As Xu Ze reached the intersection, he noticed a car stop in front of him. Within seconds, the alpha in the driver’s seat got out of the vehicle.
It was nearly 11 am, and the sun was so high that it was hard to keep eyes open. Xu Ze stood still, observing as Lu Heyang walked to the front of the car and bent down to inspect the right front tire.
Lu Heyang examined it for a few seconds and then stood up—it was hard to believe, but there was a folding knife poking in the tire. The knife must have been unfolded in the shallow pit just now, so when the car ran over it, the blade got stuck in the tire.
Lu Heyang unexpectedly turned around and asked Xu Ze, “Is there a car repair shop nearby?”
Suddenly interrupted from his daydream, his face momentarily froze, but at the same time, he swiftly averted his gaze, directing his attention toward the tire. After a moment, he replied, “Yes, but it’s a bit far.”
Xu Ze knew that Lu Heyang didn’t recognize him, he was the kind of person who didn’t leave an impression at all. Lu Heyang was just asking a random stranger on the street.
Xu Ze wasn’t surprised by this and even thought it was quite reasonable.
Then he saw the passenger side window slowly lowering, and the long-haired omega wearing sunglasses inside asked Lu Heyang, “Is it a flat tire?”
Xu Ze was taken aback. The sun suddenly felt scorching, making it hard for him to breathe.
“Yeah,” Lu Heyang replied, “Something punctured it.”
Lu Qingmo said, “Call the dri–”
“Let’s change the tire, it’ll be quick.” Lu Heyang stood outside the passenger side window, one hand resting on the edge of the car roof, and bent down to speak to Lu Qingmo, “If we wait for the driver to come over, we might have to wait for a long time.”
“If I had known, I’d have let the bodyguards follow us. At least we could’ve taken the bodyguard’s car in case of problems.”
Lu Heyang smiled, “Find a place to sit for a while. We’ll leave as soon as the car is fixed.”
“Is there a car repair shop nearby?”
“There is,” Lu Heyang said.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Lu Heyang stood upright and said to Xu Ze, “Wait for me, there’s something I need to trouble you with.”
He noticed that Xu Ze’s face and lips appeared slightly paler than a moment ago. He wondered if it was due to the heat.
Xu Ze had been gripping the bike handlebars the entire time without moving. He couldn’t make out what Lu Heyang was saying to the omega. In fact, if Xu Ze could hear, he might have taken a few steps back until he was completely out of earshot.
Lu Heyang went to the trunk to get an umbrella. After retrieving it, he opened the passenger door and extended the umbrella over Lu Qingmo. Together, they walked to the nearest convenience store. Eventually, he walked back alone, still holding the umbrella.
“Do you have the number for the car repair shop?” Lu Heyang walked up to Xu Ze, politely moved the umbrella closer to him, and asked.
“I don’t.” Xu Ze glanced at the tire. The weather was too hot. He unconsciously licked his lips before asking, “Do you have a spare tire and tools in the car?”
“Yes, in the trunk,” Lu Heyang replied. He had seen the spare tire and toolkit when he got the umbrella.
“I’ll change it.” Xu Ze hung the breakfast on the handlebar and pushed the bike aside to park it. He said, “It’ll take about 20 minutes.”
However, Lu Heyang said, “Wait.”
Xu Ze immediately came to a halt. Lu Heyang took a couple of steps toward him, once again extending the umbrella over his head, and said, “Eat your breakfast first.”
After just a brief hesitation, Xu Ze opened the breakfast obediently without a word. He ate quickly and silently while Lu Heyang stood by his side holding the umbrella.
Two minutes later, Xu Ze finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth with the small tissue the shop provided in the plastic bag. Xu Ze went to throw away the trash in a bin a meter away. Then he walked straight to the semi-open trunk, retrieved the spare tire, and picked up the toolkit with his other hand.
His movements were skillful and efficient, requiring no assistance. Lu Heyang stood beside him and blocked the sun for him. After a while, Lu Heyang crouched down and asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”
“It’s okay, I can do it alone,” Xu Ze replied. He actually wanted Lu Heyang not to wait here and go to the convenience store to cool down, but in the end, he didn’t say so.
Xu Ze lowered his head and swiftly started unscrewing the screws. With just the strength of his hands, he couldn’t loosen the tightly locked screws. He stood up, placed one hand on the edge of the car’s hood, and kicked the handle of the wrench with his foot a few times. Then he crouched down again to begin unscrewing the next one.
After loosening all the screws, Xu Ze put the lifting jack under the car and gradually lifted it. After the wheel was off the ground, he turned back to remove the screws, detached the old wheel, and picked up the spare tire to put it in place.
He positioned the screws, lowered the jack, and finally tightened the screws. Xu Ze stepped on the wrench handle to confirm that the screws were fully tightened. Following that, he stooped down to stow the tools in the bag. In addition to the old tire, he carefully returned both items to the trunk. The entire process took less than fifteen minutes.
After Xu Ze had put everything away, Lu Heyang closed the trunk. When he raised his head, Xu Ze had returned to the sidewalk without saying anything and was about to ride away. Lu Heyang called out to stop him, “Xu Ze.”
He saw Xu Ze pause his movements and turn his head slightly dazed.
“Wait a sec.” Lu Heyang said while proceeding to open the front door and taking a pack of wet wipes from inside.
When he walked up to Xu Ze, Lu Qingmo also came out of the convenience store under the bright sun with a plastic bag in her hand.
“Wipe your face and hands,” Lu Heyang handed the wet wipes.
Lu Qingmo ducked under Lu Heyang’s umbrella, took a new umbrella out of the plastic bag, and gave it to Xu Ze, “You’ve been working hard. It’s scorching hot outside, so use this umbrella.”
Both of their hands held out the items in front of him at the same time. It seemed impolite to refuse either one, so Xu Ze accepted the wet wipes and the umbrella. He had just changed the tire, both his hands were covered in dirt, and there were sweat beads on his forehead, dripping down the sides of his face.
“Why did you buy so many things?” Lu Heyang asked.
“I couldn’t stand in someone else’s store and cool off for free, so I bought a few things.” Lu Qingmo handed a bottle of mineral water to Xu Ze, “Have a drink.”
After Xu Ze took the mineral water, Lu Heyang said to Lu Qingmo, “You go back to the car first.”
“Yeah.” Before turning around, Lu Qingmo smiled at Xu Ze, the curve of her mouth was elegant and beautiful, “Thank you.”
Xu Ze nodded slowly and said, “It’s nothing.”
When Lu Qingmo returned to the car, Lu Heyang looked at Xu Ze and asked, “Do you live nearby?”
“Mn.” Xu Ze looked a little out of it, still maintaining that stunned expression he had when his name was called.
It was very bright and today was the first time that Lu Heyang could see Xu Ze’s face fully. Xu Ze’s eyes were something special, his pupils were dark gray, so dark that they almost had a hint of blue, making him appear cold but not sharp, rather tranquil like a lake.
“What happened to your nose?” Lu Heyang asked with an almost non-existent smile on his face.
As if realizing something, Xu Ze froze and immediately wanted to turn his head to the side. But that would be too abrupt. At this point, everything that might be seen had already been seen. Trying to conceal it now would be pointless.
“I bumped it by accident,” Xu Ze replied quietly and lowered his eyes.
“Then be more careful next time.” Lu Heyang looked at the time on his wristband, “I have some things to do, so I’ll get going. Thanks for helping us fix the car.”
“It’s nothing,” Xu Ze replied in the same way, only his voice was a little lower.
Lu Heyang returned to the car and drove a few meters forward. Lu Qingmo asked him, “Do you know that alpha?”
“I wouldn’t say I know him. He’s also from prep school.”
“There is such an alpha in the prep school.” Lu Qingmo smiled, “He looks quite different.”
Lu Heyang asked, “How is he different?”
“Different in every way.”
As they approached the next turn, Lu Heyang glanced at the right rearview mirror before turning the steering wheel. Under the blazing sun, Xu Ze was still standing there, holding the water bottle and umbrella in his hands, his eyes seeming to follow their car.
Author’s notes:
Xu Ze’s diary: Today I fixed the car of the person I like and his girlfriend (｡•́-ก̀｡)
The author’s note is so (｡ŏ_ŏ)
I knew it! He really did think thats his gf!
I was wondering why he reacted like that on seeing her in the car but then read author’s note at the end (• ▽ •;)
Am I considered too sharp to know what the characters are thinking about?
I love protective shou!!!!!