"Okay," Jin Liwei replied. "Looking forward to it."
Iris stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down and kissed him.
The kiss turned fiery in just seconds. He plunged his tongue deep inside her hot mouth, tasting her. She responded with the same passion. Their tongues dueled and danced together, until both of them were breathless.
He moved his hands downwards along her back until it rested on her butt. Then he squeezed her hard, eliciting a deep moan from her.
Her hands also moved down his neck to his chest. They slipped inside his bathrobe and pushed it over his bare shoulders.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The loud ringing of the phone interrupted them. It was Jin Liwei's. They both recognized it as his ringtone for business calls.
Iris was the first one to end the kiss. She gently pushed him away. "Answer your phone. It must be important."
Jin Liwei pulled her back by the waist. He looked torn.
"Go on," she told him, patting his cheek. "We shouldn't be doing this right now, anyway. Both of us need to prepare for tomorrow."
"I'll take a shower now," she said and walked to the bathroom without waiting for his reply.
He sighed again and grabbed his damn phone. It was Xu Tian's number.
"What is it?" Jin Liwei growled, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
"There you are, my boy!" Surprisingly, it was Grandpa Lu's booming voice who answered instead of his assistant. "You should say 'hello' when you answer the phone! Why do you sound so grumpy? I want to know! Actually, I think I already know! Did I interrupt something? I bet I did! Bahahaha! Sorry about that! Well, actually I'm not sorry at all! Bahahaha!"
Jin Liwei only looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. Nevertheless, his mouth twitched, the corners lifting into a faint smile. All his annoyance melted away. It was hard to stay annoyed at someone like Grandpa Lu.
"How may I help you, Grandpa Lu? Why are you calling using Xu Tian's number? Did you lose your phone?"
Grandpa Lu was staying at the other hotel with the members of their Jin Corporation group.
"No, I have my phone right here! I'm using your assistant's phone because...I feel like it! Bahahaha!"
Jin Liwei chuckled weakly. He sighed again, and then glanced at the bathroom door. He could hear the water running in the shower.
Its magnitude was greater than normal. Both Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu wanted what was best for Jin Corporation. Two heads were better than one in this situation.
Jin Liwei was more up-to-date with current business trends, but Grandpa Lu had more wisdom, knowledge and experience. With both of them working together, they aimed to get the best deals for Jin Corporation during the international business conference.
He was still on the phone when Iris finished showering. She was already in her pyjamas. She also spoke briefly with Grandpa Lu before diving back to reviewing her notes in preparation for tomorrow's conferences.
When the phone call ended, Jin Liwei gave his baby girl a quick peck on the lips before moving to the suite's living area to rehearse for his presentation in the China-Japan conference tomorrow.
The two were busy with their own respective works, but knowing that they would be sleeping together tonight comforted them, even if they didn't have time to do anything else other than cuddle.
###
That same night, news exploded that Iris Long was an official interpreter for the international business conference. Because this was a prestigious event in the business world, the news circulated quickly and spread across the entire country.
At first, people treated it as a joke. Why would a celebrity who was currently on the rise work as an interpreter for a business conference?
However, they had no choice but to believe when the official website and social media pages of the international business conference itself confirmed that Iris Long was appointed as an interpreter for the event. Photos and videos of her during the opening ceremony were even posted.
What people found the most impressive were the videos showing Iris interpreting in English during the opening ceremony and in French during the China-France conference. Everyone was shocked and amazed by her language skills.
Of course, the Black Stars were equally shocked and amazed just like everyone else but quickly felt proud of her.
LittlePhoenix: "So that's why Boss Iris doesn't have any showbiz activities for almost a couple of weeks now. She was preparing for this! At first I was disappointed that she wasn't included in the line-up for the upcoming Bright Summit All-Stars summer concert in two days, but I think this is more impressive. Boss is so amazing!"
CaptainBlackStar: "I agree. Boss Iris is so amazing! Comrades, let's show our support for our Boss Iris!"
The Black Stars who were initially begging for their Boss Iris to participate in the Bright Summit All-Stars summer concert now stopped. They all expressed their support for her as an interpreter to the international business conference instead.
Although they didn't understand business that much, they preferred that she was standing out in such a highly prestigious business event like this. Compared to the All-Stars concert where she had to share the spotlight with other celebrities and even with superstars like Jin Chonglin (who "might" overshadow her), she was soloing the attention as a celebrity interpreter in the international business conference.
It was so much better, right?
While the Black Stars were celebrating, those in high society who looked down on Iris were shocked into disbelief. They were the ones who mocked her as a mere showgirl and future trophy wife, dependent on her future husband (Lu Zihao) for status in high society.
"S-so what if she can speak English and French well? Our children in British boarding schools can, too. It's not that special..."
"You two are acting like ignorant dolts," a retired businessman reprimanded them. He was just passing by when he heard what they were talking about. "Translating normal conversations is easy but interpreting for business is a different matter. And this is the international business conference we're talking about! Virtually all the top business leaders in the world are in attendance.
"Not just any interpreter can be chosen to work in that event. They have extremely high standards! Even Sir Lu Jianhong would ruin his reputation if he recommended someone unskilled in that event. If that Long girl was appointed, then it means that she not only has the interpretation skills but also the business knowledge to back her up."
The two socialites shut up, looking at each other awkwardly. The old man was their father-in-law.
"Besides, I just heard that she's the student of both Schwarz and Hisakawa," the retired businessman continued. "You may not know it because you're always busy gossiping instead of expanding your knowledge, but these two people are renowned polyglots. Do you know what a 'polyglot' means? No? Hai. It seems that they don't sell brains from the stores you go to everyday. A 'polyglot' is a person who knows and can use several languages.
"Now do you understand? Those British boarding schools where you dumped my grandchildren are just nurseries compared to being accepted as the student of esteemed figures like Schwarz and Hisakawa. The levels are just too different! Go ahead and continue looking down and mocking that Long girl! You're just going to demonstrate to everybody that your heads are filled with air instead of sense."
The old man huffed while walking away with his cane. He was of the same generation as Grandpa Lu and Jin Liwei's grandfather. As a peer and a fellow businessman, he was proud to watch how Jin Corporation developed into the number one company in the country.
He didn't appreciate anyone who dared look down on anyone working in the business industry, including interpreters and translators. Skilled interpreters and translators were indispensable in doing business in the international level.
Similar scenes were playing across homes of high society members. Many were re-evaluating Iris Long's status as mere future trophy wife.
There were still those who continued to look down on her, but there were some who began to change their impressions of her.