Iris Long was the official interpreter of the international business conference?! What in the world?!!!
The foreign delegates didn't think much about it. They didn't know who Iris Long was. They just accepted that this beautiful woman in a red business suit was an interpreter who the conference officials had chosen. Why should they doubt their choice? Besides, this Iris Long spoke fluent English in an elegant British accent.
On the other hand, the Chinese delegates were incredulous that the international business conference would hire a mere musician as an official interpreter.
The ones sitting near Long Tengfei all turned their heads to silently ask him what was going on. Unfortunately for them, he couldn't give them any answer because he also had no idea that his youngest daughter was hired to do this. He was as shocked as them all.
However, it only took a few moments before both Long Tengfei and Long Hui recovered from their initial shock. They already knew that Iris was a Cross Academy student and that she was majoring in Foreign Languages.
Remembering these, they calmed down and treated the situation as something to be expected. After all, she wasn't only a Cross Academy student but also the personal student of the legendary business genius Sir Lu Jianhong.
"Hmm… Xiulan looks calm and prepared. Very good," Long Tengfei murmured while nodding his head. The unmistakable pride was very obvious in his eyes.
"She should've at least informed us beforehand, so we wouldn't feel so surprised like this," Long Hui also murmured.
Long Jian heard their low conversation. He couldn't hide his disbelief. Why were these two so calm? Weren't they worried that Iris would embarrass herself in such an important event like this? If she embarrassed herself, she would also embarrass Long Industries because of her connection to them.
"Father—I mean President, should we really allow Little Sister Xiulan to do this? I don't know how she was able to get this job, maybe she asked Sir Lu Jianhong, but this isn't something that she can handle so easily. This is the international business conference! The whole business world is basically watching. Her every mistake would be noted. As her older brother, I'm very concerned for her. I don't want her to humiliate herself."
Long Hui only gave him a side-eye.
"Don't worry too much. I think that your sister knows what she's doing," Long Tengfei told him. "Let's just sit back and watch her performance. Similar to how I wanted the two of you to gain experience from this international business conference, this will also be a great experience to your little sister."
Long Jian frowned before he could smooth it away. His disbelief turned into bitterness.
'That brat is really Father's favourite,' he silently muttered to himself.
He watched Iris on the stage. The MC was now speaking in Mandarin only, while Iris was consecutively interpreting his words in English.
'Hmph. So what if she improved her English skills and learned how to speak in a British accent? I bet she's not even interpreting right now but just saying the words she memorized from a script. Let's see if she can do this for unscripted conversations later on. I can't wait until she humiliates herself.'
Long Jian was filled with mockery towards her.
Beside him, Long Industries' COO leaned a bit towards Long Tengfei, saying, "President Long, your youngest daughter managed to astound me once again. First was when she did her presentation for her business asking for a shipping deal from us. And now this? Language interpreter for the international business conference? I'm finding Miss Long Xiulan more and more impressive the more times I encounter her. You must be very proud of your daughter, President."
"Hmm." Long Tengfei nodded, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint smile. He looked on proudly at his youngest daughter.
'Is the COO crazy? He's impressed by that spoiled brat? She only got that shipping deal because of Father. She's Father's favourite! And I'm sure that she also got this interpreting job because of her connection to Sir Lu Jianhong. Without these connections, she can't do anything by herself! She should just stay in showbiz where she belongs! Why is she suddenly poking her nose in the business world? She's too full of herself!'
He couldn't admit to himself that he was actually jealous of Iris. He just continued to trash-talk her in his mind, thinking that she didn't deserve any of these opportunities in the business industry.
At the front row of the audience, Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu watched Iris on the stage. Jin Liwei's expression appeared cold and indifferent as usual, but for people close to him and who knew him well like Grandpa Lu and Xu Tian, they could see his indiscernible smile and pride.
More obvious was Grandpa Lu. He had a big smile on his face. He turned his head to the back and gave two thumbs-up to Professor Kalisha Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa Akio who were sitting several rows behind him.
On the stage, several officials and guest speakers were called to make speeches. Iris and the MC moved to the side of the stage. The MC sat down, while Iris stood behind a side-facing lectern.
The invited speakers spoke in either Mandarin or English. As a result, Iris interpreted in English or Mandarin. She had no notes or anything. She just looked directly at the speaker.
There was no hesitation in her translations. Whenever the speaker paused, she would seamlessly start interpreting in Mandarin or English. In addition to the interpretations, she would also try to match her tone to how the speaker just spoke. So far, she hadn't fumbled even once yet.
Those who couldn't understand either Mandarin or English wore headphones. Other assigned interpreters fed the translations directly to their ears. Most of these interpreters couldn't match the clear, smooth and unhesitating interpretations of Iris.
The delegates looked very impressed at her performance. Even the Chinese delegates who initially doubted her appointment as official interpreter to the international business conference were now changing their impression of her.
"Yes. I'm very shocked. My children are big fans of your daughter Iris Long. Our house plays her music almost nonstop," another executive commented. "I bet my children will be so shocked as me when I tell them that Iris Long is the official interpreter of this conference. Maybe they'll finally start gaining interest in our company once they learn that their favourite celebrity is now involved in the business world as an interpreter."
"Your daughter is amazing, CEO Long. As someone who is fluent in both Mandarin and English, I can tell that her translations are virtually accurate. Her clear enunciation makes it very easy for everyone to understand what she's saying."
Long Tengfei couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Thank you, everyone. I'm very proud of my daughter."
Hearing his father's words, Long Jian glared at Iris on the stage. It was difficult, but he forced himself to put on a pleased expression, pretending to be proud of his sister as a brother.
He was waiting for Iris to mess up, but what the hell was happening? Even he could tell how skillful she was as an interpreter. Some of the speakers made clear adlibs during their speeches, but Iris was still able to translate them smoothly. He hated to admit it, but she was indeed impressive. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
After some entertaining cultural performances, the opening ceremony finally ended. The delegates started chatting among each other.
Then they noticed the beautiful Iris Long meet with Professor Kalisha Schwarz and Professor Hisakawa Akio down the stage. Many of the delegates immediately recognized the two, especially Professor Schwarz who was one of the most well-known translators and interpreters in the world. Some of them treated her as their first choice whenever they needed an interpreter or translator. Unfortunately, Professor Schwarz wasn't always available.
"Madame Schwarz, Hisakawa-sensei, please pardon me for being nosy but may I know what is your relationship to the young and beautiful Iris here?" a British executive standing nearby asked them directly.
Professor Schwarz gave him a stern look. "That's 'Miss Iris Long' for you. She is my current student."
Those who overheard the conversation, both local and foreign delegates, looked very surprised. They started looking at Iris with even more interest than before.
"No wonder Iris—I mean 'Miss Iris Long' is such a skilled interpreter. So she's a student of Madame Schwarz and Hisakawa-sensei. Now it makes sense that the international business conference chose her as official interpreter."