Chapter 7: CH 7

Chapter 7: The Trap

At the same time the memorial service was being held, there were many paparazzi and journalists waiting outside the Huaxing Hotel who couldn’t enter.

Watching from afar, they were crouched down inconspicuously with their cameras held tightly waiting for a celebrity or two to walk by. Even if they only took a few photos from a distance, it was still good enough because they could fabricate a story about them based on what they were wearing.

An old paparazzi, Luo Chao,  whose been in the business for a long time was reporting for Fast Dog Entertainment. With his experience forging official media press cards in the past, he tried to get inside the venue by obtaining a copy of the invitation letter for Yin Dong’s memorial service though private means and forging it. Since Yin Dong was so high-profile, Yao Manhuai requested they use a double authorization code to gain admittance to the venue and there was no way to forge the authentication codes.

Being refused, Luo Chao was sitting outside under the shade in a nearby tree feeling depressed. Looking around in a circle, he could spot various other paparazzi’s he was familiar with in the area all waiting for a piece of the action.

“Hey, Mr. Luo, you didn’t go in?” Another reporter from a gossip magazine saw him and beckoned him over with joy. “Come, sit with me!”

“… Fuck.” Luo Chao cursed and walked over with his camera on his back.

The person who spoke to him came from Peach Media; a little-known company that relied exclusively on falsifying the personal lives of movie stars.

“My usual partner came too late today.” The man took out a cigarette from his pants pocket and handed it to Luo Chao.

“I really don’t know which one of the bastards came up with the double authentication code!” Luo Chao lit up a cigarette and chatted with the younger reporter as he smoked.

“Who else could there be but Yao Manhuai? In order to hold a memorial service for Yin Dong, she had to guard against us thieves.”

Luo Chao nodded his head and said: “Yes, this woman has been protecting him fiercely. The girl who we established undercover not long ago was found out and was fired. Hey, you said that Yin Dong was just good friends with Yao Manhuai? Does that even make sense? Was there anything deeper?”

“Well, it’s hard to speculate…..To be honest, in all these years, since there hasn’t been any negative gossip about Yin Dong, I’m a little convinced that he’s a saint.”

“Nothing negative? Let me tell you, in the entertainment industry, there isn’t such a thing. His clean record was due to a talented agent and financial backing who guarded him every step of the way. Does his mother even know who her son is? Over the years, how many people have tried to dig up some gossip about Yin Dong? Have you ever seen any?”

“That’s true……”

“Now Yin Dong’s son is also being protected by Yao Manhuai. Any news we hear comes from them. They don’t even leave us a scrap!”

“If you look at how much she protects him, one would think that she was protecting her own son. Maybe, Yin Chang is Yao Manhuai and Yin Dong’s son?

“Is it even possible for them to have such a beautiful son?”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha …”

“But it’s strange, the kid doesn’t even look like his dad.”

“It’s not uncommon these days for stars to get a little plastic surgery.”

……

As he chatted, Luo Chao pointed at the hotel as he seemed to have seen something. “Hey, look there!” He loudly remarked.

As the reporter from Peach Media looked over, he saw a middle-aged woman and a child dressed in black. She appeared to be having problems with the hotel security.

At this location on this particular day, the commotion would naturally attract the attention of the onlooking paparazzi. “Were those two invited to Yin Dong’s memorial?”

“I don’t know……They don’t look like a celebrity. Maybe, it’s a girl with his bastard?”

Luo Chao flicked his cigarette and stamped in out. “I’ll go and see.”

“Go ahead.” The reporter continued to sit lazily on the ground and smoke. He wasn’t interested in anyone other than movie stars.

When Luo Chao got closer, he heard the woman pleading with the security guard: “We really just want to go up and see Mr. Yin.”

In her 30s, the woman looked gentle and a small child about eight or nine years old, kicking a small stone, clung onto her.

The security man frowned: “Didn’t I already tell you. You can’t enter without a secure invitation!”

Woman: “Can’t you just make one exception?”

The security guard was impatient: “What don’t you understand? Do you think just anyone can attend Yin Dong’s memorial service?”

At first the woman tried to rationally talk to the guard but when she experienced his attitude, she started pleading anxiously: “We are not just anyone!” She explained clutching the child’s hand, “This child, this child is Yin Dong’s son!”

The security guard smirked. He pointed at the group of fans nearby that were being blocked by a barricade: “Over there, there was a woman who just rushed over and said she was Yin Dong’s wife!”

The woman didn’t know what to say to convince the guard.

The security guard calmed himself and persuaded her kindly: “Respectfully, you should take the child back home and don’t talk about it. This is Yin Dong’s memorial service. Do you know who all are coming here today? Understand, this is my job and I don’t want to be embarrassed. The people in the VIP suite were also blocked from going inside the memorial without an invitation. So, even if you got into the hotel you wouldn’t be able to see Yin Dong!”

The woman stood there, looking particularly helpless, and she ruffled the child’s head with regret: “I’m afraid we won’t be able to see your uncle Yin…..”

The boy lifted his head when he heard the words, blinked his large eyes, then hanging his head low, he scuffled his feet against the gravel.

The woman was helpless. She craned her neck around for a peek, but the security guard blocked her. His patience exhausted, he waved her away then said: “Get lost!”

She finally gave up, holding the boy’s hand and coaxed him: “Teacher will buy you some KFC, ok?”

Glancing back at the grand luxury hotel, the boy reluctantly was led by the women away step by step.

From across the road, Luo Chao quietly followed them, then quickly made a move to catch up. He stopped them in apology: “Excuse me Miss, I’m sorry …”

The woman stopped and looked at him: “Yes, what is it?”

From within his pocket, Luo Chao took out a fake press card and while he introduced himself he showed it to her: “I’m a reporter from the news department of East View Entertainment. I couldn’t help but notice your issue with the security guard at the hotel. I’m a little curious so I came over to inquire about it.”

The woman took the press card and inspected it in her hands. She had no doubt about Mr. Luo’s words, however, faced with a reporter with an unknown purpose, she was still somewhat suspicious. On guard, she unconsciously pulled the child behind her, and asked: “What did you want to know?”

Probing her, Luo Chao glanced at the child and questioned: “Did you just say that this child was Yin Dong’s son?”

Embarrassed now, the women responded: “Ah, no.  It’s just something I made up. I’m in a hurry.”

Luo Chao keenly noticed how much the women avoided eye contact when she said this. Determined there was something more to it, he continued to lure her with seductive words: “Oh, it’s okay. For the sake of the child, I could have taken him to Yin Dong’s memorial service.”

“Really?” The woman’s eyes lit up.

Knowing he had hooker her, he replied, “Of course,”  and took out his forged invitation from his pocket to show her: “In fact, I was planning to attend Yin Dong’s memorial service, but I was late because of some official business. The memorial service has already begun and it would be rude of me to enter the venue midway. I was smoking a cigarette downstairs and I happen to hear your conversation with the security guard. “

“Well……”As the women looked down at the boy, he was looking up at her with delight. Feeling uneasy, she frowned and didn’t know what to think.

Luo Chao glanced at his watch and said: “The memorial service will last another thirty or forty minutes. I think it would be better for us to go to the KFC and buy something for the child. We won’t involve anyone else and can talk casually there.”

Watching the boy’s expectant expression, after hesitating for a few minutes, the woman finally wavered: “Alright.”