It had already been two or three days. The reporters were watching every single person entering and leaving the hotel like hawks—so how had they still not spotted Laila and her group? Could it be that they hadn't gone out at all these past few days? Then why had they even come here?
"Maybe they've already left? Switched to another hotel?" Some reporters, now restless with impatience, began to speculate.
Left with no other choice, a few of the reporters who had checked into the hotel eventually packed up and left. After spending several days' worth of hotel fees and coming up with nothing newsworthy, they were almost on the verge of tears.
Most of those still chasing this lead were young and inexperienced, with little to no budget. The seasoned reporters had come, taken one look at the situation, and decided it wasn't worth pursuing. They could tell immediately—these people were obviously here on vacation. If they had intended to create media buzz, would they have shown up without a word and then disappeared?
At this point, if anyone tried to force an interview, they might even get reprimanded by their superiors. Only hot-blooded rookies with more passion than experience would doggedly chase after Laila and her entourage.
Truthfully, those veteran reporters weren't wrong. Laila wasn't just some foreign director or international celebrity—she was also the owner of the largest, most advanced cinema chain in the country. That alone had propelled the domestic film industry forward by at least five years. The taxes she paid each year were no small amount, and she even indirectly boosted the local economy through related industries.
Even putting aside her international reputation, her contributions to the country alone made it unacceptable for a bunch of journalists to harass her at a hotel, blocking entrances in pursuit of gossip.
Yao Yingxia had initially considered reaching out to the media to smooth things over. It wasn't that an interview was out of the question—but at the very least, they needed to get Laila's consent first, right? Who wants to be chased by paparazzi while on their honeymoon?
But in the end, she didn't make that call.
She had a bit of a selfish motive—she was hoping that once Laila got fed up with being hounded, she'd come to her for help. Then, when she finally did step in, she could earn some goodwill.
What she didn't expect was that a day passed, then two… and the call she was waiting for never came.
That left her baffled. Anyone checking the internet could clearly see that there were still journalists camping out at the hotel, all desperate for a scoop—ideally a photo of baby Eli.
After all, the only reason his face hadn't been publicly shown yet was to protect his privacy. Weren't they worried that one misstep would blow everything?
But the call never came.
It was as if they had vanished—no news, no sightings.
Even she began to wonder if Laila and the others really had been holed up in their suite this entire time.
What none of them knew was that, while everyone assumed Laila and Roy were still upstairs, they had already been out sightseeing all over the place.
With the help of the two East Asian girls acting as cover, most people wouldn't even guess their identities. Some who had been drawn in by Eli's cuteness and even tried to touch him had no idea how close they'd come to the legendary baby everyone online was dying to see.
Online, news about Laila and Roy's trip was spreading like wildfire. Some even exposed the fact that reporters had been staking out the hotel, trying to interview them, only to come up empty-handed.
While the public was curious and dying to see what the much-guarded baby looked like, the sight of dozens of reporters blocking hotel entrances rubbed many the wrong way. Sure, getting the scoop was important—but wasn't this going too far?
As these voices of criticism grew louder—and with no sign of Laila calling for help—Yao Yingxia finally gave up on trying to earn favors. She directly contacted the relevant media outlets and told them to back off. Only then did the number of reporters at the hotel start to decrease.
Laila and her group noticed the change in the hotel lobby—but they didn't care much. They went on enjoying their vacation as usual, trying out something new every day and having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile, online discussions about them only heated up. Some speculated they were here on business.
"Moran's cinema chain is popping up everywhere. Maybe they're planning new investments? Even our third-tier city has two of its theaters now."
"I live in a fifth-tier town, and we've got one under construction too."
As reports poured in from around the country, people suddenly realized just how far-reaching Laila's theater empire had become.
"I still think they're here for movie promotion. Didn't anyone notice that Avengers is just 20 million away from breaking the record? And isn't it about to go offline in the U.S.?"
"Promotion? Please. If they were here to promote, they'd have started from the moment they got off the plane."
"Exactly! Who hides from reporters during a press tour? Haven't the media been waiting at the hotel for days without catching even a glimpse?"
Others guessed, "Maybe they're just on vacation?"
"With that kind of money, they could vacation anywhere. Why keep coming back here?"
That last comment instantly triggered a backlash.
"So what, just because they're rich, they can't come here? What kind of mentality is that? We've got so much amazing stuff—why wouldn't they like it?"
"Some people have been kneeling for so long they've forgotten how to stand."
"Guess the Western-worshipping dogs get uncomfortable when their foreign 'daddies' start liking China."
While the internet was in a frenzy, Laila and her family had already arrived at a famous scenic spot. The two girls, after several urgent calls from their families, had finally gone home. Their parents had threatened to cut off their allowance if they didn't return immediately. As broke students with no source of income, they had no choice but to end their time with the Hollywood celebrities and quietly return home, though they would treasure this experience as one of the happiest memories of their lives.
Because the girls had promised not to tell anyone who they were with, their families grew worried that they'd been scammed and pressured them to come back.
Ironically, once the girls returned and showed off their selfies with Laila and Roy, their parents were full of regret. If only they'd known they were hanging out with such big names, they wouldn't have rushed them home. Knowing people like that? Even if it didn't directly benefit the family business, it was something to brag about.
During their downtime, Laila occasionally scrolled through Weibo on her phone. Seeing how interested people were in speculating about the purpose of their visit, she couldn't help but smile faintly.
"What are you looking at?" Roy asked as he approached, carrying Eli.
"Weibo topics," Laila replied, showing him a few of the trending posts.