Mu Mu’s impromptu departure didn’t dampen their spirits. Mu Mu and Yan Gui Xing played through the amusement park, going from north to south, one section at a time. By the time of the evening fireworks display and the Star Baby float parade, they only had three sections left unvisited.
Mu Mu’s reason for coming to the amusement park was to take photos with her black cat Mimi and her border collie Wang Wang, and to watch the float parade.
Now, the photos were safely stored in her datapad, and she had seen the Star Baby float parade. She was already satisfied. While she felt a little regret about the unvisited sections,
Mu Mu was understanding and didn’t throw a tantrum demanding to continue playing. Instead, it was Yan Gui Xing, who had unusually rediscovered his childlike heart, who was more reluctant to leave.
The float parade started at 9 pm and lasted two hours. Because it was a collaboration with Star Baby, it was extended by an hour compared to usual.
Liuli Star’s nightlife was always lively. At this time, traveling from District Seven back to District One, even without considering the traffic from the amusement park’s exit, would take one or two hours.
Going back wasn’t an option. Yan Gui Xing, while looking at the map in the morning, had been interested in the Castle Theme Hotel.
While accompanying Mu Mu on the carousel, he opened the information sent by his superiors, found the Castle Theme Hotel’s introduction, and saw that the presidential suite was themed with black cats and dogs – exactly the kind of thing the little fool liked.
He figured Mu Mu would love it, so he instructed his superiors to reserve it for him.
Yan Gui Xing thought that he had some free time these days, so why not enjoy himself to the fullest? He had looked at the information; the remaining three sections of the park only had four thrilling rides and a large, retro haunted house.
Staying at the themed hotel allowed for an hour of early entry. He could spend the morning completing the remaining three sections, then take a sightseeing car back to the hotel to enjoy the amusement park’s collaborative theme meal.
To curry favor with Yan Gui Xing, the amusement park’s management said they would have robotic Mimi (the black cat) and Wang Wang (the border collie) accompany him throughout the meal.
If Yan Gui Xing needed it, they would also accompany him to the gift shop.
Yan Gui Xing wasn’t interested in having robotic cat and dog replicas accompany him to dinner and shopping, but Mu Mu genuinely loved the cat and dog.
This time, the management’s fawning finally hit the mark, earning Yan Gui Xing a lukewarm compliment.
However, Yan Gui Xing didn’t tell Mu Mu about any of this beforehand; he planned to surprise him.
After the float parade ended, Mu Mu was like a small robot that had run out of battery; his entire being drooped. He leaned on Yan Gui Xing’s hand, his head hanging low, trailing behind him listlessly.
Yan Gui Xing stopped, waiting for Mu Mu to slowly reach his side. He looked amusedly at his wilted appearance and asked, “Do you want a hug?”
Mu Mu looked up at Yan Gui Xing, his heart fluttering. Just then, a firework exploded in the air, its brilliant, colorful light reflecting in his clear black eyes, making them sparkle beautifully.
His head had just started to nod, before it fully dipped, his peripheral vision caught a man with two cartoon backpacks and bear ears on his head, bending down to pick up a little boy wearing overalls.
Mu Mu pursed his lips, looking at Yan Gui Xing, changing his nod to a shake of his head. “No, Mu Mu is a grown-up, not a child, I don’t need a hug, I can walk by myself.”
He emphasized that he was a grown-up who didn’t need a hug, but his low tone, downcast eyes and drooping corners of his mouth, along with his limp, curly hair, all spoke of his distress.
Yan Gui Xing pinched Mu Mu’s cheek, which had finally gained a little flesh thanks to his care. His gentle voice held a hint of firmness, “Who says grown-ups can’t be hugged? I want to hug you, so I will, and see who dares to say a word.”
Mu Mu was actually very tempted by Yan Gui Xing’s offer to hug him. After a day of intense play, his left leg was stiff and sore, and he couldn’t walk anymore.
They were currently in the center of the amusement park, still a long way from the landing zone. If they walked there, his legs would be aching so badly tomorrow that he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.
But Yan Gui Xing had also played all day and must be very tired too. Hugging him all the way to the landing zone would be hard on him.
He didn’t want Yan Gui Xing to suffer.
Mu Mu fidgeted with his fingers, hesitantly saying, “But, Mu Mu is so heavy, Gui Gui will be very tired carrying me.”
Before Mu Mu could finish, Yan Gui Xing bent down, scooping him up from his bottom like a child.
He deliberately bounced him up and down a little, scaring Mu Mu into tightly wrapping his arms around Yan Gui Xing’s neck, his legs also climbing onto Yan Gui Xing’s lean waist.
“Heavy? It’s not even half the weight of my usual training load. You’re all bones. I’ll have Xiao Ting make you more meaty dishes to build you up.”
Yan Gui Xing wasn’t exaggerating. Mu Mu only weighed around a hundred kilograms – not even half of his usual weight training load.
In the Fourth Legion, no one could match Yan Gui Xing’s weight training, training intensity, or the duration of mech simulated battles.
However, Yan Gui Xing’s temperament and appearance were too striking, making it easy to overlook his strong physique.
It made sense; Yan Gui Xing had fought his way up from the bottom of the legion. If he only had a pretty face, he wouldn’t have become a five-star general, and his own father wouldn’t have looked at him twice.
Mu Mu relaxed, drowsiness washing over him. He hugged Yan Gui Xing’s neck, leaning his head against his side face, and slowly closed his eyes as he swayed with Yan Gui Xing’s steps.
Hearing the gentle, even rhythm of his breathing, Yan Gui Xing paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled. His hand supporting Mu Mu’s back became steadier, his steps slowing.
Couples holding hands and parents carrying their children passed by Yan Gui Xing. He was swept along in the crowd, slowly moving toward the pointed spire of the castle in the distance.
Yan Gui Xing didn’t know what it was, but he felt a warmth spreading in his chest, a sudden sense of fullness.
It was a strange feeling; Yan Gui Xing couldn’t explain the exact emotion. He only knew that if he could, he would even want to carry the child in his arms forever.
Achi, who was following not too far behind Yan Gui Xing, saw Mu Mu fall asleep and quickly walked up to Yan Gui Xing, whispering, “Boss, let me carry him.”
Yan Gui Xing, like a dragon whose treasure was about to be stolen, pressed Mu Mu closer to his chest, glared fiercely at Achi, and quickly walked away.
Achi’s ears registered the dismissive “Mind your own business” and his expression froze, his heart leaping with anger. He thought, Who am I doing this for?!
He was just afraid that Yan Gui Xing would find it troublesome and get angry again. He had thought it through, but why was his boss still yelling at him?!
For the umpteenth time, Achi felt that he was really not cut out to be a deputy officer.
The castle hotel was not far from the float parade area; it took less than ten minutes to walk there during the day, and it would be even faster by sightseeing car.
However, there were more tourists watching the fireworks and the float parade at night, so Yan Gui Xing took twice as long to reach the castle hotel.
He didn’t bother to check if Achi and the others had caught up, and went straight to the elevator with the miniature devil-winged robots waiting at the entrance.
Upon reaching the room, Yan Gui Xing was too lazy to check out the room that had been transformed into a Star Baby-themed room; he carried Mu Mu straight into the bedroom.
The little robot diligently chased after them, intending to fulfill its programmed task of introducing the room. However, it was mercilessly stopped by the door, nearly colliding with it and suffering a “shattering” fate.
The little robot’s intelligence wasn’t as high as Xiao Ting’s; it got stuck in a loop between introducing the room and detecting the occupants’ location, causing it to freeze.
Yan Gui Xing placed Mu Mu on the bed, which was covered with a milk-soft blanket imprinted with Mimi the black cat. He knelt beside the bed, carefully removing Mu Mu’s beige sneakers.
He placed the shoes to one side and then started to take off the long socks covering his lower legs. His fingers just touched the sock opening when he heard Mu Mu’s voice, which was even softer and more melodious from sleep.
“Where are we? Are we home? When did we buy a Mimi blanket?”
Yan Gui Xing, with one leg extended, half-knelt on the bed. He watched Mu Mu sit up, propping himself up with one hand and rubbing his eyes, and playfully poked his forehead.
“Wake up, look at where we are.”
“Ah?” Mu Mu looked around through his blurry vision, his expression dazed as he repeated, “Where are we?”
Yan Gui Xing let out a chuckle. He kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, and remained silent, wanting to watch how long it would take this sleepy little fool to discover the surprise.
After a minute, two minutes, Mu Mu’s brain finally rebooted. He looked at the familiar room layout and furnishings, his eyes widening in disbelief, letting out a short scream.
“Wow! A Phoenix rock star poster, rainbow-colored curtains, and cat-paw pillows! Isn’t this Mimi’s room?!”
Yan Gui Xing propped his right elbow on his thigh, his hand supporting his cheek. He smiled mischievously as he watched Mu Mu’s face turn red with excitement, continuing to tease him, “What Mimi’s room? Aren’t we at home?”
“This isn’t home! This is Mimi’s room!” Mu Mu’s attention was completely captivated by the surprise. Excitedly, he jumped to the floor, stepping on the short-pile carpet, quickly moving around the room.
He examined everything with curiosity, touching this and looking at that, opening a closet and rummaging through the clothes of Mimi the black cat that appeared in the drama.
Pulling open a drawer, he found a pink diary lying inside.
Mu Mu then rushed into the bathroom, where there was a luxurious bathtub covered in pink cat paw prints and four golden cat paws – the same as Mimi the black cat’s.
The castle’s presidential suite had five rooms, each about a hundred square meters. Not only was there Mimi the black cat’s room, but also rooms for the other four main characters.
Due to the collaborative event, the hotel had meticulously recreated every detail, from the furniture to the diary in the drawer, striving to immerse the guests in the experience.
Outside, the rebooted little robot finally caught up with Mu Mu, who had rushed out, and followed him, introducing the rooms.
After visiting the other four rooms, Mu Mu finally returned contentedly to Mimi the black cat’s bedroom, where Yan Gui Xing was waiting.
