Chapter 81: The Laundry Basket

Chapter 81: The Laundry Basket

After Chu Lanting finished washing up in the bathroom and came out, the living room and kitchen were already empty.

Maybe because Pei Du had given him such short notice, his freshly washed hair, soft and short, was now completely soaked through, and after being toweled dry roughly, it was now a bit of a mess.

Not seeing that familiar figure in the living room, he let out a sigh of relief, but his gaze couldn't help landing on the object placed on the dining table.

He didn't get this world, didn't know that people here could already use something as intangible as spiritual power to communicate.

He picked at his thumbnail with his index finger, then looked over at the kitchen.

Once he confirmed Pei Du wasn't in the kitchen either, he finally walked over to the table.

Ever since he and A Du got married and Yan Que sent this thing over, he'd opened the gift box the next day to check it out.

After that, he'd sealed it back up, and it hadn't seen the light of day until today.

He pressed his fingertip against the surface of the core chip—nothing felt off.

The cool surface met his damp fingertips, and before he could withdraw his hand, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Guilty as charged, he yanked his hand back.

Turning his head to look at Pei Du, who had just come out of the room, guilt flickered across his face. "You... you didn't go out?"

Pei Du, holding a change of clothes, glanced at the core chip on the table first, then looked up and nodded at him.

Realizing he'd been caught red-handed, Chu Lanting's face flushed with embarrassment.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before the words came out, Pei Du was already heading for the bathroom.

"W-wait! My dirty clothes haven't been washed yet."

Back when A Du was around, Chu Lanting barely had to lift a finger around the house.

A Du could do anything—and whatever he didn't know, he picked up in seconds. After taking care of Chu Lanting for a while, he'd even managed to put a little meat on his skinny waist.

But now that A Du was gone, he'd just showered, and his dirty clothes were still sitting in the laundry basket.

If Pei Du went in now... that just wouldn't be right.

Ever since Pei Du got his memories back, he'd realized his spiritual power was unstable.

Or rather, his spiritual power had already been acting up before he even came to 207.

Back then, he could still rely on injections to keep it in check.

It wasn't until the airship got swept into a spacetime rift that he lost his memory—and the amnesiac version of him clearly had no idea how to control it.

There was nothing on planet 207—no injections, not even the simplest meds.

Most people here didn't even know spiritual power existed.

Luckily, he'd met Chu Lanting. As long as he got close to him every day, he could keep his chaotic spiritual power under control.

But humans are greedy by nature—it's in their bones.

Even someone like him—the youngest major general in the Aland galaxy with freakish spiritual power—was no exception.

He wasn't satisfied with just kissing and cuddling Chu Lanting anymore—he wanted more...

The amnesiac A Du could still play the memory-loss card, acting cute and even tearfully begging his wife for hugs and cuddles.

But now that his memories were back, his chaotic spiritual power had been tormenting him all day. Unable and unwilling to act cute like A Du, he just gritted his teeth and bore it.

And now, after being pushed away again and again, rejected over and over, and kept at arm's length, Pei Du—his head already pounding—stumbled and lurched forward.

Just as Pei Du thought he was going to hit the floor, a faint scent of jasmine drifted to his nose again.

Then a worried voice sounded by his ear.

"A Du! Are you—are you okay? Does your head hurt again? Let's go see Uncle Tian."

"No need, I'm fine."

A hot, dry hand clamped onto the arm braced against his shoulder.

Chu Lanting was so thin that a light squeeze from Pei Du could easily snap his bones.

He could only imagine how panicked Chu Lanting must have been to rush over like that, and how hard he'd tried not to fall.

But none of it was for him—it was all for A Du.

Chu Lanting cared about A Du, so he was kind to him.

He was A Du, and A Du was him, but so many things, so many words—when they got to his lips, he didn't know where to start.

His throat bobbed. Just as he was about to head into the bathroom, an irritated voice sounded by his ear.

"You can't keep brushing this off. What if it's from hitting your head at noon? You said yourself you're a major general—you must've seen combat. Even if not for yourself, think about the people you've protected—you should take better care of yourself, right?"

A Du would never talk back to him like that, Chu Lanting thought.

Medical care here was already behind the times—lots of people let small illnesses turn into big ones, and by the time they sought help, it was too late.

He didn't want Pei Du to get hurt right in front of him. Even just going back to Uncle Tian, or asking Yan Que to get him into a hospital in the rich district for a check-up, would be better.

Pei Du hadn't expected him to use that as leverage—and from the angle of his people, no less.

He found it almost funny. Rubbing his throbbing head, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Protecting the people? I just did what I had to. Compared to that... if you said it was for you, maybe I'd say yes."

"But I'm really fine. You know my spiritual power's messed up—it's from getting splashed with venom during a fight with the Zerg. I know my own body."

"Now can you let me go shower?"

With that, Pei Du straightened up, stepped around him, and headed for the bathroom.

Before Chu Lanting transmigrated into this book, the little house had been dirty and messy. He was the one who'd dragged A Du along to turn it into a cozy home.

The bathroom wasn't big, but you could tell the owner had put care into it.

Pei Du had inherited the memories of his amnesiac self. In theory, he could walk through every room with his eyes closed, but the first thing he did upon stepping into the bathroom was still to carefully look it over.

Finally, his gaze settled on the laundry basket in the corner.

Chu Lanting was particular about cleanliness—he showered every night before bed.

At first, right after showering, he’d still remember to toss his dirty clothes into the wash.

Later, with 'his own' interference, the task of doing laundry was taken over by 'himself'.

That sour, swollen ache welled up in his chest again. Pei Du’s face went cold as he headed for the laundry basket.

In the early years, after his psychic disturbance appeared due to being splashed with insect venom, the military doctor had advised him to find a partner who could help soothe his psychic energy.

Every time, he’d coldly refuse, insisting he could keep his psychic energy stable with meds alone.

Even when the military doctor repeatedly warned him that overusing meds wouldn’t just lead to dependency, but also make his body build up a tolerance, he still had no intention of finding a partner.

But now...