Iris walked the red carpet together with JJ.
She wore a long, fitted qipao-style sleeveless red dress that accentuated her hourglass figure. The dress flared below her thighs in a mermaid skirt that swept elegantly around her feet. There were golden lotus floral patterns embroidered throughout the dress and sparkling crystals on her neckline and chest area like dewdrops.
A fluffy white faux fur cape wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the cold while on the red carpet. Her hair was arranged in a classic chignon, accented by a delicate gold leaf hair piece. She carried a red fan with an image of a flying golden dragon painted on it.
With her red lips, gorgeous outfit and graceful bearing, she looked like a queen. Everyone couldn't stop themselves from staring at her. All of the cameras pointed at her, the flashes making the crystals on her dress and her jewelry, especially her diamond ring, glitter like stars in a red sky.
"Damn! She's so beautiful," a male celebrity exclaimed in the middle of his interview on the red carpet.
Just like everybody else, Jin Chonglin was also dazed at seeing her. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Then his gaze fell on the diamond ring on her finger, effectively reminding him that the woman was engaged to his own brother. It jolted him out of his brief trance.
Iris posed for the cameras with JJ. Some of the cameramen requested for Iris to pose solo. JJ harrumphed for a bit before leaving her side to have her solo moment with the wildly flashing cameras. She gave them several classy poses, playing with her fan to give them a variety of shots.
Afterwards, she made her way to the Black Stars, instantly identifying them by their conspicuous suits among the normally dressed people around them. She met Jin Chonglin along the way.
"Beautiful Sister Xiulan, you look like a bride with that red dress of yours," he told her.
Her brows raised before chuckling in amusement. "Ah, maybe that's why my fiancé insisted that I choose this dress design for tonight. So that's why. Well, my darling has good taste. Don't you agree, Brother Chonglin?"
He was smiling on the outside but on the inside, he grumbled. What the hell was this? She wasn't even with his brother right now, yet he was still being force-fed with dog food! These lovers' sweetness to each other would kill others from overdose one day. And he might just be the first casualty.
The two went on their separate ways after only a brief conversation. If they talked for a bit longer, tongues would begin wagging and speculating about their relationship.
Actually, it was already too late. The LinRis shippers among the crowd was already mentally writing romantic fan fiction about them.
After interacting with the Black Stars, Iris returned beside JJ. They granted some short interviews on the red carpet before finally entering the multi-purpose arena where the music awards would be held tonight.
It was at that moment that a series of audible gasps arose from the crowd. The next person to walk the red carpet was someone they thought would never attend the music awards.
Jin Liwei swept his cold eyes across everyone. Disinterest and disappointment turned his eyes even colder when he didn't find the one person he wanted to see the most. It seemed that he missed his baby girl on the red carpet. No matter. He would see her later during the awards ceremony.
The organizers immediately hurried to welcome him. They looked very excited and eager to please. This was the first time that Jin Liwei accepted their invitation to attend the music awards. They invited him every year, but he rejected them every single time.
Jin Liwei posed briefly for the cameras. His cold and indifferent aura made the surrounding people behave and bring out their best manners. All of the ladies (and the ladies at heart) sighed in awe at his handsomeness and oozing masculinity. Even the men couldn't help but admire his regal and powerful aura. His sharp suit only magnified his attractiveness.
Everyone was very surprised that he attended this year's music awards. They all thought that he came to support his brother, Jin Chonglin, who was nominated for eight awards. Too bad that someone got more nominations than him. Nevertheless, they were confident that Jin Chonglin was going to win the most awards tonight.
Her fellow reporters and the cameramen all froze and held their breaths. They didn't have much hope as Jin Liwei never had patience for trivial interviews. He only granted interviews when they were about business.
"En." Jin Liwei nodded and walked in front of the reporter who called out to him.
"A-ah?" The poor reporter's mind went blank at his sudden close proximity to her.
Another reporter asked instead, "Mr. Jin, are you granting us an interview?"
"En." He nodded again. "Be quick."
All the media representatives immediately left their original spots and swarmed around Jin Liwei. They started throwing questions at him like excited, salivating dogs.
The celebrities they were interviewing could only smile wryly at being abandoned. However, they didn't dare complain. Who was Jin Liwei? He was the most powerful man in the country's business world of his generation.
"Mr. Jin, this is the first time that you attended the music awards. Are you here to support someone?"
An image of his beautiful baby girl appeared in his mind. "Yes," he replied.
Jin Liwei frowned. He was about to correct their misunderstanding when he was interrupted by another question.
"CEO Lu, we can see that you came by yourself. There are so many beautiful ladies who'll die for a chance to be your partner tonight. Is there no one that you would like to escort for this event?"
"I have no interest in escorting other women except for my fiancée. It's not convenient for us at the moment to attend this event together, so I came by myself. Besides, I don't want to upset her by getting close to other women. She's the only one for me," he answered with a straight face.
The reactions of everyone, however, were a sight to see. Their jaws fell down and their eyes almost popped out of their heads. Shock was a mild word to describe their current expressions.
"What do you mean by that? CEO Lu, are you telling us that you're engaged?!"
"Yes," he confirmed.
Loud gasps.
"What?!"
Then the questions started raining down on him nonstop. He filtered the questions, only answering the ones that he liked.
"I'm the lucky one. Yes, the most beautiful," he answered.
"Have you been engaged for long? When are you planning to get married?"
"A few months ago. We'll marry whenever she's ready."
"Can you tell us who she is?"
He hesitated before saying in a mysterious tone, "You'll all know who she is when the time is right."
Then he began to leave.
"Wait, Mr. Jin! Please give us a hint about your fiancée! Even just a small one!"
He stopped and thought about it for a few moments. The reporters held their breaths, waiting and hoping for his answer.
"Hmm… She's here tonight."