Chapter 9: Do Whatever You Want

Chapter 9: Do Whatever He Wants

The young man ran hot, especially since his upper body was completely bare at the moment.

Chu Lanting sat on his lap, and to steady himself and keep from tumbling to the floor, his slender, pale fingers rested on the man's shoulders, his fingertips instinctively curling away from the heat.

He'd rarely been this close to anyone.

Having lost both parents at a young age and growing up in a poor household, he'd learned to scare off bullies with silence and a stony face.

Over time, he rarely smiled anymore. Though his personality remained gentle and agreeable, his constant lack of a smile scared off most people who tried to get close to him.

No one was willing to approach him anymore, so chances to connect with people dried up.

So forget about sitting in someone's lap—even holding hands, he'd only ever done with his grandma.

And now, not only was he sitting in Pei Du's lap, but his hands were also pressed against the other man's shoulders.

"I—I'm not trying to back out. Your chin..."

A flustered look crossed his handsome face as Chu Lanting turned his head away, unable to look at him.

But this simple move left his red, burning ears exposed.

"It doesn't hurt. My wife said he wanted a hug. I've been missing my wife so much."

The young man lowered his head, resting his bruised chin on the shoulder of the man in his arms.

Catching a faint whiff of jasmine from the tip of his nose, Pei Du took a deep breath, his eyes half-closed: "My wife smells amazing."

A deep, husky voice murmured by his ear.

It felt like someone was tickling the inside of his ears with a soft feather.

The itch made his scalp prickle and his heart flutter.

He wanted to tell the guy to let go, but the words died in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other leaning in, and he immediately raised his hand—*smack*—slapped it right onto the handsome face that had gotten way too close.

"Ow! Wife, that hurts!"

Chu Lanting's face was bright red.

Hearing him yelp in pain, he reached down to pry the arms off his waist: "We already hugged. Pei Du, if you keep this up..."

"Is my wife going to kick me out of the house again?" He sounded dejected.

Chu Lanting's eye twitched. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he got the feeling Pei Du wasn't as simple as he looked.

At least he'd learned to talk back.

But he'd already promised not to kick him out, so saying that again would make him a liar.

As a teacher, the idea of "leading by example" was drilled into him.

He shook his head and said in a low voice: "If you keep this up, I—I won't take you out anymore. I'll lock you in this little room..."

"Then my wife can do whatever he wants with me!"

Chu Lanting: ......

"Who taught you to talk like that?"

Wasn't Pei Du supposed to be a sweet, forgetful guy? Words like "do whatever he wants" didn't suit him at all.

Chu Lanting had just asked when he looked up and saw a confused look on the other's face.

Soon, that confusion turned into pain, with fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

That scared Chu Lanting. Forgetting about why he knew those words, he quickly cupped the other's face in his hands.

"If you can't remember, don't force it."

The young man holding him didn't respond.

His face, so lively just a moment ago, now looked drained and listless.

Tightening his arms around the man in his lap, Pei Du lowered his head and buried the lower half of his face in the soft, calloused palms.

"Wife, it really hurts."

Chu Lanting let go of his face and gently massaged his temples: "Does that feel better?"

His cool fingertips kneaded his temples, easing the sharp, stabbing pain in his head.

Pei Du nodded weakly, pulling him even closer: "Wife."

Seeing him like this made Chu Lanting's chest ache.

He didn't understand psychic powers, or if Pei Du's amnesia had anything to do with it.

Pei Du had to have an insane pain tolerance—his body was covered in wounds, some deep.

And yet he could still run and jump. That wasn't just because his psychic powers healed him fast, but also because of his past.

And yet now, just thinking about the past hurt him this much.

Even when Chu Lanting was cleaning his wounds and applying medicine, he'd never made a face like that.

What could make him so desperate not to remember?

The room fell silent, and outside, the sky slowly darkened.

It wasn't until the room got too dim to see clearly that Chu Lanting realized he'd been sitting in Pei Du's lap for a while.

"Does your head still hurt? Can you put me down? I'm heavy, and your leg's still hurt."

The wound on Pei Du's leg wasn't bad—it had mostly healed on its own.

But Chu Lanting still worried that sitting too long might tear the scab open again.

He pushed the arms off his waist, and once his feet hit the floor, he sighed in relief.

"I'll go get some water. Sit tight, I'll be right back."

The door opened and shut. With the lights off, the room was dark.

The only light came from the window by the bed.

The faint light fell across the young man's back, leaving his face in shadow.

When Chu Lanting walked in carrying a basin of water, this was the scene he saw.

Seeing Pei Du sitting by the bed with his head drooping, his expression unreadable, his heart gave a sudden lurch.

Turning on the light, the warm glow pushed back most of the shadows in the room, and only then did he finally get a good look at his face.

It was somewhat pale, his eyes tightly shut, and his brows knitted tight.

"What's wrong? Does your head still hurt?"

He carefully helped him lie back on the bed, his fingers, still cold from the water he'd just touched.

Chu Lanting didn't think twice about it—the moment he pressed his fingers to the other's forehead, he saw him suddenly fling his eyes open.

Chu Lanting had noticed earlier that Pei Du's pupils were pure black, black with no hint of impurity.

Before this, Pei Du had always looked at him with those pure black eyes, the emotions in them were clear and untainted.

But now Pei Du's gaze was different.

Same person, same eyes, yet now there was no light in Pei Du's stare—it was more like a dead, ancient well, you couldn't tell what he was thinking.

His throat went tight, and just as he was about to withdraw his hand, the other guy reached out and grabbed his wrist.

The next moment, Chu Lanting felt the world blur before his eyes, and once his body steadied, he was startled to find that he and Pei Du had swapped positions.

The young man sat astride his waist, and the look in his eyes as he looked down at him—Chu Lanting had seen it before.

It was the look of the big dog he'd raised in his youth, right before it was fed...