Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Lu Yao's gland condition had improved slightly, evident when Nian Nian woke up crying at night. Lu Yao no longer needed to comfort him for as long.

Now, Nian Nian only needed to nestle quietly against Lu Yao for a while before calming down, falling back asleep within an hour at most. This was a tremendous relief for Lu Yao.

Though he still couldn't smell his own pheromones, and aside from that one reaction, his gland remained otherwise normal.

A fairy tale book lay open in front of Lu Yao as he swayed gently with Nian Nian. "And so, the princess and the prince lived happily ever after."

This was already the third time he’d read it. Lu Yao carefully glanced down at Nian Nian, who was swaddled cozily in his blanket, sucking his thumb while staring up at Lu Yao with wide, unblinking dark eyes.

Lu Yao exhaled in exasperation. "Really not sleepy? The nanny said you were tired."

He tried to put Nian Nian down. "If you're not sleepy, then Daddy's going to go out for a while, okay?"

Nian Nian squinted and fisted Lu Yao’s shirt tightly, refusing to be put down.

Lu Yao soothed patiently. "Daddy really has something to do, but I'll be back soon. Can you play with Cream for a little while?"

Nian Nian pouted, tiny fingers tightening their grip.

Lu Yao had plans to go scout locations with Xia Shiyue today. Xia Shiyue was determined to build a chain brand and had dragged Lu Yao along to join his ambitious venture.

As his arms grew tired, Lu Yao sat down. "How about Grandma? Should Grandma hold you instead?"

Nian Nian ignored the suggestion. Being wrapped up and held like this was too comfortable—he didn’t want to leave Lu Yao’s embrace.

Xia Shiyue rapped lightly on the door. "Little Deer, is Nian Nian asleep yet?"

"Not yet," Lu Yao replied helplessly. "He doesn't appear sleepy at all."

Xia Shiyue pushed the door open. Nian Nian turned his gaze slightly to look at him, his wide, guileless eyes.

Xia Shiyue crouched down to speak to Nian Nian. "Your dad and I have plans to go scout locations today. This afternoon is our time together—no fussing now."

Nian Nian silently turned his face back and buried it against Lu Yao’s chest.

"Forget it," Lu Yao said, standing up with Nian Nian in his arms. "I'll ask Mom to watch him for a while."

Xia Shiyue poked Nian Nian’s cheek. "Little clingy thing."

Casually chatting, Lu Yao remarked, "Nian Nian feels a bit heavier now, chubbier."

Xia Shiyue studied the child closely. "He does seem a little bigger, but hasn't he always been this plump?"

Lu Yao thought for a moment. "I guess so..."

Aside from those first few days when Nian Nian had been in poor condition, he'd steadily gained weight after returning to the capital.

Wen Zheng doted on Cream these days. She'd tied up a tuft of the puppy’s fur with a pink bow clip.

The moment Cream spotted Lu Yao, it began whining sweetly. Wen Zheng turned and gasped in surprise at the sight of Nian Nian. "Why isn't he asleep?"

Lu Yao adjusted his hold on Nian Nian, his arms sore from carrying him for so long.

"He just won't settle down," Lu Yao said, exasperated. "He's been giving the nanny a hard time too."

Wen Zheng patted Cream to get it to move aside. "Give him to me. Don't you and Xia Shiyue have plans this afternoon? Go on, don't let him delay you."

Lu Yao sighed in relief. "Thanks, Mom."

Nian Nian sensed Lu Yao’s intention to hand him over and let out a protesting cry. Before Lu Yao could hesitate, Wen Zheng scooped Nian Nian up. "Go on, he's just being fussy."

Wriggling discontentedly in Wen Zheng’s arms, Nian Nian pouted and strained toward Lu Yao.

Wen Zheng turned him around and pointed at a stuffed bone toy on the floor. "What's that? Look at that!"

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Yao sneaked away with Xia Shiyue. Once in the car, Xia Shiyue couldn't help but sigh. "Children become more perceptive as they grow up."

Lu Yao chuckled. "Nian Nian's only five months old."

Xia Shiyue shook his head. "Even though I've only been here for half a month, I can already tell raising a child is so difficult. It takes someone as patient as you to do it well."

Nian Nian now enjoyed an incredibly privileged upbringing. Though there was a team of nannies and caretakers, Lu Yao made sure to be present for him every day, doing as much as he could himself. Lu Yao was endlessly patient, and with Fu Jizhong and Wen Zheng indulging Nian Nian's every whim, the child wanted for nothing.

As for Fu Yanhuai... well, he made appearances when necessary. And day by day, Nian Nian flourished visibly.

Xia Shiyue considered everything ideal. "We could stop by the mall later. That XX brand just released new toys—same maker as Little Deer Toy."

Lu Yao agreed readily. "Sure, we can have dinner before heading back."

"Since we're building a chain, the location of our first store is crucial," Xia Shiyue declared, his enthusiasm rekindled now that his own shop was running smoothly. "Let's aim for the busiest spot downtown."

Lu Yao felt uneasy at the thought. "Won't that be too expensive...?"

Xia Shiyue waved it off. "That's not how you should look at it. Strategic investments pay off. Greater initial investment means greater returns later."

Lu Yao countered cautiously, "Let's at least check the prices first. The location might not even be suitable—we should compare a few."

Xia Shiyue nodded. "Fine, but don't worry about the money. Aside from my allowance, the shop's turning a profit already. Let's reinvest everything!"

Lu Yao suspected Xia Shiyue wasn't trying to prove himself through this venture—he simply relished the startup process.

After parking, a breeze swept past them as they stepped out of the lot. Xia Shiyue grabbed Lu Yao’s arm excitedly. "Doesn't this feel serendipitous?"

Lu Yao glanced around. "Did you see someone you know?"

"No," Xia Shiyue said, beaming. "I smell success. Let's go!"

"This location is excellent—right next to the shopping district, just across from the pedestrian street. It's a hotspot for young shoppers," the agent enthused.

Xia Shiyue surveyed the space critically. "It's decent, but isn't the space a bit small?"

With the kitchen, service counter, and dining area...

The agent quickly offered, "There's a bigger unit across the street. Want to take a look?"

Lu Yao had remained quiet throughout, surveying the strangely familiar street.

Only when the agent led them forward did Lu Yao realize which pedestrian street this was—the one that led to a cluster of gleaming skyscrapers, one of which belonged to Fu Group.

Memories—both bittersweet and tender—washed over Lu Yao unbidden.

Standing outside the shop, he gazed at the distant high-rise whose summit he'd once strained to see, and the patisserie where he'd once worked.

He had genuinely loved Fu Yanhuai once, and had counted himself fortunate to become his husband.

Now...

All Lu Yao wanted was to take care of Nian Nian—that was all that mattered.

Lu Yao wasn't even sure what 'enough' looked like. He steadied himself and followed the others into the shop.

The location, size, and facilities of this store were impeccable. Even after walking around, Xia Shiyue couldn’t find anything to complain about.

After standing silently for a while, he finally spoke, “Everything’s good, just kinda cursed.”

The agent looked horrified. “Huh??”

Xia Shiyue side-eyed the Fu Group headquarters across the street and coughed lightly. He walked over to Lu Yao and asked in a low voice, “What do you think?”

Lu Yao pressed his lips together. “Are the other options also nearby?”

“Seems so.” Xia Shiyue admitted honestly. “I didn’t think about that when making the request.”

“Then let’s go with this one.” Lu Yao thought for a moment. “Since they’re all in this area, it’s pretty much the same. This spot's right in the walking district, so it's got better foot traffic.”

Xia Shiyue pondered for a while. “Let's scope out the others first. There might be something better.”

Lu Yao had no objections. He carefully compared each place they visited that day—some were too remote, others were tiny shops squeezed between two larger stores. None of them seemed quite suitable.

Both of them still preferred the first one, but they didn’t finalize the decision immediately.

Since they were close to the pedestrian street, Lu Yao and Xia Shiyue went for dinner together.

“Everything’s fine, except the price is just too high.”

A year's rent was already more money than Lu Yao could fathom, yet Xia Shiyue actually wanted to buy the place outright.

“If we buy it, we can save a lot in the long run.” Xia Shiyue carefully explained the math to Lu Yao. “Even if the business doesn’t work out and we have to close, we can still rent it out. This location is great—there’ll always be tenants.”

The only catch was staring at Fu Group's tower every damn day.

Xia Shiyue hesitated before asking, “Are you really okay with this? Being here?”

Lu Yao replied calmly, “Fu Yanhuai is very busy.”

He worked late every day, coming home at ungodly hours and leaving early in the morning. Their meals never lined up—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When he was home, he either crashed or buried himself in paperwork.

Besides, he didn’t even like sweets and would never personally come downstairs to buy anything. The odds of bumping into Fu Yanhuai here were lottery-level slim.

Xia Shiyue backed off, but since the topic had come up, he decided to test Lu Yao’s feelings.

“So... have you thought about the future? Like, after your glands fully recover...”

Lu Yao’s hand, flipping through the menu, paused. His voice dropped, “I don’t want to forgive him.”

“That OR was freezing. I was terrified, honestly. And when Nian Nian was born, he didn’t cry. I was completely lost.”

Lu Yao didn’t want to dwell on painful memories. He faked a smile. “Now he's all 'my bad'. I just think it’s absurd. Whether we're together or not seems to depend entirely on his will—he never bothered asking me.”

Everything was fucked six ways to Sunday now. He couldn't just walk away—his whole life was here in Beijing. Wen Zheng and Fu Jizhong treated him like their own child. Nian Nian was here too, and this was home.

Xia Shiyue's brow furrowed. “Then what about your future ruts? What will you do?”

Lu Yao went blank. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

The memory of Fu Yanhuai's teeth sinking into his gland to inject pheromones—Lu Yao would probably never forget it.

“If it’s really too difficult, you could always scrub your glands clean.”

Being an omega kinda sucks anyway.