Chapter Five: Set Up

With a mix of emotions, Qin Tian and the two women left the Royal Circus after watching the entire show.

"Yingying, that monkey act was amazing! I never imagined a monkey could perform drunken boxing!" Shen Xiaoqing clung to Jiang Yingying, still excitedly discussing the performance.

"Hey, you blockhead, why did you keep a straight face through such a spectacular show? If you keep this up, I won’t take you out to play next time," Shen Xiaoqing nudged Qin Tian with her elbow, noticing his odd mood.

"Nothing, just thinking," Qin Tian replied offhandedly.

"Thinking? What about? Could it be...?" Shen Xiaoqing waggled her brows at Jiang Yingying, only to receive a sharp look in return.

The three of them got into the car. Suddenly, Jiang Yingying asked, "Qin Tian, can you drive?"

"I suppose I can," Qin Tian nodded.

"Then you drive," Jiang Yingying said, reasoning that a grown man like him shouldn’t go to waste.

"Alright," Qin Tian agreed and switched to the driver’s seat.

Three minutes later...

"Hey, Qin Tian, slow down!"

"Careful, the car ahead is turning left!"

"Oh my god, there’s a car at the intersection!"

Jiang Yingying’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. This wasn’t driving—this was charging through like a tank! He barreled ahead, and though there were no accidents, it felt as if a crash could happen at any moment.

"Qin Tian, what kind of car did you drive before? This is way too wild..." Shen Xiaoqing gripped the handle above the door. Even though the speed wasn’t high, it felt like a rollercoaster ride.

He wasn’t breaking any traffic laws. He used his signals when changing lanes and slowed at intersections—all the rules were followed—yet they couldn’t shake the feeling that Qin Tian drove like a madman.

"Me? I used to drive go-karts," Qin Tian grinned.

"Watch out, someone’s running a red light ahead!"

Just then, an old woman suddenly darted out from the side, moving surprisingly fast. Qin Tian hurriedly honked and slammed on the brakes, stopping just short of hitting her. The shock sent the old woman sprawling to the ground.

Bang!

At that moment, their car was rear-ended.

"Damn it! Do you even know how to drive? Slamming the brakes at a green light? Are you color-blind or what?" Four young men clambered out of the car behind, pounding on Qin Tian’s window and hurling curses.

Qin Tian frowned, told Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing to stay in the car, and stepped out to assess the situation.

"Yingying, call the police and then your father," Shen Xiaoqing tugged Jiang Yingying’s arm.

Jiang Yingying nodded, immediately called the police, and then dialed Jiang Tianxiang. The situation was complicated—they might end up bearing some responsibility.

"Kid, you were driving? Tell me, what color was the light?" One of the young men put his hand on Qin Tian’s shoulder, pointing at the green light across the intersection.

"An old woman ran the red light. If I hadn’t braked, I would have hit her. You were following too closely," Qin Tian explained.

"Old woman? Where? I didn’t see anyone, only your illegal sudden stop!" the young man glared at Qin Tian.

Qin Tian glanced at the crosswalk and his eyes widened—the old woman had vanished without a trace.

"She must have left, but there’s a dashcam. I can show you the footage," Qin Tian offered.

"Let’s see it, then," the youths weren’t entirely unreasonable.

Qin Tian got back in the car and asked, "Where’s the dashcam? How do I play it?"

Jiang Yingying blinked, embarrassed. "The dashcam’s broken. We never got around to fixing it. This car is hardly used, so it never seemed urgent."

Qin Tian was stunned. Now they were in trouble—even the truth would be hard to prove.

"What? No dashcam? Get ready to pay up, then! Ours caught everything—stopping for no reason at a green light. It’s all on you!" the young man sneered.

"There’s a traffic camera up there. When the police arrive, they can check the footage," Qin Tian pointed to the surveillance camera over the intersection.

"Fine, we’ll wait for the traffic cops and watch the footage," the young man shrugged.

Soon, several people who looked like reporters arrived, carrying cameras and microphones, and approached the scene.

"Excuse me, is the woman in the car Jiang Tianxiang’s daughter, Jiang Yingying?" a female reporter asked Qin Tian.

Qin Tian, without thinking, nodded.

"Hello everyone, I’m Xiao Li from News Frontline. Today, I witnessed a malicious parking incident."

"The daughter of well-known entrepreneur Jiang Tianxiang, Jiang Yingying, for her own convenience, stopped her car in the middle of the road during a green light, causing a rear-end collision and severe traffic congestion."

"Now, let’s interview Jiang Tianxiang’s daughter, Jiang Yingying."

"Miss Jiang Yingying, could you step out for a moment?"

Before long, a second wave of reporters arrived.

Then a third, a fourth... In the end, it was impossible to tell how many there were.

In their reports, Jiang Yingying was painted as a spoiled, lawless heiress, heedless of rules and steeped in wrongdoing.

Qin Tian frowned. He had a feeling that Jiang Yingying—or rather, Jiang Tianxiang and his family—were being deliberately set up.

"Move aside!" Qin Tian stepped forward, pushing the reporters away, refusing to let them approach the car.

"Did you all see that? Not only does Jiang Yingying refuse to be interviewed, but she’s having her bodyguard attack us!"

"I hear the Jiang Group has been falsifying accounts, evading taxes, and using underhanded tactics to squeeze out competitors. Like father, like daughter!"

The reporters’ tone shifted, now targeting Jiang Tianxiang and the Jiang Group.

Qin Tian was furious. How had he attacked them? He’d only tried to keep them away!

"Stand back, make way!" Just then, the police arrived. Qin Tian recognized one of them—it was Lin Jian.

"You again?" Lin Jian spotted Qin Tian as well and frowned slightly, wondering how they kept running into each other.

"You were driving?" Lin Jian asked.

Qin Tian nodded and explained what had happened.

"So you’re saying you braked suddenly to avoid hitting someone. I’ll have someone check the surveillance footage," Lin Jian said, calling the station. Soon, he received a reply.

"I’m afraid I have bad news. The cameras here malfunctioned during the time of your accident, so there’s no footage," Lin Jian informed them, his brow furrowing in suspicion.

Qin Tian thought, as expected—someone was targeting Jiang Tianxiang and the Jiang Group.

Who could it be?

Jiang Feng from the Imperial Equestrian Grounds?

Or one of Jiang Tianxiang’s business rivals?

Thinking of the horse racing event Jiang Tianxiang had invited him to, Qin Tian concluded the latter was more likely—someone was out to ruin Jiang Tianxiang and his group.