CH 48.1

He Feels Familiar

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

An hour later, the train arrives at the city.

The train station is much more grand and prosperous than the one in Qiaohai, with many more platforms and people. Also, noise. It’s noisy and chaotic.

Mu Mu’er becomes quite reserved as soon as he alights. He doesn’t look around, and stays close to Bai Yao, sticking onto his arm.

It’s normal he’s nervous being somewhere this lively. Bai Yao does his best to shield Mu Mu’er from the crowds.

There are far more people here than would be gathered in Golden Seashell during its business hours. Mu Mu’er never thought there could be so many people around. Qiaohai was the entire world to him.

Bai Yao holds his hand tightly so they don’t lose each other in the hustle and bustle.

Qi Ya is here quite often, and gets them to the taxi stand soon enough. The queue was long, and it was ten minutes before they got on a taxi.

About twenty minutes north of the city by car is the CBD where Qi Ya booked a hotel close by. They are going to put their luggage down there before planning their next step.

Qi Ya comes from an affluent background, and hasn’t had want for food or clothes, so he generally spends as much as needed to be comfortable, until he hasn’t any to spend.

Not that he’s ever had to deal with having no money to spend, with his wages at the conservation agency actually paying him quite well.

That’s why Bai Yao ends up in a suite in the very best five-star hotel in the city.

On the higher floors, they can watch the most prosperous areas of the city from on high. The large, backlit advertisements in the plaza downstairs are also visible. The room is large, with a well-vacuumed brown carpet on the floor. There is a complimentary box of Belgian chocolate on the well-made bed.

In the room, Mu Mu’er first goes to explore every corner, then at the two attached rooms, until he exits the study with energy visibly drained.

Like a battery on its last legs, after excitedly proclaiming about how large and pretty the room is, and how two sea otters can fit in the bathroom to Bai Yao, Mu Mu’er yawns, then looks towards the bed.

The little battery walks towards the bed and falls right onto it, face-down, with his eyes shut.

While he’s sleepy, Mu Mu’er’s eyes still brighten up at the prospect of chocolate. He nudges forward, until he picks a piece up.

By habit, he extends his arm towards Bai Yao; refused, he then pries the foil open to try it himself.

Then Mu Mu’er can’t help but praise, “it’s sweet.”

He looks at the remaining pieces of chocolate in the box. Bai Yao isn’t looking, so he takes another one, before putting the rest in the pocket on his overall for later.

He doesn’t have a pocket under his armpit anymore, so he’s learned to use the pockets on his clothes and pants.

“What should we do?” Qi Ya, always the active spirit, is already thinking about where to spend the evening. He’s the one looking up where to go and play when he went on trips with Bai Yao in the past, and it’s become a sort of duty of his by now.

“Maybe we can go eat dinner? It might be too early still,” Qi Ya mumbles, “how about a movie?”

Bai Yao is untying Mu Mu’er’s shoes so that he can lie on the bed completely, and so answers after a bit, “never mind that. He probably hasn’t seen a movie in forever. What if it freaks him out?”

“…”

“How about the shooting gallery?” Qi Ya immediately gets a new idea, “we haven’t been since it opened a while back. They say it’s real fun, let’s go?”

“A sea otter shooting a gun? Are you insane?” Bai Yao briefly looks away from Mu Mu’er’s chocolate-induced euphoric state to roll his eyes at Qi Ya.

“Ok, ok. You didn’t have to be so blunt about it,” Qi Ya goes ‘tch’ on the sofa. Hmph.

Then he continues prying his mind for every single possible idea.

“Wanna go drink later?” Meaning after Mu Mu’er is asleep, he and Bai Yao would go have some fun until 2 or 3 in the morning.

The idea of leaving Mu Mu’er in the room alone hasn’t even crossed Bai Yao’s mind, and he refuses without even looking, “‘course not; he can’t drink.”

Qi Ya has a lot he wants to say, but he keeps it to himself. This makes him look like he’s constipated. Quite severely indeed.

Bai Yao eyes him dismissively, “what?”

“Nothing really, but I feel like I’m being a third wheel.”

They didn’t end up going anywhere. The sleepy Mu Mu’er, possibly on his first trip outside in years, couldn’t leave the bed at all now. He just whispers to Bai Yao, telling him he wants to sleep.

Bai Yao orders dinner in the room, and tells Mu Mu’er to finish it first. Mu Mu’er is too tired, and his head is already nodding after a few bites on the chair. So Bai Yao lets him go to shower first, before letting him go to sleep.

Qi Ya is a little dispirited standing by the door. He has to go home by now, “I thought we’d still have some time to hang out.”

Bai Yao pats him on the shoulder, “let’s go after your work is done. Anywhere you want. I’ll go with you.”

“That’s a promise! And take the little sea otter with you, too. He’s too cute to not let see the world.”

Qi Ya then pokes his head out a little towards the room, facing Mu Mu’er, who’s lying on the bed, “bye, pretty boy. Let’s play together next time.”

Mu Mu’er raises his head a little, and blinks at Qi Ya. It takes a moment before he manages to say ‘bye bye.’

“Heh, he really is adorkable,” Qi Ya is just standing there making this dumb smile.

Bai Yao smacks him on the head so that he would leave. Qi Ya waves his hand dismissively, “see ya.”

“Mmhm, stay safe.”