MTB - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: A Chaotic Scene
It wasn't strange for a thirty-year-old adult with full legal capacity to have an ex or two. Besides, they weren't in a relationship. Even if Tang Yuelou had a current partner, it was none of Yun Yang's business.
Not to mention, Yun Yang herself had no right to speak on the matter of "faithfulness." She couldn't be bothered to care... she was just a little curious.
But she quickly cast this insignificant bit of curiosity to the back of her mind.
The entire afternoon and evening at the shop were calm and uneventful. Only one customer came to pick up a custom vase, and Chen Ningning handled it. Yun Yang sat idly at the cash register all afternoon, even regretting not bringing her laptop to do her homework.
At eight in the evening, she went upstairs to change and get off work. The shop wasn't far from Z University, just two bus stops away. Chen Ningning also lived nearby and asked, "How are you getting back to school? I live over there too. Want to take the bus together?"
"No, thanks," Yun Yang said, waving her hand. "I'm meeting someone for dinner later, so I'm not heading back just yet."
Hearing this, Chen Ningning's face lit up with understanding. Her tone was full of meaning as she asked, "Who is it?"
"It's not Teacher Tang, is it?"
Yun Yang's feelings were complicated. "...Why would you think that?"
"My sixth sense is very sharp. I'm super good at reading people." Chen Ningning blinked. "It's obvious at a glance that your relationship isn't ordinary. And on your neck..."
Yun Yang remained expressionless, unmoved. It was Tang Yuelou's habit not to leave any marks on her that couldn't be covered up. Although her hobbies were a bit perverse, she at least understood the meaning of "respect."
"There's nothing there. I was just teasing you," Chen Ningning said with an awkward smile when she saw Yun Yang's lack of reaction.
"We don't have that kind of relationship," Yun Yang explained, frowning.
A few days ago, she would have definitely lifted her chin and declared that Tang Yuelou was an ex-girlfriend she had dumped. But things were different now. She would feel a bit guilty saying that, since no "exes" would still be sleeping together after a breakup.
Yet neither of them had ever mentioned being together. They had a tacit understanding, and both seemed to enjoy this ambiguous and intimate relationship that had substance but no name.
In a way, she and Tang Yuelou were very compatible, and Yun Yang sometimes wavered. But a relationship without responsibilities meant more possibilities and no need for guilt. So there was no reason to pierce that thin, disposable layer of paper between them, which would save them from being caught in a dilemma later.
—This line of thinking reached its peak when she ran into Tang Yuelou that night.
That night, Yun Yang went to a nearby music restaurant with Jiang Jie from the university's Drama Club. It was a trendy spot, and reservations were incredibly hard to get. Jiang Jie had booked a private room two weeks in advance and had only just gotten it. The restaurant had a live band in the evenings, and when they arrived, the band was playing a folk song, setting a perfect mood.
"Are you coming to see our performance of 《The Blue Bird》 next Wednesday night? We've adapted the script, and I'm playing the female lead. I'll save you a seat in the family section. Will you come?"
Jiang Jie was the vice head of the Drama Club and was a year ahead of Yun Yang. Guan Yan was also in the club. During a previous performance, Yun Yang had gone backstage to bring Guan Yan a prop and had met Jiang Jie, who was playing the female lead.
She had a good impression of Jiang Jie, but the girl was strange—she seemed gay one moment and not the next, making her hard to read. Yun Yang's fingers traced the handle of her spoon as she said with pleasant surprise, "Really? Then I have to bring you flowers!"
"But..." she paused, "won't your boyfriend be bringing you flowers? Remember to save a hand for mine."
"I don't have a boyfriend," Jiang Jie said, taken aback for a moment before smiling. "Who told you I did?"
Yun Yang feigned surprise and apologized profusely, but inwardly, she was delighted and made a mental note.
They had a little to drink and ate quite a bit, so feeling full, they decided to walk back to the university, taking a shortcut through the small plaza next to the commercial street.
It was already past ten o'clock. The uncles and aunties who did their square dancing there had long since dispersed, and the plaza was quiet. The two of them walked over fallen leaves scattered on the cobblestone path, chatting idly. Jiang Jie took a cigarette case from her bag and asked, "Do you mind?"
"I don't mind, but you smoke?" Yun Yang asked, a little surprised.
Jiang Jie skillfully lit a cigarette, sat on a bench, and slowly exhaled a breath of smoke.
"I'm not addicted. I just have one occasionally when I'm stressed." She smoothed the long hair falling over her chest, looking a little uneasy. "Tonight... I guess I'm a little nervous."
Yun Yang stopped in her tracks.
"Sorry, am I being a little weird..."
"Can I have one?"
Jiang Jie was startled for a moment, then nodded. Yun Yang pulled a cigarette from the case—it was the kind with a menthol capsule that she used to like. But the moment she brought it to her lips, she inexplicably seemed to catch the faint scent of roses and pictured the expression on Tang Yuelou's face when she had confiscated her cigarettes.
This is the last time, Yangyang—that's what the woman had said.
That voice possessed some kind of bewitching magic, always appearing to pour a bucket of cold water on her just when she was most in the mood. What a buzzkill, Yun Yang cursed inwardly.
She had been in a good mood, but now she felt inexplicably irritated. She refused the lighter Jiang Jie offered and instead leaned in toward the cigarette between Jiang Jie's lips.
"Yun..."
They were only a hair's breadth apart, close enough to feel each other's breath. Long after Yun Yang pulled away, Jiang Jie finally came to her senses. She reached out to grab Yun Yang's wrist, but Yun Yang pushed her hand away and pressed a finger to her own lips. "Shh."
They looked at each other for a moment before Jiang Jie lowered her head and smiled.
"Alright," she said with a shrug. She then linked her arm with Yun Yang's and asked, "Can I ask you out again tomorrow?"
"Hmm, can you...?" Yun Yang drew out her words, feigning hesitation. Just as she was about to find an excuse to stall, she froze. Her gaze fell on a group of people waiting for the light across the street.
The plaza opened onto an intersection. The group was emerging from the underground parking garage across the street. One of them whistled and waved at people in a few flashy sports cars heading into the garage; they were clearly all together. The group was walking toward the right side of the commercial district, where the neon-lit bar street was located.
She saw Tang Yuelou.
Tang Yuelou was still dressed respectably in the same shirt from earlier, but on her right arm was a woman with wavy, waist-length black hair. The woman wore a red slip dress with a slit up to her thigh, and a suit jacket draped over her shoulders offered a tantalizing glimpse of skin. She was both glamorous and elegant.
The two walked together intimately, laughing and chatting with the men and women in their group. Tang Yuelou adjusted the woman's loosely draped jacket, and as she turned her head, her eyes inadvertently met Yun Yang's.
In the two seconds their eyes met, it was as if electric sparks crackled between them.
At least, that's how it felt to Yun Yang. She saw Tang Yuelou's gaze fall on her and Jiang Jie's linked arms, and for a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment, she seemed to freeze. She only looked away when the other woman said something to her. A moment ago, Yun Yang had felt a strange, unpleasant pang, but now, knowing that Tang Yuelou was likely just as uncomfortable, she felt much better.
As expected, we're both thousand-year-old fox spirits. Neither of us should pretend to be deeply in love, she thought, rolling her eyes inwardly.
Seeing her staring blankly across the street, Jiang Jie asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did you see someone you know?"
"It's nothing," Yun Yang said, squeezing Jiang Jie's hand and smiling. "I just saw a dog, that's all."
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