We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 10

Qin Zheng was curious about Tao Ying’s call. She had been avoiding him rather obviously, after all.

He had assumed she would never contact him again after tonight.

Liang Chong pressed close to eavesdrop, only for Qin Zheng to shove his head away in disgust. When he tried to lean in again, one look from Qin Zheng froze him in place, and he meekly sat back down.

There was no helping it. Qin Zheng’s cold face could be intimidating. Unless he chose to show it, no one ever saw his gentler side.

Clearly, Tao Ying was the fortunate exception.

Qin Zheng answered. A trace of anxiety colored her voice.

“Boss Qin, I’m sorry to bother you. Could you check whether I left an earring in your car?”

Li Meijuan had given Tao Ying the earrings the year she began working. They had cost 3,999 yuan—roughly five hundred U.S. dollars—and Tao Ying had been both surprised and deeply touched.

Her relationship with her mother was poor, but she had always treasured and worn them, as though clinging to one faint, fragile thread of maternal love.

She hadn’t wanted to disturb Qin Zheng so late. She had already called the restaurant, but no one there had found it. His car was her last hope.

If it wasn’t there, it was probably gone for good.

“Don’t worry. I’ll look.” Qin Zheng stood immediately, and the other three followed him outside.

At his SUV, he opened the passenger door, switched on his phone flashlight, and bent inside to search carefully. Sure enough, his fingers found a round pearl stud in the gap beside the seat.

He placed it in his palm, took a picture, and sent it to Tao Ying.

Her reply came as a voice message. “Thank you. Could I pick it up at your shop on Monday?”

“Sure.”

Qin Zheng put away his phone, turned, and found three teasing faces waiting for him. Speechless, he took a step back.

“Don’t ask.” He cut them off before they could begin. “I’ll have a few drinks with you tonight, but don’t tell our families about Tao Ying and me.”

Nothing had even begun between them yet. He didn’t want everyone to know.

Last time, he had failed to warn them, and Liang Chong had brought an entire troop of idiots to make his shop’s opening look lively. Residents nearby and the teachers and students across the road had all mistaken the place for some new kind of nightclub.

“Fine, fine. Who would dare do anything you forbade?” Pei Jinnian slung an arm around Qin Zheng like the devoted friend he was. “I’ve even avoided going anywhere near your shop, all so I wouldn’t give you away.”

Qin Zheng gave him a roguish grin. “All right. I owe you one.”

Shao Mingyu stopped Liang Chong and tapped Qin Zheng’s SUV. “That’s a massive downgrade. Why is he hiding who he is to pursue her?”

“How do I put it?” Liang Chong thought for a moment. “He’s taking the long way around.”

Back home, Tao Ying put the other earring into its box, took a bath towel, and headed into the bathroom.

She spent all of Sunday at home. On Monday, she took a cab to the university.

Her day was packed with meetings, leaving no time to rest at noon. It wasn’t until Shu Ran came to pick her up that afternoon that she finally caught her breath.

Tao Ying pointed across the road. “Let’s stop at the auto shop first.”

“You’re taking me to meet him specially?” Delighted, Shu Ran turned the wheel.

“…One of my earrings fell in his car. I’m going to get it.”

Shu Ran giggled. She didn’t care why they were going, as long as she got to see the handsome man. Ever since hearing Qin Zheng’s voice, she had become obsessed with discovering whether his face matched it.

She parked beside Qin Zheng’s SUV. “This location really is excellent. There’s plenty of parking out front too. Anyone who can lease a five-hundred-square-meter storefront must have some money. The annual rent alone has to be hundreds of thousands.”

Many people couldn’t earn that in a lifetime, yet in Lincheng—where every inch of land cost a fortune—it still wasn’t enough for a down payment.

Tao Ying had saved some money. She wanted desperately to own a home, but she simply couldn’t afford one.

Someone was working in the repair bay on the right when they entered.

Tall and long-legged, he made Shu Ran nudge Tao Ying. “Is that him?”

The man looked up when he noticed them.

Tao Ying shook her head. “No.”

“Problem with the car?” he asked.

Seeing his coveralls, Tao Ying guessed he was a new employee. “I’m looking for your boss.”

“Bad timing. He just stepped out.” The new mechanic spoke with a slight accent.

Tao Ying regretted not calling Qin Zheng before coming. She didn’t want to interrupt the man’s work, so she pulled Shu Ran away.

Whenever they met, they usually ate at a familiar restaurant with good food, then talked and went shopping.

The moment they sat down, Shu Ran told her she had passed her recent audition.

Tao Ying was delighted. She only accepted unpaid projects for charitable causes. Shu Ran had referred her for commercial work before, but Tao Ying always declined. She already had a full-time job and no professional training. How could she compete with trained voice actors for their livelihood?

Voice acting was how she and Shu Ran had met in the first place.

Tao Ying had once seen a recruitment post seeking volunteers to read picture books for visually impaired children. Moved by impulse, she recorded a sample and sent it in. Shu Ran discovered her and added her to a volunteer voice-acting group.

Tao Ying had been at the lowest point in her life then, and Shu Ran had stayed beside her until she made it through.

After dinner, Tao Ying drove Shu Ran home and received an enthusiastic welcome from her parents.

Back in the car, she remained dazed. It had been far too long since an older adult showed her such concern. The attention left her awkward and uneasy. Shu Ran noticed and quickly invented an excuse to send her on her way.

Her phone rang. Tao Ying glanced lazily at the screen.

It was Qin Zheng. She let it ring twice more before answering. “Hello.”

Qin Zheng, who had called with something specific to say, paused. His voice softened. “Do you have a cold, Ms. Tao?”

Tao Ying blinked. From a single word, he had somehow detected the weight in her mood.

“I’m fine.” She straightened. “Did you need something?”

“I thought you’d come by after work for the earring, but something came up and I had to leave.”

“It’s fine. I’ll get it tomorrow.”

“No. I’d feel bad making you come again.” Qin Zheng said, “I’m heading back to the shop now and will pass your place. I’ll bring it over. You’ll have to wait, though. I’m still out, so it’ll probably take me an hour to reach you.”

“You don’t have to.” Her instinct was to refuse. “Tomorrow is fine.”

“I’ll be busy the next few days, and the earring is already in my car. You only need to wait for me.”

“All right.” Tao Ying was too tired to argue back and forth.

It was almost nine when she reached home. She turned on a documentary and listened to the narration while tidying up. She had rushed out that morning, leaving her breakfast dishes on the table.

Once everything was clean, she checked the time. Qin Zheng would probably arrive before nine thirty.

Tao Ying pulled on a coat, took her phone, and went downstairs.

The stairwell was pitch-dark. She switched on her phone flashlight.

She had chosen this apartment for two reasons. First, the two doors offered extra security, and the old mechanical locks were far sturdier than most electronic ones. Second, she didn’t want a roommate. The rent and size suited her perfectly.

As she reached the ground floor, she nearly collided with a man in his thirties who lived upstairs.

“Going out, Ms. Tao?”

“Mm,” Tao Ying answered coolly.

She didn’t actually know him. He simply greeted her every time they met. Tao Ying didn’t even know his name. He knew hers only because he had heard the landlord address her when she viewed the apartment.

“It’s too dark around here. A young woman like you should be careful.”

“Thank you.” Tao Ying drew her coat tighter.

The stairwell was narrow. She tried to leave, but he stopped her again. “A pipe burst in my place a few days ago. It didn’t affect your apartment, did it?”

Tao Ying frowned. “No.”

“Then, a young woman living—”

“Tao Ying!”

A deep male voice swept in with the cool night wind.

At the sight of Qin Zheng, Tao Ying relaxed for no clear reason.

She passed the other man and walked over. He looked Qin Zheng up and down several times before smiling at Tao Ying.

“I’ll let you get on with your business, Ms. Tao. I’m going upstairs.”

Tao Ying inclined her head slightly, no longer bothering even to hum a response.

Qin Zheng’s gaze darkened. Alertness edged his voice. “Do you know him?”