Chapter 53: 44.2

Mu Mu’er rubs his eyes as he heads downstairs slowly. He looks a little lost and drowsy, and mumbles “Yaoyao…” about halfway down.

Then he notices Qi Ya by the door, and freezes up. His eyes widen.

He’s not used to seeing strangers in the restaurant this early in the morning when the restaurant is only open for four hours every evening. He looks a little frightened, and looks about to turn around and hide upstairs.

Qi Ya looks about as tall as Bai Yao is, making him mucher taller than Mu Mu’er. He knows he can’t win against him almost immediately.

Flight if he cannot fight is a habit he’s drilled into his body over the years.

“Mu’er, it’s ok!” Bai Yao calls out to Mu Mu’er when he sees him like this, and gestures, “come down here.”

Mu Mu’er stops, and looks at Bai Yao standing next to Qi Ya, then thinks for a moment before going downstairs and stands next to Bai Yao, half hiding behind him, observing Qi Ya from a distance.

The most notable feature to him is Qi Ya’s hair. It’s dark. Very, very dark, the kind that would not appear brown even under direct sunlight. It’s truly an example of ink-coloured hair.

After observing, Mu Mu’er feels that Qi Ya looks handsome and bright. Not as good as Bai Yao, but he also doesn’t look like he’s a bad person.

Qi Ya can see how fidgety and uncomfortable Mu Mu’er is, so it is only after a while that he is able to squeeze out a ‘greetings.’

Mu Mu’er doesn’t know what this much fancier word means, at least not when he’s barely awake and sleepy.

“This is Mu Mu’er,” Bai Yao introduces.

“Uh, hello…” Qi Ya nods.

The boy looks clean, like the snow he saw atop the glacial mountain peaks. His skin is white, with eyes bright and reflective like those of does. Qi Ya has never seen a man as good-looking.

He’s not tall, about 1.7 metres or so? He’s also a bit bony, and can trigger protectiveness.

He’s pretty. He shouldn’t describe a man as ‘pretty,’ but Qi Ya has no other word he knows. It’s like all the other descriptions fall short. He’s pretty, pretty and pure.

Could it really be possible that such a pretty man exists? Qi Ya can’t help but want to make friends.

Bai Yao suspects Qi Ya’s brain is filled with nothing but vapid matter right now, and reminds him, “he’s not human.”

“Huh? Wh… what in the?” Qi Ya finally gets his senses in order and he smells, then asks, unsure, “otter?”

“… A sea otter,” Bai Yao rolls his eyes at him, “and you said you were a what?”

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“Hey! I work with highland and mountain animals! Since when do sea otters live on mountains?”

Bai Yao ignores him, and holds Mu Mu’er’s hand to bring him forward more. He whispers an introduction, “this is a bird; my friend.”

Then he adds with a chuckle, “Mu’er, want to see him fly?”

Qi Ya “…?!”

Bai Yao watches Qi Ya’s face turn pale then green with amusement. Then he speaks with a normal volume once more, “he’s six years older than you. You can call him Qi-ge.”

Mu Mu’er only manages to greet him after some time, his tone still a little shaky, “… Qi-ge.”

“Ey!” Qi Ya responds by reflex in his typical manner, with a rather craftily shifting tone in the end.

Bai Yao slams him on the head and starts walking back upstairs, “he’s easily scared. It’s your ass on the line if you tease him too much, got it?”

On the second floor, Bai Yao lets Qi Ya sit wherever, while going to grab some cups and drink. Mu Mu’er has fallen in love with freshly squeezed fruit juice and has come to dislike plain water now, so Bai Yao makes juices often. He takes the remaining passion fruit juice made yesterday out from the fridge.

Around the table, Mu Mu’er immediately shifts his way next to Bai Yao, gluing him with his Yaoyao, and only feels safe after.

Qi Ya sits opposite them, eyeing them with slight suspicion. He knows better than to ask though.

They’re definitely not ‘friends with benefits,’ but he’s not exactly sure what’s going on between them either.

Mu Mu’er’s attention is entirely drawn to the passion fruit juice. He holds the glass of juice Bai Yao poured for him in his hands, and stares at the seeds inside, thinking.

No one may ever know that he’s thinking about taking these seeds to add to his personal collection in his little armpit pocket.

Even though Qi Ya can see that Mu Mu’er isn’t listening to them, he still doesn’t feel comfortable enough to ask Bai Yao about him. While occasionally giving him the curious glance, he continues on with his topic du jour – snow leopards. Qi Ya normally doesn’t talk much about his work with Bai Yao, but since his topic was his species this time, Qi Ya thought Bai Yao would be interested.

“I lived exactly like a snow leopard for more than a month,” Qi Ya then starts to complain, “now I can’t look at mountain goats without feeling an urge to pounce, or I’d be shaming Master Calley.”
“Calley’s litter is truly adorable. They’re healthy, and I kept wondering if you looked as cute when you were young,” Qi Ya’s lip curl into a smile, “I really wanna pet a real one.”

Calley is the name their conservation agency gave the female snow leopard. She gave birth to little snow leopard cubs without incident before Qi Ya returned.

Qi Ya leans forward and gives Bai Yao a meaningful wink, “won’t you transform for me to see, eh? I have never seen what a snow leopard looks like up close. I won’t do a thing, just pet, and study.”

Bai Yao raises his brow, and does not deny him outright, “sure, if you also turn into a crow for me to pluck with your feathers and play.”

“…”

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