A L*st at First Sight (Lily Futa) - Chapter 6

Another week had passed. Yu Qianlin had stopped obsessing over why Liu Yuelan hadn’t contacted her for so long.

This was what she had wanted, wasn’t it?

She sat in the car, watching the trees outside recede, thinking this to herself.

The car found a spot and parked in the racetrack’s maintenance area. She and a few colleagues got out, carrying their toolboxes as they walked inside. She took out her pass from her pocket and hung it around her neck. Glancing at Xiao C by chance, she asked, “Where’s your pass?”

Xiao C stopped in his tracks. Seeing everyone else wearing theirs, he suddenly remembered. “Oh no, where did I put it?”

He put down his toolbox and started patting himself all over, turning out every pocket. Yu Qianlin’s expression darkened. She told the others to go in first and start preparing. “Go look in the car. If you can’t find it, just wait outside.”

“Ah, Master, don’t! I want to touch those luxury cars! I might have left it in the car. Wait for me!”

He sprinted over, opened the car door, and rummaged through the back seat. Then he happily waved the pass at Yu Qianlin. “Master, I found it!”

With that, he ran excitedly toward her. Yu Qianlin sighed. Once Xiao C reached her panting, he picked up his toolbox and said, “Master, let’s go.”

“Go close the car door first.”

“Ah,” Xiao C turned his head and saw the rear door still wide open. He wailed, put down the toolbox, and ran back again.

She shook her head helplessly and waited until he ran back before they went inside together.

Today was a commercial event jointly organized by several car manufacturers and racing clubs — essentially an entertainment racing competition. Yu Qianlin’s shop often cooperated with them, so they had been invited to handle part of the vehicle maintenance.

They arrived quite early, so it wasn’t too hot yet and there weren’t many people inside. Xiao C looked at several beautifully modified cars parked not far away, itching to get closer. The roaring engines from the track also made his heart itch.

Yu Qianlin picked up a reflective vest and threw it to him. After putting it on, he said, “Master, let’s go outside and take a look.”

Yu Qianlin hadn’t planned to go, but she spotted a familiar business partner outside, so she went over to greet and chat with him. Meanwhile, Xiao C leaned against the safety netting, watching the luxury cars speeding past on the track. The roar of the engines made his blood boil with excitement.

After finishing her conversation, Yu Qianlin smiled and arranged to have dinner together sometime. Seeing that her colleagues had already started working, she called Xiao C and told him to get back to work.

Xiao C agreed verbally but didn’t move. Yu Qianlin dropped a warning: “If you don’t go now, don’t expect me to bring you out again.”

As she was about to head inside, she saw a familiar figure step out of a car. Several more young people got out of the cars behind, gathering together.

Yu Qianlin watched as Liu Yuelan skillfully linked arms with the boy beside her. The girl on her other side also put an arm around her shoulder, saying something that made her laugh.

The cheerful laughter and chatter from that group was particularly eye-catching. Yu Qianlin put her hands in her pockets and walked deeper into the maintenance area. Xiao C reluctantly glanced back a few times before following. Hearing the noise, he looked over curiously, then his eyes lit up. He shouted loudly, “Sister Liu!”

Xiao C happily ran up to Liu Yuelan. “Sister Liu, why are you here too?”

After speaking, he glanced at the boy beside her. The boy looked about the same age as him but was even taller than Liu Yuelan in her high heels. He had brown curly hair, big eyes, and a high nose bridge — he looked mixed-race. Xiao C’s gaze unconsciously carried a bit of jealousy and wariness, especially when he saw Liu Yuelan holding the boy’s arm.

Liu Yuelan looked at his outfit in surprise. “I came with friends to have fun. Are you here to help?”

Xiao C withdrew his gaze from the boy. “Yeah, Master brought us here.”

Liu Yuelan raised an eyebrow and looked toward the maintenance area. Sure enough, she saw a familiar back. The person was currently opening a car’s hood and working on it.

“Alright, I’ll come over to play with you guys later.”

“Okay! Then Sister Liu, I’ll go help first.”

After Xiao C ran off, Little A, who was chewing bubble gum, asked, “Ah Lan, who was that? When did you meet him?”

The boy beside her also looked at her curiously. Liu Yuelan looked at Little A teasingly. “It’s all because of you.”

After hearing the whole story, Little A started complaining again that the shop had screwed her over that day. Luckily she had still managed to see her brother, otherwise she would have gone over to cause trouble right now.

“Speaking of that, I just remembered — I told Young Master Wang that you would treat him to a meal. He took it seriously. Did he contact you later?”

Liu Yuelan’s smile faded. “He did. I said I didn’t have time and put him off a few times.”

The boy beside her frowned unhappily and asked in slightly accented Mandarin, “Ah Lan, is that old man still harassing you?”

Little A laughed so hard she bent over. “Come on, DD, he’s only in his thirties.”

“He already looks really old.”

Liu Yuelan ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled. “I’ll handle it.”

“Why does he keep harassing you even though he knows you’re a lesbian?”

Little A shook her head mysteriously. “You don’t understand. For a straight guy, turning a lesbian straight gives him more of a sense of achievement than making a hundred straight girls like him.”

DD looked half-understanding. Liu Yuelan poked Little A’s head. “Stop teaching him all this nonsense.”

Little A laughed so hard her body shook. The friends behind them watched the track for a while from the railing, eager to go for a few laps to warm up. They called DD to join them.

Liu Yuelan reminded him to wear his helmet and be careful. Little A also got into the car with him. Liu Yuelan specially warned DD not to listen to Little A’s coaxing and to just drive his own car properly. Little A protested from the side while DD nodded seriously. “Got it, Ah Lan.”

Back on this side, after Xiao C returned, he helped while constantly glancing toward Liu Yuelan. When he saw her reach out to touch the boy’s head, he gripped the wrench in his hand so tightly in anger. When Yu Qianlin reached for the tool, she found him staring off somewhere and couldn’t pull the wrench out because he was holding the handle too hard.

She picked up a nearby screwdriver and knocked on his cap. “If you don’t want to work, go back to the shop. Don’t get in the way here.”

Xiao C readjusted his cap and handed her the wrench with an awkward smile. “Master, I was wrong. I won’t look anymore.”

Yu Qianlin tightened a screw and asked casually, “What were you looking at?”

“Looking at Sister Liu. She’s so close with that guy next to her. She even touched his head just now. Hmph, I don’t know what their relationship is.”

Once Xiao C started, he couldn’t stop. “That guy is tall and handsome. He must have lots of girls liking him. But Sister Liu is such a mature and charming goddess — why would she like a pretty boy like that? It’s so unfair. Why do some people get to be handsome and rich while others are ugly and poor?”

Yu Qianlin put the tools back in the box and closed the hood. “And some people are ugly, poor, stupid, lazy, careless, and unwilling to work hard.”

Xiao C’s mouth fell open. He said aggrievedly, “Master, you’re not talking about me, right?!”

Yu Qianlin took off her gloves and stuffed them into her vest pocket. She tilted her head and looked at him with a fake smile. “What do you think?”

Xiao C’s face crumpled. “Master, am I really that bad?”

“No,” Xiao C’s face brightened for a second, but Yu Qianlin continued, “You’re even worse than that. And you’re gossiping about other people behind their backs.”

“What does their relationship have to do with you? Who they like is their freedom. You have no right to interfere. Flirting with one person today, touching another tomorrow, playing hard to get, hot and cold, acting on a whim — what gives you the right to criticize?”

Xiao C listened in stunned silence. He shakily pointed a finger at himself. “M-Master… are you still talking about me?”

“No. She’s talking about me.”

Hearing the smiling voice behind her, Yu Qianlin’s body stiffened and her eyes flickered.

Xiao C looked behind her. “Sister Liu? You’re here.”

“Mm.” Liu Yuelan took a few steps forward to stand beside Yu Qianlin. “It seems someone has quite a lot of resentment toward me. But I have my reasons!”

Yu Qianlin turned and walked deeper inside. Xiao C scratched his head in confusion. “Sister Liu, how did you know Master was talking about you just now? Why would she say that about you?”

Liu Yuelan’s gaze followed Yu Qianlin the whole time. She watched her pick up a bottle of water and gulp down more than half of it, then turned to ask Xiao C, “Is your Master always this tsundere?”

“Ah?”

Yu Qianlin sat on a stool facing the wall with half a bottle of water in her hand. The bottle made cracking sounds as she squeezed it. The sound of high heels approaching from behind felt like a death knell, growing clearer and clearer. Her heartbeat sped up along with it.

Then a head popped out from her right side, smiling at her. Yu Qianlin turned 90 degrees to the left. Liu Yuelan straightened up and circled around to peek at her from the other side again.

Yu Qianlin turned once more, only to meet the wide-eyed, stunned Xiao C at the entrance. Several colleagues were also looking over curiously. She stood up to leave, but a voice came from behind: “Stop.”

For some reason, she stopped instinctively. Liu Yuelan walked in front of her. “Clearly someone else is the one playing hard to get and being hot and cold, right?”

Yu Qianlin opened her mouth to retort, but caught sight of the people watching from the side. She lifted her foot and walked toward a corner. Liu Yuelan followed. Once they were blocked by a car, Yu Qianlin finally spoke. “I wasn’t.”

“Then neither was I.”

“It has nothing to do with me.”

Liu Yuelan felt this stubbornness of hers wasn’t going to end anytime soon. She explained gently, “I just thought you needed time to digest it. After all, having something like that discovered by someone else is a bit socially embarrassing, right? Your skin is so thin, I thought you wouldn’t want to chat with me so soon.”

Cracks appeared in Yu Qianlin’s originally indifferent expression. First, she hadn’t expected the woman to actually have a reason. Second, she hadn’t expected the reason to be… this kind of reason.

“So I was overthinking it. Your adjustment speed is pretty fast. Did you have similar experiences before?”

Yu Qianlin kept a straight face. “It’s not what you think. You misunderstood. I don’t have… I don’t have that.”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you tell me at the time?”

“You left too quickly. I didn’t have the chance.”

Liu Yuelan teased as she moved closer. “I see. Then next time I’ll walk slower. You have to remember to grab me.”

As she spoke, she took Yu Qianlin’s hand and interlaced their fingers tightly. “It’s best to hold on tight. That way I’ll understand your feelings.”

Yu Qianlin had just finished working, so her hands were very hot, while Liu Yuelan’s were cool and soft. Her restless emotions were soothed, but she still frowned and tried to pull her hand away. She didn’t know where Liu Yuelan got the strength from this time, but her grip was very tight. “Let go. I said don’t touch me.”

“What you say — some true, some false — I don’t know which to believe and which not to.”

Liu Yuelan suddenly looked at her seriously. Yu Qianlin’s movements paused. She knew what she meant, yet also seemed not to.

The two stared at each other silently for a minute before Xiao C interrupted weakly, “Master… someone is looking for you up front.”

Yu Qianlin quickly pulled her hand away. This time it came off easily, but it made it look as if they had been willingly holding hands before. She didn’t have time to think too much and strode out with big steps. Liu Yuelan watched her fleeing back, and the smile on her face faded.

“Sister Liu, are you okay?”

Liu Yuelan shook her head and left from the other side.

In the open square up front, the organizers had already started warming up the crowd. The event was about to begin. Yu Qianlin and her team didn’t have time to join the fun. They focused on quickly inspecting and maintaining the race cars. The sun had grown stronger by now. There wasn’t enough space inside, so some cars were parked in the passageways. They had to work under the blazing sun and soon broke out in sweat.

She didn’t see the boy Xiao C had mentioned, but she did see Little A standing guard on the side. When the other girl noticed her looking over, she first gave a polite smile, then seemed to remember something. She pointed at her in sudden realization. “It’s you! The person who made me late that day!”

Yu Qianlin looked up. Sweat dripped down her cheek to her chin. With an expressionless face, she said, “Sorry.”

Little A saw her completely unapologetic look and huffed angrily. “If Ah Lan hadn’t thought of another way and it hadn’t delayed me, I would definitely have complained about your shop for deceiving customers!”

Hearing the nickname with its unspoken meaning, Yu Qianlin glanced at her and continued working with her head down. From Little A’s angle, it looked like she had rolled her eyes. Thinking she was being provoked, Little A’s temper flared. “What’s with that look? Did I say something wrong?”

Later, when Xiao C came over carrying two packs of iced mineral water, he saw Yu Qianlin working with her head down while a girl beside her pointed and scolded aggressively. His mind heated up. He ran over, threw the water on the ground, and stood in front of Little A. “What do you want?”

Then he turned his head to Yu Qianlin and said, “Master, don’t be afraid. I’m here!”

After that, he turned back and pointed at Little A, shouting, “Don’t you know it’s rude to point at people with your finger? My Master has a good temper, but that doesn’t mean anyone can bully her! Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re a girl. If you dare scold my Master again, believe it or not, I won’t be polite!”

Yu Qianlin wiped the sweat from her face with her arm in irritation. She had no time to be moved and shouted sternly, “Get back there.”

Xiao C looked at her in confusion. Seeing she was really angry, he could only stand beside her, still glaring fiercely at Little A.

Little A had been inexplicably threatened. After the initial confusion, she quickly reacted. She put her hands on her hips, ready to retort, but Yu Qianlin stepped forward and bowed to her. “I’m sorry. Last time my mistake delayed your matter. I’m truly very sorry. In the future, if you come to our shop for repairs, we’ll give you a discount. My apprentice is still young and impulsive. He spoke out of urgency without understanding the situation. I apologize on his behalf. I’m very sorry.” She then bowed deeply again.

“Master…” Xiao C’s eyes reddened. He tugged at her clothes.

Yu Qianlin ignored him and remained bent over. Xiao C couldn’t stand it anymore. He rushed forward and bowed too. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Don’t blame my Master. Please forgive her!”

Little A took a step back. People around them started looking over. Little A’s face turned red from embarrassment. “Alright, alright, get up already. Why does it look like I’m the one bullying you? I didn’t even do anything!”

Xiao C didn’t stand up. He shouted loudly, “Please forgive us!”

“Okay, okay, I forgive you. Can you please get up? You’re not embarrassed, but I am!” Little A cursed her bad luck inwardly.

Yu Qianlin straightened up, grabbed Xiao C’s vest, and pulled him up. She pointed at the water on the ground. Xiao C immediately understood, opened a bottle, and handed it to her. She lifted her chin helplessly to indicate Little A in front.

Xiao C hesitated for a moment before handing the water over. “Please have some water.”

Little A had been fanning herself with a brochure and had broken out in sweat from the earlier scene. Seeing someone offer water, she didn’t refuse. She took it and tried to twist the cap, but whether from anger or heat, she couldn’t open it right away. Annoyed, she shoved the bottle back into Xiao C’s hand. “Has no one ever taught you that when giving water to a girl, you should open the cap first?”

Yu Qianlin, who was already drinking, choked. She coughed, screwed the cap back on, and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

At that moment, Liu Yuelan came over chatting and laughing with a boy. Xiao C happily handed her a bottle of water, then took another one. When he saw DD beside her, his movements became reluctant. DD didn’t notice at all and took it proactively. “Thank you.”

Xiao C muttered “You’re welcome” awkwardly. When he turned back, he discovered Yu Qianlin was already gone.

♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀

My favorite team won the race, so here’s an extra chapter [applause]

Also, there are no romantic lines between the other characters. They don’t take up too much screen time. Everything serves the main characters.

By the way, the name “DD” was something I casually came up with after A and C, but it feels quite fitting, haha.