34: Chapter 34 Ex-girlfriend kneels

"Beep—"

The call disconnected.

Jiang Chen looked at the blackened screen. There wasn't even a trace of panic in his eyes; instead, they held a sense of helpless amusement.

Threatening me with Jiang Qianqian? Did this woman get formalin in her brain and pickle herself stupid?

Right now, Qianqian is surrounded by at least two national security teams, plus a plainclothes special operations squad specially approved by General Qin Weiguo. Let alone encountering trouble, if she were to even cough slightly, three military doctors would probably rush over to check her temperature.

"You want to see me, right? Fine, I'll grant your wish."

Jiang Chen tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, grabbed his car keys, and headed out.

Just as well. The transfer of those few gigabytes of "tactical action movies" to the Empress was lagging earlier. I don't know if that crazy woman, Academician Chen Shuyin, is hogging the villa's Wi-Fi, but it's as slow as a snail.

I'll go for a drive and, while I'm at it, piggyback off the military satellite network built into that modified Hongqi.

...

At the main entrance of Yunding Villa.

The ornate European-style iron gate was tightly shut.

Outside the gate, Lin Yao was wearing a thin white dress—the style Jiang Chen used to like best. She was shivering in the wind, with meticulously placed tear tracks on her face, looking like a pitiful little flower.

Several security guards nearby were watching her with vigilance, gripping their riot control poles tightly.

"Vroom—"

A low engine roar came from deep within the villa complex.

That ink-black Hongqi H9 with white military license plates glided to the entrance like a silent beast.

Lin Yao's eyes lit up instantly.

He came out!

She knew it; Jiang Chen still had feelings for her! As long as she showed a little weakness, as long as she cried, this man who once held her in the palm of his hand would definitely soften!

"Jiang Chen!"

Before the electronic gate had fully opened, Lin Yao rushed forward like a madwoman, spreading her arms and blocking the front of the car.

"I knew you would come out!"

"Screech—"

The sound of the brakes was sharp and piercing.

The front bumper was less than five centimeters from Lin Yao's knees.

The car window slowly lowered a crack.

Revealing Jiang Chen's expressionless profile and the phone he was holding, its screen lit up.

On the screen, a huge transfer progress bar was slowly creeping up: [ 98% ... 99% ... ]

This was the critical moment.

That was several terabytes of high-definition resources; if it disconnected, he'd have to reconnect everything.

"Move."

Jiang Chen didn't even look up, his gaze fixed on the progress bar, his tone as cold as if he were shooing away a fly, "Good dogs don't block the road."

Lin Yao froze for a moment, then tears gushed out like an open faucet.

She lunged to the driver's side window, gripping the glass tightly with both hands, her fingernails scratching against it with a harsh sound:

"Jiang Chen! You're insulting me? You're actually insulting me?"

"I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! That Wang Kai isn't human at all; he forced me! I only got together with him to protect you!"

"Look at me! Look at the dress I'm wearing! This is the one I wore on our first date! Have you forgotten?"

She cried and shouted, thrusting her makeup-streaked face toward the window gap, trying to stir up Jiang Chen's old feelings.

Jiang Chen frowned and pulled his phone slightly further inside.

"I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid."

He glanced at the frantically vibrating progress bar, feeling a bit irritated, "Lin Yao, we are people from two different worlds now. I'm very busy right now; I don't have time to watch you act."

"Busy? What could you possibly be busy with!"

Lin Yao didn't believe it at all; she felt like Jiang Chen was just trying to anger her on purpose, "You're just still hating me! Jiang Chen, stop pretending! If you didn't love me, why would you come out to see me?"

As she spoke, she reached out emotionally, trying to grab Jiang Chen's arm.

This was a critical mistake.

Her hand happened to bump into the phone he was holding high to find a satellite signal.

"Clap!"

The phone was knocked askew by her.

The signal, which had been full, instantly dropped a bar.

The progress bar on the screen, which was about to finish, got stuck at 99.9% in an extremely awkward way.

Immediately after, that despair-inducing red exclamation mark popped up:

[ Network fluctuation, transfer failed. ]

[ Please reconnect. ]

The air froze.

Jiang Chen stared at that red cross, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Do you know how much effort it takes to transfer these few gigabytes of files once?

Do you know that the Empress in the Wasteland is wearing black stockings right now, waiting to watch this episode?

This isn't just cutting off my internet; this is cutting off my spiritual sustenance!

"Lin Yao."

Jiang Chen slowly turned his head. The look in his eyes was no longer indifference, but a rage that wanted to eat someone alive.

"Are you fucking sick?!"

"Ah?" Lin Yao was stunned by the sudden roar, her hand trembling, "I... I just wanted to hold your hand..."

"Hold my ass!"

Jiang Chen slammed a button on the center console.

"Boom—!"

The Hongqi's heavily modified V8 engine let out an angry roar.

The massive sound wave left Lin Yao's ears ringing, and a cloud of black exhaust fumes spewed from the tailpipe, directly at her meticulously maintained face.

"Get lost!!!"

Jiang Chen rolled up the window, not giving her a chance to speak again.

"You're blocking my signal!"

He slammed his foot on the accelerator.

The tires left two black marks on the ground as the Hongqi shot out like an arrow from a bow, the resulting airflow knocking Lin Yao to the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough!"

Lin Yao lay on the ground, getting a mouthful of exhaust and dust. Her white dress instantly turned gray, and her face was streaked with black and white, looking as disheveled as a female ghost who had just crawled out of a coal mine.

She stared blankly at the luxury car speeding away, completely broken.

A signal?

He came out to see me, not to get back together, but just to... piggyback on some internet?

Am I less important to him than a Wi-Fi signal?!

"Jiang Chen! You bastard! You're not human!"

Lin Yao sat on the ground, throwing a tantrum and crying her heart out.

Just then, the security guards nearby finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Miss, please leave."

The security captain walked over with a look of disgust, holding his walkie-talkie, "You are suspected of interfering with the normal traffic of residents. If you don't leave, we will have to take compulsory measures."

"I'm not leaving! I'm his girlfriend! What right do you have to kick me out!"

"Girlfriend?"

The security captain sneered, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, "Mr. Jiang was shooing away a dog just now, didn't you hear him? Men, drag her away! Throw her far away!"

Two burly security guards stepped forward immediately, grabbing Lin Yao from the left and right, and dragged her toward the roadside green belt like they were dragging out trash.

...

In the car.

Jiang Chen reconnected to the signal and watched the progress bar slowly start to climb again, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"What bad luck."

He pulled out a tissue to wipe his phone screen, afraid of getting something unclean on it.

Just then.

His phone rang again.

Jiang Chen glanced at the caller ID, and the irritation from just a moment ago instantly vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.

She was his only relative in this world and his Achilles' heel.

"Hello, Qianqian?"

On the other end of the line came a crisp but deliberately lowered voice, with the noisy sound of the school bell in the background:

"Brother! Where are you?"

"A crazy woman just ran to the school gate and caused a scene, saying she was your girlfriend, and she was even chased away by security... Is it true?"

Jiang Chen smiled, his tone relaxed:

"Don't listen to rumors. That was just an insurance salesperson; I scolded her away."

"What, do you miss your brother?"

"Tch, who misses you."

Qianqian huffed proudly, then her tone became somewhat expectant, yet a bit cautious:

"Um... Brother, today is Friday, and school is out for half a day."

"I... I want to eat that spicy hot pot from the street stall in front of the second cafeteria. Can you... come pick me up?"

"Okay."

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate at all. He jerked the steering wheel, turned the car around, and sped off in the direction of Tianhai High School.

"Wait there, brother will be there soon."

"By the way, I'll show you my 'new business'."