Chapter 101 - Masked Women
Silence.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
"Welcome to my launch party," Iris spoke once again, not minding the zero response from the audience. "Thank you everyone for coming here today to help me celebrate the release of my album 'Rebirth'."
Silence.
Iris lowered the mic, swept her eyes across everyone, and then smiled.
Her blinding smile finally woke everyone up from their daze.
"I-it's Iris...oh my god...It's really Iris!"
"Iris, you're so beautiful!"
"Wow. Just wow! I...wow! She's so...wow! Wow!"
"How can someone be so beautiful? This is impossible."
"Yes. She looks even more beautiful in person."
"Wuwuwu. I can die happily now without any regrets. Wuwu..."
"I love you, Iris!"
They were screaming and cheering and whistling. The more extreme ones were crying, while some were still staring at Iris as if they couldn't believe that she was real. The majority of them were clapping, praising her unexpectedly strong presence.
"I'm your number one fan, Iris!"
"Hey! I'm her number one fan!"
"Dream on! This young master is her number one fan! Marry me, Iris Long! This young master will give you everything you want and take care of you for the rest of your life!"
"Hah! You want me to whack you all with my mighty slippers? I'm Iris' number one fan!"
This comment caused some good-natured booing from those who heard it.
"What did you say? Is it just me or am I hearing things?"
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"Are you nuts? YOU'RE her number one fan? Don't think that we've forgotten how you criticized Iris online before!"
"Yeah! I have screenshots of your earlier negative comments! I have evidence! Let's see if you can still deny!"
"Hey! What negative comments?! Those are constructive criticisms, you know! My mighty slippers have always been used to fight for Iris! So I'm her number one fan, okay?!"
"Constructive criticism, my a**! Try claiming to be her number one fan again and this uncle will fight you! Come at me!"
This banter made the surrounding people laugh. They were finally fully awake from their earlier stupor. Feeling relaxed, they continued to tease the thin, grumpy-looking man.
With her great ears, Iris heard most of the shout-outs.
"Thank you everyone," Iris spoke to the mic again, eliciting another wave of loud applause.
She handed the mic to the emcee who was still staring at her like an idiot. She raised an eyebrow at him.
The emcee finally regained some of his senses. "Oh!" He hurriedly received the mic from her, holding it like it was the most precious treasure in the world.
His actions caused Iris to giggle.
Hearing her laughing at him, he blushed like a teenage boy meeting his long-time crush. "Uhm, haha. Thanks, Iris. I mean, Miss Long! Thank you very much, Miss Iris Long."
"I think it's time to start the performance." Her light, lovely laugh was like music to his ears. "Our guests have waited long enough."
"I...yes, yes! Of course! Right away, Iris. I mean, Miss Long!"
Pause.
Iris raised both of her eyebrows at him, silently reminding him that he was supposed to be the one to make the announcement for the performance.
"Oh!" An awkward laugh.
He had to take several deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Damn, he had never seen such a gorgeous woman up close and personal before. Was Iris Long this beautiful before? He didn't notice. He knew that the pop singer was pretty, but meeting her in person at this moment felt like all his breath was sucked away from his lungs. He even had the urge to prostrate on the ground and declare eternal loyalty and servitude to her.
Her presence was that strong and magnetic!
It was a completely different experience than just watching her on the screen.
He shook his head, feeling ridiculous. Right, he had a job to do.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come! Please give it up for the one and only...Iris Long!!!"
Deafening applause!
Iris waved at the 5,000 audience before walking to the piano. She was about to sit down when...
"Go to hell, you evil b*tch!" A shrill, angry yell was heard.
Then a masked woman ran forward and then jumped onstage like a crazed beast.
"Everything is your fault! We hate you, Iris Long!" Another shriller voice yelled.
A second masked woman threw raw eggs onstage, trying to hit Iris but Iris nimbly dodged. The eggs hit the emcee and two of the guitarists instead. The other musicians quickly backed away, trying to dodge the raining eggs.
Meanwhile, a third masked woman threw an opened plastic bottle filled with what looked like yellow water. The poor emcee was slow to dodge and was yet hit again.
"F*ck! Is this urine?!" He sniffed at his dripping clothes and immediately gagged.
Everyone was too shocked, watching the unbelievable scene playing in front of them. What in the world was happening? Just a few seconds ago, they were waiting and cheering in anticipation for Iris' performance. But suddenly...
They were too slow to process what was happening, so they couldn't react in time.
It was only when they saw the next actions of the first masked woman that they were jolted out of their shock.
"Die, Iris Long! Die die die! I'm gonna kill you, you sl*t!" The first masked woman grabbed the mic stand by the piano and chased after Iris, intending to violently hit her.
The second masked woman ran out of eggs, so she too jumped onstage and chased after Iris.
The drummer and the male backup singer immediately ran forward to try to stop the two crazy women. However, they were still a little too slow to react.
"Security! Where's the security?!" The representative from JJ's record label frantically looked around, shouting.
"Hurry up! Save Iris!" The representative from Bright Summit saw some of the security officers running all the way from the back. "What are you doing?! Why are you so far away?!"
Tang Yiyi and Dom hurried from backstage after hearing the clamour.
"Boss!" Dom immediately ran to Iris upon seeing her about to be attacked.
Chaos.
Everything was in utter chaos.
Many people screamed in fright when they saw the two masked women successfully corner Iris.
"No!" Tang Yiyi's heart felt like it dropped to the ground.
The drummer reached them first, but was pushed back when the first masked woman swung the mic stand at him. He tried to dodge, but the crazy woman kept on swinging until she hit him hard on the crotch. He buckled and dropped to his knees.
Seeing the drummer hit so horribly, the backup singer became wary and didn't immediately enter the fray, especially after the second woman grabbed her own mic stand belonging to the backup singers.
"Boss!"
"Iris, be careful!" Tang Yiyi shouted, scared to death.
The second masked woman swung the mic stand towards Iris.
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Chapter 102 - How Dare They Hurt My People?
People screamed. Some covered their eyes.
"Die die die, you wh*re! How dare you destroy our lives?! We worked so hard! So hard! Why did you have to come back and sabotage us?! We're finished because of you, you f*cking sl*t!"
"If we're going down, we're going to drag you with us!"
"F*ck you! Burn in hell, you evil b*tch!"
Iris already recognized the masked figures from their voices. She didn't expect these stupid girls to be so stupid as to attack her in a public setting. Weren't they just digging their own graves deeper?
What a hassle, dealing with brainless idiots like these girls.
Iris looked at the mess on the stage, the poor emcee dripping with both raw eggs and urine, the drummer hurting on the floor, and the backup singer trying to stop and dodge the other masked woman's attack.
The third masked woman was surrounded by security personnel and some audience members down the stage. However, she was struggling with all her might, hitting and kicking, even scratching and biting. She already hurt quite a few people just by herself.
So these girls had already given up in life, deciding instead to drag other people down who didn't even do anything to them. Just because things weren't going well in their lives, they would harm others including the innocent without hesitation.
This kind of people, Iris hated the most.
How dare they?
Her eyes turned cold.
Just when the mic stand was about to hit her, Iris' left hand caught it, pulling downwards as her body smoothly sidestepped, and then her right hand whipped and flicked, hitting the masked woman in several points in the body. Her movements were too quick for the people watching to catch all the details.
The masked woman groaned in pain, releasing the mic stand. Iris tossed the mic stand far away. She didn't need a weapon to deal with a stupid girl.
"Damn you, Iris! I'll kill you!"
Iris' eyes turned even colder.
She initially planned on quickly knocking the stupid girl unconscious, but scratch that. No mercy for these stupid, dumb, evil girls.
How dare they interrupt her performance, try to destroy her launch party, and even hurt her people?
Unforgivable.
Her left arm locked around the stupid girl's head and then struck three times with her right hand. The headlock transitioned into a violent hair-pull downwards, as Iris' leg kicked the girl's shin, successfully knocking the girl to the floor.
The mask fell off, revealing Mimi. Tears, snot and a trace of blood were all mixed on her face. Bruises were already starting to form.
"I hate you, Iris Long!" Mimi screamed.
"I noticed." Iris stepped on Mimi's back while pulling on her hair upwards, locking Mimi in place.
Mimi tried to get up, but Iris was like an immovable mountain on top of her. The b*tch's high-heeled shoe ground painfully on her back, and she could feel some of her hair being wrenched out of her scalp. Not her hair!
"I'm gonna kill you, you evil b*tch!"
"You don't have the ability."
"Boss, watch out!"
Iris wanted to hit Mimi more, but upon hearing Dom's warning, she decisively knocked the girl unconscious before jumping back to avoid another mic stand being swung at her.
"Die die die!" Wanwan's mask also fell off some time ago, revealing crazed eyes filled with hatred. "Everything is your fault, you sl*t!"
Dom and a security personnel were trying drag Wanwan back. Her blouse was already torn from all the pulling, but the crazy woman didn't care, still struggling and finally breaking free to jump on Iris.
The backup singer looked like he suffered the same fate as the drummer, holding his crotch in pain.
Iris dodged. She quickly glanced behind Wanwan and saw blood trailing down Dom's mouth.
Her vision turned red, an uncontrollable loud hiss escaping from her lips.
How dare this woman? How dare this woman make Dominic bleed?
Wanwan stopped for a couple of seconds, instinctively sensing the change in Iris. However, her hatred for the b*tch overwhelmed her. She ignored her instincts' warning, once again charging forward.
However, she suddenly blacked out. She didn't even know what hit her. She regained consciousness a few seconds later only to find herself lying on her back, Iris astride on top of her, raining strikes on her face.
"Boss! Boss! Stop, please! That's enough!" Dom hugged Iris from behind, trying to pull his boss away but he couldn't. It felt like his boss was glued in place.
"No. This woman hurt you. She hurt my people."
Dom froze. Then his eyes watered. So her boss went crazy because he was hurt. Boo hoo hoo! Where in the world could someone find a boss as awesome as Iris Long? What was he doing, trying to stop his boss? He was her assistant! Wasn't his job to support her in everything she wanted to do? He quickly made his decision.
He released his boss and stood up. "That's right, boss! That ugly, evil b*tch hurt me! It's so painful. My handsome face is damaged because of her! Boss, avenge me! Yeah! Hit harder! If you're tired, just say so. We'll take turns. Go boss!"
Dom started cheering, waving his imaginary pompoms. "Let's get fired up! Get rough, get tough, get mean! Let's get fired up and roll right over that ugly b*tch! My boss is ready! My boss is smooth! My boss will take control and stomp all over you! Hooray! Hooray!"
"Iris, Iris! Please that's enough! Iris, please stop!" Tang Yiyi was finally able to come near. She tried pulling Iris off the now unconscious girl, but how could she? She turned. "Dominic Chua, help me!"
But Dom was too busy cheering, busting his cheerleader moves. "My boss is number one! Never number two! And she's going to beat the crap out of you! Go boss! Go boss! L-O-V-E Iris Long! B-O-S-S that's my boss!"
Tang Yiyi wanted to smack Dominic, but she had no time. She had to control the rampaging Iris. The reporters present were already filming the entire affair.
She turned to the security personnel. "What are you doing? Help me get her off! And someone shut up that cheering idiot!"
The security and some of the unharmed musicians stepped forward, trying to pull Iris off the unconscious Wanwan, asking her to stop. However, she was like a robot who never stopped her systematic hitting.
"She hurt my people. Unforgivable. No mercy for hurting my people," they could hear her mumbling under her breath.
"Your hands! Iris, please stop or you'll injure your hands!" Tang Yiyi cried.
Mr. JJ already told her to treat Iris' hands like national treasures. What were they going to do if Iris injured her hands, making her unable to play the piano or other instruments?
"You b*tch! How dare you hurt Leader Wanwan and Mimi?!"
Iris suddenly stopped. Her head turned to Feifei who was being pulled by several security personnel and audience members down the stage.
Slowly, Iris stood up and stepped off Wanwan.
"How dare I?"
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Chapter 103 - Boss
Iris' voice was just a whisper, but it was enough to make those who heard her break into cold sweat. Her eyes and tone chilled the people, making them shudder.
"How dare I?" she repeated, her tone evoking an image of frozen hell. "How dare YOU?"
She tossed Feifei's words back at her.
Iris raised her hands in front of her, examining them with her frighteningly cold eyes, checking whether they had been injured or not. Aside from some redness, fortunately, they weren't seriously hurt.
She was well-trained in Systema. She wasn't passionate about it, but she acknowledged its benefits. She trained in other martial arts as well in her previous life, but she felt the most comfortable with Systema. It just felt natural to her. That was why she continued to train in it in this second life of hers.
Her fighting style was self-defensive, focusing more on creating opportunities for escape. Thus, she was trained to fight while avoiding serious injuries.
In her previous life, her bodyguards and servants were all trained assassins. She saw no need to train in a more aggressive style when there were so many people protecting her. If it was up to her, she wouldn't really want to train in any martial arts at all. However, her family dictated that she should, so she had to.
Choice was an alien concept for the previous her.
Although she was well-trained in Systema, she had never really applied it in real-life combat except during sparring sessions. This was the first time in her two lives that she ever fought, not only because she had to defend herself, but also because she wanted to hurt other people.
As a lady, she could never hope to overpower a person physically stronger or more skilled than her using just her bare hands, but if it were only these three stupid girls, beating them was nothing but child's play to her.
This was the first time that she ever physically punished another human being, or in this case, three stupid girls, for pissing her off.
After all, her usual modus operandi was destruction through hacking.
She had to take a few moments to try controlling the cold fury from completely engulfing her, or else she would've already beaten the lives out of the three stupid girls. Although they pissed her off, they didn't do anything to warrant death. And she didn't want to become a murderer either.
So Iris continued to examine her hands with a cold expression, as she inwardly fought against her bloodthirst.
Looking at her, everyone thought that she felt bored after beating up people, so she was checking the state of her manicure.
Iris gently massaged her hands. Although they weren't injured, they still felt sore and tender from all the hitting.
To those watching her, however, she looked like she was cracking her knuckles, preparing for another rampage.
With her pristine white suit, barely out of place hair and still immaculate make-up, to everyone's eyes, she looked like a bad-ass gangster lady boss.
"S-so cool," a fan commented.
"Yeah. Wow...she's just so...wow...Did she really just...wow..."
"Iris, I don't mind that we're both girls! I want to bear your babies! I love you so much!"
"Move aside! My lady Iris, this young master begs your hand in marriage! This young master will give you the world! If you want to beat up people, this young master will find people for you to beat up! No problem!"
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"Hey! What nonsense are you punks spouting?! You want a taste of my mighty slippers?! Come here and I'll whack you! How dare you propose to Iris...no, to boss! Yes, she's our BOSS! You think nobodies like you are good enough for someone as amazing as the boss?!"
"Boss!"
"Boss, please accept me as your disciple!"
"Me too, boss!"
"As if the boss will take pussies like you as her disciples. Boss, this uncle is willing to be your subordinate! I will follow you wherever you go, even to the gates of hell!"
"Boss, I'm willing to be your punching bag!"
"Me too, boss! Beat me up all you want. I offer you my body!"
Just like that, everyone started calling Iris "boss". The Black Stars fan club would change the way they referred to Iris. From that moment on, Iris Long was known as the "Boss" to her fans.
Dom stopped cheering when he heard what the people were calling his boss. He was angered. "Anak ng putakti! [1] What did you just call MY BOSS?! Find your own boss! Don't even think about stealing my boss!"
"Isn't it good that everyone is calling Miss Iris boss?" a violinist spoke beside Dom. "It means that they've acknowledged her and that they see her as a strong leader. Isn't that good?"
Dom paused, his brows scrunching together, thinking. Then his eyes lit up. "Oh! You're right! Boss is indeed the most awesome leader in the world, so it's only natural for people to call her boss. Why am I being so petty earlier? Aiya! So what if all these people call her boss? I'm still her number one follower! Ehehe. I'm number one, never number two! My name is Dominic, and I'm much better than all of you! Go me, go me!"
The violinist was speechless, as Dom started busting his cheerleader moves again.
"Shut up! Shut up!" Feifei's hysterical screaming once again interrupted the atmosphere which just lightened up. "How can all of you be so blind?! You're all so stupid to follow a sl*t like Iris Long! We worked so hard to reach where we are now! We rehearse day and night every single day! But all she has to do is to lie on her back and spread her legs, and all the good things fall on her lap! So unfair! She's nothing but a wh*re! All of you stupid people are worshipping a wh*re!"
The fans were enraged hearing such offensive words being directed at their idol.
"What a barbaric child!" Feng Wan and her three friends couldn't believe what they were hearing from the mouth of a young woman. The four posh middle-aged ladies felt absolute revulsion to such crass words.
"Die, you evil demon! Comrades, attack!" The small 20-year old female university student beside the posh ladies mobilized her fellow fan club members.
Some immediately responded and charged forward, intending to beat Feifei up. However, they didn't get to do it because...
Something extremely fast hit Feifei on the head. She collapsed on the floor like a heavy sack of rice.
Everyone: "..."
###
Footnotes:
[1] Literally means "wasp's offspring". It's sort of a softcore curse phrase in Filipino. At least you won't get into trouble, unlike when you use "Putang ina".
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Chapter 104 - War
A few moments earlier. Until that moment, Iris never took any insult hurled at her personally. In fact, she even felt amused sometimes. Although she was now Iris Long, she still considered herself completely separate from the original owner of the body.
The original Iris had a severely damaged reputation. All she cared about were fame and spoiling herself. She was blessed with natural beauty and talent, but because she knew this, she grew complacent and arrogant. Her ill temper rubbed others the wrong way, dragging down their impression of her even further.
The rumours about her sleeping around to advance her career were utter rubbish. After all, she was the daughter of Long Tengfei and a legitimate heiress of the Long family's fortune. She was entitled to inherit, as long as she wasn't officially disowned. Why would an heiress need to sleep around just to advance her showbiz career?
The current Iris had a niggling suspicion that someone was inciting these slanderous rumours behind the scenes. Perhaps she should investigate it later. It was something to think about.
Although the rumours about her being a sl*t and a wh*re were all untrue, it was a fact that the original Iris was a b*tch. She was confident that her status as Long Tengfei's legitimate daughter alone could protect her, no matter what ridiculous things she did. As a result, she had no qualms in recklessly fighting with others who provoked her in any way, like what happened with the Alarm Girls. This was one of the reasons why there was such bad blood between the girls.
The current Iris already tossed the matter of the Alarm Girls verbally attacking her at "MusicFest Tonight". To her, they were just annoying flies buzzing around. She didn't want to waste her time and energy dealing with small, stupid flies like them.
Now, however, was a different matter. These three stupid girls tried to destroy her launch party. She had been anticipating and preparing for this moment for so long. This was supposed to be the start of her music career, which she had been dreaming of since her previous life. How dare they come between her and her dream?
Even worse was that they hurt her band members, some of her fans, and the one which enraged her the most was that they hurt Dominic. For that alone, she had the strongest urge to break all of the three girls' limbs without feeling the least bit of guilt.
This time, it was personal. The Alarm Girls wanted to wage war with her? Fine, she would grant them their wish.
It was now war.
Iris' eyes turned colder with each derogatory word coming out of the hysterical Feifei's mouth. Now that her perspective changed regarding the Alarm Girls, every insult fueled her cold fury.
She, the former princess of the international Underworld and one of the most sought-after hacker in the world during her previous life, was being called a sl*t and a wh*re by such a stupid girl? How laughable!
Her leg whipped into a high sidekick, her high-heeled shoe shooting like a silver bullet towards the screaming Feifei. Her kick was too quick and her shoe flew too fast. Everything was a blur, lending no time for the people to react.
Feifei was hit on the head and she dropped to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Just a second ago, she was screaming her throat out. Now, she laid unmoving on the floor unconscious.
The people couldn't process what just happened. They could find no words.
Silence.
Iris looked at the security officer beside her and extended her hand like a lady.
Dazed, the man took her fair hand, confused. Did she want to hold hands with him? Was he that handsome? Then a thought entered his mind and he became horrified.
D-did she want to b-beat him up? She wasn't satisfied with beating those three girls, so she set her bloodthirsty eyes on his poor self? He almost pissed his pants.
Iris didn't know that the poor man was treating her like a scary, violent monster in his mind. She ignored his trembling hand, thinking that he was just experiencing too much of an adrenaline rush because of the current situation. The truth was that she only wanted him as support to help her balance on one leg now that she was only wearing one shoe.
"Dom," she called in a voice so gentle, it sounded like crystal bells.
The poor security officer shivered in fright. To his ears, her words sounded like the call of death.
"Yes, boss!" Dom immediately stopped cheering and jogged to her. "What is it, boss? Tell me!"
"Would you kindly pick up my shoe down the stage and bring it back to me?"
"Eh? Oh okay, boss. Right away, boss!" He followed her instruction and returned a few seconds later, kneeling in front of her like a knight to help her wear her high-heeled shoe.
"Thank you, Dom."
"My pleasure, boss. Ehehe."
She removed her hand from the officer's hold. "Thank you."
The man shook his head, his heart racing, feeling as if a deadly monster just transformed into a beautiful goddess. He was still frightened but at the same time, he couldn't stop staring like an idiot at her beauty. His mind was so muddled that he had no idea how to respond to her thanks.
Remembering Dom kneeling in front of the monster goddess just a few seconds ago, he also kneeled in front of her without thinking. However, he looked more like a sacrificial maiden offering himself to the devil than a knight paying respects to his queen.
Iris was taken aback by the man's sudden action. What a weirdo. She blinked a couple of times, then pretended that she didn't see anything.
"Elder Sister Yiyi, please call the police and some ambulances. We have quite a few people injured. Those three also need immediate medical attention. They're still unconscious. I didn't hold back much when I beat them up."
It took a few seconds before Tang Yiyi regained her senses. When Iris' words finally registered, she nodded her head and immediately started calling on her phone.
"Dom, call my lawyer."
"Yes, yes. On it, boss!" Dom made a phone call as well.
The representatives from JJ's record label and Bright Summit headed to her. They asked worriedly if she was okay. Both of them already concluded that the launch party was a total disaster, a failure.
However, Iris thought otherwise. "Please have someone clean up the stage." Then she turned to the emcee and the musicians. "Hurry up and change into clean clothes. We still have a show to perform. Let's not keep our audience waiting any longer."
"Wait, what? You're still performing?" The representative from JJ's record label couldn't believe her.
"Of course," she replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "The show must go on."
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Chapter 105 - Just Cancel The Even
"It's not like there's a natural disaster so we have to cancel," Iris said. "This is only a minor hiccup. There are no serious injuries, aside from three unconscious girls who were, without a doubt, the perpetrators of this ruckus. There are no dead bodies. Just patch up the injured ones and haul those three girls away." She clapped her hands and gave everyone a firm look. "Let's get moving."
The band musicians didn't move.
Iris narrowed her eyes. "You don't want to? Fine, you may all go. I'll perform by myself."
"Dammit! I practiced so hard for this. I'll perform!" The drummer said aloud, massaging his crotch. "It's not like that b*tch castrated me. I'll be fine. It was just a mic stand, not a f*cking bulldozer."
"Right. I never rehearsed so hard before this. I'll perform too," the male backup singer said. "But can someone bring me some ice? My balls still hurt. F*ck!"
"Ah, me too! I hope my beloved sperm cells are okay. I still want to make a baby with my girlfriend someday."
With these two's decision, the rest of the musicians announced that they too would perform. Most of them were still clean, so they didn't need to change clothes.
The ones who were hit by raw eggs and splashed by urine had to change into regular clothes. They were no longer dressed as fancy as before, but at least they were clean. The ones who didn't bring any extra clothes had to buy T-shirts and sweatpants sold as merchandise at the pop-up shop.
Iris promised to reimburse them, as long as they send the receipt to Dom. However, nobody planned on doing so. After working with her, they already grew great respect for Iris' creativity, skills, and professionalism as a fellow musician. They felt like it would be an insult to her if they allowed her to reimburse their merchandise purchases.
The first-aid responders in the convention centre treated the injured. Nobody was heavily injured, just a few scratches, swelling and bruises.
Some of the people were already preparing to leave, but stopped when they heard an announcement that the launch party would continue after the stage and the musicians were cleaned up. Everyone stayed after that. They excitedly chattered about the incident with each other and shared it online. The refreshments were also refilled because the majority of them ate as they waited.
The police arrived and immediately started asking questions to understand the situation. After a few minutes, the ambulances arrived.
By this time, the Alarm Girls finally woke up. They were groggy at first, but started screeching like tormented spirits in hell, especially when they saw the familiar police uniforms.
'Not again,' they thought.
Some of the police officers and the paramedics had to forcefully restrain them because they were getting violent in their struggles.
The police got the gist of what happened after questioning a few people. They arrested the Alarm Girls on the spot, especially after one of the officers recognized them and revealed to his colleagues that the three girls already had a record. They were only out on bail. And their previous record was also because of physical assault, which they were once again being accused of now.
Backstage, Iris and her management were being questioned. The police wanted Iris and the others to follow them back to the police station for further questioning.
"I will fully cooperate with the police," Iris told them. "However, I still have a show to perform so I can only go to the police station after this event ends."
"Miss Long, this is a very important legal matter that we're talking about," the police officer replied. "Just cancel the event and do it another time."
"The event is scheduled for today. I've already kept the audience waiting for too long."
"Miss Long, this is not some trivial matter that you can put aside. We are the police. We have the authority. We are asking you to cancel your event and follow us to the police station."
Iris' eyes narrowed. Was he threatening her? Perhaps due to her previous life's identity, she never felt at ease with the police. She fought the urge to flee, reminding herself that she was a responsible and law-abiding citizen (except in hacking).
She took a deep breath and spoke in a calm manner. "I already mentioned that I will fully cooperate with the police. I'm not refusing to follow you to the police station. I'm only asking for a delay of a few hours at most. Rest assured that I will immediately go to the police station as soon as I finish performing."
"Miss Long―" The stern officer was interrupted by a colleague. The colleague held a phone and then whispered something to his ear. His eyes widened. He smoothed his stern expression into a mild one before answering the phone. "Hello, Chief! What an honour!"
He spent a few minutes on the phone, his earlier sternness gone. Instead, he was very subservient, even fawning to the person on the other end of the line. Finally, the call ended. He turned back to Iris with a big smile on his face.
"Miss Long, I didn't know that you are acquainted with the Chief of Police!"
She frowned, confused. What did he say? Was he joking? How could a person like her who was allergic to the police become acquainted with their Chief? But before she could say anything, the officer continued babbling.
"You should've told us earlier, so that we didn't have to make it hard for you. Of course, you can finish up your performance. Go ahead, go ahead. I can see that everyone's been waiting for you. Wow. There are a lot of people here today. You can visit our police station anytime that's convenient for you. Even if it's tomorrow, no problem..."
He was babbling so much that Iris couldn't find the right time to interrupt him.
At one of the tables in front of the stage, Feng Wan sipped a glass of sparkling water. She glanced at one of her friends who was talking on the phone. After a few seconds, the friend hung up and smiled.
"All done?" Feng Wan asked.
"Yes. My husband took care of everything. He's the best!"
"That's great," the second friend said. "Now the performance won't be cancelled."
"It must be amazing to have the Chief of Police as your husband," the third friend commented.
"Of course!" The Chief's wife agreed, her expression very proud.
Feng Wan smiled, happy for her friend, even when the word "husband" made her heart ache. She couldn't wait to hear Iris sing "The Phantom of Your Love" live again. She sighed. Then she saw the police dragging the Alarm Girls away. Her gentle eyes turned sharp.
"I hope the Chief of Police makes sure that such malicious and violent people won't be able to attack or hurt others again," she said in a tone that sounded like she was commenting on the weather.
"Of course. My husband hates injustice the most," her friend replied in a similar tone.
The four posh ladies clinked their glasses.
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Chapter 106 - Envoy Of Light And Dark
The emcee once again stood on the stage, dressed in full "Rebirth" merchandise of T-shirt, sweatpants, head cap, and wristbands. His hair was still slightly damp from the quick shower he took to clean up the filth of raw eggs and urine.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment that we've all been waiting for is finally here! Although we've experienced such an unexpected and shocking event today, resulting on this launch party to be on the verge of getting canceled, everything worked out fine in the end. I wish for the injured people to get well soon. Ah, that was such a scary experience! I hope that everyone―"
"Shut up, emcee!"
"I've h-had enough of t-this! I have s-stage fright and I s-stutter but I think that I'll b-be a better emcee than this ch-chatterbox!"
The audience complained one after another, displeasing the representatives from JJ's record label and Bright Summit. They glared at the emcee.
The emcee cleared his throat and smiled bitterly. Seeing the audience getting rowdy once again, he was reminded of what he just went through earlier. He remembered all the raw eggs and urine he had to wash off and shuddered. Feeling traumatized, he didn't dare dilly-dally any longer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, the one and only, our beloved boss, Miss Iris Long!!!"
Everyone stood up and gave a deafening applause to Iris who made another grand entrance.
"You're so beautiful, boss!"
"Boss is so cool!"
"Uwah! She looked at me! Boss actually looked at me!" The overexcited girl fainted but woke up a few seconds later, only to continue fangirling like nothing happened. And yes, she did faint. For real.
"Boss!"
"I love you, boss!"
"Boss!"
Iris blinked, puzzled, but continued to smile and wave at the audience. Did Dom clone himself or something? Why was everyone calling her boss? Was this a new trend that she wasn't aware of? She didn't understand.
She set aside her confusion for now. It was time to perform. She sat in front of the piano, flexing her hands. She looked at her band, the backup singers, and the symphony orchestra, and then nodded.
A now familiar mournful piano melody reverberated. All of the Black Stars fan club members stood up and cheered even louder.
Then Iris opened her mouth and harmonized her voice with the piano melody. It was such a full, emotional, and beautiful sound that many of the audience were already tearing up. The symphony orchestra also began playing. The overall harmony gave everyone goosebumps.
Iris began singing.
"I was young and fearless
Blazed through my dreams without direction
Tried to reach the sea of the brightest stars in the sky..."
The audience sang with her. They waved their hands up in the air, singing with all their heart. Their movements were so synchronized that they looked like one giant organism.
"...The meaning of life is to live our dreams
We fail, we fall
Yet still we keep on dreaming
No matter how far a black star falls
It's still a star that can glow again..."
Iris would stop singing now and then, to let the audience sing by themselves. Everyone loved it. They felt as if they were an important part of the performance.
Then Iris' fingers on the piano slowed down, her voice softening almost into a whisper. The audience also followed suit, singing as softly as they could.
"I'm a black star with no light
But so what? I'll glow again
My dream glows bright in my heart
I'm a black star that'll light up, you'll see~"
Hearing more than 5,000 voices sing together was nothing new to the representatives from JJ's record label and Bright Summit. After all, both of them had experienced working with artists more famous than Iris who could command more than tens of thousands of audience per concert. However, there was something different in the audience this time. It was as if they were possessed by a single spirit, united as one, brought together by Iris Long's music.
This performance had heart.
After the song "Black Star" ended, there was another deafening standing ovation. Their cheering and applause were tinged with pride. This time, it wasn't only directed at Iris and the musicians but also at themselves, the audience. It was like experiencing music on another level, giving them an exhilarating feeling that many of them had never experienced before.
Iris performed some of the other songs from her album, including the next popular one after "Black Star". When she sang "The Phantom of Your Love", Feng Wan burst into tears. Her three friends also had tears streaming down their faces, as they huddled and comforted their dear friend together.
"I'm dead when awake
Alive when asleep
How do I live when there is no you
Except in my dreams at night..."
Even when her intense emotions threatened to choke her, Feng Wan still sang with everyone else through the torrent of her tears. She remembered the first time she saw Iris perform this beautiful, heartbreaking song for the first time at the hotel restaurant.
Back then, Iris was wearing a flowing black dress. This time, she was in a sharp white suit. The contrast made Feng Wan feel as if Iris was an envoy of both the light and the dark.
"Oh, spend a thousand years
With the PHANTOM OF...YOUR...LOOOOOOVE~"
Everyone howled the last notes of the song. It wasn't only Feng Wan who was wailing in sorrow, affected by the dark music. People were hugging and crying on each other's shoulders, even though they were strangers before this day.
Iris decided to give everyone a break to calm their highly stimulated emotions. She played Chopin's "Raindrops" on the piano, gently easing the atmosphere into that of a relaxed one.
During this break, some staggered to the buffet tables to gulp drinks. Some shoved cookies and pastries into their mouths to comfort themselves. Some, still affected by their emotions, spilled their life stories to the people beside them, crying together like long-lost brothers and sisters. The others just closed their eyes, savouring the delicate piano melody Iris was playing, allowing the music to calm them.
When the atmosphere became relaxed, Iris' fingers suddenly became energetic, dancing swiftly on the keyboard. The music changed and a familiar piano melody reverberated.
Everyone's eyes lit up. They all stopped what they were doing and turned their heads, excitement evident on their faces.
Then the beat changed and Iris began singing. The audience once again sang with her and many started dancing.
"At first I was afraid, I was petrified~"
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Chapter 107 - Rising Phoenix
Iris left the piano at some point, grabbed the mic from the stand, and finally displayed the full might of her extraordinary stage presence. She sang and danced along with the audience.
When she performed the now famous vocal acrobatics of her version of the song, everyone went wild. Then she did something even more amazing. The extremely high notes she reached when she guested at DJ Song's radio show before already left many in awe. This time, she went beyond her previous performance, reaching the shocking whistle register. She sustained the whistle notes for so long that everyone's jaws fell down and eyes almost popped out.
Even the band musicians, the backup singers, and the symphony orchestra were all shocked. This wasn't in the rehearsals! Still they were professionals, and continued playing as if everything was as expected and nothing was amiss.
Tang Yiyi's mind went blank.
The representative from JJ's record label clutched his chest and staggered back, while the representative from Bright Summit covered his gaping mouth with his hands.
Dom burst into tears and sobbed happily like a proud mama, recording everything on video to send to his sir boss, Jin Liwei, later.
Everyone else was staring at the performing Iris, their eyes and mouth wide open, looking at her as if she was a mythical creature.
T-this...
"I will survive!!!"
Iris snapped her hand holding the mic up in the air when the music stopped. Her shoulders and chest heaved as she panted. An exhilarated expression was on her face.
Someone started screaming in a fervent frenzy. Then more followed suit. This standing ovation was even more deafening than the previous ones.
"Boss, I love you! I love you so much!"
"Uwah! So amazing!"
"Wow! She's so wow...I don't think she's human...just wow."
"I'll follow you for the rest of my life, boss!"
"This young master has fallen even more deeply in love with you, oh my lady boss!"
"My mighty slippers will fight exclusively for you, boss!"
"Boss!"
"Kyaaaah! Boss, please take me in as your concubine! I want to bear your babies!"
"Ladies, hold me up. I'm going to faint."
And indeed, a lot of people fainted but nobody panicked. Most of them woke up a few seconds later to continue cheering for their boss, Iris. Because of the incident earlier, the convention centre's management sent extra security and first-aid responders to the launch party. The ones who fainted were taken care of swiftly by these emergency workers.
Iris returned to the piano and covered a couple of classic Mandarin songs afterwards. Then finally, it was time for the finale performance.
"This final song is, for me, the most special in the album." Her lovely voice was low and gentle, yet full of emotion. She swept her eyes across everyone. "It is also the hardest to compose and write. I struggled so much that it hurt. I almost gave up to write another song. But I persisted because this song was desperately crying within me, begging me to give birth to it so that the whole world can listen."
Everyone became curious hearing what she said.
"This is the first time that you'll hear this song," she continued. "I asked Mr. JJ not to release any previews of it because it's too special for me. I wanted to personally be the one whom you'll hear it from today. So now I'm going to perform the titular song of my album, "Rebirth".
The audience clapped but quickly hushed themselves. They were eager to listen to the song, to figure out why it was so special.
Iris closed her eyes.
A lone violin played a melancholic melody. It was sad but not dark, gently making hearts ache. Then the other string instruments followed before gradually transitioning into a lone flute. This time, the melody was sweet but sounded much sadder. Then the other wood-wind instruments followed before transitioning again into the piano.
Iris still had her eyes closed, her body swaying, as her fingers flowed softly like sea waves on the piano keys.
Then she sang in a gentle voice, so gentle that everyone's chests twinged in pain.
"Caged and chained in a tiny world
Wondering what it's like outside
A little bird imprisoned by love
Dying little by little inside
I want to be free
Free as a bird
But where are my wings
I cannot fly"
There was no outward emotion on her face. Iris looked calm, serene even. Her singing, however, conveyed heartache and longing. The audience's eyes watered, but they tried to be as quiet as possible. They didn't want to miss any note or lyrics.
"I sing a song inside my cage
While shadows destroy my tiny world
Break my bones a thousand times
Go ahead, I will not cry
These red roses smell so sweet
At last, I'm free
Will I ever fly?"
The full symphony orchestra finally played, the harmony so full yet light. The audience felt like their bodies were rising with the melody. Goosebumps were all over their skin. Iris' voice also rose, effortlessly reaching high notes.
"From the ashes, I rise like a phoenix
A little bird no more
I spread my wings, so big and wide
Now I am free
Now I can fly
Oh, I can fly up in the sky
While tears flow down my joyful eyes
Up I fly, up I soar
Until I brush against the clouds
I'll stay up here and touch the stars
I'll reach as high that I can"
Everyone nodded. Many of them had their hands clasped together like they were praying. They looked at Iris on the stage, as if they were seeing her as a tiny, delicate bird transform into a majestic phoenix.
Iris' voice became fuller and more powerful. The symphony orchestra reached crescendo.
"This rebirth of a tiny bird
Into a rising phoenix
Power courses through my veins
To break the chains
To spread my wings
So this is freedom
I am free"
The melody erupted into a beautiful medley of triumph, longing, and sadness. Now it was only the piano and Iris singing the last notes of the song.
"Oh yes, I am free~"
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Chapter 108 - Mighty Slippers
What kind of song was this? Happiness and sadness combined in harmony within their hearts. It was such a strange feeling. However, one thing was for certain. This song, "Rebirth", was indeed special.
They could feel its heart and spirit. It was as if it was alive with its own unique aura. They doubt that another person could sing it the way Iris Long sang it, like she and the song were one being.
The applause for this final performance of the evening was of awe and of congratulations. Awe at the astounding performance, and congratulations at Iris' achievements for this album.
The neutral fans remaining in the audience were all completely won over. They were sold by Iris' sincerity, artistry, and skill in her music.
After the performance was another short break, while the staff quickly prepared the venue for the signing session. The people were divided into groups, and when their groups were called out, they would line up to receive autographs. This way, everyone was orderly.
Iris signed copies of her album, merchandise, personal notebooks, and even weird places on people's bodies. The ones who requested for her to sign on their bodies proudly told her that they would turn her signature into permanent tattoos. She was amused and very touched. She also took quick pictures and chatted with them.
"People keep on saying that she's a b*tch and all that sh*t, but just look at her. Will a b*tch have the patience to sign autographs and chat with 5,000 people? How many hours until she's done with everyone?"
"Yeah. My thoughts exactly."
"Hmph! Those people are just jealous because our boss is so talented. Can they even do what she did earlier?"
"I know, right? Damn! I will never forget those whistle notes. Uwah!"
The people talked with each other like old friends. They gossiped about the Alarm Girls and the commotion they caused earlier, and gushed about Iris' unbelievable performance.
It was during this signing session that Iris finally met the officers of the Black Stars fan club. The first people she recognized were Feng Wan and her three friends. The four posh middle-aged ladies looked proudly at Iris like she was their beloved niece.
"Madam Feng." Iris stood up and walked to the group, a smile on her face. She also greeted the other three ladies. "It's a pleasure to see all of you again. Thank you for coming today."
Feng Wan took Iris' hands and held them. "Iris...may I call you Iris?"
"Of course."
"Thank you." Feng Wan's eyes watered. "Thank you for your music. Thank you for letting me see you perform 'The Phantom of Your Love' again."
"Madam, it is my pleasure."
Then Feng Wan revealed that she and her friends were members of the newly-established Black Stars fan club. She introduced the others.
First was the small young woman who valiantly hollered and led her comrades to battle earlier when Feifei was insulting Iris. She looked more like a kid but was actually a 20-year old university student already.
"Hello, Iris! I can't believe that I'm meeting you right now! I'm a big fan of yours! My name is Zhou Mei'er and I'm the President of the Black Stars. I go by the username CaptainBlackStar online."
"She's actually also the founder of the Black Stars fan club and the one who gathered all of us. It's all thanks to her that we're all standing here together at this moment to meet you," Feng Wan informed Iris.
Iris shook Zhou Mei'er's hand and smiled. "Thank you very much, Miss Zhou. You've worked very hard. Your support means so much to me."
Zhou Mei'er teared up. Iris patted her shoulder.
Feng Wan was about to introduce the next person, but the man already stepped forward before she could say anything.
"Boss! To be honest, I didn't really like you before because I thought that you were a fake person and a factory-produced unoriginal pop idol like so many others who only knew how to act pretty and sexy. Your braindead songs didn't help either. Ah, they were so terrible that just thinking about them is making me want to burn all my precious slippers―"
Zhou Mei'er: "Aiyaya! Bro, what are you doing?"
"―but then you suddenly made a comeback. I still didn't like you. I thought that you were just fishing for fame and attention like before. So I continued to bash you on the internet because I'm a troll. Not ashamed to admit that! Hah! Trolls are awesome, if we're on your side! But then you constantly slapped my face so many times with your awesomeness that I had no choice but to convert into your number 1 fan―"
When the surrounding people heard his claim of being Iris' number 1 fan, they booed.
The grumpy-looking man looked even grumpier. He glared at the booing people and waved an actual slipper at them. "What? Wanna fight against my mighty slippers? Come at me! I'll whack you all!"
Everyone laughed. They didn't take him seriously, as he was already quite famous in their web circle. In fact, he was the most famous among the officers of the Black Stars fan club.
"Hmph! As expected, nobody dares to stand against my mighty slippers," the grumpy-looking man grumbled under his breath. Then he looked at Iris again. "As I was saying, I'm your number 1 fan―"
"Boo!"
"Ah? Come at me and get a taste of my slippers!"
Feng Wan chuckled. "Alright, boy. That's enough. How long do you need until you properly introduce yourself to our dear Iris? I can do it for you, if you want. I don't mind."
The man's grumpy-looking face flushed red. "Ah, Madam Feng. No need, no need." He cleared his throat and once again turned to Iris. "Boss Iris, my name is Wu Chen, a simple office worker from a simple company. But on the web, I hold great influence as the heroic iEatSlippers, fighting with my mighty slippers under your banner, to protect boss' name against evil-doers!"
"Boo!"
"What?! You got a problem with what I said?! Come at me if you have slippers mightier than mine! Ah?!"
Iris laughed, amused at the man's antics. She extended her hand. "Mr. Wu, glad to finally meet you. I was actually looking forward to meeting the famous iEatSlippers. I'm a fan of your many online trolling feats."
Wu Chen, a.k.a. iEatSlippers, shook her hand with gusto. "Same here, same here. Nice to meet you too...eh? What? You're a fan?! Of ME?!"
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Chapter 109 - Deep Background
Iris' web bots would automatically catalogue all of the accounts and pages that made negative comments about her. She would normally not care about them, but if one of her most active bashers suddenly turned into one of her most passionate supporters, of course she would notice.
She began saying out loud the list of all of Wu Chen's previous usernames he used for online trolling off the top of her head.
The grumpiness on Wu Chen's face was finally replaced by an utterly shocked expression. He didn't know that he was this famous online. Even his idol, no, his boss knew about him. But wait! How did she know all of his usernames? Many of them were anonymous accounts that he got help to set up from his bro who was a computer expert. His bro assured him that they would be untraceable.
The quiet and bored young man beside him looked at Iris, interest flashing in his eyes.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Wu. I'm glad that you're not trolling against me anymore, but trolling for me instead. Thank you."
Wu Chen forgot his doubts and laughed proudly, flattered by her words. "Of course! My mighty slippers will fight exclusively for you from now on, boss. Like I said, I'm your number 1 fan―"
"Boo!"
He chased after the people booing at him, waving a slipper in the air.
Everyone laughed.
Iris turned to the quiet young man. He had an unhealthy pallor and tired eyes. He looked sleepy and exhausted. This time, however, his usually bored eyes were bright with curiosity as he looked back at her.
"You must be Monkeyface, the computer expert. I've also been wanting to meet you." She smiled at him and offered her hand.
"Hou Liang," he introduced himself in a low voice. He reached for her hand, intending to quickly shake it and be done with it, but found his hand tightly grasped and squeezed hard. He frowned and looked up at her.
Iris' eyes looked cold―and challenging?―as he looked at him.
Hou Liang tried to pull his hand back, but she wouldn't let it go. "Uhm...my hand..."
Then she leaned forward and whispered something to his ear.
An expression of shock, disbelief, and then horror appeared on his face.
She finally released his hand and smiled widely at him. "What an honour to finally meet you in person, Mr. Hou. Thank you for your support."
Hou Liang's scalp went numb and he felt cold sweat on his back. The hand that she squeezed was aching, but he didn't dare complain. In his mind, Iris Long transformed into a ferocious dragon looking down at him, daring him to go against her. As if he would do such a stupid thing!
"H-how did you―"
Her laugh tinkled like crystal bells, but to him, it sounded like the evil cackle of the goddess of calamity.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone," she told him. "Our kind should protect each other. Let's compare notes when we both have free time."
"Ah, you...who are you?"
"You'll know soon enough. Besides, I have a feeling that we'll get along very well, Mr. Hou. Just remember that whatever you need the most now, I can provide. I'll let think you about it for now."
Both of their voices were low, so the surrounding people couldn't hear what they were talking about. Although they were confused why Hou Liang suddenly looked so scared, Iris' calm and pleasant demeanour assured them that nothing was amiss. Perhaps the guy was just too excited as a fan that he became so scared and shy in front of such a beautiful celebrity like Iris Long. Yup, that must be it.
Iris left the frozen Hou Liang and turned her back on him to chat with Feng Wan and the others. After a few more moments, the group finally allowed Iris to return to signing autographs for the rest of the people.
It was already late at night when the launch party finally ended. All the guests went their own ways, still gushing about everything that happened during the event. It certainly was an unforgettable day to all of them.
Tang Yiyi, Dom and the two representatives from JJ's record label and Bright Summit all accompanied Iris to the police station directly after leaving the convention centre. When they arrived at the station, Feng Wan and her three friends were already there, waiting for them.
Additional officers were mobilized to ward off the reporters that were sure to come, especially after the incident of the Alarm Girls gatecrashing Iris' launch party and creating such a ruckus already spread online.
The invited reporters were lucky enough to get firsthand footage of the incident, but they still followed Iris and the others to the police station. Unfortunately, they were blocked from coming closer to ask questions. Despite this, they were already more than satisfied because other reporters who initially disregarded the launch party were now all scrambling from the city to this remote place. As for them, their news agencies now treated them as important correspondents. How lucky! This might be their ticket to brighter career prospects!
One of Feng Wan's friends was the beloved wife of the Police Chief. As a result, all of the officers were respectful and hospitable to everyone, especially to Iris who was obviously being protected by the madam.
Iris' lawyer also arrived after some time. On behalf of his client, Iris Long, he officially filed a lawsuit against the Alarm Girls for physical assault, slander and defamation of character, and a slew of other charges.
The representatives from JJ's record label and Bright Summit, after speaking to their superiors on the phone, also informed Iris that they would send their own lawyers to support her lawsuits against the Alarm Girls.
Feng Wan added that the audience members injured by the Alarm Girls were also planning to file their own class action lawsuit, and that she and her friends would provide a lawyer for them.
The police officers present couldn't help but feel sorry for the three girls. What madness controlled them to offend this group of powerful people?
They looked at the four posh middle-aged ladies. One of them was the wife of their esteemed chief. The other two were also of equal influence. And lastly, the one leading them, Madam Feng Wan, was from such a powerful background that only stupid people would dare offend her. Not even the Jin family and the other top business families in the country would dare slight her, lest they be ostracized from high society.
And such powerful and influential ladies were supporting a second-rate pop singer? Even using their impressive backgrounds to help her? The officers looked at the calm Iris Long, curious as to why all these formidable people were assisting her.
Sure, she was a daughter of the Long family. But wasn't she estranged? And even if the Longs had their own wealth, power and influence, they still couldn't compare to the deep background of Madam Feng Wan.
The officers sighed.
'These Alarm Girls are finished,' they thought, shaking their heads.
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Chapter 110 - That's My Daughter
In modern times, although the Longs were a prominent family, their wealth, power, and influence couldn't compare to the Jins and the Lus. The Jin and the Lu families didn't have deep roots compared to the other families who were already well-established for a long time. These two families were average people, out of high society's radar, but just a few decades ago, they suddenly skyrocketed to the top as the leading business families in the country.
On the other hand, the Longs were already well-known for centuries. Then why the discrepancy in their current status in society? A big part of this was because the Longs were a proud, traditional family. They could trace their roots all the way back from ancient times when an ancestor was bestowed a noble title for meritorious deeds by the reigning Emperor of that period.
Since then, the Longs believed that they were aristocrats by birthright. They saw and held themselves on a higher status than regular people. Even when times had changed and aristocracy was no longer widely recognized, they still held onto this self-importance, resulting in them being stuck in a backward mentality that merchants or people who worked in trade were of lower status than aristocrats like them.
They were a piece of history who refused to move forward and adapt to the changing times.
It was only when Long Tengfei's grandfather married an artisan's daughter that the Long family started to shift into a business family. Long Tengfei's grandmother had a flair for business from her experience of helping out in selling her father's works.
She ignored the protests of the Long family members and opened a trading business under her husband's name. Her father was an artisan, so her expertise was in trading traditional arts such as pottery, porcelain and silk. The business prospered under her leadership, effectively shutting up the rest of the Long relatives who disdained the idea of becoming a business family. In fact, it fueled their self-importance even more, especially when the growing wealth was distributed to the entire clan.
The business expanded to include calligraphy, painting and sculpture in the hands of Long Tengfei's father. His father inherited his grandmother's flair for business and diversified into other industries as well, such as textiles, land development, and food production and processing.
When Long Tengfei took over, he led the business into even greater heights by entering the shipping industry, successfully making it into the international stage. Under his leadership, the Longs stabilized their position as a wealthy and influential business family in the country.
However, most of the Long family members, especially the elders, still retained their self-important aristocratic mentality. They cared a lot about their face and on preserving the Long family's noble name.
They disapproved of Long Tengfei's decision to divorce the wife they arranged for him in order to marry a gold-digging, social-climbing model. They despised Wei Lan from the very beginning.
When the Young Miss Xiulan was born, they were determined to mould her into a perfect lady. Unfortunately, they discovered that this daughter took after her disgraceful mother, entering the scandalous world of showbiz and besmirching their family's noble name again and again. They wanted to disown her, but Long Tengfei fiercely rejected their suggestion. They could only grumble to themselves, not daring to blatantly go against him, because he was the current head of both the family and the business.
Long family ancestral residence.
As the head of the main family, Long Tengfei and his family lived in the ancestral compound where the Longs lived for many generations since ancient times when they were still a recognized aristocratic clan.
It was very grand and traditional, like travelling back in time. The huge compound was very difficult to maintain. It was a challenge to upgrade the amenities to modern ones while still preserving its original ancient dignity. However, Long Tengfei didn't mind the huge maintenance costs because the place was a legacy from his noble ancestors.
He lived at the master wing with his third wife. His eldest son from his first wife lived alone at the eastern wing. He originally planned for his daughter, Xiulan, to live in the western wing but she had other ideas, buying her own penthouse to live by herself.
As for his two illegitimate children from his former mistresses, he didn't even attempt to take them in. The elders absolutely couldn't accept any illegitimate children living in the ancestral residence.
Even so, Long Tengfei loved all his children. He was generous in financially supporting and providing them with the best education and opportunities. He might not be affectionate, but nobody could fault him for shirking his responsibilities as a father.
Inside the study, Long Tengfei was watching the late night news on a huge flat screen TV which looked odd among the antique decorations. His third wife, Yang Jiahui, served him hot Longjing tea [1].
His assistant, Cao Guang, was also in the room speaking on the phone with the elders. He was trying to appease them. The elders were complaining about the Young Miss Xiulan because she was once again involved in a scandalous incident earlier that day.
The elders were livid that she beat up others like a thug in front of thousands of people―very unladylike! What upset them the most was that she filed lawsuits against the girls she beat up, earning so much attention that her face and name were plastered all over the news. How embarrassing!
While his assistant was busy on the phone, Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui watched a footage of his daughter Xiulan dodging the attacks of the masked Alarm Girls. She looked stunning in her white suit. Her nimble movements were impressive. When she started fighting back and beating the girls, Yang Jiahui couldn't help but gasp.
"Was Xiulan that strong? How did she learn to fight like that?" she asked.
"I heard that she's training in some sort of Russian martial arts after she completed her post-coma rehab. Looks like it's effective." He nodded.
The next footage showed her kicking off her high-heeled shoe and accurately hitting the other girl unconscious. Long Tengfei laughed aloud, slapping his thighs in his excitement. "That's my daughter!" His voice was filled with pride.
Yang Jiahui smiled. "Indeed, she is."
Finally, Cao Guang was done with the phone calls.
"Cao Guang, find out all the details about what happened to Xiulan today. Yi Mei already stopped giving me regular updates ever since Xiulan became financially independent, so I have no idea what's happening to her anymore. It seems that she totally won over the old housekeeper's loyalty. Also contact her lawyer and tell him to put all his firm's resources into her lawsuit. Tell him he can use my name if he needs to."
"Right away, President."
"Also call Qiao Yu and ask him whether Xiulan can afford the fees. That lawyer is expensive. I know that Xiulan wants to be completely independent, but she's just had her comeback. I doubt that she has earned that much yet, especially now that she refused to receive allowance from me. Just tell Qiao Yu that I'll cover the fees and no need to tell my daughter."
"Understood, President."
Long Tengfei sipped his tea. "Hmph! These little girls dare attack my, Long Tengfei's, daughter? Serves them right that Xiulan beat them up. That's my daughter!"
His delighted laugh echoed through the ancient walls.
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Footnotes:
[1] Also known as "Dragon Well tea". It has a gentle and sweet taste. Interestingly, the tea leaves can be eaten after infusion. Its top varieties can be expensive.
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