TGMNDIAR - 9
"Master, if you water this plant again, it will drown," Nades said with a stern tone.
Xu Mu snapped out of his thoughts, glanced over, and withdrew the watering can.
"Ah, I won't water it anymore."
Nades, seeing that Xu Mu finally stopped fussing over the plants on the coffee table, quickly moved the remaining pots away.
Xu Mu was speechless. "It's not that serious..."
Nades asked, "Did you run into trouble today? You've been acting strange since you came back."
Xu Mu replied, "No, nothing."
He got up, ready to head back to his room. Nades followed closely behind.
Suddenly, Xu Mu stopped in his tracks and asked Nades, "Do you think I'm usually annoying?"
Nades replied, "Oh, that's a philosophical question indeed."
Xu Mu insisted, "I'm serious, I mean it."
Nades's dark eyes darted around. "Master, does someone find you annoying?"
Xu Mu quickly responded, "No."
Nades chuckled briefly, "Alright, I understand."
"Dear master, instead of asking me, who doesn't know the situation, why don't you go ask the person involved?"
Xu Mu's expression was blank. "I already said there's no one."
Nades nodded. "Understood, master."
Xu Mu: “...”
He stopped talking and shut the door decisively.
Nades didn't argue or communicate further with him, simply standing quietly by the door.
Xu Mu followed his plan, taking out the course videos he needed to study today and began watching. The bald professor spoke slowly, and the already dry knowledge became even more hypnotic under his narration.
As Xu Mu took notes, he also grasped the knowledge the professor was imparting, and during break time, he completed the practice exercises provided.
Out of ten questions, he got five wrong, a fifty percent error rate—
Xu Mu frowned, but quickly regained his composure. He rewound the progress bar of the video, set it to triple speed, and watched it again.
After finishing, he went through the incorrect questions again, and this time, his answers were completely correct. Xu Mu checked the time, opened the next instructional video, and set it to 1.5 times speed.
Time passed quietly, and the faint sunlight outside the window faded away, turning the sky dim.
"...Eat." A faint yet familiar voice sounded.
Xu Mu's hand, which was turning a pen, paused. He turned his head and realized, "Ye Ye."
He walked to the door and casually lifted the little one up. "How did you come here? Want to play ball again?"
Ye Ye's short arms rested on Xu Mu's shoulder, his chubby face rubbing against him as he loudly said, "Eat!"
Xu Mu asked, "Did your dad ask you to come?"
Ye Ye blinked his big eyes. "Mm-hmm."
Xu Mu's mood was somewhat complex, but he still said, "Alright, let's go."
To be honest, the atmosphere at Bai Nian's house during lunch was a bit awkward. The inquiries about "contact" made him reflect on whether he unintentionally annoyed others during their friendship, without realizing it himself.
After all, "a little contact is fine, just don't overdo it"...
It sounded like he might have crossed a line, inadvertently making the other party feel uncomfortable.
---
"Ah Mu, is the spicy tofu too spicy?" Bai Nian also observed Xu Mu's expression and asked softly.
"It's fine, quite good actually," Xu Mu looked up. "The spiciness is just right."
Bai Nian also nodded. "That's good."
Then, a moment of silence ensued.
Bai Nian frequently glanced over at the person beside him, sighing lightly in his heart. Was it because he spoke too harshly in the afternoon?
Although the young man maintained his usual cold demeanor, his mood today seemed subdued, with fewer smiles at the corners of his mouth. He didn't even tease Ye Ye as much.
"Ah Mu," he called softly.
"What's wrong?" Xu Mu asked.
"Are you upset…about what happened this afternoon?"
Xu Mu was taken aback. "No. Brother Nian, you've misunderstood."
Bai Nian listened quietly.
Xu Mu continued, "I was just thinking about how to maintain an appropriate distance in our relationship, to avoid unintentionally offending you..."
Bai Nian couldn't help but laugh and interrupt, "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? Are you going to measure it with a ruler?"
"No, I -" Xu Mu paused, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, and I also want to help you."
"Of course, sometimes, certain actions of mine are subconscious, beyond my control..." he started to say, feeling uneasy about it, then corrected himself, "I mean, my behavior is instinctual..."
—Still not quite right.
Xu Mu glossed over it vaguely, "Anyway, if there's anything I do that makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to remind me."
Bai Nian toyed with his chopsticks, looking at the sincere gaze of the young man. His Adam's apple moved ever so slightly, "Hmm... I will."
Xu Mu said casually, "Let's eat, Brother Nian. I really don't have anything on my mind right now."
Bai Nian smiled, "Alright, let's eat."
He thought, although he has a strange quirk, fundamentally, he was still a good kid.
---
"This weekend? I'm not going out." Xu Mu leaned against the sofa, holding his chin, with the game interface glowing on the screen, showing teammates communicating.
It was Huang Chengyuan, the friendly big brother he met offline last time.
He said, "You're not going? This is the most comprehensive gaming IP expo in years. There will be many talented cosplayers portraying classic characters. It's going to be impressive. Don't you want to check it out?"
Xu Mu thought to himself: I don't have such deep feelings for these games. The original owner played them extensively; I just got the hang of it quickly.
"I'm busy studying, I can't spare the time," he casually replied.
It was a lie. He simply preferred staying indoors, especially on weekends.
As for Monday through Friday—
Playing at home and studying or making money are not the same thing.
“You study during summer vacation too?” Huang Chengyuan was surprised. "Are today's college students so disciplined and hardworking?"
Xu Mu replied, "...Because I failed some courses last semester, I have to retake them when the new semester starts."
Huang Chengyuan conceded, "Alright, I take back what I said. You're too indulgent with yourself. You really need to tighten up."
Xu Mu couldn't argue back, trapped under the weight of the accusation. He could only agree reluctantly. "Yeah, I'll tighten up."
"Alright then, I won't disturb you anymore. Take your time with your studies," Huang Chengyuan said with the tone of someone who had been through it, emphasizing, "The college phase is crucial, at the very least, make sure you get your degree."
Xu Mu rubbed his forehead. "Okay, thanks, I know."
He closed the game page, leaned back on the sofa again. On the coffee table were a plate of matcha cookies and pudding tarts, accompanied by a glass of icy watermelon juice, with condensation forming on the glass.
"Your days seem really comfortable," Nades, folding a blanket, suddenly spoke up. "Since Mr. Bai came, you've had a regular afternoon tea time."
Xu Mu cleared his throat and touched his nose. "It's not that luxurious. Ye Ye also eats, I just tag along."
"Daddy, biu!" Suddenly, Ye Ye, hiding under the chair, appeared, holding a glowing toy sword and making playful noises as he dashed towards Xu Ye.
Xu Mu pretended to be stabbed, clutching his chest and falling back on the sofa, playfully joining in the child's game.
Ye Ye widened his eyes and giggled, clearly delighted. He scrambled onto the sofa, using both hands and feet to climb into Xu Mu's embrace.
Xu Mu smiled warmly as he hugged him tightly, rolling around on the sofa with him.
"Do you want some pudding?" he asked Ye Ye.
Ye Ye vigorously shook his head. "No eat!"
Nades quickly glanced at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu remained calm. "Okay, if you don’t eat. How about giving it to big brother to eat your portion?"
Ye Ye nodded vigorously, smiling innocently. "Eat, you eat."
Nades remarked quietly, "Do you have any shame, Master?"
Xu Mu feigned ignorance, quickly popped a piece of pudding into his mouth, and continued playing with Ye Ye.
Ye Ye kept giggling excitedly, bouncing and jumping around.
When Bai Nian finished work and rang the doorbell, it signaled dinner time.
Xu Mu took Ye Ye back home and peeked his head out from the kitchen door. "Brother Nian, do you need any help?"
Bai Nian stood by the marble countertop, slightly bent over. He was still wearing the white shirt he wore to work today, with the sleeves rolled up halfway and tied with a black apron tightly secured around his waist, accentuating his slender figure.
Turning his head towards Xu Mu, his eyes softened. "No need, why don't you play with Ye Ye for a while?"
"Okay," Xu Mu nodded. "Brother Nian, I can chop vegetables now."
Bai Nian was momentarily surprised, then smiled gently. "Ah Mu is really awesome."
"Train head, train head!" Xu Mu's pant leg was tugged by Ye Ye, who was kneeling on the floor.
Xu Mu looked down and picked him up. "What train head?"
Ye Ye gestured excitedly, "Head head!"
"Alright, it's the head then."
---
After dinner, Bai Nian called Xu Mu over.
"Tomorrow is the weekend. I have some time tonight to go over some topics with you. Do you have the practice materials with you?" Bai Nian asked.
Xu Mu shook his head. "No, they're in my room."
"I'll get them now," he added.
"I'll come over later then, and we can go over them," Bai Nian said in a gentle tone, holding the sleepy Ye Ye. "After Ye Ye finishes his bath."
Go over them…
Xu Mu's heart tightened. "Okay."
He reviewed their interactions over the past few days, going through them meticulously.
Hmm, there hadn't been any crossing of boundaries, he maintained the perfect distance!
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