Chapter 80 C Four Eights
Before the designated driver arrived, Shang Qiyue was staggered into the back seat by Mu Yan. Upon seeing Mu Yan, his eyes widened and he became very obedient.
Even though Mu Yan was just fulfilling his promise to come and pick him up, he was extremely happy.
The car interior was dimly lit, and Mu Yan's face, made almost transparent by his black clothes, looked pale. He stared at Mu Yan intently for almost a minute before remembering that he had just drunk quite a bit of alcohol and that he must smell strongly of alcohol on him.
In a daze, Shang Qiyue went to find a bottle of mineral water, wanting to rinse his mouth so that the smell of alcohol wouldn't bother Mu Yan.
But Mu Yan had already prepared bottled water and even unscrewed the cap and handed it to him.
"You came to pick me up," Shang Qiyue murmured to himself. "You really came to pick me up. I thought you weren't coming..."
"Hmm," Mu Yan responded, urging him to take the bottled water from his hand, "Didn't you want some water?"
Shang Qiyue seemed to wake from a dream, picked up a bottle of mineral water and rinsed his mouth.
Mu Yan looked at him quietly. Perhaps it was because the interior lights in the car were too warm and yellow, or perhaps Shang Qiyue was really too drunk, but he could actually detect a hint of tenderness and longing in them.
Today is my birthday, baby.
Could you wish me a happy birthday? It's okay even if there's no gift.
He mustered his courage to remind Mu Yan, but in the end, he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
He didn't want Mu Yan to dislike him, and he was also afraid that Mu Yan had really forgotten.
But the more hesitant he was, the more his anticipation grew and boiled over.
He hesitated like that the whole way until the designated driver drove the car into the basement, and Mu Yan helped him out of the car.
Mu Yan supervised him as if he were a child, making him wash his face and brush his teeth, then had him wipe his body with a towel and gave him new pajamas.
"Raise your hand."
Mu Yan buttoned up his pajamas with her own hands. Her cool fingertips accidentally brushed against his chest, and Shang Qiyue felt a chill. He looked up at Mu Yan, his eyes filled with the smell of alcohol, moist and bright.
"Yan Yan," he called out to Mu Yan in a hoarse voice.
He finally made up his mind to remind Mu Yan, even if Mu Yan had really forgotten, even if Mu Yan said he just didn't want to wish him a happy birthday and wanted to make him feel bad, it didn't matter.
"Stop fooling around, lie down," Mu Yan commanded, avoiding his gaze.
Shang Qiyue obediently lay down. Mu Yan was unusually tolerant and patient with him today. He even felt that even if he grabbed Mu Yan's sleeve now, Mu Yan would not get angry with him.
He wasn't actually afraid of Mu Yan getting angry, nor was he afraid of Mu Yan slapping him. He just didn't want Mu Yan to bother him or be unhappy.
Mu Yan reached out and tucked the blanket around him, her gaze falling to him, where it met Shang Qiyue's, who had been following him closely.
“…Happy birthday.” Mu Yan suddenly said.
Shang Qiyue was stunned.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had started dreaming the moment his head hit the pillow.
Did Mu Yan really wish him a happy birthday just now?
He subconsciously muttered what was on his mind, but the next second, Mu Yan leaned down and lightly kissed his left cheek.
"It's not a dream."
"It's not midnight yet, it's not tomorrow, it's still your birthday. You're not dreaming. I'm wishing you a happy birthday, Shang Qiyue. I hope every day from now on you will be healthy, safe, and happy."
Shang Qiyue knew he should say thank you at this moment, but his throat was tight and he felt like crying.
Hearing that, he felt that everything was worthwhile.
"But you did something wrong and didn't behave well, so you don't get a gift."
Shang Qiyue sat up in bed almost immediately and hugged Mu Yan tightly around the waist.
"I don't want any gifts anymore, just a kiss from you would make me so happy. I've been so sad all day, I thought you'd forgotten..."
Mu Yan lowered her eyes to look at him: "I haven't forgotten. My memory isn't that bad."
Upon hearing this, Shang Qiyue seemed a little happier.
"I don't want the gift anymore, but could you tell me what you named the doll? I just need to know that, I'll be satisfied with that."
Shang Qiyue buried his head against his waist, his warm breath spraying onto his lower abdomen, making it a little itchy.
Mu Yan quietly let him hold her, and reached out to touch his hair.
"Stop fooling around, you'll get cold like this. Let go of me and lie down properly, and I'll tell you."
Shang Qiyue indeed slowly loosened his grip on his arm and quietly lay back down in bed.
...
The next day.
When Shang Qiyue woke up, Mu Yan had already gone to work.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains. Shang Qiyue sat on the bed for a while, rubbed his eyes, and then got up to draw back the curtains.
He got drunk last night and only had some vague memories, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality. He even heard Tangyuan's cries a few times just as dawn was breaking, and he almost cursed the little brat in his mind.
Tangyuan wasn't in the doghouse, so Shang Qiyue went to the bathroom to wash up and change clothes, and then planned to go out for a walk with the dog.
Tangyuan is practically a little emperor at home. He can appear in any room or corner at any time. Fortunately, he's still young and not very destructive, so there's no need to worry about finding him along with some blood pressure-raising surprise.
Shang Qiyue called Tangyuan a few times but received no response, so he assumed that Mu Yan was in a good mood and had gone to walk the dog before going to work. Shang Qiyue usually gets up early, and he's the one who walks the dog early in the morning and then takes Mu Yan to work.
But when he looked up at his watch, he found it was already 9:15.
Shang Qiyue frowned. Mu Yan's company was late at nine o'clock, so how could he still be walking his dog in the neighborhood at this hour?
The aunt usually gets up very early to prepare breakfast for them. She was taking a nap in her room when she heard Shang Qiyue call Tangyuan several times, so she came out of her room.
"Is Young Master looking for Tangyuan? Mr. Mu took the dog out for a walk this morning. He said he was taking Tangyuan to get vaccinated and would pick her up on his way home from get off work."
Shang Qiyue's face instantly darkened.
He remembered clearly that Tangyuan had already completed her two basic vaccinations, and the third vaccination was the rabies vaccine, which could only be given three months later. However, Tangyuan was still nine days away from being three months old.
Mu Yan cherishes Tangyuan so much, how could he possibly misremember its age?
“Young Master…” Shang Qiyue’s controlling nature was indeed frightening. The aunt hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to dissuade him, “Mr. Mu probably saw that you were drunk last night, so he took it without consulting you. Don’t be angry with him, or you’ll end up arguing again.”
Shang Qiyue stood still, took a deep breath, and then forced a smile that could barely be described as calm for his aunt.
"Don't worry, Auntie, I won't argue with him. I'll cook for two as usual tonight, and we'll go home for dinner."
Unless Shang Qiyue told her that they were eating out tonight, the aunt always cooked for two people as usual. It was a little strange for him to say that he was cooking for two people as usual at this time, but the aunt did not ask any questions and just nodded as instructed.
Shang Qiyue, with a sullen face, put on his coat and went out.
Ten minutes later, when he appeared in the community's monitoring room, the staff had already found the video of Mu Yan leaving the community.
The residents of this community are all wealthy and powerful, so the security level is extremely high and the surveillance footage is extremely high-definition. Shang Qiyue could clearly see the license plate of the car that picked up Mu Yan, as well as the moment when Mu Yan, holding Tangyuan, turned around and looked at the surveillance camera.
Mu Yan seemed to have guessed that he would come to check the surveillance footage, so his gaze seemed to be directed not at the surveillance footage, but at Shang Qiyue, who would arrive here two hours later.
Before he looked up at the monitor, he looked down and touched the round head of the dumpling in his arms.
Then he raised his eyes, his gaze gentle and serene, yet seemingly tangible, piercing mercilessly into the eyes and depths of Shang Qiyue's heart in the monitoring room two hours later.
It's only two months old; it shouldn't have learned how to survive in the midst of arguments.
...I shouldn't let you trap me in this house with no way out any longer.
Our relationship should have ended much sooner, but you insisted. I did promise you it would end on your 26th birthday, so I think I shouldn't break my promise.
Happy 26th birthday, Shang Qiyue. I sincerely hope that every day from now on you will be healthy, safe, and happy.
But in any case, my freedom and happiness should not be sacrificed.
The alpha in the back seat got out and gentlemanly bent down to open the back door for Mu Yan.
The license plate of that black Maybach was a C with four eights.
........
"Why did you have to drive this car? Is it really necessary?" Mu Yan asked coldly. "Are you so eager to show off? Do you really want him to know it's you?"
“I’m sorry,” Lu Chong apologized cautiously, “I just felt that… he would find out sooner or later, and I was afraid he would go to your company and your brother, so I thought it would be better to let him come after me directly… If you don’t like it, I won’t drive this car anymore.”
Suddenly, Tangyuan in his arms let out a whimper, its ears drooping. Samoyeds are usually known for their wide-open grins with their tongues out, and even Lu Chong, who had never owned a dog before, noticed its unhappiness.
"Is it hungry...?" Lu Chong asked with concern. "There's dog food in the passenger seat; it should be enough for a puppy that's a little over two months old."
Mu Yan glanced back at the passenger seat. Lu Chong had probably done his homework; it turned out to be the same kind of dog food that Tangyuan usually ate.
When he was willing to put in the effort, Lu Chong was indeed a meticulous and thoughtful person.
He shook his head: "Not so fast, I just fed them when I left."
Tangyuan was just a little uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment.
It huddled listlessly in Mu Yan's arms, occasionally baring its teeth fiercely at Lu Chong beside it.
"I thought... you would want to get a golden retriever."
Lu Chong's attention was entirely focused on Mu Yan, and he didn't notice the puppy's slight hostility. He just remembered how Mu Yan used to like to pet the old couple's golden retriever when he got off work, and he would try to make conversation.
He and Mu Yan had only been separated for a short time, but it already felt like a lifetime had passed. Before, when he and Mu Yan were together, they always had endless things to talk about.
“He bought it.” Mu Yan said calmly. He didn’t know who this “he” was, but the two people and the dog in the car all knew. “Tangyuan can understand the tone of voice, so don’t say that.”
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