I'm actually a Black Star. May I ask for your autograph and maybe take a photo with you as well?" a relatively younger delegate asked her.

"Thank you for the support, sir. And yes you may," Iris replied with a warm smile. She would always have a soft spot for loyal Black Stars.

After signing an autograph and taking a picture with him, other Chinese delegates followed suit. Soon, it suddenly became an autograph and photo session with Iris.

"What's going on?" a confused French delegate asked in English.

"Miss Iris Long is actually a rather famous celebrity. She's a musician who won many awards recently," a Chinese delegate answered in English as well.

"What? Really? That's amazing! Wait, I'll ask for an autograph and a photo too."

With that, some of the French delegates joined in the impromptu autograph and photo session with Iris.

Seeing all of the flies buzzing around his baby girl, someone was drowning in an ocean of vinegar.

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Chapter 377 - Wrapped Around Her Little Finger

Iris was like the light attracting the "damn bugs" all over her. Of course, the delegates were the damn bugs in Jin Liwei's mind. He wanted to march towards them and swat all the pests into oblivion. The green-eyed monster within him almost overcame his emotions.

However, he saw that despite the people surrounding her, his baby girl was keeping her distance from them. She wasn't allowing any of them to become too touch-feely with her.

Their eyes met and she smiled, silently reassuring him.

He briefly closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down. The green-eyed monster within him was still there, but he was starting to learn how to not let it overwhelm him to the point that he lost control of himself.

Grandpa Lu thumped his back hard three times again. It made Jin Liwei feel like vomiting his internal organs once again. Good thing that he was quite sturdy and could take the force. Perhaps that was why Grandpa Lu hit him harder than necessary.

"Very good, my boy! That's the way to go! Too much jealousy is not good! It'll poison the love in the long run!" Grandpa Lu told him in a not so booming voice.

The people in their Jin Corporation group looked at the two of them in confusion.

'What is Sir Lu talking about?' they inwardly wondered.

It was only Xu Tian who knew exactly what Grandpa Lu was talking about. As for the others, they thought that perhaps the old man was exhibiting his eccentricities once again. He was a genius, after all. Geniuses were a weird bunch. Normal people like them couldn't hope to understand how their minds worked.

In another part of the conference hall, the Long Industries group looked at Iris surrounded by delegates asking for her autograph and photo. Now that she had proven herself to be a skilled interpreter and also a student of Madame Schwarz and Hisakawa-sensei, those who were prejudiced against her suddenly changed their minds.

She had amazed all of them so far with her skills and professionalism. As people belonging to Long Industries, they felt proud of her.

And of course it was a given that Long Tengfei felt the most proud among them. His daughter's accomplishments felt like his own accomplishments as well.

Long Hui also already accepted that his sister was a genius. He was also the one among the Longs who met with her regularly because they were connected by Little Jun and Jiang Ying Yue. He was already past the point of feeling shocked by her abilities all the time.

It was only Long Jian who felt bitter about Iris' excellent performance in this international business conference. Seeing all the delegates, both Chinese and French, acting like her braindead fans, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Excuse me, Father—I mean President. I need to go to the men's room," he told his father in a low voice.

Long Tengfei only nodded and waved him off, not really sparing him a glance. He was too busy talking to the COO and the others.

Already feeling negative to begin with, of course Long Jian would take issue at Long Tengfei's dismissive attitude. Long Jian's belief that he was Long Tengfei's least liked child among the siblings was reinforced.

He left the conference hall with a dark expression. Instead of going to the men's room, he went outside instead to smoke a cigarette.

Back inside the conference hall, Professor Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa finally intervened and sternly drove away the delegates surrounding Iris. They escorted her away back to the private room they stayed at earlier.

A few minutes later, Long Tengfei, Long Hui and Cao Guang followed them. It took longer but Jin Liwei, Grandpa Lu and Xu Tian also arrived at the private room.

They found Professor Schwarz lecturing Iris in French while referring to her notes. Iris was listening intently.

Only Grandpa Lu could understand what they were talking about. Jin Liwei could also understand a little bit.

"They're going over Xiulan's interpretations earlier, especially the parts where she could've done better," Grandpa Lu explained to Long Tengfei and the others. "Kalisha is currently advising her on more accurate translations that she could've made."

"I see." Long Tengfei nodded. "And here I thought that she did a perfect job earlier."

"She did a great job, yes! That's our girl! Bahahahaha!" Grandpa Lu's booming voice was back. "But her performance earlier wasn't perfect. Besides, your daughter is a Cross Academy student! There is a high standard that she must uphold, that's why Kalisha and Akio are being very strict on her!"

Everyone nodded. Then they began chatting while waiting for Iris and Professor Schwarz to finish reviewing her performance.

Grandpa Lu was being noisy again, so he got a polite request to lower his volume from Professor Schwarz. Professor Hisakawa only sighed and smiled helplessly.

"Bah! That's because you're taking too long, Kalisha! You should hurry and finish up! How long are you planning on lecturing Xiulan? I want to know! We're all done for today! Let's go out and eat dinner! This old man is getting hungry! I want some seafood!"

It was Iris who replied to him. "Grandpa Lu, please wait for a bit more. I also want to hear Professor Schwarz's opinions about my interpretations today. Even I wasn't satisfied by my own performance. I want to improve more and do better next time."

Ever the doting grandfather, Grandpa Lu immediately changed his tune. "Of course, my girl! Take your time! I'll just 'quietly' chat with your father here!" he replied in his booming voice.

Professor Schwarz could only look at the ceiling and sigh helplessly. Then she chuckled.

"Darling, wait for me, okay?" Iris told Jin Liwei next.

"En." Jin Liwei nodded. He also had a doting expression on his face.

"Father..."

"Don't mind us. Continue," Long Tengfei replied before she could finish her sentence. As the father, of course he also had a doting expression on his face just like Grandpa Lu and Jin Liwei.

The mouths of Long Hui, Xu Tian and Cao Guang all twitched while watching them. This just proved that Iris had these men wrapped around her little finger.

Finally, Iris and Professor Schwarz were done reviewing. Everyone got ready to leave.

Iris headed straight to Jin Liwei and wrapped her arms around his waist. She inhaled his scent and immediately felt comforted. Of course, Jin Liwei hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Tired?" he asked her.

She nodded but then said, "But I like it."

"Good. You were amazing. I'm so proud of you."

She smiled. "Thank you. But I want to do better tomorrow."

"Just do your best and you'll be fine," he said, stroking her cheek.

"You're also working tomorrow? For which conference?" Long Hui asked her.

"The China-Malaysia conference in the morning and then the China-Japan after lunch," she replied. "It'll be all-Asian for me tomorrow, so Professor Hisakawa will be the one supervising me."

Professor Hisakawa nodded.

"Malaysia? Japan? Will you be working on two conferences per day starting tomorrow?" Long Tengfei asked this time.

"Yes, Father."

"And it'll be in different languages each time. Am I right? I want to know! Wait, I already know! Bahahaha!" Grandpa Lu's laughter boomed throughout the room. "We're already done, right? Can we eat now? This old man wants to eat some lobsters! Let's go!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh with Grandpa Lu. His high energy was infectious. Iris didn't feel so tired anymore.

With that, the first day of the international business conference officially ended. There was no doubt that Iris Long was the most memorable highlight of the day. Through the delegates, Iris Long's name was starting to spread across the business world as a skilled interpreter and as a student of Madame Schwarz and Hisakawa-sensei.

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Chapter 378 - When To Announce

Grandpa Lu led the group to a nice seafood restaurant. They booked a private room and ate a hearty dinner together.

Long Tengfei tried to invite his second son, Long Jian, to join them but he declined. Long Jian didn't want to eat dinner with his half-siblings, especially since he was in a bad mood because of Iris. In the end, he returned to his hotel room and ate dinner with the COO and the rest of the people from Long Industries. He missed his chance to discover that Iris' real fiancé was Jin Liwei.

After dinner, everyone returned to their respective hotels. The international business conference was in another city which was quite far from their homes. All the delegates, even the Chinese ones, booked hotels near the conference centre. It was more convenient this way.

Long Tengfei, Long Hui and Cao Guang returned to the hotel they booked for their group.

The people from Jin Corporation's group, including Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu, were booked at a hotel which was co-owned by Jin Corporation. Similarly, Iris and the two Professors were staying at another Jin Corporation-co-owned hotel.

Jin Liwei didn't return to his own hotel suite that night. Instead, he stayed with Iris at the other hotel. His company basically owned both hotels, so he had full control of the security. There was no danger of any strangers seeing them staying in one suite together.

Not that he personally minded such an occurrence, but his baby girl wasn't ready to announce their relationship to the whole world yet.

Inside the hotel suite, Jin Liwei finished showering. He stepped out of the bathroom with only the hotel-provided bathrobe on. The large bed was empty.

His baby girl was busy studying her Malaysian and Japanese notes on the study desk at the corner. She was still in her red business outfit. Her suit jacket was draped on the back of the chair behind her. The buttons of her dress shirt was open, revealing the tops of her flesh-coloured lace bra underneath.

They decided not to shower together because they knew that they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off of each other. Both of them needed to make preparations for tomorrow.

Iris would be interpreting, while Jin Liwei would be presenting tomorrow at the China-Japan conference in the afternoon. He needed to check his presentation files and rehearse to make sure that he would perform well.

But before any of that, he headed over to his baby girl first. Hearing him approach, she turned on the swivel chair and smiled at him. The bedroom's flattering lights enhanced the planes of her face, making her more beautiful and sultry.

The effects were also the same on Jin Liwei. His chiselled face was intensified, making him more attractive to Iris' eyes.

Both of their eyes darkened with desire at the sight of each other.

"You're so beautiful."

"You're so handsome."

They said at the same time. Then they chuckled.

Jin Liwei stopped in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed the side of her face over his hard and flat stomach. She rubbed her cheek against the soft and fluffy cloth of his bathrobe. His hands massaged her head gently and stroked her hair.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's presence. Even though they weren't talking out loud, they could feel each other's happiness at just being together.

Thinking about his thoughts earlier on not minding if they were seen together staying in the same hotel suite, he asked her, "Love, I know that I already asked you this before but I just want to have a clearer idea this time. At what point are we going to publicly announce our relationship? I really want everyone to know that we're together."

Still hugging his waist, she looked up at him.

"My music career is doing well. If you want, we can announce it now," she told him.

His eyes lit up. However, he could sense that she still wanted to say something more. So he waited.

"But I'd rather not yet," she added. "I now know that you were the most eligible bachelor before you announced at the music awards that you're engaged. There are so many women wanting to be your wife. Some of them are successful businesswomen. In their eyes, I'm just a mere showgirl."

Scowling, he burned those witches who dared call his baby girl a "mere showgirl" in his mind. He pulled her closer against his body.

"I usually don't care about what others think of me, but this time I want people to think that I'm good enough for Jin Liwei, the President-CEO of the number one company in the country," she told him. "I want to at least be on the same level as you or even just close to it in people's eyes."

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone, love. You're already amazing."

"I know. I'm amazing. You're amazing. We're both amazing." She giggled, making him chuckle as well. "But I want a concrete evidence that would leave no room for people to criticize our relationship. Being a Cross Academy student is great and all but at the end of the day, I'm still just a student. If I get kicked out or something like that, I can't use that connection anymore.

"That's why I'm working hard to showcase my interpretation skills in this international business conference. This will allow me start networking on the international level with my own abilities. Then it'll be much easier for me to grow my own companies later on."

"Mmmn..." Jin Liwei nodded.

"Planet Monkey is already taking off, but I'm not its public face. People don't know about my computer skills, and I don't have any intentions of revealing it." She bit her lip. "It's safer for me this way."

Although Iris didn't outright reveal her hacker name to Jin Liwei yet, he already had suspicions that she was Drakon. She still occasionally created reports for him about people and companies that he wanted more information on whenever she had time.

When he showed a portion of one of the reports to his tech people, instructing them to follow its example, they looked absolutely shocked.

"President, you were able to hire Drakon?! How?!! That's amazing!!!"

Needless to say, Jin Liwei was also shocked when he heard their words.

"This thorough, detailed, and almost obsessively organized style is exactly like Drakon's! Well, of course, there are others who can also do this but Drakon is the one who comes to mind first. Besides, he's only one of the few who can access this kind of classified information without alerting the authorities if he doesn't want to."

"No, you're wrong. Drakon isn't the one who comes to mind first. It's Fantom. That legendary hacker is the original," another commented.

"But Fantom already disappeared. Many are saying that he's already dead. He hasn't appeared for years now. There are many hackers who emulated his style but only Drakon comes close to his brilliance. There were even speculations before that Fantom and Drakon are the same person, but Drakon is too goal-oriented. It's already proven that Drakon is driven by money while Fantom did whatever the hell he wanted for the sake of amusing himself. That's why he was so scary back then. Nobody ever succeeded in bribing him to work for them."

Jin Liwei sank into deep thought hearing their words. He didn't confirm nor deny it when his tech people thought that the reports were from Drakon.

There were more instances like this when his tech people would describe what Iris did for him—either similar reports or original customized software—as the work of Drakon.

His suspicions only strengthened when he caught a glimpse of the impressive computers and devices she installed in the computer room he built for her in the mansion. Despite this, he never asked her directly if she was really Drakon.

He understood that it was a sensitive matter, especially since the hacker Drakon was currently being hunted as an international criminal. And it wasn't just a matter of trust. It also involved both of their safety. If someone were to learn that she was the hacker Drakon, it would be dangerous not only for the two of them but also for their families as well.

Back to the present, Jin Liwei rubbed the lip Iris just bit with his thumb.

"I understand," he told her.

She smiled at him.

"I can't reveal myself as Planet Monkey's owner yet because it'll invite too many questions at this time. But Orchidia Beauty is different. It aligns with my status as a celebrity which focuses a lot on physical appearance. Once it takes off and begins making profit, let's announce our relationship."

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Chapter 379 - Polyglo

"Okay," Jin Liwei replied. "Looking forward to it."

Iris stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down and kissed him.

The kiss turned fiery in just seconds. He plunged his tongue deep inside her hot mouth, tasting her. She responded with the same passion. Their tongues dueled and danced together, until both of them were breathless.

He moved his hands downwards along her back until it rested on her butt. Then he squeezed her hard, eliciting a deep moan from her.

Her hands also moved down his neck to his chest. They slipped inside his bathrobe and pushed it over his bare shoulders.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The loud ringing of the phone interrupted them. It was Jin Liwei's. They both recognized it as his ringtone for business calls.

Iris was the first one to end the kiss. She gently pushed him away. "Answer your phone. It must be important."

Jin Liwei pulled her back by the waist. He looked torn.

"Go on," she told him, patting his cheek. "We shouldn't be doing this right now, anyway. Both of us need to prepare for tomorrow."

Sighing, he reluctantly let her go but not before diving in for another kiss, quicker this time.

"I'll take a shower now," she said and walked to the bathroom without waiting for his reply.

He sighed again and grabbed his damn phone. It was Xu Tian's number.

"What is it?" Jin Liwei growled, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

"There you are, my boy!" Surprisingly, it was Grandpa Lu's booming voice who answered instead of his assistant. "You should say 'hello' when you answer the phone! Why do you sound so grumpy? I want to know! Actually, I think I already know! Did I interrupt something? I bet I did! Bahahaha! Sorry about that! Well, actually I'm not sorry at all! Bahahaha!"

Jin Liwei only looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. Nevertheless, his mouth twitched, the corners lifting into a faint smile. All his annoyance melted away. It was hard to stay annoyed at someone like Grandpa Lu.

"How may I help you, Grandpa Lu? Why are you calling using Xu Tian's number? Did you lose your phone?"

Grandpa Lu was staying at the other hotel with the members of their Jin Corporation group.

"No, I have my phone right here! I'm using your assistant's phone because...I feel like it! Bahahaha!"

Jin Liwei chuckled weakly. He sighed again, and then glanced at the bathroom door. He could hear the water running in the shower.

After Grandpa Lu finished joking around, the two started discussing important business matters regarding their target deals that they wanted to close with specific companies during this international business conference. Although Grandpa Lu usually left Jin Liwei to run Jin Corporation and make the final decisions, the international business conference was a different matter.

Its magnitude was greater than normal. Both Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu wanted what was best for Jin Corporation. Two heads were better than one in this situation.

Jin Liwei was more up-to-date with current business trends, but Grandpa Lu had more wisdom, knowledge and experience. With both of them working together, they aimed to get the best deals for Jin Corporation during the international business conference.

He was still on the phone when Iris finished showering. She was already in her pyjamas. She also spoke briefly with Grandpa Lu before diving back to reviewing her notes in preparation for tomorrow's conferences.

When the phone call ended, Jin Liwei gave his baby girl a quick peck on the lips before moving to the suite's living area to rehearse for his presentation in the China-Japan conference tomorrow.

The two were busy with their own respective works, but knowing that they would be sleeping together tonight comforted them, even if they didn't have time to do anything else other than cuddle.

###

That same night, news exploded that Iris Long was an official interpreter for the international business conference. Because this was a prestigious event in the business world, the news circulated quickly and spread across the entire country.

At first, people treated it as a joke. Why would a celebrity who was currently on the rise work as an interpreter for a business conference?

However, they had no choice but to believe when the official website and social media pages of the international business conference itself confirmed that Iris Long was appointed as an interpreter for the event. Photos and videos of her during the opening ceremony were even posted.

In addition to this, the delegates who attended also posted photos and videos of her in their own social media pages.

What people found the most impressive were the videos showing Iris interpreting in English during the opening ceremony and in French during the China-France conference. Everyone was shocked and amazed by her language skills.

Of course, the Black Stars were equally shocked and amazed just like everyone else but quickly felt proud of her.

LittlePhoenix: "So that's why Boss Iris doesn't have any showbiz activities for almost a couple of weeks now. She was preparing for this! At first I was disappointed that she wasn't included in the line-up for the upcoming Bright Summit All-Stars summer concert in two days, but I think this is more impressive. Boss is so amazing!"

CaptainBlackStar: "I agree. Boss Iris is so amazing! Comrades, let's show our support for our Boss Iris!"

The Black Stars who were initially begging for their Boss Iris to participate in the Bright Summit All-Stars summer concert now stopped. They all expressed their support for her as an interpreter to the international business conference instead.

Although they didn't understand business that much, they preferred that she was standing out in such a highly prestigious business event like this. Compared to the All-Stars concert where she had to share the spotlight with other celebrities and even with superstars like Jin Chonglin (who "might" overshadow her), she was soloing the attention as a celebrity interpreter in the international business conference.

It was so much better, right?

While the Black Stars were celebrating, those in high society who looked down on Iris were shocked into disbelief. They were the ones who mocked her as a mere showgirl and future trophy wife, dependent on her future husband (Lu Zihao) for status in high society.

"S-so what if she can speak English and French well? Our children in British boarding schools can, too. It's not that special..."

"Exactly. She probably used her connection with Sir Lu Jianhong in order to score herself this appointment as official interpreter at the international business conference. Besides, it's just translating. How hard can it be?"

"You two are acting like ignorant dolts," a retired businessman reprimanded them. He was just passing by when he heard what they were talking about. "Translating normal conversations is easy but interpreting for business is a different matter. And this is the international business conference we're talking about! Virtually all the top business leaders in the world are in attendance.

"Not just any interpreter can be chosen to work in that event. They have extremely high standards! Even Sir Lu Jianhong would ruin his reputation if he recommended someone unskilled in that event. If that Long girl was appointed, then it means that she not only has the interpretation skills but also the business knowledge to back her up."

The two socialites shut up, looking at each other awkwardly. The old man was their father-in-law.

"Besides, I just heard that she's the student of both Schwarz and Hisakawa," the retired businessman continued. "You may not know it because you're always busy gossiping instead of expanding your knowledge, but these two people are renowned polyglots. Do you know what a 'polyglot' means? No? Hai. It seems that they don't sell brains from the stores you go to everyday. A 'polyglot' is a person who knows and can use several languages.

"Now do you understand? Those British boarding schools where you dumped my grandchildren are just nurseries compared to being accepted as the student of esteemed figures like Schwarz and Hisakawa. The levels are just too different! Go ahead and continue looking down and mocking that Long girl! You're just going to demonstrate to everybody that your heads are filled with air instead of sense."

The old man huffed while walking away with his cane. He was of the same generation as Grandpa Lu and Jin Liwei's grandfather. As a peer and a fellow businessman, he was proud to watch how Jin Corporation developed into the number one company in the country.

He didn't appreciate anyone who dared look down on anyone working in the business industry, including interpreters and translators. Skilled interpreters and translators were indispensable in doing business in the international level.

Similar scenes were playing across homes of high society members. Many were re-evaluating Iris Long's status as mere future trophy wife.

There were still those who continued to look down on her, but there were some who began to change their impressions of her.

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Chapter 380 - Attention Lapse

The next day, a crowd of Black Stars all wearing suits and some other curious rumourmongers, including the entertainment news media, flocked together near the conference centre. The Black Stars waved huge banners of their Boss Iris in support of her.

Police officers prevented them from getting anywhere near the entrance. At first, the officers were alarmed by the group of suits-wearing people. They thought that a triad group had come to terrorize the international business conference.

Fortunately, the Black Stars quickly explained that they were fans of the celebrity turned interpreter Iris Long, and that they usually wore suits to support her. Only when the police verified this information that the Black Stars were allowed to stay.

The entertainment news media tried to get media passes, but the officials of the international business conference rejected their requests. Only approved business-related media outlets were allowed inside. So the entertainment news correspondents had to make do in standing and waiting outside with the rest of the Black Stars and rumourmongers.

Thankfully, the police didn't drive them away. As long as they didn't get too rowdy, didn't create trouble or danger to the arriving delegates, and stayed at the spot the police indicated, they were allowed to stay. The police, however, tightly monitored them and kept them in control.

When the arriving delegates saw the crowd outside, their vehicles all slowed down in curiosity. Seeing the banners, the Chinese delegates immediately knew that the people came for Iris Long.

The foreign delegates had no idea what was going on. They thought that the people were protesters against the international business conference. Protests were not unheard of at important international events like this.

It was only when they were informed that the crowd came for the beautiful interpreter from yesterday that they were once again amazed. They heard from their Chinese counterparts that Iris Long was a celebrity, but it only hit them now seeing her fans and the media gathered outside for her.

Finally, a car stopped in front of the crowd. The rear window opened and Iris stuck her head out.

Loud screams and shrieks sounded as she waved at the crowd. The Black Stars waved their banners and jumped up and down in excitement while squealing.

"Kyaaaaah! Boss Iris, we love you so much!"

"You're so beautiful, Boss Iris! You're amazing!"

"Please do your best on interpreting today at the conference! We can't wait to hear more about your awesomeness!"

"Say something in French, please!!! In English too!!! So cool, boss!!!"

All the cameras were pointed at her, snapping photos and filming, while the entertainment news correspondents shouted questions.

"Iris Long, are you planning to leave showbiz and work as an interpreter instead?"

"How did you manage to become appointed as an official interpreter of the international business conference? Did your future grandfather-in-law, Sir Lu Jianhong, used his connections to get you this position?"

"You know English and French. What other languages do you know?"

The media people were starting to get disorderly, so the police officers immediately went on high alert and formed a tight encirclement around them.

Having the view of their boss partially obstructed by the police, the Black Stars glared at the media. Some of them even started arguing with the paparazzi. Fortunately, the acting leader quickly calmed her fellow Black Stars. She instructed them to form a separate group from the media. They distanced themselves to make it clear to the police that they intended to follow the rules unlike the media who were starting to get out of hand.

"I'm sorry, everyone! I can't greet you properly right now. I have to go inside because I'm going to be late otherwise," Iris said from inside the car. "Thank you for coming! Please don't stay out under the sun for too long. It's very hot! Take care!"

"Please don't mind us, Boss Iris! Hurry up and go inside! We don't want to get you into trouble!"

"Don't worry about us, boss! We just wanted to see you today! Now that we've seen you, we're already happy!"

Iris gave them a blinding smile. "Thank you very much, everyone! I'll work hard today!" She blew them a kiss before the window closed up and the car drove away.

"Uwah! I caught her kiss! I caught it!" A young female Black Star grabbed the imaginary kiss from the air and pressed it against her chest.

"No way! I was the one who caught it!"

Some of the police officers looked at the ridiculous argument between the fans in amusement. They started to relax when Iris was gone. However, they still kept a close watch on the crowd, especially the entertainment news media. Their kind, especially the paparazzi, were known to sneak inside without authorization just to document any juicy story.

The media were very unsatisfied that Iris left without answering even just one question from them. But they couldn't do anything about it. Only business news correspondents were allowed inside.

Later, the second day of the international business conference officially started.

Iris attended the China-Malaysia conference in the morning as the official interpreter. Jin Corporation and Long Industries were also present.

It wasn't like the opening ceremony and the China-France conference yesterday where she did consecutive interpretation, which was speaking after a speaker paused.

This time, the delegates requested for her to do a simultaneous interpretation instead. It meant that she had to translate while the speaker was still speaking. Her voice would be transmitted through headphones the delegates had to wear.

It was more comfortable for the speakers, especially the ones doing presentations, because they could talk without any interruptions. Simultaneous interpretations were also ideal for conferences like this for a more natural flow.

However, this method put a lot of strain on interpreters. Even though Iris insisted that she could do it for the entire duration of the conference, her two professors rejected the idea. They warned her that there were documented interpreters who collapsed because they did simultaneous interpretations for more than an hour without rest.

It was actually very dangerous. As a result, Iris and Professor Hisakawa would take turns interpreting every thirty minutes for this conference.

Finally, the China-Malaysia business conference began. Iris and Professor Hisakawa sat together at their designated seats. She brought a tablet and a stylus for taking notes while Professor Hisakawa had a notebook and a pen.

The Malaysian language was something that she only recently learned, so she wasn't as confident in using it compared to the languages she already knew in her past life. Fortunately, she had a talent in acquiring languages easily.

She interpreted in both Mandarin and Malaysian, taking turns with Professor Hisakawa throughout the entire conference.

There were Chinese Malaysian delegates in attendance, but they still needed an interpreter because of the differences in Standard Mandarin and Malaysian Mandarin.

Because Iris wasn't very used to the Malaysian language, she encountered some difficulties while interpreting. Whether it was not so accurate translations or taking a couple seconds longer to provide the interpretation, things didn't go as smoothly as yesterday.

After the conference, Iris sat back in her chair and released a big sigh. She also gulped water to soothe her throat.

"That was challenging," she whispered.

"Indeed," Professor Hisakawa replied. Then he looked at his notes. "Although the delegates think that you did well, your performance this morning is not up to Cross Academy standards. You made too many less than ideal translations and the hesitations are painful to listen to. This level is not much better than average interpreters. You get a C- from me for this conference. You need to improve on your Malay. Always aim for an A+."

"I understand, Professor."

"You noticed the difference between your performance and mine, right? Learn from how I interpreted and improve your own techniques."

"Yes, Professor. I will."

Iris felt disappointed in herself for her less than stellar performance. She was determined to do better next time.

Lunch time.

She didn't speak much during this time to rest her vocal cords. She ate with the two professors and then reviewed for the next conference in the afternoon.

When she heard that there were still some Black Stars waiting for her outside, she became alarmed. It was a hot summer day. She asked someone to order some food and drinks for them and to encourage them to find some shade under the blazing sun. And even though she didn't have very good feelings for the entertainment news media and the rumourmongers, she also instructed to give them food and drinks just because it was too hot outside.

The Black Stars were very touched by her thoughtfulness. Even the media felt more inclined to write good things about her because of the food.

After lunch, it was time for the China-Japan conference.

Just like in the morning, the delegates requested for a simultaneous interpretation. Iris and Professor Hisakawa would take turns once again every thirty minutes or so.

Iris felt more confident about her Japanese language skills. During her past life as Evelina, she was actually more fluent in it than Mandarin.

When Jin Liwei stepped on the stage for his presentation, her interpretation was on point. The two actually rehearsed together before. She had memorized his entire presentation and of course her interpretation for it as well. This was the only time that Professor Hisakawa allowed her to interpret the whole way.

Iris also couldn't help but smile stupidly while watching her darling during his presentation. He looked so handsome that she almost ran to the stage to hug him.

"Concentrate!" Professor Hisakawa rebuked her when her voice started sounding giggly.

It instantly brought her back to earth. She blushed a little before clearing her head from anything besides her job as an interpreter.

"Good." Professor Hisakawa nodded when he saw that she returned to a focused state.

He would've given full marks to her performance in this China-Japan conference if it wasn't for this brief attention lapse.

'Oh well. She's a woman in love,' was all he could say to himself.

Finally, the China-Japan conference ended, and so did the second day of the international business conference.

Iris Long's reputation as a skilled interpreter was reinforced even further in the business industry. Many of the delegates, both Chinese and foreign, already put her in their top lists of preferred interpreters to hire.

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