Chapter 31: You Don’t Need to Hurry; I’m the One Who’s Hurrying
Mu Mu had been to Yan Gui Xing’s house once before for work. At that time, he was focused on delivering the food container smoothly to Yan Gui Xing without making a mistake, so he hadn’t dared to look around.
However, even that fleeting glance had revealed a beautiful, tall gate, red flamboyant trees, pink roses, and a very large yard.
Now, as Yan Gui Xing took him for a walk in the villa’s garden, he realized that what he had seen before was just a corner of the front yard. The true wonders lay behind the house.
Exiting through the side door hidden in the kitchen, one could immediately see the adjacent semi-spherical glass greenhouse.
The greenhouse was filled with various rare flowers and plants, both seasonal and out-of-season, all blooming in competition under the greenhouse’s intelligent temperature control system.
Mu Mu couldn’t name most of the flowers except for the large bouquet of starlight roses in the center of the greenhouse, but that didn’t stop him from exclaiming in appreciation and giving generous praise.
Although they were meaningless exclamations like “So beautiful!”, “So pretty!”, and “So fragrant!”, it didn’t stop the greenhouse’s owner from enjoying them.
The greenhouse had two exits. After taking Mu Mu on a tour, Yan Gui Xing led him out through the other one.
There wasn’t anything particularly interesting beyond that point; about five hundred meters away were three or four two-story or three-story villas.
Among the dark-colored buildings, a four-story white building stood out.
Yan Gui Xing explained that his aides, the military doctor, and his personal guards lived in those villas. If Yan Gui Xing had business at the military headquarters and wasn’t home, Mu Mu could go to them if he needed help.
Mu Mu wasn’t sure what kind of situation Yan Gui Xing was referring to or if it would even happen, but since Yan Gui Xing had specifically told him, he obediently nodded, indicating that he remembered.
Yan Gui Xing had initially planned to take Mu Mu to Achi’s place, but when he looked down at Mu Mu and saw his shirt, he immediately abandoned the idea.
Mu Mu looked at Yan Gui Xing’s hesitant expression, completely unaware that his shirt was preventing further exploration.
The shirt Mu Mu was wearing wasn’t the white silk one Yan Gui Xing had put on him last night.
He was now wearing Yan Gui Xing’s black general’s dress shirt. Compared to the courtly or languid off-shoulder shirts Yan Gui Xing favored, this formal shirt was smaller.
However, the difference in Mu Mu and Yan Gui Xing’s sizes was evident. The shirt that fit Yan Gui Xing perfectly was still large enough to be a dress on Mu Mu. The length reached mid-thigh, and the sleeves had to be rolled up several times to fit properly.
As for pants, Yan Gui Xing searched the entire closet but couldn’t find a suitable pair for Mu Mu. His exact words were, “Forget the pants; the shirt’s long enough to be a dress.”
Besides, the only other people in the house were himself and Xiao Ting—one his boyfriend, the other a robot—so not wearing pants wasn’t a problem.
Mu Mu wasn’t particularly bright. After Yan Gui Xing’s explanation, he actually found some logic in his words and obediently didn’t ask for pants.
The legs beneath the black shirt weren’t particularly attractive. Because of the accident in his childhood, the fracture in his left leg hadn’t been treated promptly; by the time he was rescued, the bone had healed improperly.
At that time, Mu Mu’s parents were dead, and he had no other relatives. The doctors opted for conservative treatment.
As a result, Mu Mu developed a slight limp, and his legs weren’t evenly developed. This wasn’t noticeable when wearing pants, but it was quite apparent now.
Moreover, Mu Mu’s skin was fair; his face and arms were somewhat darker and rougher from sun exposure. Because his legs had always been covered by pants, they were even paler than the rest of his body.
Against the black shirt, his thin, spindly legs looked deformed and strange.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been appealing to Yan Gui Xing.
But currently, Yan Gui Xing saw Mu Mu through rose-tinted glasses. He found those legs both pitiful and attractive, wanting to hold them and kiss them.
Mu Mu was innocent and simple-minded and didn’t notice Yan Gui Xing’s ulterior motives. If Xiao Ting hadn’t found a pair of shorts from some nook or cranny, Mu Mu might have been devoured by Yan Gui Xing.
Yan Gui Xing glared at the black shorts in Xiao Ting’s hand. His good mood was ruined; his expression soured. He stood protectively in front of Xiao Ting, sneered, and asked Xiao Ting whose clothes he had found.
Yan Gui Xing was notoriously possessive. He didn’t allow any clothes belonging to anyone else in his territory, nor did he allow his lover to wear other men’s clothes.
Otherwise, among all the people in Yan Gui Xing’s villa—no, mansion—they could certainly have found something more suitable for Mu Mu than his own clothes.
Xiao Ting, one of the most intelligent robots in the Empire, was programmed with a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of his master.
Therefore, Xiao Ting, switching from a cute boy’s voice to a emotionless robotic tone, recited the shorts’ origin.
When Yan Gui Xing heard that the shorts were his from years ago, his expression turned grim. He snatched the shorts from Xiao Ting and gave them to Mu Mu.
Of course, given Yan Gui Xing’s unpredictable personality, he also sarcastically complimented Xiao Ting on his thriftiness.
Xiao Ting replied with a formulaic smile, “Thank you for the praise, Master.”
Yan Gui Xing’s smile remained unchanged, but the veins on his hand holding the shorts stood out. He was considering sending the rebellious robot back to the military headquarters for reformatting.
Yan Gui Xing had to thoroughly interrogate Xiao Ting about the shorts’ origin. He wouldn’t take Mu Mu, with his legs exposed, to another man’s house!
However, apart from the glass greenhouse, there was nothing else on his side of the property to show Mu Mu.
Despite his status as a member of an old aristocratic family, Yan Gui Xing’s true origins were in Wu Hui Xing, the lawless, chaotic zone in the galaxy.
On Wu Hui Xing, there was no such thing as taste or refinement, only survival.
Yan Gui Xing left Wu Hui Xing at the age of 17 and fled to the border star, where he enlisted in the army and fought against the Zerg and space pirates.
There, no one taught him about art or how to cultivate his refinement.
Only after he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel through his merits was he recognized by the Yan family and received crash courses in etiquette from professional instructors to maintain a proper image among other generals.
Yan Gui Xing’s mansion was based on the designs of the other five generals’ homes.
After much deliberation, he chose to directly copy the glass greenhouse from General Desimo’s home on Rose Star.
Of course, Yan Gui Xing wouldn’t tell Mu Mu any of this. He still enjoyed Mu Mu’s compliments and the sparkle in his eyes.
Yan Gui Xing took out his gold pocket watch-style datapad, checked the time, held Mu Mu’s hand, and asked if he was hungry.
Perhaps because Mu Mu’s reactions were slower than average, his thoughts were more sincere. He readily accepted holding hands and hugging Yan Gui Xing on their first day of confirmation.
He openly clasped the hand that was a size larger than his own, and with his other hand, he patted his stomach through his shirt.
Thankfully, this time Mu Mu remembered his chest injury and wasn’t careless like before, avoiding further pain.
He touched his still-full stomach, looked up at Yan Gui Xing, and earnestly said, “I’m a little hungry, not very much. Are we going to eat now?”
After hearing Mu Mu’s answer, Yan Gui Xing couldn’t help but chuckle. He held Mu Mu’s hand and slowly walked back, “It’s alright, Xiao Ting is a slow cook; by the time the food is ready, Mu Mu might be very, very hungry.”
“What if Mu Mu isn’t very hungry? What do we do then? Should we go for another walk to digest?”
The curve of Yan Gui Xing’s lips rose slightly, “If you’re not very hungry, we’ll eat a little less and save our appetite for dinner.”
Mu Mu’s eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, “Can Mu Mu eat at night?”
Yan Gui Xing had investigated Mu Mu and knew what kind of life he had led. He was now captivated by Mu Mu and showered him with affection.
It wasn’t just three meals a day; if Mu Mu asked for a planet, he would buy it for him.
“Yes, Mu Mu, you can eat whatever you want from now on.” Yan Gui Xing’s fingers tightened, gripping the hand in his palm.
Mu Mu smiled so widely his almond-shaped eyes turned into two crescent moons. He excitedly told Yan Gui Xing about the dishes he had delivered while working for the fat boss, saying that those dishes looked so delicious, and he wanted to try them but they were too expensive; they cost as much as a crate of nutrient solution.
At this point, Mu Mu’s voice suddenly stopped, causing Yan Gui Xing to look down at him, “What’s wrong?”
Mu Mu pursed his lips tightly, his brow furrowed, and softly mumbled, “An An.”
His voice was too low for Yan Gui Xing to hear. Yan Gui Xing bent down slightly, asking, “What did you say, Mu Mu?”
“An An,” Mu Mu looked up at Yan Gui Xing, anxiously saying, “Oh no! I forgot about An An!”
Two repetitions of “An An” were difficult for Yan Gui Xing to ignore.
His good mood vanished with those two intimate calls; he furrowed his brow, his sea-green eyes clouded with gloom.
An An, Zheng An. Yan Gui Xing remembered the name from Mu Mu’s data, the man who had shared a roof with Mu Mu for years.
Suppressing his irritation, Yan Gui Xing said gently, “Mu Mu, don’t worry; tell me what happened slowly, okay?”
【Author’s Note】: If Yan So-and-So had taken Mu Mu to Achi’s villa, they would have encountered Gongsun holding a small meeting, using a megaphone to announce how Yan So-and-So was completely infatuated with a certain simpleton.
Gongsun: Smiling, but not embarrassed
Yan So-and-So: Enraged!!!