Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 4

Meng Tang felt that if she stayed even a second longer, she would be exposed. Her urgency seemed inexplicable and guilty in the eyes of others.

She couldn’t guarantee whether Xu Heqing would pick up on her feelings from the subtle clues.

“What kind of date are you talking about?” Wei Chuan, seeing her flustered beyond belief, quickly covered for her. “She almost got scalded by the soup, so I pulled her away.”

Xu Heqing took a closer look at Meng Tang and said in surprise, “It’s you?”

Meng Tang froze. “You remember me?”

She was Xie Lingyin’s roommate, so of course Xu Heqing knew her. But back in their freshman year, he had indeed helped her once.

“I remember. You’re allergic to kiwis.”

Meng Tang’s eyes brightened slightly, he actually remembered.

Wei Chuan seized the moment to push her back into her seat and casually asked, “You two know each other? Sounds like you’re pretty familiar.”

“Not really,” Meng Tang murmured, pursing her lips. “I had an allergic reaction to kiwi in the cafeteria once, and Xu Heqing was the one who took me to the hospital.”

Wei Chuan laughed. “You knew you were allergic to kiwis, yet you still went out of your way to eat them? Which cafeteria’s food was so irresistible? Tell me, I’d love to try it.”

Meng Tang: “…The beef was marinated with kiwi. I didn’t know.”

After saying that, she lowered her head and picked at her rice, grain by grain.

Because of Wei Chuan’s roommate joining them, Xu Heqing was now sitting across from her.

Wei Chuan’s other two roommates, Liang Heng and Li Zhuo, had heard his explanation the night before and didn’t tease them further.

When they learned that Wei Chuan had asked Meng Tang to carve something for his confession, they couldn’t help but ask curiously:

“Chuan, who’s the person you like? Why keep it so secretive?”

Meng Tang was curious too, her gaze flickering subtly.

From what she knew, plenty of girls had crushes on Wei Chuan.

“I’ll tell you guys after the confession succeeds. What if she doesn’t like me back?” Wei Chuan said with an air of righteousness. “Even if I fail, it shouldn’t affect her.”

Liang Heng exaggeratedly replied, “There are girls who don’t like you?”

Wei Chuan: “Yeah, believe it or not.”

Like the one sitting right next to him.

Xu Heqing chuckled. “So, when are you planning to confess?”

“I asked Meng Tang to carve something for me,” Wei Chuan said, glancing at her. “I’ll do it after it’s done. It’ll probably take about a month.”

Xu Heqing laughed. “You’ve been talking about confessing as soon as school started since summer break. All talk, no action.”

“This time, I’m serious,” Wei Chuan flashed a bright grin. “I’ve already commissioned the piece.”

Meng Tang listened quietly as they chatted. The sports college housed both athletes and sports media students, and the conversation soon turned to the CUBAL matches.

The provincial intercollegiate matches determined the top two teams that would advance to the regional competition.

After the meal, Wei Chuan said to his roommates, “You guys go ahead. I still need to talk to Meng Tang about something.”

Knowing they were discussing the wood carving, Xu Heqing was the first to stand up.

Meng Tang had been stealing glances at Xu Heqing the whole time and noticed him heading east to pack a meal to go.

She wondered, hadn’t he already eaten?

Wei Chuan waved a hand in front of her face, amused. “You like him?”

“What nonsense are you saying?” Meng Tang reacted as if stung, her voice rising defensively.

“Oh? Did I really misread you?” Wei Chuan looked utterly convinced.

“N-no, I don’t like him,” Meng Tang stammered, her heart pounding. “Stop making things up.”

Her delicate face was a picture of panic.

Wei Chuan couldn’t help but find it amusing: “Who are you trying to fool? The moment he arrives, you’re ready to bolt. You were practically on the verge of tears from being misunderstood. You didn’t dare look at him during the meal, but now that he’s gone, you can’t take your eyes off him.”

“I…”

Meng Tang felt utterly helpless, silently grumbling about Wei Chuan in her heart: When he should be observant, he isn’t, and when he shouldn’t, his eyes are sharper than the Samadhi True Flame.

With no other choice, Meng Tang, feeling aggrieved and awkward, pleaded with Wei Chuan: “Can you keep this a secret for me? I’ll carve something for you for free, just charge you for the materials.”

Wei Chuan found her quite amusing and asked with a smile, “Have you never thought about confessing?”

Meng Tang fell silent for a long moment before replying, “What if I get rejected? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

“Embarrassing?” Wei Chuan genuinely laughed. “Who doesn’t have a few embarrassing moments? Besides, if you get rejected, shouldn’t you be heartbroken? And all you care about is embarrassment?”

“You don’t understand,” Meng Tang insisted on sticking to her own perspective.

“Me, someone who’s about to confess, doesn’t understand?” Wei Chuan pointed at himself. “You and Xu Heqing aren’t in the same department or even the same class. Even if you get rejected, only you would know. Xu Heqing isn’t the type to gossip.”

“If you want his WeChat, I can give it to you. Either way, it’s a dead end, don’t suffocate yourself over it.”

Meng Tang shook her head. “Forget it.”

Even if she got it, she wouldn’t dare add him without a proper reason.

Seeing that he was about to drag her back into discussing Xu Heqing, Meng Tang quickly changed the subject: “About the wooden carving piece, do you have any ideas?”

Wei Chuan shook his head. “Just make it look nice.”

Meng Tang pressed, “You have to tell me your thoughts so I can incorporate them into the design. A rose carved with two hundred cuts is completely different from one with two thousand.”

Wei Chuan: “My only requirement is that it’s exquisite.”

“…That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Meng Tang frowned. “That’s too vague. Give me more details, like what elements you want.”

Wei Chuan scratched his head. “I really don’t know much about this. Just design it however you see fit.”

“…Fine.”

“Money’s no issue, go all out.”

Meng Tang knew he wasn’t short on cash. Rumors about Wei Chuan being a rich second-generation had never died down on campus.

The two walked south along the path in front of the cafeteria.

The silence was awkward, but Wei Chuan wasn’t one to let a conversation stall. Glancing at the fork in the road ahead, he asked Meng Tang, “Where are you headed?”

His tone was as casual as if they were old friends.

“To the woodcarving studio.”

She spent little time in the dorm. Aside from her heavy workload, she never slacked on the woodcarving skills passed down from her grandfather.

Throughout her four years of university, she had adhered to her grandfather’s principle: “Never let your hands grow idle, keep creating.”

She returned home once a month for her grandfather’s inspection.

“I’m heading to training,” Wei Chuan said.

Meng Tang gave an “Oh,” hesitated for a moment, then stopped walking.

Wei Chuan turned to look at her. “Something else?”

He was so tall that even looking up at him tired her out.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Wei Chuan, but for her own peace of mind, she had to ask: “You’ll really keep my secret, right?”

Her light-colored eyes held both worry and doubt.

Wei Chuan paused for two seconds, then took a step forward. “Tell you what, I’ll share a secret of mine too.”

Meng Tang instinctively asked, “What is it?”

“I’m a bit of a prideful person,” Wei Chuan began smoothly. “Afraid of being rejected, I’ve never told my roommates who I like. Since I’ve told you, we’ve basically exchanged secrets. Now you don’t have to worry.”

Meng Tang was taken aback. “You’re going to tell me who you like?”

“Mm.” Wei Chuan gestured for her to come closer.

Suspicious, Meng Tang took a step forward, leaning only her ear toward him.

Wei Chuan shifted slightly, whispering a name into her ear.

Meng Tang recoiled in shock. “What did you say?”

Wei Chuan found her stunned expression utterly amusing and chuckled. “Why are you so surprised? Do you know Xie Lingyin?”

Meng Tang: “…”

Know her? She was far more than just acquainted!