"Sister Zijun, your injury..."
Su Qing asked while driving a shabby little sedan, and Li Zijun, back in her police uniform, was sitting in the passenger seat with a troubled expression, her eyebrows occasionally knit together as if something was on her mind.
It was already ten o'clock at night. That kid Wang Xing had already taken a cab back home. With such an experience, he'd have stories to boast about for years.
As for Li Zijun, everyone had been caught, and whatever work was left wasn't hers, so naturally, she got off work too, and since he had the car, wasn't this just getting drafted?
"I already said it's nothing, just remember to keep your mouth shut, or I'll make sure you regret it in front of Aunt Hui!" Li Zijun glared at him upon hearing those words.
Perhaps because it had indeed been a tiring day, combined with a dangerous encounter, Li Zijun was half-leaning on the seat, showing a hint of feminine vulnerability between her brows, which made her appear less heroic and more girlish, giving Su Qing the illusion of infinite charm.
Thinking of this, Su Qing shivered involuntarily, perhaps from being single for too long; even seeing this woman seemed attractive now, which was ridiculous.
"Don't worry, Sister Zijun, I've got this. I'm not like Su He, that big mouth."
"By the way, Old A and I—does this count as an achievement? Is there a reward?" Su Qing changed the subject, probing subtly.
After all, the narrator mentioned a twenty thousand reward. It's not a small amount, and he was so broke he might rob his own younger sister, so how could he resist such temptation?
Upon hearing this, Li Zijun couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "What are you thinking? An achievement? What, you expect a third-class merit award?"
"Don't even think about the achievement, but you and Wang Xing did help the police catch a fugitive, so there will be a bonus. I just don't know how much."
Hearing this, Su Qing felt much more at ease. After all, he really had no idea.
"So, no merit award, but how about a bravery award or something? A certificate or a banner would be great to show my mom, so she can stop saying I'm not doing anything useful," Su Qing said with a cheeky grin.
"A bravery award? You really like that?" Li Zijun asked, turning her head in confusion. In her memory, Su Qing didn't seem to care about these things and was quite pragmatic about them—the awards never seemed as real as the bonuses.
"Oh, it's just to deal with my mom. Sister Zijun, you know, I haven't been out job hunting; I've just been making short videos. We young folks get it, but the older generation doesn't understand. I'm practically unemployed at this point," Su Qing complained while driving.
The reason Zhou Hui always mocked her son was simply because he didn't have a proper job. Imagine being asked that when playing cards—how embarrassing. If he had an award like this, it could at least shut his mom up for a while.
In response, Li Zijun thought for a moment and earnestly said, "I really don't know about that, but there's definitely a bonus for capturing Wang Dahai. As for the rest, I can't say for certain, but I'll help you find out."
This left Su Qing stunned. What, this wasn't enough to receive an award?
He didn't actually care so much about the title, but since the narrator mentioned it, he was a bit curious. Why did it seem uncertain now?
Li Zijun then continued, "If you ask me, just find a steady job, and you can always do short videos on the side. That would keep Aunt Hui off your back."
"We'll see, we'll see, haha!" Su Qing didn't want to dwell on that topic; after all, he'd heard it more than once already. He just couldn't stand office politics.
He hadn't started in this field right after graduation. It was precisely because he hated various workplace rules that he chose to work for himself.
"You're not a kid anymore, so I'm not going to bother with you. If you want to find a job, let me know. I know some people. Turn left at the next intersection, and you can park at the entrance of the complex," Li Zijun casually gave the directions without much persuasion.
"Alright, Sister Zijun, so this is where you live. I thought you were living at home!" Su Qing chuckled.
"None of your business," Li Zijun replied. After all, it's quite normal for young people at this age to want their own space rather than living with their parents.
Then Su Qing smoothly turned the car, parking steadily at the entrance of an apartment complex.
"We're here, Sister."
"Mm, don't talk too much about what happened today, or I'll make you pay!"
With that, Li Zijun got out of the car with a dashing flair. Watching her figure disappear, Su Qing shook his head and then turned around to head back the way he came.
But just as he reached the intersection, the familiar narration kicked in:
[There are a thousand roads, but safety is the first. Driving recklessly leads to tears from your family.]
[Continue driving, and your vehicle will be violently hit in three seconds. Good luck.]
The narrator's voice was deep and magnetic, but Su Qing felt a chill run up his spine, and even his hands holding the steering wheel trembled slightly.
A car accident? How could that be? He didn't run a red light?
There was no time to think. Trusting the narrator, Su Qing didn't even look around and slammed on the brakes with all his might.
"Screech~~"
The car came to a sudden halt, and then he heard a piercing screeching noise from his left side, the sound of tires skidding on the pavement.
Following that, a silver-gray sedan came flying sideways from the left of the intersection, skimming past his car's hood.
Even inside the car, he could feel the whooshing sound. If he hadn't slammed the brakes in time, he would've been hit dead center.
One could say this saved his life.
"Bang~~~ Crash!"
The silver-gray sedan's tires screeched violently against the ground and then skidded several meters before crashing heavily into a signal pole on the roadside.
Fortunately, Li Zijun lived in a rather remote area, and it was already ten o'clock at night, so there weren't many people on the street. If this had been downtown, who knows how many pedestrians might have been hit?
Surviving that scare, Su Qing felt a wave of fear wash over him. After all, if he had hesitated for even a second, his fate wouldn't have been so good.
Once he realized his car wasn't hit, Su Qing thought about driving away. After all, in today's society, a little less trouble was always better. But the familiar narrator's voice played again.
[Opportunities that can change one's fate are rare in life, and every decision can lead to different outcomes.]
[The accident vehicle will catch fire in three minutes.]
Upon hearing this, Su Qing was shocked. Another potential disaster? If not for the narrator's warning, he would've left by now. But knowing this, he couldn't just stand by and watch someone burn to death without doing anything. He couldn't bring himself to do it.
He quickly made up his mind, pulled over, and got out of the car, running towards the accident vehicle.
When he got there, he saw that the car door was severely deformed, with broken glass all over the ground.
Luckily, the glass on the driver's side was already shattered. He reached inside through the window to open the door. All the airbags had deployed, and in the driver's seat was a woman with disheveled hair and blood on her forehead, unconscious.
"Damn, I must've not read the calendar when I left the house today!" Su Qing cursed as he crawled in, anxious since it had already been a minute and a half.
"Hey, are you okay?" Su Qing shouted. Seeing no response, he quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, slipped his arms under her armpits, and started pulling her out.
He had already decided that if time ran out and the vehicle caught fire, he would drop her and run, as there was no sense in risking his own life.
But fortunately, the process was quite smooth. Just as he pulled her out, the hood of the car started billowing smoke, with flames flickering.
Seeing this, Su Qing carried the woman and ran for it, and just over ten meters away, the vehicle was consumed by flames.
At the same time, the narrator's voice came again, but this time it was just a short sentence.
[You have gained Shen Yi's favor, young man, you can relax now.]
Su Qing: ???
...