On the navigation map, the route from Hongqiao Airport to Lujiazui had turned into a thick crimson line.
Da Mao set down his work pass, visibly agitated. "How did it get this congested? It's worse than Beijing."
"Friday evening rush hour collision," driver Xiao Lan rolled down the window and lit a cigarette. "Just don't lose them. Looks like they're heading to Qiao Jingjing's place in Lujiazui."
"Most likely. Qiao Jingjing has an event tomorrow. Hey, what a coincidence - we missed our target but caught Qiao Jingjing instead. If we release this on April 1st, it'll trend for three days straight."
"Is that guy her boyfriend?" A Dou leaned forward from the back seat.
"Probably. He's quite handsome, definitely not staff. Seems wealthy too - Mercedes business van. These female celebrities..."
After being stuck for a full ten minutes, the cars slowly began moving. Xiao Lan suddenly exclaimed, "Something's wrong. They're taking the Huyu Expressway to the outer ring - this isn't the way to Lujiazui."
"Wherever they're going, just follow them."
When the target vehicle entered a somewhat old residential complex beyond the outer ring, the three entertainment reporters were baffled.
"This... this neighborhood definitely isn't Qiao Jingjing's home. The guy's place?"
"Doesn't look like it. We're beyond the outer ring, but he's driving a Mercedes."
A Dou spat in disgust. "I was just about to say - that car actually seems to be Qiao Jingjing's. I've seen it a few times. Stop dawdling, start filming. When they get out, figure out which unit they're in and see if we can find a spot to shoot the interior."
However, after the car ahead stopped, there was no movement for a long time. The view through their work passes remained static.
This time all three of them lit cigarettes. "What are they doing in the car?"
"What do you think they're doing? And of course there's a tree blocking our shot."
The single young men were growing impatient.
A Dou said, "I'll get out first to scout the area."
Finally, after what felt like an entire cigarette's worth of time, Qiao Jingjing got out wearing a face mask. Empty-handed, her steps were light and cheerful. The tall man followed behind carrying her bag.
Da Mao, as an aspiring photographer, was quite pleased. He filmed while commenting, "This guy's really tall, feels like over 185cm. Good side profile with a high nose bridge, those long legs... Is he a newcomer?"
Xiao Lan had a different opinion: "I don't think so. Would someone in the entertainment industry live here? So inconvenient. They'd rather rent around Xintiandi or Huaihai Road."
As he spoke, he dialed A Dou's number. "They've gotten out of the car."
Soon A Dou sent over the unit number - he always had his methods, whether posing as a delivery person, water delivery, or food delivery to follow them into the elevator and see which floor they went to. Xiao Lan looked at the message with satisfaction. "Third floor, easy to shoot."
The building spacing in this old complex was quite narrow, making it even better for shooting. They quickly found a good position in the opposite building's corridor. Unfortunately, the curtains were drawn, with only a narrow gap in the living room curtains revealing the television wall.
Entertainment reporters weren't afraid of drawn curtains. The three showed no anxiety, casually critiquing the residence. "The location isn't great, right? Seems this guy isn't well-off?"
"The bedroom curtains are closed. Will we get anything useful today?"
"Let's wait. The footage of them entering the building together is already good. We'll see if we can catch them coming out together later."
But when they waited until after 8 PM, they saw the man come downstairs alone. He took a pink suitcase out of the car's trunk.Xiao Lan was practically bursting with excitement. "Quick, get the shot! Solid evidence—Qiao Jingjing's suitcase. She's actually staying here tonight."
The trio was electrified. Before, they could barely explain it away as her visiting a friend's place, but now, with her suitcase being taken up late at night, it was practically irrefutable proof.
Brimming with anticipation, they took turns keeping watch overnight. By six or seven the next morning, they captured footage of Qiao Jingjing's team rushing over in a hurry.
"Even her team knows—they're all coming here to pick her up."
A little over an hour later, the entire group came downstairs, including Qiao Jingjing's boyfriend. The trio filmed everything, then tailed them by car to the event venue.
It was tough to get clear shots in crowded areas, and they couldn't sneak into the event's backstage. Fortunately, the handsome guy didn't go backstage either—he parted ways with Qiao Jingjing and the others in the underground parking garage and went off on his own. The trio decided to follow him instead.
He settled in a café to read, so they took a seat outside another café across the street.
A Dou remarked, "Today's event is for XX Diamond. Qiao Jingjing is the spokesperson—this brand is ridiculously expensive."
"The same stuff costs several times more. Why do women love buying it so much?"
"Do you think this guy can afford to buy diamonds from this brand for Qiao Jingjing?"
"Probably not. He should thank us later. Right now, they're keeping it under wraps, but once we expose them, won't Qiao Jingjing have to admit it?"
"Hard to say. She might deny it, and to avoid suspicion, they might even break up. It's not impossible."
"That might be for the best—helping the guy cut his losses. We'd be doing a good deed."
After some banter, Xiao Lan nudged A Dou and Da Mao. "Look."
Following his gaze, they saw a stylishly dressed girl approach Qiao Jingjing's boyfriend with her phone, only to walk away disappointed moments later. Qiao Jingjing's boyfriend remained unperturbed, continuing to read as if it were a common occurrence.
A Dou muttered, "...This guy isn't simple either."
By eleven o'clock, the man got up and left the café. The trio hurried after him, only to find that Qiao Jingjing's event had started. Qiao Jingjing was on stage cooperating with the organizers' activities, while he stood in the crowd watching her. On stage, Qiao Jingjing shone with star-like brilliance; in the crowd, the man stood tall and distinguished, equally captivating. Da Mao wondered if he was biased, but he couldn't help feeling they complemented each other, one above and the below, reflecting each other's radiance.
The trio secretly gathered plenty of footage. They followed them to lunch and later trailed them back to the old residential complex.
Returning to their usual spot, they resumed their stakeout.
Xiao Lan said, "They're coming back here again? Must be the honeymoon phase."
The self-proclaimed detective A Dou chimed in, "I knew they'd come back this morning—I didn't see that pink suitcase."
Da Mao hushed them. "Quiet."
He was mesmerized by the scene in his lens.
The image was almost static.
It was a very small study, filled with books. The window was open, the curtains fluttering slightly in the breeze. The man sat behind the desk writing, while Qiao Jingjing sat opposite him on a small sofa, hugging her knees as she read what looked like a script.
This scene lasted over ten minutes. Then Qiao Jingjing set down her script, went over to the desk, and leaned over to watch him write. The man looked up, said a few words, and then kissed her across the desk.Da Mao's hand trembled as he held the work pass, his heart—long accustomed to witnessing all sorts of shady dealings—actually felt a bittersweet sensation.
He felt as if he had become pure-hearted again.
Later, when the two left the study, the trio couldn’t capture anything more. But the three of them were already quite satisfied. Early the next morning, they followed the couple to the airport, successfully completing their mission of tailing and secretly photographing them.
Surprisingly, Da Mao felt a bit reluctant to part ways. "Later, I’ll edit this to make it more aesthetically pleasing, with some romantic background music. We can’t make it look sleazy."
"We should edit it well and not smear their reputation. After following them for two days, I think it’s true love. Qiao Jingjing is quite something."
A Dou said, "I have an idea. Why don’t we dig into this man’s background? First, we’ll break the news about their relationship. Everyone will be curious about what he does. Then we’ll release a second installment—'Boyfriend’s Identity Revealed.' That way, we’ll dominate the headlines for a whole week."
Xiao Lan slapped his thigh enthusiastically. "Sounds good. Let’s do it."
The trio wasted no time. They immediately returned to the original neighborhood, found a small hotel nearby to stay in, and planned to follow their target to his workplace on Monday.
At the break of dawn, the target went for a morning run.
Xiao Lan commented, "Healthy lifestyle, not bad. But he wakes up way too early. Good thing we came early."
The target bought a jianbing.
A Dou gave a thumbs-up. "This handsome guy lives a simple life, just like us."
Finally, the target headed to work.
Then the entertainment reporters saw him enter...
The Shanghai Aerospace Technology Research Institute.
The trio was taken aback. "A researcher?"
A Dou suddenly realized, "Right, I heard earlier that the neighborhood he lives in seems to be mostly people from the Aerospace Research Institute. No wonder it’s so close to the institute."
Xiao Lan frowned. "It’s a confidential unit. We can’t get in. We’ll have to settle for shooting outside."
"We originally wanted to sneak in and gather some information."
The trio drove around the institute, casually capturing some footage. Still unwilling to give up, they parked their car on the road opposite a side gate.
"There’s no way we’re getting in. Let me see if we have enough material for a second installment."
As they were discussing this, someone knocked on the car window. Xiao Lan rolled down the window to find two middle-aged men of average build standing outside. The slightly heavier man smiled and asked, "Excuse me, I’d like to ask—"
Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly fell on the work pass in Da Mao’s hand in the passenger seat. His expression instantly changed. His eyes swept over the three of them, and he pulled out his credentials, flashing them in front of Xiao Lan.
"State Security Bureau. Please come with us."
A few days later, Yu Tu was called from the laboratory to the director’s office.
Academician Zhang was also there, along with two strangers—one older and one younger.
Yu Tu closed the door behind him. The director got straight to the point. "Yu Tu, these two are officials from the State Security Bureau. They have some questions for you. Answer them truthfully."
Yu Tu was slightly taken aback but nodded calmly. "Alright."
"Please have a seat," the two investigators said kindly. "Don’t be nervous. We just have a few questions for you."
Yu Tu nodded.
The younger investigator asked, "Who were you with from last Friday to Sunday?"
Something vaguely crossed Yu Tu’s mind, but his reply was immediate and unwavering. "My girlfriend."
The two investigators exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat peculiar. Academician Zhang and Director Hu, however, looked quite surprised.The young investigator asked again, "What is your girlfriend's name?"
Yu Tu paused slightly this time. "Qiao Jingjing."
Academician Zhang suddenly coughed and adjusted his sitting posture. The two investigators glanced at him and Director Hu. Both leaders sat upright with calm expressions, appearing completely unfazed.
In contrast, the young investigator showed a flicker of excitement. "The celebrity Qiao Jingjing?"
"Yes."
"Has she been staying at your home these past three days?"
"She went out once to attend a Diamond brand promotional event during that time. I went with her."
The older investigator suddenly interjected, "Didn't you notice anyone following you?"
It wasn't that they were completely unaware...
A suspicion suddenly crossed Yu Tu's mind, though it seemed somewhat unbelievable.
Yet the investigator's next words confirmed his guess. "According to their confession, they followed you for three days, even tailing you to the vicinity of your workplace on Monday morning. They captured extensive video footage."
The investigator took a sip of water and said nonchalantly, "Then they got arrested as spies."
Yu Tu felt an urge to laugh but maintained a serious expression. "What will happen to them?"
"Since their account matches what you've told us, we'll conduct further verification. If everything checks out, we'll release them after some re-education. However, we've already confiscated all their video materials."
The older investigator spoke with grave concern, "Young people shouldn't lose their heads when dating. Were all those confidentiality trainings for nothing? You need to be more vigilant."
Yu Tu accepted the admonition. "We'll be more careful in the future."
"We'll also educate them about boundaries. How can they loiter and take photos around restricted facilities?"
After completing their Work Pass procedures, the two investigators left. Seeing them out and closing the door, the room suddenly fell into silence.
Academician Zhang drank several sips of tea before standing up with his Teacup. "I'll get back to work now."
The old man then walked off humming a tune.
After a long silence, Director Hu said, "This is good news, but keep it low-key. No need to make it widely known. Of course, it's perfectly natural, so no need to deliberately hide it either."
Yu Tu nodded. "I understand."
Director Hu: "Alright, get back to work."
As Yu Tu closed the door and walked away, he faintly heard Director Hu humming the same tune in his office...
When Qiao Jingjing received Yu Tu's call, Ling Jie happened to be visiting her on set.
After hanging up, Jingjing's expression became... indescribable.
Ling Jie waved a hand in front of her face. "What's wrong with you?"
Jingjing said, "Last Friday when we returned to Shanghai, the traffic to Lujiazui was terrible, so Yu Tu invited me to his place. Later I couldn't be bothered to move around, so I stayed at his home."
Ling Jie: "Oh."
Her response was icy.
Jingjing: "On the way, Teacher Yu mentioned feeling like someone was following us. I said it didn't matter, let them take photos if they want."
Ling Jie clapped her hands, actually sounding somewhat excited. "You were really photographed? With you being so blatant about it, what should we do? Should we confirm if it gets exposed? Or neither confirm nor deny?"
"Probably won't get exposed?" Jingjing's expression grew even more peculiar.
"Ah? Why not?"
"They got arrested as spies."A week later, Ling Jie received a call from an unfamiliar number. The person on the other end was tearfully grateful, "Thank you to Teacher Qiao's boyfriend for helping us clarify the situation. Let's consider this matter closed—we absolutely won't leak any information, and we'll never take photos again."
Ling Jie struggled to contain her laughter while dealing with the call. The moment she hung up, she could no longer hold back, collapsing over her desk in roaring laughter.
Somehow, word began spreading through the entertainment reporter circles that Qiao Jingjing's boyfriend had become the mysterious Mr. Unphotographable. And who didn't know about it by now? After all, that team from XX Entertainment News who tried to photograph him had been detained by state security!
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