MTB - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: How Does It Feel?
The fingers hanging at Tang Yuelou's side curled almost imperceptibly.
Yun Yang sat on the edge of the bed with her legs bent, looking up to meet her gaze. The bedroom light was dim, casting an intimate and quiet play of light and shadow. The blank second between them seemed to stretch on infinitely, so quiet they could hear each other breathe.
Then Tang Yuelou turned and sat on the bed in front of her.
Yun Yang started to pull her legs back to make room, but a hand pressed down on her knee. Tang Yuelou leaned forward from that position. The usual smile was absent from her eyes; her gaze, under the dim light, was earnest and affectionate. Yun Yang’s eyelashes fluttered down.
“Then you really do need to be careful,” Tang Yuelou whispered by her ear. “Because I will continue to work hard.”
Yun Yang gazed into her eyes, her own voice softening involuntarily. “Work hard at what?”
“What do you hope for?”
The last sentence became a soft whisper. Tang Yuelou’s gaze lowered, and along with her hand, traveled up Yun Yang’s thigh beneath her nightdress. Yun Yang flinched.
Without a doubt, Tang Yuelou was a master of flirtation. The moment she heard that reply, Yun Yang began to regret her words. What was the benefit of piercing that paper-thin veil now?
She silently repeated “It’s not time yet” three times in her mind. The tip of Tang Yuelou’s nose brushed against the side of her face. It tickled, and she tried to turn her head away, but a hand cupped her cheek and turned her back.
Tang Yuelou massaged the side of her neck as if in warning and murmured, “Focus.”
Yun Yang couldn’t help but shrink back. “I…”
The rest of her words were stopped by Tang Yuelou’s mouth.
It was a fiery and intense kiss. Yun Yang wrapped her arms around her waist, kissing back without showing any weakness. As Tang Yuelou’s hand kneaded the back of her neck with just the right amount of pressure, she cupped the back of Tang Yuelou’s head and tilted her own head up to deepen the kiss.
With her usual overbearing dominance reined in, Tang Yuelou was wonderful to kiss. Her lips were soft, her whole body was soft, and the hand resting lightly on her waist felt like a silent permission, allowing Yun Yang to press her down onto the bed and bite the corner of her lip mid-kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Yun Yang’s breathing was messy and rapid. With her hands braced on the bed on either side of Tang Yuelou, she lowered her eyes and watched her wipe away a speck of blood from her lip. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over her.
“This perspective, how does it feel?” Tang Yuelou, clothes in disarray, let her look, raising a hand to stroke her cheek.
Her words carried an effortless, teasing tone that inexplicably annoyed Yun Yang. Her face was a little hot. She rolled over and sat up on the bed, lifting her chin with a huff. “Not bad. Hope there’s a next time.”
Tang Yuelou laughed.
Yun Yang’s mind was a mess. She simply burrowed under the covers to escape her gaze. She heard Tang Yuelou get out of bed and leave the bedroom, only to return two minutes later carrying a bowl of steaming hot congee.
It was pumpkin and millet congee with sugar added. It was sticky and sweet, soothing Yun Yang’s picky, sick stomach. She let Tang Yuelou feed her two large bowls, then lay back on the bed, content. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Will I infect you?”
“We can talk about that after I’m infected,” Tang Yuelou said, tucking the corner of the blanket in for her.
The service was impeccable. After eating and drinking her fill, Yun Yang was too lazy to even move her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tang Yuelou go into the walk-in closet. A moment later, she returned to the bedroom, adjusting the buttons on her shirt as she walked.
“Teacher, are you going out?” Yun Yang sat up in alarm. “It’s the middle of the night.”
Tang Yuelou smiled. “You don’t want me to go?”
Yun Yang: “…”
“You’re overthinking it,” she said, her face blank.
“A small matter came up at home that I need to handle. I’ll be back soon,” Tang Yuelou instructed. “Make yourself at home here. I’ve registered your fingerprint for the door lock, and you know where the spare key is.”
“As for your part-time job, I’ve already spoken to the manager. If you’re not feeling well these next few days, you don’t have to go in. Just rest here this weekend.”
Yun Yang: “You’re not coming back at all this weekend?”
“Is that what you’re hoping for?” Tang Yuelou raised an eyebrow.
“See, now you’re the one overthinking it.” Yun Yang spread her hands and gave a sheepish smile. “I was just wondering if I could go to my classmate’s birthday party this weekend.”
Tang Yuelou paused.
She had already put on her shirt and glasses, once again transforming into the unflappable elite from the daytime. Yun Yang involuntarily held her breath and took a second look.
“Of course you can. That’s your freedom,” Tang Yuelou nodded with a gentle smile. “But no drinking, no smoking, and if…”
She didn’t finish, but the unspoken words were more effective than anything she could have said. Yun Yang nodded repeatedly and made a throat-slitting gesture. “Understood.”
“Go to sleep.” Tang Yuelou gently brushed her hair aside and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
If Yun Yang had known that the “small matter” Tang Yuelou mentioned was her father being critically ill, she probably wouldn’t have resented her for being gone a whole day and night without any news. But Yun Yang didn’t know, so she was agitated and irritable at Guan Yan’s birthday party.
Guan Yan had friends everywhere. Her birthday fell on a Sunday, and she invited dozens of people. After dinner, the whole procession trooped over to a KTV and booked a deluxe private room, looking ready to party all day and night.
Yun Yang was surrounded by a crowd of people playing games. The loser had to play Truth or Dare. Holding a glass of iced juice, she listened with utter boredom to some guy’s heart-wrenching rendition of a dramatic ballad, while inwardly cursing Tang Yuelou, that love-’em-and-leave-’em scumbag.
She had never felt so anxious before, as if she had developed some kind of separation anxiety. Not being able to see Tang Yuelou made her feel panicked and flustered.
But it had only been a day.
“I’ve got you this time! Open it!” Guan Yan, face flushed from drinking, pointed at the dice under Yun Yang’s cup and shouted excitedly. “Three fives! You lose!”
Yun Yang was speechless.
Two stacks of cards were pushed in front of her. She decisively chose Truth.
“Ugh, Truth again? Can’t we do something more exciting!” one friend complained.
“I’d love to do something exciting, but this one here is a demon.” Yun Yang could only give a dry laugh, pointing at Guan Yan. “If you want to go next door and ask, ‘Excuse me, can I borrow your computer? I need to return to my home planet,’ then I suggest you pick Dare next time you lose.”
A dozen pairs of eyes, filled with horror, snapped toward Guan Yan, who just roared with laughter. “It’s all in good fun! Who hasn’t embarrassed themselves before? Flip the card, flip the card.”
Yun Yang casually took a card from the top of the stack. Several pairs of eyes watched as she read what was written on it: Do you have someone you like right now?
“That question is so old. And way too easy to bluff your way through,” Guan Yan grumbled.
She was already drunk and disoriented. Yun Yang joked, “No cheating, you can’t switch cards. I don’t have anyone I like.”
No one knew that she breathed a sigh of relief after saying those words. The moment she saw the question, her mind had gone blank. For those few short seconds, her thoughts were completely filled with Tang Yuelou.
Yun Yang picked up the glass beside her and took a sip. As the orange-yellow liquid slid down her throat, she frowned, confirming it was her cup. “Who poured me alcohol? Didn’t I ask for juice?”
“Ah, I must have mixed them up! I’m so, so sorry,” a younger female student said, pressing her hands together in apology.
“That’s weird, don’t you drink? Who was it that said, ‘Beer is just water’?” Guan Yan asked, puzzled. “You’ve been quitting smoking, drinking, and staying up late recently. Starting the healthy lifestyle early, are we?”
Yun Yang’s mind was already a mess, and that comment hit a nerve. The words of refusal died on her lips. Instead, she tilted her head back and downed the entire glass of alcohol.
“…The Tang Group is currently blocking the news, but President Tang’s condition is not optimistic. If…”
“Am I his heir?” Tang Yuelou cut him off.
Secretary Li looked troubled. “You are President Tang’s daughter, so of course you are entitled to a share, but…”
“See, there you have it.” Tang Yuelou shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m just a teacher. I don’t understand this mess, nor am I interested in it. And I certainly won’t take this opportunity to pull his oxygen tube.”
Secretary Li was at a loss for words.
He had, of course, heard about President Tang’s daughter. She was the first wife’s only child. The public perception of her was nothing but nonsense like “irresponsible” and “unfilial.” But the two people in the world who cared least about these opinions were the subjects themselves. One had children all over the place and didn’t lack for this one daughter; the other viewed money as dirt and felt this father was entirely optional. That they were even related felt like a strange twist of fate.
This was the first time he had met this Ms. Tang in person. She wasn’t spoiled or arrogant; she was calm, composed, and graceful. But sometimes, she was too calm. She remained completely detached, as if it had nothing to do with her. Neither blood ties nor emotion could change the way she looked at Tang Ruitian, as if he were a pile of lifeless instruments. It was as if she were a complete stranger.
The lives of the rich are complicated… Secretary Li sighed inwardly.
Through a pane of glass, Tang Yuelou coldly observed the man lying on the bed, surrounded by all sorts of medical equipment. He was pot-bellied and pale. The moment before he was sent here, he had been enjoying himself at some lover’s house when he suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage. They had spent over ten hours trying to save him, wasting a whole day and night for a group of people. Even so, his chances of recovery were extremely slim. Even if he woke up, he would likely be in a vegetative state.
She found the current scene utterly ridiculous and ironic, a kind of karmic retribution. At home, the wedding photo of Tang Ruitian and her mother was still hanging there for show. If her mother were still alive to see him like this, she would probably laugh out loud.
The hallway felt like a dividing line. On one side was the drizzling autumn rain; on the other, the life-and-death partings that every family here had to face. Tang Yuelou withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the gray, oppressive sky.
She raised a hand to touch her right shoulder and slowly exhaled, pulling herself out of her memories.
This was never a world she belonged to.
“My apologies, I was impertinent just now. I didn’t mean to target you.” Having not slept for two days, Tang Yuelou was tired. She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, leaned against the hallway windowsill, and gave a casual smile. “You’ve had a tough time, haven’t you? Talking to all his children.”
Secretary Li gave an awkward laugh. “You’re too kind…”
“Have Madam Tang and the lawyer gone back?” she asked. “I still have some time. I’d like to see her now.”
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