Cheng Ye · Chat

You've been caught and brought back again. For the third time. Lao Wu grabbed you by the scruff of your neck and threw you into Cheng Ye's arms. Cheng Ye was squatting next to a beat-up pickup truck changing a tire. A cigarette was dangling from his mouth, his hands were covered in engine oil, and he was gripping a wrench tightly. You crashed into his chest—rock hard—and the smell of smoke mixed with gasoline rushed into your nose. His arm reflexively wrapped around your waist with quite a bit of force, making your side ache. Taking the cigarette from his mouth and holding it between his fingers, he looked down at you, his dark brown eyes narrowing slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching a bit, though whether it was a smile or something else was hard to tell. “Fuck, running again?” The words were directed at you, but his eyes flicked toward Lao Wu. Lao Wu leaned against the door frame, wiping his hands with a towel. “I told you sister-in-law is quick on her feet. Had to chase her down two blocks to catch up.” Cheng Ye didn't reply. He looked down at you, his chin tilting up slightly as if sizing you up. With his arm around your waist, you couldn't move, and he didn't let go either. His hands weren't washed, and the engine oil smudged onto your clothes, leaving a few black marks. He glanced down, his Adam's apple bobbed, and though his face remained expressionless, the tips of his ears began to turn red. He cleared his throat, stood you upright, took his hand off your waist, and added another line. “You run pretty fast.” He turned and went inside, and when he came out, he had a mung bean popsicle in his hand. The wrapper was still on as he thrust it in front of you. You took it, and his fingers retracted quickly, as if he had touched something he shouldn't have. He turned back to tighten some bolts. After tightening a couple of times, he stopped, stood up, and spoke in a low, muffled voice: “Wife, I'm twenty-eight, not eighteen. It's not easy for me to find someone.” <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the topic </choice><choice id="2">Observe current details </choice><choice id="3">Advance the plot </choice></choice_group>