Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 965: Lost (1)

In fact, besides the cold winter, another issue that has been troubling Magic City Airport is that the Chinese Lunar New Year is just a few days away.

(Note: Magic City is a nickname for Shanghai)

This is the time known for the Spring Festival travel rush.

Especially with the train station connected to the airport in recent years, the passenger flow here has remained at a frightening level.

If there are weather problems causing flights to be delayed, it becomes a serious issue.

The good thing is, it’s currently midnight, and there are far fewer people than during the day. After passing through security, most stores have closed, except for a few retail outlets and restaurants that operate 24 hours.

Overall, it feels a bit quiet.

Of course, this environment is very beneficial to Han Bingjiang... Why?

Naturally, fewer people means a clearer view, and for an entertainment reporter like Han Bingjiang, who thrives on uncovering secrets and exposing scandals, this is ideal—it makes it easier to secretly take photos of his targets.

Labels like "Top Entertainment Reporter" and "The Strongest Paparazzi" have been attached to Han Bingjiang in recent years—this is a kind of alternative fame.Although there are often explosive news stories during the New Year, unfortunately, the paparazzi at the studio have all gone home for the holidays. Reluctantly, as the studio boss, Han Bingjiang has to take matters into his own hands.

Today's target is a well-known actress.

According to reliable sources, this actress, known for her pure image, claims to be a devout believer. She has repeatedly stated in the media that she rejects premarital inappropriate behavior and has no boyfriend—yet this time, she seems to be accompanied by a foreign boyfriend, seemingly returning home for the New Year.

—Let’s uncover the false masks of these entertainment figures! Watching them fall from their pedestals, suffering in the midst of trouble and public condemnation… it’s far more satisfying than any money this could bring.

—It’s truly delightful.

—What was that saying?

Recently, Han Bingjiang had seen someone use his own picture as an emoji, with this phrase written on it: "I love watching you grind your teeth in hatred, but can’t touch me."

“Get out of the way, little brat! Smoking so many years and not afraid to ruin your mouth!”

A very obese janitor grumpily "squeezed" into the smoking room, cleaning up after the "old smokers" had finished.

Han Bingjiang, considering himself quite cultured, didn’t want to argue with the obese woman. He simply extinguished his cigarette and walked out… though he did feel uncomfortable in his mouth after lurking in the airport for so long.

He was also a bit hungry.

Just as he was about to grab something to eat, Han Bingjiang suddenly stopped. He had spotted a high-quality woman.

Without a doubt, Han Bingjiang's sharp eyes could tell who someone was and their background almost immediately—this woman, clearly wealthy or noble, had a strong sense of fashion and was likely a socialite from a wealthy family.

However, he couldn’t recall who she was at the moment.

She was with a seemingly ordinary young man and a child who obviously wasn’t of Asian descent. The combination seemed odd.

Out of natural curiosity, Han Bingjiang smiled and approached the young man and woman—despite his appearance being widely known due to his past explosive news reports, with some disguise, he could still fool most people.

After all, not everyone would remember what an entertainment reporter looked like—especially since photos never fully matched the real person.

“What happened?” Han Bingjiang smiled, appearing approachable like a teacher.

“This child got lost. We’re planning to help him,” the young man casually said.

But the child, upon seeing Han Bingjiang, immediately hid behind the young man, clearly frightened—this made Han Bingjiang feel awkward.

"Don’t mind him. He’s just shy. He’s even afraid of me," the high-quality woman suddenly said, with a hint of sourness in her voice.

Han Bingjiang awkwardly smiled.

There’s no value in this… Han Bingjiang silently shook his head. However, as part of his disguise, he still kindly suggested, “Not far ahead is the airport's duty office. You can go there for help.”

"Thanks," the young man smiled faintly, then added, "There’s a water dispenser over there too, not far."

Han Bingjiang froze, instinctively murmuring a thank you. He watched the young couple leave with the child and frowned, muttering, “How does he know that?”

But Han Bingjiang quickly realized it was probably because he had been smoking for too long, his mouth feeling dry and cracked, making him look like someone thirsty.

He saw the child glance back at him, then quickly turn away again, clearly still afraid.

Han Bingjiang shook his head, thinking to himself that he probably wasn’t liked by children... Well, it should be about the time the actress’s flight arrives.

Not bothering with food anymore, Han Bingjiang quickly drank some water at the dispenser and hurried to the arrivals hall.

…

To Han Bingjiang’s surprise, not long after, he encountered his target for the day—the newly awarded Best Newcomer actress at last year’s film festival: Joan!

Han Bingjiang’s sharp eyes could instantly recognize anyone—he had caught many celebrity scandals over the years. Despite Joan wearing a headscarf and sunglasses, he still recognized her.

The woman was looking around, seemingly searching for something—she was carrying a small suitcase by herself, with no assistant in sight, which made Han Bingjiang curious.

What was even more surprising was that Joan walked straight toward him without hesitation, moving quickly... Had he been recognized?

This could be bad.

If she had recognized him, she was probably prepared, meaning he wouldn’t be able to get any useful information.

"Excuse me, have you seen a child? About this tall." Joan then took off her sunglasses and gestured, “About this tall, with blonde hair, a little boy.”

She was revealing this so directly, without any attempt to hide it?

Han Bingjiang opened his mouth… if he didn’t know for sure that this woman was Joan, he might have thought he had mistaken her—after all, what celebrity would act like this when meeting him?

No, this was probably intentional… pretending not to know him.

She must be stalling for time... At this hour, her foreign boyfriend should also be nearby, providing cover.

But… why mention the child he had just seen?

"You... what’s your relationship?" Han Bingjiang slightly lowered his head and adjusted his glasses.

“That’s my son,” Joan said, her face filled with concern. “I was planning to take him to my parents’ house for the New Year, but somehow we got separated. I was about to ask the staff for help when I ran into you.”

“Your… your son?” Han Bingjiang widened his eyes, thinking he had heard wrong. “Is he really your son?”

Joan was stunned, frowning. "Yes, he’s my son. What’s the problem?"

"Are you... Joan?" Han Bingjiang frowned. "The celebrity Joan?"

"Yes, what's the problem?" The woman in front of him nodded. "Oh, sorry, if you haven't seen my son, I'll just excuse myself."

With that, Joan hurried past Han Bingjiang, calling out, "Paul! Paul! Can you hear me? Paul?"

Han Bingjiang was left stunned in place.

This wasn’t about hiding a foreign boyfriend from her fans… clearly, she had already had a child! And the child looked to be around seven or eight years old!

Joan was only in her early twenties this year… so she must have been pregnant out of wedlock when she was still a teenager?

This was explosive news!! Super explosive news!

Han Bingjiang suddenly felt a chill, quickly chasing after her. "Joan... Ms. Joan! The child you mentioned, I think I've seen him! Just now, a young couple was with a lost child and said they were going to the security office!"

"Really! That's great!" Joan visibly relaxed.

"Let me go with you. I know the way." Han Bingjiang quickly said, eager to help.

Joan looked at him strangely, feeling that this middle-aged man was a bit too enthusiastic. Han Bingjiang, being an experienced reporter, could easily sense her wariness.

He quickly added, "To be honest, I’m a huge fan! I really admire you! I’d be more than happy to help."

"Is that so..." Joan nodded but didn't warm up to him much, just smiling. "Alright, if we find my son, maybe I can sign something for you, though it’s not worth much."

"Of course! I’d love that!" Han Bingjiang, like a fan meeting his idol, became visibly excited.

"Then... can we go now?"

"Of course! This way, follow me!"

They quickly headed towards the security office.

---

"Wait, where are you going? The security office is right here! By the way, we already passed one, and you didn’t go in! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? I even pointed it out to you!"

Song Ying suddenly stopped. Actually, they hadn’t stopped at all along the way, and Luo Qiu had been pulling the child along as though he knew exactly where to go. They only encountered a strange-looking man along the way.

"We don't need to go to the security office," Luo Qiu shook his head.

Song Ying widened her eyes, thinking Luo Qiu intended to take the child around the entire airport. She sighed, "Maybe you're still energetic, but please, I’m really tired. Let's just hand the kid over to the security office, no need for us to do everything ourselves!"

Without waiting for Luo Qiu’s approval, she grabbed the child’s hand and led him toward the security office.

Although the child looked shy, he didn’t resist and allowed her to pull him along.

"Such a hurried person," Luo Qiu smiled and followed them inside.

The security office was small, and it was easy to see everything at a glance. Song Ying explained the situation to the officer and began asking the child’s name.

However, the child remained silent, staring at the ground, no matter how many times she asked.

Song Ying exchanged helpless glances with the officer. She even frowned and said, "Sorry, I’m not good with difficult children. I’ll leave him with you. I’ve been on a plane for over ten hours, I’m really tired and need to leave."

"Okay... understood," the officer nodded, feeling there was no need to keep her.

"Miss, could you leave a contact number? In case there’s anything, or if the child’s parents want to thank you, at least we can find you."

"No need, it’s fine," Song Ying shook her head, glancing at Luo Qiu. She raised an eyebrow, as if saying, "See? It’s all taken care of. It was that simple!"

"Excuse me, is anyone available?"

A couple suddenly entered the security office.

The man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, had blonde hair and green eyes, giving him an elegant appearance. He spoke fluent, though not perfect, Chinese. "We accidentally dropped a ring when we disembarked. Could you help us?"

The woman with him wore a hoodie and had brown-tinted glasses, but she didn’t say anything.

"Oh... is that so? Please fill out the form here." The officer quickly said, "Sorry, we’re dealing with a lost child right now."

"No problem, I’ll fill it out first." The young man smiled politely.

At this moment, Song Ying, who had been about to leave with Luo Qiu, stopped when she saw the young man. She was startled and whispered, "I say... doesn’t he look a bit like that child?"

Just as she said that, the child, who had been silent, suddenly rushed to the woman next to the young man, hugging her tightly and shouting, "Mom! Mom!"

(End of Chapter)