Chapter 1656: Speechless Jin Liwei

"Pa's not coming?" Marjorie Chua-Ferrer asked, popping up from out of nowhere. Beside her was her husband, Paul Ferrer, and their two children.

Reina sighed, clicking her tongue. "That bastard from the main family insisted on having a business meeting today with Yehan and your father, that's why they can't come today."

"That old man has always been so full of himself," Marjorie muttered. "Kids, greet your grandmother and your Aunt Linda."

The two children took their grandmother's and aunt's hands and pressed them against their foreheads.1

"Bless you, my dears," Reina said, pinching her grandchildren's cheeks.

"Where's Auntie Iris and Uncle Liam, Grandma?" Marjorie and Paul's daughter asked. "Are they here yet?"

Reina chuckled. "You're always looking for your Auntie Iris and Uncle Liam first before your actual biological Uncle Dom. Why is that?"

"Because Auntie Iris and Uncle Liam give the best presents ever!" her grandson replied.

The granddaughter added, "Yeah! And also, Uncle Dom always orders me and my brother to get him food! He eats a lot! Our hands always ache whenever we have to bring him food! So heavy!"

Reina laughed, shaking her head. "You two need to behave today. This is an important day for your Auntie Iris and Auntie Linda, okay? Nobody should ruin it for them, do you understand?"

"Okay, Grandma!"

"We understand, Grandma. Don't worry. My brother and I will be very good today."

Paul promised his mother-in-law, "Don't worry, Ma. I'll watch your grandkids like a hawk. They won't bother anyone."

Reina nodded, satisfied. She had already instructed her family members to refer to her only son's bosses as "Iris" and "Liam" in public. It was enough to call them "Xiulan" and "Liwei" in private. They were like family after all. There was no need to provide the public with more reason to dig deeper into their Chua family's close relationship with the billionaire Jin couple.

Good thing that her Chua family had always been united. If Reina and Domingo said to do something, then the rest of their family would follow suit.

The thought of betraying Iris Long and Jin Liwei had never crossed any of their minds. The couple had done too much for their Chua family. Only ingrates would pay the couple with betrayal. Reina and Domingo had never taught their children and grandchildren to be traitors.

Of course, when she said "her" Chua family, it didn't include their distant relatives from the main branch and other branches of the Chuas.

Ever since her son Dominic Chua's connection with Iris Long and her billionaire husband, Jin Liwei, came to light, so many of their so-called "relatives" kept approaching them, hoping for an introduction with the Jin couple.

Reina and Domingo would always brush them off with various reasons. It was only because Lin Yehan had approached her husband that Domingo decided to introduce Lin Yehan to a distant cousin.

This distant cousin was from the main branch of the Chua family. They were the wealthiest among all the Chua branches today. They were also the most arrogant. However, they also had the widest business and political connections in the country.

Hence, despite their arrogance, Domingo still decided to make the introduction between Lin Yehan and the distant cousin.

"Ma, do you think that the old man from the main branch would cheat Yehan?" Marjorie asked in concern.

Before Reina could answer, Paul said, "We don't need to worry about that. Yehan is no pushover. He's a tycoon in his own right. Besides, isn't Liam here as well? If there's something that Yehan can't solve on his own, which I doubt will happen, there's still Liam as his backing. That old man from the main branch might be a bigshot here, but he's nothing in front of a world-class billionaire like Liam. If that old man knows what's good for him, he shouldn't think about cheating Yehan. Besides, Pa trusts his character enough to introduce him to Yehan. Even if he's arrogant, surely he won't be dumb enough to make a powerful enemy."

"That makes sense," Marjorie said, although she was still frowning.

Reina sighed before nodding. "You're right. Your father also said the same thing. I just can't stand the main branch's arrogance. They're not even royalty! Hmph!"

"Calm down, Ma," Linda said, rubbing her mother's back. "Everything's going to be okay. Let's just trust in Pa's judgment."

Linda's assistant interrupted the family's conversation.

"I have to go," Linda said. "The celebrities are starting to arrive. I have to greet them. Dom and I will time it so that Iris and Liam will arrive after these celebrities."

"Save the best for the last, huh?" Marjorie said.

"Of course," Linda said. "Only the best for the big boss."

###

Linda Chua's marketing background came in full force during today's grand launch. Although this was her first time handling a project of this scale, her ambition, professionalism, and work ethic were enough to display her true abilities.

All the TV and radio news programs were talking about Orchidia Philippines' grand launch today.

The influencers, models, and celebrities' social media accounts were filled with Orchidia Philippines.

Orchidia Philippines and its grand launch had been headlining the newspapers and magazines for several days now.

Linda pulled out all the stops to ensure the success of today's grand launch—with Chairman Iris Long's approval, of course.

Small-time and big-name celebrities attended.

Linda also wanted to invite the cast of "Ready, Set, Lunch Party", but those celebrities had strict schedules due to their daily work commitment to the program. If they attended today's Orchidia Philippines' event, they would definitely be late to the noon-time show. Nevertheless, the cast and staff of the "Ready, Set, Lunch Party" still sent several huge flower arrangements to Orchidia Philippines headquarters as congratulations.

After her staff double-checked that all invited guests had arrived, Linda released a huge sigh of relief.

She was initially worried about some of the big-name celebrities who might have bad, diva-like reputations in the industry. What if they came late and disrupted the event?

Fortunately, she hand-picked the celebrities who had good reputations in the industry. Even so, seeing it in person was different from hearsay.

Now, the main show could start.

###

Outside the headquarters, temporary tarpaulin canopy tents were set up to shield the waiting crowd from the elements.

Rain or shine, the show must go on.

The fans who saw their favourite local celebrities and influencers were still reeling from excitement.

The Black Stars were also buzzing with eagerness. They couldn't wait to see their Boss Iris. Many of them travelled from distant cities and provinces just to see her in person. There was no way that they were going to miss this chance to see their Boss Iris in the flesh.

Finally, a convoy of luxury cars arrived and stopped in front of the headquarters.

Based on how Orchidia Philippines' head and executives came out, plus the increased number of security personnel compared to when the celebrities arrived earlier, this new arrival must be the true star of the show.

There was only one true star of the show.

The first face to come to mind when thinking about Orchidia was only that person's.

The Black Stars strained their necks to have the first glimpse of the super VVIP, the one whom they had been waiting for a long time.

When familiar faces stepped out of the vehicles one by one, the Black Stars went crazy. Deafening shouts and cheers filled the place.

The leaders of the fan club immediately took action to control their members.

"No pushing! Remember, we are the Black Stars! We are disciplined! We are orderly! We should never bring shame to our dear Boss Iris!"

The Black Stars, who momentarily went crazy, immediately came back to their senses.

"That's right! We're Black Stars!"

The security, law enforcement officers, and volunteers were surprised. They struggled trying to control the fans of the celebrities who came earlier. Some of them even got bruised from the wildest fans who almost trampled over the barricades to get to their favourite celebrities.

Then here were these weirdos in matching suits disciplining themselves. If only all crowds were like them! It would make their jobs so much easier all the time.

"Ah, here she comes!" someone shouted.

Iris Long faced her fans and waved at them while holding on to her husband's arm. Everything about her screamed—no, whispered "classic" today. From her simple yet elegant up-do to her subtle yet polished makeup, and finally, to her graceful and luxurious flowing wrap dress.

Her jewelry was also minimal. She was letting her beauty and aura to do most of the work.

And it was working.

Despite seeing famous celebrities earlier, nobody could deny that Iris Long was the most eye-catching of them all.

All eyes were on her.

And on her gorgeous escort.

"Damn, is this couple for real?" a showbiz photographer muttered even as his hands captured the scene on camera nonstop.

Iris gestured to her fans that she would see them later, as she needed to go inside now.

"Go ahead, Boss Iris! We'll buy Orchidia products!"

"We love you, Boss Iris! You're so beautiful!"

"CEO Jin, you're so handsome! Can Boss Iris be my wife instead?"

Jin Liwei was in the middle of escorting his dear wife up the stairs when he heard these audacious words from the crowd. He immediately stopped and looked at the person, a female to boot, dead in the eyes.

"No, you can't," he said in a grave tone. "She can only be my wife. Not anyone else's. Over my dead body."

Instead of being scared, the audacious female fan giggled. "I know! I'm just joking! Then, can Boss Iris and CEO Jin be my parents instead?"

"Pft!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"I want to be their baby, too!!!"

"Adopt me instead, Boss Iris and CEO Jin! I promise to honour you as my father and mother! I just want a mansion! Oh, and unlimited nightly lullabies from Mommy Iris. My chronic insomnia will surely be cured. Hehehe!"

Jin Liwei became speechless.

"Mano po" is a traditional Filipino gesture of respect for elders, literally meaning "your hand, please," where a younger person takes an elder's hand and touches it to their own forehead to ask for a blessing. The elder typically responds with a blessing, like "God bless you," or a silent gesture. This practice, part of the Filipino value of pagmamano, shows honor, love, and reverence for the elder's age and wisdom. (Source: Google AI Overview)

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