Chapter 64: Are You Afraid to Play?

After Su Chen and the others got into the car, the black Honda Accord slowly left the airport, heading toward the city. Along the way, Su Chen, Wang Bingling, and the paparazzi chatted idly. It was only after Su Chen and the paparazzi explained things that Wang Bingling fully understood what had happened earlier.

“My goodness, fate really works in mysterious ways!” Wang Bingling exclaimed. “And you two are pretty brave—one celebrity hitching a ride with a paparazzo, and the paparazzo daring to drive a celebrity to the airport. I’ve never heard of anything like that before!”

Su Chen smiled. “Being a paparazzo is hard work for little reward. And honestly, it’s not always about being at odds with celebrities. As long as we conduct ourselves properly, there’s nothing to fear, whether we’re onstage or off.”

The paparazzo, dressed in a sharp suit as he drove, nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly! But celebrities like you, Chen, are rare. So many people are all fake in front of the camera. The dirty secrets behind the scenes… losing fans would be the least of their worries; some could go straight to jail!”

Wang Bingling, intrigued, asked, “If you know so much about celebrities, why don’t you report them?”

The paparazzo laughed bitterly. “Who wouldn’t want to? But celebrities aren’t just individuals—they’re tied to powerful interests, things people like us can’t even imagine. Many of my colleagues have been threatened. If you dare report them, your whole family will suffer…”

He cut himself off, then shifted his tone. “By the way, Chen, you haven’t introduced your sister yet. I heard she’s a big star too?”

With a shy laugh, Wang Bingling replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m a big star—just lucky to be liked by everyone.”

Su Chen, noticing she was still wearing her sunglasses and mask, teased, “Bingling, how long are you planning to keep those on?”

She giggled. “Alright, I’ll take them off now!”

Wang Bingling removed her sunglasses and mask, revealing her sweet, delicate face to the air—and to the cameraman’s lens. In an instant, everyone in the car and watching the livestream was stunned.

Su Chen’s sister was none other than the sweetheart of Taiwan, Wang Bingling!

At that moment, both the paparazzo and the cameraman cried out in shock.

“What the—Wang Bingling?!”

Seeing the paparazzo’s reaction, Su Chen, sitting in the back, urgently called out, “Hey! Keep your eyes on the road!”

At Su Chen’s reminder, the paparazzo reluctantly tore his gaze away and focused ahead, allowing Su Chen to finally breathe easy.

But the audience in the livestream had no such distractions. After a brief silence, the chat exploded like a volcano.

“What the—?! Who was the one who just mentioned Wang Bingling? Get the prophet!”

“Wang Bingling is absolutely A-list! How did Su Chen manage to invite her?”

“I heard Wang Bingling is good friends with Zhang Fuyu. Maybe she’s doing it as a favor to Zhang Fuyu?”

“Exactly. Otherwise, who would pay attention to a newcomer still competing in talent shows?”

...

Despite the barrage of doubts in the chat, nothing could stem the surge in viewer numbers. Behind the scenes, Wu Tong couldn't stop smiling.

The production team hadn’t spent a single cent, yet they had an A-list star supporting them!

“Someone, contact the advertising department immediately—send out the news that Wang Bingling is appearing in Su Chen’s livestream!” Wu Tong ordered. He wanted to capitalize on Wang Bingling’s reputation and attract even more viewers.

Meanwhile, in a hotel, Meng Xiaotian was dining and flirting with Yu Yanhong, only to notice a sudden drop in his livestream’s traffic. The chat was filled with guiding comments.

“Everyone, go check out Su Chen’s livestream—it blew my mind!”

“Su Chen brought in Wang Bingling! Who’d want to watch this third-rate wannabe now?”

“Brothers, I’m outta here!”

...

With that wave, the viewers who’d come to Meng Xiaotian’s stream for titillation left in droves. Soon, his viewer count returned to normal levels. Meng Xiaotian looked on in disbelief, feeling as if he were in a surreal dream.

He had expected Su Chen wouldn’t bring in a B-list star for support.

But Su Chen brought in an A-list!

It was like pulling in a champion player for a silver-rank game—wasn’t it a bit much?

Back in the car, now that Wang Bingling had shed her disguise, the paparazzo felt the pressure and, after a brief greeting, fell silent.

Su Chen escorted Wang Bingling to the Hilton Hotel, and after making arrangements, the two set out again, planning to browse a nearby mall.

Before they left, the paparazzo said, “Chen, I’ll just film from afar. You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”

Even with the cameraman broadcasting their entire outing, Su Chen was puzzled why they needed to take secret photos, but it didn’t really matter to him, so he let it be.

In the large shopping district beside the Hilton, Su Chen and Wang Bingling, now wearing oversized sunglasses, strolled leisurely. Perhaps because Su Chen was more famous for his songs than his face, and Wang Bingling was well disguised, and the cameraman had switched to a small, unobtrusive camera, the two attracted little attention. Passersby might have thought they were minor internet celebrities shooting a store review.

But the livestream was a world apart from reality.

As soon as they entered the mall, Su Chen had no idea that his viewer count, which had dropped to tens of thousands, had now soared to nearly a million—and was still climbing!

Since it was the weekend, the mall was packed. The two couldn’t check out every store, so they wandered, chatting as they went.

Su Chen originally wanted to buy a proper gift for Wang Bingling, since she’d come such a long way. However, Wang Bingling seemed to anticipate his plan; whenever they approached a luxury brand, she made a point to steer clear, giving Su Chen no opportunity.

After a while, Su Chen could only smile wryly and say, “Bingling, let’s agree—you’re here to treat me to dinner, so lunch is on me. Don’t fight me for the bill later!”

Wang Bingling felt a bit awkward, but seeing Su Chen’s reluctance to eat unless she agreed, she could only nod her head.