The driver stood in front of the wishing fountain, staring solemnly at the coins scattered in the water.
People who wanted to approach took one look at the burly man standing there and immediately turned around.
Wrapped around the driver’s head were crimson strands of energy—a sign that disaster was about to befall him.
The ability to see the karmic threads connecting people and determine the rise and fall of their fortunes was something Xie Jinwen had possessed since birth.
Under the normal course of events, the driver would take a coin from his wallet and toss it into the wishing fountain.
The creature in the pool would harvest a strand of his luck and grant him a small wish in return.
But the driver was already carrying signs of an impending blood-related calamity.
Losing even that small strand of luck would cause his misfortune to skyrocket.
He would get into a traffic accident while driving, and the boss sitting in the back seat would be caught up in it as well.
That boss was none other than Liu Yao, Ling Xiao’s mother.
Strictly speaking, the matter had nothing to do with Xie Jinwen.
She shouldn’t interfere.
That was why she had originally left the park.
Yet at the park entrance she had run into Zhao Meiyu and ended up returning here.
Now she found herself crossing paths with the driver once again.
After a while, the driver finally moved.
His cold gaze landed on Xie Jinwen.
“Miss, can you leave?”
He wanted to wait until she was gone and nobody was nearby before making his wish.
All those people who had approached earlier had been deliberately scared away by the hostile aura he emitted.
Yet this girl acted as though she noticed nothing at all and simply stood there.
That was why he’d finally spoken up.
Xie Jinwen lazily lifted her eyelids.
She glanced at him but said nothing, remaining by the wishing fountain.
The driver’s tone grew harsher.
“Miss, don’t you understand human language?”
Xie Jinwen finally spoke.
“I understand a few ghostly words.”
The driver immediately became irritated.
Already large and intimidating, he now scowled fiercely, looking every bit like a gangster.
The sort of intimidating bodyguard businessmen liked to bring with them when negotiating in unfamiliar cities.
His presence alone reduced trouble by nearly half and made negotiations run much more smoothly.
The driver raised a hand, preparing to shove her.
“I think you don’t know what’s good for you!”
Xie Jinwen replied calmly,
“I’m Ling Xiao’s girlfriend.”
The driver’s movement froze.
Suppressing his anger, he asked,
“Which Ling Xiao?”
Xie Jinwen unlocked her phone.
The wallpaper was a photo of Ling Xiao showing off his abs.
“This Ling Xiao.”
The driver immediately recognized him.
The boss’s son.
All the anger he had built up had nowhere to go.
He nearly suffered internal injuries from holding it in.
Grinding his teeth, he turned and left.
Just then, his phone rang.
“Hello, Boss. I’ll come pick you up right away.”
The driver drove off.
Xie Jinwen also left the park.
Originally, Liu Yao had intended to spend the afternoon with Ling Xiao.
However, she received a call from Beijing.
A project worth more than a billion yuan had been ruined by an incompetent relative employed through connections.
She immediately changed her flight and prepared to rush back to headquarters.
Ling Xiao escorted her downstairs from the family compound.
“Mom, don’t get too angry.”
Although furious, Liu Yao maintained her composure.
“I know.”
“For your grand-uncle’s sake, I won’t kill him.”
The driver opened the car door for her.
Quietly glancing at Ling Xiao, he recalled the shirtless ab photo on Xie Jinwen’s phone.
Rich people sure know how to have fun…
After Liu Yao got into the car, her tone changed completely.
Gone was the gentleness she’d shown her son.
Only fury remained.
“Get to the airport. Now.”
The driver didn’t dare waste a second.
He immediately started driving.
After entering the main road, the driver rolled his eyes and casually said,
“Boss, has Young Master started dating someone?”
Already in a foul mood, Liu Yao became even more annoyed.
“So even you know about it now?”
The driver nodded.
“I was resting in the park earlier and met a very beautiful girl.”
“She claimed to be Young Master’s girlfriend.”
“She even had shirtless photos of him on her phone.”
Technically, showing off his abs counted as being shirtless.
“What?!”
Liu Yao exploded.
This upset her far more than losing a business contract.
She had only ever approved of Yin Ciying and had long intended to matchmake her with Ling Xiao.
Any woman besides Yin Ciying was unacceptable in her eyes.
And now some random woman had appeared out of nowhere, seduced her precious son, publicly flaunted their relationship everywhere, and even carried around photos of him half-naked.
A gold-digger dreaming of marrying into wealth actually dares to act this boldly?!
Suddenly—
The vehicle lost control.
The car rolled violently.
Liu Yao’s screams echoed from inside.
When the vehicle finally came to a stop, it had crashed into a roadside guardrail near the landscaped median.
The front end was completely mangled.
The airbags had deployed.
The driver’s mouth was covered in blood.
Liu Yao had no visible external injuries, but she had fallen unconscious.
Back at the family compound.
Ling Xiao hadn’t gone upstairs yet.
When he saw Xie Jinwen returning with the shoulder bag obediently slung over her shoulder, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Walking over, he took the bag from her and carried it himself.
“You’re back.”
Xie Jinwen said,
“I saw people riding around in cars.”
“It looked interesting.”
“Do you have a car?”
Ling Xiao laughed.
“Of course.”
“Where do you want to go? I’ll take you.”
The restrictions on his movements had finally been lifted a few days earlier.
He could now come and go freely.
Originally, he could have returned to Beijing with Liu Yao, but sensing her reservations about Xie Jinwen, he hadn’t brought it up.
Xie Jinwen opened a map.
“Here.”
“It’s not far.”
Ling Xiao looked at the route.
It was in the direction of the airport.
“Jinwen, why don’t you go upstairs and rest first?”
“My car hasn’t been driven in a while. It’s gathered some dust.”
“I’ll clean it up first.”
Xie Jinwen shook her head.
Her eyes carried unusual determination.
“That isn’t important.”
“We need to leave now.”
Ling Xiao didn’t understand why.
Still, he rarely refused her requests.
So he brought her down to the underground parking garage.
The car had been covered, so there wasn’t much dust.
After a quick cleaning and airing it out, he invited Xie Jinwen into the passenger seat and helped fasten her seatbelt.
“Hurry up and go.”
“It’s a little urgent.”
“…?”
Confused, Ling Xiao started the car and followed the route she had chosen.
Xie Jinwen leaned back in her seat, gazing out the window.
Ling Xiao glanced at her.
“Not happy?”
“Mm.”
“Some things can’t be avoided.”
“If they’re destined to happen, they’ll happen eventually.”
Ling Xiao thought she was referring to the idea of returning to Beijing with him.
“Jinwen, would you like to come back to Beijing with me?”
“I’ll introduce you to my family.”
Xie Jinwen finally looked away from the scenery and stared ahead.
“If we go back…”
“You’ll be unhappy.”
Ling Xiao disagreed.
“How could I?”
“That’s my home. They’re my family.”
“And you’re the person I love.”
“We’ll all be family eventually.”
Xie Jinwen remained silent.
Just as Ling Xiao was about to continue speaking, he spotted a wrecked vehicle ahead.
It looked like the accident had happened only recently.
No one had discovered it yet.
This road was usually deserted, with heavier traffic only beyond the next intersection.
He thought the people involved were lucky.
If not for them passing by, it might have been a long time before anyone found them.
As he got closer and recognized the vehicle’s make and license plate, his pupils contracted.
He had seen that car just moments ago.
His mother’s car.
“Liu Yao’s car?!”
Without hesitation, he slammed on the accelerator.
The car shot forward.
Stopping nearby, he jumped out and rushed toward the wreck.
The doors were jammed shut.
The driver was trapped inside.
And in the back seat, Liu Yao lay unconscious.
“Mom!”