"What the heck?!"
Those were the first words Zhang Wei blurted out after hearing his mother's announcement.
If she weren't my mother, I'd think she was a manager trying to pimp out her callboy to several women!
He was still traumatized by his previous blind date a month ago. The girl had been incredibly pretty, with a very nice figure. But her voice...
Just hearing it was enough to make his entire body shiver, as though every hair on his body were standing on end.
They had met at an amusement park to have some fun. Everything seemed fine for both of them until they decided to try one of the extreme rides.
That was when Zhang Wei began to suspect that the girl he was dating was actually transgender.
He discovered this because of how deep her voice was. As they rode the attraction, the girl kept screaming like a man.
"UHHHHHH!!!"
Her voice was so deep that instead of enjoying the ride, Zhang Wei felt as though he had been dragged into a nightmare.
However, because of his personal principle—
A real gentleman should always love all women.
He decided to continue the date as though nothing had happened.
"Zhang Wei, did you enjoy the ride?" the girl asked.
Hearing her speak in such a cute and feminine tone made him shudder.
Does this person have some sort of identity crisis?
Despite his suspicions, he maintained his composure and continued pretending that he still saw her as a girl.
"He-he... Yeah! It was fun! Do you want to try some other rides?" Zhang Wei stammered, barely concealing his sarcasm.
As they walked around the amusement park, the girl spotted its main attraction: a roller coaster with an extremely high peak and a terrifying drop.
She immediately tried to persuade Zhang Wei to ride it with her, but he refused, claiming that he was afraid of that kind of attraction.
The girl looked disappointed and was about to walk away when Zhang Wei stopped her.
"You should still try it! Besides, I'm the one who's afraid of it, not you. I'll just wait here until you finish the ride. Okay?"
Zhang Wei used every ounce of his persuasive skills to convince the girl to ride the roller coaster. He even placed a hand on her shoulder to make his encouragement seem more sincere.
But deep inside, he was already planning his escape. He simply didn't want to spend another minute with her.
"Okay! I'll see you right here!"
Zhang Wei waved as the girl made her way toward the roller coaster.
The moment she disappeared from his sight, his soul practically rejoiced.
However, to make sure his escape plan would work, Zhang Wei waited until he saw her actually boarding the roller coaster.
Then, without wasting another second, he secretly ran toward the nearest exit of the amusement park.
My principles only apply to women!
He snapped back to reality.
"Mom! Do you remember what kind of girl you made me date last time?! She wasn't even a girl! She was a man dressed in women's clothing! And you know what? That experience traumatized me so much that I don't even want to attend another one of your blind dates!" Zhang Wei complained, practically pleading with his mother to stop arranging dates for him.
"Hahaha!" His mother chuckled before reassuring her son. "Zhang Wei, this time, I've made absolutely sure that she's a girl, so you don't have to worry. Besides, she's the only daughter of the Lau family. There's really nothing to worry about!"
Her voice carried a hint of excitement as she tried to assure her son that there would be no surprises regarding the girl's identity.
Still traumatized by his previous blind date, Zhang Wei began plotting his next move.
He would make sure that his upcoming date hated him to the bone.
If everything goes according to plan, Mom will be so furious that she'll stop bothering me for months! I'll finally have my freedom and be able to enjoy the company of as many girls as I want!
Meanwhile, Zhang Jie, Zhang Wei's mother, was sipping her tea on the balcony of the Zhang Mansion when she suddenly sneezed.
The maid standing beside her immediately asked, "Madam Zhang, are you all right?"
Zhang Jie shook her head and casually replied, "It's nothing. Perhaps someone is badmouthing me and simply can't keep their mouth shut. They probably want to see the downfall of the Zhang family, so there's no need to bother about it."
Meanwhile, at a car shop near the train station...
Car parts were scattered everywhere, from the greasy workshop floor to the engines hanging overhead. The smell of gasoline and petroleum filled the air as soon as someone entered the shop.
Men dressed in grease-stained clothing could be seen working everywhere. However, among them was a young woman whose appearance was no less striking.
She was wearing equally greasy work clothes while fixing a car. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her face and along her neck as she concentrated on her work.
From a distance, a young man watched her, completely lost in his daydreams. He looked at her as though he were imagining her becoming his lifelong partner.
Unfortunately, his romantic fantasy was interrupted when someone smacked him on the head with an old cap, snapping him back to reality.
"Chen Jian! You'd better wake up from your daydreaming! Lau Mei will never be yours!" said an old man holding the cap.
"Wong Lok, you know I've liked Lau Mei since I was eighteen," Chen Jian replied sadly, his eyes still fixed on her as she continued repairing the car.
"You know that Lau Mei only sees you as a friend. She already made that clear to you before. Nothing more and nothing less."
Wong Lok placed a comforting hand on Chen Jian's shoulder.
"But, Wong Lok..." Chen Jian began, but before he could continue, Wong Lok interrupted him.
"Chen Jian, a lady should always be cherished, regardless of her appearance or personality. But you must also respect her wishes when she clearly tells you what kind of relationship she wants with you. In this case, Lau Mei has already told you that you're her friend. So, wake up!"
Wong Lok paused before continuing.
"Come on! We still have plenty of cars to repair. We don't have all day to sit around talking about your feelings. Now, get back to work!"
He gave Chen Jian a playful smack on the backside, sending him back to his duties.
"Lau Mei! Lau Mei!" Wong Lok called out.
Upon hearing her name, Lau Mei snapped out of her concentration and immediately walked toward him.
"Yes, Wong Lok? Is there a problem?" she asked, slightly worried that one of their customers might have complained about something.
"No, no! I just wanted to ask if you could work overtime today. We have too many car repairs to handle, and Chen Jian and I won't be able to finish everything with just the two of us. Could you help us out?"
Wong Lok looked at her expectantly, worried that she might refuse.
Hearing his request made Lau Mei's heart flutter with excitement. This was the first time Wong Lok had personally asked for her help.
Wong Lok watched her expression, but just as he was about to take back his offer, Lau Mei suddenly bowed before him.
"Thank you, Wong Lok! This is a wonderful opportunity for me to show you my skills!" she cheerfully exclaimed, looking as delighted as a child who had just received her favorite candy.
Wong Lok was taken aback by her reaction and immediately stopped her from bowing again.
"There's no need to thank me. This will be part of your salary, anyway. And by the way, don't call me Senior Wong! Whenever you call me that, I feel like a century-old man. Just call me Wong Lok. That's enough."
Wong Lok said this before returning to his work.
"Yes, Seni— I mean, Wong Lok!" Lau Mei replied.
She happily returned to work and continued repairing the cars.
Perhaps because of what Wong Lok had said, her enthusiasm doubled. She worked much faster, and the cars she repaired were soon ready for cleaning.
Even so, she continued asking Wong Lok to inspect her work to make sure she had properly repaired each vehicle and restored it to good working condition.
Wong Lok was pleased with her progress. Lau Mei was a remarkably fast learner when it came to repairing cars.
As time passed, Lau Mei became so absorbed in her work and the satisfaction it brought her that she completely forgot to text her mother about coming home late.
She hadn't even noticed how late it had become.
Ring! Ring!
Her cellphone rang three times before she finally picked it up.
When she checked the caller ID, she immediately recognized her mother's number. She then glanced at the time displayed on her phone.
It was already midnight!
She quickly called Chen Jian over and asked him to take over her work for a while before answering the call.
"Lau Mei! I know you love fixing cars at that shop, and I don't restrict you from doing what you enjoy. But don't you think you should at least have the decency to tell your mother when you're coming home?!"
Her mother's angry voice suddenly softened, eventually breaking into sobs.
"Y-You always make your m-mother worry! Could you please come home now...?"
Even after finishing her words, Lau Mingxia couldn't stop crying.
Hearing her mother's sobs made Lau Mei feel guilty. She hadn't even bothered to send her mother a simple text or make a quick call to let her know she would be late.
Lau Mei let out a long sigh before finally answering.
"Okay... I'm sorry, Mom. I'll just tell Chen Jian and Wong Lok that I'm going home, all right?"
She continued talking to her mother for a few more minutes, trying to comfort her and calm her down until she finally stopped crying.