Both Jin Liwei and Tang Yiyi managed to persuade Iris.
As a result, Iris had recently become more open to having a bigger team of bodyguards. But only if they didn't follow her around all the time. She still felt uncomfortable and suffocated whenever more than a couple of bodyguards followed her. She only allowed a bigger team of bodyguards when she had to attend crowded events like this.
She took a few moments to interact with her fans, the Black Stars. She even recognized many familiar faces among them.
Jin Chonglin walked towards her. The crowd automatically parted, giving way to him as he made his way to his "other half" (according to the LinRis shippers). Once the two were standing beside each other, the crowd's volume became even louder. The surrounding people could feel the vibrations from their screams and shrieks.
"Kyaaaaaah! My prince and boss are standing so close together!"
"Prince Lin Lin, Boss Iris! You look great and so perfect together!! Your babies are going to be so CUUUUUTE!!!"
"I can't wait for the big reveal later! I hope that the wedding date would also be announced!"
Iris tilted her head to the side. She opened her mouth and was about to correct the LinRis shippers' misunderstanding when Jin Chonglin leaned forward and whispered directly to her ear.
"Leave it. Let them misunderstand for now. This is also a publicity technique to heighten everyone's anticipation for our announcement later. It's not our fault that they misunderstood us anyway. You still have a lot to learn when it comes to navigating the world of showbiz and taking advantage of situations like this, Sister Xiulan."
She covered her ear to prevent him from getting any closer. Her body subconsciously rejected his close proximity. It only allowed Jin Liwei the privilege of having this kind of intimate contact with her (and also her big brother to a certain extent).
"Kyaaaaaah! What did Prince Lin Lin whisper to Boss Iris? Look at her covering her ear! She looks like she's blushing. Whatever he whispered to her must have made her super shy! I bet it's something naughty! Ah, I wish I have super hearing!"
A few people re-enacted the scene on the spot. A woman pretended to be Jin Chonglin. She grabbed her best friend beside her who was also pretending to be Iris. She placed her mouth near her best friend's ear and "whispered" in a loud voice.
"My dear honey bunny milky pie, I can't wait until we're done performing tonight so that I can have my wicked way with you~ You look so sexy today that I don't think I can hold myself back anymore. I want to kiss you and proclaim my love for you in front of all these people, but we have to wait until after our performance to announce our burning love for each other!"
"Aaaaaaahn~ My sweetie cakes gummy bear, don't whisper so close to my ear…it tickles! I'm so shy~"
The other fans squealed after watching this "realistic" re-enactment.
Dom laughed out loud while Tang Yiyi's mouth twitched.
Jin Chonglin also chuckled. He looked very amused at their fans' antics.
As for Iris, she was unhappy. However, she didn't let it show on her expression. She maintained a semi-smile in front of her fans, something that came naturally to her now after Tang Yiyi drilled it to her so many times before.
There was only one man in the world who she wanted to kiss and proclaim her love to in front of people, and it wasn't the man standing beside her right now. It was his older brother, Jin Liwei. She wanted to correct these people but forced herself to be patient. She and her darling already planned things out. They would reveal the truth of their relationship together in a much grander event than this.
Even Iris was a little surprised by the grand reception the staff was giving her. She knew that it was because she would be performing with Jin Chonglin, a superstar. All of these was because of his star power, not hers.
She personally didn't care that much about receiving VIP treatment like this. All she cared about was giving her best performance to the audience and enjoying herself in the process. As long as she knew that her music was touching other people one way or another, she would already feel satisfied inside. That was her source of happiness in pursuing her passion—music.
However, she knew that her manager Tang Yiyi cared very much about her receiving special treatment like this. In showbiz, better treatment often meant better status. Iris only smiled, as she watched Tang Yiyi's proud expression at the VIP treatment, even though they all knew it was because of Jin Chonglin.
Tang Yiyi wanted to make her into a superstar. A superstar who was even bigger than Jin Chonglin someday.
'That's not a bad goal,' Iris thought to herself.
Iris and her group entered their dressing room first. Her new female bodyguard followed them inside while the other bodyguards positioned themselves outside the door to guard.
Surprisingly, Jin Chonglin didn't immediately head to his own dressing room. He moved to follow Iris to her dressing room instead.
His manager, Lin Dong, quickly looked around with a paranoid expression on his face. Fortunately, the show's staff already left to give them some privacy and also because they felt intimidated by Iris' bodyguards. Jin Chonglin also has his own bodyguards, but they didn't look as scary as Iris'.
Lin Dong grabbed Jin Chonglin's arm and tried to stop him from entering Iris' dressing room.