We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 2

Tao Ying couldn’t walk on her injured foot, much less drive. She had no choice but to wait at the shop.

Still, meeting her blind date in an auto repair shop was painfully awkward.

She gave Qin Zheng a strained smile and offered an explanation. “I can’t walk on this foot. A friend will pick me up in a bit.”

Her expression was perfectly composed. Only the way she averted her gaze betrayed her discomfort.

“All right. Have a seat.” Qin Zheng didn’t expose her lie.

Tao Ying sat on pins and needles.

Her date really had been nearby. Less than ten minutes later, he walked into the shop in a crisp suit, neatly dressed and pleasant-looking.

Xiao Fang went to greet him. “How can I help you?”

“I’d like a car wash. I’m also here to see my friend.”

“Please come in.”

Tao Ying had already spotted him, and he had seen her too.

“Stay seated, stay seated,” Dr. Zhao said when she tried to get up. He hurried over. “They’re washing my car, so I can sit for a while anyway.”

Still as cool as ever, Tao Ying managed a brief curve of her lips.

“You’re even prettier than your photo.” Dr. Zhao stared without blinking.

At first glance, Tao Ying wasn’t dazzlingly glamorous. Her beauty lay in the quiet austerity of her features and the resilience beneath them. Her porcelain-pale skin lent her a natural fragility. Aloof and delicate as a precious piece of china, she drew the eye all the same.

“Would you like something to drink, sir?” Xiao Fang came over, interrupting Dr. Zhao’s reverie.

“Two coffees, please. Oh, and your snacks are unlimited, right?”

Xiao Fang smiled. “They are. I’ll bring some right over.”

Tao Ying quickly stopped her, saying she didn’t need anything. She wasn’t thick-skinned enough for that.

“It’s fine. We’re paying customers, not freeloaders. It’s part of the service.” Dr. Zhao took it for granted, then instructed Xiao Fang, “Make the plate look nice.”

“Of course.” Xiao Fang put on a professional smile.

Tao Ying had no words. Did he think this was a café?

“I’ve heard this is a high-end auto shop with incredible service,” Dr. Zhao explained, as though reading her thoughts. “I wanted to see it for myself.”

Before long, Xiao Fang brought out two elegant sets of refreshments.

Each held a hot latte and handmade butter cookies. Three cookies of different colors and flavors rested on a white bone-china saucer edged in gold. A simple design floated on the latte foam, and the cup sat on a silver coaster. Arranged at varying heights on a wooden tray, everything looked remarkably refined.

Tao Ying blinked. This was absurdly elaborate. She suspected the shop lost money every day it opened.

“Not bad at all,” Dr. Zhao said. “The coffee looks freshly ground, and the snacks are upscale. A café would charge dozens of yuan for one cup. Go on, try it.”

Tao Ying remained silent.

“Have a taste.” Xiao Fang smiled at her. “Our boss made the coffee and cookies himself.”

Qin Zheng had made them? Tao Ying was surprised.

The cookies were baked to a delicate golden brown around the edges. Each was the same size and sprinkled with tiny almond pieces, every bit as attractive as something from a bakery.

Had Qin Zheng baked the sandwich crackers she had eaten during her dizzy spell too? She never would have guessed.

Curious, Tao Ying took a bite. The sweetness was just right, offset by the crunch of almonds. Paired with the latte’s rich smoothness, the cookies were good enough to sell in a shop of their own.

“They really are better than ordinary cookies,” Dr. Zhao said. “Your boss knows his way around a kitchen.”

“Anything for our customers. I’m glad you both like them.”

At the sound of the voice, Tao Ying looked up. Qin Zheng had appeared without her noticing.

His expression was calm and proper, but laughter glimmered in his eyes.

Tao Ying said nothing. The coldness he’d worn when they first met had vanished. What exactly did he find so funny?

Dr. Zhao turned around and froze, as though he had spotted a celebrity.

“You are…?”

“The owner.” Qin Zheng looked at him. “Is there anything else you need?”

Dr. Zhao’s eyes shifted. “Do you offer any other free services? It’s my first time here.”

Qin Zheng glanced at Tao Ying, as though extending the favor on her account. “Since it’s your first visit, I’ll give you a complimentary detailing. You can use it today. Xiao Fang will explain the other free services in a moment.”

“That’s very generous of you.” Dr. Zhao rubbed his hands together.

The smile vanished from Qin Zheng’s face as quickly as it had appeared. “It’s only right.”

“Thank you, thank you. Your cookies are quite good too. Could I take some with me?”

Qin Zheng paused, then abruptly laughed. “…Sure.”

Tao Ying wanted to disappear.

Dr. Zhao had elevated freeloading to an art form. And to Tao Ying, Qin Zheng’s laugh sounded painfully mocking.

She could no longer maintain her calm facade. Her face flamed. The humiliation could have crossed the Pacific.

Dr. Zhao sat down again and grinned at her. “The owner’s a generous man. Coming out today was worth it.”

Tao Ying had nothing to say.

Listlessly, she glanced out the window. The sky was darkening. Hopefully it wasn’t about to rain.

Unwilling to waste any more time, she came straight to the point.

“Dr. Zhao, we’ve already read each other’s profiles. Today was only to see whether there was any chemistry. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re a good match.”

He stared. “We haven’t even talked yet.”

Tao Ying only repeated, “I’m sorry.”

With Qin Zheng watching from the side, Dr. Zhao couldn’t press the matter. He lowered his head and finished every last cookie and drop of coffee.

Before leaving, he gave an emphatic snort—and took two bags of cookies with him.

Exhausted, Tao Ying turned to Qin Zheng. “Let me pay for what was on the table. Is two hundred enough?”

Qin Zheng raised a brow and sat opposite her. Instead of answering, he asked, “Ms. Tao, how were the cookies?”

“You know who I am?” Startled, Tao Ying’s eyes filled with caution.

“Of course.” Qin Zheng lifted his gaze. His stare was direct and faintly feral, though his tone remained lazy. “Who hasn’t heard of the teacher at Pu Normal University who’s prettier than the campus belle?”

“Likewise. My colleagues and students talk about Boss Qin all the time.” Tao Ying gave as good as she got.

Qin Zheng smiled. It was a faint, unrestrained smile that softened the natural severity of his hard features.

Outside, the sky darkened further. In the blink of an eye, rain began to fall.

Eager to leave, Tao Ying sent him a two-hundred-yuan red packet. Just as she started to rise, her phone rang again.

It was her third aunt, who had arranged today’s meeting with Dr. Zhao. If Tao Ying didn’t answer, she could expect not only an endless barrage of calls but also an in-person lecture.

She picked up immediately. “Third Aunt.”

“Taotao, what was that? If you agreed to a blind date, you should’ve made an honest effort. How could you reject him after barely two sentences?”

Dr. Zhao had already complained about her?

Tao Ying gave a dry laugh. “Third Aunt, Dr. Zhao is far too good at stretching a dollar. I’m not worthy of him.”

“What’s wrong with being thrifty…” Her aunt rattled on like a machine gun, then said, “Fine, fine. Tell me exactly what you want. You find something wrong with every man.”

The rain came down harder. Tao Ying answered without enthusiasm, “Someone normal will do.”

A very soft laugh escaped Qin Zheng.

Tao Ying didn’t want to provide him with any more entertainment. After hanging up, she considered who she could ask to come get her.

No matter how long she thought, there wasn’t a single person she could turn to. The one friend she could ask was away on a business trip.

She looked toward the young woman at reception, only to learn that Xiao Fang couldn’t drive.

“Our boss can take you,” Xiao Fang suggested after catching Qin Zheng’s signal. “He already took the car around once, but we still need to test its stability on regular roads to be absolutely sure.”

Tao Ying didn’t answer at first. Was Qin Zheng after something, or was this really just the shop’s attentive service?

“Since you’ve hurt your foot and all,” Xiao Fang added when she hesitated.

Tao Ying lowered her eyes and thought it over. The main problem was getting her car home; otherwise, she could simply take a cab.

After this, she and Qin Zheng would surely have no reason to cross paths again. And she had paid what she owed.

With that settled, Tao Ying looked up, now fully justified. “I’ll have to trouble you, Boss Qin.”

“No trouble. Just bring me more business in the future.”

Tao Ying smiled but made no promise. She only handed him her car keys.