So, she put on her mask, stood up, and went to the counter to settle the bill.
Qiao Ziqian sat in his seat, his gaze fixed on Meng Jingwei, a thousand feelings churning within him.
When he stood up and walked to the counter, Meng Jingwei had already paid.
"Should I tell Li Shang to give you a long leave of absence?" Meng Jingwei asked again, concerned.
As a friend she had known for a short time, Qiao Ziqian had repeatedly experienced her kindness, and his conscience was constantly assailed by guilt.
"I've already asked Shang Ge for leave."
As they spoke, the two walked out of the barbecue restaurant.
As soon as they stepped out, Qiao Ziqian spotted the striking red limited-edition sports car in the parking lot from a distance.
Even though he couldn't clearly see the person inside the car, Qiao Ziqian knew it was Tang Wanxing.
The car was his, but because he was working as Li Shang's assistant on set and found it inconvenient to drive, he had lent it to Tang Wanxing.
"Meng Meng, could you drive me back?"
Suddenly, Qiao Ziqian suggested.
He had driven a car when he first arrived, a very inexpensive one, but now he wanted Meng Jingwei to drive.
"That wouldn't be right. We've had some drinks; we should find a designated driver," Meng Jingwei said.
"Speaking of drinks, you only had two bottles of beer. I'm staying at the Xingyun Hotel just ahead, a short way past this intersection. If you call a designated driver now to Xingyun Hotel, they can drop you back after they get there."
Qiao Ziqian's suggestion was indeed sound.
"Alright." Meng Jingwei knew Qiao Ziqian was in a bad mood, and since he had asked, she couldn't refuse.
Besides, the distance from here to Xingyun Hotel was only about five hundred meters. Compared to waiting here for ten minutes, going there seemed like a better option.
The two walked onto the road and got into Meng Jingwei's car.
Meanwhile, Tang Wanxing sat in her car, watching helplessly as Meng Jingwei started her sedan and sped away with Qiao Ziqian.
"Is he crazy? How could he get in her car!"
Tang Wanxing was furious and quickly started her car, turned it around, and chased after Meng Jingwei's car.
As she drove, she called Qiao Ziqian.
The call rang twice before the other party finally picked up.
Tang Wanxing couldn't help but yell, "Are you insane?"
Her voice was quite loud, but she knew Qiao Ziqian's phone was highly private.
Qiao Ziqian, sitting in the passenger seat, held his phone to his right ear and instinctively glanced at Meng Jingwei as he answered, asking the person on the other end, "What is it?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? You know the drinks just now were suspicious, and Meng Jingwei is going to die soon. Aren't you inviting disaster by being with her?"
"Mm." Perhaps it was inconvenient for Qiao Ziqian to speak, so he merely acknowledged.
Tang Wanxing was almost exploding with anger. She continued, "She's driving now. If she gets into an accident while driving and dies, there's no way to trace it back to us. It's beneficial and harmless to you, so what are you doing now?"
She mulled it over and over, unable to understand Qiao Ziqian's bizarre actions, which were utterly inexplicable.
"Okay, I understand. We'll talk later. Bye." Qiao Ziqian hung up and put his phone into his jacket pocket.
As Meng Jingwei drove, she asked, "Is Li Shang calling to urge you to return?"
"No, just a friend."
"Oh." Meng Jingwei didn't pry further.
However, as she continued driving, her head began to spin.
She quickly shook her head, trying to regain her composure. But the dizziness struck suddenly and intensely, giving her no chance to react. She ran a red light, and a car coming from the side directly collided with her.
"Meng Meng, watch out!"
Seeing the car approaching from the side, Qiao Ziqian couldn't help but shout and, with quick reflexes, grabbed the steering wheel and swerved to the right.
The sedan, with its speed, successfully avoided the car coming straight from the left but then crashed into the car on the right with a bang.
At that moment, a deafening sound erupted, and the sedan rolled over twice before landing steadily.
Buzz—
A ringing filled Meng Jingwei's ears. Sitting in the car, she was so dizzy she couldn't move. Her entire body felt increasingly weak, and a suffocating sensation began to spread in her chest.