For the next days, while Iris was busy rehearsing with Maestro De Luca and his orchestra, Jin Liwei was also busy planning and organizing something in secret.
Iris knew that he was hiding something from her. Although she felt curious and wanted to know what it was, she didn't force him to tell her. He would reveal it on his own when he was ready.
She also continued using the skincare products she bought at the street market. The improvements on her skin only became even more visible, especially every morning when she woke up. It seemed that the products' effectiveness increased during sleep.
However, she also noticed that some of the products didn't work quite well. Either there were no improvements at all or her skin didn't feel comfortable after using them. Perhaps it was because these particular products weren't designed for her skin type. Or maybe they just didn't work well with Asian skin. She would need to ask the seller about it.
There was another issue which was that once the products were opened, they had shorter shelf life compared to the commercial products available on the market. True, they worked extremely well, almost miraculously so, but they needed to be used quickly or they would expire. If she wanted to build a company with these products, this issue must be addressed and solved first.
Despite this, she was confident that with enough funding, resources, research and equipment, these already amazing products would be improved close to perfection.
She made plans in her head about how to approach to the seller, but for now, she needed to focus on the upcoming orchestra concert.
The day before the concert, Grandpa Lu arrived to Germany like he promised to watch Iris' performance. Iris and Jin Liwei's hotel suite had an extra bedroom, so he stayed with them.
Iris was at the opera house rehearsing when he arrived. Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu were the only ones at the suite.
Grandpa Lu handed something to Jin Liwei. "Here's what your assistant gave me to pass to you," he said, waggling his eyebrows. Then he thumped Jin Liwei on the back. "Good luck, my boy! Ahahaha!"
###
The day of the concert at the historic opera house finally arrived. It would feature music by the great classical composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Robert Schumann.
The concert itself would start at 5 PM sharp, but people already started flocking in front of the opera house hours before, especially spontaneous visitors. Usually, there were individual ticket sellers loitering outside in addition to the theatre's official box office but it wasn't like that today.
Everything was sold out, even the tickets for the listening and standing only areas. This was a concert held by the celebrated Maestro Ludovico De Luca and his world-class symphony orchestra. The more than 2,000 tickets for this concert were all sold out months ago.
What was more, the ticket holders were not only from Germany but from all over the world. They travelled from other countries and continents just to watch this concert. Not just any concert, but THE Maestro Ludovico De Luca's concert. There were even famous celebrities and socialites among the audience.
An hour before the performance, the theatre opened its doors. This opera house was usually lax in its dress code, but all the ticket holders this time opted to wear formal black-tie attire to show their respect for Maestro De Luca.
Because most of the performers and the audience were comprised of famous celebrities and influential people, the media was present, turning the hour before the concert into a red carpet event.
Iris went inside with Maestro De Luca and the orchestra musicians ahead of everyone else to warm up and make sure that everything was functioning as they should be.
As for Jin Liwei, Grandpa Lu, Enrique Valdez and Professor Kalisha Schwarz, they walked the red carpet together, posed for the cameras and even answered some questions from the reporters. Among them, the legendary hitmaker Enrique Valdez was the most recognizable. Everyone almost went crazy when they saw him. A few recognized the business leaders Lu Jianhong and Jin Liwei, while only a couple knew who Professor Schwarz was.
Five minutes before the concert, Iris appeared and took her seat between Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu. Many heads turned when they saw her. They were wondering who this beautiful woman was.
Most of the people here, especially the famous ones, recognized each other but this was the first time they saw her. They were especially curious because she was in such an impressive group. Tongues began wagging when they saw that she seemed to be close to Enrique Valdez. The legendary hitmaker who was usually taciturn actually spent a few moments conversing with her.
Iris didn't notice all the people whispering about her. Even if she did, she wouldn't care anyway. Her mind was focused on the concert.
At first glance, Iris looked like she was wearing a simple, long black dress. However, it was actually a long black sweater over her real dress. She planned to remove the sweater and show her dress when it was time for her performance after the intermission. In addition, she was also wearing long gloves to protect and warm her hands so they would remain nice and flexible when she played the piano later.
Jin Liwei leaned close to her and asked, "Excited, baby?"
She nodded, her eyes sparkling.
"Nervous?"
"A bit."
"You'll be amazing, I'm sure."
"I can't wait to watch you perform."
Finally, the concert started. The concertmaster stood up. He was a skilled African-American violinist who gradually made a name for himself after joining the maestro's orchestra. He stood up, leading the musicians to welcome Maestro Ludovico De Luca as he made his way to the conductor's podium amidst everyone's applause.
Moments later, Maestro De Luca and his orchestra's interpretation of Mozart's symphonies captivated the audience. Nobody fell asleep as they felt the music vibrate inside their bodies, resonating with their emotions and deepest desires. Of course, the performance was met with a thunderous standing ovation after it ended.
Most of the audience left their seats for the intermission. Iris also excused herself, tipping her head up to silently ask for a kiss from her man before she left.
Twenty minutes later, the intermission ended and everyone returned to their seats, except for the beautiful lady in black who sat between the former and current President-CEOs of Jin Corporation. Some of the people who noticed her absence wondered where she went.
Surprisingly, Maestro De Luca didn't start right away like he usually did. Instead, he spoke to everyone on the mic first. After greeting and thanking everyone for coming, he paused before speaking again.
"There is a change for the second half of this concert. It will be different from what's printed on your programmes. Tonight, we have a special guest who travelled all the way from China to perform with us. She is young and talented…extremely talented that I just had to drag her here to perform with us. Please welcome the beautiful and gifted…IRIS LONG!"
A young woman in a fiery red dress appeared and walked to the centre of the stage. Everyone gasped when they saw her. The dress smouldered and blazed under the light like flowing lava every time she moved.
"A goddess of fire," someone breathed, completely mesmerized.