Chapter 804 - Fearsome Fans
The camera flashes and cheers from the crowd made the red carpet seem chaotic, but in actual fact, everything was very organized. There were many bigshot celebrities attending tonight's TV awards ceremony. Some of them were veteran actors and actresses who were considered as pillars of the country's entertainment industry. They were well-respected and commanded special attention from everybody.
However, it wasn't these veteran figures who received the loudest cheers from the fans. The ones whom the fans went crazy for were the certified superstars and hottest trending celebrities this year. Most of them were from the younger generation than the veteran figures.
Included in these two categories were Jin Chonglin and Iris Long respectively. When they arrived on the red carpet together in the same car, the noise level rocketed to deafening level in an instant.
One Jin Chonglin alone was enough to cause pandemonium anywhere but when the beautiful Iris Long was inserted into the equation, the effect was no longer mere addition but multiplication instead. Both of their fandoms were fearsome entities.
Jin Chonglin's army of fans ruled in its vast numbers and diversity, absolute loyalty and incredible purchasing power. Since he had been in the showbiz industry for far longer and had a higher status than Iris Long, his fans grew up with him unlike the relatively recent Black Stars.
However, this didn't mean that the Black Stars were inferior to Jin Chonglin's army of fans. The Black Stars weren't a typical fan club. They were more like an organized triad group instilling an almost military-like discipline among its members. It wasn't only because of their "uniforms" that they wore whenever they attended any of their Boss Iris' events which earned them the collective nickname "The Suits". It was also because of their strict internal management.
In addition, the Black Stars had the formidable and despicable special elite troll group, the Slippers Army—one of the greatest banes on the internet, especially to those foolish enough to badmouth their Boss Iris. Unlike secretly hired water armies by other celebrities, the Slippers Army was very transparent in their defence of their Boss Iris and their offence against her critics.
Others had tried to use the existence of the Slippers Army and their despicable actions on the internet to damage Iris Long's reputation, but instead of apologizing on behalf of her fans in order to save her image, she threw a special fan concert and honoured their excellent trolling skills instead. That was when people realized that Iris Long was also a big troll herself.
After their Boss Iris' unwavering show of support to them, the Black Stars and most especially the Slippers Army only became even more loyal to her. This was the reason why despite their lesser numbers and experience as a fan club, the Black Stars wouldn't lose to more established fandoms like Jin Chonglin's army of fans when it came to fierce loyalty and influence.
Back to the red carpet, Jin Chonglin's army of fans and the Black Stars in their sharp tuxedo suits took the event by storm with their amazing, loud, organized cheering chants as soon as their Prince Lin Lin and Boss Iris arrived. The other celebrities and their fans had no choice but to stop and look over at the two arrivals.
Iris Long and Jin Chonglin weren't even nominees nor were they performers tonight. They were only presenters for a single award category, and yet they were receiving one of the grandest welcomes among the celebrities from the fans and photographers.
Despite the commotion their fans were causing, the two didn't delay on the red carpet. Iris Long and Jin Chonglin posed and smiled together for the cameras and then moved on like clockwork. The other veteran celebrities who were actually nominated on tonight's event looked at the pair more favourably upon seeing their considerate actions. After all, the two were basically only guests, not the "stars" of tonight's TV awards ceremony which were the actual nominees.
After passing through the red carpet, the pair finally entered the stadium where the ceremony would be conducted.
Iris released a long breath. Her lovely expression didn't change much but Jin Chonglin saw that it lightened after leaving the huge crowd outside.
The real reason why they moved through the red carpet as fast as possible was because Bright Summit advised both of them to do so, thinking that the two still had some trauma in crowded situations due to the bomb incident. Indeed, Jin Chonglin still felt a little traumatized but he was now getting better. He was used to crowds as a superstar after all.
As for Iris, she wasn't traumatized by the bomb incident at all. Nevertheless, she had no plans of arguing against Bright Summit's cautious instructions. In fact, it suited her current condition just fine. Her heightened sensitivity to smells was making her feel a little nauseous right now. If they stayed on the red carpet longer, she might faint in front of everyone. If that happened, Jin Liwei would surely be furious, especially since she assured him many times that she would be fine tonight.
"Are you alright?" Jin Chonglin asked her while flashing a smile and waving at those who greeted them.
She nodded while also smiling at those people. She held his arm and they followed their guide to their front seats.
"Big Bro told me to keep an eye on you tonight," he said in a low voice. "Why? Are you feeling sick? Or is my brother just being an overprotective, paranoid caveman as always?"
Iris smiled. "Indeed, your older brother can be such a caveman but I still love him anyway."
Jin Chonglin made a face and turned away. "What the hell, woman? You're still throwing dogfood even when Big Bro isn't here? Tsk!"
She chuckled but then whispered, "Brother Chonglin."
"What?"
"You must stay beside me at all times tonight. I'm feeling fine for now but if I look like I'm going to faint, you must take me away before it happens, okay?"