The Gentle Man Next Door is a Rabbit - 89

 

TGMNDIAR - 89 | Final Main Line Extra

 Recently, Xu Mu has been thinking more and more about retiring, live streaming for three days of fishing and resting for two days. 

Old fans are disappointed, criticizing him for not striving for progress, fearing that this former wave will be washed away by the next. 

In response, Xu Mu said, "It doesn't matter. A man who has a family should prioritize his family. Oh, by the way, did you see the new ring on my finger? It was an anniversary gift from my wife a few days ago. Isn't it nice? Shiny, right? Hehe, and he designed it himself..."

Xu Mu is quite introverted and doesn't like going out much, except when he goes to pick up Bai Nian after work, he is particularly active and makes sure to shine himself up.

Oh, and Xu Mu has developed a habit of buying flowers when he goes out. Because he knows that Bai Nian really likes them, he often carefully arranges the bouquets he receives in a vase and turns them into bookmarks when they wither.

In the winter, Xu Mu developed a hobby: sunbathing on the balcony with Bai Nian. 

Usually, he holds the floppy-eared rabbit, giving it kisses and affection.

If Bai Nian is too busy with work and always working overtime, Xu Mu will volunteer to help. 

After all, he studied architecture for a few years and has some knowledge, but he always ends up making things worse.

 Xu Mu apologizes with guilt, "I'm sorry, Brother Nian." 

Bai Nian doesn't mind too much, he just gently patting his head and saying, "It's okay, you've given me a lot of inspiration."

Xu Mu doesn't have many contacts outside of his online fanbase. He rarely meets friends offline for activities or meals. 

Luo Haoyu and the others are more proactive in inviting him to various places, but Xu Mu rarely agrees, always making excuses about being busy.

Of course, they still meet a few times a year. But he has to bring Bai Nian along, and if the other party isn't available, then he won't go.

There were several times when Xu Mu stayed up all night playing games and accidentally fall asleep, and when he woke up, he found himself in bed. 

As he lowered his head, Bai Nian was in his arms. He felt at ease, closed his eyes, tightened his arms around Bai Nian's warm neck, and continued sleeping.

 Xu Mu: "Didn't I fall asleep in the study last night?"

 Bai Nian: "Ah, yes."

 

Xu Mu: "I woke up lying in bed."

 

Bai Nian: "Yes, I was afraid you'd catch a cold, so I carried you to bed."

Xu Mu: "..." 

Bai Nian: "What's wrong?"

Xu Mu: "... p-princess carry?"

Bai Nian: "You wanted a princess carry? I carried you like I used to carry Ye Ye when he was little. Honestly, you're pretty heavy."

Xu Mu: "No no no, I don't want that!"

Bai Nian: "Haha... okay."

Xu Mu increasingly liked to make himself look more mature, because he found that Bai Nian was too sensitive about the word "old". 

Although the latter always concealed it well, Xu Mu always focused on him and couldn't help but notice.

"Ah Mu, come back," Bai Nian called out to the man who was leaving the room.

"Hmm?" Xu Mu turned back. "What's up?"

"Why have you been dressing... so old-fashioned lately?" Bai Nian hesitated.

Xu Mu raised his head, adjusted his collar and said in a resounding voice—

"It's the demeanor of a mature gentleman," Xu Mu replied.

Every morning, the first thing Xu Mu says upon waking up is "Brother Nian...". 

He would receive a gentle kiss on the forehead in response.

Xu Mu discovered something quite miraculous. If he liked a certain dessert video online, the next day he would be able to eat the exact same thing.

Xu Mu mentioned this during a live chat.

 

【??? Are you teasing us single dogs???】

Xu Mu smiled but remained silent.

A few minutes later, he said, "Ah, I'll have some mint matcha cream puffs later, you know, the one that's been trending on StarNet lately..."

【Enough, stop showing off, we know you have a beautiful wife who's good at cooking!!!】

With winter approaching, Xu Mu foolishly opened the window and caught a cold. He didn't realize it at first; instead, it was Bai Nian who noticed first, he asked why his temperature was so high.

"I'm feeling hot...?" Xu Mu was already feeling dizzy from the fever.

Bai Nian checked his temperature, "You have a fever, I'll get you some medicine."

Xu Mu held onto him heavily, not letting him go. He said, "No need, I just need a kiss."

Bai Nian kissed him and got the medicine. But Xu Mu's fever was severe, and the next day he was bedridden, unable to get up.

 

Bai Nian took a day off to take care of him at home.

After just one day, Xu Mu was back on his feet, lively as ever.

But then Bai Nian also had a fever and felt dizzy.

Xu Mu hurriedly went to get some medicine, using the ones he had left over from the morning. 

Bai Nian reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll probably feel better after a good night's sleep."

Xu Mu sighed, "Or... I could give you a kiss and you can pass the virus to me?"

Bai Nian: "..."

For a while, Xu Mu became the man behind a successful man. This was because Bai Nian left his previous agency and started his own boutique design firm. 

When it was first established, the firm had a lot of affairs to deal with, and Bai Nian was busy and stressed, eating nutrient solutions to fill his stomach, staying up late and getting up early, deepening the circles under his eyes.

"You're not eating anything? Not even the nutrient solution?" Xu Mu worried, "You've lost weight, Brother Nian."

Bai Nian was a bit weary, fingers fiddling with his tie, softly saying, "I’m not hungry at the moment."

Seeing this, besides feeling heartache, Xu Mu decided to improve his cooking skills and make a hearty dinner with a homey taste.

Bai Nian was touched and reluctantly ate a bowl — then couldn't resist turning to the trash can to throw up.

Xu Mu was unwilling to accept this and vowed to learn all sorts of cooking skills. He secretly enrolled in cooking classes and asked Nades to assist him, delivering meals regardless of the rain or sun every day.

From then on, everyone at the design firm knew that their boss had a "virtuous wife’," commonly known as the "canary" behind the successful man.

However, during the two months of his livestream hiatus, Xu Mu's fans cried and howled every day, with the highest-rated comment being:

【What's wrong? Did your wife run away and you have to chase after him?】

Xu Mu angrily resumed streaming and clarified, "Nonsense, we're living happily ever after! Our love is as strong as ever!"

Bai Nian's entrepreneurship was very successful. By the end of the year, when the company held its annual meeting, Xu Mu had already been promoted to "boss lady.", who was paused by everyone.

Xu Mu proudly raised his champagne glass and clinked it with Bai Nian, saying, "Look at us, Brother Nian."

Bai Nian chuckled and praised him, "Hmm, great job, you've worked hard during this time."

Xu Mu shook his index finger and leaned in sneakily, "No, what I mean is, your employees all say we're a perfect match!"

…

Ye Ye has grown up, and like any young man, he found himself a boyfriend with tattoos, earrings, and ripped jeans.

Xu Mu could barely contain his smile upon meeting him for the first time.

Bai Nain comforted him, "Oh well, each generation has its own fortune. Just trust Ye Ye."

Xu Mu looked fiercely at Ye Ye, who nervously touched his knee and quietly called out, "Dad."

Xu Mu: "..."

Ah, infuriating!

Ye Ye: "He's in a band, he plays metal rock, it’s super cool!"

Xu Mu: "Just because of that?"

Ye Ye, feeling embarrassed, stuttered for a while, "...mainly because he's handsome."

Xu Mu snorted and began to doubt his judgment.

Ye Ye earnestly said, "Maybe he's not one percent as handsome as Dad, but he's the closest I can find in the world!"

Xu Mu: "..."

Xu Mu wasn't buying it and replied coolly, "Are men in the world extinct? Is he the last of a rare species?"

Ye Ye dared not look up, he sneaked a glance at Bai Nian.

Bai Nian skillfully patted Xu Mu's head and gently repeated, "Each generation has its own fortune."

Xu Mu made a decision. If he had a time machine, he'd go back, dye his hair blonde, get tattoos, and wear ripped jeans —

And snatch Ye Ye's toys and make him cry, telling him his name was "Feng Yishan" and to dare him to beat him if he had the guts..

Feng Yishan was the blonde guy's name.

Of course, he would also use the time machine to see Bai Nian when he was one year old, two years old, three years old, four years old... Anyway, he wanted to see Bai Nian before he turned thirty-three.

And while he's at it, take some pictures of his wife. It would be even better if he could capture a photo of the young version of him with droopy ears.

Ah, just thinking about it is perfect!

Bai Nian asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Mu blinked, immediately concealing his smile. "I'm not laughing."

Bai Nian pinched his cheek, "Thinking about something good?"

 

Xu Mu: "Guess."

Bai Nian: "Is it about me?"

Xu Mu was shocked.

Bai Nian: "You're curious about how I knew, right?"

Xu Mu was shocked again.

Bai Nian smiled, leaned in, and Xu Mu perked up his ears, looking serious — he heard Bai Nian gently say, "Well, I'm not telling you."

Bai Nian always thought Xu Mu was adorable, he could see right through him. 

His feelings of anger, sadness, happiness — are clearer than a glass jar.

Bai Nian enjoys being hugged from behind by Xu Mu, and have sweet words whispered in his ear, complimented on his looks, and being playfully teased by Xu Mu. 

Bai Nian knows that Xu Mu likes his legs, so at home, he particularly likes to wear only a loose T-shirt that reaches his thighs or find one of Xu Mu's shirts. 

Oh, and he also has to show his tail and ears. 

Bai Nian and Xu Mu often play role-playing games, like doctor and patient, boss and subordinate... 

But Bai Nian noticed that the plot that Xu Mu never gets tired of playing is — "The Temptation of the Gentleman Next Door." 

…

One Valentine's Day, it happened to be the busiest time for Bai Nian's design firm. 

He had originally freed up time to go on a date with Xu Mu, but an unexpected client issue arose and needed urgent attention. 

With the delay, their afternoon date was canceled. 

Xu Mu messaged him: [It's okay, we still have tonight.] 

Bai Nian felt guilty and pushed himself to work several times faster. 

Finally, he finished everything before five o'clock and prepared to go home. 

As he turned around, he saw snowflakes drifting outside the floor-to-ceiling window. 

Bai Nian's gaze fixed, and he saw a familiar figure — It was Xu Mu. 

Bai Nian called Xu Mu on his optimal brain. 

"Ah Mu, what are you doing?" 

"Me? I'm... um, have you finished work?" 

"Just did." 

"Then I’ll come to pick you up, I was wandering outside anyway." 

Bai Nian watched the figure swaying back and forth outside the office building, his heart shrinking slightly. 

"...Where are you wandering? Isn't it not far from here to pick me up?" 

Xu Mu said casually, "It was just a coincidence, I am only a few hundred meters away, wait for me for a few minutes." 

Bai Nian lowered his eyes, "...Liar." 

"What?" 

"I can see you downstairs."

On the other side, Xu Mu was flustered and almost stumbled into a snowdrift. "I-I was just passing by..." 

"How long were you passing by?" 

“...”

"...Ahem, I'll give you a gift." 

"Don’t change the subject." 

"Do you want it?" 

"Want." 

Xu Mu slowly extended one foot.

Bai Nian's hand pressed against the glass, staring downstairs at Xu Mu without blinking. He watched as the other person walked steadily, bending gracefully, and the snow formed clear lines under his feet. ——It was a big heart. 

Bai Nian's heart pounded irregularly, feeling a bit out of control.

"Can you see it?" Xu Mu asked with a smile. He stood in the middle of the heart, tilting his head back, arms outstretched towards the blurry glass panes, waving desperately. My dear, here's my heart.

Bai Nian pressed his forehead against the glass and softly said, "I love you, Ah Mu."

Xu Mu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately laughed, "Hmm, I love you too, Bainian."

Bai Nian: "You didn't stand downstairs all afternoon, did you?"

Xu Mu: "Of course not. Isn't there a café nearby? I was sitting there all cozy and warm. I just came out to see someone playing in the snow, making little ducks... Tsk, do you think I'm stupid? This is not a TV show where I'm a scumbag who abuses himself for his love?"

Bai Nian: "That's good then."

Xu Mu: "Of course, I—"

Bai Nian: "So you waited all afternoon?"

Xu Mu: "..."

Bai Nian: "You came to pick me up at noon, did you want to give me a surprise?"

Xu Mu: "Ah, that's not important."

The most wonderful feeling, even more so than seeing a loved one, must be the anticipation before seeing them, which can drive one crazy — proud words from married man Xu Mu.

Xu Mu felt the best thing about the orc world was having the average lifespan of over 200 years, and for some, even over 300 years. 

From another perspective, he and Bai Nian were destined for three lifetimes!

Ah, the wind is blowing. Snowflakes are drifting diagonally, chilling his cheeks. 

Xu Mu lowered his head and stole a kiss from Bai Nian's lips. 

Bai Nian smiled and lightly touched Xu Mu's lips in return. 

"It's so cold," Xu Mu complained.

"Then let's hurry home," Bai Nian said, gripping the hand in his pocket.

"Alright," Xu Mu's lips curved up slightly, his hand tightening as well.

The long street left behind winding footprints as they walked into the wind and snow, leaning on each other, accompanying each other forever. 

The End.

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