Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The assistant delivered the medication directly to the Fu family's old residence. Fu Yanhuai had a fever again, so he turned off his phone to get some sleep.

Lu Yao and Nian Nian woke up around the same time. Nian Nian had been restless until dawn the previous night, so even after waking up, he was still sluggish and lacked energy.

Lu Yao checked Nian Nian’s temperature again—37.4°C.

Lu Yao breathed a sigh of relief; at least the fever had gone down. Nian Nian lay quietly in his crib, nursing his bottle, while Lu Yao pulled the blanket up around him.

Nian Nian still looked uncomfortable, but his appetite was strong, sucking on the bottle vigorously.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but smile. "You lost fluids from the fever last night—no wonder you're starving."

After Nian Nian finished, Lu Yao took the bottle away, and Nian Nian burrowed into his arms, lying still.

Held in Lu Yao’s arms as he swayed gently, Nian Nian gazed absently out the window.

When the assistant arrived, only Wen Zheng was downstairs. Fu Jizhong had gone to the nursery to see Nian Nian. Wen Zheng gave the assistant a surprised look.

"Putting off the hospital visit by one day—what's the big deal? Did Fu Yanhuai really send you to the hospital just to pick up medication?"

The assistant answered evasively, "Yes, the doctor said the dosage is the same as last time. Well, if there’s nothing else, I should get going."

Wen Zheng frowned. "Rushing back to the company?"

"Uh..."

The assistant didn’t dare to lie to Wen Zheng, but he also couldn’t tell the truth. In the end, he chose to mumble noncommittally, "Okay."

Wen Zheng shot him a knowing look. "Fine, go ahead."

The moment the assistant left, Wen Zheng grabbed the medication and headed upstairs.

After playing for a while, Nian Nian perked up significantly. Fu Jizhong patiently played with him with toys over and over, while Lu Yao sat behind Nian Nian, keeping a steadying arm around him to prevent him from toppling over.

The nanny was the first to notice Wen Zheng standing at the door. She bent down to quietly alert Lu Yao, who hesitated briefly before handing Nian Nian to the nanny.

Fu Jizhong frowned and shot Wen Zheng a questioning look, but she signaled for him to stay calm.

Lu Yao stepped out of the room and asked, "Mom, is something wrong?"

Wen Zheng smiled. "Nothing important. Fu Yanhuai’s assistant just forgot something here, and I thought, since the butler was asking after you the other day, you could help me return it."

The medication had been put in a different bag. Lu Yao hesitated before taking it.

At this time of day, Fu Yanhuai should have been at work, and it had indeed been a long time since Lu Yao had seen the housekeeper, who had always looked out for him.

"Alright," Lu Yao said softly. "I’ll make it quick."

"Mm-hmm," Wen Zheng reassured him. "Nian Nian will be fine with your dad and me looking after him."

Without giving it much thought, Lu Yao took the bag and went straight to Fu Yanhuai’s villa by car.

Everything seemed normal. The moment Lu Yao stepped out of the car, he saw the housekeeper, who stood frozen for a long moment upon seeing him before finally approaching.

"Mr. Lu, you..."

The housekeeper seemed to have much to say, but in the end, it all condensed into, "You're looking well. Have you been feeling alright?"

Lu Yao didn’t even dare to glance around the villa’s interior. Everything here was too familiar—so familiar it felt strange.

When he had agreed to Wen Zheng’s request to return the item, he hadn’t thought much of it. But now, standing here, it felt like stepping back in time.

Lu Yao gave a small, tight-lipped smile. "I’m fine, and Nian Nian is doing fine too."

He lowered his gaze to the bag in his hand and handed it to the housekeeper. "The assistant left this behind earlier. Mom asked me to bring it back."

The housekeeper looked puzzled. "The assistant only came for one thing—how could he have forgotten..."

He automatically took the bag, which was open, and froze the moment he saw its contents.

Lu Yao was already about to leave when the housekeeper quickly called after him.

"Mr. Lu, this is something for you from Mr. Fu."

Lu Yao turned back in surprise. The housekeeper said firmly, "It’s your medication. Mr. Fu made a special trip to the hospital to get it today—it wasn’t something the assistant forgot."

Lu Yao repeated in disbelief, "My medication? I said Nian Nian was sick and that I’d go to the hospital tomorrow. Why did he go today?"

And if it wasn’t something the assistant had forgotten, why had Wen Zheng asked him to return it to Fu Yanhuai?

The housekeeper didn’t answer. Lu Yao, confused, took the bag back and opened it—inside were several tubes of inducer, something he recognized immediately.

"Why does Fu Yanhuai always go himself to get the medication?" Lu Yao murmured. "It’s so strange."

None of this made sense. Lu Yao asked the housekeeper, "Is he at the office now?"

The housekeeper answered honestly, "Mr. Fu wasn't at work. He’s resting upstairs."

"Resting?"

Lu Yao automatically checked the time. Had Fu Yanhuai ever rested at home at this hour on a weekday before? Lu Yao couldn’t recall a single instance.

Closing the bag, Lu Yao let out a quiet breath. "I’ll go upstairs to see him."

The housekeeper looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, unsure whether he should stop him.

Fu Yanhuai had no reason to hide anything from him like this. Lu Yao realized that whenever it came to matters involving Fu Yanhuai, he found it hard to stay calm—even now.

This was the bedroom where Lu Yao had shared a bed with Fu Yanhuai for nearly a year—over three hundred days and nights, with Fu Yanhuai by his side for at least half of each day.

He had even carried their child here. In this very room, Lu Yao had once had a real family.

Pressing his lips together, Lu Yao knocked on the door. "Fu Yanhuai."

There was no response from inside. Lu Yao turned to leave but hesitated before turning back again.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Lu Yao took a few deep breaths and pushed the door open.

Fu Yanhuai lay quietly on the bed. Before Lu Yao could even process the overwhelming familiarity of the room, Fu Yanhuai’s unusual state caught his attention.

Lu Yao took a few hesitant steps forward. "Fu Yanhuai?"

Fu Yanhuai seemed to be asleep, but his face was flushed red—just like Nian Nian’s had been during his high fever in the early hours of the morning.

For a fleeting moment, Lu Yao thought Nian Nian and Fu Yanhuai looked strikingly alike—except for their eyes.

Fu Yanhuai didn’t react at all. Realizing something was wrong, Lu Yao hurried to the bedside. Fu Yanhuai’s brows were tightly furrowed—he wasn’t asleep but rather semi-conscious from the fever.

Lu Yao didn't hesitate to reach out and touch Fu Yanhuai's forehead to check his temperature. He bolted up to fetch Butler Yan, only to turn and see the butler standing outside the door with a troubled expression.

A suspicion dawned on Lu Yao, murmuring in disbelief, "An S-rank alpha doesn’t get sick so easily. At least, since we got married, Fu Yanhuai has never had a fever due to seasonal changes."

Fu Yanhuai’s pajama collar gaped, exposing a stark white bandage on the side of his neck.

Lu Yao refused—no, couldn’t bring himself to believe it. His lips trembled slightly.

"What exactly is that medicine?"

Butler Yan hesitated, torn. "I... Perhaps you could wait for Mr. Fu to wake up and ask him yourself."

"What *is* it?"

Lu Yao raised his voice slightly but quickly forced himself to calm down. "I don’t need others making decisions for me, nor do I need anyone doing things 'for my own good' without my consent. I just want to know if that medicine is—"

He abruptly stopped, struggling before finally forcing out the words, "Is it Fu Yanhuai’s...?"

Butler Yan sighed heavily. "It’s Mr. Fu’s gland fluid."

The butler tread carefully, wording it to avoid guilt-tripping Lu Yao. "Your gland condition is extremely rare. Direct treatment would be too aggressive, and any misstep could place an even greater burden on your glands. The best method was to use Mr. Fu’s gland fluid to gradually guide the process—it would be..."

He searched silently for the right word. "...smoother and more effective."

Lu Yao went pale. "I didn’t know about this."

"If you had known it was made from Mr. Fu’s gland fluid, you would have refused to use it."

Butler Yan spoke tactfully, "Mr. Fu never intended to force you. He only wanted to compensate for your suffering and his own mistakes as much as possible. Neither his father nor mother knew about this—it was entirely Mr. Fu’s decision."

Lu Yao’s face contorted with pain. "You say he didn’t want to force me, but now he’s like this *because* of me."

Lu Yao couldn’t stand others hurting themselves over him. Butler Yan had no response—Fu Yanhuai hiding this from everyone was inherently reckless. It was only a matter of time before it came to light.

Lu Yao bit his lip and walked back to Fu Yanhuai’s bedside, staring at the large white bandage.

His smile was bitter, he reached out and carefully, slowly peeled it off.

Butler Yan smelled trouble and discreetly contacted Wen Zheng.

The huge bruise on Fu Yanhuai’s neck was shocking, the center densely dotted with needle marks, the gland itself already turning purple.

The moment Lu Yao saw it clearly, his heart clenched—tight and aching.

"Maybe you really didn’t mean to force me this time," Lu Yao whispered. "But lying here like this..."

It *was* forcing him.

He replaced the bandage, his cool fingertips brushing against Fu Yanhuai’s skin. Fu Yanhuai frowned faintly, stirring in his sleep.

Lu Yao grabbed the bag of inducers and turned to leave. Eyes downcast, he said to Butler Yan, "If he’s sick, he should go to the hospital. Nian Nian’s fever hasn’t broken yet—I’m going back first."

Butler Yan didn’t understand Lu Yao’s meaning, nor could he tell if he was angry. Anxious, he watched Lu Yao go.

At home, Wen Zheng saw Butler Yan’s message and fury instantly surged. "This is *insane*!"

Nian Nian, hugging his stuffed dog, looked up warily at the sudden noise.

Fu Jizhong quickly patted him reassuringly. "Don’t be scared, Nian Nian. Papa will be back soon, and he’ll hold you then. We’re all here waiting for him, right?"

Nian Nian mumbled a yes and went back to playing with the dog’s fur.

Fu Jizhong shot Wen Zheng a disapproving look. "Why shout so suddenly? You scared the child."

Wen Zheng sighed, drained and handed him the phone. "See for yourself—Butler Yan sent this."

"What’s going on?"

Seeing her expression, Fu Jizhong grew serious. He took the phone and read carefully, his temper flaring the moment the words registered.

"Fu Yanhuai! What is he—"

He trailed off under Wen Zheng’s glare, lowering his voice. "What’s his game? If they won’t forgive him, he’ll just play martyr?"

Wen Zheng was equally baffled. "First, he hid the divorce from us. Now, he’s hiding the fact that he’s extracting gland fluid. What’s the damn point of all this? A masochist now?"

Worst of all—what would this do to Lu Yao? Just when he’d started to heal, this had to happen...

Wen Zheng sighed deeply. "I’m done with this."