Chapter 47

Chapter 47

That day, Lu Yao sat in the living room holding Cream for a long time, unaware of when Fu Yanhuai had left.

Outside, heavy rain poured down. The man and the dog huddled together, listening to the steady patter of raindrops.

Fu Yanhuai suddenly arrived at the Fu family's old residence late at night. Nian Nian had just been fed, and Wen Zheng watched as the babysitter used a stuffed animal to lull him to sleep.

Wen Zheng tiptoed out of the nursery and froze in surprise when she glanced down the stairs from the second-floor landing.

"How did you end up like this?"

Fu Yanhuai was completely drenched, rain dripping onto the rug.

Wen Zheng hurried downstairs. "What are you doing here so late?"

Fu Yanhuai had stood outside Lu Yao's door for a long time before leaving. He wandered aimlessly through the town, cutting through the alley near the cake shop and the old residential area, trying to retrace Lu Yao’s daily life—the days Lu Yao spent alone after leaving him.

Over the past four months, Fu Yanhuai had often thought of Lu Yao in spare moments, but he’d never truly believed Lu Yao would really leave him.

Even though a maid brought a towel, Fu Yanhuai remained soaked. Rain dripped down the sharp angles of his face, his wet hair dark and stiff, making his cold, stern features even more pronounced.

The red cut on his cheek stood out starkly. Wen Zheng sighed deeply.

She massaged her temples, exasperated. "It took forever to get Nian Nian to sleep. Don’t wake him up."

Finally, Fu Yanhuai spoke in a low voice, "Mom, I want..."

Wen Zheng asked patiently, "What?"

"I want to let Lu Yao take care of Nian Nian for a while."

Despite Lu Yao's clear aversion to the idea, Fu Yanhuai didn’t know what else to do. Lu Yao’s refusal had been so resolute, leaving him at a loss for how to mend the rift between them.

The motherly concern Wen Zheng had summoned instantly vanished. "You want, you want—everything is about what you want. You want Lu Yao to raise Nian Nian, and then what?"

Fu Yanhuai looked briefly confused. After a pause, he said, "Then... maybe Lu Yao will come back."

Wen Zheng was floored. "Do you still think Lu Yao is just angry with you?"

Fu Yanhuai lowered his eyes. "I couldn’t bring myself to hand Lu Yao the divorce papers myself. I thought it might hurt him, so I had a lawyer do it for me."

Wen Zheng forced herself to remain patient. "You knew it would hurt him, so you avoided facing him. Then why insist on divorcing him in the first place? Did you really do all this behind everyone’s back just for the sake of keeping the child?"

Theoretically, Fu Yanhuai suffered from pheromone insensitivity, meaning he could never truly bond with an omega or have a child of his own. But then came the unexpected—Lu Yao was his fated match. Yet Fu Yanhuai had taken only the child and divorced Lu Yao.

Behind this clumsy act of betrayal, Wen Zheng would rather believe Fu Yanhuai had other reasons. She’d prefer to think he was a fool rather than a villain.

"In this society, everyone has their own clear place and role."

Fu Yanhuai finally admitted honestly, "Lu Yao only ever wanted to be a pastry chef. I think that’s fine. He doesn’t need to bear more responsibilities or pressures—he isn’t suited for them. I could provide him with a perfectly safe, comfortable life where he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. He could just do what he loves and be with the people he cares about."

At first, Wen Zheng felt relieved that Fu Yanhuai hadn’t cruelly abandoned his spouse just to take the child. But soon, she found the whole thing ridiculous.

"This is Lu Yao’s life. Did you ever ask for his opinion before making these decisions for him?"

Wen Zheng frowned. "Fine, let’s say you’re right. Now you’ve gotten what you wanted—you’re divorced. What are you going to do next?"

The question stumped Fu Yanhuai. He murmured, "I... don’t know."

After a pause, he continued, "I originally planned to enter another arranged marriage. For the Fu family heir, it’s beneficial—a married omega would bring more resources. And a marriage alliance is the most stable and effortless way..."

Wen Zheng had heard enough. "Another marriage? Then what does that make Lu Yao? And how would you explain it to your new partner? What self-respecting omega would play step-parent?"

"Everything has a price. Someone would agree."

Wen Zheng said firmly, "You’ve lost it."

She seldom had deep conversations with Fu Yanhuai. When he was very young, Wen Zheng had once been a tender, loving mother. But Fu Yanhuai quickly revealed an oddly detached, calculating nature, as if he were born with less emotion than others.

Fu Yanhuai had always been outstanding, never giving Wen Zheng any reason to worry. He had a clear plan for his life, and his strong will left no room for her interference—not that she needed to intervene.

His contractual marriage with a beta had been the most outrageous thing he’d done, but if it had ended there, Wen Zheng could have accepted it. Now, however, his actions were utterly incomprehensible to her.

"Humans aren’t machines. Do you understand that?" Wen Zheng frowned. "Not everything can follow a predetermined path like a computer program. And what about Lu Yao? What are you going to do about him?"

Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Did you see Lu Yao today?"

Fu Yanhuai gave a quiet acknowledgment. "Mm."

Wen Zheng nodded. "Now you want to give Nian Nian to Lu Yao. And then what? What do you hope will happen?"

Fu Yanhuai hesitated. "I hope..."

He hoped Lu Yao would come back. He wanted to return to the way things were before.

"If Lu Yao can’t accept this arrangement... we could remarry."

Sometimes, when pushed to the brink of exasperation, people really do laugh. Wen Zheng shot to her feet, then took a deep breath and sat back down.

"You’re hopeless. I have no objections to letting Lu Yao take care of Nian Nian—he is Nian Nian’s parent, after all, and you’ve contributed nothing. As for everything else... you’re on your own with Lu Yao."

This might have been the first time Fu Yanhuai ever felt defeated. Before this, no matter how tricky the business issue was, he could resolve it swiftly and decisively. He had never needed to exert effort in interpersonal relationships—he just had to sit there, and people fell over themselves to please him.

He wasn’t sure if he’d screwed up, but he could see that Lu Yao was genuinely devastated.

Fu Yanhuai entered the nursery. Nian Nian was fast asleep.

Maybe Nian Nian would cheer Lu Yao up a bit.

When Lu Yao woke the next morning, his eyes were puffy. He grabbed some ice to reduce the swelling but soon gave up.

"Cream, time to eat."

He’d skipped Cream’s walk yesterday, and Cream seemed to have sensed Lu Yao’s emotional breakdown, shadowing him, unwilling to let him out of sight.

Lu Yao petted the dog, feeling guilty. "This weekend, we’ll hit up your favorite park."

His day off had gone to hell. No matter what Lu Yao said, seeing Fu Yanhuai again had reopened old wounds.

Their discussion about Nian Nian went nowhere, and Lu Yao didn’t know if Fu Yanhuai would actually send Nian Nian to him.

Lu Yao resented Fu Yanhuai even more now. Just as his life had finally settled into peace, Fu Yanhuai had reappeared and turned everything upside down again.

After feeding Cream, Lu Yao propped open the balcony door like always and began another day of work. During his lunch break, he swung by the pet store for a new toy for the dog.

Cream’s old ball was worn out, and Lu Yao wanted to replace it—a peace offering for skipping their walk yesterday.

Carrying the new ball and a plush bone, Lu Yao headed back. The pet shop and the cake shop weren’t on the same street, so he unknowingly passed by Fu Yanhuai’s car parked at the intersection.

He took a detour home from the pet shop, and as soon as he pushed the door open, Cream excitedly rushed to Lu Yao's feet, whimpering. Lu Yao closed the door and crouched down, pulling out the new toy and waving it in his hand. "Ta-da! Look what I got!"

Lu Yao was easily caught up in the puppy's excitement. Cream didn't mind at all that they hadn't gone out to play the day before—it loved both of the newly bought toys. It clamped onto the plush bone and ran circles around Lu Yao.

Lu Yao chuckled softly as he watched Cream. Meanwhile, Fu Yanhuai sat in the car with Nian Nian secured in the child safety seat.

The assistant turned around from the front. "It's indeed lunch break now. Yao Jun said Mr. Lu has already left—maybe he didn’t take this route."

Nian Nian was awake but quiet, not crying. He simply held the Little Deer Toy up to his eyes and played with it.

Fu Yanhuai frowned at him and reached out to try picking him up. It was clear that Fu Yanhuai rarely held children, as even the assistant noticed his awkward technique.

Under the assistant’s concerned gaze, Nian Nian was held in a terribly awkward position.

Unhappy, Nian Nian struggled to free his arms, but his strength was too weak to succeed. In frustration, he gripped the Little Deer Toy tightly and froze, like a stubborn little dumpling.

Fu Yanhuai kept his face blank. After confirming Nian Nian wouldn’t fall, he didn’t adjust his hold. And so, the father and son set off in this stiff manner.

Lu Yao was frying an egg, making yangchun noodles for lunch. It wouldn’t take long, and he’d still have time to rest afterward.

Fu Yanhuai knocked on the door. Cream’s ears perked up alertly, and it trotted to the entrance, barking loudly.

The exhaust fan was loud, but Lu Yao noticed Cream’s unusual behavior and quickly poured water into the pan. He walked over but didn’t open the door immediately. "Who is it?"

He wasn’t expecting any deliveries, and no one should be visiting at this hour.

Lu Yao felt a vague sense of foreboding. Before Fu Yanhuai could respond, Nian Nian in his arms wriggled his upper body and let out a fussy whine.

That indistinct baby sound sent Lu Yao’s heart racing. Fu Yanhuai held Nian Nian still and said in a low voice, "It’s me."

Lu Yao nearly threw himself at the door. Outside stood Fu Yanhuai, with Nian Nian facing away from Lu Yao, squirming against Fu Yanhuai’s shoulder.

Lu Yao’s eyes blurred, his vision swimming. Unconsciously, he took a step forward, his voice trembling. "Nian Nian?"

Fu Yanhuai’s chest tightened with conflicting emotions. The way Lu Yao treated him versus Nian Nian was worlds apart. He stepped closer to Lu Yao, closing the distance between them. "I brought some of his essentials. Let him adjust for a couple of days first. If it works out—"

Lu Yao wasn’t listening at all. Fumbling, he pulled Nian Nian into his arms. Though he had theoretical knowledge, his lack of practice meant he wasn’t much better at holding the child than Fu Yanhuai.

Nian Nian clutched the Little Deer Toy and kicked his little legs. Seeing Fu Yanhuai make no move, he immediately started wailing.

Nian Nian didn’t recognize him. The thought pierced Lu Yao’s heart, but he couldn’t bear to let go.

He adjusted Nian Nian to face him. Blinking away tears, Lu Yao finally got a clear look at his child’s face.

Time, suspended since the surgery, finally lurched forward, filling in the long-overdue summer.

Nian Nian cried in hiccups, tears and snot smudged across Lu Yao’s shirt. Fu Yanhuai stepped closer instead of away, staring at the back of Lu Yao’s neck.

Something was wrong.

Lu Yao had no gland patch on, yet Fu Yanhuai couldn’t smell his caramel pheromones.

Lu Yao patted Nian Nian’s back, his movements stiff, murmuring, "Shh, it’s okay…"

As Nian Nian nuzzled against Lu Yao’s neck, Fu Yanhuai couldn’t hold back. "Lu Yao, put him down first. You—"

Lu Yao instinctively hugged Nian Nian tighter. "What is it, Mr. Fu? Yesterday, you agreed to bring him here."

"I won’t take him away. Relax, I’m not taking him."

"Then there’s nothing left to say," Lu Yao said bluntly. "Please leave."

Without hesitation, Lu Yao shut the door in Fu Yanhuai’s face. This was the second time Fu Yanhuai had come to see him, and Lu Yao hadn’t even looked at him properly.

Lu Yao had eyes only for his child. Fu Yanhuai lingered stiffly at the door for a moment before ultimately deciding not to knock again.