Chapter 561 - A Person's Worth
Two weeks later, the Iris Long fever continued raging at Jin Corporation. The company wasn't an isolated case. It had spread to other parts of the country, especially in busy cities, towns and villages—places that had more access to the media.
Then Orchidia Beauty announced a restocking of all its inventories, fuelling this so-called "Iris Long fever" even further. The company increased the number of units available for purchase and removed the product limitations per person.
Since its memorable grand launch, Orchidia Beauty had become the "in" skincare brand throughout the country. Many famous beauty influencers, celebrities, socialites and even regular people raved about it. The ones who successfully bought products during the launch showed off their "hauls" online. These haul videos and blogs trended, encouraging more people to jump into the bandwagon as well. N♡vεlB¡n: Your Escape into Infinite Tales.
Everyone was reviewing it. Everyone was using it.
That was what it seemed like based on its current online popularity.
As the Owner, President and CEO, Iris Long's name was closely associated to Orchidia Beauty. On one hand, her celebrity status was an automatic endorsement for her own company. On the other hand, the rising popularity of her company was also helping increase her own fame. It was a win-win situation for both her and her company.
Bright Summit decided to revamp her image into a savvy celebrity businesswoman as a result of this. In these two weeks alone, she had now posed for various business magazines and guested on business-centric programs.
This move was met with quite a few resistance from those who were still feeling skeptical about her business abilities. These skeptics thought that she was just a puppet leader, believing that Chen Fei and Long Jinjing were the real leaders who ran Orchidia Beauty. After all, they were the ones who had business degrees.
At the moment, Iris Long was on her way to a guesting for an afternoon business news program on cable TV. She rode in her executive van with Dom and Tang Yiyi. The sky was overcast and chilly, somewhat making it a depressing day to everyone. To Iris, however, it was an exciting day.
Clover was currently reporting to her on the phone.
"Boss—I mean President Long, we have been contacted again by a few interested investors asking if we're going to make Orchidia Beauty public and start selling shares," Clover told her.
"How many asked this time?" Iris asked with a faint smile, as she looked at the gloomy traffic outside.
"Three this morning," Clover replied. "COO Chen expects that there will be more this afternoon."
"Hmmm. In total, how many interested investors have asked us?"
"After the grand launch two weeks ago, we received a total of...uh...195, no, 198 inquiries about it."
"I see."
Iris and Clover discussed a few matters before hanging up. After the phone call, she closed her eyes and rested on her seat while Tang Yiyi and Dom busied themselves organizing her work schedule.
The day after the grand launch two weeks ago, Orchidia Beauty was immediately contacted by investors who were interested in buying shares of the company. Iris declined the offers because she wanted to keep Orchidia Beauty a 100% private company. She was the official owner and held 90% majority shares while Alric Bauer held 10% minority shares.
Even though she was adamant in declining the offers, they kept on coming almost every day. She wasn't annoyed. On the contrary, she was pleased and excited at this development. This was a good sign. It meant that there were many established investors who saw the potential in her company. Nevertheless, she wasn't the least bit tempted of making Orchidia Beauty a public company no matter how many offers she received. For now at least. She had a better plan for both Orchidia Beauty and Planet Monkey in mind.
Later, they finally arrived at a small TV broadcasting station. They were welcomed and led to a dressing room where the program director personally greeted them.
The news anchor was currently still doing the regular business news. After waiting for almost half an hour, Iris was finally called for her interview.
A few minutes into the interview, it was clear that the news anchor was trying to trip Iris up, wanting her to make a fool of herself. Dom was enraged while Tang Yiyi was dismayed. However, they couldn't do anything right now because the show was being broadcast live on cable TV. Tang Yiyi was already planning on lodging a complaint about this.
If the others noticed it, of course Iris did as well. Despite the repeated veiled provocations from the news anchor, asking her difficult questions and using business terminologies, Iris answered smoothly and almost perfectly. She maintained her calm, making the news anchor feel like he was punching cotton.
Grudgingly, the news anchor admitted to himself that Iris Long had some business knowledge and knew how to answer all the technical questions he threw at her.
'Maybe she studied a bit before coming for this interview,' he thought.
However, he didn't want to give up just yet. He felt peeved when he was informed that he would be interviewing Iris Long.
'I'm a serious business news anchor. Why must I interview a singer? So what if her company has become popular? It's not like she's the one running it!'
These thoughts prompted him to make it hard for Iris Long during the interview. He wanted to embarrass her and show the viewers that she didn't deserve the respect reserved for serious business leaders. However, he was unable to trip her up in this interview no matter how hard he tried. She had perfect answers to all of his questions, making him the one to feel embarrassed instead. The director was already making signs at him, warning him to stop what he was doing. Knowing that he was already in trouble with the director, the news anchor resented Iris Long. Since he couldn't trip her up with his prepared questions, he attacked what he thought to be her most vulnerable point as a "wannabe" businesswoman.
"You didn't go to university," he said.
It wasn't a question but a statement. There was a look of challenge in his eyes, as if he had just thrown the ace in his sleeve which guaranteed his victory in this battle of wits that he instigated between them.
Iris' eyes narrowed while her overall expression remained pleasant yet distant. "And your point is?"
"You're now a CEO of your own company," he said, putting emphasis on the word 'CEO'. It was obvious in his tone that he didn't think she deserved the title. "You also claim to have built Orchidia Beauty from the ground up with your own abilities. Don't you think that your claim and position would be so much more believable if you attended university and have a diploma to prove it?"
Iris looked straight into his eyes, silently telling him that she wasn't the least bit intimidated by his provocation. Then she looked straight at the camera to do the same with the viewers watching the business news program.
"A diploma is indeed very important to gain the respect of others and to prove to everyone that you're educated," she said. "It's a proof of your hard work, perseverance and efforts from all the years of studying and also a gift to your family for supporting you throughout your education. A diploma is like a ticket for a stable future, but whether you'll be able to ride the train to success is still up to many factors. There are many successful business leaders in the world who don't have diplomas. Some of the wealthiest and most popular billionaires in the world are dropouts. A few of them didn't even bother enrolling in university or college. From this perspective, you can see that a diploma doesn't always equal business success. Success still depends on the person."
The news anchor opened his mouth, appearing like he was about to argue with her but Iris beat him to it, speaking more quickly than him. She didn't allow him to get even just a word in.
"I'm not saying that a diploma is worthless. My point is that it shouldn't be used as the sole measurement of a person's worth, especially if you don't look at the bigger picture and know the real circumstances of the person. In my opinion, one's achievements and current success are more accurate in gauging one's potential and worth than a diploma. Can you guarantee that everyone who earned diplomas have successful careers? Of course not. A diploma is like a ticket for a stable future, but not a guarantee."
###
Chapter 562 - Most Stupid Thing I've Heard Today
Although the news anchor felt that Iris Long made sense, he still didn't want to give up. He already started this provocation, so he might as well go all the way.
"Some people might think that you're just saying that to defend yourself because you're only a high school graduate," he said. "You came from a rich family and can afford to study at whichever school you're qualified to enroll in."
His words insinuated that it was impossible for her to enroll in the country's top universities because of her poor academic performance in high school which became widely known when her former classmates, teachers and even school principal spoke out in response to her appointment as official interpreter and translator in the recent international business conference during the summer.
"Even if you're unable to enroll in any schools in the country, you can still afford to study abroad," he continued. The next insinuation was that the requirements for admissions weren't as strict in some parts of the world compared, so she could still study even with a poor academic performance in high school as long as she had the money. "Many are envious of you and want to be in your situation, but instead of using your privilege of wealth, you didn't bother pursuing higher education. Isn't that such a waste?"
Iris listened to the news anchor, not interrupting, allowing him to speak his full mind this time. Her eyes had completely gone cold even when her expression remained deceptively pleasant.
"Some might say that it's unfair. There are people who study hard and even work part-time just to support themselves through university. They toil tirelessly to obtain a diploma, but here you are, rich and famous. You have all the good opportunities available to you, presented to you on a silver platter, just because you were born into a wealthy family. Some might say that you shouldn't be called a businesswoman because you used a shortcut. If you want to be called a real businesswoman, you should at least have the education to back your claim."
Behind the scenes, Tang Yiyi and Dom couldn't take it anymore. They confronted the director and complained, not caring that he was still working on the live program. While she was complaining, Tang Yiyi was thinking that she wouldn't blame Iris if she decided to walk out of such an insulting interview. It might not look good but it would be understandable given the poor reception the news anchor was giving her. If Tang Yiyi only knew that Iris would be treated badly like this, she wouldn't have booked this interview at all. However, it was too late to regret it now. It would be up to Iris how she would respond to the news anchor's repeated provocations.
As for Iris, there were no thoughts of walking out in her mind. Instead, she looked at the news anchor like he was the most stupid person in the planet while still having a pleasant expression. It was a feat to accomplish this kind of expression.
"That's the most stupid thing that I've ever heard today," she said.
The news anchor's expression turned ugly. "What do you mean?"
"I suggest that people look up what the term 'businessperson' means," she replied in a deadpan tone. "I have my own business, so I'm a businesswoman. Simple. If people don't want to call me a businesswoman, that's their problem, not mine. I'm busy running my own business in addition to being a musician. I don't have time to waste trying to explain to everyone what the term 'businessperson' means. If they insist on their own definition, that has nothing to do with me."
As business reporter, the anchor felt like his face had just been slapped. Was Iris saying that he didn't know the meaning of the term "businessperson"?
Behind the scenes with the cameras and the program staff, Tang Yiyi couldn't help but massage her temples while sighing. She could handle Iris walking out of the interview. At least this way, Tang Yiyi and Bright Summit could work in steering public opinion to favour Iris because she only walked out and didn't say anything. This time, however, was a different matter.
'Iris has been so good in interviews recently that I grew complacent,' she thought. 'Thanks to my repeated reminders, she learned how to act charming during interviews but her real personality—the straightforward, no nonsense way of speaking—still comes out whenever she's challenged like this. This bastard of an interviewer has rubbed her the wrong way, so now she's unleashing her razor-sharp tongue on him. He deserves it but I hope she doesn't go too far.'
Back under the spotlight, the news anchor quickly fixed his ugly expression and forced a "nice", professional smile, even though his eyes were showing how displeased he was by Iris' words. He wanted to say something but Iris beat him to it again.
"Although my words sound like I'm undervaluing a diploma, that isn't the case. My point is that not all successful businesspeople have diplomas. That's the reality," she said. "Besides, who said that I won't have a diploma? I don't have it right now but that doesn't mean that I'm not working to get one. I'll definitely earn a diploma in the future."
For the first time since the interview started, the news anchors' eyes lit up with interest and curiosity. "Oh, so you're studying right now?"
"Yes."
"Where? Which school? Is it near here?"
"No, not here."
The news anchor looked like he realized something. "Oh, is it abroad?"
"Yes."
"I thought so," he said, insinuating once again that she couldn't possibly be admitted by a first-rate university because of her past lacklustre academic performance. Her only choice was either a second-rate or third-rate private university in the country or study abroad where the requirements were laxer, as long as she had the money to pay for tuition fees.
His subtle insinuation was lost on Iris who already stopped caring about the interview. She couldn't wait for it to be over. In the meantime, she maintained her pleasant expression, remembering what her manager always told her.
"When are you planning to go abroad to start your studies? Are you going to take another break from your showbiz work even when you're so busy right now?" the news anchor asked. Where Stories Blossom: N♡vεlB¡n.
"I don't have to go abroad to study. I already started my studies since last year."
The news anchor looked confused before making another realization. "Oh! Is it like one of those online distance learning programs?"
She tilted her head to the side, thinking about it. "Hmmm... Something like that."
"I see." The news anchor nodded. There was an unimpressed expression on his face. "Can you tell us which school you're enrolled in?"
"You'll know in the future," she replied in an almost bored tone.
The news anchor wanted to dig for more information but the director was already making signs to him that time was up, so he had no choice but to abandon the topic. Deep inside him, he was thinking along with some of the viewers watching the live broadcast that Iris Long was just acting mysterious because the school she was enrolled in must be a no-name one, so she was embarrassed to reveal the name.
Finally, the interview ended. Iris was relieved and quickly left the broadcasting studio with Tang Yiyi and Dom. Tang Yiyi was already planning to lodge an official complaint against the rude news anchor to Bright Summit.
"I should be scolding you for telling the news anchor that his words were the most stupid thing that you've heard today. That interview was a live broadcast, Iris," Tang Yiyi said when they all settled inside the executive van.
Iris only shrugged, not caring about it at all. She closed her eyes, planning to take a nap. She still had another interview at another location after this.
"What do you mean, Big Sis Yiyi? That hooligan was clearly making trouble for boss! What serious business news anchor?! He's nothing but a rude asshole! Pweh!" Dom complained, offended on behalf of Iris.
Tang Yiyi massaged her temples once again and sighed. "You're right. It's my mistake this time. I shouldn't have booked that interview for Iris. I didn't know that the news anchor would be so hostile to her."
"Hmph! I was so close to punching that asshole in the face!" Dom muttered while cracking his knuckles.
###
Chapter 563 - KittyBaby Is Back
Tang Yiyi sighed once again. "Iris, I'm just glad that you managed to control yourself and didn't continue speaking so harshly to the interviewer even when he was being so rude to you. Although he deserves it, we have to be careful in maintaining your good reputation at this time, especially now that we're building up your image as a savvy celebrity businesswoman. It's better to solidify your image first before dealing with any sort of scandals because others might accuse you of acting too cocky now that you're becoming more famous and influential."
Iris opened her eyes.
"I know what you're going to say," Tang Yiyi said before Iris could open her mouth. "You'll say that you don't give a whit about what others think about you, but it's my job as your manager to build a good image and maintain a sterling reputation for you."
"I understand, Elder Sister Yiyi. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," Iris replied. Then added, "But I was telling the truth earlier."
"What truth?"
"What the news anchor said during the interview was really the most stupid thing that I heard today."
"Ehehehe. True! Boss is right!" Dom said.
Tang Yiyi's mouth twitched. Although she agreed with Iris, she didn't say it out loud. All she could do was sigh again, a resigned expression on her face.
'Oh well. She's not Iris if she's not straightforward like this,' she thought to herself.
###
After the live broadcast of Iris Long's interview on the business news program, a debate erupted online. Since the news program was on cable TV, not many people watched the show. It also didn't help that the program was about business, something that failed to catch most of the general public's interest.
Despite this, today's episode still garnered a higher than usual number of viewers because of its special guest, Iris Long. It was a given that the Black Stars would force themselves to watch a business news program just so they could support their boss. This showed how deep their loyalty was to her because even if they didn't understand most of the things being discussed in the program, they still endured and continued to watch it for her.
The debate online was caused by the regular viewers of the business program versus the Black Stars and Iris Long's other supporters.
"There are so many successful and REAL businesspeople that they could interview. Why interview a singer like Iris Long? I don't get it."
"Many business programs and magazines are now featuring her because her new company, Orchidia Beauty, sold out in 5 seconds. Apparently, that's an amazing new record—here in the country, at least."
"So what? It has only been one time. Maybe it was just a fluke. There's no guarantee that her company would repeat a feat like that again in the future."
"I know, right? I was so surprised that Iris Long was interviewed in this news program. For a moment, I thought I was watching a showbiz news show instead of a business one. I approve of the news anchor giving her a hard time. She deserved it."
The Black Stars immediately swarmed to defend their boss.
"Wow. So many bitter people jealous of Boss Iris as always. Just because you can't copy her achievements, you resort to trying to pull her down. Pathetic!"
"And about that rude excuse of a news anchor, yes, he tried giving Boss Iris a hard time but did he succeed? Oh, HELL NO! The opposite happened, actually. Boss was the one who gave the rude bastard a hard time."
"That's because the boss is not only beautiful but smart as well! It's clear that she did her homework before going into the interview. She answered everything perfectly! Yes, we all know that she didn't have the best academic grades when she was in high school, but she's a late bloomer. What's wrong with that?"
The critics didn't back down.
"She answered perfectly because she's well-prepared. Maybe someone leaked the interview questions to her beforehand, allowing her to prepare appropriate answers."
"That's a serious allegation! Let my mighty slippers be the judge of whether your allegation makes sense... My mighty slippers final judgment is...GO TO HELL!!!"
"What did you say? Say that again?!"
The Black Stars started fighting another online battle to defend their Boss Iris' name. The Slippers Army was called to action. LittlePhoenix had school so she was unavailable. For a few moments, the Slippers Army were all over the internet, trolling enemies left and right with their mighty slippers without directions until finally....
KittyBaby: "Meow! KittyBaby is back, reporting for duty!"
The morale of the Black Stars, especially the Slippers Army, was instantly boosted upon KittyBaby's arrival. Many remembered her as an organized, highly efficient and vicious leader. Ignoring her weird manner of speaking, her trolling skills were highly respected on the same level, if not higher, than the original Slippers Army leader, iEatSlippers.
"Welcome back, KittyBaby! We missed you!"
"Please lead us to victory on the battlefield, Commander KittyBaby! Our mighty slippers await your instructions!"
KittyBaby: "Prepare your mighty paws—I mean your mighty slippers and follow my lead! Hear us roar. Mreow!!!"
"MREEEEOOOOOW!!!
"Aaaaaw. What an adorable roar!"
And with that, KittyBaby started leading the Slippers Army and the rest of the Black Stars to battle against those who were criticizing their Boss Iris earlier. They overwhelmed the critics with their savage trolling skills until the battle was won.
KittyBaby: "Victory! Meow!"
"MEOOOOOOOW!!!"
"Aaaaaw. That's so cute!"
The Slippers Army once again proved to the netizens that they were one of the most infamous troll groups in the internet. In fact, it seemed that they had become even more ruthless under the leadership of KittyBaby. The battle was won so quickly.
"Ah, that was fun."
"Yeah. Commander KittyBaby's trolling skills are so cute but also so savage! She gives orders so fast that I feel like she's everywhere, like there's more than one of her." Where Stories Blossom: N♡vεlB¡n.
"Exactly! It just means that she's super amazing!"
KittyBaby: "Ehehehe. KittyBaby is feeling shy. Meow~ (cute blushing kitty emoji)"
"I hope that you lead us to more battles in the future. We missed you while you were gone. What happened? We didn't hear anything from you in the past two weeks!"
KittyBaby: "KittyBaby was grounded by my mommy and daddy for being a bad kitty. KittyBaby is not grounded anymore because I'm back to being a good kitty! Meow~"
"You're so cute!"
"That's good to hear. I hope that your mom and dad don't ground you anymore. They're so strict. Anyway, I want to talk about Boss Iris again and what she said during the interview. She just revealed that she's enrolled in a school abroad. I'm so curious to know which school!"
"Me too! I also want to know which country the school is located. Is it in the US? Australia? UK? Maybe Canada? I think these are the most popular destinations for rich Chinese students like her."
"There are also some good universities in Asia. Japan is also popular to Chinese students."
The Black Stars made several guesses.
"Boss Iris said that we'll eventually know in the future when she's ready to reveal it so let's just wait."
"Yes, you're right."
The comradeship between the members of the Black Stars deepened after another fun-filled battle against their boss' detractors. As for KittyBaby, she was welcomed warmly, gaining even more loyal soldiers from the Slippers Army after leading them to yet another victory.
###
Chapter 564 - Right Direction
Iris finally finished her last interview of the day, but that wasn't the end of her busy schedule. She still needed to attend a rehearsal with Jin Chonglin afterwards to perfect their live performances for their upcoming next single which would be released soon this month. After the rehearsal, she also planned on dropping by Orchidia Beauty to work for maybe an hour or two.
These were not all, however. She still hada scheduled lesson with Professor Kalisha Schwarz via video call. She was, after all, still an active student of Cross Academy. Both of her language instructors demanded perfection and she couldn't achieve that with just her natural talent alone. She still needed to study and train hard.
While on their way to the dance studio where she would rehearsing with Jin Chonglin, Iris was listening to Ketchup's latest reports inside the executive van. Dom was the only one left accompanying Iris by this time. Tang Yiyi needed to accompany the Pandemonium boys for a gig, so the manager left by taxi earlier.
"Mommy, Ketchup led the Slippers Army and the rest of the Black Stars to defeat all those poopoo-heads who are saying bad things about you online! Was Ketchup a good kitty, Mommy? Was I, was I? Meow~"
Iris smiled at the adorable white cat fishing for praise. N♡vεlB¡n: Your Escape into Infinite Tales.
"Yes, Ketchup. Good kitty."
"Meow! Ketchup will continue being a good kitty! I love you, Mommy!"
"Uwah! Baby Ketchup is so cute!" Dom exclaimed. "Ehehehe."
"Ehehehe. Thank you, Uncle Dom~ I love you, Uncle Dom! Meow~"
"Aaaaaw! So cute! I love you too, Baby Ketchup!"
Iris chuckled at their antics. While the talkative human and talkative cat demonstrated their talkativeness by talking to each other nonstop, Iris felt glad that Ketchup was now back to her usual high spirits after her grounding period was over. Iris hoped that the white cat continued to behave. She couldn't help but worry about Ketchup now that she was allowed to play online again. Iris regularly monitored her systems, but she couldn't do that all the time because of her busy schedule.
The last time Iris checked Ketchup's systems was last night. The cat AI was like a completely different specimen compared to when she first successfully developed its cat form and added a highly colourful and adaptable personality a few months ago.
Ketchup had changed so much since then!
The change wasn't something as simple as watching a seed grow into a seedling, then a small plant, and finally into a tree.
No. It was more like watching a grain of sand turn into an island, then into a city, a country, and then into a huge continent. At this rate, it would become a world on its own...maybe even a universe, if that was possible.
As the one who created this highly advanced AI in the form of an adorable white cat, Iris felt very excited yet also a little scared of its rapid growth. Fortunately, Ketchup seemed to be behaving really well since her two-week grounding period.
Jin Liwei was also helping to keep the naughty white cat in check. He constantly kept Ketchup occupied, asking her to assist him with this and that while working at Jin Corporation. Ketchup loved helping out her daddy, especially whenever he praised her for being a good kitty.
Despite his efforts, Iris was well aware that it was virtually impossible to keep the cat AI completely occupied. The full capacity of Ketchup's system was something that even she couldn't exactly calculate anymore because the cat AI was growing so rapidly. Ketchup was able to multitask at a rate that would make any human dizzy.
Iris already explained this to Jin Liwei but he still insisted on keeping Ketchup occupied.
"She's a highly-advanced AI, yes, but she's also our kid. As her father, I want to influence my child to develop into the right direction," he reasoned.
Iris felt touched by her darling's words, so she didn't discourage him. Like him, she also hoped that Ketchup would develop into the "right direction".
Although Ketchup's overall system was highly advanced, her hacking skills was still not up to Iris' standards. There was still a lot of room for improvement. Against god-level hackers like her and the old guys, Ketchup was too predictable. This was the reason why Iris was so worried. Once Ketchup made a mistake, she risked her existence being discovered by others. The consequences of that possibility were too dangerous, not only for Ketchup but also for Iris as the creator and her loved ones, like Jin Liwei.
'Continue being a good kitty, Ketchup,' Iris wished in her heart.
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
Later that evening, heavy and windy rain buffeted against the windows of the mansion. Fortunately, the palatial mansion was like a fortress. It stood strong, completely unbothered by the storm outside. In addition, the mansion was also soundproofed. The people inside could only see the powerful wind and rain but couldn't hear their frightening sounds as they battered the huge glass windows.
Iris just finished her online class with Professor Schwarz. She was at her shared home office with Jin Liwei. Her office was located at a mezzanine above Jin Liwei's original study where he used to store business books and documents. He converted it into her own office when she moved in to live at the mansion. The large home office was separate to the mansion's library which was comparable to the size of a university library with four freaking floors. Jin Liwei's library was even more impressive than Iris' library at the penthouse.
After turning off her computer and tidying up her desk, Iris headed down the stairs. Ice Cream and Popcorn followed her. But before they could go down, the lazy Ice Cream patted Iris' leg with her paws. The fat (again) grey cat looked up at Iris with her adorable eyes, silently asking her to be carried.
"No, Ice Cream. Your Uncle Dom was scolded by the vet again because of your weight. You need to walk on your own this time," Iris said in a firm tone.
However, Ice Cream only needed to continue looking up at her mommy with her cute, pitiful eyes before Iris' heart melted.
###
Chapter 565 - Naughty Ketchup
Unable to resist Ice Cream's cute, pitiful eyes, Iris sighed and carried the fat grey cat.
"Meow~" Ice Cream rubbed her head against her mommy's bosom. There was a smug smirk on her big face when her mommy wasn't looking.
"Meow! Meow!" Popcorn called impatiently, as he waited on the edge the stairs.
Iris and her two cats finally headed down the stairs from her mezzanine office to Jin Liwei's. He kept the original set-up of his home office downstairs.
Jin Liwei was also working late like her. He was in a video call conference with foreign investors for one of Jin Corporation's upcoming projects.
Not wanting to disturb him, Iris didn't go to him. She only caught his eyes and gave him a flying kiss.
How could Jin Liwei ignore his baby girl?
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," he said, immediately muting the microphone. He didn't even wait for the response of the other participants of the conference call before standing up and heading to his baby girl.
He gathered her in his arms, embracing her tightly, and then kissing her on the mouth.
A soft feline sigh sounded between them. The fat grey cat endured being squished between her mommy and daddy. Ice Cream was already used to it. Who told her to always ask her mommy to carry her? If she complained, Mommy would just put her down. Ice Cream was too lazy to ask her mommy to pick her up again after the parents were done kissing.
As for Popcorn, he weaved and rubbed his body between his parents' legs. He was low maintenance compared to his spoiled sister, already feeling happy and contented simply by seeing his parents and being petted by them every day.
When the kiss ended, Jin Liwei felt reluctant to let her go. However, he still had a video conference to finish.
"You go ahead to our room, love. My meeting will take a while," he told her, giving a quick peck on her lips.
"Okay. Don't stay out too late," she replied.
"En."
Iris left after another round of kissing. If she didn't leave, he wouldn't be able to stop kissing her. Jin Liwei quickly petted the cats before watching them leave. It was only after they were gone that he returned to the video conference.
The hyper-active Popcorn ran around the hallways chasing shadows and whatever caught his attention. Iris dropped the cats off in their room before heading to her bedroom suite.
She passed by a dark area along the hallway. It was only here that the lights were turned off. She wondered why. Maybe the lights were faulty? She was about to report it to the household staff when she realized that there was another person hiding in the shadows.
No, not hiding but subconsciously blending in.
"Big Brother," she whispered, walking to his direction.
Lu Zihao was lounging on an armchair by the window. He didn't respond to her, only silently waiting for her to come to him if she wanted.
He must have been the one who turned off the lights in this area. The stormy sky outside was completely dark. It was only Iris' senses that allowed her to feel his presence. He seemed to be alone. She was relieved that his annoying subordinates who always followed him around weren't present right now.
Iris' eyes began to adjust in the darkness. As she walked towards her brother, she observed him. For a moment, she was taken aback because the image of Nikolai Vetrov from their past life seemed to superimpose on Lu Zihao's profile—a chilling, formidable yet lonely Dark Emperor.
It startled her so much that her steps faltered, but she quickly recovered and resumed walking towards him. Then she sat on the armchair beside him.
The siblings didn't talk, just sat together in the darkness, feeling comfortable in each other's presence.
A maid happened to walk by.
"Huh? Why is it so dark in here? Are the lights faulty? Tsk tsk..."
The maid was about to press on the light switch when...
"Stop," a low male voice growled from the darkness.
The maid screamed in fright.
"Don't be scared. It's us," Iris' voice calmed the maid.
"Oh! Mistress! P-please pardon me for disturbing you!"
"That's alright. Leave the lights off and return to your room."
"Y-yes, Mistress."
The maid immediately obeyed. She couldn't see anything at all in the darkness. Now that she had calmed down, she realized that the low growl from earlier didn't sound like the master. It should be Mister Lu Zihao. The maid blushed upon realizing this. There were many like her from the household staff who had a crush on him.
When the maid left, the siblings continued to relax in the darkness. After a few minutes, Lu Zihao was the first one to disturb the comfortable silence.
"Guess what happened today," he said.
"What is it?"
"Your youngest has been naughty again."
"Youngest?" She tilted her head to the side before realizing what he meant. "Oh, you mean Ketchup?"
"Uh huh."
With her great hearing, Iris heard a soft yet sharp mewl in the background which sounded like a yelp. She frowned, already imagining a white cat shaking in her fluffy paws while hiding from her.
"What did she do this time?" she asked.
Lu Zihao then told her how Ketchup "dropped by" his hacker team at the Shadow Winds headquarters. Apparently, she helped them on some tasks. Neither Lu Zihao nor anyone from his hacker team asked Ketchup for assistance. She just did it on her own volition.
"Ketchup!" Iris was dismayed. Ketchup's two-week grounding period just ended and here she was being naughty again.
"Wuwuwuwu!!! Mommy, don't be angry! Ketchup was just curious about Uncle Haohao's matters! Meow..."
Iris closed her eyes, feeling a slight headache throbbing in her temples. Then she opened her eyes and looked at her brother, a little hesitant to ask something.
"Did...did you let her do something...dangerous?" This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
Lu Zihao raised an eyebrow, a faint devilish smile lifting the corners of his lips.
###
Chapter 566 - Incompeten
"Do you really have so little trust in me, Little Sister?" Lu Zihao asked, teasing her.
Iris vaguely saw the amusement shining in her brother's eyes in the darkness. "I trust you, Big Brother. It's just that I don't really know what you're doing with your group, especially after seeing all your scars. I haven't seen all of your scars but I know that they cover your entire body. Don't lie to me. I just know. Although I'm curious and want to know what you're doing and how you really got your scars, I respect your privacy because you're important to me. I'm not going to investigate you on my own without your permission. I have a feeling that you're doing something dangerous but every time I ask, you always brush me off. What can I do besides worry? I'm waiting for the day that you'll tell me what you're really doing."
Lu Zihao remained silent.
"If you're really doing something dangerous, then of course I'll worry about you. And now I discover that Ketchup is helping you out. If she's involved in anything dangerous, the risk of her making a mistake and being exposed to others increases. You know what kind of things will happen to her, to me, and to us if others discovered about her existence."
"Meow! Mommy, don't scold Uncle Haohao anymore! Wuwuwuwu! Ketchup didn't do anything dangerous! Promise! Ketchup just helped Uncle Haohao because his hacker team is being so slow and incompetent—"
"In-com-pe-tent?" Lu Zihao was taken aback.
His team was...incompetent? He narrowed his eyes and looked at his sister who was intent on listening to her youngest's drivel about his subordinates. She looked like she didn't see anything wrong with what the blasted cat was saying.
INCOMPETENT?!
If only Ketchup had a physical body, he would have already smacked her fluffy butt a couple of times to discipline and punish her.
However, Ketchup was on a roll, talking nonstop. "—so I decided to help them because it's super-duper annoying to watch them struggling to complete something so easy! Mommy, you should have seen them! I'm sure that you'll also feel bothered by their incompetence! Meow!"
Lu Zihao closed his eyes, resisting the urge to snap at the talkative cat. His team wasn't incompetent at all! It was just that compared to Ketchup and especially his genius sister who created the cat AI, his hacker team might seem incompetent because the two were just too superior.
"Mommy, Uncle Haohao is family, right? Uncle Dom and Auntie Clover told Ketchup that family should always help each other, except for the selfish poopoo-heads who don't deserve to be treated like family. Uncle Haohao is not a selfish poopoo-head and he's family, so Ketchup doesn't see anything wrong with helping him and his incompetent hacker team. Meow~ Ketchup just helped them uncover and organize files regarding Uncle Haohao's newly-acquired local businesses which is taking them forever to complete! It's very similar to the tasks Daddy often gives me so I know exactly what to do! Is Ketchup wrong to help out Uncle Haohao this way, Mommy? Meow?"
Iris thought that Ketchup made sense. She ignored Ketchup's use of the word "poopoo-head" for now. The naughty cat must have learned it from either Dom or Clover again. Iris planned on discussing it with Jin Liwei and figure out together if the word should be added to Ketchup's list of bad words that she wasn't allowed to use.
"No, Ketchup. You're not wrong," Iris finally replied.
"Meow~ So Ketchup is a good kitty?"
Iris couldn't help but smile. "Yes. You're a good kitty, Ketchup."
Meows of happiness filled the dark hallway. The siblings could almost see a delighted white cat skipping on the floor in front of them.
Lu Zihao's earlier annoyance at his hacker team being called incompetent disappeared. He chuckled like the devil.
"Don't worry, Little Sister. I assure you that your youngest didn't do anything dangerous. It's true that she only helped out in digging out lost or hidden documents and also in organizing everything. Something that would normally take my team a week or two to complete, your youngest finished in just a few hours. She's been tremendously helpful."
"Ehehehe. Thanks, Uncle Haohao~ Ketchup is the best because I'm Mommy's baby!"
Hearing her brother praising Ketchup, Iris was also filled with pride, temporarily making her forget about her earlier concerns.
"Alright. As long as you didn't do anything dangerous," she said. "But we'll still have to tell this to your dad later. He might not like it so be ready if he decides to punish you."
"Ehehe—Meow?! Nooooooo! Mommy, please don't let Daddy punish Ketchup! Wuwuwuwu!!!"
Lu Zihao was amused listening to cat AI whining about being punished. If this was before, he would have found it ridiculous. Now, however, he was already used to the cat AI being treated like a real child. He would even forget sometimes that Ketchup wasn't a real, living being. Whenever he remembered this fact, he would always feel amazed by his sister's abilities. His sister was truly a genius.
"Listen to your mother, Custard," he said.
"Meow?! Uncle Haohao, Ketchup's name is Ketchup, not Custard! Wuwuwuwu!"
Lu Zihao laughed.
"Uncle Haohao, please ask Daddy not to punish Ketchup! Wuwuwuwu! Ketchup was just curious and wants to help Uncle Haohao.... Meow...."
His eyes sharpened.
"Really? You want to help Uncle?"
"Yes! Meow!"
"Big Brother..." Iris couldn't help but say in a warning tone.
He flashed a devilish smile at her. "I know your concerns, Little Sister. But it would be really helpful to me if I have a powerful AI like your youngest. I hope that you're still considering my request in giving me one. Even if it's not as high-powered, I'll take it."
Iris tilted her head to the side, considering it.
"Think about it," he said. This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
She nodded.
Afterwards, they finally returned to their own bedrooms. While preparing for bed, Iris was tempted to check Ketchup's memory to see the things she did to help her brother. However, she stopped herself.
"I trust Big Brother."
The night ended with Iris falling into deep sleep before Jin Liwei could return to their room.
###
Chapter 567 - Brand Ambassador
Jin Liwei learned about Ketchup's naughty antics the next morning during breakfast. Iris had an early magazine photoshoot, so she and Dom needed to leave early like Jin Liwei. Jiang Ying Yue and Little Jun were also already up because the little guy was used to waking up very early. Ice Cream and Popcorn were also eating breakfast on the floor. The two cats always accompanied their daddy every morning, regardless of whether the others were awake or not.
Lu Zihao was nowhere to be seen. He was someone who didn't follow a set schedule every single day and lived by his own rules.
As for the naughty Ketchup, she was once again lectured by her daddy.
Jin Liwei didn't punish her this time because he couldn't fault her for helping his Fifth Brother. Besides, he trusted Lu Zihao. He didn't believe that his Fifth Brother would be capable of deliberately doing something illegal and dangerous that would harm innocent people.
With that, Ketchup was off the hook and happy that she wasn't punished by her parents.
###
A few days later, Orchidia Beauty once again opened its online store. More units were added to the inventories and the product limitations per person was lifted in order to meet the huge demand for the products since the launch.
Despite this, everything sold out in what felt like instantly.
To be more precise, the entire inventory was emptied out in 4.2 seconds.
It was another domestic record, faster than the previous one during the launch. This time, however, the achievement was even more impressive because there were more units available for purchase. Industry experts estimated that Orchidia Beauty might have sold out a total of 500,000 to 800,000 units this time, maybe even a million or more. They agreed that the total number of units wouldn't be less than half a million.
Regardless of the exact numbers, Orchidia Beauty had now started to solidify its position as one of the most popular and in-demand beauty brands in the country. If it could improve its manufacturing capacity and release more products soon, then perhaps it would be able to breach the top 10 most popular beauty brands in the country which was a ranking filled with foreign companies.
Immediately after everything sold out in Orchidia Beauty's online store, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the internet demanding for more.
"Please release more products next time! I really want to buy but couldn't because everything sold out so quickly!"
"Next time, please produce, like, 100 million units so that it won't sell out in, like, 0.00001 seconds."
+2,003 Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
+41,028
+597,060 likes and counting.
"Ahahaha! Poster above, I agree with you 100%!!!"
The news once again featured Orchidia Beauty's latest history-making feat. Iris Long's name was also mentioned, of course.
Those who were thinking that the first time was a fluke had their faces slapped this time. The first time was 5 seconds. This time, it took only 4.2 seconds to sell everything out and with more units, too. The detractors had no choice but to grudgingly accept that Iris Long's company was the real deal.
But before the people could fully digest another amazing feat by Iris Long's Orchidia Beauty, her father's company, Long Industries, made its own big move. The shipping company actually invited the media just so the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) could make a public announcement.
"Long Industries take pride in our fast, reliable, quality yet economical logistics services. We are constantly improving and growing alongside our valued clients and adapting with the domestic, regional and world markets. Today, we are happy and excited to announce that we will be welcoming our first ever celebrity brand ambassador—Miss Iris Long!
"Some of you might be thinking that we picked her because she's the daughter of our CEO. If that was the only reason, we would've picked her a long time ago. We chose Miss Iris Long to be Long Industries' brand ambassador right now because we believe that she embodies our company's core values of constantly growing and improving, staying strong and resilient, and moving forward regardless of the challenges.
"We at Long Industries are looking forward to working closely with Miss Iris Long in order to showcase to everyone our company's integrity, work culture, and our pride of our beloved country."
Iris was at a dressing room for a variety TV show when the news aired the announcement. She praised the CCO for his silver tongue.
"He really knows how to talk and spin words. I was chosen to be Long Industries' brand ambassador because I'm the daughter of the CEO. That's the real reason," she said in a serious tone.
"Iris! Not so loud!" Tang Yiyi rebuked her, looking quickly around, afraid that others had overheard what she said.
Dom ran to the door and opened it to check whether there were people outside.
"All clear!" he announced.
It was only then that Tang Yiyi relaxed. "Be careful of your words, Iris. Don't let others hear you say that. People will start accusing you and your father of nepotism."
Iris only shrugged, not really thinking much about it.
"I'm serious, Iris," Tang Yiyi warned again.
"Fine, Elder Sister Yiyi," she said to calm her manager who she thought was being needlessly paranoid.
Iris' shrug was a mirror to her real attitude. She didn't care about what others thought (as always) about her appointment as brand ambassador of Long Industries. Finally, she achieved this goal after asking Long Tengfei about it during the disastrous dinner with Long Hui. This position would grant her a direct access to Long Industries as an insider—a distant one, but still nonetheless an insider. This was the first major step of her plan regarding the battle for succession in the Long clan. There was no way that she would allow the negative opinions of other people to discourage her from working on her plans.
###
Friday.
Iris Long's inauguration party as Long Industries' brand ambassador at the hall of a five-star hotel.
All the chief executives and important figures working in Long Industries were present in the party for Iris Long.
As the head of the company and the father of the new brand ambassador, Long Tengfei was at the forefront beside his daughter. His wife, Yang Jiahui, also attended. His sons, Long Hui (Deputy CFO) and Long Jian (Deputy COO) were also present. Even the clan elders Long Jufang and Long Meng attended because they were also minor shareholders of the company.
The media was also invited. The party would double as an official press conference later. Outside the hotel, Black Stars and other fans crowded, shouting for Iris Long and waving banners showing her name and image. Security and the police kept them under control. The number of people only increased as the hours passed by and the information about the party's location was spread.
Long Tengfei and the other executives didn't expect such a huge turn-out. They felt that Iris had only become more famous since the last time they seriously discussed about considering her as the company's brand ambassador.
The party was simple compared to other brand amabassador inauguration parties. Hiring a celebrity brand ambassador was also afirst for Long Industries. In addition, Long Tengfei himself didn't want to make it too extravagant.
###
Chapter 568 - Ulterior Motives
Not everyone in Long Industries was onboard for Iris Long's appointment as the company's brand ambassador. Long Tengfei and the COO worked together to persuade the other executives and the board of directors about the idea.
The COO had a great impression of Iris when she first presented Orchidia Beauty at Long Industries, bringing the Bauer siblings, Amanpio Kileksky and Qiao Yu with her. He couldn't forget the amazement he felt at her professionalism and shamelessness in negotiating. Orchidia Beauty was only at the beginning stages that time but look at it now. It had instantly become a hit brand selling out all of its products in seconds. Also according to business hearsay, it was apparently now a company worth millions in RMB and perhaps even in US dollars.
As a result, Long Tengfei didn't need to ask him to support Iris for her appointment as brand ambassador to Long Industries. The COO gave his support on his own volition.
In the end, the two of them were able to persuade their fellow executives and the board of directors. Orchidia Beauty's successful launch played a critical part in changing their minds, prompting them to vote in favour of her appointment as brand ambassador.
They might have been persuaded but it didn't mean that they were 100% accepting of her. Iris Long's past reputation in Long Industries and the clan weren't so easily erased. It was deeply entrenched in the Long clan and Long Industries. After all, she was the Longs' prodigal daughter. It also didn't help that she distanced herself from them after waking up from coma.
Now that she was appointed as brand ambassador, it signaled to everyone that she was ready to finally involve herself with the company's matters, and in extension, of the clan as well. Critical eyes watched her every move, waiting for her to make a mistake.
Iris could sense all of these as she smiled at everyone in the party. Only Dom accompanied her this time. Tang Yiyi was busy managing her other artists, reporting to Iris earlier that the rude business news anchor was suspended from the program. Iris didn't care about the man, tossing the news as something unimportant.
As for Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu, they wanted to attend the inauguration party but she discouraged them. Her darling was extremely busy at work right now. She didn't want her trivial matters to distract him, especially if she could handle them by herself.
Grandpa Lu's primary reason for wanting to attend the party was because he felt bored. Iris didn't mind him attending, but she wanted the entire focus to be on her in the party. She was well aware that her reputation in Long Industries stank, making it difficult for her to buy shares and become involved in the company. She wanted to demonstrate to everyone that she could handle being the brand ambassador by herself without the powerful influence of either Jin Liwei or Grandpa Lu. Fortunately, Little Jun was able to divert the old man's attention from the party. The great-grandfather and grandson pair were currently spending time together in the mansion's indoor forest.
The inauguration party was very short and simple. Some speeches, official inauguration of Iris as brand ambassador, a press conference, and then dinner.
During dinner, Long Jufang approached Iris with a big smile on his face.
"Congratulations on so many things, Xiulan. Your successes since the year started, your awards, your hit songs, Orchidia Beauty, and now on becoming brand ambassador of our company!" He acted like they were close. His tone was fawning, as if he never criticized and insulted her in the past.
"Thank you, Granduncle Jufang."
Long Jufang tried several times to establish contact with her but she never responded. Now, however, she didn't reject him even if his fake smile was making her skin crawl. Dom's presence beside her made her feel a bit more comfortable. Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
The original Iris had never bothered with clan affairs. When she woke up from coma as the new Iris, she didn't change this, thereby making her completely unaware of insider news within the clan. Not all information could be gathered by hacking, especially with an old family like the Longs.
Most of its members still retained their traditional practices, preferring to write things on paper and meeting each other in person instead of leaving electronic traces. In addition, the main family and the important branch families lived in ancient residences. Only a few had security cameras installed in the properties. All of these made it quite challenging for Iris to glean private information within the clan, especially when concerning the older generation. It was easier to snoop around the younger generation because they favoured the convenience of modern technology, carelessly leaving traces online which she could exploit.
This was why even though Iris didn't give a whit about Long Jufang and had no interest in befriending him, she put on a smile and chatted with him. He wanted to act closer to her, so she would do the same. She knew that he had ulterior motives for wanting to be close to her. So did she. She needed him in order to glean insider information within the clan.
Thanks to her earlier acting classes, she was able to hide her distaste for Long Jufang with a smile on her face.
Moments later, they saw Long Hui and Long Meng heading towards them.
Long Jufang leaned towards her and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Long Meng has been going around the clan trying to discredit and defame you. She's your elder brother's biggest supporter and hates it whenever you overshadow your brother. Don't trust her."
It took great effort for Iris not to cringe at his proximity to her.
'I don't trust her. I don't trust you either,' she thought to herself before replying to him, "I understand Granduncle. Thank you for your warning."
"You're welcome, Xiulan. I'm on your side. You can count on me."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, nodding instead. Seeing Dom also fighting hard not to make faces of disgust, she gave him warning glare. He nodded and smoothed out his expression.
"Little Sister," Long Hui greeted when he arrived with Long Meng.
"Deputy CFO," she greeted back with a nod, not bothering to call him 'Elder Brother'.
###
Chapter 569 - Eloquent Bullshi
Although Iris' tone was pleasant when she greeted him, Long Hui could see that her eyes were cold. His eyes also hardened. He felt that she didn't give him any face when he already lowered himself and addressed her as "little sister". Instead of following his example, she insisted on this distant way of addressing him as "Deputy CFO". He wasn't making peace by calling her "little sister". It was only to put up an appearance of a harmonious sibling relationship to the public.
All of the executives of Long Industries were watching and judging. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, especially right now that he was working hard to regain his footing after his work performance suffered because of the stress caused by Jiang Ying Yue. It also didn't help that there was Long Jian, an overachiever, to compare him with when it came to work performance. This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
Iris refused to follow his example of putting up an appearance, but at least she was maintaining the pretense of politeness. The two smiled at each other but their eyes were cold and hard.
While Iris and Long Hui were having a stare-down, their self-proclaimed partners in crime Long Jufang and Long Meng also followed suit. The two elders had been on good terms for many years, both supporting Long Hui, but ever since Iris rose to prominence and Long Jufang jumped ship, the relationship between the two elders soured.
"A brand ambassador is nothing more than a hired hand. No matter how integrated you feel, you still won't really belong with the company," Long Hui said in a low voice to prevent the others around them from overhearing. His words were mocking her but also served as a warning that she shouldn't get too far ahead of herself.
"I agree with the first part of what you said," Iris replied. "As for the second part, we'll see. It will depend on my performance as brand ambassador."
Long Hui clenched his hands but kept smiling. To the people watching them, their group looked like they were having a pleasant chat.
"You already have your own company. Be satisfied with it. Leave Long Industries alone," he said.
"You mean leave it to you?" she retorted.
"It's my birthright."
"How boring," Iris drawled. "We live in the modern times. It's hard to understand people who insist on living backwards in the ancient times. I know that you believe that since you're the firstborn, you automatically inherit leadership of the clan and the company. But have you realized that I'm also a firstborn? That our other brother and sister are also firstborns? Father technically has four firstborns because all of us are born from different mothers. So if we're talking about firstborn birthrights, then technically speaking, all four of us siblings have the right to succeed Father."
"Presumptuous!" Long Meng huffed.
Long Jufang didn't look like he agreed with Iris either. However, he remained silent and even moved closer to her, silently indicating that he was on her side even though he didn't agree with her point of view.
Iris ignored the elders as if they didn't exist, focusing instead on Long Hui. Beside her, Dom was nodding so much and so quickly that it was a wonder he wasn't dizzy by the vigorous way he was moving his head just to show his agreement to her words.
"Father has already mentioned before that he'll leave the clan and the company to whoever among us deserves it the most based on our individual abilities and performance, not on who was born first," she continued. "So, Deputy CFO Long, may the best sibling win."
"You!" Long Hui finally dropped his smile.
But before he could argue, she gave a brief, dismissive nod.
"Excuse me, Deputy CFO Long," she said, grabbing Dom and walking away.
Long Jufang smirked at Long Meng before following after them. Both Long Hui and Long Meng wore dark expressions.
"Young Master Hui, don't take that spoiled brat's words to heart," Long Meng tried to soothe Long Hui. "You've been trained since you were born to be the heir and the successor after Master Tengfei. You were born to be the next head of our clan and the company."
Long Hui didn't respond, continuing to watch Iris, Dom and Long Jufang as they greeted other people along the way. His frustration at Iris could be seen by the tight clenching and unclenching of his hands into fists and his tense jaw caused by the gritting of his teeth. When he noticed that some people were looking at him, he smoothed out his expression and forced on a smile.
Not far behind them, Long Jian was standing beside his current mentor, the COO of Long Industries. They were chatting with a couple of other important guests. However, Long Jian wasn't focused on the conversation at all because he was doing his best to eavesdrop on the confrontation between Iris and Long Hui. He was unable to hear everything they said to each other but still heard enough to know that Long Hui lost to Iris in that battle of words.
'Father technically has four firstborns because all of us are born from different mothers. So if we're talking about firstborn birthrights, then technically speaking, all four of us siblings have the right to inherit leadership,' Iris' words resonated to Long Jian.
His lips subconsciously curved upwards in amusement.
'What an eloquent way of bullshitting,' he thought.
Long Jian had the least interactions with Iris since she woke up from coma compared to their other siblings. He had always looked down on her but he couldn't help but praise the way she twisted her words in order to humiliate Long Hui. She was clearly bullshitting yet the confidence of her tone and the delivery of her words gave the impression that everything she said was true and made logical sense.
A chuckle escaped from his lips before he realized what he was doing.
###
Chapter 570 - Whose Son Are You?
"Hm? Why are you laughing? What's funny?" the COO asked when he saw his current deputy chuckling beside him.
Long Jian caught himself and regained his senses. He cleared his throat and returned the COO's smile. "Nothing, sir. I just remembered something funny." Then he apologized to the other people they were chatting with for being distracted.
The COO patted Long Jian's shoulder, a kind smile on his face, like a father looking at his own son. The conversation in their little group continued.
Long Jian glanced at Iris who was now speaking with their father, Yang Jiahui and the other executives and board members. His expression was neutral. However, when he turned to look at Long Hui, a mocking expression flashed in his eyes before covering it with a pleasant smile.
Later that evening, the inauguration party finally ended. It was a straightforward affair. No drama occurred during the party—at least, nothing that the media and the other guests detected. Yet unbeknown to them, several plots went into motion that very day. Behind the pleasant smiles and easy chatter hid a complex game of chess involving the entire Long clan.
###
Long Jian returned home late that night from the party. It was almost midnight already, yet the lights were still on in the house.
His mother, Zhu Ning, was watching the TV in the living room. She lay on the couch with a grumpy expression, as she watched the late-night entertainment news. The inauguration party to commemorate Iris Long becoming the first ever celebrity brand ambassador of Long Industries was currently being featured on the show. Long Jian saw himself for about a second in the same frame as Iris.
No wonder his mother looked like she swallowed a frog by her ugly expression. She had been on a constant bad mood almost every single day ever since the Orchidia Beauty grand launch. It was driving her crazy that the news kept on featuring Iris Long and her mother, Wei Lan.
However, instead of avoiding the news, Zhu Ning actively sought the latest updates about Iris Long and Wei Lan. Iris Long becoming more famous was natural given her numerous accomplishments this year.
As for Wei Lan, she had also become a celebrity in her own right because of her new status as a Spanish viscountess. She was no longer known simply as Iris Long's mother. She had also increased her reputation in a good way after becoming an ambassador for her daughter's foundation, Iris of Hope. In just a few days after Orchidia Beauty's grand launch, she had already set up an online auction selling many brand name clothes, shoes, bags, and other luxury designer items owned by her, her daughter, Jin Liwei, and even Grandpa Lu, Grandma Li and Huang Yuyan. 100% of the profits earned from the auction went to supporting the foundation's current causes.
Wei Lan was now carving a name for herself as a noble philanthropist. Most members of high society still continued to view her in a negative light, but the general public was starting to admire and idolize her. With just her relationship to Iris Long, she had already received the automatic support of the entire Black Stars.
All of this favourable attention to Wei Lan was filling Zhu Ning with so much hatred and envy.
Long Jian worried that his mother was becoming obsessed with the mother and daughter, Iris Long and Wei Lan, who Zhu Ning claimed to be her mortal enemies.
He saw magazines and newspapers showing Iris Long and Wei Lan's names and images in big, fat headlines littering all over the living room. Most of them were torn into pieces, no doubt by his mother. He sighed at the sight. Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
"I'm back, Mother," he greeted.
"Hmph." Zhu Ning forced herself to a sitting position on the couch and glared at her son. "I watched the news the entire evening about that fucking party for that little slut Long Xiulan! I saw you getting all chummy with your father's current slut of a wife Yang Jiahui! Tell me, whose son are you?! Hers or mine?! Her dried up womb is unable to produce a child for Tengfei so now she's stealing you from me and you're just going to happily let her?!! If you like her so much to be your new mother, then go and live with her and your father and become a complete happy family!!!"
Long Jian scowled at his mother's outburst. He worked from early morning till afternoon before attending the inauguration party. He was exhausted. He didn't need this kind of drama right after arriving home. It took a lot of effort for him to control his temper.
"Mother, calm down."
"How can I calm down when my own son is betraying me? You're the only one I have but look at you! Not only are you getting along with that slut Yang Jiahui, but you're also acting very close to your father's two evil spawns—that little slut Long Xiulan and that son of a bitch Long Hui! Have you forgotten our goal? Those two are your enemies! They're the ones blocking your way as the successor of your father! What are you doing, acting all chummy with those two evil spawns?!"
Long Jian's expression was now as ugly as his mother's. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her but he held back. At the end of the day, she was still his mother. He loved her and didn't want to disrespect her.
They were interrupted by the next news story on TV.
"Orchidia Beauty, the newest popular brand of skincare products owned by internationally-acclaimed multi-award-winning musician Iris Long, made an announcement on their website saying that they will be releasing new products at the end of the month. Their first products, which sold out in record-breaking speed not once but twice since its launch and are now top best-sellers, all focus on facial skincare. Their next sets of products are for the body, reportedly featuring lotions and other body creams. Orchidia Beauty says that they are working hard on increasing their manufacturing capacity as soon as possible to meet the huge demand for their current and upcoming products..."
###