MTB - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Doesn’t Seem Like an Act
The break room fell silent for a moment. A few seconds later, as if she hadn’t understood, Tang Yuelou smiled and said, “Indeed. But for girls this age, having a personality is a good thing.”
She was referring to Guan Yan and Yun Yang, offering Ouyang Jun an out. Ouyang Jun knew that according to standard social etiquette, she shouldn’t press the matter further. But she said stubbornly, “You know I’m not talking about them.”
Tang Yuelou: “What?”
“I’ve met Madam Tang once.”
“Is that so? She’s been very busy lately. Have you gone to see her?”
“This is the second time today you’ve tried to confuse the issue. Are you sure you want to play these games with a lawyer?” Ouyang Jun propped herself up on the desk, exasperated. “You know I’m not talking about the younger ‘Madam Tang.’”
Tang Yuelou’s brow twitched. “I was just…”
“Ahem, hmm.”
An affected cough broke the awkward atmosphere. Yun Yang stood with one hand on the doorframe and the other clutching her phone, her chin lifted as she looked at the two of them. “I’m done with my call. Are you two finished chatting? If I come in now, I won’t be interrupting, will I?”
It was unclear how long she had been standing at the door. Her face was expressionless, but she deliberately emphasized the word “interrupting,” clearly throwing a tantrum. She had even put on the bracelet that she had previously shelved for “not matching her style.” Her little scheme was perfectly clear.
Tang Yuelou asked, “What about your friend?”
“She went back first,” Yun Yang replied, her face impassive.
Guan Yan’s actual words were, “I don’t want to watch you two being all subtly lovey-dovey.” Besides, she wasn’t needed today, so she had promptly slipped away.
Lovey-dovey my ass, Yun Yang rolled her eyes internally. She was drowning in worries, yet Tang Yuelou had the leisure to reminisce with her ex-girlfriend for so long—five whole minutes. What could those two possibly have so much to talk about?
It was simply too much.
Ouyang Jun’s gaze fell on her bracelet, and she thoughtfully stroked her chin. “That brace…”
“No need to come in, because we can leave now.” Tang Yuelou cut her off, standing up and giving her a polite nod. “Thank you for your help this time. Don’t force yourself. If you really can’t find the time, be sure to let me know. We’ll be going now.”
“Wait, wait.” Yun Yang subconsciously started to follow her out, but after a few steps, she still hadn’t processed what was happening and kept looking back. “Aren’t we going to watch that video? You went to so much trouble to get it.”
“It’s fine. She’ll watch it later.”
Tang Yuelou gripped her wrist, her tone leaving no room for argument. Dubious, Yun Yang didn’t get another look at Ouyang Jun before she was pulled out of the law firm’s main door.
“Wait! Why are you walking so fast? It’s not like your ex-girlfriend is going to eat anyone.”
Yun Yang was dragged into and out of the elevator. She felt Tang Yuelou’s grip on her hand was a bit too tight, and the whole scene struck her as hilarious. Usually, when someone ran into their ex with their current partner, wasn’t it the current partner who would storm off, dragging the other person away? Why was it the other way around for them?
Tang Yuelou seemed not to hear her, striding quickly toward the parking lot. It wasn’t until Yun Yang’s wrist started to hurt and she realized something was wrong that she shook her hand free. Only then did Tang Yuelou seem to snap out of it, frowning slightly and saying, “Sorry.”
“You apologize to me every day, and not once do you mean it,” Yun Yang muttered as she expertly opened the car door and fastened her seatbelt. “But when I apologize, I’m serious every time.”
Tang Yuelou paused, then couldn’t help but chuckle.
“How do you know I’m not serious?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, serious. Seriously saying sorry, then doing it again next time.” Yun Yang pouted, rolled her eyes, and added sourly, “You weren’t like this with Ms. Ouyang, were you? No wonder you two broke up.”
She deliberately turned to look out the window, but after she spoke, a sudden silence fell over the car. The engine hadn’t even started. Yun Yang realized she had misspoken and felt a flicker of panic—in a way, she had never seen Tang Yuelou truly angry.
Except for that time she had a cold and still went drinking… but back then, Tang Yuelou’s reaction was less “anger” and more a pained reprimand for not taking care of herself. So she had raised her hand high only to bring it down gently, and the incident naturally became a flirtatious little episode later on.
People who seemed good-tempered were usually terrifying when they finally lost it, and the worst part was that no one ever knew which words had crossed the line.
Although she was curious about what Tang Yuelou’s breaking point was, Yun Yang was fine with being a little cheeky about small things, but she didn’t have the courage to truly court disaster. As she mentally rehearsed how to salvage the situation, she snuck a peek sideways. But just as she turned her head, Tang Yuelou leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
The careful thoughts Yun Yang had been assembling for the past thirty seconds were scrambled by this random kiss. She didn’t know whether to apologize first or get angry. But Tang Yuelou’s kiss was as light as a dragonfly touching water. She then helped her buckle her seatbelt and asked casually, “Do you know why Ouyang Jun and I broke up?”
“Why?” Yun Yang had been curious about this for a long time and immediately pressed for an answer.
“Because…”
The sentence was drawn out, her voice growing softer, turning into a deliberate tease. For a moment, Yun Yang suspected she had no intention of answering and was just using it as an excuse to amuse her.
Then Tang Yuelou’s hand slowly moved upward, smoothing out the twisted seatbelt before finally lifting her chin.
She was too close. Her other hand rested on the back of the seat, and Yun Yang felt as if she were encircled in her arms. The lingering base notes of rose and wood in her perfume gently tugged at her heartstrings, and her mind began to race. Forgetting about whether she would get an answer or not, she leaned in and kissed her.
This time, Tang Yuelou didn’t take the lead at all. She closed her eyes in response, her hand hovering lightly at the back of Yun Yang’s head. Yun Yang kissed her to her heart’s content before pulling away, satisfied. “Now, continue.”
“Because I’m a control freak,” Tang Yuelou said.
Yun Yang: “…”
“I want my lover to follow my wishes every step of the way. I want to prune every one of her branches into the shape I desire.”
“Wait a minute…”
Tang Yuelou gave her no chance to interject, continuing with a straight face, “The reason I’m like this is because I grew up in an extremely repressive environment, which caused me to develop severe psychological problems. Ouyang Jun couldn’t accept my mental issues, so she left me. And that’s also the reason I’ve been single all these years.”
Yun Yang was dumbfounded, taking a long moment to digest this. It seemed utterly preposterous. “But I feel like…”
“It’s because I’ve learned to control my emotions over the past ten years, so I appear to be a normal person. But whether the problem is truly resolved, I don’t know.” Having finished her piece, Tang Yuelou looked at Yun Yang seriously. “It’s possible that if I have a relapse in the future, I’ll treat you the same way.”
In just a few dozen seconds, Yun Yang’s worldview had been shattered and rebuilt.
While she had always felt Tang Yuelou had some unusual preferences, they weren’t hard to accept… She didn’t think Tang Yuelou’s desire for control was so strong as to be unbearable, did she?
…But why did this load of nonsense sound so twisted and absurd, yet somehow plausible upon closer inspection?
She’s definitely acting, she thought.
Maintaining the same stiff posture from right after their kiss, Yun Yang cooperatively gave her a complex look, a mixture of pity and sympathy.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Yuelou watched her with a faint smile. “Scared?”
“Ah, yes, yes, scared to death,” Yun Yang nodded in agreement. “But I still suggest you go see a doctor.”
Tang Yuelou’s expression was complicated. “…Thank you.”
Her “thank you” was even less sincere than her “sorry,” more like a hollow courtesy. Yun Yang was suddenly furious, her brow furrowing in disbelief. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Tang Yuelou: “I admit there was some exaggeration, but…”
“You seem perfectly normal to me! If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. Stop trying to fool me with excuses like that.” Yun Yang pushed her away and ordered irritably, “Hurry up and drive. I’m starving.”
The strange atmosphere lingered for a moment before ending with a sigh from Tang Yuelou.
“Alright.” She turned the key and started the car. “You’ll find out in the future.”
“Stop right there. When did I ever say I wanted a ‘future’ with you? We don’t even have a label, so watch what you say.”
“So that’s what you’re angry about,” Tang Yuelou said.
Her murmur was drowned out by the sound of the engine. Yun Yang frowned. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing.” A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Tang Yuelou’s eye. “Is there anything you’d like to eat for dinner?”
“I can’t be bothered to think. You can just feed me whatever you want, ‘Miss Control Freak.’”
“…”
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