Once again, He Juan was caught by surprise. "Wait..." he blinked a few times. "I haven’t given you my name?"

He could not believe that he’d forgotten to... complete such basic etiquette! Just what had he been doing? No wonder Mu Yuze still could not lower his guard around him. How could he, when the man who took him away did not even introduce himself? He must have thought that He Juan had some hidden agenda up his sleeve!

"I..." He Juan rubbed his forehead and barked out an abrupt laugh, utterly speechless. "I’m sorry, it’s just... oh God. Here, let me redo it again." He crouched down so that he was the one looking up at the other, stretched out a hand and beamed brightly. "Hey there, my birth name is He Juan. But everyone tends to call me XIU."

As expected, Mu Yuze tilted his head and asked, "Why XIU?"

"It’s a little hard to explain," he chuckled sheepishly. He never expected that one day, he would feel a little ashamed to admit that he was a mafia, especially under Mu Yuze’s pure and curious gaze. "But in my line of work, it’s more beneficial and safe to address one by nickname. Except for you... there is only one person in this world who knows my birth name. I am not teasing you this time, I swear!" he hastily raised three fingers to the sky once he caught a flicker of anger in Mu Yuze’s eyes. "Geez, I am really not lying..." he let out a helpless laugh. "Am I really that untrustworthy in your eyes?"

Mu Yuze did not deign to answer, but the nonplussed stare he shot He Juan already spoke of a thousand words.

He Juan huffed out an exasperated chuckle. "What’s with that look?" He gently flicked Mu Yuze’s forehead, earning him another skittish glare. "Or do you really think I’m a child trafficker who will lock you up in my house before selling you off? Hmm?"

"No," Mu Yuze rolled his eyes. "I think you are planning to fatten me up first and foremost."

It took He Juan two full seconds to realize that Mu Yuze was returning the words he had said back in the car. He Juan could feel himself gawking and it was not until he caught sight of the faintest smug look on Mu Yuze’s face that he, too, dissolved into a full body laughter. Goodness, this boy sure was gutsy! He Juan did not remember ever being teased before and to think that the first person who attempted to do it was a fourteen years old child whom he had just met hours ago... it filled him with utter mirth and amusement.

"You..." He Juan gasped in mock disbelief. "You petty little thing, are you holding a grudge against me?"

"As far as I remember, you’re the one who said it first. Right, Uncle He?" Mu Yuze raised a taunting brow.

"Uncle..." He Juan sputtered in shock. "I am... I am only twenty three! You should call me Gege instead!"

Mu Yuze showed a look of disgust that was too vivid for a teenager his age, causing He Juan to double over in laughter again. "Xiao Ze ah, Xiao Ze..." he let out a sigh. He did not even realize how gentle and fond his expression was or how Mu Yuze hurriedly dropped his gaze when he saw it, earlobes turning red. "You’re really one of a kind. Don’t ever change, do you hear me?"

"What do you mean?" The boy asked, confused.

But He Juan merely shook his head. He could not explain it into words. One thing for sure, he wanted to take better care of the boy in front of him so that he could grow up to be a dashing young man who was fearless and kind in equal measure. Of course, occasionally grumpy and petty was also fine.

Chuckling, He Juan rose to his feet and patted Mu Yuze’s head in passing. "Take a shower first. I will go and find some clothes for you to change into."

He Juan left the bedroom once he heard the sound of water running. Smiling to himself, he entered the room next door, ignored the mess on the floor and made a beeline to the closet.

He had not packed too many clothes when he came here, opting to buy it instead should need arose. And Mu Yuze’s arrival had been a completely unexpected event. He Juan could only search for a set of temporary clothes for him and brought him to buy some new ones tomorrow. If he did not remember wrongly, it seemed like he had packed a few comfy shirts somewhere...

Too engrossed in rummaging through the closet, He Juan did not notice that someone was tiptoeing toward his door, followed by a round eye that peeked into the room only to be shocked by the chaotic mess he found within.

He Juan was brought out of his contemplation by a sharp hitch of breath. He turned around to find Mu Yuze in front of the door. "You’re here? Why are you so fast? You should have just taken your time and..." he belatedly realized that Mu Yuze was frozen on the spot with his gaze fixed... on the wrecked floor, couch and bed that was littered with pieces of papers to the point where the original surface could no longer be seen.

Flustered, He Juan stood up and tried to pick up the papers on the floor. But the more anxious he was, the more they slipped away from his hand to create a bigger mess. In the end, he could only give up trying to salvage the situation. He weakly tried to defend his crumbling image as a functional and respectable adult in Mu Yuze’s eyes. "If I say that my room is not usually like this, will you believe me?"

Mu Yuze, as ruthless as ever, deadpanned, "No."

He Juan laughed and cursed under his breath. "The cleaning auntie will come tomorrow and all of this..." he made a gesture around the room. "...will disappear soon. Blame yourself for arriving at a wrong time, okay?"

"Blame myself," Mu Yuze echoed, still with an unimpressed look.

He Juan cleared his throat awkwardly. Why did it seem like the more he tried to explain, the quicker his image was falling apart? He could literally see the word ’disappointed’ plastered on Mu Yuze’s forehead with capital letters.

"Um... here!" In a desperate attempt to divert the topic, He Juan grabbed the softest and comfiest shirt he had found in his closet, strode toward Mu Yuze and raised it in front of him to show it off. "Tada! What do you think of it?"

Mu Yuze raised his eyelids and stared at the oversized black shirt that would definitely dwarf him if he wore it. "... It’s good," he said dryly.