C11 The Old Driver of Green Spirit Mountain

"My father-in-law sent me to assist Lin Jingqiu."

"Assist?" Lan Lan scoffed, "Are you making some kind of joke?"

"Everyone used to say you were a good-for-nothing, and Jingqiu told me not to believe it. But now, it's clear you really have no shame!"

"Isn't it comfortable to just mooch off the Lin family? Yet you still aspire to land a position in the company. Have you no pride at all?"

Sigh.

Jiang Chen sighed. His ex really was a piece of work.

Why was it that wherever he went, he was scorned by others?

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Lin Jingqiu rushed down with her secretary.

"I just got off the phone with the Hundred Spirits Company. They've agreed to give us one more chance, but we need to be there in person before noon," Lin Jingqiu explained.

"Before noon?"

Lan Lan furrowed her brow and glanced at her wristwatch. "It's impossible. Lijiang is too far from here. Plus, I heard on the news this morning that the roads there have been closed."

"Then we won't take that route. We'll go through the mountain roads," Lin Jingqiu declared decisively.

"But... you know the condition of those mountain roads. They're incredibly rough, complex, and dangerous. Even for a driver who's used to them, it would take at least three hours..." Lan Lan struggled to voice her concerns.

She understood her best friend's emotions but felt compelled to lay out the facts.

"What can we do, then?" Lin Jingqiu was overcome with despair.

Lan Lan sighed and comforted her best friend, "Jingqiu, it seems like the Hundred Spirits Company is just giving us a hard time on purpose. If this deal falls through, so be it. We'll come up with another plan."

"What other plan could there be? You know how tough things are for the company right now. I've poured so much heart and effort into getting the company back on track. My parents are proud of me, but now..." Lin Jingqiu's voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes.

Lan Lan felt a pang of heartache, and her own eyes reddened, "Jingqiu, don't be scared. As long as we stick together, I believe we can overcome any challenge, no matter how great."

She wrapped her arms around Lin Jingqiu, comforting her with gentle pats on the back.

Jiang Chen stood aloof to the side, seemingly indifferent to the distressing scene, which infuriated an onlooker. "Are you even a man? Your wife is in this state, and all you can do is spectate?"

Lin Jingqiu and Lan Lan continued to cry, and through their broken conversation, Jiang Chen pieced together the situation.

Dark Blue, the cosmetics company owned by Lin Jingqiu, had suffered a significant financial loss due to a failed investment, leaving the company's cash flow in dire straits.

For any business, cash flow is as vital as blood is to the heart. Dark Blue was on the brink of collapse.

Lin Jingqiu had exhausted every connection to secure a collaboration with Hundred Spirits Company.

But now, it seemed all her efforts had been in vain.

"Wuwuwu... I just wanted to keep the company afloat. Why is it so hard..." Lin Jingqiu wept, her face streaked with tears.

"What a mess..."

Jiang Chen exhaled a weary sigh. He had always found it difficult to witness a woman crying.

Even though Lin Jingqiu had never been particularly kind to him, she was still his wife in the eyes of the law.

Besides, he had Lin Zhenhai's instructions from the night before to consider.

"Enough, enough, no more tears. I'll take you there," Jiang Chen offered.

"You?" Lan Lan was clearly skeptical.

"Relax, I assure you we'll make it on time," Jiang Chen promised.

"And how can you assure us? What, can you fly?" the two women asked in unison.

Jiang Chen replied coolly, "Is it really that hard?"

Seeing their hesitation, he pressed, "Well, are you coming or not?"

"Guess we might as well take a shot," Lan Lan said with an eye roll, dabbing away her tears. "I'll go with you. Jingqiu has been through enough; she needs a break."

With that, she dashed upstairs and quickly returned, clutching a briefcase filled with documents and having touched up her makeup in the brief interval.

They reached the parking lot, where Jiang Chen slid into the driver's seat of Lin Jingqiu's BMW X5 and fired up the engine.

"Do you really think you can handle this?" Lan Lan asked, her voice tinged with doubt.

Jiang Chen let out a light chuckle and floored the accelerator.

Boom!

The car surged forward like an arrow unleashed from its bow.

What a joke! As the former Driver King of the special forces, a mere mountain road was nothing to him. Besides, he relished the thrill of racing on mountain roads!

"Ah!"

Lan Lan screamed as the sudden jolt of acceleration turned her face ghostly white. "Are you trying to get us killed? Why are you driving so fast?"

Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered to reply; instead, he pressed the accelerator even further. The BMW seamlessly blended into the bustling traffic, weaving swiftly through the cars as it sped towards the outskirts of the city.

Lan Lan, sitting in the passenger seat, felt her heart pounding. They were now navigating through the mountains, and just beyond the road's edge lay a cliff, its depths unseen. She couldn't bring herself to look down.

Anyone witnessing this spectacle would have their jaws drop in disbelief.

Normally, drivers maintain a cautious speed of 30 to 40 miles per hour on mountain roads for safety. But Jiang Chen had pushed the speedometer to an astonishing 150 miles per hour!

Such a person could only be a daredevil or a lunatic!

"Damn it, can't you slow down?" Lan Lan clutched the armrest, her eyes wide with terror, nearly squeezing them shut.

Jiang Chen remained unflappable, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Are you frightened by this little speed? Just wait, it's going to get even faster."

"Jiang Chen, you're a dead man!" Lan Lan yelled furiously.

But Jiang Chen just pressed down on the gas pedal once more.

Boom!

"Ah! Jiang Chen, I'm going to kill you..."

The car tore along the mountain road, Lan Lan's cries of panic echoing out of the windows.