C1 The Paparazzi 

The stars sparkled under the night sky, matching the flickering billboards below them. The streets shone in colors of red, blue, green, and yellow–illuminating those high buildings and crowded streets. City A–commonly known as the City of Gold–shone all its glory. It was a city everyone wanted to be in–for all its wonder...and its secrets.

Du Xiaoxiao was determined to unearth every single one of them.

They call themselves reporters, one who worked to out the truth–and only the truth–of A City's up-and-coming visionaries. Others, however, preferred to call them the paparazzi, a term coined for a group that everyone wanted nothing to do with.

As she stood behind the tree under the night sky, Du Xiaoxiao's phone rang several times. She gritted her teeth and answered the phone, "He-"

"Du Xiaoxiao!" A voice echoed from the other end of the line. "Where are you off to now? Do you think the company pays you to be absent all the time?"

Of course, it had to be him–of all people. Her skin had gone numb, and her voice lowered into a whisper. "Boss, you know that I've been doing this task for around three weeks now." She sighed. "I swear, I'm about to land on something big–trust me!"

"Something big, huh? Fine, I'll wait for this big news of yours, but if it doesn't show up, you're done!"

Before she could reply, he had already hung up. Her forehead creased in frustration

No matter how glamorized their lives were, it truly wasn't easy.

Du Xiaoxiao tapped her foot onto the pavement, waiting for him–

Gu Tianqi.

He was her target... well, it wasn't really her target only. Not only was this man was the most powerful man in A City being the CEO of Gu's Group, but he was also extremely handsome. These attributes were enough to make him a target of countless women.

However, to a small reporter like her, the gossip was one in million.

Not only was he in the report, but also the woman who was sleeping with him!

The only reason Du Xiaoxiao was following him around was because of the latest scoop she just had. It seemed that the cold and aloof beauty of the entertainment industry–was having an affair with CEO Gu himself.

If they were really together, then it meant that their entire relationship was like a bomb ready to go off! It was the reason why she had followed them around–risking her neck by doing so! Otherwise, if the higher-ups were to know about this, they wouldn't have delegated the task to her.

But she was determined to stand out.

Competition, after all, was everywhere. Everyone wanted to report the 'next best thing'. Everyone wanted to rise up the ranks. With all the limited scoops they had, she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip past her fingertips!

"God, when is he coming out?" Du Xiaoxiao murmured to herself.

While she was a rookie, she was also pretty smart if she could say so herself. If the five-star hotel were to know that she was one of the reporters, they wouldn't be letting her in! That's why she made sure to wear their uniform. She even embroidered her name on the front.

A Bugatti Veyron sports car parked right outside the entrance. Suddenly, a beautiful pair stepped right out of the back seat, before entering the hotel. All the staff bowed at their presence.

They're there! Du Xiaoxiao bowed her head and quickly followed them inside. It seemed that everything had gone according to her plan.

While she could've easily taken the pictures from far away, she wanted better evidence–not some silhouettes standing in the night! After all, if she wanted to be the best, then her photos must be undeniably true.

Taking a deep breath, she followed them up to the Presidential Suite on the top floor. There, she leaned against one of the columns and took a deep breath. Her fingers trembled as she handled the camera in her hands.

This was it! All she needed was to see them kiss, and she'll get her shot.

As if they weren't aware of her existence, they naturally opened the door as if they were part of some dramatic television series. As soon as they saw they were alone, Du Qingyue wrapped her arms around Gu Tianqi's neck and pulled him into a kiss.

Yes! Du Xiaoxiao almost jumped out of her hiding place.

It really was real!

As she was taking the picture, her lips spread into a wide smile. She even had to cover her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

This time, she's positive that she'd get that promotion! All the marketing firms would surely guarantee her a spot in their company. She wouldn't even need to worry whether or not she'd get the seat in three months!

Fuck! This really was it! She lowered her camera and averted her gaze.

Now that she was done here, it was time to leave.

It wouldn't be wise for her to dawdle around her, especially if she valued her life.

However, before she could even step towards the elevator, a strong and powerful hand gripped her shoulder. Another hand suddenly covered her mouth, and she found herself being pulled back up against the wall.

A strong fragrance fell on her like a landslide.

"Hey! What's happening? I–" Du Xiaoxiao struggled as she waved her feet up in the air, but it was to no avail. No matter what she did, the grip around her wrists only tightened even more.

Immediately after, the door creaked wide open and she felt her back slamming against the pavement. She exhaled in pain, as her eyes squinted shut. The absence of lights wasn't really helping her splitting headache either. What was happening?

"You're pretty bold, aren't you?" A deep male voice echoed across the room, and her body immediately broke out in shivers.

Who was that guy?

Just then, the lights were immediately turned on. The piercing stream of light blinded her, that she had to close her eyes from the suddenness of it all.

Du Xiaoxiao shook her head and rubbed her eyes, wanting to see who was the one who had kidnapped her.

However, when she saw who it was, her heart stopped.

Oh, she's screwed.

In front of her was the most beautiful couple in the world. Zhong Yue–one of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry–now stared at her with disgust laced across her face. Standing beside her was none other than Gu Tianqi–the same man she had just filmed a few minutes ago.

Even if they were dressed casually, their looks made it seem as if they were preparing for the Paris Fashion Runway. She looked like a street rat compared to the both of them! Her nails dug into her palms.

But now wasn't the time to act ashamed. Instead, she tugged at her clothes and smiled awkwardly.

It's not like she was dressed like an outsider. After all, she was wearing the uniform, so she might as well act the part!

"Sir, Miss," she said formally. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhong Yue immediately saw through her act. She sneered. "Really? You're still pretending?"

"Miss, what are you talking about?" Du Xiaoxiao feigned stupidity as she furrowed her eyebrows. "I–I don't understand. Well, if you two don't want anything, I'll just head out and take my dinner break. If you'll excuse me–"

"Even under the face of death, you still manage to lie," Gu Tianqi finally spoke. His eyes were narrowed. "If you're planning to lie, then at least make an effort to cover up your tracks. For example, there aren't any numbers in your uniform. And your work card? Nowhere to be found."

"I..." Her cheeks flushed bright red. How the hell was he this observant?

No, no–there was no way she was going to screw this up. "Sir, you're quite an observant man, aren't you? I don't have any number because I'm still a temporary worker–a contracted one, if you will."

"You're still going to lie? You paps are really good for nothing!" Zhong Yue waved her hand around her. "Do you know this hotel's under Gu's Group? He'll know whether or not they've hired a temporary worker. Now, don't waste our patience and hand the film over."

Du Xiaoxiao was in panic now.

God, why are rich people so secretive anyway? Du Xiaoxiao suppressed the urge to sigh in disbelief. How was she supposed to know this was his territory? It's like she's some mouse who had stupidly entered the lion's cage!

Taking a deep breath, she took the camera out of her bag. "Look, here's my camera–I'll even drop the report. Just...just let me go."

"You think I'm after that?" Zhong Yue didn't even bother taking the camera as she grabbed onto her small bag.

"Hey!" She was just about to grab her when the man pulled her back.

He was very strong, and Du Xiaoxiao couldn't fight against him at all. She could helplessly watch as the movie star pulled the film from the corners of her bag. "It seems you have plenty of tricks up your sleeve," she snarked.

Without another word, Zhong Yue threw the film into the glass of wine.

"No!"

Her hardwork, her tip, her promotion...they're all gone.

Her heart trembled, but she steadied herself. That didn't matter anymore. The only thing she needed was to get the hell out of here. If she stayed any longer, there might even be more trouble at this point.

Her lips thinned. "You've already destroyed the film. Now, let me go."

Let her go? Zhong Yue's gaze swept over her frail frame, and the corners of her lips twitched in disgust. After everything that had happened, the last thing she wanted was to let her go. In fact, she wanted to torture this bitch to the ground.

But this was the only night she could get along with CEO Gu. After waiting for this day for ages, she wasn't going to let anyone ruin her night.