Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Entering the house, An Nuo was still determined to play the part of an unfeeling, aloof man.

He’d treat it like a story he’d been dropped into, simply following the script and character arcs.

But after spending a little more time with Shi Yu, exchanging a few more words, An Nuo found himself wanting nothing more than to cling to him.

He couldn't imagine what his life would have been like if he were Shi Yu’s child.

Even without the immense wealth of someone like Lu Yunyan, he would surely have found much happiness.

Shi Yu then changed the subject, bringing up something lighter: “Speaking of graduation, the most anticipated event must be the graduation ball, right? Have you prepared your outfit yet?”

It was indeed time to prepare, but An Nuo had been so preoccupied with adapting to his so-called married life that he hadn’t given it much thought.

He answered honestly, “Not yet.”

Shi Yu replied, “I know a brand that seems perfect for young people like you. How about I take you to check it out in a couple of days?”

An Nuo was touched. If his mother were still alive, she would probably have accompanied him to choose his formal wear for graduation.

He instinctively wanted to decline, thinking Shi Yu must be busy and he didn’t want to trouble him with such a small matter.

But Shi Yu was so gentle, so irresistibly kind, that An Nuo found himself hesitating, feeling awkward, “Won’t it be too much trouble for you…?”

“Trouble? Not at all,” Shi Yu chuckled. “I’d like to connect more with young people like you anyway, to stay current with trends among the youth and avoid being out of touch.”

That was the most comforting part.

No matter how you looked at it, An Nuo was the one imposing, but Shi Yu effortlessly downplayed it, easing An Nuo’s potential embarrassment.

“Then it’s settled.”

An Nuo nodded, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. “Okay, sounds good.”

…

They spent the entire day at the Lu family home, not leaving until after dinner.

An Nuo’s initial nervousness gradually dissipated.

He also came to believe that Shi Yu and Lu Xu were genuinely in love—unless they were putting on an elaborate act just for him, the numerous small details of their interactions suggested a profound mutual affection.

An Nuo felt even more that Lu Yunyan was truly fortunate.

With a perfect background and perfect parents, if it weren’t for his inherited genetic issue, An Nuo would have considered Lu Yunyan the luckiest child in the world.

On the way back, Lu Yunyan finally found an opportunity to ask him, “What did you and my dad talk about when you went out alone today? You seemed in much better spirits when you came back.”

An Nuo didn’t want to tell Lu Yunyan everything, so he simply said, “Nothing much. He just asked if I was graduating soon and if I’d prepared my outfit for the graduation ball…”

This reminded An Nuo to pull out his phone and quickly open his group chat with friends.

Not only had he not sorted out his ball attire, but he hadn’t even found a date for the ball yet.

The chat history in their three-person group was still from that morning.

An Nuo had sent a photo of the kitten, excitedly announcing that he was now a cat owner.

An Nuo: “Look! It’s my kitty! From now on, I’m a happy human with two kitties!”

Bai Wu: “You bought a cat?”

But after sending that message, An Nuo had left home and spent the whole day in front of Lu Yunyan’s parents, too embarrassed to check his phone.

Bai Wu: “?? What happened??”

Bai Wu: “??? Hello?”

Bai Wu: “Ugh, I don’t dare call you randomly now. I’m genuinely afraid you might be getting busy.”

Always making everything sound dirty.

An Nuo: .

No one understood the despair of opening a chat and seeing a message like that.

Even though Lu Yunyan couldn’t see it, An Nuo was still worried he might. He quickly flooded the chat to push the message up.

An Nuo: “I’m back.”

An Nuo: “I forgot to mention, I went to meet his parents today.”

An Nuo: “Don’t just paint me with that kind of brush, I’m seriously done.”

An Nuo: “Also, the kitten wasn’t bought by me, they’re his cats.”

Bai Wu replied quickly, as always.

Bai Wu: “He gave it to you?”

An Nuo: “No, he’s the one raising them.”

Bai Wu: “Oh, I thought he knew you liked cats and specifically got you two.”

It wasn’t a hard secret to guess that An Nuo liked cats—he made it obvious on his social media for anyone to see.

Bai Wu: “What are the kittens’ names?”

Looking at the photo of the kittens, An Nuo felt a comforting joy, almost wanting to kiss the phone screen.

An Nuo: “The pure white one is called Cream Roll, he’s the older brother. The slightly gray one is called Gray Ball, she’s the younger sister.”

Bai Wu: “?? Is that an appropriate way to name them? The styles are so different! Someone speak up for the sister??”

An Nuo: “I thought so too, but the sister’s name was given by him.”

An Nuo: “By the way, what are your plans for the graduation ball? Have you found dance partners?”

Bai Wu went quiet.

Beside him, Lu Yunyan casually asked, “What about your ball attire? Have you prepared it?”

“I said I hadn’t, and your dad said he’d take me to look…”

An Nuo quickly explained, “I wanted to refuse, but your dad was so enthusiastic, I felt bad turning him down…”

Lu Yunyan smiled. “Isn’t that a good thing? Let him take you to look. Don’t feel embarrassed—they both like you a lot.”

It was rare for him to receive such positive feedback.

An Nuo’s eyes sparkled: “…Really?”

On his phone, Bai Wu’s new message also popped up.

Bai Wu: “Tsk tsk, I’m genuinely afraid you’ll attend the graduation ball pregnant.”

An Nuo read it too quickly—by the time he realized what he had just read, it was already too late.

He cursed his literacy.

An Nuo: “? Is that polite?”

He quickly flooded the chat, burying that message too.

Bai Wu: “No, I really think the way you two are acting is a bit strange, like some fake-dating-turned-real trope.”

Bai Wu: “You like cats, and he suddenly got two cats, and you each got to name one.”

Bai Wu: “Is a marriage of convenience supposed to be this lovey-dovey? I don’t get it.”

Bai Wu and Luo Heng knew the truth about their marriage of convenience, but they didn’t know about Lu Yunyan’s genetic condition.

Although it breached the contract—An Nuo wasn’t supposed to tell anyone—it was just unfortunate that this happened before the contract was signed.

An Nuo couldn’t keep a secret that big to himself. He was too shocked and couldn’t handle it alone, so he immediately vented to his friends.

But it was okay.

He trusted that Bai Wu and Luo Heng wouldn’t betray him.

And as long as Lu Yunyan couldn’t prove it, then he hadn’t said anything.

An Nuo: “It’s not lovey-dovey at all. We were very serious when naming them.”

Meaning, they very seriously sat on each other’s laps and kissed each other’s cheeks, that’s all.

But all of this was due to the influence of pheromones, clouding their judgment of each other’s feelings.

Things would get better once they were apart.

An Nuo: “You still haven’t answered me about the prom date!”

Bai Wu: “Although I haven’t confirmed who my partner will be, I’m sure my parents will arrange it.”

Bai Wu: “They’ll probably make a big deal out of it again, sigh.”

Luo Heng: “Haven’t found one yet.”

An Nuo immediately: “Bro, pair up with me! Brother, choose me! [pleading eyes][pleading eyes]”

In theory, he could bring Lu Yunyan—the school allowed legal spouses to attend.

But if he really brought Lu Yunyan, what would be the point of keeping the marriage a secret? Everyone would know they were involved.

However, if he found someone else, he’d feel guilty, so An Nuo’s first choice was Bai Wu.

No one said an omega couldn’t be dance partners with another omega—good friends could certainly dance together.

Unfortunately, Bai Wu was not free, so An Nuo had to turn his attention to Luo Heng.

Rather than some random person, it was better to go with an alpha he had grown up with.

Luo Heng: “You, a married omega.”

Luo Heng: “I’m afraid your husband will tear me limb from limb.”

An Nuo was truly fed up.

Luo Heng had already been corrupted by Bai Wu.

An Nuo: “We’re secretly married!! Bringing him would be announcing it to the world!!”

Luo Heng: “Does he know?”

An Nuo: “He doesn’t need to know.”

Lu Yunyan was usually quite busy—why bother him with such a small matter.

Luo Heng: “You’d better ask him first.”

Luo Heng: “I don’t want to become part of your kinky game.”

An Nuo: “…No way! What are you all thinking!”

Luo Heng: “As long as your husband is fine with it, I’m fine with it.”

An Nuo: “No problem, no problem, he’s totally cool with it.”

An Nuo: “Then it’s settled [pleading eyes][pleading eyes]”

While replying to his friends’ messages, he was also chatting with Lu Yunyan simultaneously.

Lu Yunyan said that Shi Yu and Lu Xu both really liked him.

“Really, if they didn’t like you, they wouldn’t have kept you for the whole day. My dad even offered to take you to look at outfits—that means he wants to get closer to you.”

An Nuo felt a warmth spread through him.

If that were truly the case, it would be wonderful—he and Shi Yu would both be making an effort.

He really wanted to tell Lu Yunyan that he thought Shi Yu was wonderful, that he liked Shi Yu very much, and that he was more than willing to get closer to Shi Yu.

But he was afraid that today’s interactions were just for show, that Shi Yu didn’t actually care, and that Lu Yunyan was just saying this to comfort him.

An Nuo could keep it to himself and believe it, secretly treasuring the memory of this happiness.

But if he said it out loud and it turned out to be false, he was afraid Lu Yunyan would tell his parents, afraid they would think he was ridiculous, or worse, pathetic.

So An Nuo didn’t dare say it.

He could only give a neutral response: “…Well, I was still a bit nervous this time. Next time, I’ll try to be more natural and better.”

Lu Yunyan laughed: “You did great today—you already impressed me. Just keep it up next time.”

Hearing Lu Yunyan say that again made An Nuo feel even better.

The world hadn’t become worse just because he blocked his dad—on the contrary, it had become even more beautiful.

“By the way,” Lu Yunyan said.

“…Huh?”

“What date is your prom? Have you set a specific date yet?”

“It’s set. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. Send me the date, and I’ll have my secretary adjust my schedule to clear that day.”

An Nuo paused, suddenly realizing something, and asked in disbelief, “…Are you going to attend my prom?”

Lu Yunyan gave him a curious look. “You can bring a spouse to the prom, right? What, do you have another husband or something?”