Chapter 1: Wife!

Chapter 1: My Wife!

Chu Lanting didn't realize he'd been kidnapped until he woke up after being knocked out.

His head was still foggy.

Besides feeling weak all over, he had no external injuries.

This slowly put his mind at ease.

They weren't after his life, so they must be after money.

But he couldn't make sense of it—as a new permanent resident of the Imperial Star, he hadn't even gotten used to life there yet. He barely had any friends, let alone enemies.

Besides, he knew himself—he never went looking for trouble, so why would anyone kidnap him?

Unless it was that person—the one source of trouble he'd kept by his side ever since he transmigrated into this book.

That strikingly handsome face popped into his mind, and Chu Lanting's heart skipped a beat. He pursed his lips and instinctively shoved the thought aside.

That man had been clingy when he had amnesia, sure, but he'd since gotten his memories back and even given Chu Lanting permanent residency on the Imperial Star as thanks and compensation.

There was nothing between them anymore.

That man was cold and heartless—how could he, after saying "you're just a plaything to pass the time and ease my loneliness," turn around and kidnap him?

His fingers brushed against the blindfold.

Just as he was about to pull it off, a warm, strong hand clamped down on his wrist.

The familiar warmth made Chu Lanting's heart lurch, but he quickly steadied himself.

"Pei Du, feeling lonely again?"

His cool tone was nothing like the gentle voice he'd used during their days of mutual affection.

Even with the blindfold on, Chu Lanting could picture Pei Du, memories restored, staring at him coldly before telling his subordinates to deal with him however they saw fit.

The Pei Du on the Imperial Star and the Pei Du who'd stayed by his side with amnesia were two entirely different people.

His heart had turned to ice. When he got no answer, Chu Lanting tried to move his wrist, still raised in midair, and felt the other man's grip tighten. The pain made him hiss through his teeth.

When he spoke again, his voice had gone cold and hard.

"Pei Du, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Silence filled the room.

Just as Chu Lanting's patience was about to snap, the man standing by the bed finally spoke.

"You're getting married?"

The man's voice was rough, completely stripped of its earlier cold edge.

Chu Lanting froze for a second, a bitter feeling churning in his chest: "That's none of Major General Pei's business. I need to get going—please let go of me."

Chu Lanting had a mild temperament. Even after transmigrating to a backwater place like Planet 207, with a big burden tagging along, he'd kept his gentle nature.

But everything changed once Pei Du got his memories back, returned to the Imperial Star, and took up his post as the youngest Major General.

At first, he'd tried to adjust, but it wasn't until later that he realized he was just a plaything to ease the man's loneliness—only then did he understand it had all been wishful thinking on his part.

By his count, it had been over a month since he and Pei Du split.

In that month, they hadn't even crossed paths. Pei Du had been off at war—how could he know about Chu Lanting's upcoming wedding?

"You can't get married."

His wrist was squeezed until it throbbed and went numb, and the frown on Chu Lanting's face deepened.

Hearing the man by the bed speak again, he paused, and a smile finally crept onto his long-frozen face.

"Major General Pei must be mistaken. We've already settled our debts—there's nothing left between us. Whether I marry or not, and who I marry, is none of Major General Pei's business, mm—!"

The word "relationship" was still caught in his throat when it was swallowed by another pair of lips.

The blindfold was finally yanked off, and the blinding sunlight streaming through the window made him squint instinctively.

The man hovering over him seemed annoyed that his attention had wandered. He seized Chu Lanting's chin with one hand, forcing him to look at him.

Chu Lanting had learned how to kiss from this very man.

Even though he was repulsed by the contact, both physically and mentally, he couldn't help but lose his composure after a moment.

When the deep kiss finally ended, he blinked his aching eyes, parted his wet, red lips, and spoke in a raspy voice.

"Major General Pei, I'm getting married soon..."

"You can't get married!" Pei Du, whose eyes had gone red from the kiss, was now on the verge of tears.

He looked down at the man he'd been yearning for over the past six months.

He remembered the sharp pain in his chest when he'd learned that this man was about to marry some ordinary person who was about to be kicked out of the Imperial Star.

He'd thought he had ironclad self-control, but it had crumbled to dust in an instant.

This man was supposed to be his—whether during the amnesia or after returning to the Imperial Star with his memories back.

Chu Lanting was Pei Du's!

Hearing "you can't get married" twice in a row, Chu Lanting didn't look embarrassed or angry. Instead, a helpless look crossed his flushed face.

Just like he used to do when comforting students, he patted the other man's shoulder. He was still the same gentle beauty, but with a wall raised around his heart, both his smile and his words carried an unmistakable air of distance.

"Major General Pei, you once said you were born with a mission to protect all of humanity in the Aland galaxy. Did you forget all that?"

"What we had was just two lines crossing paths. It was my honor to take care of you back then, and I'm grateful you brought me off Planet 207 and gave me permanent residency on the Imperial Star."

"Isn't that more than enough already?"

There it was again—that tone he used to lecture a child.

Pei Du knew it all too well. It was the tone Chu Lanting had used back when he had amnesia, before he'd taken him to heart.

Another pang of pain stabbed through his chest.

The Major General, famous for his military exploits and cold heart, rarely lost control of his emotions.

He shook his head hard, muttering "That's not it," while pulling a bio-rope out of the nightstand drawer.

Tying the man before him to the bedposts, Pei Du ignored his shocked expression. Once on the bed, he pulled the familiar slender waist into a tight embrace.

The faint scent of jasmine filled his nostrils again, blending with a warm, woody fragrance.

The longing that had built up over the past few days finally found relief at last.

But when that longing reached his lips, his words took a sharp turn.

"We already have a physical relationship. Your presence can stabilize my psychic energy, so you cannot get married."

Chu Lanting, held tightly in his arms, swallowed his discomfort.

After hearing what Pei Du said, he scoffed inwardly. Just as he'd expected.

The room was probably Pei Du's master bedroom, with signs of his daily life everywhere.

He was nothing more than a plaything to relieve loneliness, a tool to soothe Pei Du when his psychic energy flared.

Just now, he had actually dared to hope for a few gentle words from Pei Du.

He'd crossed a line. After all, the Pei Du who'd regained his memories and the one who'd lost them were two completely different people.

He didn't struggle. Chu Lanting lay still, gazing at the other man's profile, his expression dazed.

He still remembered that when he had first transmigrated into the book, this walking disaster was already lying on "his" bed.

Back then, he had sat by the window all night before making up his mind to take the man in. Once Pei Du got his memories back, his "task" would be done.

As long as he didn't go looking for trouble, trouble wouldn't find him.

After that, he could continue living on that barren planet.

How had it come to this?

His identity was merely that of a throwaway character meant to move the plot along...

*

As an education major, Chu Lanting had passed the teacher recruitment exam after graduation and entered the best middle school in the city center, becoming a proud educator.

He remembered confiscating a novel students were passing around during recess. Because the cannon fodder character in the book had the same name as him, he couldn't help but curiously read a couple of pages.

The result was that when he woke up, he found himself transmigrated into this novel.

A melodramatic danmei novel about a major general falling in love with a delicate and coquettish protagonist—a push-and-pull romance.

As the cannon fodder, he first took in the injured and amnesiac major general. The original host both despised how clingy the amnesiac major general was and wanted to cash in on his identity.

Then, after the major general regained his memories, he played the role of the other man to sabotage the relationship between the major general and his love interest. After the major general shut him down with a few words, the two leads' feelings for each other only grew stronger.

In short, "he" wasn't a good guy.

Pei Du was that major general.

Chu Lanting, gentle by nature and not great with people since childhood, couldn't even imagine being a third party to ruin a relationship.

Even having a longer conversation with a parent required mental prep.

And he became the transmigrator. The timing of his transmigration was just right—Pei Du had already "moved in" to his home, and because the original host hadn't taken good care of him, his wounds had become infected, which led to a high fever.

Chu Lanting was afraid the man would burn up, so he stayed by his side all night. Luckily, the fever broke.

His pale fingertips were slightly cool as they brushed against the man's warm forehead. After confirming that the fever had broken, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the man wrapped in bandages like a mummy, his eyelashes fluttered, and a flicker of joy appeared in Chu Lanting's eyes.

"You're awake?"

He hadn't slept all night, so his voice was hoarse, but the gentleness in his tone was unmistakable.

The man blinked in response.

He'd just pulled his hand back, but when he saw the man frown, he pressed his fingers to his forehead again.

It wasn't until he heard muffled sounds that he realized—the man's mouth was probably wrapped in bandages, so he couldn't speak.

Embarrassed, Chu Lanting quickly untied the bandages.

He had just transmigrated, and his mind couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was now in a book.

On top of that, the man had a high fever, and he was scrambling. By the time he finally managed to sit down and rest, his brain went blank.

He'd completely forgotten that in the original story, the original host had left the man in this state after taking him in.

Carefully unwrapping the bandages, Chu Lanting was about to ask how he was feeling when the man spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Who are you? Why are you in my house? You're... you're so pretty. Are you my wife?"

Chu Lanting was at a loss for words.

Pei Du had hit turbulence while on a business trip, which led to an accident and him ending up on this remote planet.

Everyone who had been on the shuttle with him had died. The original host had taken him in because his expensive clothes and air of wealth suggested he was worth something, hoping to make some money off him.

Also, because the turbulence had injured his head, Pei Du had remained unconscious ever since crash-landing on this planet.

The original host didn't know how to take care of people. He fed him tasteless nutrient solution every day and slapped bandages on his wounds, thinking that would help him recover.

What he didn't realize was that this only made things worse. If Chu Lanting hadn't arrived, the high fever would have lasted at least two more days.

And Pei Du's intelligence would have dropped to that of a seven- or eight-year-old because of the fever.

As it stood now, it seemed he had only lost his memory, not his intelligence, right?

After all, no seven or eight-year-old child would immediately ask if someone was their wife.

Chu Lanting breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still somewhat uncertain.

Out of politeness, he still answered: "My name is Chu Lanting. This is my home. I... we have no relationship between us."

"What about you? What's your name? Why did you end up on planet 207?"

He had too many questions, which made confusion appear on Pei Du's handsome face.

The man's eyes were beautiful, with upturned corners. They should have been filled with cold, sharp light, but at this moment, they only held bewilderment and pain.

Raising both arms, he painfully pounded his head twice: "I don't know. Why am I here? Who am I?"

That last question was directed at Chu Lanting.

After saying that, he couldn't help adding, "Aren't you my wife?"

Chu Lanting gave a wry smile at that, twitching the corner of his mouth and saying, "No."

"You probably banged your head and lost your memory for now. When you're strong enough to get out of bed, I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up. Are you hungry? I'll go grab you something to eat, alright?"

His voice was so gentle it was impossible to say no.

Only after he left the room did he start to look around the place. Calling it a house was a stretch—it was more like a shed thrown together from cheap materials.

Planet 207 was one of the most rundown planets in the whole galaxy. Calling it a slum wasn't a stretch.

The place had terrible security and no sense of order whatsoever.

Luckily, the original owner was a local who knew the area and kept to himself, which was the only reason he'd managed to stay alive.

But surviving was one thing—actually living was another.

Chu Lanting scoured the whole place and only found two stale nutrient packs in what barely passed for a kitchen.

They were a gross yellowish, thick goop that looked anything but appetizing.

But this was the staple food on Planet 207—one pack was enough to cover a person's daily nutritional needs.

Chu Lanting was about to keep looking for something else to eat when he heard a heavy thud from the bedroom.

He set down what he was holding and rushed in, only to find the guy who should've been in bed now sprawled on the floor.

The moment he walked in, the man looked up at him with big, pitiful eyes.

"Wife... it hurts—"

There it was again—that word.

Chu Lanting took a deep breath, went over, and used every ounce of strength he had to haul the man back onto the bed.

He stood by the bed, catching his breath, and looked down to meet the man's eyes. "I'm not your wife. Your wife is..."

He had no clue where Pei Du's soulmate was supposed to be—he'd only read two pages of that novel.

The galaxy was huge, with over two hundred planets, and he didn't even know which one Pei Du was from.

"You're handsome, I like you. Why aren't you my wife?"

The man's voice was weak, but there was a stubborn edge to it.

He even grabbed Chu Lanting's hand, his handsome face wearing a look of childish possessiveness. "I like you, so you're my wife!"