The other guests looked at the group of foreigners all sitting together. Iris Long must be talking about them. One of them—the demonically gorgeous woman Ashandra Knightson—was reportedly a famous artist. Based on the others' bearing, they must not be ordinary people either. They were Iris Long's…friends? Really?

Iris looked at her friends from Cross Academy and smiled at them. They all surprised her by attending her launch party without informing her. She invited them, of course, but they all gave various different reasons to decline. That was why she didn't expect that they would all turn up tonight. Even Madame Giulia Moretti came bearing regards and apology from Headmaster Erwan Dupont for not being able to attend due to conflicts in schedule.

It was only Amanpio Kileksky who accepted her invitation as soon as she invited him. Without the young eccentric inventor, Alric Bauer wouldn't have the equipment to manufacture improved versions of Orchidia Beauty products efficiently. So even if Amanpio declined her invitation, Iris would have found a way to drag him to China. Maybe she would even resort to asking her big brother to kidnap him. Fortunately, Amanpio agreed to come without taking a moment to think about it first. However, Jin Liwei had to send one of his smaller private jets to pick Amanpio up from Switzerland because the inventor was too lazy to book his own flight to China.

Iris also asked Jiang Ying Yue to let Amanpio temporarily stay in Little Jun's condo unit at Gold Heights. Jiang Ying Yue agreed. She and her son Little Jun were still staying at the Dragon Palace mansion with Iris and Jin Liwei anyway, so the condo unit was currently empty. It was better for Amanpio to stay there because Yi Mei and the other household staff in the penthouse already had their hands full with Wei Lan. Iris didn't want to saddle them with an additional difficult person to take care of like Amanpio. They already had firsthand experience of his baffling eccentricities when he first stayed at the penthouse before.

Even Ashandra Knightson whom Iris met a few days ago in France didn't mention that she would be attending the launch party tonight. Iris thought that Ashandra would be busy attending another art exhibition somewhere in Europe. She was really surprised to see her friend along with the others

Jin Liwei, however, didn't appear surprised at all. It looked as if he already knew that her friends were coming. He must have deliberately concealed it from her. Ketchup had the capability to detect if her friends landed in China but the white cat didn't inform her. Jin Liwei must have instructed Ketchup not to tell her.

The father and daughter dared to keep a secret from her?

Try as she might, she couldn't find it in herself to be angry at the two of them. Instead, her heart melted into a sweet syrupy puddle. She would ask Jin Liwei and Ketchup later and make them confess their "crime", but she had no intention of complaining. It was such a nice surprise after all, especially on a big day in her business career like this.

For now, she needed to thank her friends.

"I would like to thank Amanpio Kileksy, a prolific inventor who creates some of the most mind-boggling things you can ever imagine. Many of them are brilliant, of course…but the others? Hmmm… Let's not talk about that part," she said, eliciting laughter from her friends who knew about Amanpio's massive collection of hit-and-miss inventions.

Amanpio harrumphed and became sullen when the others began laughing at him. However, he quickly recovered because he was very proud of all his "babies", a.k.a. inventions.

Iris continued, "Amanpio helped Alric build a number of special equipment which they patented together to process the raw materials and combine the ingredients more efficiently without destroying their natural properties, enabling us to retain our mission of keeping our products 100% natural but also allowing us to increase their shelf life as much as possible using only natural means."

"Oooooh!"

The audience was impressed. They started clapping and continued oohing and aahing.

"Please stand up so everybody can see you, Amanpio," Iris told him in English.

Amanpio Kileksy stood up, self-confidence oozing from his every pore. Theresa and Florence both rolled their eyes at him while Ashandra and AJ chuckled. He waved at the crowd who clapped louder for him.

"Ladies and gentleman, Amanpio Kileksky, Cross Academy student and my friend," Iris announced.

The applause halted.

"Huh? What Cross Academy? What school is that? Can someone tell me where it's located?" someone from the audience asked.

"Hmmm… Cross Academy… Sounds familiar. Where did I hear it before?"

"Ahahaha! Don't tell me it's that legendary school for geniuses? Pft! Ahahaha! No way!"

"What do you mean 'no way', you pinhead?! I want to know!" a booming voice challenged the person who said it. "Of course, it's that Cross Academy! I studied there myself! Have I gotten so old that many of you nitwits already forgot that I, Lu Jianhong, graduated from Cross Academy?! If I say that it's the same Cross Academy, then it's Cross Academy! You dare don't believe me?! Hmph!!!"

"Sit down, you old gorilla," an elegant elderly female voice scolded him in a whisper. "What do you think you're doing, creating a ruckus in my granddaughter-in-law's party? Stop picking a fight with dear Xiulan's guests. Close your mouth and act like a proper elder!"

"Bah! These dunderheads are so annoying! This old man needs to put them in their place! Aren't I right, Haohao my boy?"

"Yes, Grandpa. You're right. They're annoying," a devilish man with a scar on his face replied. He cracked his knuckles, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes, as if he wanted to strangle the life out of those people in the audience who doubted his sister's words that her friend was a Cross Academy student.

"See, old hag? Even my beloved grandson agrees with this old man!"

The elegant elderly lady sighed, shaking her head at the grandfather and grandson duo.

Jaws fell down and eyes almost popped out of heads when Sir Lu Jianhong himself spoke and confirmed Iris' claim that her friend was a Cross Academy student.

WHAT?!!

Iris Long was friends with someone from Cross Academy, that legendary school for geniuses?!!!

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