Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Fate occasionally weaves connections in the most unexpected places.

In terms of family background alone, An Nuo didn't just not measure up to Lu Yunyan—he probably wouldn't have had the chance to enter the Lu household in his lifetime, let alone meet Shi Yu and Lu Xu. It would have been nothing but a far-fetched dream.

Yet fate insisted on connecting him to the Lu family.

Even though Lu Xu hadn't liked him from the moment he looked over his file—An Nuo's family background was too ordinary and too complicated, likely to cause them unnecessary and troublesome hassles.

But after over twenty years of searching, what kind of omega hadn't they seen? The money spent in labs trying to cure Lu Yunyan's gland condition was enough to buy an entire planet, yet they had yielded no results.

Only An Nuo's pheromones could help Lu Yunyan, and on top of that, Lu Yunyan liked him.

Fate had enough of a hold over them.

Sometimes, even Lu Xu had to yield to fate.

His sharp gaze fell on An Nuo, giving him a quick appraisal. Fortunately, the young man himself seemed decent—quite obedient and well-mannered.

Lu Xu said, "Please, have a seat. There's no need to be nervous; just relax."

Lu Yunyan held An Nuo's hand as they sat down. Soon after, several staff brought tea and desserts.

Living staff, dressed in uniform.

Such an old-school feel.

Nowadays, various home robots have taken over most of the market. Not only could they handle all household chores, but they also offered better protection for the homeowners' privacy.

And the Lu Corporation held the most advanced technology in smart robotics, almost monopolizing the entire market.

Unexpectedly, there were still actual human staff here.

And quite a few of them.

Shi Yu said, "I heard you have a sweet tooth, so we prepared some small cakes. Would you like to try one?"

An Nuo didn't reach for one himself because Lu Yunyan very naturally selected one for him.

He whispered, "Want me to feed you?"

An Nuo: …

He quickly took it from Lu Yunyan's hand.

The two parents didn't hear what Lu Yunyan said, but they noticed the little exchange between them—how could this seem like a fake contractual marriage? To anyone watching, it looked like two people with mutual affection being all affectionate.

Shi Yu had even witnessed their intimate embrace outside earlier, and it had left him puzzled. Lu Yunyan had worried he couldn't convince An Nuo, but was this really what "failing to convince someone" looked like?

Honestly, even if they were suddenly notified in two months that An Nuo was pregnant, Shi Yu wouldn't be too surprised.

Because they seemed exactly like the type to do something like that.

But for now, these thoughts had to remain unspoken.

Shi Yu said to An Nuo, "Since you're already married, this is your home now. Don't feel shy or hold yourself back. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other and build our relationship."

An Nuo couldn't tell if this was genuine or just politeness, but he secretly wanted to believe every word of it.

Because Shi Yu was too gentle.

Gentle, with a reassuring presence.

It was impossible not to be drawn to him.

An Nuo nodded, "...Okay, I'll do my best to adapt."

After responding, An Nuo began eating the cake in his hand.

He wasn't good at acting, and the more he spoke, the more likely he'd slip up—maybe even embarrassing himself.

So, only speaking when addressed was the best choice for him.

Having something in his mouth also helped; the elders would see he couldn't talk easily and naturally wouldn't subject him to questions.

Shi Yu saw right through this and found An Nuo quite adorable, letting out a soft chuckle.

So far, he had no complaints about An Nuo himself—he seemed like a sincere, good-natured young man.

Lu Xu didn't have any issues with An Nuo either, but he didn't want Lu Yunyan to get off so lightly.

The thought of him secretly marrying behind their backs, acting without consulting them, with such a poor attitude afterward, made his innards twinge.

Lu Xu chose that moment to ask Lu Yunyan, "Were you very busy recently?"

A deceptively mild question, luring Lu Yunyan in.

Lu Yunyan replied, "Not really, it wasn't too busy."

Then, Lu Xu shifted his tone, "Then why did you wait so long to visit? You should've come earlier."

"What sort of marriage has gone on for so long, yet the parents haven't even met the spouse? Are we some kind of father and son who can't coexist?"

Lu Yunyan: .

Mistake. He'd walked right into that.

An Nuo's hand, mid-scoop, paused instantly.

Lu Xu seemed to be complaining to Lu Yunyan, but marriage involved at least two people—who knew if he was indirectly criticizing An Nuo as well?

An Nuo glanced nervously at Lu Yunyan, unsure what he should do.

To keep An Nuo from feeling tense, Lu Yunyan had no choice but to bow his head before Lu Xu. "I was thoughtless."

Lu Xu immediately felt much better.

After all, when Lu Yunyan had confessed to them earlier, he hadn't admitted to this.

There's always someone who can keep you in check—at least now there was finally a chance to put this boy in his place.

Shi Yu saw through Lu Xu's intention and tried to change the subject, "Is An Nuo about to graduate soon?"

Lu Yunyan answered for An Nuo, who was busy eating, "Yeah, in a little over two months."

But the mischievous father was in full swing. Lu Xu pushed further, "Perfect timing after graduation—you should have the child early."

An Nuo: .

I really didn't expect the conversation to take this kind of turn.

Lu Yunyan could tell his father was doing this deliberately and didn’t want to back down, said through gritted teeth, "We will. It’s already part of our plan."

An Nuo: ???

Kept in the dark, An Nuo was bewildered.

Brother?

With whom is this matter? And with whom is this plan?

Don't speak nonsense!

Even if you’re talking nonsense, don’t drag me into it. How could I produce a child in two months?

Lu Xu’s expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts grew even more wicked: "Is that so? Well, that’s good… My biggest regret in life is not having more children. If possible, I hope you two can have several."

An Nuo was so frightened he froze.

He didn’t even dare to eat the cake in his hand anymore.

Lu Yunyan countered directly: "But these things depend on destiny. You can’t force it."

"So we’ll have at most three. That’s the limit."

The first sentence made An Nuo feel a sense of reliability, but the next one plunged him into despair.

Really, brother??

Who exactly comprises this "we" you’re talking about? It can’t be me, right?

Anyway, whatever, let me just offer early wishes to you two! May your family of five be happy and blessed!

Shi Yu couldn’t bear to see An Nuo become a casualty in this father-son squabble and stood up: "An Nuo, let me give you a tour. Our home is quite large, and there are many beautiful areas. I’ll take you to see them."

An Nuo instantly felt as if he had been saved and quickly stood up: "...Okay, yes, I’d love that. Thank you!"

Noticing that Lu Yunyan also made to stand, Shi Yu said, "You don’t need to come. Stay and chat with your father. It seems like the two of you have a lot to talk about."

Lu Xu muttered in denial, "Who wants to talk to him?"

Shi Yu ignored him, took An Nuo by the wrist, and said, "Let’s go. I’ll show you around."

An Nuo didn’t even glance back at Lu Yunyan: "...Okay."

The interior was spacious. At the front was a holographic projection of a dense forest waterfall, while the back part began to transform automatically, turning into a castle corridor.

An Nuo found these things new and interesting and really wanted to look around everywhere.

But since he was in the presence of an elder—Lu Yunyan’s omega father, no less—he wanted to present himself as courteous and proper. In the end, he restrained himself and walked along quietly and obediently.

Shi Yu chatted idly with An Nuo, talking about everyday topics with nothing particularly difficult to answer.

"I didn’t expect Yunyan to keep it so secret. He only told us after getting married. That day, his father and I were quite startled."

An Nuo could only smile awkwardly.

Well, to be honest, when he was threatened into marriage, he was pretty shocked too.

"Yunyan’s situation is special. Thank you for not looking down on him."

According to the agreement, Lu Yunyan hadn’t told his parents about his effective pheromone condition.

At the time, An Nuo had asked directly, "But aren’t you receiving treatment? That’s something you can’t hide, right?"

Lu Yunyan was unwilling to elaborate, only replying, "We’ll talk about it when we can’t hide it anymore."

They weren’t close back then, and An Nuo assumed Lu Yunyan had his reasons, so he didn’t press further.

Although something about it felt off, he decided to go along with the plan for the time being.

"Not at all. He’s… um, a very, very remarkable person."

The words tasted like lies, and An Nuo felt insincere saying it.

He hoped Shi Yu didn’t notice anything unusual.

Shi Yu said with a light laugh: "By the way, what’s your major? Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation?"

In Shi Yu’s eyes, this was just casual conversation.

In families like theirs, future plans were probably made even before the children were born.

But An Nuo found it hard to answer, his voice soft and slightly hesitant: "It’s a… rather impractical major… Art Appreciation…"

A traditional and stereotypical popular omega major.

The coursework wasn’t completely without value—you could still learn a lot—but it wasn’t very practical in real life.

An Fu intended for him to be a decoration, whose value lay in gaining advantages through marriage someday. His education and major were just part of the dowry.

An Nuo didn’t like this major at all, but at the time, he was powerless to resist An Fu’s pressure and reluctantly continued with it until nearly graduation.

Then Shi Yu said, "What a coincidence. That was my major too when I was in school."

An Nuo looked at Shi Yu in disbelief.

"They said it was suitable for omegas, so my family insisted I study it. But I didn’t like it at all," Shi Yu said lightly. "So after graduation, I took exams again for a major I liked and completed another degree."

"At first, my family objected, but it didn’t matter. I was only twenty then—life had just begun, and I could do whatever I wanted."

But An Nuo could tell Shi Yu was offering him comfort with his own experience.

"Actually, it’s normal to feel lost when you’re young. It’s even normal to occasionally take a wrong turn or even reach a dead end."

"Life has many valleys. There’s no need to be too hard on yourself."

"Besides, life is very tolerant of errors. Youth is another great advantage—all you need is the courage to begin again."

No elder had ever said these things to An Nuo before.

It felt like his cold heart had been immersed in warm water, gradually warming up and swelling with a sour, expanding sensation.

At that moment, he suddenly felt envious of Lu Yunyan.

Even though Lu Yunyan suffered from a painful genetic condition, he at least had a happy, complete family and grew up bathed in love.

That’s why Lu Yunyan could express his feelings so naturally and easily.

But An Nuo’s upbringing lacked love and attention—something he always longed for but never obtained—which was why, every time he seemed at a loss, he unconsciously accepted Lu Yunyan’s words and actions.

Now, he was also captivated by Shi Yu standing before him.

The parental qualities he admired most—gentle yet resilient and strong—were all manifest in Shi Yu.

Three years from now, when the contract expires and it was time to divorce Lu Yunyan, whether he’d be unwilling to leave Lu Yunyan was hard to say. But one thing An Nuo was certain of now was that he would absolutely be reluctant to part with Shi Yu.