Chapter 6

Gu Xiaoqing's spoken English is quite poor; she stammered, almost bursting out one word at a time, to tell him: "This is the city center, you cannot go fast; you can only go fast once you are on the highway"

Gu, Xiao, Qing? The Chinese language sounds very stiff when pronounced by him

Chen Chunhui stared blankly as Gu Xiaoqing suddenly burst into tears once again. She grabbed Gu Xiaoqing's hand and called out, "Xiaoqing, Xiaoqing, I, I..." She choked on her words, unable to utter a complete sentence.

That night, Gu Xiaoqing waited until Chen Chunhui had calmed down before she took him back. She watched Chen Chunhui's figure, with his head bowed, disappear into the community before driving home

The person extended his index finger and pointed at himself, saying: "Ou, Lin, Xi. My name." His speech was stiff, and his tone was somewhat strange, but Gu Xiaoqing still understood him clearly. She was taken aback for a moment; how familiar that name sounded, just one character short.

Gu Xiaoqing thought that the peak time after work was approaching, and now going back would just mean resting with nothing much to do. It would be better to work a little longer to earn some extra money.

At around 7 o'clock, as she had expected, Chen Chunhui walked into that entertainment venue. Watching the figure of the heavily made-up girl with a calm expression, Gu Xiaoqing helplessly squatted down on the ground. She looked at her own hands, ten days, just give her ten days, and she couldn't even manage to live a clean life herself.

In fact, if Gu Xiaoqing was not confident that she could get him to the airport within 40 minutes, she would not have let him get in the car. She knew that once they left the commercial district in the south of the city, they would reach Guning Town, where there was a small road that led directly to the highway to the airport. Seeing that the person beside her was still chattering away incessantly, she simply chose to ignore him, thinking to herself: "With the time you are wasting, I could have already arrived."

When the guest took the money, Gu Xiaoqing got out of the car to help him with his luggage. After receiving the luggage, the man handed her the money, then carefully looked Gu Xiaoqing up and down once more, before dragging his luggage and turning to walk towards the terminal.

Gu Xiaoqing smiled shyly and said, "Thank you"

Chen Chunhui murmured softly: "At good times, 700 to 800, over 1000, usually there are also 500 to 600."

"Okay, get in the car," Gu Xiaoqing replied

Gu Xiaoqing was lost in thought when she was suddenly startled awake by a "bang bang" sound of someone knocking on the window beside her. She turned her head and saw a man standing next to the car, dragging a suitcase. The man was dressed in a punk style, with his hair standing up in spikes.

In the past two years, the only person who has developed a close relationship with Gu Xiaoqing at school is Li Zhe. She is very enthusiastic about working part-time and leads a busy life every day

Ou Linxi gave her a big smile and waved at her, this time truly turning around and leaving

Gu Xiaoqing did not expect that there was so much knowledge involved in driving a taxi. She studied earnestly when her father taught her. A week later, seeing that she drove steadily and was obedient, her father let her take to the road on her own

Gu Xiaoqing turned around and took out her wallet, pulled out a bank card, and then took out all the money she had on her, handing it all to Chen Chunhui. She tried to keep her tone steady as she said: "Chen Chunhui, I cannot help you. This is all my savings, there is more than 12,000 yuan in it, and the password is 565656. I have no right to tell you what to do, but I ask you not to do it anymore. Since you said your best daily income is over 1,000, I beg you to stop for just 10 days. I cannot save you for a lifetime, so can this little money allow you to rest for 10 days?" I cannot save you for a lifetime, so can this little money allow you to rest for 10 days?

That person ignored her, sighed in frustration, took out his phone, and started another round of chatter. Gu Xiaoqing estimated that he was complaining to someone.

"Hmm." Gu Xiaoqing nodded slightly at him

The woman slowly raised a terrified face, trembling and almost babbling: "Xiao, Xiao Qing, please, please, don't tell the school, my father has bone cancer, I have no way out!" After saying this, she finally burst into tears with a loud "wah".

When Gu Xiaoqing first started driving, she received a few tickets due to her unfamiliarity with the road conditions. However, she has not been involved in any major accidents. She seems to have a natural talent for hands-on tasks that require both mental and physical coordination. After just a few holidays of driving, she is able to handle the car like an experienced driver, maintaining stability at high speeds and remaining calm and composed in traffic jams. Even her father praises her for her steady temperament, saying she has the makings of a good driver. After several holidays, she has explored every street and alley in City C. Gu Xiaoqing feels it is not an exaggeration to say that she is a living map of City C.

Throughout Gu Xiaoqing's entire university life, there has been one thing that she has always felt very proud of. That is driving a taxi. Regarding Gu Xiaoqing's need to drive a taxi to earn her living expenses, her father, Gu Dad, fundamentally disagreed. After all, this job earns a meager income and carries certain risks. There are not many women in this profession. However, since Xiaoqing was young, she had hardly ever made any demands on him. As a father, although he was reluctant, he ultimately had to agree. After all, this job earns a meager income and carries certain risks. There are not many women in this profession. However, since Xiaoqing was young, she had hardly ever made any demands on him. As a father, although he was reluctant, he ultimately had to agree.

Gu Xiaoqing had never seen Chen Chunhui with such a face. In her impression, Chen Chunhui had always been simple and unadorned. Over the past few years, due to not living on the plateau, his face had always been clean, and his clothes were the cheapest. He approached everything quietly, always wearing a cautious expression.

When Gu Xiaoqing first started driving a taxi, her father, Gu Dad, was quite worried and decided to keep her under his supervision for a week before letting her go completely. During this week, Gu Xiaoqing learned a lot from her father, such as when and where to find more passengers, which types of customers to avoid, and where the surveillance cameras are located. She was advised not to wait for passengers in large hospitals or hotels, as the taxis waiting inside have already paid the security personnel there. It was also best to avoid train stations, as there are many thugs and robbers, and offending someone could lead to a lot of trouble. There were many other things that Gu Dad patiently taught her over and over again.

Gu Xiaoqing saw that he clearly looked like a Chinese person, yet he was shouting at her in fluent English with a worried expression. Although Gu Xiaoqing's English was average, she still caught a few key phrases from his long, fluent American English: "to the airport, 40 minutes"

After Ou Linxi finished speaking, he made a driving gesture and gave a thumbs up, saying: "Cool!"

Gu Xiaoqing noticed that this passenger seemed to distrust her. Shortly after she started the vehicle and drove out, the person beside her began to fidget incessantly in their seat, and finally could not hold back any longer, launching into a lengthy discourse in English directed at Gu Xiaoqing

Gu Xiaoqing took one last look at the office building of Yulong Group before starting the car and driving away

Noon is precisely the time of day when the sunlight is the most intense. Gu Xiaoqing picked up a client from the city center, who happened to be heading to the Yulong Group in the southern part of the city. Gu Xiaoqing felt a moment of quiet joy in her heart. Once the client was settled, she drove through the crowded city center towards the south.

The person displayed a look of great relief, and he let out a breath, saying: "yes !"

Gu Xiaoqing glanced at the passenger behind her, who clearly appeared to be a white-collar elite. On this sweltering day, he was still dressed in a suit and tie, and upon getting on the vehicle, he opened his laptop without a sideways glance, engrossed in his work.

The next evening, after returning the car, Gu Xiaoqing took a taxi to the entertainment venue that Chen Chunhui had mentioned the day before. She stood by the roadside, slowly sipping a bottle of drink, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the entertainment venue across the street

Finally, with just 5 minutes to spare, Gu Xiaoqing parked the car at the entrance of the airport's waiting hall. After securing the vehicle, she couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief, not due to nervousness, but because of the commotion caused by the person next to her

Now, Gu Xiaoqing looked at the heavily made-up face in front of her through the dim light in the car. The tears streaming down Chen Chunhui's face, marked by eyeliner, formed two black lines on her snow-white complexion. To Gu Xiaoqing, it appeared even more despairingly tragic. She felt something was lodged in her heart, making her uncomfortable.

On that day, Gu Xiaoqing's business was particularly good; her car had not been empty until after 8 PM. At 8:30, she dropped off a passenger at the entrance of a residential community and was just about to head home. As she was turning her car around, she was stopped by a woman dressed provocatively.

The man smiled at Gu Xiaoqing, glanced at her, turned around to open the rear car door, threw the luggage inside, then opened the door next to the driver's seat and sat down.

During the summer vacation of her junior year, Gu Xiaoqing continued to work for her father, driving around the streets and alleys every day. By driving for her father for a month, Gu Xiaoqing could earn over 3,000 yuan, and by working for three months each year, she could basically cover her living expenses. Over the years, she had also managed to save a small amount of money. Therefore, she was quite satisfied with this summer job.

This small episode of the day did not leave a profound memory for the two individuals, to the extent that when they met again many years later, neither recognized the other. What Ou Linxi did not expect was that this girl, whom he initially thought was very cool while driving, would leave so many hidden pains in his life thereafter

In these ordinary yet busy days, Gu Xiaoqing's university life has entered its third year

Gu Xiaoqing buried her head in her knees, and her tears gradually soaked her pant legs

Gu Xiaoqing only understood the phrases "forty minutes" and "to the airport" after going back and forth. She looked at him somewhat bewildered. The man gestured and spoke again, and Gu Xiaoqing finally understood that he meant for her to hurry up and drive.

Gu Xiaoqing whispered almost silently, "How much can you earn in a night?" Chen Chunhui did not hear clearly, slowly stopping her tears and looking at her in confusion

Gu Xiaoqing watched the person walk into the building with their head held high, then glanced down at the money in their hand before silently putting it away in their pocket

Ah? Gu Xiaoqing was momentarily taken aback before realizing he was asking for her name. She instinctively replied, "Gu Xiaoqing."

Gu Xiaoqing watched the person leave, and just as she was about to return to the car, she astonishingly discovered that the person had turned back and was walking towards her again

Gu Xiaoqing asked her again: "How much can you earn in a night?"

Gu Xiaoqing did not drive away immediately; she parked the car by the roadside, raised her head, and gazed at the top of the building under the dazzling sunlight. The light reflected from the building's glass pierced her eyes, and she thought: "How tall is it? How far away is it from me?"

Gu Xiaoqing slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road. She turned around to look at the woman huddled in the back seat, burying her face in her knees, and said: "Chen Chunhui, is that you?"

At the end of July, coinciding with the hottest time of the year, Gu Xiaoqing had been driving all day. Just as it was nearing the time to hand over the vehicle for the shift change, she suddenly received a call from the night shift driver, who informed her that their child was ill and they could not come.

The woman hurriedly got into the car and mentioned the name of a entertainment club, appearing to be in a rush. Gu Xiaoqing could tell from the situation that this woman was likely a worker from that entertainment club who was running late for her shift

Gu Xiaoqing skillfully drove the car to the front of the Yulong Group building. After the guest felt the car come to a stop, with a "snap," he closed his laptop, took out his wallet from the inner pocket of his suit, pulled out a 50 yuan bill, and handed it to Gu Xiaoqing, saying, "Thank you, no need for change." Although he said thank you, there was not a hint of gratitude in his tone, and he never once directed his gaze at Gu Xiaoqing. After Gu Xiaoqing accepted the money, he swiftly opened the car door and stepped out.

Gu Xiaoqing most enjoys taking passengers to the southern part of the city, which is the emerging commercial district of City C. There, high-rise buildings stand tall, and the streets are clean and tidy. The office building of Yulong Group is also located here

The person walked back and asked Gu Xiaoqing across the car: "What is your name?"

After the car exited the highway toll station, Gu Xiaoqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She pressed the accelerator, and the car surged forward.

After the car exited the commercial area, it turned onto a narrow road. This road was not very easy to navigate, as it was bumpy and uneven, occasionally jolting the passenger beside her from their seat. That person frequently looked at Gu Xiaoqing with curiosity. Unable to bear the gaze, Gu Xiaoqing had no choice but to turn her head and glance at him apologetically.

Gu Xiaoqing did not say much, calmly driving the car out. After driving for a while, she initially did not pay attention to the woman sitting in the back due to politeness, but later caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror and realized something was amiss

After that period, Gu Xiaoqing gradually faded from people's sight. She had an average appearance and did not engage in any particularly noteworthy activities thereafter. Moreover, her academic performance was quite ordinary, and she seemed to lack creativity in areas such as design, resulting in her grades being mediocre.

You want to arrive at the airport within forty minutes, correct

Throughout the journey, Gu Xiaoqing overtook every vehicle she encountered. She was aware of the locations of speed cameras along this road, and as she approached them, she would slow down her speed. Once past the cameras, she would accelerate fully, and the car would shoot forward like an arrow, driving with remarkable flair.

The person sitting next to Gu Xiaoqing was even more excited, cheering every time they overtook a car. They kept gesturing to Gu Xiaoqing to hurry up, to go faster, while their body twisted and turned in coordination.

Gu Xiaoqing is now in her second year of university, and her college life over the past two years has been quite uneventful. At the beginning, a male classmate pursued her after she sang a song at the welcome party. However, he was coldly rebuffed by her simple response that she already had a boyfriend