The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 6

 

TGMNDIAR - 6

Bai Nian's home decor is very warm, with an overall soft beige warm color tone. There are playful decorations everywhere, and every piece of furniture has rounded edges suitable for children. Thick carpets cover the floor, and everything is neatly arranged, meticulous in every detail.

There was an additional playroom next to the living room for children to play in.

Xu Mu also saw the toys he had sent inside.

"Sorry for the wait." Bai Nian came out of the kitchen, followed by Kaduo carrying dishes together. "I'm not sure if you would like the taste, but I made a few dishes that I'm good at. I hope you'll like them."

Xu Mu’s hand was held and played with by Ye Ye the whole time, the child sticking to him closely. Upon hearing Bai Nian's words, Xu Mo quickly stood up. "I can eat anything, I have no preferences."

Bai Nian smiled warmly. "I see."

He carefully set the tableware and then instructed Ye Ye, "Go wash your hands first, okay?"

Thinking he was talking to him, Xu Mu replied without hesitation, "Okay."

"Okay~" Ye Ye said in a milky tone.

—Their voices overlapped.

Xu Mu rubbed his nose. "I thought you were talking to me."

Bai Nian couldn't help but laugh. "Ah Mu, you should go too."

Xu Mu cleared his throat and picked up Ye Ye. "Come on, big brother will take you to wash your hands."

Ye Ye kicked his legs and chanted, "Daddy, daddy..."

"...” Alright, daddy it is.

Xu Mu was already immune to this title.

"Come on, make some bubbles. Wash your left hand, scrub between your fingers, hmm, now your right hand too. That's it, great..."

Ye Ye finished washing and placed his hands into the dryer, saying loudly, "Dry, dry!"

Xu Mu praised, "Well done."

Ye Ye said, "Hold hands."

Xu Mu replied, "Wait a moment, let me dry my hands... there."

His distinctively articulated palm reached out, grasping the chubby little hand.

Ye Ye laughed happily, his chubby arms swaying back and forth.

Bai Nian was waiting for them at the dining table.

The variety of dishes was impressive, with a total of ten dishes, including soup.

"Brother Nian, there are too many dishes for just the two of us adults plus Ye Ye," Xu Mu said.

Bai Nian replied, "It's not too much, just right, it's perfect."

He pushed the plates towards them. "Here, eat whatever you like."

He considered that the other person might be a carnivore, so he prepared several meat dishes.

Both Bai Nian and Ye Ye, being rabbit mimics, weren't particularly fond of meat themselves, but rather enjoyed vegetables and fruits.

Of course, they could eat meat if necessary without any problems.

"Thank you," Xu Mu replied and picked up the sweet and sour spare ribs in front of him to eat.

"How is it?" Bai Nian asked nervously. His cooking skills were average; usually, he just delved in home-cooked dishes. Apart from himself, Ye Ye had tasted his cooking.

He couldn't judge the quality himself, and Ye Ye's likes and dislikes were not yet fully formed, so his judgment didn't count for much.

Looking at it this way, the other person was the first to taste his cooking.

Sweet and sour, but more sweet than sour, with a hint of the aroma of frying and stir-frying, it was simply—

Perfect.

Xu Mu swallowed and nodded vigorously. "It's delicious."

Bai Nian's gaze softened. "Ah, thank you, I'm glad you like it."

"I think this is the best sweet and sour spare ribs I've ever had."

"Is that so exaggerated?" Bai Nian chuckled.

"Not exaggerated," Xu Mu said seriously, "It's my honest opinion."

In this food deserted-like place, being able to eat such sweet and sour spare ribs—

Deserved the highest praise!

Bai Nian was speechless. He really was young, speaking so lively and energetically.

"Alright, young man, I feel your sincerity," he chuckled, "Come on, eat more."

"I'm not that young anymore, I'm twen..." Xu Mu choked back, in the past life he was twenty-seven, "Nineteen."

Bai Nian chuckled lightly. "Still in school, huh? If you do the math, I'm thirteen years older than you."

He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea. In his eyes, Xu Mu was indeed the age of a child.

Xu Mu wanted to retort in his heart, accurately, it was a five-year difference.

Bai Nian asked, "So you're in college now. Where are you studying?"

"At St. Petersburg University."

"Then you must be doing great in your studies," Bai Nian casually took a spoonful of salad. "What's your major?"

"..." No, not really great. The original owner failed six subjects in one semester, teetering on the edge of being persuaded to drop out.

"Architecture," Xu Mu replied.

"Architecture?" Bai Nian was surprised.

Xu Mu was cautious. "What's wrong?"

Bai Nian smiled lightly. "Then we might be colleagues in the future."

Xu Mu blinked. "Brother Nian, you also studied this major?"

"Yeah," Bai Nian nodded. "If you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me."

What a coincidence. Xu Mu felt touched. "Alright, thank you in advance, brother Nian."

At that moment, Ye Ye suddenly exclaimed, "Ah ah!"

Bai Nian quickly put down his chopsticks and picked up Ye Ye. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Ye shook his head, pointing at a plate of pig trotters. "Eat... eat..."

Bai Nian said, "There's some in the bowl, look."

He tore off some skin and meat from the pig trotters and put it into Ye Ye's rice bowl, just to let him taste it.

But Ye Ye refused and insisted on eating the large piece of pig trotter.

Bai Nian coaxed, "Ye Ye, you can't bite into it."

Ye Ye persisted, clearly determined to get that piece of pig trotter. Although he didn't scream out loud, his eyes were beginning to well up with tears.

"Daddy... bad..."

Bai Nian chuckled. "How did I become the bad one? Your teeth can't handle it, how can you eat it?"

Yet Ye Ye kept repeating, "Bad... bad..."

Bai Nian sighed. "Ye Ye, it's not that I won't let you eat it, but—"

He changed his approach smoothly, saying, "Look, when big brother comes to visit our house, don't we usually offer these to the guests?"

Ye Ye blinked his big eyes, unsure if he understood.

Bai Nian patiently repeated himself, very slowly, as if he wanted to break down each word for Ye Ye to understand.

Ye Ye hesitated, looking uncertainly towards Xu Mu.

Bai Nian acted quickly, directly placing the large piece of pig trotter into Xu Mu's bowl and keeping the smaller pieces for himself.

He asked Ye Ye, "Ye Ye, would you mind eating these with me?"

Ye Ye widened his eyes and then nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Ye Ye, you're so kind to me," Bai Nian continued to coax, "Come on, our good Ye Ye, shall we continue eating now?"

Ye Ye responded with an "mmm" and stopped making a fuss, sitting back obediently to eat.

Xu Mu marveled at the scene, sighing that educating children truly was an art.

But Ye Ye was also well-behaved, at least he didn't cry...

"Eat!" Ye Ye suddenly looked up, loudly saying to Xu Mu.

Xu Mu responded slowly, "Okay, let's eat."

With that, he picked up the large piece of pig trotter and took a big bite directly.

Ye Ye burst into giggles instantly, clearly delighted.

He continued to watch Xu Mu eat, his own spoon trembling as he didn't want to move his gaze away.

Xu Mu could only continue eating in big bites.

To be honest, it was quite delicious.

He couldn't resist taking a bite!

However, whenever he stopped, Ye Ye would quickly lift his head, pointing at the pig trotter and saying, "Eat... please... eat..."

With the little one being so enthusiastic, Xu Mu could only force himself to swallow.

Later on, Bai Nian spoke up to intervene, "Ah Mu, eat something else, don't listen to Ye Ye's fuss. He just enjoys seeing people happy."

Xu Mu replied, "It's okay, it's really delicious."

Bai Nian pushed some other dishes towards him. "You haven't tried these dishes yet, give them a taste."

"Sure, sure," Xu Mu nodded quickly, not paying attention, and took a bite—

Huh? Did he just bite into a bone?

He didn't show it on his face, but he was actually surprised by his own biting force!

Was this something a human could do?!

The original owner had this talent!!!

Xu Mu remained calm and secretly tried a few more times.

He actually managed to bite through the bones each time!

Xu Mu thought he was being discreet, but Bai Nian noticed everything.

"...” Does this kid like to eat bones?"

At first, he thought Xu Mu would just bite and chew, then spit out the bones. But he didn't expect him to swallow them all in the end.

Bai Nian pondered, which species of animal enjoys chewing on bones?

And swallowing them all.

After dinner, Xu Mu went home.

"Next time, you can come to my place for a meal when you have time," Bai Nian stood at the entrance, smiling warmly.

Xu Mu politely replied, "Sure, I will."

However, even though he said so, and thought so in his heart, his upbringing didn't allow him to do such a thing.

—Who wants a neighbor who mooches off them every day for meals? Too annoying!

"If you have time, brother Nian, you're also welcome to come to my place for a meal," Xu Mu said. "But I'm not very good at cooking, so I rely on Nades or takeout."

Bai Nian smiled warmly. "Sure, I'll come when I'm free."

Since that day they had dinner together, it seemed like Xu Mu had flipped a switch.

Ye Ye not only knocked on his door every day on time, but after playing for half an hour, he would follow him home like his little tail.

At first, Xu Mu used to inform Bai Nian every time, but later it became a habit. Bai Nian would simply say that Ye Ye's character is easy to get along with and easy to manage, and told Xu Mu should not hesitate when it comes to disciplining him when he needed to. He also thanked Xu Mu for his hard work.

When Bai Nian returned from work, he would invite Xu Mu to have dinner together.

Xu Mu would reluctantly decline, saying he didn't want to disturb, but his feet had a mind of their own and would lead him to the neighbor's house.

—There was just no way around it, the neighbor's cooking was really delicious.

His willpower, stomach, and limbs had completely surrendered!

"Master, Mr. Bai is busy inside, and you're just lounging around here?" Nades, who had just finished watering the plants on the balcony, saw Xu Mu lying on the sofa and exclaimed with a mix of disappointment and indignation, "He's come over to be a guest, and you're comfortable letting him stay in the kitchen alone?"

Xu Mu sighed. "I was helping, but I accidentally broke a few plates and got kicked out by brother Nian."

His voice sounded muffled as he spoke.

Even though he broke some plates, he could still help with tasks like selecting vegetables and cutting cucumber slices. But he was still kicked out.

Although Mr. Bai's words were polite and his expression gentle, it was obvious that he saw Xu Mu as trouble.

Nades said, "My dear master, you're so useless. You should insist on cooking your vegetable soup."

Xu Mu found this remark strange and gave Nades a sidelong glance. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you suggesting that I should eagerly showcase my vegetable soup cooking skills?" 

Forget it. 

Although he often bantered with Nades, emphasizing how delicious his vegetable soup was, in reality—

Well, it was just heavily seasoned with sour and spicy flavors to whet his appetite. Upon closer examination, it lacked any real culinary finesse.

Nades said, "...You truly are my good master."

After dinner, Xu Mu slumped on the sofa, expressionless, with deep eyes, as if pondering the ultimate mysteries of the universe, but in reality—

He just didn't feel like moving.

He feels so comfortable.

This is the laid-back life he wanted.

In this world, the ultimate meaning of life lies in eating well, dressing well, and sleeping well.

"Ah Mu, I looked at the model you sent me yesterday. It doesn't seem too difficult. Do you have time this weekend?"

Xu Mu quickly nodded. "Yes, I do."

Bai Nian smiled. "In addition to the questions you gave me before, I'll go over them with you."

"Thank you, brother Nian."

Bai Nian shook his head and gently touched Ye Ye's forehead with concern. "It's okay, I should be the one thanking you. You've been accompanying us during this time..."

"Ding ding ding—You have an important message~ Please answer~"

Both of them were startled at the same time.

Xu Mu hurriedly got up in a fluster. "Uh, it's a reminder from my optical brain..."

He reached for his wrist, but found nothing there.

The optical brain was in his room.

"I'll go take the call, brother Nian, please wait here."

With that, Xu Mu hurried back to his room.

He quickly opened his neural implant and found it was an official call from the Muw Association.

After answering, a cold, robotic female voice came through.

"I am Jennifer, the intelligent system steward of Muw, mainly responsible for handling customer service issues. Today, customer number 68979 has reported to us..."

As Xu Mu listened further, he furrowed his brows slightly and opened the recording of today's work session. With a cold tone, he said, "That's impossible. I watched him pack the package after the final clearance. How could the golden diamond be missing?"

He pressed his temple. "I didn't take it. Did the customer report this to the game customer service?"

"They did, but..."

"My personal opinion is that there's a bug in the game. Let's wait for their response."

"Temporary bug? Okay, that's fine. Just this transaction, right?"

"Um, yes, that's correct. If there are any developments, I'll cooperate with the investigation."

"Alright... I understand. Okay, no problem..."

...

Xu Mu and Jennifer chatted for about twenty minutes. After ending the call, the furrow on his brow didn't disappear.

He carefully recalled today's gaming session and was absolutely certain that the diamond had been packed by the other party.

Forget about it, he decided not to dwell on this for now.

Xu Mu, still concerned about Bai Nian who was in the living room, hurriedly walked out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, brother Nian—"

But the living room was eerily silent.

Bai Nian, Ye Ye, and Kaduo were nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, did they go back?" Xu Mu muttered to himself, "Could something have happened?"

He noticed that the door to the house was open.

"It must be something important," Xu Mu tried to convince himself. "Yes, brother Nian probably encountered something urgent and saw that I was busy, so he didn't say goodbye and went back..."

He lowered his gaze and murmured softly, "I'll ask about it tomorrow."

As Xu Mu prepared to close the door, suddenly, his gaze froze on something outside.

Wait, is that...

He hurriedly stepped out, his voice filled with surprise. "Tutu?"

—His rabbit came to find him voluntarily?

Xu Mu was excited as he carefully and gently hugged the lop-eared rabbit into his arms.

The creamy-colored rabbit had droopy eyelids, tilted its head to the side, and its triangular nose twitched with rapid breaths.

"You're injured again..." Xu Mu sighed softly. "It's your foot again. You need to be more cautious, okay?"

He thought the lop-eared rabbit came to him because it was injured and wanted him to help bandage it up like last time.

Xu Mu wasn't discouraged by this.

It's fine.

Although the rabbit left decisively last time, coming back when injured proved that it trusted him.

—The rabbit had him in its heart.

Xu Mu's lips couldn't help but curve into a crazy grin.

Reluctantly, he placed the lop-eared rabbit on the sofa and said to Nades, "Get me the medicine box."

"Yes, master."

In a few minutes, Nades brought back the medicine box.

"Come on, be good, it won't hurt..." Xu Mu, with experience from last time, was noticeably more skilled this time. He was bolder in his approach, not afraid of causing discomfort to the rabbit.

"Where did you scrape yourself this time...? This wound looks fresh... it's scary red..."

Following the usual procedure, he first cleaned the wound with antiseptic, then turned on the UV light for about a minute, aimed the therapeutic device at the wound, and finally covered it with a layer of adhesive bandage to prevent infection.

After completing all the steps, Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief. His tense shoulders relaxed, chin resting on his hand as he gazed at the lop-eared rabbit.

His eyes were filled with fondness and compassion.

"...Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Xu Mu spoke softly, "You didn't make a sound today. Are you in too much pain? Or are you too tired? So tired that you fell asleep?..."

He rambled on, gently stroking the lop-eared rabbit's head and back with his fingertips, as if comforting it, yet also probing.

Meanwhile, Bai Nian's head was pounding, his mind in utter chaos, struggling to distinguish between reality and illusion.

He had been sitting in Xu Mu's house when suddenly, familiar pains surged through his limbs, indicating an imminent, uncontrollable transformation.

Bai Nian could only manage to weakly call for Kaduo to take Ye Ye home. He himself staggered out, feeling utterly drained of strength.

This couldn't be happening. Transforming into his mimicry form in someone else's home... It was too impolite, and... 

The memory of being tightly embraced by the youth from before flooded back, the embarrassment he had just managed to forget returning in full force. Yet, driven by a burst of willpower, he summoned up astonishing strength.

In the end, he collapsed at the doorstep, scratching a new wound on his leg. He lay there limply, unable to move, his mind clouded and unable to muster the capacity to think clearly.

He just needed a little rest...

Just a little while...

Bai Nian drifted off into a daze, realizing belatedly that he hadn't experienced this condition in the past few days. He had thought magnetic therapy was starting to take effect.

Indeed, he couldn't afford to let his guard down.

But, fortunately, it didn't happen while he was on his way to work...

From now on, he will take his medication during work hours as prescribed by the hospital…

When Bai Nian opened his eyes again, his blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing a magnified face before him.

He stiffened. Why—

Why was he still at Ah Mu's house?

"Are you okay?" Xu Mu noticed the lop-eared rabbit had opened its eyes, showing a hint of surprise in his tone, which inadvertently rose, but quickly, he lowered his voice, afraid of startling the creature.

"Why did you get injured again? Where did you accidentally scrape yourself?"

Bai Nian awkwardly shifted his body, feeling the constant stroking on his back. The warm sensation of the touch varied between light and heavy, with the rough fingertips causing a tingling sensation along his spine. 

What was Ah Mu…doing?

He felt extremely embarrassed, wishing he could curl up and bury his face and ears somewhere, but he lacked the strength to do so. Plus, the couch was only so big; there was nowhere to retreat to.

Xu Mu didn't really expect a response from the lop-eared rabbit. He knew the creature couldn't answer, and these remarks were just his ramblings as a pet owner.

Rabbits don't like to make noise or interact with people; Rabbits maintained a rather aloof demeanor but were also timid and preferred to nestle in its own little world. Overly bold behavior from strangers could easily stress rabbits, leading to health issues. Gradually getting closer to them didn't mean one could freely pet them; if the rabbits wanted to be left alone, even their owners couldn't disturb them.

These were the insights Xu Mu had gained from years of raising rabbits.

As a result, Xu Mu had learned to "entertain himself."

——Asking questions and answering, means he asks and answers for Tutu.

"So adorable..." Xu Mu said in fascination, "The ears are cute, the paws are cute, the tail is cute, everything about it is adorable."

Bai Nian: "..."

He looked over in disbelief, unable to believe what he had just heard.

What is Xu Mu saying!?

"Rabbits are the cutest creatures in the world." He said softly, "Hmm, you are the cutest among rabbits."

"How can there be such cute creatures as rabbits in the world?" He spoke as if he had joined some sort of cult, his eyes gradually becoming fervent.

Bai Nian looked at him strangely.

What does he mean...

"Can I hug you?" Xu Mu quickly asked, then quickly answered, "Hmm, sure."

He hugged the lop-eared rabbit in his arms and secretly gave it a rub.

Ah, so fluffy.

Xu Mu couldn't help but scream in his heart, but the corners of his mouth lifted with joy.

He tried to hold back, but it was no use.

He even secretly reached out to touch the tail, pinching it gently. It was so soft.

Bai Nian's throat made a gurgling sound, and his whole body was shaking—

He was infuriated.

Xu Mu! What on earth are you doing!

Xu Mu felt the rabbit's effort and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just saw your tail and couldn't resist..."

While he apologized, his face took advantage of the situation and pressed against the rabbit's belly, rubbing against it briefly before quickly pulling away.

"The belly is soft too," Xu Mu said softly, his gaze filled with fascination.

Bai Nian's mind went blank as well. When the warm cheek pressed against his belly, his first reaction was fear. He desperately arched his back, afraid of being discovered by the other person.

"Hmm?" Xu Mu suddenly felt puzzled. Did he see it wrong earlier?

He reached out and parted the fluffy fur on the belly.

Bai Nian was utterly desperate. He could no longer be concerned about the other's offense because something even more terrifying was...

"You have two... sets of... organs?" Xu Mu was astonished. It turned out to be a hermaphrodite rabbit.

His expression turned serious. Deformities often indicated poor development. No wonder this rabbit was always getting injured. Could there be some hidden illness?

"Little rabbit, you..." Xu Mu choked up.

He lowered his head in astonishment, only to see its grey-blue eyes become moist, tears rolling down.

One by one, they fell onto his hand.

The residual warmth lingered.

Xu Mu was stunned. After a few seconds, he hugged the lop-eared rabbit to his chest, his voice trembling with panic.

"Don't cry, don't cry... why are you crying..."

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