Had he gotten up in the middle of the night just to secretly apply medicine for him?
After Wen Minggyu applied it, he let the pajamas fall back into place, covered him with the quilt, tucked in the corners carefully, then turned to return the ointment to its spot. He went to the balcony to wash his hands, shivering a little as he yawned, and crawled back under the covers.
Overcome by exhaustion, he fell asleep shortly after lying down.
At this moment, Mu Zhan opened his eyes. He stared silently at him for a while, then lay flat, gazing at the wooden ceiling above. He remained still, yet it took him nearly until midnight to finally fall asleep. The unfamiliar environment unsettled him, but even in the Imperial Palace, he would often struggle to sleep. He never knew when trouble might come knocking.
Not long after dawn, at seven o’clock, the wake-up bell rang.
Mu Zhan jolted awake, eyes flying open. He was startled by the sudden noise and instinctively sought a place to hide, ready to strike. But before he could move, he felt himself being embraced, or more precisely, entangled.
Wen Mingyu’s sleeping posture was far from ideal. Unconsciously, his limbs had wrapped around Mu Zhan like an octopus, and he was completely unaware as he slept soundly.
Woken by the ringing, he dazedly opened one eye, and, following his usual routine, he climbed out of bed, folded the blankets, and prepared to get up…
His hand didn’t reach the bedsheet but instead brushed against Mu Zhan’s stomach. Only then did he remember he had picked up a cat yesterday… No, a little brother.
His eyes widened as he finally sobered up a bit. He yawned, a hint of tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. His face still bore the rosy flush of sleep, and he looked adorable with his short hair tousled and messy.
Mu Zhan stood frozen for a moment, speechless.
Wen Mingyu took Mu Zhan’s hand, bent down to find his slippers, and led his little brother to brush his teeth and wash his face.
After changing clothes, Wen Mingyu said he would fetch breakfast and told him to wait quietly until he returned and to ignore anyone knocking at the door.
Breakfast consisted of nutrient solution. All the children sat together to drink it, and the teachers checked to make sure everyone finished it properly since no wasting was allowed. Because the solution tasted bland and unpalatable, it was not exactly delicious, and most kids disliked it. The high-grade ones contained more nutrients and offered various flavors, but they cost several times more than the regular kind. The orphanage rarely served it, usually only during the holidays.
Wen Mingyu was one of the well-behaved children who ate his meals without fuss, making life easy for the teachers. Not only that, but he would also ask if they were cold or tired, and even eagerly helped them out. With his fair, delicate features and sweet smile, there was not a teacher who didn’t adore him.
So when he asked to bring the nutrients back to his room, the teacher, trusting him, agreed. They knew he had just been returned by his adoptive family and must be feeling down, so they couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The teacher in charge of distributing the food even handed him a candy to eat after finishing the nutrient solution.
Wen Mingyu thanked the teacher before rushing back to the dormitory, worried Mu Zhan might run away while he was gone.
Fortunately, he was still there. Wen Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief and shared the nutrient solution with Mu Zhan.
The nutrient solution came in a small box, resembling a milk carton, with simple, unadorned packaging.
Wen Mingyu inserted the straw into the hole, took a big gulp, his cheeks puffing out before swallowing it down, setting an example as an older brother should. He then handed it to Mu Zhan, saying, “Half for each of us. My teacher gave me a candy too. I’ll give it to you after we finish this, so no picky eating, okay?”
Seeing Wen Mingyu take a sip, Mu Zhan felt slightly reassured and tentatively tried a mouthful himself. In an instant, his face scrunched up.
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Mu Zhan’s expression immediately darkened as he recoiled in protest. Did he think he was a three-year-old?
Wen Mingyu pouted a little. After eating, he wouldn’t even let him pet him. It was such a cat-like temperament. But it seemed that some cats wouldn’t let you pet them even when they were being fed? Hold on. When Mu Mu was taking his nutrient solution, he didn’t let him pet him either.
Wen Mingyu resolved to test it next time.
After they finished, Wen Mingyu was about to throw the box away, only to find Mu Zhan staring intently at him, or rather, at the box in his hand. He tilted his head, confused. “You want this?”
Mu Zhan nodded, so he handed it over. Mu Zhan turned the box over and over, examining its material. To Wen Mingyu, that earnest expression and those movements looked like he was treating the box as a toy.
Wen Mingyu glanced at it, then pulled out his own winter break homework, spreading it open on the table.
That’s right. He was on winter break, with plenty of time to look after his little brother and prevent him from being bullied by his parents.
Mu Zhan stared at the box for a moment, then tore it open, spilling a drop or two of the nutrient solution onto his hand. When Wen Mingyu sneaked a laugh, Mu Zhan’s expression darkened. He immediately stifled his laughter, though his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
With a cold expression, Mu Zhan went to wash his hands, seemingly annoyed at his foolishness. Upon returning, he tossed the box aside.
“You’re done playing?”
“I wasn’t playing.”
Mu Zhan retorted stiffly. Wen Mingyu looked puzzled, genuinely unable to fathom what else tearing open the box could be besides playing. It was perfectly normal to tear things open out of curiosity and play with them. Everyone did that from age one, and breaking unimportant things was not a big deal.
Mu Zhan did not want Wen Mingyu to know he had never seen a cardboard box before, so he remained silent.
Wen Mingyu thought he was sulking, so he brought out his toys for him to play with—a Rubik’s Cube, nine-ring puzzles, sliding-block puzzles, and more. These toys were available in the activity area, but children usually only owned them as rewards for excellent test scores or winning games during Children’s Day celebrations.
Mu Zhan played with them absently, his gaze soon wandering unconsciously back to Wen Mingyu, who was working on his homework.
Seeing his interest, Wen Mingyu readily took on the role of tutor and began instructing him. Mu Zhan proved quick to grasp concepts, leaving Wen Mingyu with a strong sense of accomplishment. After two hours of teaching, Wen Mingyu felt thirsty and went to the hallway for water.
A gust of wind lifted half a page of his notebook for homework. On it was a history question, “The reforms implemented by Emperor Mu Zhan and Empress—are known as…”
Just as a few characters became visible, the breeze died down, and the page fell back, obscuring the rest. In this era, history was taught starting in elementary school. It was not difficult, focusing primarily on foundational knowledge, especially pivotal events that shaped the historical development and carried cross-era significance.
Mu Zhan worked through several math problems before Wen Mingyu returned, not continuing to look further.
The water bottle was a chubby children’s design, its lid an oval of transparent glass that popped open with a press, revealing a straw for sipping water. Long straps hung from both sides. On school days, wearing a small yellow cap and carrying this water bottle, one looked full of energy and cute.
Wen Mingyu generously offered his water bottle to Mu Zhan, treating him entirely like his little brother. Mu Zhan glanced at the wet rim of the straw and frowned slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Still, he took the straw between his lips and drank.
At noon, Wen Mingyu went to collect his nutrient solution again, tucking it into his pocket. But on the way, an unexpected incident occurred. The gang that shunned him blocked his path, mocking him for being returned and unwanted.
Wen Minggyu didn’t want to engage, but the kids were blocking his way. He couldn’t help pressing his lips together, his expression turning cold. He didn’t want trouble, nor did he want to burden his teacher with wasting time resolving issues for him. But that didn’t mean he had to dumbly endure everything.
Just as he prepared to retaliate, a pebble flew out of nowhere and struck the ringleader squarely. The boy yelped in pain, glaring around furiously. “Who threw that?”
But everyone looked utterly bewildered. Wen Mingyu’s hands were empty.
Then another stone struck the ringleader’s arm.
“It seemed to…fall from the sky!”
“How could stones fall from the sky?”
“…Could it be a ghost?”
At those words, the young children were all startled, their faces filled with terror. They forgot to mock and bully Wen Mingyu, turning around in a panic and running off, looking cowardly.
Wen Mingyu didn’t believe it was a ghost. He looked up and saw, just as expected, a small head peeking over the balcony railing. The moment their eyes met, the head turned and disappeared, like a proud cat curling its tail and departing with grace.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but smile.
It was indeed Mu Zhan who had helped him earlier. He had stayed in the room, observing his surroundings, pondering ways to return. But his arrival here had been sudden, and the dog hole was gone. Was waiting his only option?
Lost in thought, he heard faint sounds outside the window, seemingly mixed with a familiar voice.
Hesitating slightly, he still opened the balcony door and stepped out.
Because he was a bit short, he could barely reach the railing. He stood on tiptoe, clinging to it with both hands, and peered down below. There he saw several children ganging up on Wen Mingyu, who looked fragile and pitiful.
Mu Zhan frowned, his face darkening as his mood soured.
He pulled out the small stones he had picked up yesterday. He kept it just in case, and now it served its purpose. From the third floor, hitting someone at this distance was child’s play for him, given his experience facing off against his imperial brothers.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for him to chase away those tough-looking-but-weak kids. Compared to his imperial brothers, they were nothing. Then again, his brothers weren’t exactly brilliant either. They couldn’t see that the so-called favor from their father, the emperor, was nothing more than fleeting affection that could be withdrawn at any moment. Yet they fought tooth and nail over it.
He entered the room. Soon after, Wen Mingyu came bounding up the stairs, his pocket jingling conspicuously as he ran.
His eyes lit up as he spotted Mu Zhan, throwing his arms around him. “You did that, didn’t you? You’re amazing! You scared them all away. You really helped your big brother out!”
Mu Zhan stiffened, uncomfortable with the embrace, and tried to break free, but Wen Mingyu clung tightly, chuckling as he described how wimpy and comical they looked trying to escape and that he really should have seen it for himself.
The warm breath from his words brushed against Mu Zhan’s ear, hot and ticklish, making him even more uneasy.
He tugged at his grip, finally snapping coldly, “It was nothing. Let’s eat.”
Only then did Wen Mingyu remember. “Oh right, you must be starving. Eat up.”
He quickly pulled out the box, unwrapped the straw, inserted it into the container, and without hesitation, held it to Mu Zhan’s lips. Instead of opening his mouth to be fed, Mu Zhan took the box himself before drinking.
Just like in the morning, the two shared a box of nutrient solution.
That night, they bathed and went to bed again.
Mu Zhan slept on the outer side, facing the bed. Wen Mingyu had rolled over, sleeping with his back to Mu Zhan.
In the moonlight, Mu Zhan could faintly make out the outline of Wen Mingyu’s back. The dark, soft, short hair with naturally curled ends rested on his fair nape, and for some reason, it caught his attention.
Mu Zhan felt his hand grow restless after watching. Slowly, he reached out, carefully touching the tip of a lock, his fingers gently curling around it.
It was as soft as he had imagined, with that faint, sweet scent.
Lost in thought, he twirled that lock of hair between his fingers, staring at it for a long time. Only then did Mu Zhan snap out of it. Realizing what he was doing, he jerked his hand away as if electrocuted. He felt strange about what he had just done, as if he had been possessed.
Mu Zhan curled up, his guard rising once more.
Wen Mingyu felt a tickle on his neck and turned around in puzzlement. To his surprise, he saw two small horns sprouting from Mu Zhan’s head. It was brown and similar to little branches.
This… looked like a pair of sika deer’s antlers?
Unconsciously, Wen Mingyu recalled some traits of sika deer: alert nature, agile movements, weak herd instincts, often solitary, timid, and easily startled.
Mu Mu seemed to fit the description perfectly.
It suddenly dawned on Wen Mingyu: Mu Mu also possessed a second form. A herbivorous sika deer. It was highly likely that, like him, Mu Mu would eventually differentiate into an Omega.
This realization only strengthened his resolve to protect Mu Mu more.
ChiFu: he guessed everything wrong…
Thank you for waiting and sorry for another MIA again! I swear this company I’m interning at is making my back hunch like that man in that movie. TT five chapters to go until the epilogue!