Chapter 91: A Vehement but Polite Refusal
Mumu and Zheng An had worked many jobs, so when it came to opening a business, their first thought was a restaurant. After all, they had both worked at the fat boss’s restaurant and were familiar with the trade.
However, the cost of opening a restaurant on D5 Star was too high. It wasn’t like Liuli Star; here, nutrient drinks were the mainstream.
Putting that aside, renting a place, renovating it, hiring a chef, and so on would eat up more than half of their star coins.
Most importantly, it would be too conspicuous. Yan Guixing would be able to find them with ease.
That’s right, Zheng An still believed Yan Guixing would come looking for Mumu.
It wasn’t that he thought Yan Guixing had lingering feelings for Mumu. He had simply watched too many melodramatic soap operas about wealthy families and figured that their running away had wounded Yan Guixing’s pride. The man would surely hunt them down just to save face.
That was Zheng An for you—a pure-hearted boy with a love for primetime, high-society drama.
In this, it could be said that his reasoning was completely wrong, but his conclusion was correct.
Although Mumu disagreed that Yan Guixing would come looking for him, he did agree with Zheng An’s point that opening a restaurant was too much trouble. He had no objection to scrapping the idea.
What they needed was a business that was easy to set up and didn’t require hiring too many people. And how else could Mumu and Zheng An have become friends? They looked at each other and, in perfect unison, said, “Convenience store.”
It wouldn’t make them rich, but they wouldn’t lose money either. At worst, it would cover their living expenses, which was perfect for their current “on the run” status.
Mumu still disagreed with Zheng An’s use of the term “on the run,” but he was very much in favor of opening a convenience store. He even wanted to get a dog, preferably one just like Wang Wang the border collie.
Mumu truly, truly loved small animals. If it hadn’t been for the whole episode with Yan Guixing’s engagement, he had already planned to ask Yan Guixing if they could get a dog.
In that moment, Mumu looked so pitiful in Zheng An’s eyes that a wave of compassion washed over him, and he immediately slapped his thigh and said, “We’ll buy one!”
However, after they looked up the price of a border collie puppy online, they both shrank back into their seats, abashed.
With an awkward smile, Zheng An consoled Mumu, “Well, that dog is a little… pricey. We can’t afford it in the early stages of our business. Once we’re stable, settled, and have made some money, we’ll get one, okay?”
Mumu wasn’t the type of spoiled child who would throw a tantrum if he didn’t get what he wanted.
Even after being pampered by Yan Guixing for over half a year, he hadn’t developed any arrogant or demanding habits.
He had seen the price for himself and was secretly stunned by how expensive it was. Coupled with Zheng An’s timely and gentle reassurance, he quickly put the idea of getting a dog aside.
Since they had decided on a convenience store, they needed to rent a space. The question was, whose account would the rent be paid from?
Of course, Zheng An wasn’t trying to be stingy with Mumu over the star coins. He was still worried that Yan Guixing would track Mumu and his account, using their expenses to pinpoint their location.
Although Mumu repeatedly insisted that Zheng An was overthinking it—since Yan Guixing had kicked him out, why would he possibly come looking for him?!—Zheng An still felt they should be cautious. They had already made a mistake with the ship tickets; they couldn’t afford another. To be safe, Zheng An used his gray-market contacts.
Among them, there was indeed someone who could transfer star coins.
Zheng An didn’t understand the specifics of the operation, but after paying a hefty commission, the contact discreetly moved the star coins from their names to another account, allowing them to spend freely.
As luck would have it, the friend Zheng An found happened to own a lot of property on D5 Star. When he learned they wanted to open a convenience store, he was impressed by how readily Zheng An paid the commission and, thinking him a decent person, rented them a store at a low price and even provided them with a supplier.
This was why it had taken Yan Guixing much longer than expected to find them.
On D5 Star, Mumu and Zheng An were essentially two invisible people. And finding two invisible people lost in a crowd was incredibly difficult.
Still, despite the extra hurdles and the extra time spent, Yan Guixing had successfully found his little fool who had secretly run away.
He looked at Mumu, who was a full size thinner than when he had left, and his heart ached with a sharp, stabbing pain. He took a step forward, extending his right hand toward Mumu behind the counter, his lake-green eyes filled with a gentle pity.
“Mumu, let’s go home.”
As Yan Guixing approached, the faint, cool scent of ice and snow drifted through the warm room.
Mumu didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt that every breath he took was filled with that scent. It swirled in his chest, dredging up all the memories, good and bad.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Mumu’s brow furrowed tightly. He took a step back, shaking his head in refusal.
“No. That is the Admiral’s home, not Mumu’s home. Mumu will not go with you.”
Mumu’s distant, unfamiliar gaze, his wary posture, and his words were like sharp arrows that pierced Yan Guixing’s heart, leaving it bleeding and in agony.
The checkout counter was no impenetrable fortress for Mumu. If Yan Guixing wanted to, he could easily reach over, drag Mumu out from behind it, and take him away.
But during what had felt like a very long search for Yan Guixing, his infamous temper had been worn down considerably.
In fact, during countless quiet nights, Yan Guixing had replayed over and over in his mind how Mumu might react when he finally found him.
He had imagined surprise, accusation, furious anger, endless crying, and, of course, cold indifference.
After simulating it so many times, Yan Guixing had to admit that a joyous reunion was probably the most impossible fantasy.
His little fool… he could be ruthless.
When the moment of their reunion finally unfolded before his eyes, even though he had prepared himself tenfold, he still crumbled under Mumu’s indifferent gaze.
But this was Yan Guixing. He had come with the sole purpose of taking Mumu home. How could he possibly throw down his armor and admit defeat just because of Mumu’s coldness?
A shimmer passed through his lake-green eyes, and a touch of sorrow was added to their gentleness. Yan Guixing said, “I’m sorry, Mumu. I said those things on purpose to deceive Mi Ya. I never thought that way. My home is your home.”
Mumu’s brow was knitted tightly as he slowly processed Yan Guixing’s words before asking, “But… I saw Miss Peacock a long time ago. Why did you never tell me?”
For a moment, Yan Guixing didn’t register who “Miss Peacock” was. A second later, he realized Mumu was referring to Mi Ya.
Although he didn’t understand where the “Miss Peacock” nickname came from, he didn’t want to get bogged down in a lengthy discussion about Mi Ya with Mumu.
The more you say, the more you can say wrong—Yan Guixing understood that principle. Besides, his reasons for the political marriage with the Mi family were hardly honorable, and he didn’t want to lose any more points in Mumu’s eyes at a time like this.
So, Yan Guixing chose to deflect.
“Mumu, I’m sorry. I handled this badly and hurt you. I apologize. It’s all resolved now. Don’t be angry with me anymore, okay? Come home with me. I really, really miss you. Don’t you miss me?”
Did Mumu miss Yan Guixing? The answer was yes! Since arriving on D5 Star, almost all his dreams had been about this man.
After all, apart from the hazy memories of his time with his parents, the happiest period of Mumu’s life had been when he lived with Yan Guixing.
All those wonderful memories were created for him by Yan Guixing.
But whether it was love or longing, those were his own private feelings now and had nothing to do with the man in front of him.
Mumu took another step back, his clear black-and-white eyes looking at Yan Guixing with determination, his actions showing that he wanted nothing more to do with him.
“I accept the Admiral’s apology.”
Seeing Mumu’s movement, Yan Guixing’s eyes, which had dimmed, were about to let his outstretched arm fall. But when Mumu said those words, his eyes instantly lit up again.
Who would have thought that Mumu’s next sentence would completely extinguish his last glimmer of hope.
“But I will not be with you again. I think the Admiral was right. I am not good enough for the Admiral, nor am I so unique as to be irreplaceable.”
“Even if I go back with the Admiral, there was a Miss Peacock before, and there’s no guarantee there won’t be a Miss White Crane or a Miss Giraffe in the future.”
“Being abandoned really hurts. Mumu is afraid of pain and doesn’t want to go through it again.”
“I have received the Admiral’s apology, but I’m sorry, I cannot go home with you.”
“If the Admiral wants back the star coins he gave to Mumu, Mumu can only return a small part right now. For the rest, I can write an IOU and pay the Admiral back slowly.”
Yan Guixing suddenly felt that Mumu was quite cruel, using that innocent face and soft, sweet voice to do something so heart-wrenching.
For a fleeting moment, he actually considered letting his little fool go free.
But if he let the little fool go, who would let him go?!
Before, when he didn’t know love, it was fine. He could flit from one lover to another and live a life of debauchery. But now his heart had been lost to this little fool. His every thought was of this one person. The feeling was driving him mad, yet he reveled in it.
Given this, how could Yan Guixing possibly set Mumu free?
Yan Guixing knew just how stubborn his little fool was, and how ruthless. He had said he wouldn’t go home with him, and no matter what else he said, it would be useless.
Dark thoughts uncontrollably surfaced in his mind, the most effective of which was to just grab him now, tie him to his side, and deal with the consequences later.
The more Yan Guixing thought about it, the better the idea seemed. The hand he had extended toward Mumu had unknowingly dropped, clenching into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Under Mumu’s wary gaze, he started walking toward the space behind the counter. The small desk was against the wall, meaning three sides were blocked by the wall and the desk, leaving only one exit.
If the tall and imposing Yan Guixing were to block that path, Mumu would have no choice but to surrender.
Just as Yan Guixing was about to reach the side of the counter, the bell let out a crisp jingle. Someone had arrived.
Author’s Note: To Mumu, a certain someone named Yan is his tribulation.
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