Chapter 51 p1
His name was Passerby Ding.
Of course, that wasn’t his real name. It was his professional name, his codename, of the same nature as Gin, Rum, and Bourbon. It had a very mysterious aura, letting people know at a glance that he was a secretive person.
That’s right, Passerby Ding was engaged in a secret profession. He was born from the shadows, danced in the darkness, and brewed evil in places unseen.
He was a paparazzi.
Hey, what’s with that expression? Are you looking down on paparazzi? Are you saying he’s a guy who doesn’t even dare to show his real name?
A joke. Who doesn’t use a professional name when they’re out and about these days? Take his target for today—Fan An. Could that possibly be her real name?
…It seems it is. She wrote it on her police report.
Even a secretive person like Passerby Ding had to endure the humiliation of signing his real name on a police report when faced with the vicious police: Lu Ren Xiao Ding.
(T/N: A pun. “Lu Ren” means passerby, and “Xiao Ding” means “little Ding,” a common diminutive.)
Passerby Ding: Shut up! Don’t call me that name! I’m not little at all!
His target was a big story.
“A-list actress’s romance exposed. As long as you can get the photos, this is the minimum,” the middleman said, waving his hand.
Passerby Ding was tempted but hesitant. “The price is so high. Could there be a conspiracy?”
For example, the employer pretends to hire a paparazzi for a scoop, but is actually picking a victim for their own bloodthirsty hobbies!
A death-courting group like the paparazzi, who actively avoid the police and surveillance and walk right into a trap, is a favorite of some criminals. She wouldn’t have to be very tired or troubled to enjoy a bloody feast.
She was already an A-list actress. How could Passerby Ding not know about Miss An’s magnificent feat of dominating the front page of the crime section? There was something a little cursed about her.
“No, no, she comes and goes from the Metropolitan Police Department as she pleases, in and out seven times as if it were her own home. If she really had a criminal record, her fans would have dug it up long ago,” the middleman reassured him.
“The price is high because the employer requires 24/7 surveillance, from morning to night. You can’t get off work before midnight.”
Passerby Ding: Is that all?
What an insult. Which paparazzi doesn’t hang from someone’s window in the middle of the night to get the first-hand scoop? A mere all-nighter was a piece of cake.
“I’ll take this job,” Passerby Ding said lightly.
Great. The middleman, as if afraid he would back out, took out a small piece of paper with Fan An’s address on it. “Please!”
Passerby Ding glanced at the address and smiled.
“Beika Town?” he said with great interest. “I’ve heard that many of my seniors in the industry are quite afraid of this city, especially of spending the night in Beika. Such timid mice. No wonder they don’t have a single big story.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. No matter how much the wind blows in Beika Town, it’s just a city of ordinary people. What’s there to be afraid of?
“It’s just rumors, a little trick by the Beika Tourism Bureau to generate revenue,” Passerby Ding said, weighing the camera around his neck. He turned around coolly, leaving the middleman’s awestruck gaze behind him.
…
With his beloved camera, Passerby Ding climbed a tree opposite the Trojan Horse Apartments and waited patiently.
According to the information provided by the employer, the target was on vacation today and didn’t have to go to the set. Since her vacation was very rare, she was very likely to go on a date with her boyfriend today.
As expected, the door to the target’s apartment opened.
The autumn air was getting cooler. The dark-haired girl was wearing a retro-colored tweed dress with a light brown shawl. Her Mary Jane shoes tapped lightly on the ground. The soft sunlight kissed her face.
Passerby Ding’s hands were faster than his brain. He frantically pressed the shutter.
“Hiss, my memory card!” he said, hitting the back of his hand in frustration.
But these photos were also very precious and valuable. If they were released, a super-large number of Fan An’s fans would go crazy for them, because as everyone knew, their sister never made public appearances, and didn’t even have a public social media account.
Actually, Fan An did have a social media account, but she rarely went online. She was only diligent during the lottery for the “Beika Town Murderers’ Collaborative Publication” series, frequently retweeting.
Most of the time, Fan An was on the local Beika forum, gossiping.
A forum that could only be accessed with a local WiFi connection. The amount of gossip was huge and satisfying. The relationship dispute section was full of dog-blood drama. As expected of Beika Town, where crimes of passion accounted for half of all murder motives!
Suspect An: There is no end to learning.
Fan An left the apartment. She strolled leisurely along the street, stepping on the crisp maple leaves, surrounded by the mottled shadows of the trees.
Passerby Ding, who couldn’t stop pressing the shutter, was speechless. “…”
What’s going on? Why am I like a magazine photographer? Has my lifelong soul of a photographer not died?
“Cherish the moments when you can get a good shot with a casual snap,” Passerby Ding comforted himself. “When she meets up with her boyfriend, my photography skills will be put to the test.”
He had heard that her boyfriend was just an ordinary person. He would definitely ruin the beautiful composition when he entered the frame…
“Holy crap!” Passerby Ding blurted out.
What a stunningly handsome man!
These two, standing together, looked like they had walked out of a shoujo manga. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were shooting a high-fashion spread. Their looks were way too far above average!
“Achoo!” An’an sneezed.
“Why do I feel like I’m being talked about all the way?” she looked around. “Tōru-kun, what about you?”
Amuro glanced nonchalantly at the green belt on the side of the street.
Passerby Ding, holding his camera, suddenly felt a chill run up his spine.
It must be my imagination. My hiding skills are seamless. How could I be discovered at first sight?
Passerby Ding rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps, and crawled forward under the cover of the green belt.
He had to get a shot today. His paparazzi soul was burning!
…
“Left hand or right hand?”
Amuro put both his hands behind his back and asked An’an.
She thought seriously for a minute. “Right hand.”
Amuro smiled and held out his hand, handing the milk tea in his right hand to the girl.
“!” She was overjoyed. “The first cup of autumn.”
“An’an guessed right away,” Amuro praised. “Amazing.”
Passerby Ding: “…”
Please, you had both your hands behind your back. Which hand was holding the milk tea was up to you, wasn’t it?
“It would have been better if I had chosen the left hand,” the girl, holding the milk tea with both hands, said suddenly.
Amuro: “Eh?”
“The right hand is milk tea. The left hand has no taro paste and no milk tea. Isn’t the only thing left a kiss?” she said slyly. “I don’t have to drink milk tea.”
Amuro chuckled. He leaned down and kissed An’an’s forehead. “Alright, a kiss.”
The zero-frame-startup couple’s affection caught the paparazzi off guard. Passerby Ding had been prepared to be lucky if he could get a few intimate shots after following them all day. Now he was starting to worry about his camera’s memory.
“Am I here to expose a story, or to film a dating show?” the paparazzi was confused.
I’ll just take one shot first… damn it, it’s already over. Kiss a little longer, you two!
Passerby Ding crawled in the shadows behind the green belt.
The protection of the green belt ended here. The target walked into a high-end shopping mall under the Suzuki Group.
Why did Passerby Ding know that the Suzuki Group owned this mall? Because there was a sign at the entrance: [A bomb was discovered in this mall half a month ago. Customers, please feel free to enter. —Suzuki Group]
The out-of-towner rubbed his eyes hard. Feel free? What kind of peace of mind is that?
“A bomb was just discovered in this mall half a month ago. It should be safe until the end of the month. Let’s go and have a look.”
“Only one bomb was installed? It’s too safe. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s have a look.”
The chatting Beika citizens walked past Passerby Ding and into the mall.
The Paparazzi: (jaw drops.jpg)
I don’t understand you Beika people.jpg
He gritted his teeth and followed them in.
Passerby Ding wasn’t afraid of losing his target. Those two were really easy to find. The paparazzi saw the two of them whispering behind a bookshelf in the bookstore at a glance.
They must be saying something with a strong smell of lovey-dovey.
Amuro: “No, An’an. We’re not buying this.”
Fan An: “I want this one. I have to buy it.”
Amuro: “Don’t you already have a finely edited, autographed set of the entire “Beika Town Murderers’ Collaborative Publication: A Beginner’s Guide to Planning a Murder” series?”
Fan An: “Because I like it so much, I’ve decided to eat in multiples.”
Fan An: “And if you buy it now, it comes with “The Murderer’s Confession: My Years with Beika Town.” I’ve wanted to buy this book for a long time. It’s always out of stock.”
Amuro: Damn it, we just cracked down on a batch last month. Where did this one slip through the cracks?!
Passerby Ding couldn’t read lips. He only saw a couple leaning close and talking in low voices. The paparazzi raised his camera.
“You win,” Amuro said, raising his hands in surrender. His raised hand inadvertently covered the girl’s face. “I only have one request. Don’t read this one for a bedtime story.”
“Because I’ll get more and more awake the more I listen?” An’an said in a negotiating tone. “Actually, my sleep quality has always been very good. Can you not always read the criminal law to me when we’re on a call before bed? I’m not taking the bar exam.”
Amuro looked deeply at the “The Murderer’s Confession” in her arms. No, I think it’s very necessary.
“Damn it, I can’t get a clear shot,” in the corner of the bookstore, Passerby Ding flipped through his camera, unable to find a single usable photo.
Brave Little Ding is not afraid of difficulties. It’s still early. He reiterated his goal for the day: I must get a shot today!
…