Chapter 50: In the Night

During that period, Xie Bo almost spent the entire day at the driving school’s practice grounds, watching Lin Yiwei practice driving.

She had enrolled for the upcoming exam, which had to be passed in one go; there was no time left for Lin Yiwei to retake it, as her ticket to go abroad had already been booked, and she was about to depart soon. With tight schedules and heavy tasks, Lin Yiwei had to go to the driving school every day to repeatedly practice parallel parking and the road test for the third subject.

At first, she was used to the 360-degree reverse parking camera in Xie Bo’s car. Later, using the driving school’s car, she completely forgot to check the rearview mirror while reversing. The reverse parking exam didn’t come with a 360-degree camera.

Xie Bo had no choice but to turn it off and accompany her in starting from scratch. Despite his extensive experience in racing and deep knowledge of car performance and construction, down to every screw inside the vehicle, and having won numerous racing awards, teaching someone to drive was truly a new challenge for him.

Lin Yiwei naturally harbored a fear of driving, being timid and hesitant to accelerate. Whenever she pressed the gas pedal too hard, she would get nervous and start to panic, even sweating profusely in the cold winter weather.

Xie Bo displayed some rare patience towards her, though not much. His temper was particularly bad, his mouth sharp, prone to sarcasm and scolding, which left her feeling wronged on several occasions. In other situations, Lin Yiwei would always talk back when scolded, never admitting defeat verbally.

However, she acknowledged that driving was her own issue and couldn’t argue back, obediently listening when scolded.

Once, while reversing, she failed to check the rearview mirror and accidentally hit the gas pedal, slamming the car into a wall. Xie Bo got out of the car with hands on hips, staring at the large dent on the side of the black Rolls-Royce Phantom, his brow furrowed in frustration. Lin Yiwei hurriedly got out of the car, stunned by the massive dent resembling a “giant pit.”

She didn’t recognize the brand of the car initially, but out of curiosity, she looked it up later. Rolls-Royce—exorbitantly expensive, a price she couldn’t afford even if she sold everything she had.

Lin Yiwei blushed before Xie Bo could speak, causing him to swallow the words “Are you a pig?” that were on the tip of his tongue.

She started crying.

Her tears unsettled Xie Bo, who rudely handed her tissues from the car and wiped her face and the corners of her wet eyes.

“Crying for what?”

“The car got wrecked, I’m sorry, Master Bo…”

“I gave you this car to practice with, expecting it might get damaged.”

Although Xie Bo loved his car and cared for it, he cared more for the person beside him.

“Enough, it’s not worth shedding tears over such a thing.”

Lin Yiwei sadly said, “I’ve practiced for so long and still can’t improve. Even though I come earliest and leave latest every day, I’m still not as good as others. I’m sure I’ll fail the exam and won’t have time for a retest. I’ve wasted this time, wasted the money on driving school. I feel so stupid!”

She took off her slung bag and threw it on the ground, crying louder, feeling utterly defeated.

Honestly, Xie Bo preferred her being stubborn with him, even if she made mistakes and blamed others, rather than seeing her give up. He would rather deal with her being unreasonable than watch her surrender or lose hope.

Sometimes, Xie Bo really saw her as his younger self.

Their personalities were almost identical—selfish, bad-tempered, stubborn, and proud.

The more Xie Bo loved himself, the more he doted on her.”Come.”

He helped her stand up, holding her tear-streaked face seriously.

“If you can’t get it right, keep practicing until you do. I’ll be with you.”

But in the end, Xie Bo still drove the badly damaged car to the food street.

In relationships, he never compromises himself for others and always prioritizes his own feelings. However, he gradually put Lin Yiwei’s feelings above his own in this relationship.

This is not a good sign. Xie Bo couldn’t control his heart anymore; it was beyond his control.

Lin Yiwei happily got out of the car and headed towards the barbecue stall, but Xie Bo held her back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Lin Yiwei, you better not betray me.”

….

In the bustling food street, Xie Bo held the girl’s hand, looking at her with a threatening gaze. His love was stingy; the moment he started to give his heart, he would inevitably think of the day he was let down. If that day came, most likely… he would destroy her himself.

Lin Yiwei’s favorite barbecue shop, with its outdoor barbecue area full of customers, sizzling oil sounds, and fragrant smells, was a familiar sight.

She picked up the well-seasoned spicy beef, placed it on the wire rack to grill, eagerly waiting for the tender beef to cook, and first served it onto Xie Bo’s plate. He sat there with a stern face, not touching his chopsticks or speaking.

Lin Yiwei had to eat the meat alone, feeling that it wasn’t enjoyable with the cold-faced Xie Bo beside her. She cared a lot about the dining atmosphere; if someone dampened the mood, she wouldn’t have an appetite, no matter how hungry she was. She couldn’t understand why this guy, who was fine at the driving school before, suddenly became unhappy.

Xie Bo’s temper had always been like this, and Lin Yiwei was puzzled, not knowing where she had offended him again.

It was probably because he didn’t like street barbecue?

“I said we should go for a proper meal, but you brought me here,” Lin Yiwei put down the barbecue tongs, muttered, “You’re not happy again.”

“I’m not unhappy.”

“You are unhappy! If you’re unhappy, then I won’t eat!”

Lin Yiwei put down the skewer in her hand, looking at him sulkily. She had a temper too.

Xie Bo was indeed uncomfortable, not because of the food, but because this kind of accommodation made him feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Their relationship wasn’t a normal love affair where they mutually admired each other; it was mixed with business interests, and whoever took it seriously would end up in hell.

Xie Bo had taken it seriously first, so the one who would lose everything in the end would also be him. Xie Bo couldn’t understand Lin Yiwei’s heart, so he was awkward.

“I won’t eat!” Lin Yiwei deliberately said loudly.

Xie Bo calmly said, “If you’re not eating, let’s go back.” With that, he stood up to leave, but Lin Yiwei quickly grabbed him, frowning and complaining,

“You, why are you like this? You brought me here, I even said we could go for a proper meal, you’re obviously the one in charge, what’s your intention, do you feel tired of being with me? If that’s the case, I’ll leave early, so as not to annoy you.”

The two of them were like any other quarreling couple on the street, with Lin Yiwei grabbing his clothes, looking at him sulkily, appearing even angrier than him.

Xie Bo sat back down, giving himself a way out, “Don’t you know how to coax me a bit?”

“I don’t even know why you’re angry, how can I coax you?” Her tone softened a bit as she held his hand, “Tell me, why are you unhappy.”

“Are you a pig?” Xie Bo gave her a disdainful look.

“Okay, okay, I’m a pig,” Lin Yiwei pouted.

Lin Yiwei used her hands to pinch his nose and growled at him, nudging his chest with his head.

Xie Bo finally smiled, though he tried to suppress the corners of his lips. The joy in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

He pulled her into his arms and vigorously rubbed her head: “You’re so silly, Yiyi.”

Seeing him finally smile, Lin Yiwei quickly fed him a piece of roasted pine board meat: “Brother, have some.”

“I don’t want this.”

“Come on, it’s delicious.”

Xie Bo took a bite. Lin Yiwei thought he was more reserved than a girl, just nibbling like he was feeding a little rabbit.

She finished the remaining half, saying it was so delicious that it was a shame he didn’t like it.

Watching the lively and radiant expression of the young girl, Xie Bo truly felt the taste of happiness.

It was something he had never experienced before. Even after being adopted back by the Xie family and having a comfortable life, he had never felt such joy, as if every cell in his body had come alive.

As long as she was by his side, every moment was worth it.

The exhilaration of love is an instantaneous impact and explosion, this joy is enduring like the landscapes.

So it has nothing to do with passion, only with love.

During the meal, Xie Bo didn’t eat much; he was busy helping Lin Yiwei roast the meat. Seeing her enjoy it so much, he teased her for only eating meat without gaining weight, wasting food.

Although Lin Yiwei scolded him for being a killjoy, on the way home, she still held his hand and took a walk with him to aid digestion, always staying close to him..

Xie Bo couldn’t stand the greasy barbecue smell on his body, so he took a long shower when they got home, nearly fifty minutes, with steam billowing out when he came out, asking Lin Yiwei to help him blow-dry his hair.

The living room was empty, and the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

Xie Bo called out several times, then checked the bedroom and the game room, but couldn’t find her.

He frowned and called Lin Yiwei, fortunately, she answered quickly, “Brother.”

“Where did you go?”

“I went out to buy something, I’ll be back soon.”

Xie Bo’s face darkened slightly, “Why did you go out so late? Didn’t I warn you not to go out at night? If you have to go out, I’ll accompany you.”

“You were taking a shower.”

“Just this moment, you couldn’t wait?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I’m almost at the entrance of the apartment building.”

Xie Bo hung up the phone, casually put on a thin white cashmere sweater, and went downstairs to meet her.

There was a bit of winter mist outside, lingering, with a cold night wind blowing.

After leaving the residential area, across the street, a young girl was carrying a thermos box, waving at him and wearing a sweet smile on her face.

Xie Bo lazily waved back, waiting for her on the other side of the street. After a long red light, the green light came on, Lin Yiwei carried her bag and walked onto the pedestrian crossing, but a black sedan broke through the light mist.

Xie Bo’s eyes were quick, seeing the car approaching the pedestrian crossing without any signs of slowing down, he suddenly turned to Lin Yiwei— “Go back! Lin Yiwei, quickly go back!”

Lin Yiwei on the pedestrian crossing’s mind blanked for a few seconds, by the time she regained her senses, the black sedan was dangerously close. She screamed, ran and dodged, the car brushed past her, she fell on the pedestrian crossing, the thermal delivery box also fell to the ground, rolling a few times.

The black sedan without any license plates ran a red light and raced away, disappearing in the vast dark night in an instant.

Xie Bo rushed over, helping her up, “Are you okay, did it hit you?”

Lin Yiwei, still in shock, looked down, apart from a few scrapes on her knees and waist from the fall, she was fine. “That was close.”

She covered her chest, her scalp tingling with fear. Xie Bo was even more frightened than her, he hugged her tightly in his arms.

At the moment when he saw the car heading towards her, the fear of losing her filled his body, his soul almost leaving his body.

In his strong embrace, Lin Yiwei calmed down slightly, quickly reaching for the takeout bag, although it was damaged, it was not dirty, still edible.

“Thank goodness the packaging box is sturdy.”

Xie Bo was almost driven crazy by her, just moments ago it was so dangerous, yet she was still thinking about food.

He pinched her face hard, causing the girl to scream in pain, pushing his hand away, “What are you doing, it hurts!”

“I can’t feed you to death! Can’t you stop talking about eating, even if I have mountains of gold and silver, they’ll be eaten up by you.” His tone was clearly angry.

“Xie Bo, you have no conscience!”

Lin Yiwei supported Xie Bo’s shoulder, trying to stand up, Xie Bo simply lifted her horizontally, walking back quickly, “Tell me when you go out in the future.”

The girl hugged his neck, murmuring softly, “Was that driver blind? Or was he drunk? Let’s report him to the traffic police station tomorrow!”

Xie Bo pursed his lips, his face dark, thinking about the scene just now. That expensive black sedan… and without a license plate, it didn’t seem like Chi Xicheng’s style. The person he had to deal with was himself, he wouldn’t harm Lin Yiwei. Obviously, the thrilling moment just now was just a warning.

Who would give him such a warning?

Xie Bo had a chilling suspicion in his heart, but he didn’t voice it out loud. Perhaps, he should have sent her away sooner.

Xie Bo carried Lin Yiwei back to the sofa and went to find the first aid kit, taking out alcohol and iodine to treat the scrape on her knee.

Lin Yiwei staggered and took out the takeout box, which contained foie gras sushi, caviar hand rolls, and wagyu beef sandwiches..

“Fortunately, I can still eat,” she pushed these items toward Xie Bo, who glanced at them casually.

“What’s this for?”

“Here, I bought them for you. You barely had dinner. I figured you wouldn’t be used to barbecue, so I got you some Japanese cuisine,” she explained cheekily. “These dishes are quite expensive, you know, totaling 1800 yuan. Can you reimburse me, Lord Bo?”

Xie Bo felt a mixture of emotions—there was a hint of sweetness, but mostly he felt pity, tinged with post-traumatic fear and the bitterness of parting.

Sensing his displeasure, Lin Yiwei thought he was about to scold her again and quickly added, “Okay, okay, I’m a fool, alright? Just eat before it gets cold and wasted. And you better reimburse me for this, I’m not treating you.”

The next moment, Xie Bo hugged her and kissed her neck.

“I didn’t ask you to buy these, silly.”

As he scolded her, he continued to kiss her like that.

Lin Yiwei felt her heart melting under his kisses.

Unable to stay angry, she sighed and wrapped her arms around the trembling man’s shoulders.

“Alright, let me treat you to this meal.”