Chapter 107: A Moment of Warmth
Mu Mu held Yan Gui Xing’s terminal in both hands and lifted it to his face. “Gui Gui, I did it! Is there anything else I should do?”
Yan Gui Xing leaned forward, resting his chin on Mu Mu’s fluffy hair. His eyes narrowed, and he smiled. “You did great, Mumu. Now, put the terminal aside. I want to hear your story.”
Mu Mu figured Yan Gui Xing’s terminal must contain important information, so he went to place it back on the table. However, the table was a bit far, and he couldn’t reach it even when stretching. Yan Gui Xing was leaning on him, and his head was still resting on Mu Mu’s. Mu Mu was afraid that if he stood up, Yan Gui Xing would lose his support. So he stood there, holding the terminal as if it were a hot potato, which made Yan Gui Xing chuckle.
“My story? I don’t have a story,” Mu Mu said curiously.
“Of course you do.” Yan Gui Xing’s voice was gentle. “How did you get to the Frontier Star? Did anything happen on the way? And how did you find me here? Can you tell me everything?”
After waking up and seeing Mu Mu, who was even thinner than when he first met him, Yan Gui Xing was filled with a mix of surprise and heartache. To be honest, he never imagined Mu Mu would come to the Frontier Star to find him. Or, to be more precise, the moment he ejected from his mecha, he never thought he would survive. In his mind, the best-case scenario was being found by Achi or another colleague. The worst-case was being found by an Insectoid squad that had not yet retreated and was looking for a final, desperate fight. He never, ever thought he would be found by Mu Mu.
His small lover, who had never left Glass Star, had a disability, and wasn’t exactly a genius, had to have endured so much hardship to find him on this desolate, war-torn land. Yan Gui Xing didn’t dare to imagine what Mu Mu had gone through, but he needed to know. He had to remember how much Mu Mu had sacrificed for him so that he could repay him tenfold in the future. It wasn’t about repaying a debt of gratitude; it was because of love. He would love Mu Mu even more than Mu Mu loved him.
Mu Mu, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking that much. He had found Yan Gui Xing, Yan Gui Xing was awake, his wounds were healing, and his body was recovering. That was enough for Mu Mu. He had already moved past the physical and emotional ordeal of the past few days. Now that Yan Gui Xing asked about it, he took a moment to recall the events.
Unsure of where Yan Gui Xing wanted the story to begin, he started from the moment he saw the news report about Commander Fang saying Yan Gui Xing was missing. He talked about how he told Zheng An he was coming to the Frontier Star, but Zheng An had argued with him and nagged him for half a day, which was so annoying. Mu Mu’s tone was light, with a hint of complaint, but it sounded more like a small, adorable whine.
Listening to this, Yan Gui Xing’s heart ached. He kissed the top of Mu Mu’s head. “You should have listened to him,” he said, a rare moment of agreement with Zheng An.
Mu Mu’s brows furrowed. He wanted to turn and glare at Yan Gui Xing, but when he moved his head slightly, he remembered Yan Gui Xing’s head was resting on his. So he stopped, rolled his eyes upward instead, as if to say, “I’m glaring at you now.”
“No way! If I had listened to An An, what would have happened to you? Would Achi and the others have found you?” At this, Mu Mu thought of the terrible state he’d found Yan Gui Xing in, and a flicker of resentment rose in his heart. “They couldn’t find you at all!” Mu Mu pouted, his eyes turning red. He didn’t know if he was angry or heartbroken. “I don’t think they were looking hard enough. You were just lying there. With so many of them, if they really wanted to find you, they would have.”
Yan Gui Xing wanted to defend Achi. The military might have had many people who wanted him to die in the war to gain something from it, but Achi was not one of them. That’s why Achi had strongly insisted on the Fourth Legion staying to search for their leader, refusing Commander Fang’s suggestion that they return to the capital star for rest. Commander Fang wasn’t an idiot. He knew the situation within the military. A little thought was all it took for him to understand Achi’s concerns. Since he had just dealt with the vice admiral of the Second Legion, accepting the request of the Fourth Legion, which had performed so well, was no big deal. So, the Fourth Legion stayed behind. Of course, the military headquarters wouldn’t let the Fourth Legion stay alone. They also sent people from the stable Second Legion, bringing repair pods and treatment pods to the Frontier Star.
Yan Gui Xing smiled, defending Achi. “Achi might be a little clumsy and not always do things right, but his one good quality is that he’s loyal and obedient. You’re being unfair to him, Mumu.”
Achi, who had just been called “clumsy” by his boss, sneezed twice in the command center of the main starship, causing the doctor in the white coat to step back in disgust. Achi stared at him with wide, cow-like eyes. “Why are you backing away? I’m not sick.” The doctor snorted. “Right. Idiots don’t get sick. You don’t have time to be sick now anyway. You should be spending every moment looking for the boss.” Achi’s face fell, scrunching up. He looked at the holographic star map of the Frontier Star and said, “We’ve almost turned this godforsaken place upside down twice. Where could the boss be? And what’s going on with the little madam? We can’t reach him either.” Achi had no idea that the two people he was worrying about were in a small shack on the Frontier Star, talking about him.
Yan Gui Xing said, “It’s not Achi’s fault he couldn’t find me. I was trying to save myself when I was conscious, and I moved to several different places. He most likely just missed me.” Mu Mu puffed out his cheeks and muttered, “I know Achi is a good person. I was just… just mad that Gui Gui was so miserable. I was taking it out on him.” After saying that, he was afraid Yan Gui Xing would dwell on it, so he quickly continued his story.
Next, Mu Mu told him about how he couldn’t buy a ticket at the D5 Star spaceport, feeling embarrassed and anxious, and how he had missed his flight and had no choice but to buy a ticket back to Glass Star. Hearing the word “back,” a light sparked in Yan Gui Xing’s eyes. He rubbed the top of Mu Mu’s head, intentionally steering the conversation. “Did you go home, Mumu? Did you see Xiaoting?”
So much had happened in the past year that Mu Mu’s small brain had long forgotten the time he was angry with Yan Gui Xing and said in a harsh voice that the villa wasn’t his home, but the General’s. Mu Mu had forgotten, but Yan Gui Xing hadn’t. That moment was like a thorn in his heart, a constant reminder of how deeply he had hurt Mu Mu, a reminder that he was a scumbag. He had given Mu Mu a home and then destroyed it with his own hands. So he had to give Mu Mu another home, a home that would belong to Mu Mu forever. When he heard Mu Mu say naturally, “Yes, I went home. Xiaoting said it missed me,” his heart swelled with gratitude towards the Insectoid starship that had tried to take him down. Look, he didn’t die, and his little lover seemed to have forgiven him.
Yan Gui Xing continued to talk with Mu Mu about Xiaoting, and at a certain point, he casually mentioned that Mu Mu’s inability to buy a ticket on D5 Star was likely the work of the planet’s lord.
“How could that be?” Mu Mu asked in surprise. “Mumu doesn’t know any lord, and the lord wouldn’t know Mumu.”
“Silly,” Yan Gui Xing chuckled, his voice still raspy. “At that time, they all thought I was dead in battle. Liang Yi’s style is to be proactive. She would have contacted you immediately.”
When Mu Mu heard Liang Yi’s name, he hummed in agreement. “She did contact me. She said she wanted to give Mumu a guard team and asked if I wanted military academy graduates.”
When Yan Gui Xing heard “military academy graduates,” his face immediately darkened. What was Liang Yi trying to do? He had just “died,” and she was already trying to send young, able-bodied men to his “widow”? Was she so impatient to put horns on his head?
“Military academy graduates? They’re just young whippersnappers. They can’t protect you well,” Yan Gui Xing said in a gentle voice that gave no hint of his anger. He wanted to go back to the capital star right now and tear up Liang Yi’s office.
“Mumu didn’t want them,” Mu Mu said. “Gui Gui isn’t dead, so Mumu isn’t a widow. I don’t need a guard team. They’re mean; they didn’t believe you were still alive.”
“Exactly, Liang Yi is very bad. Mumu shouldn’t contact her anymore,” Yan Gui Xing said, taking the opportunity to talk badly about Liang Yi.
Mu Mu was confused. “But Gui Gui, you’re alive. Why would Mumu need to contact her anyway? You’re being so weird.”
Yan Gui Xing let out a small, quiet laugh. It was his fault for being so jealous. “Alright, let’s go back to you not being able to buy a ticket on D5 Star.”
“Okay, I’m listening,” Mu Mu said.
“You refused Liang Yi’s help. She was afraid something would happen to you, so she would have naturally contacted the planet’s lord to have someone secretly protect you. The lord of D5 Star is a coward and afraid of getting into trouble, so he would have made sure to prevent you from going anywhere dangerous.”
Mu Mu’s eyes widened in realization. “So that’s why I couldn’t buy a ticket to the Frontier Star!”
“Mumu is so smart,” Yan Gui Xing praised.
This time, Mu Mu’s face fell. “How could he do that? Doesn’t he know that would delay Mumu’s important business? If I had come here one day earlier, I would have found you a day earlier.”
Yan Gui Xing showed his anger and said, “He’s too evil. A person like that shouldn’t be a lord! When we get back, just come home with me. Glass Star is my territory, so you won’t have to worry about being plotted against. Plus, the house has a big yard, and border collies have a lot of energy. The yard is big enough for him to run wild.”
After he said it, Yan Gui Xing felt nervous, afraid that Mu Mu would reject him like he did last time. He had already decided that if Mu Mu refused, he would use his injuries as an excuse and cling to him until he agreed to go home. He didn’t expect Mu Mu to agree so easily. “Okay! I also think the temperature on Glass Star is better for Wangwang. The winters on D5 Star are too cold and could freeze him.”
Yan Gui Xing thought to himself: So… Mumu is agreeing to come home for a dog?
[Author’s Note]: The Yan family ranking: 1. Mu Mu, 2. Wangwang, 3. Xiaoting, 4. Yan So-and-so.
Recommended Reads
