MTB - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: It Suits You
“Then what are you angry about?” Yun Yang’s hands, pinned behind her back, fidgeted in discontent. “If you’re not angry, then get off me.”
“Let’s stay like this a little longer.”
A strand of hair slipped into her collar, making it itch. Yun Yang shifted awkwardly, letting Tang Yuelou hold her. “How am I supposed to hug you if you don’t untie me… Ah! Why did you bite me?!”
“Don’t ever leave so suddenly again.” Tang Yuelou gently rubbed the red bite mark on her collarbone. “Stay by my side forever, alright?”
It was clearly a tone that brooked no refusal, yet she had to add an “alright?” to create the illusion that it was negotiable. Yun Yang trembled, feeling Tang Yuelou’s kisses travel up from her collarbone, landing on the skin just above where the belt restrained her.
“Hiss… This won’t do, Teacher Tang.” She couldn’t help but tilt her head back, her fingers clenching tightly against her own palms as she panted along with Tang Yuelou’s movements. “Don’t you think… this is a bit rash?”
Tang Yuelou’s hand reached back and clasped hers. Her lips moved slowly upward until a soft moan escaped by Yun Yang’s ear.
“It is a bit rash. Would you prefer a mark engraved with my name?”
Yun Yang froze for a moment, then felt a blush burn from her face all the way to her heels.
Tang Yuelou’s hand slid to her neck, as if she were truly measuring it. Yun Yang couldn’t help but briefly imagine the scene of being “engraved with Tang Yuelou’s name” and was instantly engulfed by an indescribable sense of shame. Mortified and annoyed, she struggled to get away. “I don’t want it! What do you take me for?!”
“I was just kidding. Don’t be angry. I was wrong, I’m sorry,” Tang Yuelou apologized readily, stroking her hair as if calming a cat. Yun Yang struggled for a moment to no avail and shot her a glare. “Get off.”
Tang Yuelou lightly grazed her neck. “Are you still going to leave?”
Yun Yang leaned forward, dodging her lips, and huffed, turning her head to the side. “That depends on your performance.”
Saying that basically meant “no.” Tang Yuelou smiled and considerately straightened her clothes, then placed a hand over her head. “Don’t bump your head.”
“Why didn’t I see you being so concerned when you were tying me up? What an act.”
Yun Yang climbed off her, ruefully rubbing her numb wrist. “You were really ruthless… What are you doing?”
Tang Yuelou took her hand. Yun Yang flinched back warily, then felt something cold fasten around her wrist.
“What strange thing are you putting on me now?” She was becoming almost immune to some of this person’s peculiar tastes. She put up a token resistance, but unexpectedly, Tang Yuelou actually let go. Yun Yang looked down and was stunned.
On her wrist was a platinum bracelet, shaped like a flower stem twisted into a circle. The delicate stem had clearly carved veins, making it look lifelike, and the petals at the top were coated in a fine luster under the dim light.
“This is…”
Although she sometimes wore a bunch of trinkets to match an outfit, it was purely for fun. In reality, Yun Yang knew nothing about jewelry. She raised her hand, examining the bracelet in the light from the window. The style was simple and elegant, and the petals had a jade-like texture. She could tell the quality was excellent.
In the quiet car, she held her breath, her fingertips tracing the pattern on the bracelet. It felt cool and smooth, tinged with Tang Yuelou’s body heat.
Yun Yang’s eyelashes fluttered. She looked up and saw Tang Yuelou’s gaze fixed on the bracelet, her eyes veiled with a complex emotion in the dimness of the night.
“Teacher, this bracelet…”
“It suits you,” Tang Yuelou said with a smile, pulling her gaze back.
“It is very beautiful, but you can’t wear this on your neck,” Yun Yang joked, trying to take it off as she declined. “Letting me wear it to be a hand model is fine, but don’t give it to me. This is too valuable, and it’s not my usual style. What a waste.”
“It’s fine, it’s not valuable. It’s something my mother left behind,” Tang Yuelou said nonchalantly.
Yun Yang paused—this was the first time she had heard Tang Yuelou voluntarily mention her mother.
It wasn’t so much that she avoided the topic of her mother, but rather that Tang Yuelou rarely spoke of her family at all. So far, Yun Yang only knew that her mother had passed away and that her father was recently critically ill. She had only heard a passing mention of the latter, and it wasn’t until the news appeared in a local business paper a few days later that Yun Yang got the general idea.
In the common imagination, most “scions of wealthy families” would go on to inherit the family business. But Tang Yuelou had strayed from the proper path, pursuing a career completely unrelated to her family’s enterprise—studying, starting her own business, moving at her own pace. She avoided talking about her family background, as if the vast family fortune had nothing to do with her.
“She was a very talented designer, but she wasn’t focused. She switched from landscape design to jewelry design, and after she got married, she stopped working altogether. This is one of her works. Only the design draft existed; I had someone make it not long ago.”
Yun Yang listened intently, but Tang Yuelou’s tone suddenly shifted. She smiled and said, “The result is quite good, isn’t it?”
“She was indeed very talented,” Yun Yang nodded and asked, “What happened to her later, your mother?”
Tang Yuelou paused.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to answer, you don’t have to answer,” Yun Yang said, quickly apologizing when she realized her mistake.
“She passed away many years ago. She suffered from long-term depression and eventually committed suicide.” Tang Yuelou subconsciously raised a hand, as if to touch her own shoulder. Realizing what she was doing, she frowned slightly and waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t need to apologize. Even if you hadn’t asked, I wasn’t planning on hiding it from you.”
Yun Yang was taken aback, her gaze flickering as she looked at her.
“Why are you telling me this,” she muttered under her breath.
“I just hope you can understand me, Yangyang.” Tang Yuelou took her hand, weaving her fingers through the gaps to link them together. “You have your concerns, I know.”
“As long as you know,” Yun Yang said, lifting her chin and turning uncomfortably to look out the window.
“I’ll tell you the rest slowly in the future. Thanks to you calling me today, I had a chance to sneak back.” Tang Yuelou leaned back against the seat and let out a long sigh, looking much more relaxed. She said with a half-smile, “You know my father is dying. That group of people is discussing his inheritance, dividing up shares. It’s very boring. Thanks to you, I had an excuse to get out.”
Yun Yang suppressed the turmoil in her heart and went along with her, teasing, “I thought you rich second-generation types… I mean, talented youths from wealthy families, were all business prodigies, naturally interested in this sort of thing.”
“You’re right. It’s because I ‘grew up wrong’,” Tang Yuelou said, nodding seriously.
“By the way,” she said, seeming to remember something as she frowned, “didn’t you have class this afternoon and evening?”
Yun Yang: “…”
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