Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Fu Yanhuai pushed off the railing, straightening up. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Wait." Wen Zheng felt compelled to ask one more question. "Have Little Deer's family contacted him?"

"No," Fu Yanhuai affirmed.

Fu Yanhuai was always attuned to Lu Yao's emotional shifts. If Guan Qinglu or Lu Qianxing had reached out, Lu Yao wouldn't have maintained such composure.

"That's good then." Wen Zheng worried the Lu family might upset Lu Yao. "He's only just started to recover. If his family contacts him, let me know."

Truthfully, the Lu family was easy to brush off. Lu Yao's repeated hurt stemmed from his deep affection for them.

"Alright."

Fu Yanhuai closed the balcony door. Wen Zheng slowly descended the stairs beside him, step by step. "I've asked Little Deer's good friend to go up and keep him company, but you should go check on him soon too."

Fu Yanhuai, however, seemed puzzled. "Are you coming down with me?"

Wen Zheng replied as if it were obvious, "Why? Can't I walk with you?"

Fu Yanhuai remained silent, prompting Wen Zheng to eye him suspiciously. "Are you hiding something from me, something you don't want me to know?"

"Many things," Fu Yanhuai answered nonchalantly.

Wen Zheng huffed, "I couldn't care less about your affairs. Just don't let them affect Little Deer and the baby."

Fu Yanhuai didn't respond, heading straight back to the main hall.

Perhaps because news of Lu Yao's differentiation and pregnancy had spread, there were far fewer omegas at the Fu residence this year compared to previous gatherings.

In truth, omegas from similar social standings with good education were the most suitable matches, but...

If Lu Yao had completed university, his resume would have been impeccable.

Fu Yanhuai halted that train of thought, picked up his wine glass again, and returned to the hall.

Upstairs in the media room, Xia Shiyue and Lu Yao had already emptied two fruit platters. Xia Shiyue said idly, "Nian Nian is five months along now? So he'll be born in the summer."

"Yes." Lu Yao reclined in the lounge chair, his belly visibly rounded. "Around July, when it's very hot."

Xia Shiyue yawned. "When he's born, I'll buy him tons of gifts. If he looks like you, that'd be perfect—babies with big, round eyes are the cutest."

Lu Yao thought resembling Fu Yanhuai wouldn't be bad either. He smiled. "However he turns out is fine. I just hope he's healthy."

Xia Shiyue checked the time. "Shouldn't the party be wrapping up? I'm getting sleepy."

Lu Yao hesitated. "I'm not sure."

Indeed, it was about time. Since Xia Shiyue and Lu Yao had snacked so much they weren't hungry, they hadn't noticed the guests downstairs gradually leaving.

Fu Yanhuai knocked twice before pushing the door open and entering. Xia Shiyue could barely keep his eyes open. "Is it over?"

"Yes." Fu Yanhuai glanced at Lu Yao, who was also dozing under a blanket. "Go sleep in the bedroom."

Xia Shiyue stretched as he sat up. "Then I'll head downstairs too. Lu Yao, see you at the café after the New Year."

Only after Xia Shiyue left did Fu Yanhuai ask, "You want to go back to work?"

For some reason, the question made Lu Yao a little nervous. He explained, "I'll only go if the prenatal checkup shows no issues. If the doctor advises against it, I won't."

Fu Yanhuai helped him up. "It's fine if you do. Being home would be boring anyway."

Fu Yanhuai didn't particularly care what job Lu Yao took—no matter what, the actual profit it generated would be insignificant compared to his own work. Lu Yao noticed this.

Lu Yao added quietly, "Once the doctor says I'm not suitable for work, I'll officially start my maternity leave."

"Mhm. Let's go."

The entire New Year passed without hearing from the Lu family again. Whenever Lu Yao thought about it, he forced himself to forget.

The holiday ended quietly. Fu Yanhuai stayed home with Lu Yao for a week before returning to the company. Lu Yao felt that was already plenty.

Lu Yao and Fu Yanhuai moved back to their villa. After the New Year, Lu Yao returned to the café.

But the first day back made him ponder. The "slow business" Xia Shiyue had mentioned was practically desolate—there were hardly any customers.

Xia Shiyue was worrying again. Lu Yao sat beside him with his staff meal, and soon all the employees gathered to join in worrying.

"Maybe it's the location," Lu Yao tried to cheer him up first, as any good friend would. "The university's on break, so there are no students."

Xia Shiyue sighed. "To be honest, even when school's in, we don't get many students."

Lu Yao ran out of comforting things to say. After a pause, he suddenly said, "Actually... I think some changes might help."

Xia Shiyue was always open to suggestions—after all, he ranked among the least skilled when it came to entrepreneurship. "Like what?"

"Judging by the size of this place..." Lu Yao gestured around. "From the outside and inside, it looks more like a high-end restaurant—like a Michelin-starred one. But in reality, it's just a café serving desserts and coffee."

Xia Shiyue pondered. "So... I should pivot to running a restaurant?"

"You could try adding a few small new offerings," Lu Yao suggested carefully. "But this is just my personal opinion. I've never run a business either."

For the first time, Xia Shiyue thought of Lu Yao's irresponsible husband. "I should really partner with Fu Yanhuai."

He sighed regretfully. "He just seems like a natural at making money."

That much was true. Lu Yao said quietly, "Should I ask him about it tonight?"

Xia Shiyue didn't hesitate. "Of course! Maybe all I need is an investor to make this place successful."

Lu Yao suspected that Xia Shiyue's repeated entrepreneurial failures weren't solely due to funding, but he agreed anyway. "Alright. So what do we do now?"

Xia Shiyue turned to consult the other staff. Meanwhile, Lu Yao ate glumly a piece of broccoli. By the time lunch was nearly over, Xia Shiyue sat back down heavily beside him. "I've decided—we'll try transforming into a restaurant, just like you said."

This was no small change, but the shop had everything they needed—just some additional kitchenware. Now they just needed to hire a chef.

Xia Shiyue sighed. "Let's close for a couple of days to get the kitchen fully equipped. Little Deer, come hang out with me tomorrow, okay? Please?"

"Sure." Lu Yao reassured him, "I can come every day. It's not like I'm busy. Let's finish eating first. That's just how it goes when starting a business."

Lu Yao successfully soothed Xia Shiyue's hurt feelings. Xia Shiyue picked up his staff meal and began eating.

Lu Yao watched him for a moment before asking, "Who made our staff meals today?"

They used to order takeout for lunch, but now it was home-cooked stir-fry.

"Oh, that." Xia Shiyue explained, "With business being slow, we don't need as many staff. Gu Hechen said he's good at cooking, so I had him take care of it."

Lu Yao asked in confusion, "Gu Hechen?"

"That's the employee who can't make desserts," Xia Shiyue said bluntly. "Since he can't make desserts, of course he can only make staff meals."

During the lunch break, Lu Yao didn't see him and turned to look around. "Then why isn't he out here eating with us?"

Xia Shiyue replied listlessly, "I had him clean the equipment. Every time he speaks, I feel like hitting him. Right now, I'm already so annoyed—I'd rather not see him."

What? Lu Yao couldn't believe it. "How... He doesn't seem that bad."

Xia Shiyue continued worrying about his shop. "Tonight, I'll have to ask my dad for some allowance. The equipment has to be the best."

Now, Lu Yao finally understood why Xia Wenjin had refused to let Xia Shiyue open a shop and instead made him work a two-month trial first. But Xia Shiyue seemed to have his own stubborn way of running a business.

"At least call him out to eat first," Lu Yao persuaded. "What's so bad about what he says? He looks even younger than us."

Xia Shiyue said, "Three years younger than me."

In the end, he still agreed to call Gu Hechen out. But the first thing Gu Hechen said upon seeing Xia Shiyue was, "So the shop really can't stay open, huh?"

Lu Yao watched, torn between laughter and tears, as Xia Shiyue blew up. Way to rub salt in the wound.

Either way, there wasn't much business today. In the evening, the family butler drove to the shop to pick up Lu Yao. Noticing his low spirits, the butler asked with concern, "Mr. Lu, is something bothering you today?"

Lu Yao shook his head. "Not exactly unhappy. It's just that the shop isn't doing well, and I don't know what to do."

So it was just a small matter. The butler relaxed. "That's an easy fix. Just ask Mr. Fu for advice. Or, if you want to start any business, just have Mr. Fu set one up for you directly."

Lu Yao couldn't accept such an extravagant solution. Even the dessert shop was something he planned to save up for himself. He quickly replied, "No, really! But I can ask Yanhuai about business matters."

The butler said kindly, "As you wish. Mr. Fu is already home."

Lu Yao perked up. "He's back so early today."

He had thought he'd have to wait a while after dinner for Fu Yanhuai to return. Now, he couldn't wait to go home, his earlier gloom vanished.

When Lu Yao entered, Fu Yanhuai was sitting on the living room sofa. Seeing him, Lu Yao instinctively sped up. "You're home."

Fu Yanhuai stood up, frowning as he steadied Lu Yao. "Easy. Don't trip."

Lu Yao took off his coat, and Fu Yanhuai pulled him into his arms, sitting back down for a while. "Dinner will still take some time."

"Mhm." Lu Yao felt all warm and fuzzy inside. His pheromone levels were now stable and balanced, getting just the right dose of alpha pheromones daily. He didn't come right out with it but instead hinted, "Business at the shop wasn't good today."

Contrary to Lu Yao's expectations, Fu Yanhuai replied very naturally, "That's normal."

Surprised, Lu Yao lifted his face from Fu Yanhuai's shoulder. "Why?"

This involved a lot of financial jargon, but Fu Yanhuai didn't explain in detail. He simply asked, "What's his plan now?"

Lu Yao answered hesitantly, "He wants to switch to a high-end restaurant but still offer custom dessert services."

That sounded slightly more reasonable. Fu Yanhuai said indifferently, "So what if it flops? The Xia family isn't short on pocket money. You could also try dabbling in a small business yourself. Mom gave you a generous allowance."

Lu Yao couldn't bring himself to spend Wen Zheng's money like that.

He mumbled, "I'll cross that bridge later. Besides, I don't know how to run a business."

Fu Yanhuai thought for a moment. "Then just dabble in something small with Xia Shiyue as practice."

That's one expensive "practice." Lu Yao ventured cautiously, "So... would you consider investing in Shiyue's shop?"

Fu Yanhuai didn't outright refuse. "Have him send an evaluation report to my assistant."

Lu Yao was baffled. "What?"

Fu Yanhuai replied with a dismissive wave, "If it clears the department's review, the relevant team will proceed to size up the investment."

Alright. Lu Yao could already picture that when Xia Shiyue heard this answer tomorrow, he'd no longer think Fu Yanhuai's business skills were all that.