Chapter 20

Chapter 20

When it came to social graces, Xia Wenjin was indeed more experienced. In an unprecedented first, Xia Shiyue was persuaded by his father. He reined in his impulse for the moment and instead made plans with Lu Yao to visit the new store next Monday.

Come morning, Lu Yao still hadn’t fully recovered. Lately, he had been far too emotionally volatile—unlike his usual self.

When Lu Yao got out of bed, he felt slightly dizzy. The back of his neck, which had been quiet for days, inexplicably began to ache again. As he changed clothes, he checked his reflection. The wound on his nape had nearly healed.

“Then why does it still hurt?” Lu Yao poked at it in confusion. “That makes no sense.”

After touching it a couple of times, his head spun worse. He quickly lowered his hand, collected himself, and picked up his bag before heading out.

On the coffee table in the living room, a vibrant bouquet of red roses glistened with freshly sprayed water, beautifully arranged in a vase.

The housekeeper had arranged the flowers meticulously. When he saw Lu Yao emerge, he smiled warmly. “Good morning, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yao paused mid-step at the sight of the flowers. Fu Yanhuai had returned home very late the previous night—likely because he wouldn’t be able to go to the company for the next few days and had to settle work matters in advance.

He hadn’t seen Fu Yanhuai last night and wondered how he would react to the flowers.

Coming back to himself, Lu Yao replied, “Good morning.”

Noticing Lu Yao’s pale complexion, the housekeeper asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Yao shook his head. “No, thank you.”

He truly felt fine at the moment. Relieved, the housekeeper said, “If you need anything, just let Mr. Fu know.”

The housekeeper spoke to Lu Yao with a familiarity that suggested they had grown close. When Fu Yanhuai came downstairs and saw this, he quirked a brow.

Hearing the footsteps, Lu Yao turned around. His eyes brightened at the sight of Fu Yanhuai, but he quickly schooled his expression, hiding the overly obvious delight.

“What’s that?”

Only when Fu Yanhuai approached did he notice the two bags on the sofa beside Lu Yao. Lu Yao hurriedly picked them up. “They’re gifts for your parents. I thought it’d be better to bring something.”

Fu Yanhuai glanced at the packaging. “The housekeeper took you shopping.”

Lu Yao couldn’t tell whether Fu Yanhuai was pleased or displeased. He clutched tighter on the paper bags. “Yes. If you don’t like it, I won’t bring anything next time.”

Fu Yanhuai neither liked nor disliked the gesture—he simply didn’t see the point. Instead of answering Lu Yao’s question, he said, “Let’s go.”

Lu Yao followed Fu Yanhuai into the car. The man’s hot-and-cold behavior left him confused, but he worked up the nerve to say, “The scarf is a new seasonal item. The housekeeper and I picked the color together.”

Fu Yanhuai turned his head and met Lu Yao’s cautious yet hopeful eyes. Whether it was Lu Yao’s imagination or not, Fu Yanhuai looked vaguely annoyed.

“You haven’t touched the family card. My mother’s usual tastes are too expensive—it’s not suitable for you to gift her.”

This time, Fu Yanhuai was surprisingly thoughtful. He even added, “Even if you didn’t bring anything, it wouldn’t matter. Xia Shiyue’s store hasn’t opened yet. You should save your money for yourself.”

Fu Yanhuai genuinely considered this a trivial matter. Lu Yao mumbled, “Oh, okay.”

Then, as if remembering something, he asked, “Did the flowers in the living room look nice?”

Absentmindedly, Fu Yanhuai replied, “Didn’t notice.”

So Fu Yanhuai hadn’t seen them.

Before Lu Yao could react, Fu Yanhuai frowned at him. “Did you make dessert this morning?”

Lu Yao froze. “No?”

The car was enclosed. From the moment the door closed, Fu Yanhuai had caught a faint, elusive sweetness in the air.

The scent inexplicably irritated him. Under Lu Yao’s increasingly puzzled gaze, he scowled. “Don’t you smell anything?”

The wound on Lu Yao’s neck had healed, and the bite mark had faded, so he wasn’t wearing any scent patches today. He lifted the paper bag in his hand. “Could it be the flowers?”

“No.” Fu Yanhuai dropped it and turned on the air purification system before closing his eyes to rest.

Lu Yao didn’t sleep. He turned to look out the window, letting the passing scenery clear his thoughts.

Fu Yanhuai wasn’t asleep either. Though the purification system masked the sweet scent, he still felt oddly agitated.

After getting out of the car, Fu Yanhuai paused to compose himself. Lu Yao approached from behind. “Fu… Yanhuai?”

The garden was vast, and the autumn breeze carried a cool bite. Fu Yanhuai composed himself. “If you’re going to call me by my full name, you might as well stick to ‘husband.’”

The back of Lu Yao’s neck pulsed strangely again. He forced himself to stay calm and whispered, “I just forgot for a second. I meant to call you by your name.”

The corner of Fu Yanhuai’s lips twitched upward. Lu Yao followed him into the mansion, where two women sat with their backs to them, arranging flowers at a table.

Something had been set up on the table—white smoke curled upward slowly, and serene Zen music played through the speakers in the hall. Lu Yao was so distracted that he forgot to watch Fu Yanhuai. When the man stopped abruptly ahead, Lu Yao didn’t notice and bumped his nose into Fu Yanhuai’s back.

“Mmph.”

Tears welled up instantly in Lu Yao’s eyes. Fu Yanhuai’s back muscles tensed for a moment before he turned to look at Lu Yao, who was cupping his nose. After a deep breath, he turned back around.

“Mom.” Fu Yanhuai walked forward and turned off the music. “Why are you alone?”

Wen Zheng hadn’t expected Fu Yanhuai to return with Lu Yao. She responded indifferently, “Your father’s in the tea room.”

The flower-arranging instructor packed up the steam mist props. She stood and said softly to Wen Zheng, “Madam, we’ll end today’s lesson here. Feel free to contact me anytime for the next session.”

Wen Zheng looked every bit the refined society matron. She smiled politely and nodded as the instructor made a discreet exit.

Only then did Wen Zheng carefully position the finished floral arrangement in the center of the table. She rose at her own pace. “Go see him directly. He’s planning to fish this afternoon. The pond area is muddy and smells fishy—I’d rather not go.”

When she finally turned around, she noticed Lu Yao standing behind Fu Yanhuai. Clearly unprepared for this sight, Wen Zheng gasped, “You two came back together? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

Lu Yao looked nervous. He stepped forward and said, “Madam, this is…”

Wen Zheng interrupted him. She stared at Fu Yanhuai in disbelief. “You’re an S-class alpha, yet you let your spouse carry the bags?”

Fu Yanhuai was used to his mother’s ways. He sighed. “I’ll remember next time.”

Wen Zheng withdrew her dissatisfied gaze and subtly gave Lu Yao a once-over. This time, her tone softened. “Come sit here, child.”

Lu Yao trailed after her obediently to the sofa. Wen Zheng radiated gentleness—a quality Lu Yao had only seen in Guan Qinglu when she interacted with Lu Qianxing.

Wen Zheng was indeed an enchanting woman, her every movement exuding elegance. Lu Yao couldn’t help staring.

His nose was still slightly red from the earlier run-in. He watched Wen Zheng intently, waiting for her to speak. To Wen Zheng, this was a novel experience. Even when Fu Yanhuai sat quietly, his entire demeanor oozed defiance—just thinking about it annoyed her.

Lu Yao seemed like a sweet, compliant boy. Wen Zheng had always wanted an obedient, loving child, but fate had other plans. She ended up with an S-class alpha son who, aside from work, left much to be desired otherwise.

The thought of Fu Yanhuai and Lu Yao’s marriage made her head throb. Still, she kept her displeasure hidden. Glancing at the paper bag, she asked, “What did you buy?”

Fu Yanhuai sat down in an armchair. Lu Yao opened the bag and took out the scarf. “It’s a scarf. I’m no expert at color coordination, so I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

Wen Zheng had indeed bought scarves from this brand a few times before—the price was neither too high nor too low. She glanced at Lu Yao’s clothes again; the fabric and tailoring seemed custom-made, yet he wore no accessories at all.

Lu Yao carefully held the box, his body language stiff and awkward.

Wen Zheng thought to herself, *What a shame*. She looked at the scarf and praised Lu Yao, "You’ve got great taste! I haven’t had the chance to buy this year’s new releases yet, but this one looks perfect. Why don’t you help me try it on?"

Lu Yao’s emotions were plain to see in his eyes. Wen Zheng was surprised her casual comment made his eyes light up instantly.

Lu Yao carefully took out the scarf, and Wen Zheng sighed inwardly again—if only her own kid were this well-behaved.

The scarf was soft, and Wen Zheng stroked it with satisfaction before glancing at Fu Yanhuai beside her.

Fu Yanhuai sat with his hands clasped over his crossed leg, watching them indifferently from across the sofa. Wen Zheng felt a pang of frustration at his icy, standoffish attitude.

She patted Lu Yao’s hand. "Thank you, I love it. Later, Mom will give you a nice fat red envelope."

Wen Zheng could tell Lu Yao likely couldn’t afford gifts at this price range, and judging by her son Fu Yanhuai’s attitude, he didn’t seem the type to care about such things.

Lu Yao stiffened at Wen Zheng’s words, but she didn’t mind. She turned to Fu Yanhuai and instructed, "Go call your father out. Quit holed up in there drinking tea. Little Deer, tell Mom what you like to eat, and I’ll have the kitchen prepare a few more dishes."

The latter half of her words was directed at Lu Yao. A lump rose in his throat, and after a long silence, he finally said, "Thank you… Mom. I don’t need anything special. I’ll eat whatever’s served."

Fu Yanhuai rose with a slight frown, lingering instead of leaving. Wen Zheng chuckled. "What’s this? You’ve called me that before—no need to be shy!"

Lu Yao smiled with a slight waver in his voice. "Mm, it’s just been too long."

Seeing that Lu Yao had regained his composure, Fu Yanhuai turned and headed to the tea room. Wen Zheng sensed something but still said gently, "Then we’ll meet more often from now on, and you’ll get used to it."

Fu Yanhuai casually knocked on the open door. "Father."

Fu Jizhong was still savoring his tea, the room steeped in the scent of tea. He looked up at Fu Yanhuai. "You’re back. Sit."

Fu Yanhuai didn’t sit. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Lu Yao is outside."

Fu Jizhong was surprised. "You brought him back? What about your mother?"

Fu Yanhuai responded with a vague *Mm*. "I’ll wait for you in the living room."

Their exchanges were always like this—talking past each other. Fu Jizhong could tell Fu Yanhuai was avoiding the topic and snorted. "I’ve got no interest in butting into your business. Just don’t let your mother worry over it."