Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 3

The next day, Meng Tang left her dorm at 7:30 a.m.

After eating breakfast in the cafeteria, she bought Wei Chuan’s breakfast: two boiled eggs, a carton of milk, and a pancake.

By the time she reached the men’s dormitory entrance, Wei Chuan happened to be rushing out.

Meng Tang handed him the breakfast, trying to use his tall frame to shield herself from view.

Since many students had 8 a.m. classes, and Wei Chuan was a well-known figure on campus, people naturally grew curious about the girl beside him.

“Where’s your class?” Wei Chuan asked.

Meng Tang replied, “The clay sculpting studio, third floor of the Sculpture Building.”

Wei Chuan said, “We’ve got time. Let me eat first.”

“Okay.”

Wei Chuan wolfed down his meal and finished before they even reached the Sculpture Building. After downing the last sip of milk, he asked Meng Tang with childish amusement:

“Think I can toss this milk carton straight into the trash can?”

Meng Tang: “…Sure.”

The moment she spoke, the carton sailed through the air, bullseye.

Wei Chuan chuckled smugly. “Still got it.”

Meng Tang’s lips curled slightly. Spending even a short time with someone so energetic and playful was enough to lift her mood.

When they stepped through the open doors of the building, Wei Chuan froze. “Did I just get hired for a construction site?”

The wide hallway was piled high with wood, stone materials, plaster statues, metal frames, and all sorts of discarded materials, leaving only a narrow path to walk through.

Meng Tang explained, “These are all materials. A lot of them were scavenged from outside.”

Wei Chuan: “…No wonder people told me some art students have a thing for collecting trash.”

Meng Tang: “…”

It wasn’t entirely wrong. Even years after graduation, some still held onto the habit of picking up anything useful they found.

When they reached the third-floor studio, Wei Chuan, despite being mentally prepared, was still taken aback by the sight before him.

It was even more chaotic than a construction site.

The damp smell of clay mixed with sawdust, dust, and the metallic tang of rust assaulted his senses.

The only word that came to mind was “disarray”, there wasn’t even a clear spot to stand.

“Holy crap, it’s Wei Chuan.”

Most of the students had already arrived. At the exclamation, they turned to look. Wei Chuan greeted them casually and wandered over to ask what they were working on.

“Welding,” one guy said. “Building the armature.”

“Meng Tang, is Wei Chuan the model Professor asked you to find?” a girl sidled up to ask.

Meng Tang nodded.

“Ugh, I should’ve dressed nicer today,” the girl groaned. “Look at me, covered in dust.”

Meng Tang smiled. No outfit could withstand the inevitable coating of clay and grime here.

The professor walked in, spotted Wei Chuan, and teased Meng Tang, “You actually got him to come.”

Wei Chuan glanced back, his tone playful. “I’m not here for you, old man.”

Professor Xu grinned. “Then is it for my student here?”

Meng Tang’s heart skipped a beat. What did he mean, “for her”?

“I asked him twice,” she quickly interjected. “He only agreed because I annoyed him into it.”

Professor Xu laughed. “With how quiet you are, he found you annoying?”

Meng Tang faltered. “…I’m not that quiet.”

She didn’t dare admit she’d essentially “threatened” Wei Chuan into coming, especially since he’d already compensated her for the box.

Clapping his hands, the professor directed Wei Chuan to the modeling area. Class was about to start.

Wei Chuan, ever the social butterfly, turned and asked, “Do I not need to take off my clothes?”

The classroom erupted in laughter, but Wei Chuan remained unfazed.

Professor Xu chuckled. “Who told you that was necessary?”

Meng Tang had a bad feeling about this, and sure enough, Wei Chuan pointed at her and said, “She was the one who asked if I could pose fully nude.”

“Hahaha…” The other students burst into laughter, pounding the table in amusement.

Professor Xu winked at Meng Tang. “Are you trying to get yourself some benefits or looking out for the other girls in our class?”

Meng Tang’s face burned red. “I… I…”

Wei Chuan seemed to finally understand, there was no need for him to take off his clothes, and the look he gave Meng Tang changed entirely.

Meng Tang: “…”

She really hadn’t been eyeing his body.

“Alright, class is starting…” Professor Xu had Wei Chuan demonstrate a series of movements, from jumping to shooting. His motions were precise and powerful.

Meng Tang’s seat faced Wei Chuan directly. The morning light slanted in through the high windows, enveloping the two of them in a square patch of sunlight.

From Wei Chuan’s jumping motion, the professor explained the coordinated movement of muscle groups.

In the process of sculpting, students naturally needed to depict the shifting lines of muscles.

Such lessons were built up over time, from constructing the skeleton to shaping the larger form. Meng Tang was the only one who received praise.

But then again, this was partly because she had been practicing wood carving since childhood.

Around ten o’clock, Wei Chuan’s “modeling career” came to an end.

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he asked the professor if he could stay and observe. The professor readily agreed.

Wei Chuan found a relatively clean chair and sat down next to Meng Tang.

Meng Tang was taken aback. Why wasn’t he leaving?

Wei Chuan said, “Didn’t you promise to carve something for me? Since I have time now, I thought we could discuss it.”

“Sure,” Meng Tang nodded. “Do you want to go check out the wood materials?”

Wei Chuan shook his head. “No need. I wouldn’t know what to look for anyway. Just calculate the cost today, and I’ll pay you a deposit.”

“There’s no rush. We can talk about it later.”

“Let’s have lunch together,” Wei Chuan suggested. “You can explain it to me properly, otherwise I’ll be distracted thinking about it during training.”

Meng Tang had no choice but to agree. This guy was representing their school in the CUBAL, it wouldn’t be good if his training was affected.

After class ended at noon, Meng Tang didn’t leave the classroom. Instead, she grabbed a piece of paper and swiftly sketched a rough draft, sliding it over to him.

On the clean white paper, a few simple strokes outlined a rough sketch of the Little Prince and his rose.

Wei Chuan blurted out, “Damn, that’s impressive.”

“I have a piece of boxwood that’s the right size, mid-to-high grade, aged material. It’s small, so the cost isn’t too high.”

“This sketch isn’t the final design. I’ve marked the dimensions just to give you an idea of the size.”

“Later, I’ll draw up the three-view diagrams and send them to you on WeChat.”

When talking about something she excelled at, Meng Tang naturally became more talkative.

“If you’re still unsure, I can make a clay model for you first.”

Traditional craftsmanship always started with a clay model, revising, reworking, and refining until satisfied.

But what Wei Chuan had asked for wasn’t particularly challenging, it wasn’t even enough to serve as practice. To save time, Meng Tang wanted to skip this step.

“Trust the person you hire, and hire the person you trust,” Wei Chuan said.

Meng Tang: “…”

Was that really how the saying was supposed to be used?

Wei Chuan: “Let’s go eat first. We can talk over lunch.”

Meng Tang agreed, packed up her things, and headed to the nearby North Cafeteria with Wei Chuan.

No sooner had they sat down than Wei Chuan’s phone rang.

“Yeah, I’m at North Cafeteria… Didn’t I explain last night? Got roped into being a model for the art department… Yeah, come if you want…”

Meng Tang blinked. After he hung up, she asked, “Your roommate is coming?”

“Yeah.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah, what’s up? Can’t you face people?”

Meng Tang suddenly stood up. “I, I should go now.”

Wei Chuan caught up and grabbed her. “You haven’t even finished your meal. What’s the rush? Besides, you still haven’t told me the specific carving design and details.”

“I really have something to do. Can we talk about it next time?” Meng Tang shook him off and was about to leave when a boy walked past carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming hot soup.

“Watch out,” Wei Chuan’s expression darkened as he seized her shoulder, pulling her halfway into his embrace and shielding her with his back.

Luckily, the boy held the tray steady, and the hot soup didn’t spill.

Seeing Wei Chuan’s grim expression, Meng Tang was about to explain when a gentle voice cut in: “Playing the hero or going on a date?”

Meng Tang pushed Wei Chuan away in a hurry, her face paling as she looked at Xu Heqing. “No, it’s really not a date. We were just discussing wood carving.”

Wei Chuan arched an eyebrow, suddenly realizing something.

Meng Tang… likes Xu Heqing?