Inside the car, Qiao Meixia was sitting in the same seat as earlier, though the atmosphere had shifted significantly. There was one very noticeable and unwelcome change this time. Jiang Yanna was now sitting right beside her, occupying the space that had previously been empty.
Qiao Meixia did not understand why Jiang Yanna had suddenly decided to sit next to her, nor did she have even the slightest interest in finding out the hidden reason behind it. Choosing to ignore the girl's presence entirely, she simply turned her head toward the side and quietly watched the evening scenery passing by outside the car window.
"Sister Meixia..." Jiang Yanna's honey-like voice softly called out, her tone dripping with a sweetness that felt entirely artificial.
When Qiao Meixia did not immediately respond to the call, Jiang Chinan, who was seated in the front passenger seat directly in front of Qiao Meixia, instantly turned around. He glared at her angrily, his face twisted in a look of pure irritation.
"Hey, country bumpkin! Didn't you hear my sister calling you? Why are you ignoring her like that?" Jiang Chinan snapped rudely, his voice echoing in the confined space of the car.
Jiang Lukang and Feng Lan also heard the sudden commotion and turned their heads toward the back seat to see what was happening.
"What happened back there?" Feng Lan asked with a deep frown, her patience already wearing thin.
"Sister Yanna was trying to talk to this country bumpkin, but she ignored Sister Yanna completely as if she were not even there!" Jiang Chinan immediately complained to his mother, his voice full of dissatisfaction.
"Are you an idiot?" Qiao Meixia calmly uttered those four words, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Without waiting for a response, she reached into her bag, put on her earpiece, and activated the noise-cancellation feature. She turned her head away again, returning to her contemplation of the world outside the window.
She completely tuned out Jiang Chinan, who instantly became furious after hearing Qiao Meixia call him an idiot so bluntly in front of their parents.
"Hey, country bumpkin! You actually dare to call me an idiot!" Jiang Chinan shouted, his face turning red with rage.
In a fit of anger, he immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to reach over the seat toward Qiao Meixia. However, at that exact moment, the driver suddenly stepped on the brakes forcefully. The sudden momentum caused the unbelted Jiang Chinan to lose his balance entirely, sending him falling awkwardly from his seat and onto the floor of the car.
"Ouch!" Jiang Chinan cried out painfully as he hit the interior of the vehicle.
"Do you even know how to drive properly?" Feng Lan shouted angrily at the driver, her voice sharp with protective fury. Then, she immediately turned toward Jiang Chinan with visible concern. "Chinan, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
"What on earth happened?" Jiang Lukang asked the driver in a deep, booming voice.
"I am so sorry, Master Jiang. A dog suddenly ran across the road out of nowhere. Everything happened far too suddenly, so I had no choice but to brake immediately to avoid an accident. I am very, very sorry." The driver quickly explained, his voice shaking as he apologised repeatedly.
"Chinan, sit down properly this instant and fasten your seatbelt." Jiang Lukang ordered sternly, his patience finally snapping.
Jiang Chinan did not dare to argue after hearing the cold authority in his father's tone. He climbed back onto his seat, sat down properly, and reluctantly fastened his seatbelt once more.
Even though he remained silent outwardly, he was absolutely seething with fury inside. In his warped mind, it was all because of this country bumpkin that he had fallen down and even gotten scolded by his father.
He secretly swore to himself that he would definitely make Qiao Meixia pay for this humiliation later. Naturally, he never realised that everything had happened solely because of his own reckless and impulsive actions.
***This novel is a work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If it is not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, then it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***