Chapter 53: He’s The Mechanic At Our Shop, How Could He Be…?

The first time Zhi Qi experienced the thrill of a “mandarin duck bath,” she was left half-dead from exhaustion.

By the end, her body was limp, and she let Jiang Qi wrap her wet self in a large bath towel and carry her out. 

The girl’s slender, fair legs dangled in the crook of the boy’s strong, lean arms, creating a provocative and tantalizing scene. 

“Jiang Qi, you’re so annoying,” Zhi Qi said weakly, emphasizing again, “I’m exhausted. If you keep this up, I’m not coming back tomorrow.” 

Perhaps men’s physical constitutions really were unfairly advantaged. Zhi Qi, at least, felt half-dead every time she was intimate with him, completely unable to comprehend how Jiang Qi could still have the energy for *this* after a long, intense day of work. 

It was just so unfair! 

“Sorry,” Jiang Qi said, leaning down to kiss her rosy lips, chuckling softly. “I won’t do it again next time.” 

In truth, he knew he’d been a bit too reckless lately, maybe even scaring the poor girl a little. But having just tasted the forbidden fruit, a hot-blooded young man like him found it hard to resist her. 

Still, when it came to things he needed to endure… there was never a time he couldn’t manage. 

To prevent Zhi Qi from actually ignoring him, he decided it was best to restrain himself for now. 

True to his word, during the following days of their cohabitation, the two of them lived a rare period of “chaste restraint.” 

Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and by June, Lin Lan was practically a giant furnace. 

The repair shop was even hotter than the blazing June sun outside. With no air conditioning, the workers sweated profusely while fixing parts and changing tires. Amid the comings and goings, some smoked or clinked glasses, turning the entire place into a steaming sauna. 

Most of the workers stripped down to work shirtless, but Jiang Qi still wore his long-sleeved, long-pants work uniform. 

The boy was currently under a car, fixing its chassis. The stifling, scorching air caused sweat to bead on his forehead, dripping into his eyes and stinging painfully. 

It took him a while to finish the repair and crawl out. Exhausted and leaning against the car to catch his breath, he hadn’t even had a chance to take a sip of water when a pair of sneakers appeared right in front of him—those “white sneakers” so dirty they could pass for black could only belong to their boss, Zhan Yang. 

Jiang Qi looked up and saw Zhan Yang standing there, looking down at him with a condescending air. 

“Jiang Qi,” Zhan Yang said, giving him a once-over, clearly puzzled. “Aren’t you hot?” 

— 

In the height of summer, wearing long sleeves and long pants—there really wasn’t a second person in the entire workshop dressed like that.

Jiang Qi paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied honestly, “It’s hot.”

“Then why don’t you wear short sleeves?” Zhan Yang shrugged. “The way you’re dressed… I’m seriously worried you’ll get a heat rash.”

Actually, Zhan Yang had noticed this “quirk” of Jiang Qi’s for several days now. But today was the hottest day yet, with temperatures soaring to 35°C. Jiang Qi still refused to take off his layers, and Zhan Yang just couldn’t figure it out.

“No need to trouble the boss,” Jiang Qi said, slowly standing up while leaning against the car. His voice was low. “I’ll just wash my face.”

His hands and face were a bit dirty anyway. After nodding to Zhan Yang, he headed toward the restroom at the back of the workshop.

The shared restroom, used by many, was much cooler than the sweltering workshop. Many workers came here during breaks to smoke. At this moment, it was quiet, with only the lingering smell of smoke in the air.

Jiang Qi turned on the faucet and splashed a few handfuls of cold water onto his face. Only then did the heat-induced tension in his nerves begin to ease slightly.

The young man looked up. In the mirror, water droplets slowly slid down his sharp facial features. The bloodshot redness in his eyes had also faded quite a bit.

He leaned against the wall to rest for a while, then took some medicine from his pocket and swallowed it casually with tap water—three times a day. He had to keep track himself, or else Zhi Qi would worry about him.

Five minutes later, Jiang Qi returned to the workshop to continue working.

But just as he reached the entrance, the front desk manager called out to him.

“Hey, Xiao Jiang.” The factory was busy at this hour, and the manager was clearly running around like crazy. Spotting a skilled worker like Jiang Qi, he quickly stopped him and shoved a can of spray paint into his hands. “A customer’s car got scratched out front. They’re in a hurry—go take care of it.”

Jiang Qi didn’t say much. He took the spray paint and nodded.

The black hair at his temples was still damp when he left the restroom, but by the time he walked from the back to the front of the factory, it had already dried—showing just how hot it was.

When the weather gets hot, tempers flare easily—especially when it comes to car scratches and accidents.

When Jiang Qi walked to the front with the spray can, he saw the customers—a man and a woman—arguing with the sales clerk. The woman was dressed head-to-toe in Chanel, looking like she was headed to some high-society banquet. Her voice was sharp and grating:

“My car is fully insured! Fully insured! I pay thousands a year—why should I have to pay extra out of pocket?”

The sales clerk, clearly frustrated, tried to explain:
“Ma’am, we understand your car is fully insured, but insurance reimbursements take time. If you want us to repaint it immediately, then… well, you’ll have to pay upfront first.”

Faced with such a difficult customer, the new clerk lacked confidence. His hesitant tone only made the woman more aggressive.

Jiang Qi could already tell this argument would go on forever.

He frowned slightly from a short distance away, unsure whether he should start working on the scratched car.

Compared to the rough, sweaty guys in the back of the workshop, the front area was a bit too “bright and exposed.” Jiang Qi instinctively pulled down the brim of his cap and stood in the corner. He was used to wearing a mask in crowded, well-lit places. Not wearing one now made him feel a little uneasy.

Even though it had been months, and the entertainment and gossip world never lacked fresh faces, Jiang Qi wasn’t narcissistic enough to think people would still recognize him all the time.

After a while, it seemed the argument had settled down, and someone came over to ask him to start the paint job.

Jiang Qi carried the spray can over and crouched down to work on the scratched area.

The damaged car was a white Land Rover. The scratch wasn’t hard to fix, but these days, the wealthier people were, the more they liked to haggle. Looking at the car’s logo, Jiang Qi couldn’t help but feel a bit of irony.

It was clearly their fault, yet they didn’t want to wait for insurance and still wanted the repair done quickly. Since when did the world offer so many freebies?

Still, it wasn’t his place to judge—he was just a mechanic.

“This car needs a base coat, original paint, and then a clear coat,” he said in a low voice, noticing the two customers still standing nearby. “It’ll take most of the day. You can wait here or come back tomorrow.”

Then he heard the woman mutter, “Ugh, why is this so troublesome?”

The man beside her tried to comfort her:
“That’s how paint jobs are. Maybe we should just head back and take a cab.”

“I haven’t taken a cab in years. No way,” the woman pouted, acting extremely spoiled. “No, I’m waiting.”

She stomped her foot as she spoke, the sound of her high heels striking the tile floor piercingly loud.

Jiang Qi heard it and shrugged indifferently, preparing to find someone to help tow the car into the workshop for repairs.

The front of the 4S dealership was for business dealings—he couldn’t just fix the car out there.

But just as he stood up, someone tugged on his sleeve.

“You!” Jiang Qi turned his head in surprise, only to see that it was the same persistent female customer. She was gripping his sleeve tightly, her eyes wide with shock and excitement as she exclaimed, “You’re Jiang Qi, right? Aren’t you Jiang Qi?”

He hadn’t expected to be recognized here. Jiang Qi frowned and tried to shake off her hand, but she held on tightly.

“Ahhh! I can’t believe I’m seeing Jiang Qi in person here!” The woman jumped up and down, dragging the confused man beside her into her excitement. “Oh my god, I’m so happy! Jiang Qi, I’m your fan! Are you working here now? How could you be working here?”

Not only was her companion baffled, but even the clerk on duty looked completely lost.

“Ma’am, what are you talking about?” The clerk was new and unfamiliar with the workshop staff. He only knew Jiang Qi as one of the employees. But even he, as a young person, had heard of the name “Jiang Qi,” though he wasn’t too familiar with his face. Glancing at Jiang Qi’s oil-stained, darkened face and the cap that obscured his features, the clerk chuckled:
“He’s our mechanic. How could he be Jiang Qi? You must be mistaken.”

“No way, no way,” the woman insisted, shaking her head. “He is Jiang Qi. I recognize him.”

As if afraid he’d run off, she gripped his sleeve even tighter.

After a bit of back and forth, Jiang Qi finally lost his patience.

“Let go,” he said coldly, shaking her hand off. “Don’t touch me.”

He hated being touched by anyone—anyone except Zhi Qi.

Even through a layer of fabric.

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