Chapter 145: The Female Driver’s Reinforcements

Although Li Dong was somewhat skeptical of the female driver's claims, he couldn't be bothered to investigate further. Whether her car was stolen, borrowed, or she was simply avoiding the police because she had no license, it was irrelevant to Li Dong.

As long as she paid for the damages, the rest was none of his concern.

Seeing the female driver standing there dazed after her offer to pay, Li Dong grew impatient and urged, "Could you hurry up? I have other things to do."

Song Jiaojiao finally snapped out of her daze, glanced at Li Dong, and said with a hint of bitterness, "Wait a moment. I don't have that much cash on me. I need to call a friend to borrow the money. I promise I'll pay you."

"Borrow money?"

Li Dong's mouth twitched. It wasn't necessary to cry poverty like this.

You're driving a BMW, and you need to borrow a few thousand yuan? If someone on a tricycle had hit his car and said this, Li Dong would have let it go without a second thought.

But a wealthy girl who seems to disregard the gravity of the situation only made Li Dong more disgusted rather than sympathetic.

Looking at her with disdain, Li Dong said coolly, "Do whatever you want, but hurry up."

Song Jiaojiao's expression grew even more pained. The jerk opposite her showed no sympathy at all.

Seven or eight thousand yuan is a lot for her—a recent college graduate with an internship salary of only 800 a month. It would take her a year to save that much. It felt like being ruthlessly exploited.

But she had no grounds to argue, and no one to hear her out.

Driving without a license and using an unregistered car meant getting caught could result in the car and driver being impounded.

If her friend's new car got impounded, it would be disastrous.

Even though her friend was already furious over the car being damaged, Song Jiaojiao didn't want to push her friend further. The added stress might be too much for her.

With a sigh, Song Jiaojiao reluctantly called her friend.

It seemed that her only hope for quickly coming up with seven or eight thousand yuan was her friend.

Li Dong had no interest in eavesdropping while Song Jiaojiao made her call. He turned to Zhou Haidong and said, "We can visit Tan Yong's family another time. Let's skip it today."

Zhou Haidong nodded. Given the current situation, it wasn't appropriate to go there now.

As they were speaking, Song Jiaojiao's voice suddenly grew louder, "You all should come over too. I'm not comfortable with so few people here."

Li Dong raised an eyebrow. Zhou Haidong, looking uncertain, asked, "Is she calling for reinforcements?"

"Shouldn't be necessary, right?"

Li Dong rubbed his chin, still unsure. Was it really worth it to call for help over a few thousand yuan?

But Zhou Haidong's serious expression made sense. Better safe than sorry.

Li Dong thought for a moment and then said quietly, "Have Zheng Long and Cao Hongbing bring a few people over."

Zhou Haidong nodded and stepped aside to make the call.

…

When Song Jiaojiao returned from her call, she noticed that Li Dong and Zhou Haidong were looking at her differently, making her wary.

She glanced around and saw pedestrians on the street, which made her feel slightly relieved. She spoke up, "My friend will be here soon. Please wait a bit longer."

Li Dong tested, "Is your friend coming alone?"

Song Jiaojiao eyed him suspiciously and didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Why do you want to know?"

Li Dong decided not to press further.

Whether she was truly calling for help or if it was a misunderstanding, he wasn't afraid.

Zheng Long, Cao Hongbing, and their group could handle seven or eight people easily. If necessary, the managers and directors upstairs could also come down to intimidate them.

The group waited in silence.

After about five or six minutes, a minibus and a taxi arrived at the scene.

From the minibus, Zheng Long and Cao Hongbing emerged with six or seven security guards wielding rubber sticks, looking very imposing. They were about to speak when Li Dong waved them off.

Seeing the gesture, the group fell silent and stood behind Li Dong.

The taxi door opened to reveal a long leg, followed by a tall and attractive woman, and two other reasonably good-looking girls.

The leading tall woman saw Song Jiaojiao and exclaimed, "Jiaojiao, are you okay?"

Song Jiaojiao shook her head, then awkwardly added, "I'm fine, but the car is damaged."

The tall woman then turned her attention to the BMW, and upon seeing the scratches on the front, her face turned green with anger.

"Jiaojiao!"

The tall woman screamed, grabbing Song Jiaojiao and shaking her violently, crying, "Is this how you treat my boyfriend? In less than ten minutes, you've turned him into this. I'm going to make you pay!"

While the girls were causing a commotion, Li Dong and Zhou Haidong exchanged glances, bewildered.

Was this the help the female driver called?

Li Dong quickly waved Zheng Long and the others to retreat. Eight or nine big men with weapons showing up only to be met by three young women would be a laughing stock.

Before Zheng Long and his group could leave, the tall woman noticed Li Dong and the others.

Seeing so many people, the tall woman looked wary and asked, "What are you planning with just a few thousand yuan?"

Li Dong couldn't help but laugh. Did she really think he was calling for help over money?

Not wanting to explain further, Li Dong said with a smile, "My friends are here for a meal!"

He then turned to Zheng Long and said, "Go upstairs and have dinner first. We'll join you shortly."

Zheng Long and the others, now slightly embarrassed, had come expecting a fight but were now told to go eat instead.

Following the boss's orders, they greeted Li Dong and went into the restaurant.

Once Zheng Long and the group left, Song Jiaojiao and her friends breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Dong and Zhou Haidong seemed much less threatening than the earlier group.

Not wanting to linger, the tall woman looked at Li Dong's car and asked, "How much do you want?"

Li Dong remained silent, glancing at Zhou Haidong.

Zhou Haidong replied, "Give seven thousand five. It shouldn't be too much."

The tall woman nodded and was about to get money from her wallet when Song Jiaojiao stopped her, saying, "Lanyu, don't give them money yet. They're trying to scam us!"

Previously, she hadn't dared to speak up alone, but with her friends around, Song Jiaojiao felt bolder.

She turned to Li Dong and said, "Seven thousand five is too much! I looked at your car; it's not that serious. A few hundred for paint should be enough. I can offer you one thousand. How about that?"

Li Dong was exasperated. He now understood that the female driver was a complete idiot.

The tall woman, who clearly knew what she was doing, was ready to pay without fuss.

Not wanting to waste time explaining, Li Dong looked at the tall woman and said, "Seven thousand five isn't excessive, is it?"

The tall woman pulled Song Jiaojiao aside and smiled, "Jiaojiao was just joking. I'll cover the cost, but once I pay, this matter should be considered settled. You won't pursue it any further, right?"

Li Dong nodded.

The tall woman didn't ask further. She counted a stack of cash from her wallet and handed it to Li Dong.

Li Dong, not wanting to drag things out, gave the money to Zhou Haidong and prepared to leave.

But he heard the female driver call out, "Wait!"

Li Dong turned back to see Song Jiaojiao rushing forward with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you about something."

Li Dong sighed, wondering what else could possibly be wrong. "What is it now?"

Song Jiaojiao hesitated before speaking. "My friend—she's not just any friend. She's a bit high-profile and doesn't like trouble. If the damage is too much, she might reconsider paying. Can we just settle this quickly and avoid any further issues?"

Li Dong, though annoyed, agreed. "Alright. Just hand over the money, and we'll consider this resolved. No more complications."

The tall woman, seeing Song Jiaojiao's nervousness, nodded and handed the cash to Li Dong. "Here's the money. We're done here, right?"

Li Dong took the money and checked it briefly. Satisfied, he nodded. "Yes, we're done. No need for further drama."

With that, Li Dong turned to Zhou Haidong and said, "Let's go. We've got nothing more to deal with here."

Zhou Haidong nodded, and the two of them walked away, leaving Song Jiaojiao and her friends behind.

As they drove away, Li Dong couldn't help but reflect on the bizarre encounter. The whole situation had been both frustrating and absurd, but at least it was resolved without further escalation.

The female driver and her friends watched as Li Dong's car disappeared from view. Once they were alone, Song Jiaojiao let out a deep breath, relieved that the confrontation hadn't gone any worse.

"Thank you for handling that," Song Jiaojiao said to her tall friend, who simply waved it off.

"It's nothing. Let's just hope this doesn't happen again," the tall woman replied, visibly still upset but trying to keep calm.

As they left, Li Dong and Zhou Haidong resumed their day, the unexpected incident serving as a reminder of how unpredictable and troublesome life could be.