511 Demonic Angel (1/2)
This year's Sommet International Film Festival finally concluded. The Chinese participants needed to return home to their country soon. Their participation in the film festival wasn't a vacation. It was still part of their work.
Everyone involved in ”Strong Yet Broken” was busy. The film helped each of them gain recognition in their own respective fields, especially Yin Meixing who was now a well-respected actress. They had new projects that they were all working on.
Iris Long was also the same. Time was tight for her. The official launch of her company, Orchidia Beauty, was in three days. She and Jin Liwei needed to return as soon as possible in order to make it in time.
At the moment, there was an air of mystery surrounding Orchidia Beauty. They deliberately leaked a portion of the grand launch's guest list to the public. It included many impressive figures.
The Jins: Jin Liwei, Jin Chonglin, Li Zhiruo (Grandma Li) and Huang Yuyan.
When the people saw that the Jins would be attending, they didn't question it because Jin Chonglin was an endorser of Orchidia Beauty. They assumed that his family would be coming to support him. And now that everyone knew that Iris Long and Jin Liwei was engaged, it added another reason for the entire Jin main family to attend. After all, both Iris Long and Jin Chonglin were endorsers of the new company.
The Lus: Sir Lu Jianhong (Grandpa Lu) and Lu Zihao.
People also didn't question their attendance because many knew that the Lus and the Jins were close to each other. Perhaps the Lus would also be attending to support Jin Chonglin. It had also already been reported that Iris Long was close to both the Lu grandfather and grandson.
The Longs: Long Tengfei and Yang Jiahui.
Also Vizcondesa Lan of Castillo de Estrellas of España.
It was a given that Iris Long's parents were also invited.
Other than this leaked guest list, there wasn't any substantial information about Orchidia Beauty itself. They hadn't revealed the identities of the people running it yet. On their press release announcing the company's official launch, they only promised to reveal everything to the public during the grand party. This made the people more curious about it.
Why the need to act so mysterious? Was this just a marketing strategy to create hype? Or was there truly something the company was keeping a secret that would shock everyone once revealed?
Iris was feeling very excited for the launch of her company. She had been working on it since last year. That was why she didn't want to stay in France any longer than necessary. She urged Jin Liwei and the others for everyone to return to China as soon as possible.
In the end, they all decided to stay one more day in France in order to rest. Iris wanted to depart immediately but Jin Liwei persuaded her to wait one more day. The two of them had been attending events with everyone from ”Strong Yet Broken” throughout the entire duration of the film festival. They almost had no time to rest.
During the final day of their stay in France, Iris and Jin Liwei decided to host both a victory and farewell lunch party. Everyone from ”Strong Yet Broken” came. All of them couldn't help but gasp in amazement at the grandeur of Jin Liwei's villa estate. Guan Jintao couldn't see, but his wife described everything to him.
Maestro Ludovico De Luca, his wife and Enrique Valdez also attended. Their arrival made everyone from ”Strong Yet Broken” starstruck. They swore that from now on, they would do their best to maintain their relationship with Iris Long. She was connected to all of these impressive people, including Sir Lu Jianhong and Madam Wei Lan, now a Spanish viscountess. Not to mention that she was engaged to the Chinese billionaire, Jin Liwei.
They were in the grand dining hall. The large and long dinner table was removed in preference for lounge chairs and small tables instead. The lunch was buffet-style which Iris and Jin Liwei now preferred whenever they hosted parties, thanks to the Chua family's influence. It was less formal and encouraged everyone to mingle freely.
The atmosphere was light and cheerful. Everyone was still feeling euphoric over Iris Long and Yin Meixing's double wins last night. Their beautiful trophies were displayed on a high table for the others to admire. It was the producer who suggested it, feeling proud of the women's achievements for his film.
While they were all chatting and eating, the French butler announced a surprise guest. Moments later, the stunning Ashandra Knightson walked into the dining hall. The men who hadn't met her yet, except for Lu Zihao, stopped what they were doing when they saw her. Their jaws fell down and their eyes widened upon seeing such a beauty. Lu Zihao wasn't affected at all.
Iris smiled brightly when she saw her friend. She and Jin Liwei welcomed the artist. They spoke in English.
”Ashandra, I'm so happy that you dropped by. This is our last day here before we have to go home to China,” Iris told her friend after hugging each other.