MTB - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: A Ring Isn't Enough

Guan Yan spent the most uncomfortable fifteen minutes of her life here—but Teacher Tang was as friendly as ever, acting as if nothing had happened and asking if she wanted to stay for a meal.

“No, no, no, don’t trouble yourself. I’ll be leaving right away.”

How could Guan Yan dare to stay? This apartment had become the site of her social death, embarrassing enough to make her cringe and claw at the walls during every sleepless night she tossed and turned. She couldn’t get away fast enough, let alone think about eating.

“Hey, it’s no trouble. If I say you’re staying, you’re staying. I call the shots here,” Yun Yang said magnanimously, with a grand wave of her hand.

“Huh? I don’t think so.” Guan Yan felt that statement was debatable. “This is Teacher Tang’s home.”

Yun Yang: “Who do you think calls the shots here?”

Without a second thought, Guan Yan blurted out, “Teacher Tang, of course.”

Yun Yang frowned, displeased. “Think again.”

Guan Yan pondered for a moment before saying slowly, “It’s probably Teacher Tang.”

Yun Yang: “…”

Yun Yang’s expression was indescribable. Tang Yuelou, who was laughing with her head down, received a fierce glare. She quickly suppressed her laughter, cleared her throat, and patted Guan Yan’s shoulder with an air of seriousness. “Alright, you hang out with Yun Yang for a bit. I’ll go make lunch. What would you like, rice or noodles?”

Guan Yan was drawn into the question. She hesitated between the two options for a couple of seconds, chose rice, and then, under the gazes of the other two, made a “bathroom escape.”

Now, only the two of them were left in the bedroom. Yun Yang exchanged a look with Tang Yuelou, who was at the door, then sat cross-legged on the bed and scooted back.

Tang Yuelou closed the door and sat down opposite her, sighing with feigned helplessness. “I call the shots? But why do I feel like someone is about to walk all over me?”

“That just means your intuition is pretty sharp,” Yun Yang scoffed.

“Is this the gift you mentioned?”

Tang Yuelou took the transparent bag, looking a little bewildered. “A… custom T-shirt?” The kind the university had made for everyone?

She was currently a bit traumatized by the concept of “a gift from Yun Yang.” After all, people’s minds worked in different ways, and you could never be sure if it was a pleasant surprise or a nasty shock. Just as Tang Yuelou was about to take the item out, Yun Yang swiftly snatched it away and clutched it to her chest. “Wait! I have something to say first.”

Tang Yuelou: “What is it?”

Yun Yang: “Teacher, I love you.”

Teacher Tang was caught completely off guard by the confession and couldn’t quite process it for a moment. “Mm, I love you too. But right now…”

“Never mind the timing. Let me just say, this shirt is for me to wear. When I ordered it, we hadn’t made up yet, so I didn’t intentionally mean to make you angry… well, maybe a little, but it wasn’t directed at you.” Yun Yang muttered a long string of disclaimers to herself as she slowly unwrapped the package. “Anyway, just stay calm and think of it as a little bit of fun.”

Tang Yuelou nodded, suddenly very curious about what kind of “fun” would make Yun Yang resort to using honorifics.

Then she watched as Yun Yang finally pulled out the custom T-shirt. Where it should have said “Campus Marathon,” it was replaced with three large words: I. JUST. WON’T.

“Nice, right? Guan Yan has pretty good taste in clothes.” Yun Yang deliberately held the shirt up in front of her. “This color is very flattering. I’ll have plenty of opportunities to wear it at home. It’s very convenient, too.”

Tang Yuelou: “…”

…

“Yangyang, um, I think the bathroom is out of toilet paper—”

As Guan Yan called out, Yun Yang was pinned to the bed, being kissed so breathlessly it felt like retaliation. That “flattering” custom T-shirt was crumpled into a ball beneath her. The bedroom door was ajar; anyone who pushed it open would see the scene.

The voice came, muffled, through the bathroom door. Yun Yang didn’t even manage to get out the word “scram” before she was pressed back down. Forcing herself to stay rational, she grabbed Tang Yuelou’s sleeve and pushed her away. “Stop… have you no shame! Someone will see!”

Tang Yuelou chuckled. “Didn’t you just say you didn’t mind the timing?”

“…Can’t I change my mind? So petty.”

A suspicious blush spread across her face, creeping from the base of her ears down to her chest beneath her pajamas. The exposed line of her neck was long and elegant. Tang Yuelou lowered her gaze and gently pinched her earlobe.

“No piercings. Are you afraid of the pain?”

The whisper of breath on her skin sent a trembling tingle through her. Despite this, Yun Yang had to be stubborn. “I just like wearing ear cuffs. They’re convenient. Is that a problem?”

She had always found it unnecessary to adorn herself in a way that felt like self-mutilation—in other words, she was afraid of the pain.

“I see.” It was hard to tell if Tang Yuelou actually believed her. Her gaze drifted down, and she lightly traced the side of Yun Yang’s neck with a finger.

“You should wear a choker. It would look very good on you.”

The light touch was making Yun Yang ticklish. She froze at the words, her face turning even redder. “I’m already wearing your ring. Don’t push your luck.”

“A ring isn’t enough.”

“I just won’t! If you want to see one so badly, put it on yourself and look in the mirror.”

“Yangyang,” Tang Yuelou nuzzled the crook of her neck with her chin, her voice softening in a way that was part pout, part gentle coaxing. “When it’s just the two of us, wear it just for me. Okay?”

A stray strand of Tang Yuelou’s hair slipped inside Yun Yang’s collar, tickling her and sending her mind racing. She began to waver almost immediately—this was Tang Yuelou, pouting. It was a rare sight. Who could possibly resist?

Yun Yang, for one, never could.

“Well… it’s not entirely out of the question.” She gave a reluctant nod, turning her head away uncomfortably. “Let go of me first, and then we’ll talk.”

“Then you let go,” Tang Yuelou said, raising an eyebrow with a smile as she looked at the hand gripping her sleeve tightly.

Embarrassed, Yun Yang followed her gaze and immediately let go, as if she’d been burned.

“Your friend seems to be waiting for you in the bathroom,” Tang Yuelou reminded her, casually straightening her rumpled collar.

“…Shit, I forgot.”

…

Guan Yan was forced to wait in the bathroom for an extra five minutes. By the time Yun Yang came in, her legs had gone numb. She had been prepared to be thoroughly mocked and for the incident to become a legendary story, but she had no idea what had transpired in those five minutes. Yun Yang rushed in, then ran out again without a word, acting so serious she was completely unlike her usual teasing self.

“Sorry, just now… ahem, I didn’t hear you.”

Through the door, Yun Yang’s voice sounded a little unnatural, but Guan Yan didn’t pay it any mind. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “That misunderstanding from earlier… Teacher Tang isn’t upset, is she?”

The person outside the door sounded very dismissive. “Our Teacher Tang has a great temper. She wouldn’t get angry over something so trivial.”

Guan Yan, of course, didn’t detect the sarcasm in her tone and breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”

When she came out, she saw Yun Yang standing by the bathroom door, looking completely normal except for her slightly red ears.

Guan Yan: “What’s wrong?”

“Um, well,” Yun Yang glanced toward the kitchen and asked in a low voice, “is it too late to exchange the custom T-shirt?”

Guan Yan: “?”

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