TGMNDIAR - 41
"The heating has not been turned on in the auditorium outside, so it is quite cold."
"There's still half an hour before the show starts, it’s cold sitting here."
"Shall we go backstage? It's warmer there, and our hands and feet won't be cold."
"Ye Ye must be cold too, his face is all red..."
Xu Mu rattled on, looking around nervously, avoiding direct eye contact.
Bai Nian also noticed the rare blush on the young man's face and chuckled inwardly.
It seems that only when in human form does the other party become so shy.
Pretending not to have seen anything, he said, "Okay, I'll go with your suggestion."
Xu Mu responded slowly, taking a half-beat before replying and started walking forward.
It seemed like the second time he had been kissed on the cheek...
But it felt completely different.
Back then, it was just embarrassment, and he fell into a state of bewilderment.
But this time, besides feeling restless, Xu Mu couldn't help but think:
His lips are so soft, carrying a sweet milky tea scent. It was a little moist, a little warm, it would feel very comfortable if kissed...
Xu Mu suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and took Ye Ye from Bai Nian's arms, muttering, "I'll carry him, the road is quite long."
Bai Nian smiled, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Ye Ye innocently blinked his eyes, completely unaware that he was being considered heavy by Xu Mu and could easily tire others out.
…
Backstage rest area
"Xu Mu! You're finally back!" Nian Yueyue heard the movement at the door, looked up, and shouted, "The stage manager is counting heads, we need to sign in."
"Oh, okay, where is it?" Xu Mu asked.
"Take a look at the link in the group, log into the system, and remember to bring real-time positioning," Nian Yueyue said, her eyes lighting up as she noticed Ye Ye in Xu Mu's arms. "Oh, how cute! His little face is so fair! Hello, little one."
Ye Ye blinked his eyes and replied in a sweet, childish voice, "Hello."
Nian Yueyue covered her heart, "Oh no, my heart is melting."
"Ah Mu, can I hug him?"
Xu Mu sighed with a smile, then asked Ye Ye, "Do you want Sister to hold you?"
Ye Ye tilted his head, then nodded after a few seconds.
Nian Yueyue beamed, her usually hearty voice turning playful, "Ohhh, Sister's hug..."
She was halfway through the hug when she noticed someone behind Xu Mu. "Um, hello?"
Bai Nian also nodded gently, "Hello."
At that moment, Ye Ye was cute in Nian Yueyue's arms, his head resting on her shoulder, his smile radiant. When he saw Bai Nian, he raised his arm and exclaimed, "Daddy, milk tea!"
Bai Nian brought the milk tea he had in his hand to Ye Ye's lips.
Ye Ye lowered his head and took a few sips, his cheeks bulging as he chewed on the tapioca pearls in the milk tea.
Nian Yueyue couldn't help but squeal internally at how cute he was, but she also felt a bit awkward, stealing glances at the man—
Turns out he was the boy's father.
He looks so young.
She then remembered Xu Mu mentioning inviting his neighbor over to watch the performance.
Hmm... he seems to have called him "brother"?
He's really young, she didn't expect him to have a child already.
"Brother Nian, have a seat," Xu Mu finished signing in and casually tidied up the sofa he had just occupied, gesturing for Bai Nian to come over and sit.
"Do you want some water? I can pour it for you," he asked.
"No need, because I have the habit of preparing water for Ye Ye, so I bring my own," Bai Nian replied.
"Oh, okay." Xu Mu adjusted the position of the nearby heater, took Ye Ye's hat, placed a cushion behind Bai Nian's back, and also adjusted the position of the small tea table in front to make sure it wasn't too crowded.
The smooth series of actions caught the attention of Lou Haoyu, who was dozing off next to them.
He rubbed his eyes. "Hey, Xu Mu, you're back? Did you pick up the person?"
Xu Mu nodded, noticing that Ye Ye didn't want to drink the water because it was too hot, so he took the thermos from Bai Nian's hand and poured it into another empty glass, allowing it to cool down.
Bai Nian happened to make eye contact with Lou Haoyu and greeted him with a smile. "Hello."
Lou Haoyu quickly uncrossed his legs, "Hello, hello."
His eyes darted back and forth between Xu Mu and Bai Nian, sensing something.
So it's not a goddess, it's a god—
"Daddy! Hot!" Ye Ye gulped down his water, and with the ample indoor heating, sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
Xu Mu naturally reached out, helping Ye Ye lift his arms to remove his clothes.
Ye Ye grumbled, mostly because the collar was too tight around his neck, making him uncomfortable. "Daddy... daddy... tight..."
"It'll be over soon." Xu Mu's thumb unbutton on the collar, giving it a tug. "Feeling better now?"
Ye Ye nodded obediently, "Daddy is good."
Lou Haoyu was dumbfounded. Wait, what did this kid just call him???
His gaze drifted strangely towards Xu Mu, sizing him up.
You little rascal, no wonder he was so secretive at first. Turns out he's looking for a widower— no, wait, a husband.
——He still believed his brother wasn't the kind of person who would break up someone else's family. The other party could only be someone who had children but was divorced and single parenting.
"You guys have quite a few programs going on," a cheerful voice chimed in.
"Director, would you like to sit down?"
"No need, no need," the department head, Chen Jianming, waved his hand. "I'm just here to take a look around."
The teacher in charge smiled and said, "You've come at the right time. It just so happens that the students from the architecture department are here."
Chen Jianming, with his white hair but lively spirit, rubbed his beard and chuckled, "Fate, fate. It proves that I've been managing too much normally. My intuition has been honed, automatically leading me to our department's students."
The teacher in charge continued to flatter him without changing his expression, nodding along.
Chen Jianming looked around and was about to leave when suddenly his gaze froze, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Bai Nian?"
Bai Nian stood up, smiling as he approached, ready to shake hands with him. "Long time no see, Professor Chen."
Chen Jianming patted his shoulder. "Indeed, it's been a long time. I remember you've been working over in the capital star. Are you—"
He paused for a moment, then jokingly asked, "Are you thinking about switching careers, jumping ship to our school?"
Bai Nian replied jokily. "Do I have the opportunity?"
"Absolutely," Chen Jianming said. "I've been worrying about not having enough people for this year's honorary professor positions. If you're willing to come, it will certainly add a lot of weight to our reputation."
Bai Nian shrugged helplessly. "You must be joking. Anyone would say it's an extreme honor."
After catching up and chatting about the architecture industry, the atmosphere became harmonious and lively.
Xu Mu stared at Bai Nian without blinking, not bothering to deal with Ye Ye making trouble in his arms.
When it came to his own professional field, Brother Nian was quite different...
Xu Mu used a somewhat cheesy way of describing it, it was like he was shining all over—
His demeanor was composed, his speech natural, and his tone neither fast nor slow. It seemed like every word he spoke was filled with a calm certainty.
At this moment, although there was a smile on his face and a hint of gentle warmth, he gave off an indescribable sense of distance.
Like the faint flicker of a candle flame, warm and appropriate, but upon closer inspection, one would inevitably find that it wasn't entirely smooth and could burn.
One could approach, but not get too close.
"Xu Mu... Xu Mu?" Lou Haoyu called out a few times.
"...Hmm? What's up?" Xu Mu's mouth responded, but his eyes were still on the two conversing.
They seemed to be discussing something important, with slightly serious expressions, planning to go outside to talk.
"Don't keep staring, they've both left," Lou Haoyu sighed.
Seeing the last of their figures disappear, Xu Mu lowered his eyelids and remained silent.
Lou Haoyu cleared his throat. "Hey, that kid isn't yours, is he?"
Xu Mu glanced sideways. Wasn't this an obvious question?
Lou Haoyu slapped his palm. "So, he's the child of your neighbor, Mr. Bai?"
Xu Mu found the phrasing awkward. What did he mean by "your neighbor, Mr. Bai"?
"Yeah."
"But the kid calls you daddy."
"..."
Ye Ye nibbled on his finger, his big black eyes darting around.
Xu Mu: "What are you trying to say?"
Lou Haoyu looked meaningful. "Nothing, just that you're quite skilled at being a dad to this kid, almost like raising him as your own."
Xu Mu: "..." He couldn't refute it, and even thought to himself that the praise was well deserved.
Not only did he want to be a dad to him emotionally, but he also wanted to be recognized legally as his father—
Those scheming thoughts obviously aimed at securing the position of Ye Ye's stepfather.
"Mwah!" Ye Ye suddenly planted a wet kiss on Xu Mu's cheek, leaving a mark of saliva.
Xu Mu snapped back to attention and skillfully pulled out a tissue to wipe his face.
Ye Ye hugged Xu Mu's neck, clinging to him and calling out, "Daddy... daddy... daddy..."
Lou Haoyu: Tsk tsk, this move is high-level, slowly infiltrating the inner circle like boiling a frog in warm water. It's already developed into a father-son relationship!
Xu Mu: "...What's with that look?"
Lou Haoyu: "I'm praising you for being cunning and farsighted."
The corner of Xu Mu’s lips twitched.
...
"Xu Mu, it's time to get ready," the club president came over to call them.
Since it was the third performance, they had to get ready as soon as the host began the event.
"Okay." After Xu Mu responded, he looked around to find someone to entrust Ye Ye to.
Bai Nian was still chatting outside...
"I'll watch him," Nian Yueyue said with a smile, her eyes narrowed. "When his dad comes back, I'll hand him over."
Xu Mu hesitated, but he had no other choice.
"Thank you."
"No problem." Nian Yueyue happily hugged Ye Ye and coaxed him, "Little darling, stay with Sister for a while, okay?"
Ye Ye stared at Xu Mu without saying a word.
Xu Mu squatted down and took his little hand, patiently explaining.
"Daddy is still chatting outside. I have to get ready to go on stage temporarily and can't keep an eye on you. Don't run around, stay with Sister Yueyue. When Daddy comes back, you can go with him to the audience seats to watch my performance, okay?"
Ye Ye blinked, trying hard to understand.
"Wait for Daddy, watch the performance, don't wander..."
"Great job." Xu Mu patted his head. "Bye-bye."
"Bye-bye—"
As Xu Mu stepped out, he immediately spotted Bai Nian in the distance.
He was standing by the glass window with the elderly man from before, engaged in a low conversation.
Xu Mu stood still for a few seconds before preparing to leave.
Bai Nian seemed to sense something and looked up.
Xu Mu immediately smiled, waved, then gestured towards the departing group, indicating that he was leaving.
Upon seeing this, Bai Nian turned to say a few words to Chen Jianming.
After exchanging pleasantries, they bid farewell.
Bai Nian jogged over to Xu Mu, his breath visible in the cold, his chest rising and falling slightly.
"Are you going on stage?"
"No, just preparing backstage," Xu Mu glanced at the time. "The performance starts in ten minutes, and I'm the third performance."
"I'll come over with Ye Ye later," Bai Nian said warmly. "Good luck with the performance, and may it go smoothly."
"Um..." Xu Mu hesitated, thinking of something, but he swallowed it back.
Bai Nian noticed and asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Xu Mu pursed his lips and said softly, "When I'm performing on stage later, you'll watch attentively, right?"
Bai Nian chuckled, "Of course."
Xu Mu took a deep breath, his thoughts contradicting his words, "...Watch me attentively?"
"I came just for you, Ah Mu."
Xu Mu clenched his fists. "Do you think you will be able to recognize which one is me?"
Bai Nian was about to nod, but then he realized something and asked tentatively, "Your mimicry—Can Ah Mu give me any hints?"
"...”
"Or perhaps I can rely on instinct, and you can occasionally give me a glance on stage, then I'll be able to find you."
Bai Nian was understanding. Seeing the young man's lack of response, he added the rest himself.
"I can give you a hint," Xu Mu suddenly said, "In the play... I'm one of the two main characters."
"Oh, okay, that should be easy to find."
"I'm the one with a smaller physique."
"Uh-huh, got it."
"I'm green."
"Uh-huh, I—" Bai Nian suddenly realized, "Green?"
He searched his memory, and the first thing that came to mind was... a frog?
Xu Mu added, "Very green."
Bai Nian's brow furrowed. "Can I guess your mimicry now?"
Xu Mu: "...You guess."
"Is—"
"Forget it, Brother Nian." Xu Mu cut him off, turning away. "You'll know when the time comes."
Bai Nian hesitated. He wanted to say that he wasn't afraid of frogs, and that he actually quite liked them, and frogs were cute too, so Xu Mu didn't need to worry. But seeing the other's depressed and annoyed expression, he was afraid of adding fuel to the fire.
"Okay, I wish you a smooth performance."
"Um, bye."
"Bye, see you later."
---
The opening of the performance was a classic school anthem chorus, with men and women dressed in uniform singing passionately, their emotions perfectly conveyed.
Xu Mu stood in the waiting area on the right side, within the narrow range of sight, he could vaguely see a small group of spectators.
He silently calculated the area numbers on the tickets and roughly located Bai Nian's position.
Would he be able to see the other's expression then...
Would it be too far away...
Was the other afraid of snakes...
Would the other find the color green too ugly...
What if he did...
Was there any way to fix it...
"Xu Mu!" The club president called out, "Get ready to turn into your mimicry, let's go over the movements again."
Xu Mu shook off his distractions and responded with an "okay."
The second act was a piano solo.
Several pieces of music were neither short nor long. When it ended, the performer bowed and slowly left the stage.
The host came on stage with a click.
With the scene props arranged and the lights changed, it was their turn to take the stage.
"In a lush forest, there lived a group of lively, friendly animals..."
As the background music started, Xu Mu slowly stepped onto the stage, moving sluggishly, and found his own "electric grass" patch.
He stood still, immediately looking towards the audience area—
But maintaining a crouching position was too low, he couldn't see anything.
Xu Mu sighed and decided to focus on the performance since he couldn't see anything anyway.
It would be even more embarrassing if something went wrong.
…
On the other side, Bai Nian couldn't help but feel a bit helpless and amused.
He had no idea what made Ah Mu so nervous and worried like this.
So, it turned out to be a snake mimicry.
Green... he carefully examined, and the curve of his lips turned even more upwards. Indeed, it was quite green.
But it was very beautiful.
He seemed to recognize this species, a bamboo viper?
Bai Nian took out his camera and started taking photos.
Through the lens, the thick-armed green snake slithered through the grass, its cold vertical pupils flashing with a mysterious light, its crimson tongue flicking out. Its tail had a touch of red, with densely overlapping fine scales, shimmering with iridescence, like translucent jade.
Bai Nian supported his chin, gently rubbing his lips with his fingertips.
Ah, it must feel quite comfortable to touch in the summer.
In winter, it would be a bit cold under the covers.
He remembered how the young man always seemed afraid of the cold, and his eyes couldn't help but curve up.
No wonder he always carried a hand warmer every day, even wearing gloves couldn't keep him warm, it’s the natural instincts of a cold-blooded creature.
Quite cute.
He should hold the other's hand more often in the winter.
...
Xu Mu finished the performance according to the script and breathed a sigh of relief when it was over.
Thank goodness, it's finally over.
That darned grass didn't provide any warmth at all, it was completely different from the temperature in the training room, he was freezing to death.
Terrible!
Xu Mu scanned the audience, quickly and accurately finding the spot he had already calculated.
Huh?
Bai Nian smiled softly, gently watching Xu Mu.
He mouthed, "You did great."
Xu Mu wasn't sure, Brother Nian... Did he just make eye contact with him?
Oh, he even smiled.
So... does he not fear snakes?
Yes! That's great.
"Thank you to the UOL club for bringing us such a wonderful performance. Next, we..."
The voice from the stage gradually faded away. After stepping down from the stage, Xu Mu prepared to change his clothes and find Bai Nian.
"Everyone, don't leave yet, let's take a group photo."
"Everyone, don't leave yet, let's take a group photo."
"Everyone, don't leave yet, let's take a group photo."
...
The club president's voice was pre-recorded and echoed backstage.
Xu Mu reluctantly returned, sighing. What a hassle.
He had other things on his mind, leaning half of his body out repeatedly, but the photographers were picky, always asking for another shot.
"No, friends at the back, show your wild side as the jungle overlords!"
"Hey, leopard, you're blocking the little deer!!!"
"Oh oh oh, beautiful lady fox, please show us your smile—-"
Xu Mu sighed, feeling that the other party was really going overboard with their efforts.
After the event finally dispersed, it was already ten minutes later.
Xu Mu didn't linger any longer, quickly finding the changing room to get dressed.
"Ah Mu," a familiar and gentle voice called out.
Xu Mu stiffened.
"Ah Mu, come over here." This time, the voice came closer, clearer.
Bai Nian half-crouched in front of Xu Mu, smiling as he reached out his hand. "Can I touch you?" he paused, "I don't dislike snakes, especially your kind. I think you look very beautiful."
Xu Mu: “…” He has mixed feelings.
Not disliking was good; but very beautiful? Not quite.
People who fear snakes don't understand what's beautiful about them!!!
Bai Nian bent down further, his hand extending. He softly called, "Ah Mu?"
He touched the scales of the snake, and indeed, it felt just like he imagined.
Xu Mu instinctively wrapped his hand around the other person's hand, tracing along the fingertips and moving upwards.
Bai Nian held his breath, feeling the sticky and cold sensation on his palm, back of his hand, and even between his wrist.
His mood became subtle.
The snake slithered up to the arm, its hissing sound close to the ear, just a short distance from the neck.
As a herbivore, a chill ran down on the back of Bai Nian's neck, as if facing a natural enemy.
But as soon as he remembered it was Xu Mu, that sense of shrinking and fear quietly disappeared.
He lowered his head, meeting the shallow yellow vertical pupils.
He gently pressed his face against the snake's cheek scales, kissing the cold and icy surface.
Between his lips, warm breath escaped.
"Ah Mu, the performance was amazing."
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