The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 64

 

TGMNDIAR - 64

The snow was still falling, the outside world merged into one, all they could see was a vast expanse of white.

There were few figures on the street, only the lights in every household were bright, like flames in the winter.

This weekend, Xu Mu and Bai Nian really stayed at home without going out.

Except for watching movies every day, they found various reasons to stick together.

"Why does Ye Ye have homework on weekends?" Xu Mu clicked his tongue lightly, "He's only three years old, and the homework is basically done by the parents."

Bai Nian also nodded, putting a new puzzle piece into the frame, "It's indeed a bit difficult for Ye Ye."

Xu Mu blinked, "It's not that difficult, just 'listen to words, assemble maps,' it's just time-consuming."

Bai Nian also said, "Ye Ye's development is relatively slow, and his vocabulary is also poor due to... some neural stimulation before."

"Why does he always call everyone 'Daddy' then?"

Bai Nian sighed, "We consulted a doctor, who said it's a self-defense mechanism, he doesn't want to get to know new people. We tried intervention, but the effect wasn't good. The doctor said we can only wait for him to grow up and recover by himself."

Xu Mu frowned, "I see."

"Yeah," Bai Nian said, "But ever since we moved in with him, the situation has improved a lot. Now he can call his 'Ah Lan' brother, and he basically doesn't call strangers 'Daddy' anymore, and he's willing to call people when he gets to know them a little."

Xu Mu was taken aback, "Then when he calls me..."

Bai Nian smiled faintly, "It became your exclusive title."

Xu Mu was pleasantly flattered.

"Ye Ye really likes you. You almost play with him every day, and he can feel your love, and he's become much more cheerful." Bai Nian paused for a moment, "Sometimes when you have a little temper with him, he'll say 'go away' in his mouth, but if you really leave, he'll run back to his little room and mumble to himself."

Xu Mu scratched his head, "Ah, is that so? Then should I..."

"It’s fine, just maintain the current status quo," Bai Nian also patted his head, "Actually, as long as you talk to him the next day, he will forgive you in his heart."

"I didn't notice that."

"Ye Ye is lively when he wants to be, but quiet when he doesn't feel like talking, so it's not easy to tell."

"Mmm..." Xu Mu hugged Bai Nian from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, "I know now."

Bai Nian smiled and continued to do puzzles and drawings.

The heater blew warm air gently, making everything cozy. Wrapped in a soft blanket, with the person he loved in his arms—

Xu Mu squinted comfortably.

Life would be so good if one didn't have to work.

"Then don't work," Bai Nian said with a smile, "Ah Mu, I'll support you, how about that?"

Xu Mu: "..." Why did his mouth blurt his thoughts so easily?

"I, I'd rather not. People should have their own work and strive for it. They should manage their own lives—"

He paused.

After a while, Xu Mu finally managed to say, "Strive."

Bai Nian couldn't help but chuckle, "Okay, strive on your own."

"Oh, I haven't asked you yet, was the signing smooth that day?"

"Smooth," Xu Mu kissed his ear, "It's an S-level contract from the association, signed for about five years, with a decent profit split. And if we reach a certain monthly traffic line, there's also something like a perfect attendance bonus."

He said slowly, not stopping his hands from touching—tail, waist, thigh, he was completely treating Bai Nian body as his mimicry.

"Alright, as long as you're confident." Bai Nian pondered for a moment, "I looked into the mechanism of the Federal Conservation Center before. Every citizen needs to repay a certain nurturing fee after reaching adulthood, with monthly repayments. There are special circumstances allowing a three-month extension and a reduced repayment rate."

He said tactfully, "Ah Mu, don't feel pressured about our future. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me for help."

Xu Mu was stunned for a few seconds before saying, "Oh, I don't have any difficulties."

"Really?"

"Really. I've earned quite a bit from live streaming recently, and a few days ago, I withdrew a lot of money at the association." Xu Mu whispered beside his ear, "I've paid about sixty percent of the nurturing fee, and I still have some money left. After all, I can't have empty pockets. With my upcoming live streams, it'll be easy to pay off the rest."

Bai Nian gently touched his lips with his own, saying softly, "Okay."

"Brother Nian, you have to believe in me. Although there seems to be a big age difference between us... well, just superficially, it's not really the case. It doesn't feel like we're that different. Of course, you might think I've just come of age and not very reliable..."

"But, I'm already a real man, I can earn money, I can support you..." Xu Mu moved aside his clothes, his hand moving downward, saying softly, "Of course, I'm not saying someone has to support someone else, or that someone is subordinate to another, it's just—"

"You can rely on me too, I'm quite dependable." He said seriously, "Even if you think there's something unreliable about me, just tell me, I'll improve."

Xu Mu had always been responsible for himself in his past life, and his attitude towards the future was mostly free-spirited. Sometimes, when he thought too much, he'd strain himself and work hard, and sometimes when he felt tired, he'd just want to lie low.

He kept changing between being mediocre and striving.

But now—

"I am in it for a lifetime, Brother Nian." Xu Mu kissed his cheek again, smooth and slippery, unable to resist taking a few more pecks.

"We can adjust little by little, and in the end, the way we get along will definitely be the most suitable." 

Bai Nian's eyelashes gently fell, "Mmm."

He didn't avoid it, leaning back against Xu Mu's chest, slightly curling his knees.

Xu Mu slowly kissed his neck, his nose filled with the other's breath, it smelled so good that he felt dizzy.

Even though they had hardly been apart these past few days, his heart couldn't help but beat faster.

Thump, thump.

The warmth of the blanket kept the temperature constant, but the heat kept rising.

The corner of Bai Nian's eyes turned slightly red.

Xu Mu pressed closely against the other's cheek, his arm tightening, his fingers curling slightly.

Bai Nian also chuckled briefly.

"What's wrong..." Xu Mu's voice became low.

Bai Nian tilted his head back, the veins on his neck slightly bulging, his Adam's apple rolling lightly.

"You've really become a man." He said with a sticky tone, almost like his tongue was rolled up.

Xu Mu hesitated, awkwardly clearing his throat.

He felt a bit guilty, "Brother Nian..."

Bai Nian's eyelids drooped, his eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.

His breath brushed against Xu Mu's ear, "Did you not exercise today?"

"Ah, no." Xu Mu replied a beat slower.

Bai Nian gently placed his hand on Xu Mu's wrist, softly saying, "It's almost three o'clock, you should go exercise."

"...”  Xu Mu reluctantly said. ”Okay.”

"Don't give up halfway," Bai Nian also said softly, "Do you remember what you said? In the future, when you do push-ups, I can sit on your back, while you do a hundred without a problem."

Xu Mu: "...” What he said about fitness, it's all nonsense.

"What, you can't do it?" Bai Nian also asked lightly, "Is it impossible? It's just push-ups, your arms shouldn't lack muscles, your core strength should be enough, and your shoulders should be able to go down and up, right?"

Xu Mu was immediately provoked, Xu Mu said, "Who said I can't do it? It’s just push-ups!"

Bai Nian also smiled and kissed his chin, "I'm not light..."

Xu Mu immediately lifted him up, holding him in the air for a few seconds, "Normally, I felt you were too light last night, you were not heavy enough to hold. You should eat more meat usually, not just vegetables."

"It’s the habit of herbivores," Bai Nian lazily replied.

"Oh," Xu Mu muttered, "You just have more meat on the butt—"

Bai Nian gave him a sideways glance, his ears flicking as he lightly slapped Xu Mu's mouth.

Xu Mu fell silent.

"...Alright, go exercise and strive to let me sit on your back soon and watch you do push-ups." Bai Nian's eyes were misty, he pushed Xu Mu's hand.

"Mm."

"I still need to help Ye ye with his weekend homework."

"Mm."

"Do you have class tomorrow morning?"

Xu Mu looked up, "No, classes are basically over, just the final exams left."

Bai Nian also smiled gently, "I plan to take the morning off tomorrow."

"...Why?" 

"I need to handle Ye Ye's ID issue and take him there. So, I can afford to wake up a little later, Ye Ye too, at least before nine."

"Oh..." Xu Mu squeezed his hands, pinching his fingertips.

The warm air from the heater shifted direction, causing the corner of Bai Nian's eyes to become crimson.

He said, "Just 'oh'?"

Xu Mu kissed his nose, "Ye Ye needs to wake up early, let's make sure he sleeps early tonight."

"Okay." Bai Nian lowered his eyes, his knees curled to the side, coaxing him, "Ah Mu, be good."

Xu Mu grunted, getting up decisively, "I'm going to exercise."

He wiped the white cotton cloth casually and put it away, then found a new one for the other person.

Bai Nian shook his head.

Xu Mu paused, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.

"Not suitable?"

"..."

"Don't want to wear it?"

"..."

"Brother Nian?" Xu Mu worriedly leaned closer, their foreheads touching.

Bai Nian turned his face away, but didn't intentionally move away.

He glanced at him, "You're so restless, why treat it like clay(tail)? You squeezed it so hard..."

Xu Mu looked guilty.

Bai Nian also seemed annoyed, hooking Xu Mu's hand. Xu Mu's eyebrows jumped, but he immediately leaned his face over.

Bai Nian also pinched Xu Mu's cheeks, mimicking his strength, and exerted force to twist them.

"Come on, smile."

Xu Mu's eyebrows furrowed, trying hard to smile, but it looked twisted.

Bai Nian's hand paused, and he ended up feeling sorry for him.

He caressed Xu Mu's cheeks, "Won't you hide?"

Xu Mu took a deep breath, "No need to hide, it's nothing."

Bai Nian also hooked his lips and lay back down.

He tucked himself under the blanket.

His fluffy ears drooped, hanging on the side of his face.

The blanket was soft, and he couldn't help but rub his chin against it.

The sour and tingling sensation finally subsided.

Xu Mu touched his nose, "Brother Nian, it's all my fault."

Bai Nian didn't respond.

Xu Mu left on his own. Just as the door closed, he suddenly heard Bai Nian say —

"It's not your fault, but... I prefer men who are gentler."

---

Xu Mu's livestream was back on track, but things on the black ball side were a mess.

He didn't know if the problem lay with the other person's communication skills or if it were just plain stupid.

The things they did really surprised Xu Mu.

"Say it again, what did you say to the protagonist?"

"Wuwuwu, are you deaf? You always make me repeat myself, can't you listen carefully? I said it was so hard... wuwuwu..."

On the screen, a black-haired handsome youth cried messily, with snot and tears streaming down, looking extremely pitiful.

Xu Mu got a headache from the noise, pressing his temple, "Stop crying, and can you change your voice? The previous robotic voice was fine, wasn't it?"

"I can't, changing it back will cost achievements points."

"...Fine."

The little black ball wiped away his tears, "How could the protagonist be so heartless? I confessed my love to him, sympathized with him, shouldn't he treat me differently?"

"Don't misuse idioms."

"Wuwuwu, I even used the 'injury as a ruse' strategy, deliberately got hit by a car for him, it hurt so much... How many achievements did I spend, my seventy-eight strawberry-flavored batteries wuwuwu..."

"Got hit by a car?" Xu Mu paused, squinting, "According to the plot, he should be hospitalized with a leg injury during this time, unable to walk for at least a month. Originally, he wasn't supposed to arrive on planet Weide until four years later, but now it's been moved up so much—"

The little black ball felt guilty, scratching his face, "Oh, I didn't expect the plot to change so quickly, just a small change, really, I didn't mean to..."

He spoke softer and softer, no longer daring to look Xu Mu in the eye.

Xu Mu sneered, "You really have no brains."

The little black ball was displeased, "Robots don't have brains to begin with... It was my analysis system that made a mistake. I'll spend more achievements points next time... You, you, you, you don't look at me like that, I have already learned his lesson, what more do you want!"

Xu Mu couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

"In the future, it's best to let me know what you're planning to do."

"Got it..."

The little black ball looked listless, then suddenly leaned forward, "Oh, these days, the protagonist gong has been going to find the protagonist shou!"

Xu Mu frowned, "And then?"

Ugh, the persistent idiot!

No wonder these days, Brother Nian seemed increasingly irritable. Even at night, when they do that, he kicks his legs harder and scratches more fiercely.

"When the protagonist shou ignores him, and the protagonist gong refuses to leave. I appear at a critical moment and persuade the protagonist to leave. Impressive, right?"

Xu Mu was skeptical, "You?"

The little black ball puffed up his chest, "Yes, me. What's wrong?"

Xu Mu said, "...I'm not quite convinced."

The little black ball's face fell, "Hey, what do you mean?"

"How will you persuade him?"

"Appeal to his emotions, reason with him."

"...Tell the truth."

"Fine, I'll go up and pull him away. The protagonist gong usually pushes me away, then I pretend to be in pain, pretending that my previously injured leg can't bear weight, falling to the ground, then I cry, the louder the better, preferably with everyone around seeing it. Then they gather around, I take the opportunity to grab his leg, and the protagonist gong usually can't leave then and dares not to be harsh on me."

"At that point, I just have to shamelessly follow along, and the protagonist gong can only grit his teeth and take me to the aircraft, then go to the hospital for a check-up."

Xu Mu looked at the little black ball with surprise and complexity.

"Every time?"

"Ah? Not every time, just occasionally when I cry particularly loudly..." The little black ball huffed, "That bastard protagonist gong, he really puts force into kicking me. It makes me have to spend achievements points to exchange for painkillers in advance every time, it's expensive! If it weren't for the emotional energy from the protagonist gong keeping me going, I'd be broke!"

He said happily, "Hey, what have you guys been up to lately? There's so much emotional energy on the protagonist shou’s side, I can't even absorb it all!"

Xu Mu's expression wasn't good from the start, and now it was even worse.

"The protagonist gong kicks you every day?"

The little black ball held a strawberry-flavored battery block in his hand, and as he spoke, he made a "click" sound, with a happy smile on his face.

"Huh? Not every day, mainly when he goes to find the protagonist shou, and I have to pull him away. At this time, the protagonist shou will take the opportunity to run away, and when he tries to chase after him, I won't let him go, so he kicks me."

"During that time, as long as I cry loudly, he won't leave." The little blackball said proudly, "I can predict it now. Before he kicks me, I scream in advance, which scares him."

Xu Mu: "..."

Indeed, there's a barrier between humans and robots.

Although he didn't understand what the little black ball was proud of, since the other seemed to be enjoying it, he didn't say anything.

"Okay, just be careful. Don't let—," he paused, "Now that the protagonist gong is coming here in advance, if he tries to do anything illegal or immoral, like kidnapping, you stop him immediately. If you can't stop him, call the police, then call me."

The little black ball swallowed the last bit of battery, "Got it."

"But now that the timeline is advanced, the protagonist gong doesn't have that much power yet. His grandfather hasn't died, his brother hasn't had any trouble, and the family's power hasn't been obtained yet."

Xu Mu pondered, "So, you mean there are people above him, like his grandfather, his brother?"

"Exactly!"

Xu Mu tapped the tabletop with curved fingers, lost in thought.

The strict old-style family hierarchy…

…

Fuxin Architectural Design Firm

"Master Qi, please don't follow me," Bai Nian said coldly.

Qi Xinyue couldn't accept it, "Brother Bai, I just want to see you and  invite you to dinner. At that time, my mother—"

Bai Nian said lightly, "I think Mrs. Qi doesn't want me to meet with you."

Qi Xinyue gritted his teeth, "Don't mind her! I don't agree with what she's doing at all, she's just going crazy. If you're worried about that, I assure you—"

"Master Qi." Bai Nian frowned, distancing himself, "There's no connection between you and me. What happens between you and Mrs. Qi has nothing to do with me. At the same time, you don't need to assure me of anything."

Qi Xinyue looked at Bai Nian with sadness, "Brother Bai..."

Bai Nian didn't want to waste words, "Okay, please don't disturb me at my workplace every day. I don't want Mrs. Qi to take my job again."

Qi Xinyue still wanted to say something, but suddenly there came a mournful cry from behind.

"Qi, Xinyue..." A black-haired youth appeared out of nowhere, tearfully hugging Qi Xinyue's arm, "I miss you so much."

Bai Nian felt relieved in his heart, finally he could get away.

Every time this youth appeared, he would hold Qi Xinyue back.

Bai Nian discreetly stepped back and quickly left.

Qi Xinyue couldn't catch up after being dragged by the person, he angrily glared at the youth, "Let go!"

The little black ball didn't let go, he had a stubborn look on his face.

But inside, he was savoring the emotional energy he had just absorbed.

Hehe, so many achievement points, he'd treat himself to a limited edition matcha-flavored battery tonight.

"Karl!" Qi Xinyue was furious and raised his foot to kick.

The little black ball anticipated this, suddenly fell to the ground, and began to scream, with tears streaming down.

"Wuwuwu... it hurts so much... Is my leg going to be useless... Wuwuwu it hurts so much..."

Qi Xinyue froze, taking a deep breath.

Did he... actually kick him?

He doubted that the other was pretending, but seeing the youth crying miserably, he couldn't just walk away.

"Alright, I'll take you to the hospital."

"I can't walk... Carry me."

"..."

"Wuwuwu it hurts so much..."

Qi Xinyue became irritable, "Fine, fine, I'll carry you!"

...

"Brother Nian, I'm back!" Xu Mu came back relatively late today, delayed by some matters, and as a result, he was late to pick up Ye Ye from the kindergarten.

Fortunately, Ye Ye was very well-behaved, not crying or making a fuss, patiently waiting.

The robotic arms in the entrance hall were already skillfully reaching out to take Ye Ye.

The floating lamps in the living room were on, and there were several cold dishes on the dining table.

"Nades... yogurt!" Ye Ye's chubby little hand waved.

Nades said, "Alright, young master, I've prepared the blueberry yogurt, I just waiting for you to come back."

Ye Ye clapped his hands happily, "Let's go!"

"Master, I'll take the young master to eat first."

"Okay, go ahead."

"What about you?"

"I'm not hungry, I drank the nutrient solution."

"Understood."

Xu Mu wandered around the living room and kitchen, but didn't see anyone.

"Kadou, have you seen Brother Nian?"

"Master should be in his room."

Xu Mu went to the room to check, but still didn't find anyone.

He wondered if Brother Nian had changed form, so he turned over the blankets, opened the wardrobe, and searched everywhere, but there was no sign of him.

"Brother Nian...? Are you there? Brother Nian?..."

No one answered.

Suddenly, he noticed a few strands of light coming from the usually unused small room.

Xu Mu pushed open the door, not expecting much.

"Brother Nian?"

He received a low response.

It was the sound of a lop-eared rabbit.

Surprised, Xu Mu brightened the room's floating lamp.

"Brother Nian, are you..." 

The cream-colored lop-eared rabbit was lying in the cage Xu Mu had bought earlier, with a nest of fluff underneath it, looking lethargic. 

As Xu Mu approached, he noticed it was his collection box for fur. 

He opened the cage and lifted the lop-eared rabbit, but was met with vigorous resistance. 

Xu Mu held it tighter, cradling it carefully in his arms. 

He gently kissed the lop-eared rabbit, from its ears, head, face, and finally its belly. 

One hand lightly stroked the rabbit's back. 

"Hey, Brother Nian, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" 

The lop-eared rabbit went from being excited to calm, lying obediently in Xu Mu's hands. 

Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief, but became more worried. 

He kissed its belly, massaged it gently, and rubbed his chin against it. 

"Brother Nian, are you feeling upset? Or..." 

"Gurgle," a very faint sound. 

Xu Mu suddenly stopped. 

He looked up blankly, lips brushing against something warm. 

He instinctively stuck out his tongue. 

Why... why does it taste like... milk?

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