The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 40

 

TGMNDIAR - 40

"Victory." A light laughter broke the tense atmosphere.

Bai Nian clicked "confirm," "You're right, the Displacement Ladder isn't difficult. Shall we play another round later?"

Xu Mu slowly lowered his head, as if waking from a dream.

"Okay..."

Bai Nian didn't get up either, still leaning against Xu Mu's shoulder. The familiar scent of soap lingered in his nostrils, and the warmth from the back grew hotter, causing his cheeks to burn and his whole body to heat up.

Really unexpected... he thought slowly. The young man's figure appeared tall and slightly thin, but in reality, he had muscles, clear and strong lines. If slightly tightened, one could feel the strength within.

Bai Nian also stole a glance from the corner of his eye, then quickly averted his gaze, feeling a trace of disappointment.

He thought the other would take this opportunity to hug him, or at least say a few words of endearment.

Whenever he was in his mimicry, Xu Mu used to talk about his feelings every day, often bewildering him.

However, Bai Nian quickly adjusted his mood, comforting himself: no rush, take it slow, at least the heartbeat doesn't lie...

He operated the interface, exited the simulation room, found the previous level, and clicked "start."

The level was loading, the progress bar slowly lengthening.

"It's started."

"Mm."

"My controller..."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

...

The game screen was colorful, two small figures cooperated tacitly, braving through multiple levels.

The room was quiet leaving only the gentle intertwining of two breaths.

Half of Xu Mu's body felt numb, he was unable to move. He could only mechanically manipulate the game controller with his hand. The little character in the game could still jump, relying entirely on his instinct.

The thumping of his heart shook his eardrums, the itching sensation in his neck intensified, and his mind buzzed as if shouting something.

And all of this, just because of the other's unintentional actions and ordinary interactions.

He realized something was wrong.

Or rather, it had always been there, but Xu Mu had  not rationalized it or subconsciously ignored it.

Irregular heartbeat, tingling fingertips, involuntary stares, and occasional appearances indicate that some kind of hazy emotions are emerging.

Those wonderful emotions that had only existed in books, TV dramas, or hearsay throughout Xu Mu's twenty-seven years—

It didn’t feel quite real, it felt hard to grasp, and impossible to determine.

At the same time, it was full of uncertainty, making people hesitate and uneasy.

He thought dazedly: Was he struck by Cupid's arrow?

But Brother Nian... is a man.

In the midst of confusion, Xu Mu felt like he was floating on a cloud, unable to deny the subtle joy swirling in his heart.

Suddenly, he thought of Ye Ye, and his heart sank instantly.

Since the other had been married and had children, his sexual orientation was obvious, right? He liked the opposite sex?

...

"Okay, thank you for playing games with me today." Bai Nian pressed on his knee and got up, staggering a bit.

Xu Mu instinctively wanted to help, but his hand froze in mid-air.

Bai Nian steadied himself.

"I'm leaving, go to bed early, goodnight."

Xu Mu's throat tightened, his gaze unfocused. "Brother Nian, goodnight..."

Bai Nian suddenly smiled, grasping the other's dangling hand. "What's this? Do you want to shake hands and say goodbye to me?"

He didn't grip firmly, just lightly brushed his fingertips over the palm, swaying his little finger.

Xu Mu stuttered, "Ah... I, I... yes."

Bai Nian paused, his eyes curved. "Alright, goodbye."

After saying that, he stretched his fingers and gave it a firm squeeze.

Xu Mu held his breath, his body seeming to have a will of its own, squeezing the other's fingers and pinching them. 

At this moment, a voice in his head screamed, ‘Enough, stop being stupid, let go quickly.’ 

Immediately after, another voice floated softly, ‘Very smooth and soft, like the skin of his ankle last night, feels nice, doesn't it?’

He abruptly let go, his face contorted slightly.

Damn it, Xu Mu, you pervert!

Bai Nian didn't notice anything unusual, his lips curved slightly, enjoying the distinct sensation of their palms and fingertips rubbing against each other.

He felt pleased with the young man's small gesture.

After Bai Nian left, the room returned to silence, the vibrant colors on the screen of the game dimming a few degrees.

An overly quiet environment helped with thinking.

But it often led to overthinking.

Xu Mu stared blankly at the wall, his mind exploding, about to become a weathered and fractured sculpture.

His thoughts were chaotic, and too many images surged in. For a moment, he couldn't sort out his current feelings.

Abruptly, a question without an answer popped up again—

"Your heart is beating fast, is it because of me?"

A meaningless sentence, perhaps he teased to make him nervous, but whether it was because of slow thinking or numbness, he felt a trace of ambiguity.

And that light touch... was it his lips?

Probably an accident.

Xu Mu slowly touched his throat, sorting through what had just happened.

Whether he was overthinking it or not, he always felt that Bai Nian's every move carried a hint of ambiguity.

—Hey, what fantasies is he having?

Xu Mu pinched his nose, feeling quite sick.

He decided to take a shower first, to relax his tense nerves.

It was of no use.

Xu Mu's back hit the bed directly, limbs stretched out, staring blankly at the suspended light.

A few minutes later, Xu Mu opened the brain light and typed out a question:

[Can same-sex couples get married?]

Best answer: Yes.

Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief, but soon frowned again.

[Is same-sex marriage common? Is same-sex dating prevalent?]

Best answer: It is not common, the proportion is small. Not prevalent.

"So... there are some but not many?" Xu Mu murmured.

He sat there silently, lost in thought, when suddenly, with a "beep," the holographic simulator automatically shut down.

Xu Mu covered his face in anguish. No, he must have gone too far—thinking about marriage when nothing has even started?!

He must be crazy.

Crazy to the point of being incomprehensible.

---

On the day of the Snow God Festival, the temperature dropped sharply, and there were even feather-sized snowflakes falling, accumulating thick snowdrifts.

Xu Mu had lived and worked in the south in his previous life and had barely seen snow.

The only thing related to snow he remembered was mini "hailstones" the size of gravel.

"It's so cold." Nian Yueyue ran into the backstage rest area, stomping her feet, and went straight into Zou Ning's arms. "Wuu wuu, Xiao Ning, I urgently need your warmth."

Zou Ning curled up in the beanbag chair being blown by the heater, feeling dizzy.

She reluctantly opened one eye and patted the seat next to her. "Come up here, let's warm up together."

Nian Yueyue went up with a smile, snuggling up affectionately. All the chill in her body melted away, and she sighed comfortably.

"What are you doing, Xu Mu?" Nian Yueyue curiously looked over. He had been fiddling with his brain light, and the screen was dim.

Xu Mu looked up, pressing his fingertips. "Nothing, just... waiting for someone."

"Oh, oh, who did you invite for today's performance?" Nian Yueyue asked.

"My neighbor next door," Xu Mu replied.

"And a three-year-old kid?" Nian Yueyue remembered the question the other had asked earlier.

"Yeah."

Nian Yueyue held her face in her hands. "Oh, three years old, that's the best, the most fun, and entertaining age."

Xu Mu smiled. "Indeed, but taking care of them is a headache."

Nian Yueyue nodded in agreement.

Buzzing—The brain light vibrated.

Xu Mu immediately opened the chat page.

Above the new message was Xu Mu's inquiry.

[Xu: Brother Nian, when will you arrive at the school?]

[Bai: Soon, I'm getting ready to go home, I'll bring Ye Ye with me and come over]

Xu Mu lowered his eyes and typed:

[Xu: When you arrive, let me know, I'll come pick you up]

[Bai: Mm, okay]

"Wow, Xu Mu, who are you chatting with? Your mouth is almost crooked from smiling." Lou Haoyu strolled in carefreely, greeted the people from the club, then bounded over to this side.

Xu Mu's upturned corners of the mouth immediately flattened, and he said expressionlessly, "Am I?"

Lou Haoyu raised an eyebrow. He had casually mentioned it, but seeing Xu Mu's guarded reaction, he became interested.

He leaned over, nudging his shoulder, "Is it that goddess from last time?"

Xu Mu was stunned for a moment, then reacted after a few seconds.

"No." His heart skipped a beat, he denied it without any guilt.

Lou Haoyu rubbed his chin. "Oh, such a quick response, your not sincere at all."

"..." Xu Mu was speechless. "If you're bored enough, go help set up the stage."

Lou Haoyu shrugged, leaning against the cushion. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything."

Xu Mu continued to daydream.

He was quite nervous, worried that Bai Nian might not like his mimicry.

Since he found out this was a world of orcs, Xu Mu deliberately studied a lot about mimicry.

One point, inexplicably, stuck in his mind.

[...Mimicry retains the characteristics of the original species, that is, the instinct to obey nature. In another sense, if each other's mimicry is in harmony with each other, especially if the atmosphere is harmonious and comfortable, then the two are more likely to develop an intimate relationship.]

Nian Yueyue and Zou Ning were chatting quietly. Whenever they got excited, they giggled with each other.

"I specially bought a new camera just to film you. I'll save everything, and when we're old, it'll be beautiful memories."

"Don't take ugly photos of me..."

"Oh, Ningning, don't you trust me?"

"New Moon Park—"

"It was an accident at that time! The lighting was bad!"

"Oh."

"Ningning, your mimicry is so cute, you'll look good no matter how you're filmed."

"No... many people think sloths are not cute, they look very strange..."

"Who! That's impossible! There's no one in the world who doesn't like sloths!"

...

Xu Mu's ears twitched slightly, and he looked up thoughtfully.

"What do you guys think—" he suddenly asked, "Do you think snake mimicry scares people?"

Nian Yueyue exclaimed, blinking, "Are you asking us?"

Xu Mu nodded.

Lou Haoyu was the first to speak, patting his shoulder. "No, brother, your species looks so good. You're not big, just over a meter, and you don't look fierce and evil. It wouldn't scare people."

Nian Yueyue also nodded, "Yeah, it looks like jade could be worn on someone’s wrist, uh, maybe a bit showy, but it looks good when coiled around things."

Jade...?

Xu Mu fell silent.

He wondered why such a comparison would appear on a shiny green snake.

"What would be the reaction if someone afraid of snakes saw a snake?" Xu Mu asked.

Nian Yueyue said in surprise, "Of course, it would be fear."

"..."

Lou Haoyu chuckled, "What's up? Do you have a friend who's afraid of snakes?"

"I don't know," Xu Mu didn't ask.

Lou Haoyu squinted his eyes, feeling somewhat enlightened.

"You're afraid of their reaction," he hinted, "Being afraid of snakes and being afraid of people are two different things, they wouldn't mix up."

"Hey hey hey, ask Ningning," Nian Yue Yue said, "He's afraid."

Zou Ning turned her head slowly, looking up and down, "You’ll— be alright, you're green with fluorescent spots, you don't look like a snake, so they shouldn’t be afraid."

Xu Mu: "..." Fluorescent, fluorescent green?

"It's not that extreme, right?" he said complicatedly.

He admitted it was shiny green, but fluorescent was an exaggeration.

Zou Ning tilted her head, "When the lights hit you, you stand out on stage."

Xu Mu felt awkward.

He regretted inviting Brother Nian to watch the performance.

---

"Brother Nian!" Xu Mu received the message and hurried to the stone sculpture at the West Gate.

Small snowflakes fluttered down, lightly landing on his shoulders, forming a layer of white.

Bai Nian was squatting beside Ye Ye, playing with him in the snow.

He heard his voice and turned to look, a smile creeping into his eyes.

"Ah Mu."

Xu Mu jogged over, his breath turning into visible vapor, faintly blurring his vision.

Bai Nian reached out, brushing off the snow from the young man's hat. "No need to rush like this, I'm not going anywhere."

Xu Mu obediently lowered his head to let him wipe.

Bai Nian's smile deepened, the tenderness in his eyes becoming more obvious.

"Daddy—" Ye Ye shouted, grabbing Xu Mu's thigh. His short legs weren't walking in the snow; they were completely sliding over on his knees.

Xu Mu lifted him up and patted his bottom. "Good boy, let me carry you."

Ye Ye was bundled up tightly, completely white from head to toe, just like Bai Nian in his matching down-filled parent-child outfit.

He was wearing a fluffy fur hat with earmuffs inside, his eyes spun around, and his little face was flushed.

"When does your performance start?" Bai Nian asked.

"It’s the third performance."

"That's quite fast."

"What's the performance about?"

"I can't tell you..." 

Bai Nian chuckled, "Alright, you're still keeping it a secret."

The two walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, then quietly separating.

Since that night when he uncovered his own hidden thoughts, Xu Mu had been unconsciously cautious in his interactions with Bai Nian.

His previously natural movements seemed to be restrained by shackles.

He hadn't really figured out how to handle it, but he subconsciously hoped to leave a good impression on the other person.

"It has something to do with mimicry," Xu Mu said softly.

Bai Nian pondered for a moment. "Ah, so this is a mimicry performance?"

He was somewhat looking forward to it because he hadn't asked about Xu Mu's mimicry out of respect until now.

—Perhaps this was also a generation gap?

After all, Ah Mu was willing to participate in such performances, which clearly followed the trend young people follow nowadays.

"Yeah," Xu Mu replied casually, then asked with a seemingly indifferent tone, "Brother Nian, do you have any mimicry forms that you're afraid of?"

Bai Nian pondered for a moment. "I don't think so."

"None at all?" Xu Mu couldn't contain his excitement in his voice.

Bai Nian suddenly realized the purpose of his questions, finding it amusing. He said softly, "That's right, not a single one."

"Any favorites then?"

Bai Nian hesitated, Xu Mu's probing... he seemed concerned that he might be afraid of his mimicry.

He carefully replied, "Probably something furry."

If Ah Mu liked furry things so much, perhaps he was a similar species?

After all, what a person likes, upon reflection, is usually somewhat similar to themselves.

Xu Mu: "..." Oh no, he didn't have a single hair on his body.

Who loves cold, scaly scales?

—No one.

"Wow! Sweet... milk tea!" Ye Ye suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly.

Xu Mu followed his gaze to see outside the performance venue, where students were selling milk tea at a stand.

Business was good, with quite a few people lining up.

"Ye Ye wants to drink, Daddy wants to drink, Daddy wants to drink!" Ye Ye said in his childish voice, "We'll drink together!"

Xu Mu smiled, "What if Daddy and I don't want to drink?"

Ye Ye pouted, immediately turning his backside to him, asking Bai Nian to pick him up.

"You little heartless thing," Xu Mu pinched Ye Ye's cheek.

Ignoring Xu Mu, Ye Ye went to cuddle up to Bai Nian, "Daddy, milk tea, hot and sweet."

Bai Nian smiled faintly, "Okay, I'll buy you some later."

Ye Ye smacked a kiss on his cheek.

Xu Mu admitted defeat; this little thing was good at acting cute.

When he noticed Bai Nian looking over, he immediately said, "I'll go buy it."

Bai Nian whispered, "Ah Mu, I'd like one too."

"Okay." Xu Mu mustered his strength and tried to line up at the crowded stand, but unfortunately, he kept getting into the wrong line each time.

Finally, Xu Mu managed to buy two cups of milk tea and struggled to break free from the crowd.

"Brother Nian." He was afraid of keeping him waiting and hurried over.

"Daddy's back!" Ye Ye immediately smothered him with kisses, laughing with squinted eyes. "A gift for your return!"

Oh! Now there are return gifts too!

Xu Mu glanced at him sideways. "Back to being good to daddy?"

He touched his face. The boy didn't just kiss; it felt more like a collision, making his face ache.

Bai Nian stared at Xu Mu's face, unmoving.

For some reason, Xu Mu's fingertips curled, then relaxed.

"Thank you." Bai Nian took the cup, which was still warm.

"Do you need a gift in return?" Bai Nian asked with a smile.

"N-No need..." Xu Mu's heart skipped a few beats as a strange thought crossed his mind: Could Bai Nian be thinking—

Bai Nian tilted his head, unsure why, but he had the feeling that there was anticipation in Xu Mu's eyes.

He approached, mimicking Ye Ye's movements, leaning in, deliberately pausing for a moment, and Xu Mu didn't pull away.

So, gently, he planted a kiss on his cheek.

"There, that's my thank you gift."

Xu Mu: "..."

Damn, it came true.

Cold-blooded animals have extremely poor ability to regulate body temperature, and their skin immediately cools down when exposed to cold for even a second.

But this time...

The temperature on his cheek slowly grew warmer.

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