Chapter 24: Gao Mengting

At noon, Tang Song took the initiative to treat them, and the three of them had a hearty meal at a small roadside eatery.

Four dishes and one soup—the prices were affordable, and the portions were generous.

Not long after they returned to the auto repair shop, Li Mingjun's phone rang.

The female car owner, whom he had been praising incessantly, was finally arriving.

After waiting in the courtyard for another two or three minutes, a graceful and beautiful figure walked in.

Li Mingjun stood up hurriedly and said warmly, "Boss Gao, you've finally arrived."

"Brother Li, stop teasing me. You know exactly what's going on with my shop," the girl said in a very pleasant voice.

Guo Peng nudged him with his elbow and whispered excitedly, "She really is a great beauty! So pretty—I don't think she's any less than Tian Jing! Her figure actually looks even better!"

"She is indeed very beautiful," Tang Song agreed with a nod, his gaze unable to help but focus on the approaching woman.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features and fine skin. Her brown hair was voluminous and thick, and she wore exquisite makeup. With her slit jeans, white sneakers, and a high-necked sweater, she exuded a strong sense of style and atmosphere.

Li Mingjun said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Gao Mengting, the owner of this Wuling Hongguang S. And this is the buyer, Tang Song; I mentioned him to you on the phone."

"Hello, Mr. Tang," Gao Mengting greeted him with a smile, adding, "You are much younger than I imagined."

When she smiled, her full apple cheeks rose slightly, making her look quite cute.

"Hello," Tang Song replied politely.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Mingjun brought out two copies of the contract. "Miss Gao, please look over these terms first. If there are no issues, we can sign the contract now."

Gao Mengting took them, sat down in the courtyard, and began to flip through them meticulously. Whenever she encountered something she didn't understand, she asked immediately, only continuing after receiving an answer.

It was only two pages of A4 paper, yet she spent a full eight minutes reading it. Her level of seriousness made Tang Song feel somewhat sheepish; he had only skimmed through it briefly to confirm the model and price were correct.

"I'm all set, Brother Li. Do you have a pen?"

"Yes!" Li Mingjun pulled a ballpoint pen and a small ink pad from his pocket and handed them over.

Gao Mengting took them casually and signed her name with a series of quick strokes before pressing her thumbprint onto the paper. Under the sunlight, her fingers appeared slender and fair, and her handwriting was elegant and graceful.

"There, it's your turn, Mr. Tang," she said, handing it over with a smile.

Tang Song reached out, signed and stamped as the buyer, and the agreement was officially reached.

Gao Mengting took out the car keys and placed them on the table. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up, "According to the contract, Mr. Tang needs to pay a down payment of 20,000 yuan within 24 hours, and the remainder will be settled after the vehicle transfer is complete. If it's convenient, could you transfer it to me now?"

"Sure. How should I pay?" Tang Song took out his phone and looked at her. People were always generous toward beautiful women, so he didn't make much of an issue of it.

"Via WeChat. Let's add each other as friends; that way, if there are any issues with the car, you can contact me." As she spoke, Gao Mengting opened her WeChat QR code.

After adding her, Tang Song transferred the 20,000 yuan directly, with the note: *Car Deposit*.

Gao Mengting accepted it immediately, a look of relief washing over her face. She said gratefully, "To be honest, I've been quite short on cash lately. A payment happens to be due today, so thank you, Mr. Tang."

"Don't mention it."

"Brother Li, thank you for all your help. I'll transfer the agency and transfer fees to you in a bit. I still need my ID, so I'll definitely give it to you before the transfer on Monday."

"Alright, no problem," Li Mingjun nodded with a smile.

Gao Mengting checked the time, picked up her bag, and said, "There's nothing else to do here, so I'll be heading off."

"Goodbye."

"Bye-bye."

"See you." Gao Mengting nodded with a smile and turned to walk briskly toward the gate.

Her shapely hips, wrapped in denim, and her slender waist formed a smooth, sexy curve. Her slightly wavy brown hair swayed against her thin back; she had an excellent figure. Tang Song couldn't help but steal a few extra glances.

Just as she was about to step through the gate, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and spun around abruptly. This startled Tang Song, who had been peeking, and an awkward smile appeared on his face.

Gao Mengting took a deep breath, then "tap-tap-tap"—she jogged a few steps toward the Wuling Hongguang. The smile that had been on her face all along faded into an expression of sadness. She reached out, her hand sliding along the headlights and down the waistline, quietly caressing the body of the car.

Then, she leaned down toward the A-pillar, bringing her face close to the car and whispering a few words. She bit her lower lip hard, took a deep breath, and finally, tears began to fall, "patter, patter."

She lifted her exquisite face and carefully wiped her eyes with a tissue from her tote bag. Turning around, she came back to Tang Song and gave him a serious bow.

She mumbled, "Mr. Tang, I hope you treat her well. This is the high-spec version; the rear suspension uses semi-coil springs, so it's best for light loads. A few hundred or a thousand pounds is fine, but if it's any heavier, she won't be able to handle it. Don't transport seafood or anything like that; it's easy to corrode the floor, even though I've added protection. Service the car every 5,000 kilometers... Okay, that's about it. Um, let's keep each other on WeChat. If you ever want to sell it, just let me know. If I'm not tight on cash, I'll definitely buy it back. Thank you so much!"

She hadn't even looked at the car once since entering, yet at this moment, she spent four or five minutes straight listing precautions, her eyes occasionally glancing back in that direction.

Tang Song opened his mouth, stunned for a long time, before saying softly, "Okay, no problem. This is my first car; I'll take good care of it."

"Thank you! She was my first car too; she stayed with me for three whole years. She can carry people and cargo; she's tough and durable. Whether it's flat highways or narrow paths, whether..." Gao Mengting tilted her head. "Sorry, sorry, I think I got a bit emotional. If I had known, I wouldn't have looked back. This really is goodbye."

She smiled, swung her beige tote bag, and left, appearing quite composed.

As he watched her graceful figure disappear from sight, Li Mingjun remarked sentimentally, "That girl is actually quite impressive. She earned a lot of money through part-time jobs during university. She bought this car in her senior year and planned to start a clothing business. It went smoothly at first, and she made quite a bit of money; the car was modified during that time. Later, she was cheated by a partner, which is how she ended up in this situation."

...

Back at Qingxin Garden, Tang Song put the contract away and sat on the sofa, staring blankly for a while. He had finally acquired the car he liked; once the transfer was done on Monday, it would belong to him completely.

He should have been very happy, but thinking about the look in Gao Mengting's eyes as she left, he felt a strange sense of melancholy for some reason.

Tang Song gave a self-deprecating laugh. Ultimately, it was because she was a top-tier beauty; when she cried, she looked like a "pear blossom in the rain." If she had been ugly, he probably would have just felt a moment of sympathy and moved on.

As he thought, he somehow found himself opening Gao Mengting's WeChat Moments. Her posts were mostly promotions for clothes and shoes, interspersed with an occasional selfie.

The most recent post was from three minutes ago.

Gao Mengting: *"There exists a sorrow in this world that cannot be wept away—a sorrow that cannot be explained to others, for even if explained, they would not understand. It remains forever unchanged, like snowflakes silently accumulating in the depths of the heart on a windless night. — Haruki Murakami, 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'"*

(End of Chapter)