Chapter 100 The Chase
Molly spent the whole day learning to drive with Ji Hefeng in the backyard of the dilapidated manor. The area was spacious and flat, with tire tracks on the ground.
As darkness fell, Ji Hefeng went to say goodbye to He Pan.
"Drive my car back; it'll make things easier for you to get back and forth." He Pan tossed Ji Hefeng a car key and pointed to the black SUV behind the gate. "That one."
Ji Hefeng glanced at it and said without ceremony, "Thanks."
“We’re not that close, let’s not talk about this.” He Pan picked up the bag from the ground again and handed it to Molly this time. “Sister-in-law, this is a gift for you and the children.”
Molly took it. "Thank you."
He Pan chuckled sheepishly, "As long as you like it."
The bag was quite heavy. Molly didn't know what was inside, and whether she liked it or not was another matter, but it was clear that the seller had put thought into it.
Once in the car, Molly sat in the passenger seat, watching Ji Hefeng start the car and drive, which served as a review of what she had learned that day.
“Only He Pan remains of the He family in the country. Back then, someone coveted the He family's assets and kidnapped Uncle He and Aunt He. The kidnappers couldn't get the whereabouts of the assets from Uncle He and Aunt He, so they killed them to silence them,” Ji Hefeng said.
Molly was startled. "Killed?"
“That’s right, I killed him. When Uncle He and Aunt He were arrested, He Pan escaped because he came to find me. I almost got into trouble myself when I was helping him leave.” Ji Hefeng still felt lingering fear when he recalled the close call.
"Then he'll be back now—" Molly worried, "Will everything be alright now?"
“Some of the people from back then have fallen from grace,” Ji Hefeng sneered. “Don’t worry, He Pan also has people behind him.”
Molly had a vague suspicion: "You introduced her?"
Ji Hefeng did not deny it, "part of it."
The car drove into the courtyard through the side gate.
After dinner, Molly realized she hadn't opened the gift He Pan had given them. Molly placed the bag on the table, unzipped it, and the first thing she saw was several red envelopes. Molly counted them; there were nine in total, presumably for the nine children.
"Isn't this red envelope too thick?" It's as thick as a brick.
Molly took out the money from inside; it was a thick stack of brand-new ten-yuan notes. She counted them—fifty notes, that's five hundred yuan.
hiss--
Molly gasped. "Nine children would be four thousand five hundred. That's way too much."
Ji Hefeng was not surprised at all. "He doesn't lack money."
Molly thought to herself, "Even if I'm not short of money, I shouldn't just give it away like this. Nobody's money grows on trees. Could this bag be full of money?"
How many would that be?
The truth was that the bag was indeed full of money. She counted it silently for a long time, twice, and finally confirmed, "It's a total of sixty thousand."
"Here you go, just keep it." Ji Hefeng said casually.
Molly blinked. "You accepted a bribe!"
Ji Hefeng chuckled and pinched Molly's cheek. "How can you be so cute! Just think of this as the money he paid to save his life. His life is worth a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times more than this money; it's extremely valuable."
That night, Molly was awakened again by Ji Hefeng's nightmare. This time, she took the initiative, hugging Ji Hefeng and restraining his legs and hands, and whispered, "Ji Hefeng, it's time to sleep."
Ji Hefeng's brows remained furrowed, beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his body was tense. He had no idea what he was experiencing in his dream.
About five minutes later, Ji Hefeng's body slowly relaxed, and his breathing became calm and long.
Molly knew that this nightmare should be over.
What did he go through to cause him so much pain?
Just as Molly was about to let go of Ji Hefeng, Ji Hefeng hugged her.
"Molly~" Ji Hefeng said in a muffled voice.
Molly did not answer.
Ji Hefeng hugged her even tighter. "Did I scare you?"
"No." Molly had even witnessed sleepwalking murders before, so Ji Hefeng's level was nothing compared to this.
“I dreamt of my comrades,” Ji Hefeng said, needing no further explanation, knowing Molly would understand.
Molly sighed. "Go to sleep."
The next morning, Molly gave the red envelopes to Mo An and the other two, successfully startling them.
When have those three ever seen so much money before?!
“This was given to you by an uncle named He Pan. Remember to thank him next time you meet,” Molly said.
The three of them remembered the name He Pan.
Today is the first day of school. After breakfast, the children went to school. Molly and Ji Hefeng went to the bank to deposit their money first, and then went to their driving lessons.
All the family's money was in Molly's name, and Ji Hefeng couldn't even come up with ten yuan.
“You can ask me for money if you run out,” Molly said.
This wasn't the first time Ji Hefeng had heard these words, and every time he did, he felt incredibly comforted. "Okay."
When Molly saw He Pan again, her smile became even more genuine; she couldn't help it, he had given her too much.
Ji Hefeng was a little jealous. "After a while, I'll give you all my assets."
"We'll talk about it after you give it to me." Molly didn't say she didn't want it; after all, what belonged to Ji Hefeng was hers and the child's, so she wouldn't be polite.
After Ji Hefeng taught her for two days, Molly dared to drive on her own. She became more and more skilled, and by the third day, she no longer needed Ji Hefeng's guidance.
"Where did you find your wife?" He Pan envied Ji Hefeng, who not only had a wife but also six children. Unlike him, who was five years older than Ji Hefeng and was still single.
It's not that he doesn't want to find someone, but there are too many people around him with ulterior motives, and he's a little scared now.
He Pan is sleeping now, and his bodyguards have to stay in the same room with him, otherwise he can't sleep. Given his current situation, forget about marriage, even finding a mistress would be difficult.
“She contacted me first.” Ji Hefeng smiled smugly. “I’m lucky, you can’t be envious.”
He Pan rolled his eyes at him, "You're so vain."
“It really was her who contacted me.” Ji Hefeng’s expression turned serious. “She has saved me several times. Without her, I would have died long ago. Old He, she is more important than my life.”
He Pan's expression also became serious. Looking at the car strolling not far away, he couldn't imagine how such a delicate, fragile, and unforgettable woman had saved Ji Hefeng.
He was genuinely curious, "What's so special about your sister-in-law?"
Ji Hefeng gave He Pan a meaningful look, "You'd better not know."
He Pan: "......."
He wanted to know even more.
Molly dared to drive on the road on the fourth day. Although she didn't drive fast, she drove very steadily.
On the sixth day, she drove herself to and from the airport. From today onwards, she was going to learn car repair from a master craftsman at He Pan's manor. Ji Hefeng was going to report to the military region. He was in a new location and had a lot of work to hand over, so he expected to be quite busy. He told Molly that he wouldn't be going home for the next few days.
He Pan arranged for Molly to be taught by a tutor surnamed Ding. He Pan paid tutor Ding a generous amount of money, and tutor Ding taught Molly with great dedication and without holding back any knowledge. He Pan also said that if Molly couldn't learn the skills, he would find another tutor.
Master Ding was reluctant to part with the money, and patted his chest, guaranteeing that he would definitely teach Molly.
Repairing a car is much harder than driving it. You need to remember a lot of things, have sharp eyes, and keen ears. Some experienced mechanics can even tell what's wrong with a car just by listening to the sounds.
"Repairing cars is physically demanding," said Master Ding. Actually, he wanted to advise Molly not to learn car repair, as it was dirty and tiring, and such a pretty girl was really not suited for it.
“I’m strong,” Molly said seriously, lifting the engine off the ground with one hand.
Master Ding: "......"
You can't judge a book by its cover. After living for so many years, he should have known long ago that you can't judge a book by its cover.
After learning that Molly was strong, Master Ding felt at ease using her and even shared many of his own insights with her.
With her photographic memory, excellent eyesight and hearing, Molly absorbs knowledge like a sponge every day and makes rapid progress.
He Pan's car repair business is booming; Molly guesses that all the cars in factories across Beijing that need repairs are sent here. Cars come and go every day, and the sound of vehicles can be heard frequently in the front yard.
Molly, dressed in drab clothes and wearing a mask, blended in with the other mechanics without standing out.
That day, she suddenly felt discomfort in her lower abdomen, and a warm flow ran down her thigh.
During this time, I was so focused on learning to drive and repair cars that I forgot about her menstrual period.
Molly straightened up and said to Master Ding, "I need to go see Brother He, so I'll be gone for a while."
Master Ding knew that she and He Pan had a close relationship, so he waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Molly walked towards the backyard. She didn't know if He Pan had any women's clothes, but even if he didn't, men's clothes would do.
The further they went, the quieter it became. Suddenly, Molly heard a soft sound, as if something had fallen to the ground.
Something's not right.
Molly tiptoed and quietly grabbed the wooden stick by the wall.
Clang!
It sounded like a chair being kicked over.
Molly's expression changed; something really had happened.
She rushed inside and saw an unfamiliar SUV closing its door in the backyard. It stepped on the gas and sped off towards the backyard gate.
"He Pan?"
Molly called out to the old two-story house.
There was no reply.
She was now certain that He Pan was in that car.
Thinking of Ji Hefeng and He Pan's friendship, and that bag of money, Molly didn't hesitate at all. She rushed to He Pan's SUV, grabbed the key, started the car, and sped off.
Molly floored the accelerator and soon spotted the unfamiliar SUV ahead. The driver noticed her and began to accelerate. As they sped up, Molly sped up too.
He Pan's car has a high level of equipment, and Molly is closing the distance between the two cars.
In the other car, one of the thugs held a dagger to He Pan's neck and cursed, "Didn't you take care of those two bodyguards earlier?"
"Nonsense, I did it, I slit the throat, how could it be fake?" The suspected bandit was also furious.
"Who's chasing us?" The driver remained relatively calm.
"Ask him." The dagger sliced through He Pan's skin. "Who was driving?"
He Pan trembled, "I don't know either."
He Pan saw his car in the rearview mirror, and besides himself, only Molly had the car keys. Could it be that Molly had caught up with him?
Sister-in-law, these are desperate criminals! Are you out of your mind?
He's dead, so be it. But what will happen to Ji Hefeng and the nine children if his sister-in-law dies?
He Pan felt extremely guilty.
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