"F*ck! This is insane!" Lin Dong cursed.
He was looking at posts on his smartphone of people destroying or burning Jin Chonglin's albums, posters and other products associated with him.
Jin Chonglin sat on his couch, flipping channels on TV. All the news were about him and Fan Luo.
"Chonglin, this is serious. I think you should take a few months break. Better yet, go on a year-long hiatus! Maybe more. Go abroad or something. I'm sure we can arrange a grand comeback for you once all of this is over. You've been working very hard all these years. I think this is a good time to rest up and refresh your energy."
"No way. I'm not taking a break," Jin Chonglin immediately refused his manager's suggestion. "I'm planning to release my next single soon. I already have the melody, I just can't decide on the lyrics yet. But I have a feeling that I'll receive an inspiration soon. I'm not going to wait a year to release this song."
"Chonglin—"
Jin Chonglin raised a hand to stop him.
Lin Dong shut up. He still wanted to persuade him but seeing Jin Chonglin's expression, he knew that his words wouldn't be able to move him.
Jin Chonglin's eyes were cold yet calm. He looked unaffected by the media sh*tstorm currently going on about him.
"Don't worry," he told his manager. "This is just temporary. Everything will be fine."
While his manager was busy reassuring Bright Summit's big boss, Jin Chonglin's eyes darkened and his hands clenched into tight fists. Contrary to his calm appearance, he was actually feeling extreme anxiety.
His heart wavered when he heard Fan Luo attempted to kill herself. He almost ran off to the hospital to see her before remembering what his older brother told him. Even though he didn't love Fan Luo, he still cared about her like a sister, not to mention that they were lovers. He prayed that she would be alright from her attempted suicide.
In addition to this, he was also worried about his career. He loved being a celebrity and was proud to be one of the most famous in the country, and also the few ones who were also popular across Asia. If he lost his place in this industry, it would be a huge blow for him.
"Come on, Big Bro," he murmured under his breath. "I trust in you."
###
The situation continued to worsen.
The media was having a field day at the expense of Jin Chonglin. Although the majority of his army of fans still defended him with all they've got, there were many who became his haters. They felt indignant on behalf of poor Fan Luo who they thought was the biggest victim in this entire affair. He became public enemy number one for all scorned women.
Despite all the outrage, Jin Chonglin retained his silence. People took his silence as an indirect admission to his guilt.
The remaining Fan family members used this opportunity to fuel the fire by giving countless interviews to the media condemning Jin Chonglin. Public outrage reached fever pitch when Fan Luo who was still recovering in the hospital posted on her social media accounts.
Fan Luo's post made many of the LinLuo shippers cry. It made them angrier at Jin Chonglin for hurting her. Her last sentence also made them afraid that she would try to take her own life again. They cried out to her, showing their support.
She made another post.
LuoFanFan: "Are you happy now? You tried so hard again and again to steal him away from me. You changed your image and followed him to the same company. I know that you seduced him. I could smell the scent of another woman from him whenever he came home to me at night. You've succeeded! He left me for you! I hope you can sleep peacefully at night knowing that you just stole the father of my dead baby."
It was obvious to everyone who Fan Luo was referring to. Without even doing anything, Iris Long was dragged into the scandal. The LinLuo shippers and even a good portion of Jin Chonglin's army of fans bashed Iris online.
Of course the Black Stars wouldn't just stand and do nothing when their boss' name was being dragged through the mud. The infamous Slippers Army descended in droves, led by the notorious iEatSlippers and his loyal sidekick LittlePhoenix, to whack everyone attacking their Boss Iris' name online with their virtual mighty slippers. The unit led by CaptainBlackStar utilized a less troll-like approach but they still defended Iris' name with as much passion as the Slippers Army.
###
Gold Heights Condominium.
Iris narrowed her eyes as she read the hateful accusations against her online using Dom's smartphone. Her eyes turned cold.
'Fan Luo. I've already dismissed you but you just have to bother me again. I honestly don't care about your lies about me but I can't forgive how you implicated my Liwei's brother and his family.'
"Dom, get my laptop," Iris ordered.
Jin Liwei declined her offer of help, but she couldn't hold it any longer. Even if he didn't ask for it, she would use her lover's privilege to help him, his brother and his family.
"Yes, boss!"
But before he could leave, Meimei exclaimed, "Wait, twin bro! Xiulan, look at this!"
Dom peeked at the phone. His eyes widened. "What the hell?! Oh no. Twin sis, I think I'm gonna faint."
"Hm? What is it?" Iris asked.
Meimei handed her phone to Iris in a hurry and supported Dom to sit on the couch.
Iris read the latest headlines.
"Fan Luo Cheats, Gets Pregnant and Claims Baby to be Jin Chonglin's to Get a Ring on Her Finger!"
"Fan Luo Ordered Hits Injuring and Even Killing Women Who Got Close to Jin Chonglin!"
"14 and Counting: the Number of Women Harmed in the Hands of Fan Luo Due to Jealousy"
"Fan Luo is Indeed a Daughter of the Nefarious Fan Family"
"Iris Long's Car Crash 2 Years Ago Masterminded By Fan Luo!"
"Iris Long, the Real Victim of the Evil Called Fan Luo"
The phone dropped to the floor.
Iris gasped as a shrill scream exploded inside her head. Then everything went black.