Xiao Feng genuinely didn't want to drive, but seeing Qin Mantong already buckled up, he reluctantly got into the driver's seat.
The car was still running. Once inside, he skillfully adjusted the seat, the side mirror, and the rearview mirror, released the handbrake, and shifted gears.
This series of actions was executed smoothly, clearly conveying the impression of an experienced driver, definitely not soone unfamiliar with driving.
Qin Mantong tilted her head and smiled, "You seem pretty skilled at this."
Xiao Feng returned her a aningful smile, "You'll find out soon enough."
He signaled and the vehicle got onto the main road.
Every now and then, Xiao Feng glanced at Qin Mantong beside him, wondering whether to ask her about appearing on Ma Zing's list of people he's slept with. Yet, after pondering it repeatedly, he decided it was better not to ask.
Everyone has secrets buried deep in their hearts. Unraveled, things could remain as they are between them now, but revealing them might change everything.
They might pretend nothing ever happened, but they might also distance themselves, ending up estranged.
At least in Xiao Feng's heart, he cherished the friendship they once had.
Before long, the car stopped at a red light at the intersection.
"Is my car fixed?" Xiao Feng asked.
Qin Mantong opened the car window a crack and replied, "Almost, I've been keeping an eye on it. You'll be the first to know when it's ready."
Xiao Feng nodded, but before he could speak, he heard a piercing sound coming from outside.
"Screech, screech..."
It sounded like tires skidding on the road, and the noise was growing louder.
"Beep beep beep beep!"
The continuous honking was slightly unsettling.
Xiao Feng looked up at the rearview mirror and saw a white sedan sliding sideways toward him.
He reacted swiftly, lowered the electronic handbrake, prepared to shift gears, and accelerate to avoid this collision.
However, just as his hand touched the gear lever, the car was hit and pushed beyond the stop line.
"Bang!"
In an instant, Qin Mantong in the passenger seat couldn't help but scream, instinctively covering her head with her hands, "Ah!"
With the sudden impact, the hazard lights automatically turned on.
Xiao Feng comforted Qin Mantong briefly, then unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car looking rather unhappy.
He was truly at a loss for words, not even sure whether to bla the person who rear-ended him or his own driving.
He walked to the back of the car and glanced at it. The left bumper was knocked off quite a bit, and one of the backup sensors was damaged, which looked pretty serious.
The white sedan behind had its front passenger door deeply dented inward, and the window was cracked like a spider web. Fortunately, there was no one sitting in the passenger seat.
Xiao Feng stepped up to the driver's side, tapped on the window, and eventually the window rolled down.
A young woman in her twenties appeared petrified, completely expressionless.
"Was my car parked in the wrong spot, delaying your takeoff?" Xiao Feng joked.
The woman snapped to attention and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!
I don't know what happened; the steering wheel suddenly went out of control. I was braking, but sohow the speed increased.
You have to believe , I really didn't press the wrong pedal!"
By the end, she was already crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom.
Xiao Feng peered inside the car, seeing no one else there, he said, "Let's go through insurance."
"Okay, I'll call the police right away. Is anyone hurt in your car?" The woman wiped her tears and asked nervously.
At this mont, Qin Mantong got out of the car, strode over, and complained, "Didn't you see the car ahead?"
The woman had to offer a detailed explanation once again and then made the call, notifying the police to co over.
Since it was at a major intersection, the traffic police quickly arrived at the scene, took photos to determine responsibility, and moved the cars aside to clear the road.
Without a doubt, the young woman driving the white sedan was at fault. The only thing left was to check for instances of drunk or drugged driving.
After more than an hour of busy procedural work, the process was finally completed.
"Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner." Qin Mantong suggested.
Xiao Feng laughed, "In the mood for food?"
"The incident's happened already, not eating won't change a thing." Qin Mantong shifted the topic, "Besides, is this how it always is for you?
Whenever you drive, you get rear-ended?"
"It's not always getting rear-ended; sotis I rear-end others too." Xiao Feng replied casually, thinking of that ti when Chang Xinyan had just sent over the limited-edition supercar, and he rear-ended a Honda.
To be honest, prior to this, he even suspected that Chang Xinyan might have put so kind of spell on the supercar.
But now...
No need to doubt anymore; there's nothing wrong with the car, the problem lies with the driver.
After sending a ssage to the group chat, Xiao Feng followed Qin Mantong down the street.
"What do you want to eat?" Qin Mantong asked.
Xiao Feng thought for a mont and replied, "Let's have so barbeque skewers."
"Alright, barbeque it is." Qin Mantong nodded, then as if rembering sothing, asked, "Do you rember Old Yang?"
"Of course, we used to often owe him money month after month, stacking bills until he probably couldn't take it and moved away without a word of notice."
Actually, Old Yang wasn't really surnad Yang, Xiao Feng never got to know his real surna.
He was called Old Yang because of his exceptional grilled lamb skewers, so he got the nickna Old Yang, and over ti, no one paid attention to his real na.
Qin Mantong sighed, "It wasn't about the debt. Old Yang's son got into gambling and used the shop as collateral to pay off those debts.
His new shop is nearby; want to go support him?"
"Sure." Xiao Feng agreed without much thought.
He's not soone fond of dwelling on the past, or rather, he believes at his present age, he shouldn't overly dwell on forr tis.
The young should be fearless, charging and striving ahead!
When one grows old, there'll be more things worth reminiscing about.
Still, after constantly looking forward, occasionally glancing back isn't so bad.
After walking for about ten minutes, Qin Mantong stopped in front of a small store.
Xiao Feng looked up to see the brightly lit sign with four large characters: Old Yang's Barbeque.
"Let's go." Qin Mantong stepped inside the shop, followed closely by Xiao Feng.
From the outside, the shop seed small; it felt even narrower on the inside. The outer room only had space for two tables, while the interior served as the kitchen.
"What would you like?" An older man with sagging facial muscles and half-whitened hair asked through a small window.
Xiao Feng froze montarily, barely believing that this face in the window belonged to the barbecue stall owner he often visited… uh, owed money to back in the day.
Back then, Old Yang was spirited, even in his fifties; he was knowledgeable, keeping up with trends, fluent with online slang, never falling behind.
Though it's normal to have changed after so many years, Old Yang's transformation was indeed remarkable.
"One hundred lamb skewers, thirty chicken wings, fifty beef tendons, and ten crates of beer to start." Xiao Feng shouted out the phrase he'd said to Old Yang most frequently back in the day.
User Comments
0 comments from readers