How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 608

A Woman with a Thick Face—So What If I, a Ride-Hailing Driver, Have Some Money? (Thick face is a Chinese idiom for someone who is shameless or brazen.)

The four people piled out of the van. Three of them were visibly drunk, leaving only the driver sober.

One man, sporting a blue cotton coat, seemed particularly boisterous, clearly having indulged quite a bit.

Blue Coat Guy: “He didn’t drink, just the three of us. I downed a whole bottle, and I’m feeling just fine.”

Liu Naixin: “Big brother, you drank a whole bottle of baijiu [a strong Chinese liquor]?”

Blue Coat Guy: “Of course! What’s the point of mentioning it if it was just a bottle of beer?”

Liu Naixin: “Big brother, you can hold your liquor! What’s the rush?”

Blue Coat Guy: “Isn’t the Lantern Festival [a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar] almost here? Heading back to our hometown for the holiday.”

Liu Naixin: “I saw you all crammed in there, not even sitting. What are you carrying? You can’t mix people and goods like that. Open it up for me to take a look.”

The driver hesitated for a moment but eventually opened the back door.

Liu Naixin immediately spotted four cleavers inside, all brand new and unused.

Liu Naixin: “Are you guys chefs?”

Blue Coat Guy: “No, we’re just regular workers. These knives are for back home; one for each of us.”

As he said this, each of the four men grabbed a cleaver and raised it in the air.

Liu Naixin instinctively took a step back. “Hey, hey, put those away! There are a lot of people around; it’s easy to cause a misunderstanding.”

The four men roared with laughter, exchanged glances, and then placed the knives back inside.

Liu Naixin still saw them as ordinary migrant workers who’d had too much to drink, so she led them to the sidewalk for a quick lesson in the law.

Liu Naixin: “Be careful carrying knives, everyone. You don’t want to hurt yourselves or anyone else.”

The Blue Coat Guy, clearly inebriated, made a pistol gesture with his hand. “What’s this? I’ve even got this!”

He made as if to go to the car to retrieve a gun, and Yang Chen and Liu Naixin instantly tensed up.

The guy next to him quickly grabbed the Blue Coat Guy, a nervous look on his face. He chuckled and said, “That’s enough. Let’s hurry home. Don’t tease the officer.”

The Blue Coat Guy laughed and backed down.

Just then, Yang Chen’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw a message from Qiu Yuhong.

Yang Chen tapped it open and nearly betrayed his surprise.

Qiu Yuhong had sent a screenshot from a surveillance camera, showing the driver of the van.

“Mr. Yang, we found the guy who broke into the house to commit r*pe and robbery. The intelligence department is still tracking his whereabouts. We only know he drove off in a van, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint his location.”

Damn, what a coincidence!

Yang Chen sent Qiu Yuhong his location and a message: He’s here with me. Tell Chen Qingxia to send people to arrest him. They have cleavers in the car and possibly a gun. Be careful.

After sending the message, Yang Chen quickly pocketed his phone.

Yang Chen didn’t see a life countdown on anyone’s head, so there shouldn’t be any bloodshed.

However, for safety’s sake, it’s best to get them moving.

These guys have been drinking heavily, and there’s no guarantee they won’t do something stupid if they say the wrong thing. Even if no one dies, getting slashed or shot wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

Just as Liu Naixin glanced at the camera, Yang Chen subtly waved his hand, signaling her to let them go.

Always eager to please, Liu Naixin complied.

After a few simple instructions, Liu Naixin released them.

Liu Naixin asked, “Does Mr. Yang have something to say?”

Yang Chen put down the camera and quickly said to Liu Naixin, “That driver broke into a house to commit r*pe and robbery this morning. They might actually have a gun in the car. Something could happen if you keep talking to them.”

Liu Naixin was shocked and quickly turned to watch the van drive away, a wave of fear washing over her.

“How did Mr. Yang know he committed robbery this morning?” Liu Naixin asked.

Yang Chen recounted what he’d seen that morning and showed her the surveillance screenshot Qiu Yuhong had sent.

Liu Naixin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Then we should call the police right away!”

Yang Chen: “I’ve already asked Qiu Yuhong to notify Captain Chen of the Municipal Bureau. Xingchen Defense will assist the Municipal Bureau in arresting them. You have no sense of danger. The big brother in the blue coat was about to get a gun from the car, but his companion stopped him. And you were still giving them a lecture on the law. If they obeyed the law, would they be carrying those things?”

Liu Naixin: “I thought they were just drunk and teasing me.”

Yang Chen: “Why do you assume men are always teasing you? You can’t have that kind of mindset. Sometimes it can be life-threatening.”

Liu Naixin nodded nervously. “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Yang. I’ll definitely pay closer attention to everyone’s words and actions in the future.”

The two moved to the side to rest and wait for the next target for legal education.

On the other side, after Chen Qingxia received Qiu Yuhong’s call, she immediately gathered her team to arrest the four men.

However, because they might have a gun, they couldn’t risk an arrest in the city. If they became desperate and hurt innocent bystanders, it would be a disaster.

Everyone dressed in plain clothes and followed the van onto the highway in unmarked cars.

As soon as they were on the highway, the police set up a roadblock at the entrance, preventing other cars from entering.

When the van reached a rural stretch with no other vehicles nearby, Chen Qingxia gave the order, and all the police cars sped up to surround it.

“Stop the car! Stop immediately!” the police shouted.

Because they were in plain clothes, the men in the van didn’t suspect anything. Plus, they thought they had the numbers and the weapons, so they weren’t afraid. They pulled over to the side of the road.

The four got out of the car, acting tough. Almost instantly, all the police officers drew their guns and pointed them at the suspects, ordering them to put their hands on their heads and lie on the ground.

The Blue Coat Guy was still agitated and turned to go back to the car, but a police officer stopped him with a warning shot into the air.

“Don’t move! Or we’ll shoot! We received information that you have weapons in the car, possibly a gun. Any sudden movements, and we’re authorized to shoot you on the spot. Don’t mess around; we will shoot!” the police warned.

The four were terrified and quickly put their hands on their heads and lay down on the ground.

The police quickly moved in, controlled them, handcuffed them, and took them back to the station for questioning.

The police also carefully searched the van and found a handgun, loaded with bullets and with the safety off, ready to fire.

Back at the Municipal Bureau, Chen Qingxia received a call from her subordinate.

“Hello, Captain Chen, we caught them all. There really was a gun, loaded with bullets and with the safety off, ready to be used.”

Chen Qingxia: “Great! Bring them back immediately. I’m preparing for the interrogation.”

At that moment, Yang Chen, chatting with Liu Naixin, suddenly heard a system notification.

“Congratulations to the host for completing a special task. The current special task progress is 6/10. Please continue your efforts.”

So, they must have been caught.

Yang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, and Liu Naixin immediately asked, “What’s wrong, Mr. Yang?”

Yang Chen: “Nothing, I just felt like exhaling, maybe something good is about to happen. I had a premonition.”

Liu Naixin: “Haha… really? Do you have abilities like that?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Qingxia’s phone rang.

Yang Chen said with a smile, “Captain Chen from the Municipal Bureau is calling; they must have caught those guys.”

Yang Chen answered the phone and put it on speakerphone.

Chen Qingxia: “Hello, we caught those people. Thank you.”

Yang Chen: “That was fast! You guys are really efficient.”

Chen Qingxia: “Haha… we have to act quickly when dealing with people who have dangerous weapons. We can’t leave any potential threats to the safety of the people. What are you up to? How did you even run into these guys?”

Yang Chen: “I’m now a glorious traffic auxiliary police officer. I’m filming a legal education video with Officer Liu Naixin of the First Brigade.”

Chen Qingxia: “What’s up? Tired of ride-hailing and want to try a police car?”

Yang Chen: “Why do I sense something behind your words? I just had a whim and wanted to see what it’s like to be a traffic cop. I can’t direct traffic, but it’s fine to come over and film a legal education video.”

Chen Qingxia: “Okay! Have fun, then. I have to prepare for the interrogation. Bye!”

Yang Chen: “OK! Bye-bye.”

Liu Naixin could tell that Yang Chen and Chen Qingxia had a good relationship.

But thinking about it, it made sense. People who interact with someone of Yang Chen’s status must at least be leaders.

Seeing that it was getting dark, and they hadn’t encountered any more cases worth filming, they went back to the traffic police brigade.

The remaining editing and production work didn’t require Yang Chen’s involvement, so he left.

Yang Chen was about to grab dinner when a leader called him.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and then the leader got to the point.

Apparently, the twelve bronze zodiac heads from the Yuanmingyuan [a former imperial garden in Beijing] were on display in the Palace Museum, but the leader wanted to use Yang Chen and Huang Hongsen’s donation of the pig and horse heads to bring Yang Chen and Baoli Group together to reconcile.

So, they decided to move the twelve bronze zodiac heads to the Baoli Art Exhibition Hall, using this opportunity to get Yang Chen and relevant leaders from Baoli Group to sit down and have a good chat. The two sides didn’t have any deep-seated hatred, and it would be best if they could talk it out and reconcile. The leader called to ask if Yang Chen could personally attend the donation ceremony.

Baoli Group’s identity was special, after all, and they couldn’t afford to be at odds with Yang Chen because of the personal problems of a subsidiary’s负责人 [person in charge].

Yang Chen’s contributions to the country were also clear to everyone, and they hoped he could continue to bring more surprises in the future, so naturally, they didn’t want him to have grievances with enterprises like Baoli Group.

Yang Chen was a sensible person, and he understood the leader’s thoughts and difficulties.

However, he certainly wouldn’t attend the donation ceremony, but he was willing to sit down and chat privately.

Just as the leader said, the two sides had no deep hatred, and it was always a good thing to talk things out and reconcile. No one wants to have enemies everywhere in life.

The leader understood Yang Chen’s meaning, so he arranged for the chairman of Baoli Group to lead a team to Haicheng to meet Yang Chen and welcome Mr. Huang Hongsen.

Hanging up the phone, Yang Chen quickly fastened his seat belt and headed out for dinner.

As he drove out of the gate, he saw Liu Naixin fiddling with her phone.

They had worked together for an afternoon, so it was only polite to say hello.

“Miss Liu, are you getting ready to go home from work?” Yang Chen asked.

Seeing it was Yang Chen, Liu Naixin immediately ran over, beaming.

Liu Naixin: “Mr. Yang, you haven’t left yet!”

Yang Chen: “I just got a call and was delayed. Where do you live?”

Liu Naixin: “I’m not going home yet; I’m going to eat, but I’ve been browsing Meituan [a Chinese online delivery platform] and can’t decide what to eat.”

Yang Chen: “Get in the car! I’ll take you to my restaurant to try it out.”

Liu Naixin: “Okay. Hehe…”

Liu Naixin happily got into the car and said, “Thank you, Mr. Yang. I’ll treat you when I get paid.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… okay, I’ll wait for your treat.”

Half an hour later, Yang Chen took Liu Naixin to Tang Court.

Liu Naixin had never been to a restaurant like this in her life. She knew it cost a fortune to eat a good meal here.

Liu Naixin: “Mr. Yang, is Tang Court your restaurant?”

Yang Chen: “Yeah, I bought it a few years ago, so I can have food anytime.”

Liu Naixin: “Wow, you rich people really do things in a 豪横 [hao heng – extravagant, wasteful] way. You bought Tang Court just to have food anytime. If you wanted a car to drive, wouldn’t you have to buy companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW? If you wanted clothes to wear, wouldn’t you have to buy companies like LV?”

Yang Chen: “Huh? How do you know I have shares in Mercedes-Benz and LV?”

Liu Naixin looked dazed. “Really? I was just saying it casually. Do you really have them?”

Yang Chen: “I do. Before, to have clothes to wear conveniently, I bought shares in LV’s parent company, and now I’m the second-largest shareholder. Although I can’t say I bought it outright, I still have a say. It’s the same with Mercedes-Benz and BMW; they send me several of their best-selling cars every year.”

Liu Naixin now realized that poverty really limited her imagination. How much money does a person have to have to buy the company that produces the product they want?

Liu Naixin: “Mr. Yang is really amazing. I’ve really opened my eyes today.”

The two came to Yang Chen’s private room, ordered a table full of dishes, and started eating.

Liu Naixin had never tasted such delicacies before, and she couldn’t stop herself from devouring everything on the table.

Yang Chen’s rule for eating was that each dish shouldn’t be large, but there should be many different kinds.

Usually, it was definitely enough for him, but today he met Liu Naixin, who ate with gusto, and the dishes were gone before he was full.

Liu Naixin looked embarrassed. “Mr. Yang, I’m sorry. I’m eating these delicious things for the first time, and I couldn’t help myself.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… it’s okay. I’ll ask them to bring another table. Since I brought you here to eat, you have to be full.”

Then the waiter brought another table, and this time, the two of them were stuffed.

Walking out of Tang Court, Yang Chen asked, “Do you need me to take you home?”

Liu Naixin lowered her head slightly and nodded shyly. “Okay.”

Well, Yang Chen was just asking casually, but he didn’t expect her to accept.

Might as well take her; just treat it as a walk after dinner.

Yang Chen got the car and drove Liu Naixin home.

Fortunately, her home wasn’t far, and they arrived in no time.

“Do… do you want to come up and sit for a while?” Liu Naixin asked.

Yang Chen: “Thank you for the invitation, but it’s too late, and I’m tired after a long day. Let’s get some rest.”

Liu Naixin pouted. “Oh. Okay. Then… goodbye, Mr. Yang. Drive safely.”

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, then drove away.

Liu Naixin watched Yang Chen’s car disappear, feeling a sense of loss.

After a long moment, she suddenly hit herself on the head and muttered, “Liu Naixin, ah, Liu Naixin, what are you thinking? He’s Boss Yang; how could he be interested in a Cinderella like you? Don’t have any illusions; just work hard.”

With a sigh, Liu Naixin turned and walked into the community.

There was nothing to do at home so early, so Yang Chen logged onto his Bipi [likely a typo for “Bili,” a popular video-sharing website in China] account to take a few more ride-hailing orders before heading back.

Soon, he received his first order: a woman in her thirties, holding a cardboard sign that read, “Husband, I was wrong. I just want to remarry, to give our child a complete family. If you don’t come down to see me, I’ll keep waiting here.”

After driving for so many years, he’d seen all kinds of people, so this was nothing new.

Yang Chen was driving quietly when the woman suddenly asked, “Handsome guy, let me ask you a question. Please answer truthfully, from a man’s point of view, okay?”

Yang Chen: “Okay, go ahead.”

Woman: “Are men so heartless that they’d rather a child not have a mother than remarry?”

Yang Chen: “That’s not necessarily true. It depends on the reason for the divorce. Some fundamental issues can’t be forgiven, and children can’t be used as an excuse.”

Woman: “I didn’t cheat or anything. I just felt that life was too hard at the time, and everyone around me was doing better than me, so I divorced on impulse. I admit I fantasized about finding a rich man to marry, but now I realize those were just unrealistic fantasies. I should have been content. Especially since the child is still young, I can’t let him grow up without his mother. I just want to remarry now to give the child a complete family, but the child’s father doesn’t want to. Do you think he’s being a little heartless?”

Yang Chen: “You went out for a spin and couldn’t find anyone to take over, so now you want to come back and mess with your ex-husband, right? Put your hand on your heart and tell me, if a rich man had actually taken a fancy to you, would you still be talking about remarrying for the sake of your child?”

The woman was silent for a moment. “I would! I still think the child is more important. Everyone makes mistakes and misjudgments. I just made a small mistake that everyone makes; there’s no need to keep dwelling on it, right?”

If you said that to a ghost, the ghost would slap you twice and ask why you were lying to them.

Yang Chen: “So, what are you planning to do?”

Woman: “I’m going to hold these signs and stand downstairs at my ex-husband’s house, so he can see my sincerity.”

Yang Chen: “You… to be honest, if you really didn’t cheat, and that man isn’t completely heartless and hasn’t found someone else, you’ll probably succeed. The key is the child. But, let’s be honest, you divorced him because you 嫌弃 [xian qi – disliked, scorned] him for being poor, and now you’re coming back. Can you really make it work?”

Woman: “Of course, I can! He’s not poor anymore; he just won 18 million in the lottery.”

Yang Chen: “…”

Damn, that’s why she’s in such a hurry to remarry.