Chapter 68: What? Breaking Up?
The first day of Yan Gui Xing and Mu Mu’s cold war was witnessed by Achi. When he entered the living room, Mu Mu, having finished breakfast, was kneeling on the carpet in front of the sofa, folding a blanket.
After greeting Mu Mu, Achi saw a pillow under the blanket and casually asked, “Little Madam, what are you doing? Are you going to air the blanket?”
Having grown up in a border orphanage, spent several decades on the battlefields of the border star, and been trained by Yan Gui Xing to become an all-around deputy, Achi possessed exceptional life skills.
In a galaxy where almost every household had smart appliances or housekeeper robots, he not only knew what airing a blanket meant but also knew what kind of weather was suitable for it.
Mu Mu stopped folding the blanket, looked up at Achi, shook his head seriously, and explained, “I’m not going to air the blanket. Mu Mu and Gui Gui had a fight, and Mu Mu is going to sleep here from now on.”
Achi stared at Mu Mu with a blank expression, a series of question marks floating above his head. His boss and Little Madam fighting? Little Madam exiled to the living room, having to sleep on the sofa from now on?
Was this standard Imperial Common Tongue? Why could he understand each word individually but not the meaning of the sentence?
Wasn’t his boss very fond of Mu Mu? Except for work, he kept him by his side, held him in his arms, and clung to him.
Even the cartoon plushies he disliked were now scattered all over the house.
Based on his years of observing Yan Gui Xing, he was now obsessed with Mu Mu, wanting to hide him inside his body, merge him into his flesh, and keep him from anyone’s eyes.
And Mu Mu, whose temper was as soft as cotton candy, practically had no temper at all.
Several times, they had seen red and bloody bite marks on Mu Mu’s neck, and felt that their boss was going too far.
So, these two were fighting? Impossible!
Achi thought his hearing must be wrong. He took a step closer to the sofa, asking uncertainly, “Little Madam, you mean the Boss had a fight with you?”
Mu Mu tilted his head to look at Achi. Although he didn’t understand why Achi asked again, he nodded cooperatively.
Achi’s gaze shifted from Mu Mu’s face to the neatly folded blanket and the crooked pillow on the sofa, gasping, “Did the Boss kick you out and make you sleep on the sofa?”
Mu Mu looked at the pillow, the blanket, and the sofa, nodding and shaking his head at the same time, “Achi, you’re only half right. We had a fight, and Mu Mu left on my own initiative.”
Mu Mu’s explanation didn’t exonerate Yan Gui Xing in Achi’s eyes; instead, it sealed his guilt.
Achi frequently visited Yan Gui Xing’s private residence and knew that Yan Gui Xing didn’t usually lock his room doors.
The fact that Mu Mu was sleeping on the sofa in the first-floor living room clearly meant that Yan Gui Xing had locked all the other bedrooms!
Achi thought, their Little Madam was truly kind-hearted; even after being kicked out to sleep on the sofa, she was still defending the culprit.
His gaze fell on the small pink strawberry on Mu Mu’s head. He sighed softly, such a good kid, but bad luck, to have encountered their boss.
The incident that injured Mu Mu’s parents and severely injured Mu Mu himself was largely due to Yan Gui Xing’s reckless haste.
Now, because he had caught Yan Gui Xing’s eye, Mu Mu had been kicked out of his room, lost his job, and had been beaten.
Achi felt that his boss was Mu Mu’s nemesis.
Achi, who also worked under the “bully” Yan Gui Xing, experienced a moment of strange empathy for Mu Mu.
He sighed, “Even if you’re fighting, you shouldn’t kick someone out to sleep on the sofa. Little Madam, don’t worry; I’ll go talk to the Boss.”
Mu Mu quickly raised his head, raising his small hands to quickly shake them at Achi, “No need! It’s Gui Gui’s fault; he needs to realize he’s wrong on his own.”
Achi: “…”
Honestly, Achi never imagined that the child before him would actually want Yan Gui Xing to apologize first and would even try to make it happen.
This was the Yan Gui Xing who didn’t care about his own father and dared to openly defy the commander’s orders. Asking him to apologize? No way.
Achi now looked at Mu Mu with newfound respect.
Although Achi promised Mu Mu that he wouldn’t persuade Yan Gui Xing, when he entered the study and saw Yan Gui Xing sitting on the sofa with a gloomy expression, he couldn’t help but say a few words.
After listening to Achi’s words, Yan Gui Xing, unusually, didn’t respond with sarcasm. After a moment of silence, he recounted the core reason for their cold war—Mu Mu leaving to work—to Achi, after some editing.
Achi stared at Yan Gui Xing, frankly finding the reason for the cold war childish. Mu Mu just wanted to work; he wasn’t saying he wanted to leave him. Was a cold war really necessary?
If he dared, he would even suggest Yan Gui Xing see a psychologist to treat his unhealthy possessiveness and control issues.
Honestly, he was afraid that if Yan Gui Xing continued down this path, he would chain Mu Mu to his waist.
Before Achi could process this, Yan Gui Xing dropped another bombshell: the Yan family was arranging a marriage between him and the Mi family to secure his election as General with the Mi family’s support.
Achi’s gaze at Yan Gui Xing became increasingly strange. If he hadn’t been by Yan Gui Xing’s side and known how much he loved Mu Mu, he would have suspected that his boss was using Mu Mu’s desire to work as a pretext for a cold war to break up with Mu Mu and marry into the Mi family.
Achi subconsciously ignored the fact that Mu Mu lacked the background and power to warrant such elaborate schemes from Yan Gui Xing.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that, given Yan Gui Xing’s cunning and manipulative nature, this was entirely possible.
Achi swallowed, whispering, “Boss, can I ask a question?”
Yan Gui Xing looked at the 188cm-tall, bear-like man shrinking his shoulders in fear. The anger he felt towards Mu Mu was now directed at Achi; everything about him was annoying. He gave Achi a sharp glare, half-closing his eyes, crossing his arms and leaning back on the sofa, coldly uttering a single syllable, “Speak.”
Achi sensed Yan Gui Xing’s bad mood. After much hesitation, he cautiously asked, “Boss, are you tired of Little Madam and want to use this marriage as an opportunity to get rid of him?”
Yan Gui Xing’s eyes snapped open, his lake-green eyes fixed on Achi, filled with shock, incomprehension, and inquiry.
He genuinely couldn’t understand how Achi’s brain worked.
And how did he choose Achi as his deputy? Even if Achi had saved him, this wasn’t the way to repay a debt of gratitude.
Seeing Yan Gui Xing remain silent, Achi grew increasingly nervous, tentatively calling, “Boss?”
Yan Gui Xing stared at Achi, then his eyelashes drooped, he let out a soft breath, a smile curving his lips. He was amused by Achi’s vivid expression and body language; his anger had dissipated.
It wasn’t that Achi’s appearance was comical; on the contrary, Achi had sharp features, thick eyebrows and large eyes, and was quite handsome.
Added to his sturdy physique, years on the front lines had cultivated a fierce aura, giving him a rather intimidating presence. This easily overshadowed his gentler features.
But this was only his outward persona. With Yan Gui Xing, Achi’s demeanor shifted from fierce to timid due to respect and awe. This was evident in his expressions and body language.
Once his mood improved, Yan Gui Xing was willing to discuss business with Achi. But before the business, he needed to dispel the rumors.
“What are you always fantasizing about? My relationship with your Little Madam is fine. Stop thinking nonsense.”
Yan Gui Xing threatened, “I warn you, don’t spread this around. If I hear anything, you can expect military court martial.”
Hearing the words “military court martial,” and thinking about the Fourth Army’s martial law, Achi wanted to slap himself. He had been so reckless; now, if any rumors about the boss and Little Madam arose in the Fourth Army, the boss would blame him.
Achi forced a smile, “Boss, rest assured, I guarantee there will be no rumors.”
Yan Gui Xing raised his lips in a skin-deep smile, “I hope so.”
Achi didn’t dare to say another word besides “hehe.”
Yan Gui Xing didn’t want to dwell on this topic. He fiddled with his optical brain, his fingertips tapping the screen showing the child sitting on the carpet eating snacks.
He thought, this ungrateful little thing, I’m almost mad here, and he’s still eating snacks. He doesn’t take me seriously at all.
“How much do we know about the Mi family from Capital Star?”
Seeing that Yan Gui Xing was getting down to business, Achi became serious. He lowered his head, opened his optical brain, accessed the Fourth Army’s intranet, found the intelligence, and searched for the Mi family.
He read the available information about the Mi family to Yan Gui Xing.
Yan Gui Xing listened, lazily humming, “Another old aristocratic family. Of course, someone like Yan Wangbei would only associate with old aristocrats, looking down on any new nobles or merchants.”
“But this information is too formal. Do you have any secrets or scandals about Secretary-General Mi?”
Achi frowned and shook his head, “The military intelligence department only shared this much with us.”
Yan Gui Xing sighed softly, shrugging, “Chief Qin Feng is very stingy. He’s unwilling to share all the information with us. If he doesn’t give it, we’ll have to find it ourselves.”
Achi asked, “Boss, are you trying to investigate Secretary-General Mi?”
Yan Gui Xing nodded, “Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself ensures victory in battle. With enough leverage, I can ensure that the Secretary-General is sufficiently obedient.”
“But,” Achi hesitated, “Secretary-General Mi is known for his integrity and harmonious family. There have been no scandals for years.”
Yan Gui Xing thought of Yan Wangbei, and the imperial nobles and officials he had encountered after becoming a lieutenant colonel; the mockery in his eyes was hidden behind his eyelashes.
“If there aren’t any, it just means the gossip reporters aren’t diligent enough.”
[Author’s Note]: Achi: What? My boss wants to break up with his wife?! Ah, no! It was my rumor…