Translator: ChiFu
The two entered the restaurant together and, in no time, made their way to Ye Xu’s table on the second floor.
Ye Xu could see better as they drew nearer. The man who arrived with Wen Mingyu had something inherently regal about him—a subtle aura of authority that made people dare not act recklessly in his presence.
Ye Xu, a gregarious young master, was being a little reserved at this moment. He was even quieter, much more so than when he witnessed his own elders angry, instinctively… from the heart. He stood up with a brush and invited them to sit down.
Naturally, Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan sat across from Ye Xu.
Ye Xu subconsciously poured their cups with tea. It was so natural that it was almost like a conditioned reaction; in fact, after he was done, he only came to it and wondered why he had been so active. He wasn’t even that dutiful to his own father. Not only that, but he also straightened his back, controlled his unbridled sitting posture, and behaved just like a primary school student.
I’ve really seen a ghost.
Ye Xu felt uncomfortable and stubbornly let himself relax, once again slouching in his chair. His elbows rested casually on the table as he chatted with Wen Mingyu. “This is the person you mentioned you would bring this morning, right? Won’t you introduce him?”
With a smile, Wen Mingyu opened his lips. “He is Mu, Mu…”
He had just started speaking when he froze. He forgot to make a fake name; it couldn’t be the same as the emperor’s name. Wen Mingyu subconsciously looked at Mu Zhan to remedy the situation, but Ye Xu made a move first.
“Mumu?”
Ye Xu gave Mu Zhan a startled glance. A cool and intimidating big man was actually given such a cute name? Inexplicably, there was a strange sense of cuteness about it.
Wen Mingyu instantly followed suit, making things up as he went along with him. “Yes, he goes by Mu Mu because it’s said that the five elements of his name lacked wood. That’s how the name came to be.”
Ye Xu nodded and expressed his understanding. After knowing which two characters it was, he also felt some sympathy for this intimidating guy, whose first name sounded like a kid’s nickname and was anything but intimidating. His wimpiness suddenly became less.
Ye Xu casually picked up the delicate snacks on the table and said whatever came to his mind. “Speaking of it, it’s a coincidence that when you combine your names, it just so happens to be the author Yu Mu, who is both loved and hated.”
Just as he was about to continue, Wei Cen and the others also happened to come upstairs. There were so many people during the festival, and it was not easy to find a seat. Ye Xu said as he rose up, “I’ll go and bring them over. Don’t move, you guys, or else this will be occupied in a second.”
As soon as he left, Mu Zhan turned his head to Wen Mingyu, smiling and arching a brow. “Yu Mu. So there’s more to this?”
Wen Mingyu’s ears reddened. That pen name was something he carelessly thought of having, thinking that it was simple yet memorable. But upon further reflection, he had to wonder if he’d unknowingly brought a bit of heart into it.
Of course, he flatly denied it, saying, “It’s not… just something I randomly chose.”
But Mu Zhan was even more pleased. “Randomly chosen with my name in it, is it not clear that you hold me close to your heart?”
“…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Wen Mingyu pretended to be dead. He was a lost cause.
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Ye Xu quickly returned with the others.
On the way, Ye Xu also mentioned to them that the person brought by Wen Mingyu had a very cute name: Mu Mu. He may have looked aloof and fierce, but the person seemed to be rather nice.
He sort of gave them mental preparation in advance, but he also wanted to see their reaction; he would be happy if they were as wimpy as he was just now.
However, Ye Xu saw that the once-intimidating man called Mu Mu actually had an obvious smile in his eyes; his whole person had softened considerably.
Ye Xu: “…???”
He was only gone for a short while. How did he change so fast—was he purposefully targeting him just now?!
Chu Shuli and the others expected to see an aloof and fierce man, but instead they saw a handsome man with happiness written all over his face. So where was the aloof and fierce and not easy to get along with man? They turned to Ye Xu, and they thought he was playing tricks.
Ye Xu felt even more aggrieved. I have been wronged!
The only one who reacted differently was Wei Chen.
Wen Chen had always felt that he was a keen genius, possessing an exceptional sense of awareness and a perception ability that exceeded the norm. He could quickly spot problems and details that others would have missed.
Just like now, Wei Chen sensed an unusual danger in this unfamiliar man.
This was no ordinary man.
Wei Chen intuited danger, and his body moved faster than his brain. He hid behind Chu Shuli in one go, not even revealing his small head.
Ye Xu was bewildered. “What are you up to now, kid?”
Wei Chen’s voice came muffled. “… Nothing.”
Ye Xu suddenly thought of something. He came over and scoffed faintly. “You’re not scared, are you? You want to hide in your mother’s arms? Oh, but Chu Shuli is your classmate.”
Wei Chen’s expression changed, and he got angry. He was a big man, how could he be afraid!
Thus, he walked out with a stiff gait before meeting Mu Zhan’s gaze, which was chilling and extremely oppressive, and with a swoosh, he shrank back.
What man? He’s just a ten-year-old kid, how can you expect so much from a kid?
Wei Chen successfully convinced himself.
A smart person should know how to wisely avoid catastrophes and never take unwarranted risks.
For the next scenes, he justifiably hid beside the others, keeping his head down and resolutely refusing to look directly into Mu Zhan’s eyes. He even rather admired Ye Xu’s courage when he heard his casual tone towards Mu Zhan.
The group talked and discussed the previous year’s performances and what to look forward to for this year’s one.
The waiter served the soup dumplings and placed one bowl for each person on the table. The translucent broth in the porcelain bowl had round, pudgy dumplings floating on the surface, and because of this, the soup dumplings were originally called floating rice dumplings.
The dumplings from Yingxian House were packed with a broad range of fillings that anyone who prefers meat or vegetables can eat, such as sesame, bean paste, walnuts, jujube paste, meat, peanuts, etc. When making the dumplings, additional ingredients were even added to the glutinous rice flour, thus creating a special bowl of seven-colored dumplings.
Apart from the boiled soup, there were also steamed dumplings that were sweet and glutinous and deep-fried soup dumplings that tasted soft and salty. It was savory and refreshing in the mouth, and moreover, it also carried the meaning of reunion and happiness.
Even those who don’t like sweets will occasionally indulge in some during the festival; nevertheless, as glutinous rice is sticky and difficult to swallow, consuming too much of it is not advised.
After Wen Mingyu ate about ten of them, he felt his hand being pulled slightly. Mu Zhan leaned over a bit and whispered, “Don’t eat anymore, or you’ll get another stomachache later.”
Wen Mingyu paused. Although a little reluctant, he still obediently set down the spoon.
Nobody saw this brief interaction between the two.
Mu Zhan didn’t say much during this time, but he did participate in their conversation. The atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful, and they were even unknowingly set up by Mu Zhan. One could argue that they were unintentionally interviewed by their future top boss.
Mu Zhan had no intention of doing anything and only intended to get to know the people around Wen Mingyu. However, these people could very well become the future pillars of the court. Being the monarch that he is, he can’t help but involve work too.
Naturally, Mu Zhan also noticed Wei Chen’s dreadful nervousness and thought that this child was quite perceptive.
Wen Mingyu sneaked up on him and said, “He’s the smart one in the school. He’s always first.”
Mu Zhan smiled. “And very self-assured.”
Wen Mingyu instantly recalled the scene where the other students were so worked up by Wei Chen to the point of wanting to beat him, and he curled his eyes with a smile. “You’re right, haha.”
At this time, an uproar sounded from the street. A massive performing procession was slowly parading.
Drums roared the sky, flames illuminating the ground, people wearing masks, men dressed in female clothes, showcasing acrobatics in odd shapes and formations.
Gazing in amazement, the tourists flocked to the roadside to take in the show.
Today is the Lantern Festival. The festive atmosphere was so strong that colorfully decorated lanterns could be seen all across the capital. There were also huge lamp trees, lampposts, and lamp wheels that had been made, all splendid and dazzling.
The city was a flurry of activity, with fireworks and crowds of people everywhere.
Warm candlelight streamed down from lanterns strung high on the streets and alleys, reflecting everyone’s joyful features and ruddy cheeks.
The sound attracted Wen Mingyu and the others as well. They all probed and peered outside, only withdrawing their gazes when the group gradually receded. With this performing group to start with, this evening’s events were deemed to have officially begun.
They didn’t plan on staying at Yingxian House either, but rather went to the streets to stroll around.
As Wen Mingyu had thought, what each person wanted to visit was not the same thing, so they naturally split up. The streets were packed, and wanting to meet again was not easy, so it would be up to fate in the end.
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan naturally pointed in a different direction, saying that they planned to go shopping there.
They turned away and left; only two slender backs were left behind, standing side by side.
Chu Shuli looked over and realized that the two of them were dressed in similar styles of clothes. One was taller and the other shorter, with picturesque features and stunning side profiles. Their pitch-black hair cascaded down like silk, tied behind them with a red headband, giving them a kind of ineffable sense of being right, akin to that of two immoral pairs.
Then she noticed Wen Mingyu tilting his head and looking at the man beside him. Not knowing what he had said, his eyes curled as he beamed, and that man also showed a soft smile.
At the same time, a massive and brilliant fireworks display burst over the sky, briefly illuminating the whole night sky into daylight.
The brilliant fireworks also seem to have fallen into the eyes, glowing brightly as they stared at one another.
Under the fireworks, two people held hands and locked eyes.
It almost resembles a description portrayed in a storybook. That was how beautiful it was.
—
The Author has something to say:
Chu Shuli: ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah! (inexplicably wanting to scream so badly) *Also covered Wei Chen’s eyes at the same time* This is not something a child should look at.
Wei Chen: ??? I’m a big man! I want to see it!
ChiFu: Thank you for the kofi, Cinnaspice!
I did say I would update in April, but it was so stressful yesterday that I had to distract myself xd.
Thank you
Yeah, big man with hight around 140 cm, we got you
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Mu Mu 😂
Thank You for the new chapter (◦’ںˉ◦)♡ Take Your time! Hope soon You will be free ❤
Thanks for the chapter
I forgot Wei Chen was only ten years old! What kind of child prodigy is this!? 😭
Inside Wei Chen are two wolves… haha. And I’m reminded that Chu Shuli is one of us. She will one day go on to create a website for BL novels 😄
how many if yall think little wei chen is actually an alpha maybe? or omega?