Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Shiyue," Lu Yao's voice was faint. "Are you not busy anymore?"

Xia Shiyue sounded frantic. "Lu Yao! You—you—what did you just send me? Are you really pregnant? From this heat cycle?"

What is Fu Yanhuai made of? While alpha-omega pairings typically have higher fertility rates, this is incredibly fast.

Though Xia Shiyue had never explicitly said it, Lu Yao sensed his dislike for Fu Yanhuai. Lu Yao chose his words carefully. "Actually, the doctor said the chances were very slim. And to avoid irritating my glands, I didn’t take any heat suppressants. Fu Yanhuai was surprised too."

Xia Shiyue immediately picked up on this. "You were a beta who suddenly presented as an omega. Perhaps you weren't fully aware of the precautions for an omega's heat, but Fu Yanhuai certainly was. You couldn't take suppressants, but there are alpha-specific suppressants—why didn't he take them?"

Did Fu Yanhuai simply not care? There were countless ways to take precautions if he had truly wanted to, yet he did nothing.

Lu Yao didn’t dwell on it. "Everything happened so fast. The situation was really chaotic then."

Xia Shiyue was deeply concerned about Lu Yao's sudden pregnancy, but Lu Yao sounded happy, so he bit back his remaining comments. With a sigh, he asked, "What did Fu Yanhuai say?"

Lu Yao recalled. "He... he seems to like children too. But he still had work to finish, so he went back to the company."

Xia Shiyue’s impression of Fu Yanhuai worsened, but a pregnancy was still a joyous occasion. New life always brought hope for the future.

"I'm genuinely happy for you. I just don't know if Fu Yanhuai can be a good father," Xia Shiyue admitted honestly, though he still sincerely wished Lu Yao well. "You'll have your own child, a new family. Things will only get better from here."

"I know," Lu Yao said softly. Xia Shiyue was only looking out for him—how could Lu Yao be upset at a friend's sincerity? "Shiyue, thank you. If you don't like it, I won't bring him up again. The baby's condition is unstable, so I'll be on bed rest for a while. I'll come see you once I'm better."

Xia Shiyue immediately agreed. "Good, rest well. Omega maternity leave is long for a reason. If you get bored, you can come back whenever, but if you're still unwell, wait a bit longer. Didn't the doctor say your reproductive organs aren't fully developed yet?"

Lu Yao curled under the blankets and replied softly, "Okay."

After the call ended, Lu Yao still planned to return to work once he stabilized.

Xia Shiyue’s shop had just opened, and the pastry chef schedules were already set. If Lu Yao suddenly dropped out, wouldn’t that just cause trouble for Xia Shiyue?

Lost in thought, Lu Yao gazed out the window, his hand unconsciously resting on his abdomen.

Truthfully, the discomfort was only intense today. Over the past month, he hadn’t felt much at all.

But he did tire easily—though Lu Yao hadn’t paid it much mind.

At least the baby was fine. Lu Yao couldn’t forgive himself if his carelessness harmed the child.

Perhaps his body now knew it was nurturing new life. Lu Yao didn’t force himself to stay awake or set an alarm. He only woke again when the butler knocked.

"You hadn't come downstairs for so long. I was worried, so I came to check on you."

Lu Yao’s face still bore the creases from the sheets as he peered sleepily at the butler.

The butler chuckled. "Ah, still sleeping, I see."

"Not really. I'm awake enough."

As they talked, Lu Yao became more alert. The butler asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

"I am a little hungry. Let me grab some clothes."

Lu Yao automatically reached to throw off the covers, but the butler quickly stopped him. "The doctor said bed rest. I'll bring it here—don't move."

Finally, Lu Yao properly recalled he was pregnant. "Right. Sorry to trouble you."

He withdrew his hand back under the blankets. Outside, the sky was already dark, and Fu Yanhuai still hadn’t returned.

"Working overtime again?"

There were no messages on his phone. Lu Yao turned off the screen and put it down. Unless it was urgent, he wouldn’t disturb Fu Yanhuai.

The butler set up a small table over the bed and arranged the meal—dainty portions on small plates.

"You haven't eaten in too long. Start with some soup. It's light, just vegetable-based."

Under the butler’s concerned eyes, Lu Yao took the small, warm bowl.

He sipped tentatively, then waited anxiously.

Perhaps he was just that hungry—this time, he kept the soup down without protest.

The butler sighed in relief as Lu Yao finished the soup in small sips. Then he nudged forward a dish of pickled vegetables. "Not sure if your tastes have changed. This one's tossed in vinegar."

Truthfully, Lu Yao was already full after the soup. But considering his condition and the effort the butler had gone to, he nibbled at it.

Gritting his teeth against the nausea, he forced a smile. "It tasted fine."

The flavor wasn’t bad—but without the vinegar, he’d have thrown up already.

The butler noticed his struggle. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Yao pressed his lips shut. If he opened his mouth now, he’d vomit.

He nodded hastily. The smell of food hit him again, and his lips, which had regained some color after sleeping, paled once more.

The butler quickly covered the dishes, but it was too late—Lu Yao bolted for the bathroom.

The soup came right back up. After rinsing his mouth, Lu Yao stumbled out, exhausted.

"Sorry, butler," he said guiltily. "I thought I could hold it in."

The butler sighed. "I’ve never cared for a pregnant omega before. Pregnancy nausea requires a chef experienced with pregnancy diets."

Lu Yao sat back on the bed as the butler pulled a preserved plum from his pocket.

"The chef suggested I bring this," he said, relieved. "Good thing I did. His wife loved these during her pregnancy."

Lu Yao unwrapped it. The tart scent eased his churning stomach slightly.

He sipped water to settle the nausea, then tentatively nibbled the plum.

By the time he finished it, he felt no discomfort. He looked at the butler hopefully. "Any more?"

The butler brightened. "Not on me, but if you like them, we’ll keep some on hand. Still, you can’t live on plums. We should have the doctor check you."

"Probably not necessary," Lu Yao said hesitantly. "Isn't this typical during pregnancy? It might pass in a few days."

The butler wavered. "Alright. But we should still inform Mr. Fu."

This time, Lu Yao didn’t refuse.

But his "few days" stretched into a week with no improvement.

Lu Yao followed the bed rest order faithfully—now being sick into a wastebasket by the bed. Yet with so little food intake, it was mostly bile. The butler couldn’t delay any longer. Sternly, he said, "Mr. Lu, this can't go on. You can't keep anything down, and you’re miserable."

Fu Yanhuai frowned and pulled Lu Yao into his arms, gently patting his back.

Lu Yao had lost quite a bit of weight over the week, shedding the slight weight he had gained in the month after his heat.

"Where are the grapes?" Fu Yanhuai asked the butler. "Bring them here."

After vomiting, Lu Yao felt dizzy, his head spinning. Fu Yanhuai wiped away the droplets of water from his lips after rinsing, seeing the tears welling in Lu Yao's eyes from the strain.

"Did Mom call?" Lu Yao asked, his eyes red-rimmed. "We were supposed to go back to the ancestral home today."

Fu Yanhuai plucked a grape and held it to Lu Yao's lips. "Don’t worry about that. Mom knows you’re not feeling well."

The grape was incredibly sour—just the juice seeping from its skin was enough to make your mouth water.

Yet, it was one of the few things Lu Yao could stomach. Fu Yanhuai murmured softly, "Eat one, or your stomach will feel worse."

Between the physical discomfort and the hormonal instability of pregnancy, Lu Yao easily sank into gloom. Still, he obediently lowered his head and ate the grape.

Fu Yanhuai kept his hand there, near Lu Yao’s lips. "Spit."

Lu Yao spat out the grape skin and seeds into Fu Yanhuai’s palm. After tossing them aside, Fu Yanhuai casually wiped his hands with a tissue. Lu Yao, inhaling the soothing scent of Silver Fir pheromones, couldn’t help but lean closer into Fu Yanhuai’s embrace.

Fu Yanhuai instructed the butler, "Inform the ancestral home that we won’t be returning today. Also, call Dr. Feng over. Has the nutritionist team started today?"

"Yes. Today’s lunch was prepared by the new team—they all have experience caring for pregnant omegas."

Fu Yanhuai nodded. "Go check if it’s ready. Bring it upstairs directly."

As the butler left, Lu Yao remained leaned heavily on Fu Yanhuai’s shoulder, mumbling, "We were supposed to go back today..."

Wen Zheng, upon hearing about his pregnancy, had suddenly become uncharacteristically attentive. According to Fu Jizhong, Wen Zheng hadn’t been this attentive even during her own pregnancy, nor had she ever fussed over Fu Yanhuai this much.

Lu Yao, feeling unwell, didn’t want to leave Fu Yanhuai’s side—his pheromones eased his discomfort.

"I’ve mostly handled things at the company. I’ll stay home with you for a few days. It’s fine if we don’t go back—it’s not urgent."

Fu Yanhuai brushed a hand through Lu Yao’s hair. His caramel-sweet pheromones had grown faint, hardly there unless one paid close attention.

"We were due for a hospital check-up around this time anyway," Lu Yao said, still dejected. "I wonder how the baby is doing."

Fu Yanhuai paused, then said bluntly, "I think he’s doing much better than you are."

Though Lu Yao had been suffering from poor appetite and restless sleep, the daily fetal heartbeat monitoring showed strong, steady rhythms.

"Don’t worry about him." Since learning of Lu Yao’s pregnancy, Fu Yanhuai’s patience had grown dramatically—nothing like his initial indifference.

"The most important thing now is for you to eat. You’ve lost weight."

Losing so much in just a week, with morning sickness likely to persist until the fourth month, Lu Yao would waste away if this continued.

Fu Yanhuai glanced down at the exhausted omega in his arms. He was already too weak.

"Let’s see how lunch turns out today." Fu Yanhuai tightened his embrace, aware omegas craved being held securely.

Lu Yao responded softly, "Okay."

Fu Yanhuai stared distractedly out the window. If Lu Yao kept feeling this awful, perhaps Wen Zheng should come stay with him. Since Lu Yao couldn’t travel easily, she could visit instead. Fu Yanhuai figured she’d want to see him too.

Xia Shiyue, however, wasn’t an option—he needed steadier company now.