MTB - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: I Love You
When Tang Yuelou entered, bringing a gust of cold air with her, Yun Yang felt a genuine pang of guilt. The three of them, each with their own ulterior motives, maintained a superficial harmony and exchanged pleasantries for two minutes. Ouyang Jun then mentioned she had work to do. As she left, she patted Yun Yang’s shoulder. “Let’s talk again when you have time. I really like hearing you call me sister.”
Yun Yang: “…” I’m begging you, please leave.
She had clearly been in the right, but after being messed with by Ouyang Jun—this person who she couldn’t tell was an ally or a troublemaker—Yun Yang felt she was in for it.
Tang Yuelou was unusually quiet on the drive. Perhaps she had stood in the snow for too long, but her entire being seemed to radiate a chill that was hard to ignore, as if she’d been pulled from a hole in the ice.
With both of them hiding their own thoughts, they didn’t speak the entire way. To make matters worse, it was snowing heavily outside and it was the evening rush hour, forcing the car to move at a crawl, stuck in a long line of traffic.
The silence stretched on. At another red light, Tang Yuelou stepped on the brake, her hand resting on the steering wheel, and was the first to break the awkwardness. “Had a nice chat?”
“What, is that not allowed?” Yun Yang crossed her arms and pointed a finger at her a couple of times. “I think your ex is actually a pretty good person. Your breakup was definitely your fault.”
“A pretty good person?” Tang Yuelou repeated the words.
“Yes.”
Tang Yuelou smiled, but there was no emotion behind it.
“Fine. Good.” The car entered the underground garage, and she nodded. “What did you talk about?”
“No way, you’re going to control this too?” Yun Yang feigned surprise. “You’re overstepping your bounds a bit, don’t you think?”
This series of actions—like dancing in a minefield—was already highly unusual. Tang Yuelou smiled without responding and stepped on the brake again. Caught off guard, Yun Yang lurched forward, almost getting thrown from her seat. “What are you doing!”
“We’re home.” Tang Yuelou was being particularly sparing with her words today.
As she got out of the car, Yun Yang saw the umbrella tossed on the back seat and was exasperated. “You have an umbrella and you don’t know how to use it? Your hair and clothes are all wet.”
“What’s wrong today? Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?” After a moment, she asked again.
Yun Yang: “Where did you go this afternoon?”
“I believe I said I went back to the Old Residence.” Tang Yuelou’s answer was frank and open. She thought for a moment, a hint of teasing amusement appearing in her eyes. “What, turning the tables and checking up on me now?”
She’s dodging the question. Something’s not right, Yun Yang tried to analyze calmly.
“So you’re allowed to manage me, but I’m not allowed to ask you questions? That makes no sense,” she scoffed.
The elevator floor number kept rising. After a “ding,” Tang Yuelou suddenly spoke. “Have I been spoiling you too much?”
Yun Yang certainly didn’t think so.
“Yangyang, you’d better think about how you’re going to explain yourself first.”
Yun Yang: “…”
As she was half-dragged, half-held, and led into the apartment, she was still trying to resist. She was supposed to be giving Tang Yuelou a chance, but now it had turned into Tang Yuelou giving her a chance. Her hands were twisted behind her back and she was pressed against a storage cabinet in the entryway. The lights weren’t on. Outside, the heavy snow blotted out the sky. Though it was only evening, the room was already completely dark. The person behind her spoke in a very gentle tone, “You still have a chance. Is there anything you’d like to explain?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Didn’t do anything?” Tang Yuelou gave an ambiguous laugh. Her hand came around to Yun Yang’s front, lifted her chin to force her head up, and unzipped her jacket.
“Sh-sh-she, Ouyang Jun, she did it on purpose.” Yun Yang felt Tang Yuelou’s cold fingers scrape across her collarbone. She flinched involuntarily, starting to lose her nerve. “I didn’t do anything. I righteously refused her.”
“Oh? How did you refuse?”
“I said we’re both spoken for… Hiss—Teacher, your hands are so cold. I’m cold.”
“Let’s not talk about that right now. We’ll talk about it slowly when you’re ready.”
“Are you ready to talk now?”
Leaning in her arms, Yun Yang whimpered and nodded.
“Teacher, I want to hold you.”
Tang Yuelou sat on the rug and pulled her into her arms.
“Are you feeling very uncomfortable?” She gently stroked her skin and took the initiative to apologize. “I’m sorry, I lost my composure a bit.”
Yun Yang shook her head.
“Before I met with Ouyang Jun, I was planning to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to you at midnight tonight.”
Tang Yuelou was slightly taken aback.
She rested her head against Tang Yuelou’s chest and said softly, “But after talking with her, I’ve decided to say ‘I love you’ to you today instead.”
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