We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 18

Tao Ying turned toward the voice and froze.

Qin Zheng stood in the kitchen, half turned toward her with a coffee cup in his hand.

Morning light sliced through the window and rendered his white shirt almost translucent. The firm, smooth contours from chest to abdomen showed faintly beneath it.

Tao Ying had seen plenty of men in white shirts. Students looked too young to fill them out, while her male colleagues had unremarkable builds.

Qin Zheng was different. He had the strong frame of a mature man and wore the simple shirt with effortless ease.

Though fastening one more button would have improved it.

Tao Ying looked away and approached the dining table, where two Western-style breakfasts were waiting.

Qin Zheng smiled. “I got up late this morning, so I could only make something simple.”

Simple or not, Tao Ying couldn’t have made it.

He had even toasted the bread. She usually took a plain slice, tore it into pieces without even adding a spread, and called that breakfast.

Qin Zheng had said he could cook. Only now did the claim feel real.

Milk streamed into coffee, dark and pale shades slowly blooming together. Qin Zheng lifted his hand with a practiced finish, leaving a smooth, rich latte.

“What are you looking at?” He placed both cups on a tray and carried them over. “Breakfast.”

Tao Ying sat across from him and accepted the coffee he passed her.

“What do you usually eat in the morning?” Qin Zheng sensed her stiffness and chatted casually.

“If I’m early, I eat at the cafeteria. If I’m late, I make do with something at home.”

“No wonder your blood sugar crashed.” He sipped his coffee. “You can’t make do with breakfast.”

Tao Ying looked up. “Do you prepare breakfast for yourself every day?”

“Mm.” Qin Zheng nodded.

His housekeeper wasn’t here. Naturally, he had to fend for himself.

Tao Ying lowered her head and tasted the soft-boiled egg. Savory and tender, it wasn’t greasy at all.

“How is it?” Qin Zheng waited for her verdict.

“Delicious.” She praised it sincerely.

He laughed. “Ms. Tao, what are your plans today?”

“I’m going home. My sister is back.”

Tao Xi had followed her indifferent husband halfway around the world and finally become pregnant. She had been back in Lincheng for half a month and had asked Tao Ying to visit today.

Home meant the quiet, elegant villa where Li Meijuan lived, tucked away from the city’s bustle. Tao Xi’s husband had bought it years ago.

“Do you need a ride?” Qin Zheng asked.

Tao Ying shook her head. “I’ll drive.”

“You’re going back to Jinhua Gardens for the car?”

“Mm.”

“Then I’ll take you there.” Qin Zheng left no room for refusal. “You still need to be careful in daylight.”

“Thank you.”

After breakfast, Tao Ying insisted on washing the dishes. Qin Zheng knew she felt uncomfortable accepting too much and didn’t interfere.

It was still before eight, and the shop hadn’t opened. She followed him down the back stairs and got into his SUV.

At Jinhua Gardens, Tao Ying didn’t go upstairs, though she instinctively glanced toward the fourth floor.

Qin Zheng patted her lightly. “Don’t look.”

She drew back her gaze. “I haven’t even lived here for six months.”

“The surroundings are decent, but the security really isn’t.”

“You can’t have everything.”

With a sigh, Tao Ying said goodbye and drove toward Qingyan Road.

Towering plane trees surrounded Jinglan Villas, elegant two-story homes with an air of quiet wealth.

Two housekeepers worked there. Tao Ying changed into slippers and entered the living room.

“The second young lady is home?”

Tao Xi reclined lazily on the sofa, nothing like the poised and dignified woman she was with her husband’s family.

“Sis.” Tao Ying greeted her, gaze dropping to her stomach.

Tao Xi beckoned. “Come here.”

Tao Ying walked over. “How far along?”

“Two months.” Tao Xi smiled.

There was no visible change yet. Tao Ying reached out and lightly touched her belly.

Li Meijuan emerged from a room at that moment. Seeing them, she hurried over and slapped Tao Ying’s hand away. “Be careful.”

A red mark appeared across the back of Tao Ying’s hand.

“Mom.” Tao Xi frowned. “Why did you hit her so hard?”

Li Meijuan shot her a look. “I’m looking out for you. You started dating Jingchuan at university and only got pregnant after five years of marriage. Of course you need to be careful.”

Tao Xi took Tao Ying’s hand and rubbed it. “Can a baby fall out because she touched me?”

“Take that back! How can you say such a thing without thinking? Would you dare speak that way in front of your mother-in-law?”

“I’m in front of you, aren’t I?” Tao Xi looked exhausted. “Do I still have to pretend at home?”

“It’s fine.” Tao Ying soothed her, afraid the anger might affect her pregnancy.

In truth, she and Tao Xi were close. Li Meijuan might play favorites, but Tao Xi had always treated her well. She simply couldn’t understand Tao Ying’s aloof, quiet, and overly honest temperament.

In Tao Xi’s view, for three women without extraordinary talent, marriage was the easiest chance to cross into a higher social class.

Yet Tao Ying carried a face that turned heads everywhere and still chose to drag herself through an ordinary nine-to-five job.

Tao Xi couldn’t endure that kind of hardship. When Li Meijuan had emptied her savings to send her abroad for university, Tao Xi had spared no effort to win over Mo Jingchuan, the eldest son of the family behind Mingyu Group.

Whenever the subject arose, Tao Ying admired her sister’s sheer determination.

“Mom, stop standing here. Go check the kitchen,” Tao Xi said. She hadn’t seen Tao Ying in so long and wanted to talk privately.

For Tao Xi’s sake, Li Meijuan turned and left.

“What’s going on with you?” Tao Xi frowned. “If I hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t even know you moved out. Where are you living?”

“Somewhere closer to the university.” Tao Ying didn’t want her to worry.

As far as Tao Ying was concerned, her sister already worked hard enough maintaining her marriage and securing her position in a wealthy family.

“Why can’t you understand? Finding a rich man would make your life so much easier.” Tao Xi was exasperated. “Pei Jinnian—the man I asked someone to introduce—had looks and family background. His parents are open-minded and have no rigid demands for a daughter-in-law. A respectable family, good education, and pleasant appearance were enough. Yet you still rejected him.”

“He wasn’t interested in me.”

Tao Xi stared. “Forget it. There’s no getting through to you. Once you’re married, you’ll understand how important money is.”

“You understood before you married.”

Tao Xi poked her forehead. “I’m not as sentimental as you. Maybe… you’re like Dad.”

Tao Ying pursed her lips. “You’ve been with my brother-in-law for ten years. Don’t you love him?”

“Who loves him?” Tao Xi stiffened her neck. “I only love his money.”

Tao Ying didn’t answer.

She doubted that.

But she didn’t dare say it. Her sister was a master of denial. If Tao Ying exposed her, Tao Xi would glare at her for the rest of the day. With her husband’s family, she was an obedient lamb. At home, she was a tiger that ate people alive.

“I’m pregnant and don’t have time to manage you. If you meet anyone you like through Third Aunt, keep your eyes open.”

“I know.”

Tao Ying left after lunch. She decided to park her car at the university so it would be convenient to use.

It was already two in the afternoon when she reached Qin Zheng’s shop. She didn’t have a key to the second floor. Even if she had, she would need to tell him she was back, so she entered through the front.

Apparently, she had picked an unlucky day to leave home. Every unfortunate thing seemed determined to happen to her today.

Two of her blind dates—Dr. Zhao and Zhou Tao—stood side by side, talking merrily with Qin Zheng. All three were smiling so broadly that their eyes crinkled.