MTL - 66

How can I avoid being at a disadvantage? Tang Yu, you’ll have to teach me.

— The Diary of Little Tangxin

What did she mean by “broken”?

You’re the one who’s broken!

Tang Yu closed his eyes briefly to suppress his pain. After easing the sharp ache, he sprawled loosely on the couch, legs spread wide, head slightly bowed, looking somewhat defeated. Tang Xin slowly crept closer, her gaze hesitantly falling on his crotch. A well-fitted suit truly accentuated his form, especially for someone with such a good physique…

She swore she wasn’t staring, but there was no denying it—she had known for a long time that Tang Yu’s body and proportions were likely exceptional.

“Should we go to the hospital…?”

She gently touched his arm, feeling uneasy and a little afraid.

Tang Yu turned his head, frowning at her. He was utterly helpless but couldn’t bring himself to do anything about her antics. Reaching out, he pulled her toward him. This time, the girl behaved herself, sitting stiffly on one of his thighs, bowing her head silently as she watched him.

The man buried his face in her shoulder, lightly kissing her temple. His voice was low and hoarse: “Shut up.”

Tang Xin: “….”

He murmured softly: “Let me hold you.”

Tang Xin: “….”

Don’t think this would soften her heart. She let him hold her without moving, but after a while, she couldn’t help but whisper timidly: “Are you really okay? You look like you’re in a lot of pain…”

“…”

Suddenly, he bit her earlobe. Tang Xin trembled all over as he ground his teeth against it, his voice rough: “If there’s a problem, you’re responsible, alright?”

Tang Xin’s breath hitched, but she stubbornly shot back: “If you’re really broken, I’ll return you.”

The next second, she found herself flipped over and pressed firmly into the couch. Her heart raced as she felt something soft and fluffy beneath her back, followed by a sudden, pitiful meow.

“Tang Yu, you’re squishing the kitten…” Her face paled as she grabbed his shirt, struggling to get up.

The man quickly realized and sprang up with her in his arms.

A fluffy white ball darted fearfully from the corner of the couch, trembling as it huddled under the coffee table. Its round eyes stared at them, wide with fright.

Tang Xin, still leaning on Tang Yu, froze for a moment before pushing him away and scrambling off the couch. “This is all your fault.”

What a night of misfortune—first squishing a man, then squishing a kitten. She crouched on the carpet, trying to coax the cat back. As soon as she reached out, it shrank away. She could only patiently murmur: “Meow meow, don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to…”

The little kitten immediately turned and ran off. Only then did she notice its tail tip was a gradient gold, fluffy and splayed like a flower. It strutted away with an air of arrogance, even glancing back at them.

That look—it was eerily similar to an angry Tang Xin.

Tang Yu leaned over and pulled her up by the hand. “Let it be for now. Trying to catch it now won’t do any good.”

They sat on the couch again, Tang Yu’s arm wrapped around her waist from behind, their posture intimate.

After a few moments of silence, he smoothed her tousled hair and said softly: “You’ve raised Hua Juan for half a year. If you really gave it away, you’d definitely feel hurt. For me, it doesn’t matter who left the cat—it’s who raised it that counts.”

Tang Xin turned to look at him: “Hua Juan was left by Lu Zhuning, right?”

Tang Yu paused, his gaze deep and unwavering as he looked at her, almost as if he feared she would run away. Tightening his hold on her, he finally spoke: “The night I was rejected after my first contract negotiation with you and Lu Zhixing, I ran into her in the garage. That’s when I learned she had moved upstairs. I never paid attention to whether she kept cats or pets, nor am I sure if she left it. When I saw her move upstairs, I suspected, but… I wouldn’t actively ask her if it was hers. Whether it was you who left it, isn’t that right?” He paused, lowering his voice. “It’s been four or five years since what happened between me and her. If you want to hear about it, I’ll tell you. Even though there’s nothing between us anymore, and it was a long time ago, I’m still afraid it’ll upset you.”

Would not hearing about it make her feel better?

She blinked, feeling a little downcast as she looked at him: “Go ahead and tell me.”

In truth, it wasn’t complicated. Not long after Tang Yu started dating Lu Zhuning, Tang Haiming fell ill with stomach cancer—a difficult disease to treat, potentially fatal, with risky surgery involved. At the time, he had just taken over Shiguang Pictures and was overwhelmed with work while also worrying about his father’s condition.

His personal time was extremely limited, and he barely had any energy left for romance. When Lu Zhuning brought up breaking up, he didn’t try to stop her. They had differences too—Lu Zhuning decided to enter the entertainment industry after being with him. Their breakup, after less than a year together, was clean-cut, without any entanglement or gossip.

Who could have imagined it would resurface years later?

Four or five years ago—that was when she had just graduated and joined Shiguang Pictures, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that also shortly after he had broken up?

Tang Yu explained it all in just a few words. Resting his chin on top of her head, he murmured: “As soon as I learned she lived upstairs, I moved out. Besides occasionally bumping into her at necessary events, we had no private contact.”

In truth, their encounters were rare, and even when they did meet, there was little interaction.

Tang Xin couldn’t quite describe how she felt. On one hand, it happened before she knew him, but on the other, she felt a bit uncomfortable. After some thought, she realized it was possessiveness. She faintly responded, “Oh.”

Meaning, understood.

Tang Yu: “….”

He tightened his lips, gazing deeply at her. The tension in his eyes betrayed his emotions, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as if swallowing something down.

After a while, he picked up his phone from the table.

Instinctively, Tang Xin glanced down and saw him opening Weibo. Startled, she quickly grabbed his hand, her eyes wide as saucers. “What… are you planning to do?”

Tang Yu lowered his gaze at her: “Let’s make our relationship public to avoid trouble.”

He genuinely disliked exposing his private life, but doing so could prevent some complications. If it made her feel secure, it didn’t matter.

Tang Xin’s heart trembled, and her expression finally changed. She clung tightly to his hand, refusing to let go: “No… if you don’t mind the trouble, I certainly do.” Pausing, she snatched his phone and tossed it to the other end of the couch, scoffing. “What if we break up in the future? Will we need to hold a press conference to clarify things and calculate alimony?”

Her waist suddenly throbbed in pain.

Tang Yu gripped her tightly, glaring at her coldly: “Who said we’re breaking up?”

“…Isn’t breaking up part of dating?”

Her waist throbbed again.

Through gritted teeth, the man asked: “Are you approaching this relationship with that mindset?”

From the moment he moved here, he had already determined what he wanted, and he hadn’t considered breaking up. In the past, he always believed love should follow rules and shouldn’t go wrong—it was simply about finding someone suitable, dating, and eventually marrying. It was straightforward and uncomplicated.

But after meeting Tang Xin, he realized it wasn’t like that at all. Truly liking someone was completely uncontrollable. She wasn’t the type he used to like, yet she held every single one of his emotions captive—anger, frustration, indulgence, joy—all intertwined. She was the only person who could make him grind his teeth in anger, disregard all conventions, and simultaneously drive him crazy with affection.

He wanted to uncover all her secrets, fulfill all her expectations, and ensure she never felt hurt or wronged.

Before her, no one had ever made him feel this way—both tormented and content.

She made him realize that liking someone was about feelings, not personality or type.

Besides, once you truly like someone, no matter how you look at them, they seem perfect and beautiful.

Tang Xin smiled brightly: “I’m aiming for your breakup fee, alright?”

Tang Yu: “….”

He stared at her silently for a few seconds, then self-deprecatingly smirked. “Alright. How much do you want?”

Tang Xin’s heart ached a little, and she smiled: “How much will you give?”

“All movable assets go to you.”

“…”

“But I object. Since I’m broken, you’re responsible.”

“…”

Didn’t he just say he wasn’t broken? She instinctively lowered her head, eyeing him suspiciously.

Tang Yu lounged on the couch, shamelessly teasing her. But her serious demeanor of analyzing everything really bruised his ego. Unable to bear it any longer, he tilted her chin up and kissed her lips fiercely.

Tang Xin made a muffled sound, beginning to struggle. “We haven’t reconciled yet…”

“Let’s test it with a kiss.” His breathing grew labored as he kissed her tenderly. “One kiss will tell if I’m broken or not.”

“…Can a kiss really tell?” She was bewildered, unsure whether to believe him.

“It can.”

He sealed her lips, kissing her deeply and forcefully, almost as if punishing her, until her lips ached.

Tang Xin was dazed, melting entirely into his embrace, pressed against his broad, firm chest. She realized her perception of Tang Yu was wrong—he appeared aloof and distant, but his kisses were far from gentle.

Or perhaps their magnetic fields naturally repelled each other, making gentleness impossible.

Unhappy, she cupped his face and nibbled on him furiously.

Tang Yu paused, closing his eyes as he relaxed back, letting her take the lead. After a while, he realized she was treating him like a piece of monk meat, gnawing on him without any finesse.

Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Kissing isn’t supposed to be like this—I’ll teach you.”

“…”

He kissed her softly and lovingly, their breaths intertwining. It was their first kiss filled with such tenderness and passion. By the time it ended, Tang Xin felt as if all the oxygen had been drained from her body. Clinging to his neck, she gasped for air, her cheeks flushed as she looked at him:

“Tang Yu, are men’s tongues naturally more agile?”

“…”

After a pause, he lifted his head from her shoulder and glanced down at her. “All men?”

Tang Xin: “Is that true?”

He chuckled softly. “Probably.”

Tang Xin sniffed his scent and suddenly remembered the purpose of the kiss. Looking up earnestly, she asked: “Tang Yu, did you figure it out?”

Tang Yu: “….”

He gazed down at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, his ears tinged with red. Realizing staying like this any longer might lead to trouble, he remained silent for a few seconds before picking her up. “Let’s get you to your room—you should sleep.”