We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 7

Tao Ying had only two classes on Friday. Since she wasn’t meeting Qin Zheng until the evening, she went home afterward and cleaned her apartment.

Two hours later, she couldn’t be bothered to cook. Just as she was about to order takeout, someone knocked.

Her apartment at Jinhua Gardens had two doors, the outer one an iron security gate. Tao Ying walked over and opened both.

“Surprise!” A sweet voice burst from the hallway.

Delighted by the sudden appearance of her friend, Tao Ying opened the gate. “Weren’t you coming back tomorrow?”

Shu Ran laughed. “We finished early. I came straight here from the airport. Surprised?”

Tao Ying took her suitcase. “Come in. I was just about to order takeout.”

Shu Ran changed into slippers without ceremony.

After setting the suitcase beside the sofa, Tao Ying asked, “What do you want? I’ll order it now.”

“Anything simple.” Shu Ran was tired. “I’ll rest for a while, and tonight we can go out for a feast.”

Tao Ying’s expression stalled. “Uh…”

“What? You won’t even go out when I ask?” Shu Ran was confident on that score. Other than her, no one could persuade Tao Ying to go anywhere on a Friday night.

Then Tao Ying gave a strained laugh. “It’s not that. I already have plans with someone.”

So much for confidence.

“Plans?” Shu Ran’s eyes widened. “With who?”

“Well…”

Tao Ying suddenly had no idea how to introduce Qin Zheng. He wasn’t a friend or a colleague. More absurdly, they barely knew each other.

Catching the flicker of discomfort on her face, Shu Ran grew even more curious. “Who is it?”

“Someone I just met.” Tao Ying scratched her cheek.

“Are you trying to kill me with suspense?”

“Qin Zheng.” Tao Ying turned toward her, looking almost innocent. “He owns an auto repair shop.”

Shu Ran’s mouth opened and closed several times before she found her voice. “The auto shop I complained about?”

On opening day, she had happened to pick Tao Ying up from campus and remarked, “What genius opens an auto repair shop across from a university?”

Tao Ying nodded. “That one.”

Shu Ran half turned toward her, completely baffled. “How did you two even cross paths? What did you do to wrong him while I was away that could make you go out with him on a Friday night?”

With a sigh, Tao Ying told her the entire story.

Shu Ran doubled over laughing. It took her a long while to catch her breath.

“Having a blind date in his shop was bad enough, but then you deleted him on WeChat and he confronted you about it? I’m embarrassed for you.”

“Ha. Ha.” Tao Ying’s voice was flat. “That’s why I don’t want to see him.”

“And yet you’re seeing him tonight.” Shu Ran’s cheeks ached from laughing. “Where are you going?”

“A fusion restaurant on the West Bank.”

Shu Ran had been there. “The setting’s decent and the prices aren’t too high, but parking is terrible. Even the public garages nearby have lines.”

Tao Ying frowned at once. She hated crowded places.

But she had already agreed. It was too late for regrets.

“Let’s order first.” Tao Ying handed Shu Ran her phone. “Get whatever you want.”

As Shu Ran took it, the phone rang.

“Boss Qin?” She passed it back. “Your date for tonight?”

“He is not my date. Don’t talk nonsense.” At home, Tao Ying habitually put the call on speaker.

“Ms. Tao.”

Qin Zheng’s voice flowed from the phone. Shu Ran mouthed a silent curse and nudged Tao Ying.

After years of friendship, Tao Ying knew exactly what she was thinking. As the owner of an audio studio and a professional voice actor, Shu Ran was utterly defenseless against Qin Zheng’s voice.

“Is something wrong, Boss Qin?” Tao Ying lightly swatted Shu Ran, signaling for her to show some restraint.

“Do you need me to pick you up tonight? Parking is difficult on the West Bank.”

“That’s all right. I’ll drive myself.”

Shu Ran poked her and mouthed, “Let him come.”

She wanted to see whether the man lived up to his voice.

“Ms. Tao, I’m not going out of my way to pick you up. There aren’t any proper spaces around the restaurant, roadside parking is prohibited all along the area, and it gets busy at night. Two cars circling around would only make things more troublesome.”

“A friend of mine works in the office building behind the restaurant. I can borrow his employee space. He’s staying late to work on a project.”

His reasoning was flawless, and Shu Ran was practically ordering her to agree. Tao Ying relented. “All right.”

“I’ll be downstairs at six.”

“Okay.”

The instant the call ended, Shu Ran grabbed Tao Ying. “Is this Boss Qin handsome? His voice is incredible. You’re a little obsessed with voices yourself, so how are you this calm?”

“Imagine a face to match the voice,” Tao Ying said cryptically.

“There aren’t many genuinely handsome men in our business.”

Tao Ying laughed. “You can see for yourself tonight.”

Shu Ran clasped her hands in prayer. Tao Ying smacked them down in exasperation. “What do you want to eat? I’ll order.”

Shu Ran rattled off a long list of dishes.

They hadn’t seen each other in a while and talked for hours. Around four, Shu Ran urged Tao Ying to put on makeup.

“I’ll just change clothes,” Tao Ying said.

She rarely wore makeup to teach, much less for an evening out.

Shu Ran stared at her. “You’re meeting him on the West Bank, surrounded by neon lights and impeccably dressed men and women. If you don’t make some effort, you’ll be the only one out of place.”

Nothing bothered Tao Ying more than being out of place. She immediately got up and went to the bathroom.

Over an hour later, she was finally ready. Adjusting her belt, she asked, “What time is it?”

Shu Ran checked her phone. “Five forty.”

They had agreed on six. Surely Qin Zheng wasn’t there yet.

Tao Ying wandered to the window and glanced down, only to see a familiar SUV.

He was already here?

She paused, then turned to Shu Ran. “I’m leaving. Are you sleeping here tonight?”

“I’ll head out later. I have things to deal with at the studio tomorrow morning.” Shu Ran pointed toward the window. “Is Boss Qin here?”

“Mm.” Tao Ying nodded. “Lock up when you leave. You have a key.”

“Got it.” Shu Ran waved.

Tao Ying took the bag hanging by the door and went downstairs.

The spring breeze carried a damp chill. Pulling her trench coat tighter, she walked to Qin Zheng’s SUV and tapped on the window.

He leaned over at once and opened the passenger door.

A cool, delicate fragrance drifted in. Qin Zheng settled back and looked at Tao Ying without a word.

Her makeup was sheer and luminous tonight. A simple white dress fell in soft lines beneath a long khaki trench coat. The gentle colors softened some of her distant coolness.

The door shut with a heavy thud. Tao Ying swept back her long hair, sensed Qin Zheng’s stare, and turned.

What was he looking at?

Qin Zheng smiled and offered the compliment openly. “You look beautiful tonight, Ms. Tao.”

“Thank you.”

Tao Ying looked him over too and belatedly realized that he was also wearing a long trench coat—in the same color palette as hers.