The scene fell silent, and none of the bodyguards standing around dared to speak.
"Pay him money to ransom my people? Does Da Xiong think too highly of himself? I'd like to see if he dares to lay a hand on my people if I refuse to pay!"
Gui Shou naturally wouldn't pay. Doing so would be admitting defeat to Da Xiong and making him a laughingstock of Jiangcheng's underground forces.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter."
Gui Shou's icy voice rang out.
"Hahaha, what could possibly have angered the esteemed Master Gui to this extent?"
The room door was pushed open, and two middle-aged men entered.
Upon seeing them, Gui Shou appeared displeased. "Old Wolf, Old Crocodile, why are you only arriving now?"
These two were Old Wolf and E Kui Ping.
"We were delayed by some matters on the road. What happened? Who dared to anger Master Gui to this degree?" Old Wolf teased.
"Hmph, it's that dog Da Xiong. Damn it, I'll finish him myself!" A deep killing intent flashed in Gui Shou's eyes.
Not long after Chen Fan and Qin Shuran drove away, Qin Shuran received a call from her second uncle, Qin Hongwei.
He said that Jiangcheng's jade market was holding a stone gambling大会 (dǎshí dàhuì - stone gambling convention), and Qin Hongwei wanted Chen Fan to be responsible for the Qin family's procurement at this event.
The Qin family was also involved in the jade and gemstone business, which was why Fourth Master Jiang from the jade market had been so respectful to Qin Shuran earlier.
However, this was a business that her second uncle, Qin Hongwei, was in charge of. Qin Shuran didn't understand why Qin Hongwei would suddenly ask Chen Fan, a doctor, to handle this matter.
Qin Hongwei explained that the exquisite jade Chen Fan had gifted to the elder last time was reportedly found by Chen Fan himself, indicating that Chen Fan had a good understanding of raw jade. Therefore, this procurement task was entrusted to Chen Fan, and he insisted that Chen Fan must accept.
Qin Shuran was initially inclined to refuse.
However, Qin Hongwei seemed prepared, stating that Elder Qin and her father, Qin Hongguo, were also eagerly anticipating Chen Fan's performance and that he must not disappoint them.
This put Qin Shuran in a difficult position.
Just then, Chen Fan took the phone. "Uncle Qin, don't worry, I will definitely complete the task."
Qin Hongwei's hearty laughter came from the phone. "Hahaha, good, young people have courage. Excellent. This weekend is the Jiangcheng Stone Gambling Convention. I'll have the person in charge contact you then. You must perform well and not disappoint Shuran's grandfather and father."
Chen Fan replied with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll do my best."
Afterward, Qin Hongwei hung up.
Seeing Chen Fan hang up, Qin Shuran looked puzzled. "My second uncle has always been in charge of these matters. Why would he suddenly hand this over to you?"
Chen Fan stroked Qin Shuran's hair. "Don't overthink it. I'll do my best and try not to let your family lose money."
Qin Shuran looked worried. "I heard that my second uncle's jade business has been declining recently. I'm afraid that if something goes wrong, he'll shift the blame to you."
"Don't worry, don't you trust my luck?" Chen Fan replied with a relaxed expression.
Chen Fan was well aware that unusual circumstances often hid ulterior motives. However, when it came to stone gambling, Chen Fan had never been afraid. He also wanted to see what Qin Hongwei was up to.
The two didn't return directly to the urban village but went to their new house to sort out their luggage for the past few days.
They planned to move into the new house the following evening.
They tidied up until past ten o'clock at night, had some dinner, and then decided to return to the urban village for one last night.
However, as they were driving not far from the urban village, the sound of an engine roared from outside their car window, sounding particularly jarring on the relatively deserted ring road.
A blue Ferrari sped towards them from the opposite lane.
As it approached the intersection, it showed no signs of slowing down.
The Ferrari completely failed to notice an elderly woman on a tricycle, loaded with scrap metal, attempting to enter the urban village from the other side of the intersection.
Upon seeing the speeding Ferrari, Chen Fan quickly flashed his headlights and honked his horn.
However, the Ferrari continued without slowing down.
"Bang!"
A loud crash.
The Ferrari directly collided with the tricycle.
The elderly woman was instantly thrown into the air and landed in the middle of the road.
Chen Fan and Qin Shuran witnessed this scene clearly, but they were too far away to do anything to stop the accident.
After hitting the tricycle, the Ferrari slammed on its brakes.
"Screech!"
The piercing sound of tires screeching against the asphalt echoed on the dark road.
"Quick, call emergency services!" Chen Fan frantically opened his car door and ran towards the middle of the road.
Qin Shuran also nervously took out her phone and dialed the ambulance number. She also opened her car door and ran towards the elderly woman in the middle.
The elderly woman lay in the middle of the road, her body propped up on the ground, covered in blood. At this moment, she still had a sliver of consciousness.
"Chen Fan, she... she's Grandma Fang?!" Qin Shuran also ran over, covering her mouth in disbelief as she looked at the elderly woman on the ground.
This elderly woman was none other than Grandma Fang, whom Qin Minmin had accidentally bumped into last time.
Chen Fan and Qin Shuran had helped her at her home quite a few times before.
Seeing Grandma Fang's severe injuries, Qin Shuran's face turned pale, and she seemed at a loss.
Chen Fan took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, and focused his gaze on Grandma Fang.
Her arms and legs had suffered comminuted fractures, her skull had severe injuries with cerebral hemorrhage, and her internal organs were severely damaged with internal bleeding. There were even signs of kidney failure.
With such severe injuries, even if she were rushed to the hospital now, there would be no chance of survival.
"Grandma Fang, hold on! I'm Chen Fan, I'll find a way to save you! You must not fall asleep, do you hear me?!" Chen Fan kept reminding Grandma Fang.
At the same time, he turned Grandma Fang over, letting her lie flat on the road.
Grandma Fang continuously coughed up blood. Her internal injuries were too severe, and the massive blood loss was causing her to go into hemorrhagic shock.
Chen Fan dared not delay. He took out his acupuncture needles and first sealed the blood vessels in her brain, then sealed several major arteries, which slightly improved the bleeding.
However, Chen Fan dared not leave, constantly ready to perform acupuncture to sustain Grandma Fang's life. But that particular acupuncture technique could only last for twenty minutes, so he had to manage his time carefully, otherwise, Grandma Fang would surely die.
"Damn it, a ragpicker, are you blind?! Do you know how much this car of mine costs?! You scoundrel, even if you sold everything you own, you couldn't afford it!" Just then, a young man opened the car door, stumbled out, and started cursing at Grandma Fang on the ground.