Chapter 20: Need to Switch to a Bigger Bed!

Chapter 20: Time for a Bigger Bed!

Pei Du had never met anyone this gentle.

Although he had tried many times to recall the memories he had lost, each attempt ended in failure.

But whenever he saw Chu Lanting, a thought would always flash through his mind.

How could someone bring a total stranger home to take care of them, giving them the best of what little they had?

This made him, a naturally wary person, want to pull away every time.

But every time he saw the warm smile on that face, he couldn't help but edge closer again.

"Wife."

In the dim light of night, the man spoke in a low, muffled voice.

As he spoke, a gentle voice answered, accompanied by a pat on his back.

"Are you tired? After you shower, I'll get you some cold water to cool your forehead, okay? Once your fever breaks, you won't feel so awful."

Pei Du didn't answer, just buried his head deeper.

Only when the faint scent of jasmine filled his nose did he pull away from the embrace, like an addict getting his fix.

"My wounds are all healed. Will you take me out tomorrow, wife?"

He'd been stuck in this tiny room for days, and the thing he did most was sit by the door waiting for Chu Lanting to get home from work.

After dinner, he'd help Chu Lanting prep for his classes.

He also picked up a lot from Chu Lanting during that time, and the more he learned, the more a strange sense of familiarity gnawed at him every day.

Every day of this life was boring.

Yet it made him feel incredibly at ease.

So at ease that he wished time would just stop and he could stay here forever.

But he couldn't.

The restlessness in his chest made his hands clench into fists. He looked up at the starry sky and took a deep breath.

Chu Lanting was unlocking the door and didn't notice the shift in the man beside him.

At that, he paused mid-unlock, then nodded. "But I'll be pretty busy in the morning. Can you hang around nearby?"

"Of course! Wife, you're the best."

Feeling a hand rub his waist through the fabric, Chu Lanting instinctively ducked his head and pushed at his shoulder.

"Go sit down first. I'll heat up some water for your bath."

When they finally let go of each other, Chu Lanting let out a sigh of relief.

He felt like Pei Du's little clingy habits had been getting worse lately.

Ever since he'd first caved and given him a hug, Pei Du had been like a big dog—wanting hugs all day and always sticking close.

Whenever he got home from work and sat at the table working, Pei Du would prop his head up and lie nearby.

Sometimes, when he got into work mode, he'd suddenly snap out of it because of a touch on his hand or waist.

He'd warned Pei Du about it, but all he got in return was a pitiful look every time—and his own heart softening every time.

Hugging his knees, Chu Lanting stared at the fire, a complicated look in his peach blossom eyes.

After a long moment, his gaze hardened with resolve.

Unlike the original owner of this body, he'd never thought about getting anything out of Pei Du.

He just wanted to live his new life in peace. Pei Du would leave eventually, and if they kept on like this, he'd definitely find it hard to let go later.

As the old saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking the child.

Now that Pei Du's wounds were mostly healed, the two of them could each take a step back to avoid catching feelings they shouldn't.

With that thought, Chu Lanting pressed his lips together, took a deep breath, and suddenly turned to look at the young man behind him, who was sorting through vocabulary cards.

"A Du."

"Huh? Wife, what's wrong?!"

Pei Du, hearing his name, immediately looked up, set down what he was holding, and hurried over. Then, seeing Chu Lanting still crouched there hugging his knees, he scooped him up.

"I told you before, didn't I? You can't squat like that for too long. You'll get dizzy. Last time you almost fell, wife."

Chu Lanting, now seated on a chair: ...

Yeah, that did seem to have happened.

That time, he'd also been squatting by the stove boiling water. Because he'd been squatting too long, his feet went numb, and he thought he'd stand up to stretch.

But because he stood up too fast, plus the lack of oxygen from squatting so long, his vision went black, and he nearly fell.

Luckily, Pei Du was right there and caught him with quick reflexes, so he didn't fall.

Instinctively reaching up to touch his nose, Chu Lanting said, without much conviction, "I wasn't squatting that long, and I didn't fall last time either."

"Last time I was right there next to you, wife—that's the only reason you didn't fall!"

A large hand rested on Chu Lanting's knee. As his eyes landed on the veins on the back of that hand, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead.

"You dizzy?"

The question came with genuine concern. Chu Lanting's face flushed a little, and he shook his head. "Not dizzy. As long as I don't stand up right away, I won't get dizzy."

"That's good. It must be because you're too skinny, wife, that you get dizzy. Tomorrow I'll go to work with you, and all the money I earn will go toward buying you good food. That way, you won't get dizzy anymore."

"What were you gonna say when you called me just now, wife?"

Faced with Pei Du's earnest question, Chu Lanting found it hard to voice the thoughts in his head.

After all this time together, he could clearly see Pei Du's learning ability as the protagonist.

Aside from initially floundering around like a headless chicken, he'd adapted really well by now.

Except when it came to being clingy with him.

His lips parted slightly, Chu Lanting thought for a long moment before speaking: "It's nothing important, I just think the bed is a bit small. How about we…"

"Are we going to get a bigger bed?!"

Pei Du was tall, and every time he lay in bed, his feet dangled off the edge.

In the end, he had to tuck his knees up to sleep, which was fine at first but became uncomfortable over time.

Hearing his wife mention the bed being small, he nodded in agreement: "It is a bit small, but a new big bed would probably cost a lot of money."

"Honey, I can make the bed work. Do you trust me?"

The words 'sleep separately' were on the tip of Chu Lanting's tongue, but he swallowed them back down.

His brows furrowed slightly. The young man was kneeling on one knee before him, hands resting on his knees, looking up at him with eager eyes.

He couldn't bring himself to refuse in the end, so he nodded and smiled, saying, "I trust you."

At that, a smile spread across Pei Du's handsome face: "Honey, you're the best."

The sound of the kettle boiling on the stove beside them broke the silence between the two.

As Chu Lanting started to get up, Pei Du stopped him, stood, and carried the kettle to the bathroom.

Leaving Chu Lanting sitting alone in the chair, his gaze lingering on the living room that had once been messy but had been tidied up by him and Pei Du over the past few weeks.