The award presentation for the best original theme song was completed. Although Iris Long and Jin Chonglin were famous and brought their own hordes of fans to the event, the award winner was still the real star of the moment while the two were only the supporting cast.
Other than the eyebrow-raising closeness between Iris Long and Jin Chonglin, nobody noticed anything else wrong with them. They did their job as award presenters and retreated backstage afterwards. They were soon pushed to the back of the people’s minds after they were gone.
As soon as the two reached backstage, Iris’ knees buckled and she fell into a half-conscious state. Jin Chonglin caught her before she dropped to the floor and called for help. The staff backstage immediately surrounded them and offered assistance. She groaned with a pinched expression and instinctively turned her head away from the people.
“Don’t crowd her!” Jin Chonglin reprimanded them.
It was a good thing that there were no cameras belonging to the production filming backstage. However, there were some people doing so with their phones. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! Also follow me on Instagram @arriacross]
Jin Chonglin was angered upon seeing them but didn’t lash out, only requesting them to stop taking photos and videos. Some listened, some didn’t. He didn’t have the time to care about them, though. His first priority was to do something about the collapsed Iris.
He tried to shield her with his body as much as possible before deciding that it was better to remove her from this crowded spot. He carried her off and demanded an empty dressing room from the staff.
The other celebrity award presenters who were getting ready backstage saw this scene. They were shocked at first before becoming curious. It wasn’t only them. Almost everyone wanted to know what exactly happened. There were already a few people typing away on their phones and sharing what they saw to their friends, online followers, and even entertainment reporters.
Inside a small, unused dressing room, Iris was laid on the biggest couch which wasn’t that big at all. Her feet dangled off the arm of the couch. Her eyes were still closed but based on her soft moans and whimpers, she didn’t completely lose her consciousness.
A staff member was fanning her with a piece of random cardboard while the others were running errands for Jin Chonglin to find Iris’ manager and assistant from the audience. As for Jin Chonglin, he borrowed a staff member’s phone and was trying to call his older brother.
“Someone is calling for an ambulance for Boss Iris—I mean for Miss Iris Long,” a staff who just entered the room informed them and inadvertently revealed himself as a Black Star. He looked worried and even teary as if his own mother was on the verge of dying.
Iris opened her eyes before protesting in a weak voice. “No ambulance. I’m fine.”
“What fine?!” Jin Chonglin glared at her. “Fine, my ass! You’re going to the hospital or my brother will flay me alive!”
The two staff members were surprised by the superstar’s outburst. The Black Star was the first one to recover. His expression twisted in indignation and he was about to fight Jin Chonglin for yelling at his Boss Iris when his colleague stopped him and pulled him back.
“You almost scared the shit out of me—hello? Hello, Big Bro? Thank goodness!” His call finally connected and he began talking to his older brother. “Your wife fainted just now!”
Iris closed her eyes again and groaned. She could hear her man’s cold voice on the other end of the line with her great hearing and knew that he was furious.
“I already know what happened,” she heard Jin Liwei say. “Xiulan’s bodyguards are on their way to where you are now to take her home. Don’t let any ambulance take her to the hospital.”
“Huh?” Jin Chonglin was confused. “Why? Isn’t it better to take her to the hospital? She fainted, Big Bro! Fainted!”
“I didn’t faint,” Iris denied. “I was still conscious the entire time.”
Jin Chonglin snorted at her claim.
“Cover for your sister-in-law for now, Chonglin. She needs to go home. I’ll be the one to take her the hospital later if needed.”
“Why?” Jin Chonglin continued to ask.
Jin Liwei and Iris were both silent, not answering him. Jin Chonglin sensed something and gestured for the two staff members to leave the room. After the staff left, Jin Chonglin asked his older brother again.
“Why don’t you want to take Sister Xiulan to the hospital? Based on your tone, I can guess that you already know what’s wrong with her. Is she seriously ill?”
“Just do this for us,” Jin Liwei said, not answering his younger brother’s question directly. “Your sister-in-law is a celebrity like you. Taking her to the hospital by ambulance will only create a huge, unnecessary commotion. We don’t need that right now. I’ll owe you one if you help us prevent that from happening.”
“What’s up with that? With the way the two of you are acting so mysterious, people might think that Sister Xiulan is pregnant.” Jin Chonglin laughed as if he heard the funniest joke of the day.
The couple was silent and didn’t reply. Jin Chonglin stopped laughing and looked shocked as realization hit him.
“Holy shit.” He looked at Iris’ face before his gaze dropped on her flat stomach. “Don’t tell me you’re really preg—”
“Stop it! What if someone hears you?” Iris hissed at him and glanced at the door. She pricked her ears to make sure that nobody was trying to eavesdrop outside the dressing room.
“Oh. My. God.” Jin Chonglin was in shock. He whispered, “You’re really pregnant?”
It was Jin Liwei who replied to him on the phone. “If you know, then you know. Keep it a secret. We haven’t told people outside our household yet because it’s too early. Well, except for Second Brother Yingjie who confirmed the pregnancy. So don’t tell anyone, alright?”
The shell-shocked Jin Chonglin could only stand there like an idiot with eyes and mouth wide open as he continued staring at Iris in complete disbelief.
