Chapter 62: Sounds a Little Familiar

All the way there, the paparazzi had nearly sworn brotherhood with Su Chen. But as always, happy moments are fleeting. An hour later, Su Chen arrived at the arrivals gate of Shashi Airport. He checked the time—there were still a little over ten minutes before Wang Bingling’s flight landed. With time to spare, Su Chen took the opportunity to bring the two paparazzi to a nearby milk tea shop and bought them each a cup.

He was more than cooperative when they wanted to take photos. The two young paparazzi looked at Su Chen’s bright, cheerful smile, remembered Xu Fangyuan’s instructions, and finally just snapped a couple of photos. As they took the pictures, their emotions got the better of them; unable to contain themselves, they both tilted their heads to the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, and two streams of tears slid uncontrollably down their cheeks.

They were used to secretly following celebrities, but this was the first time taking photos had ever felt so easy. In the end, Su Chen asked the cameraman to take a group photo of him and the two paparazzi, capturing that wonderful moment forever. In the picture, Su Chen’s face was radiant with happiness, while the two paparazzi stood on either side, milk tea in hand, their eyes red and faces full of emotion.

The cameraman looked at this once-in-a-lifetime shot, unable to find words for its strange charm.

“All right, brothers, once I pick up my sister, I’ll be taking her out for a meal and then spending the whole day shopping with her. I probably won’t have time to look after you,” Su Chen said. “And my sister’s a little shy around strangers, so if you have to get some footage, keep your distance at least—just don’t make her uncomfortable. Since my sister is also a public figure, let’s show a little restraint.”

Public figure? The two paparazzi paused for a moment, immediately assuming Su Chen’s sister was some sort of internet celebrity. But it didn’t really matter; since Brother Chen had spoken, they’d comply without question.

“Don’t worry, Brother Chen, we’re professionals. We won’t disturb you if we do take any shots!”

“That’s right! Besides, you’re absolutely right—treat others as you want to be treated. You’ve been good to us, and we won’t forget it!”

“Exactly. If you need us later, just message us on WeChat. As soon as you give the word, we’ll be there!”

As Wang Bingling’s flight was about to land, Su Chen parted ways with the paparazzi. After a few more reminders from Su Chen, the paparazzi practically swore an oath to follow his lead. Passersby in the airport looked at them with surprise, some even giving the group a wide berth, as if they were some kind of social organization.

Meanwhile, the live stream chat exploded with comments.

“Hahaha! I swear, Su Chen just infiltrated the paparazzi with a cup of milk tea!”

“Look at the expressions on those two paparazzi in the group photo—I can’t stop laughing! Did Su Chen convert them or something?”

“This isn’t conversion, it’s brainwashing! The paparazzi have been CPU’d by Su Chen!”

While Su Chen waited at the arrivals gate with the cameraman, the two paparazzi sat in silence in the airport parking lot. One stared at the group photo on his phone, the other held his milk tea, hesitating to speak.

“Bro… so, are we still taking pictures?” the one in the passenger seat finally asked, his voice trembling.

The driver pursed his lips and said, “Wait… I’ll give her a call.” He took a deep breath, dialed Xu Fangyuan’s number, but this time got the automated message that the call couldn’t be connected. Xu Fangyuan was too busy celebrating to answer.

The man stared at his phone, eyes full of turmoil. He thought of the money Xu Fangyuan had promised, gritted his teeth, and nodded.

“We keep shooting! We can’t delay Nannan’s treatment any longer… I’m sorry, Brother Chen. Once Nannan gets better, I’ll pay him back however I can.”

“But… do you really think someone like Brother Chen is the same as all those other people in showbiz?” the other paparazzo whispered, his confidence wavering.

Meanwhile, Meng Xiaotian was meeting the third-rate actress Yu Yanhong, arranged by Starshine. She had started as a model and built her fame on rumors with various male celebrities—a notorious socialite, well-known among the entertainment industry’s men. But none of that stopped her from being gorgeous, with a stunning figure and endless appeal.

As soon as they met, they hugged. The cameraman, evidently bribed, focused relentlessly on Yu Yanhong’s impressive curves as she pressed up against Meng Xiaotian’s arm. The provocative scene immediately drove the live stream’s audience numbers back up.

“Let me introduce you to my good friend, Yu Yanhong,” Meng Xiaotian said. “I’m sure you all know her. During the years I was sick, she took care of me as a friend—I’m deeply grateful. So, my next song for the competition is an original I wrote just for her.”

“Really? You wrote it for me? Xiaotian, you’ve given me such a wonderful surprise!” Yu Yanhong swayed her upper body, her coquettish voice rising above the commotion.

Their sweet interaction, combined with Yu Yanhong’s deliberate display of her alluring figure, drew even more viewers to the stream. Meanwhile, after Su Chen parted ways with the paparazzi, the topics dwindled in his stream, and the casual viewers began to drift over to Meng Xiaotian’s channel.

Soon, Meng Xiaotian’s live stream surpassed Su Chen’s in viewership. During the stream, Meng Xiaotian managed to avoid the cameraman and slipped into a hotel suite bathroom with Yu Yanhong for a secret tryst. He savored her passionate attention, letting out satisfied gasps, then checked the live viewership on his phone, the corners of his mouth curling up in triumph.

What use were scripted storylines? His was a thousand times better than Su Chen’s. Unless Su Chen could suddenly produce a second-tier female star, Meng Xiaotian was already unbeatable.

Less than three minutes later, Meng Xiaotian and Yu Yanhong, her lipstick slightly smudged, reappeared on camera, ready to continue their show.

At that moment, Su Chen finally received word that Wang Bingling’s plane had landed. At the arrivals gate, Wang Bingling, wearing a mask and sunglasses, had just stepped out when she saw Su Chen waving at her.

“Big Sis! Over here!”

Wang Bingling paused, then broke into a smile and hurried over.

Su Chen took her bag and said, “Sis, you took an early flight here—are you tired?”

“Hehe, how could I be tired coming to treat you to a meal?”

When Wang Bingling spoke, the cameraman paused; her voice sounded oddly familiar to him.