Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 40

Meng Tang walked ahead and eventually stopped at a stall selling thumb-sized pan-fried buns.

“Do you want some?”

When no one answered after she asked once, she turned around and saw Wei Chuan still standing frozen a few steps away.

“What are you doing?” Meng Tang called out to him. “I asked if you wanted to eat.”

Wei Chuan snapped out of it and said, “No, I’m good.”

Meng Tang bought a portion.

As they neared the school gate, she asked Wei Chuan, “Are you still going back to campus?”

Wei Chuan glanced at the time. “Hold on, let me make a call and check.”

He called Xu Heqing, but the conversation was brief before he hung up.

Meng Tang’s phone buzzed. She dug it out of her bag and saw that Xu Heqing had created a group chat.

Soon after, Wei Chuan added her, while Xie Lingyin pulled in Shi Lan and Yang Ke.

Meng Tang scanned the group members, everyone from both dorm rooms was there.

Wei Chuan was the first to greet everyone in the chat, asking Xie Lingyin what time they could arrive.

In the group, Shi Lan tagged Meng Tang, asking if she was done with her errands.

Meng Tang was holding the thumb-sized buns, slowly typing with one hand when Wei Chuan replied for her:

[She’s with me. I passed by the museum on my way back to campus today and decided to stop by. Ran into her there.]

…

Meng Tang deleted her own reply.

Xie Lingyin responded in the group: [We’re almost done too. Let’s meet at six.]

Xu Heqing was the first to reply with an [Okay.]

Meng Tang and Wei Chuan headed to Hexi Courtyard instead.

Wei Chuan had a reservation, and the two were led to a private room. Meng Tang quietly finished her box of thumb-sized buns.

After drinking half a glass of warm water, she looked up to find Wei Chuan staring straight at her.

Meng Tang lowered her head to inspect herself, her clothes were neat. She then checked her reflection in her phone camera, her face was smooth and fair.

So, what was he looking at?

Wei Chuan awkwardly asked, “That little prince and rose keychain… was it really yours?”

Why was he still hung up on this? Meng Tang nodded. “Yeah, it was.”

“So… you were the one who liked it?” Wei Chuan’s gaze seemed to slow. “Not Xie Lingyin?”

Meng Tang said, “She probably likes it too. She’s kept it on her backpack and never took it off. It gets a lot of use.”

Wei Chuan looked dazed.

“Why are you asking about this? It’s just…” Halfway through her sentence, Meng Tang paused.

She remembered the wooden figurine she still hadn’t finished, the one missing its base.

After a long silence, she licked her lips and confirmed with Wei Chuan, “When you first asked me to carve the rose and the little prince for you… was it because of the keychain on Lingyin’s backpack?”

Wei Chuan stiffly nodded. “I thought she liked it.”

Meng Tang suddenly felt inexplicably guilty, because the one who liked it was her.

Noticing Wei Chuan’s odd expression, she forced a laugh. “How about… I design a new one for you?”

“No need.” Wei Chuan glanced at her hands, his tone subdued. “Given your craftsmanship, she’d probably like anything you carve.”

As for whether Xie Lingyin actually liked it or not, he planned to confirm it with her tonight.

Wei Chuan looked it up online, it was a limited-edition designer collaboration, originally priced at 1,499.

He had first seen it during finals week in their second semester. At the time, he figured that no matter how close roommates were, they wouldn’t casually give or receive gifts like that.

Wei Chuan took a tactical sip of water and pressed on. “That little accessory cost 1,500 back then. For a lot of college students, that’s a whole month’s living expenses. How could you just give it away?”

Meng Tang showed no sign of regret. “Lingyin seemed really down at the time.”

She could clearly tell Xie Lingyin was forcing a smile. When she asked about it, Xie Lingyin seemed reluctant to talk and instead praised her keychain to change the subject.

Unable to offer comfort, Meng Tang simply handed the keychain to her.

Xie Lingyin asked several times, “Are you really giving this to me?” and her eyes reddened as she accepted it.

Wei Chuan found her explanation utterly unconvincing, you couldn’t just give away your belongings every time someone seemed upset, could you?

But he was afraid of saying too much and annoying her.

In the group chat, Liang Heng sent a photo, saying they were heading downstairs.

Wei Chuan signaled the waiter to start serving the dishes. He hadn’t ordered anything specific, when making the reservation, he’d asked the restaurant to prepare according to the number of guests.

The restaurant was right across from the school. Just past six, the group noisily pushed through the door.

Li Zhuo spotted the plush toy on the side table and pointed. “What’s this? A gift for us?”

“That’s Meng Tang’s,” Wei Chuan said. “You really have the nerve to take something from a girl?”

Xie Lingyin tapped the panda’s eyes through the transparent bag. “It’s really cute.”

Meng Tang said, “I won it at the arcade in the mall opposite the museum. You can have it, Wei Chuan exchanged six small ones for it.”

Wei Chuan reflexively let out an “Ah,” and Xie Lingyin laughed. “You should keep it. My bed doesn’t have space. Besides, if you give it to me, won’t Shi Lan and Yang Ke get jealous?”

Only then did Meng Tang realize she’d overlooked that. She looked up to see Shi Lan and Yang Ke dramatically putting their hands on their hips, their expressions screaming, “I’m jealous, come comfort me.”

Meng Tang couldn’t bring up giving the plush to Xie Lingyin again.

The earlier cough had been too obvious. Wei Chuan instinctively tried to smooth things over: “Meng Tang paid for it.”

Meaning it should rightfully be hers.

Xie Lingyin and Xu Heqing exchanged a glance, thinking she hadn’t even intended to take it, why did Wei Chuan look so guilty?

Fortunately, the waiter tactfully knocked and brought in the last two dishes.

The group chatted as they ate, mostly about the recent grassroots tournament.

Li Zhuo said, “Chuan, have you seen the comments online? The Polytechnic team got torn apart.”

Wei Chuan replied, “They’ve lost players and lack successors, but we shouldn’t forget their past glory.”

Even he, as the winner, had been criticized, it was only natural for the Polytechnic team to face backlash.

But dwelling on negative comments was pointless, and the coach had forbidden them from engaging in online debates.

After winning, apart from the official announcements, Z University had kept such a low profile it was as if they’d never participated.

Xu Heqing nodded. “True. Losing is hard enough, getting roasted on top of it would crush anyone.”

“I even saw people trashing Chuan. Pissed me off so much I fired back,” Liang Heng said indignantly. “But most comments were friendly, begging you to post photos. The comment section was full of thirsty fans. The one I remember most was someone tagging the CUBAL official account, suggesting playing shirtless, like in diving.”

Wei Chuan choked on a chili and hastily gulped down a glass of warm water.

He stared at Liang Heng in disbelief. “Do you even hear yourself?”

Liang Heng grinned sheepishly. “Hey, it wasn’t me who said it.”

Xu Heqing coughed pointedly, signaling Liang Heng to look across the table.

Liang Heng glanced up, the four girls opposite him had turned as red as if they’d been painted with rouge.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, slapping his own mouth. “Didn’t think before speaking.”

Meng Tang imagined basketball players in swim trunks and lowered her head even further.

These netizens really had wild imaginations.

She couldn’t help but recall the infamous “gray sweatpants” comment from before.

After being glared at, Liang Heng obediently finished his meal. When Wei Chuan returned from paying the bill, he saw Liang Heng clutching his bag and immediately reached out, saying, “Give it to me.”

Liang Heng flashed an ingratiating smile. “Thanks for the treat, Brother Chuan. Let me carry it for you.”

“As if I need you to carry it.”

Liang Heng didn’t hand it over. Instead, he hugged the bag to his chest and gave it a squeeze.

“Fuck, don’t squeeze it!” Wei Chuan slapped his hand away. “There’s something really fragile inside.”

Liang Heng froze, feeling a faint cracking sensation under his palm.

Wei Chuan’s brow furrowed, his instincts screamed trouble.

Liang Heng gulped and turned to Xu Heqing for help. “Tell him to leave my corpse intact.”

Wei Chuan’s expression darkened instantly, like storm clouds gathering overhead.

He snatched his bag back, yanked the zipper open, and pulled out the koi bookmark Meng Tang had given him.

One look was all it took for Wei Chuan’s eyes to blaze with fury.

The bookmark had split along the tail’s pattern, a crack running right through it.