His confidant nodded and said, "I've found someone, and we're waiting for your instructions on what to do."
"Is the person reliable?"
"Rest assured, sir, absolutely reliable. No one will suspect a thing."
Huangfu Sisong's face was grim as he said, "I want a flawless accident. You should know how to handle this."
"Yes, I understand." The man withdrew.
Huangfu Sisong wanted to get rid of Qin Tianyi. Without Qin Tianyi, the Huangfu Group would be safe and sound in the future.
He didn't want this potential rival to become even stronger, so he had to eliminate him early to prevent future trouble.
...
It was the weekend, and Song Jiaping was off work. He had agreed to have dinner with Susu.
Worried about the awkwardness of meeting Qin Tianyi alone, he tried to invite Huangfu Mengyao.
To his surprise, Huangfu Mengyao readily agreed, even saying she was canceling a very important appointment.
On the way, he kept wondering what important appointment Huangfu Mengyao had on a weekend. Was it another wealthy suitor introduced by her family?
But he didn't ask directly. He picked up Huangfu Mengyao, and his face remained cold and stern all the way to the restaurant.
Huangfu Mengyao, however, was unfazed, accustomed to his cold and taciturn personality.
Regardless of whether he answered, she curiously asked, "Is this patient of yours very special? It's rare for someone to invite you to dinner, and you're willing to go."
Song Jiaping looked at her with deep eyes and said, "We have some history. We knew each other about ten years ago. We happened to meet again recently, so it's natural to accept the invitation."
"Is it a woman?" Huangfu Mengyao asked.
"Yes, a woman."
Huangfu Mengyao suddenly laughed and said, "No wonder. Are you asking me for advice? No problem, I'll help you vet her. Is the girl beautiful?"
"Very beautiful." Song Jiaping's jawline tightened, and he fell silent, his mood becoming exceptionally heavy.
He had told himself more than once that Huangfu Mengyao didn't like him, and no amount of probing would change that.
But sometimes, he couldn't help himself.
Susu and Tianyi, with Little Star, arrived at the private room of the upscale restaurant early to wait.
Susu had already told Little Star that the uncle they were meeting today was a doctor and a benefactor to their mother and son.
Although Little Star didn't know this uncle, he was the first person to hold him after he was born.
Hearing Susu say this to Little Star, Tianyi felt a pang of discomfort, wishing he, as the father, had been the one to hold Little Star first.
After they met and were introduced, Huangfu Mengyao saw that the "old acquaintance" Song Jiaping mentioned already had a husband and child, which immediately eased her mood.
Susu kept looking at Huangfu Mengyao. Indeed, she was the girl she had seen in the car last time. Up close, the girl's eyes were so clear and bright, and she smiled beautifully.
Song Jiaping had good taste.
Tianyi only glanced at Huangfu Mengyao and, after Song Jiaping's introduction, confirmed that she was indeed Huangfu Sisong's youngest daughter.
Throughout the meal, Tianyi and Song Jiaping were like two icebergs, rarely speaking.
Susu, on the other hand, chatted with Huangfu Mengyao about this and that, and Little Star occasionally livened up the atmosphere, preventing any awkwardness.
Susu found it amusing that they both claimed to be alumni friends and hadn't confirmed their relationship.
The way they looked at each other couldn't lie; they clearly had feelings for each other, but they were deliberately keeping their distance, both playing dumb.
Susu, of course, wouldn't expose them. After all, it was her first time meeting the girl, and Song Jiaping must have his reasons for not making a move.
After they finished eating, they went to the main entrance of the restaurant to say goodbye. Song Jiaping suddenly remembered something and said, "Susu, please wait a moment. I have a gift for Little Star in the car. I'll go get it."
"Dr. Song, I'm already very happy that you're willing to grace us with your presence. Why would you prepare a gift?" Susu tried to decline.
Song Jiaping smiled at Little Star and said, "The gift is for the child, not for you. Don't be so polite."
With that, he ran towards where his car was parked.
Susu had no choice but to hold Little Star's hand and make small talk with Huangfu Mengyao.
Tianyi stood beside Little Star, patiently accompanying them despite feeling bored.
At that moment, a car that had just started in the parking lot suddenly lost control and sped directly towards them.
His first instinct was to protect Susu and Little Star. He quickly turned and stood in front of them, his back stiff, expecting the car to hit him.
However, just as the speeding car was about to hit him, one of its tires suddenly blew out.
The car instantly lost balance, changed direction, and skidded, sparks flying, crashing into Huangfu Mengyao, who was standing next to Susu.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Huangfu Mengyao suffered a severe impact before she could even process what was happening.
In the second before her consciousness faded, she heard Song Jiaping desperately calling her name.
The car finally came to a stop after hitting Huangfu Mengyao.
Song Jiaping dropped the gift in his hand. He watched in horror as Huangfu Mengyao was hit, unable to save her.
He rushed over and fiercely kicked the driver who had gotten out of the car, then immediately went to check on Huangfu Mengyao, who lay in a pool of blood.
Everything happened so quickly. Susu broke free from Tianyi's protective embrace and said to Song Jiaping, "Don't touch her. Call an ambulance quickly!"
As Song Jiaping fumbled for his phone, Tianyi had already calmly called the police and an ambulance. He then lifted the driver from the ground, only to discover he was drunk.
He couldn't reason with the drunk man, so he grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the hood of the car, waiting for the police to handle the situation.
Before the ambulance carried Huangfu Mengyao away, Susu kept covering Little Star's eyes, preventing him from seeing the bloody scene of the car accident.
Song Jiaping left with the ambulance, leaving only the family of three standing there.
Susu still couldn't believe the car accident was real. She said to Tianyi, "Are we dreaming? A car accident happening right at the entrance of the restaurant, so far from the road."
Tianyi glanced at the unconscious drunk man on the car's hood, his eyes filled with icy coldness.
This seemed like an accident, but why did it happen to them? The car was originally heading for him, but it hit Huangfu Mengyao instead.
He put his arm around Susu and said in a gentle voice, "It's not a dream. No one could have predicted such an accident. You take Little Star home first, and I'll cooperate with the police inquiry."
Susu nodded. With what had happened, she had no choice but to take Little Star home.
Seeing how frightened Little Star looked, Susu hugged him on the way back, letting him snuggle against her.
Actually, she didn't know how seriously Huangfu Mengyao was injured, but seeing how worried Song Jiaping was, she could only hope that Huangfu Mengyao would be alright.