Jiang Fei and Bai Ruoxi have known each other since high school, and now it’s been over ten years.
Even though they were just ordinary classmates in high school, and only got together later in college, they’ve been in a confirmed romantic relationship for seven or eight years now. It’s already considered a long-distance love marathon. If it weren’t for Bai Ruoxi having a very strong and independent personality, they would have been married long ago, and their child might even be old enough to run errands to buy soy sauce by now.
Given their long-term relationship, they naturally reached the stage of meeting each other’s parents a long time ago.
Both Jiang Fei’s parents and Bai Ruoxi’s parents know about their relationship and have even met each other. Moreover, both sets of parents have lost count of how many times they’ve urged the couple to get married and have children as soon as possible. Unfortunately, due to Bai Ruoxi’s job, she’s constantly busy and often overseas. The opportunities for them to go home together like an ordinary couple to visit their parents aren’t very many – maybe just two or three times a year.
And the most fixed occasion among those is the Chinese New Year.
The Spring Festival every year is a recurring event for them; they always visit each other’s homes. Since Jiang Fei and Bai Ruoxi attended the same high school in the same city, their families are naturally in the same city. It’s quite convenient for them to visit each other’s parents without having to rush all over the place.
This Spring Festival, Jiang Fei specifically got a phone call urging him from his mom, telling him to follow the old tradition and bring Bai Ruoxi home for the New Year. If he failed this task, she said he might as well not come home himself either…
As the year draws to a close, all the institutions nationwide are getting ready for their holidays, preparing to celebrate the Spring Festival – the most significant festival China has celebrated for thousands of years.
Even for Bai Ruoxi’s national-level news agency, no matter how busy the work or how important it is, a large number of journalists still need to take time off to go home for the New Year.
Of course, there are also a small number of reporters and behind-the-scenes staff who need to be on duty. They have to remain at their posts even when the entire nation is gathered for family reunions, just like some soldiers and doctors.
But Bai Ruoxi, like Jiang Fei, had already received calls from her own parents and Jiang Fei’s parents, telling her she absolutely had to come home for the holiday. Naturally, she had already wrapped up her work handovers, granting herself a rare seven-day break.
Usually, no matter how busy she is, her family might be dissatisfied but will tolerate and support her to the greatest extent. But during the New Year, all family members become a little ‘selfish’, hoping their child who has been busy all year can come home, putting even the most important work aside for a while.
Jiang Fei left the Chinese Medicine Association headquarters. He didn’t bother borrowing a car from Cui Xiuping or asking for a ride. Instead, he planned to just hail a taxi to go to Bai Ruoxi’s workplace.
Standing outside the building, Jiang Fei took out his phone from his pocket, opened WeChat, clicked on the Red Packet, and then used the function ‘Didi Send Sleeve’ inside.
Oh, no!
It’s Didi Taxi (Didi Chuxing).
As a modern urban youth, even though Jiang Fei bought a car early on and rarely takes taxis, and seldom uses WeChat, he still knows about this function.
The phone located his position, then he entered the destination, pressed the ‘find car’ button. Within seconds, the phone screen showed how many taxis were nearby. In less than half a minute, a Master Chen, who was 1.1 kilometers away, accepted the ride request.
Jiang Fei locked his phone screen with satisfaction and couldn’t help thinking, “Technology makes society progress – that saying is so true! Life really is getting more and more convenient.”
After waiting about ten seconds or so, at the intersection where Jiang Fei was standing, a sudden ‘squeak’ sound of tires grating on the pavement rang out. A Mercedes-Benz pulled up right in front of him.
“Please get in,” said a middle-aged man who looked very much like a professional driver, dressed in black clothes, after rolling down the window.
“Hmm? Yes?” Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow in surprise, a bit puzzled as he looked at the Mercedes sedan in front of him.
Was this the car he had just hailed? It arrived this fast?
No, that can’t be right. He had hailed a taxi, not a private car service.
And even if he accidentally made a mistake and booked a private car, it shouldn’t be a luxury car like a Mercedes for pick-up, right?
Could this ‘Didi Taxi’ have become as high-end and classy as ‘Didi Send Sleeve’ now?
“Is this Didi Taxi?” Jiang Fei thought it was unlikely, so he didn’t get in immediately and asked, puzzled, instead.
“Didi Taxi? What does that mean?” the middle-aged driver asked, confused.
So it wasn’t Didi Taxi.
Jiang Fei understood in his heart.
This guy was clearly a ‘low-level’ person who didn’t even know what Didi Taxi was, so naturally, he couldn’t be the driver Jiang Fei had called.
“I knew Didi Taxi couldn’t possibly have upgraded its private car service to the level of Mercedes-Benz and BMW yet,” Jiang Fei thought to himself.
He waved his phone, showing the screen to the middle-aged driver in black, and said, “Look, I called a Didi Taxi. It’s still over three hundred meters away. You’re not the car I called.”
The professional driver was completely confused, almost to the point of saying ‘What the heck?’ He glanced briefly at Jiang Fei’s phone screen and said, “I’m not the car you called. I was sent to pick you up. You’re Jiang Fei, right? I’d like you to come with me.”
Jiang Fei frowned upon hearing this.
This driver knew his name.
Seems like he really did know him.
“Who sent you to pick me up?” Jiang Fei put his phone away, keeping his face calm, and asked the middle-aged driver with a smile. He had noticed that although this driver looked like a professional driver, if you looked closely, you’d see he wasn’t just professional – he was overly professional! To the point where this driver could also work part-time as a bodyguard for wealthy people!
Although this middle-aged driver in black hadn’t yet developed internal energy, his steady temperament and even, powerful breathing indicated he was definitely a true martial artist. With his external martial arts skills, he might not even lose to an internal energy expert.
For such a skilled person to work solely as a driver was indeed a bit of an understatement.
“If you get in the car, and I take you to the destination, you’ll find out who invited you,” the middle-aged driver said in a deep voice.
Jiang Fei chuckled in spite of himself. “You won’t tell me who sent you, yet you expect me to just follow you to see him? Do you think… I’m some minor celebrity that anyone can just see whenever they want?”
With that, a real Beijing taxi stopped not far behind the Mercedes-Benz. Jiang Fei glanced at his phone screen and saw that his Didi Taxi was now a hundred meters away. He confirmed in his mind that this was the taxi he had hailed.
“Are you Didi Taxi?” Jiang Fei walked over and asked by the window.
“Yes, yes,” the middle-aged, plump driver nodded repeatedly. Jiang Fei felt relieved. Ignoring the black Mercedes in front, leaving its driver stunned, wide-eyed, and confused, he got into the taxi and told the driver to start the car and drive off.
The distance from the Chinese Medicine Association headquarters to the news agency where Bai Ruoxi worked was considerable. Even in good traffic conditions, driving took about twenty minutes. During peak rush hour, given Beijing’s terrible traffic, it could take forever – maybe even several hours.
Fortunately, it wasn’t rush hour yet, traffic wasn’t heavy, and the road conditions were smooth. At this rate, Jiang Fei would reach the news agency soon enough.
But just then…
As the taxi approached an intersection, Jiang Fei suddenly smiled, patted the back of the front seat, and said, “Driver, make a left turn up ahead.”
“Left turn? That’s not right. To get to the News Agency headquarters, we should go straight. Young man, don’t rely too much on those electronic maps these days. The routes on them aren’t always 100% accurate. You need us old drivers to know the correct routes. So don’t worry, I’ll take the most correct path, no unnecessary detours, the best road conditions, and I won’t overcharge you,” the taxi driver said earnestly, speaking with a thick, authentic Beijing accent.
Jiang Fei shook his head and smiled. “No, that’s not what I meant, driver. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I believe you’ll take the right way. It’s just that I’ve changed my destination. Now, I just need you to follow that BMW up ahead…”
“Oh, so you changed your destination. Okay then!” The taxi driver immediately started the car, began turning left, and chased after the BMW ahead.
Jiang Fei nodded. His face showed no particular emotion; he still had a slight smile.
“Young man, why are you chasing that BMW? Are you tailing someone? Or is your job professional tracking?” This driver, probably in his nineties, a true-blue Beijinger, seemed very talkative and asked Jiang Fei curiously.
Jiang Fei frowned slightly. He wasn’t really in the mood to chat with the driver, so he just gave an “Mhm” in reply.
Hearing that “Mhm,” the old driver suddenly got excited. “Wow, young man, you really are a professional detective! Who’s in that BMW up ahead? A man or a woman? Are they going to meet a lover or a mistress?”
Jiang Fei was speechless.
This Beijing driver sure talks a lot. He had always heard that drivers in Shanghai were the chattiest, but it seems Beijing is the same.
“Yeah, sure, let’s go with that,” Jiang Fei said casually, not wanting to explain.
“Alright! I’ve been a taxi driver for over twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered something like this, a private detective getting in my cab, wanting me to tail another car. It’s just like in the movies!” The middle-aged old driver seemed quite excited, saying cheerfully, “Don’t you worry, young man. I’ve been driving taxis for years, my skills are top-notch. Rest assured, no matter how good that BMW’s performance is, it can’t escape my tracking!”
The taxi driver rubbed his hands together, eager to show off his skills and perform a Hollywood-style chase scene on the crowded Beijing streets.
Unfortunately, things developed in a way that disappointed the taxi driver.
Because the BMW had no intention of shaking Jiang Fei’s tail. It drove at a steady, moderate pace, always staying just ahead of the taxi, completely oblivious to being followed.
The taxi driver, who had been ready to show off his skills and let Jiang Fei see what he could do, sighed. “Young man, what’s going on with that BMW? Why doesn’t it speed up and run?”
Jiang Fei couldn’t help but find it amusing. He joked casually, “Maybe it’s because your driving skills are so good, your tailing is practically undetectable. They don’t know I’m following them, so they won’t speed up, and they won’t try to run away.”
Hearing this explanation, the previously frustrated taxi driver felt relieved.
So that was it. His driving skills weren’t just about speed; he was also excellent at stealthy tailing. The person ahead couldn’t even tell he was being followed!
The old Beijing driver then smiled and said, “I’m not bragging. In my company, my driving skills are second to none. There aren’t many in Beijing who can beat me. So that BMW ahead probably really doesn’t know I’m following it…”
The BMW drove slowly ahead, and the taxi driver followed unhurriedly behind. The self-proclaimed skilled old Beijinger driver, however, didn’t notice that there was another car trailing them – the black Mercedes-Benz that had been following them ever since it failed to get Jiang Fei to leave the Chinese Medicine Association headquarters.
Of course, none of this was a real Hollywood-style car chase movie with tracking and counter-tracking.
Because everyone involved – Jiang Fei, the people in the Mercedes, and the people in the BMW – already knew exactly what was going on today.
The BMW ahead was deliberately letting Jiang Fei spot it, sending him a signal to follow. That’s why it wasn’t driving fast, and didn’t try to lose him.
And Jiang Fei also knew that the person ahead wanted to see him, had something to tell him.
That’s why he didn’t head directly to the news agency where Bai Ruoxi worked, but instead changed his mind midway and had the taxi driver follow this BMW.
Because, after all, even if he didn’t really want to see this person, judging by the setup, the owner of this car was determined to meet him, even if it meant following him all the way to Bai Ruoxi’s workplace.
Since that was the case, he figured it was better to just get the meeting over with.
But most importantly, when the BMW appeared, Jiang Fei – with his perception far exceeding that of ordinary people, even stronger than wild animals – had sensed that inside this ordinary BMW sat an absolute, top-tier master!
