Chapter 10
This is so much better than before...
And he even gave her his number for her to add. Anuo pursed her lips and obediently added his personal contact.
He quickly verified her request. Then, Chen Baifan sent her a couple of messages.
— I feel like I should apologize.
— If I didn't call you like that, you might not have recognized me. I didn't mean anything else by it.
Upon reading his words, Anuo paused for a moment, unable to help herself, and asked: How did you recognize me? It's been over ten years; I've even forgotten your name. Plus, I look very different from how I did when I was a kid.
Chen Baifan responded: My mother showed me some pictures recently. When she and her friends went to Chuanfu, they met your mother.
Anuo instantly understood. She thought back to what she had just discussed with Yingshuhe and felt a twinge of embarrassment. Why didn't her mom send pictures of that guy to her, saying, "Look, the fat neighbor from your childhood has turned into a handsome man"? Then, she wouldn't have been so awkward in front of him.
Dumbfounded, she finally replied with a casual: What a coincidence.
He responded quickly: Yeah.
Now, what should she say? Small talk felt so painful... but not talking was painful too.
Anuo was agonizing over what to say next when Chen Baifan suddenly brought up a topic.
— Are you planning to buy a car?
Anuo was surprised: How did you know?
After sending the message, she suddenly remembered her mother talking about getting the neighbor guy to accompany her to buy a car... She had declined, right? So why was he asking?
But...
...Thank goodness he asked.
Anuo replied: My mom mentioned it. Chen Baifan said: Yeah, I'll go with you. It's not safe for a young girl on her own.
Chen Baifan added: Just let me know when you're free. I can arrange with my colleagues.
Seeing these messages, Anuo couldn't contain her excitement. She rolled around in her bed, burying her face in her pillow, and kept giggling. Oh my gosh... her mom had thrown her a pie in the face.
After calming down a bit, Anuo picked up her phone, her fingers trembling with excitement. Chen Baifan might have thought she was taking too long to respond, so he offered her an easy way out:
— If you have a friend to go with you, that's fine too.
Anuo's eyes widened, and she couldn't help blurting out what she was thinking: "No, it's not like that!"
She quickly added: "I don't have any friends."
She felt a bit guilty for excluding Yingshuhe, so she added another message:
— Go car shopping with me.
It felt like she was being too direct... Anuo bit her lip, hesitated for a few seconds, and sent one more message:
— If you're busy, I can go by myself.
After sending the messages, Anuo immediately pressed the power button on her phone and clasped her hands together in a plea: Please reject me! You must say you're free!
Otherwise, she might end up on her knees.
In the next moment, her phone rang with a notification sound.
Anuo lit up her phone screen and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the messages:
Chen Baifan: No worries, I'm not that busy.
Anuo couldn't help but smile when she read his response. Her fingertips quickly tapped on the screen: "You can choose the time; I'm available whenever."
This time, the reply from Chen Baifan was a bit slower, probably as he was considering. After a brief wait, he answered: "How about the end of the month? I have my day off on the 31st."
Anuo, wanting to make sure she didn't lose this opportunity, quickly responded: "That works."
They agreed to meet at the entrance of Shui'an Huacheng on the 31st. Chen Baifan left half an hour earlier than the appointed time.
He went to the parking lot, took a car, and drove to the entrance of the residential complex. He expected to wait for a while, but he was pleasantly surprised when Anuo arrived earlier than he did.
She stood beneath a withered tree near the security booth, absentmindedly tracing the patterns on the tree's bark with her slender white fingers.
Anuo was dressed in a brown collared wool coat and black slacks. Her short, soft hair cascaded down, slightly tousled, and she wore a pure black knitted beanie to complete her look.
Chen Baifan parked his car nearby, got out, and called her name: "Anuo."
Anuo turned her head to look at him, seemingly lost in thought, with a somewhat vacant expression. Her eyelashes drooped for a moment, then shot back up, and she casually adjusted her beanie as if she were unfazed by his presence.
Chen Baifan approached her and said softly, "You're here so early."
Anuo cheekily replied, "I got the time wrong."
Anuo would never reveal the truth: she had woken up at 6 am and spent an hour deciding when to leave. In the end, she chose to arrive earlier, as she had asked him to accompany her, and it wouldn't be polite to make him wait.
Chen Baifan said with a nonchalant "Ah," and casually suggested, "I'll remind you next time."
Anuo suddenly looked up when she saw him already turning toward his car, pointing in its direction. His tone seemed devoid of any other meaning.
His voice was warm and clear, as if a breath of spring breeze in the winter.
"Let's get in the car; it's cold outside," he suggested gently.
Anuo replied with a soft "Okay" and followed him.
She noticed that he walked toward the passenger side, as if he were going to open the door for her. Anuo's brain suddenly short-circuited, and the words that came out of her mouth made no sense: "I haven't driven since I got my license. Should I drive instead?"
She regretted her words and was about to change her mind when Chen Baifan unlocked the car with his key and turned toward the driver's seat, reaching for the door.
Upon seeing his actions, Anuo sighed in relief and said, "Never mind."
Chen Baifan slightly paused and turned to her. "Aren't you going to drive?" he asked softly.
Anuo quickly turned her head, avoiding his gaze. "You want me to drive?"
"Yes, come over."
Anuo crashed into his eyes, hastily withdrawing her gaze. She opened the car door and mumbled, "Alright."
Chen Baifan did not sit in the car and leaned over to the top of the car window. "If you want to drive, just drive."
Anuo hesitated, her hands nervously gripping her lap. "I don't know... Is it really okay?"
"Yeah, come here."
Anuo, feeling relieved, quickly opened the car door. She got in and muttered to herself, "Fine."
Chen Baifan entered the car shortly after. In the small car, the atmosphere felt filled with his presence, almost as if it were an extension of him. There was a faint scent of disinfectant, but it was subtle, mingling with a light hint of mint, creating a fresh and gentle aroma.
In the next moment, he started the car. Anuo, feeling awkward and not wanting to play with her phone, was unsure what to say. She turned to look out the window and noticed how the static scenery seemed to come to life, rushing past faster and faster.
The atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, though Anuo was likely the only one who felt it. During a red light, Chen Baifan turned his head and gave her a quick glance.
Anuo had both of her hands clasped and interlocked, resting on her lap. Chen Baifan was tapping his fingertips on the steering wheel in a rhythmic pattern. Then, he reached for the car radio and adjusted the volume to a comfortable level.
Anuo turned her head when she heard the sound, and her gaze fell upon his sharply defined profile. His features were as crisp as the clear blue sky outside. It felt like he had gained a vivid outline under the azure canopy.
Anuo suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Was he trying to break the silence because he found it too quiet, or...?
Should I say something? What should I say?
Anuo hesitated for a while and then nervously asked, "How long will it take to get there, roughly?"
"About twenty minutes," Chen Baifan replied nonchalantly. "It won't take long."
"Okay," and another awkward silence followed.
Anuo didn't want to disrupt his driving, so she started to sink into her thoughts and memories.
She remembered that when she was in first grade, Chen Baifan was in the fifth grade. So, if you did the math, he was four years older than her. Anuo was now twenty-three, so Chen Baifan would be twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven...
Anuo suddenly turned to him and asked, "Are you twenty-seven this year?"
Chen Baifan turned the steering wheel, acknowledging with a simple "Yeah."
Upon hearing his response, Anuo blurted out, "So, you should be married, right?"
"..."
"..."
Conveniently, they hit a red light, and Chen Baifan stepped on the brakes, glancing at Anuo from the corner of his eye.
He moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue, answering in a low tone, "No."
Anuo's face suddenly flushed, and she turned her head to look out of the window. She began to babble, "I didn't mean anything by it; I just thought you're about that age..."
The words were like a dagger plunged into Chen Baifan's heart.
"Aren't you in a hurry to get a girlfriend?"
A girlfriend.
The second stab.
Anuo rambled on, feeling that her words made no sense: "No, I..."
The red light outside began to count down, five... four...
Chen Baifan couldn't help but interrupt her, his tone emotionless, "I don't have a girlfriend."
Girlfriend.
The third strike.
Anuo continued to babble, not paying attention to his expression. She just rambled on, feeling utterly amused.
Chen Baifan maintained a polite but slightly sullen smile on his lips.
Deep down, he muttered, "When she's twenty-seven and still unmarried, I must, absolutely must, say something like that to her."
After they arrived at the car dealership, a salesperson enthusiastically recommended various cars, explaining their features and performance. Anuo, not having much knowledge about cars, simply chose the one she thought looked nice and made no other comments about Chen Baifan's suggestions.
However, Chen Baifan took the initiative to compare the car they picked to another brand's model. Anuo pointed to a light pink car and hesitated, saying, "This one looks nice."
Chen Baifan followed her gaze and thought for a few seconds. Then, he nodded lazily and commented, "The safety features seem decent."
Hearing his words, Anuo nodded and made her decision. She told the salesperson, "Let's go with this one."
Chen Baifan paused for a moment. "Aren't you going to look at more options?"
Anuo also paused, asking, "Didn't you want me to buy this one?"
Before he could explain, Anuo waved her hand and added, "Good looks and safety are enough. Besides, I don't drive much."
Chen Baifan nodded, not saying anything more.
After the car-buying process was completed, the two of them left the dealership. Chen Baifan suddenly remembered something, asking, "When did you get your driver's license?"
Anuo didn't hesitate and said, "At eighteen."
"Would you like to practice driving?" Chen Baifan suggested.
Anuo shook her head, "No need. I'm pretty good at driving."
Chen Baifan was skeptical of her words but handed her the car key, palm facing up, teasing her, "Then you drive?"
Anuo accepted the car key directly from his hand, feeling his cool skin under her fingertips, and replied, "Sure."
"..." Why did she agree?
Chen Baifan began to regret his impulsive decision.
Five years without driving...
He didn't dare to imagine.
As it turned out, the journey back to Shui'an Huacheng was quite smooth.
Chen Baifan's elbow rested on the window sill as he inwardly thought, "This girl, it's hard to believe many of the things she says."
Anuo drove into the residential complex and parked the car according to Chen Baifan's instructions.
They both got out of the car and walked toward Building 12.
"Quite a coincidence," Chen Baifan smiled, "I just remembered that we live in the same building."
Anuo adjusted her hat with her hand, "Yes, it's quite a coincidence."
Inside the elevator, Chen Baifan pressed the button for the fifth floor and asked, "Which floor do you live on?"
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