The onlookers were stunned, watching such an absurd and dramatic scene unfold before their eyes.
Qin Shiyao and the Inspector's actions looked to them like they were covering for Su Ci and the other person.
Or was there some hidden truth they were unaware of?
Only after the police car followed behind did the onlookers begin to whisper among themselves.
Someone couldn't help but start humming: "May I ask about the palace in the sky, what time is it now..."
Suddenly, a group of people in the crowd carrying cameras aimed their lenses at the murmuring onlookers.
"Cut! Very good, the performance this time was spot on."
An untimely voice rang out, and a man wearing glasses, holding a black and white striped clapboard and a rolled-up white card, walked out of the crowd, wearing a black hat.
Only then did the "onlookers" holding the cameras put them down.
"What are you doing?"
Someone asked curiously.
The man in the hat replied: "Oh! We were just filming a short film. We didn't notify you beforehand because we mainly wanted to visually capture the reactions of the onlookers in the film. You all performed brilliantly."
As he spoke, he gave the onlookers a thumbs up.
The crowd was stunned, and someone asked a soul-searching question: "Was that really just filming a short film?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
The man frowned, adopting a posture that said he would prove it if they didn't believe him, and waved his hand toward the group of photographers.
The photographers seemed prepared, pulling wads of red cash from their bulging pockets and distributing them to the onlookers.
"As compensation for your spontaneous appearance, we can offer everyone 200 yuan as an acting fee. Please forgive us for the inconvenience."
Seeing the bright red cash in their hands, many people dismissed their doubts.
They genuinely believed that they had just been part of an impromptu short film shoot, as everything that had happened seemed too fantastical from a scientific perspective.
How could a person possibly fight against a car?
If it was just filming a short film, then it wasn't strange at all.
Some people were still skeptical, pointing at the BMW with the severely dented bumper: "Then how do you explain this?"
"It's all props. If you tried, you could achieve the same effect."
Sincerity was written all over the man's eyes; he was practically flawless.
"When and where will the short film be released?"
Someone added another question.
Many onlookers grew curious. They figured if it was really a short film, they could just check the internet later to see if it was uploaded.
"Well, if the recording goes smoothly, it'll be a few days. If it's slow, maybe a month."
With the man's assurance, the doubts in the onlookers' hearts dissipated. Seeing that there was no more show to watch, they happily collected their cash and left.
Of course. Watching a good show and getting paid for it—they couldn't have been happier.
The man suddenly put his arm around the neck of the person who had been humming:
"Comrade, we intend to promote this short film widely, and those words you spoke earlier, which are detrimental to unity, are bad for the film's publicity.
As someone who came later, I kindly advise you not to say anything detrimental to unity.
If someone finds out, be careful the Inspector doesn't call you in to the Patrol Office for tea."
The man's heart immediately jumped into his throat.
"However, don't worry, I'll help you edit out your part later."
The man finally patted the person's shoulder and promised.
The person gave an awkward smile and sheepishly left, saying, "Next time for sure."
Seeing the crowd disperse, the photographer and the man walked up to the wrecked BMW, and seeing the massive dent in the front of the car, they couldn't help but gasp.
"We should quickly call a tow truck to haul this car away. Regarding matters from above, say less and do more."
Inside the maybach, Su Ci listened to the system prompt.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for making a choice. Random reward triggered: 'Killing Intent Perception']
[Killing Intent Perception: Allows you to perceive and locate killing intent directed at you by enemies within a 20-meter radius.]
Just hearing the name of the reward filled Su Ci with immense delight.
Because this was an extremely powerful life-saving skill; with it, she could avoid the vast majority of dangers.
Emerging from the joy of receiving the reward, Su Ci noticed Jiang Su driving with focused attention.
Qin Shiyao was looking at the rear-view mirror, her eyes slightly unfocused, while Lan Wanting beside her was crossing her hands and rubbing her fingers.
As if thinking of something, Su Ci proactively and naturally took Lan Wanting's hand, gently placed it on her own thigh, and examined it closely.
The normally rosy knuckles were unnaturally red and swollen. Su Ci asked with concern, "Are you tired from typing for so long?"
Lan Wanting hadn't expected Su Ci to be so observant. She nodded honestly, feeling no need to hide such a small matter: "A little."
She wasn't being dramatic; anyone who had to manually type over six thousand characters in less than half an hour would likely ruin their fingers.
In her current relationship with Su Ci, appropriately showing her needs and emotions was more conducive to bringing the two of them closer and breaking free from a purely transactional bond.
Su Ci said nothing, focusing intently on gently massaging Lan Wanting's fingers to relax the muscles. Internal energy gathered at her fingertips, softly transmitting into Lan Wanting's fingers, stimulating acupuncture points to speed up blood circulation and effectively relieve fatigue.
As a boss, one should be considerate of employees. Taking the initiative to care for an employee's condition and implementing timely countermeasures before they raise an issue can boost their work enthusiasm.
"It's all my fault. I originally wanted Cheng Mingliang to sign the contract, but I didn't expect Grandpa to directly transfer the development rights to me. If I had known earlier, you wouldn't have had to work so hard."
Su Ci felt a little self-reproachful; Lan Wanting's current state was partly her fault.
She had only intended for her cheap grandfather to help her settle the legality of the contract and smooth out relations with the authorities above.
Su Zhenguo only said to leave everything to him before hanging up the phone.
Who could have guessed that Su Zhenguo would be even more direct than her? In less than ten minutes, he transferred the development rights for Xicheng to her.
She was somewhat shocked when she heard what Section Chief Qu said.
However, this did save a lot of trouble, even if it was hard on Lan Wanting.
The meticulously prepared, manually typed contract was wasted, and she had exhausted herself in the process.
The pressure was just right, and Su Ci's slightly higher-than-average body temperature transferred through the contact between their fingers.
Warmer than her body temperature were Su Ci's self-reflective words, flowing like a warm current through Lan Wanting's heart.
She shook her head, a gentle, faint smile on her face:
"It wasn't wasted. Even if the development rights were transferred directly to us, we still need to use the contract to immediately secure the Cheng Clan's investment in the land, which will save a large sum of money."
With Lan Wanting's reminder, Su Ci immediately understood the intention behind it.
She had nearly overlooked this detail. Even though the Xicheng development rights were currently in her possession...
...the money invested by the Cheng Clan Real Estate, the former holder of the development rights, could not be ignored. Legally speaking, she or the Su Clan behind her would need to compensate them.
Compensation was impossible; it would never happen in this lifetime.
Whether she or the Su Clan paid this money, it would be a huge loss, and she would have been provoked for nothing.
In the driver's seat, Qin Shiyao observed the two people in the back through the rear-view mirror.
Their conversation and physical contact were within the bounds of interaction between female friends.
She couldn't see anything suspicious. After a moment of thought, she spoke the words she had kept hidden in her heart for a long time.
"Miss Su."
Su Ci paused her actions, looked up, and their eyes met through the small rear-view mirror: "Is something wrong?"
Qin Shiyao simply said, bafflingly, "Thank you."