The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 42

 

TGMNDIAR - 42

Outside the venue

"Oh, you're leaving already?" Lou Haoyu bumped into Xu Mu at the door, somewhat surprised. "You're not going to stay to watch tonight's performance?"

Xu Mu slowly shifted his gaze. "Yeah, I’m going out to play."

Lou Haoyu nodded. "Okay, the performance is just the same old stuff, nothing new. It's better to—"

"Pi! Pizza!" Ye Ye rushed over like a little ball, crashing into Xu Mu and then flopping down at his feet like a toppled porcelain vase.

Xu Mu sighed, picking up the boy as if it were routine. "Using me as a mop again?"

Ye Ye flashed a gap-toothed grin and giggled.

"Where's Brother Nian?" He accompanied Ye Ye to the restroom.

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Nian emerged from around the corner, strolling leisurely over. He saw Nian Yueyue smiling and nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, he casually said to Xu Mu, "Let's go, Ah Mu."

Xu Mu replied, waving goodbye to Lou Haoyu.

Lou Haoyu suddenly realized, giving him a knowing look: Oh, I get it, it's not that the performance isn't good, it's that people are more important.

Xu Mu: “... “ Eye Cramps?

He didn’t know what to say, so he simply decided to ignore it.

...

The streets during the Snow God Festival were bustling, with floating street lamps changing colors to enhance the atmosphere, casting dancing shadows on the snowy ground.

The crowds were bustling back and forth, voices mingling, laughter ringing out, even though it was snowing lightly, it couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm for celebrating the festival.

For Xu Mu, this was a rare experience.

—For someone who didn't often see snow, being in this icy world, even if it was a bit cold, it was hard not to get excited.

"Ah Mu, does Ye Ye want pizza and to play on the slide? What about you?" Bai Nian walked alongside Xu Mu, asking in a warm tone, "Do you have anything you want to eat or play?"

Xu Mu hesitated for a moment before quickly saying, "I'm fine with all of that."

Bai Nian smiled, "There's a fireworks show at Liberty Square for the Snow God Festival, starting around 9:30."

Glancing at the time, he continued, "It's 8:20 now. Do you want to go?"

"Okay, let's go."

"They're giving out Snow God blessing tokens for free on Central Street. Want to go?"

"Mm, let's go."

"And how about the light show at Biyeta?"

"Let's see it."

Bai Nian stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Xu Mu.

Xu Mu blinked, "What's wrong?"

Bai Nian joked, "You've agreed to everything, aren't you afraid I'll sell you?"

Xu Mu responded slowly, "Ah, no, you won't."

As the snowflakes drifted down, Xu Mu's breath dissipated into the air, adding a touch of nobility to his features. He was dressed in a thick black cotton jacket, his hat pulled tightly over his head, his nose reddened by the cold, and his lips chapped.

Bai Nian frowned and stepped closer, softly asking, "Are you cold? Did you forget to wear gloves today?"

Xu Mu hesitated before responding, "I forgot, I'll remember next time."

Bai Nian was about to take off his own scarf when Xu Mu quickly stopped him, saying, "It's okay, really not cold."

Bai Nian remained silent, taking off his gloves and covering Xu Mu's hand with his own.

Xu Mu's eyes widened slightly as he felt the warmth spreading through his hand, causing him to shiver.

"Not cold?" Bai Nian asked softly.

"... Just okay." Xu Mu hesitated for a moment before adding, "My body temperature has always been low, especially in winter."

If he wore heated gloves, his hands would be warm, but his body would still feel cold. In the long run, the warmth in his palms was just a drop in the bucket.

Bai Nian lowered his gaze, slowly pressing the palm of his hand against the inner side of the other person's five fingers, closing them together. The translucent white knuckles protruded, resembling a warm piece of jade.

"Brother Nian, you, and I..." Xu Mu's mind told him to let go, but his hand seemed to have a will of its own, reluctant to leave this warmth.

He stuttered a bit, "I, I'm really not cold, you don't need to warm my hand, I'll just put it in my pocket."

Ba Nian remained silent, quietly watching.

"I! Also! Want!" Ye Ye tugged at Xu Mu's leg, desperately trying to raise his arms.

Originally walking ahead, Ye Ye turned his head and found that the adults were far behind, so he bounced back.

He stumbled along the way, but seeing no one to help him up, he slowly picked himself up.

Xu Mu felt inexplicably guilty under Ye Ye's innocent gaze.

His lips moved, "Wait—"

"Ye Ye, Ah Mu doesn't have gloves, so his hands are cold and need to be held. You have gloves so you don't need to." Ba Nian spoke softly.

Ye Ye tilted his head, pouting, "Hold..."

Ba Nian raised his other hand and held Ye Ye's.

Ye Ye was still unsatisfied, "I also want dad..."

As he spoke, he squeezed himself between the two.

Xu Mu cleared his throat, "Brother Nian, let's hold Ye Ye's hand together."

Ba Nian carefully examined his expression, "Hmm," and agreed, "Okay, let's hold hands together."

Because he had to hold Ye Ye's hand in the middle, he couldn't continue holding Xu Mu's hand.

Ba Nian took off his own gloves, turned them inside out, and put them into the other person's pocket, "You might not be able to wear them, but they'll still have some warmth inside to keep you warm."

"Ah Mu, you can give them back to me later, okay?" Ba Nian's gloves were warm, with the inner layer of fluff retaining his temperature..

Xu Mu hesitated, and Ba Nian spoke softly, "Don't worry, my pocket is much warmer than yours."

Xu Mu replied hastily, his gaze drifting around, "Okay, okay, thank you Brother Nian."

"I'll remember to bring more warm clothing next time we go out." Ba Nian smiled, "At least some self-heating stuff. It’s not troublesome to bring them all."

Xu Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Why?"

Ba Nian didn't answer such an "obvious  question,"he  just smiled lightly, "I took some photos of the stage for you. Do you want to see them?"

The topic changed quickly, but it was successful. Xu Mu instantly thought of his embarrassing behavior of wrapping himself on the other's wrist.

He stiffly said, "Okay, I'll see."

This time Ba Nian laughed out loud, "Ah Mu, why are you agreeing to everything?"

"..." Xu Mu pursed his lips, "Not everything."

"For example?"

Xu Mu couldn't come up with an answer, and reluctantly said, "Anything illegal or against discipline is not acceptable."

Ba Nian was taken aback, once again feeling: how adorable he was.

Although he looked cool when they first met, as they got to know each other more, he would discover that he was actually warm-hearted and easy to get along with, giving people a genuine sense of joy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xu Mu felt like he couldn't walk properly under his gaze.

Not getting an answer, he sneakily glanced over with his peripheral vision, then quickly looked away.

Ah, his smile was so beautiful, his eyes curved like crescent moons. If only... 

Wait, what was he thinking?

Xu Mu's expression contorted. Don't think about weird stuff like that.

You're perverted! 

You're offending people!!

Don't you understand?!!!

---

"Modern Pizza" was a century-old shop. Despite its trendy name, the interior decoration was extremely retro and elegant.

The overall tone was brown-gray, the interior dimly lit, with black wooden carved tables and chairs arranged haphazardly, hanging rare vintage light bulbs overhead, swaying and casting flickering shadows.

The cracks on the walls were artificially aged to mimic peeling effects, with ink splatter abstract paintings scattered around, complemented by various amusing small decorations, showing a sense of humor.

A blue light shrouded the small stage in front, where a band was performing. The lead singer hummed a tune with a husky voice, singing love songs with a lazy intoxicating feeling.

Xu Mu sipped on sparkling water, and while eating smoked meat and mushroom cheese pizza, it didn't feel like fast food; it felt more like he was at a bar, savoring the atmosphere.

His gaze fell on Ba Nian's face, where the light was hazy, casting alternating shadows, as if it were coated with a soft halo.

Hmm... the atmosphere was also strange.

Suddenly, Ye Ye called out, "Daddy... I want this!"

Xu Mu snapped back to reality, "Hmm," and gave the chicken pieces on his plate to Ye Ye.

Ba Nian reached out to touch Ye Ye's little belly, worriedly asking, "Did you eat too much? What if you can’t digest it properly?"

In fact, before coming to the school, Ye Ye had already had some nutrient solution and eaten some sweets.

Xu Mu immediately took back the chicken pieces from Ye Ye's plate.

Ye Ye looked at him with resentment and said unhappily, "Daddy is bad!"

Xu Mu pretended not to see anything.

Ye Ye pouted and leaned on Ba Nian's arm, "Just a little bit... Daddy, eat..."

Ba Nian was helpless, "Ye Ye, I'm afraid you'll feel uncomfortable tonight."

Ye Ye pouted even more.

"Just a piece, okay?"

"...Fine." Ye Ye answered reluctantly.

Xu Mu acted quickly, scooping up a chicken piece with a spoon and passing it over.

Ye Ye hummed.

After finishing their meal, it was already past half-past nine.

"There are no fireworks in sight." Ba Nian whispered.

"It's okay, we will find another chance next time." Xu Mu didn't seem to mind much, nor did he feel regretful. "We'll come again next year."

Ba Nian's eyelids trembled slightly. "Okay."

So, they prepared to take Ye Ye to play on the slides.

On the way, they passed through Central Street and happened to encounter the train distributing snow god blessing tokens.

"We are really lucky." Xu Mu carefully kept the blessing token.

Ba Nian lightly rubbed his fingertips and murmured, "Yes, the blessings of the snow god are willing to be given to every devout believer."

Xu Mu smiled.

The slides were located in a small park opposite Liberty Square, which was quite remote.

Few people passed by, the vegetation was desolate, and it was empty everywhere, with only a small combined slide standing in the middle.

Ye Ye heard about this slide from a friend at kindergarten and insisted on Ba Nian bringing him here.

"Want to play?" Xu Mu asked Ye Ye.

Adults might find it boring, but the colorful slide was quite appealing to children.

Ye Ye played happily, laughing to himself.

"I thought Ye Ye would find it boring," Xu Mu sighed. "But I didn't expect him to have so much fun."

Ba Nian gently watched Ye Ye, "A child's world is always more interesting than ours."

Xu Mu smiled, "Indeed."

Boom, boom, boom—the sky echoed with a few loud sounds.

Xu Mu seemed to sense something, looked up, "Hey, Brother Nian, there are fireworks!"

Ba Nian followed his gaze and said softly, "It's probably fireworks set off by people nearby."

"Yeah, they're quite beautiful," Xu Mu squinted and said, "Why do I feel like I can see the sculpture of the Liberty Dove? Is it set off from the direction of Liberty Square?"

He was surprised, wasn't it over?

"Maybe it's just some young people fooling around," Ba Nian said with a faint smile. "There's probably a patrol robot chasing after them."

Ye Ye stood at the exit of the slide, holding his face, "Fireworks..."

Xu Mu turned his head and reached out, "Do you want to come down?"

Ye Ye shook his head.

"Be careful not to fall." Ba Nian, like Xu Mu, reached out his hand, but instead of forcibly pulling him down, he just gently reminded him.

The fireworks lasted for about a minute before finally quieting down.

Both of them leaned against the railing of the slide, accompanying Ye Ye back and forth.

"Ye Ye, do you still want to play?" Ba Nian asked gently.

Ye Ye's eyelids were drooping with sleepiness. "I don't want to play anymore..."

"Go home?"

Ye Ye nodded, opened his arms, kissed Ba Nian's cheek, and then ran to Xu Mu to kiss his face.

"Hug!"

Xu Mu chuckled, "You sure know how to pick your laborers."

Though he said so, his hands were skilled as he lifted Ye Ye's bottom and carried him in his arms.

Ye Ye snuggled affectionately against Xu Mu's shoulder, his eyes closing early in a deep sense of trust and tranquility.

"Let's go, Brother Nian," Xu Mu smiled, his eyebrows raised naturally. "We're going home."

Ba Nian's heart trembled slightly.

He sighed softly, "Home... alright."

---

Entrance

Nades waited diligently, "Welcome home, master."

"Hmm." Xu Mu yawned and absentmindedly patted the robot's head, preparing to go back to the room to take a shower.

"Master, I regret to inform you of something," Nades said earnestly. "The water heater in the bathroom broke down again, and this time, it blew up the connecting pipes directly."

Xu Mu staggered, incredulous. "It blew up again??"

Damn, what kind of quality is this? Where's the promised technological leap? Are water heater manufacturers just out to make quick money?

Nades said, "I understand your mood. After all, it's another considerable expense. Next time you buy a water heater, be sure to choose carefully."

Xu Mu said weakly, "But I bought a high-end brand water heater, it's very expensive, and it hasn't even passed its warranty period yet, right? No, I need to complain to the merchant—"

"There's no rush for that, dear master. The pipes won't be repaired in the short term, and it's estimated that it will take until tomorrow for a professional to come and fix them." Nades reminded gently. "For the time being, you need to think about where to take a shower tonight."

Xu Mu paused, that was a good question.

He pressed his temples and muttered to himself, "Right, where to take a shower..."

Nades kindly said, "There’s two options, would you like to hear them?"

Xu Mu fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I could go to Brother Nian’s place, or I could book a room at the neighboring hotel to shower."

"Wow, master, we're on the same wavelength," Nades hypocritically praised. "But it's obvious that the former option is more practical and fits your situation better. After all, if you are afraid of the cold, going back and forth is no different from not taking a shower.”

Xu Mu: "..." Damn, that hit the nail on the head completely.

"You're talking a bit too much, Nades."

"Oh, master, then perhaps you shouldn't go."

"..."

"Alright, while you continue to ponder, I'll go clean up." Nades said.

Xu Mu sat expressionless on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought, but actually pondering:

Should he go or not?

Is it appropriate to go so late at night?

He’s quite tired tonight...

He might disturb Brother Nian.

He wonders what he's doing...

Ah, he still hasn't returned his gloves.

Maybe... he should just go?

An hour later, Xu Mu knocked next door.

"Brother Nian."

"Ah Mu?" Ba Nian was surprised. "What's the matter?"

The tip of his hair was slightly damp, his face was moist from the bath, and there was a tinge of blush around his eyes. 

After putting Ye Ye to bed, he went to take a shower.

"My... my water heater broke down at home, so, um, could I borrow your bathroom to shower?" Xu Mu glanced at him and immediately lowered his eyelids.

Unconsciously, his gaze fell on Ba Nian's neck.

He found that small black mole again.

Ba Nian's eyelashes fluttered, subtly pausing for a moment.

The water heater broke down...?

"Of course, it's okay if it's not convenient," Xu Mu quickly added.

"It's fine," Ba Nian promptly replied, turning to the side and gesturing with his hand. "Come in."

Xu Mu was also very reserved. "Hmm, thank you, Brother Nian."

Silence spread, with Ba Nian following behind, his emotions fluctuating.

Taking a shower in someone else's bathroom...

Perhaps because he had lied before, he was suspicious.

He strangely thought: Is the water heater really broken?

Or is it just an excuse for Ah Mu to come over?

The former wouldn't be a big deal, but the latter—

It inexplicably made him feel delighted.

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