Chapter 481 - ZiRis
The five-star Oriental hotel where the cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken" were staying at was partly invested by Jin Liwei himself. Not as part of Jin Corporation, but as a personal investment. It was a fairly new addition to the hotel scene in this riviera.
Grandpa Lu was slotted to be one of the original investors a few years ago, but he got bored during the process at the same time that he also got bored of his Mediterranean-style villa estate in the area. So he just dumped everything on Jin Liwei, while he cruised in the Mediterranean Sea and visited the surrounding countries in his own ma.s.sive luxury yacht.
It was a different yacht to "LX" which Iris and her group used earlier to transport themselves to the riviera. The "LX" yacht was a new acquisition by Jin Liwei. He bought it during the summer because he knew that his baby girl was scheduled to attend the Sommet International Film Festival in the autumn. Of course, he named it after the two of them—Liwei and Xiulan.
The cast and crew of "Strong Yet Broken"thanked the President of LX Productions for letting them stay in such a high-cla.s.s, luxurious hotel. They had no idea that it was all thanks to Jin Liwei. He was actually the one financing their entire stay at the riviera for the Sommet International Film Festival.
In the less luxurious parts of the riviera, Chinese media representatives were staying at more affordable hotels and room rentals. They came to cover the Sommet International Film Festival this year. "Strong Yet Broken" was the only Chinese entry, so it was a big deal to the film industry back home.
Despite this, the general public wasn"t very interested. The news wasn"t important enough to become a trending topic back in China. It was just one of those type of news that made people say, "Oh, that"s cool," but that was it. n.o.body really thought that "Strong Yet Broken" could win awards against the other foreign films starred by some of the most famous international celebrities and made by some of the most renowned directors and producers in the world who already had experienced winning awards in the Sommet International Film Festival in the past. To them, it was already an achievement that a Chinese film was shortlisted at all in such a prestigious film festival and even nominated in a few award categories, including the most sought-after main prize, the Soleil d"Or or the Golden Sun Award.
The Black Stars, however, were super excited because they found out that their Boss Iris was nominated for the Best Soundtrack Award. Most of the other nominees she was competing against were also new to the international scene like her, but there were a couple of big name composers. Whether she won or not, the Black Stars would support her all the way.
Although the major media outlets back in China weren"t giving much attention to the partic.i.p.ation of"Strong Yet Broken" in the Sommet International Film Festival, the Black Stars were still able to get the latest updates online. Most of the Chinese reporters covering the film festival opted to publish their articles online instead where they would likely gain more attention than if they waited to be featured in traditional news.
In addition to this, Iris Long"s social media pages were also frequently updated during this period by her a.s.sistant Dominic Chua and her manager Tang Yiyi. The posts showed her journey from China to France, including her modes of transportation like the private jet, limousines and luxury yacht. Her fans thought that she either rented them herself or borrowed them from her father, or maybe they were financed by Bright Summit or endors.e.m.e.nt sponsors.
Finally, the Chinese reporters were able to take actual photos of her at the riviera. These photos were immediately posted to the online news websites and blogs for the Chinese netizens.
The photos showed Iris Long walking along the streets in a fas.h.i.+onably elegant long-sleeved maxi dress with a waist tie which accentuated her hourgla.s.s figure. She was escorted by a tall and handsome man who had a long scar on his face. Despite the scar, many netizens couldn"t help but fangirl (and fangay) over him. They actually loved the scar because it gave him a dangerous vibe that made him more attractive. It was later confirmed that he was Lu Zihao, Sir Lu Jianhong"s grandson.
Now more people believed that these two were the true engaged couple. Instead of continuing to be heartbroken, a good portion of the LinRis s.h.i.+ppers converted to become the ZiRis s.h.i.+ppers instead. How could they resist such a gorgeous hunk? They felt that Lu Zihao was manlier than their Prince Lin Lin.
Iris Long and Lu Zihao were seen going inside a café where they met with Maestro Ludovico De Luca and Enrique Valdez. It wasn"t only the Chinese reporters who were having a field day snapping photos of the group, but the foreign reporters and paparazzi as well because Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez were such well-respected big names in the international music industry.
Both the maestro and Enrique Valdez were recipients of the Best Soundtrack Award at the Sommet International Film Festival in the past. This year, they weren"t involved in any of the films at all, but they still received special invitations to attend from the organizers.
The Chinese netizens were impressed by Iris Long"s connection with the two music powerhouses. Although they already knew that she was friendly with Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez, it was still a shock whenever they saw her interacting so naturally and so familiarly with them.
Regarding Lu Zihao, they were also very curious about him. He looked muscular yet not overly bulky. There was a gracefulness to his posture and movements, like a panther moving in its natural habitat. The Black Stars noted that his body build didn"t match the man in the photo their Boss Iris shared during her interview on Feng Jiu"s talk show.
Thus, there were people who became unsure if he really was Iris Long"s real fiancé.