Ch..7 Morning in Liancheng came too fast.
Suo Ran stood near the curb, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, already running late. The street was crowded with honking cars and impatient commuters. He raised his hand just as a taxi slowed down.
At the same moment, someone else opened the back door.
"Hey"
"No, I booked it first."
Suo Ran froze.
He turned his head slowly and met a familiar pair of eyes sharp, amused, far too calm for seven in the morning.
"You," Suo Ran said flatly.
Lian Zihao blinked once. Then smiled.
"Morning, neighbor."
"You're stealing my taxi."
"I'm not stealing," Lian corrected. "I'm sharing. Big difference."
Suo Ran frowned. "That's not how taxis work."
The driver leaned out, irritated. "Same direction or not?"
Lian glanced at Suo Ran. "City center?"
"…Yes."
"See?" Lian said smoothly. "Fate."
Suo Ran hesitated, then sighed and got in.
"This isn't fate. This is poor planning."
Lian laughed as he slid in beside him. "You sound grumpy for someone holding coffee."
"You sound too cheerful for someone I just met twice."
"Twice makes us acquaintances."
The taxi pulled away.
For a few minutes, they sat in silence. The city rolled past the window shops opening, people rushing, sunlight creeping between buildings.
Lian was the first to speak. "You always this tense in the morning?"
"Only when strangers invade my personal space."
Lian glanced down. "There's at least ten centimeters between us."
Suo Ran didn't answer.
"Relax," Lian said gently. "I don't bite."
"That's exactly what people who bite say."
Lian laughed again, softer this time. "Fair."
He turned slightly toward Suo Ran. "Where are you headed?"
"Work."
"That's vague."
"Intentional."
Lian hummed. "I'm meeting someone. Important. Or so he thinks."
Suo Ran shot him a look. "You don't sound serious."
"I am," Lian replied. "Just not about mornings."
The taxi hit a small bump. Their shoulders brushed brief, accidental.
Both noticed.
Neither moved away immediately.
"So," Lian said, changing the subject, "you always escape to rooftops at night?"
Suo Ran stiffened. "You followed me?"
"No," Lian said calmly. "I recognized the look. People who go to rooftops wear it in daylight too."
Suo Ran studied him for a moment. "You're strange."
"I get that a lot."
"Is that why you live on the top floor?"
"Maybe," Lian said. "Or maybe I like knowing what's above everyone else."
That answer unsettled Suo Ran more than it should have.
The taxi slowed.
"my stop came" Suo Ran said quickly, reaching for his wallet.
"I'll cover it," Lian said.
"No"
"Consider it compensation for stealing your taxi."
Suo Ran hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. But next time, I'm choosing the seat."
"Next time?" Lian echoed, amused.
Suo Ran paused, then opened the door. "Don't read into it."
Lian watched him step out, sunlight catching in his hair.
"Too late," he murmured.
As the taxi pulled away, both men looked back
already aware that this was no longer coincidence.
Just the beginning of familiarity.
The underground parking garage smelled of concrete and engine oil.
Lian Zihao leaned against his car, scrolling through his phone when footsteps echoed toward him slow, measured, familiar.
Cai Lang stopped a few feet away.
"You're late," Cai Lang said.
"I'm not," Lian replied calmly. "You're early."
Cai Lang didn't correct him. His gaze moved briefly over Lian checking, assessing then settled on his face.
"You changed your route this morning," Cai Lang said.
Lian's lips twitched. "You keep tabs on me now?"
"I notice patterns."
"Then you must've noticed," Lian said casually, locking his phone, "that I shared a taxi with someone."
Cai Lang's eyes sharpened. "Someone?"
"Mm." Lian nodded. "Unexpected. Talkative. Mildly irritating."
Silence.
"You don't talk to strangers," Cai Lang said.
"I don't," Lian agreed. "Which is why it stood out."
Cai Lang stepped closer, voice lowering
.
"Who is he?"
Lian met his gaze evenly. "Just a neighbor."
That answer was true technically.
Cai Lang studied him for a long moment.
"You're hiding something."
Lian smiled faintly. "You always say that."
"And I'm usually right."
Lian straightened. "Relax. He's not part of anything. Just… interesting."
Cai Lang's jaw tightened. "Interesting people are liabilities."
"Or distractions," Lian countered.
"Those are worse."
Another pause.
"Don't let curiosity turn careless," Cai Lang said finally. "Not now."
Lian nodded once. "I know where the line is."
But as Cai Lang turned to leave, Lian spoke again quietly.
"He doesn't know anything."
Cai Lang stopped.
"…Good," he said after a moment. "Make sure it stays that way."
When Cai Lang disappeared into the stairwell, Lian remained where he was, expression unreadable.
He exhaled slowly.
"So cautious," he murmured. "Too cautious."
His phone buzzed with a notification an automatic reminder for the evening.
Rooftop. Windy. Clear skies.
Lian smiled to himself.
"See you again, neighbor."