We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 34

The moment Li Meili heard Qin Zheng wanted a girlfriend, she clung to his arm and refused to let him leave.

Within minutes, several colorfully dressed older women crowded around them.

“Meili, who’s this?”

Li Meili made something up on the spot. “My nephew.”

“My, what a handsome young man. Do you have a girlfriend?”

“What do you think?” Li Meili cut in. “Would I bring him here if he did?”

She had Qin Zheng sit beside the flower bed and told him to introduce himself.

He smiled. “I’m local. I run a small business. I’m healthy, strong, and can cook. I have a stable temper and know how to cheer people up.”

The word *local* immediately sharpened the women’s interest.

“That’s wonderful. And he’s so handsome.”

“Go on, all of you.” Li Meili waved them away. “I found him first.”

She intended to keep him in reserve for her niece. Good prospects ought to stay in the family.

The others dared not argue, though they secretly rolled their eyes.

Li Meili hummed smugly, nearly floating with triumph.

She had always considered herself lucky. Her parents supported her as a child, her husband after marriage, and her children in old age. People seeking matches liked to approach her in hopes that some of her good fortune would rub off on them.

Plump and cheerful, Li Meili did have an appealing face. Tao Ying’s mother, by contrast, wore too much bitterness in hers.

Li Meili nudged Qin Zheng. “Tell me about your work and family.”

He cleared his throat. “I own an auto repair shop—not a small one—and have some savings. My mother died when I was an infant. My father, stepmother, and younger brother are a family of their own.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Li Meili’s heart softened at once. “It can’t have been easy building a life alone. Do you own a home in Lincheng?”

Old Lincheng families did not emphasize bride prices or speak of one side marrying into the other. Marriage meant two sets of parents helping a young household get started.

The bride brought a dowry, but the groom was expected to buy the home outright.

“I’m planning to buy one,” Qin Zheng said.

Li Meili gave him an approving look. “Will you pay in full? Can the woman’s name go on the deed?”

“Of course. Finding a wife is hard these days. I’d be happy to put it solely in her name.”

Her eyes lit up. “What about a car?”

“I’d buy her a new one after we married. I’d keep driving my old one.”

“You really are sensible.” Then wariness returned. “Have you ever been in debt? Do you smoke or drink?”

“No debt. I don’t smoke much and can quit whenever I decide to. I don’t care for alcohol either, though some drinking is unavoidable at social and business events.”

Li Meili found that reasonable.

“Add me on WeChat.” She took out her phone. “We’ll exchange contact information.”

“All right.”

Before he left, she caught his hand again. “Don’t add anyone else. I know plenty of excellent young women, especially my niece. It’s graduation season and she’s busy, but when things settle down, I’ll arrange for you to meet.”

“Sounds good.” Qin Zheng agreed immediately. “It’s getting late. Would you like me to drive you home?”

Pleased by his thoughtfulness, she waved both hands. “No need. My husband is coming to pick me up.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

After leaving the park, Qin Zheng did not return to the shop. He stepped on the accelerator and drove toward Villa No. 9, Lane 59, Puting Road.

He was going home to find Li Meili a small gift.

Inside the villa, father and son were enjoying rare harmony, while husband and wife appeared perfectly affectionate.

The security guard pressed the intercom. “Mr. Qin, the eldest young master has returned.”

All three people in the main living room froze.

Qin Zheng’s stepmother, Qiao Yuwan, snatched the luxurious custom game console from her younger son’s hands. “Quick, put it away.”

“Why?” Qin Heng looked baffled.

“Your brother’s back.” She smacked his arm.

“Oh.” Understanding dawned. “Mom, let go. I’ll take it upstairs.”

“Stop right there.” Qin Zheng entered and immediately grew irritated at the sight of the furtive family.

“Bro.” Qin Heng smiled awkwardly.

“Xiao Zheng, what brings you home?” Qiao Yuwan greeted him warmly. “I’ll have the kitchen make you something.”

“No.” His gaze settled on the object in Qin Heng’s arms. “What’s that?”

“A-a game console.”

Qin Zheng sprawled across the sofa like a lord. “Who bought it?”

Qiao Yuwan and Qin Heng both pointed at the same man. “He did.”

Qin Zheng looked coldly at his father, Qin Guangzhong. “So you only have one son.”

Qin Guangzhong stared at him. “How old are you? Your brother is still in university.”

“You favor him and still won’t admit it.” Qin Zheng rolled his eyes, then turned to the mother and son. “And why were you two hiding it?”

“Bro, do you… want it?” Qin Heng reluctantly held it out.

“Yes, give it to your brother,” Qiao Yuwan said, breaking into a sweat. “It’s only a game console.”

Qin Zheng was perfectly rational with outsiders. Around his family, his logic took unusual turns. He was forever convinced that his father, stepmother, and half brother had united to exclude the crown prince born to the first wife.

Qiao Yuwan nearly wanted to fling out her sleeves and take the stage in a tragedy called *Snow in June*.

“Enough.” Qin Guangzhong was angered by his careless posture. “Are you three years old, fighting your brother for toys? When are you coming back to work?”

“No time,” Qin Zheng drawled, clearly trying to infuriate him.

When Qin Guangzhong looked ready to explode, Qiao Yuwan hurried to mediate. “He’s still a child.”

“He’s twenty-eight. In six months he’ll be twenty-nine, which rounds up to thirty. Is he a giant baby?”

“Wow.” Qin Zheng’s sarcasm dripped. “A rehearsed double act just for me? Do you perform like this when I’m not home?”

Qin Guangzhong closed his eyes. What a rebellious son.

There was no point dying of anger over behavior he already knew well.

“When will you come back and help?” he asked seriously. “It’s fine to love hands-on engineering, but you can’t remain on the front line forever. Come back as deputy supervisor at the high-end vehicle R&D center.”

“No time. Wait until Qin Heng graduates. Otherwise I’ll have worked extra years for nothing.”

Qin Guangzhong was speechless.

“Bro.” Qin Heng objected quietly. He did not want to work for the group.

“Don’t call me that. Who likes working? I don’t. But it’s a family responsibility and none of us can avoid it. You can’t expect me to carry everything alone.”

He demanded fairness. Was he supposed to work himself to death while Qin Heng lay back and collected dividends? Dream on.

Qiao Yuwan looked troubled. “But your brother isn’t suited to business. He isn’t as capable as you.”

“Now you’re buttering me up on purpose.” Qin Zheng refused to yield an inch.

The entire family fell silent.

If Qin Heng had shown even a little promise, Qin Guangzhong would have stopped chasing Qin Zheng long ago.

Qin Zheng might look unreliable, but he had technical skill, intelligence, and more than enough resourcefulness.

Seeing her husband about to erupt again, Qiao Yuwan smiled quickly. “Xiao Zheng, did you come home because you needed something?”

Qin Zheng nodded, looking oddly uncomfortable. “Could you wrap a gift box for me? Something around ten thousand yuan, for an older woman.”

“Of course. I’ll go upstairs now.”

Half her dressing room was filled with new, unopened things.

After class, Tao Ying was walking back to the office when Li Meili called.

Her aunt began with a great show of concern, then tested the waters by asking how things were going with Zhou Tao.

“Third Aunt, did you need something?”

Tao Ying did not answer directly. If she admitted they were no longer seeing each other, Li Meili would lecture her. If she pretended they still were, it would be unfair to Zhou Tao.

“Here’s the thing. With blind dates, you have to meet several men and compare them. I have an excellent young man here—handsome too. I saved him especially for you. When can you come meet him?”

Tao Ying was speechless.

She had not even finished dealing with one man, and her aunt was already lining up the next.