Any Closer and I'll Lose Control - Chapter 67

Meng Tang tightened the bottle cap and pulled out a small wooden box from her bag, handing it over.

Plain and smooth to the touch, Wei Chuan happily accepted it. “Did you make this yourself?”

Meng Tang gave a soft “Mm.” “It’s from the leftover material from the last carving I did for you. See if you like it.”

“I do,” Wei Chuan said, rubbing his fingers over the wooden box with a silly grin.

“You haven’t even looked at it yet,” Meng Tang said, both amused and exasperated.

“I don’t need to look to know I like it,” Wei Chuan replied with a hint of pride. “How could something handmade compare to something bought?”

If Qin Yuan, who had gifted him the wristwatch, heard this, he’d probably demand it back.

Seeing his delight, Meng Tang smiled. “Go ahead and open it.”

Wei Chuan, who had been waiting eagerly, carefully opened the box and found himself face-to-face with a golden retriever figurine looking up at him with squinting eyes.

The scene was inexplicably comical. Meng Tang burst into laughter. “Don’t stare at it like that, you two look alike.”

Wei Chuan tilted his head and squinted at her. “Like this?”

Even more alike. Meng Tang couldn’t stop laughing.

Wei Chuan ran his fingers over the dog’s head, his gaze lingering on the corners of her eyes and brows, taking in her radiant smile.

Suddenly, a ridiculous thought crossed his mind: She never laughed like this when talking to Xu Heqing.

Then he startled himself, why was he comparing himself to Xu Heqing?

Hastily masking his thoughts, Wei Chuan lowered his head to examine the birthday gift Meng Tang had given him.

The golden retriever was smooth and glossy, its wood grain flowing naturally. Its posture was endearing, with its front paws together as if begging.

Wei Chuan wasn’t an expert, but if he were, he’d have recognized the “silk-carving” technique used on the fur, making it lifelike.

Impressed, he asked Meng Tang, “The eyes look so real, what did you inlay them with?”

“Purple sandalwood,” Meng Tang replied. “I used the ‘dotting method’ for the pupils to create a watery effect.”

“The expression is incredibly vivid,” Wei Chuan praised. “The droop at the corners of its eyes is just like the stray dogs I’ve seen. Why did you carve this for me?”

“Aren’t you born in the Year of the Dog?”

“You looked it up?”

“Mm.”

She had put so much thought into this. Wei Chuan couldn’t suppress his grin.

Then it’s only fair that I show some concern for her too.

He tucked the gift into his bag, cleared his throat, and asked, “So… what did you and Xu Heqing talk about? You two seemed to be having a great conversation.”

Meng Tang wasn’t keen on answering. “Just small talk.”

Hearing her evasion, Wei Chuan chuckled dryly. “I’m just trying to learn from you. You say you’ve backed off, yet you turned around and had Xu Heqing chatting with you like old friends. Meanwhile, I couldn’t even get a word in with Xie Lingyin.”

Meng Tang shot him a look. “And that’s my fault? I told you to invite her to sit in the front, but you just clammed up.”

Suddenly mute.

Wei Chuan laughed awkwardly. “I couldn’t afford to be distracted while driving.”

Meng Tang: “…”

She really couldn’t argue with that.

“So, what did you and Xu Heqing talk about?” Wei Chuan pressed. “Come on, tell me.”

Meng Tang sighed. “He just thanked me for the donation. I gave Senior a carved wooden bird, and she liked it.”

Then she glanced at Wei Chuan. “Lingyin knows basketball. Do you really need my advice when you already have the perfect topic?”

Wei Chuan made an excuse. “I’m shy.”

“…” Meng Tang stared at him for a moment. “Do I look stupid to you?”

Wei Chuan gave her an ingratiating smile.

“Anyway, basketball is your best conversation starter. It’ll improve your chances of a successful confession.”

Wei Chuan felt something was off with himself. When Xie Lingyin was mentioned, he didn’t feel the excitement or urge to confess his feelings, yet he kept probing Meng Tang and Xu Heqing about what they had said.

He didn’t understand what he was doing, but an inexplicable force drove him to act this way.

His phone on the table rang. Wei Chuan glanced at the number and asked casually, “Who is it?”

Meng Tang replied, “Li Hanjin.”

That restless energy surged again. Wei Chuan scoffed coldly, “Then don’t answer it.”

Meng Tang answered anyway.

Wei Chuan: “…”

“Hello… The school has already handled it… No need, thank you… Sorry, I’m out… Tonight is Wei Chuan’s birthday, there are a lot of people… Yeah…”

After she hung up, Wei Chuan muttered, “He was nowhere to be seen when you were in trouble, why call now?”

Meng Tang didn’t want to talk about Li Hanjin with him and said, “I’ll go listen to Lingyin and the others sing.”

“I can sing too,” Wei Chuan said, like a kindergarten kid trying to get the teacher’s attention. “Want to hear me?”

Meng Tang stood up, looking down at him. “Here?”

“Just kidding.” Wei Chuan grinned at her. “You go ahead, I need to talk to the photographer about something.”

He went to ask for the photos from the night.

Just as she stepped out, three girls emerged from the private KTV room. Shi Lan excitedly waved at Meng Tang:

“Come quick, look, it’s snowing!”

Snowing?

Meng Tang froze. It was Christmas, how fitting.

She walked over to the corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside the glass, under the streetlights, snowflakes fluttered down, dusting the night sky like powdered sugar.

Xie Lingyin pointed. “Is that the direction of our school?”

Wei Chuan, who had just gotten the photos, happened to hear and answered, “Yeah.”

Xie Lingyin checked the time. “It’s still early. Should we walk back?”

“It looks close, but it’s not a short walk,” Xu Heqing appeared behind her. “It’s cold out, be careful not to catch a chill.”

The spark of interest in Meng Tang’s eyes dimmed slightly. Wei Chuan noticed and said, “We can take the subway first, get off after two stops, and walk about ten minutes to campus.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. Xie Lingyin smiled and nodded. “Should we go now?”

College students always had time and whimsy for poetic moments. Wei Chuan made two calls and gathered everyone else.

He tossed his car keys to Tian Yu. “For those of you who don’t want to walk, take my car back to campus.”

A Mercedes G-Class? Tian Yu and the others nearly fought over who would drive.

In the end, Tian Yu took one group, Qin Yuan sent off another, leaving only Wei Chuan and Xu Heqing with the four girls.

With all the guys gone, Shi Lan complained that they had no sense of romance.

The two subway stops passed quickly.

When they emerged, the snow had grown heavier, soon dusting their shoulders with white.

Meng Tang lifted her hand to catch snowflakes, each one melting on her lashes, brows, and fingertips.

Wei Chuan lagged a few steps behind. Before he realized it, his phone held a new photo.

He stared at it for a full five seconds, then, as if to cover his tracks, took another shot of the full scene.

Xie Lingyin, checking her phone, nudged Meng Tang. “Wei Chuan posted on his feed.”

Meng Tang instinctively glanced at her screen. Wei Chuan had shared two photos: one was a group shot at the banquet hall entrance, the other a silhouette of their group against the snowy night.

The caption read: A happy birthday, and such heavy snow!

Meng Tang’s vision darkened. That first group photo, wasn’t it just asking for misunderstandings?

She glanced sideways at Xie Lingyin, noticing her expression was normal, and wondered if she was overreacting.

However, Meng Tang understood Wei Chuan’s second photo.

Xie Lingyin’s back was in the center of the frame, he had captured a group of people just for one person.

By the time they returned to campus, it was almost ten o’clock. Wei Chuan and Xu Heqing escorted the girls to their dormitory building.

Suddenly, Meng Tang felt someone nudge her arm. She turned to see Wei Chuan whispering, “Hold out your hand.”

His voice was so quiet, as if afraid others might hear.

Meng Tang instinctively lowered her voice too. “What for?”

“Just hold it out. I have something for you.”

Suspicious, she extended her hand, and a cool sensation touched her palm.

Before she could look, Wei Chuan closed her fingers around it and said, “Wait until you’re back in your dorm. Maybe you can guess what it is.”

For some inexplicable reason, Meng Tang didn’t open her fist, playing along with his childish little game.