9
Mu Mu’er has come to accept sleeping with boxers, but has also taken to being naked from the torso up.
Bai Yao is sitting doing his accounting by the bedside, and so Mu Mu’er is lying across him, planting his face on his chest, having a nap.
Some time later, the little guy slowly turns his head to stare at Bai Yao’s waist, and then mumble, “tummy, lick.”
Bai Yao chuckles a little, caresses him on the head, and corrects him, pointing his chin at his own muscles, “these are called ‘abs,’ yours is a tummy.”
“Mu’er also has abs!” Mu Mu’er doesn’t know what abs are, actually, but he just know he likes how Bai Yao’s tummy looks, and his own tummy is the same! That’s right!
Bai Yao doesn’t continue the argument destined for nowhere. He does give the boy’s waist a pinch before continuing his calculations.
The little guy gets off after a while. Bai Yao is too busy mired in countless numbers and bills to watch him play by himself, so he only looks after he’s finished – and breaks out guffawing.
Mu Mu’er is lying there on the ground like a turtle flipped onto its shell. He’s revealing his soft white tummy – it’s a good thing he has heating on. Anyway, the little guy is just looking with this bright expression at Bai Yao, giving him a dumb smile.
Finally, he says, “… abs, lick.”
10
‘Puss in Boots’ truly left an impression in Mu Mu’er’s mind.
He is still longing for a cat after weeks, Bai Yao’s attempts to pacify him ineffective.
They have some alone time before sleeping every night on the bed, which is when Mu Mu’er has now put to good use appealing to Bai Yao about how much he wants a cat. To be fair, it’s not that Bai Yao is against keeping a cat no matter what, but if he did keep one, he imagines it would be hissing at him every single day.
When Mu Mu’er can’t fall asleep immediately these days, he’s also taken to counting cats instead of sheep.
He’d be comfortably nestled on the bed holding Bai Yao’s hand, only to mumble, “one cat, two cats, three cats, four…”
When Mu Mu’er has reached the thirty-seventh cat, Bai Yao can’t take it anymore. He can’t just sit idly by while cats poise to strike him in a big kerfuffle in his nightmares.
He pinches the boy’s hand to get his attention, “Mu’er, want Yaoyao to create a magic cat?”
Mu Mu’er stops counting incessantly, and first nods happily before recalling something and eyes Bai Yao suspiciously.
Bai Yao knows what he’s worried about, and chuckles, “the cat is not Yaoyao.”
He then turns the lampshade of the night lamp a little so that the light is casting towards him. Their shadows now stretch across the ceiling.
Mu Mu’er is no longer sleepy. He’s curious what Bai Yao is going to do.
Bai Yao puts a pillow up behind him to sit up a little, then he makes a weird gesture with his hand.
Before Mu Mu’er can ask, Bai Yao smiles and says, “look up.”
Mu Mu’er looks up obediently, and his eyes widen in a serendipitous surprise.
There is one clearly recognisable kitty on the ceiling. Bai Yao has rolled up his fist on his right hand, while also using his pinky and index fingers curled to be the kitty’s ears. His arms are the cat’s body, and he’s wrapped his left arm around to curl about his right upper arm, extending an index finger from there to be the kitty’s tail.
“Wow! A cat!” Mu Mu’er exclaims, then freezes, like he’s worried he’d scare the magic cat away if he’s too noisy.
Bai Yao moves his index fingers about, and the kitty on the ceiling moves its tail correspondingly.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! Mu’er likes it! Likes it a lot!”
“Yaoyao can also make a magic doggy. Want to see?”
Mu Mu’er quickly nods.
In the end, he not only made a magic puppy, but also a magic elephant, magic monkey, magic eagle, magic penguin, magic wolf and magic duck.
Mu Mu’er is too excited to sleep now. He’s amazed that Bai Yao can realise whatever animal he can think of. It’s a miracle!
Meanwhile, Bai ‘the Projector’ Yao busily moves his arms and fingers about whenever Mu Mu’er mentions a new animal and quickly stares at the ceiling to wait for it to ‘come to life.’
Bai Yao sighs. He probably just forewent his sleep for the night with this sudden idea.
“What else…” Mu Mu’er continues to turn the gears in his brain for more animal silhouettes to see, “little bee! Can there be a magic bee… and llamas…”
“And sea otters!” He suddenly yells, “Yaoyao, Mu’er wants to see a magic sea otter!”
Bai Yao is too sleepy. He puts his arms back down and covers Mu Mu’er’s eyes with his palm. He deeply regrets showing him shadow puppets. Really, he should’ve known this would happen.
He simply orders him, “time to sleep. There are no magic sea otters.”
“There are! There are sea otters! Last one! And Mu’er will sleep.”
Bai Yao reopens one sleepy eye, and lifts Mu Mu’er over him by the armpit towards the light, and adjusts his position a little.
There is a confused Mu Mu’er on the ceiling.
Mu Mu’er “???”
Bai Yao yawns drowsily, “look. Sea otter.”
11
Qiaohai got quite cold this winter, even seeing snow for the second time in late December. Snowflakes fall like tufts of cotton. In just two hours, the town got a brand new white blanket.
The coast is always just that bit colder than inland locations in winter; fog can be seen every time they breathe.
Few places in the world offers such a picturesque scenery of snow drifting into the ocean waves. Bai Yao watches Mu Mu’er play outside with a cup of hot coffee in hand. He can’t help but feel once more, that it was the right decision to be here. It was divine fortune to have him here.
Mu Mu’er, unphased by the cold, played outside all afternoon. He built six snowmen in total, two of which ‘resemble’ Bai Yao, by being tall and immensely cold.
That night, snow continues to fall up until they go to sleep. The world is calm and peaceful. The windows have become fogged, and makes it appear as if the room has become completely isolated from reality.
Bai Yao is almost asleep when a Mu Mu’er suddenly latches onto him.
His eyes are closed, but he’s still instinctively seeking warm places. He’s snuggling into Bai Yao’s cozy corner, and also putting his head against the man’s chest.
“Cold?” Bai Yao pulls up the quilt a little for the little guy.
Mu Mu’er mumbles, “cold, Mu’er is cold…”
It’s below freezing outside, but the room isn’t too cold, to be honest.
Still, Bai Yao gets up to grab another quilt from the wardrobe to cover Mu Mu’er with it. He then feels the boy’s face and, well, it is a little cool to the touch.
He quickly enters the bed himself, snuggling Mu Mu’er close to himself, using him as a massive body pillow.
A little while later, Bai Yao feels a poke on his arm. He opens his eyes a little, and sees Mu Mu’er looking straight at him.
“Cold…”
“Still cold?!” Bai Yao looks at the four layers of quilt already on Mu Mu’er’s body. They’re about to bury them both, leaving only their heads out.
However, he notices Mu Mu’er’s eyes shifting around a little, especially when their gazes meet. He is expecting something.
Ah, he isn’t cold. Bai Yao gets it.
He wants intimate hugs.
Specifically, with a snow leopard.
Sighing, he takes off his clothes, and as Mu Mu’er becomes more and more excited, he transforms.
The snow leopard’s thick fur means they’re a poor match for sleeping in the bed. He gets out, switches his posture a little, and lies down. He adjusts the little guy’s position with his paws a few times before slapping a tail down for him to cover.
It’s thick and warm, like a deeply heartfelt mattress itself. It’s warmer than any quilt can be.
While Bai Yao is almost asleep, he can feel Mu Mu’er move a little and sneak out from under his tail. Assuming he needs to relieve himself, he doesn’t investigate.
Mu Mu’er only returns after quite a while, snuggling back under Bai Yao’s tail.
Still, Bai Yao suddenly realises after a minute or so that the little sea otter feels different. He opens his eyes once more, only to find, amusingly, Mu Mu’er has also transformed. He’s actually a sea otter now, and covering his eyes up with his round little paws. He’s deep asleep.
He huffs a few times, then paws the little sea otter closer to his body, in order to bury his nose in the little guy’s fruity furs.
Mu Mu’er snuggles closer by reflex towards the source of heat, rolling into a little ball in front of Bai Yao’s chest. He also hugs Bai Yao’s tail with his paws all by his subconscious.
A snow leopard and a little sea otter, are spending the quiet snowy night together, huddled in two piles of fluff.
For many, many years to come, when Bai Yao should recall this night, he would feel that the moment was far, far more precious than any love poems, ‘I love you’s, or sapphire rings.
This is because it is a romance that is solely shared by the two of them in the entire world. It belongs solely to a snow leopard, and his little sea otter.
9
Mu Mu’er has come to accept sleeping with boxers, but has also taken to being naked from the torso up.
Bai Yao is sitting doing his accounting by the bedside, and so Mu Mu’er is lying across him, planting his face on his chest, having a nap.
Some time later, the little guy slowly turns his head to stare at Bai Yao’s waist, and then mumble, “tummy, lick.”
Bai Yao chuckles a little, caresses him on the head, and corrects him, pointing his chin at his own muscles, “these are called ‘abs,’ yours is a tummy.”
“Mu’er also has abs!” Mu Mu’er doesn’t know what abs are, actually, but he just know he likes how Bai Yao’s tummy looks, and his own tummy is the same! That’s right!
Bai Yao doesn’t continue the argument destined for nowhere. He does give the boy’s waist a pinch before continuing his calculations.
The little guy gets off after a while. Bai Yao is too busy mired in countless numbers and bills to watch him play by himself, so he only looks after he’s finished – and breaks out guffawing.
Mu Mu’er is lying there on the ground like a turtle flipped onto its shell. He’s revealing his soft white tummy – it’s a good thing he has heating on. Anyway, the little guy is just looking with this bright expression at Bai Yao, giving him a dumb smile.
Finally, he says, “… abs, lick.”
10
‘Puss in Boots’ truly left an impression in Mu Mu’er’s mind.
He is still longing for a cat after weeks, Bai Yao’s attempts to pacify him ineffective.
They have some alone time before sleeping every night on the bed, which is when Mu Mu’er has now put to good use appealing to Bai Yao about how much he wants a cat. To be fair, it’s not that Bai Yao is against keeping a cat no matter what, but if he did keep one, he imagines it would be hissing at him every single day.
When Mu Mu’er can’t fall asleep immediately these days, he’s also taken to counting cats instead of sheep.
He’d be comfortably nestled on the bed holding Bai Yao’s hand, only to mumble, “one cat, two cats, three cats, four…”
When Mu Mu’er has reached the thirty-seventh cat, Bai Yao can’t take it anymore. He can’t just sit idly by while cats poise to strike him in a big kerfuffle in his nightmares.
He pinches the boy’s hand to get his attention, “Mu’er, want Yaoyao to create a magic cat?”
Mu Mu’er stops counting incessantly, and first nods happily before recalling something and eyes Bai Yao suspiciously.
Bai Yao knows what he’s worried about, and chuckles, “the cat is not Yaoyao.”
He then turns the lampshade of the night lamp a little so that the light is casting towards him. Their shadows now stretch across the ceiling.
Mu Mu’er is no longer sleepy. He’s curious what Bai Yao is going to do.
Bai Yao puts a pillow up behind him to sit up a little, then he makes a weird gesture with his hand.
Before Mu Mu’er can ask, Bai Yao smiles and says, “look up.”
Mu Mu’er looks up obediently, and his eyes widen in a serendipitous surprise.
There is one clearly recognisable kitty on the ceiling. Bai Yao has rolled up his fist on his right hand, while also using his pinky and index fingers curled to be the kitty’s ears. His arms are the cat’s body, and he’s wrapped his left arm around to curl about his right upper arm, extending an index finger from there to be the kitty’s tail.
“Wow! A cat!” Mu Mu’er exclaims, then freezes, like he’s worried he’d scare the magic cat away if he’s too noisy.
Bai Yao moves his index fingers about, and the kitty on the ceiling moves its tail correspondingly.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! Mu’er likes it! Likes it a lot!”
“Yaoyao can also make a magic doggy. Want to see?”
Mu Mu’er quickly nods.
In the end, he not only made a magic puppy, but also a magic elephant, magic monkey, magic eagle, magic penguin, magic wolf and magic duck.
Mu Mu’er is too excited to sleep now. He’s amazed that Bai Yao can realise whatever animal he can think of. It’s a miracle!
Meanwhile, Bai ‘the Projector’ Yao busily moves his arms and fingers about whenever Mu Mu’er mentions a new animal and quickly stares at the ceiling to wait for it to ‘come to life.’
Bai Yao sighs. He probably just forewent his sleep for the night with this sudden idea.
“What else…” Mu Mu’er continues to turn the gears in his brain for more animal silhouettes to see, “little bee! Can there be a magic bee… and llamas…”
“And sea otters!” He suddenly yells, “Yaoyao, Mu’er wants to see a magic sea otter!”
Bai Yao is too sleepy. He puts his arms back down and covers Mu Mu’er’s eyes with his palm. He deeply regrets showing him shadow puppets. Really, he should’ve known this would happen.
He simply orders him, “time to sleep. There are no magic sea otters.”
“There are! There are sea otters! Last one! And Mu’er will sleep.”
Bai Yao reopens one sleepy eye, and lifts Mu Mu’er over him by the armpit towards the light, and adjusts his position a little.
There is a confused Mu Mu’er on the ceiling.
Mu Mu’er “???”
Bai Yao yawns drowsily, “look. Sea otter.”
11
Qiaohai got quite cold this winter, even seeing snow for the second time in late December. Snowflakes fall like tufts of cotton. In just two hours, the town got a brand new white blanket.
The coast is always just that bit colder than inland locations in winter; fog can be seen every time they breathe.
Few places in the world offers such a picturesque scenery of snow drifting into the ocean waves. Bai Yao watches Mu Mu’er play outside with a cup of hot coffee in hand. He can’t help but feel once more, that it was the right decision to be here. It was divine fortune to have him here.
Mu Mu’er, unphased by the cold, played outside all afternoon. He built six snowmen in total, two of which ‘resemble’ Bai Yao, by being tall and immensely cold.
That night, snow continues to fall up until they go to sleep. The world is calm and peaceful. The windows have become fogged, and makes it appear as if the room has become completely isolated from reality.
Bai Yao is almost asleep when a Mu Mu’er suddenly latches onto him.
His eyes are closed, but he’s still instinctively seeking warm places. He’s snuggling into Bai Yao’s cozy corner, and also putting his head against the man’s chest.
“Cold?” Bai Yao pulls up the quilt a little for the little guy.
Mu Mu’er mumbles, “cold, Mu’er is cold…”
It’s below freezing outside, but the room isn’t too cold, to be honest.
Still, Bai Yao gets up to grab another quilt from the wardrobe to cover Mu Mu’er with it. He then feels the boy’s face and, well, it is a little cool to the touch.
He quickly enters the bed himself, snuggling Mu Mu’er close to himself, using him as a massive body pillow.
A little while later, Bai Yao feels a poke on his arm. He opens his eyes a little, and sees Mu Mu’er looking straight at him.
“Cold…”
“Still cold?!” Bai Yao looks at the four layers of quilt already on Mu Mu’er’s body. They’re about to bury them both, leaving only their heads out.
However, he notices Mu Mu’er’s eyes shifting around a little, especially when their gazes meet. He is expecting something.
Ah, he isn’t cold. Bai Yao gets it.
He wants intimate hugs.
Specifically, with a snow leopard.
Sighing, he takes off his clothes, and as Mu Mu’er becomes more and more excited, he transforms.
The snow leopard’s thick fur means they’re a poor match for sleeping in the bed. He gets out, switches his posture a little, and lies down. He adjusts the little guy’s position with his paws a few times before slapping a tail down for him to cover.
It’s thick and warm, like a deeply heartfelt mattress itself. It’s warmer than any quilt can be.
While Bai Yao is almost asleep, he can feel Mu Mu’er move a little and sneak out from under his tail. Assuming he needs to relieve himself, he doesn’t investigate.
Mu Mu’er only returns after quite a while, snuggling back under Bai Yao’s tail.
Still, Bai Yao suddenly realises after a minute or so that the little sea otter feels different. He opens his eyes once more, only to find, amusingly, Mu Mu’er has also transformed. He’s actually a sea otter now, and covering his eyes up with his round little paws. He’s deep asleep.
He huffs a few times, then paws the little sea otter closer to his body, in order to bury his nose in the little guy’s fruity furs.
Mu Mu’er snuggles closer by reflex towards the source of heat, rolling into a little ball in front of Bai Yao’s chest. He also hugs Bai Yao’s tail with his paws all by his subconscious.
A snow leopard and a little sea otter, are spending the quiet snowy night together, huddled in two piles of fluff.
For many, many years to come, when Bai Yao should recall this night, he would feel that the moment was far, far more precious than any love poems, ‘I love you’s, or sapphire rings.
This is because it is a romance that is solely shared by the two of them in the entire world. It belongs solely to a snow leopard, and his little sea otter.
