âNope. Iâve made myself clear. Next time at the Datang meeting, Iâll show you how fierce this little missy can be!â Xiao Su pouted, her face filled with bluster.
âI beg you, milady, to spare me!â Yang Ping made a mock kowtow gesture.
Xiao Su gleamed with satisfaction. âFine. Since youâre pleading so sincerely, Iâll wait for now.â
âI have a question. You said youâve never made a mistake before. What does that mean?â Xiao Suâs face fell.
Having just been overflowing with laughter, she was now suddenly serious.
âWhat? What do you mean?â Yang Ping was completely confused.
Xiao Su cooed like a shrew, âTell the truth, your quirky measurement technique never messed up; how many have you measured?â
So this was what she meant. Yang Ping was relieved but somewhat embarrassed. Heâd never been in a relationship before. In university, he was too shy to even chat with girls close by. At times, he had doubted whether the university he attended was even authentic compared to others.
âIf you donât confess right now, youâll have to do so at the Datang meeting later,â Xiao Su retorted.
âIâm confident about this. As for the method, Iâve only ever applied it once, and that was in my presence,â Yang Ping replied jovially.
âReally?â Xiao Suâs face burst into a smile.
âTruly! Look into my eyes, complete sincerity here!â Yang Ping stared intently at her.
On the verge of laughter, Xiao Su exclaimed, âYouâre really scared, arenât you? Itâs okay, even if you have measured a few. Just donât abuse this unique skill in the future.â
Yang Ping felt relieved, thankful that heâd never been intimate with a woman before. With Xiao Suâs threats and entrapments, he felt lucky to have survived her questioning unscathed.
After a short break, Xiao Su mysteriously informed him, âStay here and wait for me; I have to buy a few things.â
âIâll go with you.â Yang Ping began to collect his things.
âNo, just rest here and wait for me. No need to accompany.â Xiao Su was insistent, and not wanting to push her, he agreed, though he remained curious about what she might be up to.
âDonât wander off; hurry back.â Yang Ping told her.
Xiao Su raised her hand in an OK gesture and left the café.
Compared to coffee, Yang Ping preferred tea.
Yang Ping signaled a waiter, âDo you serve tea here?â
âIâm sorry, sir. We only serve coffee!â replied the waiter.
âOh! Makes sense, a café wouldnât sell tea.â He muttered to himself.
Half an hour later, Xiao Su returned carrying a bag, which upon his quick glance, appeared to contain clothes.
Xiao Su blocked his view with her hand, âThatâs for my family, no peeking!â
Intrigued by the apparent mystery involved in buying clothes, Yang Ping offered to hold the bag for her, but Xiao Su refused, âI can carry it; Iâll put it in the car shortly.â
Checking the time, Xiao Su proposed, âWe still have plenty of time. Iâm going to take you driving! The University City area is less busy and the roads are new and wide â perfect for learning to drive. After driving, we can find a place to eat and then head home.â
Overall, the day was quite enjoyable. Despite his strong aversion to shopping, doing it with Xiao Su made it one of the most exciting experiences for him.
At the parking lot, Xiao Su neatly placed the few bags of clothes she had bought on the back seat before taking Yang Ping to drive around University City.
Due to its wide and new roads along with scanty traffic, University City of G City was indeed a good place to practice driving. Few cars were on the road, with some clearly marked as instructor vehicles, while the tortoise-like speed of others gave away learners practicing their skills.
They parked by the roadside and Xiao Su switched places with Yang Ping.
An SUV was parked in front, and suddenly a revving sound startled them.
Yang Ping poked his head to see a girl in the driverâs seat. She must have floored the accelerator while the car was in neutral. He was relieved that the car was not in reverse, or else she would have bolted straight for them.
With his training in the System Space and accumulated talent points, Yang Ping quickly realized that his learning ability had surpassed that of the average person. Coupled with the fact that he already had a driving license and had undergone formal training, he felt at ease.
âDonât be scared, start slow and get a feel for the car. Whenever you feel comfortable, you can increase speed. As long as you donât accelerate, keep your foot on the brake. If press vertically down, youâll brake, and if you press it at an angle, youâll accelerate. In case of any emergencies, your first instinct should be to use your right foot to brake. Remember this, and relax. Iâm here.âver the car with a practiced look.
As if he were an old hand at driving, Yang Ping adjusted his seat and fastened his seatbelt.
He recalled his driving lessons when he was earning his license. Steps for starting the car instantly popped into his head, unfolding in the form of sequential images brake pedal, ignition, selection of D mode, left turn signal, release hand-brake, release foot brake, and lightly press the accelerator if required.
Yang Ping grew puzzled. This car was quite different from the clunky Volkswagen he had trained on. He had examined it earlier and couldnât find the ignition or a gear stick in the central control area, not even a switch for the electronic handbrake.
âThis car differs from others. It doesnât have a gear stick in the central control area. Instead, gears are shifted using a lever on the steering wheel: up for reverse, down for drive, and in the middle for neutral. See, the chrome button on the right side of the lever is the parking brake. You just need to press it to the left. The ignition works differently too; thereâs no ignition button. As long as the car key is within the carâs sensing range and youâve depressed the brake pedal, the car will power on. Then, switch to D mode, step on the accelerator â actually, itâs an electric pedal â and the car will start moving. You can switch to neutral when waiting at red lights,â Xiao Su explained patiently.
âUntil now, the only car I have driven was a manual Volkswagen Jetta.â Yang Ping listened attentively to Xiao Su and repeated the instructions to ensure he had understood correctly.
He had it under control.
He pressed the brake pedal to power up the car, switched to D mode, turned on the left indicator, released the brake, lightly pressed the electric pedal, and off he went!
âNot bad at all! You sure you havenât driven for a few years since you got your license?â Xiao Su found it hard to believe.
âHonestly, I havenât!â Yang Ping confirmed.
Xiao Su remarked, âDriving is really about the coordination of your hands and mind. As a skilled surgeon, you must have good hand-eye coordination, so naturally, youâd handle the car well. Feel free to speed up if you feel comfortable.â
Yang Ping gradually increased his speed, and upon reaching a traffic light, he smoothly applied the brakes, switched to neutral gear, and stopped. His movements were impressively smooth.
After a round trip around the University City, he felt very familiar with driving.
âYou have a good feel for the car. Go for a few more turns!â Xiao Su quenched her thirst with some water.
After a few more rounds, Xiao Su suggested, âLetâs park by the side and take a breather!â
Yang Ping parked the car accurately thirty centimeters from the kerb, braked, and shifted to P mode. They both got out of the car to get some fresh air.
The car parked nearby, which had been doing a few rounds as well, also pulled over to rest. It was the same car that had revved its engine earlier. The man and the woman also got out to take a breather.
The man had noticed Xiao Su instructing Yang Ping in the car earlier. When he saw Yang Ping step out of the car, he looked at him disdainfully, finding it pathetic to see a grown man being taught how to drive by a woman.
However, when Xiao Su got out of the car, his eyes were fixed on her. Taking note of the Tesla they were driving, his gaze returned to Yang Ping. The earlier disdain had now turned into admiration!