Post-match kiss

Su Jin answered the phone on speakerphone without saying a word.

A few seconds later, a soft sigh came from the other end of the line, "Su Su, can we talk? Where did you go? I can't find you or contact you, and then you suddenly say you want to break up..."

"Lu Mingzhou, I'm not avoiding you, we've broken up."

"Susu, about the racing..."

"You knew perfectly well that it wasn't my mistake, but when you and the company faced the media, you shifted all the blame onto me!" Su Jin said bitterly.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Su Su. You're an engineer, you trust data more than I do, don't you? You were the only one who touched the race car that night."

The things I said to the media were things the company told me to say; if I hadn't, they would have fired me too. Someone has to be held accountable for this.

"You're so obedient to the company that they'll promote you and give you a raise, right? I'll say it again, we've broken up, please don't contact me again."

"I don't want to break up like this. Can we meet and talk? Give me a chance to win you back. Su Su, we've been together for so many years, how can you be so heartless?"

Su Jin's lips trembled as memories of the past flooded her mind.

Top Chain Company focuses on various extreme racing events. Lu Mingzhou, a senior from the same college and her boyfriend, chose to come here as a race manager.

Su Jin followed in his footsteps and became a top-tier racing engineer through her own abilities.

They complemented each other perfectly at work, and a stolen kiss in a quiet corner during a break was the most romantic thing for them.

With her lover and career within reach, Su Jin once thought she was the happiest person in the world.

But in racing, the limits, accidents, and risks are always present on the road to success.

The race car he had handled went off the track, crashed into the rocks, rolled into the jungle, and then exploded.

The raging fire still seemed to be right before her eyes. Her lover's distrust and the company's cold-heartedness caused her a long period of suffering.

Su Jin asked, her lips trembling, "Mingzhou, do you really believe me?"

Lu Mingzhou remained silent for a longer time this time, but he was still gentle. "I believe you, Su Su. Come see me."

A single word is worth a thousand. He says he believes it, but in reality, he still doesn't.

Su Jin hung up the phone and blocked Lu Mingzhou.

When the company dismissed her ruthlessly, ignoring the evidence she provided and making her take the blame, and Lu Mingzhou stood on the same side as the company, she knew that no one believed her anymore.

Two months had passed, and to avoid suspicion, Lu Mingzhou hadn't contacted her. Now that he knew she was back in the country, he called again. Who was he trying to fool with this act of being a big shot?

She lay in bed in agony, her eyes filled with Lu Mingzhou's words on the radio when she opened them, and with her eyes closed, she saw the fire on the sports field.

Tired of exhaustion and insomnia, she didn't even know when she finally fell asleep.

She wasn't woken up by the alarm clock until the sun was high in the sky.

Su Jin had a splitting headache. She grabbed her phone and saw that she was late!

She hurriedly got up and tidied herself up. She didn't have time to put on makeup, but fortunately, the swelling in her eyes had gone down a lot. She just applied some concealer to cover up the redness and swelling.

To make it look less odd that she was wearing sunglasses, she wore a sundress and a straw hat she had bought while traveling, making her look like someone on vacation.

This small city is monotonous and dull; all the buildings seem to be copied and pasted.

Everyone's face bears the marks of life's hardships, but her vibrant presence seemed to belong to another world, inevitably drawing sidelong glances from passersby.

She took a taxi to the agreed-upon location, an area near the suburbs where low bungalows with corrugated iron roofs stood and tall trees cast long shadows.

Su Jin, carrying her bag, walked to a vertical blackboard with several large characters written on it in vigorous strokes.

"I Miss You Tavern".

The tavern is closed during the day, and empty bottles are piled up at the entrance, forming the shape of a Christmas tree.

Voices came from inside the door; the voices sounded somewhat familiar.

Su Jin looked at the curtain in front of her, which was mixed with engine oil and unknown stains, and her inner germaphobe screamed.

After mentally preparing herself, she used two fingers to lift the curtain and slipped inside through the gap.

The curtain faces the bar, behind which lie two people, who are not immediately visible.

But their discussion was so loud that it was hard for anyone to miss it.

"Hey Zhou, how come you suddenly have money to treat me to drinks? You're usually so stingy, always reluctant to spend money, what a change of heart?"

"I ran into some idiot yesterday who even gave me a tip. He came back from New York and thinks this tiny place is the center of their time. Why doesn't he go downtown and see if there's a Statue of Liberty there?" Zhou Zheng said lazily, closing his eyes to rest.

Su Jin's face darkened. What a small world!

You can run into this idiot anywhere.

He not only smoked, but also drank heavily.

She walked to the bar and tapped on the table.

Zhou Zheng didn't open his eyes, and kicked the chair next to him. "Fatty, serve the customer."

The fat man, slightly tipsy, opened one eye and his eyes widened when he saw Su Jin. "Beautiful...beautiful lady, not open for business yet? Are you looking for someone or for drinks?"

"I'm looking for an idiot," Su Jin said slowly.

Zhou Zheng's ears twitched. He would never forget the person he had met and the voice he had heard just yesterday.

He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his arms to sit up.

He wasn't wearing a shirt on his upper body, and his well-defined abs were faintly visible in the dim light.

Su Jin suddenly felt that the man in the shadows was somewhat jarring, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

How could she have seen a man living in such a small place elsewhere?

"Who are you looking for?" the fat man asked, still dazed.

Zhou Zheng pushed him aside and put on a short-sleeved shirt.

"Oh, God has come."

"Isn't that being a complete idiot?"

"Am I a complete idiot?" Zhou Zheng stretched, loosening every muscle in his body.

Su Jin found it hard to believe that this person was actually a driver of an unlicensed taxi. Logically speaking, someone who sits for long periods of time wouldn't have such a good physique.

Zhou Zheng snapped his fingers. "Hey, have you seen enough?"

Su Jin rolled her eyes at him, and said indignantly, "Who was looking at you? I'm going to find the tavern owner."

Zhou Zheng didn't expose her, but gave the fat man a look. The fat man was unwilling; he still wanted to see the beautiful woman!

But forced by Zhou Zheng's tyranny and the alcohol, he could only sigh and go to the boss.

Once the fat man left, the bar quieted down again.

Zhou Zheng glanced at her attire; it was quite striking. No wonder he remembered her—such a beautiful person was a rare sight in this run-down place.

Su Jin ignored him and took out her phone to make a call.

The phone rang, and the owner of the number came out from the passageway behind the bar.

The man was handsome and probably only twenty-four years old. The moment he saw Su Jin, his eyes lit up like a puppy's.

"Miss Su!"

"You... are you the bar owner?" Su Jin's phone was still ringing, but she still couldn't believe that the handsome man in front of her was the owner.

"Tu Ying?"

"That's me." Tu Ying smiled and extended his hand to shake hers.