Chapter 1: No Repair

In August in Lincheng, the air was thick with dryness. The alley in the southeast corner was so quiet that only the chirping of cicadas could be heard.

As the sun was about to set, the roar of a motorcycle shattered the stillness. It rumbled past, finally stopping in front of the repair shop at the end of the alley with a sharp brake screech.

The girl on the scooter shook her numb hands and removed her helmet, revealing a sweaty face. She wore makeup, but a hint of childishness lingered in her delicate features. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, added a touch of boldness.

Jiang Yao casually brushed back some of the loose hair that hung from her forehead, hung her helmet on the handlebars, and climbed off the bike.

Before them stood a two-story house: the first floor was used for repairs, the second for living. It was a two-door house, with only one door open. The house wasn’t old, but there wasn’t even a sign. Jiang Yao checked Chen Qing’s address on her phone again before pulling out her car keys and entering the shop.

Compared to the bright light outside, which remained even at six in the afternoon, the darkened shop seemed a bit dim. Jiang Yao narrowed her eyes and scanned the first floor. There was no one there. Near the back, a racing car with its tires removed was parked.

She withdrew her gaze, twirled the car keys twice in her fingers, and leaned against the wall, calling to the second floor, “Is anyone here? Repairing the car.”

After a while, no one came down, and Jiang Yao frowned impatiently. The hallway was dark, and she couldn’t find the switch after a long search. She simply climbed up the stairs, holding onto the wall.

Up there, she turned left and found a room. Jiang Yao was about to knock on the door, but just as she raised her hand, it opened from the inside.

“What’s going on?”

The man who opened the door scratched his hair. He seemed to have just woken up, and his voice sounded a little impatient. It was midsummer, and he was only wearing a pair of shorts during his lunch break.

Jiang Yao instinctively took a step back. Cheng Lie, regaining consciousness, was startled to see a girl across from him, then quickly closed the door.

After a while, a voice rang through the door: “Go downstairs and wait. I’ll be right down.”

Jiang Yao slipped her hand into the pocket of her sun-protective jacket and leisurely made her way downstairs.

There was a large fan downstairs. Feeling too hot, Jiang Yao spent a long time figuring out how to turn it on. Before she could figure out where to turn it on, a hand reached over her head, found the button underneath, and turned it.

A strong breeze blew, causing Jiang Yao’s sweat-soaked hair to lift up from her forehead. She held her bangs back a few steps, then looked at the man before her.

He had dressed briefly, wearing a white vest, the same large black shorts he’d worn before, and a pair of flip-flops.

It was the first time Jiang Yao had seen someone pull off such casual attire. He was about 5 feet 4 inches tall, with well-defined features, and his exposed arms revealed a beautiful muscular line.

After turning on the fan, Cheng Lie casually picked up the nearby mineral water bottle, unscrewed it, and took a sip. He said in a neutral tone, “Repairing the car?”

Jiang Yao then remembered her business and raised her chin to gesture toward the car parked at the door. “Modifying it.”

Cheng Lie looked in the direction she pointed, then looked back to compare her height. The girl looked only slightly taller than the motorcycle, and getting on would probably be difficult.

Noticing his gaze, Jiang Yao’s eyes widened, and she said a bit harshly, “What are you looking at?”

Her heavy makeup made it difficult to tell her age, so Cheng Lie didn’t dwell on it and reached out to her.

“Give me the car keys.”

Jiang Yao pouted, pulling out the keys and tossing them to him.

“What do you want to modify?”

“The engine and the exhaust.” It was too hot outside, and Jiang Yao didn’t want to go out. She slumped back in the recliner, tugging at her sweat-soaked collar. “And some paint.”

Cheng Lie got in the car and tried to start it. The roar of the motorcycle filled the air. After the test drive, he turned the key and tilted his head to look at Jiang Yao, who was slumped in the chair like a boneless person. “The engine can’t be modified.”

Jiang Yao stopped fanning herself and frowned unhappily. “Why?”

Cheng Lie pulled the key out of the car. “It’s illegal.”

“Oh,” Jiang Yao muttered softly, lying down for a moment, crossing her legs and swaying nonchalantly. “Then I’ll modify the exhaust and paint it.”

Cheng Lie placed the car keys on the table and gave a sum. “Deposit, come pick up the car in three days.”

Jiang Yao slumped, unwilling to get up, her arms resting on the armrests of the chair. “Can’t we finish the modification today?”

Cheng Lie pointed to the clock on the wall to her right. It was half past six.

Even capitalists are not as good at exploitation as she is.

Jiang Yao uttered another “oh,” pulled out her phone, transferred money, and called a car: “I’ll leave as soon as the car arrives.”

“Whatever you want.”

Cheng Lie ordered takeout on his phone. Jiang Yao occupied the reclining chair, so he pulled up a chair and sat in front of the fan, playing a game.

His takeout arrived a little before Jiang Yao’s car, and when he arrived with it, Jiang Yao was still slumped in the reclining chair.

Cheng Lie sat down by the fan with the takeout and unwrapped it. He was sitting upwind, and the moment the takeout box was opened, the aroma immediately blew into Jiang Yao’s nose.

Jiang Yao’s nose twitched, and her gaze involuntarily shifted from her phone to Cheng Lie. She swallowed hard, and just then, her phone rang.

Cheng Lie glanced over at the sound, only to see Jiang Yao quickly look away, as if she were guilty.

She glanced at her phone and saw the taxi had arrived. She stood up, answered it, and walked out without even saying hello.

Cheng Lie put one foot on the bar under the table and stuffed a piece of roast duck into his mouth, mumbling something: “Impolite child.”

—

Three days later, Jiang Yao arrived on time, paid in full, picked up the car, and went to Xuannan Road for the evening appointment.

As the sky brightened, in the hospital, Chen Qing looked at Jiang Yao, whose face lay pale on the bed, and poured himself a glass of water.

“Jiang Yao, your driving skills are quite impressive. There was such a big pothole ahead, and you just rushed straight into it.” Chen Qing shook his head and applauded, finally giving her a thumbs-up: “That’s amazing.”

As he spoke, he sat down next to the bed. Before he could settle, Jiang Yao kicked him with his uninjured left leg. Jiang Yao shifted her casted leg uncomfortably and muttered, “Go sit over there. You’re taking up my space.”

“Okay.”

Chen Qing pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. He was fumbling with his phone when he heard Jiang Yao ask, “How’s my car?”

“Why are you still concerned about your car at this hour?” Chen Qing glanced up at her. After receiving a glare, he raised his hands in surrender. “It’s a total wreck. It’s in a terrible state. Tsk tsk.”

Thousands of dollars down the drain, Jiang Yao suddenly felt her leg aches less.

But her heart ached even more.

It was getting late, almost time for breakfast. Chen Qing stood up, stretched, and asked, “What are you eating? I’ll buy you some.”

Jiang Yao lay sick in bed. Suddenly, she remembered the takeout Cheng Lie had ordered. She said weakly, “I want roast duck rice.”

“Okay, vegetable porridge and steamed dumplings, right?”

Jiang Yao’s eyes widened, and she grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at Chen Qing as he walked out. “Chen Qing!!!”

After spending the better part of a month in the hospital, Jiang Yao was discharged just before school started in September. The cast on her leg hadn’t yet been removed, so Chen Qing got her a pair of crutches.

The day before school started, Jiang Yao hired two men to take her car to Cheng Lie’s shop for repairs. Unskilled with the crutches, she hopped as she got out of the car. Once inside, she used her crutches to direct them to unload the car.

It was dusk, and the sunset glowed crimson across the landscape. Jiang Yao leaned against the wall and pointed with her cane: “Put the car over there.”

Then she looked at Cheng Lie, who was sitting at the table: “Fix the car.”

Cheng Lie only then saw her face clearly. She hadn’t worn any makeup today, and her face was still pale.

Cheng Lie stared at her for a long moment before connecting her with the “rude kid” who had come to modify the car a month ago.

When he didn’t respond, Jiang Yao frowned: “Why are you looking at me? Fix the car.”

Cheng Lie then turned his attention to the car being carried in. Its condition was horrific. The paint on one side was scraped beyond recognition, the front was dented, and the tire was blown.

He glanced at Jiang Yao’s legs again and couldn’t help but ask, “After you fix the car, are you going to go out again?”

Jiang Yao was stunned and nodded. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Cheng Lie said succinctly, looking away. “I’m not fixing it.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Why? Can’t you just pay me?”

Cheng Lie ignored her, put on gloves, and went to check another car parked in the shop with his tools.

“Mechanic!”

No one paid her any attention.

Jiang Yao glared at Cheng Lie’s back and gritted her teeth, “Fine, if you don’t want to fix it, then I’ll leave my car here with you.”

She leaned on the armrest of the recliner to stand, but before she could even stand, she fell back, knocking over her crutches.

“Ouch.”

Jiang Yao’s face winced in pain. The two men she had hired were about to help her when Cheng Lie turned back.

He kindly asked, “Do you need help?”

Jiang Yao choked and glared at him fiercely, “No need!”

The two strong men who were about to help her took a few steps back at this.

Jiang Yao’s heart sank, and she bent over to pick up her crutches. The armrests of the recliner were a bit high, and even with her outstretched arms, she couldn’t reach them.

This was truly hilarious. Cheng Lie pinched his fingertips to remove his gloves, strode over, picked up the crutches, and handed them to her.

Jiang Yao glared at him with round eyes, put the crutches back on the ground, and picked them up herself, saying angrily, “I don’t need your help.”

She limped out of the store, and Cheng Lie belatedly realized her audacious move. He felt like laughing for no reason and sneered, “You little idiot.”

He put his gloves back on, paused as he passed Jiang Yao’s wrecked motorcycle, and then walked straight to another car.

While repairing his car, his cell phone suddenly rang. Cheng Lie finished tightening a screw before freeing a hand to answer it: “Xu Chaoyang?”

“Brother Lie, I’m back in Lincheng. See you tonight at our usual place for a late-night snack.”

Xu Chaoyang and he lived in the same alley, their houses next to each other. They’d been in the same class since childhood. After graduating from college, Xu Chaoyang worked out of town, only coming back once every six months. The old place he was referring to was the alley entrance they’d passed when they were in school. Two blocks north was the night market.

That evening, after taking a shower, Cheng Lie leisurely strolled over to the alley. Someone was already standing at the alley entrance. Xu Chaoyang, wearing a flowered shirt, was facing the wall, lighting a cigarette.

Seeing Cheng Lie approach, he pulled another pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and handed one to Cheng Lie, jokingly saying, “It’s been a while, Brother Lie. Did you miss me?”

Cheng Lie took the cigarette and, pressing against his shoulder to keep him from getting too close, said, “Don’t touch me.”

The two of them walked toward the night market. Xu Chaoyang blew out a smoke ring. “I’ll be back to work later.”

Cheng Lie, cigarette in hand, glanced sideways at him. “You’re not leaving?”

“No, I’m coming back to inherit the family business.”

“Are you talking about your family’s fruit stand?”

Xu Chaoyang shook his index finger. “It’s been turned into a karaoke bar now.”

As they walked, he rambled about his recent adventures outside, and Cheng Lie listened quietly to his boasting.

Xu Chaoyang noticed his mood and asked, “Brother Lie, you’re not in a good mood today? That’s unreasonable. Shouldn’t you be excited to see me? What’s wrong?”

Cheng Lie put down his cigarette and flicked the ash with his slender fingers. “Nothing, just ran into some idiot.”

“Idiot?” Xu Chaoyang laughed. “What kind of idiot could possibly make you angry? Someone you matched with in a game?”

There was movement not far away. Cheng Lie paused, squinting at the group of people in the alley. Recognizing Jiang Yao, he put out his cigarette and raised his chin towards them. “Look, the one with the cane.”