Xu Ze had just reached the intersection when he saw a private car stop right in front of him. A few seconds later, the alpha in the driver’s seat got out.
It was almost eleven, and the sun was already blazing, bright enough to make it difficult to keep one’s eyes open. Xu Ze stood motionless where he was, watching Lu Heyang walk around the front of the car and bend down to examine the front-right tire.
Lu Heyang observed it for a few seconds before straightening up—it was hard to imagine, but there was a folding knife stuck into the tire. The knife must have been lying in that shallow pothole just now, and it had been unfolded, so when the car drove over it, the blade had lodged itself into the tire.
Without warning, he turned around and asked Xu Ze, “Is there a repair shop nearby?”
As though his daze had suddenly been interrupted, a momentary stiffness appeared on Xu Ze’s face. But he reacted quickly at the same time, avoiding Lu Heyang’s gaze and looking at the tire instead. Only after a while did he answer, “There is one, but it’s a little far.”
He knew that Lu Heyang didn’t remember him—not even in the slightest. It was as though he had casually asked a stranger on the street.
Xu Ze wasn’t surprised by this. In fact, he thought it was perfectly reasonable.
Then he saw the passenger-side window slowly roll down. A long-haired omega wearing sunglasses was sitting inside and asked Lu Heyang, “Is it leaking air?”
Xu Ze froze. The sunlight suddenly seemed much more scorching, beating down on him so harshly that he could barely breathe.
“Yeah,” Lu Heyang answered. “Something punctured it.”
Lu Qingmo then said, “Call the driver and—”
“Let’s just change the tire. It’ll be quick.” Lu Heyang stood outside the passenger window, resting one hand against the edge of the roof as he bent down to speak to Lu Qingmo. “If we have the driver come over again, we might have to wait a long time.”
“We should’ve had the bodyguards come with us. At least if something went wrong, we could’ve taken their car.”
Lu Heyang smiled. “You find somewhere to sit for a while. We’ll leave once the car is fixed.”
“Is there a repair shop nearby?”
“There is,” Lu Heyang said.
Lu Qingmo didn’t say anything else. She merely glanced behind Lu Heyang.
It was a little strange. Lu Heyang clearly didn’t seem to know that alpha, yet the other person wasn’t in any hurry to leave. He simply stood there, silently pressing his lips together, with bruises on the bridge of his nose and the corner of his lips—in any case, he didn’t look like an ordinary passerby.
Lu Heyang straightened up and said to Xu Ze, “Wait a moment. There’s something I need to trouble you with.”
He noticed that Xu Ze’s complexion and lips looked a little paler than they had before. He didn’t know if it was because of the heat.
Xu Ze had been holding onto the handlebars without moving from beginning to end. He couldn’t hear what Lu Heyang and the omega were saying. In fact, if Xu Ze could hear them clearly, he might even have taken a few steps back until he was far enough away that he couldn’t hear anything at all.
Lu Heyang went to the trunk and took out an umbrella. Then he opened the passenger door, held the umbrella over Lu Qingmo, and walked beside her toward the nearest convenience store. Afterward, he returned alone, still holding the umbrella.
“Do you have the phone number for a repair shop?” Lu Heyang walked up in front of Xu Ze and courteously tilted the umbrella a little more toward him as he asked.
“No.” Xu Ze glanced at the tire. It was too hot, and he unconsciously licked his lips before asking, “Do you have a spare tire and tools in the car?”
“Yes, in the trunk,” Lu Heyang answered. He had seen the spare tire and tool kit in there when he took out the umbrella just now.
“I can change it.” Xu Ze hung his breakfast bag from the bicycle handlebar and pushed the bicycle aside to park it. “It’ll take about twenty minutes.”
But Lu Heyang said, “Wait.”
Xu Ze immediately stopped where he was. Lu Heyang walked over a couple of steps, once again holding the umbrella over his head, and said, “Eat your breakfast first.”
After only a very brief hesitation, Xu Ze said nothing and obediently opened his breakfast. He ate very quickly without making a sound. Lu Heyang stood beside him, quietly holding the umbrella.
Two minutes later, Xu Ze finished his breakfast. He used the small piece of tissue the shop had provided in the plastic bag to wipe his mouth. There was a trash can only a meter away. Xu Ze went over to throw away the garbage, then walked straight toward the half-closed trunk, opened it, pulled out the spare tire, and picked up the tool kit with one hand.
His movements were practiced and efficient. He didn’t need anyone’s help at all. Lu Heyang stood beside him, shielding Xu Ze from the sunlight. After a while, Lu Heyang crouched down and asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”
“It’s fine. I can do it myself,” Xu Ze answered.
What he actually wanted was for Lu Heyang to stop waiting there and go sit somewhere cool inside the convenience store, but in the end, he didn’t say that.
Xu Ze lowered his head and skillfully began loosening the bolts. The strength of his hands alone wasn’t enough to loosen the tightly locked bolts, so he stood up, placed one hand against the edge of the hood, and kicked the handle of the wrench several times. Then he crouched back down and started on the next one.
After loosening all the bolts, Xu Ze placed the jack beneath the car and slowly raised it. Once the tire was off the ground, he turned back, removed the bolts, took off the old tire, and lifted the spare into position.
He put the bolts on to hold it in place, lowered the jack, and finally tightened the bolts. Xu Ze stepped on the wrench handle one by one to make sure they were completely tightened. He bent down and put the tools back into the bag, then returned everything, including the old tire, 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 looked up again, Xu Ze had already returned to the sidewalk without saying a word and was preparing to ride away.
Lu Heyang called after him, “Xu Ze.”
He saw Xu Ze’s movements suddenly stop. Then, somewhat blankly, he turned his head to look over.
“Wait.”
Lu Heyang said that as he went to open the front passenger door and took out a pack of wet wipes.
When he walked over to Xu Ze, Lu Qingmo also came out of the convenience store under the blazing sun, carrying a plastic bag.
“Wipe your face and hands.”
Lu Heyang handed over the wet wipes.
Lu Qingmo stepped under Lu Heyang’s umbrella, took a new umbrella out of the plastic bag, and handed it to Xu Ze as well.
“Thanks for your help. The sun is really strong. Take an umbrella.”
Two hands simultaneously extended things toward him. Refusing either one would seem rude, so Xu Ze accepted both the wet wipes and the umbrella.
He had just finished changing the tire, and both of his hands were covered in dust. Sweat beaded at his temples and rolled down the side of his face one drop at a time.
“Why did you buy so many things?” Lu Heyang asked.
“It’s not right to just stand in someone else’s store and use their air-conditioning for free, so I bought a few things.”
Lu Qingmo took out another bottle of mineral water and handed it to Xu Ze.
“Have some water.”
After Xu Ze accepted the bottle, Lu Heyang said to Lu Qingmo, “Go back to the car first.”
“Okay.”
Before turning around, Lu Qingmo smiled at Xu Ze. The curve of her lips was elegant and beautiful.
“Thank you.”
Xu Ze slowly nodded once.
“You’re welcome.”
After Lu Qingmo returned to the car, Lu Heyang looked at Xu Ze.
“Do you live nearby?”
“Yeah.”
Xu Ze looked a little distracted, still wearing the same dazed expression he had when his name was called.
The light was bright, and this was the first time Lu Heyang had gotten a completely clear look at Xu Ze’s face.
Xu Ze’s eyes were somewhat unusual. His irises were dark gray, so dark that they seemed to carry the faintest hint of blue. It gave his features a distinctly cool air, but not a sharp one. Instead, they were calm and still, like a lake.
“What happened to your nose?”
There was the faintest hint of a smile on Lu Heyang’s face as he asked.
As though only now realizing something, Xu Ze froze for a moment. He wanted to turn his head away immediately, but doing so would have been too obvious. Besides, from the beginning until now, everything that should have been seen had already been seen. Hiding it at this point was meaningless.
“I bumped it by accident.”
Xu Ze lowered his eyes and spoke quietly.
“Be more careful next time.”
Lu Heyang glanced at the time on his wristband.
“I have something to do, so I’ll get going. Thanks for fixing our car.”
“You’re welcome.”
Xu Ze gave the same answer, only his voice was a little quieter this time.
Lu Heyang returned to the car. After the car drove forward a few meters, Lu Qingmo asked him, “You know that alpha?”
“Can’t really say I know him. He’s also from Preparatory School.”
“There are alphas like that at Preparatory School too?”
Lu Qingmo smiled.
“He seems a little different.”
Lu Heyang asked, “Different how?”
“Different in every way.”
They were approaching the next turn. Before turning the steering wheel, Lu Heyang glanced at the right-side rearview mirror.
Under the blazing sun, Xu Ze was still standing where he had been, holding the water and umbrella in his hands. His gaze seemed to be following the back of their car.
Xu Ze’s diary: Today I fixed the car for the person I like and his girlfriend.