The Chairman Takes a Ride-hail

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Wearing my ride-hailing uniform, faded to a pale white and still smelling faintly of disinfectant that just won't fade, I sat in the driver's seat, my finger scrolling through the order app's screen. Most of the rides popping up were short city tripsnothing tempting.

My finger hovered over the screen. Just as I was about to exit the app and take a break, the phone screen dimmedand suddenly the sharp roll of suitcase wheels shattered the early morning calm.

With a bang, the back door was yanked open, and a strong blast of rose perfume flooded the car, making me instinctively wrinkle my nose.

I glanced up at the rearview mirror. Outside the car stood a woman in a sequined designer dress, her perfectly made-up face full of impatience, clutching a lipstick with its cap off.

"Hurry up! J City Airport, we have to get there in twenty minutes!" she shouted as she shoved a silver suitcase into the trunk. The suitcase wheels scraped harshly against the trunk edge. "I'm in a rush! If I miss my flight, can you afford to pay for it?"

I looked away and tapped the steering wheel with my fingers. "Under normal traffic, it takes forty minutes to get from downtown to the airport. It's rush hour now, and the elevated road will definitely be jammed. There's no way we'll make it in twenty minutes."

"Enough with the fuss!" The woman slid into the back seat, casually setting the makeup mirror on her lap and hurriedly applying lipstick, her lip lines shaky and uneven. "Just drive faster. Run red lights, take the emergency laneI'll take the blame! If we get fined, I'll cover it, and I'll throw in an extra two hundred!"

I didn't argue anymore, just quietly pressed the accelerator. The car merged into the heavy morning rush hour traffic, the engine humming deeply.

In the rearview mirror, the woman had already put down the lipstick and was holding her phone up for a selfie, murmuring, "Who really understands, everyone? Early morning rush to the airport, and the ride-hailing driver's dragging his feetbut luckily, my vibe's strong enough..." As she spoke, she adjusted her angle, trying to capture the perfect side profile.

I'd just gotten onto the elevated road when my phone suddenly rangits sharp ringtone cutting through the quiet cabin.

The screen flashed the name 'Ms. Clark' in glaring letters; it was a reservation I accepted half an hour ago, and the scheduled time was almost up.

I picked up, but before I could say a word, a soft yet anxious voice came through: "Hello, driver, I'm already at the community entrance we agreed on. How many minutes away are you? I... I'm really in a bit of a rush."

My heart sank. I gripped the steering wheel tighter and caught a glimpse of the woman in the back seather selfie phone frozen mid-air.

"I'm really sorry, Ms. Clark," I tried to keep my voice calm. "There's been a bit of a mix-upanother passenger got in without any notice, so I can't head over right away."

"What? But I booked a private ride..." Ms. Clark's voice instantly grew urgent, trembling with tears. "My mom is critically ill at a hospital in the neighboring city. The doctors said she might not make it through today. I have to catch the earliest flight. If I miss this one, I'm really scared..."

"What's going on?"The woman in the back suddenly leaned over, grabbed the phone from between my shoulder and cheek, and snapped into the receiver, "Who told you to take other people's orders? I'm the passenger in the car right now! Are you out of your mind?"

I quickly pulled my phone away, frowning deeply: "Ma'am, you got in the car without my permission. Ms. Clark booked this ride in advance; I can't just break my commitment."

"I got in first, so this is my ride!" The woman brushed my phone aside, and it bumped against the front passenger seat, cracking the screen slightly. "Call that woman right now and tell her to get another ride! My time is way more valuable than hers!"

"Ms. Clark's mother is critically ill. Her situation is more urgent than yours."I gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared straight ahead; the traffic stretched out like a sluggish, writhing dragon, each inch forward a struggle.

"Emergency? Who isn't in a rush?"The woman suddenly slammed the back of the seat so hard the car's aroma diffuser on the roof shook. "If I miss the airport livestream sales, the losses could save ten or eight critically ill patients! Do you know how much I make from one livestream? Fifty thousand! A hundred thousand! You could drive ride-hailing your whole life and never earn that!"

I ignored her again, picked up my phone, and whispered into the receiver, "Ms. Clark, please wait just ten more minutes. I'm just coming off the elevated road and will be at the pickup spot shortly."

"You dare!" The woman snatched the phone I used to accept orders and slammed her thumb hard onto the hang-up button. "Looks like you don't want to work anymore!"

She threw her phone onto the front passenger seat, eyes full of contempt. "Do you know who I am? Stacy Scott, a big influencer with three million fans on X App! Just one video from me, and I can make sure a lousy driver like you can't survive in J City!"

I kept my eyes on the road, focused on the turn signal as I prepared to find the next exit ramp. "No matter who you are, rules come first. Priority goes to booked ridesthat's the platform's rule and basic decency."

"Rules?"Stacy Scott scoffed, pulling out her phone and flipping to her homepage, holding it right in front of me. The screen showed her carefully edited photos, with fans clearly marked as "3.002 million." "See that? Three million fans! Tons of brands beg me to promote their stuff. One word from me and your account would be banned on the platform. Believe it or not."

I didn't even glance at it, just reached for the phone on the front passenger seat. "Please give me back my phone. I need to call Ms. Clark and explain the situation."

"Want your phone? Fine." Stacy Scott held my phone close like it was some kind of bargaining chip. "If you turn the car around and take me to the airport right now, I'll pay you every cent for this ride, plus an extra 500 for advertising. Consider it your reward for helping me shoot a short video."

I hit the brakes and slowly pulled the car onto the emergency lane of the elevated road, turning on the hazard lights. "Sorry, I can't break my contract. Please get out now. I have to pick up Ms. Clark."

Stacy Scott blew up instantly, grabbed her phone, and started filming me while muttering non-stop, "Guys, come check this outa ride-hailing driver in J City discriminating against passengers, ignoring the ones already in the car and insisting on picking someone else up, trying to leave me stranded on the elevated road..." Her sharp, piercing voice floated out the window, drawing curious looks from drivers in the next lane.

I didn't stop her; I just pulled out my personal phone and called Ms. Clark again.

As soon as the call connected, Stacy sneered sarcastically beside me, "Playing the devoted child, huh? Who knows, maybe they're just trying to scam money by faking an elderly relative's illness. People these days will make up any lie just to save a bit on a ride."

Ms. Clark on the other end of the line hesitated, her voice clearly trembling with tears: "Driver, I... I'm really in a hurry. The flight check-in closes in forty minutes; I've called several cars, but no one's accepted. Yours is the only confirmed booking..."

I quickly reassured her: "Don't worry, I'm already driving back. Five minutes, at most five, and I'll be at the community entrance you mentioned. Just wait for me there."

"Driving back? Are you crazy?" Stacy Scott reached to grab my personal phone, her nails scratching my wrist and leaving a red mark. "Believe me, I'll post a video right now. I've already thought of the title: 'Ride-hailing driver refuses service, disregards passenger rights.' I guarantee you'll lose your job today!"

I dodged her hand, carefully pulled over to the emergency lane, engaged the handbrake, and said, "Ms. Scott, please get out of the car immediately. Your behavior is disrupting my work and violating the rights of other passengers."

"I'm not getting out!" Stacy crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, acting stubborn. "Either you take me to the airport today, or prepare to be raked through the coals online! With my three million fans, even a single spit from each could drown you!"

She kept holding her phone up to film, the camera pressed right in my face. I could clearly see the live streaming button flashingshe'd actually started a live broadcast.

There were already quite a few people flooding the comment section with things like, "This driver is way out of line!", "Stacy, don't be upset, we all support you!", "Expose his license plate!"