258 Goddess of Fire (1/2)
For the next days, while Iris was busy rehearsing with Maestro De Luca and his orchestra, Jin Liwei was also busy planning and organizing something in secret.
Iris knew that he was hiding something from her. Although she felt curious and wanted to know what it was, she didn't force him to tell her. He would reveal it on his own when he was ready.
She also continued using the skincare products she bought at the street market. The improvements on her skin only became even more visible, especially every morning when she woke up. It seemed that the products' effectiveness increased during sleep.
However, she also noticed that some of the products didn't work quite well. Either there were no improvements at all or her skin didn't feel comfortable after using them. Perhaps it was because these particular products weren't designed for her skin type. Or maybe they just didn't work well with Asian skin. She would need to ask the seller about it.
There was another issue which was that once the products were opened, they had shorter shelf life compared to the commercial products available on the market. True, they worked extremely well, almost miraculously so, but they needed to be used quickly or they would expire. If she wanted to build a company with these products, this issue must be addressed and solved first.
Despite this, she was confident that with enough funding, resources, research and equipment, these already amazing products would be improved close to perfection.
She made plans in her head about how to approach to the seller, but for now, she needed to focus on the upcoming orchestra concert.
The day before the concert, Grandpa Lu arrived to Germany like he promised to watch Iris' performance. Iris and Jin Liwei's hotel suite had an extra bedroom, so he stayed with them.
Iris was at the opera house rehearsing when he arrived. Jin Liwei and Grandpa Lu were the only ones at the suite.
Grandpa Lu handed something to Jin Liwei. ”Here's what your assistant gave me to pass to you,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. Then he thumped Jin Liwei on the back. ”Good luck, my boy! Ahahaha!”
Jin Liwei smiled, looking at the small package he received. His hand tightened around it, as if infusing it with his feelings.
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The day of the concert at the historic opera house finally arrived. It would feature music by the great classical composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Robert Schumann.
The concert itself would start at 5 PM sharp, but people already started flocking in front of the opera house hours before, especially spontaneous visitors. Usually, there were individual ticket sellers loitering outside in addition to the theatre's official box office but it wasn't like that today.
Everything was sold out, even the tickets for the listening and standing only areas. This was a concert held by the celebrated Maestro Ludovico De Luca and his world-class symphony orchestra. The more than 2,000 tickets for this concert were all sold out months ago.
What was more, the ticket holders were not only from Germany but from all over the world. They travelled from other countries and continents just to watch this concert. Not just any concert, but THE Maestro Ludovico De Luca's concert. There were even famous celebrities and socialites among the audience.
An hour before the performance, the theatre opened its doors. This opera house was usually lax in its dress code, but all the ticket holders this time opted to wear formal black-tie attire to show their respect for Maestro De Luca.
Because most of the performers and the audience were comprised of famous celebrities and influential people, the media was present, turning the hour before the concert into a red carpet event.
Iris went inside with Maestro De Luca and the orchestra musicians ahead of everyone else to warm up and make sure that everything was functioning as they should be.
As for Jin Liwei, Grandpa Lu, Enrique Valdez and Professor Kalisha Schwarz, they walked the red carpet together, posed for the cameras and even answered some questions from the reporters. Among them, the legendary hitmaker Enrique Valdez was the most recognizable. Everyone almost went crazy when they saw him. A few recognized the business leaders Lu Jianhong and Jin Liwei, while only a couple knew who Professor Schwarz was.