Chapter 1657: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The Filipino Black Stars were a different kind of crazy. Jin Liwei took a deep breath and decided not to think about it anymore. As long as these Black Stars didn't covet his wife away from him, he would allow them to delude themselves into thinking crazy things.

'En.' Jin Liwei nodded, making a decision.

Iris Long giggled.

"Hm?" He glanced at her, his eyes softening. His gaze right now was completely different from how he looked at the audacious fan just seconds before.

"Nothing," she said. "I just think that you look very handsome today."

"Do I?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did I already tell you that you're so beautiful today?" he asked.

"Yes, you did. Several times already." She giggled again.

Jiang Ying Yue, who was standing on Iris' other side, cleared her throat.

Iris flashed her a bright smile, so bright that Jiang Ying Yue momentarily forgot her own husband. Heck, she even forgot her own name for a second. Although Iris was her close friend, Jiang Ying Yue wasn't completely immune to the beautiful woman's deadly charms. She could understand why Jin Liwei was so smitten with her.

"Welcome back to Orchidia Philippines, Chairman Iris Long," Linda Chua greeted with a big smile. "CEO Jin."

"President Linda Chua, everything looks great," Iris smiled while shaking Linda's hand.

The couple shook hands with the other executives next.

Dom wore a professional, business smile and shook hands with his own sister. "Congratulations, President Chua."

"Thank you very much, Assistant Chua," Linda replied, wearing an eerily similar smile on her face.

Then Dom grinned.

Linda glared at him for a second before reverting to her business smile. "Don't make trouble. Ma will flay you alive."

Dom playfully rolled his eyes. "I'm not dumb! You think I'll ruin this for my boss? Who do you think I am?"

Linda resisted the desire to roll her eyes as well. "Be good. Now go away. Shoo!"

"Hehehe. I can't go away. I need to stay by my boss' side!"

Linda sighed. She resisted the urge to kick her little brother. To calm down, she forced herself to remember that it was all due to her brother's close relationship with Iris Long that their whole Chua family was progressing so quickly like this.

Nobody could deny that Dominic's connection was the reason why their whole family could have the courage to venture outside their comfort zones all of a sudden. Instead of remaining stuck as employees working all their lives for others, they took the leap and became their own bosses instead.

Back to the present, Linda gave her brother's shoulder a quick pat before guiding the Jin couple and their entourage to the company building's entrance.

There was a long ribbon blocking it.

All of the invited guests and the invited press representatives filed out of the side entrance to witness the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. They temporarily stayed inside while waiting for the chairman to enjoy the cool air-conditioning. Now that the chairman had arrived for the ribbon-cutting, it was time to make their appearance all at the same time for the public to see.

The fans of the different celebrities outside almost trampled on the barricades from excitement. It was different when their favourite celebrities arrived one by one earlier. Now, all their favourite celebrities came out at the same time. They almost couldn't contain their excitement.

The security, volunteers, and law enforcement officers could barely control the crowd.

As if anticipating the dangerous situation in advance, the Black Stars quickly mobilized and helped control the crowd from the other side of the barricade. They formed a human barricade, using their own bodies, to prevent a devastating stampede.

Iris, whose heart was almost in her throat, sighed in relief. She almost jumped down the stairs and ran to help, if not for her husband holding her tightly. Jiang Ying Yue and the other bodyguards also tightened their formation around her.

Her fans, the Black Stars, were very important to her. It was pure instinct to want to save them, despite knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything much just by herself.

"Calm down, brothers and sisters! Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?! We have foreign guests here! Are you going to show such an embarrassing version of yourselves to them?! We are Filipinos! Let's show the best versions of ourselves to the world!"

The Black Stars kept repeating these slogans to the other unruly fans. Jin Liwei didn't think that it would work, but lo and behold, it actually did.

After repeating these words a few more times, the unruly fans gradually calmed down.

"Yes, we, the Filipino fans, are the best!"

"That's right!"

The security, volunteers, and law enforcement officers all heaved big sighs of relief. If they failed to control the crowd, they would have no choice but to call for reinforcements. Those reinforcements might not be so kind to this kind of unruly crowd.

Iris Long once again sighed in relief. She sent her suited fans, the Black Stars, several big flying kisses as a gesture of gratitude.

Jin Liwei nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that regardless of the country, his wife's fans, the Black Stars, were always dependable.

All of these were caught on camera. Later, news programs would report on how impressive Iris Long's Filipino fans, the Black Stars, were in helping control the big crowd. They would eventually become the ideal model in developing a fan club's code of ethics and discipline for other celebrities.

Finally, the ribbon-cutting ceremony commenced.

Linda Chua gave a short speech welcoming everyone to Orchidia Philippines' grand launch.

"Now, please let me help welcome our dear founder, who flew all the way to the Philippines just to join us here today despite her busy schedule as a wife, mother, musician, and businesswoman. Ladies and gentlemen, Chairman Iris Long!!!"

Iris took the microphone and nodded at the clapping, cheering crowd. "Thank you for the warm welcome." She looked at the crowd behind the barricades. "That was dangerous. Please be more careful. If any of you are not feeling well, we have medics available on site at no charge for you. Orchidia Philippines will also provide some extra refreshments shortly."

The Black Stars cheered, shouting, "Boss Iris, you're the best!"

Even the previously unruly crowd cheered with them, happy that they would receive refreshments. The tarpaulin canopies above them also helped a lot in shielding them from the heat. In addition, a few staff from Orchidia Philippines came out with several giant electric fans to help cool them down. Everything was so comfortable today. It was completely different from their previous experiences of attending their favourite celebrities' events.

These fans of other celebrities were filled with amazement.

"Who's that? What's her name again? Iris Long? She's so beautiful! She's even more beautiful than my idol!"

"I keep seeing her in the news these days. Apparently, she's a Chinese singer and the original founder of Orchidia. Married to a billionaire, that tall and handsome guy beside her. Very bougie."

A Black Star heard this comment and immediately corrected the person, "Our Boss Iris isn't bougie. She's a genuine heiress even before she married a billionaire. Even without her successful music career, she's already very wealthy."

Another Black Star chimed in, "That's right!"

The fans of other celebrities were curious about Iris Long and asked the Black Stars for more information about her. The Black Stars were, of course, more than happy to gush about their Boss Iris' awesomeness. If they could recruit more comrades to join them, then they, the Filipino Black Stars, would grow stronger. Perhaps they could become the most powerful force of support for their Boss Iris outside of the original Black Stars.

Back at the ribbon-cutting, Iris Long finished her speech before taking the scissors from Linda Chua. They posed for the photos first before she cut the ribbon.

Champagne was served.

Iris Long pretended to take a sip for the photos before handing the champagne flute back to the server. Jin Liwei did the same.

Afterwards, Linda led everyone inside the company building.

Iris waved at the crowd before disappearing inside with her husband. In the company building, the couple began meeting with the other guests.

The invited press representatives were all recording everything on video and snapping shot after shot on camera. They noted that even their country's big-name celebrities' aura paled in comparison with this Iris Long.

There was just something about her that screamed "star". Not just any star, but a star that could rock the world.

Her husband, the billionaire CEO of Jin Corporation, was also charismatic. However, his charisma came from his authority as a formidable business leader rather than a pleasing personality. In fact, it would be a stretch to describe CEO Liam Jin as someone who had a pleasing personality. Far from it. His coldness and indifference seemed embedded in his bones. Only when he gazed at his wife would his expression soften with obvious gentleness.

His handsome face, tall stature, and imposing aura made it impossible to ignore him. However, his wife, Iris Long, had a presence so strong and so magnetic that she was able to attract everyone's attention without even trying.

Just a smile from her would make someone forget one's name.

Even the big-name celebrity guests found themselves somewhat dazed upon meeting Iris Long for the first time. These were big-name celebrities who ruled at the top of the domestic showbiz industry.

The veteran journalists present couldn't help but click their tongues at the obvious difference. They might not know Iris Long as much as their country's big-name stars, but they could immediately recognize the difference in star factor.

They also noticed the ease with which Iris Long connected with the people that she was meeting for the first time. Her attitude didn't change even when talking to the regular staff.

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