MTB - Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Don't Push Me Away
Yun Yang never expected to run into Tang Yuelou just by visiting the hospital.
If she had seen this male doctor coming up with Tang Yuelou earlier, she would have bolted. But it was too late now—she silently grumbled to herself that she must have some kind of twisted fate with this person. Otherwise, why did she always run into her at her most disheveled moments?
The doctor dealt with the scene swiftly and decisively, comforting the doctor and nurse who had nearly been harmed. As if that wasn't enough, he turned and gave her a lecture. “You little rascal, why are you so reckless! Could you have beaten that man? You knew he had a knife and you still rushed him. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What if something had happened to you?”
Yun Yang was unconvinced, muttering under her breath, “It’s not like I definitely couldn’t have beaten him.”
The doctor was speechless.
“Ouyang,” Tang Yuelou, who had been leaning against the windowsill the whole time, spoke up coolly. “That’s enough.”
Yun Yang’s back stiffened.
She didn’t really want to dwell on whether it was her imagination, but since the beginning, Tang Yuelou’s gaze seemed to have been fixed on her. It was definitely not the look of someone in a good mood, and it made Yun Yang feel like she was being scrutinized. She swallowed, her hand in her pocket clenching the inner lining of her jacket.
Ouyang’s eyes darted between the two of them before he reluctantly abandoned his long-winded speech, changing the subject. “We’ve met before, at the bar, remember? You even played dice with us.”
The ID badge on his chest read “Vice Director Ouyang Zhou.” The name didn’t ring a bell, but Yun Yang was only now getting a good look at his face. As a lesbian who was one hundred percent into women, she didn’t pay much attention to men’s looks. She had only vaguely found him familiar earlier, but now that he mentioned “playing dice,” it clicked.
It was the day she had hit on Tang Yuelou. She remembered there was indeed a guy in a flowery shirt among Tang Yuelou’s friends. It wasn’t because she found him particularly handsome, but mainly because his skills were terrible yet his tolerance for alcohol was amazing. He kept playing, kept losing, and kept taking penalty drinks, yet somehow never got drunk. It was hard not to be impressed—but Yun Yang could in no way connect that flamboyant man in the flowery shirt with the dapper and distinguished “respectable” doctor standing before her.
“Remember now? My name is Ouyang Zhou. Don’t be a stranger, just call me Ouyang like Tang Yuelou does.”
“I remember, but wait a second,” Yun Yang interrupted him. “Who told you I was Tang Yuelou’s little girlfriend? We…”
“Director, could you come take a look at the patient in bed 4!”
“Tsk, I got carried away chatting.” Ouyang Zhou made a gesture to the doctor on rounds, then turned to Tang Yuelou. “I’m returning her to you. I’ve still got a ton of things to do, so I’m off—I’m the hero today, don’t forget you said you’d treat me to dinner.”
Tang Yuelou’s brow twitched. She glanced at Yun Yang and waved him away. “Got it.”
Yun Yang tried to take the opportunity to slip away. “Then I’ll also be…”
“Hold on, young lady.” A nurse came over with iodine and cotton swabs. “You need to get this wound treated. There’s a lot of bacteria under fingernails, and it can easily get infected if you leave it. Here, sit down. Oh my, that was so dangerous just now. Thanks to you. Thank you, you’re so brave.”
“Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Tang Yuelou said, naturally taking the items from her hand.
“Actually, I don’t need it,” Yun Yang said, forcing a dry smile. “It’s just a tiny scratch. It’ll be fine without treatment, it’s almost healed…”
Tang Yuelou asked, “Do you want to do it here, or somewhere else?”
Yun Yang was speechless.
It didn’t sound like there was a third option.
She had no choice. In the end, she got into Tang Yuelou’s car.
The scent of iodine was a bit sharp against the faint aromatherapy fragrance in the car. Yun Yang wrinkled her nose. “Teacher Tang, could you please hurry? I have class tonight.”
“Is that so?” Tang Yuelou smiled. “But I seem to recall seeing you leaving campus with a friend around this time last week.”
“Fuck,” Yun Yang muttered.
“Don’t swear.” Tang Yuelou brushed her hair aside with one hand. “Turn your head.”
By the time she realized it, Yun Yang had already complied.
The pressure of the iodine on the wound still made her flinch, and then a firmer hand pressed down on her shoulder. Yun Yang felt the skin around the wound grow warm. She frowned uncomfortably and complained in a small voice, “Can you be a little gentler?”
“I’ll be careful,” Tang Yuelou’s voice sounded by her ear.
As the woman drew near, her fragrance enveloped Yun Yang in a fine, dense cloud. The base notes of rose and patchouli, a little bitter, gentle and humid, cut through the unpleasant smell of iodine and slipped into her nose. Yun Yang wanted to turn her head, but a sharp sting suddenly came from the wound on her neck, making her shrink back.
“Sorry,” Tang Yuelou said softly.
Based on this person’s nature, Yun Yang reasonably suspected she did it on purpose, but she didn’t dare ask. Why had things taken such a strange turn? She inwardly stared at the sky, feeling utterly dejected.
“All done.” Tang Yuelou screwed the cap back on the iodine bottle. “Be careful when you get back. Don’t let it get wet.”
By now, Yun Yang had already taken out her phone and was furiously typing replies to messages, answering distractedly, “Okay, okay.”
“Your courage is commendable, but don’t be so reckless next time.”
“…Got it.” Yun Yang pouted. “So can I go now?”
If she didn’t leave soon, she would be late for her date.
“I’ll take you back.” Tang Yuelou glanced at her. “Or should I drop you off at a restaurant?”
Yun Yang shied away, warily covering her phone screen.
“Don’t misunderstand. I meant, would you like to have dinner together?” Tang Yuelou chuckled.
“Thank you for the kind offer, but there’s really no need. Just dropping me off at school is fine.”
Since she had no room to refuse, she might as well be brazen and use the woman as a chauffeur—a Didi from here would cost at least ten yuan. A free ride was a free ride. Tang Yuelou didn’t seem to mind and slowly drove the car out of the parking lot.
The car’s fragrance was very faint, and there was no unpleasant smell of leather, but Yun Yang felt as if Tang Yuelou’s light scent was lingering at the tip of her nose. So she rolled down the window, letting the evening breeze of late summer and early autumn wash through the car’s interior.
“What were you doing at the hospital?” Tang Yuelou asked.
“Seeing a doctor, of course.” Yun Yang seemed completely baffled by the pointless question. “I couldn’t have been looking for someone to give me this mark on purpose, could I?”
“Ouyang Zhou is an ophthalmologist. Should I send you his contact information?”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Yun Yang refused flatly. In fact, Tang Yuelou’s WeChat was still on her block list.
Fortunately, Tang Yuelou just nodded and didn’t press the matter.
The drive from the hospital to the university was only four or five minutes without traffic. The car stopped in a campus parking lot. Yun Yang checked the time, sent a message saying she might be five minutes late, then deftly unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to run. But Tang Yuelou suddenly asked, “That matter I mentioned before, have you thought about it?”
It took Yun Yang a moment to remember the part-time job. Out of respect for the salary Tang Yuelou had mentioned, she hesitated for half a second before refusing. “I think I’d rather… what is that!”
Tang Yuelou leaned over and pressed a bandage onto the wound on her neck.
The wound wasn’t large to begin with, and it had stopped hurting long ago after being disinfected. But when the warmth of those fingertips touched her skin, Yun Yang felt her own reflexes slow. She belatedly felt a dull ache from the wound, like a tiny thorn gently grazing her heart.
“I forgot earlier.”
Yun Yang’s fingers, hanging at her side, curled involuntarily.
Tang Yuelou was wearing a light V-neck knit sweater today. From Yun Yang’s angle, she could see the delicate skin beneath the collar and the elegant lines of her collarbone.
Her throat moved slightly. The moment the other woman’s gentle gaze passed through the thin lenses of her glasses, she frantically tried to look away, but her wrist was caught and she was pressed back against the soft passenger seat.
Yun Yang closed her eyes instinctively.
She felt as if her nerves had been bewitched, allowing Tang Yuelou’s fingers to slowly slide into her hair and pull her forward.
Outside the car was the campus at dusk, with cars coming and going. But in here was a quiet world that belonged only to the rhythm of their two hearts.
She heard Tang Yuelou’s voice, gentle yet forbidding refusal.
“Don’t push me away.”
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