We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 13

After ending the call, Tao Ying turned to say goodbye to Qin Zheng. Instead, she collided with him and pitched backward.

He had been right on her heels, leaving no room between them.

“Hey.” Qin Zheng caught her around the waist. “Careful.”

With only the thin fabric of his shirt between them, the sensation was startlingly direct. Tao Ying’s palm landed against the firm swell of his chest.

She went rigid. Embarrassment, mortification, and panic crashed over her all at once, flooding her face red.

Qin Zheng found it fascinating. He had thought the cool, untamable Ms. Tao would be difficult to fluster. Apparently, she was far more innocent than he’d expected.

“Ms. Tao?” Mischief stirred in him. A low laugh rose from the chest beneath her hand, lazy and roguish. “How does it feel?”

“Not impressive.” Tao Ying broke free and stepped back. Blustering to cover herself, she demanded, “Why were you following so close?”

“I didn’t know you’d turn around without warning.” Qin Zheng looked innocent.

Tao Ying opened her mouth, found no rebuttal, and turned away.

“Ms. Tao.” Shamelessly, Qin Zheng followed.

She curled her fingers and ignored him. The man was never serious for long.

“Did you drive?” He finally stopped her a few steps later.

Maintaining her manners, Tao Ying said, “Yes.”

“Could I get a ride? You only need to drop me at the shop.” Qin Zheng took his first tentative step.

He wasn’t blind to her avoidance. But after several encounters, they were at least somewhat familiar, which gave him the courage to ask.

Tao Ying regarded him suspiciously. “You didn’t drive?”

He shook his head. “I walked.”

How leisurely of him. Driving took ten minutes, but walking took several times as long.

He had helped her before, so Tao Ying took out her keys. “Get in.”

“Thank you, Ms. Tao.”

Taking Qin Zheng back to his shop meant retracing the route toward the university.

He fastened his seat belt. Unwilling to let the car fall silent, he started a conversation. “May Day is almost here. Any travel plans?”

“No.”

“Because it gets crowded?”

“Mm.” Tao Ying had no interest in squeezing into crowds.

“There are plenty of places worth seeing around Lincheng,” Qin Zheng said. “You just have to go in the off-season.”

Tao Ying remained uninterested. No matter how lovely Lincheng was, she had grown up here. The novelty was long gone.

Her phone rang. Out of habit, she pressed the call button on her steering wheel, and the audio played through the car speakers.

Shu Ran’s voice filled the cabin. “Taotao, what are you doing?”

“I just had dinner.” Tao Ying smiled.

“At the cafeteria?” Shu Ran chatted idly. Every call began this way, circling through small talk before she reached the point.

“No, somewhere nearby.”

“That’s unusual. You hate eating alone in restaurants.” Gossip sharpened Shu Ran’s tone. “Who were you with? Don’t tell me it was Boss Qin again.”

Qin Zheng raised a brow and looked at Tao Ying.

The women’s easy tone made it clear they were close. What surprised him was that Tao Ying had mentioned him to her friend.

“No.” Catching Qin Zheng’s gaze at the edge of her vision, Tao Ying denied it immediately. “A colleague.”

“A colleague? I was going to say, if it was Boss Qin, could you secretly take a picture for me? Last time, I didn’t—”

“Shu Ran.” Tao Ying cut her off.

“What?”

Tao Ying coughed. “My throat is a little uncomfortable.”

A muffled laugh sounded in the car, full of wicked amusement.

“Who’s that?” Shu Ran instantly caught the unfamiliar sound. “Taotao, is someone in your car?”

Tao Ying choked. Why did she sound as if Tao Ying had secretly brought a lover home behind her back?

“I…” There was no good explanation. “What kind of ears do you have?”

Shu Ran snorted. “I heard someone laugh. Ms. Tao, you’re keeping secrets now. We’ve grown apart.”

“Why did you call?” Tao Ying could only change the subject.

“There’s a volunteer field-recording project in the countryside this July,” Shu Ran said more seriously. “Would you be interested? It’s during summer break, so I thought I’d bring you along. You could get away and relax too.”

“Where?”

“Just a rural area nearby. We’ll be recording on location. I think you’d like it.”

“All right.” Tao Ying agreed without hesitation. “I’ll go.”

With business settled, Shu Ran cleared her throat, still unwilling to let the other matter go. “Boss Qin?”

Tao Ying was speechless.

How had she identified him from one indistinct laugh? Her hearing was absurd.

Qin Zheng didn’t dare speak without permission. He glanced at Tao Ying. “May I talk, Ms. Tao?”

“…I haven’t covered your mouth.”

He laughed and greeted Shu Ran. “Good evening, Miss Shu.”

“Oh my God.” Shu Ran was struck again by his voice. Tao Ying coughed repeatedly in warning until Shu Ran managed a little dignity. “Good evening, Boss Qin.”

Their exchange amused Qin Zheng. Tao Ying was much livelier and more animated around this friend.

“Boss Qin, are you interested in a side job?” Shu Ran refused to let a voice like his escape.

“Hm?” Qin Zheng didn’t understand.

“I own Shu Ran Audio Studio. In simple terms, we make money with our voices.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Shu. I’m not considering side work at the moment.”

“All right.” Shu Ran sounded deeply disappointed.

They reached the auto shop. Tao Ying parked and said, “I’m here. I’ll call you when I get home.”

Qin Zheng joked, “So you can bad-mouth me?”

“I can testify that she has never said anything bad about you. She said you were handsome,” Shu Ran swore over the phone.

The look Qin Zheng gave Tao Ying changed at once.

If Tao Ying let Shu Ran continue, there was no telling what wild claim would come next. She ended the call and explained as casually as she could, “She’s a voice actor. She’s obsessed with whether a face matches a voice.”

“Understood.” Qin Zheng unfastened his seat belt. “But thank you for calling me handsome, Ms. Tao.”

Tao Ying had no reply.

“Wait here.” Qin Zheng put one foot outside, then turned back. “It’ll only take a minute. I have something for you.”

As if afraid she would refuse, he gave her no chance. He shut the door behind him.

“Wait…” Tao Ying couldn’t stop him.

He returned shortly with something in hand and tapped on her window.

Tao Ying lowered it, wondering what he could possibly be giving her.

“Here.” Qin Zheng offered a kraft-paper bag. “A thank-you gift.”

“What is it?” She didn’t take it.

“Food.” He extended his hand farther. “Try some. I made it this afternoon.”

Suspicious, Tao Ying accepted the dark brown bag. The top had been casually folded twice and sealed with a round botanical sticker.

“Keep some in your car and bag, so you don’t have another blood sugar crash.”

Tao Ying looked sideways and met his eyes. “Thank you.”

Qin Zheng laughed and rapped lightly on the car window. “Drive carefully.”

“I will.” Tao Ying raised the window and switched on her indicator.

She wanted to look inside the bag, though she saw no reason to be impatient. In the end, compelled by some feeling she couldn’t name, she pressed the accelerator and drove all the way up to the legal speed limit.