Chapter 96: A Gift of a Little Dog
Mu Mu had tried everything to get Yan Guixing to leave. He’d reasoned with him, yelled at him, given him the cold shoulder, ignored him completely, and even buried him in work.
But Yan Guixing took it all in stride. He completed every menial task thrown his way and then, with a cheerful smile, would stick right back to his side. He was like a soft, spineless pastry, letting Mu Mu bully him however he pleased.
Within a couple of days, all the students nearby knew that Admiral Yan was holed up in a small convenience store, chasing after his wife. The neighborhood gossips also learned that the little shop owner was already a married man.
Mu Mu had run out of tricks. He decided to just let Yan Guixing do as he pleased. After all, he’d get busy in a few days and leave on his own.
Soon, Mu Mu told Zheng An, and he told himself the same thing.
He just didn’t expect “soon” to be a week later. When Mu Mu didn’t see that familiar, tall figure waiting downstairs, he faltered for a moment. Instead of stepping forward, he took a step back.
In the blink of an eye, his expression returned to normal, and he continued on his way to the convenience store.
Open the store, organize the shelves. The bell on the door chimed.
Mu Mu spun around almost instantly. When he saw it was just Zheng An, huddled in his blue coat with his neck scrunched down, he stopped in his tracks, a little embarrassed.
“Eh? How come you’re all alone?” Zheng An looked up and saw Mu Mu standing there by himself.
He let out a curious “Huh?” For the past few days, Yan Guixing had been stuck to Mu Mu like a shadow. Wherever Mu Mu went, Yan Guixing followed. Seeing him alone for once was actually a bit strange.
Zheng An craned his neck to look behind Mu Mu. Seeing that Yan Guixing really wasn’t there, he couldn’t contain his curiosity. Still, he was too timid to ask loudly. “Where’s Admiral Yan? How come I don’t see him?”
“He probably went back,” Mu Mu said, his tone even. He turned away, fiddling with the milk cartons that were already perfectly arranged.
“He’s gone?” Zheng An let out a long sigh of relief. “Good that he’s gone. I’ve been on edge these past few days, couldn’t even sleep well, just worried something would happen. You really know him best. You said he’d leave soon, and he really did leave pretty quickly.”
After he finished speaking, he wasn’t sure why, but looking at the little store that was once again just the two of them, it suddenly felt a bit empty.
They say it only takes seven days to form a habit. And with his actions, Yan Guixing had made Mu Mu get used to his presence all over again.
In fact, it wasn’t just Mu Mu. Even Zheng An, who had always been afraid of him, and the students who came to shop had all grown accustomed to Yan Guixing being there.
In the first two hours after opening, several groups of customers came in. Seeing Mu Mu standing alone behind the counter, they would all instinctively scan the store.
When they didn’t see that dazzling, almost blinding presence, they would ask, “How come it’s just you today, little manager? Where’s your husband/Admiral Yan?”
Mu Mu’s standard reply was always, “His Excellency the Admiral is a very busy man. He’s already gone back.”
Yes, Yan Guixing had gone back.
Mu Mu didn’t regret his decision not to go home with him. He just felt a sense of loss. He raised a hand to his empty chest and decided he needed to cheer himself up.
He would have a piece of candy, a milk candy with a rich, fragrant, milky flavor.
Putting the thought into action, Mu Mu got up and headed for the candy aisle. But just as he stepped out from behind the counter, he heard the crisp jingle of the bell.
A customer. Mu Mu had to abandon his raid on the candy shelf for now.
He turned around. “Welcome,” he started to say, but he only got the first syllable out before his vision blurred, and something fluffy and warm launched itself into his arms.
Though he didn’t know what it was, Mu Mu hugged it instinctively. The thing in his arms seemed to interpret the action as a sign of affection, and a pink tongue immediately swiped across Mu Mu’s face.
Mu Mu was a bit stunned by the creature’s enthusiasm. He didn’t dare let go, afraid it would fall and get hurt, so he just held on, letting it wash his face.
The next second, a familiar, soft sigh reached his ears. He felt the weight in his arms lighten as the creature was lifted away.
Mu Mu quickly looked up and met a pair of round, black-gem-like eyes. He was still holding his arms in the same hugging posture as he stared into them.
One second, two seconds… five seconds later, a soft, whining “ar-woo” mingled with a shriek of delight.
“It’s Wang Wang the Border Collie!”
Mu Mu looked at the little Border Collie in front of him—with its black butterfly ears, black mask, little white face, small black nose, and a pink tongue hanging out—and was so excited he could have jumped for joy.
“Oh my gosh! He looks just like Wang Wang from when he was a puppy! No! This is exactly the same!” Mu Mu looked up excitedly at Yan Guixing, who was holding the little dog.
His entire being was captivated by the adorable puppy. He had no mental space left to wonder why Yan Guixing, who was supposed to have left, was back in his store.
Mu Mu carefully leaned closer to the puppy and held out a finger. To his surprise, the little guy wasn’t shy at all. Before the finger could even touch his nose, he licked it.
The puppy’s tongue was thin, warm, and wet. Mu Mu felt his heart melt.
He looked up at Yan Guixing, opened his arms, and said urgently, “Gui Gui, can Mu Mu hold him? I’ll be very gentle, I won’t hurt him.”
Hearing the familiar nickname, spoken once again because of a little dog, Yan Guixing’s gaze toward the puppy soured with a hint of jealousy.
He knew it. He knew a little thing like this would steal Mu Mu’s attention. That was why, even though he knew Mu Mu adored cats and dogs, he had never once offered to get him one.
It wasn’t that Yan Guixing disliked animals; he was mostly indifferent to them. The house was big enough, and Xiao Ting could take care of them.
He just couldn’t stand the thought of those things diverting the gaze that Mu Mu usually had fixed on him.
So why get him a puppy now? To win him over, of course.
“He was always meant for you,” Yan Guixing said, placing the little Border Collie into Mu Mu’s arms. His voice was gentle. “Mu Mu, you’re his owner now. You should give him a name.”
As if it understood, the moment Yan Guixing finished speaking, the puppy nudged its forehead against Mu Mu’s chin and let out an encouraging “arf arf~”
Clearly, Mu Mu knew how to focus on what was important.
He held the puppy and looked at Yan Guixing with his own dark eyes, which were not so different from the dog’s in his arms. “You bought him for me?” he asked in surprise. “You’re really giving him to Mu Mu? But he’s so, so expensive! Mu Mu looked it up, there’s a long string of zeros after the price.”
The popular pets of the era were divided into two main categories: interstellar pets and rare, Old Earth mammalian pets.
Interstellar pets, with their strange appearances but gentle temperaments, ease of care, and affordable prices, were the first choice for most people.
Comparatively, the fluffy felines and canines of Old Earth were far more popular.
However, their exorbitant price, the difficulty in caring for them, and the comprehensive set of protection laws and assessment systems behind them kept most potential pet owners at bay.
Mu Mu had always been on Team Fluffy. What he wanted most was a puppy just like Wang Wang from the show Interstellar Babies.
But because he was poor, that dream had always been out of reach.
And now, Yan Guixing had given him a puppy that was practically identical to Wang Wang. How could he not be excited?
He was about to die from excitement!
But then Mu Mu remembered the current state of his relationship with Yan Guixing, and he felt conflicted. Logic told him he shouldn’t accept such an expensive gift, that he shouldn’t let these lingering feelings continue, that he needed to make a clean break.
But his heart kept screaming, The puppy is so cute, so cute, so cute, he’s really so cute!
“Yes, he’s a gift for Mu Mu,” Yan Guixing said, his eyes soft as he watched Mu Mu. He was weaving a large net out of his affection, hoping to catch Mu Mu in it.
But Mu Mu, completely oblivious, looked down and met the gaze of the puppy, who happened to look up at the same time. His resolve crumbled even further. “But he’s really so expensive,” he mumbled. “Mu Mu can’t accept such an expensive gift from you.”
Yan Guixing reached out and patted the puppy’s head, then patted Mu Mu’s head with a practiced ease that was startling.
“It’s a return gift,” he said gently.
Mu Mu tilted his head. “A return gift?”
Yan Guixing nodded. “Yes, a return gift. I loved the portrait Mu Mu gave me. I’ve already had it framed and hung in our bedroom. This puppy is a return gift for the portrait.”
Mu Mu thought of the drawing that had been thrown away like trash. His soaring spirits sank a little, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
Yan Guixing’s attention was entirely focused on Mu Mu, so he didn’t miss the shift in his mood.
He regretted his slip of the tongue. Just as he was about to say something to fix it, he saw the puppy in Mu Mu’s arms tilt its head back and lick his chin, as if to comfort him.
Yan Guixing was a bit stunned. When he’d arranged to buy the dog, he’d heard that Border Collies were very intelligent, with the IQ of a seven or eight-year-old human child, but that was usually after training.
And while this one had been handpicked from all the Border Collies in the empire to look exactly like Wang Wang from the show, wasn’t it a little too smart?
Was this thing really okay to keep as a pet? It wasn’t going to compete with him for status in the family, was it?
But when Mu Mu looked up again, his face was all smiles, as if that fleeting moment of sadness had just been a trick of the light.
“Mu Mu thought His Excellency the Admiral wouldn’t see it. As long as you saw it, that’s good. Mu Mu is relieved.”
And just like that, the small regret from that imperfect day was mended. Mu Mu could finally turn the page on that memory.
Yan Guixing had originally planned to use the painting as a way to bring up the old artist and coax Mu Mu into going back to Planet Liuli with him to visit.
But seeing Mu Mu already squatting down to play with the puppy, he suddenly lost the desire to say anything. Let’s just leave it like this for now, he thought. Let’s take it slow.
In truth, Yan Guixing didn’t understand why he let such a good opportunity to bring Mu Mu home slip by. Later, during the heat of battle, in the brief moments he had to catch his breath, he would ponder this very question.
It wasn’t until he was on the brink of death, as his life flashed before his eyes, that he understood. Every single scene was of Mu Mu.
And in every scene, Mu Mu was smiling happily, like a warm little sun.
Yan Guixing suddenly realized what he wanted: for Mu Mu to always be able to smile, carefree and happy, by his side. To be that innocent, warm little sun.
He didn’t want to make Mu Mu sad. He never wanted to make him cry.
Author’s Note: Border Collies, a dog breed blessed with the gift of beauty. Even a cat person like me adores them~ Aww, I just had to give Mu Mu such a cute and smart puppy.
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] After Accidental Marking, I Became Everyone’s Darling](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ABO-225x300.jpeg)