Chapter 127: A Paparazzo Caught by a Paparazzo

Compared to Liu Yunfei’s carefree ease, Yang Huiru was currently seething with impatience. What kind of a rotten student was this? After finishing her interview with Zhang Xiaoli’s parents, she had immediately dropped everything and rushed to Huangjiang Experimental High School, hoping to interview the person involved. To her surprise, she arrived only to find that Liu Yunfei had just left. Where did he go? Nobody knew. By 11:00 AM, both Yang Huiru and her photographer were sitting in the interview van, their stomachs growling, yet he had still not returned to the school.

Yang Huiru now firmly believed the words of Zhang Xiaoli’s parents. The rich always bullied the poor; how could a poor person ever dare to provoke the wealthy? This Liu Yunfei was nothing but an arrogant, unbridled rich kid. One look at his attitude toward his studies was enough to tell: was this even a student? How was he any different from a common street thug?

Yang Huiru had always despised such "second-generation" heirs. She viewed these social parasites, who relied on the power and wealth of their parents to run wild and act imperiously, as people who contributed nothing to society. Instead, they eroded morals, damaged the environment, and broke the rules. They were the epitome of wickedness, finding pleasure in oppressing the good.

Therefore, Yang Huiru changed her plan. She decided not to conduct a direct interview with Liu Yunfei. Instead, she would act first and report later, snapping a few candid photos of this rich kid with the "unfilial" girl to publish. Even if his wealthy or high-ranking government official parents tried to intervene later, it wouldn’t matter; the newspaper would already be out, and the public opinion generated could not be retracted. Not even the president of the evening paper could stop her.

Hard work pays off. Just as school was about to let out, they finally spotted the legendary Porsche with the license plate A6688. "Photographer, get ready. Look at this car and that plate; you can tell his parents are high-ranking officials."

"Should we investigate his parents first? What if they are major municipal or provincial leaders? We could be in serious trouble." The photographer was incredibly nervous. The iron rice bowl at the newspaper was a decent job; if he lost it, his whole family would be left starving. He had originally been assigned to go to the remote township in the outskirts to photograph children who had dropped out of school. He had been so desperate to avoid the long, grueling hike that he had been hiding in the bathroom, only to be dragged into this mission by Yang Huiru the moment he stepped out. He regretted it deeply now. If he could do it all over again, he would have run those miles—even a full marathon—without a single complaint.

"If we really find out they are major leaders, will we stop the story? No way. This is called 'act first, report later.' When the time comes, I’ll just claim ignorance and push the blame away completely." Yang Huiru had already thought through these issues; she wasn't afraid. In her mind, this was simply her conscience as a journalist at work.

The photographer had no choice. He took several shots of Liu Yunfei sitting in the car. "Alright, Editor Yang, it’s almost time to clock out. Let’s head back."

"Wait a second, how can we leave? We need to wait for a photo of Liu Yunfei and that unfilial girl together to put on the front page." Yang Huiru felt that would be evidence as solid as anything in a courtroom.

The photographer sighed inwardly. He was a distinguished photographer for the evening paper, a three-time provincial award winner, and now he was reduced to a paparazzi stalker—and soon, likely an unemployed youth. All this trouble had started from a single bathroom break.

Fortunately, Yang Huiru didn't have to wait long. The school bell rang, and she watched as Liu Yunfei held Zhang Xiaoli’s hand, walking out of the campus toward the small food street. Yang Huiru couldn't help but exclaim in admiration; they were truly a stunning couple. Liu Yunfei was tall, handsome, and elegant, while Zhang Xiaoli was like a lotus rising from the water—delicate and charming. Yang Huiru sighed deeply, "Who would have thought that beneath such a beautiful exterior lay hearts as vicious and shameless as a wolf and a leopard? What are you waiting for? Start shooting!"

Just as Yang Huiru thought her mission was complete and prepared to turn the car around, she was shocked to see a young, beautiful woman in an inconspicuous old Santana parked nearby, also holding a camera and clicking away at Liu Yunfei. Could Zhang Xiaoli’s parents have gone to another newspaper? But this woman looked heroic, more like a soldier than a reporter. It didn't matter; she had to get the story out as quickly as possible. It was too late for today, but it had to be on tomorrow's front-page headline.

Liu Yunfei had no idea that at least two groups of people were tailing him. He had spent the entire afternoon immersed in the joy of becoming a Level 2 Police Inspector. Zhang Xiaoli and her parents were also very happy for him, and that evening, they all went out to a seafood restaurant for a feast. Naturally, Liu Yunfei wore his well-fitted police uniform. Hu Liang looked at her son, who stood with such upright, imposing dignity, and couldn't hide her joy. "Old Liu, look at you—you’ve been working your whole life and only made it to section chief, while our son is still in high school and his rank is already almost the same as yours."

"The student surpasses the master! Even if he becomes the Chairman one day, he’s still my son. Tomorrow, I’ll drop a hint to the Bureau Chief. Heh heh, my promotion to Deputy Bureau Chief is within reach!"

***

It was another crisp and refreshing morning. Liu Yunfei felt particularly invigorated. Today, he planned to wear his police uniform to school. Imagining the shocked and surprised expressions of his teachers and classmates, he felt a surge of secret delight. He guessed the "Liu-Chasing Association" would be crowding around the classroom windows again today.

It seemed that whenever Liu Yunfei was in high spirits, someone else had to be miserable. The "flying" policewoman from yesterday was currently as frustrated as could be. The traffic ticket she had issued had not only earned her a fierce scolding from her team leader for being "shameless and vulgar," but she had also become the laughingstock of the entire squad. As the saying goes, "Good deeds don't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles." Before she even started her shift, her embarrassing blunder had spread through the entire traffic police brigade.

It was all because of that bastard, that hooligan, Liu Yunfei! Today, she would make him pay. She glared, searching for the car as it approached. Right on time, she saw the A6688 Porsche coming. "Stop! Stop right there!"

Liu Yunfei stepped on the brake, straightened his posture, and puffed out his chest. *Heh, I’m your colleague now. In terms of police rank, I’m even your superior! I’m not speeding, not breaking rules, and I’m wearing my seatbelt. Let’s see how you fine me.*

Seeing Liu Yunfei in a crisp police uniform, the young policewoman was clearly stunned. How had this brat turned into her superior overnight? It didn't matter; she was going to settle the score first. "You ruined my life!"

"I did not! I even saved you yesterday," Liu Yunfei said, feeling bewildered. *I became a cop and now I’ve ruined your life?*

"Look at the ticket from yesterday morning! Look at the reason for the fine!"

"Oh." Liu Yunfei pulled two tickets from the small toolbox in front of the car. "Illegal parking."

"Not that one."

"Driving without wearing a condom." Liu Yunfei laughed until tears came to his eyes. He had been so busy looking at her signature yesterday that he hadn't noticed that. "You really are like an old lady eating thin porridge—shameless and vulgar."

"You're still laughing! You're like an old lady drinking beer—despicable and vulgar! An old lady shaving her head—lawless! An old lady going to the bathroom—courting death! The whole brigade is laughing at me because of you, and I might even get disciplined!" The policewoman was furious, stomping her feet as she spoke. She wanted nothing more than to drag the brat out of the car, mince him into ribbons, grind him into powder, and feed him to the turtles.

"Alright, alright! What did the old lady ever do to you? You wrote that yourself, not the old lady."

"If you hadn't deliberately misled me, would I have written that?"

"I didn't mislead you. Let’s get one thing straight: our relationship hasn't reached that stage yet." Liu Yunfei started taking advantage of the situation with his usual shamelessness.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I suspect you are illegally wearing a police uniform, damaging the image of the People's Police, and there is a suspicion of fraud. Please show me your identification." The policewoman had finally found a way to retaliate. *You probably borrowed this uniform from some scum in the force. If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know the power of this police beauty.*

"This is my police ID, comrade. You see your superior and don't even salute? How rude. Be careful, or I’ll file a complaint against you."

The policewoman took a look, and it really was a police ID. The date of issue was yesterday, and the department was the Municipal Bureau Training Section. She had never heard of that department. She had no choice but to pass it to the curvaceous policewoman beside her. "This fake ID is made too realistically, isn't it?" The other policewoman was still a bit skeptical, but the embossed seal and anti-counterfeiting marks were things that couldn't be faked.

Liu Yunfei stepped on the gas and left behind a single sentence: "I’ll have a word with Political Commissar Zhao of your brigade later. You won’t be disciplined."

Long after the A6688 had driven away, they still couldn't make heads or tails of it. If someone said he was a student, a hooligan, or a rich playboy, they could accept that. But a police officer? It was too hard to believe. Yet, he seemed to actually know quite a few high-ranking officials in the force. He was truly unfathomable.

"But to be honest, he looks even more handsome in a police uniform," the young policewoman muttered to herself.

"Handsome is useless if he gets eaten by a 'pawn crossing the river' in the end," the curvaceous policewoman said, feeling a bit jealous that Liu Yunfei hadn't spoken to her today.

"I am that pawn crossing the river, and I’m going to eat him up!" the young policewoman said, her face turning red.

"You shameless girl. I really don't get it. You used to be so quiet and demure; how did you become so wild and shameless after meeting this brat?"

The young policewoman immediately retorted, "I don't get you either! You used to be so wild and shameless; how did you become so quiet after meeting this brat? Are you in love with this bad boy too?"

"You dead girl! You're rebelling, aren't you? Careful, or I'll settle the score with you in bed!"

"Haha!"