Jin Chonglin removed his manager’s hand from his arm.
“Chill, man. I’m just going to chat with my sister-in-law. What’s wrong with that? Besides, I’m so nervous for our performance later that I need to talk to her to calm down,” he said, looking as relaxed as always, not nervous at all.
Lin Dong rolled his eyes. “Nervous, my ass. I would believe it if those words came from another artist but from Jin Chonglin? No way. You’ve already performed all over Asia and even in other continents. You certainly have more experience than Iris in performing live and you want to talk to her to calm down? Think of something more believable next time.”
Jin Chonglin just shrugged and still moved to enter Iris’ dressing room. However, Lin Dong blocked his way with his own body.
“Chonglin! I said let’s go to your own dressing room! I know that she’s your future sister-in-law but others don’t know that. If people saw you entering or exiting her dressing room, it’ll surely create even more misunderstanding.”
Lin Dong was already made aware of Iris and Jin Liwei’s relationship because Jin Chonglin frequently went to Dragon Palace mansion to work with Iris on their music collaboration. As Jin Chonglin’s manager, Lin Dong was responsible for checking the progress of anything related to his artist’s showbiz career.
One weekend during the summer, Jin Chonglin brought him to Dragon Palace Home #10 to watch him work with Iris. At first, Lin Dong was very impressed that Iris lived in such a palatial property. When he and Jin Chonglin walked into the grand foyer, he saw the large portrait displayed prominently on top of the twin grand staircases. It was obviously a portrait of Iris with her cats…and a very familiar man.
“Huh? Chonglin, is that man Iris’ mysterious fiancé?” he asked.
“Uh huh,” Jin Chonglin carelessly replied.
“Wow. For a moment, I thought that it was your older brother, CEO Jin. But that’s too unbelievable. Ahahaha…”
“Pft! Yeah, right. As if the President-CEO of Jin Corporation, the number one company in the country, would want to marry a mere young singer like Iris Long—”
“Say that again,” a cold voice suddenly interrupted Lin Dong’s next words like a whip.
Jin Liwei appeared from upstairs. He gave a cold glare at Lin Dong, as he climbed down on one of the twin grand staircases with steady steps.
“Did I just hear you describe my beloved fiancée as a ‘mere young singer’? I dare you to say that again in my face.” Jin Liwei’s tone was so cold that it could freeze hell itself.
“C-CEO Jin!!!”
Lin Dong was shocked out of his wits upon seeing the most powerful man in the country’s business world of his generation. He shivered from the enormous pressure of Jin Liwei’s cold and intimidating glare.
“Idiot,” Jin Chonglin murmured to his manager under his breath.
The tense and heavy atmosphere was interrupted by the loud, welcoming meows of Popcorn. The friendly cat ran towards Jin Chonglin and greeted his uncle with much enthusiasm.
“Hey there, Popcorn.” Jin Chonglin immediately started petting the affectionate cat.
She appeared from a side hallway carrying the lazy Ice Cream in her arms. Her eyes were trained at Jin Liwei who was now almost at the bottom of the stairs.
“Oy oy, Sister Xiulan. Why do you always think that it’s my fault? It’s not me who annoyed Big Bro this time,” Jin Chonglin protested, and then carried Popcorn in his arms as well.
Iris tilted her head to the side. “It’s because you always annoy my darling whenever you’re here. If you’re not brothers and we’re not working together on an important music collaboration, he would’ve already thrown you out of here so many times already. Stop trying to tease your older brother so much, Brother Chonglin. He might run out of patience with you, you know.”
By this time, Jin Liwei had already reached the bottom of the stairs. She headed directly to him and tilted her head up for a kiss.
Of course, Jin Liwei gave her what she wanted. He pulled her close to him by the waist, careful not to squish Ice Cream between them. Then he dipped his head and gave his baby girla light but lingering kiss on the lips.
As usual, the two didn’t care that there were other people around them. They were inside their own home, after all. They could do whatever they wanted. The visitors were the ones who needed to adjust, not them.
“Che… We just arrived and you shameless couple are already drowning us in dogfood,” Jin Chonglin muttered.
Lin Dong’s shock this time was even more severe than when he first saw Jin Liwei climbing down the stairs a few moments ago. His eyes almost popped out of his head, and his mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish out of water at the unbelievable sight before him.
“C-CEO Jin and Iris Long are e-engaged?!!!”
That was why he felt so exasperated at Jin Chonglin right now. Back to the present, Lin Dong wanted to smack Jin Chonglin in the head.
Lin Dong leaned close and said in a low voice, “You want your older brother to kill you that much? I saw with my own eyes how much CEO Jin loves Iris Long. I’m telling you this right now, Chonglin. Listen to me and believe me when I say this. If CEO Jin is forced to choose between his woman and his own brother, I’m 200% sure that he’ll choose Iris Long over you any time!”
Jin Chonglin scowled. “Tsk. You don’t have to tell me. I already know.”
“You already know and yet you keep on chasing Iris Long? Do you have a death wish or something?!”
Jin Chonglin’s scowl deepened even more. “I’m not chasing her! Watch your words, you bastard. She’s my sister-in-law. I’m just being friendly.”
Lin Dong looked at the stoic-faced bodyguards guarding the door to Iris’ dressing room. He pulled Jin Chonglin away from them. Then in a lower voice so that the bodyguards couldn’t hear him, he told Jin Chonglin:
“I think you’re acting too friendly with your future sister-in-law. Anyone who sees how you’re acting towards her will describe what you’re doing as ‘flirting’. Is that how a brother-in-law should act towards his sister-in-law? To flirt?”
Jin Chonglin just waved his manager’s words away with a dismissive hand. “If you think this is me ‘flirting’, then you haven’t seen me flirt yet. I just like teasing her, that’s all. She has become much more expressive lately compared to the detached woman we met after she made her first comeback to showbiz. Besides, it’s also fun riling up my brother. I’ve actually never seen him get so visibly annoyed with me before. It’s so refreshing to see him showing so much emotion and all because of a woman.”
He chuckled in amusement.
Jin Chonglin only laughed even more. He patted his manager’s shoulder. “I told you to chill, man. I like teasing both of them, but I know my limits. I might have seduced other men’s women before but I would never do that to my own brother. I respect him, you know. I would never steal his woman. I may not be the best person in the world, but I’m not such an immoral person as to cuckold my own brother. So stop colouring my friendliness to Sister Xiulan with your dirty mind. I don’t have any ulterior motives towards her.”
Lin Dong looked relieved after hearing Jin Chonglin’s words. But for some reason, he still couldn’t completely rid himself of the bad feeling that kept on bothering him whenever he saw Jin Chonglin interacting with Iris Long. He had been with Jin Chonglin for many years now, so he could immediately tell when something was off about him.
Jin Chonglin would have this deep look in his eyes and his expression would become gentle whenever he was with Iris. Sure, this may just be him as a brother-in-law, but Lin Dong couldn’t help but feel bothered about it.
“Tell me, Chonglin. Do you like Iris Long?”
