Chapter 5: My Wife Wants to Hug Me?!

Chapter 5: Does My Wife Want a Hug?!

"It was me who hurt you. I've apologized, and I blew on it for you. I was wrong. Please don't cry, okay?"

"I... if it still hurts, I'll go out and find a doctor, ask if there are any painkillers or something."

Gentle Teacher Chu, so composed with his students, had no idea what to do when the conflict was his own.

He tossed the blanket from the bed aside and went to pick up the thin blanket he had previously covered Pei Du with, before realizing something was off.

Pei Du lay on the bed with red-rimmed eyes. Through his tear-blurred vision, he saw Chu Lanting standing motionless by the bedside.

Following his gaze downward, Pei Du shifted his body and snatched the thin blanket from his hand: "Wife can't look. Wife doesn't like it."

It was just like before.

His wife didn't like him like this, and even said he would throw him out of the house.

The moment Pei Du thought of that scene, his heart ached like it was about to give out.

But he didn't want to leave his wife, nor did he want to be kicked out of the house.

But his wife still wanted to touch him, and even blew on his wound—he simply couldn't hold it in.

The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Bean-sized tears rolled down his cheeks, finally disappearing into his temples.

Pei Du thought his wife was so mean. He liked his wife so much, but his wife not only refused to acknowledge their relationship, but also wouldn't kiss or cuddle him—everyone else did that.

He wanted to kiss and cuddle his wife too...

Chu Lanting stood awkwardly by the bed. Seeing Pei Du pull the thin blanket over his head to escape reality, he couldn't help the corners of his lips curling up.

"If you cover your body with the blanket, I'll wipe you down again without looking, okay?"

"I also need to wash your head again—your head might be injured."

It probably wasn't an external wound, which was why the original owner hadn't noticed and hadn't wrapped bandages around Pei Du's head.

His gentle voice filled the room.

Seeing no reaction from the person on the bed, Chu Lanting helplessly patted the blanket: "Don't want me to clean the wound anymore? Then I'll head out, okay?"

"I'm really leaving now."

Deliberately making noise with his footsteps, Chu Lanting walked to the door of the room. The moment he pulled it open, he suddenly turned his head back toward the wooden bed and instantly caught the young man sneaking a peek at him with a hurt look.

Letting go of the doorknob, he returned to the bedside. Seeing Pei Du duck his head back under the blanket again, he chuckled: "I know you were peeking. It's getting late—let's stop fooling around, okay?"

"I'm not fooling around! Wife doesn't like it, so I won't let wife see!"

A sulky voice came from under the thin blanket.

Chu Lanting tossed the cloth back into the washbasin.

Knowing he'd pushed the man too far, he gave him an out: "I told you, you can cover up with the blanket."

"How about this—after I wipe you down and buy new medicine to re-bandage you, if you're up for it, we can hug." Like friends do.

Chu Lanting left that last part unsaid.

Because he knew if he did, he'd never be able to coax him back.

The original book didn't describe Pei Du's personality like this at all.

In just two pages, the author had mentioned several times that Pei Du was "cold-hearted and unfeeling," only going soft on the protagonist's love interest.

How come amnesiac Pei Du was like this?

Had he swapped souls with the love interest?

Reining in his runaway thoughts, Chu Lanting was afraid that if he kept thinking, he'd start thinking crazy things like body snatching.

Wringing out the cloth, he turned around and saw that the young man who had just barely covered himself with the thin blanket had now balled it up and shoved it aside. His eyes, still red from crying, were staring at Chu Lanting without so much as a blink.

Just like the big dog he'd had as a kid.

Seeing him turn around, Pei Du's big, bony hands gripped the blanket tight, his nerves written all over his face.

"Really? Does my wife want a hug?"

With that, the corners of his mouth curled up before he could stop them: "I—I'm willing! Wife can hug me as long as she wants, and I'll let her touch me too..."

As he spoke, he even poked at his own ripped abs, only to accidentally poke a fresh scab, letting out a muffled grunt.

Chu Lanting didn't bother correcting his grammar. Seeing that he'd obediently poked his head out, Chu Lanting sighed in relief and patted the edge of the bed, signaling him to sit back down.

The big dog, rewarded and waiting for more, was especially obedient.

Chu Lanting washed his head and checked it thoroughly, but found nothing. As he worked, he asked if anything hurt, and got a no every time.

"Could it be a concussion? But even a bad one wouldn't wipe his memory completely."

His confusion deepened, and this time Chu Lanting didn't hesitate about going out.

He told Pei Du to stay home obediently and not open the door for anyone who came.

After retrieving a stack of paper bills from an iron box from memory, he waved goodbye to Pei Du.

Planet 207 wasn't large. Due to being long forgotten by the main planet—the Imperial Star—its population had been decreasing every year. Even though it was still daytime, barely any figures could be seen on the streets.

The original owner lived in a corner of a small town, where the residents' main source of income was a factory that produced nutrient solutions.

The original owner also worked at the factory. Most months, his wages weren't paid in currency but in unsold nutrient solutions.

The paper bills Chu Lanting had in his pocket were savings the original owner had accumulated over a long time.

Although there weren't many places on Planet 207 that required money, having some always brought a sense of security.

The town wasn't large. Over the years, its population had dropped from tens of thousands to just a few thousand.

It was clearly a planet with a pleasant climate, yet because of the main planet's neglect, the land had gradually become barren, the population had dwindled, and over time, the entire planet had lost its vitality.

Nodding in greeting to a few neighbors who took the initiative to say hello, Chu Lanting's footsteps stopped in front of a residential building.

The town had no educational resources, and its medical resources were pitifully scarce.

Most people couldn't afford schooling, and when they got sick, they endured it as long as they could—and if they couldn't endure it, they died.

That was exactly how the original owner thought too.

And the money he'd saved up...

Chu Lanting tightened his grip on the worn, neatly folded bills in his pocket, then stepped into the residential building.

"Uncle Tian, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

It was dark inside the building, no lights on, and a faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air—watered down, not the real stuff.

A middle-aged man in a white coat was looking down at something, but at the sound of the voice, he looked up right away and quickly hid what he was holding.

Seeing that it was Chu Lanting, he let out a sigh of relief and set the slightly colorful magazine back on the table.

"You little brat, trying to scare your Uncle Tian half to death?"

Closing the magazine and setting it aside, the man stood up to pour him a glass of water. "What are you doing here? And why you talking so... uh, so proper?"

"Oh, by the way, the other day Old He said you picked up some guy and brought him home. That true?"