Yae Miko slapped a stack of photos onto the dining table. Lu Chen eagerly leaned in for a look.
The very first photo was already explosive: Gu Cheng was kissing a middle-aged woman in business attire. Both looked disheveled, and the background clearly showed it was taken in an office—broad daylight, no less...
The second photo was a bit too risqué, so Lu Chen skipped straight to the third.
This one featured a much younger, more attractive woman. Gu Cheng was still the male lead, and this time their "scene" took place inside a luxury car...
What was especially interesting were the photo angles. These weren't the usual grainy long-lens shots from a paparazzo hiding in the bushes—they were taken from above, like an overhead drone shot...
The office photo, for example, was clearly taken from outside the window. Anyone else might think the photographer could fly.
And as it turned out, the photographer really could fly. Yae Miko, along with her chief photographer Venti, had tailed Gu Cheng for two straight days and nights to collect all this hard-hitting dirt.
The following photos were from various angles. As Lu Chen casually flipped through them, a sudden question struck him.
"Didn't they say Gu Cheng had three girlfriends? Why are there only two here?"
"Hmph!" Yae Miko sneered. "The other one is his childhood sweetheart, the original girlfriend. He dumped her after getting famous—classic case of having his cake and eyeing someone else's."
"Oh~" Lu Chen narrowed his eyes mischievously. City folks really knew how to play.
That middle-aged woman in the photos? She was the current Vice President of Jia Shi Entertainment. No wonder they were backing Gu Cheng so hard—he had himself a sugar mama.
Gu Cheng was only 29, not even 30 yet, and the VP looked old enough to be his mother. She wasn't exactly easy on the eyes either. It was clear—Gu Cheng was all-in on chasing his future...
"And..." Yae Miko grinned slyly, "That Vice President Liu? She's married. Cheating on her husband… Spicy, isn't it?"
"Oh-ho-ho..." Lu Chen could already picture the chaos once this made the headlines.
"There's more~" Yae Miko pointed to another woman in the photos. "Don't you think she looks a little too young?"
"Hm?" Lu Chen blinked.
"She's a second-year student at Experimental High School. Probably underage."
Lu Chen's jaw dropped slightly. He couldn't help but feel a bit of grudging admiration for Gu Cheng.
Fooling around with a VP in the office by day, sneaking off with a schoolgirl after work, and still calling his original girlfriend sweetly every night? The guy was a master of time management.
He was juggling three women, freeloading, keeping a mistress, and somehow keeping it all under wraps...
No wonder his music was going downhill—he'd been spending all his energy on this nonsense...
The table grew more and more animated with gossip. Yae Miko even pulled out a voice recorder. Lu Chen stared at her in surprise—she really had a knack for being a paparazzi.
Maybe it was just in a hedonist's nature to love scandal?
Seeing Lu Chen's look, Yae Miko covered her mouth and chuckled. "Don't get the wrong idea—I don't enjoy digging into people's private lives. I just love watching things spiral, seeing fans cry in heartbreak~"
"I'm looking forward to it too..." Lu Chen quickly pulled out his phone and called Tony Wang.
They met at a café, where Lu Chen handed over everything. The renowned music producer was just as stunned.
At first, Tony was shocked speechless. Then he tucked the photos away with a complex look.
"I've worked with him for six years," Tony said with a bitter smile. "Six years ago, he wasn't like this. What you brought me today... it's eye-opening."
"Six years and you still couldn't see who he really was?" Lu Chen shot him a disdainful look. Talented in music, maybe—but not great at reading people.
He hadn't met Gu Cheng in person, but just seeing his face on posters gave him a bad feeling.
"He used to be hardworking and ambitious," Tony said, still not touching his coffee. "And sure, he's gifted in music. I'm the one who pushed him to the top. But once he hit it big, what I saw wasn't drive—it was greed."
Tony's face darkened, clearly recalling things he'd rather forget. "We started arguing a lot... That's when I realized, he never really loved music. He just wanted fame. What he truly cared about was popularity and money..."
"That's human nature." Lu Chen shrugged. After seeing what fame could do to people, Gu Cheng's behavior was pretty typical.
Tony had been too naive—maybe because he really loved music. He was old-fashioned and stubborn.
"Jia Shi must've offered him more. Turns out our split wasn't just about music..." Tony sighed. "Anyway, let's stop talking about him. As for what he and Jia Shi did to Venti, I'm truly sorry. I'll convince the company to put everything behind Venti—we'll fight this to the end. Trust me, we'll resolve it properly."
"I'm counting on you," Lu Chen said with a smile.
...
By Saturday, the weather had turned scorching. Everyone was lounging around the couch, playing Monopoly.
Lu Chen idly scrolled through his phone, keeping tabs on the situation. In the kitchen, Raiden Ei was boiling water to brew a pot of cooling herbal tea.
Thanks to Lu Chen's patient coaching, Ei still wasn't great at cooking, but making tea was no problem. At least she wasn't turning the kitchen into a war zone anymore—which left Yae Miko clicking her tongue in amazement.
"Ei is so domesticated~" she whispered as she leaned closer to Lu Chen. "You two are starting to look like newlyweds."
"Yeah, kind of..." Lu Chen nodded, feeling the same way.
"So—" Miko gave a teasing smile, leaning in even more. "Tell me, what do you two get up to every night...?"
Lu Chen gave her a sideways glance and tried to shift away.
But Yae Miko scooted even closer. "Come on, spill it! Is Ei super shy? What's she like in private?"
"Why are you so nosy?" Lu Chen sighed, realizing he couldn't escape her.
Miko smirked like she was ready to pinch his cheeks if he didn't talk—her hands already getting restless...
"What are you two whispering about?" Raiden Ei placed the freshly brewed tea on the table and looked at them.
Lu Chen silently praised his wife's perfect timing, quickly pulling Miko's hands off and sitting up straight.
"We were just talking..." Miko grumbled, finding Lu Chen too tight-lipped, then pulled Ei over, ready to grill her instead.
"Yae? What are you doing?" Ei asked, a bit flustered—she'd nearly spilled the tea.
Now the three of them were sitting shoulder to shoulder. Ei glanced helplessly at Lu Chen, then at Miko.
Lu Chen could practically feel the temperature rising in the living room. Miko really knew how to stir things up...
He turned to Qiqi, who was watching from the side.
"Qiqi, go open your bedroom door..."
"Okay..."
Qiqi nodded obediently and padded over to her room.
The moment the door swung open, a gust of icy wind blasted through the living room.
Everyone sneezed at once...
Talk about fire and ice, Lu Chen thought.