MTB - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Call the Police, Then
On Tuesday, Yun Yang went to the hospital again.
After a series of examinations that took up her entire afternoon, the final diagnosis was indeed a mild case of dry eye syndrome. It wasn’t a serious illness, but it was quite troublesome. Yun Yang emerged from the consultation room with the prescription, her face clouded with gloom.
“Hey, cheer up. Just be more careful day-to-day. It’s really not a big deal.”
The person accompanying her to the hospital today was the girl from the Foreign Language Department she had met at the bar. Her surname was He, and she was in the same year as Yun Yang. She had skipped her afternoon classes to be there. Seeing Yun Yang’s obvious dejection, she put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.
Yun Yang usually didn’t wear makeup unless she was going out or had an important date. Sometimes, when she didn’t feel like wearing contacts, she would put on a pair of black-framed glasses. Her intention was to be less conspicuous, but it paradoxically made her seem more approachable.
But she wasn’t fond of unsolicited physical contact and subtly shifted away.
In truth, she had planned to come alone today. She hadn’t been feeling well for the past few days and couldn’t be bothered to expend energy on such trivial social activities. But during her afternoon nap, she had dreamed of Tang Yuelou again.
It was in the booth at the bar. Just like before, Tang Yuelou stood behind her, looking down as she held her hand.
Except in the dream, Tang Yuelou’s other hand hadn’t just stopped at her lips.
The dream was so absurd that when Yun Yang woke up, her mind was a complete mess. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a full ten minutes, but no matter what she did, the faint scent of roses that clung to Tang Yuelou lingered in her nostrils, refusing to dissipate.
Just then, she received a friend request from Xiao He. Agitated and wanting a distraction, Yun Yang accepted it without a second thought.
Xiao He was an interesting person and a chatterbox. Worried that Yun Yang was in a bad mood, she spent the whole time trying to cheer her up, touching on topics she thought Yun Yang might find interesting—from complaining about a certain elective professor to gossiping about a senior who was hopelessly in love with a straight girl. But all Yun Yang could think about was: What was Tang Yuelou doing at the bar that day?
Was she there to find me? Yun Yang couldn’t help but indulge in the wishful thought for a moment before quickly dismissing it.
If she wasn’t looking for someone, then she was just there to have fun. She… As her thoughts wandered, Yun Yang mentally slapped herself. Are you crazy? Mind your own business. Tang Yuelou was a grown woman; she could go wherever she pleased. What did it have to do with her?
They were nearing the university’s north gate when Xiao He asked, “Want to get hot pot tonight? A new place opened nearby. My roommate said their spicy broth is especially fragrant.”
“Maybe not today, I’m not feeling well,” Yun Yang said dismissively. “Besides, I have plans tonight.”
“Alright… I’ll hit you up in a couple of days then.”
As they crossed the street, Xiao He naturally took her hand. Yun Yang hesitated for a moment but didn’t pull away.
Traffic wasn’t heavy near the north gate, and there were parking spots on both sides of the road. The city inspectors weren’t too strict, so street food stalls sometimes popped up, much to the students’ delight. Yun Yang glanced around, thinking she might buy a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts before heading back, when she suddenly spotted a car that looked vaguely familiar.
Just then, Xiao He suddenly pointed somewhere and said, “Is that Teacher Tang Yuelou?”
Yun Yang had already found the black sedan parked by the roadside very familiar. Now, following Xiao He’s pointed finger, she indeed saw Tang Yuelou.
The car was parked on the roadside. She was buying sugar-roasted chestnuts.
Involuntarily, Yun Yang’s mind flashed back to the bizarre dream she’d had. An indescribable feeling washed over her, and she silently let go of Xiao He’s hand.
Xiao He was taken aback for a moment but just assumed she didn’t want her teacher to see them, so she didn’t say anything.
“Teacher Tang is so beautiful,” Xiao He mused. “If I managed to get into her class, I’d never zone out.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “It would be perfect if she were gay.”
Yun Yang turned to look at her, her expression blank.
“Haha, I didn’t mean it like that, I…”
“She is, actually.”
“…Huh?”
Xiao He was stunned for a second, reacting a beat too late. “How do you know?”
Tang Yuelou seemed to have noticed them. Yun Yang’s eyes met hers for a moment before she reluctantly looked away. Glancing at a message on her phone, she turned to Xiao He and said, “I have something to do tonight, so I’m heading off.”
“You’re leaving already?” Xiao He asked, completely bewildered.
“I have a part-time job,” Yun Yang said with a dry laugh. “My boss is calling for me.”
Yun Yang pulled open the car door and saw a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts on the passenger seat.
She took it as a sign that she wasn’t supposed to sit there and was about to move to the back when she heard Tang Yuelou say, “Don’t go to the back. I bought those for you. You can hold them to warm your hands.”
Yun Yang pursed her lips, then decisively shut the door and fastened her seatbelt. “Where do the shells go?” she asked without ceremony.
“There’s a trash bag right there.” Tang Yuelou then added, “Don’t eat too many, or you won’t have room for dinner.”
“I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“I know. That’s why I’m taking you.”
“Oh, I’m so touched,” Yun Yang said, her tone dripping with insincerity. “Thank you, boss. You’re so generous.”
Tang Yuelou started the car and said, “I still prefer it when you call me ‘Teacher’.”
The previous times Yun Yang had called her “Teacher” had been mostly teasing. Now that she was being asked to, the title inexplicably took on an unspoken weight. Yun Yang plastered on a professional smile and deliberately went against her wishes. “Alright then, Tang Yuelou.”
Tang Yuelou chuckled lightly.
“Fine, as you wish.”
Their relationship was strange now. It certainly wasn’t a simple boss-employee or teacher-student dynamic. Calling them exes felt too delicate. Calling it a flirtation felt awkward to Yun Yang. To say Tang Yuelou was hitting on her… but Tang Yuelou hadn’t really done anything. It was clearly Yun Yang who was overthinking everything, yet she couldn’t stop herself from getting closer.
Yun Yang rolled the window down further, letting the wind whip against her face. She peeled a chestnut and imagined it was Tang Yuelou as she ground it between her teeth.
“Close the window,” Tang Yuelou said suddenly. “Eating while the wind is blowing in will upset your stomach.”
Why should I listen to you? Yun Yang thought. She peeled another chestnut, tossing Tang Yuelou’s words into the trash bag along with the shell.
“I won’t.”
“Why?”
“No reason. I just don’t want to.” Even Yun Yang felt she was being a bit petulant, but today, she was determined to be unreasonable. She suspected she might have a self-destructive streak; she just wanted to test Tang Yuelou’s limits, maybe even provoke a fight.
So she leaned back, adopting a posture that shut down any further discussion. “If you don’t like it, call the police.”
With negotiations having failed, Tang Yuelou closed the window herself. “Then I’ll have to do it for you.”
Yun Yang: “…”
“Most teenagers in their rebellious phase don’t like being lectured. I understand,” Tang Yuelou said with a gentle smile. “But I must say something very cliché: this is for your own good.”
Adults often used the phrase “this is for your own good” to mask their desire for control. Perhaps Tang Yuelou had that tendency too. But very few people had ever said that to Yun Yang in her entire life. She just found the comparison to a “rebellious teenager” awkward and fell silent, her fingers pinching the edge of the paper chestnut bag.
“Wait,” Yun Yang suddenly realized the route seemed wrong and asked doubtfully, “This isn’t the way to the shop, is it?”
“We’re getting dinner first. I won’t make you late.”
“It’d be much better if you just gave me paid time off.”
“Unfortunately, that’s up to your store manager.”
“…Tricks of the capitalists,” Yun Yang muttered under her breath.
It was unclear whether Tang Yuelou heard her. She held the steering wheel, turned at an intersection, and smoothly pressed the brake. “We’re here.”
Yun Yang had just reached for the door handle to get out when she froze, recognizing where they were.
She was very familiar with this place. She knew the nearby restaurants, the shopping malls, the subway station just a short distance away, and even the surrounding residential complexes—after all, she had lived here for a month.
28 days, to be precise.
Because Tang Yuelou’s home was right here.
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