Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 36

Meng Tang followed the crowd as they slowly exited the stadium.

Seeing Wei Chuan’s message, she lowered her head to reply: [Lingyin and the others all came and asked me to join them. I didn’t have the heart to refuse.]

Wei Chuan sent a smug emoji: [But when I invite you, you don’t come.]

Meng Tang: [I did come, though. Congratulations on winning the match, it was amazing.]

Wei Chuan: [First time watching live?]

Meng Tang: [Mm.]

Wei Chuan chuckled, only to be teased by someone behind him: “What’s so funny, Brother Chuan?”

“Just happy we won,” Wei Chuan dodged Tian Yu’s outstretched hand. “Go rest up.”

Once the others had left, he lowered his head and messaged Meng Tang again: [The semifinals are tomorrow. Will you come?]

Friday was free for her. Without much thought, Meng Tang replied with a simple [Okay.]

Wei Chuan pressed his luck: [The 25th is a rest day, but the finals are on the 26th. Will you come then too?]

Meng Tang: [If I have time.]

The two exchanged messages back and forth until Wei Chuan’s coach called him away, ending their conversation.

Qin Yuan caught up with Meng Tang and said, “Your roommates are all here. Let me treat you all to dinner.”

Meng Tang found him baffling and shook her head. “No need. We’re having a dorm gathering.”

“Wait a second.”

Qin Yuan called out to Xu Heqing ahead of them and said, “Wei Chuan asked me to treat you all to dinner on his behalf.”

As Wei Chuan’s childhood friend who often came to Z University to play basketball, he naturally knew Wei Chuan’s roommates.

Xu Heqing glanced at Xie Lingyin and asked, “What do you all think?”

Qin Yuan made the decision outright: “Let’s all go together. I know Meng Tang.”

Meng Tang tried to decline: “It’s really not necessary. Our dorm-”

“Why not go together?” Xu Heqing suggested. “We came together, so we should head back to campus together too.”

Meng Tang turned to look at her roommates. Shi Lan subtly gave her a thumbs-up, Yang Ke nodded in agreement, and Xie Lingyin had no objections.

Qin Yuan was delighted and called out to Meng Tang, “Come on, let’s go feast. I’ll send Wei Chuan photos later.”

Meng Tang: “…”

A celebration without the person it was meant for.

Qin Yuan loved good food and fun, and his choices leaned toward high-end restaurants. But when Liang Heng saw the size of their group, he vetoed the idea outright:

“How about we go for skewers instead?”

The suggestion was met with unanimous approval.

When Wei Chuan saw the mouthwatering skewer photos flooding the group chat, all he could send was a “Damn” to express his envy.

Wei Chuan’s post-match duties weren’t over yet, there were debriefs with the coach, interviews, and strict routines to follow once back at school.

As they enjoyed their skewers, they were surrounded by many students who had attended the afternoon’s first match.

Wei Chuan’s popularity was high, and his team drew attention by extension.

Online discussions were rampant, especially after the match ended, footage of him grinning at the audience for a full thirty seconds had gone viral.

Meng Tang opened her phone, and before she could even search, the first video that popped up was one Wei Chuan had posted: a group photo with his coach.

He sat on a bench, flashing a peace sign with a bright, toothy grin.

She quietly hit the follow button and scrolled through the comments.

The comments were lively but polarized, half discussed the match, while the other half speculated about who he had been looking at in the stands.

Some even theorized that he had a crush on someone sitting there.

Meng Tang almost wanted to like those comments, they weren’t wrong. Xie Lingyin had been sitting in the stands, after all.

By eight in the evening, the group took the subway back to campus.

Wei Chuan’s next match was scheduled for two o’clock the following afternoon against the Polytechnic University, while the morning match would pit G University against the Normal University.

As expected, the final match on the 26th would be between Z University and G University.

Meng Tang had made plans with her roommate to continue watching the games the next day, including the final.

But plans never keep up with changes. Just as she stepped out of the school gate at noon the next day, the dean called Meng Tang, asking her to come to the administration building immediately, there was something urgent to discuss.

Normally, she would have gone without a second thought, but today she protested, “I already made plans with my roommate to watch the game.”

Chen Xunli replied, “Isn’t there a live stream? You can watch the replay. What I have here is far more urgent.”

“Alright, I’ll head over now.”

Xie Lingyin looked surprised. “What’s wrong?”

Meng Tang smiled apologetically. “The dean asked me to go over. Said it’s something urgent.”

“So, you’re not coming with us?”

Meng Tang nodded. “You guys go ahead. It doesn’t really matter whether I’m there or not.”

“Alright.”

Meng Tang turned back toward the school. In the dean’s office, she saw the museum director, Xun Liyan.

The museum housed one of Meng Tang’s works, Mischievous Child Teasing a Goose, which Xun Liyan greatly admired.

“Student Meng, long time no see.”

“Director Xun, it’s been a while.”

The director had some ties with her grandfather, so it wasn’t unusual for Meng Tang to know him.

Chen Xunli motioned for her to sit down.

Once seated, Meng Tang asked, “Dean, what did you need me for?”

Xun Liyan explained, “Here’s the situation. We’re hosting a small event in the intangible cultural heritage interactive exhibition hall, a one-day woodcarving workshop for children aged seven to twelve, scheduled for next Tuesday. However, the originally scheduled artisan had to cancel due to personal reasons. So, I thought of asking your dean for help, and he recommended you.”

“A woodcarving workshop?” Meng Tang murmured. “But I’ve never taught before, let alone to a group of kids.”

“No need to be nervous,” Xun Liyan said with a smile. “Just guide the children through some fun activities. The focus is on the experience. We’ve prepared all the necessary tools, and everything is within safe limits. You just need to show up.”

Meng Tang asked, “Don’t I need to prepare anything?”

Xun Liyan replied, “My only concern is that the kids might find it boring, so you might need to draft a lesson plan within the next two days.”

Meng Tang nodded. “Understood.”

After leaving the administration building, Meng Tang checked the time, the game was already halfway over.

She found a bench by the Ink Lake, north of the building, and pulled out her phone to watch the livestream.

The screen couldn’t compare to being there in person, so Meng Tang focused on player No. 27, Wei Chuan performed just as well as he had the day before.

The outcome of the match was no surprise: Z University advanced to the finals.

Putting her phone away, Meng Tang returned to her dorm and opened her laptop to research how to design a lesson plan.

After half an hour of busy work, her phone buzzed.

A message from Wei Chuan: [You didn’t come.]

For some reason, Meng Tang sensed a hint of grievance in those three words. Smiling, she replied: [Does it matter whether I’m there or not? Lingyin went.]

Wei Chuan: […But you promised. All my friends were there, only you were missing.]

Meng Tang: [Sorry, something urgent came up.]

Wei Chuan took a step back: [Are you free for the finals?]

The finals was on Sunday, and in theory, she should be free. But she was afraid of making a promise only to break it again.

After some hesitation, Meng Tang replied: [I’ve taken on a job at the museum. Next Tuesday, I’ll be working there for a day, so I need to gather materials over the weekend.]

Wei Chuan: [The weekend has two days. My match is on Sunday.]

Meng Tang: [How about this, if I have time, I’ll go. Sound good?]

Wei Chuan: [OK.]

The finals were crucial, they were the ticket to the divisional competition. Wei Chuan didn’t get to chat for long before the coach called him over.

The next day was a rest day. Wei Chuan was busy with recovery and tactical preparations, while Meng Tang hurried to finish her own tasks.

Shi Lan and the others had been making trips to G University for two days straight, their enthusiasm undiminished.

Xie Lingyin asked, “Meng Tang, are you done with your work? The finals are tomorrow, are you going?”