It was only after seeing the media coverage that Janet realized Laila had gone to the East—hence the phone call from earlier.
Meanwhile, before heading out again, Laila and the others changed their appearance. No more simple hats and sunglasses—they were now using more professional disguises. For instance, Laila dyed her hair blonde, while Roy wore a dark red wig styled in a low ponytail.
Since their natural looks couldn't really fool anyone, they figured they might as well lean into their foreign features more fully. The name Laila conjured the image of a black-haired beauty, and indeed, she was best known for her stunning dark hair and those uniquely blue eyes.
Now, with her hair color changed and her outfit switched to a basic plaid shirt, jeans, and a backpack, she looked just like any other Western backpacker on the street.
Arthur still guarded them, but didn't walk beside them. He was well aware that his large, imposing frame stood out far too much among the more slender and lithe Eastern locals. Standing nearly two meters tall, he was anything but subtle. So instead, he chose to follow behind at a distance, pretending not to be part of their group.
Visiting the capital meant there were certain must-see spots—like the ancient Great Wall and the old imperial palace. Little Eli was still far too young to remember that he'd been to this country at such a tender age, but he looked alert and curious, his gaze locked onto the crimson-red gates and towering walls.
Though his cold expression made it hard to tell if he was enjoying himself, the way his eyes darted around eagerly betrayed how fascinated he really was.
Mixed-race babies always seemed to be especially adorable.
Eli had milky-white skin, Laila's signature ice-blue eyes, and soft, fluffy hair. He looked even more charming than the baby models printed on formula cans. In the East, where fair skin was particularly admired, Eli instantly became a magnet for attention—whether they were standing in line for tickets or simply taking a rest, people always gathered around, trying to play with him.
In the West, if a stranger showed too much interest in a child, the police might get involved. But in the East, this kind of thing was completely normal. Adorable children always attracted kindness. While Roy and Arthur remained tense and watchful, Laila thoroughly enjoyed seeing her baby so well-liked.
Of course, he was getting all this attention because he was adorable. What mother wouldn't love seeing her child adored by everyone?
After a full day of sightseeing, the group finally returned to the hotel. Whether it was their disguises that worked or Eli stealing all the attention, no one actually recognized them.
But just as their car arrived at the hotel entrance and Arthur stepped out first, two young girls suddenly dashed over from the side.
Arthur immediately took a long stride forward and blocked their path at the car door. He didn't use force, though—he recognized these two. They were the same girls from the elevator yesterday. Likely fans who had figured out Laila's identity and waited here deliberately.
But he only got it half right. The girls had indeed been waiting for Laila—but not just to get an autograph.
"Laila, you can't go inside right now! There are a ton of reporters waiting for you!" one of the girls shouted, unable to get closer but still determined to get the message across.
The moment Arthur heard the word reporters, he shoved them back into the car and signaled the driver to take off immediately. Their team already had a playbook for situations like this—if you heard that the press was swarming, the only correct move was to leave. If they got surrounded, not even Arthur alone could handle that many people.
"Reporters? Where did they come from?"
The girls looked guilty. After nudging each other for a bit, the long-haired one finally spoke up. "Sorry… it might be our fault."
The short-haired one followed with another apology. "We're really sorry. We were just so excited yesterday after seeing you, we posted the photos on Weibo. But we forgot to turn off location tagging, so…"
So, their location got exposed. Since the post mentioned they ran into Laila at the hotel, it wasn't hard to guess that Laila and her group were also staying there.
Within a day, nearly every local journalist had tracked down the hotel, and even some fans had rushed over. If Laila and her crew had walked in unprepared, they'd probably be swarmed and trapped in a crowd right now.
As Laila listened to the girls stammer through their explanation and apologies, she exchanged a glance with Roy—then suddenly laughed.
"Thank you for telling me. You've been a big help."
The girls were stunned. Not only were they not being scolded for their mistake, but they were actually being thanked?
Seeing their stunned expressions, Laila smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
The girls blinked and shook their heads. They'd spent the entire afternoon camped outside the hotel, hoping to catch another glimpse of Laila and Roy. Then, when they came downstairs for a quick break, they noticed the sudden appearance of a crowd of people holding cameras. From the conversations they overheard, they realized those people were journalists—and that they'd found out Laila was staying in the hotel thanks to their Weibo post.
The realization hit them like a truck. They wanted nothing more than to travel back in time and smash their phones to pieces.
Trying to make up for their mistake, they had run to the hotel entrance, scrutinizing every arriving car, hoping to warn Laila before the reporters could pounce. Thankfully, Arthur's striking appearance had burned itself into their memory, so when they saw him exit the car, they reacted right away. What they didn't plan for was what to do after stopping them.
In fact, the girls had mentally prepared themselves for a stern lecture—but instead, there were no harsh words, no blame, nothing at all. Just an unexpected invitation to eat...
They now sat inside a private dining room, still in a daze.
Their families clearly weren't poor—after all, they could afford to stay at Laila's hotel. But having money was one thing; eating dinner with a world-famous movie star and director was something else entirely.
They had followed many celebrities and spent a lot of money doing so. They were staying at this hotel specifically because a boy-band idol group was scheduled to hold a concert nearby in a few days. But compared to Laila and Roy, those singers suddenly felt like background extras.
This was Laila! This was Roy! And they even had their baby with them!
If anyone found out they were having dinner with such people, how many would be green with envy?
Wait… the baby?
The girls turned their gaze to Roy's arms, where a soft tuft of chestnut-colored hair peeked out. Beneath it, a pair of icy blue eyes stared back at them curiously.
"Ah! The baby!" one of the girls jumped up, pointing at Eli in Roy's arms, completely at a loss for words.