Chapter 431 - Ketchup
"..."
Iris felt nervous, as she looked at the unmoving Jin Liwei beside her. After all, Ketchup was the reason why she didn't come out of the computer room for fifteen long hours and made him very worried about her.
Jin Liwei stared at the white cat on the computer monitor who was calling him daddy. He wasn't saying anything. Iris gripped his arm and shook it a little, trying to elicit even just a tiny bit of reaction from him, but he remained frozen.
She didn't notice nor care about the dumbfounded reactions of the other two people in the room with them. All she cared about was her darling's verdict on Ketchup. Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Jin Liwei's two tech people felt like they were suddenly thrown face-to-face with aliens. Their eyes popped out and their jaws fell down.
They had thought that Jin Corporation was already hi-tech compared to its competitors in the country, but they couldn't believe this place! Everywhere they looked contained drool-worthy high-tech devices. There were even some unknown equipment that they didn't know the purpose of.They always prided themselves as "experts" in the technology industry but being in this room made them feel like total noobs again.
It felt like they were transported to the future. Were they even still on Earth? Maybe they got sucked inside an alien spaceship or something without their knowledge.
And what the hell was that talking cat?! Sure, it looked super cute and fluffy but it was also super creepy. It was talking like a child and calling the President its daddy!!! If someone ever dared call that normal, then they were probably not living on Earth like the rest of humankind.
It was a good thing that the two tech people had no heart problems or else they would have already croaked to their deaths by now due to the consecutive shocks they kept on receiving since entering this place.
"Meow~ Mommy, why is Daddy not saying anything?" Ketchup asked. "Does he not like Ketchup? Does Daddy hate me?"
Iris also wanted to know. When Jin Liwei still didn't respond, she became dispirited.
"Maybe he doesn't want another cat. Maybe I should've made you into a puppy or a goldfish instead," she mumbled.
"Meow?! But Ketchup likes being a kitty," the white cat whined. "Since Daddy hates me, Ketchup will now self-destruct. Beginning self-destruct sequence in 10...9...8...7..."
Iris now looked very upset. However, she didn't stop Ketchup.
"What are you doing?! Stop! Stop it!" Jin Liwei roared. "Ketchup, listen to your daddy!"
Finally, a reaction from him.
"—4...3...meow? Aborting self-destruct sequence...
"Aborted! Meow~"
Jin Liwei heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at the white cat again. It now had its tail straight up, quivering in excitement. Its glowing green eyes stared straight at him and blinked slowly. It looked happy that it didn't have to self-destruct. Its expression looked very real that it reminded Jin Liwei of both Ice Cream and Popcorn.
He turned to Iris beside him. His expression silently asked her to explain what was going on.
"Darling...this is Ketchup," Iris introduced him to the white cat on the computer screen. "She's the successful form of the AI that I've been working on for quite some time now—years, actually. I've always wanted to develop my own AI that is uniquely mine, but I was never satisfied with my earlier prototypes. They were all robotic and...well, boring. Those ones weren't really that different from the other available AI created by others. I was always at a loss on how to give my AI a personality with a wide range of emotions.
"But lately, I've been progressing a lot in that area. However, no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't make any breakthrough in making the AI sound as natural as possible. That was until I had a sudden moment of inspiration after the hacking battle. Something just clicked inside my mind and everything started to make sense. So..."
Iris hugged Jin Liwei's arm and pressed her body against his side. "So I've been working on Ketchup for the entire morning. I just knew that I would be successful this time, so I didn't want to be distracted or disturbed. That's why I cut myself off from the outside world to complete her."
Jin Liwei looked at his baby girl giving him her puppy eyes again. However, he didn't reply.
"Sorry, darling. I'll make sure to contact you next time. Actually, when I completed Ketchup, I was so exhausted that I instructed her not to disturb me so that I could sleep. Maybe she intercepted your calls, that's why I didn't hear them."
"Yes, Ketchup blocked all calls and messages while Mommy was sleeping because Mommy told me not to disturb her! Ketchup is a very obedient kitty! Meow~"
Iris gave Jin Liwei a sheepish smile. Then she turned to the white cat. "Ketchup, override any of my given instructions if it's your daddy calling next time. Okay?"
"Recording new instruction...
"Noted! Meow~
"Okay, Mommy! Ketchup will prioritize Daddy's calls and messages from now on. Meow~"
Iris looked at Jin Liwei again, waiting for his verdict.
He nodded.
Relief flooded her after receiving his approval. A bright and lovely smile broke out of her face, lighting up her entire expression.
It certainly wasn't the first time Jin Liwei saw her smile, but he still couldn't stop his breath from catching at her beauty. How could a woman—his woman—be so utterly beautiful?
And it wasn't only him.
His two tech people also felt mesmerized by Iris' breathtaking smile. They became dazed once again. At this rate, there was a possibility that these two could turn into complete idiots if they kept on being dazed every few moments or so.
"Does Daddy still hate Ketchup? Meow?"
"Of course not," Jin Liwei replied. "I will never hate you because you are your mommy and daddy's child. I was just surprised that I suddenly have another child without my knowledge, that's all."
"Really? Ketchup is happy! I love you, Daddy! Meow~"
The white cat on the computer monitor started jumping around to show its happiness. It even started appearing on the other monitors, as if it was really moving around the room.
Jin Liwei already knew that his baby girl was a genius, but this was just on another level. He looked at her in amazement.
"How is this possible?" he asked her.
Iris beamed at him, feeling proud of her accomplishment. She struggled with it for so long that it felt amazing to finally have a breakthrough.
"Lots of trial and error. Ketchup is still not that powerful yet, though. She still has a lot of limitations. After all, it was only this morning that I successfully completed this form of hers. I still have many plans on how to further develop her. She's restricted to my computer room for now, while I continue developing her. I still need to test if she'll work and perform as normal if I install her to our mobile devices, maybe even to our cars and home security. My goal is for her to develop into a powerful virtual assistant who'll help us do our tasks more efficiently so that we can have more time to spend with each other."
"Hmm... I see. Sounds good," he murmured.
"Meow~ Ketchup is a self-learning kitty and will only become smarter with time and more experience! Ketchup will do her best and work hard so that Mommy and Daddy will love me more. Meow~"
A light chuckle escaped from Jin Liwei's lips. "This personality..."
"I based it from Popcorn, Ice Cream, Little Jun—"
"Oh." Jin Liwei nodded in approval.
"—and Dom."
"..."
Jin Liwei sighed.
"I figured as much," he said and sighed again.
Then he thought of something else.
"Why did you name her Ketchup? Does it have any other significant meaning? I know that most AI names are abbreviations. Is Ketchup also an abbreviation of something?" he asked.
His two tech people also wanted to know. They moved a bit closer to hear her answer. They had already somewhat recovered from their earlier daze and were now filled with awed curiosity at Iris and her cat AI. They never imagined that a celebrity like her would be so amazing like this, not to mention that she was actually their President's fiancée. The two felt like what they were experiencing today was not real and that they were just dreaming.
They couldn't wait to learn what the name "Ketchup" meant. The gears in their minds started turning, as they tried to guess what K-E-T-C-H-U-P could possibly stand for.
Their best guess was...
Kinetic Electro-Technical Computerized Hi-performance...uh...er...Pet?
Chapter 432 - Crazy Family
Was their guess close to the correct meaning of the abbreviation?
The two tech people leaned forward, excited to hear Iris' answer.
"Hmm, not really. I just felt like naming her Ketchup," she said.
The two stumbled on their own feet upon hearing her anti-climactic answer. She had created such a revolutionary AI technology, and yet she didn't take this chance to give it a majestic name? She named the AI Ketchup because...she felt like it?! Such a waste! N♡vεlB¡n: Your Escape into Infinite Tales.
They all swivelled their heads to their President and gave him a meaningful look. They hoped that at least he would encourage his fiancée to take naming such impressive technology more seriously.
However, he didn't even glance at them. All his attention was on his fiancée. It was as if he had already forgotten about his employees' presence in the room.
"I see. I thought as much," Jin Liwei said. Then he looked at the digital white cat. Ketchup was now playing with a ball of yarn. "You already named our first cats Ice Cream and Popcorn after all, so I'm not surprised that you named this next one Ketchup. Although I wonder why you chose Ketchup."
"Actually, I originally wanted to name her Mayonnaise because she's white but when I tried calling her Mayonnaise, it just sounded wrong and...well, stupid," Iris revealed. "So I changed it and decided to name her Ketchup instead. So what if she's white and I named her Ketchup? I can name her whatever I want. Besides, Ketchup sounds so much better than stupid Mayonnaise. Imagine calling her Mayonnaise. Won't you feel stupid, too?"
'And Ketchup isn't stupid?' the two tech people thought to themselves but didn't dare say out loud.
"You're right. Ketchup is an excellent name," Jin Liwei agreed with her.
"I know, right?" Iris beamed again.
'What do you mean that it's an excellent name?! President, please get a hold of yourself!' the two men almost cried seeing their boss acting like this.
Suddenly, the white cat stopped playing with the ball of yarn.
"Oh, right! I still have some tasks to do. Ketchup got distracted! Sorry. Meow~
"Resume scanning...
"Second person scanned matched the profile of... Gu Chang, Senior Database Administrator at Jin Corporation...
"Third person scanned matched the profile of... Diao Yijue, Senior Information Security Specialist at Jin Corporation...
Iris studied the basic employment information of the two men displayed on the nearest computer monitors.
"Ketchup, search through all available public and private records about Gu Chang and Diao Yijue. Copy their information and start a dossier for each of them. If there are any records that you can't access, take note of them and I'll personally hack and get those records when I have some free time," Iris instructed.
"Okay, Mommy! Meow~
"Starting search now..."
Ketchup's green eyes glowed even more brightly, as she worked on her assigned task.
In just a few seconds, various information about the two men started flooding the screens covering one wall. Their birth certificates, school records starting from pre-school to university, drivers' licences, marriage licences, traffic violation records, bank account balances—everything was being displayed for all of them to see.
Gu Chang and Diao Yijue felt like their souls just flew out of their bodies. It was like they were being stripped naked in front of their President and his crazy fiancée.
Yes, she might be a genius but she was also crazy! Who would create a creepy talking cat AI and order it to search everything about them?
When the screens started showing information from their past that they'd rather forget, the two couldn't take it anymore.
"Ah ah! Please stop! We understand! We didn't see anything here today! Right, Bro Yijue?" Gu Chang said in a panic.
"Right! In fact, I don't remember anything at all about last night and today!" Diao Yijue declared. Then he turned to the white cat on the computer monitor who was currently staring vacantly with its glowing green eyes while it focused on gathering information about them. "Ketchup—I mean, Young Miss Ketchup! Please stop searching! We beg you!"
"Negative! Ketchup only obeys Mommy and Daddy! Gu Chang...and...Diao Yijue—have no authority to give orders to Ketchup.
"Who do you think you are? Meow~
"Resuming search..."
Gu Chang and Diao Yijue turned to Iris next, begging her to order her cat AI to stop. However, she wasn't the least bit affected by their pleas. She even covered her mouth and delicately yawned.
Sensing no hope from her, they turned to their President instead. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed because he wasn't even looking at them. Like before, all of his attention was on his crazy fiancée.
It was now beginning to dawn on the two poor men that their President might even be crazier than her for acting like everything was normal. He even had a faint smile on his face, as he watched what his crazy woman and freakish digital child were doing together.
Gu Chang and Diao Yijue could only cry a river inside their hearts at their fates in the hands of this crazy family.
Wuwuwu! Poor them!
"Oh, right!" Iris suddenly exclaimed. "Where are my manners? Mr. Gu, Mr. Diao, please take a seat."
She led everyone to the centre of the room where there was a comfortable set of couches and a low table. The biggest couch had two pillows and a rumpled blanket on it. This must be where she slept. An empty reusable water bottle and an energy bar wrapper sat on top of the low table.
Jin Liwei frowned upon seeing them. He grabbed the energy bar wrapper.
"You've been in here for fifteen hours and this is the only thing you ate?" he asked her while waving the wrapper in his hand.
"Well...I was too busy so I...forgot to eat...."
"You—!" Jin Liwei was angered by her response. He crushed the wrapper in his hand and tossed it back on the low table. Then he marched the short distance to her and grabbed her hand. "That's it. We're going to the kitchen. Now! You need to eat first."
"Darling, wait! I'm okay, really. Let's finish our business with your two men first..."
It took some time but Iris was finally able to persuade Jin Liwei.
All of them sat down on the couch. Iris carelessly tossed the pillows and blanket to one corner. She and Jin Liwei sat on the big couch while the two men sat separately on the other smaller couches.
Iris began speaking.
"I think that the two of you already figured out that I was the one who assisted you during last night's hacking incident."
The two nodded.
Gu Chang hesitated at first but he still went ahead and asked, "C-could you possibly be...Drakon?"
Jin Liwei tensed and threw a deadly glare at him.
However, Iris had no qualms admitting it.
"Of course I am," she replied in a nonchalant manner.
The two men gasped at her admission. Although they already suspected it after entering this insanely futuristic room, they were still shocked upon learning the truth.
Iris Long, a young celebrity, was actually the fearsome world-class hacker Drakon?
WHAT THE HELL?!!
"I am Drakon. So you must also have realized by now what I can do to you if you ever become foolish enough to dare betray me, your President Jin Liwei, and Jin Corporation. I have exposed countless powerful figures and toppled many companies, organizations, and even governments all over the world. With that said, dealing with the two of you is extremely easy for me. Something as simple as destroying you two, I don't even have to raise a finger. I could just instruct Ketchup and she'll do it while I drink tea and have a massage."
The two men immediately shivered hearing her threat. They felt like sacrificial lambs about to be devoured by a scary evil dragon.
"W-we'll never betray you! We've always been loyal to the President and Jin Corporation! And we intend to remain that way. Please don't worry!" Gu Chang hurriedly declared.
Diao Yijue followed suit. "Yes! Miss Long...Madam—no, Master! Our venerated ancestor! The queen of all hackers, empress of the digital universe! Please be assured that we'll never ever dare betray you or the President!"
They held their breaths, awaiting her judgment.
"Hmm..." Iris tilted her head to the side, studying the two men who were literally shaking in their shoes.
She started to feel sorry for them, but she caught herself and quickly hardened her heart. This is for her and her darling's safety. She needed to do this or they would be the ones to suffer if they didn't do any of these precautions.
"Ketchup, pause your search for now," she instructed the white cat.
"Pausing search...
"Paused! Meow~
"Done, Mommy!"
Iris nodded. "Good job, Ketchup. In the meantime, place Gu Chang and Diao Yijue on our watch list. If they violate any of our agreements today, immediately put their names on our virtual black notebook."
"Okay, Mommy~"
"What's a black notebook?" Diao Yijue asked before thinking.
"Hmm... Something like my hit list," Iris replied in a nonchalant manner.
The two men's eyes widened in fright.
HIT LIST?!!!
Iris waved a dismissive hand. "If you don't plan on betraying us, then you have nothing to worry about."
"Exactly," Jin Liwei said. "Not to mention that you'll be receiving generous lifetime compensation and benefits from me as long as you listen to my wife—I mean, my future wife."
Iris blushed hearing him call her his wife.
As for the two men, their eyes lit up despite the fear at the mention of lifetime compensation and benefits.
Iris finally began talking about the reason why she called for the two of them to see her.
"I have rewritten the weakest parts of Jin Corporation's current system. It's certainly stronger than before, but it's still possible that it could get breached again, especially by hackers of Eagle's level. That's obviously not good. This is because the system's framework itself is flawed. I can't rest easy knowing this, so I plan on replacing Jin Corporation's entire system."
Jin Liwei frowned in concern. "Love, we already talked about this. It's too dangerous."
"Not if people don't know it was me who created it. Don't we have these two here? You already announced that they were the ones who defended Jin Corporation during the cyber-attack. People won't think twice if you also announce that these two developed your company's new impenetrable system."
Chapter 433 - Who Are You Calling Master?
Jin Liwei immediately understood what his baby girl's plan was. He nodded but stopped when he realized something. Then he frowned.
"Love, if these two pretend to be the system creators, then all the credit will go to them," he said.
"It's just credit, darling. I already have many under my belt," she said with a shrug, not really concerned about it. "Besides, this is for our own safety. I'll always prioritize our safety over getting recognition anytime."
Jin Liwei pulled his baby girl and hugged her. Of course, she melted into his arms and hugged him back. The shameless couple once again forgot that there were other people in the room with them.
Fortunately, Jin Liwei was too tired to do anything else. He just wanted this meeting to be over as soon as possible so that he could take his baby girl to the kitchen and make sure that she ate much-needed nutritious food. Only then would he have the peace of mind to finally sleep and rest his weary mind and body.
Iris also had similar thoughts as him. She wanted to finish this meeting quickly. His exhausted state was making her very worried.
Long story short, Gu Chang and Diao Yijue were assigned to pretend as the creators of Jin Corporation's new system which would replace the old "flawed" one (according to Iris). The new system would be virtually impenetrable by any hacker below Iris' own skill level. She was quite confident about that. In addition to this, she also made sure that it was different to Planet Monkey's system in many different ways to make it harder for people to suspect that the two systems were created by the same person.
Only a handful of hackers in the world had the ability to breach it. Iris hoped that they wouldn't take notice of Jin Corporation or its new system. She knew that whenever those old folks popped out, they always caused chaos all over the world. Well, it wasn't like she could condemn them because she was exactly like them.
Putting the thought of those old folks aside, Iris explained to Gu Chang and Diao Yijue that they needed to know everything about the new system inside and out. They needed to be believable in their claim as its creators.
"You'll need to come here regularly and learn the new system in my computer room. You can't take a copy of it home. Ketchup will track all of your movements and your learning progress even when I'm not here. You're free to make changes to the new system as you see fit, since you're more familiar than me of what kind of features Jin Corporation needs the most. But of course, I'll always be the original creator so you'll have to get my approval first for any changes you want to make. Only when I'm satisfied with the final version and when you've learned everything about the system like the back of your hand will I allow you to finally install it at Jin Corporation," Iris told them.
Diao Yijue: "Understood, Master!"
Gu Chang: "We'll do our best, Master! We won't disappoint you!"
Iris frowned and immediately shut them down.
"Who are you calling Master? I'm not interested in taking you in as my disciples. You can't even do anything against that Eagle guy and you dare dream to become my disciples? Defeat Eagle with your own abilities first. Then maybe—just maybe—I'll consider agreeing to be your master. For now, don't even think about it.
"But if you want, you can apply to become Ketchup's disciples instead. I've programmed her to have some of my hacking skills. She's definitely better than the two of you combined. And she'll only become better with time because she has a powerful self-learning function."
Gu Chang and Diao Yijue turned crimson. They knew that they were far below Drakon's level. Drakon was like a god while they were just mere ants in the hacking world. They never really expected her to accept them as disciples that easily. They were just hopeful, that was all.
But did she really have to refuse them in such a savage way? Her poison tongue was just too much for their delicate manly prides. Wuwuwu! Poor them!
And it wasn't just her barbed refusal. She also wanted her cat AI to become their master instead? They would have no face left to show their peers in the tech field if others discovered that the two of them were calling a digital white kitty as their master. What would others say? Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
"Meow? Does Gu Chang and Diao Yijue want to become Ketchup's disciples? But Ketchup is still a baby. I'm not interested in becoming your master. Ketchup prefers to play, learn new things, and make Mommy and Daddy love me even more! Meow~"
What was worse than being rejected by the great Drakon? It was being rejected by her cute but cheeky and also equally savage cat AI.
Both Gu Chang and Diao Yijue had never felt so small in their entire lives like they did now. Their status that they worked so hard to reach by climbing the ranks at Jin Corporation and all of their accomplishments until now didn't mean anything in the eyes of Drakon who was also their President's crazy woman. And apparently, the crazy couple's digital kitty baby didn't think much of them either.
Unfortunately for them, Iris had no time nor the interest in sparing their hurt feelings. The earlier the meeting finished, the sooner her darling could finally sleep. She quickly ironed out the details and drew out an agreement with Gu Chang and Diao Yijue. Ketchup recorded everything for future blackmail purposes—cough cough—for documentation and reference purposes.
While they were finalizing everything, Jin Liwei's phone started ringing. His ringtone indicated that it was a business call. He glanced at the display and directed the call to voicemail. His phone beeped—a text message. After a few seconds, it began ringing again. He rejected it. Beep, another text message. And then it rang again.
Busy with Gu Chang and Diao Yijue, Iris gestured for Jin Liwei to answer his phone. Maybe it was important, that was why the caller was so insistent.
Jin Liwei nodded and then went to a far corner of the computer room. He was very displeased at the unwelcome call and it was obvious in his colder than usual voice when he answered the call.
Back at the couches, Iris froze in the middle of speaking. She raised her hand to stop Gu Chang from opening his mouth to ask a question. With her great ears, she was able to hear a faint female voice talking to her darling on the phone.
"Ketchup."
"Meow~ Yes, Mommy?"
"Put your daddy's call on speaker."
"Okay, Mommy! Putting Daddy's call on speaker in 3...2...1—"
"President, please return to the company. I know that you're exhausted and haven't slept yet, but it's very important for us and to everyone at Jin Corporation to see our President-CEO present at such an unstable time like this. You can always sleep and shower in your office's bedroom, Big Brother Liwei—I mean, President Jin," a female voice spoke to Jin Liwei on the phone.
The voice was heard throughout the entire room.
Jin Liwei's eyes widened and looked at his baby girl upon realizing that the call was put on speakerphone. Seeing her dark and ugly expression, the corner of his mouth involuntary curved up into a faint smile.
"Oh, that sounds like Miss Young," Diao Yijue said.
Chapter 434 Self - Learning Kitty
Gu Chang nodded. "Yes, the new Chief Marketing Officer from Singapore. I heard her family is close to the Jin family, that's why the shareholders voted for her to become the next CMO."
Iris frowned. The woman was the CMO, yet she was ordering her darling around, the President-CEO? She even had the nerve to tell her darling where to sleep and shower? Who did the woman think she was? Jin Liwei's wife? That role was hers!
"Ketchup, identify the woman talking to your daddy and gather all available information about her," she instructed.
"Meow~ Okay, Mommy!
"Identifying Daddy's current caller through voice recognition...
"Voiceprint matches the profile of... Rose Young, 30 years old. New Chief Marketing Officer at Jin Corporation, transferred from Singapore branch..."
Iris studied the information flooding several of the nearest computer monitors about this Rose Young. Rose Young was born in Singapore, but she had frequent travel records to China every summer since childhood. Her mother's side of the family primarily livedin China and were good friends with the Jins.That was why when Jin Corporation opened a branch in Singapore, the Youngs were assigned to manage it.
Iris didn't care about any of these. However, one particular information caught her attention. It was that this Rose Young also enrolled in the same ivy league business school Jin Liwei attended in the U.S. Meaning, they graduated from the same university, but in different years because Jin Liwei was two years older than her.
Normally, Iris wouldn't feel bothered about this kind of seemingly trivial detail but she didn't like the way the woman was talking so familiarly to her darling. Her hands tightened into fists, as she struggled to control her own vicious green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head inside of her. N♡vεlB¡n: Unleashing Imagination, One Read at a Time.
The faint smile on Jin Liwei's face disappeared upon seeing his baby girl trying to control herself. At the beginning, he felt pleased seeing her jealous. But now he only felt pissed off at the yapping woman talking to him on the phone. Now his baby girl was in a bad mood because of her!
"Miss Young, if you don't have any other important things to say, I'll hang up now. We are fellow executives at the company, so we have each other's numbers. But don't abuse your position and start calling me whenever you feel like it. It's extremely unprofessional. This is your first warning. Do this again and you'll be blocked," he told the woman.
"But Big Brother Liwei—"
Iris' expression turned even darker.
Gu Chang and Diao Yijue shrank back on their seats and stayed as quiet as possible. The atmosphere was very scary!
"I'm not your brother," Jin Liwei interrupted Rose Young. "I'm the President and CEO of Jin Corporation. In short, I'm your boss and you're my employee. Or do you not want to work at my company anymore?"
"I... My apologies, President Jin," the woman said in a meeker voice. "It's just that it takes some time to get used to separating our work and personal relationship."
"Personal relationship? Jin Liwei, what is that woman talking about?" Iris stood up and asked her man.
"We don't have a personal relationship. Our families are friendly but the two of us are just acquaintances. Nothing more, nothing less," he assured his baby girl.
On the other end of the line, Rose Young thought that he was directly speaking to her. "J-just acquaintances... I...I see."
"I'm hanging up now, Miss Young. Don't bother me next time if it's not urgent. And only concern yourself with things that are related to your job. As a CMO, it's not your job to tell me, the President-CEO, on what to do. Do this again and I'll use my authority to fire you, even when the entire board of directors unanimously chose you for this job."
"Big Brother—I mean, President Jin! Please don't worry, I will—"
Jin Liwei didn't wait for her to finish. He already hung up the call. He didn't want to give his baby girl any reason to feel jealous.
"The board of directors unanimously chose that woman to be the CMO?" Iris asked.
"Yes," Jin Liwei replied.
"Did you also vote for her?" she asked.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because she's annoying."
Iris studied his expression. Indeed, he looked annoyed at the woman. Then she looked at the woman's career achievements in business which were displayed on the monitors. It seemed that Rose Young was a high achiever. The Singapore's branch Marketing Department reached top-notch status around the same time she became its Deputy CMO.
Since the woman was qualified for her new position at the main branch, Iris just couldn't ask Jin Liwei to fire Rose Young because she didn't like her. Besides, she hadn't even met the woman yet. Iris also didn't want her darling to be at odds with the board of directors who voted for Rose Young. Not to mention that she didn't want to interfere with how he ran his company.
'As long as she does her job well, and most importantly, keep her paws off of my man, I won't have a big problem with her,' Iris thought.
"Don't think about her anymore, love. She's no one to me," Jin Liwei told her when he returned to her side. He held her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it. "You're the only woman for me."
Her mood immediately improved.
Afterwards, Iris finished up the meeting with Gu Chang and Diao Yijue. They were scheduled to start learning about the new replacement system in a couple of days.
"Come here to the penthouse when you're off work. I'll be very busy soon, so I may not always be at home but I'll instruct the staff to let you in. Ketchup will also give you access to the computer room even when I'm not here. You can start learning the system from her," Iris told them.
"Will Ketchup work on the computer room at Dragon Palace as well?" Jin Liwei suddenly asked.
"Yes, I think so. I'll just have to perform a simple installation. Why do you ask, darling?"
"Because we'll be moving back there as soon as we're both rested," he told her. Then he turned to his two tech people. "Don't bother coming here. Head straight to Dragon Palace instead."
"Yes, President!"
"Understood, President!"
Iris tilted her head to the side. Maybe he was missing the mansion, so he wanted them to return sooner than what they had planned. She didn't really mind, though. They only decided to prolong their stay here because of Wei Lan's arrival. Nevertheless, Iris would sorely miss seeing Little Jun everyday if they returned to the mansion.
Seeing the slight reluctance in his baby girl's expression, Jin Liwei leaned forward and whispered to her ear.
"Fifth Brother will be returning soon."
And just like what he expected, her eyes lit up and even sparkled.
"Really?"
"En."
She gripped his arm in excitement. "When?"
"Hmm... I don't know. He didn't say. But soon."
Iris' mood now turned for the better. She couldn't wait to see her brother again. It had been so long since they saw each other in person. The last time was during the Spring Festival.
The group was about to leave the computer room when Iris remembered something.
"Ketchup."
"Meow~ Yes, Mommy?"
Then she began speaking in Russian. "Put the woman who called your daddy earlier on our watch list."
The white cat swished her tail and automatically replied in Russian as well.
"Processing new instruction...
"Noted! Meow~
"Done, Mommy!"
Ketchup swished her fluffy tail again. Her green eyes glowed in an almost evil manner.
"Why don't we just directly put her on our virtual black notebook, Mommy? Meow~"
"What are you talking about?" Jin Liwei asked the two of them. He knew that it must be something that they didn't want him to hear about, but he still couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm... We're talking about the best way to protect our territory and how to deal with potential trespassers," Iris replied.
Jin Liwei was confused but decided not to ask any further. If his baby girl wanted him to know, she would tell him herself. Besides, he was too exhausted to think too much about it.
Iris spoke in Russian again. "Ketchup, watch list for now. I'll be the one to decide whether to put her on our virtual black notebook."
"Noted! Okay, Mommy~ Ketchup has started monitoring the woman who called daddy earlier. Meow~"
Indeed, she was a smart, self-learning kitty. Noticing that her mommy didn't mention the woman's name, Ketchup didn't mention it either. This way, her daddy wouldn't know what they were talking about.
It was now time for Iris, Jin Liwei and the others to leave. Ketchup's expression became forlorn.
"Don't worry, Ketchup. Mommy will make it so that you can come out of the computer room soon and be with us all the time," Iris promised.
"Meow! Really, Mommy? Ketchup can't wait!"
With that, the group left the white cat alone inside the computer room. It continued to perform her Mommy's instructions faithfully, and in the process, she was also increasing her capacity through self-learning.
Even Iris had no idea how powerful Ketchup would become in the future. The wheels of fate started turning just a bit faster after the creation of this cute digital white cat.
Chapter 435 - Sweet Dreams, Darling
Learning that her brother would be returning soon filled Iris with much anticipation. It pushed any thoughts about Rose Young out of her mind. However, Iris decided to put aside her excitement about his brother's return at the moment because Jin Liwei didn't look well.
All of her attention was on her darling, so she had no time to spare for Gu Chang and Diao Yijue. She basically just left them to fend for themselves after they all left the computer room together. Fortunately, a maid took pity on the two of them and showed them the way out. Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: N♡vεlB¡n.
The two couldn't wait to leave this crazy place and go home to the safety of their own homes. They needed some time to digest all the craziness they experienced today. In addition to their shocked minds, the two also felt very exhausted just like Jin Liwei. But at least they were able to take a short nap earlier, unlike their President who didn't sleep a wink since yesterday.
Iris tried to lead Jin Liwei to their bedroom. She wanted him to sleep as soon as possible. Her heart ached seeing her darling so exhausted, especially since it was partly her fault that he wasn't able to take even just a short nap because he was too worried that she didn't come out of the computer room for fifteen hours. Her own hunger was forgotten, as she planned to take care of her darling.
Jin Liwei also felt the same way. While she tried to pull him to their bedroom, he was also trying to bring her to the kitchen. He wanted her to eat as soon as possible. His heart ached knowing that his baby girl only ate one small energy bar. His own exhaustion was momentarily forgotten, as he planned to take care of his baby girl.
When they realized that they were pulling each other in two different direction, they spoke at the same time.
"Darling, you need to sleep first."
"Love, you need to eat first."
They both fell silent, but warmth quickly flooded their hearts. The corners of their mouths curved up into smiles filled with tenderness for each other.
In the end, Jin Liwei won this round. No matter how much Iris tried persuading him to sleep, he refused to go to the bedroom without seeing her eat her first meal of the day. Iris didn't want to argue with him this time, so she allowed him to pull her to the kitchen.
After eating a light but nutritious soup-based meal as quickly as she could, the two finally headed to their bedroom. Iris pulled him into the bathroom, took off their clothes, and cleaned both of their bodies in the shower. Jin Liwei was too tired to do anything but stand there while she quickly finished up washing, drying and slathering lotion and moisturizer (Orchidia Beauty, of course) on both of them.
Afterwards, Jin Liwei could barely keep his eyes open. Iris helped him to the bed. He just dropped like a big, heavy rock on the bed and stopped moving.
"Stay with me..." he mumbled before his breathing slowed down and deepened, indicating that he already fell asleep just like that.
"I'll be here," Iris murmured.
She caressed his face and leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips. Then she lay down beside him and covered their naked bodies with the duvet. Even though she already slept earlier, she didn't mind sleeping again. So many things happened in just less than two days. Both of them needed to rest as much as they could before returning to their insanely busy work schedules.
"Sweet dreams, darling," she whispered before joining her man in the cozy cocoon of sleep.
###
Autumn finally arrived. Despite this,the weather during the day still remained warm, sweltering even. The nights, however, were already starting to feel cool and crisp.
One of the most anticipated TV dramas this fall season, "Our Love, Our Destiny", finally aired on a golden time evening slot. Fans of the original , from which the drama was based on, didn't miss the first episode. All of them were glued in front of their TV or computer screens, while live-commenting their thoughts online about the drama.
It wasn't only them. The Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans also made sure to watch the premiere of the romance drama. Even if some of them didn't care about the drama itself at all, they still watched it just to hear their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin singing together in the theme song.
Since it was the premiere night, the opening sequence was played at the very end after the first episode instead of at the beginning. This forced everyone to watch the entire episode first before they couldfinally listen to the theme song and see Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's names in the opening soundtrack credits.
After the first episode finished airing, everyone who watched it immediately started discussing online. About half of the original 's fans liked what they watched, while the other half criticized the TV drama adaptation for changing some things from the .
While these fans continued to debate, another lively online discussion was happening at the same time. The Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans couldn't contain their excitement and delight at their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin's phenomenal music collaboration. Of course, the LinRis shippers were absolutely over the moon. Many of them still continued to believe that the two belonged to each other, no matter how many times their Boss Iris denied such a claim.
The first episode premiere of "Our Love, Our Destiny" already passed, but the anticipation only increased among the Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans. It was because they were still waiting for an extremely important event later.
In about three hours at exactly midnight, Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's song "Shining Eyes" which was used as the theme song for the drama "Our Love, Our Destiny" would be officially released.primetime
Chapter 436 - A Very Special Announcemen
The Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans chattered among themselves online. Of course, the LinRis shippers continued gushing about what they called the "music collaboration of the year".
"I wish it's midnight already! Why is it taking so long? I'm already warming up my hands so that I can click lightning-fast on the download button for 'Shining Eyes'. Both Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin announced that the first 100 verified people to purchase and download the song will receive special prizes!"
"Me too! Even though I have to get up very early tomorrow for work, I'm staying up late until midnight just to buy and download the song. I'm so excited!"
"Oh, Boss Iris! Oh, Prince Lin Lin! Why did you decide to release your song at midnight?! I'm already feeling very sleepy. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep before midnight. Sob sob."
"I don't think it was Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin who decided it. I bet it was JJ—that evil ogre—who made the decision to release the song at midnight. We already know that man is a sadist!"
Of course, CaptainBlackStar and LittlePhoenix also joined in the discussions. They hyped their fellow Black Stars and encouraged them to help boost the streaming views once the song was released. Even MrsLovePhantom and her three friends JJNumber1Fan, JJNumber2Fan and JJNumber3Fan were online and showed their support.
An hour before midnight, both Monkeyface and iEatSlippers surprisingly came online as well and joined their fellow Black Star members after a long time of absence. Their status within the Black Stars fandom had risen after they appeared on TV and was introduced as the CEO and CFO of Planet Monkey. They were treated like celebrities, especially among the hardcore gamers. These gamers almost worshipped the two of them for creating such an awesome game, "Supreme Ascension", which was still continuing to gain popularity in the gaming community.
iEatSlippers: "I know that I'm amazing but forget that I Am Slipperlord for tonight. Right now, I'm just your bro iEatSlippers supporting our Boss Iris with my mighty slippers!"
Similarly, Jin Chonglin's army of fans didn't lose to the Black Stars in terms of supporting their Prince Lin Lin. In fact, they were certainly more experienced than the Black Stars in mobilizing their troops. They even organized slumber parties, just so they could all wait together for the midnight release of the song as a group.
Midnight.
As soon as the clock turned 12 o'clock, all of these people clicked so fast on the download button, hoping to be among the first 100 people to purchase it. Not even a second passed since the song was officially released, but the first 100 people were already exclaiming in triumph while the 101th person cursed her bad luck.
Just a few minutes later, the 100 people received e-mails informing them about the prizes they won. They received a special invitation to attend Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's exclusive meet-and-greet buffet dinner where they could interact with the two celebrities together in a "relaxed and casual" setting. They would also receive a lot of freebies personally signed by their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin. But most importantly, the two would serenade them with "Shining Eyes" and other songs.
Once the details of the prizes were known, the others couldn't help but feel envious of the 100 people. As for the lucky winners, they couldn't contain their excitement. They bragged and boasted. With the way they were reacting, it was as if they won the lottery for 100 million instead of a dinner invitation.
However, these reactions about the prizes only lasted for about a minute or two. Everyone quickly became engrossed in listening to the full song.
Within just an hour, "Shining Eyes" by Iris Long and Jin Chonglin quickly became the daily top trending and the #1 single with the most streams. And within 24 hours after its official release, it became the daily best-selling single in all the major online music stores and streaming services.
The Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans celebrated their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin's triumph, especially after their song debuted at the #1 spot in the music charts. N♡vεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.
Then it was announced that the two would be performing "Shining Eyes" live for the first time at "MusicFest Tonight" this coming Friday.
The other artists who were also scheduled to perform in the same episode were already starting to surrender themselves to the inevitability that they would be completely outshined by Iris Long and Jin Chonglin. Just either Iris Long or Jin Chonglin alone was already enough to overshadow most of these artists, but now the two would be performing together?
This upcoming episode should be called as "Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's MusicFest Tonight" instead because everyone was sure that the entire audience would be filled by their fans. There would probably be no room for the other artists' supporters.
But just as these other artists were thinking of ways to make their performances catchier and more memorable so that they would at least be remembered even just a little, Jin Chonglin posted something very intriguing on his blog.
JinChonglin: "Don't forget to watch this coming Friday's episode of 'MusicFest Tonight'! Junior Iris and I are both very excited to perform our new single together, 'Shining Eyes', for the first time ever on live TV. Make sure to mark your calendars and set your alarms, so you won't miss it! You have to watch until the end because Junior Iris and I have a very special announcement to make. See you on Friday!"
His "Junior Iris" immediately re-posted it and commented.
IrisLong: "We've kept this a secret for quite some time, just so we can surprise all of our beloved fans. Now we're ready to reveal it and make the announcement. We hope that you'll be as excited as we are."
Their fans immediately started speculating about what could possibly be their "very special announcement".
"What is it?! @IrisLong and @JinChonglin, please tell us!! We need to know NOW!!!"
But then the LinRis shippers took over.
"OMG!!! Is this the long-awaited engagement announcement? Will they finally admit to everyone that they're engaged?!"
"Kyaaaah! I knew it! Boss Iris was just playing coy when she repeatedly denied their engagement in the past. Now they're finally willing to reveal their undying love for each other! #LinRisForever"
"I told you so! I just knew it deep inside that Boss Iris wrote this love song 'Shining Eyes' as a love letter to her beloved Prince Lin Lin! They will perform it live for the first time this Friday. I'm sure they know that they won't be able to hide their passionate feelings for each other while performing so they're going to reveal the truth afterwards. Don't you think I'm right?"
"I agree with you! #CountdownToTheBigReveal #WeHeartLinRis"
Then something completely unexpected and shocking happened.
A verified account commented on Jin Chonglin's post. It had no profile photo, zero posts, following zero users, but still had over 5 million followers. The account had been created a few years ago but remained inactive...until now.
It was Jin Liwei, President-CEO of Jin Corporation and elder brother of Jin Chonglin.
Chapter 437 Star - Crossed Lovers
Jin Liwei's comment was a simple animated sticker showing a cartoon of an angry white cat cracking its whip.
The netizens were taken aback. Such a cute kitty sticker... Was this something the cold and intimidating CEO Jin would comment publicly? Not to mention that it was the first post on his account ever! It was completely out of character. It was like seeing a big and mighty lion suddenly meowing like an adorable harmless kitty. They were unsure how to react.
"Uhm... I don't think it's CEO Jin. Wasn't Jin Corporation hacked during the end of summer? Maybe the hacker decided to hack CEO Jin's personal account this time."
"I think so, too. I don't believe CEO Jin will post something as cute as this. Besides, he's probably too busy running his business empire to waste his time posting on social media."
"CEO @Jin Liwei, is that really you?"
Surprisingly, Jin Liwei directly replied to this user.
JinLiwei: "Yes, it's me."
A moment of silence before the netizens started freaking out.
"OMG! Is this for real?! Kyaaaah! CEO Jin replied to me! I took a screenshot! CEO @JinLiwei, I love you so much! You're so handsome! Actually, I think that you're more handsome, cooler and manlier than your brother @JinChonglin! I'm your fan!"
"Stupid. So what if he says that it's him? That doesn't prove anything. If I was the hacker, of course I would also say that I'm CEO Jin Liwei if I was using his account. I bet that there will be an announcement later saying that CEO Jin's account got hacked. Don't get your hopes up."
The bizarre situation got juicier but also more confusing when Jin Chonglin replied to his brother's comment.
JinChonglin: "Big Bro @JinLiwei, you already know about our announcement. You even gave us your blessing. Besides, it was your idea in the first place. Stop pretending to be angry about it. It's too late."
Then Jin Liwei's account replied to Jin Chonglin with another sticker. It was another animated cartoon of an angry white cat, but this time, it was slamming a door close presumably on his younger brother's face.
Jin Chonglin also replied with a sticker. It showed a dog sulking with its head down in front of a wall.
Everyone couldn't believe the brothers' super cute interaction. Was this for real? Maybe both of their accounts got hacked? N♡vεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.
Jin Liwei's cute comments might be unbelievable, but Jin Chonglin's weren't that unusual. He frequently interacted with his fans online, so they could sense if it was really him behind his account. And they could sense that he was the one currently interacting with his older brother's account right now.
"OMG!!! What on earth is happening?!! Don't tell me it's really CEO Jin posting all those cute angry kitty stickers?!!! I'm shook!!!
"Looks like it. If it wasn't CEO Jin, I don't think Prince Lin Lin would reply so familiarly like that. And it really feels like the bantering between brothers. Holy smokes! Even if it was really CEO Jin, my brain just refuses to process that it was him. I can't connect those cute kitty stickers with his cold and scary image!"
"Same here. But let's take a step back for a moment and focus on why he's using those angry cat stickers. It looks like he's not pleased that Jin Chonglin will be making an announcement with Iris Long."
"Now that you mention it, you're right! Maybe CEO Jin and the entire Jin family don't approve of Jin Chonglin's relationship with Iris Long."
"But Prince Lin Lin just said that CEO Jin already knows about the announcement. He said that he even gave them his blessing, and also that it was his idea in the first place. Why is CEO Jin complaining now?"
"Maybe CEO Jin only barely approved of their relationship because the two begged him to accept it. He may have approved it, but it doesn't mean that he's happy with it."
This speculation made the LinRis shippers very unhappy with Jin Liwei.
"Go away, Jin Liwei! I don't care if you're the CEO of Jin Corporation or whatever! Don't try separating our Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin or we'll...we'll...we'll call you ugly, you (gorgeous) poopoo-head!"
"Ah, my heart bleeds for Prince Lin Lin and Boss Iris. They're just like the star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet! Others are trying to come between them!"
"I swear I'll protest in front of Jin Corporation's main headquarters if CEO Jin doesn't approve of our Boss Iris for Prince Lin Lin!"
"Count me in!"
The LinRis shippers were now treating Jin Liwei as if he was the biggest villain in the path of their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin's path to a lifetime of marital happiness. They were encouraged when Jin Chonglin began liking their posts against Jin Liwei.
Jin Chonglin then posted another sticker. This time, it was of an animated dog pointing one of its paws while laughing uproariously.
###
Jin Corporation.
Xu Tian knocked on the door twice before opening it and entering. He found his boss, Jin Liwei, working on his computer behind his massive desk.
Jin Liwei only gave a quick glance and a nod at his assistant before continuing to type away.
"President, here are some documents that need your attention," Xu Tian told him upon arriving in fron of his desk. "The first pile needs to be signed today while the others aren't as urgent."
"Leave them on the desk."
"Yes, President."
Xu Tian did as he was told. He was about to walk out of the office to make some refreshing tea for his boss when an adorable child's voice suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me, Daddy. Sorry to bother you, but are you busy? Meow~"
"Yes, I am. Why?" Jin Liwei replied while continuing to work on his computer.
"Oh, okay. Mommy was just asking if you're busy because she wants to talk to you. Ketchup will just tell her that Daddy can't talk right now because you're busy. Meow~"
Jin Liwei immediately paused what he was doing.
"I always have time for your mom. She can always talk to me. Tell her to call me—no, let's call her instead."
Chapter 438 - Naughty Conversation
"Meow? It's okay, Daddy. Mommy says not disturb you when you're working. She says she can wait until you're finished. Meow~"
"Call your mom now, Ketchup," Jin Liwei insisted.
"Meow~ Okay, Daddy!
"Calling Mommy now..."
Ring ring ri—
"Hello, darling?" Iris' lovely voice answered the call.
Ketchup set the call on speakerphone.
"Hi, love." Jin Liwei's expression immediately became gentle.
Xu Tian watched all of these with dazed eyes. It had been a couple of weeks now since his boss, the President, started using the cat AI named Ketchup. It seemed like it was installed in all of his boss' electronic devices—his phone, computers, tablets and even in all of his vehicles.
The first time he heard the child's voice, he thought that his boss and Miss Long couldn't wait to make their own baby, so they just went ahead and adopted a child old enough to speak in full sentences. The child must be so needy to constantly keep on calling her "daddy" on the phone many times throughout the day. Although Xu Tian thought it weird that the child was called Ketchup (hey, maybe it was just a nickname) and that she kept on meowing (a lot of kids were weird nowadays), he still really thought that the couple just adopted or maybe were fostering a child to practice their parenting skills.
After a few interactions, however, Xu Tian began to suspect that something else was going on. His boss began giving instructions to the child as if she was also his assistant. What was even more amazing was that the child immediately performed all those instructions.
One day, they were inside the car travelling to a business appointment when Xu Tian couldn't take it anymore. He asked his boss directly, "President, who is that child talking to you?"
"Hm? Oh, she's Ketchup, my third kid. She's Ice Cream and Popcorn's sibling."
Xu Tian only became confused. Then his heart almost jumped out of his chest in fright when a white cat suddenly appeared on the car's built-in dashboard monitor and started talking to him.
"Meow~ Hello, Xu Tian! You're Daddy's assistant. My name is Ketchup. I'm Mommy and Daddy's third kitty baby! Meow~" This essence is securely nested within the heart of Nøv€lß¡n★
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! A talking cat! A TALKING CAAAAAAAAAT!!!"
"Mreow!!!" The white cat on the monitor raised its hackles and hissed at Xu Tian.
"Xu Tian, stop screaming!" Jin Liwei rebuked him.
Xu Tian immediately shut up, but he pointed a shaking finger at the white cat. His eyes were wide with terror.
Amidst all of these, the driver beside Xu Tian continued driving like usual. The driver was already aware of Ketchup's existence, so he didn't look shocked when the white cat appeared on the dashboard monitor.
Jin Liwei sighed. "Calm down, Xu Tian. Ketchup is an AI in the form of a virtual cat."
"Oh. I thought that it was actually a talking cat on video call. Almost gave me a heart attack," Xu Tian sighed in relief while patting his chest. Then he examined the white cat now glaring at him from the monitor. "This is amazing, President. She looks so real."
"Meow... Daddy, I don't like this Xu Tian. He screamed at Ketchup like I'm a monster," the white cat whined at Jin Liwei. "Throw him away, Daddy. I can be your sole assistant instead. I know I can do his tasks much better than him. You don't need him anymore, Daddy. Ketchup is so much better. Even Mommy praises Ketchup for learning quickly. Meow~"
Xu Tian felt completely taken aback that a virtual cat was encouraging his boss to fire him.
"Be good, Ketchup. Xu Tian is your dad's long-time and loyal assistant. He's like your mom's Dominic. What do you think your mom will do if you tell her to fire your Uncle Dom?" Jin Liwei told the cat.
"Oh... Mommy will be very upset. Uncle Dom is very important to her. She'll probably scold Ketchup for being a bad kitty. Meow... Sorry, Daddy. Ketchup won't do it again. I still don't like Xu Tian, though. Meow~"
Back to the present, Xu Tian still couldn't get used to his boss' cat AI, even though it had been two weeks already since he learned about its existence. Ketchup sounded too human that Xu Tian would sometimes forget that his boss was interacting with an artificial intelligence. It was actually creepy, especially since his boss and Miss Long were treating it like their own kid alongside their real cats.
Xu Tian didn't know that it was Iris who developed this amazing hyper-realistic cat AI. He thought that perhaps his boss bought it from a genius developer somewhere for his personal use. At least, it didn't look like his boss was preparing it to be released commercially by Jin Corporation.
It took Iris quite some time but she was finally able to optimize Ketchup and made her fit for installation into their electronic devices without taking up too much storage space and data. She encouraged Jin Liwei to regularly interact with her in order to aid her self-learning function.
Xu Tian sighed at the ridiculous situation of the couple and their new virtual cat. He headed out of the door instead to prepare refreshing tea for his boss.
As for Jin Liwei, he chatted with his baby girl on the phone.
"Darling, did you really ask Ketchup to comment on Brother Chonglin's post earlier?"
"En."
"See, Mommy? I told you Ketchup wasn't being a bad kitty and posted using Daddy's account without his knowledge. Daddy asked me to do it so I did! Ketchup is an obedient kitty. Right, Daddy? Meow~"
"En. Very obedient," Jin Liwei agreed.
Ketchup giggled and began purring. A small window on Jin Liwei's computer monitor showed her tail quivering in happiness.
"But darling, do you know what Ketchup posted?"
"I do. She found the most appropriate stickers to convey what I wanted to say without using any words. I think she did a great job."
"Ehehehe. Meow~"
"Oh, I see. That's fine, then." Iris released a faint chuckle. "You don't usually use those stickers, so I thought that maybe Ketchup was playing around with your account without your permission. People also think that those cute stickers don't match your 'cold and intimidating' image at all."
"I don't care what they say. They don't know me at all," he said.
"Right. Nobody knows except me that the real Jin Liwei is actually a kind and passionate lover—and a pervert, too."
"Hm? But you love that I'm a pervert."
Iris giggled.
The couple started teasing each other.
Interestingly enough, Ketchup's image on the computer monitor suddenly showed her ears stuffed with cotton balls to "prevent" her from listening in to her parents' naughty conversation. It seemed that Iris triggered the command.
After a lovey-dovey talk, the couple moved on to another topic. Ketchup began playing with a ball of yarn. It seemed that Iris had now removed the cotton balls from her ears.
"Darling, have you cleared your schedule yet for our plan? The end of the month is coming soon, you know," Iris reminded Jin Liwei.
"En. Don't worry, love. Xu Tian is currently clearing my schedule and moving my appointments, so that I can attend the entire duration of the event with you. I'll follow you the day after. I'll be there," he reassured her. "There is no way I'll miss this opportunity to announce our relationship in a grand fashion. I've been waiting for this moment to finally let the whole world know that you're mine."
Chapter 439 - No Other Legs As Beautiful As Yours
Friday. Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Anticipating a larger than normal turn-out of fans, the TV broadcasting station deployed additional security to surround the building and protect the artists arriving for tonight's show. Despite this, the TV station was still taken aback by the huge number of people who came.
The big studio of "MusicFest Tonight" could only accommodate an audience of a few hundred people or so, but there were about a thousand who came today. They crowded outside the station building since early morning. Some of the more hardcore ones even camped outside last night. It was insane!
Tickets for the show had been handed out in advance, so the official audience members were already determined a few days earlier. The crowd of people outside were well aware that they wouldn't be able to watch the show inside the studio, but they still came to support their beloved artists.
Actually, about 90% of these people consisted of the Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's massive army of fans. Only a small portion of them were made up of fans supporting other artists performing that night.
Both Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's fan clubs mobilized their officers to make sure that everyone was well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble, so as not to bring shame to their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin's names. Fortunately, most of them followed their respective officers' instructions and waited patiently.
Although they knew that they wouldn't be able to watch the show tonight inside the studio, they still endured the burning sun outside since early morning just so they could have the chance to lay their eyes on their Boss Iris and Prince Lin Lin in person. The lengths of what these hardcore fans would willingly go through just for a glimpse of their most beloved celebrities were just mind-blowing.
Fortunately for these fans, both their boss and prince cared very much about them. Just like before, Iris Long and Jin Chonglin sent food and drinks to their fans. This time, however, the two were much more extravagant. They actually rented several food trucks to give free food and drinks to their fans. Iris Long and Jin Chonglin seemed to be working together because the notices plastered on the food trucks were exactly the same. The following words were written:
"Free meals for our beloved fans, from Iris Long and Jin Chonglin. Please fill up and enjoy our performance tonight. Thank you for supporting us!"
The Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans were already used to sharing with each other, especially since there were many times that they attended the same events. Now that their boss and prince had a music collaboration and were performing on the same stage together, the camaraderie between these two fandoms only increased even further.
It was like a festival once again outside the TV station building because of Iris Long and Jin Chonglin's fans. It came to a point that their festive atmosphere attracted those who came to support the other artists. These other fans joined the Black Stars and Jin Chonglin's army of fans in lining up around the food trucks. Even the security and some staff from the TV station leeched off some free food and drinks as well.
Late in the afternoon, two hours before the show would start, the official audience members began being admitted inside. The fans who didn't have tickets were envious of them, but they couldn't do anything because the security was tighter this time.
The good news was that Director He once again sent several big-screen televisions outside so that the fans who couldn't come inside the studio could still watch the show live. He even arranged for some cameramen to capture the large audience outside, wanting to show the additional crowd on live TV.
About an hour before the show, the artists finally started arriving. They were very excited seeing such a massive crowd of people outside, but when they stepped out of their vehicles, they quickly discovered that the fans weren't there for them. It was a bit awkward walking through this sea of fans who didn't give much reaction to their appearance.
Finally, two large executive vans arrived almost at the same time. The security allowed them to drive closer to the main entrance compared to the other celebrities' vehicles earlier.
The door of the first van opened. Jin Chonglin stepped out looking fresh, handsome and charming as always.
As soon as he appeared, the crowd shrieked and screamed. Some even fainted then and there. Fortunately, there were first aid responders deployed alongside the security. These people were quickly removed from the overexcited crowd and revived. The fans' noise was so loud that it could be heard by people several blocks away.
"Prince Lin Lin! We love you so much! Please do your best on your performance tonight with Iris Long! We'll be cheering for you from out here!"
"Please tell us about the announcement now, Prince Lin Lin! We can't wait any longer! The suspense is killing us!"
Jin Chonglin flashed them his killer smile. More fans fainted.
"Please be patient until the end of the show. Junior Iris and I will make the announcement together," he told them.
At that very moment, the door of the second van opened.
Everyone turned their heads, including Jin Chonglin, to see who it was.
When a beautiful, smooth, and shapely leg stepped out in a red velvet high heeled shoe, the Black Stars immediately started screaming and shrieking as well. It was just a leg, but they already recognized their boss.
"Kyaaaaaah! It's Boss Iris! She's finally here!"
"There are no other legs as beautiful as yours, Boss Iris! I love you so much!"
Iris waved at her adoring fans, as she climbed out of the van. Dom, Tang Yiyi and her bodyguards immediately formed a protective encirclement around her.
Now that she was becoming more famous, there were increasing instances when fans became too excited and wild that they tried to grab and even tackle her. Nobody succeeded so far, but all of these made Jin Liwei and Tang Yiyi extremely concerned for her safety. They persuaded her to take her physical security more seriously.
Chapter 440 - Misunderstanding
Both Jin Liwei and Tang Yiyi managed to persuade Iris.
As a result, Iris had recently become more open to having a bigger team of bodyguards. But only if they didn't follow her around all the time. She still felt uncomfortable and suffocated whenever more than a couple of bodyguards followed her. She only allowed a bigger team of bodyguards when she had to attend crowded events like this.
She took a few moments to interact with her fans, the Black Stars. She even recognized many familiar faces among them.
Jin Chonglin walked towards her. The crowd automatically parted, giving way to him as he made his way to his "other half" (according to the LinRis shippers). Once the two were standing beside each other, the crowd's volume became even louder. The surrounding people could feel the vibrations from their screams and shrieks.
"Kyaaaaaah! My prince and boss are standing so close together!"
"Prince Lin Lin, Boss Iris! You look great and so perfect together!! Your babies are going to be so CUUUUUTE!!!"
"I can't wait for the big reveal later! I hope that the wedding date would also be announced!"
Iris tilted her head to the side. She opened her mouth and was about to correct the LinRis shippers' misunderstanding when Jin Chonglin leaned forward and whispered directly to her ear.
"Leave it. Let them misunderstand for now. This is also a publicity technique to heighten everyone's anticipation for our announcement later. It's not our fault that they misunderstood us anyway. You still have a lot to learn when it comes to navigating the world of showbiz and taking advantage of situations like this, Sister Xiulan."
She covered her ear to prevent him from getting any closer. Her body subconsciously rejected his close proximity. It only allowed Jin Liwei the privilege of having this kind of intimate contact with her (and also her big brother to a certain extent).
However, when the fans saw this scene, their imaginations quickly ran wild. The background behind their Prince Lin Lin and Boss Iris suddenly became filled with sparkles, floating hearts, and blooming roses in their vision. They believed that the couple couldn't stop themselves from acting lovey-dovey!
"Kyaaaaaah! What did Prince Lin Lin whisper to Boss Iris? Look at her covering her ear! She looks like she's blushing. Whatever he whispered to her must have made her super shy! I bet it's something naughty! Ah, I wish I have super hearing!"
A few people re-enacted the scene on the spot. A woman pretended to be Jin Chonglin. She grabbed her best friend beside her who was also pretending to be Iris. She placed her mouth near her best friend's ear and "whispered" in a loud voice.
"My dear honey bunny milky pie, I can't wait until we're done performing tonight so that I can have my wicked way with you~ You look so sexy today that I don't think I can hold myself back anymore. I want to kiss you and proclaim my love for you in front of all these people, but we have to wait until after our performance to announce our burning love for each other!"
"Aaaaaaahn~ My sweetie cakes gummy bear, don't whisper so close to my ear...it tickles! I'm so shy~"
The other fans squealed after watching this "realistic" re-enactment.
Dom laughed out loud while Tang Yiyi's mouth twitched.
Jin Chonglin also chuckled. He looked very amused at their fans' antics.
As for Iris, she was unhappy. However, she didn't let it show on her expression. She maintained a semi-smile in front of her fans, something that came naturally to her now after Tang Yiyi drilled it to her so many times before.
There was only one man in the world who she wanted to kiss and proclaim her love to in front of people, and it wasn't the man standing beside her right now. It was his older brother, Jin Liwei. She wanted to correct these people but forced herself to be patient. She and her darling already planned things out. They would reveal the truth of their relationship together in a much grander event than this.
Finally, Iris and Jin Chonglin's groups gradually made their way together through the sea of fans and entered the TV station building. They were treated like VIPs by the staff and escorted to their own dressing rooms which were the largest ones available.
Even Iris was a little surprised by the grand reception the staff was giving her. She knew that it was because she would be performing with Jin Chonglin, a superstar. All of these was because of his star power, not hers.
She personally didn't care that much about receiving VIP treatment like this. All she cared about was giving her best performance to the audience and enjoying herself in the process. As long as she knew that her music was touching other people one way or another, she would already feel satisfied inside. That was her source of happiness in pursuing her passion—music.
However, she knew that her manager Tang Yiyi cared very much about her receiving special treatment like this. In showbiz, better treatment often meant better status. Iris only smiled, as she watched Tang Yiyi's proud expression at the VIP treatment, even though they all knew it was because of Jin Chonglin.
Tang Yiyi wanted to make her into a superstar. A superstar who was even bigger than Jin Chonglin someday.
'That's not a bad goal,' Iris thought to herself.
Iris and her group entered their dressing room first. Her new female bodyguard followed them inside while the other bodyguards positioned themselves outside the door to guard.
Surprisingly, Jin Chonglin didn't immediately head to his own dressing room. He moved to follow Iris to her dressing room instead.
His manager, Lin Dong, quickly looked around with a paranoid expression on his face. Fortunately, the show's staff already left to give them some privacy and also because they felt intimidated by Iris' bodyguards. Jin Chonglin also has his own bodyguards, but they didn't look as scary as Iris'.
Lin Dong grabbed Jin Chonglin's arm and tried to stop him from entering Iris' dressing room.
"What are you doing? You've seen outside how your fans have been misunderstanding your relationship with Iris. And now you want to enter her dressing room? Are you insane? Let's go to your own dressing room. You have your own. Do you want people thinking that she's allowing you to watch her dress?"