Chapter 1238: Important Tool
More people arrived as dinnertime was approaching. Jin Liwei's friends—Lin Yehan and Yu Mo—came as well.
"Where's Second Bro Yingjie?" Jin Chonglin asked the two new arrivals in the middle of his conversation with René Alejandro.
"At work," Lin Yehan replied. "He'll come after his duty ends."
"Will he make it in time for dinner?"
"Not sure. He's a doctor. You know how it is with his work. What's more, he's a surgeon. He's almost always on call in case of emergencies. Hospitals have no such thing as holidays."
Lin Yehan sighed. His expression was gentle like always. It was obvious that he was worried for his second brother, Wang Yingjie. But there was also a trace of pride in his eyes as if his sworn brother's career accomplishments were also his own.
"Tsk tsk." Jin Chonglin shook his head but didn't dwell on the matter anymore.
Yu Mo drew close and asked, "Yo, who's this?"
Jin Chonglin introduced René Alejandro to him and Lin Yehan. Yu Mo stayed and chatted with them while Lin Yehan joined another group before ending up sitting beside Jiang Ying Yue. Lin Yehan's actions were very natural so nobody thought twice that he was now chatting with the young mother.
René Alejandro was also acting very natural while chatting with Jin Chonglin and Yu Mo. At first, he had his guards up at Yu Mo. The man was a martial artist after all. Anyone who trained and cultivated in any martial arts and reached a certain level of expertise should never be underestimated. They might not be as strong as him or anyone from the organization but martial artists' trained senses could still pose unexpected dangers in other ways.
But after speaking with Yu Mo for a few minutes, René Alejandro concluded that there was no need to worry about the man. Yu Mo was just a simpleton. His thoughts were shallow. He wore his feelings on his sleeve.
For the first time since coming to this Christmas gathering, René Alejandro finally obtained an easy target. Yu Mo was perfect. He was simple and most likely easy to deceive. Most importantly, he was one of Jin Liwei's closest best friends. René Alejandro placed Yu Mo in his mental list of usable people to get closer to Jin Liwei.
Another person came in. It was Xu Tian, Jin Liwei's long-time assistant and right-hand man. After greeting his boss and lady boss, he joined the group consisting of Tang Yiyi and Lin Dong. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
Soon after, JJ, Iris' music producer, came in followed by the legendary hitmaker, Enrique Valdez. Everyone became even livelier with their arrival.
René Alejandro wasn't someone who was easily starstruck by anyone. He didn't think much of celebrities. A big part of the reason why was because he and his brothers literally had no time to enjoy chasing celebrities or keeping themselves updated with showbiz news during their youth. They were too busy being educated and trained to become who they were today.
Despite this, even he couldn't help but stare in awe at Enrique Valdez. The man was a legend.
Enrique Valdez's former band pumped out classic hits one after another throughout the years until their official disbandment. Their music was still being played across the globe. Most of the other members had retired from the music industry especially after the death of their vocalist. Only Enrique Valdez continued to spread his legacy in the world of music. Even though he was no longer performing except for special occasions, countless other artists and various media companies were clamouring to persuade him to compose music and write songs for them.
René Alejandro didn't know how to react at the legend's arrival. Jin Chonglin's superstar charisma managed to distract him earlier, but right at this moment, his mind actually went blank facing Enrique Valdez.
The legendary hitmaker's aura was on another league from Jin Chonglin. This was a true superstar. No, he had already transcended what it meant to be a superstar. His most loyal fans already considered him to be a living god for his world-class power and influence in music.
He watched as Iris greeted Enrique Valdez. They acted very familiar with each other. Their apparent closeness was indeed included in their initial research, but René Alejandro and his brothers didn't think much of it. He had thought that Iris Long was only able to get acquainted with a renowned figure like Enrique Valdez due to Jin Liwei's connections.
What he was seeing with his own eyes, however, seemed to be different. Enrique Valdez appeared to be closer to Iris than to Jin Liwei. René Alejandro frowned but quickly caught himself and smoothed out his expression.
He wasn't happy that there were too many discrepancies between what they researched and what he was witnessing firsthand. He came today feeling confident that he would be able to complete his mission easily but reality was far from his expectations.
Jin Liwei was already expected to be a difficult person to get close to. Iris, on the other hand, was deemed easy.
Now that René Alejandro met her, she wasn't as easy as he expected. She was mostly friendly and polite but he couldn't find any opening to use her more effectively.
In addition, she was pregnant and that alone was already making it extremely difficult for him to charm her because Jin Liwei and almost everyone else were being extra-protective of her. With so many people guarding her, René Alejandro needed to find other ways to get past them and befriend her.
Why was he planning on spending this much effort into befriending Iris Long when she wasn't even one of his main targets?
It was because he knew after seeing with his own eyes that she was the most important person in Jin Liwei's life. The man never left her side. It was also only when he looked at her that his eyes would soften.
René Alejandro would be stupid if he didn't use Iris Long to capture Jin Liwei. Although she wasn't worth much as a person in his eyes especially since she was the daughter of that brainless woman, Wei Lan, Iris Long was still an important tool that he must learn to control. Once she was in his grasp, Jin Liwei would have no choice but to yield to him.