Sudden Incident

At dusk, Zhang Yi rode alone down Queen Street, Hangzhou's busiest thoroughfare, wearing a grimy work uniform stained with engine oil and riding a battered electric scooter. The words "Such-and-Such Electric Scooter Shop" were printed on his back. Everyone on the street glanced at him, for no other reason than that both his clothes and scooter were utterly out of place on this avenue.

As the provincial capital of Jiangnan Province, Hangzhou gathered most of the province's wealth. Queen Street, one of the city's most prosperous streets, was lined entirely with high-end establishments.

The cars people drove were all worth millions. Even the occasional lower-end vehicle cost hundreds of thousands, and though electric scooters occasionally passed by, they all looked sleek and flashy.

It was clear that those were high-end electric scooters as well, with prices beyond the reach of ordinary people.

That was why he looked so out of place on this street, drawing everyone's attention.

Yet Zhang Yi did not care about any of it. Or rather, he had long grown used to such looks. He passed through this street nearly every day, and had gone from embarrassment and inferiority to numb familiarity.

Unlike most people from Hua Country's far northwest who came to work in Hangzhou, Zhang Yi was also from Jiangnan Province. However, his hometown was different from Hangzhou. Xian County, where he came from, lay in the mountainous region in the south of Jiangnan Province. Compared with the great mountains of Hua Country's northwest, the hills there hardly counted as mountains, perhaps not even as hills. Still, transportation was far less developed than in other parts of Jiangnan Province, and its economy ranked at the bottom of the entire province.

This year marked Zhang Yi's fifth year in Hangzhou. During those five years, he had worked construction, worked in factories, washed dishes, and even run a shop of his own.

But all that was in the past. He was now a repairman—more precisely, an electric scooter repairman. He worked at a branded electric scooter dealership not far from Queen Street. Of course, the shop did not belong to him. He was merely an employee there.

As Zhang Yi hurriedly rode his electric scooter back to his residence more than ten kilometers away, the phone in his pocket rang. He quickly pulled over to the side of the road and took out his phone. It was an old Dami model from several years ago, but despite its age—

Zhang Yi ignored the looks of others as usual and checked the number. It was a call from his mother, so he answered.

"Hello, Mom!"

"What? I'll come back right away."

After Zhang Feng answered the call, his face immediately turned pale. He picked up his phone again and called the owner of the shop where he worked.

"Hello, Huang Jie! I won't be able to come in tomorrow."

"No, I'm not asking for leave. Something happened at home, so I want to resign!"

After hanging up, Zhang Yi got back on his battered electric scooter and hurried home.

When he arrived at his residence, the landlord was already waiting for him. Zhang Yi had informed the landlord while he was on the way that he intended to return the place that day and head home overnight.

As for the various appliances in the room and the electric scooter he was riding, he gave them all to several coworkers he was on good terms with. After all, none of those things were worth much even combined.

Zhang Yi then packed up his personal belongings and hurried outside. Just as he stepped out of the room, a luxury sedan stopped in front of him.

Zhang Feng recognized the car. It belonged to Huang Jie, the owner of the shop where he worked.

Huang Jie's full name was Huang Xiru. She was a year older than Zhang Yi, but compared with Zhang Yi, who had accomplished nothing, Huang Xiru was practically the definition of success.

She already owned several electric scooter dealerships in Hangzhou. Every one of them was large and located in prime areas, all in the city's most prosperous districts. More importantly, she did not rent those storefronts—she had bought every one of them herself. The gap between Zhang Yi and Huang Xiru was plain to see.

"Huang Jie! What are you doing here?" Zhang Yi asked in surprise when he saw Huang Xiru.

"Such a major thing happened in your family, of course I had to come see. I also brought your wages to settle them for you. I'll take you to the high-speed rail station on the way. It's late, and there aren't many cars going to the station." Huang Xiru sounded somewhat reluctant to see him leave.

After all, Zhang Yi was highly skilled at repairing electric scooters, and he was hardworking too.

"Huang Jie! How could I trouble you with that? I can go myself," Zhang Yi hurriedly replied.

Huang Xiru owned several electric scooter shops in Hangzhou, so she was extremely busy every day. Even at night, she always had endless work to do.

"Enough. Don't say anything more. Get in. I don't have time to chat with you here," Huang Xiru said loudly with a frown.

Hearing Huang Xiru's words, Zhang Yi did not refuse any further. He picked up his luggage and got into the car.

After getting in, Zhang Yi looked terrible throughout the journey, worry written all over his face.

"Xiao Yi, don't think too much. Your father will get better." Huang Xiru, who was driving, turned to look at Zhang Yi. Seeing how pale he was and how plainly his thoughts showed on his face, she spoke up.

"Thank you, Huang Jie. I know."

They soon arrived at the high-speed rail station. Fortunately, it was not too late, and tickets were still available. Zhang Yi immediately bought a ticket home. His hometown was not far from Hangzhou, roughly three hundred kilometers away. By high-speed rail, he could reach Zhou Tai City, where his home was located, in two hours.

Two hours passed quickly, and the high-speed rail arrived at Zhou Tai City Station on time. After getting off, Zhang Yi immediately hailed a taxi to Zhou Tai City First People's Hospital.

"Mom! How's Dad?" Zhang Yi asked the moment he reached the entrance to the operating room and saw his mother.

"Xiao Yi! We still don't know the details. Your father is still in surgery. But according to the doctor, his life should not be in danger. His leg, however, may be in serious trouble." Zhang Yi's Mother spoke to Zhang Feng through tears.

"Mom! What exactly happened to Dad? How could he have been hit by a car when everything was fine?" Zhang Yi asked.

Zhang Yi's family did have a road in front of their house, but there were usually few cars on it. The road was also difficult to drive on and full of potholes, so even when cars passed by, they did not travel quickly.

"Ah... Your father was riding out to deliver goods when he was somehow hit by a car. But according to the traffic police's surveillance footage, he was hit while saving someone. A little girl around seven or eight years old was playing in the road. Your father saw a car speeding toward her from a distance, and it had not noticed the child at all. So your father tried to save her, but was struck himself," Zhang Yi's Mother said.

Zhang Yi looked around and found that aside from his mother, some neighbors, and relatives, there was no one else there.

"Mom! Where's the driver who hit him?" Zhang Feng asked in confusion.

"He's being rescued too. After hitting your father, his car lost control and crashed into a utility pole beside the road. I heard his injuries are severe too."