MTB - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Umbrella
Yun Yang lay on her back, so sleepy she could barely open her eyes.
Their clothes were scattered on the floor. Yun Yang forced her heavy eyelids open and watched as Tang Yuelou picked up the items on her way back to the bed. Tang Yuelou held her, letting Yun Yang rest her head on her lap, and Yun Yang could feel her fingers slowly combing through her hair.
Her soiled clothes had been changed. Yun Yang had just been given a little water to drink and was now nestled in the soft blankets, resting with her eyes closed. Only a wall lamp was on in the bedroom, its dim light seeming especially warm in the sensual, intimate atmosphere.
“Are you feeling okay?” Tang Yuelou asked.
There was a distinct bite mark on Tang Yuelou’s hand where the skin had been broken—the result of Yun Yang’s handiwork when she couldn’t take it anymore. Of course, Yun Yang had paid the price for it.
“Not good.” The afterglow was long and lingering. She felt dizzy, too lazy to open her eyes. “Even my parents have never been that rough with me.”
Tang Yuelou readily apologized.
She lowered her voice, the ends of her words lilting with a smile, giving her tone a unique softness. Yun Yang felt as if her own senses were dulled; the words reached her brain and spun around sluggishly for a while before she gave a soft hum of acceptance.
“Teacher Tang is so experienced, so skillful,” Yun Yang remarked with a hum after mulling it over for a moment.
“If you want to ask about my romantic history, you can just ask. I wouldn’t mind telling you,” Tang Yuelou teased.
Yun Yang gave her a light kick.
She always felt that Tang Yuelou was particularly agreeable in this state—more patient and indulgent than usual, as if she were soothing a bristling cat. But Yun Yang was too lazy to bristle right now, so she simply ordered her around like a servant. “I want more water.”
“Alright.” Tang Yuelou reached for the water glass on the bedside table.
“I want ice water,” she said on a whim. “The kind with ice cubes. Extra icy.”
“Nice idea, but no.”
“But I want… mmmph…”
Tang Yuelou took a sip of water, held it in her mouth, and kissed her.
Honey had been added to the water, making the kiss sweet. Yun Yang swallowed passively, feeling a trickle of honey water escape their tangled lips, trail down her chin to the side of her neck, and pool at her collarbone, leaving a warm, ticklish sensation.
When Tang Yuelou finally pulled away, she wiped the droplets from Yun Yang’s skin with a tissue and asked with a smile, “Still want a drink?”
“Go away! Get away from me!” Yun Yang’s face was beet red. She buried her face and swatted at her. “I don’t want any! I’m going to sleep!”
Tang Yuelou laughed and let her, then caught her wrist and felt her forehead. It wasn’t hot; in fact, a light sheen of sweat made it feel a little cool. She sighed in relief.
“Go to sleep.” Tang Yuelou pulled the blanket up for her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
It had rained more than usual in Beicheng this year, a constant drizzle that lasted all autumn. It was raining again this evening. Tang Yuelou sat in a cafe across from Z University, staring absently at the students leaving the campus in twos and threes.
She had just finished speaking with her lawyer about Madam Tang. Her “stepmother” in name only was two years younger than her, a Z-list starlet, a pretty vase with nothing but looks. She had been married into the family after becoming pregnant with Tang Ruitian’s son, solely because none of his other mistresses had ever borne him one. It was laughable, really. Tang Ruitian was now nothing more than a lump of fat lying in a bed, and the first person to covet his company and fortune was this “vase” of a wife.
And of course, Tang Yuelou was going to “help” her.
The coffee in her cup had gone completely cold. Her phone vibrated on the table, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the time, rang the service bell, and ordered a large grass jelly dessert to go.
Yun Yang’s plan to cut out sugar had been a complete failure. She’d had a sudden craving for grass jelly at noon but couldn’t buy any before class, which had put her in a foul mood with herself. They were going to a friend’s party tonight, and Tang Yuelou knew that if Yun Yang didn’t eat it now, she’d have it as a late-night snack later and just get mad at herself all over again.
“Miss, your grass jelly dessert.”
“Mm, thank you…”
“Yuelou? Is that really you?”
Tang Yuelou froze. She turned and met the eyes of the person behind her. The woman, holding a cup of coffee, stared in surprise for a long moment. “What a coincidence. What are you… doing here?”
To say she didn’t care about Tang Yuelou’s ex would be a lie.
Every time she was at Dianqing, Yun Yang would see the group photo hanging in the workshop. In her mind’s eye, the other three people were automatically blurred out, leaving only the figures of Tang Yuelou and the woman beside her to circle endlessly in her thoughts.
After class, Yun Yang waved goodbye to her friends and walked off campus under her own umbrella.
Tang Yuelou was standing across the street, holding a black umbrella. Yun Yang wanted to jog over, but getting her shoes wet would be a pain. Lifting the cuffs of her long trousers, she slowed her pace. As she glanced up at the red light, she froze.
She saw a woman standing next to Tang Yuelou.
Her world was exceptionally clear with her contact lenses in, and Yun Yang saw the woman’s face distinctly—it was the same person from the photograph.
The woman wore a smart, professional skirt suit, looking capable and mature. But they were each holding their own umbrella, maintaining a polite social distance, which made Yun Yang feel considerably better. Taking advantage of the last few seconds of the red light, she quickly straightened her clothes and swept her long hair back, trying to project an imposing aura. Then, umbrella in hand, she crossed the road, ready for battle.
“…I’ll go when I have time.” Tang Yuelou’s eyes met Yun Yang’s, and she offered the other woman a polite smile. “Excuse me, the person I’m waiting for has arrived.”
Yun Yang slipped naturally under Tang Yuelou’s umbrella and gave a sweet, obedient smile. “Let’s go, Teacher.”
“Is this your student?” the woman asked, looking at her hesitantly.
Tang Yuelou started, “This is Yun Yang, she’s my…”
“I’m Yuelou’s… good friend.” Yun Yang hesitated for only a split second before choosing the ambiguous identity, putting extra emphasis on the “good.” Chin raised, she sized the woman up warily. “And who are you?”
Then she spotted the wedding ring on the ex-girlfriend’s finger, glinting faintly in the dim, overcast light. Yun Yang’s heart skipped a beat; she felt she understood something. She glanced at Tang Yuelou out of the corner of her eye, but the professor was perfectly composed, showing no hint of emotion. Her expression was polite but distant, as if she were facing a mere acquaintance.
And so, Yun Yang tightened her arm around Tang Yuelou’s.
“My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself.” The woman smiled. “My name is Ouyang Jun.”
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