The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Chapter 164 I finally got there

"Hot Melon Excavator" is a well-known paparazzi account.

It is run by three brothers.

In this line of work, they don't use their real names or reveal their hometowns. For safety, the three brothers each adopted a nickname.

The eldest tropical fish seller started out selling tropical fish at a flower and bird market. When his business failed, he impulsively went to Hengdian to work as an extra.

After working in the industry for less than two months, I realized that it wasn't profitable and there was basically no chance of getting ahead. On a whim, taking advantage of my proximity to the paparazzi, I switched careers and became one.

This person started setting up a stall with relatives when he was a teenager. He was born with a keen eye and would specifically target young actors who had the potential to become famous.

They took indecent photos of them, their relationships, and all sorts of gossip about them.

When the time was right, he took out these photos and put them up for sale.

And you know what? This line of work is really lucrative.

After earning his first pot of gold, Tropical Fish felt that he couldn't do it all by himself, so he simply called his second younger brother, who grew watermelons in his hometown, to help him.

The second brother was also unlucky. Just when all the watermelons on the ground were ripe, someone spread rumors online that his family's watermelons couldn't be sold and no one wanted them even if they were given away for free, and that everyone was welcome to come and pick them for free.

When he found out, all that was left in the watermelon patch was a mess of tangled vines and small watermelons trampled to pieces.

The police were called because there was no surveillance footage, the watermelon yield in the field was unclear, and the number of people picking watermelons was countless. Since there were too many people involved, the law didn't punish them; they only arrested the person spreading the rumors and detained him for a few days, ordering him to pay compensation. This person was dirt poor; he wrote an IOU but had no money to pay it back.

So the second brother, filled with resentment, ventured into the entertainment industry, and incidentally adopted the nickname "Watermelon".

With brothers united, their strength can break gold. With the help of watermelon, the tropical fish became even more powerful and began to leave Hengdian, learning from its peers and following the big names.

He was also lucky. Taking advantage of the emerging trend of athletes becoming part of the fandom, he followed an athlete who cultivated a loving husband persona and coincidentally captured a major scandal involving infidelity. He sold the photos and instantly became rich.

The two brothers are living a good life, but the younger brother is still operating an excavator in his hometown.

The two brothers quickly decided to bring their youngest brother along.

Following family tradition, the third son's nickname is naturally "Excavator".

Just as Weibo was becoming increasingly popular, the boss, with great foresight, created an account on Weibo called "Hot Melon Excavator".

The three brothers are very principled in their work and have a strong moral compass.

It's standard practice to get solid evidence before releasing information.

The account went viral because they repeatedly captured celebrities engaging in illegal activities such as prostitution, drug use, and fighting. Instead of selling the photos, they took them to the police station to report the crimes and only exposed them after the celebrities had been convicted.

The three had been active in the entertainment industry for over a decade. By the time short video platforms like Douyin (TikTok) emerged and their children had grown up, the tropical fish had come up with new tricks.

He made his eldest niece a "shipping leader" to guide people in shipping couples online, and made his son a professional fan to take photos everywhere. After taking the photos, he would compile them into a photo album and sell it.

Once the number of fans increases, it's possible to collaborate with the corresponding artist's studio to help with promotion.

As for the youngest niece, because she was good at studying, she was sent directly to study law, in preparation for becoming a pillar of the family.

The fan economy, frankly speaking, is just that simple.

The reason they targeted Lu Nanting was threefold: first, he was generous and didn't skimp on money, making it easy to sell photos of him for a high price; second, he was a "good-for-nothing" playboy, presumably leading a very exciting private life; third, as the heir to Starlight Entertainment, he received a lot of attention from the start of his career, and he lived up to expectations, gaining a large following, so even if the photos didn't sell, they could still gain more fans if they were leaked; finally, because he always had bodyguards with him, ordinary paparazzi couldn't get a picture of him, making him a rare and valuable asset.

The excavator driver is skilled, the tropical fish have a keen sense of smell, and the watermelon photographer is very steady and good at taking pictures. The three brothers always go together and never separate.

The person taking photos got out of the car and squatted down, while the driver prepared to start the car. The boss kept watch nearby, ready to warn the driver if anything seemed amiss.

The three of them have been following Lu Nanting for a long time, basically since not long after his debut.

During this period, there were naturally photos of him meeting Gu Lanxi in private, as well as photos of him staring at Gu Lanxi, and even photos of Gu Lanxi having dinner with the Lu family, which were considered strong evidence.

But Lu Nanting never hesitated to buy the photos each time, being exceptionally generous while signing extremely strict contract terms.

Having been in this industry for many years, I know that relationships based on real money are the most genuine.

They knew she was the crown prince's darling, so even when their secret marriage was exposed, they didn't release any information.

It's rare for the Lanting couple to be in the same city after their marriage. Last time they were in Shanghai, the three brothers didn't sleep well for several days and nights just to find out about them.

Unfortunately, there were just too many people staking out them that time, so even if they managed to take some pictures, they could only rush to post them to gain popularity and followers.

Gu Lanxi came back for her birthday, and in theory, many people should have come to wait for her. However, this is their base, and the security in the community is not on the same level as that of private residences in Shanghai. As long as they don't go out, they can basically only wait in vain.

But the three brothers still came. Thanks to Lu Nanting, they had already realized their dream of owning a villa by the sea and had long since looked down on those small fry.

If you're going to follow someone, follow the one who's most valuable in the entertainment industry.

They were lucky; the couple rarely had a day off and wanted some alone time, so they gave the housekeepers the day off.

Gu Lanxi was cooking lunch when she realized there were no scallions at home. Just as she was about to ask someone to go out and buy some, Lu Nanting offered to go himself.

Considering there was a vegetable shop right next to the residential area, Gu Lanxi agreed.

The three brothers were starving and it was almost midnight. Just as they were about to go to the nearby store to buy something to eat, they saw Lu Nanting driving out of the main gate of Oriental No. 1, all by himself, happily.

What else is there to say?

Hurry up and catch up!

Last night, this guy posted a completely random Weibo post, and the whole internet was on tenterhooks, thinking about it all night. Turns out they caught him! Seriously! Money just keeps flowing.

So, when Lu Nanting, wearing a hat and mask, came out of the vegetable store next to the community after buying scallions, he was blocked by the three of them.

"Teacher Lu, we arrived at four in the morning and haven't had lunch yet. We've been waiting for almost eight hours. We just want to ask one question and then leave, please!"

Lu Nanting used to give them a cold shoulder whenever he saw them.

Because this often means he's going to lose money.

But now that he's married, his weakness is gone. Seeing the three of them, old and new grudges surged up in his heart, and he immediately took off his mask, revealing a smug smile to them:

"Are you hungry now? I'll treat you to a meal, and then we'll say goodbye, how about that?"

"It's lunchtime, why don't you eat with us? We'll treat you to lunch, and you can choose any place you like, Teacher Lu!"

Speaking of these three, they're considered to have a good reputation in the paparazzi circle, and they're known for their proper conduct. Lu Nanting was in a good mood today and didn't intend to make things difficult for them. He politely held up the scallions in his hand to show them, then said happily:

"My wife is cooking fish for lunch and is waiting for the scallions to go into the pot, but I'm in a hurry to get home, so I won't go."

The tropical fish was lucky it didn't burst into tears!

I've been following this guy for so many years, and I've never seen him so amiable!
"Then could you tell me what exactly happened last night? Your Weibo post is really intriguing!"

The urge to show off has reached its peak, and I'm not kidding.

Especially after looking at those photo albums last night.

But he swallowed the words back.

"I can't comment on that! I'm leaving now, bye!"

After saying that, his long legs left a blur, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the parking spot, opened the car door, got in, and drove off with a tap on the gas.

The tropical fish was extremely disappointed that it couldn't get an answer, but it could only retreat with its two younger brothers.

Knowing that someone was waiting there, the young couple, who rarely have a day off, definitely wouldn't go out.

As soon as they got in the car, less than fifty meters later, Xigua, who was checking the video footage, started chuckling.

"I guess I managed to get some shots today."

"What did you photograph? A hickey?"

He has a wife, it's legal, so a strawberry mark isn't unusual; the tropical fish isn't interested.

As a result, Xigua had already dragged out his computer and skillfully extracted several screenshots from the video.

"Brother, look, this one, compared to this one from a few years ago, isn't it absolutely stunning? And this one from before his debut, isn't it absolutely stunning too?"

The tropical fish took a closer look and clapped its hands, exclaiming, "You really know how to take pictures!"

The younger brother, driving the car, asked curiously, "What did you photograph, Second Brother?"

The tropical fish was very careful about traffic safety; upon hearing him speak, it immediately scolded him.
"There are countless roads, but life is the most important. Let's stop the car later!"

The excavator operator dared not speak out in anger, and could only sigh and remain silent.

Does anyone still have their guaranteed monthly votes? Please, please, please!

(End of this chapter)