The bombshell Jin Liwei dropped on the red carpet instantly became the topic of conversations by the viewers watching the event's live telecast. They were all very shocked.
Although Jin Liwei wasn't a showbiz figure like his younger brother, he was still quite famous. And it wasn't just because he was the President-CEO of the number one company in the country. If people had to choose who was more handsome between the Jin brothers, an overwhelming majority of them would say that Jin Liwei was more physically attractive than Jin Chonglin.
Even more than Jin Chonglin who was a big celebrity idolized by many, Jin Liwei was actually the one considered to be the most eligible bachelor in the entire country. He was tall, rich, handsome and powerful.
Although many were afraid of him, it didn't stop many women from vying for the position of Madam Jin. By marrying him, they would be set for the rest of their lives. A lavish life of wealth and power, not to mention a gorgeous man to sleep with—who could resist such a "perfect" life?
As a result, countless women (and some men) tried seducing him in the past but no one succeeded. This led people to believe that he was incapable of being in a sexual relationship, much less a romantic one. That was why many people couldn't believe that the cold and indifferent Jin Liwei was now engaged to someone.
"Isn't he gay? He can't marry a man in this country, so he can only be engaged to a woman. Is he entering a sham marriage just to cover up his sexuality and fulfill his duty as the head of the Jin family?"
"That's possible. Or maybe it's an arranged marriage. It's pretty common for men with his status to marry young ladies from other powerful families."
"There has never been any concrete evidence that CEO Jin is gay. I think he just found his true love. He keeps on rejecting all those thirsty people throwing themselves at him because they're not his fated one. But he must've found the one for him so he immediately popped the question. Isn't it romantic? Oh, be still my heart!"
Conversations like these could be heard all over the country. The awards ceremony hadn't started yet, but the most talked-about figure at the moment was not even one of the nominees.
"Quick! Look around! He said that his fiancée is here tonight!"
They suspected many of the single celebrity ladies who attended the music awards as Jin Liwei's possible fiancée.
That singer or that actress. Maybe that model or that socialite. Was she the one? Or maybe her?
As for the women, they played coy when asked whether they were Jin Liwei's fiancée. Sensing an opportunity to create drama, most of them gave vague answers. They neither confirmed nor denied anything.
However, it was interesting that people only suspected women who were in their mid-twenties and above. They didn't bother suspecting the younger ones.
"I'll never believe that CEO Jin will have a relationship with a teenager. So we can remove those kids from our list of suspects. I also think that even the ones who are in their early twenties are still too young for him. I mean, that's about a decade of age difference between them! CEO Jin is the head of the number one company in the country, so he must be super smart. I bet that those young women aren't mature enough to keep up with a worldly man like him."
"I agree with you. Ah, I can't wait to know the identity of his fiancée! When will he introduce her to the public? He did mention during his interview earlier in the red carpet that we'll eventually know who she is when it's the right time. The suspense is killing me!"
The music awards would be starting soon. Instead of talking about who would win the awards, the people were hunting for Jin Liwei's soon-to-be wife instead.
Then a Black Star posted her guess in an online forum.
"Wait. Is it just me or others are also thinking that CEO Jin's fiancée might just be our Boss Iris? Didn't she say before that her fiancé is a businessman? Plus she also got engaged a few months ago, just like CEO Jin. If it's true, OMG! I'm gonna hyperventilate! Wouldn't this mean that our Boss Iris will become the next Madam Jin? Our Boss Iris will then become the ultimate boss!"
"Girl, your guess is way off the mark. I can still believe it if you say that Iris Long is engaged to Jin Chonglin. But to CEO Jin Liwei? There is absolutely no way that's true. This is CEO Jin we're talking about."
Another Black Star took offense at the words of these people. "What do you mean by that? What's wrong with our Boss Iris? Why can't she be CEO Jin's fiancée?"
"The answer is simple. They're not on the same level. CEO Jin is way up there. You think that a man with wealth and status like him will marry a young pop star with a troubled past? Not to mention that she's constantly linked to his own brother. Sure, Iris Long is also from a rich family but we all know that she's not really on good terms with them despite her older brother saying that they're okay now. And even though she has matured a lot and moved past from her teenage trouble-making days, she hasn't ascended to such a level yet as to be worthy for us to even consider her as the future Madam Jin. It's just too far-fetched and unbelievable."
Of course the Black Stars staunchly defended their Boss Iris. Yet the majority of them also didn't dare believe that their boss might really be Jin Liwei's fiancée. Besides, they didn't want her to be with someone like Jin Liwei either. He was too scary and too cold. Their boss deserved someone who would love her and pamper her for the rest of her life. They just couldn't imagine the cold, indifferent and reportedly ruthless President-CEO of Jin Corporation as a loving and doting husband.
Similarly, the LinRis shippers immediately rejected this notion. Yes, they wanted to pair up Iris with a Jin but not to the wrong brother. For them, the only Jin man who was perfectly suitable for her was Jin Chonglin.
"LinRis forever! There will be no other pairings that we'll accept except for LinRis! Prince Lin Lin and Boss Iris all the way! They're the most perfect couple ever!"
And with that, Iris Long's name was kicked out of the list of women who could possibly be Jin Liwei's fiancée.
Despite this, there remained a handful of people who couldn't quite remove the niggling feeling within their hearts that Iris Long and Jin Liwei might really be engaged.
Was it just a coincidence that both Iris Long and Jin Liwei were engaged to mysterious partners a few months ago? Although the clues matched, their opinions were unpopular and ignored by the masses, so they only kept their speculations among themselves.