Apart from JJ's record label's consistent promotions and the Black Stars' undying support, Iris Long's position in showbiz began to diminish. Even the hype surrounding the upcoming indie film "Strong Yet Broken" eventually dwindled after her sudden disappearance. Her music had also fallen from the charts.
The upward trajectory of her music career which took off with such a powerful momentum during her comeback suddenly halted. Many shook their heads in regret, thinking that she had missed her chance to gain a stable foothold in the music industry.
Bright Summit labelled both Iris and Jin Chonglin as artists on hiatus. Unlike Iris, however, Jin Chonglin's position in the industry remained as solid as ever. Not only had he been in showbiz longer, but he was also already one of the biggest stars. His fan base was also larger with members not only in the country but also across Asia. He could afford a hiatus and not suffer too much unlike her.
The public had moved on from the shocking scandals that caused the abrupt hiatuses of these two artists.
The Black Stars fan club, especially the Slippers Army, became temporarily inactive because there weren't a lot of people bashing their Boss Iris online anymore. To be more specific, there weren't a lot of people talking about their boss anymore besides them.
Some of them were missing the thrilling chaos of their online battles as they waved their virtual mighty slippers in the name of their Boss Iris. In addition to their boss' disappearance, their troll leader iEatSlippers wasn't online that much anymore as well. He told them he was busy helping a friend set up a company.
In short, Iris Long was already being forgotten.
Then one day, people noticed that she finally updated her social media pages. She posted:
"I'm sorry and thank you for waiting. I'm coming back soon."
A short video was attached. It showed her playing a few chords on the piano of the film version of "Phantom of Your Love". After the thirty-second melody teaser, she closed her eyes and gave a soft, gentle smile. Somehow, she looked even more beautiful than before, as if there was a radiant glow within her.
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In just about an hour, it already received more than a million views. The Black Stars went crazy with delight, excitement and anticipation. They had been so worried about her. They couldn't wait to see their Boss Iris and listen to her music again.
CaptainBlackStar: "Welcome back, Boss! The entire Black Stars fan club and the mighty Slipper Army unit are all awaiting for your grand return! We hope that you're in good health and spirits. Thank you very much for not abandoning us! We love you, Boss Iris Long!"
While the Black Stars celebrated their boss' upcoming return, the media also caught up with the news. The media's interest in Iris reignited. The almost forgotten scandal of Fan Luo ordering her car accident because of jealousy was placed under the spotlight once again.
Of course, Jin Chonglin's name was dragged into the mix because he was the reason for Fan Luo's jealousy. Jin Chonglin had previously spoken out about the scandal before he went on hiatus, denouncing his ex-fiancée as an evil woman.
They already heard from him, so people were eager to hear from Iris as the victim next.
Everyone had been waiting for her own statement. They wanted to ask her so many questions. What were her thoughts about the crime? How did she handle the truth when she learned about it? Did she hate Jin Chonglin? He was technically the reason why Fan Luo attempted to kill her.
"Iris Long" became the most searched keyword on the internet in just a day.
Then a netizen made an astonishing discovery while searching for information about her. He found photos of her all over the European news. It showed various images of her wearing a gorgeous fiery red dress.
"Holy sh*t! The articles say that Iris performed at Maestro De Luca's concert!"
"How can this be? She's not even a classical musician. Why would a maestro of such high standing invite her to perform with him at his own concert? This doesn't make sense."
Of course, the Black Stars were ecstatic and proud. They celebrated more, almost taking over the discussion forums. They asked Iris if it was true.
Iris actually replied to them. She posted:
"Yes, it's true. I had the opportunity to perform with the great Maestro Ludovico De Luca at his orchestra concert in Munich, Germany. It was such a wonderful experience that I will never forget in this lifetime."
Everyone became even crazier after her confirmation. Most people congratulated her and felt proud as her fellow countrymen. However, there were some who criticized her.
"I thought Iris Long was recuperating at a hospital. They said she was traumatized but look! She was having the time of her life rubbing shoulders with famous people and even performing at such an important concert. She doesn't look traumatized at all! What a liar!"
These criticisms angered the Black Stars. The Slippers Army immediately mobilized. This time, they were led by LittlePhoenix. They were a little disorganized in the absence of their troll leader iEatSlippers and strategist MonkeyFace. However, they felt energized at being able to freely wave their virtual mighty slippers again and whack all the enemies bashing their Boss Iris.
While the Slippers Army was finally back in action, the discussion in the forums continued.
CaptainBlackStar: "Liu Wei? That snob pianist who belittled our boss?"
When Maestro Liu Wei's name was brought up, many remembered how he criticized Iris as a mere pop singer pretending to be a classical musician with her simplistic piano transcription. He couldn't accept that Iris' successful piano album "Rebirth Melodies" was labelled as classical music.
Comments popped up making fun of the maestro.
"Hahaha! What a slap in the face! He criticized Iris as someone pretending to be a classical musician, but then another maestro who's more respected and renowned than him invited her to play in a classical concert! The European music critics are even calling Iris as a rising star of classical music! Let's hear what that oh so high and mighty maestro has to say."
The issue was blown out of proportion that even the media got involved, seeking out the classical pianist. A reporter recorded his response.
"From which source did you get this information? From the internet? Although I'm not young anymore, even I'm aware of the proliferation of fake news online," Maestro Liu Wei said. "I won't believe this claim until I watch the actual video recording of her playing at Maestro De Luca's concert. Claiming to perform with a world-renowned classical musician without proof is so shameless. It's sacrilege! Maybe she just attended the concert as part of the audience."
Supporters of the maestro voiced out their agreement with him. They demanded for Iris to show a video of her performance at Maestro De Luca's concert.
Unfortunately, the recorded version of the Munich concert hadn't been released yet. It would take some time before they would be made available. The audience weren't allowed to record the concert with their own devices.
Without this evidence, the classical musicians siding with Maestro Liu Wei called Iris an attention seeker and a liar.
He didn't know what was happening at first until someone gave him a hint.
"You offended someone powerful."
All the maestro could think about was that it started after he criticized Iris Long. She must've used the Long family's influence to suppress him. He began to hate her.
"Who does she think she is? Just because she's born into a prominent family, she thinks she owns the world and can control the lives of other people? And now she's even claiming to perform with Maestro De Luca? Preposterous!"
Even though high society began ostracizing him, Maestro Liu Wei still held great influence in the country's world of classical music. So with just a few words from him, several classical musicians began discrediting Iris even before making her second comeback.