Meanwhile, Long Jinjing and her friends were also on the road, talking about their chance encounter with Iris' group at the spa.
Chen Fei was driving her car. Long Jinjing sat beside her on the front passenger seat, while their other friend sat in the backseat.
Long Jinjing and Chen Fei were best friends. They met each other in middle school and became inseparable ever since. They went to the same high school and university. While Long Jinjing majored in Finance, Chen Fei majored in Marketing.
They met their other friend in business school. That was why Iris didn't recognize her from the original's memories.
"Wow. Iris Long is even more beautiful in person. She's also very nice," their friend commented. "Totally unlike how you painted her, Xiao Fei. Whenever you talk about Iris, you make her sound like a monster."
"That's because she is. You have no idea of the hell Jinjing went through in the hands of that evil b*tch," Chen Fei spat.
"That was all in the past, Xiao Fei," Jinjing said. "I heard that my sister has changed. And it seems that it's true. Our father is very pleased that she has matured and became sensible."
"Hmph! You think a person can change just like that? I don't believe it." Chen Fei looked very skeptical.
"People CAN change especially after experiencing a traumatic event. Remember that my sister almost died in that car crash and went into coma for an entire year. Her personality change must be because of that trauma. She has experienced a lot. Let's not be so harsh on her," Jinjing said.
Chen Fei harrumphed and then sneered. "I still don't believe that she really changed. I will never forget how she bullied you before, Jinjing. I also will never forget about how I suffered bald patches on my head for a few months because she ripped my hair off my head."
"She started it! She insulted you so my hands automatically moved on their own to attack her," Chen Fei tried to justify her past action. Then she shrugged. "Whatever. I don't think I'll ever like her. Don't worry. I won't fight with her as long as she doesn't do anything to you. She better not bully you again or I'll expose her black heart to those brain-dead Black Stars and the whole world."
"Hey! I'm a Black Star and I'm not brain-dead!" their other friend complained in the backseat. "Want me to whack you with my mighty slippers?! Huh, Xiao Fei?"
Chen Fei ignored her.
"Please don't do that. She's my sister. Father will be sad if people attack her," Jinjing said.
"You're a very kind and compassionate person, Jinjing. That's good. We love you for that. But more often than not, you're too kind that others are taking advantage of you. You have to realize that there are people in the world who don't deserve your kindness. You call that evil b*tch your sister, but does she even consider you as her sister?"
Uncertainty flashed in Long Jinjing's eyes.
"See? Even you're not sure. Don't be fooled just because she acted nice today. Remember that we're in a public place. She's a celebrity and she has to watch her image and reputation. We'll only know if she really changed once we meet her again without the prying eyes of other people."
Their other friend interrupted them. "I don't really know exactly what happened between you and Iris before, but I think that everyone deserves a second chance. Xiao Jing, I hope that you can have a good sister relationship with Iris."
"Me too," Long Jinjing whispered.
###
When the media got tired of featuring Iris Long's incredible award wins and moved on to more recent stories, her endorsement ads started rolling out to the public. The commercials played on TV and even on radio every day. Her posters could be seen in public places all over the country.
The Black Stars swarmed the stores and crashed websites in order to buy the products their Boss Iris was endorsing.
Nail polish by Meili Nails? All sold out. Latest phone model? They lined up hours before the stores even opened. Some even camped out the night before. The high-end headphones and earphones didn't sell out because they were so expensive, but the sales definitely spiked higher than normal. Many people also switched toothpastes, hoping to at least obtain even just 1% of Iris Long's beautiful smile.
Similarly, Serenity Premium Tea also sold out within just two days, specifically the varieties Iris Long endorsed. The stores were calling Lin Yehan's company nonstop to place additional orders. Lin Yehan and his employees were all taken aback, not expecting this kind of development at all. They were so unprepared that their current inventories weren't enough to supply all of the orders.
As a result, Lin Yehan had to choose carefully who to supply first. His company produced premium tea. He didn't want to compromise the quality just to increase the supply to meet the current insane demand.
Serenity Premium Tea's price point was also higher compared to its competitors. Lin Yehan already accepted that it wouldn't appeal to the majority of the consumers. That was why he never imagined his tea products would sell out in just two days.
'So this is the power of a celebrity,' he thought to himself.
Ever since Iris' multiple award wins, she had become more famous. She was quickly becoming a household name. Although she still had a long way to go until she reached Jin Chonglin's level, she was already headed in that direction, especially if her career continued its upward trajectory like this.
###
In response to her growing fame and influence, Bright Summit placed more importance on her. Tang Yiyi was now one of the star managers in the management company as a result. More resources were allocated for her. More offers were also coming her way.
Inside Tang Yiyi's office at Bright Summit Entertainment Company.
"I'm so proud of you, Iris, but don't let all of these go into your head. You worked hard to achieve all of these, but the moment you grow complacent, you'll start losing everything," Tang Yiyi warned Iris. "We need to continue working hard."
"I understand, Elder Sister Yiyi," Iris replied.
"Don't worry, Big Sis Yiyi! Boss isn't like that! She always works hard. I'll work hard as well!" Dom declared.
"Good." Tang Yiyi smiled. Then she grabbed a pile of documents from the mountain of files on her desk. "Ever since your wins at the music awards, we have received many offers requesting you to write theme songs for TV dramas and movies."
"What?! That's amazing!" Dom bounced on his seat in excitement.
"It also worked to your advantage that a big part of the success of 'Strong Yet Broken' can be attributed to the theme song and the film score you composed. I suggest you consider composing for a TV show this time."
Tang Yiyi handed the pile of offers to Iris. Then she moved on to another topic. "Did you know that we also received acting offers for you?"
Dom gasped. "Really? OMG!"
Iris tilted her head to the side, waiting for her manager to elaborate.
"Iris, you've already stabilized your position in the music industry. I think it's time to diversify and try acting."
Although Iris was curious and interested, she hesitated. She knew herself. Sure, she could act and portray simple emotions. But if she was required to portray deeper and complicated characters and emotions, she had no confidence in herself at all.
Music and acting were similar in that they could portray a wide range of emotions, stories and characters. However, music wasn't acting and acting wasn't music.
She was confident when it came to music. But acting?
Tang Yiyi could guess what she was thinking. "Don't stress about it for now. We'll put you in acting workshops first. How's that?"
"I'll leave everything to you then, Elder Sister Yiyi," Iris finally said after much thought.
They chuckled before continuing to discuss Iris' next work schedule.