Chapter 10: The Second Car Accident

◎ Pei Wenyu, what are you doing! Jump out of the car now! ◎

As the newly appointed acting general manager and current largest shareholder, Pei Wenyu wasted no time after the shareholders’ meeting. He immediately held a press conference to officially announce that Director Pei Yongyu, due to serious personal illegal activities, had been detained and was under criminal investigation. He had been stripped of all positions within the company. On behalf of Pei Group, he issued a formal and sincere apology to the public for the severe negative impact caused.

“Pei Group will spare no effort to cooperate with the police in thoroughly investigating Pei Yongyu’s acts of embezzlement, bribery, and the sexual hospitality scandal at Pei Zheng Hotel. We will not tolerate, cover up, or evade any problems arising from this matter. We will handle everything strictly according to laws and regulations. Once the investigation concludes, we will promptly disclose the results to the public.”

“From now on, the company will engage in deep reflection and repentance, strengthening internal controls and compliance…”

Since the rise of new media, public apologies—from celebrities to official agencies—usually amounted to little more than a Weibo post with a stamped letter and some paid bots cleaning up the comments, often lacking sincerity.

But unlike those who tried to suppress trending searches or played deaf to public outcry, Pei Wenyu chose to face the storm directly. He held a live press conference and personally bowed to apologize, instantly gaining a wave of goodwill.

Even though many speculated that the anonymous whistleblower was likely Pei Wenyu himself, seeing the situation as a power struggle within the corporate elite, his act of “righteousness over family ties” still managed to win him a legion of fangirls.

Jianshang: Pei Wenyu is so cool ahhhh~ If only he didn’t need a cane, he’d be the perfect dream guy!

TaroBallBaby: Pei Wenyu didn’t hesitate to risk the entire Pei Group just to send Pei Yongyu to jail. Was that car accident three years ago really an accident? Feels way too coincidental…

After Pei Wenyu’s apology in the morning, the company’s stock, which had been plummeting, surprisingly surged right after the market opened in the afternoon.

Pei Group initiated stock buybacks and increased holdings to stabilize the share price. Veteran investors knew that a scandal or two wouldn’t bring down a conglomerate of this scale. They were simply waiting for an official statement to swoop in and buy at the bottom.

Retail investors followed suit as prices rose, pouring in funds. As a result, Pei Group’s stock made a sharp rebound.

Pei Wenyu remained at Pei Group headquarters working until 9 PM.

Within the company, various factions remained. Although the biggest problem—Pei Yongyu—had been temporarily neutralized, Pei Wenyu had been away from the group for three years. As only an acting general manager, his formal appointment had yet to be confirmed by the board. His path to reclaim power was fraught with resistance and obstacles.

Worse still, Pei Yongyu denied all accusations and might use his connections to be released on bail or even walk free for “lack of evidence.”

Pei Wenyu knew he had to eliminate Pei Yongyu’s remaining forces and find the ledger of illicit transactions and hidden funds before that could happen.

So throughout the day, he enacted sweeping reforms. Amid the chorus of complaints, he directly exposed long-standing issues in management—illegal promotions, fund skimming from subsidies and industrial support funds, and the establishment of personal slush funds—and decisively replaced a large swath of the leadership.

Watching Pei Wenyu wield such ruthless and efficient power, Xue Huiyu, who had silently observed the whole day, suddenly realized—maybe she never really knew Pei Wenyu at all.

She had thought that the always proud and arrogant Pei Wenyu would waste away in self-pity after becoming disabled.
But in truth, he had only been lying low, biding his time. Over the past three years, he had silently endured all the gossip, mockery, and pitying stares, all while quietly gathering evidence of the corruption and lawbreaking inside the company—waiting for the right moment to strike.

His legs were clearly impaired, his movements limited, but today, his sheer presence had been enough to suppress the entire room.

She had even worried that going back to Pei Group alone, he’d be bullied or targeted… but when he flung out that stack of evidence, his cold, piercing gaze and the commanding aura that came without anger—was enough to scare the lawbreakers half to death!

But… how long did he plan to keep working? He’d already had two cups of coffee…

She didn’t remember him being such a workaholic before…

After witnessing how Pei Wenyu could single-handedly take on the entire company, Xue Huiyu finally felt completely reassured about him.

So, watching him work so seriously that even his focused big head was starting to bore her, Xue Huiyu began to regret coming out with him instead of staying home with their little one… She’d been gone for hours—had the kid eaten well? Had anyone bullied them?

The more she thought of their child, the more anxious she got—if she didn’t go back now, the kid would be asleep soon! She immediately decided to leave Pei Wenyu and head home on her own!

But… how was she going to get back?

While silently mapping out her route home, Xue Huiyu suddenly realized she’d taken the elevator—along with the patrolling security guard she had followed—down to the basement.

The basement was pitch-black and a little creepy… Even though she was a ghost, she was still scared of other ghosts suddenly floating out!

Stuck and a little lost, she trailed behind the guard holding a flashlight, distracted by thoughts of how to cheer up her kid later. But then she noticed that after checking the area, instead of heading back upstairs, the guard walked over to a black Audi.

The car looked familiar. When she saw the license plate, it hit her—wasn’t that the same Audi Pei Wenyu had ridden in that morning?

Feeling something was off, she kept watching. The guard looked around cautiously, then squatted down and took a wrench from his pocket. He carefully bent the ABS electromagnetic sensor ring with it…

Xue Huiyu’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was he… tampering with the brakes?!

Because Pei Wenyu had disrupted too many people’s interests, someone was trying to murder him!

So that uneasiness she’d felt this morning—this was why!

Xue Huiyu’s pupils shrank as panic set in. She desperately tried to stop the man, reaching out over and over—but her hands passed right through everything. Helplessly, she could only watch as the saboteur finished his work, then placed a tiny shard of glass into one of the tires, turned off his flashlight, pulled down his cap, and silently slipped away.

High-end cars had ABS warning lights. If he tampered with the brakes, the light would surely turn on! Someone would notice—it would be fine… it had to be!

She stood in place, silently praying. Ten minutes later, Pei Wenyu’s driver arrived to pick up the car.

Pei Wenyu was off work!

He’d been in a crash before—surely he’d be extra cautious and tell the driver to check the car, right? As soon as the ABS light turned on, the driver would realize something was wrong… and maybe even notice that tiny shard of glass!

But when the engine started—the ABS light didn’t turn on!

Why not?!

Xue Huiyu, stunned, floated beneath the car to check—sure enough, the ABS sensor ring was bent.

Whoever did this wasn’t careless. There was no way they’d make the rookie mistake of letting a warning light come on!

The angle of the bend must’ve been just precise enough to avoid triggering the warning system!

But once the car hit a high speed, the wheel speed data would be inaccurate, causing the ABS to misfire—making a crash highly likely!

And with that tiny shard of glass, which would puncture the tire and cause a blowout, it could all be passed off as a tragic accident.

So vicious!

Helplessly, she watched the unsuspecting driver pull the car to the front entrance. Watched as Pei Wenyu, carrying his laptop bag and completely unaware, climbed into the back seat.

Exhausted from the day, he leaned his head against the backrest and rubbed his temples, visibly uncomfortable.

“Don’t fall asleep! Don’t fall asleep!”

“Pei Wenyu! Someone tampered with your car! Get out—now!”

Xue Huiyu desperately tried to shake him awake, but no matter what she did, her hands passed straight through him. Her voice, her movements—none of it reached him.

Though he hadn’t yet cleaned out every last rotten piece in the company, Pei Yongyu’s strongest allies had already been chopped down by him. And the opportunists, sensing the shift, quickly turned to his side, offering loyalty and even solid evidence of Pei Yongyu’s corruption.

But when he looked into the VIP transaction records and dealings with powerful political figures… everything was squeaky clean.

So where was Pei Yongyu hiding his real secret ledger…?

“Take the Shiyu Bridge route.”

Once they were on the bridge, it was as if he had finally made a decision. Pei Wenyu opened his eyes and said softly, “Let’s stop by the river after the bridge—I want to take a walk.”

Seeing him speak and open his eyes, Xue Huiyu lit up with hope—maybe he sensed her calling out to him!

But just then—the ABS warning light suddenly flickered on.

Realizing something was wrong, the driver went to brake—but the pedal failed!

Sweating, he shouted, “President Pei, the ABS light just came on—the brakes aren’t working!”

The words had barely left his mouth when the high-speed car suffered a blowout. It lost balance in an instant. Without brakes and with the sudden shift in weight, the driver instinctively jerked the steering wheel to counter the tire that had burst…

The tires screeched against the pavement, sparks flying everywhere.

There was no time left!

“President Pei, I can’t control it! Jump!”

As the car spun out of control, on the verge of flipping over—maybe even plunging into the river from sheer inertia—the driver, pale with fear and desperate to survive, leapt out without hesitation.

But Pei Wenyu, with his disabled legs, didn’t have that same ability to act decisively…

The all-too-familiar scene paralyzed him, just like the nightmares he relived every night. His hands trembled as he reached for the seatbelt, but he didn’t have the strength to undo it…

“Pei Wenyu, what are you doing?! Jump out of the car!”

Even though she was already a ghost, reliving a car crash still drained all color from Xue Huiyu’s face. She instinctively jumped out too—only to turn back and see Pei Wenyu frozen in place, not even having undone his seatbelt!

“Pei Wenyu!!”

A loud BANG echoed as the car flipped over on the spot. Propelled by inertia and centrifugal force, it skidded straight across the highway lane, finally slamming through the bridge’s guardrail before coming to a stop.

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Author’s note:
In the next chapter, Huiyu is going to gain a physical form~ The journey of resurrection officially begins!