Me?
Lin Shen bit the end of his chopsticks, rice just entering his mouth, a look of mild astonishment on his face.
He recovered quickly, immediately joking,
"Of course! As long as you’re willing, Nan."
"Hmph."
Qin Yuenan curled her lip disdainfully and lowered her head, shoveling a few bites of rice into her mouth, seeming to deliberately avoid the sensitive topic.
She knew Lin Shen wasn’t being serious, so she didn’t take it seriously either.
"Where do you want to go cycling this weekend?"
"I have plans this weekend."
Lin Shen looked slightly apologetic.
"I made plans with a friend to get barbecue. How about we move it to next week?"
"Where?"
"Wei’s Barbecue on Shouning Road."
Lin Shen said with a light chuckle.
"The internet says their crawfish is pretty good. I was planning to go try it."
"Oh."
An offhand remark for him, a key piece of information for her.
Qin Yuenan silently committed the name "Wei’s Barbecue" to memory.
After dinner, she drove Lin Shen home.
"Good night, Nan."
"Good night."
After watching Lin Shen head upstairs with the cardboard box, Qin Yuenan didn’t leave right away. Instead, she sat in her car, lost in thought.
The soothing music on the radio let her mind drift.
♪I love you, what a clear and firm belief~♪
...
Qin Yuenan kept replaying Lin Shen’s expression when she’d asked, "Would you be willing?"
Surprise, astonishment, and a hint of fear.
Apparently, Lin Shen was a little afraid of getting into a relationship.
’Was it because his heart was completely broken by his last relationship?’
Qin Yuenan felt a sudden wave of irritation and floored the accelerator, sending the car roaring down the road.
*
*
"WHEW—!"
After hauling the box upstairs, Lin Shen eagerly tore open the packaging and took out the road bike’s manual, reading it carefully.
A Giant TCR?
Lin Shen wasn’t sure how much the bike was worth, so he curiously looked it up online.
He was fine not knowing, but the result of his search gave him a shock.
Thirty thousand?
Lin Shen scratched his head, feeling a bit dazed.
An Advanced-grade top-tier carbon frame, a Shimano Ultegra R8000 mechanical groupset, and Giant SLR-2 carbon fiber wheels.
Even though they were just a bunch of English terms he didn’t understand, he could tell something was up from how light the bike was and the high-quality feel of its mechanical components.
’There’s a reason this bike is worth thirty thousand!’
"Nan is way too extravagant."
Lin Shen couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.
"She gave me such an expensive road bike just to find a cycling partner?"
’This wealthy big-sis really spares no expense!’
Lin Shen started gleefully assembling the road bike, screwdriver in his left hand and wrench in his right, tinkering away with a series of CLANKS and RATTLES.
"Done!"
An hour later, Lin Shen stood up, dusting off his hands. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and admired the masterpiece he had just finished assembling.
The bike’s lines were smooth and natural. The carbon fiber construction made it both lightweight and stylish, exuding mechanical beauty.