Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 30

The wristband Meng Tang had ordered arrived the next morning. Without even eating breakfast, she rushed to the pickup point.

When Wei Chuan received her call, he was alone at the training hall practicing, while the others had gone to eat.

He paused for a moment before saying into the phone, “I’ll take a quick shower. Can you grab me a meal on your way here?”

Meng Tang agreed, she hadn’t eaten either.

Wei Chuan quickly freshened up and sat down on the steps by the side entrance of the training hall.

Spotting him from a distance, Meng Tang waved.

Wei Chuan noticed she was carrying two meals and stood up to meet her. “You haven’t eaten either?”

“Nope, I was busy picking up the package,” Meng Tang said, handing him his portion.

Wei Chuan scoffed, “Seriously? Skipping a meal just for a package?”

Meng Tang smiled.

They sat together on the steps. Wei Chuan opened his meal and stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, grimacing. “Why does the spicy chicken from South Cafeteria taste so bad today?”

“No way,” Meng Tang shot him a doubtful look. “South Cafeteria is famous for their spicy chicken. How could it be bad?”

Wei Chuan tilted his meal box toward her. “Try it if you don’t believe me.”

Meng Tang hesitated briefly.

“What, you think my chopsticks touched it? Do you dislike me?” Wei Chuan frowned, feigning offense.

“It’s not disdain,” Meng Tang said, picking up a piece of chicken from his box. After tasting it, she said, “It’s delicious. What’s wrong with your taste buds?”

Wei Chuan took another bite but still found it unappetizing.

After eating, Meng Tang gathered the trash into a bag and handed Wei Chuan another one.

“A Red Bull for you. And could you pass the wristband to Xu Heqing?”

He got a Red Bull too. Wei Chuan raised an eyebrow though, well, that was all he got.

Honoring the request, Wei Chuan stopped by the dormitory after parting ways with Meng Tang.

“Where are the other two?” Wei Chuan asked Xu Heqing.

Xu Heqing replied, “Li Zhuo’s on a date, and Liang Heng tagged along as the third wheel.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Wei Chuan laughed. “How does Li Zhuo put up with that?”

Xu Heqing shrugged. “Who knows?”

Wei Chuan pulled up a chair and sat beside Xu Heqing.

Xu Heqing turned his head. “You have something to tell me?”

Wei Chuan took out the wristband and placed it on the desk. “Ran into Meng Tang. She bought this for you as thanks for blocking Zhang Yifan that day.”

Xu Heqing glanced at it. “She already thanked me. This isn’t necessary.”

“It’s her way of showing gratitude,” Wei Chuan said, eyeing the box.

“Really, I don’t need it,” Xu Heqing said with a smile. “Help me return it to her.”

Wei Chuan pressed, “It’s not expensive, and she’s not short on money.”

Xu Heqing shook his head. “It’s not about the money. If you’d been there that day, you’d have done the same, it was just helping a girl out.”

“You really don’t want it?”

“Nope. If you won’t return it, I’ll do it myself.”

“Fine, I’ll take it back,” Wei Chuan said, swiftly grabbing the box. “You don’t have class this afternoon, right? I’m heading out soon, I’ll drop it off for you.”

Just as he stepped out of the dorm, Meng Tang texted: Did he accept it?

Wei Chuan could almost picture her nervous expression. His fingers hovered over the screen before he hesitated.

By the time Meng Tang finished her two afternoon classes, Wei Chuan still hadn’t replied.

Maybe he’s busy, she thought. But as she left the classroom, Tan Xi stopped her.

The two locked eyes for a moment before Tan Xi asked, “Heading to the restoration lab?”

“Yeah.”

“Mind talking for a bit?”

“Sure.”

They walked laps around the teaching building in silence until Tan Xi finally spoke. “Honestly, my feelings toward you are complicated, there’s envy, admiration, and even a little fear.”

Meng Tang truly hadn’t expected this. She said, “I once had a senior brother, and I felt the same way about him.”

Tan Xi replied, “Then he must have been very talented.”

This was an indirect compliment to Meng Tang herself.

Meng Tang said, “Indeed, he was. My grandfather used to say his hands were born to hold carving knives. Boxwood is difficult to work with, but even in his teens, he could carve warmth and vitality into the wood.”

Tan Xi said, “That’s exactly what I lack, vitality.”

“Eyes, touch,” Meng Tang pointed to her heart, “and this, none can be missing.”

“Grandfather often said wood isn’t lifeless. You must approach it with reverence, let it think for you. But some people never grasp that in their entire lives.”

Tan Xi said, “It also has to do with one’s upbringing.”

“Perhaps.”

As they walked and talked, Tan Xi realized she had been utterly mistaken, she had never had the right to be arrogant.

After parting with Tan Xi, Meng Tang went to the restoration lab.

The cold white overhead light made her skin appear pallid.

The temperature gun scanned the damaged wooden sculpture, its humidity and temperature had stabilized to optimal levels.

Under the microscope, Meng Tang used a 0.3mm hooked knife at a 75-degree angle to trace the edges of the scratches.

The slight resistance from the machine transmitted through the blade. She withdrew the knife and retrieved wood fibers from the steam chamber of the incubator.

The treated fibers were soft and delicate. Blended with shellac, she carefully filled the grooves of the scratches, sealing every gap.

She stayed there for over four hours, only leaving when hunger pangs struck.

There was still no reply from Wei Chuan on her phone. She stood at the entrance for a moment before calling him. It rang for over ten seconds before he answered.

“Hello.”

Meng Tang’s ear tingled, and she instinctively pulled the phone away.

Wei Chuan’s heavy breathing, low and alluring through the radio waves, seemed to brush against her ear.

“Meng Tang?” Wei Chuan’s voice called through the phone.

“It’s me,” Meng Tang snapped back to attention. “I wanted to ask you-”

“Wait a second,” Wei Chuan interrupted. “I’m in the middle of something. Can I come find you later?”

Meng Tang said, “Then I’ll go grab dinner first.”

Wei Chuan frowned. “Why is your eating schedule so irregular? It’s already 8:30.”

“I was busy.”

“Go ahead.”

Meng Tang went to a seafood wonton shop outside the campus.

She ordered a small portion and ate slowly by herself.

After finishing, she entered through a side gate and waited for Wei Chuan under the camphor tree near the boys’ dormitory.

Before long, Wei Chuan appeared silently before her.

Startled at first, Meng Tang’s eyes curved into a smile when she saw it was him. “You’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“So…” Meng Tang noticed he wasn’t holding anything and smiled even brighter. “Did Xu Heqing accept it?”

The bracelet was in his bag. Seeing the hopeful gleam in her eyes, Wei Chuan swallowed his words.

If he said Xu Heqing hadn’t accepted it, she would undoubtedly be disappointed.

He found himself unable to say it.

Meng Tang looked up at him, her tone light. “Thank you.”

Wei Chuan felt awkward. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You’ve done a lot, helped me so much.” Meng Tang hesitated, her expression conflicted. “I…”

Wei Chuan asked gently, “Do you have something to say?”

“Yes.” Meng Tang answered softly. “Back in Yanqing, you encouraged me to confess, remember?”

Wei Chuan’s heart inexplicably tightened. “I remember. Have you… made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

Whether it would succeed no longer mattered, Meng Tang just wanted to try.

She didn’t care about the outcome. This was simply a chance she was giving herself.

Wei Chuan smiled slightly. “That’s great, but did Xu Heqing’s injury suddenly make you change your mind?”

“A little,” Meng Tang confided in him as a close friend. “I just felt like giving it a try.”

Wei Chuan nodded blankly.

Meng Tang raised her hand and gave a small wave. “I’ll head off first, then.”

“Mm.”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Meng Tang swayed slightly as she walked, her girlish demeanor on full display.

Wei Chuan watched her for a long time, forgetting to ask when she planned to confess.