Yan Songyu released Jiang Chengli and walked out of the banquet hall step by step. There was no urgency in her stride, but her retreating figure swayed with grace.
…
“He’s here.”
In the darkness, Feng Yu closed his laptop as the roar of a sports car grew increasingly closer.
In the driver’s seat, Jiang Chengli had one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other hung casually out the window. The cigarette between his fingers emitted a faint red glow in the night breeze.
Thinking of the business cards those people had proactively handed him – including even the company owner who had once rejected his job application and the art agent who had dismissed his paintings as worthless – Jiang Chengli’s smile widened. His car accelerated accordingly…
Now he was a rising star painter, and more importantly, a member of the Yan Family of Haishi. Their positions had reversed – they all had to flatter him now. The feeling of enjoying power and wealth was truly marvelous!
Through her binoculars, Yan Songyu clearly saw the smugness at Jiang Chengli’s brow and his unrestrained smile. Her gaze deepened as she pressed the call button.
Ring-ring—
The clear ringtone was particularly noticeable in the quiet night. Jiang Chengli glanced sideways – wife.
He withdrew his left hand, took one last drag before tossing the cigarette, switched hands on the steering wheel, and leaned over to reach for the persistently ringing phone. But he accidentally knocked it to the passenger side floor.
Ring-ring—
Ring-ring—
The increasingly urgent ringing bred irritation in him. Still calling? Didn’t they know he was driving?
Impatiently, Jiang Chengli stepped on the brake, intending to stop and retrieve the phone. However—the brakes failed!
He pumped the brake pedal several times in succession, but the car showed no signs of slowing… All his annoyance was replaced by terror! What was happening? Had the brakes broken?!
As the car went out of control, his strong survival instinct made him mechanically wrench the steering wheel hard to the right.
“Ah—!”
Jiang Chengli’s scream echoed through the night air, but couldn’t drown out the screeching sound of tires scraping against the road surface. The silver sports car crashed into the mountainside with a loud BANG—
Yan Songyu closed her eyes, tightly clutching Feng Yu’s hand, her heart pounding like a drum…
Feng Yu pulled her into his embrace. The fresh, natural scent of pine instantly enveloped her, the faint resinous aroma carrying a warm quality – just like the feeling Feng Yu gave her: steady, tranquil.
Finally! Her rigid body slowly relaxed after the loud crash…
Feng Yu waited until he was sure she could stand steadily before releasing her, saying softly, “I’ll go check.”
But Yan Songyu grabbed Feng Yu’s sleeve, “I’m coming with you.”
The front of the car was completely smashed, dust swirling around it. Jiang Chengli inside the vehicle had lost consciousness, but aside from his forehead, he had no fatal injuries. Even his right hand only had minor glass cuts.
Yan Songyu glanced at his still-rising and falling chest, dark resentment welling up inside her. “He’s certainly tenacious!”
This was a sharp curve where crashing through the guardrail and plunging down the cliff was more likely.
After inspecting the vehicle’s condition, Feng Yu picked up a sharp piece of glass and attempted to open the car door. He had said he would take his right hand, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.
Yan Songyu suddenly stepped forward, roughly pulling Jiang Chengli’s right arm out through the car window. “Feng Yu, I want to do it myself.”
Feng Yu paused, then handed her the glass. “Be careful not to cut yourself.”
Pain!
A sharp pain shot through his right arm as Yan Songyu viciously drove the glass into Jiang Chengli’s arm.
Though Jiang Chengli’s brain had slipped into unconsciousness, his pain receptors were still active. He instinctively began weak, feeble struggles.
Hearing his muffled groan, Yan Songyu gradually increased her downward pressure. A deep, bone-exposing wound formed on Jiang Chengli’s right arm. Watching his tendons completely sever, Yan Songyu finally smiled with satisfaction. Warm blood splattered onto the corner of her eye, mingling with the amusement in her gaze to create an eerie allure.
Jiang Chengli remained unconscious, but the intensifying pain made his face contort as he murmured weakly: “It hurts…”
After releasing Jiang Chengli, Yan Songyu still hadn’t let go of the sharp glass shard in her hand.
“We should go.” Feng Yu pulled Yan Songyu in front of him, took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the blood from her face, then pried open her fingers one by one to take the glass shard and smash it before leading her away. “There’s a car coming behind us. Don’t worry, his right hand is beyond recovery.”
“There are prepared clothes in the back. Change quickly. I’ll take you home. I’m afraid you won’t get any rest tonight.”
As he finished speaking, Feng Yu raised the partition. The car started, leaving everything behind.
Yan Songyu took out the clothes from the bag – an identical evening gown to the one she was wearing.
Well, he’s always been meticulous.
When Yan Songyu received the call from the police station, she had just managed to get Feifei to sleep. The child did have a slight cold today.
“What happened? How could my husband have gotten into a car accident?”
Yan Songyu rushed to the hospital in her pajamas, disheveled and weeping, moving every onlooker with her distress.
The nurse shoved the surgical consent form into her hands. “Ms. Yan, please sign the consent form first. We’ll do everything we can to save your husband.”
Yan Songyu randomly wiped her tears and tremblingly took the pen, pausing three times before finishing her signature. “Please, you must save my husband!”
Yan Binghua, who had arrived a step late, supported the staggering Yan Songyu and comfortingly patted her hand. “Xiao Yu, don’t worry. Chengli will be fine.”
Feng Yu silently took off his suit jacket and draped it over Yan Songyu before going to speak with the police.
“We detected alcohol in Mr. Jiang’s system, confirming he was driving under the influence. Additionally, we found his phone in the car.” The square-faced policeman glanced at Yan Songyu, who was crying uncontrollably. “The last unanswered call was from Ms. Yan, timed exactly with the accident.”
Yan Songyu seemed stunned by this revelation, even forgetting to cry.
“Preliminary investigation suggests this was an accidental incident. Mr. Jiang was driving under the influence and became distracted while attempting to answer Ms. Yan’s call, leading to the accident.”
Hearing this, Yan Songyu seemed to lose all strength, collapsing to the ground. “It’s me… I’m the one who harmed Chengli…”
Yan Binghua held her in his arms to comfort her. “Xiao Yu, it’s not your fault. This isn’t on you.”
“It is my fault! I shouldn’t have called him. I just wanted to tell him Feifei was okay. I shouldn’t have distracted him while he was driving…”
The square-faced policeman looked at the pitiful Yan Songyu and added: “The vehicle wreckage has been sent for routine inspection. This is just a preliminary conclusion, not the final determination.”
“Song Yu, you can’t blame yourself either. The main cause of the accident was Mr. Jiang’s decision to drive drunk.” Feng Yu’s heart ached seeing Yan Songyu’s self-blame and comforted her: “General Wu’s banquet had arranged drivers for all guests. He shouldn’t have insisted on driving under the influence.”
“No, it’s my fault…”
“Captain Chen!” A young officer jogged over and handed a stack of documents to the square-faced policeman. “The expedited vehicle inspection results you requested are ready.”