Chapter 41: You Never Learn

Chapter 41: You Never Learn

"Supervisor Feng."

It was already work hours, and all the workers were busy at their posts.

Feng Xingyun was pretty busy himself. Today, when he went to the workshop, he happened to spot that Chu Lanting—who never showed up late—wasn't at his workstation.

Ever since Pei Du showed up, Feng Xingyun—who was always getting bullied—had taken to standing at the entrance with a pen and paper, just waiting to catch people slipping up.

He figured the two would take the whole morning off, but here they were, back already.

Feng Xingyun had always been a cheeky, sharp-tongued guy. Back when Chu Lanting was all gloomy and couldn't care less about him, Feng Xingyun loved nothing more than getting under his skin.

But at some point, Chu Lanting's whole vibe changed. The faint aloofness he gave off made people even more scared to get close.

That included Feng Xingyun.

Luckily, Pei Du showed up later. After being bored for a while, Feng Xingyun ended up getting tangled up with him instead.

Even though Pei Du had whooped his ass a few times, Feng Xingyun still couldn't help but sidle up to him every time they crossed paths.

Now, seeing Chu Lanting pull Pei Du behind him, he raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Begging for mercy?"

Chu Lanting nodded. "A Du and I got here early—we just had to step out for a bit and ended up late. Since it's our first time messing up, think you can let it slide, Supervisor Feng?"

Chu Lanting had been well looked after these days.

He'd gotten back into the work he loved. No matter how tiring the days got, the second he thought about the kids who'd swarm around him, all his exhaustion just melted away.

Plus, Pei Du could cook—even the simplest stuff, he'd do his best to make it taste good.

So instead of getting skinnier from all the busy days, Chu Lanting had actually put on a little weight.

With that handsome, refined face, he always spoke with quiet composure—never groveling or arrogant, even when asking for a break.

Feng Xingyun hadn't expected him to actually plead. The teasing smirk on his face hadn't even faded before it froze solid.

It took him a beat to glance back at Pei Du behind him. When he looked back, his voice was full of shock. "Wait, Chu, did someone slip you something? Weren't you two just at each other's throats?"

Chu Lanting frowned, puzzled. "I don't know where you heard A Du and I were fighting. We just had a misunderstanding."

"Now that it's cleared up, A Du and I are doing great. Thanks for your concern, Supervisor Feng."

His cool, indifferent voice rang out at the factory entrance.

Feng Xingyun looked at the man in front of him, then shot another glance at Pei Du.

He saw Pei Du lift his chin, staring back at him all smug, and even let out a little huff at the end.

Feng Xingyun: ......

Taking a deep breath, he ground his teeth. "Alright, fine. You go on in. A Du's under me—I gotta teach him some manners."

What the hell!

He'd just been force-fed a mouthful of couple's PDA first thing in the morning.

And wasn't Chu Lanting supposed to be cold and indifferent to everything? Why the hell had he just caught a soft smile on his face for a split second?

Could those two actually be...?

The thought made Feng Xingyun's heart clench like something had squeezed it.

He'd been chasing that man for so long, only to get shot down without mercy.

And A Du—who'd only been here for a hot minute—had already snagged the prize he'd been after?

If he didn't beat A Du until he was bawling for his mommy today, his last name wasn't Feng!

The more he stewed, the more provocative his stare at Pei Du got.

But Pei Du seemed totally oblivious, just looking down at the person in front of him.

"Don't get into a fight later. If Supervisor Feng swings at you, just run. If you get hurt, we're almost out of anti-inflammatory meds at home."

It never even crossed Chu Lanting's mind that Pei Du might lose a fight.

Even without his past memories, some things were just muscle memory—his body reacted before his brain even caught up.

Pei Du had never been scared of Feng Xingyun either. His only real worry was that he'd have to go a while without seeing his wife.

So he watched Chu Lanting leave, waiting until the man was far enough that he couldn't hear him before reluctantly tearing his eyes away.

The look on his face was no longer the pitiful, wronged puppy-dog expression he wore around his wife.

Pei Du looked down at the man in front of him, his thin lips barely parting. "Mine."

Feng Xingyun froze for a second at that short, possessive, almost declarative statement, then his face scrunched up in disgust.

"Mine, yours—whatever. You're just decent-looking and good at playing the victim. Chu's got a soft heart, that's the only reason he's nice to you."

"Hey, you already know this, right? You're not from this planet. Those people who took your flying craft back—I heard they sold it for a nice chunk of change in the rich district."

"Your ship was pricey. And when Chu's not around, the way you switch up your face is annoying as hell, but I'll give you this—your vibe's not bad."

Pei Du was still thinking about wrapping up his own work early so he could run to the workshop, stick by his wife's side, and knock out her share of the work too.

But there was always some clueless idiot blocking his way.

After listening to Feng Xingyun ramble, his annoyingly handsome face twisted with impatience. "So? What's your point?"

"Isn't it obvious? You and Chu are from totally different worlds. Whether you get your memories back or your people track you down here, can you honestly guarantee you'll be able to take Chu with you?"

The higher a planet's rank, the more deeply the class system was carved into its residents' bones.

Take the main planet, for example—only people with real accomplishments could get in, or those born there with money.

Otherwise, even people with achievements who made it onto the main planet would get kicked out after a set time if they didn't secure permanent residency.

Chu Lanting was just a completely ordinary, nothing-special resident of Planet 207.

With his status, he wasn't even allowed to get near the main planet, let alone set foot on it.

As for other highly-ranked planets, their rules and regulations are basically the same as the main planet's, just a bit more relaxed.

Only planets like 207, ranked at the bottom, don't have those kinds of rules, allowing people from other planets to come and go freely.

However, due to scarce resources, no one ever comes, except for people like Pei Du who got swept in by a space-time rift by accident.

After saying all this, Feng Xingyun didn't give the person in front of him another look and turned to walk back into the factory.

Yet just as he reached the corner, a large hand suddenly appeared, and before he could utter a curse, his voice, along with his figure, vanished around the corner.

At the same moment, a low sigh echoed from the corner.

"Xingyun, you never learn."