Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Run Quickly, Don’t Let the Senior Catch You
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Shaoshan glared angrily at Zhuli Zhen as she crossed the street. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted a familiar Porsche Panamera roaring past right in front of her.
Gu Moting rarely drove sports cars in the city. Since returning to the country, he mainly drove only two cars: a Porsche Panamera and a Bentley Flying Spur.
Shaoshan fixed her gaze on the car, and catching a glimpse of the license plate, she nearly thought she was seeing things. The words slipped out before she could stop herself—
“Senior?!”
Zhuli Zhen was just rolling down the window, ready to flip her off, but upon seeing Shaoshan’s reaction, her eyes widened like saucers.
“Damn it!!”
Flustered, Zhuli Zhen quickly grabbed her phone and sent a string of voice messages.
“Xiaoyu! Run! Senior’s here too!!”
“I don’t know if he saw you, but you have to get out of there!”
“If worse comes to worst, you and the old man just carry the taxi and run!”
“Ahhh, why is he here?! Help!!”
“It was Shaoshan who spotted him, I love Shaoshan!!!”
“Xiaoyu, did you get the messages? Run fast, don’t let Senior catch you!”
“Ahhh, he just turned around and drove past me, should I go ram him?!”
“Help!! I can’t believe I just said I love Shaoshan, my mouth’s filthy now!!!”
...
After a burst of frantic shouting, Zhuli Zhen tossed her phone onto the passenger seat, stepped on the gas, and gave chase.
Gu Moting’s car sped through the streets, weaving past one car after another.
His brows furrowed deeply, his handsome face tense, his dark eyes scanning every taxi’s license plate ahead.
Finally, he spotted the plate.
His entire body surged with adrenaline as he slammed the steering wheel and accelerated.
At the same time, the taxi suddenly swerved into a narrow residential alley.
Gu Moting followed swiftly, turning in after it.
Inside the taxi, Su Qiuyu and the elderly man kept glancing nervously behind them.
The taxi driver, a middle-aged man, drove briskly yet casually.
“Don’t worry,” he said leisurely, “I know these alleys like the back of my hand. No one’s catching us here. This is how I always lose debt collectors! There are lots of little streets, no GPS signal, and anyone new would get totally lost.”
The old man sighed sadly, “Even knowing the car’s performance, how can we feel safe?”
The driver casually asked, “Young man, have you ever heard of the AE86?”
The old man frowned, “Who do you think you’re calling young man?”
The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, “You really are elderly!”
The old man tugged at his own face, “Authentic, no doubt about it!”
The driver looked at the old man’s companion.
The old man said, “This is my daughter. I’m almost ninety; how could she be young? Believe that this seventy-year-old had a daughter, or believe Qin Shi Huang?”
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The driver chuckled, “If you give me a little extra, I’ll believe both.”
Though joking, the driver expertly maneuvered through the alleys without hesitation, smooth and agile.
Suddenly, he shouted loudly, “Let me show you my ultimate trick!”
The old man clutched the driver’s seat nervously, “Are you turning into a transformer or something?”
Su Qiuyu anxiously asked, “Is he an Autobot?”
The driver laughed heartily.
In the distance, a garage door with an iron shutter slowly opened and then slowly closed again.
Just as the driver stomped on the accelerator racing inside, the door shut completely.
The car slid into the garage, tires screeching sharply against the ground as the driver performed a thrilling drift to stop abruptly.
The old man was shaken so violently he felt nauseous; Su Qiuyu quickly patted his back.
The driver hushed them, “Shh!”
He opened a monitor on the car’s dashboard. Two minutes after they entered, a Panamera sped past.
About thirty meters ahead, it stopped.
Silence filled the garage. The three held their breath, frozen in place as time seemed to stand still.
Minutes passed; there was movement inside the Panamera, the driver apparently making a phone call.
After a few more minutes, the Panamera reversed, executed a smooth U-turn, slowed, and drove away.
Once certain the car was gone, Su Qiuyu leaned on the passenger seat back and breathed a long sigh.
The elderly man patted her back gently, “It’s alright, it’s over now. He left.”
The driver turned around, “So? How was my move?”
Regaining her composure, Su Qiuyu took out her phone and said sincerely, “I’m happy to pay this five hundred; you earned it.”
After collecting the money, the driver pointed out an exit route and casually asked, “Who was chasing you?”
The old man sighed, “We’re all debtors wandering the world. Don’t ask for more.”
The driver empathized, “Alright, take care and stay hidden!”
At the other end of the garage was a simple, unassuming little house.
Su Qiuyu and the old man didn’t leave immediately; they sat down on the steps in the underground passage.
Su Qiuyu lowered her head and sent a message to Zhuli Zhen.
The old man watched her quietly.
Zhuli Zhen didn’t reply at once. After waiting for a while, Su Qiuyu put away her phone.
The old man said, “Still shaken.”
Su Qiuyu felt guilty, “Sorry to trouble you.”
The old man replied, “As long as the money’s there, everything’s fine.”
Su Qiuyu smiled.
The old man chuckled softly, “An employment relationship is best; this way you won’t feel indebted.”
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Curious, Su Qiuyu asked, “Were you really a law professor?”
The old man lowered his voice, “I learned that online — bluffing is very effective.”
Su Qiuyu laughed, “Grandpa Guo, you’re amazing. You helped me a lot today.”
“No big deal. Come find me more often; I get lonely by myself.”
Su Qiuyu nodded, “Okay.”
Grandpa Guo once had a son named Guo Chaoxi, who was childhood friends and comrades with Su Muyang and Yuan Liwei.
Guo Chaoxi and Yuan Liwei died in battle twenty-four years ago, leaving Grandpa Guo with a little grandson.
That grandson has now joined the army, leaving Grandpa Guo with no one else to talk to.
At half past seven, the two left the little house.
After winding through several turns, Su Qiuyu booked a ride on an app to take the elder home first.
Their employment relationship ended, and the old man no longer called her Miss Su.
Near the residential area, the elderly man spoke earnestly, “Xiaoyu, Grandpa Guo thinks you should go back to Lingning.”
Su Qiuyu said, “After I find my mother, I will go back.”
“Thinking about it now, my little heart is still scared,” he patted his chest, “This afternoon was really dangerous.”
Su Qiuyu felt the lingering fear as well.
The car stopped at a side gate of the community. The old man declined Su Qiuyu’s offer to accompany him upstairs and smiled, “I’m off. If you need help again, find me. But hopefully, you won’t need me — that means you’re safe and trouble-free.”
Su Qiuyu smiled gently, “Everything will go smoothly from now on.”
“Hope you find your mom soon, and that you two live safely and never have to encounter the Gu family again.”
Su Qiuyu nodded.
Rather than hail another ride home, Su Qiuyu followed the app’s directions, walking twenty minutes to the bus stop, then taking the subway back.
Zhuli Zhen hadn’t replied all this time, which made Su Qiuyu uneasy.
She messaged Lu Xiaoqian, who also didn’t respond.
Suppressing her growing anxiety, Su Qiuyu took out a secondhand laptop—slower than a tractor—from a packed box.
After what felt like an eternity to boot up, she opened the browser and typed “Jiang Hongfang.”
The information that came up was more than she expected.
Su Qiuyu returned to her room to fetch pen and paper, jotting down key details.
Just before ten o’clock, Zhuli Zhen finally called.
Su Qiuyu hurriedly answered, “Zhenzhen.”
“There’s trouble!!” Zhuli Zhen’s voice was very quiet. “What we dreaded the most has happened! Senior saw you this afternoon!!”
Su Qiuyu had suspected as much; otherwise, why would he chase their taxi?
But hearing Zhuli Zhen say it like that sent chills down her spine, as if falling into an abyss.