Seeing her agitated and not in a suitable state to drive, Hu Jiasheng asked softly after the call ended, "Do you need me to give you a ride?"
Lu Jiaying didn't want to trouble him.
Besides, she was bare-faced and not in good condition, so she didn't want to go like this.
She needed to tidy herself up, change her phone, and buy some gifts.
Although the Zhan family didn't lack anything she could offer, the proper courtesies still needed to be observed.
Hu Jiasheng didn't want to make things difficult for her, because honestly, it was awkward for an uncle and his nephew's fiancée to be alone together.
He felt it himself, let alone Lu Jiaying.
He gently comforted Lu Jiaying, "Okay. Then I'll go pick up Jingyu. No rush, you drive slowly, there's still plenty of time."
They said goodbye in a polite atmosphere.
After Hu Jiasheng left, Lu Jiaying felt as if she were still dreaming. She covered her face and remained stunned in her office for a while before going out.
Although today felt like a roller coaster, in a daze, she had managed to sort out her lifelong commitment.
She had to present herself in the best possible state to face everyone.
She rushed to the mall, casually picked out a phone, swapped her SIM card, and then headed to the beauty counter.
With no time to sit down and apply makeup properly, she bought a foundation and a lipstick and ran.
Her skin had a good base, she was confident about that. She would just touch up her makeup at the traffic lights to improve her complexion.
She didn't want everyone to wait for her.
Perhaps it was her good mood, but even the diverse crowds and unchanging scenery on the road seemed more beautiful.
She reached another red light, positioned first in line. With over 40 seconds left on the red light, she seized the opportunity to take out her cushion foundation and pat it onto her face, then reached for her lipstick.
Just as she applied the lipstick, her phone rang.
She grabbed it and saw Hu Jiasheng's name.
Perhaps he had already picked up Jiang Jingyu and was calling to inform her.
About to meet the parents with Jingyu, receiving his call made Lu Jiaying feel ecstatic, almost floating.
She couldn't help but soften her voice and say, "Hello."
"Jiaying." It was indeed Jiang Jingyu's voice on the other end.
"I heard from Uncle. Have you set off? Where are you now?"
"Changjiang South Road. You're back?"
"Of course. Changjiang South Road, we'll be there soon too. Want to come with me?"
She figured Hu Jiasheng was nearby, so she felt too shy to say such a mushy thing.
As she hesitated how to answer, the car behind her honked, and the light turned green.
She pressed the accelerator, smiling ahead as she drove off, remaining silent.
Jiang Jingyu deliberately teased her on the phone.
"Why aren't you talking? Do you want to or not? If you want to, find a place to stop and wait for me, I'll come find you. If you don't, humph—"
Lu Jiaying laughed even more brightly at his teasing. Just as she was about to say "want to," she suddenly heard a loud "bang."
Amidst the surrounding chaos of honking horns and evasive maneuvers, a semi-trailer truck with failed brakes collided with her.
The truck was loaded with over half its capacity in cement, weighing over 100 tons. It crashed into her light, flimsy car, sending Lu Jiaying flying dozens of meters.
Her car flipped several times in the air before smashing violently into the guardrail of the riverside bridge.
What had been a perfectly fine car five seconds ago was now like a paper toy.
Crushed and crumpled, scattered in pieces, the car, emitting thick white smoke, hung on the bridge railing, with streaks of purplish-black blood flowing down its body.
Drivers along the road stopped to look towards the river. Amidst the billowing white smoke, not only blood but also gasoline dripped down.
Someone shouted, "Run, get away, it's going to explode!"
Before some people could even dodge, another deafening explosion echoed, accompanied by a blinding flash of light. The car exploded like a firework, crashing into the river.
Half an hour later, in the middle of the gridlocked Changjiang South Road, a reporter was giving a live report to the camera.
"Latest news, a major traffic accident has just occurred on Changjiang South Road in our city. A semi-trailer truck loaded with cement collided with a car with license plate Nanaxxx, resulting in one fatality, seven injuries of varying degrees, and damage to five vehicles."
"Firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the scene immediately. As you can see, rescue and treatment are underway. The specific cause of the accident is still under further investigation. Please continue to follow our reports."
Blocked outside the cordon, screaming hysterically and heartbroken, Jiang Jingyu was restrained by Hu Jiasheng and several other male bystanders.
The fire chief, standing opposite him, angrily berated him.
"What good can you do? Do you think you're Spider-Man or Iron Man? Can you turn around a situation that's already set in stone by yourself? We are doing our best to rescue, don't cause trouble for everyone!"
"Family member, take him away quickly! Otherwise, we'll charge you with obstructing public order!"
Zhan Beijue and Jiang Nanfang also arrived at the scene.
Everyone accompanied the anxiously waiting, heartbroken Jiang Jingyu by the roadside, repeatedly calling Lu Jiaying's phone.
However, the results were deeply disappointing.
Two hours later, the most severely damaged car was salvaged from the water.
Lu Jiaying's body was also found inside the car.
No surprise, no miracle. She was unrecognizable and had long lost any signs of life.
Only then did the police allow Jiang Jingyu to approach.
The car was smashed and burned beyond recognition, but he could still identify it as Lu Jiaying's car from its deformed silhouette.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, his whole body trembling.
When the firefighters cut open the car with a saw and pulled out a disfigured female corpse, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and collapsed, passing out.
————
Seven years later.
A great tragedy had befallen the family a few years prior. After his girlfriend Lu Jiaying, his brother Jiang Jingyu's first love, passed away, his entire personality changed. He stopped eating, drinking, going out, attending school, or seeing friends.
He recuperated at home for over half a year until he heard that his uncle, due to the death of Lu Jiaying and another woman named Shen Min'er from his younger days, had developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder, falling into depression and being unable to manage the company any longer. Only then did he regain some fighting spirit.
He didn't want to see the company Lu Jiaying loved fall into disarray without management, so he stopped attending university and chose to work directly at an electrical company.
During that period, the entire family lived under a heavy cloud.
They dared not speak loudly, dared not laugh, but also dared not grieve, fearing that any slight misstep would upset Jiang Jingyu.
Seeing their parents tread on eggshells, Ge'er and Tiantian also seemed to have grown up considerably.
To avoid causing their parents further worry, they chose to attend Nancheng University, the closest one to home.
They majored in Architecture and Electrical Engineering respectively, fields beneficial to the company's development.