Chapter 36: “Mine”

Chapter 36 "Mine"

The night on Planet 207 wasn't completely dark.

A soft, hazy glow from other planets draped over the area like a thin layer of snow.

In the small bedroom of the cottage, a faded curtain hadn't been pulled shut.

Perhaps the room's occupant had been too worked up before bed, and after dozing off without realizing it, had completely forgotten to close it.

The dim light filtered through the window, spilling across the room and dusting most things in it with a thin frost.

Especially the slender figure on the bed; the light made his already fair skin look even paler.

The room was tiny; with a bed and a cabinet already there, even one more piece of furniture would've made it feel cramped.

Let alone the fact that there was someone else in the room right now.

A tall figure stood in the shadows, but even so, the dim light was enough to make out his features.

Unlike the person in bed, already fast asleep, the young man by the bedside seemed caught in a dilemma. His furrowed brows and strained expression betrayed the turmoil churning inside him.

Chu Lanting—whether awake or asleep—always had a quiet, detached air about him.

Except around his students, he barely seemed to have any emotional ups and downs.

His students.

That radiant smile.

The young man by the bed suddenly twisted his expression.

The faint jasmine scent in the air was no longer enough to satisfy him.

He wanted more—he wanted that scent to belong only to him, forever.

His Adam's apple bobbed nonstop, and fine beads of sweat broke out at his temples.

The room, which should've been cool, seemed to heat up by several degrees in that moment.

If anyone else had seen this, they would've bolted from the room in terror.

The problem was, the only other person in the room was already asleep, and the rising warmth had made his curled-up limbs stretch out lazily.

This only frayed the man's nerves even more.

Seeing the other's limbs relax, the fingers of the hands he'd held not long ago curled slightly, as if grasping at something in the air.

This made Pei Du, already on the verge of losing control, breathe even harder.

Yet deep down, a sliver of rationality remained.

He knew that if he woke the other man, he wouldn't be allowed to stay.

So he moved with extreme care, and only when he'd pulled the sleeping figure fully into his arms, inhaling the soft scent radiating from him, did his sanity start to return.

Once his composure returned, his dark eyes no longer held the lively spark from earlier—only an intense, undeniable possessiveness remained.

"Mine."

The voice that broke the dim room's silence didn't wake the other man.

On the contrary, with a natural furnace beside him, Chu Lanting, whose limbs always ran cold, fell into a rare deep sleep.

The only downside was that in the second half of the night, he had a weird dream.

In the dream, he was wrapped up tight by an octopus, which even shoved its tentacles into his mouth, making it hard to breathe.

Fortunately, dream-him was brave and fearless. After a desperate struggle, he not only bit off its tentacles but sent it running with its tail between its legs.

The result of fighting a monster in his dream was waking up the next morning with his whole body aching.

Sitting up in bed with a mess of hair, Chu Lanting rubbed his head, and only after yawning did he fully wake up.

The first thing he did after opening his eyes was look at the floor by the bed.

Seeing neither a figure nor a blanket on the floor, he remembered that last night, in his anger, he'd banished Pei Du to sleep in the other room.

He touched his lips, and a sharp sting made him suck in a breath. Just then, a knock came at the bedroom door.

As the door pushed open, the face of the very young man he'd just been thinking about appeared.

"Wife, you're awake. Breakfast is ready. Get up, get changed, wash up, and come eat, alright?"

So obedient.

Pei Du, up early, wasn't in his work clothes but a light-colored shirt.

Under the shirt, an apron was tied around his waist.

It was one Chu Lanting had made from old clothes—originally sewn so he could show off his cooking, but in the end, Pei Du wore it way more often.

And with Pei Du's build, more than once while he was cooking—even with his back to the table—Chu Lanting's gaze would unconsciously follow him.

He heard footsteps approaching.

Realizing he was already spacing out first thing in the morning, Chu Lanting covered his face with one hand and tossed the blanket aside with the other to get out of bed.

"How about noodles for breakfast? Last night we didn't get to—"

"Stop. Don't bring up last night."

They had indeed talked about making noodles last night, but in the end, they each just had two slices of cake to tide them over.

After that, Chu Lanting had hidden in the room, drawn a clear line between them, and kicked Pei Du out to sleep in the other room.

The embarrassment he'd barely suppressed surged back up. Barefoot, Chu Lanting walked to the wardrobe, grabbed a random piece of clothing, and tossed it on the bed. Just as his fingers touched the fabric, he froze.

"Aren't you leaving?"

He turned to look at the young man in the doorway, brows slightly furrowed, shooing him away with his eyes.

Seeing this, Pei Du tightened his grip on the doorknob, dropped his gaze, and obediently backed out of the room. "I'll wait for you in the living room."

Only after the door clicked shut did Chu Lanting breathe out and quickly change.

Pei Du was a really good cook.

Before this, Chu Lanting had heard that cooking also came down to "talent."

Since he had nothing to compare it to, he didn't take it to heart.

It wasn't until he met Pei Du and got completely schooled by him that he quietly took off the apron and tied it on the other man instead.

After getting cleaned up, Chu Lanting sat down at the dining table.

This small house was left to the original owner by his parents, and everything in it showed its age.

Take the dining table in front of him, for instance—it was so old that its legs were uneven, and Chu Lanting had to wedge a small stone under one leg just to keep the table steady.

The noodles were light and simple, the plain aroma of flour mixed with vegetables enough to make anyone hungry after being boiled.

Still hungry from the night before, Chu Lanting picked up his chopsticks the moment the noodles were set down and dug in with gusto.

He didn't have a big appetite, but Pei Du always served him extra, and every time, he would slow down halfway through his meal.

This time was no different.

Just as Chu Lanting was wondering how to deal with the leftover food in his bowl, he noticed Pei Du—who should've finished his breakfast ages ago and been waiting for him—hadn't touched a single bite today.