ANGEL Chapter 1 (Sneak Peak)

Translator: Abo Dammen

Chapter 1: Courtship Preparations

“Xiao Yu-gege!”

A childish, girlish voice came from outside the door.

Zeng Yu paused his work. With a swift push of his toes against the ground, the skateboard beneath him rolled smoothly out from under the car.

“Coming.”

His low voice curled out alongside the last remnants of the air conditioning. Oil-stained sneakers emerged next, followed by long fingers that pressed against the half-open rolling shutter, pushing it up with practiced ease.

The late summer sunlight clung stubbornly, rushing to climb all over Zeng Yu as he stepped out. Squinting against the glare, he lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from the tip of his nose, only to realize too late that his hands were smeared with oil, leaving a dark smudge across his face.

The little girl pointed at him and giggled, “Xiao Yu-gege, you look like Youtiao now!”

Youtiao was the name of a cat that had lived on this street for five years. It had a knack for feigning misery to earn sympathy, earning it the nickname “Old Youtiao.”

The cat was snow-white except for a dark patch on its nose, which gave it a perpetually fierce look. True to its reputation, it had quickly risen to become the local feline kingpin.

Zeng Yu wasn’t as lucky. Though he’d lived here for five years as well, he was still scraping by.

Squatting down, he pinched the tires of the girl’s bike and grabbed a pump to inflate them.

“All done.”

“Thank you, Xiao Yu-gege!”

“No problem.”

The little girl rummaged through her bike basket and handed Zeng Yu a tissue. “Gege, wipe your face.”

“Thanks.”

Taking the tissue, Zeng Yu didn’t clean his nose but instead carefully wiped his fingers clean before tightening the strap on her helmet.

He glanced lightly toward the group of kids waiting at the end of the street. “Go on.”

“Bye-bye, Xiao Yu-gege!”

Their cheerful laughter echoed down the street, as carefree and bright as a school bell. Even the birds perched in the trees took off in response.

Zeng Yu turned back inside, intending to finish tightening the last screw before clocking out.

Sliding back under the car, he reached the final step—only to realize the nut was missing.

“…Great.”

He spent ages with a flashlight searching, eventually finding it teetering by the edge of a storm drain.

Finally done, Zeng Yu crawled back out and checked his phone. The agreed pick-up time had long passed, but the car owner hadn’t shown up or left any messages.

Zeng Yu sent a text to follow up. A reply came a few minutes later: Ill’ pick it up tomorrow.

A faint, almost imperceptible breath of relief escaped him.

By now, the sky outside was darkening. Zeng Yu washed his face, turned off the lights, locked the door, and snapped a picture of the old repair shop before heading out.

The shop’s owner, Jiang Guang, was a cautious man. After the shop was burgled once due to an unlocked door, he’d developed a habit of requiring photographic proof that everything was secure. This habit had since been passed on to Zeng Yu, even though Jiang Guang had effectively handed over the shop.

Jiang Guang: “Knocking off early today? New variety show?”
 

Zeng Yu: “Mm.”

The only perk of running the repair shop was the freedom to leave whenever he wanted. But Zeng Yu needed to save money, so he usually worked long hours. Once a week, though, he gave himself an early night for one of his few hobbies: watching variety shows.

The new show aired every Saturday at 6 pm. It was already 6:18 when Zeng Yu pocketed his phone and walked along the street, sticking to his plan to buy groceries.

The streetlights were so dim they were practically useless, leaving the shop signs to illuminate the road with colorful glows that cast sharp, angular shadows across Zeng Yu’s face.

A guy at the phone repair shop, bored and scrolling through short videos, waved lazily. “Off work already?”

Zeng Yu nodded lightly. “Mm.” He didn’t break his stride.

His face was perpetually expressionless, his half-lidded eyes hiding their depth and making their shape appear long and narrow—cold.

When Zeng Yu first moved to the street, the neighbors thought he was aloof. Over time, they realized he wasn’t cold—just indifferent.

His words were indifferent, his expression indifferent. He barely made an impression.

He was undeniably good-looking and kind-hearted, but he had the misfortune of being a bit unlucky.

Thud.

A loose tile sank beneath his step, nearly sending him sprawling.

“Whoa, you okay?” The repair guy craned his neck in concern. “Watch your step!”

“I’m fine.” Zeng Yu looked around, then dragged over a trash bin to cover the broken tile.

It worked well enough and didn’t block the path. The guy gave Zeng Yu’s retreating figure a thumbs-up.

The grocery store at the end of the street looked dark from afar.

Zeng Yu paused, then walked over, confirming his suspicion when he saw a “Closed for Renovations” sign.

The store had been a fixture of the street longer than even the repair shop, but in recent years, it had been closed more often for renovations. Missing it today wasn’t surprising.

Zeng Yu stood at the corner for a moment, then turned toward the market instead.

By evening, the wet market’s produce was neither fresh nor plentiful, which was why Zeng Yu usually preferred the grocery store. Tonight, he had wanted to prepare a nice meal to go with the new variety show and then sleep soundly.

In the end, he bought a small bag of noo…

Read the whole chapter below!