Chapter 30: Electric Scooter Girl

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Electric Scooter Girl

Seeing that she was about to get worked up, Si Yingying shrugged helplessly. "Alright, I was just kidding. Come on, let’s get to class."

...

The afternoon class was Accounting. It was a long lecture, but one the girl enjoyed, so she paid close attention. By the time class was over, it was already four o’clock.

After watching the teacher leave, the girl finally stretched her sore neck.

Beside her, Si Yingying stood up, yawning. "It’s finally over. I’m starving. And it’s all your fault; I didn’t even get to finish my lunch."

’If she hadn’t come rushing over with her sister, I would’ve at least finished my potato and beef brisket rice. I wouldn’t be this hungry at only four o’clock.’

Seeing her best friend looking utterly famished, the girl said magnanimously, "I’ll treat you to dinner this weekend. Let’s get hotpot!"

At the mention of food, Si Yingying pouted. "Forget about dinner. How about you introduce me to a handsome guy instead?"

She wasn’t interested in food; what she really needed was a handsome guy to date. After all, she was the type of person who felt like she’d die if she wasn’t in a relationship.

"I don’t have any handsome guys!"

"Then Teacher Xiao would be fine, too."

"Get outta here!"

"So stingy!"

The two girls left the classroom, chatting and laughing all the way until they parted at the small campus plaza.

The afternoon sun was especially blinding. The girl quickly pulled out her helmet and put it on. Her small, fair hands gripped the handlebars, and with a swing of her long legs, she straddled the electric scooter.

A second later, however, she felt a searing heat on her bottom and instinctively leaped off the seat.

She hurriedly patted her bottom.

’Good heavens, how is it this hot?’

’If I’d been any slower, my bottom probably would’ve caught on fire!’

The destructive power of a black seat that had been baking in the sun all afternoon was no joke.

The girl’s dewy eyes glared unhappily at the scooter seat before she started pushing it toward the school gate. She had to admit, the sudden sensation of a seared bottom was genuinely frightening.

’That’s the first time in my life I’ve ever felt anything like that.’

She licked her soft pink lips, thinking as she walked.

’It’s summer, so it’s only going to get hotter. I wonder if my brother-in-law’s butt gets scorched every day, too.’

At the thought, she couldn’t help but clench her own bottom.

’Yeesh.’

’So painful.’

’Suddenly, Brother Xiao Ran seemed so pitiful. He has to endure this kind of torture every day.’

Since the seat was too hot to sit on anyway, the girl simply parked the scooter under the shade of a tree. She squatted down, took out her phone, and started searching for heat-proof summer seat covers.

After a few taps on the screen with her slender fingers, a whole list of heat-proof seat covers appeared.

They came in all sorts of materials, from plastic to gel. The prices were all over the place, and she guessed the quality was, too.

The girl carefully deliberated for a long time before finally choosing a gel cushion. The price was a bit steep—two hundred yuan.

But for the sake of her brother-in-law’s well-being—and his bottom—the generous girl clicked to place the order.

After buying the seat cushion, the girl didn’t get up right away. Instead, she opened WeChat, found Xiao Ran, and typed out a message.

Yan Xici: Brother-in-law, what do you want for dinner? I can pick it up on my way home.

Xiao Ran and Liu Min had just settled on a general direction for their work and were making small talk when he received Yan Xici’s message.

He replied: It’s out of your way if you’re taking the bus. I’ll go get it.

Yan Xici: It’s fine, I took the scooter today.

His eyes widened as he read the WeChat message on his phone.

’What?’

’She said she rode the scooter?’

’Who told her she could ride it?’

’Ever since Yan Li moved out, this girl’s gotten bolder and bolder.’

’Does she really think there’s no one to keep her in line anymore?’

’She just learned how to ride! Who said she could take it to campus? What if she crashes?!’

Xiao Ran: Who told you you could ride the scooter!!!

Yan Xici: It was an emergency! My sister suddenly decided to visit me at my dorm, and I only had ten minutes. I never would have made it to campus without the scooter.

’It wasn’t like I wanted to ride it! It was an act of desperation!’

Xiao Ran: You should wait for me at school. I’ll take you home.

Yan Xici: Don’t be so dramatic. I’ll be fine!

Xiao Ran: No, you can’t!

Yan Xici: Yes, I can!

Xiao Ran: You really can’t.

Having her abilities denied twice in a row by Xiao Ran, the girl started to feel defiant. She pursed her lips, staring indignantly at his profile picture.

’Hmph, what makes him think I can’t do it?’

’Not only can I do it, I can do it really well!’

Yan Xici: You’re the one who can’t! You!

Xiao Ran’s eyelid twitched as he read her reply.

He sat up straight from where he’d been leaning back. ’What is with this kid? Does she have any idea how much words like that can wound a grown man’s pride?’

’Who’s the one who can’t?’

’That’s not why he got divorced!’

Xiao Ran: Are you looking for trouble? You want me to tell your sister?

Xiao Ran: Do not ride the scooter. Wait for me on campus!

Yan Xici replied as if she hadn’t seen his messages at all: Let’s have water spinach and eggplant with minced pork for dinner. It’s decided!

After sending the message, the girl tucked her phone into her small purse. She was going to prove to him that she could do it!

’Not only can I do it, I’m going to buy the groceries, too!’

Xiao Ran often made those two dishes, so she figured he must like them.

Her pride wounded, the girl was already on her electric scooter, riding off campus.

It was strange, now that she thought about it. On the way here, her mind had been so preoccupied with how to handle her sister that she hadn’t felt scared at all.

But now that the crisis was over, she felt quite nervous getting back on the scooter.

She rode off campus and headed toward the fresh food market, her speed much slower than before, mainly because she was afraid of hitting someone.

Strangely, however, the slower she went, the less control she seemed to have over the handlebars.

The inexperienced girl didn’t know, of course, that electric scooters rely on momentum. When riding fast, the greater resistance actually makes it slightly easier to steer.

But when she slowed down, the resistance lessened, making the handlebars feel much lighter and the front of the scooter more prone to wobbling.

It was only a ten-minute ride, but it was an agonizing, nerve-wracking ordeal.

But she didn’t regret it. The girl on the scooter wore a determined expression, silently telling herself that this was just because she wasn’t used to it yet. It would get much better with practice!

Her heart still pounding, the girl on the scooter finally made it to the market. After buying a bunch of water spinach, an eggplant, and some minced meat, she prepared to head back the way she came.

It was nearly five o’clock, the middle of rush hour, and the market was absolutely swarming with people.

In the mere ten minutes she’d been inside, she could already feel a significant increase in the crowd. It was no exaggeration to say that the once-bustling market was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

There was nothing to be done about it. It was the only fresh food market around, surrounded by an elementary school, a university, and a small park. An area like this was destined to be crowded.

The girl pushed her scooter, carefully making her way toward the exit while reassuring herself that things would be better once she was outside.

She had assumed things would improve once she left the market. To her surprise, while there were fewer pedestrians outside, the number of electric scooters and cars had increased significantly.

Especially on the sidewalk.

Electric scooters and private cars were mixed in with a few pedestrians. In short, it was total chaos.

The girl swallowed nervously, swung her leg over the scooter, and carefully twisted the throttle with her right hand.

’Please let me get home safely!’ she prayed silently.

Perhaps it was a case of her worst fears coming true.

She hadn’t gotten far when a horn blared from in front of her.

The driver was a middle-aged woman who had just gotten off work and was in a hurry to buy groceries and get home to cook for her kids. Seeing the girl blocking her way, she couldn’t resist honking.

The girl was already an unsteady rider, and the sudden honk made her even more flustered. She instinctively tried to swerve out of the way.

But as she swerved, the unstable scooter lost its balance and toppled heavily onto its side.

With a cry of alarm, Yan Xici’s mind went blank, and she squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

By the time she came to her senses, her long, fair leg was pinned beneath the scooter, and a sharp, throbbing pain radiated from her knee.

Almost instantly, a fine sheen of sweat broke out on the girl’s smooth forehead.

From the pain, even without looking, she knew her leg must have scraped against the asphalt, tearing the skin.

The driver was stunned by the scene before her. ’I didn’t even touch her. How did she just fall over on her own?’

’If she didn’t look so young, pretty, and innocent, I’d really think she was trying to pull an insurance scam!’