Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Before they had even fully stepped out of the Lu family's front door, Lu Yao felt an intense prickling sensation, as if eyes were burning into his back. With Fu Yanhuai gone, Guan Qinglu no longer masked her grave expression, her brows tightly furrowed as she watched Lu Yao’s retreating figure.

Lu Yao could sense the lingering gazes from those inside the house. He could only pray silently that they hadn’t overheard Fu Yanhuai’s words—they sounded far too intimate, and Lu Yao was ill-equipped to handle such emotions.

Fu Yanhuai had whispered them right into his ear, leaving Lu Yao feeling clumsy and disjointed in his steps. Only when they descended the steps did he murmur softly, "I thought... that was what you meant..."

The chauffeur opened the car door for Lu Yao, and Fu Yanhuai waited patiently for him to settle in before taking his own seat.

As the car began to move, Fu Yanhuai suddenly spoke, "Actually, that particular address is better suited for other occasions."

Lu Yao turned to him, bewildered. "What?"

Fu Yanhuai met his gaze steadily. "When I wish to hear it, I will let you know."

No matter how dignified, elegant, and courteous he appeared, Fu Yanhuai was, at his core, nothing more than a self-assured and mischievously cruel Alpha.

An S-Class could conceal his primal instincts well, but a beast would eventually bare its fangs. Especially since Lu Yao was already entirely Fu Yanhuai's prey.

An inexplicable unease settled over Lu Yao. Fu Yanhuai leaned back against the seat and tapped his earpiece, instructing the other end, "The meeting will commence precisely in twenty minutes."

Only then did Lu Yao suddenly recall. His eyes conveyed a strong desire to speak, but he hesitated, fearing he might disrupt Fu Yanhuai’s work.

Fu Yanhuai said curtly, "Speak."

After steeling himself, Lu Yao asked, "Earlier, you mentioned postponing the meeting because of me..."

Fu Yanhuai’s tone was cold and detached, as if discussing a mere business transaction. "The value you can provide me is far less than any ordinary meeting. Since you cannot offer adequate recompense, why inquire?"

The stark contrast in Fu Yanhuai’s attitude quickly jolted Lu Yao back to reality. So, all the earlier intimacy had merely been a facade.

Still, this was a positive development—at least Fu Yanhuai was more patient with him now than before.

Lu Yao comforted himself with this thought. He managed a faint smile before silently turning away and lowering his gaze.

The deep blue satin was opulent, and the sliver of Lu Yao’s exposed wrist was pale. He took no joy in this costly garment—it wasn’t something that belonged to him.

The number of times Lu Yao had felt warmth in his life were few and far between. Fu Yanhuai was harsh with him, but when Lu Yao had first approached him, asking him to consider marriage, Fu Yanhuai had given him sufficient respect. And during certain moments of his rut period after their marriage, Lu Yao had even felt something akin to 'love.'

In a world of endless winter, even a small, illusory flame was precious. Lu Yao was simply doing his utmost to sustain this marriage.

Fu Yanhuai spent the entire car ride attending to work matters. He didn’t believe there was anything amiss with his words—an Alpha born at the pinnacle of the pyramid was accustomed to looking down on others from above.

Still, he could sense Lu Yao’s dejection. In the past, Fu Yanhuai wouldn’t have cared. But now, something had subtly shifted.

The cooling patch on Lu Yao’s nape was one he had applied himself. Fu Yanhuai remembered his own doing.

A partner who was both to his liking and amusing—he didn’t mind indulging him a little.

"I have plans tonight, so don’t prepare dinner for me. Tell the butler what you’d like to eat, and remember to change the dressing."

Lu Yao’s eyes brightened when he looked up. Fu Yanhuai mused idly, "Hm, so easily pleased."

Unaware of Fu Yanhuai’s thoughts, Lu Yao stood by the half-lowered car window after getting out and said gently, "Okay."

The window rolled back up, and Lu Yao remained in place, watching as Fu Yanhuai drove away.

The butler waited silently behind him before speaking, "Mr. Lu Yao, you’re still not well. Please come inside—don’t expose yourself to the draft."

Lu Yao nodded and followed the butler inside. The butler picked up a gift bag from the table and said, "This was prepared on Mr. Fu's orders. Not knowing your preferred brand, I chose the latest model from Brand X."

Upon realizing what it was, Lu Yao was visibly stunned. "Why did he suddenly buy a new phone?"

He instinctively refused, "This is far too expensive. My current phone is perfectly fine."

"This was expressly requested by Mr. Fu," the butler emphasized the word "expressly," persuading tactfully, "Mr. Fu is simply concerned about you, which is why he chose new clothes and a phone for you."

The butler’s words were somewhat exaggerated. Fu Yanhuai had indeed noticed Lu Yao’s old phone and instructed the butler to buy a new one, but he certainly wouldn’t have personally picked it out.

As for concern—perhaps there was a little.

Lu Yao thought about his meager savings. He couldn’t afford this phone, but to Fu Yanhuai, this amount of money was probably something he wouldn’t even bother bending down to pick up if it fell on the ground.

Once again, Lu Yao was starkly reminded of the vast disparity in their statuses. He could only respond with silence.

The butler seemed to notice Lu Yao’s hesitation and sighed softly. "Mr. Lu Yao."

He encouraged him, "Don’t overthink it. It’s just a small spousal gift. You’ve been unwell lately, and Mr. Fu is actually quite worried."

His nape twitched involuntarily. Fu Yanhuai’s attitude really had changed.

"If you still have concerns," the butler continued calmly, "you could personally thank Mr. Fu. I’m sure he’d be pleased."

That did sound like a good idea. Lu Yao took the paper bag and thanked him, "Thank you."

The butler looked at him with satisfaction. "Dinner will be ready soon. Please go rest for now."

Lu Yao returned to his room. First, he carefully took off the clothes he was wearing and hung them up. Now, his once-empty wardrobe held two outfits that stood in jarring contrast.

He sat down to get the new phone set up. Just as he finished transferring his data, Guan Qinglu’s call popped up on the screen.

To his own surprise, Lu Yao remained calm this time. He answered, "Mom."

He had expected Guan Qinglu to interrogate him about what happened at the Lu family home earlier, but instead, her first question was about something trivial.

"Lu Yao," Guan Qinglu’s voice was ominously familiar—one he'd heard before, back when she cornered him after learning Fu Yanhuai had agreed to marry him.

"Where did you get those clothes you were wearing?"

Lu Yao had braced himself for a scolding, so her question caught him off guard. "I bought them myself."

He avoided mentioning that Fu Yanhuai had commissioned the outfit for him. If Guan Qinglu pressed further, she might uncover the existence of the family card. Regardless of Fu Yanhuai’s stance, Lu Yao didn’t want to touch that card.

"You bought them? With what money?"

Lu Qianxing’s voice suddenly cut in. After Lu Yao left, he had a meltdown at home, furious that Fu Yanhuai hadn’t spared him a single glance. Now, he couldn’t resist snapping at Lu Yao.

"I knew something was off the moment you came home! Pawing at Brother Fu right at the door—do you even know what shame is?"

Lu Yao was nothing but a beta, after all! If Fu Yanhuai could form a proper bond with an omega, why would he ever marry someone like Lu Yao?

Ignoring Lu Qianxing’s outburst, Lu Yao continued speaking to Guan Qinglu, "I really did buy them myself. Fu... he didn’t like the old ones, so I got a new set."

Guan Qinglu scoffed. "You'd better not be lying."

Then, her tone turned sugary abruptly. "Lu Yao, you know, the sole reason you could enter the Fu family and marry Fu Yanhuai was because you’re a Lu family offspring. Keeping that in mind, you should remember to look after your own more."

Guan Qinglu had it all wrong. The only reason Lu Yao could marry Fu Yanhuai was on his own merit.

At that unexpected banquet, Lu Qianxing's classmate happened to be present and took a forced-perspective photo, sending it to Lu Qianxing, joking that his brother was hooking up with an older man.

At the time, Lu Yao was still studying at Beijing University. Lu Qianxing, who hadn’t scored high enough, first threw a fit at his classmates. Later, somehow, that photo ended up on the school forum.

School administrators and teachers grilled him one after another. The barely-hidden scorn from classmates, Guan Qinglu’s scolding for bringing shame to the Lu family, and the high tuition fees—all of it led to Lu Yao being unable to complete his education.

After dropping out, Lu Yao started working at a dessert shop near Fu Yanhuai’s company. He often delivered desserts to the front desk but rarely got to see Fu Yanhuai.

It wasn’t until Fu Yanhuai’s rut became uncontrollable and he needed a beta spouse that Lu Yao took the initiative to wait for him at the company.

He knew Fu Yanhuai probably didn’t remember him, but he worked up the nerve to approach him at the end of a corridor and asked if Fu Yanhuai would consider him.

Lu Yao didn’t know why Fu Yanhuai agreed. He only remembered the unreadable darkness in Fu Yanhuai’s gaze that day.

"I’ll still send money home."

Lu Yao said quietly, "I know the family raised me, and I’ll pay it all back."

Guan Qinglu’s expression darkened instantly, her tone turning aggressive. "Oh, so now you’ve got wings, I can’t control you anymore? What do you mean by this—are you cutting ties with the family?"

Lu Yao suppressed his frustration. "I am me, and Mr. Fu is Mr. Fu. Why do you keep eyeing the Fu family’s money? I said I’d send money home, and I’ll keep doing it. Stop always thinking about—"

It was the first time Lu Qianxing had seen Guan Qinglu’s face contort so viciously. He didn’t understand why she was reacting so strongly to Lu Yao’s words today, and her expression frightened him.

"Mom, you—"

Guan Qinglu hissed at Lu Yao. "Why? I sold my own child—shouldn’t I get a proper reward for it?"

Lu Yao’s ears rang. His lips moved, but it took him a long moment to find his voice. "...What did you say?"

"I said, even if you’re selling yourself, you’d better fetch a good price. Otherwise, why’d I bother raising you?"

The line went dead. Lu Yao’s grip faltered, and his new phone nearly slipped to the floor.

He fumbled to catch it, then stood there, dead silent, for a long while before finally letting out a bitter laugh.

At least repay the cost of raising him. At least clear that debt.

Lu Yao no longer hoped for his family’s love.