Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"These toys will be more suitable when the baby's a little older."

Wen Zheng affectionately patted Lu Yao's belly. "Just pick out what you like."

Lu Yao and Wen Zheng were looking through baby items together. He picked up a soft white Little Deer Toy and squeezed it in his hand. "This is so cute."

It had two small, abstract horns.

"It really is adorable," Wen Zheng agreed. "Let's get it."

Wen Zheng was generous when shopping, and the salesperson behind them smiled genuinely. "While we could have the popular items and new arrivals delivered directly to your home, there's a special joy in personally selecting items for your child. This Little Deer Toy has been selling very well lately—you might want to buy several more for the baby."

Tomorrow was Lunar New Year's Eve, and Lu Yao had already been staying at the Fu family estate for nearly a week. Worried that he might feel bored stuck at home, Wen Zheng had made a point to take him out for some shopping.

"No, this one will be fine."

Lu Yao placed the toy in the cart and sighed as he looked at the overflowing items. "We bought so much today."

Wen Zheng said with a kind smile, "After all, it's Fu Yanhuai paying, no need to feel bad."

Lu Yao said somewhat awkwardly, "I haven’t had the chance to tell him about today’s shopping trip yet."

Wen Zheng’s expression became subtle. "He’s still at the company right before the New Year—he should count himself lucky you’re not complaining."

What work could possibly be so important that it had to be done during the holidays? If he truly cared, he could always make time. In Wen Zheng’s eyes, work was just Fu Yanhuai’s excuse. She had no idea what was constantly distracting him these days.

Lu Yao understood. "Running a company keeps him very busy. He said he’d come back early today."

Lu Yao had been contacted by the assistant. His contact with Fu Yanhuai had only gradually increased after the pregnancy, but Fu Yanhuai was often too busy, leaving his assistant to reply on his behalf.

Wen Zheng sighed. "There's no need to defend him. Right now, you should be his main concern."

That was just Fu Yanhuai's way, and Lu Yao wouldn’t argue with him over such things. Instead, he purposely changed the topic. "I’m a little tired, Mom. Let’s go home first."

Without realizing it, Lu Yao had started showing a bit of his willfulness around Wen Zheng, and she humored him and didn't press the matter. "If Little Deer is tired, then we’ll go back. Rest well when we get home, and later you can have something delicious to eat."

Lu Yao loved his current life—everything about it made him completely happy. On the way home, he kept playing with the soft Little Deer Toy, now carrying the sweet scent of his caramel pheromones.

An omega's pheromones reflect their emotional state. After returning to his room, Lu Yao removed his gland patch. Pregnancy made his pheromones even gentler and warmer, the caramel aroma sweet and warm.

To accommodate Lu Yao more comfortably, he and Fu Yanhuai weren’t staying in Fu Yanhuai’s childhood bedroom but had chosen a more spacious room instead.

Lu Yao placed the Little Deer Toy neatly between the two pillows and gave it a serious poke. "This is the baby."

It was still early—Fu Yanhuai wouldn’t be home until dinner. Lu Yao slipped into bed, planning to listen to some music for the baby and take a short nap.

But before starting the music, he automatically checked his phone. Fu Yanhuai rarely messaged him, yet Lu Yao couldn’t resist opening their chat.

The last message was from that morning, when Lu Yao had told him he was going shopping with his mother. Scrolling up, most of the conversation consisted of Lu Yao’s messages, with Fu Yanhuai responding only occasionally.

Lu Yao lowered his head and touched his belly. "Your father's always so busy, Nian Nian."

In that case, he wouldn't bother Fu Yanhuai.

Lu Yao exited the chat and opened the music app, but a news alert appeared at the top of the screen.

*"Highlights from Fu Group’s Leader Fu Yanhuai’s Recent Interview"*

Almost without thinking, Lu Yao opened it.

The interview must have been recorded recently—Fu Yanhuai’s outfit looked familiar.

The interview began with routine business questions, but then the interviewer suddenly turned to Fu Yanhuai’s private life.

"We’ve heard your child will be born soon. Have you considered what kind of life you want to provide for them?"

The reporter probably expected Fu Yanhuai to say something like, "My child can have anything they want"—the kind of arrogant CEO remark. But Fu Yanhuai’s answer was unexpected.

"They will need a strictly standard family."

Fu Yanhuai’s face remained impassive, showing he'd clearly considered this carefully.

The reporter seemed confused. "What do you mean by ‘standard’?"

After a brief pause, Fu Yanhuai replied, "I will take responsibility for them. They will receive the necessary resources, education, and family structure."

The question ended there, as Fu Yanhuai refused to elaborate further.

Lu Yao gazed blankly at the screen, confused by Fu Yanhuai’s words. What did he mean by "family structure"? Wasn’t it just Fu Yanhuai, himself, and the baby?

Superficially, Fu Yanhuai’s words made sense, but Lu Yao couldn't shake a vague discomfort.

"Pregnancy makes omegas overanalyze everything," Lu Yao murmured. "Don’t doubt your partner over something so small."

He'd gone through numerous pregnancy guides, all of which emphasized that mood swings were normal. Lu Yao tried to calm himself—he didn’t want this interview to cause any tension between him and Fu Yanhuai.

Nian Nian appeared to pick up on Lu Yao's mood and moved slightly, as if reminding him of his presence.

Lu Yao shook himself out of his reverie and smiled faintly, rubbing his belly. "I’m fine. Are you sleepy? Let’s rest."

Despite all the discomforts of pregnancy, Lu Yao cherished every moment with his child.

He would never treat his baby the way Guan Qinglu had treated him. All Lu Yao wanted was for Nian Nian to grow up happy.

Fu Yanhuai was the child’s father—of course it was reasonable for him to have his own plans. Pushing aside that faint sense of unease, Lu Yao closed his eyes, waiting for afternoon tea.

And waiting for Fu Yanhuai to come home, to finish work, to spend their first proper New Year together.

Wen Zheng wasn’t tired after their shopping trip. Humming, she hung up the scarf she had worn that day—one Lu Yao had given her.

Fu Jizhong was also preparing for a nap. Seeing Wen Zheng in high spirits, he teased, "Done with your shopping expedition?"

"Just keeping the child entertained." Wen Zheng had grown increasingly fond of Lu Yao. "Yanhuai's been scowling since birth, as if everyone owed him money. Though his sudden marriage was reckless, Little Deer really is wonderful—he landed lucky."

The fact that Fu Yanhuai hadn’t ended up with someone troublesome suggested he still had some sense left. Wen Zheng believed this was fate. "It just goes to show—Little Deer was meant to be part of our family."

Affluent families in the capital all believed in fate to some degree. Fu Jizhong nodded. "If they’ve become family, then the bond must be deep."

After changing, Wen Zheng lay down on the bed. She had also seen the news notification but swiped it away without opening it. Fu Yanhuai had given hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews—Wen Zheng didn’t have the patience to read every one.

"After the due date, we should have Little Deer stay here directly. At least wait until the baby’s routine stabilizes before going back with a nanny. Otherwise, even with a maid, Little Deer would still struggle alone."

Fu Yanhuai didn’t seem like the type who could handle childcare well. Wen Zheng had many plans for the future. "This is something we can just discuss with Little Deer. What do you think, Old Fu?"

Her question was merely a formality—Fu Jizhong knew he had no say in such matters. Playing along, he replied, "I agree with everything."

Wen Zheng was satisfied. "Good."

Fu Yanhuai indeed came home much earlier than usual today. Before dinner time, he entered the house carrying the cold air indoors.

Lu Yao was sitting in the living room organizing toys, while Wen Zheng sat across from him, speaking in gentle tones.

Without pausing his steps, Fu Yanhuai handed his coat to a servant and approached the two. "Why are you both sitting on the floor?"

The rug was plush, and Lu Yao, sitting cross-legged on it, didn't feel uncomfortable. He smiled sheepishly, "There's no room left on the sofa."

Toys and baby supplies were scattered all over the carpet. Wen Zheng sat elegantly with her legs together, slightly turned to the side. "We picked these out today. Take a look."

Fu Yanhuai immediately spotted the Little Deer Toy. He bent down, picked it up, and studied it. The chubby, silly-looking deer looked oddly like Lu Yao.

His expression unreadable, Fu Yanhuai placed the toy back down. "Not bad."

After sitting so long, Lu Yao felt uncomfortable. Fu Yanhuai bent down, wrapped an arm around him, and helped him stand up. Though he had integrated well into Fu Yanhuai's family, Lu Yao was still awkward about public displays of affection in front of Wen Zheng.

"I'm fine."

At this moment, Lu Yao became even more convinced that the interview was just him overthinking things. He gazed intently at Fu Yanhuai. "It's very cold outside today."

"Hmm." Fu Yanhuai let go. "It's fine inside."

The faint scent of Silver Fir lingered, and Lu Yao felt a pang of disappointment. Dinner began arriving course by course. Perhaps noticing Lu Yao's shift in mood, Wen Zheng took his arm and steered him toward the table. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, but there's no need to observe the vigil if you're sleepy. Our family doesn't have many strict traditions."

Fu Yanhuai suddenly asked, "Do you have plans to go anywhere else tomorrow?"

Lu Yao hesitated. "Probably... no."

No one from the Lu family had contacted him yet, and Guan Qinglu likely didn’t want him to return either.

Besides, there was no real reason to spend New Year’s at the Lu family home. Lu Zhongguang, Guan Qinglu, and Lu Qianxing formed their own complete family unit. Apart from the reunion dinner, Lu Yao usually spent the time alone in his room doing homework or reading.

Wen Zheng gave Fu Yanhuai a sharp look—why poke at sore spots?

"It's the New Year. Why would anyone wander around?" she said disapprovingly. "You might not mind the cold, but Little Deer and the baby do. Tomorrow, no one goes anywhere. Everyone stays home."

Fu Yanhuai remained silent. Wen Zheng pulled Lu Yao to sit beside her. "Ignore him. On New Year's Eve, it’ll just be the few of us at home. We'll have many New Year's callers, but that won’t start until the first day of the New Year. If you’re too tired to get up, just sleep in your room. It’s fine."

Since their marriage, Fu Yanhuai had never introduced Lu Yao to the Fu family’s social circle or relatives. Understanding Lu Yao’s unease, Wen Zheng didn’t plan to force him into anything.

Lu Yao was grateful for her consideration. "Thank you, Mom."

Still, he worried about seeming rude. He decided to quietly ask Fu Yanhuai later about what he should pay attention to.

Fu Yanhuai sat down across from them. Lu Yao really didn't fit in with the Fu family.

He wasn't cut out for this, nor was he suited to stay in this position.

Perhaps he might not even be suitable to be the father of the Fu family’s heir.