Chapter 501 - Dragon King And Phoenix Queen
Inside Jin Liwei's French villa which was previously owned by Grandpa Lu, Dom and Tang Yiyi finally joined Jiang Ying Yue and Little Jun in the living area to watch the awards night on TV. The European makeup artists and hairstylists followed behind them. They just finished cleaning up and organizing everything at the room where Iris, Jin Liwei, Wei Lan, Grandpa Lu and Lu Zihao dressed up and had their hair and makeup done earlier for the awards night.
There was now a big group in front of the TV. Some of the household staff prepared some snacks and drinks in order to make watching the show more enjoyable.
The red carpet event was still underway.
Later, the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" started arriving. There were more cheers for them this time. Plenty of people watched the screenings and associated events of the film. Many of them were impressed of its quality. Thus, more people recognized them this time around.
Finally, Iris Long and Jin Liwei climbed out of a vehicle onto the red carpet.
"Aaaaaah! It's Iris Long and Liam Jin! They're here!"
"My dream couple has arrived! Make way, make way!"
"Liam! Iris! Please look here!"
Since the couple always attended events together during the Sommet International Film Festival, they obtained quite a number of fans. Most of these new fans were people who watched "Strong Yet Broken" and loved it. When they discovered that Iris Long was the sole composer of the film score, they immediately converted into her fans. Seeing that she was always together with her handsome fiancé, they turned into Jin Liwei's fans as well.
Both Iris and Jin Liwei turned their heads to their new fans who were screaming and shrieking for them at the top of their lungs. Iris gave them a bright smile and a wave which made them scream and shriek even louder, almost vomiting their throats out. Jin Liwei also waved his hand at the fans but didn't smile. He maintained his default cold expression, but at least, it didn't look as indifferent as before. As usual, the two walked while holding hands.
Iris was wearing a long, flowing, black and red ombre dress. The top was tube-style, but it didn't look skimpy at all because of the artful embellishments on the front torso. It looked like a big, neatly rumpled side-facing ribbon made of black tulle. The wide tie emphasized Iris' narrow waist, making the tulle ribbon flare up around her breasts on top and around her hips below. The skirt slightly ballooned downwards, gradually changing from black to dark red and then to bright red. The dress looked like an upside down red lily.
Complementing her gorgeous dress was dark, smoky makeup with blood-red lips. Her nails were also painted in black and red ombre colours. As for her hair, it was arranged in glamourous waves. A crystal-encrusted platinum ornament in the shape of a phoenix was pinned on one side of her hair. It gave her a side-swept hair look.
Beside her, Jin Liwei was wearing a Chinese-style formal tuxedo suit. It was all black from head to toe. There was a long and intricate embroidery of a red dragon on the front of the suit jacket. The red colour popped from his all black ensemble and also matched Iris' beautiful dress.
Their stylist purposely matched their outfits, from the black and red motifs, to her phoenix hair ornament and his jacket's dragon embroidery.
He was the dragon king, while she was the phoenix queen.
This was the meaning of their outfits.
Individually, each of them looked striking in their own right. Together, they were absolutely magnificent and formidable.
Everyone was wowed by their stunning appearance. The people standing close around the two of them seemed to pale in comparison to their combined resplendence.
Back at Jin Liwei's villa estate, everyone cheered when they watched the couple appear on TV.
"Mama! Papa! Yay yay!" Little Jun pointed at his godmother and godfather in excitement, and then clapped his hands.
"Kyaaaaah! Boss is super-duper beautiful! Sir boss is also super-duper handsome! They look gorgeous to the highest level on TV!" Dom exclaimed. He also clapped his hands in excitement like Little Jun.
"Yesh! Mama bootiful! Papa hansam!"
The others nodded their heads in agreement. The European makeup artists and hairstylists looked proud of their work, as they examined Iris and Jin Liwei's attention-grabbing appearances on TV. Everyone continued to watch in rapt attention. The debut release of this chapter happened at Ãøvâ¬l-B1n.
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After the red carpet, the awards ceremony finally started. The general protocol was very similar to the opening ceremony. Even the seating arrangements were mostly the same. This time, however, there were more people attending. The grand theatre was filled to the brim.
Iris Long and Jin Liwei sat together with the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken", including the President of LX Productions and Guan Jintao and his wife.
As for the VIP guests, Grandpa Lu and Lu Zihao sat together with Wei Lan. The people sitting around them, however, were quite different from the opening ceremony. They were more famous and influential. It seemed that there were many who fought to acquire the opportunity to sit close to Vizcondesa Lan. She had become a very popular figure during the social events of the Sommet International Film Festival.
In addition to this, their seats were also moved to a part which had one of the best views of the stage.
Enrique Valdez, Maestro Ludovico De Luca and his wife also attended once again. Their front-row seats remained the same. This row was mostly reserved to all the award laureates of the past film festivals.
The host, speakers and performances were still more misses than hits, but nobody really cared much. Everyone didn't feel bored at all. Instead, they all felt very excited...and impatient as well. They couldn't wait for the main course of the nightâthe actual awards ceremony.
"And now the moment that you've all been waiting for has finally arrived," the host announced in French.
Everyone became quiet and sat straighter on their seats, including Iris and Jin Liwei.
"We will now officially start the awards ceremony! To all the nominees, congratulations and I wish you the best of luck!"
Chapter 502 - Don't Distract Me
The excitement and nervousness in the atmosphere became heavier after the host announced the official start of the awards ceremony. Cheers and applause sounded throughout the entire grand theatre, expressing their approval, relief and impatience.
Jin Liwei held his baby girl's hand and rubbed it gently. Her hand felt dry and warm to the touch. It didn't feel damp or cold at all, as one would expect from a person who was nervous. He glanced at her. She had a calm and pleasant expression, as if she was just relaxing at home rather than awaiting her name to be called as a nominee for one of the important awards inthe prestigious Sommet International Film Festival.
If it weren't for her racing pulse throbbing in her wrists, he would've thought that his baby girl didn't think much of the film festival's awards ceremony at all. She may look like she was just treating the awards night like any normal day, but she must be feeling nervous inside. Or excited. Maybe both. However, these feelings couldn't be seen on her face at all.
The corners of his mouth curved upward in a faint smile. His baby girl was truly impressive in maintaining her composure despite the gravity of this awards. In contrast to her calmness, the rest of the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" looked like they drank too much coffee. They were all jittery and couldn't sit still. Despite this, the excitement was obvious in their eyes.
Jin Liwei was amused at the difference of their state to his baby girl's. She was the youngest among them, yet she was the most composed. He lifted her hand that he was holding and kissed it. His action made her turn her head to him before giving him a beautiful smile.
He inhaled sharply, his eyes darkening with passion. No matter how many times he saw her smile at him, it always managed to take his breath away and make his heart skip a beat.
His gaze that was filled with so much heat affected Iris. Her breathing couldn't help but speed up, as her eyes darkened with desire for him as well. It was only when she vaguely heard the names of the nominees for the first award that she regained her senses.
She pouted her blood-red lips at him before telling him in a whisper, "Don't distract me."
A soft, low chuckle escaped from his lips. "Alright, I'll try not to distract you. It's just that you're so beautiful that you're the one who's distracting me. I don't mind, though. You can distract me all you want, love."
Her racing pulse normalized a bit after hearing his mushy words. She giggled. "Stop it."
"En," he replied but not before giving her hand another kiss. The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
Beside them, the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" who were sitting the closest to them couldn't help but blush after overhearing what the couple had been whispering to each other. Although they spent time with the couple almost every day during the duration of the film festival, they still hadn't completely gotten used to their lovey-doveyness. It was just so difficult to match and accept that the lovestruck man uttering such mushy words was the same person as the cold and intimidating CEO Jin Liwei. The image of Jin Liwei in their minds was slowly crumbling.
Iris and Jin Liwei didn't know what they were thinking about at the moment. Although they were all sitting together as one team, a special invisible lovey-dovey bubble separated the couple from the rest of the other people around them. The two of them were very much in tune with each other's emotions.
Jin Liwei sensed that his baby girl had become a bit more relaxed, thanks to his words. It made him feel both gratified and relieved.
As for Iris, she may look calm and composed, but she was actually feeling quite nervous inside. Fortunately, her darling managed to relax her somewhat. Even though she kept telling herself that she wouldn't care much if she won or lost tonight, there was still a desire inside her to win. After all, who wouldn't want to win an award from such a prestigious event as the Sommet International Film Festival?
She was confident of her own workâshe had always beenâbut the winner would be chosen from jury voting. She had no control over the jury's personal preferences. As such, even if a work was a genius masterpiece, if it wasn't to the jury's tastes, then it still wouldn't win. All Iris could do was to continue believing in her own work while keeping an open mind, so even if she didn't win, it wouldn't discourage her.
The first awards that were being distributed were the minor ones given out by other independent entities affiliated to the film festival, not by Sommet International Film Festival itself. Nevertheless, these minor awards were still important and respected by many in the world's film industry. Some of these awards even included rather generous cash prizes, especially those targeted at young filmmakers to encourage them to continue pursuing their dreams.
By this time, the grand theatre was filled with applause and cheering every time a winner was announced. The winners went up the stage to give their acceptance speeches. Since the winners came from all over the world and spoke in different languages, the audience had the option of listening to real time translations via the provided earphones, just like during the opening ceremony.
Of course, Iris didn't need to use the earphones at all. Jin Liwei also didn't bother using them. He already had a skilled interpreter beside him. Fortunately, all of the languages being spoken so far were ones that she was proficient in. She had no trouble translating everything to him.
There were quite a number of other awards being given out. The atmosphere within the grand theatre had become much more relaxed compared to earlier. The winners were already starting to celebrate. The losers could only clap their hands in congratulations to the winners. It would be bad taste to express outward disappointment or resentment for not winning.
As for the remaining nominees, they eagerly awaited their turn.
Would they win and celebrate?
Or would they have to congratulate someone else's win?
Chapter 503 - Dazed
Finally, the main competition's award categories commenced. The first was for the Best Debut Film Award. The cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" clasped their hands together in prayer. Iris squeezed Jin Liwei's hand, seeking comfort and absorbing strength from him.
Unfortunately, "Strong Yet Broken" didn't win. An Indian indie film won instead. Iris and Jin Liwei along with the others clapped their hands in congratulations to the winner. The Indian movie was one of the few films they managed to watch during their free time. Although they felt a slight disappointment for not winning the Best Debut Film Award, they didn't feel too bad losing to such a thought-provoking film.
Other awards, nominees and winners were announced. More applause, cheers and speeches. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via noovelllbbin
Iris continued to translate the speeches to her darling. This time, the film's cast and crew closest to them abandoned their earphones and listened to her translations instead. They found her translations smoother, more confident and easier to understand compared to the earphone interpreters who stammered and hesitated at some of the speeches. Now they knew just how talented she was as an interpreter. Of course, they heard her being lauded as a genius polyglot when China hosted this year's international business conference during the summer, but it was a different matter to witness her skills firsthand.
After the latest commercial break, everyone paid more rapt attention to the next remaining awards. These were the biggest and the most important out of all the awards presented in the film festival. Receiving any of these awards was a great honour to anyone working in the film industry anywhere in the world.
"And the nominees for the Best Soundtrack Award are..."
The guest presenters started announcing all of the nominees.
Iris' calm and pleasant expression had now become solemn. She gripped Jin Liwei's hand so hard that it actually started to hurt him. However, he didn't complain nor show any indication of pain on his face. Instead, he used his other hand to rub her hand and soothe her.
The cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken", including the President of LX Productions and Guan Jintao and his wife, looked more nervous than Iris. The producer even closed his eyes and began chanting a prayer.
In another part of the audience, Wei Lan grabbed Grandpa Lu's sleeve beside her and repeatedly tugged it in anxiety. She looked paler than usual.
"Is she going to win of course she's going to win she's my daughter she's the beeeeeest of course she'll win because she's my daughter..." she mumbled nonstop under her breath.
Grandpa Lu pursed his lips while looking at his now wrinkled sleeve. The woman was holding his poor sleeve in a death grip.
"Calm down, woman!" he told Wei Lan, but she ignored him. All he could do was sigh and allow his sleeve to be abused by her perfectly manicured claws.
On Grandpa Lu's other side, Lu Zihao wore a frighteningly cold expression. His usual devilish playfulness was nowhere to be seen. He looked at the other nominees competing against his little sister on the giant monitors, as if he wanted to squeeze the life out of them.
Grandpa Lu noticed his abnormal state. "Haohao, my boy! What's wrong with you? I want to know! Why do you look like someone just stole your favourite candy directly from your hands? You calm down, too!"
It was only then that Lu Zihao regained his senses. He actually allowed the nervous atmosphere to affect him. Indeed, his weakness would always be his sister. Fortunately, the old man prompted him to get a hold of himself. He turned his head and flashed Grandpa Lu a devilish smile.
"Hmph!" Grandpa Lu scowled upon seeing his grandson's smile. "Why are you trying to flirt with your own grandfather? I want to know! You think that your smile will work on this old man and make me swoon? Hah! I'm the original, you're only the remix version! That smile won't work on me. This old man's smile is many times more potent than yours! All I see whenever I look at you is the Baby Haohao in his diapers when I was taking care of you when you were just this small!"
Lu Zihao rolled his eyes. The old man really knew how to shoot his mouth off. He wasn't the original Lu Zihao, so the old man's words didn't embarrass him at all. He only shrugged his shoulders and returned his full attention to the awards ceremony. But not before he felt a small twinge within himself before a warm pleasant feeling filled his heart. The feeling wasn't his.
On the stage, the guest presenters announced a total of sixteen nominees for the Best Soundtrack Award, including Iris Long.
When her name was announced, the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" cheered for her. Wei Lan also cried out and almost started yelling "that's my daughter" before catching herself. She remembered that she was a viscountess now, so she must maintain her graceful and classy image. It was difficult, but she was able to restrain her wildness.
By this time, Jin Liwei was now hugging his baby girl's shoulders with one arm while his other hand continued to endure her tight grip. He also began to feel nervous, but forced himself to calm down. His baby girl was doing a great job in maintaining her composure. He didn't want to be the one to lose it.
On the stage, the guest presenters opened the envelope.
"And the Best Soundtrack Award goes to..."
Iris, Jin Liwei and the others held their breaths.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds...
"Iris Long, 'Strong Yet Broken'!"
The producer who was praying hard earlier was the first one to react. He shot up from his seat and started jumping and screaming at the top of his lungs. The others also followed suit. They all turned to Iris who had a slightly dazed expression on her face.
"Iris, oh my God! You won!" they exclaimed.
Everyone in their group looked as if they also won the award. Her achievement felt like their achievement as well. They were one team.
"Miss Iris Long, please come up the stage," one of the guest presenters reminded her in English.
It was Jin Liwei who pulled her up from her seat.
"Love, you did it," he whispered directly to her ear. "Now go get that award and make us even prouder."
Chapter 504 - Holding Hands
Jin Liwei's words somehow managed to penetrate Iris' dazed mind. She tightened her hold on his hand even further and pulled him along, as she walked to the aisle on the way to the stage. Her face automatically smiled softly, accepting her group's congratulations, even though she was still feeling dazed.
As for Jin Liwei, he didn't protest as she dragged him. He could sense that she was quite out of herself. She was basically just moving on instinct. He didn't want to ruin the moment for her, by pulling his hand away from her hold. Besides, he loved the fact that her instinct made her hold him. It filled him with so much contentment.
At the front area of the audience, tears flowed down Wei Lan's face. It was a good thing that she wore waterproof makeup. She felt so proud of her daughter. Never once had her daughter won any important and meaningful awards like this before. She heard that her daughter also won a lot of awards back in China during the Harmony Music Awards and the Diamond Guild Awards earlier this year. She even received a special award for inventing new musical techniques. Unfortunately, Wei Lan wasn't able to witness those amazing moments of her daughter.
Now that she was present to witness her daughter win a prestigious award for the first time, Wei Lan felt very proud. She tossed the viscountess image that she had been maintaining all throughout the film festival. At the moment, she was just a mother. Wei Lan knew that she had many shortcomings as a mother to her daughter. She lacked the nurturing instinct that seemed to automatically develop in all mothers. In addition, she and her daughter clashed almost all the time in the past.
Despite this, Wei Lan never hated her daughter. She loved her. Long Xiulan was, after all, her one and only daughter. Even if the world turned upside down, Wei Lan and Long Xiulan would always remain flesh and blood mother and daughter. It was a good thing that both of them had changed for the better. Her daughter matured a lot and stopped looking for fights with her.
As for Wei Lan herself, she also believed that she had matured, especially after marrying her second husband, the Vizconde of Castillo de Estrellas. He helped widened her narrow perspective of the world and taught her about compassion. In turn, it made her a little less selfish. Wei Lan believed that this was one of the major reasons why she and her daughter had become closer since she returned to China.
Wei Lan was filled with so much pride for her daughter. She clapped her hands so hard and cheered with all she had. She wanted everyone to know that she, Wei Lan, was Iris Long's mother. Her daughter was so talented in music that she could even win such a prestigious award abroad! Only her daughter could do that!
Beside her, Grandpa Lu and Lu Zihao also gave Iris a standing ovation.
"That's my girl! My beloved student! My favourite granddaughter! As expected of Lu Jianhong's protégé! Bahahaha!" Grandpa Lu cheered and bragged at the same time, even though his mentorship of Iris had nothing to do with music at all. Discover, Devour, Delight: Nâ¡vεlB¡n.
Lu Zihao was silent and looked impassive. His eyes, however, showed how proud he was of his little sister. He looked at her making her way to the stage. His eyes narrowed in displeasure when he saw that she was dragging Jin Liwei. This moment was for his sister! What was the man doing, trying to share the spotlight?
Iris and Jin Liwei finally reached the bottom of the stage. But before they could climb up the steps, Iris saw her two music mentors in her peripheral vision. She immediately stopped and then dragged Jin Liwei to their direction.
"Miss Iris Longâ" the guest announcer was about to remind her again to hurry up to the stage when he saw where she was going.
Everyone watched in amazement as Iris hugged the two music legends. They became more amazed when Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Enrique Valdez both hugged her back. They even patted her. The cameras immediately focused on the scene.
Maestro De Luca looked like he was telling Iris something. Unfortunately, he covered his mouth so the lip readers couldn't know what he was saying. Even the usually taciturn Enrique Valdez was seen whispering something to Iris.
Some of the people already knew that Iris Long was connected to the two music legends. After all, she was seen meeting up with them at a café a couple of days before the film festival officially began. However, they only thought that they were acquaintances. A few of them even thought that her connection to the two music legends was because she was the daughter of a viscountess. But seeing their interaction now, she seemed very close to the two of them.
Now they were all wondering whether there was another layer to her relationship with Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez. Perhaps they had something to do why she was so talented in music, capable of composing an entire high-quality film score by herself, despite her young age.
Her work was so emotional, digging deep into one's soul, yet also very polished. Her music was brilliant technically, yet not pretentious at all. In fact, it sounded natural and effortless while evoking deep emotions.
If the renowned classical music maestro and the legendary hitmaker were directly involved in the development of her musical talents, then Iris Long was a figure to watch out for in the music world.
After embracing each other, Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez urged her to hurry up the stage. Jin Liwei took control of the situation and firmly pulled his baby girl. Fortunately, she already regained her senses. She hurried up but still didn't let go of her darling's hand. As a result, Iris and Jin Liwei climbed the stage together.
When the couple faced the entire audience in their matching black and red outfits, the cheers and applause became louder. They looked so perfect together that everyone couldn't help but admire the couple.
Chapter 505 - This Honour Is Our Honour
The two guest presenters were surprised that Iris Long brought along her man to the stage with her. However, they didn't stop her nor did they demand Jin Liwei to get off the stage. There was no rule indicating that winners couldn't bring other people with them on the stage, but it wasn't the norm either.
An official from the Sommet International Film Festival's committee handed Iris the award. It was a trophy which looked like a golden sun fixed on the surface of a large, clear, rectangular crystal. The beautiful trophy couldn't stand on its own because of the crystal's cut. Instead, it was already placed inside its own velvet box that opened on the front, making the trophy visible for everyone to see.
Iris had to let go of Jin Liwei's hand to receive the award and the congratulations from the official and the two guest presenters. She might have let go of her darling's hand, but her body language indicated that she wanted him to stay close to her. Of course, he sensed what she wanted so he stayed close, even when the official and the two guest performers retreated to the back.
The couple walked to the front of the microphone. Iris looked at the entire audience. It was an awards show, but to her, this stage felt very different to the stages of the Harmony Music Awards and the Diamond Guild Awards back in China. This stage felt bigger and more amazing.
Although this grand theatre held less people compared to the massive arenas where the Chinese awards were held, the Sommet International Film Awards still felt a whole lot larger because of the different ethnicities present among the audience. Each of these people represented a different country in the world. As a result, it felt like the entire world was watching her receive an award right now compared to just one country back in China.
The situation gave Iris a surreal feeling, yet she also felt humbled at the same time. She knew that there were still a lot of talented musicians out there in the world. The thought motivated her to do her best and improve her musical craft even further. She should never allow herself to grow complacent. If she did, others would surpass her current level and reach new heights in music without her.
With all of these thoughts running through her mind, Iris finally gave her acceptance speech. She spoke in French first, thanking the officials and organizers, the jury, her fellow nominees, all the participants of the shortlisted films, and everyone who followed and supported the events during the entire duration of the Sommet International Film Festival. The people were impressed at her elegant French. She sounded like a native, no foreign accent at all.
Then all of a sudden, she switched to English with a British accent. The debut release of this chapter happened at Ãøvâ¬l-B1n.
"I would like to thank everyone from the 'Strong Yet Broken' family. Thank you for entrusting me to compose the entire film score. If it weren't for your belief in me and the opportunity that you've given me, I wouldn't be standing here on this stage right now, receiving this award. Mr. Guan, your life story, especially your mother's, is a source of inspiration to all of us. Thank you for supporting this film and giving it your personal seal of approval."
Then she looked at her big brother, Grandpa Lu and Wei Lan all sitting together in the audience. "Thank you to my family for accompanying me all the way here to France. I'm deeply grateful for your support." Next, she looked at Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez. "To those who inspire me to become a better musician, thank you very much!"
She didn't reveal her status as a student to both of the music legends yet. It would up to the two if and when they wanted to reveal their real connection to her. Then she paused a bit before shifting the award in one arm while her other hand reached for Jin Liwei. Of course, he took her extended hand and held it. She gazed at her darling's eyes, not caring that the world was watching her every move right now.
"Most importantly, thank you to the man standing beside me," she said. Her tone became softer, almost dropping to a whisper. "You've been there silently supporting me while I composed the film score. You've been so patient and understanding, even when I spent more time with my music than with you. Thank you...and I love you."
Jin Liwei's lips moved. It was obvious what he said, even if they didn't hear his voice.
"I love you, too. So much."
Squeals and whistles echoed throughout the grand theatre upon witnessing such a romantic scene.
Iris continued her speech.
"The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, 'Music in the soul can be heard by the universe'. This is my ultimate goal as a musicianâto let the whole world, no, the whole universe hear my music. Where my words could fail to reach far, I hope that my music will. So thank you very much for listening to my music and liking it enough to choose me for this award."
Before ending her speech, she switched to Mandarin and said, "Last but not the least, I want to thank my fans, the Black Stars. This honour is our honour. Please wait for me to come back home. I can't wait to see you all again."
After her speech, she moved a few steps to the side and gave the audience an elegant, deep curtsy bow. She was still holding Jin Liwei's hand. Following her example, Jin Liwei also bent his body forward from the waist and gave everyone a deep bow.
Their beautiful bows earned a loud standing ovation from the audience. Not only that, they were all very impressed at Iris Long's multilingual speech. She switched languages so naturally that it didn't feel pretentious at all. In fact, it felt just right coming out of her mouth.
Hand in hand, the couple left the stage and returned to their seats, like a pair of immortal lovers descending from the heavens.
Chapter 506 - There's Still A Chance
On their way to their seats, Iris and Jin Liwei stopped to receive the congratulations from Wei Lan, Grandpa Lu and Lu Zihao.
Wei Lan was now openly crying, casting aside her image as a graceful and classy viscountess. But it still didn't detract from her beauty which she passed down to her one and only daughter, Long Xiulan. Her new friends didn't mind that she was freely expressing her emotions, unlike a composed a viscountess. In fact, they thought more highly of her now because she was acting like such a proud mother. It made her more relatable.
Iris was touched by Wei Lan's emotional congratulations. The woman hugged her tightly. This was the first time that they had a real hug, not just the superficial ones they usually had before.
Even from the memories of the original Iris Long, Wei Lan had perhaps only given her daughter this kind of heartfelt hug maybe once or twice, and that was when the original Iris was just a small child. The memories were hazy that it was difficult for the Iris now to ascertain whether they really happened or not, especially since she wasn't actually the one who experienced them.
Nevertheless, Iris returned the hug and patted Wei Lan's back. She could feel the woman's sincerity in making up to her as a mother. Although she wasn't the real Iris, she still couldn't help but feel warm inside.
A mother figure was someone that she lacked in her past life as Evelina. Yet she had a few of them now. Yi Mei, Yang Jiahui, Huang Yuyan and Grandma Li. They treated her like their own daughter or granddaughter, so she was very thankful to them.
As for Wei Lan, Iris had only treated the woman as an acquaintance or a distant friend who called or messaged her at random times. But ever since Wei Lan returned to the country and moved into her penthouse, they grew closer. This was especially true after Iris witnessed Wei Lan taking Jiang Ying Yue under her wings and helped her gain more self-confidence. Jiang Ying Yue was one of her best friends, so Iris began treating Wei Lan more favourably afterwards.
Despite this, Iris still felt some sort of instinctive emotional distance towards Wei Lan. She couldn't fully explain it. She had no idea if the feeling originated from the remnant inside her body or from her.
(She still didn't know that the remnant had now almost completely fused with her, so technically there wasn't any active remnant inside her anymore.)
Although Iris was feeling this way, she didn't want to push Wei Lan away. As long as the woman was treating her with sincerity, Iris had no problem in accepting her goodwill. Perhaps she might even begin to treat Wei Lan like a real mother, despite the woman's shortcomings to the original Iris. After all, Iris believed that people could change.
For now, however, she could only treat Wei Lan as an older friend. She felt much closer to Yi Mei, Yang Jiahui, Huang Yuyan and Grandma Li because she spent a longer time getting to know them in person as the new Iris. On the other hand, she was only beginning to bond with Wei Lan. Perhaps their relationship would evolve into something better in the future.
After hugging Wei Lan, Iris hugged Grandpa Lu next. The old man's proud voice boomed, but it was still drowned by the even louder applause and cheers of the other people around them. Iris actually treated Grandpa Lu as the best father figure in this new life of hers, even more so than Long Tengfei. Grandpa Lu was very loving, nurturing, and yet still allowed her to spread her own wings, to explore the world on her own, and to learn from her own mistakes. He was also very open in expressing his affections to the people he cared about. Iris admired him greatly.
Finally, she received congratulations from her big brother. Lu Zihao enveloped her in his warm and strong embrace.
"I'm so proud of you," he whispered to her ear in Russian. "You've blossomed into an amazing, brilliant, incredible and confident woman. I wish you a lifetime filled withhappiness." The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
Her face broke into a bright, emotional smile. Coming from her real big brother's mouth, these words were extra special to her.
"Thank you, Big Brother," she whispered back in Russian as well. "I also wish you a lifetime filled with happiness. Let's spend these new lives of ours pursuing only happiness and the freedom to chase our dreams."
His eyes dimmed a bit after hearing what she said, but his expression quickly recovered. Iris didn't notice the change at all. This was her big brother, after all. He was an expert in concealing his emotions if he really wanted to, even to the people close to him.
Jin Liwei also joined in hugging everyone. He felt like the proudest husband ever. His wife was just too awesome!
Afterwards, the couple finally returned to their seats where they were welcomed by the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken", including the President of LX Productions and Guan Jintao and his wife. They looked absolutely ecstatic about her win, as if they had won it for themselves. And in a sense, they also won it because they were all part of the same film. They were one team.
Iris wasn't stingy. She handed them the beautiful trophy in its open velvet box, so that they could examine it for themselves. The producer was crying tears of joy, while the director was teary-eyed.
"We have one win. I'm so happy! We can go home to China with heads held up high in pride. We didn't shame our country at all here in the Sommet International Film Festival," he said.
Iris tilted her head to the side before replying, "We still have two more nominations remaining."
The hidden implication of her words was clear to everyone.
'We still have two more nominations remaining. There's still a chance that we can win more.'
The others chuckled, agreeing with her out loud. Inside, however, they didn't believe that they would continue to be lucky tonight.Now that their film had won an award through Iris Long, they already felt satisfied.
Chapter 507 - Two!!!
The others from the "Strong Yet Broken" team already stopped expecting to win more awards after this. The competition in the film festival was extremely fierce. Take the Best Soundtrack Award, for example. It was just one award but there was a total of sixteen nominees. Sixteen nominees already seemed a lot, but other categories actually had more. Some even had more than twenty nominees. Only a few award categories had less than five nominees.
It was already a miracle that Iris won against such stiff competition. This was what the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" thought in their minds.
If he could hear what they were thinking about, Jin Liwei would disagree with them. It certainly wasn't a miracle that his baby girl won the Best Soundtrack Award. His baby girl deserved it and so much more. It was fortunate that the jury knew quality music when they heard one and chose his baby girl to win the award. If she didn't win, then he would inwardly accuse them of having poor taste and not knowing how to judge properly.
To him, his baby girl was the greatest musician in the whole world, even more so than her legendary music mentors, Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Enrique Valdez. In his love-filled mind, his baby girl was the best. Nobody could defeat her when it came to music.
After Iris won the award, their group calmed down a lot. They were no longer nervous. They all felt very happy and proud. Their film won an award in the world-renowned Sommet International Film Festival!
They all settled down on their seats. The beautiful trophy made its way back to Iris after the others finished admiring it. She cradled it on her lap with one arm while her other hand continued to hold her darling's hand. His presence made her feel safe, secure and comfortable.
Later, the Best Actor Award had just been given out. Iris glanced at Yin Meixing, the actress playing Guan Jintao's mother, who was sitting a few seats away from her. Her name would be called shortly as one of the nominees for the Best Actress Award.
Yin Meixing looked relaxed, not nervous at all. It seemed that she wasn't expecting herself to win. After all, there was a couple of world-famous, big name movie actresses competing against her. The others also looked like they felt the same way. They were just enjoying the rest of the evening, already content with the Best Soundtrack Award that Iris Long won for them.
Back at the stage, a new pair of guest presenters appeared holding an envelope.
"The nominees for the Best Actress Award are..."
There was a total of nine nominees in the category. About a third of them were already rather famous actresses on the international level. Two of them were super famous. It was understandable that the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken"weren't expecting Yin Meixing to win the Best Actress Award against all of these other well-known actresses. Indeed, at first glance and just based on fame level alone, Yin Meixing had no chance against them.
However, Iris believed that based on pure acting talent and skills alone, Yin Meixing had a good shot on winning the award. Although she wasn't the most physically attractive woman, her acting was superb.
The guest presenters onstage opened the envelope.
"And the Best Actress Award goes to..."
Iris didn't look at the stage at all. Instead, she looked to her side, continuing to observe Yin Meixing. The actress looked excited while watching her image being shown on the giant monitors alongside the other famous actresses. She was acting like a total fangirl instead of a nominee for a serious acting award.
"Meixing Yin, 'Strong Yet Broken'!"
"..."
Everyone from their group, except for Iris, all had blank expressions on their faces. At first, they thought that maybe they heard the name of the winner wrongly. Then when the guest presenters repeated Yin Meixing's name, they were all taken aback. It was only when Yin Meixing's expression of shocked disbelief was shown on the giant monitors that they realized she really won.
Iris smiled and started clapping her hands with the rest of the audience. Even Jin Liwei was surprised, but his reaction wasn't as dramatic as the others.
"Congratulations, Miss Yin. Hurry and go up the stage now to receive your well-deserved award," Iris encouraged the actress.
Yin Meixing lifted herself from her seat and walked stiffly like a robot to the stage. Someone had to help her up the steps because she almost tripped and fell on her face. The audience chuckled good-naturedly at her display of clumsiness. Finally, she reached the stage.
Her shock made her mind completely blank out. When she regained her senses, the mic was already poking in front of her mouth and the beautiful trophy was in her arms. She saw the audience all looking at her, waiting for her to say something. Her heart was racing inside her chest, feeling like it was going to jump out at any moment. The quick lub-dub lub-dub of her heart was the only thing she could hear.
"I..." she began in English. She had decent English skills. "I don't know what to say... I didn't prepare any speech for tonight at all because I wasn't expecting to...oh my GOD! I wasn't expecting to win at all! Is this really happening? I... Wow."
The audience found her reaction adorable and couldn't help but laugh.
In the end, Yin Meixing was able to get a hold of herself. She properly thanked all the important people in "Strong Yet Broken", her management team, her fans, and of course, her family. It was a very generic speech but her heartfelt reaction touched the hearts of the audience. She was crying so much, but her professionalism still kicked in, making her speak clearly.
The audience gave her a deafening standing ovation after her speech ended.
When Yin Meixing finally returned to her seat, it felt like she was floating. There were many peopleâmost of them strangers but some were famous celebritiesâwho congratulated her on the way back. Everything that was happening right now didn't feel real. Maybe she was still dreaming.
Everyone in her group was very emotional when they welcomed her. Tears flowed down most of their faces.
The awards ceremony continued until finally, it was time for the final and the most important award of the film festivalâthe Soleil d'Or Award.
"Strong Yet Broken" didn't win it, but there was no disappointment in the group of Chinese participants. They were only filled with pure joy, excitement and pride. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
Iris Long and Yin Meixing, these two incredible and talented women in their own respective fields, were the biggest stars and China's greatest pride for them tonight. Winning just one award in the prestigious Sommet International Film Festival was already an achievement, but their film "Strong Yet Broken" won two awards!
Two!!!
And it was these two amazing women who won those awards for them.
After the awards ceremony ended, Iris Long and Yin Meixing joined the other award winners on the stage for a group photo before heading for the post-ceremony press conference.
Of course, it was being livestreamed to the viewers back in China.
Chapter 508 - WeiRis
By now, the Chinese reporter who originally livestreamed the opening night of the Sommet International Film Festival had increased his reputation. His boss had placed more importance on him and gave him more funds to do his job more efficiently in this France assignment.
The other Chinese reporters tried following his example and began livestreaming during the film festival as well. However, the pioneer already acquired the advantage in everything. The viewers seemed to flock to the original Chinese reporter who livestreamed first.
His good reputation was evident in the view counts. At the moment, he was livestreaming the post-ceremony press conference. His livestream currently had a total of more than 3 million viewers, compared to the other Chinese reporters' livestreams that only had a few thousand views each. The additional funds he received were invested in better equipment, making the quality of his livestream more superior than the others. This was one of the reasons why the viewers preferred to watch his livestreams.
He was currently focusing the video camera on Iris Long and Yin Meixing standing together with the other award winners. All of them held their beautiful golden sun on a crystal trophies inside open velvet boxes while smiling to the cameras.
The names of all of these award winners, including Iris Long and Yin Meixing, would forever be recorded in the history of the Sommet International Film Festival. From now on, they would be referred to as laureates of the film festival, alongside figures like Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Enrique Valdez. The debut release of this chapter happened at Ãøvâ¬l-B1n.
Back in China, more people started tuning in to the livestream. It was already hours past midnight, yet the view count only kept increasing by the minute. There was now close to 3.5 million viewers.
The original viewers since day one were watching the livestream again. Most of them were Black Stars. There were also members of high society, curious rumourmongers, Iris Long and Wei Lan's haters, Jin Liwei's own fans and those who were lusting for him, and the new WeiRis shippers.
It wasn't only these people who were watching the livestream. The fans of the rising stars Yin Meixing and the other actors and actresses starring in "Strong Yet Broken" were also watching to support their new favourite celebrities. Guan Jintao's own fans also made sure to tune in. In addition, people working in entertainment news were required to watch the livestream as part of their work. And finally, the rest of the viewers were made up of people who genuinely wanted to support their fellow countrymen and countrywomen in giving pride and honour to their country.
Nevertheless, it was still the Black Stars who were the most active in the live comments.
CaptainBlackStar: "We did it, comrades! Our amazing Boss Iris won the Best Soundtrack Award! She even mentioned us, the Black Stars, in her acceptance speech! This is a great honour to all of us. We must show boss how happy, grateful, and proud we are of her when she returns home!"
The Black Stars' leader rallied her fellow fan club members to send messages of support to their beloved Boss Iris. A good portion of them were former LinRis shippers who temporarily became ZiRis shippers until they eventually settled down to become the WeiRis shippers.
"OMG! Did you watch the video footage of Boss Iris' acceptance speech on the internet? She brought CEO Jin with her on the stage and she said 'I love you'! And then he mouthed 'I love you, too' back! Kyaaaaaah! I'm dying! Help! I'm drowning in too much dogfood!"
"Yes! I watched it! I thought that CEO Jin will be too cold and unemotional for Boss Iris, but I'm wrong! Despite his resting bitch face, CEO Jin's love for boss is very obvious from the look in his eyes."
"I agree! The way that CEO Jin looks at Boss Iris is so sweet and sticky! I'm getting diabetes just watching them!"
"WeiRis is so much better than LinRis or even ZiRis! I'm sorry Prince Lin Lin, but I think that your older brother matches Boss Iris better than you. Am I the only one who thinks that CEO Jin looks more handsome and masculine than Prince Lin Lin? Actually, I think that CEO Jin is perfect! Prince Lin Lin is only a prince but CEO Jin is a King! No, an Emperor! And Boss Iris will soon become his empress when they marry. Did you see their matching outfits? A phoenix and a dragon! How apt! What a gorgeous couple!
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
The WeiRis shippers were having fun fangirling, fanboying and fangaying at their new favourite love team. Despite this, some of the original LinRis shippers were unhappy. They still steadfastly believed that their Prince Lin Lin was the perfect match to Boss Iris, even though the whole world already knew that Iris Long was engaged to CEO Jin Liwei. These fans, however, were bullheaded and refused to change their opinions. Fortunately, no major fights broke out between the LinRis and the WeiRis shippers.
Only very few remained as ZiRis shippers. And even then, they weren't actually fans of the Iris Long-Lu Zihao pairing. More specifically, they became fans of Lu Zihao himself. They loved his big, muscular bodyâso manly! Even the scar on his face was a major point of attraction. To normal people, a scar on the face would make other people view them as less attractive. In Lu Zihao's case, however, the scar made him hotter. But what they found the most attractive about him was his signature devilish smile. It was teasing with a hint of danger.
These shippers continued to promote their favourite pairing. However, their enthusiastic discussions were interrupted by a famous username.
JinChonglin:"To the earlier commenter who said that my big brother is more handsome and masculine than me, come out! In what way does my cold-faced brother more handsome than me? I protest against this!"
"Ahahaha! You're so cute, Prince Lin Lin."
The others also followed suit in making fun of Jin Chonglin. They assumed that he was only joking with all of them by acting like a petulant child. And indeed, he started chatting and joking around with the other viewers. Some of them were his own fans. He raved about how proud he was of his "sister-in-law" for winning the Best Soundtrack Award in the prestigious Sommet International Film Festival.
"Jin Chonglin, are you jealous of Iris Long's award?" someone suddenly asked.
There was no answer. Jin Chonglin became silent.
"Pft! Don't tell me you're really jealous? How pathetic," the anonymous user taunted.
Other trolls popped out and started attackingJin Chonglin. These haters were a common part of the internet, especially when famous superstars like Jin Chonglin were involved.
Although Jin Chonglin seemed to have disappeared, his loyal army of fans descended in droves and defended their Prince Lin Lin against the haters. They attacked left and right. Other Black Stars also joined them. Jin Chonglin's army of fans and the Black Stars had become even closer during this fall season because of their prince and boss' music collaboration.
LittlePhoenix: "Although I should be sleeping because I have school tomorrowâwait, the next school day starts in a few hours! Anyway, I'm calling all members of the Slippers Army who are present right now to raise your mighty slippers and defend Prince Lin Lin! He's our Boss Iris' future brother-in-law so he's family! Family should take care of each other!"
Chapter 509 - KittyBaby
Members of the Slippers Army immediately responded to LittlePhoenix's call to action.
"Yeah! Defend our Boss Iris' brother-in-law! These noobs dare to act like trolls? Hah! There are no trolls who are worse than us, the Slippers Army! Let's teach these noobs how scary real trolls are! Let's go!"
"My mighty slippers go pah-pah-pah and smack-smack-smack until these noobs fly all the way to the deepest level of hell!"
"Shove our mighty slippers down their throats! That'll teach them!"
In the Black Stars' private chat group, the Slippers Army began organizing and preparing for battle. Directing them to the battlefield was the newest Black Star with the username KittyBaby. She had only officially joined the fan club in the past week when their Boss Iris was in France for the Sommet International Film Festival. Despite this, KittyBaby quickly became an indispensable key member of the Black Stars, especially to the Slippers Army.
She was actually a worse troll and even more aggressive than the original Slippers Army leader, iEatSlippers. If iEatSlippers was a machine gun, then KittyBaby was an atomic bomb all by herself. Not only was she a troll like him, but she was also a computer expert like MonkeyFace. KittyBaby was like the perfect combination of iEatSlippers and MonkeyFace but also an upgraded version of both of them.
As a result, she had basically taken over the leadership of the Slippers Army in the very short amount of time that she became a member. It worked extremely well because KittyBaby seemed to be available for action 24/7, unlike LittlePhoenix who could only go online for a few hours because she was still a student. In addition to this, she also took over MonkeyFace's job as the Black Star's Chief IT Officer.
Although most of the other Black Stars felt that KittyBaby was weird (always meowing in her messages), they all grew to respect her skills and boldness. They thought that she was a genius. Even MonkeyFace, now the CEO of Planet Monkey, didn't work as fast as her back then. It felt like KittyBaby could resolve issues instantly. While her fellow Slippers Army were still preparing for battle, she was already returning from obliterating all of the enemies by herself.
As certified trolls, the members of the Slippers Army, including LittlePhoenix, were eager to be in the action themselves. They requested KittyBaby to restrain herself a bit in order for them to have the opportunity to wave their mighty slippers of justice and smack their Boss Iris' enemies to oblivion. There was no satisfaction greater than meting out punishment with one's own hand.
"KittyBaby understands. I will just direct you to the most effective and efficient method, then. Meow~"
Everyone felt better after she said this. And that was how KittyBaby became the greatest commander of the Slippers Army, even more so than the notorious founder himself, iEatSlippers. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via noovelllbbin
She was lightning-quick, decisive, accurate and merciless. She was like a tireless robot who could work nonstop day and night.
"Sister KittyBaby, are you even human? You're like a machine," LittlePhoenix once asked her.
"Meow~ KittyBaby is a super-duper cute and fluffy kitty baby. My mommy and daddy love me very much because I'm a good kitty!"
"Right, right. Yes, you're a good kitty. Your parents are so lucky to have a genius kid like you," CaptainBlackStar replied.
They could only accept her weirdness. Her speech patterns, however, made many of them suspect that she might be very young. Perhaps a teenager, or maybe even younger...a child? If KittyBaby was really a child, then she was indeed a genius with her impressive computer skills.
It reached a point that MonkeyFace, or CEO Hou Liang in real life, tried to recruit her to work for Planet Monkey. Unfortunately, she didn't even take a moment to think about it. She immediately declined the offer. Her reason?
"My mommy didn't tell me to work for Planet Monkey. KittyBaby is also assisting my daddy with his company's security. This good kitty is already a busy kitty. So no, thank you. Meow~"
Their suspicion that she might really be just a child only grew stronger after this. It seemed that she was still dependent on her parents. But assisting in the security of her father's company? What child could do that? Only a genius could!
It had only been about a week, but KittyBaby had already become very popular among the Black Stars. Her merciless trolling skills were also idolized by many members of the Slippers Army.
Back to the battle in the livestream, KittyBaby acted as the commander against the haters trolling Jin Chonglin. For some reason, the others noticed that she was extra ruthless tonight, as if the haters hurt a member of her own family. Or maybe she was just a secret hardcore fan of Prince Lin Lin.
Then suddenly, the lord of lippers and the emperor of monkeys appeared to join in the fun.
iEatSlippers: "KittyBaby is indeed a worthy successor of my beloved Slippers Army! In just a few days, you've transformed my army into a formidable powerhouse! This Lord of Slippers is extremely happy."
MonkeyFace: "My offer of employment to Planet Monkey is still open. Contact me anytime if you change your mind. Ask your parents. Maybe they'll allow you to work at our gaming company."
All the Black Stars, most especially the Slippers Army members, were delighted at the return of the two. With both of their addition, the destructive force of the notorious Slippers Army increased even more. What amazed everyone was that KittyBaby cooperated with them almost too perfectly, as if she already knew them for a long time.
About fifteen minutes later, a bunch of sensitive information was released on the internet for everyone to see. They were all personal information of the haters who trolled Jin Chonglin earlier. The release of their personal information to the public made them targets of Jin Chonglin's army of fans and anyone who despised their hateful online behaviour while hiding behind the shield of anonymity.
It would also make it possible for Jin Chonglin himself to pursue legal action for the crime of libel against them if he wanted. Now that their real identities were out in the open, they couldn't hide behind their anonymous accounts anymore.
Nobody knew who released their identities on the internet. There were many who suspected that a talented hacker was assisting the Black Stars for a while now.
They thought that it might be Hou Liang, a.k.a. MonkeyFace. After all, he was the CEO of Planet Monkey, the company that made the currently super popular game, "Supreme Ascension". In addition to this, he was originally the Chief IT Officer of the Black Stars. These all meant that he was very skilled in computers. However, they had no evidence to prove that he was the talented hacker who always assisted the Black Stars. Besides, hacking was illegal. Even if he did it, he wouldn't admit it in public, unless he was stupid enough to want to go into prison.
In a private message, Wu Chen, a.k.a. iEatSlippers, messaged Hou Liang.
iEatSlippers: "Great job hacking and releasing the personal information of all of those bastards and bitches. My mighty slippers are very satisfied."
MonkeyFace: "It wasn't me."
iEatSlippers: "Come on now. No need to be so modest between us bros."
MonkeyFace: "It really wasn't me. Wait. Let's ask the one who I think did it."
(KittyBaby was added to the chat by MonkeyFace)
Chapter 510 - Tough Nut To Crack
KittyBaby: "Meow?"
MonkeyFace: "Was it you?"
KittyBaby: "Yes! Meow~"
Both iEatSlippers and MonkeyFace expected for KittyBaby to ask for clarification about the question. After all, MonkeyFace didn't provide any other details and just asked. Surprisingly, however, she answered directly, as if she already knew what the question was all about.
KittyBaby: "Are you going to be a tattletale and tell everyone that I did it? KittyBaby won't let you! If you do, I'm going to tell my mommy that you're being mean to KittyBaby. Meow!"
The two men didn't bother paying attention to her childish speech and instead focused on her admission. Although both already knew that she was a skilled hacker, they were still impressed by her hacking skills, especially MonkeyFace. Of course, he was confident that he could do the same thing but not as quickly as she did it.
She only spent about fifteen minutes to hunt all those anonymous trolls, dig out their personal information, and then release their details to the public on the internet. Many of these trolls were also using virtual private networks (VPN), making it many times more difficult to locate them.
A suspicion about KittyBaby grew inside MonkeyFace. He left the three-way private chat and directly messaged KittyBaby.
MonkeyFace: "Are you related to Drakon?"
KittyBaby: (sticker of a mischievous laughing white cat)
MonkeyFace: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I already know Drakon's real identity." The initial posting of this chapter occurred via noovelllbbin
KittyBaby: "I know that you know. Meow~"
MonkeyFace: "So are you related?"
KittyBaby: "Yes! Drakon is KittyBaby's Mommy! Ehehe. Meow~"
A slight pause in the chat.
KittyBaby: "Ooops! I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to say this! You meanie! If my mommy calls KittyBaby a bad kitty because of this, then it's your fault! Meow... (sticker of an angry white cat)"
MonkeyFace took a few seconds before replying.
MonkeyFace: "Drakon is your...mommy? Your real mother? How is this possible? How old are you? Then is your father CEO-you-know-who?"
KittyBaby: "Hmph! So many questions. KittyBaby doesn't want to answer them anymore! You can just ask my mommy directly. If KittyBaby gets into trouble with Mommy after this, it's your fault! Meow!"
(KittyBaby left the chat)
After this, MonkeyFace didn't bother KittyBaby anymore to answer his questions. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what she revealed. He never suspected that KittyBaby was not a real person.
He didn't believe that Iris Long and Jin Liwei would already have a grown child. Though there was a possibility that KittyBaby was lying about what she said, but he didn't think so. His intuition told him that she really was related to Drakon.
Perhaps Iris Long and Jin Liwei adopted a genius child as their daughter? And now Iris Long, a.k.a. Drakon, was training this child to be her successor as a hacker?
MonkeyFace didn't know if his guesses were correct. He intended to ask Iris Long directly.
After the real identities of Jin Chonglin's haters were exposed on the internet, the livestream gradually returned to normal. The other key officers of the Black Stars appeared and joined in live-commenting. MrsLovePhantom, JJNumber1Fan, JJNumber2Fan and JJNumber3Fan. They didn't want to miss witnessing and celebrating Iris Long's victory in France's Sommet International Film Festival.
Aside from Jin Chonglin (who already disappeared and didn't return), there were also other celebrities who joined in the live comments.
All members of Pandemonium band: Blaze, Eros, Night and Thunder.
Mr. JJ and DJ Song.
These popular showbiz figures were actually watching the livestream! The view count soon rose to 4 million views. It appeared that a great number of people in China weren't sleeping tonight.
Iris Long's prestige as a musician increased even more after this.
###
Inside her condo unit, Rose Young was also watching the livestream. She was in her living room, lying on the couch. Her laptop sat on top of the coffee table. Her eyes were burning with hatred and jealousy. She wished that she could reach her hands into the screen, wrap them around the slut Iris Long's neck and strangle her.
A strong urge to bash Iris Long online washed over her. There were many times while watching the livestream that she wanted to insult the slut. Seeing all of the vomit-inducing praises for the slut in the live comments filled her with so much fury.
However, she restrained herself. With all these brainless fans who called themselves the Black Stars and the Slippers Army (what a stupid name) defending the slut, Rose Young knew that she would only get herself attacked online if she commented anything negative about Iris Long. Besides, she knew that someone was already deleting negative comments about the slut online. It was probably Jin Liwei who ordered it to protect his slut fiancée's reputation.
However, what angered Rose Young the most during the livestream was seeing a familiar username among the slut's brainless fans.
"So that damned KittyBaby is really one of the slut's people! Fuck you, KittyBaby! Fuck you, Iris Long!"
It was this blasted KittyBaby who posted the hotel's surveillance video on the internet, showing that Rose Young pretended to trip in order to grab onto Jin Liwei's arm. The video debunked the photos anonymously posted by Jenny Tseng which insinuated that Rose Young and Jin Liwei were in a relationship, that they were sleeping together in a hotel, and that she was his fiancée.
All the two friends wanted to do by collaborating like this was to sway the public's opinion and make Rose Young more desirable as a match for Jin Liwei. However, their plan backfired because of KittyBaby! Rose Young's intuition told her that the KittyBaby who fucked her up with the surveillance video and the KittyBaby from the Black Stars were the same person.
It was this malicious troublemaker's fault that her outstanding reputation among the employees of Jin Corporation nosedived. Now all those lowly bastards and bitches were making fun of her behind her back.
"Damn you, KittyBaby! It's because of you that I'm suffering mockery in the company! Just you wait. Once I discover who you are, I'll kill you along with that slut Iris Long! I know that the two of you are teaming up against me! It's because I'm so much better than that slut Iris Long and the perfect match for Big Brother Liwei!"
Her phone rang, interrupting her tirade.
"Dammit! Who is it?!"
It kept on ringing, irritating her. She grabbed her phone in anger, and then stopped when she saw that it was her father. She immediately became well-behaved when she answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Are you watching the livestream?" Romeo Young asked his daughter.
"Yes, Dad. I'm watching it right now."
"This KittyBaby is a tough nut to crack. The hackers I know still can't sniff out her real identity."
Rose Young wanted to complain again about the hackers' incompetence but she held her tongue after remembering her father scolding her before. Dissatisfaction filled her, but she restrained herself from expressing it out loud.
"If the hackers I know can't dig out this KittyBaby, then no other available hackers can," he told her as if knowing what she was thinking. "But don't worry about this KittyBaby for now. We'll never forget and forgive her for what she did to you. Our focus now should be in destroying Iris Long. She's in the way, not only of your goal of becoming the next Madam Jin, but also of our family's goal of getting Jin Corporation. She needs to disappear."
Her eyes burned with hatred but also determination. "Yes, Dad."
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And so the father and daughter began plotting against their new enemy, Iris Long.