The following day, Mu Li slept straight through until the afternoon. When he finally woke up, his body felt refreshed overall, but his lower back was achy and sore. As the memories of the previous night came flooding back, Mu Li blushed and buried his head beneath the pillow, muttering to himself internally: Serves you right for being so wild!
After waiting a moment, Mu Li poked his head out. The bedroom was completely quiet, and with the curtains drawn, the lighting was dim and heavy. Feeling around for the bedside switch, Mu Li turned on the lamp and cast a look around the room, finding no sign of Xiao Yan. He huffed in annoyance, “Stupid man, running off the moment he eats his fill!”
As soon as he spoke, Mu Li realized his voice was terribly hoarse. The reason for this outcome went without saying, and as he swallowed, his throat felt parched and dry. A glass of water was sitting on the nightstand, and without a second thought, Mu Li drank it down. It tasted like honey and lemon, and it was still warm. Clearly, the person who left it there had only just departed. Sure enough, almost the exact moment Mu Li put the glass down, the bedroom door was pushed open, and Xiao Yan walked in. Nourished by love, the man looked as though he were radiating light; a gentle smile hung on his face as he walked over and sat down beside Mu Li. “You’re awake. Is anything feeling uncomfortable?”
Seeing Xiao Yan, the shame that had temporarily vanished from Mu Li’s mind seemed to surge right back. Instinctively, he pulled the quilt over to cover his body, but Xiao Yan was already seated right in front of him, his eyes brimming with care. Mu Li shook his head, whereupon he heard Xiao Yan say, “Babe, I cooked some porridge for you. Have some.”
Having exerted himself through a whole night of exercise, Mu Li was naturally hungry. Without a second thought, he nodded and said, “I want meat.”
Xiao Yan chuckled lightly and pinched Mu Li’s cheek. “Eat something light for now. Give me a moment.”
With that, Xiao Yan stood back up, planted a kiss on Mu Li’s forehead, and walked out. Mu Li clutched the blanket and rolled around on the bed, wincing and baring his teeth when he accidentally strained his sore lower back, all while wearing a goofy grin. Xiao Yan quickly returned carrying a bowl of porridge containing finely chopped shiitake mushrooms and lean pork, garnished with a sprinkle of greens. The aroma was mouth-watering. Stirring the porridge with a spoon, Xiao Yan began feeding Mu Li. He had simmered the porridge around noon and kept it warm on the stove, so it was no longer scalding hot.
Feeding his little boyfriend was a deeply fulfilling task. Watching him munch away like a little hamster filled Xiao Yan with profound satisfaction. Mu Li was genuinely hungry, so he didn’t refuse when Xiao Yan fed him. Before long, the entire bowl of porridge was finished. When Xiao Yan offered to ladle up some more, Mu Li shook his head to indicate he was full, and Xiao Yan didn’t press the matter, figuring they would be eating dinner later anyway.
Placing the bowl on the bedside cabinet, Xiao Yan wrapped one arm around Mu Li’s waist, gently massaging the sore spot as he asked, “Do you want to stay inside the room or go outside?”
Mu Li felt that he had slept enough and had no desire to stay in bed any longer. Aside from a slightly sore lower back and a tender backside, he actually felt fine. Taking the initiative to loop his arms around Xiao Yan’s neck and act spoiled, he said, “Take me to see the little rabbits.”
“Alright.”
With an indulgent expression, Xiao Yan scooped Mu Li up in his arms and carried him out to the courtyard. The sunlight was pleasant today. Xiao Yan settled Mu Li into a reclining chair in the yard, but refused to let him touch the little rabbits. When Mu Li looked at him in confusion, Xiao Yan stroked Mu Li’s soft hair and explained, “They’re a bit dirty. Let me find some time to give them a bath first, and you can pet them then.”
“Okay,” Mu Li agreed obediently, contenting himself with watching them play from behind the wire of the cage. Seeing him behave so obediently made Xiao Yan’s heart melt even further. Unable to resist lowering his head, he pressed a kiss to Mu Li’s lips and coaxed him, “Be a good boy and wait here for your husband. Hubby’s going to make you a drink.”
“Okay, then hurry up,” Mu Li smiled, looking exceptionally well-behaved and adorable, practically begging to be doted on. Seeing his kid looking so docile made Xiao Yan reluctant to leave, but whipping up a drink wouldn’t take long anyway.
The moment Xiao Yan stepped away into the kitchen, Mu Li turned his attention back to the rabbits in the cage, his fingers itching with anticipation. Just as he was hesitating, he felt an itchy sensation against his ankle, as though something cold and slippery had slithered past. Goosebumps instantly erupted all over his skin, and the immediate thought of a snake made him shriek in terror as he leaped up, landing squarely on top of the reclining chair and screaming, “Ah!”
Xiao Yan, who had just stepped into the kitchen, was jolted right back out by the shriek. Sprinting back at top speed, the first thing he saw was his precious kid standing in absolute panic atop the reclining chair. The instant Xiao Yan drew close, Mu Li threw himself straight into his arms.
“What is it?” Xiao Yan asked with a heart-wrenching expression as he held Mu Li tight. First, he scanned the surrounding area, spotting nothing dangerous, and then looked down at the person in his arms. Mu Li pointed a trembling finger toward the reclining chair, his voice shaking as he spoke, “There’s a snake, a snake!”
“There isn’t one, babe. Don’t be scared, the yard is very clean, there won’t be any snakes here,” Xiao Yan reassured him after scanning the area meticulously once more, not even missing the corners where something could hide. With his psychic abilities carried over from his rebirth, his spiritual awareness had reached an extraordinarily powerful peak; he would have known instantly if there were any other living creatures in the courtyard.
Hearing this, Mu Li turned his head to look back as well. Indeed, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Could what just happened have been a hallucination? No, it definitely wasn’t a hallucination. That cold, slippery sensation sliding right across his foot—what else could it be besides a snake?
“Something just slid across my foot, cold and clammy. It felt just like a snake,” Mu Li said, goosebumps rising all over his body at the mere thought of that touch.
Xiao Yan believed his wife unconditionally; if his wife said there was something, then there definitely was. Taking another careful sweep of the courtyard, his gaze locked onto the cluster of plants in the corner, and he said in a cold voice, “Get out here, or I’ll pull you up by the roots.”
Following his gaze, Mu Li watched in astonishment as the pot of green roses they had bought earlier shook violently. A single, bare stalk poked out from the foliage, wriggled forward toward the two of them, and then bent downward. At its very tip, a tiny flower bud bloomed, offering itself forward in a gesture of ingratiating flattery.
Seeing that bald little stalk, Mu Li finally realized what had touched him just now. His eyes widened in shock. “A rose flower! It’s turned into a spirit!”
Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help frowning either. Shielding Mu Li, he stepped back cautiously. This was a mutated plant—how could one possibly appear this early? In his past life, mutated plants hadn’t shown up until the mid-stages of the apocalypse, and back then they were all ferocious, massive entities. He hadn’t expected to encounter the shadow of a mutated plant so soon.
“Whoa! So cool!” Mu Li wasn’t scared at all anymore. Now that he knew the thing wasn’t a snake, there was nothing to fear—never mind the fact that this creature was probably far more terrifying than a snake. As if the flower could actually understand human speech, the stalk wriggled and twisted itself into an S-shape, clearly trying to win Mu Li’s favor.
Conquered by such a flashy and cool phenomenon, the kid patted Xiao Yan’s arm to signal that he wanted to be put down, completely forgetting about his aching back. Knowing just how ferocious mutated plants could be, Xiao Yan had no intention of letting him get close. Holding Mu Li securely, he warned him vigilantly, “Be careful. This is a mutated plant, the kind that only started appearing after the apocalypse. They’re very dangerous.”
“Huh?” Hearing Xiao Yan put it that way, although Mu Li’s interest remained sky-high, he didn’t dare approach it anymore. Obediently nesting back in Xiao Yan’s arms, he could only watch with wide, longing eyes.
Dangerous or not, Xiao Yan had zero liking for this thing. Although he loved green roses, a mutated rose was an entirely different story. Xiao Yan’s immediate impulse was to get rid of it right then and there. However, before he could make a move, the potted plant gave a pitiful tremble. The tiny flower bud atop it shook loose and fell off, while the thin stalk went limp on the ground like a dead thing, still trembling ever so slightly as it projected a thoroughly wretched look. The little fellow couldn’t bear to see it, and asked Xiao Yan if they could keep it. “Bro, why don’t you let it go? It looks kind of dopey and doesn’t seem dangerous at all.”
As soon as those words left Mu Li’s mouth, the stalk shot right back up into the air, its tip curving in agreement, clearly endorsing Mu Li’s assessment.
Observing it closely, Xiao Yan noticed it did indeed seem somewhat different from the mutated plants he had encountered in his past life. The mutated plants he saw previously lacked any real intelligence and launched indiscriminate attacks on humans, animals, and zombies alike. He had never seen one that could understand human speech like this. Seeing how genuinely fond of it Mu Li was, and noting that the creature indeed seemed harmless, Xiao Yan gave a reluctant concession. “Fine, we’ll keep it then.”
Following that, casting another cold glance at the plant, he added indifferently, “However, if this thing turns out to be useless, I might as well burn it like a weed.”
The moment Xiao Yan’s voice trailed off, the plant gave another shudder, its stalk tip quivering continuously. It tried desperately to conjure up another flower to curry favor with the two of them, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t squeeze one out. Seeing right through it, Xiao Yan mocked, “Useless.”
Perhaps frightened by that remark and terrified that it really would be burned as a weed, the plant exerted every ounce of its strength and finally managed to bloom a single rose. It was tiny, shriveled, and trembling as it stretched forward toward Mu Li. Tentatively extending his index finger, Mu Li poked it. Seeing that the plant was behaving itself, his courage grew, and he stroked the rose petals. In response, the flower conveniently dropped right into his palm, while the stalk went completely limp on the floor like a worn-out dog, completely exhausted. Amused by its antics, Mu Li couldn’t help laughing; this little creature was simply too entertaining.
Noticing that it brought genuine joy to Mu Li, Xiao Yan decided to turn a blind eye to it. After all, keeping a potted rose capable of mutation didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.