Chapter 55: Seeking Help
Tan Xuan had picked up many regular customers, but he could not remember many of them. After all, a familiar face could not be used as a fare. But the one he was most impressed with today was the girl who took a taxi to Tongyu County at night and met the ghost on the road. But the girl today was wearing a professional suit. Although she was not as heavily made-up as the girl next to her, she also put on makeup and looked much more mature than last time.
"Do you only work the night shift?" The girl smiled brightly. She was very surprised to be able to sit in this car again.
"Yes, I only work the night shift. The roads are too congested during the day, but the traffic conditions are better at night, so I don't feel congested when I'm working."
Tan Xuan was a little surprised to meet again. His attitude was more easy-going and sincere than to other passengers, and there was less professional courtesy in his smile.
"Do you know each other?" asked the other woman and her companion, with a hint of contempt in their faces.
"Yes, I took his car when I was on my way back home from an internship." The girl answered with a smile, not noticing the contempt in her companion's words. Seeing that her companion didn't say anything, she asked Tan Xuan again, "Did you wait until dawn to come back that day?"
"No, I came back directly after dropping you off." Tan Xuan was embarrassed to say that he had picked up other passengers on his return trip, after all, he had collected money from them for returning with an empty car.
"So you didn't meet anyone else on the road, did you?" The smile on the girl's face disappeared, and her expression suddenly became very nervous.
"No, the journey back was smooth." Tan Xuan replied casually, and then asked the girl, "Have you dealt with the things at home?"
"Yeah!" The girl nodded, and her expression became a little sad again.
Tan Xuan knew that his words had aroused the girl's worries. He smiled apologetically and changed the subject, saying, "Do you work here? Those who work in the financial district are all white-collar workers. They all have good jobs and will become business elites in the future. I really envy you."
"I just came here with Sister Wang to do some work. I'm not working here." The girl was honest and directly denied Tan Xuan's flattery.
Tan Xuan laughed again, "That's the same. If you cooperate with the people here, your work must be great..."
After all, they knew each other. Although they were not familiar with each other, they had some common topics. The woman did not speak any more. The atmosphere in the car was very harmonious along the way. They talked and laughed and soon arrived at the end of this order. The food court is not a square, but a street surrounded by large and small restaurants. It was the time when customers came, and the street was very busy. Tan Xuan sent them to the door of their designated restaurant. When they were checking out, Tan Xuan clicked the free bill function in the program. He had earned some extra money from the girl last time, so today he took the initiative to be generous.
The girl didn't notice anything unusual, after all, she wasn't the one who paid, so she said goodbye to Tan Xuan and got off the bus. However, her companion was not happy, holding up her phone and questioning Tan Xuan: "0.01 yuan, what do you mean by that?"
Tan Xuan turned around and laughed, then said politely, "I'll give you a free ride this time, but the system will charge you a cent. Just pay it."
"Free of charge?" The heavily made-up girl looked at Tan Xuan warily, "Do I need you to waive the bill? You are being too nice for no reason. Do you have any intentions towards me or Xiaoying?"
"Intention? A fare of more than 20 yuan is considered to be courteous?" Tan Xuan was amused by her words, "She is also my old customer. She paid a lot of money last time she took my car. This time she doesn't want to pay. You don't have to worry about anything else. I really have no intention towards you...you."
Tan Xuan's sarcastic explanation made the other party very unhappy, and his face suddenly became ugly, "What do you mean?"
Having intentions is not okay, and not having intentions is even worse. One is dangerous, the other is an insult. When it is confirmed that there is no danger, being insulted is even more unforgivable.
"Sister Wang, let's go. They are probably already here." The girl knew her companion's temper and quickly found an excuse to pull her sister Wang out of the car. "They are probably already here. If we go late, we will be scolded again..."
"Hmph!" Sister Wang turned around and walked away reluctantly, twisting her butt, as if she wanted to let out all the anger that had not been vented. She didn't even close the car door and ignored her companions.
"Just because she's a woman, does that mean men are going to do something bad to her? Doesn't she know how safe she looks? Alas! I guess her family can't afford a mirror." Tan Xuan sighed, shook his head, smiled bitterly, got out of the car and closed the door.
You can't be polite casually, otherwise it's easy for people to think you have ulterior motives. After all, not everyone will accept your kindness. There are all kinds of people, and who knows what kind of person you will meet.
Tan Xuan had just sat back in the car when the passenger door was opened and the girl stuck her head into the car.
"I'm really sorry for what happened just now. Don't be angry. Sister Wang is actually a very nice person. She just likes to complicate simple things." The girl explained to Tan Xuan somewhat embarrassedly.
Others were polite, so was Tan Xuan. Besides, it wasn't her who was throwing a tantrum at him, so there was no need for Tan Xuan to argue with her. He smiled and shook his head, "It's okay. I'm not angry. It's my fault for not making myself clear."
The customer is God? They are not human beings anymore, so why bother about anything? Tan Xuan felt a lot more comfortable in his heart instantly.
"Thank you, thank you for giving me a free meal today, and thank you for sending me back to Tongyu so late last time."
"You're welcome. It's only natural for a driver to give passengers a ride. I'm glad to meet you again." Tan Xuan waved at the girl.
"I'm also very happy to meet you again, bye." The girl waved at Tan Xuan with a sweet smile, then stood up and looked at the front window of Tan Xuan's car.
The girl was about to close the car door, but after closing it she opened it again, "By the way, my name is Jiang Yingyue, what's your name?"
"My name is Tan Xuan."
"Okay, I'll remember that. Bye." The girl closed the car door and walked into the hotel with a smile.
Life is full of encounters. I didn’t expect that in such a big city like Jiangzhou, I could meet my former passengers again. Maybe it was fate, the kind of fate that was more than just a one-time encounter.
Tan Xuan mentally compared the two times he met the girl. Last time, she was anxious to go home, anxious, and full of worry. Although she was young, she was not energetic. This time, although she was energetic, she seemed to have lost her youthfulness, especially in her dress and makeup, which made her look more and more like a working woman.
Tan Xuan stroked the stubble that had sprouted again under his chin and said with emotion: "Time flies by so fast. She was still a little girl last time, and now she has become a professional woman. Maybe when we meet again, she will be a wife and a mother. Sigh! By then, I will have changed from a young driver to an experienced driver. Youth..."
Tan Xuan drove on the road again. Today's work had just begun, and he still had to work all night. Tan Xuan didn't want to think about whether he would have the chance to meet the girl again. Meeting was fate, and not meeting was also fate. Anyway, he waived the girl's fare this time, and Tan Xuan felt much more relaxed. After all, he didn't come back from Tongyu empty-handed last time, but he collected the girl's round-trip fare. This was a bargain for others, but it was a knot for Tan Xuan, especially when they met again, he couldn't help but express his gratitude, which was a bit of a meaning.
As the night deepened, there were more and more drunkards on the roadside. The peak working hours were approaching , and Tan Xuan drove his car through the streets at midnight.
The autumn wind blew away the scorching heat, and the late summer nights were already a little cool. Those who were chasing the carnival dispersed early because of the lack of the summer atmosphere, and Tan Xuan's work peak was also shortened by fate.
There are only a few places that drivers like to work at night : bus stations, restaurants, and nightclubs. People from these places are either in a hurry to go home or to set up a temporary home. When Tan Xuan didn't receive a new order for a long time, he would also follow the crowd to find a place to work so that he could save some money for gas.
Whenever he had no work and was bored, Tan Xuan would always think of Xiao Di. He didn't think about her as a person, because there was nothing worth thinking about. Instead, he thought that it would be nice if she could take care of the business at this time. It didn't matter who he asked. That crazy girl was good in other aspects except that she liked to use him as a handyman, especially when it came to expenses. She was never stingy. Unfortunately, the security environment in Jiangzhou was too good recently. Xiao Di hadn't asked Tan Xuan to drive her to the scene of the police call for live filming for several days. It was estimated that it was about to affect Xiao Di's normal work.
Tan Xuan didn't gather together to chat like other drivers. He was used to staying in a corner without being noticed. He didn't have to flatter others or accept others' false feelings. Tan Xuan sat in the car with his mind empty. Occasionally he opened his eyes to scan his phone, and then closed his eyes to rest.
"Brother, have you read the Spring and Autumn Annals? Brother, have you drunk boiled wine?"
The cell phone suddenly rang and Tan Xuan immediately opened his eyes.
Looking at the strange incoming call on his mobile phone, Tan Xuan hesitated. Usually, except for passengers urging for the bus, few people called Tan Xuan. Now when there were no orders, Tan Xuan felt even more disgusted and resistant to strange calls. After what happened to Su Cheng, he was always worried that the call would not bring good news.
The cell phone continued to ring, and Tan Xuan finally picked up the phone.
"Hello. Who is this?"
A woman's voice came from the phone intermittently, "Tan Xuan, can you... come... save me?"
Tan Xuan frowned all of a sudden. His first reaction was that Xiao Di, that crazy girl, was making fun of him in the middle of the night. But he still couldn't help asking, "Save you, who are you?"
"I am... Jiang Yingyue..."
"Jiang Yingyue!" Tan Xuan sat up straight at once. Xiao Di couldn't pretend to use this name, so he asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with you?"
"I seem to have been drugged..." The voice on the phone became even more unclear, "It's a bit difficult to speak now, and I feel dizzy..."
"where are you?"
"I'm...getting off...in the hotel...on the second floor...in the bathroom"
"Okay, hold on, I'll be there soon."
Tan Xuan didn't have time to ask more questions or hang up the phone. He started the car and rushed towards the food court at full speed.
