Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Nian Nian was already awake. The moment Xia Shiyue entered, carrying Cream, he was subtly awestruck by the team of nannies, each meticulously performing their duties around the infant lying in the center.

Though Xia Shiyue knew the Fu family was immensely wealthy, he couldn't help but silently grumble about the sheer scale of their opulence.

Upon seeing Lu Yao, the nanny automatically stepped aside and smiled. "Mr. Lu, the young master woke up this afternoon and had a feeding. He isn't sleepy yet."

Lu Yao's face appeared above the crib, and Nian Nian's eyes immediately sparkled, his little hands and feet waving excitedly.

Lu Yao couldn't help but chuckle as he picked him up. "Alright, I understand. Thank you."

The nanny exited the room, leaving Lu Yao and Nian Nian to themselves. Xia Shiyue couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this what it means to be born with a silver spoon? Why is Nian Nian staring at me like that, with such big eyes? Come here, let me hold you."

Lu Yao was surprised to hear this. "Aren't you also 'in Rome'?"

Xia Shiyue cleared his throat. "Compared to the Fu family, I'm nowhere near that level."

As Xia Shiyue set Cream down, Lu Yao stroked the dog and led it to a sofa. "What a chubby puppy, so plump."

Cream didn't understand, but it whined affectionately, nuzzling into Lu Yao's arms.

Xia Shiyue was awkward at holding babies. He stiffly gripped Nian Nian under the armpits, making Nian Nian frown and look at him in bewilderment.

Xia Shiyue scrutinized Nian Nian's face. "He really does resemble you, Little Deer. His eyes are just like yours."

At least Fu Yanhuai's genes had some use; Nian Nian was adorable.

Hearing the dog, Nian Nian squirmed to look back. Xia Shiyue fumbled, worried about straining the baby's neck. "Hey, wait, don't move yet!"

In two quick steps, Xia Shiyue sat beside Lu Yao. Nian Nian, sitting precariously, reached out and tugged at Cream's fur.

Lu Yao patiently said, "No, that hurts Cream."

To Xia Shiyue's astonishment, Nian Nian seemed to ponder this. "My goodness, he's so smart!"

Lu Yao wasn't entirely convinced. "Children are developing; this is normal."

Lu Yao gently rescued Cream's fur from Nian Nian's grasp; the tuft of fur was quite rumpled. Cream looked up at Lu Yao with an innocent gaze.

Nian Nian looked a little displeased, but he didn't cry. However, he no longer wanted Xia Shiyue to hold him and stretched his arms out for Lu Yao.

"Looking at him now, Nian Nian actually shows no abnormalities," Xia Shiyue mused. "Auntie Wen is doing her best to care for him."

Nian Nian loved pressing his face against Lu Yao's neck. Lu Yao supported Nian Nian's bottom. "Usually, Nian Nian wakes up startled in the middle of the night."

Xia Shiyue murmured worriedly, "Your scent gland..."

Lu Yao was silent for a moment. "The doctor has prescribed medication. Perhaps it will get better."

Not knowing what else to say, Xia Shiyue sighed. "At least Auntie Wen is genuinely good to you. That's a blessing."

"Yes, I... I truly see her as my mother."

Xia Shiyue leaned over and comfortingly hugged Lu Yao's shoulder. Although Lu Yao didn't have a good Alpha, he had indeed found a somewhat complete family. Having such family members was actually quite wonderful.

Lu Yao and Xia Shiyue played with Nian Nian and Cream for a long time until both the baby and the dog were tired and needed rest. Only then did the two finally have some relaxed time to themselves.

The home theater wasn't as comfortable as the bed, so they lounged on Lu Yao's soft bed and casually put on a movie. Wen Zheng had sent up plenty of delicious snacks for them.

"Nian Nian is a good child," Xia Shiyue said, lying in bed watching the movie, though his thoughts drifted elsewhere. "If I had paid a little more attention back then, perhaps you wouldn't have fallen."

Deep down, Xia Shiyue deeply regretted not showing Lu Yao more concern back then. He didn't even recall the news about Fu Yanhuai that Lu Yao had mentioned. Fu Yanhuai's name was constantly in the Beijing business news, but Xia Shiyue always clicked "not interested" to avoid algorithmic recommendations.

At the time, everything seemed perfect. Lu Yao's happiness wasn't feigned, so Xia Shiyue naturally assumed Fu Yanhuai would take good care of him.

"It's not your fault," Lu Yao said, his hands and feet cold—perhaps due to the changing season, he always felt chilly. "I was just careless."

Xia Shiyue asserted, "No, it's Fu Yanhuai's fault."

Then, as if casually, he turned to Lu Yao and asked, "Are you still going to the hospital tomorrow?"

"No," Lu Yao calculated the time. "I'll go in two days. These past few days, I've just been trying the inducer. The doctor will readjust the dosage based on the situation."

Xia Shiyue's heart stirred. "Inducer? What kind? Can I see it?"

Lu Yao nodded, got out of bed, and handed the transparent vial to Xia Shiyue. "It's this one."

At that moment, Xia Shiyue caught a faint, expansive scent of a snowy forest. "It has a scent?"

Lu Yao was momentarily puzzled. "Isn't it supposed to be odorless?"

He opened it but smelled nothing.

Hearing this, Xia Shiyue took another careful sniff, but this time the scent was gone.

"Maybe it was my imagination." Xia Shiyue returned the inducer to Lu Yao. He asked curiously, "Have you started using it? Has your scent gland improved at all?"

Lu Yao sighed and shook his head. "I used one today, but there was no reaction."

Lu Yao was anxious for his scent gland to heal quickly; otherwise, he didn't know what Nian Nian would do. He didn't want Nian Nian to rely on artificial comforters, but without them, Nian Nian would wake up startled. Lu Yao was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Xia Shiyue comforted him, "It's alright. Take your time."

Xia Shiyue and Lu Yao spent a very harmonious evening together. Lu Yao's long-tense nerves finally relaxed, and the next morning, both of them overslept.

Lu Yao didn't wake until almost noon, feeling a little embarrassed, though Xia Shiyue seemed accustomed to it.

Xia Shiyue, half-asleep, mumbled, "What time is it? You're up so early."

Lu Yao whispered, "It's almost lunchtime."

Xia Shiyue hugged the blanket tightly, not wanting to open his eyes. He said weakly, "Taking care of a child is indeed exhausting... feels even more tiring than starting my own business."

Last night, Xia Shiyue had witnessed Nian Nian's startled crying. Although he hadn't done much, just being there had drained him.

This only solidified Xia Shiyue's conviction: it was all Fu Yanhuai's fault.

"By the way," Xia Shiyue lifted his head to look at Lu Yao. "Right now, only you and Nian Nian live in the Fu ancestral home, right?"

Lu Yao paused. "Yes, Fu Yanhuai promised not to disturb me."

Xia Shiyue's mind raced. "Good. Let's have some fun these next two days. Maybe if your mood improves, your scent gland will recover too."

Lu Yao wasn't sure if there was a necessary connection, but he was very willing to spend time with Xia Shiyue.

"Sure, I don't have much else to do anyway."

Xia Shiyue truly took Lu Yao all over Beijing, showing him every fun and interesting place he knew. For two days, Xia Shiyue didn't even go to his shop, staying with Lu Yao the entire time.

It wasn't until the third day, when Lu Yao needed to go to the hospital for a check-up and medication, that Fu Yanhuai came to the Fu family's old residence to pick him up.

Fu Yanhuai arrived at just the right time. He had calculated the time it would take for Lu Yao to wake up, feed Nian Nian, and complete his own morning routine. He would only stop at the door to wait once he was sure Lu Yao could finish everything at a normal pace.

If he arrived too early, Lu Yao would know he was waiting outside, and it would sour his mood.

Fu Yanhuai hoped Lu Yao's good morning mood would last longer; he knew Lu Yao disliked seeing him.

Yet, Fu Yanhuai still silently seized these moments to pick up and drop off Lu Yao, even though he knew it was futile.

It was as if Fu Yanhuai could now understand how Lu Yao had felt when making desserts for him back then. Knowing he didn't like sweets, Lu Yao would still carefully choose the right time to prepare and deliver them, just to create some small connection between them.

Xia Shiyue had known since the night before that Fu Yanhuai would come to pick up Lu Yao today. Seeing Lu Yao busy soothing Nian Nian, he seized the chance to step outside and look for Fu Yanhuai's car.

Still in his pajamas, Xia Shiyue immediately spotted the conspicuous extended luxury car parked at the entrance.

"Parking so blatantly—flaunting his wealth."

Everything Fu Yanhuai did was wrong in Xia Shiyue's eyes. He scoffed disdainfully before quickening his pace toward the car.

Impatiently, Xia Shiyue rapped on the car window. "Hey."

The window rolled down smoothly, revealing Fu Yanhuai's sharp, piercing gaze.

Fu Yanhuai raised an eyebrow at him. "Hello?"

Xia Shiyue was exasperated. "You'd better watch your tone. Do you even know how high my status is?"

In terms of family background and achievements, Xia Shiyue admitted he couldn't compare to Fu Yanhuai. But right now, his identity wasn't the young master of the Xia family—he was Lu Yao's best friend.

How dare this scumbag Alpha still act so arrogant?!

In this matter, Xia Shiyue was slightly unfair to Fu Yanhuai. Fu Yanhuai's sharp features simply made him look aggressive; even a neutral expression could make one feel offended.

Fu Yanhuai's attitude remained calm. "I know. Lu Yao values your friendship deeply."

Xia Shiyue scoffed dismissively. "At least you're aware."

"Though it might be pointless, I still feel the need to warn you." The more Xia Shiyue looked at Fu Yanhuai, the more he despised him, finding him utterly unworthy of his gentle and kind Little Deer. "The breakdown of your marriage with Little Deer is entirely your fault—100% your responsibility. If you have even a shred of conscience left, you should make amends for what you've done and then stay far away, not disturb his life."

"I can do the former," Fu Yanhuai said sincerely. "But Lu Yao and I share a child. It's impossible to cut all ties and pretend we don't know each other."

Xia Shiyue's anger flared. "Oh, so you *do* know you have a child together? Then why did you let him go into early labor? Are you even human?"

Fu Yanhuai didn't argue. "I was wrong in the past. I'll make up for the harm I caused."

"Make up? How? The scar across Little Deer's abdomen still hasn't healed. His body has been weak since the birth—doctors say he gets sick easily. And most importantly, how will you compensate for his ruined scent gland? Do you have any idea how hard it is to soothe Nian Nian? Lu Yao has to get up multiple times every night, dealing with it for hours. What exactly have you 'made up' for so far?"

Fu Yanhuai froze. "He..."

Of course. Why would Lu Yao trust a nanny to comfort Nian Nian? He doted on that child too much, unable to bear hearing Nian Nian cry while he slept.

Fu Yanhuai lowered his gaze. "He won't accept anything from me."

Xia Shiyue retorted sharply, "Just because Little Deer doesn't ask, you won't give?"

The more Xia Shiyue looked at Fu Yanhuai, the more irritated he became. He declared firmly, "It's all because of you. If Little Deer hadn't met you during his part-time job back then, he'd be a top graduate from Beijing University by now."

Fu Yanhuai was confused. "What?"

Remembering his father's words, Xia Shiyue channeled his burning fury into a fierce accusation. "That banquet! When Lu Yao had wine thrown on him and was being bullied, you intervened to help—and then Shen Jinyan started spreading those vicious rumors! It makes me so mad!"

Fu Yanhuai was too shocked to respond. Xia Shiyue, seething, continued, "No one had ever been kind to Lu Yao before, so he cherished even the slightest kindness from you. But you know what? It would've been better if you'd never helped him at all. How could Lu Yao ever fall for someone like you?"

Fu Yanhuai struggled to recall this forgotten, seemingly insignificant incident in his life. There *had* been such an event. At the time, he had just taken over the Fu Group, his position unstable, with rivals waiting both within and outside the company. Fu Yanhuai needed to take down a troublesome rival to establish his authority.

Helping that waiter had merely been an excuse for a direct confrontation. Fu Yanhuai didn't remember that the person he'd helped was Lu Yao—he didn't even remember the waiter's face.

A faint memory surfaced: the waiter's slender frame, somewhat resembling Lu Yao's...

Xia Shiyue's cold voice sliced through Fu Yanhuai's recollection. "You're not good enough for him. You never deserved Lu Yao's love."