Chapter 201 - HE’LL BE BACK
Reborn into a Hamster for 233 Days
CHAPTER 201: HEâLL BE BACK
Four Seasons Manor.
âAhh, this is the life of a king.â Xiao Yu rolled on the carpet with a ball of yarn. He stopped next to Yan Jinâs foot and closed his eyes contentedly.
âGo to bed if you want to sleep.â Yan Jin prodded Xiao Yu in the stomach using his toe.
âDonât wanna. The carpet is much bigger, and I can play with Faye here.
â*Meow*.â The white cat next to him meowed in unison and made off with the yarn ball.
âYou could have done this at home too.â Yan Jin was still annoyed at Xiao Yuâs choice for their honeymoon.
Yan Jin sat down cross-legged next to Xiao Yu and snapped his fingers at Faye. The white cat grouchily passed Yan Jin the yarn ball, which Yan Jin stuffed into Xiao Yuâs grasp.
âWhy are you stealing her toys?â was what Xiao Yu said, but heâd already accepted the yarn ball and had begun fiddling with it.
Faye stared at this contradiction, then looked at the threat hidden behind Yan Jinâs smile. Affronted, she went to a corner to play by herself.
âThereâs no way home can compare to this. Thereâs plenty to eat and drink, servants are at your beck and call, and itâs a wide expanse in a nice environment with a view that looks digitally enhanced. If this place were open to the public, it would be run over with people in no time. Are there any tourist spots in all of China like the Four Seasons Manor? I donât think Iâve heard of any place as good as this...â
âThe Four Seasons Manor isnât a tourist spot. If you want, you can consider this as home,â Yan Jin reminded him.
âOh, right! I forgot about that. But, maybe we shouldnât. Itâs too far from the city and would make our commute very inconvenient. Also, I have some attachment to that villa after living there for so long. I donât want to switch.â
Thwump. Xiao Yu rolled backwards.
âYou look like you like it here more though.â Yan Jin stuck his arm out to bring Xiao Yu back.
âOnce in a while is fun, but every day... would be too extravagant.â Xiao Yu rested his head on Yan Jinâs legs and shifted into a comfortable position before closing his eyes.
There truly was a difference in experiencing the Four Seasons Manor as a hamster versus as a human. The perspective alone was worlds apart; only a human could fully appreciate its god-like architecture. Hamsters also couldnât eat human food, so he hadnât had the opportunity in the past to savor the culinary skills of the world-class chefs Yan Jin invited. Now that heâd finally had a taste of it, he ended every meal so stuffed he could only roll on the carpet. He didnât have the words to describe his happiness.
Just like Xiao Yu had said, Four Seasons Manor was great as an occasional vacation spot, but living there long term wasnât necessary.
Furthermore, all of his happiness and fortune were dependent on one basic thing: Yan Jinâs presence.
To Xiao Yu, no matter how stunning the scenery was or how heavenly the food was, none of that could compare with lazing around for an afternoon with his beloved.
âAlright, whatever you say.â Yan Jin indulgently caressed Xiao Yuâs curls. âIt doesnât sound bad to retire here after we grow old either...â
âWow, so obedient. Are you up to something again?â Xiao Yu felt bored and wanted to start something.
âMhmm, Iâm listening to my wife.â
â...â Xiao Yuâs entire body felt sluggish. He subconsciously swatted Yan Jinâs troublemaking hands away. â...What?â
âEmbarrassed? Itâs clearly the truth.â Yan Jin took the opportunity to squeeze Xiao Yuâs cheeks.
âRubbish, when did I become your wife? Aunty Fang told me that she only agreed after you said you would become a part of our family... Stop squeezing, theyâll be permanently deformed!â
Xiao Yu felt like his entire face was on fire, either from his embarrassment or Yan Jinâs squeezing.
âReally? Letâs find out.â Yan Jin pressed his entire body onto Xiao Yuâs.
âHey, what are you doing? Oi.... at least letâs go on the bed...â
âDidnât you prefer the carpet? Itâs spacious.â Yan Jin countered with Xiao Yuâs own words, then left a light kiss on the side of Xiao Yuâs neck.
Faye disdainfully looked at the two male animals who seemingly could be horny twenty-four hours a day. She haughtily walked out of the room and was even considerate enough to close the door on the way out.
......
âHey, have you talked to Chu Ge recently?â
Yan Jin blinked his eyes and casually replied, âWhy?â
âNo real reason. I just felt that he hasnât come online to play games for a long time now...â
They had spent the last month at the Four Seasons Manor in complete leisure. In his online game, Xiao Yu had been happily trolling other gamers and had quickly noticed that Chu Ge hadnât appeared online for a very long time.
As far as Xiao Yu knew, Chu Ge liked the game quite a bit. On top of that, since patients needed to make prior reservations, Chu Ge should have had a lot of free time. Normally, Xiao Yu could find Chu Ge online two out of three times. On the weekends, Xiao Yu would often help Chu Ge climb the ladder rankings using an alternate account. Now, Xiao Yu found it a little strange that Chu Ge never came online anymore.
It wasnât that big of a deal though since it was just a game. Every day tens of thousands of people escaped their gaming addiction, so he could understand if Chu Ge suddenly decided to stop playing.
Thus, the game itself wasnât the main point.
Xiao Yu was brooding over the fact that after Chu Ge had skipped their wedding to take care of Nan Chan, a month had passed without any message of congratulations from him. It didnât fit Chu Geâs personality.
All in all, Xiao Yu felt that Chu Ge was more interested in what his friends were up to than Yan Jin was. It wasnât his prejudice against Yan Jinâs apparent perfection.
Anything abnormal happening had to be the result of strange processes. Though he wasnât sure why, Xiao Yu felt an ill premonition.
âHe might be too busy for games since he needs to take care of both Nan Chan and the Nan Family,â Yan Jin said.
âIs that really it?â Yan Jinâs explanation didnât assauge Xiao Yuâs doubts. âYou mentioned that he broke off from the Nan Family, right? After meeting with the Nan Family, heâll come back, right?â
âNo matter how unreasonable the Nan Family is, they wonât kill someone to silence them.â Yan Jin indicated his helplessness. âTheyâre an influential family that is highly scrutinized by the public. They wouldnât do anything like that.â
âThatâs not what I was saying...â Xiao Yu mulled over the best way to express his thoughts. In the end, the words he chose were quite abstract. âWhen he comes back to us, heâll still be Chu Ge, right?â
Yan Jin was stumped.
He knew what Xiao Yu was referring to.
For a moment, he felt ashamed for deliberately misinterpreting Xiao Yu earlier.
This was like last time when he and Chu Ge tried to hide the truth from Nan Wei. They had thought their act was flawless. Little had they expected that their audience had seen through their act from the start and had quietly watched it to the end.
âYes.â
Yan Jin met Xiao Yuâs eyes.
âNo matter what happens, heâll always be Chu Ge. He wonât change from the way he was the last ten years.â
âIs that so? Thatâs a relief.â Xiao Yu let out a heavy breath and his entire body felt more relaxed.
He hoped everything went smoothly for Chu Ge and that they could all live peacefully and happily.
Xiao Yu felt that the current him was so hedonistic even he himself was surprised. But, he had to admit that he really enjoyed the endless material and immaterial pleasures.
âWant to take a nap? Weâll wake up just in time for dinner,â Yan Jin suggested.
â...Nah.â Xiao Yu pushed himself off of the carpet and began throwing the rumpled clothes from the ground onto himself without a care for whose clothes they were.
âWhatâs up?â
âI got a sudden inspiration. Let me redesign the last work in the âRiptideâ series.â
âEhh?? Wait, at this time...â Yan Jin felt like his plans were interrupted and wanted to bring Xiao Yu back. But, Xiao Yu was already sitting motionless in front of the computer with his headphones on.
Well, it was hopeless.
Yan Jin was all too clear on his loverâs working state. Even if the sky fell down, Xiao Yu might not move. Earlier, heâd wanted to nap until dinnertime. Forget the nap, it looked like they would skip dinner too.
Chairman Yan sadly lay back onto the carpet and began toying with the yarn ball Xiao Yu had left behind. It really was a pitiful sight.
Yan Jin had discarded YL in the face of all of his employeesâ wails and had scheduled a month and a half honeymoon for Xiao Yu had himself. He had shamelessly had Shao Yue fill in for him without significant preparation. But, Xiao Yuâs habits couldnât be eliminated so easily. There was no way Xiao Yu could forget the upcoming Autumn Conference and the looming threat of the new SI. Even for their honeymoon, Xiao Yu had brought his work laptop and lots of other documents.
Speaking of which, Xiao Yu had taken up the trunk space previously meant for hamster-related accessories. When Yan Jin had protested, Xiao Yu had mercilessly overruled him, saying, âIf the computerâs coming, Iâm coming. If the computerâs not coming, you can go on the honeymoon by yourself.â It had been Yan Jinâs utter defeat.
Compared to Yan Jin legendary affinity for shirking responsibility, Xiao Yuâs professionalism was at the other extreme. Not only had Xiao Yu continued designing, but because of the Four Seasons Manorâs exquisite architecture, the inspiration had driven Xiao Yu to complete what he normally completed in two to three months. He had completed an entire series of works called âRiptideâ.
This series was so outstanding even a layman like Yan Jin could feel it. Whether it would sell well was another question, but to Yan Jin, âRiptideâ was proof that Xiao Yu had become even stronger.
Now, he was far better than when he had been under heavy pressure as the chief designer at SI. He was even better than the Mr. Mystery of a year ago.
No wonder Master Andy could sing a hundred praises for Xiao Yu. The current Xiao Yu already had the strength and experience of a top-tier designer. Without a doubt, he would drive the future of the design world.