– CP | Chapter 6

“I have a question.”

Right. I’d come here with questions. I’d almost let him lead me off track again.

He lifted his chin, signaling for me to ask.

“Why did you use a secondary QQ account to add me?”

His expression didn’t change. The seemingly random question didn’t surprise him at all.

“My main account got hacked. After that, I didn’t really have any reason to use QQ anymore. I only started using it again after I met you. And I don’t stay logged in all day, so the level’s low.”

“Then is your name really Han Che?”

He laughed helplessly.

“What else would it be?”

“Let me see your ID.”

I held out my hand.

Looking back, I have no idea where I got the courage.

I was a young woman, completely alone, sitting inside a car—an environment where I was at an absolute disadvantage—trying to expose what I believed was a man’s deception.

Maybe attraction had clouded my judgment.

If he’d been a little more malicious, a little more petty, a little less sporting, I probably would’ve paid dearly for it.

“I didn’t bring it. I left in a hurry.”

For the first time, a slight ripple crossed his face.

A small crease formed between his brows.

But he didn’t seem angry.

I wasn’t stupid either.

I stayed close to the passenger door, ready to bolt if things went south.

“What about your driver’s license? Surely you have that.”

He snorted.

His chest rose and fell.

His jaw shifted slightly.

Still not angry.

“Fine.”

He reached into the storage compartment in front of my knees and tossed a transparent document pouch into my lap.

I opened it skeptically and pulled out his driver’s license.

Somewhere outside, a strong gust of wind seemed to have swept through.

People on electric scooters were hunched forward against it, their jackets ballooning in the air.

Meanwhile, I sat frozen in the car, staring at the license as if someone had pressed an acupoint and immobilized me.

He didn’t rush me.

Arms crossed, he lounged comfortably.

One foot even bounced smugly.

I could practically feel the vibrations from his body.

After a long silence, I finally squeezed out:

“Your license is about to expire. You should renew it.”

 

“Oh? Thanks for the reminder.”

His tone was leisurely.

As though he were waiting for the real question.

I counted to three in my head before asking:

“Why is the character different?”

The name on the license wasn’t Han 澈.¹ 

It was Han 彻.² 

“I changed my name in middle school.”

He spoke casually.

“I was a restless kid. Couldn’t sit still. My grades weren’t great. My mom consulted a fortune teller who said the character “澈” was too refined for me. Apparently I was born muddled and couldn’t carry it.”

He reached out and started playing with the ends of my hair again.

“So they changed it to the character “彻” instead. That’s why I got into the best road-and-bridge engineering program in the country. All thanks to that master.”

I pushed away his teasing fingers with one finger.

“I see…”

“Don’t believe me?”

He grinned.

“I can show you my household registration book too.”

“No. I’m just wondering why you told me your name was Han Che in the first place.”

“Because I’m not muddled anymore.”

His expression remained perfectly serious.

“Besides, with ED and all, I feel like the old character suits me better. It matches my ascetic lifestyle.”

The explanation was flawless.

Logical.

Delivered without hesitation.

There wasn’t the slightest sign of lying.

But somehow, that confidence made me even more suspicious.

“No matter what I ask, you’ve got an answer ready.”

I swallowed.

“You’re calm. You’re not even questioning why I’m asking these things. That actually proves I’m right.”

My throat tightened.

For the first time, I felt close to the truth.

The car was so quiet.

The silence stretched unbearably long.

Then—

“What exactly are you right about?”

He smiled.

And leaned closer.

Instantly, goosebumps erupted all over my body.

For the first time, that upright, handsome face showed a roguish grin I’d never seen before.

Damn.

I finally understood what people meant by spring breezes cutting like scissors.

The curve of his smile and the angle of his eyes shredded my carefully constructed world into confetti.

“You never intended to have a real relationship.”

I forced the words out.

“Or maybe your relationships come with expiration dates.”

“I was just prey.”

“The new QQ account. The fake name. The way you get rid of women afterward.”

“You’ve done this before. You’re good at it. Aren’t you?”

The smile never left his face.

If anything, it widened.

There was even admiration in his eyes.

Leaning forward until our noses almost touched, he searched my gaze as if looking for something.

I refused to back down.

Afraid of showing weakness, I straightened my spine.

Didn’t retreat.

Didn’t look away.

We were incredibly close.

But he didn’t kiss me.

Instead, he exhaled two slow streams of warm breath across my lips.

“Im—pres—sive.”

The mystery was solved.

The stone in my heart finally dropped.

So he really was a liar.

A liar who somehow managed to make people feel delighted about being deceived.

At this point, I almost couldn’t blame him.

With self-mocking bitterness, I said,

“I know I’m not that pretty. Thanks for all the effort you put into complimenting me.”

He pulled back slightly.

Pinching my chin, he examined me from head to toe.

“You weren’t particularly pretty last time.”

My eyebrows immediately knitted together.

Before I could react, he leaned in and pressed a light kiss against my cheek.

“But today?”

His voice softened.

“You look great.”

“Actually, you look better without makeup. More like the girl in that photo.”

So that was it.

He liked the girl in the photo.

Back then I was a sophomore in college with long black hair.

Now I had chestnut-colored waves and a completely different style.

What kind of bizarre preference was that?

“Are you a pervert?”

Did he only like women who fit a specific type?

“You’re overthinking it.”

He laughed.

“It’s just that lately I’ve been craving steamed sea bass. Doesn’t matter how delicious braised pork is—I’m not in the mood for it.”

His fingers lingered against my cheek.

“But seriously.”

A trace of male desire flickered in his eyes.

Not vulgar.

Not crude.

Just unmistakable.

“You’re very beautiful today.”

I flipped down the vanity mirror on the passenger side, intending to prove him wrong.

Then I saw my reflection.

My irritation immediately weakened.

Fair skin.

Bright eyes.

A small, perfectly shaped nose.

Slightly messy hair.

Honestly…

I looked stunning.

For a couple of seconds, I couldn’t even look away.

I even stuck out my tongue slightly while admiring myself.

Completely unintentionally.

“So you didn’t like me after all?”

I snapped the mirror shut.

“You decided to ghost me?”

Fine.

Maybe I was a little petty.

No matter how much I circled around the issue, it always came back to my wounded pride.

He raised an eyebrow.

Neither confirming nor denying it.

“So were you really a student at Xi’an Jiaotong University?”

“You tell me.”

His grin widened.

“And do you actually own a place by Moonlight Lake?”

“Hahahahahaha!”

He collapsed against the steering wheel laughing.

The muscles beneath his gray sweater became visible as his shoulders shook.

“You’re seriously too funny.”

“Are you really twenty-nine?”

“Are you actually a road-and-bridge engineer?”

“Are you even local?”

“Did you really watch all those movies?”

I stared at him.

Beginning to question reality itself.

“Is your face fake too?”

He’d barely recovered before dissolving into laughter again.

Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

He still hadn’t answered a single question.

I was speechless.

Either he was a phenomenal actor, or this jerk simply had the world’s lowest laugh threshold.

The whole car was shaking.

Seeing that most of the truth seemed to be out already, I decided it was time to leave.

I opened my mouth to say goodbye—

Then a horrifying thought struck me.

My entire face twisted.

“Wait!”

I blurted out.

“Oh my God—”

“Don’t tell me the ED was fake too?!”