A white sedan sped along the highway in the dead of night.
It was probably very late. There were hardly any other cars on the road. Darkness seemed to wrap around the entire world, leaving only the small patch illuminated by the headlights bright and visible.
The car was traveling at an unusually high speed, almost as if it had lost control. There was a bend coming up ahead. Although it wasn’t a sharp turn, taking it at this speed was still extremely dangerous.
The car drew closer and closer to the bend, yet the driver still showed no sign of slowing down.
Sure enough, as the white sedan reached the curve, it spun out of control and crashed into the landscaped median in the middle of the road.
The woman in the driver’s seat screamed in terror.
“Ahhh… ahhh!”
She screamed in her heart:
My good days have only just begun! I don’t want to die!
……
“My name is Shen Meng. I’m twenty-seven years old, and I come from an ordinary family in a small county town. Everyone says I was incredibly lucky to get into a university in Nangang and even manage to stay there for work after graduation.
“But they don’t know how hard I worked for it or how many nights I stayed up studying.
“Countless nights when I was exhausted, sleepy, emotionally overwhelmed, and felt like I couldn’t hold on any longer—I would cry my heart out, wipe away my tears, and then continue studying and doing practice questions.
“Fortunately, all that hardship wasn’t for nothing. I got into Nangang University as I’d hoped and studied the major I loved—English translation.
“After graduating from university, I didn’t go on to graduate school. I stayed in Nangang and began working as an English simultaneous interpreter.
“My life gradually started getting better.
“Last year, I bought the 320L I’d always wanted. Sure, I bought it with a loan, but my current income was more than enough to support it. As long as I kept working hard, I could pay off the five-year loan in no time.
“Oh, right. I also found myself a boyfriend who was every bit as handsome as a celebrity.
“That’s him!”
Shen Meng’s face was glowing with happiness as she looked at the man who was busy working nearby.
The man looked very young, probably only in his early twenties. He was tall with long legs, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. He had been blessed with a model’s physique.
And his looks were even better.
His skin was fair, his features delicate and refined, and his lips were red while his teeth were white. He had the kind of striking, handsome features that immediately caught people’s attention.
“My boyfriend!”
Shen Meng stared at him without blinking, as if looking away for even a second might make him disappear.
At 189 centimeters tall, with eight-pack abs and long legs, he had the physique of a model. Even wearing a mechanic’s one-piece work uniform, he couldn’t hide his good looks. Somehow, he even managed to make the work uniform look like a custom designer outfit.
Yes, this man was an auto mechanic.
But he was an unbelievably skilled one.
The moment he got behind the wheel and drove a car around the block—or even just listened to its engine—he could immediately identify whatever was wrong with it.
And he didn’t just repair ordinary cars. He could also fix heavy-duty trucks. His specialties were high-end vehicles and car modifications.
With those skills, he had become a highly valued guest of Brother An, the owner of Nangang’s largest auto repair chain, Ping’an Auto Repair.
A handsome man with such incredible skills even had a great name, one that sounded like it belonged to the overbearing CEO of a romance novel—
Xu Jingchen.
Not only did Xu Jingchen have the kind of name that sounded like a CEO, but he also had the tragic, heartbreaking background of a male lead from a novel.
He came from a small town in a remote area. His father died in a work accident when he was six years old, leaving his mother to raise him alone. She opened a small convenience store in town and barely managed to make ends meet.
He wasn’t particularly gifted academically, but from a young age, he’d shown an exceptional talent for working with his hands.
So he didn’t even finish high school. During the second semester of his second year, he dropped out and went to work at the auto repair shop his maternal uncle ran in the county town.
When he was twenty, Xu Jingchen went to Nangang alone. He applied to Nangang’s largest auto repair chain, Ping’an Auto Repair.
The moment he demonstrated his skills, Brother An decided to keep him on—and not just at any branch. He placed him at the headquarters under his own direct management.
Brother An’s real name was Ping An—Ping was his surname, and An was his given name. He had named his auto repair business Ping’an Auto Repair for two reasons. One was simply because it was his own name. The other was because he wanted the name to carry the meaning of peace and safety. After all, anyone who drove a car hoped for a little good luck and a safe journey.
Ping’an Auto Repair had thirty-four branches throughout Nangang. All of them were company-owned stores. Their sizes varied, but every branch offered both auto repair and car-washing services.
The headquarters, personally managed by Brother An, was the largest of them all. It had been converted from an abandoned old factory. It wasn’t located in the busy part of the city, but in the outskirts of southwestern Nangang. However, because it was close to a national highway and a highway entrance and exit, transportation was very convenient.
The headquarters mainly handled repairs for heavy-duty trucks and high-end customers, as well as car modification services.
Auto repair was dirty and tiring work, but it could also pay quite well. Especially at a large, reputable brand like Ping’an Auto Repair, skilled mechanics could earn annual salaries comparable to those of white-collar professionals.
Xu Jingchen was even more exceptional.
With his skills and looks, he quickly attracted a large group of die-hard fans and became a living advertisement for Ping’an Auto Repair.
Thinking about that, Shen Meng couldn’t help frowning.
Having a handsome boyfriend who earned good money was naturally a wonderful thing. But Xu Jingchen was too handsome, and that caused Shen Meng quite a bit of trouble. She often found herself feeling insecure.
Among Xu Jingchen’s die-hard fans, quite a few were there purely because of his looks. Those wealthy women and rich young ladies often spent huge amounts of money on him, buying memberships and spending money at the shop.
Fortunately, Xu Jingchen knew exactly where to draw the line. He always kept an appropriate distance from them.
Every day, aside from repairing cars at the shop, he stayed home and cooked for Shen Meng.
That made her feel much more at ease.
“What are you thinking about?!”
Xu Jingchen walked over with a bottle of water in his hand and held it out to Shen Meng. Seeing that she was lost in thought, he waved the bottle in front of her face.
Shen Meng snapped back to reality and laughed. She reached out and took the water.
“Done already?”
“Yep. Not only did I finish, I even went to the customer lounge and got you a bottle of water. You didn’t notice any of it.”
Xu Jingchen pretended to complain.
“Tell me. Who were you thinking about?”
“You.”
Shen Meng answered without hesitation.
It was the truth.
Xu Jingchen froze for a moment.
Several seconds later, he finally managed a smile and said quietly, “There are so many people around. You’re making me embarrassed.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s not like I said anything cheesy.”
Shen Meng didn’t notice the slight oddness in Xu Jingchen’s expression or eyes. Her attention had already been drawn to the beads of sweat on his forehead.
There really was something different about being good-looking.
The sweat made his already fair skin look even whiter, like a freshly washed peach.
Shen Meng rose slightly onto her toes and wiped the sweat from Xu Jingchen’s forehead, her eyes and lips filled with a smile.
Shen Meng was actually quite tall herself, standing 170 centimeters without shoes. She could reach him just by raising her arm, but she still habitually stood on tiptoe.
That way, she could get a little closer to Xu Jingchen.
“Well, well! Our Director Xu is personally putting window film on a car?! That’s a rare sight!”
Brother An walked in, teasing them.
“Jingchen hardly ever bothers with jobs this small.”
“Brother An… I paid for it. I didn’t get it for free.”
Whenever Shen Meng found herself in a situation like this, she never knew how to respond. Even when the other person was only joking, she immediately became awkward and uncomfortable.
“Exactly, Brother An. Xiaomeng used the best film in the shop, and she even paid the full labor fee. I only gave her the friends-and-family discount—twenty percent off. I even finished putting it on before work. I didn’t delay making any money for you at all!”
Xu Jingchen answered half-jokingly as he naturally stepped in front of Shen Meng, shielding her.
Shen Meng turned her head and looked at Xu Jingchen.
The thing she loved most about him wasn’t actually his looks.
It was this.
The feeling of having someone protect you was wonderful.
Seeing this, Brother An quickly laughed it off.
“I was just joking with you two! Why take it so seriously? We’re all making money together. It’s a win-win partnership!”
Xu Jingchen drove the car to the entrance of the auto repair shop and parked it securely by the roadside before getting out.
Shen Meng got out as well.
It was still early, and the location was somewhat remote, so there weren’t many pedestrians or cars on the road.
Xu Jingchen gently put an arm around Shen Meng.
“Now that you’ve got the new film, you won’t get sunburned while driving. The weather forecast says the high today is thirty-four degrees. Don’t be too cheap to turn on the air conditioning. It’s going to take you almost three hours. If you get tired, stop at a service area and take a break before continuing.
“And remember to drink plenty of water.”
“What’s gotten into you today? You’re suddenly so talkative and clingy.”
“So you’re saying I’m too nagging, or that I don’t care about you enough normally?”
“No! No! That’s not what I meant! I know you’re always a thoughtful and caring boyfriend!”
To prove that she meant it, Shen Meng quickly twisted open the bottle of water Xu Jingchen had given her earlier and took a big drink.
As usual, Xu Jingchen had already loosened the cap for her beforehand.
Shen Meng hadn’t needed to use even a little force to open it.
That tiny gesture always made her feel warm and sweet inside.
Even the bottled water seemed sweeter and more refreshing.
A youthful boyfriend with a fatherly side—Xu Jingchen was exactly that kind of man.
Although Xu Jingchen was five years younger than Shen Meng, he was remarkably mature for his age. For the first time in her life, he had made Shen Meng experience what it felt like to have someone to rely on and someone who genuinely cared for her.
In the rearview mirror, Xu Jingchen stood tall and slender.
He was wearing a military-green one-piece work uniform with the pant legs rolled up, revealing a pair of khaki-green summer hiking boots.
Standing there, he looked like a living advertisement.
Xu Jingchen remained by the roadside, watching as Shen Meng drove away.
He kept watching until her car disappeared from sight.
“It should be today, right?”
Xu Jingchen remained where he was, murmuring to himself.
“Shen Meng is supposed to go to neighboring Hangcheng on a business trip today. From Nangang to Hangcheng, it’s 174 kilometers one way, 348 kilometers round trip. She should be on her way back when it happens…
“Why does it have to be today?”