chapter 28 Touching porcelain

Not long ago, Avery parked her car by the roadside to pick up something. As she started the engine, before she could even drive off, a sixty-something-year-old lady collapsed right in front of her car, groaning as if on the brink of death, insisting that Avery had hit her and demanding compensation. Apart from the old lady, there was also an elderly man sitting on the ground, tearfully accusing Avery of hitting someone with her car. As Avery tried to figure things out, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared, loudly proclaiming herself as the victim and insisting she could testify, demanding compensation from Avery and insisting the old lady needed a full-body examination at the hospital. Avery was feeling utterly frustrated, wondering if these staged accidents were becoming this professional nowadays. She wanted to just drive off, but the old lady was lying right in front of her car's wheels, and if she ran her over, it would be a huge problem. She thought about calling the police, but her phone was inside the car. Plus, the car door was being firmly blocked by the middle-aged woman, claiming she was preventing Avery from fleeing. Just as she was getting frantic, Maxwell emerged from the crowd. "Maxwell?" Avery recognized him, showing a surprised expression. "Help me, please! Call the police. I'm dealing with a staged accident!" Before Maxwell could speak, the middle-aged woman started clamoring. "She's the one who hit the others! I can testify! I saw it!" "Young man, don't let her fool you! If you call the police, you'll be legally responsible!" The old lady on the ground groaned in pain, "My leg is broken, and my ribs too... Please take me to the hospital. Quickly... quickly..." The old man clutching his chest added with his voice strained. "I have a weak heart, if this gets me worked up, you'll be responsible too!" "Young man, I advise you to mind your own business! You seem like you're from the countryside, don't let this b*tch deceive you!" Maxwell glanced at Avery. Her charming face was adorned with light makeup. Her silk blouse shone and fluttered. She was wearing a short skirt, black stockings, and high heels. It was quite a captivating sight with a mesmerizing allure and a touch of enchanting fox-like charm. Avery thought he believed the words of those few people, anxiously pleading, "Maxwell, don't believe them. Please help, call the police!" Maxwell didn't answer but smiled slightly, "With so many people watching and recording with their phones, at least ten of them, let me understand the situation, wait for me to ask around." "Do you not trust me?" Avery's eyes were reddening, tears of grievance welling up. She regretted being so confrontational with Maxwell in the past. Maxwell didn't reply but instead turned to the middle-aged woman, asking, "Did you see this beauty hit someone?" "Yes, I saw it! I can testify! I'm telling the truth!" "Oh..." Maxwell turned to the old man on the ground and asked, "Who are you to the victim?" "I'm her husband..." The old man clutched his chest and exclaimed, "Oh! Ah! I'm feeling tight in my chest." Maxwell nodded and said, "You've been occasionally coughing lately, and it worsens at night. Also, you occasionally experience chest tightness, right?" "Huh? How did you know?" "You do have an illness, but it's not heart disease, it's lung cancer..." Maxwell said, "While it's not too late, hurry to the hospital for a check-up, there's still a chance for treatment." "What?" The old man trembled, dumbfounded. Maxwell was completely correct; he had been experiencing these symptoms recently. Could it be cancer? Ignoring the old man, Maxwell crouched beside the old lady, "You said you have a fracture?" The old lady weakly groaned, "Yes... I got hit..." "Weird, your bones seem fine to me. Could it be a hairline fracture?" "Yes... a hairline fracture!" "Oh... where does it hurt? Let me take a look." "Don't touch! It hurts!" The old lady hurriedly exclaimed, "Don't touch me! If you make it worse, you'll have to pay!" "I'm a doctor. Let me take a look, don't be afraid." "What kind of doctor are you? Do you have a license? Show me!" The middle-aged woman turned her head and asked loudly. "I'm from a long line of... veterinarians." Speaking, Maxwell lightly poked the old lady's ribs and withdrew his hand. The old lady trembled, feeling an intense itch from her ribs to her back. She initially wanted to endure it, but the itchiness penetrated deep into her bones, and she couldn't help but scratch. The more she scratched, the itchier it got, spreading all over her body, as if insects were crawling everywhere. "It's so itchy! So itchy! Old man, help me! Quick, scratch it! My back, I can't reach!" The old lady initially maintained her lying position on the ground, writhing like a worm, but eventually, unable to bear it, she crawled up and desperately scratched herself. Her agile movements were no less than those of someone doing square dancing every day. The crowd let out a collective hiss. "Real smooth! Trying to pull off a scam!" "This act is too fake!" "Lame! So lame! Let's disperse." At this moment, the itchiness on the old lady's body suddenly vanished, and she had already stood up. Both the old man and the middle-aged woman stared at her dumbfoundedly, not understanding why she had gone crazy just now and scratched herself like that. Maxwell chuckled and responded, "Looks like you guys were trying to stage an accident. You better scram before I call the police." Avery finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful. "Maxwell, thank you." At this moment, two rough-looking guys approached, pointing at Maxwell, "Kid, you're meddling too much. Don't you know some things shouldn't be meddled with?" However, before the two could reach Maxwell, they were intercepted by Colin, exuding a fierce aura as he said, "Get lost if you don't want to die!" The two froze, intimidated by the palpable pressure. One of them wanted to put on a tough act and straightened his neck, saying, "You..." However, he was silenced by the other covering his mouth, whispering in his ear, "Are you crazy? That's Boss Cartwright! Even our boss kneels before him! Quick, kneel and apologize, or we're done for." The two then knelt in unison, saying "We were wrong," before turning and running away. Seeing their backers fleeing, the trio attempting the staged accident also dared not linger any longer, muttering under their breaths before dispersing. The two old folks walked briskly, not slower than the twenty-something youngsters. "Hey, Colin," Maxwell smiled at Colin and asked, "Your reputation is quite something, that kid was practically peeing his pants." Colin grinned and responded, "These guys don't do legitimate work, always resorting to these shady deals. Maxwell, do you want me to give the order to clean up these scoundrels?" Maxwell waved his hand and said, "Let it be, those two old folks, one has early-stage lung cancer, the other has early-stage cerebral infarction; they won't be causing trouble for long." Colin nodded and replied, "Luck spared them this time." "I'll go talk to Miss Larson for a moment, then we'll head back." Maxwell looked at Avery, surprised. "Huh? What's wrong with you? Feeling unwell?" Avery leaned against the car door, her face as pale as paper, breathing heavily, sweat covering her face, even soaking through her silk blouse. The thin fabric stuck to her body, outlining her curves perfectly, the original color of the clothes overshadowed by the hue of her skin. Under the sunlight, flesh seemed to meld with flesh, as if she wasn't wearing anything at all...