MTLY | Chapter 3

◎Is my name that hard to say?◎

Song Tinghuan felt like she and Jiang Yu might really be incompatible. How could it be that, time after time, their encounters were so awkward?

Their eyes met. Song Tinghuan swallowed the panic of being caught red-handed and said calmly, “Don’t misunderstand, I really was just passing by this time.”

Jiang Yu looked at her with a lazy sort of carelessness.

What an interesting girl. She was clearly nervous out of her mind, yet she could still sound this composed.

For some reason, that made him feel a bit mischievous, and he wanted to tease her.

He wanted to see her flustered expression.

“This time?” Jiang Yu deliberately stressed those two words, the corners of his lips curving. Even the deep darkness of his eyes was touched with a trace of amusement.

As expected, Song Tinghuan’s soft pink lips parted, then she thought of the “accidental meeting” outside Jiang Yu’s bedroom door not long ago.

The boy’s gaze on her was not exactly focused, yet it carried weight, his amber-deep eyes holding a thin, clear light that seemed to see everything at a glance.

This “accident-prone bro” was also pretty logical.

Song Tinghuan took a deep breath and decided to admit fault.

“Sorry, I wasn’t doing it on purpose just now.”

Her voice was already naturally soft, and when she lowered it, it became even gentler, like a cloud soaked through with water, pressing lightly against the skin.

Afraid Jiang Yu might blurt out another “Then what about the time before that?” Song Tinghuan added obediently, “The time before that… also wasn’t on purpose.”

“Oh.” Jiang Yu drew out the ending slightly. His slender fingertips held his phone as he idly spun it, and he nodded in mock solemnity. “Then what about the time before that before that?”

Song Tinghuan: “?”

She had seen the shallow tooth mark on the pale skin at the base of the boy’s thumb, a glaring reminder of her crimes from last night.

“Then…” Song Tinghuan was just about to speak when Jiang Yu had already brushed past her. She caught the clean scent of his body wash, like mint leaves soaked in icy snowmelt, along with the soft laugh that skimmed past her ear.

It rolled out of the boy’s throat, low and slightly deep, carrying a vibration from his chest.

Only then did Song Tinghuan belatedly realize that he had been teasing her.

She raised a hand and touched the tip of her ear. It was hot, almost burning.

*

Song Tinghuan had never known that felt could also bleed color.

Not only had it stained her off-white backpack into a mess of bright colors, it had also turned the little Shiba Inu itself into a complete wreck.

This little Shiba Inu was a New Year’s gift Song Tinghuan had made for Song Mingcheng. The “chai” in Shiba Inu sounded like the “chai” in wealth, and during that period Song Mingcheng had been so worried about raising money that he had no clue what to do. She made this felt keychain by hand, hoping that in the new year, Song Mingcheng could have money rolling in from all directions.

Song Mingcheng accepted her gift, then hung the little Shiba Inu on her backpack. Song Tinghuan remembered that moment. Song Mingcheng had patted the top of her hair, his smile warm and gentle. “Then let the little Shiba Inu accompany Dad as a stand-in for Tingting, and bless my Tingting with a long life, good health, and happiness.”

Song Tinghuan raised a hand and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

When Meng Shutang came home in the evening, she saw Song Tinghuan squatting in the laundry room washing her backpack, her eyes red, clearly having cried.

“What’s wrong?” There was a hint of anxiety in Meng Shutang’s gentle voice. “Did Jiang Yu bully you?”

Song Tinghuan shook her head. “No.”

Meng Shutang and Song Mingcheng had known each other since they were young and were very close. Naturally, she cared a lot about the daughter of an old friend. Not only was the little girl obedient and pretty, she also had a good personality. Meng Shutang herself had no daughter, so she inevitably favored Song Tinghuan a little more.

“So it was the backpack that broke.” Meng Shutang found the problem and let out a sigh of relief. “Good girl, let’s stop washing it. We’ll buy a new one right now.”

As she spoke, Meng Shutang made a call. “Where are you?”

Song Tinghuan was close enough to hear the lazy male voice from the other end of the line. “Out.”

It was Jiang Yu.

Meng Shutang said, “School starts tomorrow, come back early tonight. Also, when you come back, bring a backpack for Tingting.”

*

When Jiang Yu got Meng Shutang’s call, he was at a pool hall. One of his classmates was celebrating a birthday today and had called everyone out to have fun.

There was some noise around him. Jiang Yu thought he had heard wrong. “What?”

Meng Shutang repeated it patiently. Her tone was gentle, but it was obvious there was no room for negotiation.

“Buy a backpack and bring it back. Tingting’s backpack is broken, and she needs it for school tomorrow. Go look around a nearby mall and buy one that looks nicer, something suitable for a girl.”

Jiang Yu: “…”

“Jiang Yu.”

A sweet, soft female voice sounded by his side. Jiang Yu turned his head, his brows slightly impatient. A whistle sounded nearby, and everyone looked over at the two of them.

The girl was tall and slim, also beautiful, her fair face flushed red right now.

A crowd around them wore ambiguous expressions. Someone teased, “Brother Yu, if you’re a man, then take the initiative. Go for it.”

As soon as those words were out, the girl’s face turned even redder.

Jiang Yu tilted his head slightly and looked at the girl’s bright, pretty face.

Lamp light spilled into his tea-dark eyes, but there was no ripple there at all.

Not interested. Boring.

Suddenly, he tossed the cue stick onto the blue felt of the table and looked at Li Yiliang, who was watching the commotion from the side. “Where do they sell little kids’ backpacks?”

Li Yiliang: “?”

Pretty girl: “??”

Everyone present: “???”

Jiang Yu curled his lips.

He wanted to know too, why the hell was he the one going to buy this backpack.

The people around him were still dazed. Jiang Yu pinched his phone, the black device turning once between his long, lean fingers as he considered where to buy a backpack later.

Li Yiliang finally came back to his senses. “Why are you buying a backpack?”

Jiang Yu didn’t bother explaining. He turned and tossed out two words. “I’m leaving.”

“Hey, don’t go. Didn’t we say we’d head to the internet cafe together later…”

“My mom told me to come home for dinner.”

Everyone: “…”

Li Yiliang still wanted to say something, but Jiang Yu was already far away. The pool hall’s dim light outlined the boy’s slim, tall figure. He held his phone between his fingertips, hanging it by his side as he spun it lazily now and then.

The pretty, tall girl was still standing where she was, biting her lip and stamping her foot in unwillingness.

After leaving the pool hall, Jiangbei in the evening was bustling with traffic.

Backpack, prettier, for a girl.

Jiang Yu ran a hand through his hair in irritation and went straight into the mall next door.

*

Song Tinghuan ate dinner with Meng Shutang tonight.

After spending two days together, Song Tinghuan realized that Meng Shutang was not as cold as she had seemed at first glance. She was gentle and warm, even a little lively in a way that didn’t quite match her age.

It was only when she was alone that she would space out.

For example, tonight, Meng Shutang kept serving food into her bowl, which directly led to Song Tinghuan eating nearly twice her usual amount.

After dinner, Song Tinghuan rubbed her round belly and came out to digest her food.

The Jiang family villa was huge. Just the garden alone could take more than ten minutes to walk through. The surrounding homes were all like this too, detached houses lined up unevenly in the night.

It was quiet all around. Song Tinghuan peeled open a piece of fruit candy and took out her phone, wanting to call Song Mingcheng.

Just as she pressed his number, Song Tinghuan heard a girl’s voice chasing after someone from outside the fence. “Jiang Yu, wait for me.”

Song Tinghuan quickly put away her phone and saw two people standing by the back door.

Jiang Yu was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and pants, with an electroplated green headphone cord looping out from his collar and hanging down his chest. He was holding a kraft paper bag, and there was a faint trace of impatience between his brows.

The girl beside him had waist-length hair, and beneath her miniskirt were a pair of bare, white legs, straight and long.

Song Tinghuan tugged at the loose lambswool coat around herself and looked at the girl following behind Jiang Yu.

Outside the fence, the girl reached out, but Jiang Yu dodged her without a trace. Her hand fell empty, but she didn’t get angry. “Jiang Yu, today at the pool hall, I… I just wanted to ask you…”

Jiang Yu said, “Are you still going to keep eavesdropping?”

Girl: “?”

Song Tinghuan: “…”

Song Tinghuan, who had been hiding in the corner, slowly edged out. Her fluffy coat fell below her knees, wrapping her tiny frame inside. She was still wearing loose sports pants, her long hair down, looking very much like she was at home, a little untidy, with only those dark, glistening eyes carrying a watery shine in the night.

Her chin buried in the collar, Song Tinghuan was just about to explain when the girl standing opposite Jiang Yu spoke first. “Who are you?”

Her tone had lost all the sweetness it had when facing Jiang Yu, and was even a little overbearing.

But she was really beautiful, slender and tall, with fair skin too.

That was what Song Tinghuan thought.

Seeing her stand there dazed and motionless, Jiang Yu frowned.

Song Tinghuan blinked and suddenly remembered Jiang Yu’s call from earlier that day. She looked at Jiang Yu, then shifted her gaze to the beautiful girl beside him.

Could this be the person Jiang Yu had been saying he wanted to take good care of all along?

And this was right at the doorstep of the house, he was already being so blatant?

Or was it that Jiang Yu didn’t even know Meng Shutang was home?

In an instant, countless thoughts surged through Song Tinghuan’s mind, so fast she didn’t have time to sort them out. She only panicked and grabbed the key point, this matter absolutely could not let Meng Shutang know.

She had to convey one thing to Jiang Yu without making it obvious, Meng Shutang was at home.

“Jiang… Jiang Yu.” Song Tinghuan had never lied before, so the moment she opened her mouth she stammered, but she still forced herself to continue, “Why are you only back now? Auntie Shutang and I have been waiting for you.”

The girl’s voice was soft, and the panic in her dark, wet eyes could not be hidden. Her thin white fingers rubbed at the edge of her clothes.

So nervous?

That rare mischievous streak in Jiang Yu was suddenly provoked. He frowned slightly, and a smile rose in his dark eyes, faint and light.

“What’s wrong, is my name that hard to say?”

Author’s note:

I saw so many familiar little cuties~ This book was delayed again and again, and I really appreciate everyone’s waiting and companionship. I’m sending red packets to everyone~