Ten minutes earlier.
Wang Peng, captain of the Linchuan Highway Traffic Police Detachment, had received a notification from his superiors that a very important person was caught in the traffic jam.
They hadn’t specified exactly what position the person held, but judging from the cautious and respectful tone of his superior, Wang Peng didn’t dare take it lightly. He hurried into the stream of traffic and began searching for the important person’s car by its license plate number.
It was an understated, dignified black Hongqi, with an ordinary license plate. There was nothing about it that suggested it was special.
Even so, Wang Peng instinctively held his breath and cautiously knocked on the driver’s side window.
The window rolled down, and he nodded at the driver.
His gaze passed over the driver and landed on the man in the back seat.
“Hello, sir. I’m Traffic Officer Wang Peng. I’ve just received instructions from my superiors to open up a fast lane for you so that you can get through first.”
The windows were tinted, cutting out most of the light. Half of the man’s profile was hidden in shadow, his features deep-set and strikingly well-defined.
Although Wang Peng was only the captain of a traffic police detachment, he had met his fair share of important figures.
Yet the moment he met the man’s stern gaze, he couldn’t help feeling even more nervous.
It was the oppressive presence of someone accustomed to being in a position of power.
“No need. I’m not in a hurry.” The man’s voice was calm and warm, somewhat at odds with his sharp, imposing appearance.
“Just clear the road as quickly as you can. Thank you for your hard work.”
The window rolled back up, and Wang Peng unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
It was only after that brief, inadvertent glance that he noticed what made the car special.
Its exterior looked no different from the Hongqi models on the market, but the materials used for the body were completely different.
The windows alone were undoubtedly made of bulletproof glass.
After Wang Peng left, he couldn’t help turning around for another look at the black Hongqi. His curiosity about the identity of this high-ranking official only grew.
Whatever the case, the important man was stuck in traffic. Wang Peng had to do everything he could to clear the road as quickly as possible and make a good impression on his superior.
Inside the car, secretary Zhou Heng turned around and asked for instructions.
“Governor, when you got out of the car to rescue those people just now, two reporters from the Chucheng Evening News filmed the rescue. I’ve already contacted the Chucheng Publicity Department. They won’t release any footage or video involving you.”
Li Yao nodded. “Mm.”
Seeing that his gaze remained fixed outside the window and his expression was indifferent, Zhou Heng couldn’t help complaining softly, “It was freezing out there, yet you got out to rescue someone without even putting on a down jacket. If you catch a cold, Madam is going to blame me again.”
Only then did Li Yao turn his gaze back.
“Am I really that fragile?”
Zhou Heng was momentarily speechless.
“…Not exactly.”
He didn’t dare argue any further.
Li Yao turned back toward the window. His gaze settled on the young woman standing amid the wreckage, filming the scene. He watched her silently for a while before suddenly speaking.
“Chucheng Evening News?”
“Yes. A small newspaper.” Zhou Heng sighed. “They certainly managed to get the first-hand footage from the accident this time.”
Li Yao said nothing more. His long fingers rested on the armrest, tapping lightly and unhurriedly.
The pretty young woman outside the window slowly overlapped with a young, innocent face from his memories.
After so many years without seeing her, she had grown up so much…
With the traffic police and civilians working together, a lane was cleared in no time.
The vehicles began passing through one by one in an orderly fashion.
The driver started the engine and followed the slowly moving traffic.
Suddenly, the low rumble of an engine came from behind. A motorcycle weaved into the stream of traffic, darting left and right like a fleeing leopard. In no time, it shot out of the slow-moving congestion and sped away.
Zhou Heng frowned.
“What’s the rush? What if he hits someone…”
A few minutes later, their car finally left the accident zone. Just as the driver was about to accelerate, there was a dull **bang**, and the entire vehicle jolted violently.
Zhou Heng’s expression changed immediately. He turned around and saw that they had been rear-ended.
“Governor, are you all right?”
Li Yao had been resting with his eyes closed. Even with his seat belt fastened, the force of the collision had thrown his body forward, and his brows drew together slightly.
“I’m fine. Go take a look.”
There were traffic officers all around them. It was unlikely that some reckless person had deliberately crashed into them.
It was probably just an ordinary rear-end collision.
Zhou Heng hurried out of the car. A moment later, he returned and reported in a low voice through the half-open window.
“The other driver only got his license recently. He hit the accelerator too hard and scared himself half to death. But our car only got a little paint scraped off. His front end is completely smashed in, and he doesn’t dare drive it anymore. He’s calling a tow truck…”
Li Yao nodded.
The car had undergone comprehensive modifications. A normal collision wouldn’t cause it much damage.
After being stuck in traffic for so long, it was inevitable that tempers would fray. And the other driver was a beginner, so it was understandable.
“Forget it if there’s nothing serious.” Li Yao glanced at his watch. It was already getting rather late.
He didn’t want to linger. There was no need to waste time on the road over something this trivial.
“All right. I’ll go talk to the other driver.”
Zhou Heng was just about to leave when Li Yao noticed the slender figure standing behind him.
“Wait.”
His gaze fixed on the young woman’s fair, delicate profile.
“Was it her car?”
Zhou Heng said, “Yes. She’s one of the two reporters from the newspaper.”
Li Yao said nothing.
But Qiao Yimian noticed them looking at her and immediately turned around.
Their eyes met.
Her ankle was swollen and still throbbing with pain, but given the situation, Song Nanxing had little experience handling these matters, so she had no choice but to get out and deal with the accident herself.
After seeing the owner of the other vehicle, it was only proper to say something to him.
She forced herself to walk forward two steps through the pain and said, “Sir, I’m very sorry for hitting your car. I’ve already spoken with this gentleman, and we’ve agreed that if there are any repair costs later, you can contact me.”
Li Yao’s gaze swept across Qiao Yimian’s face before shifting to his secretary, Zhou Heng.
She called him *big brother*, yet addressed him as *sir*.
Did he really look that unapproachable?
Zhou Heng stood stiffly beside him, doing his best to withstand the oppressive gaze of the governor. He couldn’t help feeling as though a cold draft had blown in from somewhere, making the back of his neck suddenly prickle with chill.
Fortunately, the gaze lingered for only a few seconds before moving away.
Li Yao asked, “How do I contact you?”
“I added this gentleman on WeChat.” Qiao Yimian looked at Zhou Heng. “He said you can contact him.”
Oh.
So the two of them had exchanged WeChat contacts too…
Li Yao looked back at Zhou Heng, his expression impassive, giving away nothing.
Zhou Heng swallowed instinctively. That invisible cold draft seemed to have grown even more biting.
Qiao Yimian looked from one man to the other. Seemingly sensing something, she ventured cautiously,
“Should I… add you on WeChat too?”
Zhou Heng immediately stepped forward half a pace, about to stop her, but then saw that this high-ranking official, who rarely used WeChat and never added strangers, had actually taken out his phone and voluntarily displayed his QR code.
Zhou Heng: “…”
He had a feeling something was very, very off.
Qiao Yimian leaned toward the car window to scan the code. A strand of her bangs fell across her forehead, playfully swaying before her eyes.
Li Yao stared at her for two seconds before lowering his gaze to her feet. Remembering the awkward way she had been walking earlier, he asked,
“Did you hurt it in the collision?”
Qiao Yimian straightened up and shook her head.
“No. I just twisted it getting into the car. It’s fine.”
“It’s already swollen. How can you say it’s fine?” Song Nanxing came over with his phone. “Sis, the rescue service said it’ll take at least an hour to get here. You need to have your ankle treated as soon as possible. If you’ve injured the bone, it’ll be a lot of trouble!”
His voice was anxious, and he was clearly blaming himself.
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t rear-ended them, you wouldn’t have been stuck here.”
“It wasn’t intentional.” Qiao Yimian reassured him a couple of times. “I’m fine. I don’t think I’ve hurt the bone, so don’t worry.”
Li Yao’s gaze swept over the two of them before he suddenly suggested,
“Ride in my car.”
Qiao Yimian froze and hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no. I’m already very sorry for hitting your car. I don’t want to trouble you any further! The tow truck should be here soon.”
Song Nanxing’s eyes lit up.
“Sis, why don’t you just go to the hospital in their car? I’ll stay here and wait for the tow truck!”
Qiao Yimian immediately shot him a sideways glare.
She couldn’t tell whether the kid was genuinely worried and simply hadn’t thought things through, or whether he was just too naïve after barely entering society.
How could he casually shove her into the car of a strange man?
They said one should never harbor the intention of harming others, but one should always guard against being harmed.
The owner of the car certainly looked like a good person, but she still needed to be cautious.
Standing beside the car, Zhou Heng glanced at the governor’s eyes, calm and deep as a still pool, then looked at the young woman, whose beauty was almost excessive despite her completely makeup-free face.
His thoughts turned.
After carefully considering his words, he said, “Yes, ride with us. The traffic is backed up for more than ten miles behind us. The rescue vehicle won’t be able to get here anytime soon, and it’s moving so slowly anyway. They’ll also have to take your car to a repair shop first. By the time everything’s sorted out, it’ll definitely delay you getting to the hospital.”
He glanced at the unruffled governor and continued with a smile, “Our car is heading to Linchuan City as well. We can drop you off at a nearby hospital so you can get your ankle treated as soon as possible. People in your line of work are constantly running around. If you’ve actually injured the bone, wouldn’t that affect your work too?”
In just a few sentences, he laid out the situation clearly and logically.
Qiao Yimian understood perfectly well. She was simply being cautious.
Seeing that she was still hesitating, Zhou Heng added with a smile, “I just heard this young man say that you’re heading to Linchuan Television, right? I’ve known Director Kang Junwen for many years. I’ll give him a call and explain the situation, so you won’t have to worry about being late for your first day.”