Jin Chonglin spread his arms over the sofa’s backrest. He looked like he was enjoying the show. His manager, Lin Dong, felt irritated just looking at him. However, he had a bigger problem right now.


    Both Iris Long and Tang Yiyi looked like they wanted to swallow him whole without spitting out his bones.


    But before he could find an excuse, Tang Yiyi already harrumphed.


    She turned to Iris and said, "You must work hard to improve your acting. Prove to everyone, especially to Manager Lin, that even when you’re faced with a superstar like Jin Chonglin, you won’t be overshadowed by anyone. Princess Porkchop wants you to be the female lead for a reason. Channel your inner ’Queen of the Shadows’."


    Iris gave Lin Dong and Jin Chonglin a side-eye. "Alright. Just watch me."


    "I sure will watch you," Jin Chonglin said. There was a clear challenge in his tone.


    Iris sneered.


    He smirked.


    The atmosphere was fraught with tension.


    The managers could almost see the hostile sparks shing between the two artists.


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    Lin Dong was now soaked in his own cold sweat. He felt like he was the one who ignited this battle between the brother-inw and sister-inw.


    Even though this ce was Iris Long’s office, she still stood up and left with her manager without looking back.


    "Argh!" Lin Dong copsed on the seat. He patted his chest and took a few deep breaths. "I thought I was going to die there!"


    Jin Chonglin shrugged. Once again, he headed to Iris’ well-stocked mini-fridge and snack bar, acting as if he owned the ce. He chose a few snacks to take.


    This time, Lin Dong didn’t scold him. He even asked for some dried mangoes.


    While the two men were enjoying Iris’ snacks in her office, she and her manager continued talking while heading to the newly built underground parking lot.


    "Although I said those words earlier, I hope that you don’t push yourself too hard," Tang Yiyi said. "Your health is the most important. Only with a healthy mind and body will you be able to achieve all of your goals."


    Iris nodded. "Of course. I need to be healthy and well, even if not for myself but for my children. I still want to watch them all grow up."


    "Exactly." Tang Yiyi paused before asking, "Do you really n on starring as the female lead in ’Queen of the Shadows’?"


    "I originally nned on taking it easy and just going with the flow. If my acting skills are still not up to standard when filming starts, then I don’t mind passing the opportunity away. After all, I never really dreamed about bing an actress. My passion is music and performing on stage. But after what happened today…."


    Tang Yiyi sighed. Even without Irispleting her sentence, she already knew what her artist’s decision was. She could see the fire in Iris’ eyes as clear as day.


    Lin Dong’s careless words from earlier managed to awaken Iris Long’spetitive spirit.


    Sighing again, Tang Yiyi said, "As your manager, I don’t rmend you to take this gamble of entering the acting industry. Yourne is in the music industry. It’s what you’re best at. It would’ve been alright if the character you need to y is just a supporting character, or better yet, just a cameo role. There would be no need to study the character so seriously. But a lead role is a different matter. Since LXC Studio is nning to invest in this project heavily, we can’t just settle for anything less than the best. If you perform poorly in this lead role, it will be one of the biggest stains in your career. Or worse, it might even heavily damage your career."


    Iris remained quiet but her expression showed that she was listening and thinking about her manager’s words.


    Tang Yiyi continued, "If possible, I want you to focus on your new album. We’ve already projected that it’s going to be your biggest release yet especially since it’s a long-awaited coboration with the legendary hitmaker, Mr. Enrique Valdez. We’ve even nned to do a simultaneous international release, hoping to finally give you an official bigunch in the international arena. That’s why you had to make Chinese and English versions of the album. Once we’ve collected some favourable numbers from your album’s performance, we’re going to start nning a major concert for you, possibly a world tour."


    Iris nodded. "I know."


    "These next couple of years is going to be extremely critical for you, that’s why I don’t really want you to ept the female lead role in ’Queen of the Shadows’. Unfortunately, Princess Porkchop wouldn’t have sold the adaptation rights to us if we didn’t agree to let you try it first."


    Tang Yiyi sighed again, shaking her head. "But I can see your determination. Damn that Manager Lin!"


    Iris couldn’t help but chuckle. "Not his entire fault. But his words indeed grated me. Now I feel motivated to work on improving my acting skills."


    "It’s up to you," Tang Yiyi said, sighing once again. "I can never persuade you otherwise once you made up your mind."


    Iris chuckled again.


    Finally, they saw Iris’ driver waiting with the van. Other cars surrounded it, clearly her bodyguards.


    "Dominic is busy today?" Tang Yiyi asked.


    "Yes, I had him deliver some documents to Long Industries. I’m too busy right now to go to thepany in person. I also want him to conduct some surprise inspections on my otherpanies. Dom is as busy as me."


    Tang Yiyi nodded in approval. "I feel more at ease knowing that Dominic will apany you to your work trip to the Philippines. Alright, go ahead now. I know that you still have to clear a lot of tasks before you leave. I’lle and see you before your flight."


    The manager and artist said goodbye.


    Iris sat inside the van as her group left LXC Studio. They saw some paparazzi and fans camping outside thepany building, most likely waiting for the celebrities toe out.


    She felt bad avoiding some of the ck Stars who came in the hopes of seeing her, but she was too busy these days. She nned to make it up for her fans in other ways.