Chapter 101: An Absurd Vote

Chapter 101: An Absurd Vote

Pei Du did not understand what love was.

Or rather, he did not understand the full range of human emotions.

Since he had first gained self-awareness, he had never cried.

For this reason, his parents had specifically taken him to the hospital, which ultimately resulted in a diagnosis of an emotional disorder.

In order to cultivate his emotions, he was brought to all sorts of gatherings.

Finally, one day, he tugged at his mother's sleeve, looked up at her delighted expression, and said, "There's no need to go to all this trouble."

Both of his parents were military personnel.

Because of their work, they rarely got to see him—unless it was about their son's issues.

Hearing their son say that their efforts were, in his eyes, pointless, the couple was filled with mixed emotions.

After that, the two returned to the military, and subsequently sent their son to a military academy.

Since their son suffered from an emotional disorder, they would drill into him the values of defending their country.

That way, in the future, their son could become a useful asset to the Aland star system.

From military academy to the military, Pei Du had walked this road alone for over twenty years.

He never complained or showed emotions the way others did.

As long as the royal palace issued an order, he would give his all to carry it out.

People had pointed fingers at him behind his back, and he never argued back, simply letting them talk.

It wasn't until he led charge after charge, forcing the Zerg to retreat again and again, that he became a Major General at such a young age.

The whispers behind his back eventually died out completely.

He had always believed that he was different from ordinary people—that he had no emotions, and that there was no one and nothing he cared about.

This view completely changed after he became A Du.

Turns out he wasn't any different from anyone else.

He could feel insecure and uncertain, and during work, a familiar figure would suddenly pop into his head.

He would feel his heart race at every smile and frown from Chu Lanting.

He would also harbor dark thoughts whenever Chu Lanting wanted to leave him.

But the moment those thoughts surfaced, a warm light appeared before his eyes, chasing away the darkness inside him.

Seeing the villa door swing open in front of him, Pei Du couldn't help quickening his pace.

When he heard the person at the door say, "Welcome home, you've worked hard," he pursed his lips, walked forward, and opened his arms to pull the other into an embrace.

"You're not wearing shoes?"

Only then did Chu Lanting feel how cold his feet were. The main planet actually had four distinct seasons, unlike Planet 207. It was early autumn now, and the temperature dropped once night fell.

"I forgot. Let me go—"

"No need. Just step on my feet."

He instinctively tried to push the man away so he could go put on his shoes.

But before he could finish his sentence, he felt the arms around his waist tighten.

The next second, he was lifted clean off the ground.

He'd been told to step on his feet, but in the end, Chu Lanting's toes never even grazed his shoes before he was carried into the living room and set down.

This was the first time the two had been alone together since they'd cleared the air.

Chu Lanting put his slippers back on, and when he looked up again, he saw that Pei Du had already changed into his house shoes and returned to the living room.

"Did you eat dinner?"

"Mhm."

"What are you reading?"

"The Origin of the Human Species."

"You've been working hard lately."

"Not at all. You're the one who's been working hard."

"..."

"..."

The warm yellow light in the living room washed over the two of them. Even though they'd known each other for ages, they were talking like total strangers.

Chu Lanting looked up at him. Whether it was the lighting or something real, he thought he caught a hint of nervousness in those dark eyes he knew so well.

Amused at himself, he met those dark eyes, saw the confusion in them, and his smile deepened.

"Would you like to shower first? I had Xiaoqiang go upstairs to draw the bath."

"Or do you want something to eat? You barely ate anything."

In an unnoticed corner, the tense Pei Du silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He had begun to desire Chu Lanting, but when it came down to it, he didn't know what to do.

Back on 207, sure...

Forget it. Back on 207, things between them had been tense as hell.

"I'm going upstairs to take a bath."

Heading toward the stairs, Pei Du had just started for the staircase when something occurred to him, and he suddenly turned around.

"You..."

"I..."

"You go first."

"No, you go first."

The warm light overhead softened Chu Lanting's handsome features.

"You go upstairs and take a bath first. I'll heat up some milk and bring it up in a minute."

After saying this, a faint blush crept onto his face, making Pei Du's heart skip a beat. He nodded and quickly headed upstairs.

The villa settled back into its usual silence.

Trying to calm his racing heart, Chu Lanting had just stepped into the kitchen when he spotted a little round head peeking from behind the sliding door.

Seeing him enter the kitchen, Xiaoqiang immediately stepped aside: "Madam, do you need any performance-enhancing medication?"

Chu Lanting: "...What?"

"Based on statistics compiled from major forums on the Star Net, 89.7% of the public believe the Aland Galaxy Major is not up to par, while 10% have their doubts. In other words, only 0.3% think the Major has what it takes."

"Based on Xiaoqiang's years of experience in this household, I believe you two will need such medication tonight."

......

......

"Why... is there such an absurd poll on the Star Net?"

Chu Lanting had trouble getting the words out.

He had been studying up on the Aland Galaxy and psychics over the past few days.

He'd heard of the Star Net but had never actually been on it.

What he hadn't expected was to find a poll about whether Pei Du was "capable" or not.

Xiaoqiang: "As a psychic, the Major should have plenty of energy. However, over the years, he has never been involved with anyone, not even a whiff of scandal."

"So that's what the public concluded."

Chu Lanting didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He rubbed Xiaoqiang's round head and politely declined the offer with a smile.

After heating up the milk, he headed upstairs. He initially planned to push the door open directly, but then a thought occurred to him.

He stepped back and knocked gently on the door.

Only after hearing a response from inside did he go in.

The villa was modest—the first floor had an exercise room and a storage room, while the second floor had the master bedroom and a study, plenty for one person.

When Chu Lanting first moved in and learned his room was the master bedroom, he'd thought about switching rooms.

But after discovering there were no spare guest rooms in the villa, he grudgingly moved his few belongings into the master bedroom.

After ten days of living alone, the villa finally welcomed someone else.