Chapter 7: Huai City

The man's heart ached as he watched his wife sit there in silence.

She was beaming, one hand resting on her belly.

She looked so happy.

If... if it turned out she wasn't pregnant after all, would she be crushed?

The thought made him resent Lu Yiyan even more.

This charlatan—why couldn't he have said anything else? Why did it have to be pregnancy?!

The woman looked at Lu Yiyan and ventured tentatively, "Xiao Yan, is my baby a girl?"

The Food God and Hurting Officer are strong; the child star is yin.

The next one is a girl.

But he couldn't say that. Lu Yiyan looked at her and reminded her, "Boy or girl, you have to treat it well."

The woman nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course—I just want a daughter, that's all. A boy is wonderful too."

Lu Yiyan nodded.

Watching his wife, the man's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

He couldn't bear to spoil her mood, but he also didn't want her to get her hopes up for nothing.

Of course, he hoped it was true too.

But Lu Yiyan's words were obviously a lie.

Lu Yiyan was silent for a moment, then finally spoke. "Go give your mother a call."

The woman was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Call now, and you might still get a few words in."

Lu Yiyan looked at her. "Any later, and you won't make it."

The woman didn't quite understand what that meant.

Was Lu Yiyan saying her mother would have an accident tonight?

How could that be?

The house had four nannies on a twenty-four-hour rotation—there was no way anything could happen to the old woman.

And if he meant illness, that was even more impossible. Her mother was old, but her health had always been excellent—good appetite, good sleep, full of energy.

Just yesterday the woman had scrolled past the old lady's senior disco TikTok—how could anything happen?

The man beside her of course knew how healthy his mother-in-law was. Hearing Lu Yiyan say this only made him more certain Lu Yiyan was talking nonsense.

But since Lu Yiyan had said it, the woman still called her mother.

The other end took a long time to pick up.

The woman spoke right away. "Mom."

The other end was groggy, and it was a long while before a response came. "Hm?"

The woman asked, "What are you doing?"

Another long pause, then the old lady's voice came through, thick with sleep. "Sleeping..."

Hearing that, the woman let out a breath of relief.

Old people go to bed early—her mother was usually in bed by this hour.

But for some reason, a vague unease welled up in her heart. The woman asked again, "Mom, is Auntie there?"

The breathing on the other end grew fainter and fainter. It was a long time before the reply came. "Xiaoxia went to the bathroom, she'll be right back..."

The woman's heartbeat grew faster and faster. She hurried to speak. "Mom, tomorrow morning I'll come with Jiahang to see you."

"See what... no need to see," the old lady chuckled softly. "As long as you're doing well, that's enough..."

"Don't worry about me..." The voice on the phone was very soft, as if she were about to fall asleep.

The old lady slowly closed her eyes and finished her last sentence, her tone so gentle... like she was coaxing a baby in swaddling clothes.

She said, "Mom is old..."

Hearing this, the woman's eyes stung. She rubbed her eyes and said with a smile, "Mom, what are you saying? You're not old."

"Just yesterday I saw that disco video you and Auntie Zhang filmed—so trendy."

After her words faded, there was no sound from the other end for a long time.

The woman's smile slowly disappeared. She ventured tentatively, "Mom?"

"Mom, are you asleep?"

No response came. The woman's heartbeat raced faster and faster, even her fingers were trembling. "Mom! Are you asleep?"

"What's wrong?" The man seemed to notice something off about her and stepped forward to ask.

The woman was so anxious her eyes reddened. "My mom, she..."

Before she could finish, a flurry of panicked footsteps came through the phone.

Then the nanny's voice, calling the old lady's name.

Hearing those shouts, the woman forgot even to breathe. Tears burst from her eyes. "Mom—Mom!"

"Auntie! Auntie! What's wrong with my mom?"

The nanny picked up the phone, her voice sounding flustered too, as if she'd been frightened. "I—I don't know either! Sister? Eldest sister!"

"Oh no, the old lady seems to have fainted!" the nanny said urgently. "I'm calling an ambulance!"

The woman stood frozen in place.

Her hand went slack, and the phone clattered to the floor.

The man was startled. He hurried to wrap his arms around her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"My mom, she..." The woman stared blankly ahead, as if she hadn't processed it yet, her lips trembling. "My mom fainted..."

The man's pupils contracted sharply. He turned to look at Lu Yiyan.

How was this possible?

Could it be... he really could read fortunes?

The onlookers were shocked too.

No way?

This illegitimate son of the Lu family—did he really have that kind of ability?

"What happened?" Mingyang ran up. "Wasn't Grandma fine just yesterday?"

The woman wiped her face. In a moment like this, she was surprisingly calm—only her fingers were still trembling. "It's fine. I'll go back and check. You all carry on."

The man said immediately, "I'll go back with you to see Mom."

"No," the woman took a deep breath and gripped his hands. "Did you forget? You came today to discuss that plot of land with Chairman Si."

"The whole company worked so long for this—it can't be for nothing," the woman looked up at the man. "I can handle Mom's situation myself."

The woman who'd been so delicate just moments ago was unexpectedly rational at the critical moment.

She knew clearly what mattered.

The woman raised her hand to wipe her face and was about to stride off when something occurred to her. She turned to look at Lu Yiyan.

She bowed deeply and even changed how she addressed him. "Thank you so much, Master Lu. I'll definitely repay you properly another day."

Truth be told, the woman had only been curious.

She thought Lu Yiyan was handsome and delicate-looking, and he'd been trending yesterday, so she figured she'd get a casual reading to show some support.

She hadn't expected him to actually have such ability.

Lu Yiyan shook his head and said it was nothing.

Just as the woman turned to leave, Lu Yiyan suddenly called out to her.

The woman turned back. "Is there something else, Master Lu?"

"In three years, pay attention to your health," Lu Yiyan warned. "Best to get a checkup once a month."

The woman looked confused. "Is something going to happen to my health?"

"Hereditary illness," Lu Yiyan looked at her, not saying too much. "You should know."

The woman understood instantly.

Her family did have a hereditary cancer.

Her uncles and grandfathers had all passed away from it. But her parents were both healthy, and she herself rarely got sick, so she hadn't paid it much mind.

Only hearing Lu Yiyan say it did she remember.

The woman hurried to bow her head in thanks. "Thank you so much. I'll pay attention."

Lu Yiyan nodded slightly and gave a soft "Mm."

The woman's husband had completely changed his view of Lu Yiyan too.

He regretted it—he really shouldn't have said those things earlier.

The man hurried forward, bowed slightly, and extended his hand. "Master Lu, I was impolite earlier. Please forgive me."

"I'm truly very sorry."

Lu Yiyan shook his hand and said with a smile, "It's fine, I understand."

To thank Lu Yiyan, the man wrote him a check as payment.

But Lu Yiyan refused—the divination fee had already been paid, and they were even.

With no other choice, the man thanked him several more times before leaving.

Only after they were far away did Lu Yiyan quietly take out his phone, find a donation channel, and donate eight thousand in the name of that couple.

The divination fee was two thousand at most—the rules couldn't be broken.

This way, it counted as returning the money.

Beside him, Si Lin watched his movements, his eyes shifting subtly.

After donating, Lu Yiyan tucked his phone away and was about to stride off when a large hand suddenly grabbed him.

"What are you doing?!" Lu Yiyan looked up to see Si Lin tugging at his collar and immediately flailed, making puppy-like noises. "Stop pulling my clothes!"

"Lu Yiyan," Si Lin looked at him. "Something's off about you."

The man smiled and leaned in, looking at Lu Yiyan, squinting. "Are you Puppy Yan?"

Lu Yiyan ground his teeth. "I'm your daddy."

"That can't be," Si Lin was still smiling brightly. "My dad doesn't cry as much as you."

Lu Yiyan: "..."

Why was this guy so shameless?

Lu Yiyan pulled a straight face, raised his fist, and looked at Si Lin. "You want a taste of my clay-pot-sized fist?"

Si Lin laughed. "Shove it in my mouth."

Lu Yiyan was utterly speechless. "I'll fucking... shove it in your face!"

He swung his fist to hit him. Si Lin laughed and tilted his head to dodge, letting go of him in the process.

Si Lin raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Trash tier? Practice more."

?

Motherf—

Lu Yiyan swung again. "Then I'll practice on you!"

Si Lin dodged like he was teasing a dog, looking in a very good mood.

Watching the two of them, everyone present cleared their throats in unison and looked away.

Seriously, are you two a little too flirty?