Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Fu Yanhuai encountered Fu Jizhong just as he entered the office. Fu Jizhong had been at the company every day for the past two days, which was why Fu Yanhuai hadn’t seen him at home that morning.

The moment Fu Jizhong saw him, he said, "You’ve arrived just in time. Several people are waiting to speak with you. I’ve already approved and sent out a few urgent documents for you; take a look at the rest."

Fu Yanhuai stepped forward, frowning as he flipped through the stack of reports. However, Fu Jizhong, contrary to his usual habit, didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he settled onto a nearby sofa.

Fu Yanhuai turned his head. "Is there something else you need?"

"Can’t I just sit here for a while?" Fu Jizhong didn’t state his purpose. "You carry on with your work. Don’t mind me."

Fu Yanhuai didn’t argue. He pressed the intercom to call his assistant and resumed his normal work.

Fu Jizhong glanced at Fu Yanhuai. The complete mark didn’t seem to have affected him much. Then again, his son had always worn that same impassive expression, no matter the situation.

Lu Yao was actually quite good; who else could tolerate Fu Yanhuai’s temperament? But if Fu Yanhuai was indifferent even to Lu Yao, how could he possibly be flirting with someone else?

Fu Jizhong couldn’t fathom Fu Yanhuai’s thoughts. Where had that Shen Jinyan even come from? What exactly had Fu Yanhuai been doing at the company all this time—engaging in illicit affairs?

The thought of having to worry about his son’s personal life at his age made Fu Jizhong feel utterly vexed. He let out a long sigh.

Fu Yanhuai found this even more peculiar. He put down the report and was about to speak when his assistant knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Fu Yanhuai had assumed it was just his assistant, but Shen Jinyan was also following closely behind.

Ignoring Shen Jinyan, Fu Yanhuai first gave instructions to his assistant. "Redo this proposal and bring it back to me. Have the design department bring their samples up for review."

Shen Jinyan didn’t interrupt Fu Yanhuai either. Noticing Fu Jizhong’s presence, he smiled and walked straight toward the sofa.

"Uncle Fu, I didn’t expect to see you here today. How has President Fu been these past couple of days?"

Fu Jizhong looked at Shen Jinyan for a moment. "Hmm, there were some private family matters that required Yanhuai’s personal attention. They’ve been resolved now."

Not hearing what he wanted, Shen Jinyan’s smile deepened, and he feigned sincerity. "Was it about Mr. Lu’s differentiation into an omega? Congratulations."

The assistant left after receiving his instructions. Hearing their conversation, Fu Yanhuai turned his gaze toward them.

Fu Jizhong chuckled lightly. "The congratulations shouldn’t go to me, but to Yanhuai. He showed no resistance symptoms to Lu Yao’s pheromones, and the differentiation went very smoothly."

Shen Jinyan also wanted to know whether Fu Yanhuai had truly spent Lu Yao’s heat cycle with him. He took the opportunity to look at Fu Yanhuai. "President Fu, congratulations—"

"Thank you." Fu Yanhuai gave a faint nod. "We’ve just received the hospital’s test results. Lu Yao and I have a 100% compatibility rate."

Shen Jinyan’s head snapped up. 100% compatibility? How was that possible?

Fu Jizhong was stunned for a moment before breaking into a relieved smile. "That’s wonderful. Does your mother know yet?"

Fu Yanhuai didn’t elaborate. "Not yet. You can tell her directly when you return home. A 100% compatibility means resistance symptoms won’t occur again, and Lu Yao’s body shows no abnormalities."

Shen Jinyan couldn’t believe it. "But betas who underwent secondary differentiation usually don’t have high ranks. How could he possibly—"

"With 100% compatibility, rank doesn’t matter."

For the first time, Fu Yanhuai directly addressed Shen Jinyan’s inappropriate comment. "This is my private matter. If you have no work-related matters to discuss, you may leave."

A flash of humiliation crossed Shen Jinyan’s eyes. He gave Fu Yanhuai a long, deep look before turning around and walking out of the office without another word.

The reaction was strange, but Fu Yanhuai paid it no mind.

Fu Jizhong watched the scene with some surprise, though he quickly calmed down with understanding.

Fu Yanhuai’s social awkwardness was normal. If he suddenly started being polite or warm to someone, that would be the real anomaly.

With Shen Jinyan gone, Fu Jizhong stood up. "Alright, I’ll leave you to your work."

Finally able to work through the backlog of documents, Fu Yanhuai found himself thinking that Lu Yao was much easier to deal with.

The thought of Lu Yao made his fingers pause briefly over the files—but only for a fleeting moment.

---

Xia Shiyue took Lu Yao to the newly renovated shop, excitedly. "What do you think of this workstation? Is there anything missing?"

The baking and production equipment were all the latest models. It was clear Xia Shiyue had invested heavily, but Lu Yao was still stunned by the size of the place.

"I thought you said it was a café? How is this a café?"

The shop resembled a Michelin-starred restaurant more than a café. The luxurious decor left Lu Yao utterly awestruck—every inch of the place shouted "luxury" and "expensive."

Xia Shiyue grinned proudly. "Well? Isn’t it amazing? I’ve already hired all the staff."

Lu Yao hesitated. "Isn’t the shop… a little too big?"

The costs were visibly astronomical. What if they ended up losing money?

Xia Shiyue waved it off grandly. "Don’t worry about that. I’m confident we’ll achieve huge success. Worst case, I’ll just go home and beg my dad for more allowance."

The world of the wealthy was hard for Lu Yao to understand. "Alright then. The equipment is very complete—there’s nothing else to add."

Xia Shiyue gazed at his new business with a surge of passion. "Who says rich kids can’t start businesses? I’m definitely going to be the next business genius."

Lu Yao ran a hand over one of the machines still in packaging. Maybe Shiyue had simply inherited his family’s business acumen.

Xia Shiyue looked at his phone. "The next lucky day is in two days—that’s when we’ll open!"

Lu Yao: (・▽・)?

"Isn’t that… a little too soon?" Lu Yao said carefully. "Shouldn’t we do a trial run first?"

Xia Shiyue dismissed the idea with a sweep of his hand. "No need."

He took Lu Yao’s hands dramatically. "I believe in us. We’re going to make it big. Don’t you think?"

Lu Yao said reluctantly. "Absolutely."

Lu Yao used the shop’s equipment to make a mousse cake. He and Xia Shiyue shared the first dessert made in their new shop. When it was time, Lu Yao returned to the hospital to pick up his test results.

Xia Shiyue followed curiously. "Is this your ranking test? What level did you get?"

But Lu Yao didn’t see any specific results. Puzzled, he looked up at the doctor, who was thoughtfully.

"Your case is very unusual. We can’t accurately determine your rank because your pheromones aren't compatible with any alpha in our database. Aside from President Fu, your compatibility with everyone else is below 10%."

Lu Yao blinked. "What does that mean?"

The doctor said patiently, "This situation doesn't fit standard rank classification. However, we could send the sample to an advanced research facility for further study." "No need." Lu Yao took the results. "The ranking doesn't matter anyway."

It didn't matter that he couldn't form a bond with anyone else—Fu Yanhuai was the only person Lu Yao ever loved and would be his only alpha.

When Lu Yao said he didn’t care, he truly meant it. After politely thanking the doctor, he walked straight out. Xia Shiyue, still reeling from the news, hurriedly followed him.

The doctor’s expression was troubled. She exhaled slowly, studying the saved test results on her computer screen. After a brief pause, she went ahead and called Fu Yanhuai.

Fu Yanhuai answered quickly. "Dr. An."

Dr. An kept her tone professional. "Mr. Fu, Mr. Lu’s test results have been sent to you."

"Yes, I’ve seen them. Did Lu Yao say anything?"

"No," Dr. An replied. "But he asked whether there was a chance he could get pregnant."

Fu Yanhuai stopped what he was doing. "What are the odds of him conceiving?"

Dr. An stated matter-of-factly. "Very low. His reproductive system still needs to experience several more heat cycles to fully develop. If he were to get pregnant now, it would cause physical damage. Contraceptive drugs would also be too stimulating—I didn’t prescribe any, and Mr. Lu likely hasn’t bought any either."

Fu Yanhuai lowered his eyes and went back to reviewing the files. "That’s fine. If he chooses not to take them, don’t force him."

Since the topic had come up, Dr. An had to ask, "If Mr. Lu really does get pregnant, do you plan to keep it? His body likely wouldn’t withstand an abortion."

After a long silence, Fu Yanhuai finally spoke. "I never expected this marriage to last. At its core, it’s just a transaction."

Even Fu Yanhuai didn’t believe what he and Lu Yao had was a normal family. Marrying a beta had been a last resort when there were no other options.

"If it happens, then let the pregnancy continue." Fu Yanhuai hadn’t given much thought to the issue of heirs before, but now it seemed Lu Yao might be the only one who could bear his child. If that were the case, he had no objections.

He would make sure Lu Yao was properly compensated.

Dr. An could only remain silent. Fu Yanhuai said curtly, "As for the classification evaluation, it’s up to Lu Yao. That’s all for now."

After hanging up, Dr. An let out a quiet sigh.

Xia Shiyue drove Lu Yao home, his expression grave. "So your differentiation really was triggered by Fu Yanhuai."

What were they supposed to do about this? It wasn’t like he was telling Lu Yao to cheat, but being only compatible with Fu Yanhuai—how was that supposed to work?

Lu Yao, however, was calm. "I was born a beta. My family ran countless tests on me when I was young and even gave me differentiation-inducing hormones, but nothing changed. Maybe it’s because of the S-class pheromones."

Xia Shiyue looked visibly upset and muttered under his breath, "Fu Yanhuai is really lucky."

Lu Yao turned to him with a soft smile. "I genuinely don’t care about differentiation ranks. Being an omega or a beta is fine—I’m happy just living the way I am now."

At that moment, Lu Yao looked like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter, curled up in his cozy nest with contentment written all over his face.

Xia Shiyue could only say, "Alright."

He just hoped Fu Yanhuai knew what was good for him.

Originally, Xia Shiyue could have just dropped Lu Yao off at home, but coincidentally, just as they were about to leave the car, he spotted Lu Qianxing outside the villa’s gate.

Squinting, Xia Shiyue asked, "Lu Yao, is that your brother?"

The gate to the Fu family villa was actually closed today. Lu Qianxing seemed to be trying to push his way in, with Guan Qinglu also present. The butler hurried out from inside.

Lu Yao hesitated. "Yes, but why are they here?"

Neither he nor Fu Yanhuai were home today. On the day of his differentiation, he had been locked in a room at the Lu family home. Now Lu Qianxing and Guan Qinglu had shown up—what did they want?

Frowning at the scene, Lu Yao said, "Shiyue, thanks for the ride. It’s getting late—you should head home first. I’ll go see what’s going on."

"Wait."

Xia Shiyue caught Lu Yao’s arm in concern. "No way I'm letting you go alone? I’m coming with you."