Chapter 117: Our Place Is Quite Small

Xie Yunshu was even more puzzled now. She pursed her lips and said, “Our place is quite small…”

Too small to accommodate such high-ranking big shots like them.

Shen Subai looked up at her and said, “I helped you out. Can’t I at least stay for a meal?”

Xie Yunshu quickly shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I was thinking of treating you to a meal outside. Captain Shen, you’re a good person—I definitely need to thank you.”

“No need to draw that conclusion so quickly,” Shen Subai said with a small chuckle, a bit of lightness softening his usually stern face. “I can only say I’m not a bad person.”

He really did look proper in his uniform—strong brows, deep eyes, and a high nose bridge. But those eyes always held a certain sharpness, and since he rarely smiled, he had a natural air of intimidation.

At least, that was how Xie Yunshu felt…

Still, after he’d said all that, it would seem quite rude to throw him out. So she rubbed her nose and relented. “Then I’ll stir-fry another dish with chili and pork. Or… is there something you like, Captain Shen?”

A simple home-cooked meal might be a gesture of thanks, but Shen Subai had even brought gifts. Although two dishes were enough for three people, it did feel a little stingy.

Shen Subai immediately saw through her thoughts and smiled inwardly. “No need to go to all that trouble. Anything is fine, I’m not picky. Once you’ve bought the right motorized tricycle, then you can treat me to a proper restaurant meal.”

One meal clearly wasn’t going to repay him.

Li Finlan had already started preparing things. Xie Yunshu cleared her throat, feeling that Shen Subai looked awkward sitting on the small stool in her house. Trying to make conversation, she turned on the TV. “Captain Shen, why don’t you watch some TV?”

He gave a soft “hmm” and then, quite naturally, removed the airflow cover from the stove. “I’ll start steaming the rice.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, but it stunned Xie Yunshu. She knew he was a good guy, but this down-to-earth? Who invites a guest over and lets them cook?

She hurried to crouch and tend to the stove herself. “No, no, I’ll do it. You just sit and watch TV.”

A strand of her long hair slipped past her ear and brushed across Shen Subai’s temple. The two were standing quite close, and he caught a faint scent of soap—the same scent from when Li Finlan had just done the laundry.

Shen Subai remained seated and didn’t move as the hair brushed against him, stirring a wordless tickle. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he looked down. “Comrade Xie Yunshu, I haven’t had breakfast. I’m a little hungry. If we cook together, won’t it be faster?”

He hadn’t eaten before coming to discuss the tricycle? Remembering he said it took him half a day to find her place and then waited again for half a day, Xie Yunshu felt a surge of guilt and mentally slapped another “good guy” label on him.

She quickly fixed the stove. “Then you steam the rice. I’ll go cut the meat right away.”

She had expected the meal to be awkward—after all, Captain Shen looked so serious and not the talkative type—but to her surprise, he was polite, and even tried to make conversation with Li Finlan. Not overly chatty, but the atmosphere was far from cold.

After the meal, Shen Subai helped clean up before rolling down his sleeves and putting his down jacket back on. “It should be about time. Shall we go now?”

Li Finlan laughed and shooed them out. “Go take care of your business. Nothing at home needs attention.”

Outside the apartment building, Xie Yunshu was about to push her bicycle when Shen Subai stopped her. “If you buy one today, where will you put your bicycle?”

Xie Yunshu frowned slightly. “I’ll put it in the back of the cargo box. Isn’t that okay?”

“Motorized tricycles aren’t the same as pedal trikes. The cargo bed is high. That bike of yours is heavy—are you sure you can lift it up there by yourself?” Shen Subai looked at her large, steel-framed bicycle, then met her gaze. His tone was firm: “You probably don’t have that much strength. A bicycle’s heavier than your food container box.”

Xie Yunshu was used to physical labor and had decent strength—her slender arms even had a little muscle—but a steel-frame bike wasn’t just heavy, it was also big. She definitely couldn’t lift it up alone.

But Shen Subai was tall with thick arms. He probably had the strength, right?

Shen Subai added coolly, “I don’t have that much strength either.”

Now Xie Yunshu was stuck. “Then what do we do? Should I take the bus?”

Shen Subai pointed to his own bike. “There’s no direct bus there. If you don’t mind, I can take you. Of course, since you’re a girl, if you’re uncomfortable with that, we can figure out something else.”

He said it extremely formally, with no inappropriate expression.

If Xie Yunshu showed even a hint of reluctance, she’d seem overly sensitive. So she replied firmly, “I don’t mind. Back when I was at the packaging factory, I used to ride on coworkers’ bikes too. We’re comrades doing serious business—nothing but pure revolutionary friendship!”

Shen Subai’s lips curved slightly. “Then please, Comrade Xie, hop on.”

The trip from the apartment to the machinery factory took about half an hour. Xie Yunshu sat in the back, hands tightly gripping the seat, too embarrassed to touch even the hem of Shen Subai’s jacket. The wind puffed up his down coat, and his broad back looked like a small mountain. She sat quietly, her feelings complicated.

Besides her late father and Xie Mingcheng, she’d never ridden on a man’s bike before. Not even Lu Zhiwei’s.

Lu Zhiwei worked at the hospital and was always busy. They rarely went out together. Except for going to his home on weekends, they hadn’t even visited the department store.

Even going to his house, they each rode their own bikes.

But she had seen Lu Zhiwei take Zhou Xinyue out more than once—always with a high-sounding reason.

Zhou Xinyue had suffered through hardship since she was a teenager, so Lu “pitied” her and said she didn’t know how to ride. He was just helping her.

Just helping— and everyone praised the Lu family for their morals and gratitude. If she complained, she’d be labeled narrow-minded and unreasonable.

Too bad that “help” extended all the way to the bed. The Lu family really got what they wanted, huh?

Thinking about that, Xie Yunshu had to admit—she wasn’t that magnanimous. When Zhou Xinyue and the Lu family had their downfall, she was so happy she set off extra firecrackers for New Year’s.

Then Shen Subai’s voice drifted from ahead, low and calm, carried by the winter wind:

“When we get to the machinery factory, you don’t need to worry about the price. I’ll handle it.”

His tone was confident. “Rough estimate, it should be around 1,700 yuan. If it goes well, maybe I can push it down to 1,500. Or, what’s your ideal price?”

1,700 was already a great deal. Xie Yunshu wasn’t the kind of person to ask for too much. “Captain Shen, anything is fine. I trust you.”