Chapter 58 Stay-at-home Dad 58

Chapter 58: Stay-at-Home Dad 58

Stay-at-Home Dad 58

Around noon, the two headed to a nearby mall to grab lunch.

Fang Zhixu immediately ordered the milk tea he'd been craving the second they got there, and after inserting the straw, he handed it to Lu Yanli first.

Lu Yanli was caught off guard: "What's wrong?"

"First sip's for you." Fang Zhixu said, being generous, "You drink first."

Lu Yanli raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He took the milk tea, looking pleasantly surprised: "First sip for me?"

"Mm." Fang Zhixu cradled the bottom of the cup with his hand, urging, "Drink it, drink it."

Lu Yanli didn't actually like sweet things at all, and he especially hated dairy products, but if his wife wanted him to drink it, then he had to drink it, no matter what.

He lowered his head and took a sip, the cool, sweet flavors hitting his taste buds. He held back from furrowing his brow.

"How's it taste?" Fang Zhixu looked at him expectantly: "Mint green milk tea with boba, my absolute favorite."

"Not bad at all." Lu Yanli gave his stamp of approval and handed the milk tea back.

"Right!" Fang Zhixu took the milk tea and wrapped his lips around the straw.

Lu Yanli watched his wet lips wrap around the straw he had just touched, his Adam's apple bobbing. What was going on? Why was Fang Zhixu being so good to him today?

"Here, have some more."

Lu Yanli: "?"

Fang Zhixu shoved the milk tea into Lu Yanli's hand and patted the back of his hand: "It's all for you!"

Lu Yanli raised an eyebrow and pinched his nape: "Can't finish it, so you're giving it to me?"

Fang Zhixu turned his neck away from the ticklish sensation, giving him an innocent smile, and quickly changed the subject: "I saw a coupon for this barbecue place this morning, it's cheaper than paying full price there. Let's do lunch there!"

He pointed to the barbecue restaurant not far away.

Lu Yanli grunted in agreement, of course he'd go along with whatever Fang Zhixu wanted to eat, and handed the milk tea back to him: "You still want some?"

Fang Zhixu held up a finger and pushed the cup back to him: "It's for you to drink, don't waste it."

It was just the start of meal time, so there weren't many people waiting in line at the barbecue restaurant.

Fang Zhixu found a comfortable booth seat and dug into the barbecue he had been craving.

Over thirty trays were served, and the sheer volume was so shocking that the grill attendant couldn't help but take a photo, marveling at how someone so thin could eat so much, assuming he was a food streamer.

"Did I really eat that much?"

Lu Yanli took a napkin and wiped the corner of Fang Zhixu's mouth: "Not really."

Fang Zhixu figured that was right, and dug in to devour all the freshly grilled meat in his bowl, even asking Lu Yanli if he was full and if he wanted to order more, being thoughtful.

Lu Yanli felt flattered once again, his eyes shining with contentment. How could he still feel hungry? Just watching him eat so well was satisfying enough.

After finishing at the barbecue restaurant, the two strolled around the mall a couple of times to walk off the meal.

They happened to pass by a large mother-and-baby store, which stood in stark contrast to the blind box toy store next door, making this area look especially soft.

Around this time, quite a few couples were pushing strollers as they shopped.

"Wanna go in and look around?"

Fang Zhixu froze for half a second, slowly turning his head: "Huh?"

Lu Yanli gestured with his chin: "I see a lot of people just browsing in there, let's go take a look too." He started to walk in.

Fang Zhixu quickly grabbed Lu Yanli's arm: "No, what would two men go in there for? People only go in there if they have a baby and need to buy stuff."

"Can't we just browse?" Lu Yanli stopped and looked at him.

Fang Zhixu shook his head: "No need to look."

Lu Yanli's expression fell, but it returned to normal in an instant: "Then let's go check out somewhere else."

"Let's hit the store next door." Fang Zhixu pulled Lu Yanli into the trend toy store next door: "Let's buy two blind boxes to try our luck. Xiaohui has been really into the Star Pals lately, let's buy a full set to bring back for him to play with, as a treat."

"You really care about Xiaohui."

Fang Zhixu stood in front of the shelf picking out blind boxes: "How should I put it, I just feel bad for him. He was raised in a lab, no parents, and he's still just a kid himself but he's already taking care of so many wolf pups. Now he can even help the research center find clues, and he's doing well in school too."

"Have you ever thought about whether you'd treat your own kid the way you treat Xiaohui?"

Fang Zhixu grabbed a full set of Star Pals from the shelf and glanced sideways at Lu Yanli: "I feel like you're acting weird today, always bringing up the topic of kids. Do you want to be a dad? Then go have one yourself."

A helpless smile rose in Lu Yanli's eyes, full of indulgent exasperation: "I'm just asking, no need to get mad." He took the large box of blind boxes from Fang Zhixu's arms, so he wouldn't have to carry them.

"I'm not mad." Fang Zhixu kept browsing and discovered there were actually snow wolf IP toys. He stopped in his tracks, looking at the blind boxes and plushies on the shelf, which looked just like his pillow, along with various other merchandise.

A bunch of girls were browsing, saying this one's cute, that one's cute too.

More and more people were learning about snow wolves, and the push to protect these rare animals was growing stronger, gradually making people more willing to accept snow wolf-human hybrids into society.

Snow wolves were too special. Only by being out in the open could they be truly safe.

Keeping them hidden would only give those people an opening.

So what really happened back then? Why did Fang Guanghui take him? How did his parents lose him? And did they ever look for him after...

How much longer until he got the real answers? He'd even bent himself out of shape over this.

Lu Yanli noticed Fang Zhixu suddenly fall silent and followed his gaze to the shelf full of snow wolf IP merchandise.

He glanced over at Guo He.

Guo He at the entrance immediately understood what the young master meant and immediately made a call to arrange things. Not to mention this shelf of items, even moving the entire mall would take just one look.

"What's on your mind?"

Fang Zhixu picked up a little wolf keychain: "Just thinking about my parents."

Lu Yanli took the small keychain from his hand and put it into the shopping cart, knowing he meant his adoptive parents: "Do you think they knew about your past?"

Maybe that's exactly why they were silenced.

Of course, these clues were still too scattered, and the evidence was insufficient. Even with plenty of manpower, resources, and money, it would still be hard to investigate.

"I don't even know if they knew. Nobody can tell me." Fang Zhixu trailed off and suddenly smiled, looking at Lu Yanli: "Let's not talk about it."

Lu Yanli sighed, gently brushing his cheek with the back of his hand: "What can't you tell me? I'm all ears."

"The latest intel says Xiao Zhi's parents might be on the missing list too—can't rule out that they were hunted or killed."

"I don't wanna talk about anything sad." Fang Zhixu tossed everything he wanted into the cart and turned to leave: "Let's go."

Lu Yanli watched that slender figure deflate like a little balloon, his mood visibly sinking.

After checking out, the two walked out of the mall. The afternoon sun was blazing, turning the ground white-hot.

Fang Zhixu squinted, and Lu Yanli stepped in front of him to block the sun.

Once they got in the car, neither of them said anything for a bit.

Guo He wheeled the car out of the lot, and the partition slowly slid up.

A beat later, the reflection in the rear window shifted.

"What's eating at you? Talk to me." Lu Yanli pulled Fang Zhixu onto his lap and pinched his cheek.

Fang Zhixu curled into Lu Yanli's arms, head down, forehead pressed to his shoulder, gloomily thumping him over and over—softly, like he was fighting something or just being clingy.

Lu Yanli patted his back slow and easy, like soothing a kid.

"Lu Yanli."

"Mm."

"Can you help me look into it?" Fang Zhixu's throat tightened, his voice cracking: "Find out if they were involved in the trafficking."

Lu Yanli saw the tears about to spill and rubbed the back of his neck: "Okay."

Yeah, he still cared a lot—he just never said it. He'd been carrying this the whole time. But whether his adoptive parents knew or not, trafficking was a crime—and knowing and staying quiet was just as bad.

This guy's heart was way too soft.

"Don't just 'okay, okay, okay' me like that." Fang Zhixu couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears spilled down his face. He yanked Lu Yanli's hand away and sobbed: "...I need to know right now. Can I even rely on you or what?"

Lu Yanli pulled him close, chin resting on his head: "I'll have an answer for you tomorrow."

"Ah, really?" Fang Zhixu's tears stopped, and he looked up, eyes all red.

Lu Yanli dipped his head, thumb brushing the wetness under his eyes: "Really."

"Then I'm done crying." Fang Zhixu wiped his face with the hem of his shirt.

"Then what else is bothering you?" Lu Yanli couldn't figure out how Fang Zhixu's moods could flip so fast: "Was it something I said earlier that got you upset?"

"Which question?" Fang Zhixu pulled out another tissue to blow his nose.

"About checking out that baby store."

Fang Zhixu tilted his head, blinked, then shook it: "No."

"Really not?" Lu Yanli asked again.

"Really not." Fang Zhixu said seriously.

That's when Lu Yanli finally let out a breath.

"You wanna go check it out?" Fang Zhixu asked curiously: "Then why didn't you go earlier?"

"You dragged me out." Lu Yanli kept his hands on his lower back, scared he'd tip backward: "I figured you weren't into it, so I didn't push it."

"Isn't it weird for two guys to walk into a baby store?"

"What's strange about it?"

"I'm not saying guys can't go in, but we don't have a kid—what's the point?" Fang Zhixu's voice was still nasally from crying, but his tone had already perked up.

"What if we did have one?"

"Who has one?"

Lu Yanli's throat bobbed: "I do."

Fang Zhixu's brain went blank for two seconds: "Huh?"

"Could you not handle that?" Lu Yanli watched him closely, scared of missing any flicker on his face: "If we had a kid, would you be okay with that?"

"How the hell would that even happen!" Fang Zhixu looked totally confused.

Lu Yanli pulled him back: "Sit tight, don't get riled up. Let's talk this through."

"Don't hit me with that hypothetical." Fang Zhixu got annoyed, slid off Lu Yanli's lap, sat back, crossed his arms, and stared out the window without a word: "I'm a guy—how the hell am I supposed to have a baby!"

Lu Yanli instantly regretted bringing it up.

Because Fang Zhixu didn't talk to him for the rest of the afternoon.

The mini cold war only ended when an urgent call came in from the Snow Wolf Research Center.

"The center called me in. Su Yuan's not there, and a wolf cub is having a bad stress reaction. They want me to come check it out—sedation didn't help much, and even Xiaohui can't calm it down." Fang Zhixu hung up the phone and told Lu Yanli, also sending a message to his manager at the same time.

"I'll take you." Lu Yanli picked up his backpack.

Fang Zhixu glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

The two walked out quickly.

They arrived at the Snow Wolf Research Center twenty minutes later.

"This cub's been crying nonstop since the checkup—totally freaked out. The vet already gave it a sedative, but it's still fighting hard and biting. But the cub's too young—we're scared to give it more in case we overdose it. That's when we thought of you, Teacher Xiaozhi—hoping you could come take a look."

Fang Zhixu shrugged into the protective suit the staff handed him as he walked: "How'd you run the exam?"

"Today we were doing routine and deep checks. We started with weight, temp, heart rate, and breathing—figured those were things he could cooperate with while awake. But the cub went ballistic from the get-go."

Fang Zhixu put on his mask: "I don't know how the exams here differ from the reserve's, but the environment matters a lot. If you ran this exam in a lab, the cub's gonna freak—that's where they came from." He glanced at the staffer next to him: "Did you try cutting down visual stimulation?"

The staffer nodded: "We covered his eyes with a soft cloth, but he thrashed like crazy."

"Do the other cubs act like that?"

"The others squirmed a bit but went along with it. This one's just fighting way harder."

They stopped outside a lab, sharp, young wolf cries spilling out—pitiful howls that made your skin crawl.

Lu Yanli's expression darkened instantly.

Fang Zhixu noticed Lu Yanli's mood shift and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?"

"That kind of crying..." Lu Yanli couldn't bear hearing a cub cry like that, his brows furrowing deeply. "He's in pain. How did you guys do the exam on him? Was it rough?"

The staff member was so startled they waved their hands like crazy. "No way, no way, we'd never do that. We just stuck to the standard protocol."

"Let's go in and take a look first."

As soon as Fang Zhixu pushed open the door, he saw the wolf cub locked in a small cage in the corner.

The cub was baring its teeth and biting at the cage door, howling frantically, so worked up it had shoved the cage back a few inches. Its ears, tail, and fur stood on end, its eyes filled with wariness.

Lu Yanli let out a cough.

The cub flinched, tilting its head to stare at Lu Yanli with a mix of fear and caution, but it still had that "newborn pup fears no tiger" vibe as it yipped at him.

"Yip."

The staff member nearby thought: *Dude, that's not how you were crying just now—you were vicious as hell.*

"Open the cage," Fang Zhixu said, moving forward.

Lu Yanli grabbed him swiftly. "Don't go touching him when he's stressed like this—he could bite you."

"Isn't this the perfect chance to see if I can still handle a wolf cub? Can't let that honorary title from the reserve go to waste, right?"

Fang Zhixu walked over and crouched in front of the cage. Instead of opening it, he first reached out a hand to feel things out. "Hello there, little one. You feeling okay, buddy?"

Seeing the hand, the cub couldn't resist reaching out a fluffy little paw to swat at it. When it failed to grab hold, it got all worked up and started whimpering, tail wagging a mile a minute, letting out the most pathetic little whimpers.

"Did something hurt during the checkup?" Fang Zhixu slipped one finger inside.

The cub rested its paw on Fang Zhixu's finger and gave a big, emphatic nod. "Yes!"

The soft paw pressed against his glove, and that milky, pitiful voice—like a little kid's—made everyone's heart melt.

To the staff, the cub was just howling, but Fang Zhixu could understand every word.

Fang Zhixu opened the cage and scooped up the cub into his arms. But just as he stood up, everything went black and his body swayed.

Lu Yanli's expression shifted in an instant. With lightning reflexes, he grabbed Fang Zhixu by the waist, pulling him securely into his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Wuwuwu~"

"I'm fine." Once he'd steadied himself, Fang Zhixu looked down at the cub in his arms. Seeing the little guy tilt its fluffy head, wolf ears twitching as it nuzzled his chin, his expression softened. "You still scared?"

The cub buried its head into Fang Zhixu's chest, whimpering as it snuggled into him.

Lu Yanli's gaze lingered on his gentle profile, his eyes brimming with tender affection as he found himself wondering—would it be like this if they had a child of their own?

The staff nearby: "..." This really made them look bad. Just moments ago, the cub had been baring its teeth at them so viciously that they'd had to shield themselves with chairs and trays.

Fang Zhixu rubbed the cub's head and smiled at Lu Yanli. "He's a total mini-you."

"But he's not ours," Lu Yanli said.

Fang Zhixu's face fell as he held the cub, giving him a sour look. "Oh."

Lu Yanli regretted it the second the words came out. He let out a rueful laugh, closed his eyes, and silently cursed himself twice—he'd really gone and stuck his foot in his mouth.