Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 26

Meng Tang’s wrist was firmly grasped as Wei Chuan, tall and imposing, held his arm high to shield her from the rain.

The track field was near the training facility, and Meng Tang was pulled by him to take shelter under the eaves.

Only the main entrance of the facility was open, and many people, too lazy to walk around to the front, simply waited under the side awning for the rain to stop.

Meng Tang patted the rainwater off her clothes, slightly out of breath. “What are you doing here?”

Wei Chuan avoided the question. “Are you okay? Did you get soaked?”

Meng Tang shook her head. “Not much.”

Her spot was the closest to the side door of the training facility, but this also meant that as more people crowded in, she and Wei Chuan were pushed further inside.

The light from their phones seemed feeble and dim in the vast outdoor space, but it was enough for Meng Tang to trace Wei Chuan’s silhouette with her gaze.

A layer of moisture clung to his short hair, and droplets of water dotted his face.

Meng Tang pulled a piece of cotton cloth from her pocket and handed it to him. “Here, wipe yourself.”

“What’s this?” Wei Chuan took it, examining it under the light. “A handkerchief?”

Meng Tang replied, “No, just a clean piece of cotton cloth I use when transporting wood carvings.”

Wei Chuan chuckled and used the cloth to roughly dry his damp hair.

Though many people stood nearby, luckily, pressed against the wall, no one noticed him. Wei Chuan leaned in slightly and whispered,

“Running alone?”

Meng Tang hummed in agreement. “I was in the restoration lab until 8:30 before coming out. What about you? Why were you at the track?”

Wei Chuan stuffed the cloth into his pocket. “Trained from 6 to 8:30, then had an hour of free time. Lost a game with my teammates and had to run two laps around the track as a dare. Just stepped out when it started raining.”

Meng Tang couldn’t help but laugh, his training life sounded quite eventful.

The rain poured relentlessly, showing no signs of letting up even after ten minutes.

Heading back now would mean getting drenched from head to toe, but the young couple beside them couldn’t wait any longer.

The girl complained about the heavy rain and how tired she was from standing, while the boy told her to lean on him and rest.

The girl hugged him, whining and cooing in his arms.

The boy showered her with kisses and sweet talk, making Meng Tang so embarrassed she wished she could vanish into the ground.

Their obliviousness made it seem like everyone around them was just part of the scenery.

Wei Chuan tapped Meng Tang’s shoulder and switched places with her.

He leaned over and said into the boy’s ear, “Hey, buddy, there are people around. Save the PDA for the right place.”

The boy scoffed. “What, jealous because you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“Jealous?” Wei Chuan laughed in disbelief. “The sound of you two making out is louder than the rain. Should I get you a bed?”

The crowd burst into laughter, this would definitely be tomorrow’s gossip highlight.

Meng Tang admired this about Wei Chuan. While everyone else awkwardly looked away, he stepped up to call things out.

The girl nudged her boyfriend. “Let’s go back to the dorm. Who knows when the rain will stop.”

The boy grunted in agreement, then shoved Wei Chuan. “Move.”

Caught off guard, Wei Chuan stumbled and bumped into Meng Tang behind him. She let out a muffled “Mm,” covering her nose.

Wei Chuan ignored the provocation and turned to Meng Tang. “Where did it hit you?”

“My nose,” she replied nasally.

“Let me see.” Wei Chuan leaned in, catching a faint whiff of wood scent. His raised hand froze mid-air.

With their height difference, the fragrance seemed to drift from the slightly open collar of Meng Tang’s shirt, only noticeable when this close.

Meng Tang, oblivious to everything, tilted her head back and shook it slightly. “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

She glanced at her phone, it was already past nine.

“The rain isn’t stopping, and I can’t just stand here waiting. Maybe I should head back too.”

At worst, she’d just get drenched.

She really was exhausted and wanted to lie down in her dorm.

Wei Chuan raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t rush. There are still so many people here. The rain’s too heavy, you’ll catch a cold if you go back now.”

A cold would just waste time. Meng Tang frowned.

“Come with me to the training center. There are umbrellas there,” Wei Chuan said. “I thought the rain would stop soon.”

Just as Meng Tang was about to agree, Xie Lingyin called:

“Meng Tang, where are you? Do you know it’s raining?”

“I’m taking shelter at the gym.”

“Why’d you go there?”

“It started raining halfway through my run. I ran into Wei Chuan, and he brought me here.”

“You met Wei Chuan?” Xie Lingyin chuckled. “Then just have him walk you back.”

“Uh…”

Meng Tang couldn’t insist on Xie Lingyin coming to pick her up, the rain was too heavy, and even with an umbrella, only her upper body would stay dry.

At this hour, Xie Lingyin had probably already showered.

After hanging up, Meng Tang followed Wei Chuan, squeezing through the crowd and taking a long detour to the training center’s main entrance.

Inside the basketball court, a dark-skinned guy teased,

“Yo, Brother Chuan, you actually brought a girl back.”

“Shut it. It started raining before I even left. This is Meng Tang, a friend.”

Meng Tang smiled politely and waved at them.

Wei Chuan turned to explain to her, “Lost a game, truth or dare. They made me go to the field and bring back a girl.”

Meng Tang: “…”

They really knew how to have fun.

The team members exchanged glances. “Ohhh, a friend. We get it~”

“You get nothing,” Wei Chuan shot back without mercy.

“Friends, yeah. We’re all good friends here.”

“Friends walk through life together, those days will never return, with just one word~”

Someone started singing.

Wei Chuan laughed. “Shut up already, your pitch is all the way in Milan.”

He clapped one of them on the shoulder. “Where’s the umbrella? Hand it over.”

“In my bag. I told you guys it’d rain tonight and to bring umbrellas, but none of you listened.”

Wei Chuan rummaged through the bag and pulled out a folding umbrella. He waved it at Meng Tang. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

“Brother Chuan, you coming back? That’s the only umbrella the team has.”

Wei Chuan smirked, deliberately saying, “Nope.”

“If you dare not come back, we’ll toss you out into the rain.”

Wei Chuan waved dismissively without turning around.

“Your team…” Meng Tang hesitated.

“It’s fine. I still have to come back for training later. Maybe the rain will have stopped by then.”

As he spoke, Wei Chuan pulled a windbreaker from a black bag and handed it to Meng Tang. “The umbrella’s small. Put this on, it’ll help block some water.”

Meng Tang took the jacket, glancing at the guys behind him. “Whose is it?”

Remembering how she’d refused his jacket on the train, Wei Chuan’s words slipped out: “The coach’s.”

Meng Tang: “…You’re giving me the coach’s clothes?”

Wei Chuan: “It’s fine. He bought it too big, can’t even wear it. Let us borrow it sometimes. We haven’t showered yet, so we can’t try it on. You can use it for now.”

He nudged her toward the exit.

Outside, the rain was still pouring. Wei Chuan reminded her to put on the jacket.

Once she did, Meng Tang realized her hands barely peeked out from the sleeves.

She lowered her gaze, flicking the cuffs, and asked Wei Chuan, “How tall is your coach?”

“Wei Chuan: ‘185.’”

185, that was indeed too big. Meng Tang tilted her head up, sizing him up with her eyes. “How tall are you? I think it might fit you.”

“190,” Wei Chuan opened the umbrella. “And you?”

“165,” Meng Tang zipped her jacket all the way up. “Barefoot.”

“A 25-centimeter difference is this much?” Wei Chuan raised his hand, gesturing at the gap between them.

Meng Tang: “…What are you implying?”

“Nothing,” Wei Chuan’s eyes brimmed with amusement. “Let’s go, the rain’s getting heavier.”

Meng Tang huffed quietly to herself and followed him into the rain, which fell like threads weaving through the air.