Chapter 90: Mumu, I’ve Come to Take You Home
Winter on D5 Star seemed to arrive earlier than usual this year. Just the day before, it had been a perfect autumn day with a clear sky, a bright sun hanging high, and a pleasant temperature.
But after a single night of rain, the branches that had clung to their last few leaves were now completely bare. A carpet of decaying green and red leaves covered the ground like a faded, worn-out rug.
The pedestrians on the street hadn’t yet adapted to the sudden switch to winter. Having left home without changing into their winter clothes, they shivered in the biting wind.
Two young women, still in short skirts and leather boots with their legs half-exposed in stockings, linked arms and jogged to a convenience store, its sign adorned with a panting border collie.
A crisp jingle of a bell gave way to the warmth of the store’s interior.
The two women stomped their feet and rubbed their arms, which were covered by only thin jackets, exclaiming that they felt alive again.
Once the feeling returned to their frozen bodies, they walked deeper into the store, one after the other.
“Edelweiss-flavored nutrient drink, Edelweiss, Edelweiss… Huh? Where did it go? I swear it was right here. Hasn’t the owner restocked yet? No way, what am I going to eat now!”
“It’s over here. Here, for you, Edelweiss nutrient drink. I really don’t get you, liking such a bizarre flavor. The most amazing thing is that a place actually sells it. Seriously, does anyone besides you actually buy this?”
“It’s because it’s so hard to find that I make a special trip over here to buy it. You should try it, it’s actually really good~” the girl said, enthusiastically trying to sell her companion on the milky-white, strange-looking nutrient drink in her hand.
Her companion immediately held up a hand in a “stop” gesture, coldly refusing. “No thanks. I prefer the regular flavors. I’m not blessed enough to enjoy these weird things. You can keep it and drink it yourself.”
“Seriously~ You know you’re missing out on so much fun by being like this!” The girl’s voice dragged on in a whiny, almost cloying tone.
As she picked out the Edelweiss-flavored nutrient drinks from the shelf, she said, “By the way, have you seen the news the last couple of days? There’s some huge gossip!”
Perhaps because it was a topic that interested her, the girl’s voice shot up, its soft sweetness turning sharp and drawing the attention of a small, curly-haired head that popped up from behind the checkout counter.
Her companion, picking out her own items, answered distractedly, “Did one of your celebrity crushes’ rivals have another scandal?”
“Not one of mine, one of yours. Well, not really, but I do think he’s handsome.”
Hearing it was her own idol, and one her good friend found attractive, the companion instantly knew who she was talking about and her interest was piqued.
“Are you talking about Admiral Yan calling off his engagement with that noble lady?”
Behind the counter, the small head that had been sinking down suddenly froze, then bobbed up again, as if trying to hear what the two girls were saying more clearly.
“Yes, yes! It just happened a few days ago. You had class when Admiral Yan held the press conference, so you missed the live broadcast.”
The girl said excitedly, “He was so freaking cool! He just came out and said his engagement with the noble lady was an arrangement by their families, that they had no feelings for each other, and that he already had a lover he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, so he was breaking it off.”
“Admiral Yan is such a man! A public declaration of love to the entire internet! He’s the ultimate god-tier man! Our great Admiral! Whoever his lover is must have fainted from happiness, right?!”
The small head behind the counter ducked down below the desk, as if unwilling to listen anymore.
But it was clear the two girls in his store had no intention of facing the bone-chilling wind just yet and began to chat at a leisurely pace.
“Fainting is probably an exaggeration,” her companion analyzed calmly. “Based on my years of following him, it’s hard to say if this ‘lover’ of his even exists. There’s a ninety-nine percent chance it’s just an excuse to get rid of the Mi family.”
“It was a political marriage, a partnership of interests. Their goal must have been achieved, so our Admiral Yan couldn’t wait to dump his useless allies. Mmm, that sounds just like him.”
The first girl let out a long “Mmmhmm,” and said, “True~ Admiral Yan has had so, so many lovers, and every single one was a beauty, but none of them lasted long with him. He’s a playboy. How could he possibly settle down for a single flower?”
“That’s why we fans who admire Admiral Yan admire his talent, not his character. If I hadn’t failed my physical back then, I definitely would have enrolled in the mecha department.”
“What can you do? The military academy’s physical standards are insane. Are you done picking your stuff? We only have fifteen minutes, are we going to be late?”
“We won’t be. If we leave now, we’ll get to the classroom right on time.”
The two of them, each holding a large pile of items, walked toward the checkout counter. Mumu, who had crouched down to pick something up and then lingered there because of their conversation, had no choice but to stand up when he heard their footsteps.
As the girls placed their items on the counter, he moved deftly, scanning and bagging everything.
Seeing that Mumu was wearing a white turtleneck sweater today, the soft collar piled up under his chin, which, combined with his cute curly hair, made him look even younger and more harmless, one of the girls couldn’t resist teasing him. “Is it just you today, little boss? Where’s the big boss? Why isn’t he here with you?”
The two girls were regulars at the store. They knew that this little boss, who looked as delicate and cute as a Demi-human but was, in fact, male, had a very soft personality and was fun to tease. They always exchanged a few words with him when they came, and over time, they had become familiar.
Mumu took a moment to look up at the girl and replied, “An An went to make a delivery. Oh, right, our store has a new home delivery service. It’s free within three kilometers, and an extra ten star coins for service beyond that. You can call if you need anything.”
“Is there a time limit? It’s not 24/7, is it?”
The girl, paying with her terminal, heard this and said disapprovingly, “You can’t do 24/7. That would be bad for your relationship~”
“Huh?” Mumu looked at her with a dazed expression. Seeing her give him a wink, he finally realized she was joking about him and Zheng An. He wasn’t angry, but explained earnestly, “We’re not a couple, just good friends. Please don’t say things like that, it’ll make it hard for An An to find a partner.”
Listening to Mumu’s serious explanation, the girl picked up her bag and laughed so hard she bent over. “We know, we know~ But seriously, you two shouldn’t work so hard. You can earn star coins anytime, but your health is the most important thing.”
Although Mumu’s convenience store was small, it was the last one in the area to close. It was supposed to close at 9:30 PM, but they usually stayed open for another hour or so.
Often, when they were out late and wanted a hot drink, Mumu’s store would still be open.
The girl was a hedonist and strongly disapproved of Mumu working so desperately to earn star coins at such a young age.
Her companion, though different from her, also disapproved of their new 24-hour delivery service. That would mean no rest at all.
Mumu listened patiently to the two girls’ advice, thanked them, and then explained, “It’s not twenty-four hours, just the same as our opening and closing times. And, we’ll definitely be closing on time from now on, so if you want to come by at night, make sure you check the time.”
After a few more words, the two girls left with their bags.
The bell jingled, and Mumu was once again alone in the small store.
Usually, he would walk around the store at this time, tidying up the items that customers had messed up, ready to welcome the next one.
But because of the person the girls had just mentioned, his mind was in turmoil again. He curled up in the sofa chair behind the counter, staring blankly at the desktop, his fingers picking at his coarse twill pants.
An unknown amount of time passed before the bell jingled again. As if startled from a dream, Mumu looked up and saw a man in a long, black cashmere coat and turtleneck sweater walk in. The words “Welcome” got stuck in his throat.
The man who entered, however, scanned the small interior before walking straight to the counter. His lake-green eyes gazed gently at the stunned Mumu, and his crimson lips parted as he said softly, “Mumu, I’ve come to take you home.”
The newcomer was none other than Yan Guixing.
Is it hard to find someone on an unfamiliar planet? For an ordinary person, it would naturally be exceptionally difficult.
But for Yan Guixing, who came with powerful resources, it was only a matter of time.
Logically, for Mumu and Zheng An to open a convenience store near the university town, they would have needed star coins to rent the space and stock it.
Here, one had to give credit to Zheng An. He might have seemed like a rather unreliable and useless adult, but he did possess a certain degree of counter-surveillance awareness.
Of course, it was a little late.
They had slept on the ship to D5 Star, and just as the ship was about to make its warp jump, Zheng An suddenly shivered and woke up.
Looking at his own blurry reflection in the porthole, he slapped his thigh hard. Crap!
Zheng An hurriedly shook the sleeping Mumu awake and whispered in his ear, “We’re screwed. We bought the tickets with our real names. Admiral Yan can find us through the ship’s records!”
Mumu stared at his own palm with a bleak expression and shook his head softly. “He won’t look for us. He’s getting married.”
Zheng An felt that Mumu had a point and collapsed back into his seat, patting his chest. But he still considered the worst-case scenario. Better to be safe than sorry. When you’re on the run, you have to be fully prepared.
And if they were on the run, the most important thing was to have star coins!
Zheng An remembered Mumu saying at the amusement park that Yan Guixing had given him star coins. He quickly leaned over to Mumu and asked in a low voice, “Mumu, I remember you said that guy gave you several million star coins?”
Mumu nodded.
Zheng An asked again, “You still have it, right? You didn’t give it back?”
He was genuinely afraid the naive romantic, in a moment of passion, would have made a clean break with Yan Guixing and returned the money as well.
Mumu nodded again. Only then did Zheng An collapse back into his chair, patting his chest in relief.
“Working odd jobs forever isn’t a solution. Now that we have so many star coins, we should do something with them. Let me think.”
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