The next day, the “little genius” showed up at Bumblebee Auto Care again—clean, neat, and looking great.
As soon as he arrived, a mechanic greeted him. “Your paint’s all mixed.”
Then added, “Forgot to ask yesterday—does this car have a protective wrap?”
“No.”
Wen Ran got out and handed the car over to the mechanic to drive inside.
As the mechanic ducked into the car, he casually pitched, “After the paint touch-up, want to put on a wrap?”
“There’s a promo—cheap.”
“And since you topped up a card, it’s even more worth it.”
Following him into the workshop, Wen Ran asked, “Do you guys get commission here?”
“Yeah.”
The driver replied as he drove, “The card you topped up yesterday counts as Brother Xiao’s performance. He handled your service—spark plugs and brake pads.”
“Our whole maintenance team shares the commission too.”
“Nice.”
Wen Ran was refreshingly generous. “Then go ahead and do the wrap too.”
Once inside, he spotted Luo Xiao walking toward him in his work uniform. Wen Ran immediately beamed and lifted a hand to wave. “Hi~”
Luo Xiao gave a slight nod and walked closer. “The paint’s ready. I’ll touch it up for you.”
“Thanks.”
Wen Ran smiled, deliberately making it sweet. He knew exactly what his different smiles looked like.
Luo Xiao glanced at him—no particular expression.
Soon, Luo Xiao squatted down with a spray gun and applied epoxy primer to the sanded areas.
Wen Ran bent over, hands on his knees, peering closely. “Wow, so this is how touch-ups are done.”
Then, knowingly asking, “How do you guys mix colors like this? Do you do it in-house?”
Luo Xiao motioned for him to stand a little farther away so he wouldn’t get primer on him.
“No. There are specialized paint shops. They’ve got color cards and mixing machines. They match your car’s color using the card, and the machine blends several base paints to get the right shade.”
“Oh.”
Wen Ran continued chatting. “Did you study this professionally? Automotive repair major?”
“I didn’t.”
Luo Xiao never turned his head or met his eyes, focused entirely on his work. His tone was plain and steady. “Fix enough cars and you’ll naturally learn.”
“Huh?”
Curious, Wen Ran asked, “Why did you end up fixing so many cars? If you didn’t study this or do it professionally, you wouldn’t normally run into cars that often, right?”
Still in that calm, matter-of-fact tone, Luo Xiao replied, “I used to travel a lot. Different places. When you’re on the road a lot, you drive more, see more cars. Things break. You fix them yourself. Eventually, you know how.”
“Wow~”
Wen Ran didn’t hold back on praise, his voice light and slightly sweet. “You’re really impressive.”
Then he followed up smoothly, “You’ve been to a lot of places, huh? Where have you been?”
“Everywhere,” Luo Xiao said. “Domestic and overseas.”
Luo Xiao had already finished spraying the primer. He switched tools and began spreading body filler over the car.
Wen Ran hovered nearby. “Where have you traveled domestically?”
Luo Xiao finally turned his head and glanced at him.
“Hm?”
Wen Ran met his gaze.
What Luo Xiao saw was a pair of light-colored eyes—clear, bright, like a small animal’s, pure and clean.
He looked away and answered, “The Sichuan–Tibet Highway, northern Sichuan–Tibet routes, Route 109, the Chaya–Chayu–Medog line—several routes into Tibet.”
“Both the northern and southern Xinjiang loops. The large and small circuits.”
“And the Northwest.”
“Other than those, I’ve pretty much traveled everywhere else in the country.”
“Wow~~”
Wen Ran praised him. “You’ve really been to a lot of places.”
“Not as many as you,” Luo Xiao said.
“I haven’t been to Tibet or the Northwest yet.”
“If I go, do you have any scenic spots you’d recommend?”
As long as Wen Ran wanted to talk, he could keep a conversation blooming nonstop. He never worried about awkward silences with a crush.
Sure enough, for as long as Luo Xiao worked on the paint, Wen Ran either bent over or squatted beside him, chatting idly the whole time.
Once the filler work was done, Luo Xiao stood up. Wen Ran smiled sweetly. “Thanks so much. You worked hard~”
“No problem.”
Luo Xiao looked at him.
“Oh, right—”
As Luo Xiao turned away, Wen Ran followed him and said, “I’m putting on paint protection film today too. Do you do that as well?”
“I don’t do PPF much.”
Luo Xiao was straightforward, his words still few. “The others do it. I just help out.”
“That’s fine.”
Wen Ran looked extremely easygoing.
Before long, the car was washed, dried, and ready for the clear PPF. Wen Ran went out and bought drinks, handing them out to the guys applying the film, the ones working on other things, and finally, Luo Xiao.
“Thanks.”
Luo Xiao accepted it naturally.
“No problem.”
Wen Ran smiled again.
That day, Wen Ran stayed at the shop the whole time. Only after the PPF was finished did he leave.
Before going, he ordered takeout and called out to everyone, “You’ve all worked hard—afternoon tea’s on me.”
As he left, he rolled down the driver’s window, waved at Luo Xiao, and added, “I’ll bring my Range Rover over in a couple of days.”
Luo Xiao was drinking the water Wen Ran had just given him. Hearing that, he nodded.
“Bye-bye.”
Wen Ran waved from inside the car.
Luo Xiao gave another slight nod.
After Wen Ran left and the shop quieted down, everyone dug into the fried chicken and naturally started talking about him again.
“So generous.”
“He’s got money. If you had money, you’d be generous too.”
“Still, he really looks amazing. Like those idol celebrities on TV.”
“You into him?”
“What are you saying? I like women.”
…
Luo Xiao didn’t eat. He stood off to the side, replying to a message from his mom.
“Brother Xiao.”
Someone offered him a drumstick.
“No thanks. You guys eat.”
He didn’t take it, his head lowered as he typed.
The younger guys kept chatting.
“He topped up 200,000. He’ll probably come again in a couple of days, right?”
“Maybe. He might even bring friends to use his card.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“This drumstick’s really good. Smells amazing.”
“Look at the price—this box is over five hundred.”
“Damn, that expensive?”
…
On Luo Xiao’s side, as he was replying to his mom, a message from Wen Ran popped up:
【By the way, afternoon tea was for you. The others were just along for the ride (slight smile.jpg)】
Luo Xiao glanced at the top of the screen and saw it.
Just then, Ju Yaixin sent another message:
【I’m so worried. You’re always out and about—how come you still can’t solve this major life issue?】
【Is it really a problem with the ancestors’ graves?】
For some reason, Luo Xiao suddenly smiled.
He deleted the few words he’d just typed and sent instead:
【What kind of daughter-in-law do you want?】
After a while, Ju Yaixin replied with a voice message. Luo Xiao stepped aside, put the phone to his ear, and heard her sigh.
“What kind of ‘want’ can I have? Three men in the family, decades now, and only your dad has a wife. What more can I ask for?”
“As long as they’re alive, it’s fine.”
“Even if you brought home someone older than me and your dad, I’d accept it now.”
“At this point, I’m just watching to see whether you or your brother gets married first.”
“If either of you gets married, I’ll go burn incense at the temple again.”
After listening, Luo Xiao smiled again—Mrs. Ju had worried to the point of rebuilding the ancestral hall back in their hometown.
The next day, Wen Ran didn’t come. At lunch, the girls in the office were still talking about him.
“That handsome guy who topped up 200,000—he didn’t come today.”
Another person said, “This isn’t a restaurant. He can’t come every day. How broken would a car have to be to come here daily?”
“True.”
Xiao Qing sighed. “It’s just rare to see such a handsome guy.”
Three days later, the handsome guy did come.
He was dressed clean and sharp, his hairstyle changed. Once he stepped out of the car and stood there on his long legs, everyone in the shop—men and women alike—was blinded.
“Can you take a look at this Range Rover?”
Another car this time—a black, full-size Range Rover.
Luo Xiao walked over. “Has it been serviced before?”
“I think so. Probably.”
Wen Ran wasn’t sure. “It’s my mom’s car. She usually drives it.”
“Alright. I’ll take a look.”
“Change what needs changing, fix what needs fixing, do the maintenance.”
Luo Xiao got into the Range Rover and drove it inside.
Wen Ran followed. Xiao Qing came out and handed Wen Ran a bottle of water.
“Thanks.”
Wen Ran took it.
Xiao Qing said, “We were just talking about you these past two days—wondering why you hadn’t come.”
Wen Ran smiled as he twisted open the cap. “It’s not like I can send my car to the hospital every day.”
Luo Xiao happened to hear that as he got out of the car.
He lifted his eyes, glanced at Wen Ran, and a smile flashed through his gaze.
“Need to fix a tire first.”
Luo Xiao found a nail embedded in the front left tire—probably picked up on the way over. The tire pressure monitor hadn’t issued a warning yet.
“Here.”
He squatted by the tire and pointed it out to Wen Ran.
“I see it.”
Wen Ran bent down beside him, very close.
Luo Xiao turned his head. He could see even the fine fuzz on Wen Ran’s face clearly—and caught a faint, subtle fragrance on him.
“Let’s patch it.”
Wen Ran straightened up, then changed his mind. “Actually, forget it. Since I’ve got the card anyway, let’s just replace the tire.”
So that afternoon, using the tire change and other maintenance as an excuse, Wen Ran once again stood beside Luo Xiao, chatting idly.
In the office, Xiao Qing watched through the glass door. The more she looked at the two standing together, the more something felt off. The more she looked…
Suddenly, she understood. She covered her mouth and snickered.
At that moment, Wen Ran was saying to Luo Xiao, who was operating the lift, “I’ve got quite a few other cars. Could I ask you to come over and help me check them out too?”
Luo Xiao replied honestly, “Gas cars are pretty durable. As long as there’s no strange noise, no oil leaks, and no system warnings, they usually run fine.”
“Just do regular maintenance based on the mileage.”
Wen Ran thought: I’m not asking you out because of the cars—I’m asking you out because of me. I’m flirting with you, you clueless crush.
Wen Ran actually felt he’d been pretty clear—topping up the card, bringing different cars in for service, striking up conversations. Anyone with half a brain should understand what he meant.
Now that Luo Xiao wasn’t responding to the invitation and was being this practical, Wen Ran started to doubt himself. Was Luo Xiao really not getting it, or did he genuinely think there was no need to check his cars?
As Wen Ran hesitated, wondering what to do next, Luo Xiao took a wrench, tightened the bolts on all four tires, then looked at him and said evenly, “I’m off on Wednesdays. You can ask me then.”
Huh?
The turn was so sudden that Wen Ran didn’t react right away.
“Aren’t you asking me out?”
After tightening the bolts, Luo Xiao straightened up and looked at Wen Ran.
Wen Ran instantly understood—Luo Xiao wasn’t clueless after all.
He pressed his lips together, smiled, and nodded. “Okay. Wednesday.”
“For Wednesday…”
He thought for a moment. “I’ll message you on WeChat later.”
After that, Wen Ran rolled down the window again, waved goodbye to Luo Xiao, and drove off.
The moment he left, he muttered to himself, “Wednesday, Wednesday—right, Wednesday.”
He grabbed his phone, tapped a few times, and held it to his lips. “Emergency!” “Anyone with a car! Gas cars! Lend them to me this Wednesday!!!”
Later that evening, Luo Xiao received a WeChat message from Wen Ran—a voice message. The young man’s voice was calm and gentle, sweet as if honey had been poured into it.
Wen Ran said, “I’ll send you a location. Can you come over on Wednesday and help me look at the cars?”
“Afterward, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Luo Xiao listened with the phone pressed to his ear. It felt as if the boy were leaning close, speaking softly into his ear, almost acting cute.
He lowered the phone and couldn’t help smiling—so obvious. How could he possibly not understand?
Just then, Xiao Qing came over, her face full of gossip, and whispered, “Brother Xiao, does that handsome guy have a thing for you?”
“You noticed too?”
“I did.”
The first time the young man came, hiding behind the Jeep and secretly taking photos of him, Luo Xiao had already noticed.
He’d even dyed his hair back before coming again.
Just thinking about it made Luo Xiao want to smile.