Dom and Meimei leaned forward to read the headlines from the newspaper.
Meimei: "Oh wow! They're all about you, Xiulan!"
Dom: "Of course! It's because Boss is the best."
Meimei: "Your upcoming album is already breaking records! Amazing!"
Dom: "Ehehe. As expected, Boss is awesome."
Meimei: "Uwah! Xiulan, can you give me a signed copy?"
Dom: "Hey! Don't ask boss for a copy. You should buy one!"
Meimei: "Aaaw. Come on. Fine, I'll just steal―I mean, ask for another one from Uncle Tengfei. I'm sure he'll buy lots again."
The two high-fived and laughed.
Meimei: "Eh? What did that stupid film critic say? 'Someone like Iris Long'? What's that supposed to mean? Is that an insult?"
Iris took the newspaper from Jin Liwei and speed read the article containing an interview with a film critic.
"Hmm… He's not wrong," Iris said. "I'm indeed composing a film score for an indie film. And yes, they have low budget."
Meimei: "Oh, is that true?"
Iris nodded, returning the newspaper back to Jin Liwei. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before continuing to read.
Dom: "Hmph! So what if it's an indie film with low budget? Being indie doesn't mean low quality! Boss dared to accept the offer to be their official composer so of course the story is awesome! Not that I know what the story is about because it's supposed to be a secret but I trust Boss' judgment. I'm sure it's a super duper great story. That film critic doesn't even know what movie he's talking about and he's already judging it! So unprofessional! And he calls himself an expert? Pweh!"
"Oooh." Meimei bobbed her head. "I see. You're right! I've watched awesome indie films before. How dare that film critic! He's just a hater. Haters gonna hate. Hmph!"
Dom: "Yeah!"
The two grumbled together and bad-mouthed the critic.
Iris watched them, a warm smile on her face. She didn't really care about what strangers were saying about her. But she felt grateful that she had people who would readily defend her name because they liked her as a person and not because it was their job or duty to do so.
It was a Saturday. At the moment, their morning was very relaxed. But later in the afternoon, she would be guesting on a TV show. Jin Liwei didn't need to go to work today. He said that he would be meeting with his brothers Lin Yehan, Wang Yingjie and Yu Mo later to hang out.
She leaned against Jin Liwei, looking over his shoulder to read the newspaper with him. Over half of the entire entertainment section was talking about her. The main interest, however, was on her appointment as the official composer for a currently unknown film.
Iris remembered how it came about.
She met with JJ at his office. Tang Yiyi was with them and it seemed that the manager was already informed beforehand. There were two other people in the office. Iris didn't recognize them.
JJ introduced them as the director and executive producer of an indie film that was still in production stage. After the greetings, they immediately talked business.
"Miss Long, we would like to use your song 'Phantom of Your Love' as our film's official theme song," the producer said.
"I was actually the one who wants to use your song," the director interjected. "The first time I heard the full song, I knew that it's the perfect theme song for our film."
Iris was silent for a few moments, thinking. Then she asked, "May I know first what your film is about?"
"Of course!" The producer then looked at the director.
Her eyes lit up in wonder as she listened. Her head tilted to the side, imagining the story the director was telling her. What was even more amazing was that it was based on a true story.
After the director finished talking, they all looked at Iris. Expectation and nervousness were in their eyes. Finally, they received her answer.
"It would be my honour to grant your request," she told them. "But I have one condition."
Director: "What is it?"
"I want to read the full script first and then rearrange the song to perfectly match the story."
The director and the producer hesitated.
"I'll sign an NDA if you need me to."
"Deal," the director immediately said.
The next day, Iris received a sealed copy of the script from Tang Yiyi. They didn't require her to sign an NDA but just asked her to keep the script's existence a secret. She assured them that she would.
Less than a week later, she submitted the song to JJ. Within a few hours, JJ called her on the phone. He excitedly told her that the director and producer loved the song so much that they wanted her to compose the film score for the entire movie.
"This is a great opportunity for you as a musician," JJ told her. "Think about it carefully, brat."
Iris was moved by the story so she agreed without hesitation.
JJ was pleased with her answer but he still had to warn her. "They can't pay you a lot, you know. They don't have the budget."
"It's okay."
After a quick negotiation, everyone met up again for the contract signing, officially welcoming Iris as part of the film production team.
Additionally, it was decided that JJ's record label would release the soundtrack album of the film. Of course, since Iris would be the one composing the entire film score, all the rights were hers and it would count as another full album under her name.
It was scheduled to be her third official album.