KN | Chapter 30

Mount Fuji Is Far Away

Two hours earlier, Chen Wan had set out from the outer ring.

He was on a business trip there today, and needed navigation to get to Baoli Bay. As the golden harbor that would handle the highest cargo throughput over the next ten years, Baoli Bay had not yet taken shape. Especially coming in from the outer ring, the area was sparsely populated, with only a few small, scattered factories.

Originally, his was the only car on the road, and the drive had been completely smooth. But when he passed Loop Route 375, several cars appeared ahead, chasing one another.

More precisely, two large Jeeps were boxing in a Sharon Marty.

The Sharon Marty was being rammed from both sides, swaying left and right. Its trunk and headlights had already been smashed. The scene looked grim.

Chen Wan had no idea what was going on and had no desire to meddle, so he stepped on the gas and moved to overtake them.

As he brushed past, the Sharon Marty frantically flashed its lights in a distress signal at him. Chen Wan ignored it. Then the headlights swept across, and he saw clearly that there was a woman in the back seat.

He could not make out her face, but both her hands were pressed to the window, pleading.

This side was near the sea and still undeveloped. The curves had only the most basic guardrails. There were frequent reports of people being robbed of their cars here, or of cars plunging into the sea.

Chen Wan lifted his hand and checked the time. His lips pressed into a tight line. In the end, he still slowed down and suddenly swung back around, catching the two Jeeps off guard.

He happened to be driving a solid car today, one built to take a hit.

But the two Jeeps were instantly enraged, even crazier than that Rolls-Royce from last time. Their engines let out furious roars. Infuriated and humiliated, they retaliated against Chen Wan’s interference almost recklessly, ramming his Volkswagen from both sides and snapping the side mirror clean off.

From the driver’s seat, Chen Wan felt the tremendous impact. His phone, which had been flashing with an incoming-call notification, also slipped from his pocket into the crack beside the seat.

Damn it, Chen Wan cursed under his breath. His vision blurred, and his breathing turned heavier. One of the lights had been smashed, and on the unlit road at night, he could only rely on instinct to keep the car under control.

Neither the Volkswagen nor the Sharon Marty could outlast the Jeeps, so Chen Wan decided to finish this fast.

He rolled down his window. The Sharon Marty’s front and rear windows lowered in coordination.

When Chen Wan finally saw the woman’s face clearly, he froze for a moment.

There was no time to think. He made a hand signal to the driver in the front seat of the Sharon Marty. The other man understood at once and slammed on the gas. The moment they pulled some distance away, Chen Wan immediately spun the wheel hard and blocked the road sideways.

If the Jeeps insisted on paying any price to catch the Sharon Marty ahead, then Chen Wan’s Volkswagen would definitely be smashed through the guardrail and into the sea.

But he was betting the Jeeps would not dare drag everyone down with them.

Sure enough, in the very last second before impact, the Jeeps slammed on the brakes. Even so, the Volkswagen still took the full force of the momentum. The driver’s airbag burst out and the seatbelt locked to its limit, which was the only reason Chen Wan was not flung forward, but his head still slammed down hard with a sickening sound.

Stars burst across Chen Wan’s vision. Before he could recover, he started the car again on pure instinct and sped off.

The Sharon Marty had already seized the chance to break out of the encirclement and had gone far ahead. The two Jeeps knew perfectly well there was no longer any chance of catching up, but they clearly memorized the plate number of this lunatic who had burst in halfway.

The Volkswagen escorted the Sharon Marty all the way into the brightly lit city district before stopping.

Chen Wan did not want to get acquainted with the other party. Just as he was about to switch on his turn signal, the woman from the back seat quickly got out and came over to his window, politely knocking on it.

Chen Wan had no choice but to roll the window down.

The woman was very young and beautiful. Even after going through such a harrowing stretch of chaos, she still looked poised and composed. Gratitude shone in her eyes as she smiled and said, “Sir, thank you very much for being willing to help just now. May I ask how I should address you?”

Chen Wan’s head was still spinning. He steadied his breathing, then smiled back. “My surname is Chen.”

“Mr. Chen.” The woman took out a business card and offered it to him with both hands. “My name is Xu Zhiying. May we be friends?”

Inwardly, she wanted to compensate him somehow. But judging from his car and bearing, he was not someone short of money, and directly offering material compensation would have been very rude, so she phrased it that way.

Chen Wan had no way of refusing a lady. He could only accept the card and say, “All right.”

Then he added apologetically, “But I don’t have a business card on me. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Chen Wan lowered his eyes to the card, which carried a very faint fragrance.

Miss Xu, the one rumored to have returned to the country together with Zhao Shengge, with the two families intending a marriage alliance.

Xu Zhiying had originally gone alone today to look at a plot of land with enormous potential that for the time being had not attracted much notice. In order not to draw attention, she had brought only a driver. After seeing the site, she had planned to go straight to Baoli Bay for the evening banquet.

The two Jeeps that had tried to intercept and kill her were most likely from one of the Zhao family’s rivals. They had believed the rumors about a marriage alliance between the Xu and Zhao families. Since they could not get any leverage out of Zhao Shengge, they had targeted her instead.

That was why they had deliberately picked the day of the press conference banquet to stir up trouble. Ideally, the matter would explode across the city and make the online news, ruining Minglong’s auspicious beginning.

And the Xu family also had a stake in the Baoli Bay project. Even if it did not damage both families at once, it could still drive a wedge between them, killing two birds with one stone.

Xu Zhiying looked at Chen Wan’s somewhat pale face and asked worriedly, “Are you hurt? Let me take you to the hospital. Your forehead and arm are both bleeding, you need a thorough examination.”

The collision just now had been so violent that even sitting in the back seat had made her feel sick, let alone the one driving.

With gentlemanly politeness, Chen Wan smiled and declined. “No need, Miss Xu. I don’t feel unwell anywhere. You don’t need to keep worrying about it.”

Judging from what she was wearing, she was probably on her way to Baoli Bay for the banquet as well. Considerately, he suggested, “If you have something to do, then go ahead first.”

Xu Zhiying still sounded uneasy. “Then what about you? Have I delayed your business?”

She had noticed that Chen Wan was also dressed very formally, clearly having taken care with his appearance. But after that chaotic, vicious clash just now, his tie was crooked, his collar and cuffs were wrinkled, and his whole person looked a little bedraggled.

Even so, that face of his was still exceptionally handsome.

A deep sense of apology suddenly surged up in Xu Zhiying’s chest. Perhaps he had been on his way to something he had long been looking forward to, only for her to throw it all into disarray.

Chen Wan did not want to trouble anyone else, so he said, “It’s all right. I’ll just reschedule with my friend.”

“Then how about I at least take you to the hospital for a chec…”

“Really, it’s not necessary. I’m fine, Miss Xu.”

Seeing how firmly he refused, Xu Zhiying could not very well keep insisting. She could only stress it again and again. “All right, Mr. Chen. But if you feel unwell afterward, you must contact me. I’m not just saying that out of politeness. Otherwise, I won’t be able to rest easy.”

Chen Wan paused. This Miss Xu looked refined and scholarly, but when she spoke, she actually had quite a strong presence. He smiled. “Miss Xu, I’m really fine. Don’t worry.”

After Xu Zhiying left, Chen Wan pulled over by the roadside and rolled up his sleeve to inspect his arm.

Sure enough, there was a wound, and some blood had flowed from it, drying where it had stuck to his white shirt.

He had already felt a dull ache earlier, and now a large patch had swollen up. He had probably struck the window when he wrenched the wheel too hard and too sharply while blocking the Jeeps.

There were a few abrasions on his forehead. You would not notice them unless you looked closely, but inside his head everything felt heavy and muddled.

Covered in dust and looking thoroughly bedraggled, there was no way he could still go to the banquet. Chen Wan let out a tired, helpless sigh.

Looking at Xu Zhiying’s retreating figure as she went off to the banquet ahead, Chen Wan felt a trace of envy and regret.

Mount Fuji was very far away. He would not be able to go there after all.

The Volkswagen sat by the roadside like a giant beast in the night, its engine still hot, panting raggedly. The huge screen above the traffic light had just finished airing the observatory report, and now switched over to financial news.

After a Minglong director finished speaking, Zhao Shengge’s face flashed briefly across the screen. Even the official media did not dare keep the camera on him for long.

Chen Wan could not make out his expression, but he saw the ring on his hand. In truth, the shot went by so quickly that Chen Wan did not even catch which finger it was on, but he knew that Zhao Shengge had never worn a ring before.

A car coming from the opposite direction had its high beams on, the glare stabbing straight at him. Chen Wan’s eyes suddenly hurt terribly.

Maybe it was because he had personally sent his rumored rival in love to the side of the person he liked. Or maybe the Jeeps really had knocked something loose in his head. With his spirit in pieces, Chen Wan was, for once, not as rational as he usually was.

But even his irrationality lasted only a very short time, strictly contained within the bounds he allowed himself.

Actually, there was something to be glad about. Miss Xu was an outstanding woman, the sort even a covetous admirer hiding in the dark like him could appreciate. She and Zhao Shengge were well matched.

Chen Wan was glad he had made that turn back.

With pain throbbing at his temple, Chen Wan simply sat there without moving and closed his eyes to rest. In the darkness of the car, over the course of twenty minutes, Chen Wan slowly pieced the shattered parts inside himself back together and scraped together enough strength to drive to the hospital.

Baoli Bay.

By the time the Sharon Marty arrived at the front entrance, the media outside were already flashing away.

Even after the turmoil she had just gone through, Xu Zhiying remained elegant and composed. After stepping out of the car, she ignored the reporters calling “Miss Xu” one after another and walked into the banquet hall with easy grace.

Her mind was on more important matters. After briefly exchanging greetings with a few acquaintances, she found Zhao Shengge’s secretary and said she wanted to see him.

Zhao Shengge said he had no time.

“…” Xu Zhiying almost laughed from sheer irritation. She felt his respect for contracts still had a great deal of room for improvement, so she could only tell the secretary directly what had just happened. “I suspect it was Hong Qi’s people. Tell him to get someone on it as soon as possible.”

Hong Qi was the head of White Crane Hall, and also the one fish that had slipped through the net in the last Hurricane Thunder operation.

This time, Zhao Shengge let her into the VIP lounge very quickly. Xu Zhiying greeted him, “Mr. Zhao.”