Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

Ran Qin glanced at the surveillance video on her phone. The blueprint spread out on the table was crystal clear, so she quickly took a screenshot and saved it.

At the same moment,

Jian Qin had been charging his electric scooter for about half an hour. Feeling that it was sufficiently charged, he unplugged the charger. As he rode the scooter out of the residential complex, his phone rang—it was his wife, Du Xiaomei.

"Jian Qin, the gas company called again. Have you managed to borrow any money yet?"

"Not yet. I'm trying to figure out how to prove I didn't make a mistake."

Jian Qin never hid anything from his wife; he always told her the truth. Moreover, he entrusted her with managing their household affairs.

"You installed the gas pipes in the position meant for water pipes, and you still claim you didn't make a mistake? What would count as a mistake?"

Du Xiaomei snapped impatiently over the phone, "Jian Qin, can't you use your brain for once? Instead of figuring out how to borrow money, you're wasting time looking for proof? Are you waiting for the gas company to sue you?"

"Ah, my work issues are complicated to explain. Don't worry about it—I'll sort this out myself."

"Don't worry? They keep calling nonstop! How can I not worry?"

Du Xiaomei shouted through the phone, "Let me tell you, Jian Qin, 500,000 yuan is no small amount. Don't expect me to share the burden with you. If you can't pay it back, I'm filing for divorce..."

Screech—

As Jian Qin held the phone with one hand while turning, he lost control of the scooter, which collided with a parked Maserati worth over two million yuan.

*Clatter—* The phone fell to the ground, and Jian Qin tumbled off the scooter.

"Ouch—" His palm scraped against the concrete, leaving bloody marks.

A woman standing nearby, also on the phone, turned around at the sound. Seeing the scene, she hastily ended her call and walked over.

Jian Qin felt like crying. How could he be so unlucky?

Just taking a simple phone call while riding an electric scooter, and he crashed into a luxury car worth millions. Though the damage wasn't severe, it had scratched some paint off the Maserati. "Ma'am, I'm really sorry. It was completely unintentional," Jian Qin apologized repeatedly.

The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, dressed in a sharp business suit. Her stern and cold expression exuded an air of superiority, making her seem unapproachable.

She glanced at her scratched car, then at the man's broken phone and bloodied palm. Riding a scooter while on the phone—how could this not happen?

Though irritated, she had urgent matters to attend to. "You take full responsibility, right?"

"Yes, yes!" Jian Qin agreed hastily.

"Do you have insurance for your scooter?"

"...No." Jian Qin replied. Scooters rarely came with insurance—he only had personal accident coverage.

"In that case, there's no need to call the police. Leave your contact information. I'll take my car to the 4S shop for repairs, and you can reimburse me later."

She was in a hurry and couldn't wait for the police.

"Ma'am, I truly am sorry. It was unintentional."

The woman, growing impatient, said, "I know you didn't mean to, but the responsibility is still yours, and compensation is required, isn't it?"

"I understand. I will compensate."

Jian Qin picked up his damaged phone. "My phone is broken and won't turn on. Do you have a business card? Once I get a new phone, I'll text you so you can reach me."

The woman opened her car door, retrieved a business card holder from her bag, and handed him a card.

"Text this number. I'll call you when the car is fixed. Don't call me."

Jian Qin accepted the card with both hands. "Yes, yes, I won't bother you."

The woman got into her car and drove off. Only then did Jian Qin look at the card.

The card was simple and understated, bearing only a name and a phone number: Shui Qingying.

Shui Qingying! Was there such a surname as "Shui" in China?

Then again, China had numerous surnames—far more than just a hundred. Who knew what surnames existed?

He hadn't resolved the gas pipeline issue yet, and now this. Where would he find the money to pay for the damages?

Ignoring the pain in his leg, Jian Qin rode his scooter to the construction site, only to find that his sister was no longer there.

The security guard saw him and said, "Your phone was unreachable. Your sister received a call and left. She already pulled the surveillance footage. You can ask her for it."

At 9 PM, Lu Sheng emerged from the Pengyue Hotel, visibly annoyed. Coincidentally, Shui Qingying's Maserati pulled up, and she quickly got out and approached him.

"Lu Sheng, I apologize for being late. I was delayed because someone hit my car on the way here."

Shui Qingying hurriedly walked up to apologize to Lu Sheng.

Though she was his cousin, in the business world, she looked up to him. In the business world, Lu Sheng was known for being impartial. To work with him, one had to show utmost sincerity and present excellent proposals—or he wouldn't care whether you were family or not.

"Hit your car?" Lu Sheng glanced at her Maserati. "Who hit it? Is it serious?"

"A man on an electric scooter. He was on the phone while riding. It's not too serious. I didn't ask for his name, so I don't know who he is."

Lu Sheng laughed, "You're generous. You didn't even ask for his name. How will you get the repair costs?"

"I gave him my contact information."

Lu Sheng was speechless. "You gave him your contact information? Not the other way around?"

Shui Qingying explained, "His phone was broken and wouldn't turn on. He didn't have a business card, and he had no paper or pen, so he couldn't leave his contact information."

Su Yue, who was with Lu Sheng, chimed in, "Ms. Shui, that's a classic scam."

Shui Qingying looked confused. "Really? But he didn't ask for compensation."

"If you had been in the car, he would have faked an injury, and you'd have to compensate him. Since you weren't in the car, and the car couldn't hit him on its own, he had no choice but to escape, at least avoiding the repair costs."

Su Yue analyzed, "If you were in the car, he would have claimed injuries, and you'd have to pay."

Shui Qingying realized, "So, it was lucky I wasn't in the car. At least I avoided being scammed."

"Should I help you find that person?" Lu Sheng offered. He despised such scams. Honest people like Ran Qin were rare.

Shui Qingying thought for a moment. "No, he was very polite and asked for my card. We'll see if he can be found after the car is repaired."

Su Yue chuckled, "You gave him your card. Now he knows you're wealthy, and he might target your car next time, finding a better angle to scam you."

Shui Qingying sighed. Perhaps she should have called the police. She hadn't done so because she was in a rush.

In the end, it was all her ex-husband's fault. If he hadn't called and caused a fuss, she wouldn't have stopped by the roadside to take the call.

Well, lesson learned. Next time, she would call the police immediately.