Chen Yang quickly surveyed the area ahead. The car was in the middle lane, and there were no other vehicles approaching. Ignoring the danger, he climbed over the guardrail, waved rapidly towards the car in the middle lane, and shouted:
"Slow down! There's an accident in the tunnel ahead!"
The car driver was quite alert and braked in time. Chen Yang jogged to catch up with the car and guided it to stop in the emergency lane. After hearing Chen Yang's explanation of the situation, the car driver broke out in a cold sweat. Chen Yang and the driver then took the warning triangle from the car and walked a full 150 meters in the direction of oncoming traffic.
Ahead was a long slope, so speeds were generally not high, and visibility was good. Chen Yang placed the warning triangle in the fast lane. Not satisfied, he also broke off several tree branches from the roadside and placed them near the warning triangle.
After doing this, Chen Yang walked back along the road from outside the guardrail.
Xiao He had already reported the situation to the unit and called the police. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief when Chen Yang returned, especially Xu Qingya, whose heart had been pounding with fear after witnessing Chen Yang's dangerous leap into the road to stop the car.
Chen Yang walked up to Xu Qingya, squatted down, and said,
"Qingya, let me check your injury. If it hurts, you must tell me."
He then sat down on the ground, gently lifted Xu Qingya's injured leg, placed it on his thigh, and gently pressed on her swollen ankle. "Ouch..." Xu Qingya frowned and said, "It hurts here."
Chen Yang nodded, continued to examine her carefully for a while, and then looked up and said:
"Sister Qingya, it shouldn't be a bone injury, just a tissue contusion. Let me treat it for you first. It might hurt a little, but bear with it, it'll be fine in a bit."
Xu Qingya nodded obediently, but Liu Xinyao said suspiciously:
"Chen Yang, when did you learn how to treat injuries? Don't mess around!"
Chen Yang rolled his eyes, ignoring Liu Xinyao, and started rubbing his hands together. The Fang family's ancestral, miraculous massage technique works better when the hands are warm.
Ignored by Chen Yang, Liu Xinyao snorted in dissatisfaction, but couldn't help staring at Chen Yang with curiosity in her eyes. Xu Qingya saw this and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Chen Yang had already begun the massage. Xu Qingya felt his hands were very warm, and touching her smooth feet brought an indescribable sense of comfort, as if goosebumps were rising all over her body.
This massage technique was very physically demanding, and in no time, Chen Yang was covered in sweat. Xu Qingya felt the pain in her ankle had significantly lessened, and even Liu Xinyao noticed the effect, as the redness and swelling at Xu Qingya's injury site had decreased considerably. Both of them were amazed.
Feeling Liu Xinyao's gaze, Chen Yang felt secretly pleased. He had deliberately ignored her earlier; he knew this proud and arrogant girl very well—the more you ignored her, the more curious she became.
"Qingya! How are you feeling?" Chen Yang asked.
"Much better! Chen Yang, I didn't know you could do this!" Xu Qingya replied with a smile.
Chen Yang smiled smugly and casually began to tell a story:
"Well, it's a long story. When I was five years old, I was walking down the street when a ragged beggar stopped me and said, 'Little brother, I see you have extraordinary talent and a remarkable aptitude. You're destined to be a great doctor. This 'Peerless Medical Classic' is only ten dollars, and I'll give it to you. The task of saving the world will be entrusted to you…'"
"Hmph! What a charade!" Liu Xinyao couldn't help but scoff. "That's clearly a line from 'Kung Fu Hustle'..."
Xu Qingya said with a smile,
"Yaoyao, Chen Yang is our savior now, don't be rude!"
"Please, don't drag me into this! He's just your savior, okay!" Liu Xinyao pouted, her face full of mockery. "By the way, I heard that a life-saving favor is hard to repay, unless you offer yourself in marriage…"
Joking aside, Liu Xinyao glanced at Chen Yang as she spoke, the warning in her eyes clear. In her mind, Chen Yang was a typical womanizer, and she was genuinely worried that he would be tempted by her and make a move on her cousin. Xu Qingya felt a surge of embarrassment and anger. She snapped, "Yaoyao! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Liu Xinyao took two steps back, taking advantage of Xu Qingya's current difficulty walking, and said with a grin, "Come on then, if you dare!"
Ignored by the two girls, Chen Yang helplessly glanced at the equally embarrassed driver, Xiao He. The two of them tacitly went to the side to smoke.
...
It wasn't until ** o'clock at night that Chen Yang dragged his tired body back to his school dormitory.
After Xiao He reported the situation, Major General Liu Guoqiang, Chief of Staff of the A Group Army, personally led a Coaster and a Cheetah SUV from the direction of Rongcheng City to pick him up.
Upon hearing that his beloved daughter's car had crashed on the highway, Liu Guoqiang was also shocked. He only breathed a sigh of relief after arriving at the scene and confirming that everyone was unharmed.
When Liu Guoqiang saw the Mengshi command vehicle, twisted and mangled between two large trucks, he felt a wave of fear wash over him. After understanding the situation, he was even more enthusiastic towards Chen Yang, their savior, expressing his gratitude profusely.
Then, Xiao He stayed behind to accompany the officers from the army group's logistics and equipment department to handle the accident, while Chen Yang and the other two walked to the opposite lane and boarded the Coaster bus.
The highway on this side was completely blocked due to the accident. The Coaster exited at the first intersection and then drove along the national highway back to Rongcheng city, directly to the Rongcheng General Hospital of the Southeast Military Region. There, Liu Xinyao and the others underwent comprehensive examinations. Even Chen Yang was forced to undergo a full-body checkup. Finally, it was confirmed that apart from Xu Qingya's ankle contusion, Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao were both unharmed, and Liu Guoqiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Following the doctor's advice, Liu Guoqiang, showing great concern for his niece, disregarded Xu Qingya's objections and had the hospital prepare a VIP ward for Xu Qingya to stay for observation for a day. Liu Xinyao, with deep sisterly affection, stayed to care for Xu Qingya.
Chen Yang also wanted to stay, but since he had only just met Xu Qingya, his reason for staying wasn't sufficient, so he took his leave.
Liu Guoqiang personally arranged for his driver to take Chen Yang back to school. He kept urging Chen Yang to come over for dinner sometime, which earned him another eye-roll from Liu Xinyao.
Liu Xinyao genuinely didn't want much contact with Chen Yang; more accurately, she didn't want much contact with any men outside her family. But things never go as planned; she and Chen Yang always seemed to have unexpected encounters. Soon, they might even have to attend the Boao International Law Forum together! Thinking about all this, Liu Xinyao felt a pang of frustration.
That night, Chen Yang suffered from insomnia again. He sorted through the recent events, and the more he thought about it, the less he could sleep.
First, there was the issue of Xu Qingya. This was a huge problem facing Chen Yang now, not simply a matter of pursuing her again, because the Fan family had also gotten involved. Fan Zihong was an obstacle Chen Yang couldn't avoid. In his previous life, Chen Yang could disdain Fan Zihong, but that didn't mean he could ignore him now. Chen Yang was well aware of the Fan family's power and knew what kind of opponent he was facing.
Second, there was the issue of future development. Selling the Shoushan stone had barely earned him some start-up capital. Successfully buying the soon-to-be-demolished apartment in Hengxiang would be his first real pot of gold for future development. Of course, he wouldn't officially receive the money until the demolition notice was issued, but Chen Yang knew that was practically a done deal.
As for his next steps, Chen Yang had a preliminary plan. First, he would use the funds to continue purchasing properties similar to those in Hengxiang under Song Yi's name, profiting from the price difference through demolition compensation. Once he had accumulated around ten million yuan, Song Yi would have essentially completed his training course, and Chen Yang could then begin preparing to establish a cultural communication company.
In addition, Chen Yang had another lucrative business in mind, one that, unlike buying old houses, wasn't short-lived and could generate a steady stream of income if done well. However, Chen Yang was quite busy recently and needed to wait until he had sufficient funds and thoroughly investigated the matter before planning how to proceed.
That night, another person also didn't sleep well: Fan Zihong. He had followed her all the way from Beijing to Rongcheng, solely because he coveted Xu Qingya's beauty. When he heard that his family was planning a marriage between the two, he was overjoyed.
But Fan Zihong's joy didn't last long, because Xu Qingya completely ignored him. No matter what gifts he sent—flowers, jewelry, sports cars, or even a yacht—she rejected them all without exception. Recently, to avoid him, she secretly used a connection from one of Xu's grandfather's old subordinates to transfer herself to Rongcheng, a thousand miles away.
Fan Zihong's reputation for womanizing was well-known among Beijing's playboy circles. How could he let such a delicate and stunning beauty slip by? Especially since she was his fiancée, he felt even more justified. Upon learning of Xu Qingya's transfer, he immediately bought a plane ticket and flew to Rongcheng with her.
He was currently staying in a luxurious suite at the Rongcheng Zhonglou District Committee Guesthouse, where he was received by Fan Changtian, the Deputy Secretary of the Zhonglou District Committee.
Fan Changtian was a distant relative of the Fan family, Fan Zihong's ninth uncle by kinship. However, he was merely a peripheral member of this vast political family and not highly regarded—otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to work in Fang Hongda's territory.
It's well known that the Fang and Fan families have always been politically irreconcilable, and their open and covert struggles have never ceased. Fan Changtian, working in the Southeast Province under Fang Hongda's rule, lived a life of constant anxiety and trepidation.
When Fan Zihong came to visit, Fan Changtian naturally went to great lengths to curry favor. Although the Fan family also had businesses and assets in Rongcheng, Fan Changtian insisted that Fan Zihong stay at the district committee's guesthouse.
On the way back from the airport, Fan Zihong was stuck in traffic for a long time due to a car accident, finally arriving back in the city after 8 PM. Fan Changtian had prepared a banquet and waited in the private room until 8:30 PM, forcing himself to eat and drink despite being starving. The banquet only began after Fan Zihong arrived.
An uncle fawning over his nephew is quite a spectacle.
After the banquet, as soon as Fan Zihong returned to his room, a well-dressed advisor knocked and entered.
"He Lin, how's the investigation going?" Fan Zihong asked eagerly upon seeing the visitor.
"Young Master, we just received news that Miss Xu's car was also involved in the accident this afternoon. However, everyone in the car is unharmed. It seems Miss Xu suffered minor injuries and is under observation at the main hospital!" He Lin said respectfully. "As for the young man who got into the car last, his name is Chen Yang. He's Miss Liu's college classmate. I think he just happened to run into her and hitched a ride!"
The Fan family is indeed incredibly resourceful; within Fang Hongda's territory in Southeast Province, they've managed to gather such detailed information in such a short time. "Really?" Fan Zihong's face was full of suspicion. "Is there any other valuable information?"
"So far, there is no evidence that Chen Yang and Miss Xu have had any prior contact," He Lin said after thinking for a moment. "By the way, young master, this Chen Yang is Master Baiyan's last disciple, whom he accepted not long ago."
"Damn it, what does that have to do with me!" Fan Zihong, a rough man, was completely oblivious to Master Baiyan's illustrious reputation. "Keep an eye on his whereabouts, especially when he's involved with Xu Qingya. Report to me immediately!"
"Yes, young master!" He Lin quickly bowed and nodded in response.
After thinking for a moment, Fan Zihong added:
"Also, prepare a gift. I'm going to visit Qingya at the hospital tomorrow!"