Chapter 40: “I Like You” “I Think I Do Too”

Chapter 40: "I Like You" "I Think I Do Too"

A soft sigh slipped from his throat.

Chu Lanting stopped patting the other's back, leaning back and tilting his head up.

"You are indeed sick, but it's just a minor issue here. It'll get better gradually. Everything else is totally normal."

He reached up and ruffled the hair on the person before him, feeling the tickle against his palm as he narrowed his eyes and continued.

"What happened last night was also normal—it's what happens when you like someone. I was the one avoiding it, and I forgot to think about how you felt. I apologize."

"A Du, I'm an orphan. I have no parents and no family. Years of emotional isolation have made me not great at expressing my thoughts—meaning I might not be good at expressing love."

"I've known many people and avoided many things. I've even had pursuers, but when they sensed my coldness, they'd back off. You're the first person who wants to cling to me every waking moment, even when I treated you the way I treated other pursuers."

"A Du, I've been alone so long that I don't even know how to deal with my own feelings anymore. Even so, do you still want to stay by my side and keep liking me?"

Chu Lanting himself didn't realize his tone sounded a little lighter as he spoke.

Even as a kid, he'd understood one thing: if he had never seen the light, he could have endured the darkness.

But he had seen that warm light shining upon him—his parents, his grandmother, and the dog from his youth.

He'd wanted to treasure those lights forever, hold onto them dearly. But in the end, they all left him.

From then on, he learned to shut himself off. He'd rather never feel that warmth again than go through losing it a second time.

Pei Du was the first person in all these years who kept trying to bring light into his life no matter what.

Even when he was angry or grumpy, Pei Du would still stand before him, trying to please him.

The young man with amnesia didn't know how to flirt or how to sweet-talk anyone. Uncle Tian had even taught him to buy a little cake to cheer him up.

In the end, his clumsy attempts had given him away, and Chu Lanting had discovered his little plan.

He was the stray cat in the story, terrified that the young master would abandon him once his memories returned—that was why his heart hurt so much.

And now, he had opened the door to his heart just a crack, letting a little of his pain show.

If the young master could still accept him, they would share some happy memories together.

Even if the young master abandoned him afterward, he could hold onto those memories to keep going.

Or maybe he'd eventually forget the young master too.

Because around him, there were many little kittens waiting for him to teach them how to catch fish and mice.

With that realization, the gloom on Chu Lanting's face lifted a little.

He even said what he was feeling in a light, gentle tone.

After saying all this, his gaze never left Pei Du.

This was the first time since losing that light that he'd actively reached for it again.

If even a trace of reluctance appeared on Pei Du's face or in his eyes, he'd stop chasing and leave things as they were.

But there was none of that.

Even as his own eyes stung, he saw no sign of reluctance on the other's face.

What he saw instead was Pei Du's eyes turning red again.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

"Is it something I said that you don't like, or do you not want to... get closer?"

Chu Lanting forced those last four words out.

This was the first time he had felt his heart stir for someone, the first time he didn't resist someone, letting them have their way with him.

As for last night, Pei Du thought he'd kicked him out because he'd gone too far.

But deep down, he was angrier at himself—for not refusing, for letting Pei Du do those things to him.

It wasn't until today, after talking with Feng Pei and receiving her guidance, that he finally realized his feelings for Pei Du might have changed a long time ago.

Otherwise, he would have treated him with the strictness befitting a student, instead of letting him get away with everything.

Pei Du didn't know he was crying again; he just felt his eyes burning.

Hearing the worried voice, he blinked. After a pause, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Wife."

"Hm?"

"I like you."

Hearing this, the smile at the corner of Chu Lanting's mouth deepened. His hand on Pei Du's shoulder lifted again to ruffle his hair: "I think I do too."

"But wife is sick. Does it hurt, wife?"

Chu Lanting, who hadn't been sick a single day since arriving in this world—even living on nutrient packs—said, "...Ah? I'm not..."

The next moment, he felt a hand press against his chest.

"When I kiss wife, it hurts. Wife doesn't hurt. So wife is sick."

Chu Lanting: ......

By the time the pair returned to the factory, they were already five minutes late.

Feng Xingyun, who was catching latecomers at the factory gate, spotted two figures—one tall and one short—hurrying over from a distance.

When he looked closer and realized the latecomers were familiar faces, he raised an eyebrow, went "hey," and walked over with the attendance book in hand.

"Five minutes late for both of you, that's two star coins total. Whoa, what's this? You two fight?"

Chu Lanting, who only made ten star coins a day at the factory: ......

His hand itched to hit someone even more.

Behind him, Pei Du—whose hair had grown out a bit—had damp eyes, messy hair, and a red flush on his cheek, looking like he'd just been thoroughly scolded.

The moment he heard Feng Xingyun mention deducting money, he immediately widened his eyes, stepped around Chu Lanting, and stood in front of Feng Xingyun.

"You can't dock us."

Feng Xingyun, slightly shorter than him, looked up at him: "You're late, so you get docked."

"That's my wife's money, no deductions!"

"Oh dear, still calling it wife's money? Does your wife even acknowledge you before you go around calling her that? Don't end up crying in a corner again saying 'my wife doesn't want me anymore.' A real man, my butt—how embarrassing, shame on you."

Feng Xingyun put down the pen in his hand, raised his hand to rub his cheek with his finger, and made a "shame, shame" gesture.

Seeing Pei Du's expression turn fierce, he quickly stepped back two paces: "Hey, hey, can't win the argument so you're gonna throw punches again? I'm warning you, do you know who I..."

"A Du, I've got this."

A gentle voice rang out, and in the next second, Pei Du, who had been wearing a fierce expression just moments ago, instantly shifted to a pouty, pitiful face.

"Wife, hit me gently, don't hurt your own hand."

Feng Xingyun, standing nearby: "...What the hell is wrong with you?!"