Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 600 She is more beautiful than a rainbow
Because while staking out Paris Hilton's nightclub, he filmed Lindsay Lohan being arrested for drunk driving; and while taking his children to school, he unexpectedly witnessed Madonna and Guy Ritchie arguing about their divorce papers...

This extraordinary encounter, known to everyone in the paparazzi world, was something Lucas Warren heard his boss mention when he first entered the industry.

His boss wasn't very old, and he hadn't been in the industry for very long either, but as soon as he joined, he landed a few exclusive deals, which led to his promotion and a raise, making him the boss of this newbie.

That person said that every great news headline has a bit of luck involved.

He hadn't thought much of it before.

But that night, around 11 p.m., after dropping off his girlfriend and leaving the main terminal area of ​​LA airport, he suddenly had a whim. Since he had nothing else to do, he thought he might as well try his luck. When he arrived at the FBO, a private terminal specifically designed for the wealthy, he saw a group of people walking out of the VIP channel as soon as his car came to a stop.

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. He immediately grabbed his Nikon D4, quickly rotated the lens, and zoomed in—the next second, he saw the man surrounded in the center under the lights.

The person was wearing a baseball cap and a large mask, completely covering their face. Not an inch of skin or a single hair was visible. From the other person's perspective, they probably couldn't even see the road.

But, but.

This smell is fucking familiar to paparazzi.

It seems like there are only two men in the world who would go out in such an exaggerated, self-blinding outfit.

Both of these can be considered the paparazzi's golden ticket. As long as they take photos of you, whether you're eating, going out on the street, going to a bar, shopping, drinking coffee, sunbathing, or going out to sea... no matter what it is, even if you're just taking out the trash, as long as you take a picture, you'll definitely have a substantial bonus in your account the next day, and the main page of the media outlet you work for will definitely publish what you took, along with a ridiculous headline like "XX did XXX today".

Then, naturally, many people will click or make a purchase.

In a way, it's almost like a cult.

But could it really be him?
Wasn't he filming in Louisiana? Aren't all those obviously fabricated rumors talking about this? How did he suddenly end up in Los Angeles?!

Lucas Warren swallowed hard, then moved the camera and began muttering repeatedly, "Baby, is that you? OMG, it's you, isn't it? Jesus Christ, don't joke with me—it's you, right? It must be you!"

His camera began to move around the man.

First, there were several uniformed security guards, then a brown-haired white woman, and then his camera focused on a girl.

She wasn't very tall, wearing a white shirt and a straight skirt that revealed her long legs clad in flesh-colored stockings. Her long hair fluttered in the night breeze, revealing a very distinctive face.
After Lucas's camera lingered on her face for a few seconds, it finally matched an image in his mind.

He slammed his fist on the steering wheel in the Chevrolet and shouted excitedly, "That's him!"

There was almost no hesitation.

He abruptly restarted the car, and the moment the group jumped into a black Mercedes van parked on the side of the road, he immediately followed them at a distance.

Although it was already night, traffic was still flowing continuously on the roads of Los Angeles.

Lucas's ability to infiltrate the paparazzi circle wasn't due to luck.

His exceptional driving skills during his job interview are what everyone remembers about him.

Therefore, no matter how suddenly the car in front accelerated, changed lanes, or went around it, no matter how long the red light was, how dense the traffic was, or how dark the sky was, the black Mercedes with license plate number "TNY488" never left his sight.

At the same time, his mind was racing.

As he thought about it, Lucas's blood began to boil. Although he had only been in the industry for a short time and was still a rookie, he had a gut feeling at that moment.

The kind of luck his boss mentioned might just fall on his head today!

……

After a journey of about forty minutes, the black Mercedes van finally slowed down in front of a gatehouse with a barrier, and then drove into a hospital.

Lucas parked his car across the street, looked through the windshield at the sign that read "UCLA Medical Center," and frowned in disappointment.

Why is it a hospital? Are they here to see a doctor?

But then he suddenly realized something was off. If he was here to see a doctor, why was he in this hospital?

He had no idea that this UCLA medical center held a special significance for Gao Yuanyuan.

That year, when Gao Yuanyuan brought her mother to the United States for the first time for medical treatment, it was Chen Nuo who asked Allison for help to arrange for her to receive treatment here.

Afterwards, Chen Nuo not only paid all her medical expenses in advance, but also confessed to her in the woods of the hospital that he was pregnant.

That experience was an unforgettable memory for that woman with a strong artistic temperament. Therefore, when she decided to give birth in the United States this time, she chose this hospital again.

At that moment, Lucas Warren sat in his Chevrolet, lit a cigarette, and stared at the door.

If it were truly an emergency for medical treatment or something else, given the person's status and wealth, they should have gone to a highly private clinic catering exclusively to celebrities, rather than a public hospital like this.

But he just happened to come here!
Logically, since the person he was following had entered the hospital, if he didn't want to go to jail, he should have just stayed quietly in a public area like the street and waited for the person to come out of the hospital to see if he could take a few more photos of people or cars.

Once the photo is sent back to headquarters and the editor gives it a sensational headline, he can easily pocket at least $5000 in bonus.

But at that moment, a certain thought in Lucas's mind grew bigger and bigger involuntarily, like an inflating balloon.

You should know that what he was thinking about just now wasn't this kind of borderline news.

He wanted to take the kind of photos that would make headlines across America, the kind that would make all his fellow paparazzi green with envy, the kind of photos that, like his boss's, would change the course of his life and career!
$5000?

This huge fish only earned $5000!

How could he be willing to accept this!
How to do?
How to do!
Lucas bit his lip and tapped his fingers lightly on the camera body.

One minute later.

A person wearing a hoodie with their head covered got out of the car, put their hands in their pockets, and sneaked into the hospital in the night.

……

……

This was the first time Chen Nuo met Gao Yuanyuan's father, a refined and cultured elder with the elegant demeanor characteristic of intellectuals of that era.

Although he is over seventy years old and has a full head of white hair, one can still vaguely see a resemblance between him and Gao Yuanyuan in his eyes and brows. His daughter's delicate appearance clearly comes from him.

To be honest, meeting in this kind of setting is bound to be a bit awkward.

Fortunately, the old man remained calm. It was unclear whether he had accepted the situation or simply chosen to let it go. He merely shook hands with him gently and said softly, "Hello, Xiao Chen."

Chen Nuo replied respectfully, "Hello, Uncle."

A gentle smile appeared on Gao's mother's face as she continued, "Xiao Chen, you're here. I hope I haven't kept you from your work?"

Chen Nuo immediately waved his hand: "No, no... There is nothing more important in the world than this. It's just that I really didn't know anything about it. Yuan Yuan didn't let anything slip by, otherwise—to be honest, this movie could have been canceled."

His tone was sincere, and also carried a hint of heartfelt regret.

Whether it was just my imagination or not, the tense atmosphere seemed to have eased a bit.

Mr. Gao sighed and said calmly, "Yuanyuan just fell asleep. The nurses have taken her to the intensive care unit. Do you want to go see her?"

Although on the way, Allison had already told him that Gao Yuanyuan had given birth to a daughter for him while he was flying there.

But hearing it from the old man again made Chen Nuo feel relieved.

He shook his head and said, "Wait a minute, I want to see Yuanyuan first. Is it convenient to go in now?"

Mr. Gao's expression softened slightly, and he nodded: "Be gentle."

"it is good."

Chen Nuo quietly pushed the door open and went in.

Gao Yuanyuan was lying on the snow-white hospital bed. She was always thin, but now her cheeks were pale and bloodless.

Chen Nuo sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching Gao Yuanyuan for a while, before suddenly speaking, "Are you pretending to be asleep?"

Gao Yuanyuan didn't open her eyes, but her slightly trembling eyelashes had already betrayed her.

Chen Nuo said, "Stop pretending. Do you know your dad almost scolded me to death just now?"

Gao Yuanyuan opened her eyes and said with dissatisfaction, "You're talking nonsense. My dad never scolded you."

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "You really didn't sleep at all!"

Gao Yuanyuan pursed her lips and smiled. Although she was without makeup and showed signs of postpartum weakness, she possessed a gentle and graceful beauty.

Have you gone to see the baby?

"No, I just arrived."

"Go and see her. The doctor said she arrived a few weeks early, so her lungs aren't fully developed yet and she'll need to be observed in the incubator for a few days. She might also experience some respiratory sensitivities later on..."

Her voice trailed off, tinged with self-reproach, "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have—"

Chen Nuo reached out and took Gao Yuanyuan's hand, which was outside the blanket, gently interrupting her: "There's nothing wrong with that." He looked into her eyes and said gently, "You've done very well."

Gao Yuanyuan stared at him blankly, and then tears streamed down her face uncontrollably: "Will you... blame me for keeping this from you all this time?"

Chen Nuo looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and gently shook his head: "No. After all, I was also at fault back then."

Gao Yuanyuan didn't say anything more, but reached out and tightly grasped his fingers, tears streaming down her face. After a long while, she took a deep breath and said, "I want to sleep for a while. Go check on the baby... and let them get some rest too, especially my mom. She's been with me all day. Don't let her stay up all night."

Chen Nuo didn't know if Gao Yuanyuan really wanted to sleep or if she wanted to calm herself down, but he nodded anyway, "Okay, I'll go check on her. You go to sleep, it's late."

He gently released her hand, tucked the blanket around her, and then stood up.

……

When Lucas saw the door to the ward down the corridor suddenly open and a familiar-looking man in a baseball cap walk out, his heart pounded wildly. It was him!

He's actually here!

At that moment, Alison and Linghu both noticed the man carrying a bouquet of flowers who suddenly walked over from the elevator. They stared at him intently, their eyes wary. However, when they saw the man merely glance in their direction before opening the door to a nearby ward and casually walking inside, they both turned around.

And what about Chen Nuo?

His mind was not on that at all at that moment.

He walked out of the ward, first persuaded Gao Yuanyuan's parents, and asked Linghu to take the elderly couple to the family rest suite provided by the hospital. He then asked Allison to keep an eye on Gao Yuanyuan for him, and then followed Gulnazar to the nurses' station.

He wore a hat and mask the whole time and didn't say a word. He just listened to Gulnazar and the nurses talking. Anyway, his attire was perfectly normal in the hospital and didn't arouse any suspicion.

Finally, he and Nazha followed a nurse to the visiting area of ​​the neonatal intensive care unit.

“Incubator number three, the smallest one.” The nurse pointed to one of the incubators in a row. “She is Ms. Gao’s child. Her vital signs are stable and her breathing is steady, but she still needs to be observed in the incubator. You can look at her through the glass, but you cannot touch her for the time being.”

“Okay, thank you. We’d like to stay here a little longer, is that alright?” Gulnazar said.

"Yes, but we will conduct a unified disinfection and care after midnight, and the visiting area will be closed. Please leave before 11:30."

"Okay, I understand, thank you very much."

Chen Nuo glanced at the limited-edition Rainbow Daytona Rolex on his wrist, the one he had been given to him as the brand ambassador. It was already 11:15, which meant he had fifteen minutes left.

……

How did those fifteen minutes pass?
Chen Nuo knew absolutely nothing about it.

He stared at the small incubator. Although from his current angle he could only see part of the little face, the shock of becoming a father for the second time still made him forget the passage of time.

Before going to sleep, Gao Yuanyuan asked him to remember to name his child, but now he couldn't think of anything. He just wanted to look at her a little longer.

He couldn't stay at the hospital for long, and aside from this quiet, deserted time of night, it really wasn't appropriate for him to be here during the day. Perhaps he should leave tomorrow morning when there were more people.

Until a voice came from the side.

"Excuse me, we need to carry out disinfection and care now. Please leave."

"Could we stay a little longer?" Gulnazar asked with a hint of pleading.

Chen Nuo turned her head and saw two nurses in green surgical gowns and masks emerging from the nurses' station. One of them was pushing a cart full of sterilization equipment, clearly preparing to begin their nighttime professional work.

"No, I'm sorry," one of the nurses said quite seriously.

Chen Nuo glanced at his watch again; it was 11:31.

Then he casually took the watch off.
He walked over and placed the hand in the hands of the rather serious-looking nurse, saying, "Ladies, could you please extend the time by thirty minutes? I have to leave tomorrow morning, and I really want to see her a little longer."

The nurse seemed displeased with his actions and said in a rude tone, "Sir, what are you doing—"

But before she could finish speaking, the nurse next to her immediately interrupted her, looking at the watch in her hand, her voice trembling slightly: "Sir, this watch of yours...you mean..."

“It’s yours now,” Chen Nuo said with a smile. “It’s Eastern etiquette. Thank you for taking care of my daughter. I think you can go to any auction house or pawn shop after get off work. They should be happy to buy this watch for no less than six figures.”

The two nurses suddenly fell silent.

Both of them stared intently at the rainbow Daytona placed on the trolley. Even the most clueless person could recognize the Rolex crown logo on the dial.

Similarly, even if someone doesn't know that this watch is the rarest and most famous rainbow series in Rolex's most prestigious Daytona collection, they will certainly understand its value by seeing the rainbow gradient band composed of colorful gemstones on the bezel and the dazzling light reflected by the diamond-encrusted dial under the lights of the viewing area.

If this watch were to be auctioned at Christie's 10 years from now, it would definitely fetch a million dollars.

If we consider who its former owner was, then even in 2013, it would likely be a top-tier collectible sought after by celebrities worldwide.

Although the two nurses probably didn't know the exact value of the watch, its attractive appearance, coupled with the six-figure sum Chen Nuo mentioned, was enough to win them over.

"Sir, can we come back in an hour? That's the maximum we can do," one of the nurses said, swallowing hard.

Chen Nuo gave a faint smile: "Okay, thank you."

He didn't look at the watch again, but put his hands in his pockets, walked to the glass window, and quietly looked at the temperature-controlled intensive care unit again.

On the other side of the glass, the tiny baby was curled up quietly in the incubator.

The radiance she exuded was more beautiful than a rainbow in his eyes.

……

An hour later, Chen Nuo came out of the visiting area.

Although I haven't decided on a name yet, I'm really happy. A watch not only gave me an extra hour of time, but also showed me the dedication of those two nurses—it couldn't be more worthwhile.

Back outside Gao Yuanyuan's ward, he glanced inside and asked softly, "Is she really asleep?"

Allison nodded and said, "Yes, she's sleeping soundly. Would you like to go and rest for a while?"

"No need. You take Nazha to a nearby hotel to rest, and come back tomorrow morning. I'll go in and keep her company for a while."

“But…” Allison hesitated.

"It's alright," Chen Nuo waved his hand. "There's no one around now. Don't worry. Linghu, could you please make another trip and take them there? It's too late, and it's not safe on the road."

Although Allison and Gulnazar were still a little worried, Chen Nuo managed to persuade them to leave together.

He then walked into the ward, sat on the edge of the bed, looked at Gao Yuanyuan for a while, and then began to doze off.

It's important to know that Louisiana and Los Angeles are two hours apart in time. It's 0:30 a.m. in Los Angeles now, which is 2:30 a.m. in New Orleans. He had a busy day, not only filming but also taking a four-hour flight. He must be exhausted from the long journey.

"Wake up, Xiao Chen, wake up."

He didn't know how long he had been asleep when a gentle call woke him up.

Chen Nuo then realized that he had been lying face down next to Gao Yuanyuan's bed for who knows how long. His hands were numb from being pressed down, and his neck was stiff. He propped himself up and saw that it was already light outside the window. Gao Yuanyuan's parents were standing to the side, smiling at him.

Especially Gao Yuanyuan's father, after sleeping here overnight, he looks completely different from when we first met last night.

Seeing that he was awake, Old Master Gao even frowned and said to Gao Yuanyuan, "You really have the heart to watch Xiao Chen sleep next to you? Aren't you going to tell him to go to the sofa next to you?"

Chen Nuo didn't know when Gao Yuanyuan woke up. Anyway, after hearing what her father said, the new mother showed a wronged look like a little girl and said, "I just woke up and you came. I was just about to call him."

Grandpa Gao shook his head and sighed, "You child, really... Come on, Xiao Chen, I went to the McDonald's next door and bought some breakfast. There's not much good food in this foreign place, so you'll have to make do with whatever you have. When we get back to Beijing, come over to my house and I'll cook you a couple of nice dishes."

Chen Nuo glanced at Gao Yuanyuan and smiled, "Okay, I'll definitely go then."

Gao Yuanyuan's mother asked, "Xiao Chen, when will filming end this time? Around when will you be going back?"

Chen Nuo said, "I estimate there are still two months left. I was thinking, Auntie, you can stay in the US. I'll have my assistant and my PR manager take you around the US. I heard from Yuanyuan that Uncle had difficulty traveling abroad before, and it would be a waste for him to go back now that he's finally here. How about we go back together after I finish filming? What do you think?"

Gao Yuanyuan's mother smiled and said, "It's good that you have this intention, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the ward door.

Chen Nuo turned around and saw Allison standing at the door with a not-so-good expression. She forced a smile and said, "Chen, do you have time to come out and talk? There's been a bit of an emergency."

Chen Nuo glanced at Gao Yuanyuan, who looked concerned, and had a vague premonition in his heart. He immediately said, "Let's come in and talk. There are too many people outside. It's more convenient inside."

Allison thought for a moment, nodded and said okay, then walked in.

After greeting Gao Yuanyuan and her family, Allison said in English, "Chen, do you remember Amy Rogers?"

Chen Nuo recalled the reporter who had followed him on his hiking trip earlier this year, trying to take photos of him without his consent, and nodded, saying, "I remember, what happened?"

"After you talked to her last time, I gave her some information, and now she's a manager on her website. She just called me and said that one of her subordinates took some photos. Take a look."

After saying that, Allison handed over the phone.

The opened text messages on the phone contained over a dozen MMS messages, each filled with a photo of him. It was clear these were taken secretly with the phone's camera; the image quality wasn't very clear, but the angles were extremely insidious.

Each photo bypassed the hat and mask, clearly capturing his profile.

There are photos of him sleeping beside Gao Yuanyuan's hospital bed, his baseball cap askew; photos taken secretly through a small window, showing him standing in the visiting area gazing at the incubator; and even photos taken from outside the room.

The photo clearly shows the nameplate on the door, and he and Gao Yuanyuan are both in the same frame. Gao Yuanyuan's face is also very clear in the photo.

The more he looked, the gloomier his face became.

Allison's words were overheard by Gao Yuanyuan's family. This family were all highly educated and understood English; their expressions immediately changed.

After he finished reading, he glanced at Gao Yuanyuan and handed her the phone.

After the phone had been passed around among the group, everyone's expression became extremely serious.

Allison put her phone away and said in a deep voice, "Amy told me that because that person only contacted her early this morning, if she pretends not to notice her phone, she can probably keep this under wraps until nine o'clock this morning. But after nine o'clock, everyone in her company will be at work, and she won't be able to stop it anymore. Because if that paparazzi doesn't get a reply from her, he will definitely contact their website's editor-in-chief directly. So, if we want to do something, we must do it before that time."

Chen Nuo subconsciously wanted to check his watch, but when he raised his wrist, he realized that he had already given it away.

"What time is it now?" he asked.

“7:30 in the morning,” Alison replied.

"So, we have one and a half hours left?"

"Correct."

(End of this chapter)