We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 6

The apartment Tao Ying rented was small, with only one bedroom and a living room, but she kept it as immaculate as a model home.

When she arrived, Li Meijuan was critically surveying her new home. This was her first time visiting.

Tao Ying set down her bag, changed into slippers, and went straight to the refrigerator for a bottle of water without greeting her.

“Cold water again!” Li Meijuan frowned. “Can’t you take better care of your stomach?”

“Why are you here?” Tao Ying asked flatly.

Li Meijuan glared at her in exasperation. “Look at you. You’re a university lecturer, yet you’re crammed into an apartment of a few dozen square meters. Don’t you feel stifled?”

“It’s fine. I like small homes.” Tao Ying remained impervious.

When her father had been alive, their home hadn’t been large either. But it had been filled with laughter.

“Stop pretending you don’t understand.” Li Meijuan poked Tao Ying’s forehead with one finger. Her pointed manicure scraped the delicate skin, leaving a faint red mark. “Who was that man fixing your car downstairs?”

Tao Ying frowned at the pain. She turned away and sat on the sofa, her voice cold. “Why exactly did you come?”

Her refusal to answer only convinced Li Meijuan that Qin Zheng was one of Tao Ying’s blind dates.

“Another man you picked from the matchmaking market yourself?” Li Meijuan sat beside her. “Li Meili has been against me since we were children. What kind of rubbish could she possibly introduce to you?”

Li Meili was Tao Ying’s third aunt, a locally well-known matchmaker.

“Do you have to defy me at every turn? Which of the men your sister found for you wasn’t better than the one downstairs?”

She meant Qin Zheng? Tao Ying almost laughed.

Tao Ying hadn’t liked him at first either, but at least he had a trade and a business of his own.

Every man her sister had introduced, without exception, was some later-generation rich heir who had never earned a cent himself. None of them worked. None had an income. They spent money on their parents’ cards, while every asset remained in their parents’ names, safely insulated against marital claims.

If she married into one of those families, she might end up subsidizing him. After all, she had a job, and her income could become marital property. If she was unlucky, she might even be saddled with enormous debts. The moment his family grew unhappy with her, they could throw her out.

What exactly was she supposed to gain from that?

The more Tao Ying thought about it, the colder she felt. Her contrary streak surged to life. “Qin Zheng is much better than any of them. He has real skills and his own shop.”

“What skill or shop could keep you rich and comfortable for the rest of your life?” Li Meijuan exploded too.

“But he’s handsome.” Tao Ying deliberately drew out the words, nearly giving her mother a heart attack.

“Handsome? Can looks put food on the table?”

“They can.” Tao Ying arched a brow. “Why else did you marry Dad?”

Li Meijuan was struck speechless.

Back then, everyone had envied her for marrying Tao Ying’s father. He had been gentle and handsome, devoted to his family, diligent, and ambitious…

If Tao Ying hadn’t quarreled with her sister and made her father take a detour to buy food to cheer her up, how could that car ever have hit him?

For one instant, Li Meijuan’s face twisted and her breathing quickened. Then her gaze landed on the family portrait beneath the television cabinet, and clarity returned at once.

Heavy sorrow and pain settled over her features. Without another word, she left.

Tao Ying sank back against the sofa and closed her eyes wearily.

Two bananas were left on the table. They became her makeshift dinner.

Wednesday was a little easier, with only four classes. Besides teaching, Tao Ying was also an amateur voice actor who volunteered for nonprofit projects. She had an audition for a recent production and completely forgot to call Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng checked his phone and clicked his tongue without thinking.

The woman who had promised to treat him to dinner last night hadn’t made a sound all day.

“Boss, you’re going to strip that money tree bare,” Xiao Fang finally warned him.

Qin Zheng was magnanimous. “If it goes bald, I’ll buy another.”

“The shop is already losing money.”

“I can still afford one money tree.” Qin Zheng withdrew the hand that had been tormenting the plant and checked his phone again.

She had sounded so sincere, apologizing and thanking him in the same breath. Then she’d turned around and forgotten him completely.

Irritated, Qin Zheng made a call. “Is my auditing pass still not ready?” he demanded.

“It’ll be delivered tomorrow.”

His brow eased at the answer. Finally, some good news.

At seven that evening, Tao Ying emerged from an audio studio in the East Suburb Industrial Park.

She would receive the audition result within three days. Hungry, she drove along the road in search of a restaurant.

Then, in a flash, she remembered that she was supposed to invite Qin Zheng to dinner. She had clearly promised to call him today.

Tao Ying turned the wheel and pulled into the first available roadside space.

She called the number Qin Zheng had given her the day before. He picked up immediately.

“Good evening, Ms. Tao.”

“Good evening.” She answered politely. “I’m sorry. Something came up today, and I didn’t have time to call.”

“You’re calling now. I knew you wouldn’t break your word.” The end of Qin Zheng’s sentence dipped, casual and unhurried.

He had a pleasant voice—relaxed and deep, untamed without being coarse. Tao Ying found herself assessing it automatically.

She nudged the ornament hanging in her car. “Do you have any dietary restrictions, Boss Qin?”

“No.”

“What about lunch tomorrow?”

Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes. Lunch was far too short. He found an excuse at random. “I’m meeting a client at noon tomorrow.”

“Then dinner?”

Tomorrow was Thursday. Tao Ying needed to prepare Friday’s lessons that evening, so dinner would also have to be rushed.

Qin Zheng’s gaze lowered. “How about Friday night? I’m busy interviewing people these next two days. You’ve seen the shop—I’m the only one working, and I can’t keep up.”

Friday night was Tao Ying’s favorite time of the week. She usually accepted no invitations, choosing instead to savor the hours alone. Now that she had to spend them on Qin Zheng, she was a little reluctant to give them up.

But she had asked, and he had answered. She had no grounds to refuse.

Tao Ying had never been indecisive. “All right. Friday night, then. If you know a suitable restaurant, feel free to recommend one.”

It was only a polite remark, but Qin Zheng really did have somewhere in mind.

“Where?” she asked.

“There’s a fusion restaurant on the West Bank. The food and atmosphere are both decent, and it isn’t too expensive per person. You could consider it.”

Since Qin Zheng was the guest, his having a preference saved Tao Ying the trouble of choosing. She agreed at once. “Let’s go there.”

Qin Zheng laughed softly. “See you Friday night, Ms. Tao.”

He drew out the words, low and slow. Filtered through the faint static of the phone, his voice took on a hazy intimacy.

Tao Ying had always been susceptible to a beautiful voice. She instinctively moved the phone away and looked out the car window, an odd, delicate unease stirring inside her.

After a moment, she cleared her throat softly. “See you Friday night.”