Chapter 126: I’m Not an Old Driver

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: I’m Not an Old Driver

The moment Ouyang Mingruo went to open it, Zhang Yun remembered what Zhang Youcai had said, but it was already too late.

Hearing her words, he could only play dumb. "What? Are they not in there?"

Ouyang Mingruo scoffed and shut the armrest box. This was Zhang Youcai’s car, but shouldn’t he have cleaned it out before giving it to Zhang Yun to drive? She figured Zhang Yun was probably too embarrassed to buy them himself and had asked Zhang Youcai to prepare them for him!

"Um... how are you planning to declare war on your brother?"

Ouyang Mingruo shot him a sidelong glance. Could his change of subject be any more forced? "He’s not my brother! I don’t acknowledge him, and he doesn’t acknowledge me!"

Zhang Yun pressed on. "You’re not expecting me to take him out, are you? I can deal with assassins while protecting you, but I can’t be an assassin myself."

"Don’t worry, I have a plan," Ouyang Mingruo said with a faint sneer. "Ouyang Chunqiu has repeatedly tried to kill me. Has he truly lost his mind? No, it’s because he can’t beat me in business, and I have the power to ruin him. That’s what drove him to such extreme measures!"

Zhang Yun nodded inwardly. Although he didn’t understand the hidden struggles of wealthy families, common sense dictated that a legitimate daughter and an illegitimate son would be on equal footing at best, even factoring in the traditional preference for sons. If Ouyang Chunqiu wanted to earn Ouyang Kunpeng’s regard and the approval of the entire family, he had to completely crush Ouyang Mingruo in terms of sheer capability.

The fact that he was now resorting to underhanded tactics was proof enough that Ouyang Chunqiu was no match for Mingruo in fair competition.

"Alright, I’m just the knight tasked with protecting you. When it comes to the actual battle, Your Majesty will have to lead the charge yourself."

"..." Ouyang Mingruo turned to look at him. Her previously sharp demeanor suddenly melted into a flirtatious charm. "Am I really a queen? Do you like that?"

"It was just an analogy..." Zhang Yun kept his focus on driving. "Anyway, I know too little about your family’s situation. If there’s anything you need me to prepare for, you have to tell me in advance."

"If I tell you in advance, will you actually be prepared?" Ouyang Mingruo pressed.

Zhang Yun immediately grew wary. "Don’t say anything about me becoming a live-in son-in-law! I’m talking about protecting you this time."

"Boring!" Ouyang Mingruo lost interest and pulled out her phone. "Keep your eyes on the GPS and drive properly. I’m done talking nonsense with you."

Just as Zhang Yun was heading toward the highway entrance near the county town, he received a call from Ma Yuming.

"Your master is busy and can’t answer the phone. If you have something to say, just tell me!" Ouyang Mingruo answered for him.

"M-Miss Ouyang...?"

Ma Yuming froze for a moment. His master was with his girlfriend right now, too busy to answer the phone—could they be engaging in intense activities like horseback riding or rowing?

Zhang Yun gestured for Ouyang Mingruo to put it on speaker. "Yuming, I’m driving. If you’re at the tow truck site, just talk directly to Mingruo."

"Yes, Master! Miss Ouyang, we’ve just arrived at the traffic police brigade. The car—"

Ouyang Mingruo interrupted him. "I’ve already made the arrangements. You guys don’t need to waste too much time there. Go to the hospital and check on Die’s condition."

"Yes! Zhao Ye is at the hospital, and Brother Xu and I will head over in a bit."

"Remember! Get her the most comprehensive exams and the best treatment. I’ll cover all the expenses. She must be absolutely fine, understand?"

"Understood! Thank you, Master’s Wife!"

Ma Yuming had mixed feelings. Getting gas ahead of time had been his idea, and Fu Yudie hadn’t dared to drive the Maybach, afraid she wouldn’t be able to pay for any damages if something went wrong. But because he hadn’t showered yet and didn’t want to leave his sweat all over Ouyang Mingruo’s car, he had encouraged Die to drive instead.

Because of that, he felt incredibly guilty about the accident!

He thought that if he had been driving, the accident might not have happened. Die wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and the Maybach wouldn’t have been smashed to pieces.

He had barely been able to face Ouyang Mingruo. If someone had driven his nice car and wrecked it like that, he would have been furious. That was why he had wanted his master to pass on his apologies. To his surprise, Miss Ouyang didn’t even mention the car; she only cared about Die’s safety, insisting on the best medical care and offering to foot the bill!

The moment he hung up the phone, Ma Yuming truly accepted her as his "Master’s Wife." Only a girlfriend with such broad-mindedness was worthy of his master.

"Did you hear that?" Ouyang Mingruo put the phone back on the dashboard mount, raising an eyebrow with a light chuckle.

Even if she was mostly joking, having Zhang Yun’s disciple successfully switch sides and call her "Master’s Wife"—especially when Zhang Yun was so deeply resistant to the idea—gave her a great sense of accomplishment.

Zhang Yun scoffed. "Hear what? He was just terrified you’d make them pay for the car. Die’s financial situation doesn’t seem too good; she couldn’t even afford the apprenticeship fee. Since you’re not asking for compensation and are even covering all her medical bills, of course he’s grateful to you."

Ouyang Mingruo smiled wryly. She was simply fulfilling her responsibility. Fu Yudie had taken a hit that was meant for her, yet they were still blaming themselves for ruining her car.

After passing through the ETC lane and merging onto the ramp, Ouyang Mingruo noticed Zhang Yun taking deep breaths every so often.

"What’s wrong? Why do you seem so nervous?" she asked, somewhat bewildered. He hadn’t seemed this tense when facing two invading assassins last night.

"It’s nothing. It’s just my first time on the highway, so I’m a little nervous."

"..." Ouyang Mingruo was speechless. "Didn’t you say your license allows you to drive on the highway?"

"I did. I’ve had it long enough to legally drive on the highway, but I’ve never actually done it."

"Then be careful!"

"It’s fine. I heard that as long as there’s a veteran driver in the passenger seat, you can drive on the highway even if it hasn’t been a year since you got your license."

"..."

"The left lane is the passing lane. Unless you’re driving fast, you should return to the middle lane after passing.

"Don’t get too close to large trucks. Their blind spots are huge, and the risks of braking inertia and rollovers are high.

"Don’t follow too closely! Keep your distance, and don’t drive too slowly either!"

As the veteran driver today, Ouyang Mingruo didn’t dare let her guard down. She kept a close watch from the passenger seat, instructing him on how to handle the road.

Just over ten minutes later, Zhang Yun was already getting the hang of it, driving smoother and smoother. With his enhanced physical condition, his reflexes were incredibly sharp, making him feel as though he could maintain control even if he kept accelerating.

Watching how quickly his skills improved, Ouyang Mingruo seriously suspected that he was actually a veteran driver pretending it was his first time...

After a while, she stopped worrying about him. Since it was his first time on the highway, Zhang Yun was thoroughly enjoying the BMW’s handling. Following the GPS, he couldn’t resist speeding up whenever there were no traffic cameras around.

After dark, they arrived at a rest stop.

After using the restroom, Ouyang Mingruo headed toward the dining area. "Let’s get something to eat before we get back on the road."

"The GPS says we only have a little over an hour left. Why don’t we eat when we get there?" Zhang Yun suggested. He was currently completely engrossed in the thrill of driving.

"Get where? My house?" Ouyang Mingruo lowered her voice. "We’ll be heading into a warzone the moment we get back! Let’s fill our stomachs first."

"Alright, but you’re paying."

Before they even reached the entrance of the dining area, a man walked toward them holding a freshly brewed cup of instant noodles. Just as they were passing each other, he suddenly threw the entire cup of boiling noodles right at Ouyang Mingruo’s face!