Meanwhile, some of the employees of Jin Corporation who were watching Iris Long’s interview paused at the photo showing her two cats and the figure of her fiancé.
“Eh? Is it just me or the cats look like Young Miss Ice Cream and Young Master Popcorn? And is that man President Jin?” A marketing associate asked her colleagues who were also her flatmates.
“Hmm. Now that you mention it, they really do look like the President’s cats. As for the President…I’m not sure if that’s him in the picture. I’ve never seen him in casual clothing before.”
“No! That’s definitely not the President or his cats! Are you both crazy? President Jin and Iris Long are engaged? No way! There is absolutely no way that’s true! Look at the picture again. That grey cat is so much fatter than Young Miss Ice Cream! And that orange cat…uh…the direction of his stripes is wrong! Young Master Popcorn’s stripes go to the left while the stripes of that cat go to the right! And look, their collars are different! Young Miss and Young Master wear silver collars. Those cats are wearing gold collars! As for the man in the picture, that’s clearly not the President. President Jin is taller and more dignified. He’ll never sit on the floor like that!”
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” her friends murmured, even though they knew that her reasoning was completely illogical.
“But if, and I’m only saying IF the President and Iris Long are really engaged, I actually think that they look good together. I mean, the President is handsome and Iris is beautiful. They’re both gorgeous.”
“Yeah. I didn’t like Iris Long before when she was still a teenager but ever since her comeback, I became a fan of hers. She’s a very talented musician. I think she’ll be a good match for the President. I’d rather have her as our lady boss than some other snobbish heiress who only knows how to throw money away and look pretty.”
“Noooooo! I refuse to believe this!”
Their friend resisted the idea. She always had a crush on President Jin. She worked hard to get into Jin Corporation just because she wanted the opportunity to see President Jin on a regular basis.
“Whether it’s true or not is none of our business. It’s best to keep our speculations to ourselves. You know the rumours in the company about those who offended President Jin before. I don’t know if they’re true or not, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Similar scenes were happening in different places. All of these Jin Corporation employees had the same speculations but not one of them dared to share their thoughts to others. A big reason of this was because they were terrified of their President. They only knew him as a cold and ruthless leader.
Another reason why they chose to remain silent was because they were proud working for the number one company in the country. It wasn’t worth it to destroy their respectable status in the business industry as Jin Corporation employees and their career prospects within the company just for some quick cash by selling information to the media.
Besides, they weren’t even sure if their speculations were correct. What if they were wrong? They would just end up with a libel lawsuit. It wasn’t worth it.
The employees could only gossip among themselves, careful not to let any outsiders hear them. If it was really true that President Jin Liwei and Iris Long were engaged, then Iris was truly impressive. She succeeded where countless women failed 100% of the time in seducing such a terrifying ice block.
“Wait! What if President Jin is just using her to cover up that he’s gay?!” A junior financial analyst suddenly wondered out loud.
“Sssh! Not so loud! What if someone hears you?” His colleague looked around the bar they were in, a paranoid expression on his face.
“Nooo!” The junior financial analyst sobbed on the bar counter. “Poor Boss Iris! She deserves better than that unfeeling King Yama. Boss Iris, find someone who’s more capable of emotions. Even Jin Chonglin is better than the President!”
“You’re drunk. Let’s go home.”
Among these Jin Corporation employees, some were Black Stars. If they were to choose between their two bosses, Jin Liwei or Iris Long, they would hands down go with their Boss Iris.
Jin Family’s Old House.
The place was bustling with activity. Huang Yuyan directed the household staff to clean, decorate, cook and make everything look as perfect as possible. She checked the table settings on the dining table. She tasted the dishes being cooked and prepared in the kitchen. She was all over the place.
“Maybe we should change the curtains to bright red,” she suggested.
“Yuyan my dear, the curtains are fine. You already had them changed six times today. Why don’t you relax?” Grandma Li told her in a lightly exasperated tone. “The way you’re acting, it’s as if some members of royalty are visiting.”
“Mother, it’s a special day! My son is bringing Xiulan and the Long family later. They’re more important than royalty! We need to present a good image to the Longs, so that they can feel at ease when Xiulan marries into our Jin family.”
Grandma Li chuckled at her daughter-in-law. “Alright. It looks like you have things under control here. I’ll leave everything to you, then. I’m already old and don’t have the energy for all of these preparations.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take care of everything. Please rest for now.” Huang Yuyan looked at the time. She took her phone and called someone. “Hello, son? Where are you? Are you on your way here?… What? You’re still at home? I already told you that you need to be here. Your brother is bringing your future sister-in-law and her family today! What are you waiting for? Hurry up, get ready and come here!”
“Is Chonglin coming?” Grandma Li asked after the phone call.
“Yes, Mother. He said he’s going to get ready.”
Huang Yuyan gave a sheepish smile and then sighed. “I’m glad that he took a break from showbiz. He needs the rest. He worked nonstop while he was engaged to…” Her voice shook. She pressed her lips together before continuing to speak. “He was doing well when he left here and returned to his house. But lately I’ve been worrying about that boy. I heard that he’s been locking himself inside his music studio for many days now. Sometimes he even forgets to eat.”
Grandma Li: “We’ll make sure that he eats his fill at dinner later.”
“Yes, Mother. Hm?”
They both turned their heads at the sound of loud, purposeful footsteps.
“What is this? We’re the first ones to arrive?” A booming voice sounded across the grand hall. “Why is nobody here yet?! I want to know!”
