MTB - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Autumn Rain
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Yun Yang was spent, letting Tang Yuelou place her on the sofa and untie the necktie from her wrists.
Because they had been bound for so long, her wrists were numb. Tang Yuelou knelt before her, gently massaging the bruised, purplish circle. She kissed the back of her hand and asked with concern, "Does it hurt?"
The pressure of the massage was just right, quite pleasant actually. Yun Yang hummed with her eyes closed for a long while before finally mustering the strength to slap her hand away, cursing, "Pervert."
Her eyes were still red-rimmed, and a suspicious flush colored her cheeks. The word had no bite at all. Tang Yuelou smiled and readily admitted, "Yes, the pervert is here."
"Scumbag."
"Yes, she's here too."
Satisfied, Yun Yang closed her eyes and sank into the sofa, issuing commands like a queen: "Get my clothes for me. They're in the locker."
"Alright."
After the heat subsided, a heavy drowsiness seemed to envelop her. Yun Yang completely zoned out, letting herself be handled. She felt Tang Yuelou dress her, then bundle her into the car and take her home.
The autumn rain fell all night, and Yun Yang had a dream amidst the pattering sound.
In the dream, it was her childhood, on a similar rainy night. Her room had heavy curtains drawn. The sound of the window being blown open by the wind startled her awake. Half-asleep, she heard arguing in the living room. This kind of argument could happen on any given night at home, but for some reason, she was especially afraid tonight. A sense of foreboding weighed on her heart, and the air grew oppressive and heavy.
She sat for a while amidst the sound of the wind, rain, and the escalating argument, finally mustering the courage to get out of bed... Then the scene shifted. She saw her mother sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to her, head bowed, not saying a word.
"Mom?" Yun Yang cautiously reached for the corner of her clothes. "What's wrong?"
"Yangyang," the woman said calmly, "Mom has to go."
...
Yun Yang startled awake.
Outside the window, the sky was bright. The residential complex had good landscaping, and the sound of birds chirping was incessant.
She lay on her back in bed, slowly calming her rapid breathing. The scene in the dream had been so real that she still couldn't escape the heavy sorrow—but she knew it was fake.
That night, she hadn't gotten out of bed, nor had she found the courage to offer her mother a single word of concern.
"Yangyang, are you awake?" There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Tang Yuelou's voice carried through it into the room.
This was Tang Yuelou's own home. They had done everything yesterday, so why was she acting so proper now, as if she wasn't the one who had slept beside her last night? Yun Yang rolled her eyes, turned over, and shouted impatiently, "Not awake yet."
"Just letting her know, if she doesn't wake up soon, she'll be late." Tang Yuelou's laughter sounded muffled through the door. She patiently joked with her, "Tell her there are clothes she left in the wardrobe, her toothbrush and things are in the bathroom, and breakfast is ready. She can come out to eat right after she washes up."
"I know, so annoying," Yun Yang grumbled under her breath.
The dream had probably cast a rather large shadow over her. It wasn't until she heard Tang Yuelou's meticulous instructions that she finally felt grounded in reality. Sure enough, Tang Yuelou had prepared everything, even a change of underwear, neatly folded in the wardrobe. The toothpaste was even strawberry-flavored.
She sat at the dining table, sipping sweet milk that was the perfect temperature, and stared blankly at Tang Yuelou across from her. She was slicing toast, the cuffs of her cream-colored knit sweater rolled up slightly, revealing slender, pale forearms. Her movements were unhurried, and she held the knife and fork with an elegant composure.
If things could just go on like this, it wouldn't be so bad.
When that thought appeared in her mind, Yun Yang startled herself.
Holy shit, she thought in astonishment, Yun Yang, what were you just thinking?
"What are you thinking about?"
The voice from across the table overlapped with her own inner thoughts, and a chill ran down Yun Yang's spine.
"Ah, uh," she took a sip of milk to calm her nerves, "nothing, I wasn't thinking about anything."
Tang Yuelou nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Do your wrists still hurt?"
Caught off guard, Yun Yang nearly spat out a mouthful of milk.
Her tone was as casual as asking, "Do you have class this morning?" Yun Yang choked, her face turning bright red. She bent over coughing for a long time. Tang Yuelou handed her a napkin, looking just a little bit aggrieved. "Did I say something strange?"
"No, nothing you say is strange," Yun Yang replied, waving her hand while still coughing, her smile not reaching her eyes.
"That doesn't sound much like a compliment," Tang Yuelou said, raising her eyes with a half-smile.
Yun Yang said perfunctorily, "Yep, yep, whatever you say."
Tang Yuelou lowered her head and smiled.
Having gained the upper hand verbally, Yun Yang felt that even if she had to wear long sleeves to class for the next couple of days, it was barely worth it.
That was her style anyway. Even in the thirty-five-degree heat of a Beicheng summer, she would pair a long-sleeved sweatshirt with a short skirt. Besides, it was already autumn, and the weather was getting cooler by the day, so wearing long sleeves wasn't strange.
Last night, under Tang Yuelou's urging—a mix of coaxing and threats—Yun Yang had gone to bed before ten. She had never slept so early. After breakfast, she felt refreshed and full of energy, which gave Guan Yan, who had stayed up until the early hours, a shock.
"I thought you'd gone missing and stayed out all night to party, but it turns out you were just going to bed early and waking up early." Guan Yan yawned and lamented, "Getting old, huh? Starting to leave the fold. We're not on the same path anymore, not on the same path."
"Who's on the same path as you? Don't you know what it means to live a fulfilling life?" Yun Yang rolled her eyes.
The two bickered and bantered as they walked. Passing the small grove behind the library, they saw a familiar figure. It was a boy and a girl clinging to each other. Yun Yang clicked her tongue and looked away. "Public indecency."
"I think that's Mengmeng and her boyfriend." Guan Yan glanced back a couple more times, a mischievous idea forming. "Watch me take a picture and send it to her."
"Aren't you disgusting? That's enough, let's go, let's go. You'll just make her mad later." Yun Yang felt this kind of behavior was truly wicked. "Class starts in fifteen minutes. If we don't hurry, not only will we be late, we'll have to sit in the front row."
The threat of "sitting in the front row" was indeed powerful. Guan Yan immediately tucked away what little conscience she had left and obediently let herself be pushed away from the scene.
The Z University campus wasn't very big to begin with; it was less than a ten-minute walk from the library to the academic building. The two found seats in the middle-back section. Yun Yang took her laptop out of her bag and subconsciously went to roll up her sleeves to type. The moment her hand touched the edge of her cuff, she saw a faint bluish mark and snatched her hand back as if burned.
"Yangyang, hey..." Guan Yan happened to turn to say something to her and, with her sharp eyes, spotted the ring of marks. She nearly jumped out of her seat, whispering in a shocked hiss, "What happened to your hand!"
In her mind, Yun Yang dragged Tang Yuelou out and cursed her thoroughly. She gave a perfunctory excuse, "I fell last night and bruised it."
"Bullshit. Who falls and hurts their wrist like that?"
"How would you know you can't? It's not like you've fallen," Yun Yang changed the subject. "Alright, alright, what did you want to tell me?"
Guan Yan was skeptical. "You really fell?"
"I really fell."
"Fine, I'll believe you, for now." She showed Yun Yang her phone screen. "Here, Jiang Jie asked me to get in touch with you for her. She said you're not answering her messages."
Yun Yang frowned and glanced at it.
Jiang Jie: Yun Yang isn't answering my messages.
Jiang Jie: If you see her, let her know I'll be waiting for her at the north gate at 5:30 this evening.
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