Chapter 1666: Lost a Million Dollars?

Jericho Maya asked the couple more questions, but deep inside, he already knew that Iris Long had already revealed the golden egg in this interview. He didn’t waste any more time and ended the interview on a good note.

Both sides were satisfied.

Jericho and his team couldn’t wait to start working on all the footage they got today. Editing the raw footage should be fun. Even Jericho himself wanted to be hands-on in the post-production process.

As his post-production staff had become more and more experienced through the years, he had let go of the tight reins and allowed them to do their own magic while he focused on his own work. It had been several years since he had become so involved in the post-production process. With this interview, he planned on meticulously editing the footage frame by frame. He couldn’t wait!

Iris invited them to lunch, but they declined, citing a busy schedule and not wanting to delay her remaining appointments for the day. She didn’t insist on keeping them, sensing their excitement to start preparing the episode for broadcast.

As for her, she wasn’t as excited as she thought she would be. After all, her global billionaire status came from an inheritance and not due to her own companies as she originally planned.

It was better for her to inform the world now than for the rest of the world to learn about it first through careless investigations.

At least in this way, she would have more control over the revelation. She also hoped to decrease the scrutiny her children might get by making herself the primary target for the world to talk about. After all, her children also received a substantial inheritance from their great-grandmother.

Jericho and his team headed straight to the production studio after leaving the hotel, but not before Jericho warned each member of his staff not to divulge any details from the interview.

All of them swore to keep everything a secret, especially the fact that Iris Long had already become a true-blue billionaire just like her husband.

Every single one of them was already envisioning the storm this interview would create.

It would definitely push their show, "Discover with Jericho Maya", to new heights, and perhaps even allow them to play in the international journalism scene.

After Jericho and his team left, Iris and her entourage returned to their suite upstairs. They ordered lunch and went for a quick rest after eating. Their schedule for today was hectic as usual.

Iris’s Filipino acting coach came for a quick session.

While she and the coach worked in a corner of the living area, Jin Liwei’s face was as dark as ink.

The glam team and the others skirted away from him.

"What’s up with the sir boss?" the makeup artist asked.

"Yeah, I want to know, too," the hair stylist said.

"He looks like he lost a million dollars!" the nail technician said next.

Dom rolled his eyes at the last comment. "With how reliable and steady Sir Boss is, do you think it’s that easy for him to lose a million dollars?" Then he sighed. "It’s not about money. He won’t lose his composure over losing a few million. What else is the reason if not for our Boss Iris? He’s worried that she’s working too hard and exhausting herself!"

Hair stylist: "Then why doesn’t he just stop her?"

Dom: "Don’t you know our boss yet? You think she’d stop just because someone says so? Even if it’s her husband, she’ll do what she thinks is right for her."

The makeup artist nodded. "True. I’ve never met someone as stubborn and hard-headed as Boss Iris. Of course, in a good way!"

Nail technician: "This is love! Even when he’s worried that his entire insides are turning black, he’s still enduring just to make her happy! Ah, be still my heart!"

All four of them squealed (quietly).

Iris gave them a side-eye.

They thought that nobody could hear their excited whispers, but her great hearing heard every single word.

Hearing what they said, she glanced at her husband and winked at him.

In an instant, Jin Liwei’s dark expression softened. The slight upward curve of his mouth betrayed the improvement of his emotions.

After the quick session, the acting coach finally left. The glam team immediately swarmed Iris to get her ready in no time.

Later, they left the hotel and headed to their next destination. It was the same network building that housed the "Ready, Set, Lunch Party" program.

Looking at the time, the live broadcast was still ongoing. Iris decided to complete her appointment first before dropping by the noon-time show studio to say hello to her new acquaintances there.

Their arrival had less fanfare this time. Even so, there were still a couple of network executives who personally welcomed them before accompanying them to their next destination.

They arrived at a much smaller studio. It looked more like a big, cozy room, with neutral couches and a coffee table. Fresh flowers were arranged artfully in fine, porcelain vases. Their crisp, floral scene with an earthy undertone welcomed them as soon as they stepped inside.

A group of staff met them, led by a stern-looking middle-aged woman.

The executives introduced both parties to each other.

"This is Miss Girl Abante—the host, executive producer, and creator of the talk show. These are her dedicated staff members. ’Tonight with Girl Abante’ has been running for ten years already. We want another ten years of success—hopefully, more."

"This is international musician, Miss Iris Long, and her husband, CEO Liam Jin. This is Iris’s best friend and assistant, Dominic Chua. He’s Filipino like us. And these are the rest of her team."

Girl Abante stepped forward to shake their hands.

At first glance, she looked quite scary.

Sharp eyes, sharp nose, sharp chin—sharp everything. Even her bob-cut hairstyle looked sharp, as if it could cut and cause bleeding if touched.

It was a huge contrast to her cutesy name.

When she smiled like she was doing now, however, her entire demeanour improved. From scary to approachable. The difference was quite stark.

Iris, however, took it all in stride.

As Evelina Vetrova, she had encountered truly scary people inside and out. People who looked like angels but would torture and kill people, even women and children, while smiling.

Compared to those devils in her past life, Girl Abante’s physical looks were nothing to be scared of. Especially right now, when she was being so welcoming to them.

"I know who you all are," Girl said in a low, friendly voice. "Especially you, Iris. I’ve been wanting to meet you in person ever since your songs started playing on the local radio stations. I hear your songs in the malls, in salons...everywhere! Even my dentist and dermatologist have started playing your instrumental music during my appointments. I didn’t know at first. Only when I finally asked them did they reveal that it was from your ’Rebirth Memories’ instrumental album. I had to buy it, of course! Now, I always have my driver play that album whenever I’m on the road. It relaxes me and lowers my blood pressure even during heavy traffic. Thank you for accepting my staff’s invitation to interview you."

Unlike her stern appearance, Girl was unexpectedly a chatterbox. She was indeed true to her name. She was "girly". What a pleasant surprise!

She already said so many words, and they literally just met.

Iris chuckled, appreciating the middle-aged woman’s attempt to get closer to her without coming off as fake.

At the same time, her alarm bells started faintly ringing—the same feeling she had after meeting Jericho Maya earlier.

Outwardly, she smiled and replied, "It’s a pleasure to be here. I’ve heard so much about you from Dom. He’s a fan of your show."

Deep inside, however, she thought, ’Another person to be wary of.’

Just like Jericho Maya, Iris felt that Girl Abante might have the uncanny ability to make her guests feel so comfortable with her that they end up spilling everything, including all their most well-hidden secrets.

After a friendly conversation, Girl gave Iris and the others a quick tour around the studio. Since it wasn’t as large as the one "Ready, Set, Lunch Party" was using, they soon finished.

"I like it," Iris commented. "It looks like someone’s home. Very comfy."

"It is my home," Girl replied. "I want all my guests to feel like they’re stepping into my home and feeling my hospitality. And I hope that they leave feeling welcomed and satisfied."

"I’m already feeling it."

"That’s good! That’s what I want!"

Afterwards, both sides began getting ready.

Although the studio was not big, it still had dressing rooms for Girl Abante and her guests.

Iris and her glam team already knew the drill. The glam team only touched her up, as they already prepped her back at the hotel. Then they let her change into a new outfit.

It was a casual royal blue suit with a crisp tuxedo jacket and flared trousers of the same colour. Her dress shirt inside the jacket, however, looked especially feminine in white silk. It was a beautiful combination of power and elegance.

"Gorgeous," her glam team praised.

Iris nodded, satisfied with her look today.

Her makeup artist opted for a sharp look, not a full-glam smoky one. Her hairstylist coordinated it with a sleek, high ponytail. Her nails had a simple French manicure that had a slight blue chrome effect at a certain angle.

Everything about her screamed powerful and elite businesswoman.

This was what she wanted to portray in this particular talk show.

Dom had already informed her about the show’s background information in advance. Of course, she also had Ketchup do an even deeper digging.

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