MTL - 41

“You ask me how much I love you, how deep my feelings are. The moon represents my heart?”

Then let me destroy you.

— From “The Diary of a Little Tyrant”

Tang Yu fell into silence. He glanced at her clenched fist and briefly thought that she might lunge at him after what she’d just said. He lifted his gaze back to her face, recalling the kick she’d given him earlier, and asked in a deep tone, “Little tyrant?”

Tang Xin: “Yes.”

She was indeed a little tyrant, wishing to eliminate all troubling emotions.

Tang Yu’s hands remained tucked in his pockets, unmoving. His gaze was direct and unabashed, gradually eroding the bravado Tang Xin had displayed moments ago. Her heart began to race, pounding wildly, and her palms grew clammy as she tightened her grip.

Unable to withstand his intense stare, she lowered her head and focused on her toes.

From above, the man’s low voice broke the silence: “So if I let you bully me, will you acknowledge me then?”

Tang Xin abruptly looked up at him. Back when she had secretly admired Tang Yu, she had always wondered what it would look like for someone so cold and reserved to show vulnerability. Now, staring into his deep, dark eyes—eyes tinged with subtle compromise and helplessness—she suddenly realized—

Tang Yu was showing weakness. He was surrendering.

For some reason, now that this moment had arrived, she felt a pang of discomfort and uncertainty.

This feeling made her think she was being unreasonable, throwing a tantrum and waiting for him to console her.

But she wasn’t throwing a tantrum.

She simply liked someone, and after confessing and being rejected, she chose the most relaxing way to move on. After all, love can’t be forced. Apart from forgetting, she didn’t know what else to do. She had been by his side for so long; if she were truly meant to fall for him, she would have already.

Clinging desperately and incessantly纠缠after rejection were the ugliest forms of love.

If he loved you, your antics could be seen as playful.

But if he didn’t love you, no matter how much you acted out, you’d only look like a clown.

At that moment, Hua Juan suddenly darted to the doorway, rubbing against Tang Xin’s slender ankle before plopping down onto the door mat. Tang Xin instinctively looked down, and Tang Yu also glanced downward. He saw Hua Juan’s snow-white fur brushing against her delicate, pale foot. Her toes were round, her nails painted a soft cherry blossom pink—exquisite and refined.

Almost immediately, he raised his eyes back to her face.

Tang Xin was looking at him, smiling as she asked, “How exactly do you want me to bully you? I can’t even beat you.”

Tang Yu knew she was teasing him and chuckled softly, “Didn’t you already hit me once? I didn’t fight back. I won’t hit you.”

That’s when Tang Xin remembered—she had kicked him last time.

She pursed her lips, pointed to the door behind him, and huffed, “I’m not going to hit you. I just want to know—did you know about the house from the very beginning?”

“Mm, Dingding told me,” he admitted frankly.

“...”

Tang Dingding was truly a massive bug in her relationship with Tang Yu.

Perhaps from the moment she first manipulated her, it was destined that she couldn’t escape her influence.

The door across from them was slightly ajar, revealing the warm glow of lights inside and furniture of exceptional quality. Though their apartments shared the same floor plan and square footage, his place was clearly several notches above hers.

Money really could make anything possible.

She smiled sweetly at him, “President Tang, why don’t you throw some money at renovating my place too? Or better yet, just gift me a luxury apartment.”

Tang Yu: “...”

He furrowed his brow slightly but quickly composed himself, half-closing his eyes as he asked, “Do you want that?”

Truthfully, renovations weren’t something that could be rushed, so he had been meticulous about materials and testing before moving in.

Tang Xin didn’t respond.

Tang Yu clenched his jaw, his cheek twitching slightly, as if struggling internally. But soon, he spoke, “The apartment building I used to live in also belongs to me. I bought both units together back then. We can move back there together.”

Tang Xin stared at him incredulously. Did this man really think she was in love with his money?

Move back together?

Dream on.

Tang Xin placed her hand on the door, ready to close it, and gave him a smile, “I’m going to sleep now. Sweet dreams to you too.”

With that, she lifted her foot and nudged Hua Juan inside.

The door was halfway closed when it was stopped again.

Tang Yu’s hand pressed against the door, and he leaned down to look at her, “Goodnight.”

Tang Xin looked at him but didn’t say anything.

Tang Yu gentlemanly withdrew his hand, and she slammed the door shut, locking it.

Back in his own home, Tang Yu leaned against the sofa and checked WeChat. A few people in the group chat were teasing him—

Huo Chendong: “He moved today. Should we go over and warm up his new place one day?”

He Cheng: “Did he move to Star City? That’s quite far from where he used to live, isn’t it?”

Huo Chendong: “What can we do? Little Sugarheart resigned, she’s no longer at the company. Even Lu Zhihang didn’t accept Time’s investment. If he wants to stay close to her, he has no other choice, does he?”

...

Tang Yu glanced at the conversation indifferently and sent a single period mark.

The group chat went silent for a few seconds.

Awkward silence.

Meanwhile, in various small groups within Time’s Entertainment, a message began to spread—

“Tang Dingding is President Tang’s younger sister. If you don’t want to get fired, stop gossiping about her and President Tang. Take note.”

In just one night, Tang Dingding’s cover was completely blown.

Everyone in the company knew.

That night, Tang Xin couldn’t sleep because of Tang Yu’s sudden move to the apartment across from hers. She tossed and turned in bed for a long time, finally falling asleep at an unknown hour. The next morning, she almost couldn’t get up. Rushing through washing up, applying makeup, and getting dressed, she drank a glass of water, grabbed her bag, and hurriedly opened the door.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw the door across from her slightly ajar.

The next moment, the door was pulled open, and Tang Yu stepped out, dressed in a white shirt and dress pants. In his hands, he held a wrapped sandwich and a box of milk. He had been watching her the entire time and closed the door behind him, saying, “Good morning.”

Tang Xin hadn’t mentally prepared herself to see him first thing in the morning, especially with Tang Yu wearing her favorite white shirt—elegant and restrained—as he walked toward her step by step.

She froze for a moment, then came to her senses and closed the door.

Tang Yu handed her the breakfast, opening his mouth to say, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Tang Xin: “...”

His guess was spot on.

She looked up at him but didn’t take the breakfast.

Tang Yu slightly bent down, picked up her hand, and directly placed the items into it, his tone leaving no room for refusal: “Take it. You’re going to be late.”

Tang Xin held the breakfast, feeling a strange mix of emotions. She looked up at him, “I won’t be late, but you might. Your company is farther away. Are you waiting for me… just for this?”

This residential complex was indeed further from Time’s Entertainment. Tang Yu’s commute to work now took an extra 20-30 minutes compared to before. However, it was very close to Lu Zhihang’s studio, which Tang Xin could reach quickly by car.

When they were choosing properties, the other options either had inferior environments or were too far from Lu Zhihang’s studio. Tang Yu had personally chosen this place.

Tang Yu shrugged it off, “It’s fine if I’m late. There’s no early meeting today.”

Tang Xin paused, holding the still-warm sandwich as she walked toward the elevator. Tang Yu followed behind her, his tall figure looming over her. With his long arms, he easily pressed the elevator button from behind her. Tang Xin, holding the sandwich, glanced back at him, “You’ve never been late before, right?”

She remembered that he used to arrive at the office early, unless he had other matters to attend to.

Tang Yu’s hands were still in his pockets as he casually hummed in response.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened.

Tang Xin stepped in first, followed by Tang Yu, who pressed the button for the basement level. His tall, imposing figure stood behind her. As the elevator doors slowly closed, Tang Xin looked down and unwrapped the sandwich paper, taking a bite without paying much attention to the taste. She felt dazed, never expecting to one day eat a breakfast prepared by Tang Yu himself.

After swallowing a bite of the sandwich, she fumbled to insert the straw into the milk carton. In her haste, she dropped the carton…

She gasped, still holding the straw in her hand.

Suddenly, a warm, solid body pressed against her back, enveloping her in a crisp, pleasant scent. Tang Yu swiftly bent down and caught the milk carton mid-air. Tang Xin’s body stiffened momentarily.

As the warmth left her back, she turned to look at him.

Tang Yu’s expression was stern as he gazed down at her. He took the straw from her hand, peeled off the wrapper, inserted it into the carton, and handed it back to her, “Hold on to it properly.”

Tang Xin pursed her lips, took the milk carton, and murmured, “Thank you.”

This was perhaps the gentlest moment and exchange they’d shared in a long time.

In the narrow elevator cabin, their scents mingled. Tang Yu lowered his head slightly and caught the faint fragrance emanating from her hair. Looking at her, he softly spoke, “Tang Xin.”

“Mm?” She bit down on the straw, not raising her head.

A deep, resolute voice sounded from above:

“This time, it’s my turn to chase you.”