"Also special thanks to my other friends, all from Cross Academy, for taking the time from their busy schedules to fly all the way here to China and attend my company's launch," Iris continued speaking. "Everyone, please welcome the beautiful Ashandra Knightson, artist extraordinaire!"

Loud applause and cheers. Ashandra was like a goddess to the art enthusiasts present. In addition to this, she already gathered many fans even among those who didn't know her before this because of her beauty and bearing.

Both Iris Long and Ashandra Knightson were extremely beautiful women, yet they were also very different from each other. Comparison between them would be futile.

"And AJ Zheneres, another student that the academy treasures because of her frightening golden touch. She has been very kind and generous in sharing some helpful financial advice with me and my financial manager, especially during the early stages when I was just starting to build Orchidia Beauty."

Another round of applause.

"I would also like to give my sincerest thanks to Madame Giulia Moretti, the academy's admissions counselor and right-hand woman of the Headmaster."

Then Iris switched to German. "Thank you, Madame Moretti. It's such an honour to have you here."

More applause, louder this time. The people already knew that Iris was a polyglot but it was still impressive listening to her speaking another language.

"Of course, I wouldn't forget two very special guests who surprised all of us tonight by attending and gracing us with their presence. Thank you very much, Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Mr. Enrique Valdez!"

Deafening applause and cheers, becoming louder when the two music legends stood from their seats and waved at the other guests.

"For those of you who don't know, Maestro De Luca and Mr. Valdez are also Cross Academy alumni—just like Grandfather Lu," Iris added.

The applause paused.

"EEEEEEEHHHHH?!!!"

The people were shocked. They didn't know! Only some of the older ones remembered that Maestro Ludovico De Luca graduated from Cross Academy a long time ago.

As for Enrique Valdez, this was the first time that they heard that he was also from Cross Academy. In addition to being a taciturn man who valued his words more than gold, he was also an extremely private person. He disliked sharing personal information about himself and hated others who did. This was one of the reasons why he hadn't married yet. He would dump the women he was dating as soon as they started talking about him and their relationship to the public without his consent. Only very few people, mostly his close friends and associates, knew that he was actually a Cross Academy alumni.

Iris Long received both of her music mentors' permission to reveal their connection to Cross Academy. Maestro De Luca didn't have any issues with it. Surprisingly, Enrique Valdez also agreed, mainly because of their mentor-student relationship and the fact that she was also a Cross Academy student herself.

She switched to English and spoke directly to her friends and mentors from abroad. "Thank you very much for coming tonight. I didn't expect that you would. I'm very surprised. You made this event extra special for me. I'm very happy. Thank you!"

All of her friends and mentors from Cross Academy smiled and stood up. Now it was their turn to lead the applause for her.

At the moment, everyone was impressed beyond belief of Iris Long's connection to these people from Cross Academy. They gossip among themselves once again.

"I didn't know that Iris Long is so formidable! Not only did she prove herself to be an outstanding musician ever since her first comeback, but she also built her own company that is projected to do very well even before its official launch. Now we discover that she's friends with all these geniuses from that legendary school? I'm so amazed! What kind of lucky star was she born under? The good fortune has been raining down on her ever since the year started!"

Many shared this sentiment. However, some were skeptical.

"Don't be so impressed. Have you forgotten that Iris Long is engaged to CEO Jin Liwei? His late grandfather was a Cross Academy alumni with Sir Lu Jianhong. I bet that she only became friends with those Cross Academy people because of Sir Lu or CEO Jin. Her only luck is CEO Jin falling in love with her. CEO Jin equals good fortune. Without her connections to the two powerful men, how could she possibly become close to anyone from Cross Academy?"

Although there were others who also thought the same way as this particular outspoken guest, there weren't many who were willing to say their opinions out loud. This was, after all, Iris Long's territory.

"What the fuck are you saying?! How did a narrow-minded bigot like you get invited to this event, huh? How dare you say that about Boss—I mean about Miss Iris Long?! Want me to whack you with my mighty slippers—I mean, I'm gonna report you to security if you don't behave yourself like a civilized person! Hmph!"

The Black Stars and its subgroup, the Slippers Army, were starting to increase in number as Iris became more famous. She had fans from all walks of life from the least fortunate to the wealthiest. Almost all of them considered her as their boss. They respected her and would defend her from anyone who dared question or attack her credibility.

On the stage, Iris overheard the brief argument in the audience with her great hearing. Recognizing that one of the parties involved was a Black Star, she was about to intervene but fortunately didn't need to. The incident was quickly mediated by the other guests, preventing it from escalating and disrupting the event. She was relieved.

However, this incident only proved her growing influence among the public. The Black Stars were like her hidden knights, ready to defend her name.

"Last but not the least, I would like to thank the man who believed in me from the very beginning when I decided to take this gamble of building my own company from the ground up. He was so patient with me when I was so busy that I barely had any time to spend with him. Thank you, Jin Liwei, for being there for me." Then Iris smiled…a little shyly before whispering, "I love you."

Jin Liwei cold expression warmed a bit. Then he mouthed, "I love you, too."

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.