The setting sun gradually sank below the horizon, painting the sky with fiery crimson clouds.

Three hours later, Xia Chengcheng arrived at the most renowned club in Jiang City— Dihao Club.

This place operated on a strict membership basis and its usual clientele were titans of the business world. The club was known for its top-tier privacy, and powerful figures liked to discuss major deals there while enjoying luxurious services.

Some of the city’s best-kept secrets often took place within these walls.

〖You can’t get in.〗 The system chided Xia Chengcheng as she crouched in her car, using the rearview mirror to do her makeup. 〖Dihao has airtight security. No paparazzi could ever sneak inside!〗

Xia Chengcheng ignored the system. Calmly, she dabbed a layer of dark powder over her porcelain-like face, put on a short wig and white gloves, and changed into a cheap suit, transforming herself into a male server.

Just then, a luxurious Bentley pulled up at the entrance of the club.

Xia Chengcheng swiftly walked to the back of the car and respectfully opened the door for its owner.

The Bentley’s owner stepped out and followed Xia Chengcheng into the club without sparing her a glance. To him, she was just one of the club’s valet staff.

The club’s security also paid her no attention. Seeing her trailing the guest, they assumed she was his chauffeur or assistant.

And just like that, Xia Chengcheng successfully followed the Bentley’s owner into the establishment.

〖System: ……〗

Once inside, Xia Chengcheng slipped into the women’s restroom and changed into a female staff uniform.

She pulled out some cosmetics and did a quick touch-up, deliberately dulling her stunning beauty so her perfect face would appear more ordinary.

Then she stepped out of the restroom, casually picked up a tray a server had left on a rest table, and placed two wine glasses— sourced from who-knows-where— on it.

Her movements were smooth and practiced, like flowing water.

The system was stunned. 〖Host, were you…… a CIA agent in your past life?〗

“Are you kidding me?” Xia Chengcheng responded in her mind. “I’m just a paparazzi.”

〖System: ……〗

Were paparazzi in her world all this hardcore?

Having infiltrated the club, Xia Chengcheng immediately began searching for her target.

In the novel, Dihao Club was one of the rendezvous spots where Ji Jinghan met with her sugar daddy. Later in the story, their secret relationship is exposed, and Ji Jinghan’s reputation completely collapses.

The infamous leaked photos had been taken right there, inside this club, capturing Ji Jinghan and her sponsor together.

Clearly, the novel’s paparazzi had never managed to get inside. But Xia Chengcheng had infiltrated enemy territory without hesitation.

〖You want to capture Ji Jinghan’s downfall scandal?〗 The system finally understood Xia Chengcheng’s intent. 〖But how can you be sure they’ll come to the club today?〗

Even if going by the timeline in the novel, that incident was supposed to happen months later.

“They’re definitely coming today.” Xia Chengcheng replied confidently while navigating smoothly between the guests with the tray. “Did you forget why Ji Jinghan went to see her sugar daddy in the novel?”

The system flipped through the novel, puzzled. 〖Ji Jinghan had a feud with the popular actress Lu Yanran and sought her sugar daddy’s help to ruin Lu Yanran’s reputation online. And it all started because Lu Yanran slapped her across the face……〗

A slap?

The system instantly snapped to attention. 〖Host, so that’s why you slapped Ji Jinghan today too!〗

“Bingo!” Xia Chengcheng snapped her fingers. “With Ji Jinghan’s petty and vengeful personality, she would never let that slide. So I just pushed the plot forward.”

The system’s eyes widened in awe. 〖Host…… you’re amazing!〗

────ρя


Ten minutes later, Xia Chengcheng spotted Ji Jinghan and her sugar daddy.

The two were nestled together in a secluded corner on the second floor of the main hall, a restricted area where only designated staff were allowed to approach.

Standing on the first floor, Xia Chengcheng adjusted the micro camera hidden in her pocket. The lens, peeking out from a small hole in her pants, was aimed at the intimate scene above.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great. Ji Jinghan’s face appeared blurry and indistinct.

Xia Chengcheng glanced around, then began moving toward the second floor without drawing attention.

The system’s alarm blared, 〖Host, don’t go over there! That’s the VIP area! You’ll get caught!〗

Just as the warning ended, a richly dressed middle-aged woman noticed Xia Chengcheng. She frowned and called out, “Hey, you there! Which section are you from? I’ve never seen you before.”

Xia Chengcheng immediately stopped in her tracks.

〖We’re doomed! Doomed!〗 The system trembled in fear. 〖That woman is the club manager— half-connected to the underworld! She’s ruthless! Any staff caught leaking information gets their hands chopped off! If she finds out you’re a paparazzi, you’ll never make it out alive!〗

Smiling sweetly, Xia Chengcheng turned around and glanced at the woman’s name tag— Lin Juan.

“Sister Juan, I’m new in the kitchen staff.” Xia Chengcheng said, linking arms with her affectionately. “You’re such a busy lady, it’s no wonder you don’t remember me~”

But Lin Juan didn’t buy it. She shoved Xia Chengcheng away and demanded, “Show me your work ID.”

Xia Chengcheng kept her cool and calmly pulled an ID from her pocket, handing it over.

〖You even prepared a work ID? When did you do that? Why didn’t I know?〗 The system exclaimed in disbelief.

On instinct, it scanned the ID using its AI functions. The result appeared on its smart panel, and the system nearly crashed on the spot. That ID card, face down in a protective sleeve, was actually Xia Chengcheng’s access pass for Xingkong Entertainment!

Lin Juan was about to flip the card over, yet Xia Chengcheng still maintained her composed smile.

At that moment, a guest carrying a glass of whiskey with ice balls happened to walk past.

Without changing expression, Xia Chengcheng swiftly stuck out her foot and tripped the guest without hesitation.

“Ah—!”

Caught off guard, the guest fell forward and crashed into Lin Juan, spilling whiskey all over her.

In the ensuing chaos, the glass, the ice, and the ID card all scattered across the floor.

Xia Chengcheng reacted quickly. With a swift step forward, she stomped on the fallen staff badge and then pretended to help the customer up. “Sir, are you alright?”

As she supported the customer, her other hand discreetly picked up the badge and slipped it into her pocket.

Lin Juan also scrambled to her feet in a panic, ignoring the mess on the floor as she bowed deeply to the customer. “Sir, I’m so sorry! The carpet must be uneven and tripped you. Please accept my apology!”

The customer turned out to be quite easygoing. He waved his hand. “It’s nothing, just twisted my ankle.”

Of course he twisted it, The system muttered inwardly. The lighting in the club lobby was dim, and no one else saw it, but the system had clearly witnessed Xia Chengcheng’s deliberate trip. It was vicious. If the guy hadn’t fallen onto Lin Juan, he’d have smashed his teeth out on the floor!

Xia Chengcheng, ever the natural, held the customer up with a friendly air. “Sir, I see you’re a VIP from the second floor. Let me help you back upstairs.”

The customer was about to refuse, but when he looked up and saw the sweet young woman beside him, his heart skipped a beat.

Her makeup had intentionally toned down her looks. She no longer had that striking, dazzling beauty, but retained a soft sweetness that set her apart in a world filled with surgically enhanced faces. It was more than enough.

The customer’s eyes grew hazy, and he allowed Xia Chengcheng to support him. “Alright, take me up.”

……

Xia Chengcheng helped him upstairs. Not far from where they were, Ji Jinghan was clinging intimately to her sugar daddy.

The man appeared to be around fifty, with a chubby face, large ears, and a bulging beer belly. As he held Ji Jinghan, he was panting heavily.

〖Probably kidney deficiency.〗 The system quipped. 〖Spending one night with Ji Jinghan will kill him.〗

As Xia Chengcheng supported the customer, she quickly used the hidden pinhole camera in her pocket to capture the pair in their intimate embrace.

Once she ensured both of their faces were visible, she considered the mission done.

The customer tried to take things further, holding onto Xia Chengcheng and reluctant to let go.

Xia Chengcheng playfully tapped his nose with a flirtatious smile. “Oh dear, Brother, do you want to play something a little spicier?”

Her sweet, sultry voice even made the system’s heart flutter.

Help! Was its host secretly from a brothel?

The customer was instantly aroused. “What do you want to play?”

“That’s my friend in the next booth.” Xia Chengcheng pointed to Ji Jinghan. “We can have a four-person game~ It’s super fun!”

In the dim light, the customer couldn’t make out Ji Jinghan’s face clearly, but he could vaguely tell she was a beauty.

“They…… Will they agree?” The customer sounded hesitant, though his voice trembled with excitement.

“Why wouldn’t they?” Xia Chengcheng blinked innocently. “We do this kind of thing all the time! Just wait five minutes. I’ll go tell her. Then you can come over and enjoy the best of both worlds— two beautiful women in your arms!”

“Great!”

With the customer beaming in anticipation, Xia Chengcheng strolled toward the next booth. But the moment she turned a corner, she swiftly exited the second floor and vanished.

〖You’re so bad!〗 The system complained. 〖You totally set him and Ji Jinghan up!〗

“Oh? You figured it out!” She replied cheekily.

Xia Chengcheng returned to the restroom and retrieved a suit and wig she had hidden in the janitor’s closet. “That well-dressed man is Zhang Xiao, Vice President of Zhongjin Construction. He’s been married ten years and still comes to places like this every week.

As for Ji Jinghan’s sugar daddy, that’s Hong Tao, CEO of Xiahua Real Estate. He’s never made his family public, but his secretly married wife jumped off a building three days ago due to depression. Neither of these two is any good. They deserve what’s coming.”

〖Hold on a second!〗

The system short-circuited. 〖That stuff isn’t even in the novel! Even I didn’t know!〗

“Of course you didn’t.”

Xia Chengcheng began applying makeup, transforming herself back into the little valet from before. “Before infiltrating Dihao, I scanned the recent news and memorized the big shots from every industry. That’s a basic skill for paparazzi. Three days ago, there was a news piece about a wealthy lady jumping to her death from depression.”

She pulled up a Weibo post titled 【Lady of Wealthy Family Commits Suicide Due to Depression】, with the headline highlighted in bold.

The system was confused. 〖There’s no mention of Hong Tao’s name here. How did you know she was his wife?〗

“Because of where she jumped from.”

Xia Chengcheng enlarged the scene photo from the suicide report. “That place is a newly developed luxury flat by Xiahua Real Estate. It’s not on the market yet. In Jiang City, new properties are sold by lottery. Internal sales are illegal. Yet that woman lived there— and died there. The only explanation is that she was the wife of the developer. In other words, Hong Tao’s wife. So, do you see now?”

Xia Chengcheng stared into the mirror, her expression darkening as she looked at her male disguise. It was unclear whether she was talking to herself or the system in her mind.

“Hong Tao’s secretly married wife didn’t die of depression.” She said, enunciating each word clearly, “She was driven to her death.”

……

Disguised once more, Xia Chengcheng returned to the club’s main hall.

By then, the place was in chaos. Lin Juan had led a team of security guards upstairs to break up a fight.

Xia Chengcheng looked up to the second-floor corner and saw Hong Tao of Xiahua Real Estate brawling with Zhang Xiao of Zhongjin Construction. No one knew exactly what Zhang Xiao had done to provoke him, but Hong Tao’s face was red with fury, and he was fighting like a madman.

Off to the side, Ji Jinghan shrieked like a melodramatic soap opera heroine, “Stop fighting! Don’t fight over me!”

“What a shame!” Xia Chengcheng sighed deeply. “With Dihao Club’s confidentiality, netizens will never get to enjoy such a juicy scandal!”

〖System: You’re such a liar! You’re obviously filming it with that hidden camera in your pocket!〗

Xia Chengcheng ignored the complaint, her voice bubbly, “Say, how much do you think Hong Tao and Zhang Xiao would pay for this footage?”

Ten minutes later, Xia Chengcheng proved her point— with cold hard cash.

She had the system send video screenshots to Hong Tao, Zhang Xiao, and Lin Juan. As expected, all three immediately responded with offers.

None of them knew Xia Chengcheng had blackmailed all three at once. Five hundred thousand per person— that was already the top price for scandal footage.

Hong Tao and Zhang Xiao each represented powerful companies. They couldn’t afford any public disgrace. And Dihao Club, with its reputation for discretion, would be doomed if this kind of footage leaked.

1.5 million was effortlessly earned.

The system was stunned. 〖Host, you took the money. How are you going to expose them now? Are you letting Ji Jinghan go?〗

“Let her go?”

By then, Xia Chengcheng had already slipped out of the club. She sat in her Beetle, admiring the newly added 1.5 million in her account. “The fight was one thing; the sugar daddy issue is another. If someone wants the dirt on Ji Jinghan’s sponsor, that’s a whole different price.”

She tucked away her phone and started the car, heading toward the city center.