We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 33

Qin Zheng did not return to the shop. He went straight to the second-floor terrace instead.

Restless, he took out a lighter and a cigarette. He had already placed the cigarette between his lips when he crushed it and tossed it into the nearby trash can.

He rolled the lighter through his fingers again and again, his mind full of what Qu Le had told him.

“Ms. Tao was a few years ahead of me at university. A lot of people pursued her, but she liked an older student in environmental art and design. His name is Shen Cinan.”

“I don’t know exactly what happened between them. I only know he went abroad. They agreed that after three years, he’d come back and they’d be together.”

Qin Zheng had frowned immediately. “If they had that agreement, why has Ms. Tao been going on blind dates?”

“Because they lost contact during Shen’s first year abroad. Ms. Tao thought there was no hope.”

The logic made no sense to Qin Zheng. “If they lost contact, how do you know he’s coming back?”

“They’ve reconnected.”

“What is this, an Avengers reunion?” Qin Zheng could not resist the joke.

Qu Le ignored him. “Here’s some information I can’t guarantee is accurate. I heard their class is holding a reunion this summer.”

“Does Tao Ying know this Shen guy is coming back?”

“If even I know, what do you think?”

Qin Zheng had no answer.

The lighter flared with a click. His thumb loosened, and the flame died again.

After a long while, he gave a quiet, humorless laugh. “So he’s the unforgettable first love…”

With nothing else requiring her at the university, Tao Ying left as soon as work ended.

It was not yet five. She changed clothes at home and was about to go out again when she met Qin Zheng coming upstairs.

He lifted an arm to stop her. “Where are you going?”

“The supermarket. We don’t have any fruit.”

“I’ll come.” He turned around again. “There isn’t much in the refrigerator either.”

“All right.”

She did not feel like driving. Going with Qin Zheng would save her the trouble.

Once they were in the car, he pulled out his seat belt and asked, “What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook after we get back.”

Tao Ying felt awkward about constantly eating his food for free. “Then I’ll pay for the groceries tonight.”

Whenever she was home on the weekend and Qin Zheng cooked, he always made enough for two.

“Fine.” He did not argue.

It was still before the evening rush, and the supermarket held a comfortable number of shoppers.

Tao Ying pushed the cart behind Qin Zheng. The only things in it were two boxes of nuts she usually took to the university as snacks.

At the seafood section, Qin Zheng stopped and looked back. “How about seafood noodles?”

“Sure.”

Someone else was doing the cooking. She had no reason to be picky and would eat whatever he made.

Qin Zheng stepped forward and carefully selected some baby abalone, squid, and shrimp.

The dish also needed vegetables—broccoli, enoki mushrooms, onions, and the like.

After an hour, their cart was filled to the top.

On their way out, they passed the flower and plant section on the first floor, where an enthusiastic saleswoman stopped them.

“Young man, want to buy your girlfriend a bouquet?”

“Sorry, ma’am. We’re not a couple,” Qin Zheng declined politely.

“You can buy flowers for a friend too.”

He declined again.

Tao Ying pulled an awkward grimace and quickened her pace.

Back home, Qin Zheng went directly to the kitchen.

Tao Ying followed and volunteered, “Is there anything I can do?”

“You don’t know how to clean any of this. Go cut some flowers from the terrace for me.”

“What kind?”

“Up to you. Pick whichever ones you like.”

“All right.”

Tao Ying did not know what he needed the flowers for, but she obediently went to do it.

The terrace blooms were bright and crowded together. She took the special pruning shears.

Qin Zheng had taught her how to cut them. Tao Ying chose half-open flowers with firm buds.

She did not return inside until the woven basket was overflowing.

“Qin Zheng,” she called from the living room. “What do you need these flowers for?”

“They’re for you.” He did not turn around. “The flowers I grow are better than the supermarket’s.”

Tao Ying froze. So that was why he had told her to choose for herself.

She trimmed each flower and arranged them in vases. In the end, she placed a vase of Juicy Terrazza roses on the dining table.

Qin Zheng finished the seafood noodles and carried them out. He smiled. “Those bloomed well.”

The fresh, savory aroma awakened Tao Ying’s appetite. She looked up at him. “You seem to be good at everything.”

Perhaps people who loved life could never be too bad.

Qin Zheng pulled out the chair across from her and sat down with a laugh. “Eat.”

His seafood noodles were lighter and fresher than the versions sold in restaurants. Most restaurants made the sauce too rich and greasy.

Halfway through the meal, Tao Ying’s phone sounded.

She checked it, sighed, and typed a message before sending it.

“Something wrong?” Qin Zheng asked.

“No. It’s Mr. Zhou.” Tao Ying said, “I rejected him before, but he hasn’t given up.”

“If you don’t want to deal with him, make it perfectly clear.”

Jealousy soured Qin Zheng’s thoughts. Had Tao Ying rejected Zhou Tao because of that Shen guy?

Was everyone supposed to step aside now that her perfect first love was returning?

“I already made it clear.”

“Then use the person who introduced you.” Qin Zheng glanced at her. “Who arranged the meeting?”

“My third aunt. She still thinks Mr. Zhou and I are seeing each other.”

For now, Tao Ying had no desire to endure one of Li Meili’s lectures.

“Is your third aunt a matchmaker?”

“Mm.” Tao Ying nodded. “She loves arranging matches.”

“How does she know so many eligible young men?”

“People like her spend time in the largest park in Lincheng. A lot of people go there looking for partners and exchange information.”

Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes. The largest park in Lincheng…

For the next several days, Tao Ying conscientiously went to work while Qin Zheng suspiciously haunted the park.

He had met her mother and assumed her third aunt would resemble her, so he went there hoping for a lucky encounter.

Several days passed without a single clue.

It seemed today would end in failure as well. Qin Zheng sauntered off, swinging his car keys, only to turn and collide with someone.

“What little brat walks without looking where he’s going?”

The sharp scolding in Qin Zheng’s ears sounded exactly like the third aunt he had heard over Tao Ying’s phone.

“I’m sorry.” He quickly helped the woman upright. “Are you hurt?”

Li Meili clutched her waist as she stood. She was about to unleash another round of curses when she saw Qin Zheng’s striking face and stopped.

Good heavens, what a handsome young man.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Her standards changed instantly. She grabbed his wrist. “Young man, do you have a girlfriend?”

Qin Zheng shook his head. “No.”

“Do you want one?”

He followed her lead. “I do.”

“With looks like yours, you’d make a fine match for my niece. But…”

“Your niece?” Qin Zheng asked deliberately.

“That’s right. I have an extremely beautiful niece. She’s a university lecturer, so she has a respectable job, and she’s local too.”

At last, Qin Zheng relaxed completely. This was clearly Tao Ying’s third aunt—and her matchmaker.