Chapter 75: Infernal Affairs

One moment, Su Chen was still enjoying the evening breeze, sipping the freshly bought milk as he sobered up by the roadside. The next, he saw two hefty paparazzi drop to their knees before him.

From the sharp sound of their knees hitting the asphalt, Su Chen could sense their sincerity even without words.

Seeing the two paparazzi about to bow their heads to the ground without uttering a word, Su Chen instantly sobered up, grabbing their arms before they could go any further.

“Hey, you two, get up! What on earth are you doing?” Su Chen propped them up, his face full of bewilderment.

The two paparazzi looked up, and only then did Su Chen notice their faces were streaked with tears, one of them even had snot running down as he cried.

“Boo hoo… Brother Chen… we’re so sorry!” They let their tears fall, apologizing to Su Chen again and again.

“Even if you’re sorry, you have to get up first! What kind of scene is this?” Su Chen frowned as he spoke.

Seeing that Su Chen was genuinely confused, the two paparazzi got to their feet and pleaded, “But you have to promise you won’t get angry after we tell you.”

Hearing this, Su Chen couldn’t help but chuckle; they were just like children who knew they’d done wrong, begging their father not to scold them—both exasperating and amusing.

“Go on, I promise I won’t get angry!” Su Chen assured them.

The two exchanged glances, then whispered, “Actually… we lied to you.”

“Lied to me?”

Su Chen was taken aback. “Aren’t you two paparazzi?”

“We are, but…” one of them faltered, unable to finish.

The elder of the two gritted his teeth and said, “But we weren’t sent to dig up your love life. We were hired to dig up dirt on you.”

At those words, Su Chen’s brow knotted instantly.

If ordinary paparazzi were detestable, then those who specialized in manufacturing scandals were universally loathed. They had even less integrity and no bottom line, doing the dirtiest work in the entertainment world.

Their sole purpose was to find scandals, and if they couldn’t, they’d make some up. Honey traps and setups were commonplace in the industry.

Seeing Su Chen’s deepening frown, the two paparazzi could only force a bitter smile.

They knew their work was shameful—resentment was to be expected. They didn’t hope for forgiveness, but thinking that this would be Su Chen’s lasting impression of them filled their hearts with sorrow.

Just as they were about to leave in dejection, Su Chen stopped them.

“We’re all just trying to make a living—I understand,” he said. “Besides, I don’t have any dirt for you to dig, and today you’ve been driving me around and paying the bills. Clearly, you had no intention of framing me.”

Hearing this, the paparazzi burst into tears, even as they smiled through their sobs.

“I told you, Brother Chen wouldn’t blame us.”

“How can you be so good? You’re so good it makes me want to die of shame!”

If the two weren’t men, in the heat of their emotion, Su Chen could probably have taken them both home.

When their crying finally subsided, Su Chen asked the question he’d been holding back.

“You said you were hired to dig up dirt on me—by whom?”

Without hesitation, one replied, “Xu Fangyuan of Stellar Entertainment. We’ve always worked with people from their company. This isn’t the first time she’s hired us.”

“She’s used these dirty tricks to ruin many of her competitors or artists from rival companies.”

A cold glint flashed in Su Chen’s eyes.

Xu Fangyuan again.

That woman just wouldn’t give up.

After a long silence, Su Chen asked, “Since you’re telling me this now, it means you don’t truly want to live like this. So… tell me, what’s made you keep working for Xu Fangyuan?”

The paparazzo hesitated, but when his companion nudged him, he gave a bitter smile and said, “It’s because of my daughter. She has a congenital illness and needs daily medication. We’re waiting for a matching bone marrow donor for her surgery…”

Su Chen’s rigid expression finally softened at those words.

They were all struggling to survive. Though exploiting others for personal gain was wrong, Su Chen knew that, in their position, he would seize any chance to make money too.

“How much do you still need?” Su Chen asked.

The paparazzo was stunned, unsure why Su Chen would ask, but in his current state of guilt, he answered honestly.

“We finally found a donor, but the surgery and medical costs… altogether, we still need about half a million.”

Su Chen nodded. “All right. I’ll transfer the half million to you later—just send me your bank details.”

The two paparazzi stared at him in disbelief, looking up suddenly. They had never expected that, after all they’d done, Su Chen wouldn’t be angry—he’d even offer them such a large sum.

And there were no cameras around.

“This… this isn’t right. We can’t accept it; we haven’t earned it, and we’ve wronged you. We can’t take the money.”

They shook their heads, struggling with the decision.

“You’re mistaken. I’m lending you the money, not giving it away,” Su Chen said with a smile. “And I have conditions.”

“Conditions?” The two gaped.

“If you need anything from us, just say the word, and we’ll do anything for you!” they declared.

Su Chen waved his hand.

He knew that to earn someone’s loyalty, emotional approval was one thing, but benefits were essential too. Only then could you truly win someone over.

“We’re brothers now—how could I not help you when you’re in trouble?”

They exchanged a glance, unable to argue, so they asked, “So… what do you want us to do?”

“Go undercover,” Su Chen replied.

“Undercover?”

Su Chen smiled. “I need you to keep an eye on Stellar Entertainment and Xu Fangyuan, gather evidence of their wrongdoing, and bring me proof of their scandals.”