MTB - Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Paid Leave
For a long time, Yun Yang couldn’t figure out just what kind of mischief Tang Yuelou was planning.
But Tang Yuelou had said, “Don’t you like the steak at this place?” so naturally that it seemed Yun Yang was the one with the dirty mind. So, she had no choice but to hide her wild thoughts away again.
From her first love until now, Yun Yang had lost count of the number of people she’d dated or had flings with. She felt the most important thing was to ensure every step proceeded at a pace she controlled. Even if things deviated slightly, she could always seize the initiative in the end. But Tang Yuelou was different. Her very appearance was already a disruption to that rhythm.
If she could choose, she would rather have never met Tang Yuelou.
But then again, setting aside their complicated history of grievances and the tempers that flared because of it, Tang Yuelou was definitely her type.
Yun Yang pretended to play with her phone, discreetly raising her eyes to study her.
Tang Yuelou had excellent posture. She sat on the sofa in a relaxed but not sloppy manner. The top two buttons of her shirtdress were undone. One side of her long, straight black hair cascaded down her back, while the other rested on her shoulder, hiding half of her collarbone, making her look elegant without being overly staid.
She adjusted her glasses, turned a page of the menu, and tilted her head to say something to the waiter. Her tone was gentle, carrying a polite and warm smile. When speaking to someone beside her, she had a habit of tucking the hair on that side behind her ear, revealing a smooth jawline and a slender neck.
On some occasions, she wore perfume—always a light fragrance with a hint of bitterness that lingered within the range of “close to her,” faintly teasing the tip of one’s nose.
It wasn’t until Tang Yuelou called her name that Yun Yang realized she had spaced out.
“Would you like to order anything else?” Tang Yuelou looked at her with a half-smile.
…She had definitely been caught staring. Yun Yang felt the discomfort of being caught red-handed. She rubbed the corner of her eye and took the menu. “Let me see.”
—But she could sense something hidden beneath Tang Yuelou’s gentle exterior. It made Yun Yang uneasy. Her first instinct was to get away, but she couldn’t ignore the strange excitement in her heart.
Like the true nature she’d revealed in that dark corner of the bar last time. Perhaps Tang Yuelou had done it on purpose, but that version of her was far more interesting than the mild-tempered “Tang Yuelou.” Yun Yang felt she was being “controlled,” which scared her, but also made her look forward to it.
The restaurant’s atmosphere was quiet and enchanting, filled with the faint, crisp clinking of cutlery against plates. Yun Yang adjusted the large, black-framed glasses that covered half her face, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to feast, having no intention of maintaining her image in front of Tang Yuelou.
In truth, her eyes were still a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, the lighting here was dim, otherwise she would have wanted to put on the sunglasses she carried with her.
Since she couldn’t keep the situation under her control, there was no need to put on a pretense. It was better to relax completely, do whatever felt comfortable, and let nature take its course—this was Yun Yang’s unique “way of the scumbag.”
“Since the boss is treating, I’ll be blunt. I’ve always thought the house red here isn’t very good. It’s like juice.” She swallowed a piece of steak and downed the red wine in her glass as if it were juice. “Can we get a more expensive bottle?”
Tang Yuelou paused. “Can you drink?”
“What do you think?”
The conversation was undeniably strange. The waiter glanced hesitantly at Tang Yuelou, who nodded. “Do as she says.”
“Wait, are you really going to change it?” Yun Yang asked, surprised.
She had just been talking nonsense.
“It’s fine,” Tang Yuelou said with a gentle smile. “After all, the ‘boss’ is treating.”
“Then I won’t be polite.”
The waiter quickly brought another bottle of red wine. The liquid in the glass shone like a ruby under the lights. Yun Yang took a sip, and a slightly astringent fragrance flowed over her taste buds.
Although she could hold her liquor, she didn’t actually know much about wine. She just wanted to find a reason to annoy Tang Yuelou… but now she was starting to get curious about the price of this bottle.
Before she knew it, three glasses were empty. Yun Yang set down her glass and looked up to find that Tang Yuelou had, at some point, put down her knife and fork. She was leaning back against the sofa, propping her chin on one hand.
But Yun Yang wasn’t wearing her glasses, so she couldn’t see Tang Yuelou’s expression clearly.
“Are you full?”
“I have something to ask you.” Yun Yang put her glasses back on. “Last time, at the bar…”
“I’m sorry,” Tang Yuelou said.
Yun Yang was taken aback. “Huh?”
“For approaching you so suddenly without warning. I need to apologize,” Tang Yuelou said, pausing for a moment. “Perhaps you don’t like that kind of approach.”
“No, that’s not…” Yun Yang suddenly felt that admitting it was wrong, but denying it was also wrong. “That’s not what I was talking about!”
“Oh?”
Tang Yuelou’s tone suddenly drew out, sounding full of meaning. Yun Yang felt like she was about to fall apart, as if she had just dug a hole for herself.
“I was upstairs in the private club for a meeting. I happened to see you downstairs and just wanted to say hello,” Tang Yuelou explained.
That was indeed the truth—if she’d had the chance to look back carefully that day, she would have noticed Tang Yuelou was dressed more formally in a blouse and a long skirt.
“Is that so?” Yun Yang leaned forward slightly, her elbows on the table. “But as I recall, you don’t have to pass through the bar to get downstairs from the club, unless you deliberately take a detour.”
They were seated by a floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the city lights were just beginning to glow. Inside, the lighting was soft, and a slow, romantic piano melody drifted through the air.
Tang Yuelou lowered her eyes and smiled.
“Because I was looking for you.” When she looked up again, her gaze was serious, her admission frank. “Because I like you.”
“A lot of people say that to me,” Yun Yang said, not at all surprised. She raised an eyebrow. “Do you think you’re special?”
“Do you?”
Throwing a difficult question back as a counter-question—it was like a hint, and also a kind of lure. The end of Tang Yuelou’s sentence rose slightly, completely different from her usual tone. For a moment, Yun Yang didn’t know how to respond. She even forgot to call the waiter, standing up to reach for the wine bottle herself, only to have her wrist caught halfway.
“Yangyang, although I know you like it,” Tang Yuelou said, a hint of helplessness in her voice, “I can’t let you drink any more today.”
One of them was standing and the other was sitting, but their auras were reversed. Tang Yuelou was clearly the one looking up at her, but her gaze contained so many emotions, hidden beneath an unwavering smile, that Yun Yang didn’t feel superior at all. Instead, she felt as if she were being scrutinized.
A warm sensation spread from where their skin touched. Tang Yuelou’s hand rested on her wrist, the pads of her fingers inadvertently brushing against the skin of her inner wrist. It tickled, and Yun Yang’s fingers twitched involuntarily.
Soon, Tang Yuelou let go and pointed at her phone. “You’re going to be late for work.”
Yun Yang sat back down.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take paid leave today?” She propped her chin on her hand and lowered her voice, which held an indescribable, lingering intimacy. “Teacher?”
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