Chapter Seven: I Just Don’t Have a Driver’s License—The Car Wasn’t Stolen!
“Damn! This van driver actually brought two packs of cigarettes?”
Seeing the van driver reach into another pocket, the online viewers couldn’t help but exclaim.
“This is how social etiquette works!”
“Exactly! One pack is ordinary, and the other is premium. Usually, you smoke the ordinary ones yourself, while the premium pack is for offering others!”
Sure enough, the van driver pulled out a much more elaborately packaged pack of cigarettes.
“These are Yuxi, costing over twenty yuan a pack. The ones he was smoking earlier are Chaotianmen, under ten yuan a pack!”
Sharp-eyed netizens recognized the brands instantly.
“This van driver and the Jeep owner from earlier couldn’t be more different right from the start!”
“Both violated traffic laws, but their attitudes couldn’t be more opposite!”
“The van driver just seems way more pleasant to me!”
Watching the van driver offer the cigarettes again, Tan Ping waved his hand immediately.
“Put it away! You think you can bribe me with cigarettes?”
The van driver’s smile froze. Taking the cigarettes back felt awkward, but keeping them felt wrong too.
“So you’re definitely going to fine me then!”
Suddenly, the atmosphere fell silent.
The viewers found the scene amusing.
Someone even took a screenshot, saying, “This moment can totally be turned into a meme!”
Tan Ping then kindly explained, “I stopped you not to fine you. Look, you’re driving and smoking—can you really drive safely like that?”
“Of course! Smoking keeps me alert!”
The van driver blurted out confidently.
“...”
Tan Ping.
“Gotta admit, this guy’s thinking is pretty clear. Sometimes when I drive at night and feel drowsy, a cigarette really perks me right up!”
Many smokers in the livestream agreed enthusiastically.
“But after watching Officer Tan, I won’t smoke when I’m tired anymore. If I really can’t stay awake, I’ll just use some medicated oil instead!”
“Hey, dude above, where do you put the medicated oil?”
“Wait, I’m not questioning whether smoking keeps you alert. I’m asking if driving with one hand on the wheel while smoking is safe?”
Tan Ping promptly corrected.
“No problem! I’m not just one-handed—I can even let go of the wheel and still drive steadily! I’m the driving god of Geleshan, got it?”
The van driver said confidently.
“Alright, you’re the driving god with mad skills. But what we’re discussing now is how smoking while driving endangers road safety…”
Tan Ping nodded, trying to persuade the van driver.
“Comrade, since this is a conversation, can I give my opinion?”
The van driver looked at Tan Ping expectantly.
“Go ahead, speak up!”
---
“Comrade, if you don’t smoke, you look kinda fierce. I feel scared, like you’re not easy to talk to!”
The van driver glanced at Tan Ping.
“No way! I don’t smoke!”
Tan Ping immediately put on a stern face.
“Hahaha! This van driver’s got Officer Tan totally confused!”
The online crowd burst into laughter.
“Gotta say, he’s ridiculous—insisting that Officer Tan should smoke!”
“Maybe the van driver thinks if Tan Sir smokes his cigarettes, he’ll be easier to deal with and won’t fine him!”
Tan Ping then looked at the van driver and said, “Put your cigarettes away and look me in the eye!”
The van driver, acting cheeky before, found it hard to joke now and decided to be serious.
“I—I don’t dare!”
Seeing Tan Ping’s serious gaze, the van driver said sheepishly.
“You can’t even look me in the eye? Are you hiding something?”
Tan Ping stared straight into the van driver’s eyes.
“No, no! I just don’t have a driver’s license. But the van isn’t stolen!”
The van driver quickly waved his hands.
“Damn! This guy’s driving without a license?”
The netizens were stunned.
“Self-exposed!”
“Officer Tan was trying to educate the van driver about how smoking while driving is wrong, but turns out, it’s unlicensed driving too!”
Tan Ping was shocked. “What? You don’t have a driver’s license?”
“My leg’s got problems, so I can’t get one!”
The van driver said helplessly.
“You have a leg problem?”
Tan Ping looked down at the van driver’s legs.
Sure enough, standing there, one leg was shorter than the other.
“Wow! Brother, you’re my hero! No license, disabled, and still driving around recklessly, casually offering cigarettes to the cops!”
The livestream viewers were all shocked.
“Well then, today I really have to teach you the traffic laws properly!”
Tan Ping said firmly.
“Go ahead! I’m not sure if I’ll understand. I didn’t even finish elementary school!”
The van driver sounded sincere.
“Oh no! This guy’s illiterate too!”
“Stacking all the buffs here!”
---
“No license, disabled, illiterate!”
Tan Ping glanced up at the van driver’s status bar.
He was startled to see the life countdown clock reading just 0.08.
In other words, this van driver’s remaining lifespan was barely more than that of the sanitation worker woman from before.
But considering this guy’s series of reckless behaviors, Tan Ping felt this was no surprise.
And this accident wasn’t just bad luck for him alone.
A driver with so many stacked risks was basically a ticking time bomb, ready to drag someone down to the underworld at any moment.
So, Tan Ping began to patiently explain, “Brother, listen carefully. Smoking while driving like this is wrong…”
The viewers eagerly watched.
“Do you think this Wuling Hongguang driver will realize his mistake?”
“Unlikely!”
Finally, after repeated explanations, the van driver nodded, “Alright, I get it. I was wrong. Next time, I won’t smoke when driving!”
“Next time?”
Tan Ping was shocked.
He said immediately, “Brother, you’re disabled, don’t have a license, and don’t understand traffic laws, and you still want to keep driving?”
“Wow! This guy really doesn’t get that driving without a license is illegal!”
“What else can I do if I don’t drive? I need to deliver goods. Without that, I have no income!”
The van driver sounded helpless.
Tan Ping asked, “Do you have anyone else at home?”
“I have my parents. They’re old and sick, and I have to support them. If I can’t earn money, how will we eat?”
Hearing he couldn’t keep driving made the van driver anxious.
Tan Ping felt some sympathy and continued, “What about your spouse? What does he or she do?”
“None! I’m single because of my leg problem. Who would want to marry me?”
The van driver’s face showed a hint of bitterness.
Tan Ping fell silent for a moment.
The viewers flooded the chat with comments:
“This guy’s really had a hard life!”
“Troubles always find those who are already struggling!”
“After hearing this, I really have nothing to say.”
“Don’t preach kindness without understanding others’ suffering.”
Tan Ping glanced again at the van driver’s status bar—it still read 0.08, unchanged.
Clearly, all the legal education just given was useless for saving his life.
Tan Ping grew anxious. What could he do to pull this man back from the brink?