Chapter 92: Looking for His Wife
Both Mumu, who was backing away to put distance between himself and Yan Guixing, and Yan Guixing, who was about to move forward and grab him, froze at the crisp jingle of the bell.
Before the sound had even faded, and before the person had entered, Zheng An’s booming voice burst through the crack in the door.
“Phew! I’m freezing to death! Why didn’t anyone tell me winter on D5 Star was this cold?! Nope, I’m buying a thick coat tomorrow. If I don’t bundle up, I’ll definitely turn into a popsicle. Mumu, are you getting one? I’m telling you, it’s seriously cold.”
Zheng An was holding a box, both hands occupied. With no free hand to open the door, he backed in, pushing it open with his rear.
The box was a bit high, blocking his view, but he vaguely saw someone dressed all in black.
Zheng An didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a customer. As he bent down to place the box on the floor, he called out, “Welcome! What can I get for you? If you’re in a hurry, I can help you find it.”
After setting down the newly arrived case of nutrient drinks, Zheng An stood up to greet the customer.
He put on his standard eight-toothed smile, but when his eyes landed on Yan Guixing’s face, the first thought that popped into his head was, Wow! This guy is so damn intimidating!
The second thought was, Wow! This guy is gorgeous! He doesn’t leave any room for the rest of us to live~
The third thought was, Wait a minute! Why does this guy look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
It wasn’t that Zheng An had any improper thoughts about the man in the black coat with the piercing aura; he just genuinely felt that the man looked familiar, that he had seen him somewhere before.
He was a bit dazed, unable to recall where he had seen Yan Guixing. It was only when his wandering gaze fell on Mumu behind the counter, his small face tense and clearly unhappy, that he let out an “Ah!” and remembered who this man was.
This was the Five-Star Admiral, the ruler of Liuli Star, the little fool’s ex-boyfriend (not!), ex-sugar daddy (scratch that)—anyway, it was Yan Guixing, the very person they had been trying so hard to avoid!
A jumble of chaotic thoughts crowded into Zheng An’s brain, causing his already limited-capacity mind to completely crash.
“You-you-you-you-you, are Ad-Ad-Ad-Ad-Admiral Yan?! Oh my god! What are you doing here?” Zheng An’s smile completely vanished, and his entire body stiffened like a stone statue.
Yan Guixing, annoyed by Zheng An’s clamor, shot him a cold glance, silently telling him to shut up.
Zheng An’s arrival had eased the tense, confrontational atmosphere between Mumu and Yan Guixing. However, the petrified Zheng An himself was quietly falling apart.
With a powerhouse like Yan Guixing in the store, and one who couldn’t be easily sent away, the convenience store obviously couldn’t stay open for business.
Even if Mumu had wanted to, the collapsing Zheng An would have stopped him.
Honestly, Zheng An was about to lose his mind. He had done so much! So. Much! All with the goal of properly hiding himself and Mumu so that Yan Guixing wouldn’t find them.
But Yan Guixing had still found them, and much, much, much sooner than he had anticipated.
Zheng An quickly calculated how many star coins the two of them had in their accounts, wondering if it was enough to pay back the money Yan Guixing had given Mumu.
Even at this moment, Mumu didn’t quite understand what was going through Zheng An’s head. To be honest, he thought his good friend should really stop watching those melodramatic family dramas where every episode involved hysterical screaming.
Weren’t there good cartoons to watch? Why watch those noisy, boring TV shows with unattractive actors?
However, Mumu also felt that having a big guy like Yan Guixing standing in the store took up too much space and would scare away potential customers.
Mumu told Zheng An to take Yan Guixing to the small break room in the back while he went outside to change the light-up sign to “Temporarily Closed.”
When he came back in and saw the two of them still standing by the door like a pair of guardian statues, he asked Zheng An strangely, “An An, didn’t I tell you to take the Admiral to the break room? What are you still doing here?”
Zheng An squeezed out a smile that was uglier than a crying face. My dear ancestor, he thought, do you think I dare to be alone with this god-like figure? Didn’t you see the dark aura radiating from his back? The way he looks at me, it’s like he wants to eat me alive.
Yan Guixing, on the other hand, completely ignored Zheng An’s existence and strode over to Mumu’s side. He had wanted to put his arm around Mumu’s shoulders, but remembering Mumu’s earlier resistance, he decisively abandoned the rash idea and chose a more gradual approach.
He deliberately stepped into Mumu’s personal space. Seeing no resistance, he took his left hand out of his pocket, his arm brushing almost imperceptibly against Mumu’s.
So that Mumu wouldn’t notice his subtle movements, Yan Guixing deliberately brought up a topic he knew would interest Mumu.
“Since there are no other customers now, could you give me a tour of your convenience store?” Yan Guixing said in a gentle voice, looking at the drawing of a panting Wang Wang the border collie hanging on the wall, which was clearly Mumu’s handiwork.
“I remember you once said you wanted to open a small shop and have a little dog.”
Yan Guixing’s words did indeed stir Mumu’s memories. He turned his head and looked at Yan Guixing’s profile, lost in thought.
After a few seconds, Mumu looked away, fiddling with his sleeve cuff, and said softly, “Just… just a very quick tour.”
Plan successful!
A golden glint flashed in the lake-green eyes before disappearing back into their calm depths. Yan Guixing curved his lips into a harmless smile and said gently, “Thank you, little shopkeeper.”
Mumu had heard the title “little shopkeeper” many times. The young men and women who came to his store would all call him that, and the more outgoing ones would even joke with him a bit.
But when this all-too-familiar title was spoken by Yan Guixing in the gentlest of tones, it somehow took on an ambiguous intimacy unique to lovers, making the strings of Mumu’s heart tremble again and again.
However, the little fool had his own way of dealing with such flirtatious tactics: he wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t look, and wouldn’t acknowledge it. He would simply pretend not to know.
As for whether he was truly oblivious or just feigning ignorance, only Mumu himself knew.
Having agreed to give Yan Guixing a tour, Mumu earnestly began to show him around the convenience store.
The store Mumu and Zheng An had opened wasn’t large. It was packed with five shelves, leaving four narrow aisles in between.
Though the store was small, the items were clearly categorized, and you could quickly find what you were looking for by following the signs.
Mumu led the way, with Yan Guixing and a reluctant Zheng An following behind, weaving through the neatly arranged shelves. He would even stop in each section to give Yan Guixing a brief introduction.
And the two of them, one speaking earnestly and the other listening intently, would even end with a few sweet compliments.
Zheng An, trailing at the back, was so embarrassed he could have dug a castle with his toes.
The make-believe tour finally came to an end when they reached their destination—the break room.
At the back of the store was a break room of less than fifteen square meters. Inside, there was a table against the wall, three chairs, and a single bed for Mumu and Zheng An to eat and rest.
When Mumu and Zheng An were in the break room together, it already felt a bit crowded.
Now, with the addition of the 192-centimeter-tall Yan Guixing, it felt as if the air itself had thinned. There was a suffocating stuffiness, and even breathing instinctively became lighter and slower.
Zheng An had been intimidated by A’qi and Sha Xia before, and by extension, he was terrified of Yan Guixing. Now, not only was he seeing the man in person, but he was also sitting at the same table with him. His heart was pounding, and his hands and feet were cold and numb with fear.
He licked his dry lips, his eyes darting to the left to look at Mumu, signaling him to say something.
Mumu had passed by the chocolate milk earlier and suddenly had a craving for it. So, he had grabbed a bottle and warmed it up.
He was currently holding the warm bottle and taking small sips of chocolate milk, completely missing the look Zheng An was giving him.
This little fool! At a time like this, he’s still thinking about eating?! Zheng An gritted his teeth in frustration, not daring to look to his right. He must be truly insane to even think of ordering this man to speak.
Forget it. Zheng An took a deep breath. Some things you just had to do yourself. Either way, he was dead, so he might as well get it over with and be reincarnated sooner.
“Admi—cough, cough, cough.” Who would have thought that because he was so nervous, Zheng An’s throat was dry and tight? He managed to croak out “Admi” before being choked by a fit of coughing.
The room was so small that any little disturbance was noticeable to everyone, let alone Zheng An’s earth-shattering coughs, which sounded like he was about to cough up a lung.
Yan Guixing frowned in disgust and subtly shifted away.
Mumu sighed like a world-weary old man, pushed his half-finished chocolate milk toward Zheng An, and stretched out his arm to pat his back. Licking the brown milk mustache from his lip, he said, “Have some milk to calm it down. An An, you’re a grown-up, how can you still choke on your own saliva? Silly!”
Zheng An gave Mumu a tearful look. His hand was just about to reach for the bottle when a sinister gaze pinned him in place.
He cautiously looked up and met Yan Guixing’s sinister green eyes. How to describe that look? It was like being targeted by a large predator; if he dared to move, he would be torn to shreds by sharp claws and fangs in the next second.
The hair on Zheng An’s head stood on end, and his heart pounded erratically, as if it were desperately trying to flee his body and escape on its own.
He looked at the bottle in front of him and, trembling, pulled his hand back. Only when Yan Guixing’s murderous gaze softened slightly did he let out half a sigh of relief.
With a hoarse voice and a fawning smile, Zheng An asked obsequiously, “Admiral Yan, to what do we owe the honor of your visit? Is there something you’d like to buy? Or is there some other matter?”
Yan Guixing glanced at Zheng An with a faint, mocking smile that made Zheng An shrink so far into his collar he almost disappeared. Only then did he turn his gaze to Mumu, who had taken back the bottle and was concentrating on drinking his milk.
“You kidnapped my wife. What do you think I’m here for?”
Zheng An’s mind was filled with the thought that Yan Guixing had come to hold him accountable. His brain short-circuited for a moment, and he cried out in grievance with a mournful face.
“Admiral Yan, how could I have kidnapped your wife? I don’t even know who your wife is! Look around here, besides me, there’s only this little fool. Neither of us looks like your wife.”
Author’s Note: Zheng An: Let me tell you, a guy came in the other day and asked me for his wife. I don’t even have a wife myself, where am I supposed to find a wife for him? He’s practically insane… Wait, I think I might have actually kidnapped his wife…
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