Paparazzi Problems

If not for Feng Yintian, she would even have another sibling. Sadly, her mother miscarried that night, depressed by their misfortune. It crushed her to know what happened in the hospital. She remembered herself, a sad seventeen-year-old, weeping outside the ward. There and then, she swore she would get everything back.

It was the darkest day of her life. If not for what had happened, her father wouldn't be away right now, working miles away from her mother. Her two elder brothers weren't much help right now. Feng Yinan was overseas, studying engineering, while Feng Yiman was in the army.

While both of them contributed what they could to their mother for her household expenses, it was barely enough. It was factual that army recruits were severely underpaid almost everywhere in the world, with a few exceptions. Likewise, for Yinan, a scholarship student could hardly survive with the meagre allowance awarded.

Yiren clenched her fists behind her back while contemplating her choices. She didn't have long. Feng Yintian could be on the run right now. If she lost this link to him, she might never ever find him again.

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Dong personally."

"I can arrange that. But Mr. Dong won't be around here for a bit. But you can contact him at this number."

He handed over a glossy card with Dong Xu's name on it. It was black with white lettering.

'Dong Xu, CEO' glared back at her in bold. She trembled reading his name. The mere thought of her meeting Dong Xu alone in his hotel room perturbed her. She wasn't a timid person, and neither was she frightened by Dong Xu. It was just those feelings she had for him she feared would deter her from her goal.

'It's just infatuation, Yiren. You'll get over it,' she reassured herself, attempting to focus on the background music in the cafe. There were a few songs playing in the background that she didn't know, but calmed her greatly. Maybe that was what she could do. Listen to music to soothe her nerves. She could do that with Dong Xu, it might work after all.

As a girl brought up in a traditional family, bringing herself to make the call to a male was something she wasn't accustomed to.

"Mr. Guan, is there somewhere I could approach Mr. Dong without having to call him personally?"

He could probably tell that she was jittery about it from the flush of her fair cheeks.

"Leave it to me. I'll contact you once the opportunity arises," Ziming said with a beam.

"But how are you going to contact me when I don't have a phone?"

"I'll see to it."

Ziming's cell phone began ringing shortly after, resulting in him excusing himself from their discussion on the pretext he had an upcoming meeting with a client. Minutes later, Yiren left the cafe still feeling dubious about Ziming's intentions.

She wondered what he had implied by saying that he would 'see to it. But to her, it wasn't very important. What mattered to her was how she would catch hold of Dong Xu to negotiate with him. Was Ziming genuinely going to help her?

She hoped so.

............….

Yiren didn't have any classes today or any assignments to do, so she loitered around, hoping to gain inspiration for her next chapter of 'Blossoms In Winter'. As usual, observing couples and their differences on the streets would give her an idea of a conflict for her to place in her romance web novel. A tall and thin man bickered with his plump wife about prices and how she spent unnecessarily.

She sauntered about for a while longer. A couple who didn't look to be over sixteen argued incessantly. The more they contended, the more it seemed likely that the argument was about to turn physical. A crowd assembled, people chattering about how the teenagers would likely fight.

The boy had even lifted his hand. None of the spectators made a move. She had to act fast before the couple hurt each other. With her small size, it was arduous for her to get through the crowd.

"Stop!" Yiren shrieked, garnering the attention of everyone watching the couple. "Stop, before one of you gets hurt!"

With that, she pushed through the crowd and ended between the couple in her bid to separate them. To her astonishment, the couple giggled.

"CUT!" a voice boomed behind her.

Goodness, they were filming? She stopped dead in her tracks straight away. What was going around? Was this why there was a crowd assembled?

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, trying to vanish as fast as she could. Everyone was going hysterical, laughing at her. Was she such a hilarious sight? In her panic, she bumped into a large signboard placed at the scene. Reading the printed text, she realised her negligence in not noticing that it was a venue for a film set.

But before she could escape, a few people blocked her path. It didn't take her long to realise who they were, as they began speaking at the same time. They shoved a microphone in front of her, while irritating her eyes with abrupt camera flashes.

"Miss Feng, word has it you are the secret lover of Mr. Dong Xu. May I know what brings you here and why you are showing your face in public, as Mr. Dong is very secretive?"

"Miss Feng, what are your plans with Mr. Dong?"

"Miss Feng, how is your relationship with Mr. Dong at the moment?"

Great, even the paparazzi were there to watch her blunder and had recognised her! She couldn't answer those questions or give them any impression that she was with Dong Xu right now. In the confusion, one reporter accidentally tore the thin scarf covering her. It revealed her bare back. While she was embarrassed, she couldn't stop either. She went on running.

She darted as swiftly as she could out of the street and entered another street, with the reports still on her heels. She had to avoid them as much as possible without looking back. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, as she suddenly bumped into something soft. Her lower foot hit a cement brick on the pavement, causing her to groan in pain.

"Let's go," a familiar voice whispered, lifting her into his arms. "I'll carry you, it's faster."

His eyes offered her a source of solace as their eyes met for a few seconds. He was fast enough bundling her into his car.

She didn't know what to think anymore, and just closed her eyes for a brief nap, seeking a place to hide for the time being.

This time, she didn't dream.