Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 61

Meng Tang extended her hand toward Wei Chuan. “Give me your phone.”

“Wait a second.” Wei Chuan turned and ran back. “My phone’s still in my bag.”

Meng Tang watched as he hurried away and then rushed back.

“Here.”

The phone was already unlocked. Meng Tang chuckled. “Aren’t you going to ask why I need it?”

Wei Chuan subconsciously rubbed his fingertips together. “Use it however you like.”

“I’m adding my new number.” Meng Tang lowered her head as she typed. “I just changed it this afternoon.”

“Are people still sending you weird messages?” Wei Chuan frowned. “I told you not to read them.”

Meng Tang pressed her lips together. “Even though things were cleared up quickly, there are still people who don’t understand the situation, or just want to be malicious.”

With so many messages flooding her phone daily, how could she avoid seeing them?

“Changing it is good.” Wei Chuan glanced at the new number. “Didn’t you have class this afternoon? How did you find time to get a new number?”

By the time four classes ended, the service center would’ve already closed.

“I took leave to change it.” Meng Tang handed the phone back to him. “I also had to update my bank card info. Didn’t get back until after dark.”

Wei Chuan checked the time on his phone, it wasn’t even 6:30 yet.

He raised an eyebrow. “Have you eaten?”

Meng Tang shook her head. “I knew you’d all head to the cafeteria at 6:30, so I came straight to the training center.”

Unable to suppress his grin, Wei Chuan feigned a cough. “So… I’m the first one to get your new number?”

“Yeah.” Meng Tang looked up at him, puzzled by his amusement.

He really was the first! Wei Chuan turned his face away, secretly thrilled, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

Meng Tang said, “I was going to text you the new number, but there’s something I wanted to ask you in person, so I came over.”

Just as Wei Chuan was about to ask what it was, his teammates emerged from the training center and waved at them.

“Chuan, we’re heading to eat. Want us to bring you something?”

Wei Chuan hesitated, then turned to Meng Tang. “Want to join us?”

“No, no.” Meng Tang felt pressured by the crowd. “You go ahead. I can text you later.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have them bring me something.” Wei Chuan winked at her. “I could use a break anyway. Coach worked us hard today.”

He turned and waved at his teammates. “Bring me anything, as long as it’s filling.”

Tian Yu teased, “Looks like water’s enough for you.”

Love feeds on water alone.

Wei Chuan didn’t get it, how could water fill him up?

Neither did Meng Tang.

Wei Chuan scoffed. “Weirdo.” He pulled Meng Tang to sit on the steps. “What did you want to ask me?”

“The advisor told me the principal called her late last night to request the security footage. Was that… you?”

Wei Chuan nearly laughed. His dad worked fast.

“She also said your family is really influential, that no one dares to cross you, and that I’m lucky to have your help.”

Wei Chuan shook his head. “Don’t exaggerate. I just called my dad. Rumors targeting girls need to be cleared up as quickly as possible.”

Otherwise, the gossip would spread, and Meng Tang would have no way to defend herself.

Alone, her strength was insignificant. Only by leveraging every available resource could she make others think twice.

From the moment Su Mian and her group of outstanding professionals stepped forward to defend, to the school’s swift and lawful investigation and handling of the situation, the rapid response strategy served as a certain deterrent to the instigators.

“Thank you.”

The sky outside the training center entrance was brightening, and Wei Chuan felt an inexplicable, wordless bashfulness at Meng Tang’s gratitude.

He didn’t think he had done much, so why was Meng Tang’s tone so gentle?

“I should also thank Lingyin and the others. Oh, and I have another piece of good news to share with you.” A smile spread across Meng Tang’s eyes and brows. “Do you know what Master Su told me? She actually asked me to write the preface for her work. Isn’t that incredible?”

It truly was good news, and Wei Chuan was happy for her.

“How’s the situation online now?” Wei Chuan asked, pulling out his phone to check. He replied to a few comments that caught his eye.

His comment section was also flooded with copy-pasted explanations. When he saw that Li Hanjin’s studio was named “Haitang Workshop”, Wei Chuan couldn’t hold back. He turned his wrist to show Meng Tang his phone:

“Seriously, why would he name it that?”

“What’s wrong with the name?” Meng Tang raised an eyebrow at him.

“Isn’t this just a rip-off?” Wei Chuan fumed.

“A rip-off?” Meng Tang didn’t understand. “Of what?”

Wei Chuan’s eyes burned with indignation. “What else? Of course, it’s ripping off that crabapple tree outside your window.”

Meng Tang: “…”

Did the crabapple tree even know it was being ripped off?

Wei Chuan scoffed, turned off his phone, and said to Meng Tang, “Stay away from people like him.”

“…” Meng Tang genuinely didn’t know how to respond. “Why do you dislike Li Hanjin so much?”

Every time they met, it was as if Wei Chuan was ready to carry a bomb.

He just couldn’t stand the guy, especially the way Li Hanjin looked at Meng Tang. The man flaunted his childhood connection with her, and the subtle air of superiority he exuded in front of Wei Chuan irritated him to no end.

Wei Chuan’s gaze darkened for a moment, but when he turned back to Meng Tang, his emotions were perfectly concealed. He deliberately changed the subject:

“Seriously, though, why don’t you rename that crabapple tree in your yard?”

Meng Tang had no time for his nonsense. “It’s getting late. I should head back. As for that tree, you can call it whatever you like.”

Wei Chuan stood up and walked her a few steps north. Meng Tang waved at him as she stepped backward. “I’ll treat you to a meal when I have time.”

Wei Chuan would love to, but his training schedule was packed. He stayed where he was and said, “Don’t bother. I won’t have time.”

“We’ll see when we’re free.” Meng Tang smiled and turned around. “I’ll treat my roommates to a feast first.”

Meng Tang didn’t like to delay things. The next afternoon, she took her roommates out for a meal.

She had decided to treat them separately, partly to avoid making Wei Chuan uncomfortable and partly to prevent him from bringing Xu Heqing along again.

After finishing her assignments with Tan Xi in the afternoon and having dinner together, Meng Tang went alone to the woodcarving studio.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, she wanted to make Wei Chuan a birthday gift as a token of gratitude.

Time was tight, so she couldn’t carve anything too intricate. His birthday was on Christmas Day, and after checking the lunar calendar for his birth year, Meng Tang learned he was born in the Year of the Dog.

Meng Tang narrowed her eyes. Then she’d carve a golden retriever. She happened to have some leftover material.

She sketched a rough draft on paper with a pencil, floppy ears, a slightly raised tail. Unconsciously, she imagined Wei Chuan in the dog’s place and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The studio closed at 9 p.m. Xie Lingyin called, asking Meng Tang to pick up a roll of toilet paper from the supermarket downstairs on her way back.

Meng Tang agreed, saying she’d head back right away.

Z University had several supermarkets, and Meng Tang planned to go to the one near the women’s dormitory building No. 19.

The journey was quite a distance, and the artificial lake was an unavoidable part of the route. The area around the lake was dimly lit, with only sparse lights flickering in the darkness.

The night was too cold, and not a single person could be seen on the path.

Just as Meng Tang was about to cross through this shadowy stretch, a gust of icy wind rattled the branches, and suddenly, a heavy, dark figure blocked her way.