Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 33

The late autumn sunlight was warm and pleasant, casting dappled shadows through the gaps in the Pistache tree leaves.

A breeze rustled the trembling leaves, and as Meng Tang looked up at Wei Chuan, her heart skipped a beat.

Seeing the startled look in Meng Tang’s eyes, Wei Chuan froze too, belatedly realizing how ambiguous his gesture had been.

The silence was quieter than the falling leaves. Meng Tang didn’t know how to take the leaf he was holding out to her.

Wei Chuan’s lips parted slightly. If he didn’t come up with a reasonable explanation, Meng Tang might think he was teasing her.

He cleared his throat and struggled to explain, “Don’t misunderstand. My mom has a Maltese, and I always play with him using toys. Of course, I’m not calling you a dog, it was just a reflex.”

After speaking, he stared at Meng Tang, his breath tight, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together.

The clumsy excuse made Meng Tang relax. She reached out, took the leaf from his hand, and stood up. “I’m going to find Tan Xi.”

“Wait.” Wei Chuan strode forward, blocking her path.

The moment their eyes met, they both looked away in unison.

Meng Tang lowered her gaze quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Wei Chuan thought of the bracelet still in his bag, the one he didn’t know how to return and asked, “How did it go… with Xu Heqing?”

Keeping someone else’s belongings was strange, but since he hadn’t mentioned it earlier, Wei Chuan found it even harder to bring up now.

“We didn’t talk much.” Meng Tang replied.

She doubted she’d ever learn how to take the initiative in her lifetime.

Wei Chuan let out an “Oh.” “After the school sports meet, he won’t be too busy.”

“I’m busy,” Meng Tang said softly, twirling the leaf in her hand. “I’m not close to him, so I don’t know how to make the first move. You like Lingyin and have been preparing to confess, can I ask you something? How do you confess to someone you don’t interact with much in daily life or studies?”

Truthfully, Wei Chuan didn’t know either. If anything, his interactions with Xie Lingyin paled in comparison to those with Meng Tang.

But since Meng Tang had mustered the courage to ask, he paused for a moment before saying,

“Start with their interests, I guess.”

“Interests?” Meng Tang murmured. “Then… aside from electronics, what else does Xu Heqing like?”

Wei Chuan: “Because of his major, he’s naturally more focused on sports event operations, but in his personal life, he likes keeping plants. His dorm balcony is full of them.”

Meng Tang smiled faintly. “What a coincidence. Lingyin likes that too. The haworthia on my desk was a gift from her.”

“Haworthia?” Wei Chuan thought for a second. “Why does that name sound so familiar?”

Meng Tang explained, “It’s a succulent. The leaves are translucent, like jade, very pretty.”

Then it hit him. Xu Heqing had given him one in their freshman year, and he’d managed to kill it.

Wei Chuan: “…”

He really should’ve taken better care of it back then.

Meng Tang frowned slightly, speaking slowly, “But… giving a potted plant as a confession gift? Is that okay?”

“It’s not ideal,” Wei Chuan admitted. “Aren’t you good at woodcarving? Why not give him that?”

“No time,” Meng Tang said awkwardly.

Wei Chuan chuckled, teasing her. “Not very sincere of you, huh?”

“And giving a woodcarving would be sincere?” Meng Tang countered softly. “If sincerity’s the standard, why don’t you make one?”

Wei Chuan surrendered. “You’re really putting me on the spot here.”

From a distance, Tan Xi called out, “Meng Tang! You done? I’ve picked up plenty, enough for both of us.”

Meng Tang’s unfinished words were cut short. She smiled, stepped past Wei Chuan, and walked toward Tan Xi.

After leaving the botanical garden, Meng Tang headed to the studio while Wei Chuan went to the training center, and the four of them parted ways.

Back at the studio, after sorting leaves with Tan Xi, Meng Tang suddenly tucked an orange-yellow leaf into a book.

Tan Xi caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and asked, “Why are you putting a leaf in a book?”

Meng Tang replied, “I’m using it as a bookmark. This leaf is so pretty, I can’t bear to glue it down.”

Tan Xi chuckled. “How poetic.”

After a busy afternoon, once they’d each settled on the themes for their assignments, Meng Tang returned to her dorm after dinner.

No one was there. She took a shower and plugged in her phone to charge.

With some rare free time, she absentmindedly poked at a succulent on her desk and opened her chat history with Xu Heqing.

The conversation still ended at the day they’d added each other as friends.

Maybe I should ask how he’s liking the wristband?

Meng Tang typed slowly, hesitating for a long while before finally hitting send. Then, like a quail, she hunched over her desk to finish some sketches.

What she didn’t know was that Xu Heqing was currently standing outside the girls’ dorm, confronting Xie Lingyin about when they would make their relationship public.

Xie Lingyin scoffed. “We broke up three times in six months. Even if you’re shameless enough to bring it up, I’m too embarrassed. What’s the point of announcing it if we just break up again right after?”

Xu Heqing: “…You were the one who initiated every breakup.”

Though she was in the wrong, Xie Linyin remained stubborn. “And you had no part in it?”

Xu Heqing conceded. “Fine, I admit it. Can we move past this now?”

Xie Lingyin snorted.

Xu Heqing slung an arm over her shoulder, half-threatening, half-demanding.

“Listen, before this semester ends, I will treat your roommates to a meal as your boyfriend.”

Xie Lingyin shot him a sidelong glance. “What’s the rush?”

Xu Heqing huffed. “I don’t want Wei Chuan beating me to it.”

Xie Lingyin perked up. “Oh? Has he made progress with Meng Tang?”

Xu Heqing laughed. “He skipped training to go to the botanical garden at noon and got chewed out by the coach. Turns out he went with Meng Tang, his childhood friend mentioned it while playing basketball.”

“He’s really putting in the effort, especially with competitions coming up,” Xie Lingyin said, sounding oddly proud. “Our Meng Tang’s charm is undeniable.”

Xu Heqing sighed. “That’s just how it is when you like someone. But can you focus on us for once? Did you even hear what I said?”

“Yeah, yeah, stop nagging.” Xie Lingyin pushed him away. “I’m heading up.”

Xu Heqing lingered for a moment, watching until Xie Lingyin disappeared into the stairwell before pulling out his phone and turning to leave.

It had vibrated earlier. When he unlocked it and saw Meng Tang’s message, his steps faltered.

The wristband? Didn’t I give it back?

He replied immediately:
[Is this the wristband you wanted to give me as thanks? The one Wei Chuan was supposed to deliver?]

Meng Tang brightened at his response and instinctively explained her reason for sending it:
[Yes. During the confrontation with Zhang Yifan, I noticed the engraving knife scratched your wristband, so I wanted to replace it.]

Xu Heqing:
[I told Wei Chuan to return it to you right away. You didn’t get it?]

What? Meng Tang froze. If Xu Heqing hadn’t accepted it, then where was the wristband?

Wei Chuan wouldn’t keep something like that, there must have been a misunderstanding.

But now that she’d brought it up with Xu Heqing, only to find out he’d never received it, the awkwardness was unbearable.

Meng Tang wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

After a long pause, she finally replied:
[Sorry, I must’ve remembered wrong.]

Xu Heqing sent back a “No worries,” but as soon as the chat ended, he immediately called Wei Chuan.

It rang twice before he answered.

Wei Chuan wiped the sweat from his brow. Just as he uttered a “Hello,” Xu Heqing’s voice came through the phone: “Did you forget to return the wristband to Meng Tang?”

Wei Chuan froze.

“Wei Chuan? Say something. It’s been days already. You’ve delayed her seven-day no-questions-asked return window. You’ll have to explain this to her yourself.”

Wei Chuan licked his lips and said, “I can’t talk right now. I’ll call her immediately.”