Chapter 48

Chapter 48

After hours of travel, Nian Nian was abruptly thrust into a completely unfamiliar environment. It was inevitable that he would cry from discomfort. Lu Yao regretted allowing Fu Yanhuai to bring Nian Nian over so hastily, yet he had missed his child terribly.

This was Cream’s first encounter with a human infant, and the recent chaotic scene had clearly left the dog stunned. It took a couple of steps closer to Lu Yao, staring intently at Nian Nian, even forgetting to wag its tail.

Nian Nian cried in hiccuping sobs, looking around in distress. Lu Yao’s heart ached, but he was at a loss. “Are you hungry? Or sleepy? What do you need?”

Peeking through Lu Yao’s arms, Nian Nian caught sight of a fluffy white creature.

Cream was caught off guard as their eyes met. It let out a tiny sneeze, its ears comically flopping.

Nian Nian uttered a surprised “oh,” his crying briefly ceasing.

His face was flushed from crying. Lu Yao gently wiped his tears, but Nian Nian whined loudly in protest, frowning and glaring defiantly at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao froze, holding his breath.

His fingertips were cool. Though the scent of pheromones had faded, a faint, clean fragrance of soap lingered.

Nian Nian’s eyes, dark and moist, were very much like Lu Yao’s. Hesitantly, Nian Nian stopped crying. Lu Yao let out a quiet sigh of relief and tried to put him down to play with Cream.

“Would you like to sit here? Do you want to pet Cream?”

Lu Yao attempted to place Nian Nian on the sofa, but Nian Nian wrapped his arms tightly around Lu Yao’s neck, refusing to let go. He still wanted Lu Yao to hold him.

Lu Yao gently patted his back. Nian Nian nestled his face against Lu Yao’s neck. Lu Yao’s voice was soft. Nian Nian didn’t recognize him, but he didn’t want Lu Yao to put him down.

“Are you scared? It’s okay, I’m here.”

Nian Nian’s eyelids grew heavy. The nearly three-hour car ride had exhausted him. He still clutched the antlers of the Little Deer Toy, which swayed in the air with Lu Yao’s movements.

The gentle reassurances in his ear gradually blurred. Under Lu Yao’s somewhat clumsy care, Nian Nian fell into a deep sleep, experiencing a distant sense of familiarity in his dreams.

Lu Yao was still racking his brain to calm Nian Nian’s panic, but the baby quickly quieted. Lu Yao carefully turned his head to look, finding Nian Nian already fast asleep.

He tiptoed into the bedroom, gently laid Nian Nian down, and covered him with a blanket. Even in sleep, Nian Nian clutched the toy. Lu Yao wanted to remove it, but the slightest movement made Nian Nian stir uneasily, so Lu Yao left it.

“It’s that Little Deer Toy,” Lu Yao murmured. “As long as Nian Nian likes it.”

His heart brightened at the thought that his child loved the toy he had chosen. Nian Nian slept soundly, and Lu Yao didn’t know this wasn’t the norm in Nian Nian’s life. He perched by the bed, unable to tear his gaze away from Nian Nian—the child he had yearned for, whose appearance he had imagined countless times after birth. Now, Nian Nian was right before his eyes, within reach, and Lu Yao couldn’t look away.

“He seems to take after me more,” Lu Yao observed, scrutinizing Nian Nian’s features repeatedly, concluding he didn’t resemble Fu Yanhuai much.

He pursed his lips, unwilling to dwell on that man.

Nian Nian’s hands were tiny, not even the length of one of Lu Yao’s fingers. He gently poked Nian Nian’s palm, and in his sleep, Nian Nian clutched Lu Yao’s finger.

That tiny gesture almost brought tears to Lu Yao’s eyes. “Nian Nian, my child…”

Cream pressed close to Lu Yao’s feet. Lu Yao composed himself, stood up, closed the door, and went to prepare Cream’s lunch.

Cream followed Lu Yao closely, but this peaceful moment didn’t last long, as Fu Yanhuai reappeared outside the door.

Lu Yao’s good mood vanished instantly. He didn’t want to open the door at all, but Fu Yanhuai’s low voice came from outside, “I didn’t bring all of Nian Nian’s things earlier.”

Lu Yao opened the door coldly. “Give them to me.”

Fu Yanhuai’s reaction, however, was peculiar. He tightened his grip on the bag. “I’d like to see Nian Nian, if I may.”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but feel suspicious, yet Nian Nian had indeed been well-behaved in Fu Yanhuai’s arms earlier. Perhaps Fu Yanhuai usually cared for Nian Nian often, and was simply worried about the change of environment.

Fu Yanhuai didn’t seem like the nurturing type, but regardless, Nian Nian was his child too. Lu Yao hesitated, unsure whether to refuse.

In the end, he said, “Nian Nian is asleep.”

Fu Yanhuai froze mid-bend as he set the bag down. Lu Yao didn’t notice this subtle pause. Straightening up, Fu Yanhuai asked evenly, “He’s asleep?”

“Yes,” Lu Yao replied curtly. “You can look, but don’t wake him.”

Fu Yanhuai entered the bedroom with an unreadable expression, behaving like a perfect gentleman—focusing solely on Nian Nian and not glancing at the room’s other furnishings.

He approached Nian Nian, bent down, and gazed at him quietly. The child was indeed asleep. His eyes fell on the Little Deer Toy in Nian Nian’s hand, and suddenly, he reached out and squeezed it twice.

Artificial pheromone supplements had no scent or additional effects; they merely helped soothe newborns’ agitation and instability.

Fu Yanhuai’s action was unnecessary. Lu Yao didn’t understand why he had to squeeze Nian Nian’s toy. He wanted to urge him to leave but feared waking Nian Nian.

Fortunately, Fu Yanhuai straightened up soon after. Lu Yao finally relaxed and quietly closed the door.

“Is there anything else?” Lu Yao stood far from Fu Yanhuai. “If not, you should go.”

Fu Yanhuai confirmed that Lu Yao hadn’t noticed anything unusual. His heart sank slightly—something was definitely wrong with Lu Yao’s pheromones, but he hadn’t found any hospital records regarding treatment.

“The nanny who usually takes care of Nian Nian will arrive this afternoon. She’s very experienced with children.” Unlike Lu Yao, Fu Yanhuai was unusually talkative today. “I’ll come to pick Nian Nian up on the weekend. Mom also needs to see him weekly.”

The weekend would roughly coincide with the pheromone supplement wearing off. The dose he had just applied should be enough to keep Nian Nian stable for a few days.

For now, Fu Yanhuai had no intention of telling Lu Yao about Nian Nian’s condition. He had a feeling Lu Yao would only resent him more upon hearing it. Besides, Nian Nian’s reaction was somewhat unexpected—he seemed to be doing well with Lu Yao.

Lu Yao fell silent. “Mom… Aunt Wen, did she enjoy her trip?”

It took Fu Yanhuai a moment to recall that Lu Yao was referring to the trip before the birth. By the time Wen Zheng returned, she had been met with one bad piece of news after another. She hadn’t been in the mood to share travel stories, so Fu Yanhuai had no idea whether she had enjoyed it.

“Probably,” Fu Yanhuai guessed. “She planned the destination and itinerary herself. She wouldn’t have been dissatisfied.”

His answer was practically a zero. Lu Yao didn’t respond further. The two of them stood in suffocating silence. Knowing Lu Yao wanted nothing to do with him, Fu Yanhuai eventually left.

He was glad to have brought Nian Nian to Lu Yao, but…

Sitting in the car, Fu Yanhuai’s expression darkened. Lu Yao’s attitude toward him hadn’t changed at all. Moreover, he still didn’t know what was wrong with Lu Yao’s glands.

Fu Yanhuai remained silent, so his assistant naturally didn’t dare instruct the driver to leave. After a long pause, Fu Yanhuai finally spoke. “Lu Yao seems very angry with me.”

For the first time, he sought his assistant’s opinion. “Do you know how to appease someone?”

The assistant replied politely, “President Fu, this might not just be about anger.”

Fu Yanhuai raised a brow. “If not anger, then what?”

The assistant carried the weary aura of an overworked employee. “No matter what your intentions or considerations were at the time, from Mr. Lu’s perspective, he was divorced on the day of childbirth, and his child was sent away for emergency care.”

Moreover, Fu Yanhuai’s considerations hadn’t even been necessary. The assistant felt Fu Yanhuai was too accustomed to his high status, assuming Lu Yao’s love for him was a given—that no matter what, Lu Yao would never change.

Fu Yanhuai fell into thought. He had never considered things from this angle.

The assistant continued, “The harm you’ve caused Mr. Lu is already a fact. The first step to making amends might be a sincere apology.”

Fu Yanhuai muttered under his breath, “Will he forgive me?”

If Lu Yao truly no longer cared about him, would anything he said or did still register with Lu Yao?

This question was beyond the assistant’s ability to answer, and the car went quiet again.

Lu Yao had no idea what Fu Yanhuai was thinking, nor did he want to think about anything involving Fu Yanhuai. By the time Lu Yao hurriedly drained the noodles, his lunch hour was nearly up. Only then did it suddenly occur to him that Nian Nian couldn’t be left alone at home.

Cream sat watching curiously in the living room, observing Lu Yao bustling around in a flurry.

“The nanny won’t arrive until this afternoon,” Lu Yao sensed how serious this was. “I can’t go to the shop today.”

He had no idea how to explain to Yao Jun the sudden appearance of a child, so Lu Yao had no choice but to ask for leave, making up some personal excuse.

Lu Yao finally sat down, finishing the now-mushy noodles, quickly washing the bowl, and then moving on to the pile of baby supplies.

Fu Yanhuai indeed had no experience whatsoever—how often Nian Nian needed to be fed, how frequently diapers should be changed, how long he napped during the day or slept at night—Fu Yanhuai hadn’t mentioned any of this, simply because he didn’t know them himself.

Lu Yao grabbed a can of formula in confusion. “One full scoop, leveled off?”

“How much should Nian Nian drink?” Lu Yao started panicking. “Does he need milk this afternoon?”

Why was there so much formula? Could it all be finished?

Lu Yao then began reading the instructions for the bottle warmer, now completely understanding why they needed a nanny.

Every item left Lu Yao completely lost, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. “I really am an irresponsible father.”

From the bedroom came two faint cries of an infant. Lu Yao immediately set down what he was holding and went to check on Nian Nian.

Nian Nian had already adjusted to the synthetic calming agent, but now he was starting to dislike the sensation.

Feeling uncomfortable, Nian Nian started fussing as soon as he woke. Lu Yao picked him up. “Don’t be scared, Nian Nian. Daddy’s here.”

Nian Nian squirmed and fidgeted, and Lu Yao found the movements oddly familiar—similar to how Nian Nian had behaved in the womb.

Lu Yao smiled. “Uncomfortable? How about this? Is this better?”

Perhaps it was the mystical bond of the umbilical cord and bloodline, but Nian Nian’s distressed cries soon turned into contented little coos. He clung tightly to Lu Yao’s finger.

Nian Nian’s bright, dark eyes remained fixed on Lu Yao’s face. He didn’t want to lie in bed—he just wanted Lu Yao to hold him forever.

Lu Yao was more than happy to fulfill Nian Nian’s every wish. He leaned down and nuzzled against Nian Nian’s chubby cheek, making the baby giggle and wave his limbs in delight.

Lu Yao finally got to hold his baby close, exactly as he’d dreamed of. If only this happiness had come four months earlier.