Well, without realizing it, I now owe Jiang Lan a favor.
The problem is that Xu Zhengyang, who harbors deep prejudice against Jiang Lan, discovered after using his divine sense to examine Jiang Lan's thoughts that Jiang Lan had no ulterior motives at all. She was simply trying to help Xu Rouyue out of kindness, and she genuinely liked Xu Rouyue.
Well then, let's leave it at that.
Xu Rouyue is going to study abroad, and when Ouyang Ying heard the news, she also clamored to go study abroad. Well, it's the same whether one goes or two go, so let's both go. Xu Rouyue will pursue a master's degree, and Ouyang Ying, who has more than a year of work experience, will also go.
It's really just a matter of personal favors; Ouyang Ying doesn't need us to worry about the money.
However, since they were going abroad to study, and there were two girls involved, someone needed to take care of them before Xu Zhengyang could feel at ease.
That's why Xu Zhengyang called Wu Guanxian; the old man still held considerable influence in Dunshipo. Xu Zhengyang didn't want the two girls to be protected by the ghost messenger Yan Liang. Those ghost messengers were elusive and unpredictable; the two girls wouldn't even know such a thing was around. Even if Yan Liang didn't dare to spy on them while they changed clothes, took a bath, or went to sleep, what if he accidentally stumbled upon them? Wouldn't that be disastrous?
Even so, Xu Zhengyang was still worried. These past two days he'd been fretting about whether to talk to Jiang Lan or Li Ruiyu and arrange for Qingling to be placed next to Xu Rouyue, offering to pay her double the salary...
Sitting on the sofa in the room, Xu Zhengyang lit a cigarette and squinted as he pondered something when his mother lifted the curtain and came in.
"Zhengyang".
"Yes, Mother, is something the matter?" Xu Zhengyang quickly sat up straight.
Yuan Suqin sat down on the opposite sofa, glanced outside as if afraid someone might overhear them, and whispered, "Zhengyang, think it over again. I just don't think it's right for Rouyue to study abroad."
"What? You can't bear to part with it?"
"That's right. It's worrying for a mother to send a girl to study abroad all at once."
"Why don't you come along? Just think of it as a vacation. You can come back whenever you want, and go back whenever you want," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
Yuan Suqin shook her head and said, "It's not just that. You have to think about it. Rouyue is already twenty-four this year, and she should be of marriageable age. If she continues to study, she will become an old maid in the future. Where will she find a good son-in-law?"
Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but laugh. So that's what his mother was worried about. So Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Don't worry, does Rouyue have to worry about not finding a husband? Alright, alright, Mother, don't worry about it. These days, all the capable young people in the city establish their careers first and then start families. There are plenty of single young people in their thirties."
"No, isn't that a bad idea?" Yuan Suqin said worriedly.
"Mother, you don't mean to arrange a marriage for Rouyue, do you?"
"No, that's not it. I was thinking that your relatives know a lot of people, and our Rouyue is such a good girl, she should marry into a good family, right? Let them help us find someone..."
Xu Zhengyang frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "It's all about marriage. It depends on Rouyue's attitude. Right now, she's focused on her studies, so let's not distract her."
"Well, okay, sigh." Yuan Suqin muttered as she got up and walked out.
Her son and daughter were saying basically the same thing, and Yuan Suqin realized that children grow up and become independent. She decided to listen to her husband. The children were worldly-wise and probably knew more than she, an old woman. She shouldn't interfere.
Moreover, Yuan Suqin was genuinely afraid of her son, though she couldn't explain why.
Watching his mother leave, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but think, "Yes, my sister is growing up; she'll have to get married eventually. Right now, she's focused on her studies so she can manage the company for her brother in the future. Isn't that hindering her happiness? My sister is gentle by nature; how tiring will it be for her to manage such a large company in the future?"
Just as I was pondering this, Li Bingjie, who had just accompanied Jiang Lan to Beijing, called:
"Zhengyang, Ye Wan has arrived in the capital."
"Oh, great, now you have company."
“She, she ran away…” Li Bingjie said hesitantly, “Her family didn’t approve of her being with Chen Chaojiang, so they locked her up for a while. She ran away secretly this time.”
Xu Zhengyang said with a wry smile, "Tell her not to try anything like running away from home; the more she does that, the worse it will get."
“We can’t get in touch with Chen Chaojiang now. I asked Brother Chengzhong to go to the company to look for him, but we couldn’t find him either. The people at the company said he went out, but his phone is off.”
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He said, "I'll contact him later. Maybe his phone is out of battery. He never turns his phone off."
"oh."
"Give Ye Wan a good talking-to and tell her not to run around. Also, give her a call home so they don't worry," Xu Zhengyang said like an elder.
"Mm." Li Bingjie didn't mind Xu Zhengyang's tone at all and responded softly.
After hanging up, Xu Zhengyang wondered if the guy had suffered a setback and gone out for a stroll because he was in a bad mood. But he wasn't worried; he was confident in the kid's character.
He had no idea that Ye Wan was worried because her family would definitely come to Beijing to look for her after she secretly ran away from home. Before she ran away, she hadn't contacted Chen Chaojiang out of spite. Now that she was in Beijing, Chen Chaojiang had disappeared. Could it be… that her brother had already found Chen Chaojiang in Beijing?
In fact, Ye Wan's older brother, Ye Jun, had indeed arrived in the capital and gone to see Chen Chaojiang. Since his sister had secretly run away, she was probably going to the capital to find that guy named Chen Chaojiang.
Of course, Ye Jun also missed his target.
Because Chen Chaojiang is currently at Hedong University in Anping City, which is more than 200 miles away from Beijing.
There are so many coincidences in the world. Chen Chaojiang never imagined that Ye Wan would go to such lengths as to run away from home to pursue her own love. Chen Chaojiang didn't like reading romance novels and had never thought about such a thrilling and romantic love story.
Moreover, this is indeed quite melodramatic.
Their story, from meeting to getting to know each other to falling in love, was already quite dramatic.
Chen Chaojiang doesn't usually turn off his phone, but he's been feeling a bit irritable lately. The company isn't busy, and Xu Zhengyang probably won't have anything to do for the time being, so he simply turned it off. Since he's out, he might as well have some peace and quiet.
My phone has been off all day.
If he were to receive a call now and learn that Ye Wan is in Beijing, he would definitely leave Anping City and rush to Beijing to see her. Perhaps he would also receive a call from Ye Jun and meet with him; what might happen then is unpredictable.
However, even though he didn't turn on his computer, he still encountered a very serious problem.
It's 9:30 p.m.
Chen Chaojiang and his younger brother walked along the wide roads in the campus, where the streetlights illuminated the roads.
They ate dinner at a small restaurant outside the school tonight, and both brothers drank some alcohol. Chen Chaohai didn't tease his usually aloof brother like he usually does, because he could tell that his brother was preoccupied and in a bad mood.
This is a north-south road on campus. On the west side of the road are student dormitories and a bank terminal, where two students are withdrawing money. On the east side of the road are a supermarket and some small shops such as bookstores and stationery stores.
There weren't many pedestrians on the road at night, but occasionally you'd see couples walking by hand in hand or with their arms around each other.
Several female students wearing roller skates walked towards us from a distance, laughing and joking.
Chen Chaojiang sighed, "Being a student is so great, carefree."
“Brother, don’t think being a student is all that’s good. Most of us college students are under a lot of pressure, sigh.” Chen Chaohai sighed and said, “In school, we have to take all sorts of exams for certificates, and then we have to think about employment after graduation… Those with associate degrees want to get bachelor’s degrees, those with bachelor’s degrees want to go for graduate school, and those with graduate school want to get master’s degrees. There are college students everywhere these days…”
"Don't think about these things. Just focus on your studies. Finding a job won't be a problem," Chen Chaojiang said coldly.
"Oh," Chen Chaohai quickly replied.
Chen Chaojiang patted his pockets and realized he was out of cigarettes, so he turned and walked towards the supermarket, thinking he would buy a pack.
Chen Chaohai stood at the supermarket entrance waiting for his brother.
Just then, the roar of an engine came from afar, and the blinding beam of headlights pierced through the dim streetlights. A black sedan sped from south to north.
Chen Chaohai frowned and couldn't help but mutter a few curses. This is the campus living area. Are you trying to kill yourself by driving so fast?
Just as he was cursing and glancing at the oncoming car, he saw it swaying precariously on the wide road, its speed showing no sign of slowing down. Startled, Chen Chaohai quickly retreated to the supermarket entrance. Could this guy be drunk driving? He might just crash into something recklessly.
The car roared and swayed as it drove past Chen Chaohai.
Not far ahead was a T-junction. The car did not slow down, but just as it was about to approach the T-junction, it suddenly swerved to the left out of control.
The girls who were originally wearing roller skates moved to the west side of the road when they saw a vehicle speeding towards them from afar.
Keeping to the right is almost common sense.
But today, this common sense has been shattered by the black sedan.
The screeching of brakes and screams rang out almost simultaneously, followed by a muffled thud, and then another thud—the sound of a body hitting the ground.
In that instant, the entire campus seemed to fall silent.
Time seemed to stand still.
Buzz...
The roar of the engine resumed, and to everyone's astonishment, the black sedan swerved and continued driving forward, turning right at the T-junction towards the girls' dormitory building.
In the middle of the road lay two girls, with blood trickling out beneath them.
As if just realizing what was happening, everyone rushed forward, shouting for help. Some students quickly called for an ambulance, while others went to the school security office to notify the school doctor.
Chen Chaohai was so shocked that cold sweat broke out on his back. He had witnessed a horrific car accident, watching people being thrown high into the air and falling far down, their bodies unfolding in the air, blood splattering on the road, and then, after the shrill screams and cries, utter silence. Vibrant lives were thus extinguished in an instant... The psychological shock it brought was indescribable.
Chen Chaojiang and the supermarket staff had already run out when they heard the noise.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 249: Who's the Boss?
Chen Chaojiang was not a chivalrous knight-errant who liked to help those in need. On the contrary, although he had a passionate heart for loyalty and righteousness, his cold exterior and icy, unapproachable eyes always gave people a feeling of indifference.
For example, from Chen Chaojiang's personal psychological perspective, what does this accident have to do with me?
Therefore, when he saw the accident scene, he did not shout indignantly like the other students and security personnel. Instead, he looked at the two unconscious people on the ground with a cold expression. Perhaps they were already dead?
The students stood around calling out, but dared not touch the two girls who had been hit.
Before the ambulance arrived, the school doctor rushed over and performed a quick check-up.
Chen Chaojiang patted his younger brother on the shoulder and said coldly, "Let's go back to the dorm, there's nothing to see here."
"Brother!" Chen Chaohai turned to look at his brother, his eyes wide, and said, "Do you know how those two were hit just now?"
Chen Chaojiang tilted his head, staring coldly at his younger brother.
He obviously hadn't seen what happened before, but in his mind he was thinking, what was the point of hitting someone? The person had already been hit...
"Brother, that car hit someone and then drove off, drove off, do you understand?" Chen Chaohai said angrily.
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang nodded.
"You..." Chen Chaohai wanted to say something, but he felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak.
At that moment, the car that caused the accident actually drove back from a distance and sped past the crowd at the accident scene.
The students were enraged!
Shout loudly to stop him, don't let him get away!
The security guards quickly gave chase.
The school gates were closed.
We often say that students are the easiest to be inspired with passion and a sense of justice, and they are also the most impulsive, often acting without considering the consequences. This is a quality that many middle-aged people who have been in society for years lack.
Chen Chaojiang didn't want to go, but his younger brother Chen Chaohai and a large group of classmates had already caught up with him.
Chen Chaohai is a third-year student and a member of the school's martial arts association; many students there know him. As an aside, this kid was influenced by his older brother from a young age and also practices martial arts, hence his decent skills. Of course, compared to his brother… well, there's no comparison.
The car was finally stopped.
The students roared and cursed in a fit of rage, and some even rushed forward to try to pull the car door open, drag the person out, and beat them up.
Chen Chaojiang stood coldly on the periphery of the crowd, his expression indifferent as he watched the noisy throng and his younger brother rushing to the innermost part. Fortunately, although Chen Chaohai possessed a sense of justice, his personality differed greatly from his brother's. He wasn't impulsive and wouldn't act like Chen Chaojiang, who, when angry, would recklessly charge forward without regard for consequences. Chen Chaohai stood in front of the car, blocking its path. He angrily demanded that the driver get out.