Chapter Seven: Continuing to Sling Mud

Seeing the wry expression on Qin Tian's face, the four young men felt an ominous chill in their hearts, as if some misfortune was imminent. After the verbal spar had subsided, the room fell into silence for half an hour, until Lin Jian finally emerged from his office, carrying a stack of documents—several photographs and a videotape.

“The investigation into the accident has reached a conclusion,” Lin Jian announced. “Regarding certain individuals’ illegal actions, let me reiterate: honesty will bring leniency. If you confess with a good attitude, your punishment may be reduced.”

As he spoke, Lin Jian cast meaningful glances at the four youths, making their hearts pound with anxiety. They exchanged uneasy looks, but none dared to speak.

“Let’s all head to the multipurpose hall,” Lin Jian beckoned.

Everyone entered the hall. Lin Jian was about to display the materials for all to see when a police officer hurried in.

“Captain Lin, you should take a look at the news on TV,” the officer said.

With a trace of doubt, Lin Jian switched on the television mounted on the wall. A popular news broadcast was airing. On-screen, a host was interviewing an elderly woman in what appeared to be a studio setting.

“Host, I was walking down the street today when a car hit me,” the old woman said, her face drawn with distress. “The car then fled the scene, so I’m hoping you can help find the driver who ran away after the accident.”

“Did you catch the license plate?” the host inquired.

“No, I didn’t. The car was going too fast. After knocking me down, it sped off,” she replied, shaking her head.

“Did you report it to the police?” the host pressed.

“I did, but even the police couldn’t find the license number,” she said, shaking her head again.

“Do you have any evidence or clues to offer us? We can mobilize the public to help find the vehicle and the driver,” the host suggested.

“Yes, there happened to be a photography enthusiast nearby who was filming at the time and captured the moment I was hit. I got the footage from him,” the old woman replied.

“Very well, let’s take a look at the video,” the host said.

Immediately, the television showed a clip: the side of a car speeding down the road, suddenly braking, then the old woman falling to the ground.

“As we can see, the license plate isn’t visible in the footage, and judging by the surroundings, it appears to be a rural road.”

“The driver must have fled, thinking he could get away with it. People like this must be punished by the law! We urge everyone to help provide any information on this vehicle,” the host declared passionately.

Upon seeing the elderly woman, Qin Tian was stunned—that was the very woman he had swerved to avoid! And the car in the footage was the very same vehicle from the Jiang family that he had driven. But, to his recollection, he had never driven down any rural road like that! He remembered clearly that it had been at a crosswalk, and he hadn’t even touched the old woman—she had fallen on her own.

Qin Tian glanced at Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing. Both women were just as shocked, sharing the same doubts as Qin Tian.

“Dad, there’s something wrong with this video,” Jiang Yingying said.

Jiang Tianxiang, expressionless, nodded. He too recognized the Jiang family’s car, but this was clearly an attempt to frame them.

“We have just received a tip from a concerned citizen: the car in question seems to belong to Jiang Tianxiang, CEO of the Jiang Group, with the license plate Wu A·66688.”

“But is that really the case? Let’s connect with the traffic police to verify the vehicle’s information,” the host’s voice continued.

“Now, let’s view the footage sent by the traffic police.” Shortly after, the host apparently received a response and pointed to the big screen.

On the screen appeared a car identical to the one in the previous video, with the plate Wu A·66688.

“My goodness! The vehicle details do seem to match the car involved in the accident! Could it be that Jiang Tianxiang really hit someone and fled the scene?”

“We’ll now attempt a live call to the Jiang Group in hopes of some clarification.”

The host instructed the studio to call the Jiang Group, reaching the front desk.

“Hello, this is Wuyue TV. We’d like to speak with your CEO, Jiang. There are allegations that he was involved in a hit-and-run,” the host asked bluntly.

“Our CEO isn’t in the office right now. Please call back later,” the receptionist answered curtly, then hung up.

“Well, as we can see, there does seem to be more to this story. The Jiang Group’s front desk appeared somewhat dismissive,” the host commented with feigned awkwardness.

“What are we going to do? What can I do now? If the driver isn’t found, how will an old woman like me pay for my treatment? My leg was broken by that car!” At this point, the old woman began to sob.

“Don’t worry. We’ve just received word that CEO Jiang Tianxiang may be at the police station as we speak. It seems the matter truly involves him. Let’s connect to the scene,” the host reassured her.

The feed switched to the entrance of the police station.

“We’ve just learned that the driver was actually Jiang Tianxiang’s daughter, Jiang Yingying. She allegedly caused a rear-end collision after stopping at a green light, and is currently being held,” the reporter at the scene said.

“So it seems Jiang Yingying may have been the driver who fled, panicking and making a critical error—mistaking a green light for red and stopping abruptly at the intersection,” the reporter concluded, all but confirming Jiang Yingying as the culprit.

“Heh! Not only did they park illegally, they also ran from an accident!” The four young men looked at Qin Tian and his companions with mocking glee.

“People like you should be locked up for life!”

At the same time, social media platforms, under the guidance of certain individuals, began to whip up a frenzy, flooding the feeds with criticism of the Jiang Group.

In an instant, an online public trial of the Jiang Group began.

What is the most terrifying thing in the twenty-first century? Internet rumors and cyberbullying surely rank among the greatest threats!

Within less than an hour, shares of the Jiang Group had fallen by three percent and looked set to drop further.

Jiang Tianxiang’s phone nearly exploded with calls—from shareholders, investors, and countless others.

“So eager to bring me down?” Jiang Tianxiang narrowed his eyes, his expression ashen.

“Captain Lin, can you arrest him now? All the facts are right here, even the news is reporting it. He’s guilty of hit-and-run!” the four young men urged.

Lin Jian’s face was complicated. If he didn’t already possess evidence proving Qin Tian’s innocence, he might well have been swept up in righteous indignation and put Qin Tian in handcuffs himself.

“What a fine performance! Let’s see how long you can keep up the act,” Qin Tian shrugged. The bigger the scene his adversaries created, the more he looked forward to the moment the truth would be revealed—and to seeing how they would deal with the aftermath.