The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 31

 

TGMNDIAR - 31

Giving money was a sensitive matter. If it’s not properly communicated, it could feel like denying the moments they had shared together, imbued with implications of assessing their worth.

But Xu Mu's intentions were not like that. He simply—

Wanted to reciprocate the other party's kindness.

Perhaps Bai Nian didn't mind, but Xu Mu couldn't get past that mental hurdle. He kept thinking about how to repay him.

Money might be tacky, but Xu Mu always felt it was the most practical, indispensable thing.

This was his way of giving back.

...

Xu Mu exhaled deeply, having thought about it for a long time without coming to any conclusion. 

He decided to set aside the matter for now.

He ran his hand through his hair haphazardly, preparing to wash up and have breakfast.

The breakfast Nades made today was sandwiches, with too much salad and slightly burnt meat.

Xu Mu silently finished it and then returned to his room.

He needed to complete an online group assignment.

The course was model construction, and the teacher who taught it was very strict, emphasizing the quality of every assignment, which was included in the regular assessment.

The groups were free to form their own groups, with no mandatory requirements, as long as there were at least four people.

Xu Mu was a little worried at the time. He found that his introverted self was no different from the original owner. He came to class with the bell ringing and left when it rang again. 

After school, he disappears when school is over and walks alone, keeping to himself, truly as a "lone wolf".

From the beginning of the school year until now, he hadn't remembered the faces of many classmates in the same major, let alone discussed anything deeply with anyone. Occasionally, a few names appeared frequently enough to stick in his memory, but he couldn't match them with faces.

Of course, he probably didn't even know the names of his classmates in the classroom.

So when someone invited him to join their group for the assignment, he was surprised and didn't react.

——It was the class monitor he had met briefly last time.

[Xu: Are we starting the video now?]

[Dot is lost: Wait a moment, I'll call the others online.]

[Xu: Okay]

Nian Yueyue patted Zou Ning's shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't fall asleep. Wake up, we have to work on the group assignment later."

Zou Ning yawned. "Alright, I got it... Where's Haoyu?"

She had been gaming all night and had only managed to squeeze in a little sleep in the morning, so she was incredibly tired.

"I don't know. He didn't reply to my messages just now, so I'll go upstairs and call him." Nian Yueyue said and then hurriedly ran out. "Haoyu, come down quickly! We have a group assignment! Did you forget?"

One minute later, a guy appeared wearing a sloppy long down jacket, his hair sticking up like a chicken's nest, and he had on a pair of plush slippers as he sauntered downstairs.

"Come on!" Nian Yueyue grabbed his ear.

"Hey, hey, that hurts, be gentle..." Lou Haoyu tried to save his ear. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Nian Yueyue rolled her eyes.

The three of them were good friends and their parents all know each other. They had grown up together and had a strong bond.

Zou Ning heard the noise and waved lazily. "You're here."

Lou Haoyu grunted and sat cross-legged. "I want to see just how handsome this 'super handsome guy' you guys keep talking about really is. You've made me feel like I didn't attend classes last semester. I mean, I've seen all the guys in the architecture department. Besides me, none of them are even close to being handsome."

He had broken his leg this summer vacation and hadn't been able to return to school on time. 

Instead of reporting back to school, he had applied for online self-study courses to avoid falling behind in his studies.

If there was anything they didn't understand, Lou Haoyu would rely on his two friends for help. If they couldn't figure it out, they would ask the teacher for help.

"Hello, everyone." Xu Mu greeted politely as he joined the video call.

Nian Yueyue smiled and greeted, "Hi, classmate Xu."

Zou Ning also nodded. "Hello, classmate Xu. I'm Zou Ning."

Lou Haoyu's eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. He had seen Xu Mu last semester and had even briefly interacted with him.

Damn! This guy looks so handsome with his hair swept back!

"Hello, classmate Xu. I'm Lou Haoyu." He felt a mix of emotions. So, it turned out that the person who became incredibly handsome after sweeping back his hair in movies actually existed in real life.

Nian Yueyue glanced over, as if to say: See? She told them so, she wasn't lying.

Lou Haoyu nodded heavily and then gave a thumbs up—

Indeed, he's handsome!

...

The four of them discussed the design direction online for an hour, finalized the content, and assigned tasks to each other.

"How about drawing lots?" Nian Yueyue suggested. "That way it's fairer."

Xu Mu had no objections, Zou Ning agreed, and Lou Haoyu made an "OK" gesture.

After the online group meeting ended, Xu Mu turned off the screen, threw away the electronic pen, and crossed his hands behind his head.

He thought of that bank card again.

Once a person had some free time, worries would come knocking on their door.

Xu Mu stared at the imitation wood grain of the table, and a thought quietly emerged: Since he didn't know what to say before giving the card, why not just give it first and then figure out what to say?

He would organize his words based on the other person's reaction—

If there was no resistance, he would express his gratitude for the care he had received during this time.

If the other person was extremely shocked or puzzled, he would analyze his own feelings and delicately express his thoughts.

If the other person got angry, he would... apologize immediately and say he gave it by mistake.

The more Xu Mu thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, and his lips curled up higher and higher.

Hey, he's really smart.

But... when should he give it?

Next time they meet.

Based on his understanding of Ye Ye, he probably stayed home today after playing too much last night. Brother Nian would probably stay home with him too, so they wouldn't come over for dinner.

—That means tomorrow afternoon.

Once Xu Mu figured it out, the weight in his heart instantly lifted.

He pinched the card, weighed it in his hand, spun it around, and tucked it into his pocket.

Buzzing—his light brain vibrated.

[Park: Are you up? The association has released free strategies for a new game. Recently, many bosses have been looking for players to accompany them on "Dangerous Adventure Yacht," and they pay a huge fee per game.]

[Park: Yoyo's making a fortune. Do you want to take a look too?]

Xu Mu raised an eyebrow, making a fortune?

[Xu: How much are they making?]

[Park: On average, ten times higher.]

[Xu: Isn't that an exaggeration?]

[Park: Come on, brother, how could I deceive you! So, are you feeling tempted?]

Xu Mu tapped on the table, lost in thought.

[Xu: I'll go download it.]

[Park: Alright, let's play together online and explore?]

[Xu: Okay.]

Xu Mu slid open the screen and casually opened the association forum, clicking into the pinned game strategy collection.

…

"Mr. Bai, please come in," said Nades politely, gesturing with his hand.

"Thank you, Nades," Bai Nian also smiled gently and looked around, "What's Ah Mu doing?"

"Master is playing games in his room."

"Playing games from morning till afternoon?"

Nades dark eyes shifted, "Of course... not. Master was studying in the morning, and only started playing games in the afternoon."

"Oh, I see."

"Shall I take you to see my master?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

Knock knock knock——

"Come in." Xu Mu thought it was Nades, he didn't even turn his head, still staring at the screen, his pupils reflecting the virtual scene around him, while on the other side he was browsing forum posts for game strategies.

"Master, Mr. Bai is here."

"Okay, you... Brother Nian?" Xu Mu was dazed, subconsciously lowering the blurring effect and standing up.

He subconsciously touched his pocket, the bank card lying quietly inside.

But as soon as Xu Mu touched it, he retracted his hand; it felt like it would burn him.

"Ah Mu, am I disturbing you?" Bai Nian asked softly.

"No!" Xu Mu quickly shook his head, "Please sit, Brother Nian."

Bai Nian pursed his lips and smiled, sitting down beside Xu Mu, very close, almost within a fist's distance.

Xu Mu held the plush rabbit, feeling inexplicably nervous, unconsciously leaning towards the armrest of the sofa—

Distancing himself only made him look ridiculous.

Xu Mu felt that his posture was awkward, so he sat up straight again.

"Brother Nian, did you come to see me for something?"

Bai Nian lowered his gaze and opened the storage compartment. "Recently, I've made a few new desserts, but there’s no one to taste them for me, so I've come to ask for your help."

—It's not true; he's just following Shi Lun's advice, to take the initiative, to interact back and forth, to make relationships become like a rope that can be pulled.

Xu Mu stopped holding the plush rabbit, placing both hands neatly on his knees, and said earnestly, "Okay."

He tasted each one meticulously, providing detailed feedback from appearance to taste, leaving nothing out.

"Okay, thank you, Ah Mu," Bai Nian said softly, "Sorry for wasting so much of your time."

Xu Mu shook his head, "No, it should be me thanking Brother Nian for bringing me afternoon snacks."

Bai Nian smiled.

"Are you going to continue playing games later?"

"Ah, yes."

"Can I take a look?"

"You can, but—" Xu Mu hesitated, "I'm still in the exploration stage, I'm not really playing, mainly just understanding the rules by comparing them with the strategy."

"Okay, no problem, I'll just take a look."

Xu Mu then adjusted the virtuality to a very low level, the shadows fading almost completely, transforming the scene from a blurred reality to a flat screen.

"Will reducing the immersion like this make the game less enjoyable?" Bai Nian asked.

"It won't, as long as I can win." Ever since Xu Mu started making money from playing games, he leaned towards a results-oriented approach.

—Can he still enjoy playing games? Of course, but because it turned into work, the fun factor plummeted straight down. Sometimes, after playing too much, he even found himself unable to suppress his boredom.

The tragic nature of hobbies turning into work.

"Okay," Bai Nian remained silent, sitting quietly beside him.

Xu Mu still appeared calm and composed on the surface, seemingly fully immersed in the game, but in reality... he has long been caught in a war between heaven and man.

Should he give it to him or not?

If he gives it, is this timing too rushed?

If he doesn't, finding another opportunity tomorrow night would also be quite troublesome.

"Brother Nian." Xu Mu suddenly called out.

Bai Nian looked over, "Hmm?"

Xu Mu quickly reached into his pocket, took something out, handed it over, placed it properly, withdrew his hand, and kept his head steady without moving.

Bai Nian froze, eyes widening as he held the bank card, flipping it over—

"What... do you mean?" His voice was hoarse, but a hint of blush crept into his ears.

Is it what he thinks it is?

The most classic confession method in the Nikari Star System is to hand over a bank card to the other person.

"It's for you," Xu Mu still kept his gaze fixed on the screen. "This bank card is linked to my account, and there's no limit on the spending. You can swipe as much as you want, so I'll try my best to deposit money into it, as..."

He swallowed back the words "food expenses," no, saying it too bluntly would hurt his feelings.

Overthinking things would make the relationship insincere.

Xu Mu kept stealing glances at Bai Nian, trying to gauge his reaction, whether it was anger, shock, confusion, or acceptance.

—It's hard to tell.

Did he furrow his brows? Isn’t his face a little red? Is he angry?

Oops, his expression seems strange...

Wait, why is his hand trembling? Is he too angry? Or too shocked?

It couldn't be because he's too happy, could it?

A hundred thousand whys swirled in Xu Mu's mind, giving him a headache.

No, he had to say something!

"Brother Nian, I know this is a bit sudden, but... I've actually been thinking about it for a long time."

Xu Mu took a deep breath trying to maintain a steady voice, "Since the first time we met, I knew you were a very gentle person. Even though we've only known each other for a few months, being with you has made me feel something I've rarely felt in life."

If Xu Mu were to find a word to describe "warmth" right now, he would unhesitatingly say the other person's name.

"I know how good you've been to me and how you treated me, and I'm very happy about it. So I hope you don't think my actions are too abrupt, I just..."

Xu Mu felt embarrassed, his voice getting lower, but he tried to keep staring into Bai Nian's eyes and letting him feel his sincerity.

"I just... wanting to be as good to you as you've been to me."

Bai Nian's heart pounded wildly, the young man's gaze heavy with emotions. He couldn't avoid it, he could only meet it head-on.

"Brother Nian, I really like—"

"Daddy! Daddy!" A tender child's voice exploded in their ears.

Xu Mu and Bai Nian were both startled, instinctively shifting their gaze away, looking at the sky, at the ground, pretending to be busy.

"Hug!" Ye Ye ran over from the next room, the floor creaking under his steps.

He stood in front of Xu Mu, spreading his arms wide, excitedly shouting, "Daddy, hug!"

"Okay, come here." Xu Mu lifted him up, giving him a little bounce, casually remarking, "You're heavy, did you eat too much?"

Ye Ye pouted, "No! Daddy's bad!" His short arms wrapped around Xu Mu, twisting his butt in displeasure.

Xu Mu chuckled helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'm bad, I shouldn't have said that. Daddy will reflect on his mistake."

He then turned to the silent Bai Nian and asked, "Brother Nian, would you like to stay for dinner?"

Bai Nian's eyelids twitched, his face warming up again.

"Okay," he replied softly.

Xu Mu called for Nades and told it to start cooking.

"Ah Mu," Bai Nian suddenly called out.

Xu Mu immediately responded, "Yes?"

Bai Nian clenched the bank card in his hand, his voice trembling slightly, "I accept."

—I accept your confession.

Xu Mu blinked rapidly, his gaze wandering.

Strange, why does he feel like the air has thickened...

He swallowed hard, his throat tensing.

"Uh, okay."

Nades cooked quickly, and half an hour later, dinner was served punctually.

It was a somewhat silent dinner.

Only Ye Ye was in high spirits, humming a tune to himself.

Xu Mu's awkwardness stemmed from his earlier confession.

He wasn't good at expressing his feelings; the more he cared, the more he liked to keep them hidden, preferably in a dark corner, growing into damp mushrooms.

But he tried hard to express his most genuine feelings to avoid any misunderstandings.

This process made Xu Mu feel like he was running naked, which felt embarrassingly strange.

And Bai Nian's silence was simply due to shyness.

There was also a hint of dizziness.

He had actually been accurately predicted by Shi Lun... and it even happened so directly and smoothly, all in one go.

He took a bite of broccoli, its crisp texture with a hint of sweetness in the center.

Or maybe it wasn't the broccoli that was sweet.

Bai Nian quietly lifted his head, wanting to look at Xu Mu.

In that split second, their eyes met directly, but before their eyes could meet, they quickly looked away.

Xu Mu: Damn, have I become some kind of love-deprived child in his eyes?

Bai Nian: Ah, so even he can be shy, how rare.

After finishing dinner, Bai Nian and Ye Ye prepared to leave.

Ye Ye moved from Xu Mu's arms to Bai Nian's embrace. As usual, he patted his little hands at the entrance, performing his farewell ritual. First, he kissed Xu Mu's cheek, then gestured for Xu Mu to kiss him back.

Xu Mu skillfully kissed Ye Ye’s cheek, making the child giggle.

Then Ye Ye pointed at Bai Nian, "Daddy too!"

Xu Mu hesitated for a moment, then leaned slightly, just like before, brushed past Bai Nian's cheek, and quickly backed away.

Ye Ye opened his eyes wide and suddenly said, "Daddy, you didn't kiss..."

Xu Mu ruffled Ye Ye's head like he used to, habitually placating him, "Alright, Daddy kissed him, didn't you see? Is your eyesight bad again? Remember to eat more carrots when you go back, don't be picky with food, okay?"

Ye Ye pouted, "No! You didn't!"

Xu Mu: “…” You little rascal, why are you being so difficult today?

"I already said I kissed your Daddy, but your eyesight must be bad that you didn’t see it. Be good, it's time to go back."

Ye Ye pouted, "Not going... you, you, you..." he struggled with his vocabulary, "Bad!"

"Well, I'm bad."

Ye Ye became even more upset, calling out aggrievedly, "Daddy..."

Bai Nian's eyes flickered.

"Ah Mu," he called Xu Mu over, "Lower your head."

"Hmm?" Xu Mu thought Bai Nian had something to say to him and quickly leaned over.

He heard a soft sigh, seemingly helpless yet amused.

"Lower a bit more."

Xu Mu complied meticulously.

Bai Nian's long lashes fluttered and heat instantly rushed to his neck.

He placed a light kiss on Xu Mu's cheek, then pulled back with his lips pursed.

A faint pale hue appeared on his cheek, then transformed into a delicate flush.

"Goodnight, Ah Mu."

...

When they both left, Xu Mu didn't even know how he returned to his room.

He walked somewhat unsteadily, eventually collapsing onto the sofa and gazing up at the ceiling.

He blanked out, trying to clear his mind—

But it wouldn't clear.

Xu Mu touched his cheek, still feeling a lingering sensation.

It was soft, warm, carrying a faint, ethereal breath.

It seemed to be mixed with a hint of hibiscus fragrance.

It made his head spin.

Xu Mu's eyes glazed over, immersed in strange emotions, his soul wandering in the sky until—

"Master! Can't you hear me? The water heater in the bathroom exploded!!!"

Xu Mu still touched his face, looking bewildered, "What exploded?"

Nades: "...Now it seems like my head is about to explode."

Xu Mu: "Speak human language."

Nades: "The water heater in the bathroom exploded. Did you hear me?"

Xu Mu repeated mechanically, "Oh, the water heater exploded."

"It exploded, shouldn’t you show some reaction?" 

"It's fine, we'll just replace it with a new one."

"But it's smoking right now!"

Damn it, it’s smoking!!!

Xu Mu scrambled to his feet, "Why didn't you say so earlier! What if it triggers the corridor smoke alarm? That's gonna cost money! It's so expensive!"

He sprinted to the bathroom, nearly losing his slipper with each step.

Nades sneered.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Who told you to savor that kiss on the cheek?"

Thud—

Xu Mu solidly fell flat on his face.

On all fours.

Face down.

But the most terrifying thing was Nades's words echoing in his mind.

Still savoring that kiss on the cheek…

Replaying the cheek kiss...

Replaying...

The kiss...

Xu Mu exploded!

He exploded even more thoroughly than the water heater!

"Nades!"

"Don't talk nonsense!!"

"Do you believe I wouldn’t send you back to the factory for repairs!!!"

"I'll take you to replace your chip today!!!!"

Nades: “…” Master has gone crazy.

Is it really necessary? Getting shy over a kiss?

Fine, he won't mention it again in the future.

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