Chapter 49

Chapter 49

“A little higher, yes, stop right there.”

The nanny arrived earlier than Lu Yao expected. When she came, Lu Yao was flustered, trying to manage Nian Nian.

Nian Nian was hungry, and Lu Yao knew it, but Nian Nian refused to lie on the bed alone—not even with his Little Deer toy for company. He wailed, clutching Lu Yao’s fingers, forcing Lu Yao to scramble for a bottle and prepare milk.

Fortunately, the nanny arrived just in time. She swiftly prepared the bottle, and Nian Nian drank contentedly while lying in Lu Yao’s arms.

The angle was just right. Nian Nian clutched his Little Deer toy in one hand and Lu Yao with the other, drinking to his heart’s content.

Lu Yao’s heart ached seeing Nian Nian’s tear-streaked face. “His eyes are red from crying.”

As he suckled vigorously, Nian Nian wiggled his eyebrows at the sound of Lu Yao’s voice, trying hard to lift his head to look at him.

“There we go,” Lu Yao adjusted the bottle. “Drink up.”

Even after finishing, Lu Yao didn’t put Nian Nian down. Instead, he let him sit on his lap, leaning against him.

“The little one’s very attached to you,” the nanny said with a smile. “He’s normally much quieter.”

Lu Yao wondered what counted as lively. “So, is this level of liveliness normal, or is his usual behavior the norm?”

The nanny sidestepped the question. “He’s generally a quiet baby. You can spend more time with him to see.”

Lu Yao’s attention was easily diverted. He lowered his head, worriedly looking at Nian Nian. Was Nian Nian’s personality really that quiet?

Nian Nian looked up at Lu Yao. The moment their eyes met, Nian Nian giggled.

Nian Nian liked Lu Yao. He wriggled happily in Lu Yao’s arms, squirming until he could hug Lu Yao’s neck.

Fu Yanhuai’s good looks were his only redeeming quality, and Nian Nian had inherited all of it. His eyes, however, were round, black, and bright—just like Lu Yao’s. Lu Yao’s heart melted at the sight.

Nian Nian hugged Lu Yao tightly, pressing his face against his. He cooed contentedly.

The nanny smiled approvingly. It was clearly the right decision for Nian Nian to stay with Lu Yao.

“Just go to work as normal,” the nanny said gently. “I’ll take care of the young master at home.”

Though the nanny helped with many things, new challenges popped up.

Lu Yao’s rented apartment had only one bedroom. Nian Nian could still sleep with him in the bedroom, but the nanny would have to sleep in the living room.

Moreover, the necessities for one person were vastly different from those for three. Lu Yao thought about his salary and began to worry again.

“You’ll have to sleep on the sofa tonight. I’ll buy a foldable bed tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about any of that,” the nanny reassured him. “Anything we need will be reported to the butler, and he’ll arrange for it to be delivered. If you’d like to move, Mr. Fu can directly purchase a property of your choice.”

Lu Yao’s face darkened at Fu Yanhuai’s name. “No need. If I decide to move, I’ll figure it out myself.”

The nanny quickly changed the subject. She and Lu Yao bathed Nian Nian together. She walked him through each step carefully, and Lu Yao learned attentively—though Nian Nian fussed the whole time.

“Why do you have to hold onto this Little Deer so tightly?” Lu Yao asked, puzzled. “Let Daddy hold it, okay? If it gets wet, you won’t be able to play with it anymore.”

Nian Nian pouted, refusing to hand it over. He carried the toy deer everywhere, even chewing on it. Lu Yao actually wanted to wash it.

Without warning, Nian Nian rolled his whole body to the other side. Lu Yao quickly reached out to catch him, worried he’d topple over.

“The young master is quite attached to this toy,” the nanny hedged, avoiding the main point. “During baths before, we’d use other toys to distract him and finish quickly.”

Lu Yao frowned. “Even if he likes it, he shouldn’t hold onto it like this all the time, right?”

Is this normal baby behavior, or is it just Nian Nian?

Lu Yao crouched down and coaxed him patiently. “You’ll get Little Deer right back. Let me have it for now, okay?”

Nian Nian thought it was not okay at all. He pressed Little Deer to his cheek, sulking and refusing to look at Lu Yao.

The nanny brought over a small yellow duck and squeezed it, making it squeak. “Look here, look at this.”

Nian Nian turned his attention to the duck. The nanny signaled for Lu Yao to take Little Deer away.

Hesitantly, Lu Yao gently tugged at Little Deer’s tail and pulled it away. The instant the toy was gone, he burst into tears.

Nian Nian kicked and splashed in the water, desperately reaching for Little Deer. The nanny said to Lu Yao, “Just put it aside for a minute. We’ll finish quickly, and you can give it back to him afterward.”

Nian Nian’s face flushed with angry tears. He waved his chubby arms desperately, trying to get his Little Deer back. Lu Yao’s heart clenched painfully. He couldn’t bear to watch.

True to her word, the nanny finished the bath quickly. However, Nian Nian cried the entire time. Once out of the bath, he clung to Lu Yao like a koala, sniffling while gripping his toy.

Nian Nian felt wronged. He nuzzled into Lu Yao’s chest, refusing to show his face.

Lu Yao soothed him with an aching heart. Frowning, he asked the nanny, “Even if a child has a favorite toy, it shouldn’t be like this, right? Has Nian Nian been this attached to it since birth?”

The nanny hesitated. “The young master was in the hospital for nearly a month. The doctors said he feels insecure. Many people took care of him, but different nannies took shifts. Perhaps that’s why familiar toys make him feel more at ease.”

This explanation surprised Lu Yao. After a long pause, he said dejectedly, “It’s all my fault.”

If only he had been more careful, Nian Nian wouldn’t have been born prematurely or sent straight to emergency care after birth.

The nanny tried to console him. “It’s not your fault…”

Nian Nian’s cries softened to whimpers. As long as Lu Yao held him, he would calm down quickly.

Pursing his lips, Lu Yao turned and carried Nian Nian back to the bedroom. Nian Nian lay on top of him, quietly tugging at the deer antlers.

Nian Nian’s weight felt comforting and familiar, as if he were back in Lu Yao’s belly.

Nian Nian curled up, and Lu Yao cradled him with his hands.

Lu Yao was confused. Nian Nian was undoubtedly healthy—he ate and slept well. Yet, something felt off. Was he too clingy?

But maybe it was normal for a child this young to be clingy.

For now, Lu Yao pushed his doubts aside. Nian Nian grew sleepy early in the evening and slept in the same bed as Lu Yao, while Creamer curled up in the dog bed in the bedroom.

The next morning, Lu Yao went to work as usual. When he left, the nanny was changing Nian Nian’s diaper. Seeing that everything at home was normal, Lu Yao left without worry.

Yao Jun greeted him as usual when he arrived. “Were you feeling unwell yesterday? Are you better today?”

“No, it wasn’t that,” Lu Yao quickly explained. “Something came up at home suddenly, so I got held up.”

Yao Jun set down his work. “Did you manage to sort it out? The shop hasn’t been too busy these days. You can take the weekend off if needed. You didn’t take any leave last month either.”

“Thank you,” Lu Yao said gratefully. “I shouldn’t need to today.”

Yao Jun carefully studied Lu Yao’s expression. Since the big boss was paying generously, he had to take extra care of Lu Yao.

“Just say if you need time off,” Yao Jun reminded him. “Our shop isn’t busy anyway.”

Lu Yao once again thought gratefully how kind both his shop owner and landlord were. He went to the kitchen to knead dough and started his shift.

The small town was slow on weekdays, so ingredients had to be adjusted accordingly. Lu Yao went to the warehouse to take stock when his phone outside suddenly rang.

It was the babysitter calling. Lu Yao quickly answered, “Hello?”

Nian Nian’s loud crying could be heard on the other end, though the babysitter’s voice remained calm. “Mr. Lu, the little one seems to have some separation anxiety. Could you come back a little earlier at noon?”

Lu Yao felt his stomach clench. “Yes, I’ll head back soon. How long has Nian Nian been crying?”

The babysitter hesitated for a moment—Nian Nian had started crying not long after Lu Yao left.

She had been changing Nian Nian’s diaper, feeding him, and wiping his face in the bedroom, and everything had been fine. Seeing that the weather was nice and Nian Nian seemed to want to play with Cream, she thought of taking him to the balcony to let him and the puppy get some sun.

But unexpectedly, when Nian Nian didn’t see Lu Yao in the living room, he kept turning his head, searching for him, wanting Lu Yao to hold and play with him.

The babysitter had tried her best to distract him, but Nian Nian quickly realized Lu Yao wasn’t there and began bawling his eyes out.

In truth, Nian Nian had been crying for a long time. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, the babysitter wouldn’t have disturbed Lu Yao.

Fu Yanhuai had given her clear instructions—Lu Yao was the priority, and Nian Nian was only there to make Lu Yao happy.

If Nian Nian kept crying like this, he might fall ill. The sound of Nian Nian’s crying made Lu Yao’s chest tighten. The child hadn’t been with him since birth, and in total, they had spent less than 24 hours together. After hearing this, Lu Yao could no longer focus on work.

He hurried out of the warehouse and said apologetically to Yao Jun, “I’m sorry, but I really need to take a few days off…”

Yao Jun immediately replied, “No problem. Don’t worry about the shop—just take care of things at home first.”

Lu Yao apologized repeatedly before leaving. He ran the whole way home, hearing Nian Nian’s cries even before opening the door.

As soon as he entered, Lu Yao quickly picked Nian Nian up. Nian Nian had been crying on and off for so long that his little voice was getting raspy.

After finally calming Nian Nian down, he no longer wanted to play with Cream. All worn out, Nian Nian slumped over Lu Yao’s shoulder, zoning out at the wall without blinking.

Lu Yao was now certain that Nian Nian’s behavior was not right. He said sternly to the babysitter, “If Nian Nian has been like this since birth, didn’t Fu… Mr. Fu take him to see a doctor?”

The babysitter hesitated. “Apart from delayed development, the hospital didn’t diagnose any other issues.”

Lu Yao’s face darkened. “He didn’t take proper care of Nian Nian.”

Then why hadn’t he been allowed to see the child? Fu Yanhuai had gone to such lengths just to take Nian Nian away. Everything had gone his way, yet he couldn’t even be bothered to care for Nian Nian.

The babysitter cautiously added, “Mr. Fu is usually very busy. Mrs. Wen spent more time with the little one.”

Now, everything sounded like an excuse to Lu Yao. He pressed his lips together and fell silent. Holding Nian Nian, he sat down on the carpet, with Cream sitting quietly watching them from the side.

Lu Yao gently held Nian Nian’s little pudgy arm and guided him to touch Cream’s head.

The puppy tilted its head curiously, and Nian Nian stared at it with wide eyes.

“I’ll be staying home these next few days.”

Lu Yao was determined. “At least until Nian Nian returns to the Fu family estate this weekend.”

Something was definitely wrong with Nian Nian, and Lu Yao needed to keep a closer eye on him while he was around.