Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Lu Yao's body felt heavy, perhaps, he thought, because his belly was too large.

But it was still strange—why couldn't he even muster the strength to turn over?

Faint voices of doctors and nurses drifted in: "His condition looks concerning... Yes... The baby might be premature..."

"He brought this on himself by not being careful; what can we do...?"

Lu Yao struggled desperately to open his eyes, but he could only remain in this dazed state, listening.

After a while, someone arrived.

The crisp, cool scent of silver fir reached his nose—it was Fu Yanhuai.

He pressed his fingers against the scent gland at the back of Lu Yao's neck and whispered, "Don't be afraid. Everything will be fine."

The divorce papers and these words swirled relentlessly in Lu Yao's mind until he jolted bolt upright.

Xia Shiyue blearily switched on a small night light and leaned over to ask, "Little Deer, what's wrong?"

Lu Yao was soaked in clammy sweat, his face pale and panicked. Xia Shiyue jolted fully awake. "What happened?"

Only after hearing Xia Shiyue's voice did Lu Yao slowly come back to himself. He heaved himself upright and said, "Just a nightmare."

Lu Yao had already calmed down, but the sweat made him uncomfortable. "I'm going to take a shower."

Xia Shiyue, however, frowned slightly. "Do you smell that sweetness? Did your gland recover a little?"

Lu Yao froze mid-movement. "Me?"

Hesitantly, he touched the spot with his fingertips—it did feel slightly softer.

Sitting on the bed with his back to Xia Shiyue, Lu Yao's voice sounded hoarse.

"Even now, when I think about the day Nian Nian was born, I still feel afraid." He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Shiyue, am I really that cowardly?"

Xia Shiyue sighed deeply. "You've done everything you could."

Lu Yao took a quiet shower, changed into fresh pajamas, and slipped away to the nursery next door to check on Nian Nian.

Nian Nian's little face was flushed pink in peaceful sleep. Lu Yao couldn't help but smile at the sight, though the expression gradually faded.

"I imagined so many times what it would be like after you were born," Lu Yao murmured softly. Nian Nian showed no signs of waking.

Lu Yao continued quietly, "I'd press my cheek against yours, and then the doctor would take you for standard tests. A baby's cries should be loud and clear. After the surgery, I'd see you in the room, discussing with your father who you resembled more."

The tingling pain from his recovering gland felt uncannily similar to the phantom ache of his C-section scar on rainy days. Lu Yao bent down to kiss Nian Nian, gazing intently at his child. "I was so afraid of losing you."

The moment he hadn't heard a cry, words failed to capture his terror. Yet he hadn't even had time to steady himself before being handed divorce papers by the person he loved.

"Dad really is a coward, but I'll try to be braver from now on."

The gland recovery did bring some negative effects—Lu Yao had become more emotionally raw without realizing it.

He didn't know the inducer was made from Fu Yanhuai's glandular fluid, so his emotions were influenced by Fu Yanhuai. All he felt was the constant emotional upheaval since yesterday, reminding him of the time just before he'd presented as an omega.

That unsettlingly familiar feeling of abnormality.

The next day, Lu Yao didn't oversleep. He went through his usual morning routine with practiced normalcy.

He fed Nian Nian, wiped his face, carried him downstairs for a stroll, played with him for a while, and then—without hesitation—headed straight to Fu Group.

Lu Yao hadn't informed the assistant in advance. He simply inquired at reception if Fu Yanhuai had any availability that day.

The answer surprised him. "The CEO isn't expected in until this afternoon. Please wait a moment—I'll check with the executive assistant about his schedule."

Lu Yao was slightly caught off guard. "If he's busy with company matters, don't trouble him. I can come back tomorrow."

Aside from business trips, Lu Yao couldn't think of any other reason Fu Yanhuai would arrive half a day late without cause.

The receptionist smiled politely. "Let me at least register your visit. Please have a seat—I'll get you some water."

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Yao decided to stay. He took the elevator up to the top-floor executive lounge, a familiar route. The secretary recognized him—Lu Yao might as well have had "the boss's absentee ex-husband" written all over him.

Discreetly avoiding gossip about her superior, the secretary brought water and quietly excused herself.

Absentmindedly, Lu Yao opened his messaging app. His thumb hovered over Fu Yanhuai's name before swiping back to the assistant's contact instead.

He typed: *Is Fu Yanhuai still occupied? Around what time will he arrive at the company this afternoon?*

The assistant was startled by the message and immediately showed it to Fu Yanhuai, who was resting nearby. "Sir, Mr. Lu is asking for you."

Fu Yanhuai lay propped up against a pillow, eyes closed as he received an IV drip for his fever. At the assistant's words, he opened his eyes and turned his head, reaching for the phone.

The movement revealed livid bruising along his neck. His scent had grown faint—his gland was failing to produce enough fluid for normal pheromone production.

After reading the message, Fu Yanhuai replied directly: *I'll be at the company by 1 PM.*

The assistant frowned at his watch. "You should rest a bit longer. Isn't 1 PM too tight of a schedule?"

"I'm fine."

Fu Yanhuai tipped his head back to look at the IV bag. His fever had surged abruptly late last night, and his temperature still hadn't dropped.

His face remained flushed, but that wasn't his main concern. "This fever is due to gland complications. There might not be enough fluid for the next dose, but Lu Yao..."

Lu Yao's gland had just shown slight improvement. Fu Yanhuai had promised him it would recover fully.

The assistant ventured tentatively, "Should we wait, then? Besides, Mr. Lu might be able to switch to medication now. We could discuss adding prescriptions with the doctor."

Lu Yao's reply was brief: *Okay.*

Fu Yanhuai handed the phone back without hesitation. "No. Follow the doctor's protocol exactly."

The assistant sighed in resignation. "But the doctor also warned that continuing at this extraction schedule could cause severe gland damage—possibly permanent."

Fu Yanhuai remained impassive. His tone was flat. "Mm. You can go. Pick me up at noon."

Left with no choice, the assistant sighed again and closed the door behind him.

Fu Yanhuai rested his free arm behind his head, gazing vacantly at the ceiling.

Lu Yao had likely endured this in the hospital—doubtless even worse. Nothing to pass the time, no family by his side. Just left to wait alone.

He really should have been there when Lu Yao gave birth.

Fu Yanhuai drifted off briefly before waking. He hadn't truly fallen asleep—despite his exhaustion, sleep still wouldn't come for him.

The fever had subsided. Fu Yanhuai frowned at his reflection in the mirror; the illness had left him looking somewhat haggard.

After washing up and shaving, he adjusted his cuffs and meticulously applied a skin-toned scent blocker patch. He scrutinized himself from head to toe, ensuring nothing seemed amiss before stepping out.

Fu Yanhuai could still clean up well when he put in the effort. His assistant couldn’t help but be amazed at how normal he looked sitting in the back seat—proof that an S-rank truly possessed incredible resilience.

The Fu Yanhuai now was a far cry from the man who had been running a high fever and looking utterly wretched the night before. Had it not been for the fact that the system always took Fu Yanhuai home after each extraction of gland fluid, even the assistant might have been fooled.

Lu Yao had grown drowsy while waiting in the lounge, slumping against the back of the sofa, half-asleep.

When Fu Yanhuai pushed the door open, what he saw was Lu Yao curled awkwardly on the couch, fast asleep. Fu Yanhuai’s grip on the door handle tightened—this scene felt painfully familiar.

It was identical to every time he had returned home from work in the past, only to find Lu Yao waiting for him in the living room.

Fu Yanhuai started to drape the coat he had been carrying over Lu Yao, but the latter wasn’t fully asleep—the touch of the fabric woke him right up.

The moment Lu Yao opened his eyes, Fu Yanhuai instinctively averted his gaze. The coat never quite settled on Lu Yao’s shoulders. Pressing his lips together, Fu Yanhuai straightened up. "You’ve been waiting a long time."

Lu Yao blinked, waking fully, and instinctively shifted away from Fu Yanhuai. "No, I came here on short notice."

Fu Yanhuai silently set the coat aside and sat at the far end of the sofa. "What’s the matter?"

"I’ve been thinking—my gland’s recovery has been progressing well. If we could extract gland fluid again to make a soothing agent, that might be beneficial."

Fu Yanhuai’s frown deepened. "Your gland is too fragile. We can’t risk further stimulation."

"I know." Lu Yao met Fu Yanhuai’s gaze directly. "That’s actually what I wanted to discuss. I just want to ensure Nian Nian no longer suffers from startle reflex. It’s not about fully restoring my gland to its former state—as long as Nian Nian is healthy, that’s enough."

Fu Yanhuai's heart gave a little jump. "You mean…"

Lu Yao took a deep breath. "Fu Yanhuai, if my gland recovers, we’ll inevitably face many issues—our complete mark still exists. So I think… maybe we should stop here."

Right now, his gland could help Nian Nian, but it wasn’t healthy enough to detect pheromones or handle heat cycles.

Fu Yanhuai fell silent for a long, long time—so long that Lu Yao almost thought he had turned to stone.

Lu Yao felt strangely uneasy. "If… if you disagree, we can discuss it further."

Though, in his mind, there wasn’t much to discuss. Whether his gland deteriorated or not had little to do with Fu Yanhuai.

"If this is the decision you want to make, I’ll respect it unconditionally." Fu Yanhuai finally spoke, his voice low. "Tomorrow is the last day for the inducer extraction. Let’s complete this treatment cycle. Since you don’t wish to continue, we won’t proceed with further therapy afterward."

Lu Yao let out a relieved breath. Fu Yanhuai stood. "My assistant will take you home. I need to get back to work."

Fu Yanhuai’s immediate agreement took a weight off Lu Yao’s shoulders, but at the same time, the slightly unusual reaction left him momentarily taken aback.

He…

Lu Yao felt a flicker of confusion. Fu Yanhuai seemed to have looked a bit thinner.