Chapter 3: “Take It Off”

Chapter 3: "Strip Down"

Pei Du, as the protagonist of the novel and the chosen one, naturally wasn't hard on the eyes.

Even though Chu Lanting came from another world and had seen his fair share of good-looking people, facing Pei Du's shy and troubled expression, he couldn't help but be struck by how stunning Pei Du was.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, a pair of long legs that were his pride and joy, deep-set eyes, and handsome features—even a fly passing by would stop for a second glance.

But being impressed was one thing; no matter how good-looking someone was, that didn't give him the right to get handsy, right?

Especially since the one he was being a pervert toward was himself.

His illusion that "all novel protagonists have this grand, untouchable aura" was shattered.

Chu Lanting pulled his hand back with a deliberately serious look, then tucked his tingling fingers behind his back before murmuring.

"I'm not your wife, and you know damn well where it hurts. If you keep this up, I might just throw you out of the house."

The "throwing you out" threat did the trick on a blushing Pei Du.

A look of flustered panic crossed his handsome face. The major, who should've been out drilling his troops, pouted and whined, "You are my wife. I like you. You're my wife."

Not this again.

They'd already gone round and round about this "wife" thing many times.

Chu Lanting rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Forget it. You'll get it once you remember."

"I'm gonna get some rest. You close your eyes and sleep too, alright?"

He said it like he was asking nicely, but Chu Lanting didn't hold out much hope that he'd actually stay quiet.

He'd been out of it for too long, and with all that fussing just now, he figured he wasn't going to get a decent night's sleep.

Luckily, he'd gotten used to grabbing a quick nap whenever he could.

The bed was tiny—barely big enough for Pei Du to stretch out on his own.

If he wanted to get on it too, they'd both have to sleep on their sides just to fit.

Following the original owner's memories, Chu Lanting found a blanket that had seen better days in a cabinet that could barely pass for a wardrobe.

It didn't smell great—probably hadn't been washed in ages.

But it was one of the few things in this place that could pass as bedding.

He spread the blanket out on the floor, and before he could even lie down, he heard Pei Du's voice from the bed again.

"Wife, you're not coming up to sleep?"

Chu Lanting hadn't slept all night, and his head was pounding with a dull, throbbing ache.

He'd barely lain down, not even caring about the smell, when sleep hit him like a wave.

He just mumbled something back, not even knowing when he'd dozed off or when he'd been hauled onto the bed.

It wasn't until he felt something poking at his lips that he slowly came to.

At the same time, a familiar voice spoke right by his ear: "Wife, you're up! Wife, can I give you a kiss?"

Chu Lanting:

......

!!!???

His eyes flew open, and he smacked away the finger that was on his lips. He still had that groggy just-woke-up look on his face, but his eyes were already wide as saucers.

"What are you doing?"

Looking down at the man in front of him, he realized with a start that he was actually lying in bed, while Pei Du sat on the floor, one hand propping up his head, the other still frozen mid-touch.

"Why are you down there? Wait—how did I end up up here?"

Pei Du, who'd just been shot down by his wife, was still wallowing in sadness a second ago, but the next second he looked up, his fox-like eyes all watery as he looked at his wife.

"Because it's not comfy down here, but it's comfy up here. Wife's tired. Wife sleeps."

His voice was naturally deep, but now, thanks to the amnesia, it had a whiny, pleading edge to it.

Chu Lanting furrowed his brow at that. "That's not what I meant. You're still hurt, and I'm heavy—how the hell did you get me up here?"

"Not heavy. Wife's super light. I just picked you up and brought you up here."

Pei Du mimed a lifting motion with both hands, his eyes shining with a look that clearly said "praise me." "Wife looks pretty even when asleep. I was super gentle and didn't wake you up."

True enough, he hadn't woken him.

Because of work, Chu Lanting didn't sleep well.

This was one of the rare times he'd actually slept soundly.

Normally, Pei Du carrying him to bed so he could rest would've been a good thing.

But Chu Lanting couldn't help himself. "You know that's not what I'm talking about. You're still hurt—you should be the one lying down and resting..."

Before he could finish, he saw the light in the other man's eyes go out.

His throat tightened, and he gripped the bedsheet next to him. "But thanks anyway. I slept well."

"You're welcome, wife! I like watching you sleep."

Before he got thrown into this book, Chu Lanting had never been short on admirers.

With his fair skin, sharp features, and easygoing personality, he'd been pretty popular in school.

But unlike other suitors, Pei Du's blunt, upfront affection threw him off.

Especially when he remembered he was now in a novel—not as the lead, but as cannon fodder.

He looked up to meet Pei Du's eyes, swallowing back the words "Stop calling me wife, or I'll throw you out."

After just half a day with the guy, he was pretty sure that if he actually kicked him out—never mind how unsafe 207 was—he couldn't guarantee Pei Du wouldn't end up hurt.

As the male lead with plot armor, Pei Du definitely wasn't gonna die that easily on planet 207.

Once he got his memories back and remembered all the crap Chu Lanting put him through by kicking him out, any hope of a peaceful life would go right out the window.

And given how Pei Du was acting now, whether he'd even leave his doorstep was another question entirely.

"Wife, what's wrong? Does something hurt? Want me to rub it for you?"

A large hand wrapped in bandages landed on his arm.

Chu Lanting shook his head, pushed the blanket off himself, and prepared to get out of bed. "I'm fine. I'll go get you a basin of water."

Fortunately, water wasn't scarce on planet 207; otherwise, Chu Lanting would have started doubting himself.

His luck couldn't possibly be that bad.

Ever since the original owner had brought Pei Du back, he hadn't done much to clean Pei Du's wounds.

On top of that, Pei Du had run a high fever, and he'd long since started to stink.

Chu Lanting had thought about wiping him down earlier, but he'd been too tired and kept putting it off until now.

There was no hot water; the well water he'd just fetched was a bit cold. He had Pei Du test the water, and once he confirmed Pei Du could handle it, he found a relatively clean cloth.

"Take it off."

Without any hesitation, Chu Lanting moved to undo the bandages on him.

He had no idea where the original owner had gotten these bandages—they'd already turned yellow.

Combined with Pei Du's injuries, the yellowed bandages were stained with blood spots of various sizes, looking so grim you'd hesitate to even touch them.

Even Chu Lanting's breath hitched for a moment when he saw the stains on the bandages.

His pale fingertips pressed against the bloodstained gauze on his shoulder, and he looked up at him. "Does it hurt?"

Pei Du shook his head without a second thought, but then changed his answer at the last second.

"No... it only hurts a little."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand to show exactly how much "a little" was.