Chapter 114: Love Can Nourish Flesh and Blood

Chapter 114: Love Feeds the Flesh

Pei Du was very busy.

Even after just finishing a battle, there was still a mountain of work waiting for him at headquarters.

Chu Lanting knew how busy he was, his heart aching for him, and he would wait in the living room every night for him to come home.

It was the dead of night again.

Winter had already set in on the capital planet, and it had been snowing every night for the past two days, with a thick layer of snow piled up outside.

Even though he'd told Pei Du he could just crash at HQ when it got this late—the roads were slick with snow—

But Pei Du still came home every night.

Wrapped in a fleece throw on the sofa, Chu Lanting held his teaching materials in hand, and at the thought of the man he was about to see, the corners of his mouth lifted on their own.

Soon, familiar headlights swept across the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows.

He got up and had just reached the entryway when he heard voices outside.

"Get back inside, it's cold out there."

The house had climate control, but the entryway was always drafty.

Chu Lanting remembered the time he'd dozed off waiting for Pei Du and caught a cold, so he stopped and turned back toward the living room.

"You're back."

For the past month, they'd been living the most mundane life, just like any ordinary couple.

He'd learned a lot on the capital planet and even made his own social media account.

Whenever he had a spare moment at the training center, he'd text Pei Du, sharing funny little stories from work.

Even if the replies came slowly, this was the life he'd always wanted.

One house, two people, three meals, four seasons.

A simple, warm way of life that let him leave all his old worries behind.

But sometimes, just when he thought things would stay this way, fate would hit him out of nowhere.

When he saw the slim figure trailing behind Pei Du, Chu Lanting thought he was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

It wasn't until a gust of cold wind blew in and snapped him awake that he realized—

He wasn't seeing things. It wasn't a hallucination.

Something lodged in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no sound would come out.

Ever since Pei Du came back from the battlefield over a month ago—and Luo Zhou was sent to the capital planet by Shen Yu—Luo Zhou's face had kept flashing through his mind.

Luckily, Luo Zhou hadn't shown up in front of him again after that.

Pei Du didn't seem to care for him much either.

The two of them had silently agreed to never mention that man again.

He never expected Luo Zhou to show up in front of him again a month later.

Chu Lanting's heart clenched. When he looked up and saw Pei Du pull out a pair of guest slippers from the shoe cabinet, that taut string snapped.

Something was slipping through his fingers, and no matter how hard he tried to hold on, it was useless.

"What's the matter?"

Pei Du had just stepped inside with Luo Zhou when he saw the man he'd been thinking about all day standing there in the living room, looking dazed, his handsome face etched with a lost expression.

Assuming it was because he hadn't greeted him properly, Pei Du immediately leaned in to kiss him.

But Chu Lanting pushed him away.

"There's someone else here."

One simple sentence was all it took to kill the kiss.

Pei Du frowned and glanced at Luo Zhou behind him. "For special reasons, he'll need to stay with us for a bit."

He emphasized the word "temporarily," afraid Chu Lanting might overthink it, and added in a low voice, "He'll move out once things are settled."

Chu Lanting didn't respond. His gaze slid past Pei Du's shoulder and settled on Luo Zhou.

Seeing the young man again after all this time, he could clearly read the resentment and reluctance in his eyes—and even more than that, longing.

Just like how he'd felt toward Pei Du back in 207, when Pei Du had gotten his memories back.

Wanting Pei Du's affection in return.

His fingers clenched the fleece blanket, and Chu Lanting's smile turned brittle. "I didn't know Mr. Luo would be coming back with you. I didn't make enough for a midnight snack—I'll go make another bowl of noodles."

The food at HQ was terrible.

Pei Du had mentioned it once, and ever since, every night he came home, a steaming bowl of midnight snack was waiting for him.

Chu Lanting wasn't actually a great cook—not even as good as Pei Du himself—but every time he watched Pei Du polish off his food with a satisfied look, nothing made him happier.

Tonight was no different. After coming back from a dinner with his coworkers, Pei Du still wasn't home, so he'd prepped the midnight snack ingredients ahead of time.

He hadn't expected Luo Zhou to be here today. He pulled out the ingredients he'd bought yesterday and turned to ask Luo Zhou if noodles were okay.

Luo Zhou didn't respond at first, then his pale face flushed red. "You don't need to make anything for me... I'm not picky. Thank you."

"My cooking's not great. Have a seat—A Du, pour Mr. Luo a glass of hot water."

Pei Du wasn't thrilled about his territory being invaded either.

But some things couldn't be avoided just because he didn't like them.

He grabbed a random cup, poured Luo Zhou some water, and ducked into the kitchen before Luo Zhou could say a word.

Chu Lanting was boiling water, lost in thought, completely unaware that someone had come up behind him.

When a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind, he almost gasped—then remembered something and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

When he didn't hear the familiar voice, a flicker of displeasure crossed Pei Du's brow.

He lowered his head, pressing the day's stubble against the nape of the man in his arms.

The prickly sensation made Chu Lanting finally crack a soft laugh.

"A-Du, that tickles."

Finally getting a response, Pei Du pulled his chin away from where it had been teasing his neck, leaned down, and kissed the back of his neck.

He took a deep breath until the faint jasmine, mingled with his own woody scent, filled his nose, and the heart that had felt hollow all day finally swelled full again.

"What did you do today?"

Back then, when he got home, they'd immediately get all clingy with each other.

He was a quiet guy, and with the military's strict discipline, nothing interesting ever happened to him all day.

Chu Lanting, though, had been getting more cheerful lately—always smiling, always running into one funny thing after another.

He'd forgotten where he'd once read this line.

Love feeds the flesh and blood.

Watching his love get happier every day made Pei Du genuinely glad.

"I was at the training class during the day, then went out to dinner with coworkers in the evening. A Chinese place opened downtown, and everything's made fresh by the chef—it's really good. Next time you have a day off, let's go together."

Talking about his day perked Chu Lanting up a lot.

His tea-brown eyes sparkled with a smile, and anyone who caught his gaze couldn't help but catch his mood.

But Pei Du wasn't as happy.

His fingers, resting on the waist of the man in his arms, stroked up and down over his loungewear as he spoke slowly: "Was Nie Mingcheng there too?"

Nie Mingcheng was a new colleague at the training class.

Chu Lanting nodded. "He recommended the restaurant. Why?"

Pei Du shook his head, then lowered his head to lightly bite the side of his neck. "My mental state's been a bit unstable lately. Will you stay with me for the next couple of days, darling?"