Chapter 253 - 193: Screwed Up and the Official Announcement

"Hey, don’t look at me like that! I didn’t do anything; it broke down on its own!"

Sang Yuan blinked, looking wronged. He turned on the hazard lights and prepared to get out and place the warning triangle.

Ni Bingyan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Is that really how you see me? As some kind of petty, suspicious person?"

’People die, so of course cars can break down.’

She found it hard to believe only because she had just gotten the car serviced two days ago. Logically, the chances of it malfunctioning should have been very low.

Besides, she had only bought the car a little over a year ago. She took good care of it, it had never been in an accident, and she didn’t even drive it that often when she was busy filming. It looked practically brand new!

’I can’t believe its first breakdown came so soon!’

As evening fell, the car broke down in the middle of nowhere. And her boyfriend had been the one driving. Anyone else in her shoes would probably suspect their boyfriend of some scheme, of trying to take advantage of the situation.

But Ni Bingyan had known Sang Yuan for a long time. She knew him well enough to be sure that, given his character, he would never do something like that.

’Besides, I’m not an idiot. Don’t I know it’s my own car? He wouldn’t have had any opportunity to mess with it.’

Sang Yuan was terrified of making a bad impression, so his first reaction was to declare his innocence.

When Ni Bingyan heard this, however, she felt he was painting her as far too suspicious, and she was naturally displeased.

Romance was like that—like a sheet of paper printed on only one side. One face was blank and simple, but the other was covered in indecipherable ancient script. One wrong move, and the difficulty level could switch in an instant.

Both wanted to leave a good impression on the other, so even the most trivial things could fray their sensitive nerves.

Logically, Sang Yuan had been reborn. In his mind, their relationship had long reached the point where one could fart under the covers and the other would remain perfectly composed.

But things were different in this life. He had worked so hard to finally win her over, so he couldn’t help but be a little paranoid, terrified that one misstep would lead them to an inevitable breakup.

’I’m screwed! Why didn’t I think before I opened my big mouth? Ugh, this damn mouth of mine!’

He obviously hadn’t meant it that way, but from Ni Bingyan’s perspective, that was exactly how it came across.

Sang Yuan was overcome with regret, momentarily at a loss for how to explain himself.

Ni Bingyan pursed her lips and got out of the car with Wangcai. She opened the trunk, found the warning triangle in a corner, and assembled it. After walking back a hundred meters or so to place it on the road, she moved to the shoulder and called her insurance company.

’No sense in paying for a tow if I can get one for free. After all, that’s what insurance is for.’

"Good thing we hadn’t gotten on the highway yet, or we’d have to involve the traffic police."

Sang Yuan cleared his throat twice and followed her over.

"It’s a good thing I realized something was wrong and pulled over when I did. Otherwise, we’d probably be stuck in the middle of the road, blocking traffic."

Seeing how awkward he was as he struggled to make small talk, Ni Bingyan sighed. She handed him the leash and went to get two chairs from the car.

"Come sit down. The tow truck probably won’t be here for another half an hour at least. It’ll be exhausting to just stand around."

Ni Bingyan pointedly ignored the previous topic, and Sang Yuan wasn’t foolish enough to press the issue.

"It’s pretty boring just sitting here with nothing to do. Can I get you a snack?"

"No thanks. I ate a ton of meat today. I need to watch my weight."

Ni Bingyan picked up Wangcai, her spirits low.

For one thing, she was still upset. For another, she hadn’t slept well the night before. Plus, she was exhausted from their outing. And to top it all off, there was this bad luck with the car breaking down mid-journey.

She felt like someone who’d just gotten paid and rushed into the city for a shopping spree, only to have a pickpocket snatch her wallet and phone on the way.

’Ugh, what a mess!’

The sun was about to dip below the horizon. Heat radiated from the ground, which had been baking all day. Ni Bingyan was holding Wangcai, and before long, her face was slick with sweat.

This weather was definitely not suited for cuddling with a fur baby.

She put him down, tied his leash to a chair leg, then took out her straw hat. Covering her face with it, she lay back to doze.

Behind her, a clump of mugwort released its fresh scent. Nearby, a tangle of overgrown Japanese hops blocked the view, so even if a car passed, no one would see her unless they were looking carefully.

Sang Yuan quietly took out a mosquito coil and lit it. The mosquitoes that had just flown over seemed to curse as they beat a hasty retreat.

They had both accidentally fallen asleep by the stream that morning, which had scared him half to death. Now, by the side of the road, he didn’t even dare sit down. He was afraid he might nod off again, and it would be a disaster if something happened. Instead, he took Wangcai and began walking him in circles around Ni Bingyan.

"So, what do you have scheduled for the near future?"

Being on the side of a road, Ni Bingyan wouldn’t dare let herself fall sound asleep.