CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 390: XI MEI MAY HAVE A "MAJOR EARTHQUAKE

Last night, after Qin Xia and Ji Xiaoxiao left the gala, Qin Xia took Ji Xiaoxiao to meet a director.

They talked for over an hour, and by the time they left, it was almost ten o’clock.

The minivan had been driving for about twenty minutes when a truck on the opposite side suddenly changed lanes and crashed into them.

The truck came so fast that the driver didn’t even have time to react. Instinctively, he turned the steering wheel, but it placed the car right in the path of the truck.

Qin Xia was asleep in the car, and she was jolted awake by the sudden swerve of the steering wheel. Both Ji Xiaoxiao and her assistant screamed.

When Qin Xia opened her eyes and looked outside, she only felt a strong light glaring into her eyes. Her brain had not yet reacted, and she saw a car speed up from behind the minivan, wedging itself between the minivan and the truck.

The truck crashed directly into that car, pushing it forward until it collided with the minivan.

It pushed the minivan forward a bit before finally stopping,

with that car wedged between the minivan and the truck.

The surrounding vehicles collided, causing severe road congestion.

The sound of horns, shouts, and the crowd gathering around...

Ji Xiaoxiao held her head in the car, too scared to react.

Qin Xia was also jolted in the car.

But she quickly came to her senses, got out of the car, and went to look at the vehicle caught in the middle.

The middle to the back of the car had been completely crushed.

Qin Xia got out of the car, glanced at the deformed vehicle, and hurriedly went to see the person in the driver’s seat.

She was clearly anxious to walk over to the driver’s seat, but at that moment, her legs felt like they were filled with lead, the more anxious she was, the less obedient they were.

She wanted to see the person in the driver’s seat immediately, but she was also afraid of what she might find.

Other than Chu Zhengran, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would drive a luxury car and risk his life to shield the truck.

She forcefully moved toward the driver’s seat, and her assistant ran up to her, covering her head with a coat and pulling her back.

In the instant that the coat covered her head, Qin Xia saw Chu Zhengran’s assistant trying to pull open the door of the driver’s seat.

But because the car was deformed, the door wouldn’t open.

Qin Xia immediately pulled the coat off her head, shook off the assistant’s hand, and walked towards that car.

The surrounding noise of car horns, chatter, and calls for help were unheard.

She walked to the car and helped the assistant pull the door of the driver’s seat.

With much effort, the two of them managed to open the driver’s side door, only to find Chu Zhengran trapped in the driver’s seat, the airbag stained with blood.

Qin Xia’s legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the ground.

She kept calling his name until the rescue workers arrived, and Chu Zhengran still showed no response.

...

Chu Zhengran was in the emergency room for nearly seven hours and was moved to the intensive care unit around six in the morning.

He had head trauma, but the main concern was chest compression, causing severe internal injuries.

He was still in a very critical condition.

Gu Yanjing, Qiao Yuxian, and the others had not slept all night; all their thoughts were on Chu Zhengran, unaware of what was happening outside.

It wasn’t until half an hour after Chu Zhengran entered the intensive care unit that they started to focus on the outside issues.

Su Qi also waited outside most of the night, ready to report any updates to Gu Yanjing.

"Mr. Gu, that truck driver is a fan of An Qing," Su Qi said. "For the past few years, An Qing has competed with Miss Qin for awards, but each time Miss Qin won. A few days ago, An Qing announced her retirement from the industry to get married and expressed regrets online about the past years. Then that truck driver fan blamed everything on Miss Qin."

Qin Xia’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she was listening to him, yet also like she hadn’t heard a thing, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Ji Xiaoxiao stood beside her, looking equally pale from staying up all night. Hearing Su Qi’s words, she glanced at Qin Xia with some sympathy.

"He believes Miss Qin won through shady means, relying on people behind her, and that she was deliberately against An Qing. He also thinks An Qing’s retirement and marriage were because she never won an award and was disheartened," Su Qi continued, "He believes that as long as Miss Qin disappears from this world, no one would be against An Qing anymore. An Qing would return to the entertainment industry."

"This lunatic. What does someone else’s marriage have to do with him? Does he think she should marry a lunatic like him?" Lin Huai Shu, who had been quiet all night, seemed about to explode. "What kind of deranged fan thinks the world revolves around them? Insanity."

Gu Yanjing, who hadn’t slept all night, had bloodshot eyes. His pale face took on a fearsome hue. The anger he had suppressed all night seemed to erupt at this moment.

The corridor, already cold, seemed to be filled with freezing air.

Everyone felt a sudden chill.

Su Qi instinctively held his breath.

Lin Huai Shu’s near outburst seemed insignificant by comparison.

The corridor seemed sealed off, falling into complete silence.

Qiao Yuxian stood by Gu Yanjing, lightly squeezing his hand.

Gu Yanjing’s eyelashes trembled slowly, and he gently squeezed her hand back, and the freezing atmosphere around them eased up a little.

Qiao Yuxian asked, "Did he have accomplices?"

"Yes," Su Qi replied. "A paparazzo was feeding him information about Miss Qin’s whereabouts, so the truck driver was waiting on that road in advance."

No one spoke.

Su Qi waited for a while before hesitantly adding, "This truck driver has severe mental health issues."

Ji Xiaoxiao suddenly furrowed her brows.

Doesn’t this mean they’ve suffered a huge loss in silence?

"So what? Does he plan to use his mental illness as an excuse? Is he proud of it? Is he trying to prove something to me?" Lin Huai Shu retorted coldly, "Does he think I can’t do anything to him?"

Ji Xiaoxiao looked at the about-to-explode Lin Huai Shu.

Qiao Yuxian’s eyes briefly flickered with a fierce look but said nothing.

"Then we’ll settle this privately," Gu Yanjing’s voice was hoarse and cold, "If there’s something, let them contact me directly. Don’t let anyone responsible off the hook."

Ji Xiaoxiao silently took a deep breath.

What was she thinking?

There was Lin Huai Shu, and this was Gu Yanjing. They don’t take claims of mental illness lightly.

"Understood," Su Qi replied, then added, "Mr. Gu, about the online news..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qiao Yuxian and Qin Xia.

One was the owner of Xi Mei, the other was the protagonist of the current online storm.

The online news was spreading like wildfire; Qin Xia’s agent and Xi Mei’s PR department had taken immediate action to try to control it.

But too many people had filmed Qin Xia, and videos kept circulating online.

It was completely uncontrollable.

The agent’s phone was ringing off the hook all night, Xi Mei was practically exploding, with many departments not getting a wink of sleep.

But Qin Xia was incommunicado.

The online frenzy continued to spread, and Su Qi needed to know how to handle it: in what direction and to what extent.

Qiao Yuxian was about to speak when Qin Xia said, "No need to manage it like this. I’ll explain personally later."

Su Qi looked at Qin Xia, then at Qiao Yuxian.

Not managing the situation and opting for a personal explanation later meant that Xi Mei could face a "seismic shift."

Qiao Yuxian didn’t speak, just gave Su Qi a look.

Su Qi understood that Qiao Yuxian wanted him to follow Qin Xia’s wishes.

He nodded slightly and was about to leave when Shang Chen hurried over and quietly said to Gu Yanjing, "Mr. Gu, Madam Chu is here..."