AVRL 1

Sunday, the sky was a clear, washed blue, and a gentle breeze carried a pleasant warmth.

Meng Chi had originally thought today would be a fine day for going out and for a date, but half an hour after leaving the teahouse, he found himself staring at a rear-end collision scene right before his eyes and immediately felt he might have misjudged.

Today was good for going out and good for dating, but not good for taking a shortcut by car to a date, especially not via Xinjian Street.

Although this street was called Xinjian Street, it was actually an old street from more than a decade ago. It was not particularly wide to begin with, and with the roadside shops carving out a row of parking spaces, it became even more cramped. Most of the residents living near Xinjian Street were middle-aged and elderly, and once they got on their electric scooters, they were the coolest guys on the street, answerable to no one.

When Meng Chi turned his car into the street, he happened to take a phone call and didn’t notice an electric scooter on the left side of the road suddenly dart into the motor vehicle lane. Under the aggressive overtaking maneuver of the scooter, Meng Chi barely swerved to avoid it and ended up hitting a Mercedes parked by the roadside.

However, the woman on the electric scooter only turned back to leave a disapproving “tsk tsk tsk” expression before riding off into the distance on her electric steed, leaving Meng Chi alone to face the dented rear end of the car in front of him.

The hit car was a black Mercedes-Benz business sedan, with a sleek body, shiny and clean. From the dented and deformed emblem on the rear, it was clear that this car was by no means cheap.

Meng Chi let out a pained “tsk” sound, pulled open his car door, and got out.

Whether it was luck or bad luck, Meng Chi’s Audi only had a few scratches near the front and a very small dent on the hood, while the Mercedes was far more severely damaged, with a dent as big as a soccer ball.

“Not too bad, I suppose,” Meng Chi said, sounding half relieved and half sighing.

In his peripheral vision, a tall, slender black figure slowly approached. Meng Chi straightened up and found himself locking eyes with the newcomer, meeting through his glasses lenses a pair of slightly light-colored phoenix-shaped eyes.

The early spring sunlight was not intense; it filtered through the gaps in the evergreen camphor leaves, scattering into brilliant patches of light that poured all over Yu Tingzhi, draping him in a filter called dreamlike, making his sculpted, delicate features even more striking.

Meng Chi’s pupils contracted slightly, and his breath halted for half a beat.

Half of it was because he was captivated by this beautiful scene, and half because he had just met this person a few days ago.

But that time, it was in a dimly lit bar, where he was keeping his heartbroken friend company at the counter for a few drinks. Before he could mourn his friend’s lost love for even ten minutes, his friend had already set his sights on Yu Tingzhi, who had suddenly appeared in the bar. And so, the visual creature fell in love at first sight once again, yelling “dream guy” at him.

That night, the “dream guy” wore an ink-black silk shirt, with the collar open at the collarbone, giving him a more restrained and casual air. At this moment, he was wearing a black, fitted long coat with a turn-down collar, paired with a high-neck sweater of the same color, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on his high nose bridge. The warm, soft morning light did nothing to melt the coolness inherent in his features; instead, it made him seem even more distant.

“Is this your car?” Yu Tingzhi spoke coldly, his gaze sweeping over the Audi before settling on Meng Chi’s face.

Yu Tingzhi was very tall, and standing on the curb, he loomed more than half a head over Meng Chi. Looking down at him now, there was a certain overbearing air about him.

Meng Chi thought to himself that perhaps it was because the sunlight was just right that day, or perhaps because he was standing at just the right angle—whatever the reason, this sight was more stunning to him than the brief glimpse he’d caught in the bar.

But that feeling lasted only a moment; the rest was an instinctive dislike stemming from a sense of incompatible chemistry, and he felt even more displeased upon hearing this somewhat arrogant inquiry.

“Yes,” Meng Chi snapped back to himself, the earlier awe dissipating completely. In a calm tone, he apologized, “I’m sorry. I was trying to avoid a woman on an electric scooter and wasn’t paying attention, so I hit your car.”

Yu Tingzhi listened expressionlessly, then glanced at the point of impact between the two vehicles. “What do you plan to do about it?”

“It’s not a major accident; there’s no need to call the police. I’ll have the insurance company handle it.” With that, Meng Chi lowered his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Yu Tingzhi, opposite him, watched him with those beautiful but cold eyes until Meng Chi looked up again. Their eyes met, and only then did Yu Tingzhi look away and give a slight nod.

Since they’d already agreed on a solution, Meng Chi dialed the insurance company, speaking into the phone as he got back into his car.

Yu Tingzhi didn’t stop him as he got in, showing no concern that he might just drive off. Meng Chi, of course, had no intention of fleeing; he was merely moving his car, which was blocking the road, into a parking space.

Even on a weekend, at eight in the morning, Xinjian Street was full of people out buying groceries or taking walks. As Yu Tingzhi turned sideways, an elderly woman carrying a bamboo basket bumped into his elbow. His relaxed brows suddenly knitted together, and he let out a very soft hiss through his teeth.

Meng Chi had just finished his call with the insurance company and got out of the car just in time to see this. He turned off his phone and asked, “Are you injured?”

Hearing this, the elderly woman was also startled. She stopped and eyed them warily, as if afraid this handsome man might be trying to stage a fraud.

Yu Tingzhi shook his head lightly. “It’s nothing.”

At the moment of the collision, Yu Tingzhi had been about to get out of the car, and his right hand, pulling the door handle, had slammed against the hard car door, twisting the fingers caught on the handle. His arm, which had taken the impact, was merely numb, while the pain was mainly in the ring and little fingers of his right hand.

Meng Chi stared at his arm. “If you’re hurt, you should go to the hospital for a check-up. I’ll cover the medical expenses.”

“It’s nothing, no need for a hospital.” Yu Tingzhi raised his right hand and flexed his two somewhat stiff and pinkish fingers; there were obvious red marks and slight swelling on his little finger.

Because he shifted his position, Meng Chi’s gaze fell on his well-defined right hand and he immediately blurted out, “No.”

Yu Tingzhi glanced sideways at him, and Meng Chi, realizing his tone had been off, reluctantly shifted his gaze to Yu Tingzhi’s indifferent face and adjusted his tone to say calmly, “Better to get it checked. It’ll put both of us at ease.”

“Yes, you really should go get it looked at. Otherwise, if something else comes up later, it’ll be such a hassle for you two to sort out.” The elderly woman, having heard Meng Chi say he would take responsibility, understood that this handsome man’s hand injury had nothing to do with her. Still, out of a love for beauty, she’d lingered to watch a while longer, and after figuring things out, couldn’t help but chime in.

What Meng Chi hadn’t thought to say, this onlooking elderly woman had completed for him.

Although she meant well, her remark was indeed a bit blunt, as if Yu Tingzhi was the type to cause trouble after the fact. Still, Yu Tingzhi showed no reaction. He glanced at Meng Chi’s eyes, which seemed to hold a hint of worry, and agreed to go to the nearby hospital for an examination.

Meng Chi sent his location to the insurance company’s agent and also messaged his date for the day, Song Min, saying something had come up and he’d be a bit late to pick him up. After that, he went with Yu Tingzhi to the nearby hospital.

By the time they reached the hospital, the insurance agent had also arrived. Taking both of their car keys, the agent went to handle the accident report. Meng Chi also received a reply from Song Min—just a simple “okay.”

While the doctor examined Yu Tingzhi’s right hand closely, Meng Chi was also observing it.

His five fingers were long and slender, his palm neither wide nor thick, perfectly proportioned. Drawing on years of experience reading hands, Meng Chi could tell at a glance that the ratio between his fingers and palm was close to the perfect golden ratio—a very beautiful hand shape. His skin was pale, with a cool jade-like whiteness, with only the knuckles and fingertips tinged a faint fleshy pink. Pale veins and prominent knuckles complemented each other, creating a striking aesthetic.

Even with the slight swelling on the ring and little fingers, the beauty wasn’t diminished.

Meng Chi found himself somewhat entranced. It wasn’t until the doctor released Yu Tingzhi’s hand that Meng Chi looked away, glanced at his own palm—with its five-and-five proportion between fingers and palm—and silently tsked to himself.

The doctor said Yu Tingzhi’s arm was fine, but his fingers would need an X-ray to be sure.

Throughout the examination, there was almost no conversation between them, except for Meng Chi occasionally glancing at Yu Tingzhi’s hand.

While waiting for the CT scans to come out, Yu Tingzhi took a phone call. Meng Chi stared at his left hand holding the phone, imagining how those hands would look holding a covered teacup to brew tea.

Yu Tingzhi said very little, only mentioning which hospital he was at and saying there was no need for the caller to come, before hanging up. He glanced sideways and caught Meng Chi’s absent stare.

Meng Chi smoothly concealed his emotions and looked away. Just then, he received another message from Song Min, saying he had something come up today and probably couldn’t make it to the porcelain factory, and that they’d need to reschedule.

Meng Chi gave an almost imperceptible pout and replied, “Okay.”

He thought to himself that today was probably not a good day for going out, nor for dating.

After waiting about ten minutes, Meng Chi picked up Yu Tingzhi’s test results. As he looked at them, he muttered softly in an admiring tone, “The bone structure on this—tsk, tsk.” Then he handed the scans to Yu Tingzhi and said, louder, “Take these to the doctor.”

Yu Tingzhi looked at him for two seconds before reaching out to take the scans. He looked down at them himself as he walked away from the imaging area. After two or three seconds, he said, “No need to show the doctor. There’s no issue.”

Meng Chi glanced at the scans in his hand without agreeing or disagreeing.

While admiring the bone structure of the hand on the images, he had also glanced at the attached test results. Indeed, there was no problem; the swelling would go down in a couple of days.

“Good that it’s nothing,” he said casually. Perhaps because being stood up had affected his mood, Meng Chi’s tone carried a hint of forlorn dejection.

Yu Tingzhi suddenly stopped walking and said to him, “You don’t need to worry so much about my hand. I’m not going to blackmail you over it.”

Meng Chi was taken aback. Meeting his cold, distant gaze, he curled his lips into a smile. “It’s not that. I just think… your hand is very beautiful.”

It would be a shame if it lost its aesthetic appeal due to injury.

Now it was Yu Tingzhi’s turn to pause, and his gaze toward Meng Chi suddenly carried more weight.

Realizing his words sounded somewhat ambiguous, Meng Chi added jokingly, “I probably wasn’t the first to say that, was I?”

But Yu Tingzhi merely looked at him quietly, his gaze holding a kind of disconcerting scrutiny, as if what Meng Chi had said wasn’t “your hand is beautiful” but “your hand feels nice to touch.”

Meng Chi suddenly thought that while his words might have been a little forward, they were nonetheless a sincere compliment; surely it shouldn’t have warranted this kind of “are you up to something” once-over.

So after some self-reflection, Meng Chi attributed the cause to this aloof flower perched high above—whose personality, he decided, was as proud as his looks, and who disdained his superficial praise.

“You’re the first to say it to my face,” Yu Tingzhi said flatly, looking away.

Oh, so it’s just me who’s bold enough to say it to your face.

He grumbled inwardly, but Meng Chi kept a hint of a smile on his face and didn’t continue the subject. He turned to the nurse’s station, borrowed a pen and a piece of paper from one of the nurses, and wrote down a series of numbers with a flourish.

“Since you’re fine, I’ll take my leave now. The insurance company will handle the car issue. As for the medical expenses from just now, figure out the total and contact me, and I’ll reimburse you in full.”

With that, he handed the scrawled phone number to Yu Tingzhi and added, “By the way, my name is Meng Chi. Meng as in Mencius, Chi as in late.”

He didn’t ask for Yu Tingzhi’s name, as if he wasn’t curious at all. He turned and left the nurse who’d lent him the pen and paper with a sunny, charming smile and a “thank you.”

Yu Tingzhi stood there watching his retreating figure until it disappeared from sight, then looked away. He folded the note neatly, tore it up bit by bit, and tossed the pieces into a nearby trash can.

As Meng Chi walked out of the imaging area, an elderly woman stopped him to ask how to retrieve her test report using her medical card. He helped her out, inserting the card into the machine and going through the motions, only to find the machine was out of paper. So he went back to the nurse’s station to get some.

By the time he’d finished helping her and reached the hospital entrance, he ran into none other than Song Min, who had just stood him up.

Song Min, wearing a greenish-gray quilted cotton jacket with a standing collar, was running in a hurry, his hair blown back by the wind, revealing his reddened eyes from the cold, filled with concern as he looked at Yu Tingzhi.

“Brother Tingzhi, are you okay?”

Meng Chi was standing at a moderate distance and happened to catch this concerned call. It felt like an arrow struck his heart, and he instantly understood why he’d had that instinctive dislike for this “dream guy”—(his hands aside)—

This heavenly creature up on high was his romantic rival!