CH 52.1

Do You Not Remember Older Brother?

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

When heading downstairs, Bai Yao can feel Mu Mu’er’s breath hastening. By the time they’re downstairs, he’s gasping. His body is tense.

He hides right behind Bai Yao. When Bai Yao walks, so does he; when Bai Yao stops, he steps right into his shadow and reveals nothing.

Mu Yi has been glancing behind Bai Yao since they came downstairs, looking at Mu Mu’er, who becomes even more uncomfortable.

For his sake, Bai Yao doesn’t walk too close to Mu Yi, but stays a few steps away, holding Mu Mu’er’s hand tightly, while fighting the urge to simply embrace him.

Mu Yi can see Mu Mu’er’s distance from him. He asks quietly, “Mu’er, do you not remember your older brother anymore?”

Mu Mu’er doesn’t answer, or even so much as look, but instead, calls out to Bai Yao with a meek voice.

Given the circumstances, Bai Yao can’t just hug either. Still, his chest tightens at the call. It’s painful. He squeezes Mu Mu’er’s hand a little to reassure him that he’s here, and will be here for him, always.

Without a direct response from Bai Yao, Mu Mu’er lowers his head a little more in disappointment. The silence lasts for a while before he answers, “Mu’er remembers. Older brother doesn’t want Mu’er anymore.”

“Of course not…”

But Mu Yi couldn’t finish. Mu Mu’er adds, “gege said Mu’er was wrong, and told Mu’er to leave… Mu’er did.”

Bai Yao has never heard Mu’er interrupt someone before. Mu Mu’er is very gentle and polite, and always waits until someone is finished before speaking.

Mu Yi, meanwhile, is knitting his brow, and turns to ask Bai Yao, “what happened to him? Why is he…”

Bai Yao raises his brow, “what do you mean ‘what happened’?”

Before Mu Yi can answer, Mu Mu’er tugs at Bai Yao’s clothes again. He doesn’t speak, but it’s clear he’s unhappy; a distressed kind of unhappy, like he’s been wrongly accused.

He discreetly moves Mu Mu’er behind him a little more, so that Mu Yi’s gaze is blocked once more.

Bai Yao doesn’t know what happened between them, or if Mu Mu’er is actually scared of him. He just knows that, Mu Mu’er doesn’t like him. That’s all the reason he needs to protect him from the man.

Mu Yi can see what Bai Yao did quite clearly, and his expression turns rather chilly. His hands tighten into fists.

Bai Yao is worried about a scuffle, when suddenly, Mu Yi relents and loosens up.

“Six years ago, when he was thirteen, we had an argument,” Mu Yi speaks quite slowly; his gaze is not on Bai Yao at all, “he did not come back that night, or the next day. I’ve been looking for him all this time, but it was like he was wiped away from the world entirely. There wasn’t any trace of him.”

“These years… how has he been?”

Bai Yao is gritting his teeth more and more tightly at the startling revelation.

Only Mu Mu’er knows exactly how terrible his life has been.

He thought that Mu Mu’er had a home even if he spent most of his time in the oceans. He thought he at least knew where his home was. Maybe he just ran away from home; only now is it revealed, without a doubt, that he couldn’t find his way home anymore. He didn’t even have the opportunity to return.

Bai Yao wants to question Mu Yi. Why did he not search further out? How could he have possibly left Mu Mu’er to wander this world for so long, from thirteen to nineteen. Six whole years.

Yet, he does not have the right to. The words get stuck in his throat. They’re choking him.

In the end, he can only say, “I do not know. I only met him two months ago.”

Mu Yi’s expression grows even colder. He rises from the chair, and heads straight for Mu Mu’er.

Bai Yao takes a step forward to block Mu Yi’s way; the man looks at Bai Yao.

Neither speaks. Mu Yi remains silent for a long time, seemingly in thought, before firmly stating, “I have to take him with me.”

Oddly enough, Bai Yao finds himself burning with ire at the command.

He isn’t sure what he’s feeling, but he knows he’s deeply pissed off. Like having cotton stuffed into his chest in the midsummer heat. He can’t breathe.

With his face stiffened and his fists tightened in dissatisfaction, he has to grit his teeth once more so as not to say or do anything he’d regret.

And it’s time he prepped for the restaurant, too. He turns around to go to the kitchen, and says, uncompromising, “the restaurant is going to be busy. I have to get to work, and I’d appreciate if you excused us.”

Mu Yi looks around for the first time since entering, observing the decoration and chairs and tables around, and seems to realise for the first time that this is a restaurant.

Bai Yao has decorated his restaurant warmly and comfortably. This softens Mu Yi’s expression a little, and he raises his chin at a booth seat in the corner, “can I wait here then?”

“If you want to. I can’t stop you coming and going into the restaurant.”

Mu Mu’er immediately follows after Bai Yao like he’s his shadow, and heads straight for the kitchen.

When they pass close to Mu Yi, Mu Mu’er reflexively shudders, and clamps onto Bai Yao’s clothes. He clings to Bai Yao with desperation.

In the kitchen, Bai Yao crosses his arms in front of the counter, observing Mu Yi from behind the door. He’s going to prep, he says, but he isn’t moving at all in the kitchen. He merely stands with furrowed brows.

The problem isn’t the fact that Mu Mu’er has his family, but clearly, Mu Mu’er is not too welcoming of his older brother. This frustrates him. He knows how sensitive Mu Mu’er’s personality is, and he would not understand topics that are much too complicated.

“Yaoyao…”

Mu Mu’er pulls Bai Yao’s fingers a little. Bai Yao snaps back to reality.

“Is Yaoyao angry?” Mu Mu’er doesn’t know what Bai Yao is thinking about, and in his simple mind, Bai Yao is unhappy when he does not speak or do anything.

He’s also meek in personality, so he always assume it was his fault whenever Bai Yao acts like this. He starts showing Bai Yao his puppy eyes in response, and holds Bai Yao’s hand, shaking it a little.

Bai Yao sighs, and holds Mu Mu’er’s hand in response, squeezing a little for reassurance, “I’m not angry. I’m just thinking.”

In order to distract Mu Mu’er, Bai Yao opens a drawer to reveal some chocolate.

Seashell-shaped chocolate, with white, milk and caramel varieties. They’re all pretty sweet and smooth in texture. Mu Mu’er loves them.

Normally, he can eat a whole box, and he can always find them wherever Bai Yao hides them, and end up finishing half a box before Bai Yao got to him. Bai Yao actually poked him on the forehead and asked if he was a puppy after the third box of chocolates was finished this way. What a nose Mu Mu’er has.

However, Mu Mu’er is clearly not very enthusiastic today. He doesn’t eat the chocolate, but picks a few pieces of the chocolate whose shape he likes, and plays with them, instead of dropping them in his mouth immediately.

Bai Yao also wants to spend time with him and be there for him, but he also has to run the restaurant. He turns on the faucet to wash his hands, while keeping an eye on Mu Mu’er every so often.