Wen Ran was smart. He knew that asking for WeChat too directly would seem overly deliberate. In a place like an auto shop, using car maintenance as an excuse made it much easier to add someone.
See? Didn’t that work perfectly?
After adding him, Wen Ran stood to the side, head lowered, checking Luo Xiao’s WeChat profile.
The avatar was a photo of snowy mountain peaks.
The ID was simply “Luo Xiao.”
No personal status message.
Moments were set to one-month visibility.
Either he’d been put into a restricted group, or Luo Xiao genuinely hadn’t posted anything in the past month—there wasn’t a single post visible.
After checking, Wen Ran quickly moved Luo Xiao into the same family group as his mom. Everything in that group was extremely “wholesome.”
Once that was done, he put his phone away and casually looked back at the Mini, fully playing the role of a normal car owner getting maintenance done.
In reality, his eyes never left Luo Xiao.
He watched Luo Xiao push the cart used to collect old oil under the car. Watched him walk away to the workshop to grab new oil. Watched him come back, squat down, and open the packaging.
Wen Ran walked over a few steps and casually struck up conversation again.
“Do you guys only carry this brand of oil?”
“We’ve got others,” Luo Xiao replied. “This one’s the best.”
Nothing more.
Wen Ran lowered his gaze. The man’s arms under the short sleeves were solid and powerful. As he tore open the packaging, veins faintly stood out along his forearms—ridiculously manly, ridiculously sexy. Wen Ran couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from lifting.
So it went on like this: Luo Xiao worked, Wen Ran stood nearby, occasionally making casual comments about the car.
Usually, Wen Ran talked, and Luo Xiao answered—but only the question, never adding anything extra.
The only additional thing Luo Xiao said was, “You don’t drive this car much, do you? Gas cars need to be driven. Otherwise, they’ll deteriorate.”
“It doesn’t get driven much,” Wen Ran immediately replied, never letting the conversation drop. “It’s my mom’s car—her oldest one. She hardly drives it now. She uses her other cars.”
Luo Xiao said nothing more and went back to work.
Wen Ran glanced at him and thought: Not very talkative.
Nice.
Inside Wen Ran’s head: I talk a lot. Perfect complement. A match made in heaven.
He wasn’t in a rush. He planned to take things slowly, making sure nothing felt forced.
But not long after, another man in a work uniform came over, said something to Luo Xiao, and Luo Xiao grabbed gloves from the workstation and walked away.
The newcomer took over working on the Mini.
Wen Ran watched as Luo Xiao walked farther and farther away, heading to another car in a different corner of the shop.
What the hell.
Of course Wen Ran wasn’t thrilled.
But then again—who was Wen Ran? This wasn’t going to stop him at all.
He simply switched targets and struck up conversation with the younger guy now working on the Mini.
“Hey, how long has that handsome guy been working here?”
He added casually, “I’ve come here before—don’t think I’ve seen him.”
“Hm?”
“Oh, you mean Brother Xiao.”
The guy was waiting for the old oil to drain and chatted freely. “He just started. Not long ago.”
He was clearly much more talkative than Luo Xiao and continued on his own.
“He’s really good. Can fix pretty much any car. That’s why he makes more than the rest of us.”
“The boss really likes him.”
“How old is he?” Wen Ran asked. “He doesn’t look that old, but he’s that skilled?”
If Wen Ran wanted information, he always got it easily.
“Twenty-seven or twenty-eight, I think,” the guy said. “Definitely not thirty yet.”
“Oh,” Wen Ran replied casually, like it was just idle chat. “Almost thirty, huh? At that age, he should be married already, right?”
“Nope.”
The guy ducked under the car to check the oil flow. “Single guy. Not local either. He lives in the dorms with us.”
YES!
Wen Ran was thrilled inside.
Before long, fresh oil was going into the Mini. Wen Ran held his phone behind his back, looking bored as he wandered around—here and there—until he naturally made his way to the corner where Luo Xiao was now working.
Luo Xiao was bent over another car, focused on the engine bay.
Wen Ran stood off to the side, not getting in the way. He leaned in slightly, pretending to see what Luo Xiao was working on—while sneaking glances at the man himself.
Wen Ran noticed that the man’s eyebrows and pupils were both very dark. When he worked, his gaze stayed fixed, intensely focused.
And yet, the task itself clearly posed no challenge for him—his movements were smooth and practiced, his expression calm and composed.
Wen Ran leaned in to take a closer look. The man didn’t spare him a glance, staying absorbed in his work.
Not wanting to interrupt, Wen Ran only sighed softly, “You’re really amazing.”
That was when the man finally looked at him—just a brief glance—and still didn’t say anything, his hands never stopping.
A moment later, he spoke in a low voice, “Careful. It’s dirty.”
Wen Ran was wearing white today.
He knew Luo Xiao was worried he’d get stained.
So he does care about me.
Wen Ran’s lips curved upward.
Just then, another mechanic came over and handed Wen Ran the repair and maintenance list.
Wen Ran took it and looked it over on the spot. After a moment, he turned to Luo Xiao and asked, “If I want to touch up the paint, can that be done today?”
Only then did Luo Xiao glance at him again, replying while still working, “We’d have to mix the color. There are several shades. Probably can’t finish it today.”
“You’d have to leave the car here.”
The mechanic who brought the list added, “There’s a dent in the rear door too. That needs to be pulled out.”
“And the brake pads and stuff all need replacing.”
“If you leave the car and a phone number, we’ll call you when it’s done.”
Wen Ran immediately thought: No way.
He’d done all this just to have an excuse to stay longer. If he left the car and walked away, would that mean letting Luo Xiao bond with the old Mini instead?
He went, “Oh,” then said, “How about this—today we’ll just change the oil, brake pads, and spark plugs. I’ll drive the car home later. You guys can mix the paint, and I’ll bring it back tomorrow for the touch-up.”
“That works, if you don’t mind the hassle,” the mechanic said.
Wen Ran folded up the list. “Alright, I’ll go pay first.”
As if remembering something, he paused mid-step, turned back toward the man working on the car, and asked, “Can I top up a service card here?”
“Yes,” the mechanic answered quickly.
At that moment, Luo Xiao turned and looked at Wen Ran again—an ordinary, calm glance.
Wen Ran smiled at him. “Then I’ll top one up.”
With that, he walked off.
Inside the office, besides the mechanic who’d been with him earlier, there was also a girl.
The mechanic gestured toward Wen Ran and said, “He’s topping up.”
The girl looked at Wen Ran once… then again… then couldn’t help a third glance. He’s handsome.
She unconsciously became extra enthusiastic. “How much do you want to load? We’ve got a promotion—the more you top up, the more bonus you get.”
Wen Ran glanced around the office. “What kind of promotion? Got a flyer? Let me take a look.”
Not long after, the mechanic who’d first helped Wen Ran stepped out of the office and jogged over to Luo Xiao, who was busy repairing a car. Leaning in, he whispered, “Holy shit, do you know how much that handsome guy just topped up?”
“How much?” Luo Xiao replied flatly, hands still busy.
“Two hundred thousand!”
The mechanic marveled, “Damn, he’s loaded. That’s enough to buy his old Mini outright.”
Luo Xiao showed no sign of surprise, as if he didn’t care at all, and kept working.
A little later, Wen Ran came back over and handed him a bottle of functional drink he’d grabbed from the office. He said, “I heard you’re really good. Could you help me replace my brake pads and spark plugs later?”
“Sure.”
Luo Xiao answered crisply and took the drink with his dirty gloves—no fuss, no extra words. His personality was obvious in that small gesture.
Ah—
So charming.
Wen Ran watched him, sighing inwardly.
And so it went: Luo Xiao personally replaced the Mini’s brake pads and spark plugs. The entire time, Wen Ran stayed by the car, watching him work, watching his hands move—and secretly taking photos.
When it was done, Wen Ran asked, “All finished?” then smiled, his eyes curving gently, and said politely, “Thank you.”
Before leaving, he sat in the car and waved at Luo Xiao again, his voice soft and a little sweet, “I’ll come back tomorrow for the paint.”
“Okay.”
Luo Xiao stood at the shop entrance, taking off his gloves, watching the young man drive away.
The moment Wen Ran left, the shop erupted into chatter.
“Damn, two hundred thousand in one go. Big spender.”
“If he’s got that kind of money, why not get a better car?”
“How do you know he doesn’t have one? That Mini wasn’t cheap when it was bought—forty grand.”
“A guy driving a Mini?”
“Minis are cars guys drive too.”
…
What they didn’t know was that Wen Ran hadn’t gone far before pulling over with his hazard lights on. He took out his phone and started working furiously in WeChat.
He created a new group just for Luo Xiao and named it crush.
Then he went through all his Moments from the past month, moving every post that showed him as sunny, positive, and wholesome—text or photos—into the crush group.
Finally, he scrolled through his photo album for a long time and found a scenic shot he’d taken last year at Sailimu Lake. He set it as his new profile picture.
Done.
Snowy mountains and lake water—perfect match.
After that, Wen Ran thought for a moment… then another moment… and finally sent Luo Xiao a single message:
【My name is Wen Ran.】
After sending it, he tossed his phone aside, smiling brilliantly, as if something extremely happy had just happened, and drove off.
A few minutes later, Luo Xiao replied—just one word:
【Okay.】
That single “Okay,” that brief exchange, was later screenshotted by Wen Ran and sent to Shang Ge:
【Crush’s WeChat—acquired!】
Shang Ge replied instantly:
【So his name is Luo Xiao】
【What’s the progress now?】
【Have you kissed yet】
Wen Ran: 【……】
【Raises 40-meter broadsword.jpg】
【Snip-snip.jpg】
【What do you think 🙂.jpg】
Shang Ge: 【fighting.jpg】
【Work hard.jpg】
Shang Ge: 【My funeral, bro! My funeral ceremony! Do you even remember?】
Wen Ran: 【Hold off on dying. Let me chase him down first—then I’ll bring my Mr. Xiao to your funeral.】
Shang Ge: 【How long will that take? Two days?】
Wen Ran: 【Get lost.jpg】
Wen Ran drove the Mini back into his mom’s parking garage.
He parked it next to the X3 that had been serviced yesterday, then paced back and forth in front of the remaining four cars, scrutinizing them as he walked, deep in thought.
A few minutes later, he messaged Luo Xiao:
【Image】
【I’ve also got a Land Rover here. Only a little over 30,000 km. It sits around a lot too—should I get it serviced as well?】
After sending it, Wen Ran praised himself, “I really am a dating genius.”