Lin Dong once again tried pulling Jin Chonglin away and even whispered a warning to him not to be too aggressive to the reporters but he only shook off his manager again. Jin Chonglin was very pissed off at the moment and couldn’t be stopped.
“And also, regarding your previous question about Junior Iris and I cheating on my older brother, that’s pure slander,” Jin Chonglin said. “You’ll hear from my lawyer in the next few days. And I’m sure that it won’t only be me taking issue about your false and malicious insinuations. My older brother won’t be too happy either.”
At first, the reporter didn’t seem too concerned when Jin Chonglin threatened to sue him for slander. Celebrities did that all the time. It was a regular part of being in the trade as an entertainment news reporter. But when Jin Chonglin threw his older brother into the mix, the reporter couldn’t stop himself from blanching. Even his fellow reporters stepped away from him in an instinctive reaction not to catch his bad luck.
Dealing with CEO Jin Liwei was a different matter than dealing with the younger brother, Jin Chonglin. And much more frightening. CEO Jin was a powerful man whose influence extended throughout different industries. Although he didn’t usually interfere in the entertainment industry, there were insider rumours saying that he had done so in a handful of instances before and in such a ruthless manner, too.
After saying his piece to the ashen-faced reporter, Jin Chonglin left with his group to enter the club for the after-party. The other reporters shouted questions at him but he ignored all of them. His expression was hard. He didn’t look like the usual approachable Jin Chonglin.
###
An hour later, Jin Chonglin and his group were on their way home. They didn’t stay at the after-party for too long because Jin Chonglin wasn’t in the mood. In fact, he wanted to leave right away but Lin Dong persuaded him to stay a little longer. [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]
It would be rude for him to leave early when there were so many other powerhouses in the entertainment industry attending the same party. Besides, he also needed to stay long enough not only for his sake but also for Iris Long who had to leave early during the awards ceremony.
People approached him at the party to ask more details about Iris Long’s fainting episode backstage. Since most of them were preoccupied with the awards ceremony that time, they only learned about what happened backstage when the show was over either through word of mouth or online.
Jin Chonglin gave them the same answer as he did to the reporters who asked him the same question outside—that Iris Long was still suffering from underlying health conditions due to the car accident and coma.
Inside the vehicle, Jin Chonglin removed his bow tie and threw it at a random corner. His suit jacket had already been removed at the party. Then he unbuttoned his shirt halfway his front torso, exposing his lean, muscled chest. He sighed in relief and set his seat in a reclining position.
“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Lin Dong demanded beside him. “First, you went aggressive with the reporters. Second, you looked like you’re constipated the entire time at the party. You didn’t look like you were enjoying at all.”
“Because I wasn’t,” Jin Chonglin replied in an indifferent tone.
Lin Dong sighed. “And third, you were too curt while conversing with the others at the party. Those weren’t just veteran celebrities. There were also well-respected producers and other important figures in the industry. You might be a superstar right now but one wrong move and that title would be taken away from you.”
Jin Chonglin shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about any of this anymore. I feel too exhausted. Wake me up when we reach home.”
With that, he closed his eyes and ignored his manager’s attempts at talking. Lin Dong gave up a few moments later and finally stopped disturbing him. Silence descended inside the vehicle, but it suited Jin Chonglin just fine.
He wasn’t really asleep. He just wanted to avoid explaining himself to his manager. His mind had been in a constant turmoil ever since learning about Iris’ pregnancy in the dressing room at the awards ceremony earlier that evening.
His shock and disbelief were genuine. In fact, he was still reeling from shock and disbelief right now.
Although he knew that it shouldn’t concern him this much because her wedding with his older brother had already been set. So what if she got pregnant at this stage? She and his older brother had been living together under the same roof ever since they became girlfriend and boyfriend. That was what he heard, anyway. It was already a miracle that she hadn’t gotten pregnant yet all this time.
‘What about her showbiz career?’
Jin Chonglin scoffed at his own question. Yes, he was concerned about how her pregnancy would affect her showbiz career, especially right now that it was on a rising momentum. If she took a break now, who knew if she could still grasp the opportunity to advance her career to a whole another level later? Deep inside, however, he knew that this wasn’t the real reason why he felt so affected.
‘Stop acting like a lovesick fool, you idiot! Be happy for them. You’re going to be an uncle to a niece or nephew by next year.’
Yes, that was what he should do—be happy for her and his older brother. But even as he persuaded himself of this, there was still a twinge in his heart that he didn’t want to acknowledge.
His hopeless thoughts were interrupted by his ringing phone. He ignored it and let his manager get it.
“I know you’re awake,” Lin Dong said. “It’s Iris’ number. Do you want me to tell her that you’re unavailable to talk right now?”
Jin Chonglin opened his eyes and grabbed the phone from his manager. Then he picked up the call. “Hello, Sister Xiulan?”
“It’s me,” a familiar cold male voice answered him instead.
