Chapter 147: Reaping Some Benefits

The next day, Yuan Ye left. He still wore a preoccupied look right before his departure.

He hesitated several times, opening his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing. He only asked, on behalf of the old master, whether Lin Chuan would return to Quancheng for the New Year.

The answer was affirmative; Lin Chuan had no intention of staying in Beijing for the holiday.

On the other hand, Wang Yue had not returned all night, and her phone remained powered off. Lin Chuan felt a growing sense of unease.

What if something had actually happened to her?

Fortunately, shortly after he dropped his son off at kindergarten and returned home, he heard the sound of the door unlocking.

Peeking through the peephole, he saw that it was none other than Wang Yue. She had finally come home.

A heavy burden was instantly lifted from Lin Chuan’s mind. He quickly opened the door to find Wang Yue looking rather haggard and exhausted.

"You're back?" Lin Chuan smiled.

Wang Yue was momentarily startled, then smiled faintly, nodded, and murmured an acknowledgment.

The two of them seemed to have nothing to say, and the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I made some for Yangyang earlier, would you like—"

"No, I'm a bit tired. I'm going to go in and rest."

Wang Yue shook her head with a tired smile, opened her door, and went inside.

With the heavy thud of the door closing, Lin Chuan snapped back to reality, his brows furrowing slightly.

Something was wrong. What was going on with Wang Yue? She had looked so preoccupied, not to mention her worn-out expression. Where on earth had she gone last night?

Though he felt a sense of curiosity, Lin Chuan did not knock on her door to demand answers.

That was simply the kind of person he was. Some things he would naturally know when the time was right, and others he would not probe into.

After all, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet, and even if it had, everyone was entitled to their own privacy. If someone didn't want to tell you, what could you possibly do about it?

With a soft sigh, Lin Chuan shook his head and closed his own door.

***

Zhang Dazhuang lived up to his name; he was sturdily built with an honest, innocuous face.

Yet it was precisely this appearance that had deceived countless people.

Those unfamiliar with him often mistook him upon first meeting for an earnest and reliable fellow, but the reality was quite the opposite.

Zhang Dazhuang worked for a tabloid, and his primary job was collecting private information on celebrities. To put it bluntly, he was a professional paparazzi reporter.

Despite his honest-looking exterior, he was extremely shrewd, quick-witted, and full of underhanded tricks.

Because of this, his editor had assigned him a rather promising task: trailing Lin Chuan.

To be honest, Lin Chuan wasn't an A-list superstar, but his influence was exceptionally high, especially given the classic songs he wrote, which were adored by many.

Consequently, his gossip was often more valuable than that of top-tier celebrities. This had already been proven by several previous incidents.

At that moment, he was sitting in a room less than ten square meters wide, holding a stack of photographs.

Depicted in the pictures was a woman whose appearance was unremarkable, bordering on ordinary. She was none other than Wang Yue, the kindergarten teacher most frequently linked to Lin Chuan in scandals.

Logically speaking, news regarding Wang Yue was no longer fresh; it was practically outdated. Even if posted online, it wouldn't generate much traction.

With Zhang Dazhuang's years of experience in the industry, there was no need to waste film taking so many photos of Wang Yue.

However, the matter wasn't that simple. Just yesterday evening, as the kindergarten let out, he had inadvertently captured a series of photographs.

They showed Wang Yue with a man who was not Lin Chuan—a rather handsome man in his thirties.

Judging by Zhang Dazhuang's experienced eye, their relationship appeared far from ordinary.

Acting on a whim and hoping to catch a lucky break, he quietly followed them, hoping to unearth some valuable information.

To his utter astonishment, however, this casual decision brought him a massive surprise: Wang Yue and that strange man didn't just have a connection; it was a substantial one.

Under his surveillance, Wang Yue was led by the stranger to a hotel—not a particularly high-end one, but a hotel nonetheless.

Crucially, after entering the hotel, Wang Yue did not reappear for the entire night.

Fearing that his presence would be exposed, Zhang Dazhuang didn't follow them inside, choosing instead to stake out the entrance of the hotel all night long.

Hard work pays off. Early the next morning, he spotted Wang Yue and that man emerging from the hotel, embracing and kissing each other.

Goodness gracious, what was going on here? Wasn't Wang Yue Lin Chuan's woman? How could she be involved with this man...?

At once, Zhang Dazhuang grew intensely excited. Without a second thought, he rapidly pressed the shutter, capturing photo after photo on his camera.

This was an exclusive blockbuster scoop. Once published online, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar and might even drag Lin Chuan into the fray.

Yet, he didn't do that immediately. His crafty nature took over, as he envisioned making a massive windfall...

"Hello, is this Mr. Lin Chuan?" Zhang Dazhuang asked, a cunning glint in his eyes.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" The voice on the other end sounded visibly hesitant.

"Hehe, I'm a reporter from Tianhua Entertainment, and I have—Beep, beep, beep!" Before Zhang Dazhuang could finish, the other party abruptly hung up.

Well, look at you showing attitude! Just wait, I'll have you begging me soon.

With that, he dialed the number again.

Before long, the man's voice sounded from the receiver once more: "A reporter, right? I don't have time for interviews. Let's talk another time..."

"Hello, Mr. Lin, don't rush to hang up. I have some exclusive news here. If you're interested, we can talk." This time, Zhang Dazhuang had grown smarter, blurting out the crucial part before the other person could disconnect.

He assumed Lin Chuan would finally have the patience to sit down and negotiate with him properly.

Instead...

"What exclusive news? What does it have to do with me? Stop bothering me... Beep, beep, beep." Another burst of busy tones signaled that the call had been cut off again.

Driving himself mad with frustration, Zhang Dazhuang glared at Lin Chuan's contact on his screen, wishing he could smash the phone to pieces. But he couldn't; his hopes of striking it rich still rested on this very device.

So, he dialed Lin Chuan's number once more, having decided beforehand to abandon polite negotiations and hit him hard.

However...

"Are you out of your damn mind? I told you not to bother me again! If you've got exclusive news, go ahead and post it online! I'd love to see where you get the guts... Beep, beep, beep!"

Zhang Dazhuang: "..."

"Oh, look at you acting all high and mighty! Fine, you want to see where I get the guts? I'll let you see right now!" Zhang Dazhuang roared in exasperation and flung his computer open.

At that critical juncture, his phone suddenly rang. Glancing down, Zhang Dazhuang saw it was an unfamiliar number. After a moment of internal hesitation, he pressed the answer button.