MTL - 54

Tang Yu’s face has gotten thicker and thicker. He’s not reserved at all, and I don’t even know how to respond anymore.

— From The Diary of a Little Tyrant

After the blind date ended, the calendar flipped past August and entered September.

Zhong Lijun and Tang Dawei had been in town for about two weeks, but Tang Xin hadn’t managed to spend a single day taking them out. Her cousin Zhong Yan, who had time, took them around Beijing for two days of eating, drinking, and sightseeing. Zhong Yan rented one of Tang Xin’s other apartments and had recently renovated it—a fact Zhong Lijun and Tang Dawei were aware of.

However, they didn’t know that Zhong Yan was living with her boyfriend. One day, on a whim, they decided to visit Zhong Yan’s place, and only then did she sheepishly admit that she was living with her boyfriend.

So, that day, Zhong Lijun and Tang Dawei met Zhong Yan’s boyfriend.

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When they returned, Zhong Lijun sat on the couch, shaking her head. “That girl Zhong Yan has poor taste. Her boyfriend doesn’t have much money, which is fine, but he also seems useless, without ambition.”

Tang Dawei was more direct. “I feel like that guy has questionable intentions.”

Zhong Lijun turned to look at him. “Really or just saying?”

Tang Dawei said unhappily, “I’m usually right about people. That guy might be after your niece’s money.”

Zhong Yan was still in her senior year of college and came from a relatively well-off family. If she decided to stay in Beijing for work, her family would likely buy her an apartment here. The girl used to spend money extravagantly, but since she started dating this boyfriend, she had become more frugal.

Previously, Zhong Yan often visited You Huan’s studio, but over the past two or three months, she seemed to have stopped going altogether.

Tang Xin brought a jug of freshly squeezed juice and poured everyone a glass. She looked at Tang Dawei. “Dad, is that guy really that bad?”

Tang Dawei was indeed quite accurate when it came to judging people, something Tang Xin respected.

“His character isn’t great,” Tang Dawei said after sipping his juice. “If you have time, try to persuade her to break up. Don’t let things get messy.”

Tang Xin thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright.”

They were leaving for Qingdao the next day. Tang Xin’s grandmother lived in Qingdao, so they planned to spend a few days there before returning to Suzhou. After packing her luggage, Zhong Lijun walked into Tang Xin’s room and sat on the bed to chat. “How’s it going with Lin Zhengxu?”

Tang Xin kept typing on her computer without looking up. “Look at me—I’m busy as a dog. When do I have time for anything else?”

Not only was she busy, but Lin Zhengxu was busy too.

After their blind date dinner, they exchanged greetings on WeChat twice, and that was it.

To begin with, Tang Xin went on the blind date just to fulfill her parents’ expectations, not expecting to find a boyfriend. After enduring four long years of unrequited love, being rejected after confessing, and now focusing on her screenplay, she simply didn’t have the energy to deliberately cultivate a relationship.

Right now, she was completely passive and emotionally drained when it came to romance. Since Lin Zhengxu wasn’t making the first move, she certainly wasn’t going to either.

It was likely that nothing would come of it. Perhaps in the future, if they ever met again, they’d think, Oh, I went on a blind date with him once.

Zhong Lijun frowned. “Can’t you take the initiative and contact him?”

Tang Xin turned to look at her, dead serious. “Mom, sometimes being too proactive can backfire.”

“Are you still hung up on Tang Yu?”

“No.”

She turned back to her computer, her mind flashing with Tang Yu’s face.

Zhong Lijun snorted and stood up. “At first, I thought you two had dated and broken up. I never expected that he had chased Ming Zhu and then came back to chase you. The whole situation is messy. He may seem good, but what he did leaves a bad impression. Like your dad said, it feels like you’re settling for leftovers.”

Tang Xin didn’t say anything, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

She hadn’t mentioned Tang Yu’s earlier suggestion of having dinner together. Not only was there no progress between them, but Tang Yu’s standing with her parents was already negative. On top of that, with Lin Zhengxu—a high-quality blind date candidate—in the picture, bringing up Tang Yu wouldn’t benefit either of them.

The next day, Tang Xin sent her parents off to the airport, and life returned to its usual rhythm.

What was different, though…

Since Tang Yu had forcefully kissed her, his CEO facade had started slipping bit by bit. He was less restrained than before, his skin thicker, and his words more direct, as if afraid she wouldn’t understand.

That night, just as she finished her shower, there was a knock on the door.

She didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Tang Xin went back to her room to put on her underwear before opening the door.

Tang Yu stood at the entrance, his collar already loosened, a faint smell of alcohol wafting from him, his demeanor relaxed. Tang Xin blocked the doorway and looked up at him. “What are you doing here again? I don’t have time for you.”

The same excuse every time.

Tang Yu reached out and pinched her chubby cheek, sidestepped her, and walked in. As he got closer, the smell of alcohol grew stronger.

However, Tang Xin knew Tang Yu wasn’t drunk.

This man had a surprisingly high tolerance for alcohol.

“Do you have anything to eat?”

Tang Yu glanced back at her.

A few days ago, during a business trip, the housekeeper had emptied the fridge and hadn’t restocked yet. He had drunk too much wine tonight, and his stomach was feeling uneasy. He pressed his hand against his stomach.

Tang Xin knew that Tang Haiming had retired early due to stomach cancer surgery. Seeing him press his stomach made her soften a little. She walked toward the kitchen. “There are dumplings. My mom made them before she left. You can boil them yourself.”

Zhong Lijun had frozen hundreds of dumplings in the freezer.

Tang Xin took out twenty and looked up to ask, “Is that enough?”

Tang Yu smirked and took the plate. “Enough.” He walked straight into the kitchen. The layout of her kitchen was identical to his, but Tang Xin rarely cooked, not even breakfast. After Zhong Lijun and Tang Dawei left, the kitchen began gathering dust.

Tang Yu rummaged through the cabinets, filled a pot with water, and turned on the stove. When he turned around, he realized she was already gone.

He confidently walked to the study door, leaning against the frame and gazing at her. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Tang Xin felt his gaze was more intense than usual. Unable to endure it, she looked up and glared at him. “What are you staring at?”

Tang Yu had his hands tucked into his pockets, casually looking at her. “Do you have time this weekend? Let’s go pick out a cat for Tang Dingding.”

He had promised to give her a cat a while ago but hadn’t had the chance. Recently, he mentioned it to Zeng Wan a few times, and she agreed. They decided to give the cat as a birthday gift at the end of the month.

Tang Xin knew Tang Dingding’s birthday was coming up. She had been planning to gift her a Chinchilla cat and had already spoken to the pet shop owner. She was told that if any particularly beautiful, purebred cats became available, she’d be notified.

Coincidentally, she received a notification that afternoon. The gift was ready.

She picked up her phone, opened the photo, and held it up for him to see.

Even though they weren’t far apart, she didn’t care if he could see it clearly and teased, “You’re such a neglectful brother. Besides giving money, you don’t pay attention to anything. It’s been half a year since you promised her a cat, and now you’re finally delivering. And you even let her join the project with investment—what’s the difference between that and selling your sister? I’ve already prepared a gift.”

After You Huan heard about this, she gave Tang Xin and Tang Dingding a nickname: Tang Yi Yi.

One was sold for a hundred million yuan.

The other was gifted a hundred million yuan.

Tang Yu didn’t seem to care about her teasing. His eyes fixed on her as he smiled slightly. “Where I fall short, you happen to step up. It’s a perfect complement.”

Tang Xin: “….”

Who’s complementing you?

Tang Yu chuckled softly and turned back to the kitchen to cook the dumplings.

By the time he finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen, Tang Xin had already timed her appearance perfectly to send him off. At this point, Huajuan (her cat) rubbed against Tang Yu’s leg. He was indeed trying to like her cat now, unlike before when he would kick it away whenever it got close.

Hesitating for a moment, he bent down and picked up Huajuan.

Tang Xin always thought he looked incredibly attractive holding Huajuan. She glanced at him and quickly snatched the cat back, leaning against the dining table. “You should go home now.”

Tang Yu turned around, pressing his hand on the table, leaning very close. So close that Tang Xin could clearly smell the faint scent of alcohol on him. Instinctively, she lowered her head to avoid it. Tang Yu whispered above her head, “Do you still have any ongoing contact with that Lin guy?”

As far as he knew, they definitely hadn’t met in person.

But they had added each other on WeChat. He didn’t know if they had privately contacted each other, and he certainly wouldn’t check her phone.

Tang Xin stroked Huajuan and looked up at him, smiling faintly. “Why are you asking this?”

Tang Yu spoke bluntly and honestly. “I’m worried you’ll make progress with him. I’m pursuing you. In the absence of other threats, you can drag this out with me for as long as you want. But if someone else is also pursuing you…” He looked at her. “I’m afraid you’ll be swept away. Do you understand?”

Tang Xin stared into his dark eyes, her heart suddenly racing.

She lowered her head and fell silent.

In the past, she feared he wouldn’t notice her unspoken affection. Now, faced with his sudden deep feelings, she felt somewhat at a loss.

She always felt there was still something missing between them.

But she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was lacking.

“Even though I’m saying this,” Tang Yu said, staring at her fluttering lashes. Perhaps the alcohol in his system was acting up, but he suddenly felt a strange itch in his heart. His gaze fell on her lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. When she looked up at him, he smirked. “If we were boyfriend and girlfriend, we could kiss.”

Tang Xin: “….”

Biting her lip, she managed to squeeze out a sentence. “Tang Yu, you’ve changed.”

Tang Yu shifted his gaze, then turned back to look at her, chuckling softly. “What exactly have I changed into?”

“Into a flirt.”

“…”

Tang Yu’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her for a while before giving a casual smile. “Maybe I’ll change even more in the future. I wasn’t like this before. Sometimes even I feel like I’m not myself anymore. Right now, it’s like you’ve driven me nearly crazy.”

Tang Xin stared at him blankly.

He withdrew his gaze, shoved his hands into his pockets, and stopped pressing her. “I’m leaving. Don’t stay up too late.”

The man left briskly.

Tang Xin stood by the dining table, holding Huajuan (her cat). Lin Zhengxu hadn’t contacted her much—just an occasional like on her social media posts.

It was probably because he was busy, or maybe their connection had simply fizzled out.

She didn’t care either way; in fact, she felt relieved. This was for the best.

Now she could confidently tell Mrs. Zhong, “We didn’t develop anything, and he didn’t take a liking to me either.”

On her day off, Tang Xin had arranged to meet Tang Dingding at You Huan’s shop. As soon as she entered, You Huan was in the middle of changing clothes on a mannequin. She glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “Future head screenwriter, do you have any idea how long it’s been since you last came here? Did signing that hundred-million-yuan contract make you think you don’t need to ‘steal’ from anyone anymore?”

Tang Xin placed Huajuan and the little kitten down, smiling brightly. “I’m here now, making a comeback.”

You Huan pointed to the coffee table. “I ordered food for you. Dingding probably won’t come until later; she’s working.”

Tang Xin was busy, but Tang Dingding had time. Occasionally, she would skip work to come hang out, though she hadn’t quite mastered Tang Xin’s knack for “stealing.” Aside from once swindling Huo Chendong, she hadn’t managed to trick anyone else.

Tang Xin opened the takeout box. She had slept too much today, and the food wasn’t very appetizing. After eating half of it, she set it aside and started scrolling through Weibo.

You Huan sat beside her, concerned. “So your blind date just fizzled out like that?”

“Mm, pretty much,” Tang Xin replied without looking up.

“What about Tang Yu?” You Huan lounged with one leg crossed over the other, lazily flicking her long curls. “He spent a hundred million yuan pursuing you, and you didn’t feel even a little flutter?”

Tang Xin put down her phone and looked at her. “Do you remember what Dingding said about the ten-point rule for liking someone?”

You Huan nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Tang Yu kissed me that day. Forced a kiss.”

“Ooh.” You Huan perked up with interest. “Tang Yu actually did something like that? Tell me, what’s it like kissing Tang Yu?”

“…” Tang Xin’s face flushed slightly. “He’s very skilled. His kissing technique is way better than I imagined.”

He kissed her so dizzyingly that she almost lost her sense of direction.

“Did things get physical?”

“No…” Tang Xin pursed her lips. Tang Yu was such a calm and restrained person that even forcing a kiss was already shocking enough, okay? She hugged a pillow, turned to You Huan, and said in confusion, “That’s seven points of liking… I guess it’s okay? But I still feel like something’s missing.”

You Huan raised an eyebrow. “Missing what?”

“That’s why I’m asking you!” Tang Xin sighed.

You Huan smirked. “Are you waiting for him to reach eight points of liking, where he gets hard for you before you agree?”

Tang Xin: “…”

At eight points of liking, a man will feel an impulse toward you, wanting to sleep with you.

This conclusion might be nonsense for some men, given their tendency to think with their lower halves, but for Tang Yu, it was entirely plausible.

Seeing Tang Xin suddenly fall silent, You Huan teased, “Did I hit the mark? Why don’t you try seducing him a little and see if he can get hard for you?”

Tang Xin’s face turned red, and she threw a pillow at her, saying seriously, “I’m being serious with you!” She paused, as if genuinely considering the feasibility of this idea. “What you’re suggesting might actually work.”

“You’re hopeless,” You Huan scoffed. “Why don’t you just jump him and cook the rice while it’s raw?”

“…”

Tang Xin didn’t know what to say. She looked at You Huan and said softly, “You’ll probably scold me for being spineless again after I say this, but I just feel like something’s missing between Tang Yu and me. It feels unfair that he’s treating me so well, but when I see him struggling, I feel bad too.”

Perhaps she had become greedier.

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You Huan looked at her and sighed. “You just feel like he doesn’t love you enough, at least not as much as you love him. Even if he comes back to pursue you now, buying you houses and spending a hundred million yuan on you, you still feel like he doesn’t love you enough.”

A sharp and accurate observation.

At that moment, Tang Dingding arrived, rushing in with afternoon tea. “Where’s my cat? Where’s the cat?”

“There.”

Tang Xin casually pointed, arranging the exquisite pastries brought by the young lady. Tang Dingding and Tang Yu were truly siblings; they shared the same high standards. The afternoon tea was from the most expensive place in Beijing.

After eating a few pastries, Tang Dingding suddenly remembered she hadn’t replied to Lin Zhengxu’s message yet.

She thought for a moment, picked up her phone, and replied, “Sorry, I’m busy this weekend. I have to attend a friend’s birthday party.”

Coincidentally, it was Tang Dingding’s birthday that weekend. The young lady planned to host a birthday party at home, and Queen of Parties Shen Fei had even vowed to throw her a bash to celebrate her upcoming entry into the entertainment industry. @Endless great content, exclusively on Jinjiang Literature City

Lin Zhengxu: “Alright, then let’s reschedule for next time.”

Next time?

Tang Xin was momentarily stunned and replied with a smiley face.

Tang Dingding excitedly carried her little kitten over, sat beside Tang Xin, and smiled sweetly. “Only my future sister-in-law treats me well. I finally have a cat!”

Tang Xin: “…”

She rolled her eyes at her. “Who’s your sister-in-law? Stop calling me that, or I’ll confiscate the cat.”

“Fine, Tangxin.” Tang Dingding pouted, then turned to look at her. “Aside from having you help chase Ming Zhu, what else has my brother done? That whole thing happened ages ago. Are you still upset about it?”

“Do you really want to know?”

Tang Dingding nodded vigorously.

Tang Xin smiled. “I’ll tell you on your birthday. Consider it a bonus birthday gift.”

Tang Dingding: “... Alright.”

You Huan had already prepared a dress for the birthday banquet. Tang Xin tried it on and stepped out of the fitting room just as Qu Wei arrived, followed by two tall, handsome men. Both were extremely good-looking.

One of them was Lin Zhengxu, whom she had just rejected earlier for a weekend invitation. Seeing her, Lin Zhengxu was momentarily surprised, then raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What a coincidence, Tang Xin.”

Tang Xin snapped out of her thoughts, holding up her skirt and giving a faint smile. “Indeed, what a coincidence.”

The other man was likely Qu Wei’s flash-marriage partner.

As You Huan had described, he had the refined yet disreputable charm of a scholar, a true heartthrob.

Sometimes the world really is that small. Qu Wei’s husband and Lin Zhengxu were work partners. They had dropped Qu Wei off, and Lin Zhengxu had spotted the familiar-looking girl standing in front of the fitting mirror from the car and decided to confirm.

To his surprise, it was Tang Xin.

Lin Zhengxu smiled at the young woman in her bright yellow cocktail dress. “Still no time this weekend? What about tonight?”

Tang Xin glanced at You Huan and a visibly nervous Tang Dingding, then smiled. “I already made plans with them.”

In the end, dinner that night was shared among a group. Tang Dingding’s behavior when it came to reporting on Tang Yu’s pursuit of Tang Xin was eerily similar to Gao Heng’s—she tattled quickly. By the time Tang Xin returned, Tang Yu was waiting for her in the underground parking garage.

He didn’t say anything or ask any questions.

But Tang Xin couldn’t shake the feeling that his gaze was icy cold. As they entered the elevator, Tang Xin looked up at him. “Tang Yu, are you jealous?”

Tang Yu glanced down at her, self-deprecatingly. “What do you think?”

Tang Xin looked at him and suddenly smiled.

Tang Yu’s eyelids drooped slightly, his mood inexplicably relaxing. He couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her dimple.

Tang Xin covered her cheek and glared at him. “Why do you always pinch my face?”

Every time she smiled and he seemed displeased, he pinched her. She didn’t realize he was targeting her dimples. Tang Yu walked out of the elevator, casually smirking. “Because I feel like it.”

Such arrogance!

Tang Xin headed toward her door, leaving him outside.

Sunday, September 21st, the afternoon of Tang Dingding’s birthday party. Tang Xin’s long hair softly cascaded over her shoulders as she slipped into her evening gown, applied makeup, and grabbed her handbag. Just as she was about to step out, there was a knock on the door.

She pulled a pair of stiletto heels from the shoebox, slipped them on, and opened the door.

Tang Yu stood outside, silently scanning her from head to toe. The color of her dress was very picky—it required fair skin to pull off.

Tang Xin’s skin was pale and delicate, her round face framed by large eyes. When she smiled, a dimple appeared, making her look incredibly sweet. She could pull off almost any color, and with just a bit of effort, she shone brightly. Stepping out in her ten-centimeter heels, she no longer had to strain her neck to look up at him. With a hint of pride, she asked, “What do you want?”

“You’ll be drinking tonight. Let me drive you there.”

“I’ve already called a car.” Tang Xin hadn’t planned on driving anyway.

“Then pay him and send him away.” Tang Yu walked over, pressed the elevator button, and turned to look at her. “Riding with me is more convenient, right?”

Tang Xin walked over, glanced at him, and took out her phone to call the driver, paying him a tip for his trouble.

When the car arrived at the entrance of the Tang family estate, Tang Xin suddenly remembered something. She looked at Tang Yu, somewhat nervously asking, “Your parents and family don’t know about… our situation, right?”

“Our situation?” Tang Yu leaned lazily against the seat, gazing at her meaningfully. “That I like you, or that I’m pursuing you?”

Tang Xin’s heart trembled. This was the first time Tang Yu had directly said he liked her. The last time was when he explained it to Tang Dawei. Looking at the man’s stern profile, she suddenly felt a wave of dissatisfaction.

She wasn’t satisfied with his seven points of liking.