We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 1

Magnolias had burst into bloom across Pu Normal University overnight, but Tao Ying was in no mood to admire them.

She had barely reached the school gates when the tire-pressure warning light came on. The steering wheel drifted for a moment. She didn’t dare drive all the way to the distant dealership, so her gaze settled on the auto repair shop across from campus.

Unfortunately, its owner, Qin Zheng, was someone she would rather avoid.

Three months ago, the huge storefront opposite the university had suddenly become a construction site. Soon afterward, a five-hundred-square-meter auto shop opened with great fanfare.

One of her colleagues had joked, “Is the owner out of his mind? An auto shop across from a university? Wrong clientele, wrong kind of business. How’s he supposed to make money?”

Then, on opening day, the entrance had been packed with Maybachs, Ferraris, Porsches, and every other luxury car imaginable.

Ever since, rich young men with too much time on their hands had flocked there. Whenever they gathered, they did everything except honest work.

Birds of a feather flocked together. Naturally, Tao Ying didn’t think much of Qin Zheng.

She only knew who he was because of his handsome face. Wherever she went on campus, she couldn’t escape female students talking about him. Even some of the women on staff joined in. They said he was careless and flirtatious, with pretty women constantly hanging around his shop.

After hearing it often enough, Tao Ying had grown tired of him without ever speaking to him. A man didn’t attract that much gossip unless he gave people reason to talk. In her mind, the shop across the street was hardly respectable.

The warning light kept flashing. After a brief hesitation, she decided to have the tire repaired nearby.

The pressure was dropping quickly, but there was more than enough left to make it to Qin Zheng’s shop. She switched on her hazard lights and crawled across the road.

The spoiled rich kids never came during the day. They only emerged at night, turning the auto shop into something closer to a nightclub.

The repair bay was just inside the entrance on the right. Two steps in, Tao Ying saw Qin Zheng brace one hand against the floor and slide swiftly out from beneath a car, dressed in dark gray coveralls.

His shoulders and back formed a clean, taut line. Smears of grease streaked his neck and forearm, stark against skin ridged with veins and lending him a distinctly untamed air.

He was very tall. The moment he stood, he seemed to radiate a rough-edged warning that kept strangers at a distance.

Catching sight of someone at the edge of his vision, he turned. A pale, coolly beautiful face met his eyes.

His dark gaze stayed fixed on her, sharp and unwavering. With that frosty expression, he looked as though someone owed him a fortune.

Tao Ying’s brows drew together. She looked around and discovered that Qin Zheng was the only person in the entire repair bay.

It was late morning, yet a shop this large had no one in sight apart from the receptionist. If they were this lax about running the place, their repair skills were probably nothing impressive either.

Her misgivings deepened. Her cool expression tightened as she took half a step back. Forget it. She would call a tow truck.

Qin Zheng stopped her from behind. “Where are you going? Something wrong with the car?”

Tao Ying paused. Since he had asked, basic courtesy demanded an answer.

“The tire-pressure warning came on. I may have picked up a nail.”

Qin Zheng jerked his chin toward the door. “Let’s take a look.”

It was only an inspection. No harm in that. If he could repair it, all the better.

She had an appointment to keep. After a moment’s thought, Tao Ying pointed outside. “It’s by the entrance.”

A white Audi sat neatly in one of the parking spaces.

Qin Zheng walked around it once, then crouched by the front right wheel.

Tao Ying frowned. How had he known that was her car?

“The tire’s visibly low.” He took a flashlight from the pocket of his coveralls. “When did you notice?”

“The light came on just as I left campus.”

“Doesn’t necessarily mean you picked up the nail there.” As he checked the tire, he explained, “A small nail leaks slowly. You wouldn’t notice until the warning light came on.”

“Mm.” At least he sounded professional.

She discreetly pressed a hand to her stomach. She hadn’t had time for breakfast and had taught two classes on an empty stomach.

“Found it.” Qin Zheng shone the beam on the tire and motioned her closer. “It’s in the tread, so the location’s fine. The nail’s big, though. That’s why the pressure dropped so fast.”

Tao Ying bent down for a look. When she straightened, the world spun.

She pressed a hand to the tightness in her chest. Pain pinched her fine features, making her look all the more striking.

“How long will it take?” she asked, urgency sharpening her voice.

“I’ll do it myself. Won’t take long.”

Tao Ying pressed her lips together. Her vision blurred, and cold sweat soaked her back in an instant.

Something was wrong. She reached for the car door handle, but her vision doubled and her hand closed on empty air. Her body pitched forward beyond her control. A muffled sound escaped her as a sharp pain shot through her ankle.

The next second, she collapsed to the ground and struck Qin Zheng on the way down.

He caught and shielded her on instinct.

“Sugar…”

So her blood sugar had crashed. Qin Zheng turned, swept one arm beneath her knees, and lifted her.

“Xiao Fang, get some sugar water.”

The young receptionist jumped. “What happened to her?”

“Low blood sugar.” Qin Zheng carried Tao Ying to the sofa in the waiting area. “Quickly.”

“Coming!”

Sugar water was easy enough. There were sugar cubes for coffee on the round table in the lounge; three dissolved in warm water did the job.

Qin Zheng held Tao Ying while Xiao Fang, privately wondering what their relationship was, slowly fed her the water.

A few minutes later, Tao Ying’s brow twitched and her eyes opened.

The instant she realized she was in Qin Zheng’s arms, she tried to sit up.

He held her down. “I’ve never seen anyone spring up that fast. Your blood sugar crashed. Give it a minute.”

“…Thank you.” Her voice was dry and weak.

Embarrassment pricked at her. She had disliked him on principle, only for him to come to her rescue.

The little table was now piled with food. Qin Zheng brought over some crackers and a banana. “Eat.”

“Thank you.”

Tao Ying braced a hand against the sofa, trying to put some distance between them. This close, Qin Zheng’s presence was overwhelming.

But the moment her right foot touched the floor, pain exploded through her ankle. She hissed and dropped back onto the sofa. When she looked down, her ankle had swollen like a steamed bun.

The low blood sugar had distracted her from it before. Now that her senses had returned, the pain was impossible to ignore.

Qin Zheng got up, made an ice pack, and handed it to her. “Raise your leg.”

Tao Ying instinctively covered the hem of her skirt.

He let out a short scoff, amusement glinting in his eyes, and passed her a cushion. “Cover yourself with that. Keep your foot elevated.”

“…” Flustered, Tao Ying accepted it.

She had assumed the worst of him again.

He had used a sealed bag for the ice, wide enough to rest directly against her ankle. Tao Ying thanked him once more. As she iced it, she slowly ate the crackers and banana to settle her empty stomach.

A puncture was a quick repair. The whole job took thirty-four minutes. After balancing the wheel, inflating it, and checking it again, Qin Zheng came inside and tossed her the keys. Her icing time was up too.

When Tao Ying asked to pay, he pulled up a QR code and said without batting an eye, “Pay through this. A kid was here yesterday and tore the payment code off the counter.”

She scanned it. “How much?”

“One hundred. Removal, repair, and balancing included. I threw in a complimentary car wash.”

Only after paying did Tao Ying realize she hadn’t needed to add the account as a contact at all. Looking at the display name—AAA Zhengtu Auto Repair—she asked casually, “Is this your account?”

Qin Zheng looked at her. After two seconds of silence, he said, “The shop’s.”

Tao Ying nodded. He had picked up a second phone from behind the counter; it probably did belong to the shop.

As soon as she finished paying, her own phone rang.

From where he stood, Qin Zheng caught the caller label on her screen: Blind Date No. 9.

Tao Ying answered. The man asked where she was.

“I’m sorry. I hurt my ankle. Can we meet another day?” Her face remained impassive, her voice cool.

He was a doctor and insisted on coming to examine it.

“I’ve already iced it. My car broke down, and I’m at the auto shop across from the university. Dr. Zhao, let’s reschedule.”

“I’m already nearby. I could use a car wash too. Wait for me there.”

Tao Ying stared blankly for a moment. What did he mean? Was he proposing they have their blind date in Qin Zheng’s auto shop?