We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 8

In Tao Ying’s mind, Qin Zheng almost always wore workwear. At the shop, he was usually in coveralls.

Seeing him suddenly polished took some getting used to.

Still, he was tall and powerfully built, with a lean waist and long legs. Anything looked good on him.

Her phone vibrated. Tao Ying looked down and found a photo on WeChat, taken from above at the exact moment she opened the car door.

Obviously, Shu Ran had hidden upstairs to take it.

Tao Ying sent back a question mark.

Shu Ran: *I can’t believe he didn’t get out. I didn’t get a picture of him. Take one for me?*

Tao Ying: *…Do you think that’s polite?*

Shu Ran sent a sticker of someone lying in despair. *Then is he handsome or not?*

Tao Ying knew Shu Ran would lose sleep if she didn’t answer. Helpless, she typed: *Handsome.*

It was an objective fact. Even if Tao Ying still intended to keep her distance, she couldn’t deny the evidence of her own eyes.

Shu Ran: *Tall?*

Tao Ying: *Tall.*

He looked close to six foot three.

Shu Ran: *Skinny?*

Tao Ying: *…No.*

She remembered him sliding out from under that car, broad-shouldered and solid. If Shu Ran had been there, she probably would have screamed.

Tao Ying would, of course, have clamped a hand firmly over her mouth.

Shu Ran: *A top-tier specimen. If he’s really like that, why is he repairing cars? He should livestream. The voice, the body—he’d have thousands of women losing their minds.*

Tao Ying fell silent.

She suddenly remembered the male thirst-trap streamers Shu Ran liked to watch. Some stayed fully dressed and masked while rolling their hips suggestively beneath the lights. Others went shirtless and performed all kinds of movements designed to inspire fantasies.

For no reason, her mind supplied an image of Qin Zheng bare-chested, rolling his hips.

A shudder went through her, and heat flooded her face.

Guilty, she coughed twice and didn’t dare glance in Qin Zheng’s direction.

He produced a bottle of water from somewhere and held it out. “Is your throat bothering you, Ms. Tao?”

“Thank you.” Flustered, Tao Ying reached for it and brushed his hard knuckles.

The imagined scene sprang back into her mind. Her fingers opened involuntarily, and the bottle dropped onto the center console with a loud clatter.

“Sorry. I didn’t get a good grip.” She apologized at once.

They had stopped at a red light. Qin Zheng picked up the bottle, twisted off the cap, and offered it again. “Hold on to it this time.”

Tao Ying accepted it awkwardly. “Thank you.”

Shu Ran sent several more messages in quick succession. Tao Ying hurriedly ended the subject. If they kept talking, she was afraid it would invade her dreams tonight.

Shu Ran: *Should I head home, then?*

Tao Ying: *My car keys are hanging on the cabinet by the door. Take my car.*

Shu Ran had a suitcase, which would make a cab inconvenient.

She didn’t stand on ceremony. *Okay. I’ll bring it to your university on Monday.*

Tao Ying smiled and finally relaxed.

Qin Zheng glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Do you have something else tonight?”

“No.” Tao Ying looked bewildered.

“You’ve been staring at your phone. I thought something had come up.” He switched on the indicator and turned left.

“Nothing important. Just a friend.” Tao Ying put her phone into her bag and zipped it shut.

“A blind date?” Qin Zheng raised a brow.

“…No.”

Did he think she was desperate to get married now?

“Ms. Tao—”

“How much longer?” Afraid he would continue circling the subject, Tao Ying changed it at once.

“Ten minutes or so.” Qin Zheng laughed. “We’ll park at my friend’s company first. I’ve already spoken to him.”

“All right.”

Tao Ying looked out the window. The streetlights grew more numerous and brighter.

The car remained quiet for the next ten minutes. Qin Zheng slowed again and turned.

They had reached the company where they would park. Because he’d arranged it in advance, they entered without registering and found a space without trouble.

After getting out, Qin Zheng pointed ahead. “It’s just across this road, Ms. Tao.”

Tao Ying nodded. They passed through a cluster of European-style buildings, and the view suddenly opened before them, ablaze with lights. It would be even more pleasant once the weather warmed.

Tao Ying had reserved a table. After giving the number, a server led them to the second-floor terrace.

The restaurant stood beside the river. Warm yellow table lamps shimmered against neon reflected on the water, casting every diner in a flattering glow.

Tao Ying pushed the menu toward Qin Zheng. “What would you like?”

He didn’t touch it. “You choose, Ms. Tao. I’ve never been here.”

Tao Ying wasn’t good at ordering either, so she asked the server for a recommendation.

The server smiled. “We have a set menu for couples that’s perfect for the two of you.”

Awkwardly, Tao Ying said, “We’re not a couple. But the two-person set is fine.”

“Of course.” The server apologized.

Qin Zheng hadn’t said a word throughout the exchange. He leaned comfortably against his chair, watching with barely concealed amusement as Tao Ying explained that they were not a couple.

By the time she looked at him, he had smoothed away his smile.

“The view is lovely,” Tao Ying said with a faint smile.

“It is. Xiao Fang recommended the place.”

Tao Ying had no response.

It was a lovely restaurant—just not one suited to the sort of relationship she and Qin Zheng had.

Nearly every nearby table was occupied by couples. Soft music mingled with quiet laughter, making their table feel particularly silent and out of place.

Fortunately, the food arrived quickly, giving Tao Ying something to hide behind.

It tasted decent, though nothing was exceptional.

When no one was watching, Qin Zheng frowned in distaste. What a waste of ingredients.

Noticing how little he ate, Tao Ying asked, “Not to your taste?”

“I just don’t think it’s prepared well.”

“You know about this?” She was curious. Why would an auto shop owner understand fusion cuisine?

Qin Zheng pointed to the butter prawns with black truffle in front of him. “The prawns are overcooked. The butter and truffle aromas never sink in, and the seasoning is too rich.”

His assessment was exact. Tao Ying followed up, “Then how should it be made?”

The answer reached Qin Zheng’s lips, but he paused. “If I get the chance, I’ll make it for you.”

Rather than tell her, it was better to leave her thinking about it. A little curiosity could only help.

Tao Ying had no answer for that. There probably wouldn’t be such an opportunity in this lifetime. After tonight, the two of them should have no reason to interact again.

Once they had eaten enough, Tao Ying suggested leaving.

So she really couldn’t wait to leave, Qin Zheng thought.

“Sure. I’ll take you home.” He stood. “This wind is enough to give anyone a headache.”

Tao Ying nodded in agreement. “It’s not even April yet. It is cold.”

Qin Zheng laughed. “I’m tough. It doesn’t bother me. I was worried you’d be cold.”

He lowered his voice over the final sentence, letting the last note fall. Swept along by the night wind, it seemed to brush intimately past her ear.

Tao Ying tucked a strand of hair away from her cheek and moved ahead, putting distance between them.

The moment they stepped outside, a gust off the river caught the hem of her coat. Qin Zheng moved half a step forward to shield her.

Tao Ying didn’t miss the thoughtful gesture at the edge of her vision. He was surprisingly considerate.

The car was parked nearby. Only once she was inside did Tao Ying seem to come back to life.

Qin Zheng drove away smoothly. As they merged onto the main road, her phone rang.

The screen read *Third Aunt*. Tao Ying answered.

Before she could speak, Li Meili’s high-pitched voice filled the enclosed car.

“Taotao, your third aunt has a young man for you! He’s a PE teacher, healthy as an ox, and eats like a champ. His parents are teachers too—a proper scholarly family. Interested in meeting him?”

Qin Zheng glanced at Tao Ying, apparently waiting for her answer as well.