Chen Xi’s repair shop and Qin Lie’s VR arcade were separated by only a wall.

Yet the two of them tacitly maintained a state of never seeing each other, whether looking up or down.

Chen Xi came early and left late every day, occasionally catching sight of Qin Lie’s car parked in front of the VR arcade.

She would roar past on her motorcycle without so much as a glance in Qin Lie’s direction.

The repair shop had a good location. Business came on the second day after opening, and it got busier each day after that.

Qin Zhan was no longer carefree and idle, working with Chen Xi from morning to night every day.

At lunchtime, he would always slip away quietly and return with beef noodles that Fangfang had made.

Liu Boyang had already discussed with Chen Xi before the opening that if Chen Xi’s business went well, Liu Boyang would sell his repair shop at Third Bridge and work with Chen Xi to make money from then on.

He was currently negotiating with a buyer these past few days and hadn’t come to Chen Xi’s place.

That afternoon, Chen Xi had just finished replacing the brake pads on a sports car when a somewhat elderly middle-aged woman came to the door. She walked into the shop, looked around, and fixed her gaze on Chen Xi.

Chen Xi heard the commotion, stopped what she was doing, smiled at the woman, and asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”

The woman looked Chen Xi up and down, then said with an unfriendly expression, “I’m looking for Qin Zhan.”

Chen Xi: “Qin Zhan? I sent him to buy some things. Please sit on the sofa and wait a moment.”

The woman exploded on the spot, pointing at Chen Xi’s nose and starting to curse.

“What kind of thing are you? How can you order people around so shamelessly? Taking advantage of your looks to play men for fools, is that it?”

Chen Xi was bewildered by the scolding and forgot to even get angry. She said with a confused expression, “Are you mistaken about something?”

The woman was so agitated that her hands were shaking as she continued pointing at Chen Xi and cursing, “What are you pretending to be stupid for? That foolish son of mine has been bewitched by you.”

“He finally saved up some money and wants to buy you a house. If I hadn’t looked at his phone, I’d still be in the dark about it.”

Chen Xi roughly understood what was happening. She guessed this person was Qin Zhan’s mother.

Although she had been scolded for no reason, because of Qin Zhan, Chen Xi still spoke pleasantly, “Auntie, please don’t get upset. Sit on the sofa for a moment, and we’ll talk when Qin Zhan comes back.”

“Who told you to call me auntie? Look at how old you are. You’re ten years older than my son, with a child too. How do you have the face to be with my son?”

These words were truly hurtful. Regardless of whether she was being scolded or not, Chen Xi couldn’t listen to this anymore.

“Auntie, what you’re saying is wrong. Dating is about mutual consent—it’s not stealing or robbing, it’s not illegal. How is there no face in it?”

Qin Zhan’s mother got so angry that she started shouting.

“You’re the one with no face. Today, while there’s no one around, let me make this clear to you: stay far away from my son. Don’t wait until we meet on the street someday and tear each other’s faces off—that won’t look good for either side.”

As she was shouting, the door to the adjacent space opened, and Qin Lie stood in the doorway. Seeing Qin Zhan’s mother, he quickly walked over with big strides.

“Auntie, come to my place.”

He walked between the two women, glanced at Chen Xi indifferently, then turned his gaze to Qin Zhan’s mother.

Qin Zhan’s mother grabbed Qin Lie, saying indignantly, “Lie, you’re just in time. You judge this situation—they haven’t even made it official yet, and this woman is already asking Qin Zhan to buy her a house. What are her intentions?”

Qin Lie supported Qin Zhan’s mother, “You’ve got it wrong. Let’s talk about it at my place.”

He put his arm around Qin Zhan’s mother’s shoulder and led her toward his side.

After walking a few steps, he turned back to glance at Chen Xi again.

Chen Xi’s gaze collided unexpectedly with Qin Lie’s, and the tactile memory from that night’s lips inexplicably flashed back for an instant.

Her ears heated up. She looked away indifferently, turning her gaze elsewhere.

After the two left, Chen Xi returned to the Jeep and continued working silently.

After a while, Qin Zhan came running in from outside, repeatedly saying, “Sorry, sorry.”

Chen Xi smiled at him and pointed toward the adjacent VR arcade.

Qin Zhan had a pained expression on his face. He put down the parts he had bought and went to the tea station to pour himself a glass of water.

He dawdled and procrastinated, drinking for a long time, unwilling to go across.

Chen Xi strolled over. “How far have things progressed?”

Qin Zhan blushed and stammered without speaking.

Chen Xi: “Slept together?”

Qin Zhan’s eyes darted around, finally looking at Chen Xi and nodding embarrassedly.

Chen Xi: “Want to sleep together once or for a lifetime?”

Qin Zhan: “Do you even need to ask? Of course, for a lifetime.”

Chen Xi patted Qin Zhan’s shoulder, “Go over there and handle your mother.”

Qin Zhan instantly became energized as if he’d been injected with adrenaline, drained his glass of water in one gulp, and marched off heroically.

Chen Xi smiled, strolled back to the car, grabbed the jack, and lifted the front left of the sedan.

She lay down on the creeper, lightly pushed off the ground with her Martin boots, and slid under the car.

This car had a steering wheel that was light on one side and heavy on the other. Chen Xi needed to check if there was a problem with the steering gear on the chassis.

Chen Xi held up a flashlight and checked the oil lines first, finding no problems, then continued to check the power steering pump.

She was completely focused and didn’t notice at all that the distance between the car’s chassis and herself was quietly changing.

When checking the relief valve, Chen Xi discovered it wasn’t sealing properly. She let out a light breath—this was the problem.

She picked up a tool beside her and suddenly noticed something amiss.

The sedan’s chassis seemed to have dropped significantly compared to before. The flashlight, which she could originally hold upright, could now only be held at an angle.

The chassis also seemed much closer to her face.

Chen Xi quickly turned her head to look at the jack beside her, and her eyelids suddenly jumped.

She discovered that this old jack’s hydraulics were leaking, and it was slowly, bit by bit, dropping down.

Chen Xi hurriedly tried to slide out, but after sliding just a little, she couldn’t move anymore—something was caught.

Chen Xi wanted to push off the ground with her feet, but her feet wouldn’t move.

She struggled to lift her upper body a little bit and looked toward her feet.

She found that her Martin boot’s laces were hooked on the exhaust pipe’s mounting bracket.

She pulled her legs back, trying to shake off the shoe.

But the space under the chassis was too small, and her legs had almost no room to move.

She used her other foot to try to push off the caught shoe, but there still wasn’t enough space.

The Martin boots were high-tops—no matter how she pushed, she couldn’t get them off.

Chen Xi kicked hard, the car body shook, and the jack made a worrying creaking sound.

Whether it was psychological or not, Chen Xi felt that for an instant the car’s chassis seemed even closer to her.

Chen Xi didn’t dare to kick hard anymore. She forced herself to calm down and quickly thought of ways to save herself.

She tried several more times, but it still didn’t work.

She suddenly shouted toward the VR arcade, “Qin Zhan.”

She shouted several times, but no one came. As time passed minute by minute, Chen Xi gradually broke out in a cold sweat on her back.

She picked up a wrench and desperately banged on the ground, loudly shouting Qin Zhan’s name.

No one responded, no one came.

Chen Xi was truly panicking now. The sports car’s chassis was very low, and her trapped position was very dangerous.

If the jack eventually dropped completely, she would be crushed under the chassis and gradually suffocate to death.

She was still young, hadn’t lived enough—she didn’t want to die.

She didn’t want to leave this world quietly on this ordinary afternoon, listening to the cicadas outside.

She pushed out the creeper from under herself to create more distance between her and the chassis.

“Qin Zhan.”

“Qin Zhan, are you fucking deaf?”

After what felt like a century, she finally heard a voice.

“What’s wrong?”

She turned her head and saw Qin Lie’s face. He was half-kneeling on the ground, bending down to look under the car.

Chen Xi’s heart, which had gone half cold, suddenly had hope. She grabbed Qin Lie, her hand trembling slightly, “Where’s Qin Zhan?”

Qin Lie: “He took his mother home.”

Chen Xi’s heart went cold, and she said urgently, “Let me use your phone.”

Qin Lie handed over his phone, and Chen Xi dialed Liu Boyang’s number.

“Hello, Boyang, bring the jack from your shop over here, quickly. I’m stuck under the chassis and can’t hold on much longer.”

After hanging up, Chen Xi said to Qin Lie in a low voice, “Re-pressurize this jack.”

Qin Lie got up without a word, the veins on the back of his hands unconsciously bulging.

Just as he grasped the jack’s hydraulic lever, he heard Chen Xi suddenly call out, “Don’t move yet.”

Qin Lie released his grip and knelt again, asking in a low voice, “What?”

Chen Xi: “If the jack is completely broken, moving it might make it collapse directly. I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait for Boyang.”

Qin Lie looked at the space under the chassis and asked, “What’s caught?”

Chen Xi: “My shoe.”

Qin Lie tried to reach for it but came up short.

The other side of the car was against the wall, so there was no way to go around to that side. To help her unhook it, he would need to crawl entirely under the chassis.

Qin Lie estimated the space—it was barely enough for him to crawl in.

He lay down and began to crawl under the car with his upper body.

Chen Xi suddenly said, “Think it through.”

Qin Lie’s movement paused. “What?”

Chen Xi was calm and rational, “Qin Lie, the jack could collapse at any moment. It’ll take Boyang at least half an hour to get here.”

Her voice was calm, “If you come in, the probability of not being able to get out is very high.”

Qin Lie said nothing and silently crawled under the car.

Chen Xi’s lips moved, but she didn’t know what to say.

She listened to the sound of Qin Lie moving forward, and the terrifying chill in her heart quietly faded somewhat.

Qin Lie crawled under the car, propping himself up on one elbow while using his other hand to untangle the shoelaces from the hook.

“Done.”

He said quietly, “Get out first.”

Chen Xi hummed in acknowledgment and was just about to move her body out when she heard the jack make a squeaking sound and drop down a notch. The entire chassis pressed down on them.

Qin Lie let out a muffled groan, and Chen Xi’s heart sank with a sense of doom.

“How are you?”

She asked Qin Lie urgently.

“I’m fine.”

Qin Lie’s voice was low and deep, betraying no signs of distress.

Chen Xi looked at the precarious jack—there was still a small section that hadn’t dropped.

Although it wouldn’t crush them to death immediately, they were now completely unable to get out.

The two fell silent, waiting as time crawled forward minute by minute.

Only a minute had passed, but Chen Xi felt like it had been half a lifetime.

Gradually, Qin Lie’s breathing became somewhat labored, and the chassis drew closer to Chen Xi’s face.

Chen Xi heard Qin Lie’s breathing becoming more and more labored and difficult.

“Can you still hold on?”

She spoke first.

“Mm.”

Qin Lie’s voice was low, hoarse, and brief.

After a little while, Chen Xi couldn’t help but ask again, “What are you thinking about?”

Qin Lie didn’t respond. After a long while, he said slowly, “I’m thinking, in the middle of fucking summer, why wear boots?”

Chen Xi suddenly laughed hysterically, “They look good… what the hell do you know?”

Qin Lie let out a light chuckle from his throat.

In the dark space under the car, the two continued in silence.

They knew in their hearts that whether they could wait for Liu Boyang depended on fate.

After a long while, Chen Xi spoke quietly again.

“Qin Lie, I was drunk that night… I’m sorry.”

She had never meant to look down on him.

Her breathing was somewhat difficult, but strangely, her heart wasn’t panicked anymore.

Since there was nothing left to do anyway, it was better to wait calmly.

A low “mm” came from Qin Lie in the cramped space.

Chen Xi: “Are you afraid?”

Qin Lie smiled but didn’t speak.

If heaven meant for him to live only until this moment, what use was fear?

Chen Xi also smiled, unable to resist the dark humor, “Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”

Qin Lie was silent. After a long while, he said hoarsely, “If you’re dead, what’s the point of wishes?”

Chen Xi smiled, “True.”

Qin Lie wanted to smoke a cigarette, but unfortunately couldn’t move.

Gradually, Chen Xi’s breathing became more and more difficult. She heard that Qin Lie’s breathing was also becoming increasingly labored, as if he were about to suffocate.

She felt somewhat regretful, sighed softly, and managed to speak with difficulty, saying intermittently, “Actually, I have quite a few wishes. I haven’t drunk at Yang Guan’s and Susu’s wedding, and I haven’t been able to take care of my grandmother for a few more years…”

Qin Lie’s side was silent. After a long time, it was still silent.

Chen Xi kicked him lightly with concern.

“Still alive? Make a sound.”

She waited a long time before hearing Qin Lie’s low laugh.

“Dead people don’t have wishes, but if I don’t die, there is one thing…”

His voice was low and deep, as if he were pressed down at the bottom of the ocean ten thousand meters deep.

Chen Xi managed to make a sound with difficulty, “If you don’t die… what thing…”

Her consciousness was fading in and out when she heard two hoarse words emerge from Qin Lie’s throat.

“Sleep with you.”