Tang Yiyi opened her mouth to argue but upon seeing Iris' stubborn expression, she gave up. To be honest, even she thought it stupid that celebrities, especially young ones like Iris, were forbidden to have romantic relationships.
Many management companies had a "no relationship" term in the contracts offered to talents. Iris' lawyer was from a well-known law firm so Bright Summit didn't fight against her demand to remove this ridiculous term from her contract before signing.
Tang Yiyi thought that this was a smart move from Iris. However, as a manager, her main priority was to ensure that her artist's career would not only become successful but also be sustainable in the long run. Iris was very talented and beautiful that it wouldn't surprise Tang Yiyi if Iris became a big star in the future. That was why Tang Yiyi wanted to prevent any mishaps that may destroy such a bright future before they could even happen.
But it seemed that Iris had no intentions of lying about her relationship status.
"Fine," Tang Yiyi could only sigh. "You don't have to lie. You can just deflect the question and not admit to anything."
Iris frowned, showing her dislike to the suggestion. "What a hassle."
Tang Yiyi wanted to bang her head against the wall. Iris' straightforward personality was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it was endearing because it set her apart from the other two-faced celebrities who were all smiles and compliments on the surface but were actually vicious backstabbers behind the scenes. On the other hand, her straightforwardness could backfire and be used against her. Tang Yiyi could only hope that nobody would ask Iris about her relationship status.
###
Iris' busy schedule continued. Likewise, Jin Liwei was also extremely busy. His company's latest business project finally completed its development stage and was now starting to be implemented. He needed to fly all over the country for business trips, so he and Iris barely had any time to actually spend together. Despite this, Jin Liwei made sure to call her several times a day.
Since both of them were so busy, they temporarily put aside the hiring of a female bodyguard. Jin Liwei was able to persuade Iris to lend her one of his subordinates as a bodyguard in addition to the one she hired. He promised her that he would retrieve his subordinate once they hired a female bodyguard for her.
"Hello?" she answered the phone.
"Little Sister, it's me," a cold voice replied on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Elder Brother Hui. What a surprise."
"I got your new number from Little Sister Mei."
"I see. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Are you still looking for a female bodyguard?"
"Yes."
"Good. I have someone I would like to recommend. I hope that you'll meet her and see if she'll be a good fit for you."
Iris tilted her head to the side. How interesting. Who was this woman that Long Hui, heir of Long Industries, would go to such lengths to help find a job?
"Hmm…I need someone qualified." Iris made sure to emphasize the word "qualified", especially after how much he previously stated that she was unqualified to work at Long Industries. "Does she have any experience working as a bodyguard?"
"Of course she's qualified. She's a certified professional bodyguard. She's well-trained in several martial arts and could also handle weapons if needed. As a matter of fact, she's actually overqualified. She has a degree in criminology."
"I don't understand it either but she says that it's her passion, what she loves doing."
"Oh." Iris nodded, immediately understanding. Then she thought for a moment. "If she's so great, why are you recommending her to me?"
Silence.
Iris waited patiently. After about ten seconds, she heard him sigh deeply.
"Actually, she was one of my bodyguards but she had to quit about two years ago. That's why I can personally attest to her skills."
"Hmm. Why did she quit?"
Another few seconds of silence.
"She got pregnant," he said.
"Oh. You mean you got her pregnant?"
Iris' eyes widened. She only asked to tease him a bit, but her question actually hit the nail on the head. This was getting more and more interesting.
"Did she keep the baby?" she continued to ask.
"Yes."
"Oh."
So this was the reason why Long Hui went out of his way to recommend someone to his sister. The woman was his child's mother.
"Does Father know?" she asked after the pause.
"I didn't tell him but I'm sure he knows. He keeps tabs on all of us his children."
"Hmm..."
"Will her being a mother be a problem for you?" he asked her.
"I really hope that you'll hire her."
"Why?"
"So that I can see her and my child. You're my sister and you coincidentally need a female bodyguard. If you hire her, I'll have a reason to regularly see them."
Iris couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"I am serious here, " he said through gritted teeth.
"So you only want to use your sister to get closer to them. What a hassle. If you really want to see her and your child on a regular basis, why don't you just take her as your wife or mistress? Elder Brother, you're being so complicated and you're even involving me, an innocent bystander, in your schemes"
"Do you really think that I didn't try?" Long Hui sounded exasperated. "I want my child to be legitimate, so I proposed marriage to her but she rejected me! She's the one who left me! I tried but she gave up on us! Do you understand?!"