Chapter 198: Instant Karma

Chapter 198: Instant Karma

Ye Xiaoxiao held the keys, deep in thought as she watched Xu Jianwen and Hao Yanyan's car drive away.

Why was the female lead's character so different from the one in the original book?

According to the book's setting, the female lead should have been strong, brave, optimistic, confident, and radiating positivity.

But the Hao Yanyan she saw now was completely different from the one described in the book.

Was it because she, the butterfly flapping its wings, had influenced the plot?

Ye Xiaoxiao was still lost in thought when the sound of sudden brakes snapped her out of her thoughts.

Xu Jianwen's car, which had just left, came to an emergency stop because of something unexpected.

Shao Zeyu and Xu Jianli both turned around, staring ahead in shock.

Shao Zeyu: "Your brother seems to have hit someone."

Xu Jianli, who had been angry just moments ago, immediately ran forward upon seeing the situation.

Xu Jianwen was also at a loss. An elderly woman had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, falling in front of the car and groaning in pain.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

The elderly woman trembled as she reached out her hand, "Young man, help me up."

Xu Jianwen sighed, "I'll take you to the hospital."

But the elderly woman shook her head vigorously, "Call the police, I want to call the police."

Xu Jianwen: "Ma'am, you ran into the car."

The elderly woman paused her groaning, "Young man, just give me a hundred bucks, and we'll call it even. I don't need to go to the hospital."

Xu Jianwen frowned, "Are you trying to pull a fast one on me?"

The elderly woman replied confidently, "Young man, I'm being kind. Taking me to the hospital would cost you more."

Xu Jianwen was sure he hadn't hit anyone.

But there was no one to testify.

The elderly woman must have taken advantage of this.

Xu Jianli, who had run over, heard his brother talking to the woman.

"Brother, is this instant karma?"

Xu Jianwen: "..."

Not wanting to drag it out, Xu Jianwen gave the elderly woman a hundred bucks.

The elderly woman took the money, sprang up from the ground, and ran off.

She moved more nimbly than a young person.

Ye Xiaoxiao parked her car next to Mr. Xu and rolled down the window, "Mr. Xu, if you hit someone, you should apologize first. What’s with just throwing money at them?"

Her tone was dripping with schadenfreude.

Xu Jianwen was about to speak but then closed his mouth.

The conversation felt oddly familiar, but the situation was completely reversed.

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t expecting a response from Xu Jianwen.

She continued talking to Xu Jianli, "Jianli, where are you going? Need a ride?"

Xu Jianli immediately turned and got into the car; he was going to stay at his grandparents' house today.

Ye Xiaoxiao rolled up the window, leaving Xu Jianwen in a cloud of exhaust fumes.

Inside the car, Zhao Hongxia looked at the car Ye Xiaoxiao was driving.

"This car’s no bargain; it’s gotta be around two hundred grand."

Hao Yanyan exclaimed, "That pricey!"

Zhao Hongxia said, "Where’d she get that kind of cash? Probably from some guy."

Xu Jianwen got back into the car, his mood was all over the place.

After what just happened, he could now understand how Ye Xiaoxiao felt at the hospital.

Xu Jianwen looked at Hao Yanyan, "Yanyan, did Xiaoxiao hit you and cause your injury?"

Hao Yanyan froze, and she didn't speak for a moment.

Zhao Hongxia glanced at the pale-faced Hao Yanyan, displeased with her son's questioning.

"It had to be her. If it wasn’t her, why would she be at the hospital with Yanyan?"

Hao Yanyan lowered her head, faking pain from her injury.

Xu Jianwen didn’t immediately comfort her; the old lady’s scam had shown him how tough it is to defend yourself, so he wanted to know the truth even more.

He Qiaoxiang slightly frowned.

No matter what happened, Yanyan was the one hurt now.

He Qiaoxiang quickly changed the subject, "We were hoping to get you two married ASAP, but now it’s gonna have to wait."

Xu Jianwen took a deep breath; with He Qiaoxiang around, there was no way to figure out what really happened today.

"Don’t worry, Auntie. Once Yanyan’s foot is better, we'll have the wedding."

He Qiaoxiang was waiting for this, "I was thinking you two could just get your marriage license first."

Neither of them said a word, but Zhao Hongxia couldn’t wait to agree.

"That works too. Get settled down first, then focus on your careers. Once you’re settled, we parents can relax."

Zhao Hongxia took Hao Yanyan's hand, "Yanyan, once you’re married, you can move in with us. It’ll be easier to take care of you."

Xu Jianwen was a bit taken aback by his mom’s enthusiasm.

"Let's wait until I secure my job first. After we get married, we can move out."

Zhao Hongxia's smile faded, clearly less cheerful than before.

He Qiaoxiang, however, thought Xu Jianwen's consideration was reasonable.

The Xu family couldn't expect to bring a daughter-in-law into the family without contributing anything; they would definitely need to purchase another house.

Although both families wanted the two to be together, there were still major differences in the details.

...

Ye Xiaoxiao accompanied Xu Jianli to his grandfather's house and advised, "Go back, don't worry about what happened today. Your brother and I are history; whatever he does, I won't care."

Xu Jianli nodded uneasily.

"Sister Xiaoxiao, I still want to apologize to you."

Ye Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows, "It's not your fault; I won't hold it against you."

Only then did Xu Jianli leave, glancing back every few steps.

Ye Xiaoxiao then asked Shao Zeyu, "Where are you headed?"

Shao Zeyu didn't seem eager to leave.

"Where did you stay over the summer if you didn't go home?"

Ye Xiaoxiao didn't answer but instead asked, "You seem really interested in my business?"

"We're friends; what's wrong with showing a little concern?"

Shao Zeyu's attitude was frank, showing no sign of guilt.

"I'm an apprentice at Rende Pharmacy; you can come to me if you need medical assistance."

"Only if I need medical help?"

"What else?"

"There's a saying about 'checking for a safe pulse.'"

Ye Xiaoxiao was taken aback by his audacity, "You think you're the emperor or something?"

Shao Zeyu didn't joke with her.

"If it's not too much trouble, drop me off at Beijing University of Political Science and Law; I need to head back to school."

"What are you studying?"

Shao Zeyu: "Law."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "If you were my lawyer, how would you handle today's situation?"

A sharp glint flashed in Shao Zeyu's eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses, "If I were your lawyer, I would've stopped you from taking Hao Yanyan to the hospital, secured the scene, and called the police.

Even if you had taken her to the hospital, I would've snapped some photos first to preserve evidence."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I learned something new."

Shao Zeyu meant that there was no need to worry about the other person's well-being at all.

After all, by the time you fetch the camera, Hao Yanyan's injuries could take a turn for the worse.

Shao Zeyu: "What... you think I'm too cold-hearted?"

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head: "No! I really admire how rational you are. I'm thinking about hiring you as a lawyer, but I'm not sure how much that would cost."

Shao Zeyu: "You can try inviting me."

"Isn't it obvious that I'm inviting you?"