Chapter 65: Understanding Feelings
On the stairs, Yan Gui Xing saw Mu Mu nestled in a single armchair near the floor-to-ceiling window, the backrest shaped like a Border Collie’s head—the one he had brought back from the amusement park.
Mu Mu was looking down at something intently.
Golden sunlight streamed through the clean floor-to-ceiling window onto the floor in front of the window, casting a fuzzy golden glow on Mu Mu, blurring the outlines of their delicate features, like a golden veil.
Simply sitting there, Mu Mu was as beautiful as an angel in a museum painting.
Yan Gui Xing stopped, standing in the shadows on the stairs, watching Mu Mu in the light. His handsome face was calm, expressionless, cold and lifeless like a statue.
But his lake-green eyes were filled with tender affection.
For Yan Gui Xing, understanding certain things wasn’t difficult. For example, he had fallen in love with Mu Mu, this little fool. He loved Mu Mu.
He didn’t know when his love began, but he loved this flawed little fool, without reason, inexplicably.
Accepting that he loved Mu Mu didn’t cause Yan Gui Xing anger or embarrassment. On the contrary, he was happy, even exhilarated.
He knew Mu Mu, this little fool, belonged to him! From the first time he saw Mu Mu in the dimly lit private room of the nightclub, he knew!
If it weren’t for the damned general election, he would have brought Mu Mu before the media and openly declared Mu Mu as his lover, preventing anyone from coveting Mu Mu.
Oh, right! The damned general election!
Remembering Yan Wangbei’s proposal five minutes ago about the marriage alliance with the Mi family, Yan Gui Xing’s good mood vanished.
The tenderness in his eyes turned into gloom; his fingers on the handrail clenched, purple veins bulging on his cold white hand.
Perhaps due to Alessio’s tragic death or the unique environment of Unreturnable Star, Yan Gui Xing wasn’t particularly fond of marriage.
He never thought of signing a marriage contract, forming a so-called sacred marriage.
Yan Wangbei had also promised marriage to Alessio, but in the end, he married his fiancée.
Although this was a bad example, it illustrated that love and marriage were two different things.
So, even though he now understood that he loved Mu Mu, his initial reaction was to declare Mu Mu as his lover, not to immediately take Mu Mu to sign a marriage certificate.
Yan Gui Xing considered marriage useless; he and Mu Mu wouldn’t sign that damned certificate. Mu Mu would still be by his side, forever.
Now, Yan Wangbei wanted him to follow his path, maximizing the benefits of marriage.
A marriage alliance. Yan Gui Xing closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and when he opened them again, he released his grip on the handrail.
No rush, he thought. Since it was the Mi family, he needed to plan carefully.
Putting this matter aside, Yan Gui Xing adjusted his expression and walked down the stairs to find his cute little lover.
When Yan Gui Xing appeared beside Mu Mu and asked what Mu Mu was doing, Mu Mu didn’t hear him.
It wasn’t that his hearing aid was malfunctioning again, but he was engrossed in reading the text on the screen.
Only when the light from the window was blocked, the screen suddenly darkened, and his data pad was taken away by a hand, did he look up with a start, his surprised almond-shaped eyes wide open, looking frightened.
“What are you looking at? You ignored me.” Yan Gui Xing snatched Mu Mu’s data pad, not in a hurry to look at the content, naturally squeezing beside Mu Mu, his complaining tone sounding like a petulant whine.
The armchair Mu Mu was sitting in was described as a single armchair, but because it was from an amusement park, it wasn’t a standard single seat. The width was between a single and a double seat.
Two small people like Mu Mu could fit, but with the addition of Yan Gui Xing, who visually appeared slender but was actually quite large, it became crowded.
When Yan Gui Xing squeezed in, Mu Mu lost their balance and almost fell off the sofa. Yan Gui Xing quickly grabbed Mu Mu’s shoulder, preventing a small accident.
Mu Mu was backlit, so he didn’t immediately see Yan Gui Xing’s face.
But the familiar warmth on his shoulder and the unique cold fragrance of Yan Gui Xing filling his nostrils, told him who it was.
Leaning against Yan Gui Xing’s arm, his arm around his legs, relaxed, he smiled. “Gui Gui, are you done? Oliver brought you six large fruit baskets; they’re in the kitchen.”
Yan Gui Xing’s attention wasn’t on the fruit baskets; he was looking at Mu Mu’s data pad. Without much thought, he casually asked,
“Why did he buy so many fruit baskets? Did he get a bonus? Next time you see him, don’t worry about him. He can lift a 30kg kettlebell with one hand. He certainly wouldn’t be struggling with a few fruit baskets. He’s just bullying you.”
Mu Mu was popular with Yan Gui Xing; everyone on Yan Gui Xing’s guard liked him and would willingly talk to him.
If Mu Mu happened to be around when they were gossiping about Yan Gui Xing, they wouldn’t be too reserved. They’d still say what they needed to say before feeling comfortable.
They dared to say it in front of Mu Mu because Yan Gui Xing, while having a bad temper and being moody, wasn’t like some other armies, with rigid and strict senior-junior concepts, acting like emotionless machines.
Also, Mu Mu treated it as a joke. He’d laugh along and forget about it, he wouldn’t tattle to Yan Gui Xing.
But the fact that they thought Mu Mu forgot was just that. Mu Mu remembered everything but didn’t like to tattle.
Hearing Yan Gui Xing say that, fearing he genuinely thought Oliver was bullying him, Mu Mu quickly explained, “Mu Mu saw too many baskets and offered to help. Xiao Ting helped too. Oliver didn’t bully Mu Mu.”
Yan Gui Xing looked at the text on the screen, his brow furrowed slightly, displeasure in his eyes. Hearing Mu Mu’s words, he nodded indifferently, “He dares.”
Mu Mu continued, “The fruit baskets weren’t bought by Oliver. He said Arki asked him to get them, saying they were specially sent from Capital Star for Gui Gui.”
“He didn’t wait for Gui Gui and received a communication from Arki, so he left.”
“Sent from Capital Star?” Yan Gui Xing’s gaze shifted from the data pad, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking at a point in the void.
Fruit baskets from Capital Star, and the sudden video call from Yan Wangbei. The baskets were definitely Yan Wangbei’s attempt to show goodwill. He must have hoped that Yan Gui Xing would bring up the baskets, and he would then explain their origin, feigning affection before getting to the point.
But he miscalculated the timing; the call came too early. He hadn’t seen the baskets and wouldn’t mention them, his planned goodwill ruined.
Without the baskets as a conversation starter, Yan Wangbei had to improvise. Unfortunately, their father-son relationship was so bad that he couldn’t find another suitable topic to ease the tension.
Seeing Yan Wangbei’s earlier angry face made Yan Gui Xing happy.
Seeing Yan Gui Xing’s faint smile, Mu Mu curiously poked him in the side, asking, “Gui Gui, what are you smiling about?”
Yan Gui Xing had never considered telling Mu Mu about the Yan family. Before, it was because Mu Mu, as his lover, didn’t deserve to know too much; now, it was to prevent the messy things from tainting Mu Mu’s innocence.
So, he made up a reason, smiling, “I’m happy that we got so many fruits. Let’s check them out later and see if there are any fruits Mu Mu likes.”
Hearing there was food, Mu Mu’s eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
Leaning his head on Yan Gui Xing’s arm, he described the fruits in the basket he was holding and which ones he hadn’t seen before.
After patiently listening, Yan Gui Xing raised Mu Mu’s data pad. “Mu Mu, what were you looking at just now?”
His tone was still gentle, but a hint of coldness could be heard.
Yan Gui Xing was unhappy about what Mu Mu had been looking at.
But Mu Mu didn’t hear Yan Gui Xing’s suppressed displeasure. Instead, after Yan Gui Xing mentioned it, he pouted slightly and said in a troubled tone.
“Mu Mu was looking at job postings. I don’t know if it’s the off-season, but there aren’t any suitable jobs for Mu Mu.”
Hearing Mu Mu say he wanted a job, Yan Gui Xing’s eyes narrowed, the smile on his lips disappearing. Frustration and anger intertwined in his chest, eroding his fragile nerves.
“Why do you want to work? Are you unhappy now, Mu Mu?” Yan Gui Xing looked down at Mu Mu’s fluffy hair and the strawberry hairpin in his bangs.
He tried to control his temper, keeping his voice steady to avoid scaring Mu Mu.
“I’m satisfied,” Mu Mu leaned against Yan Gui Xing’s side, his tone genuine.
“If you’re satisfied, why do you want to leave?” His lake-green eyes had become a murky black, like the sky before a storm, oppressive and terrifying.
Before understanding his feelings, Yan Gui Xing didn’t want Mu Mu to leave his sight.
Now that he knew he loved Mu Mu, he wanted to tie Mu Mu to his waist and keep him close at all times. How could he possibly want Mu Mu to go to work?
Especially a hard, low-paying job?!
His lover could be supported by him; he didn’t need Mu Mu to work, only to stay by his side and receive his love!
But clearly, that’s not what Mu Mu wanted. He tilted his head, looking at Yan Gui Xing questioningly. “Leave? Mu Mu didn’t say he wanted to leave! Mu Mu said he wanted to find a job, Gui Gui is silly, you don’t even understand.”