Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 61
61
Xiao Zhang hurriedly followed, leaving Aunt Wang and Aunt Li standing there, utterly confused.
Upon hearing that Cheng Youqing had returned, Luo Hetu quickly finished cooking the last dish, took off her apron, washed her hands, and tiptoed upstairs.
The bedroom door was half-open, and surprisingly, Xiao Zhang was inside.
Luo Hetu immediately grew nervous. Were they replacing her already? And with Xiao Zhang, of all people?
No way, no way. Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrows.
She gently knocked on the door. Cheng Youqing, leaning against the headboard, looked over with a slightly pale face, seeming unwell and a bit more fragile than usual.
Luo Hetu silently cursed herself. How could she let Cheng Youqing get sick? It must be because she’d been deliberately distant, neglecting her care.
“Are you sick? Where does it hurt? Should we go to the hospital?” she asked, walking toward the bed.
Cheng Youqing looked at her silently.
Xiao Zhang said, “I’ll head out then.”
Cheng Youqing nodded.
Xiao Zhang glanced at Luo Hetu before closing the bedroom door as she left.
Luo Hetu keenly sensed that the two of them were keeping a secret from her.
But she had no time to dwell on it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she asked nervously, “Where does it hurt? Have you been to the hospital?”
“I’ve been.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“To rest well at home.”
It didn’t sound like anything serious. Luo Hetu let out a sigh of relief and reached out to touch Cheng Youqing’s face. “So, where exactly are you feeling unwell?”
Carrying the faint smell of cooking, Luo Hetu’s presence made Cheng Youqing’s stomach churn. She threw off the blanket and got out of bed.
Luo Hetu, bewildered, followed her to the bathroom, watching as Cheng Youqing dry-heaved for a long time. She fetched warm water for her. “Did you eat something bad? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been avoiding you these past few days, making you upset. I’ll change, I promise. I made dinner tonight—you said before that you liked my cooking. Later, pick something soft to eat. If you don’t feel like eating, that’s fine too. Tell me what you want, and I’ll go get it. Did the doctor prescribe any medicine? Where is it? I’ll make sure you take it.”
After rinsing her mouth, Cheng Youqing let out a long breath. Looking at her pale reflection in the mirror, then at Luo Hetu’s worried expression, she leaned weakly against the bathroom door.
Luo Hetu let out a small “hey” and placed a hand behind her back. “Don’t lean there—it’s cold. Go lie down in bed.”
But Cheng Youqing didn’t move. She looked at Luo Hetu and asked, “You know you were wrong?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Where were you wrong?”
“I shouldn’t have avoided you. I had my reasons, but I didn’t want to tell you. Now I’ve figured it out, so I’m here to admit my mistake.”
“You have so many secrets you can’t share. That’s as good as saying nothing.”
Luo Hetu knew that too.
“I just felt like you didn’t love me.”
After keeping it bottled up for so long, she blurted it out, stunning even herself.
She shouldn’t have said it. How was Cheng Youqing supposed to respond?
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.” She forcefully pulled Cheng Youqing into her arms. “Come on, let’s get you to bed to rest.”
Cheng Youqing let her help her to bed but frowned before speaking. “Go change your clothes.”
Luo Hetu was more obedient than ever. She changed into pajamas and returned. Cheng Youqing looked at her and said, “You apologized, but where’s the sincerity?”
Luo Hetu sat on the bed’s edge, leaned down, and wrapped her arms around Cheng Youqing’s waist.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
She coaxed her softly, almost whining, regretting her actions more with every word. Hugging Cheng Youqing versus avoiding her—how could the two compare? She didn’t even want to think about it anymore.
So she hugged and hugged, eventually climbing into bed. Mindful of Cheng Youqing’s discomfort, she gently rubbed her back, holding her carefully, making soft, almost purring sounds, less like a dog and more like a Maine Coon starting its engine.
After a long while, Cheng Youqing finally responded, reaching out to pinch her ear. “Will you avoid me again?”
“No way. Only a fool would avoid you. I can’t get enough of holding you—why would I avoid you?”
“What if you have something you can’t figure out and don’t want to tell me?”
“Then I’ll think harder.”
“But these past few days, you thought hard and still avoided me.”
“Then I’ll think while holding you, think while I’m with you. I won’t think alone anymore.”
Cheng Youqing said, “You could also choose to tell me.”
Luo Hetu looked at her. “But you don’t tell me your thoughts either.”
Cheng Youqing opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Luo Hetu sighed inwardly. “It’s fine, it doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess a lot of things. I won’t leave you on your own again, unless you want to leave me.”
Cheng Youqing’s eyes were deep, her lips slightly pursed. She pinched Luo Hetu’s ear again.
“Let me tell you something.”
“I’m pregnant.”
…
The two aunts waited downstairs for a long time. Luo Hetu came down and said Cheng Youqing wasn’t feeling well and told them to eat first.
“She’s not feeling well, but she still needs to eat.” Aunt Wang said.
Luo Hetu thought for a moment. “Make something light. Cook some millet porridge with goji berries and red dates to nourish her qi and bl00d. I’ll convince her to eat.”
Then she went back upstairs.
Earlier, after Cheng Youqing said she was pregnant, they stared at each other for a moment. Luo Hetu’s mind was still reeling when she stood up, saying she needed to talk to the aunts.
Today’s dishes were heavy in flavor, all meat, and Cheng Youqing couldn’t stand the smell. Naturally, she couldn’t eat them.
Back in the bedroom, she closed the door. Cheng Youqing looked at her as she approached. “I thought you were going to run again.”
“Come on, how irresponsible do you think I am?”
Luo Hetu sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at Cheng Youqing, her gaze dropping, then rising.
She was holding it together, but her mind was exploding. She calmed herself, reminding herself that alphas could get omegas pregnant. From what she knew, top-tier alphas had strong fertility, and top-tier omegas were highly fertile. As long as their bodies were healthy, pregnancy was inevitable. She just hadn’t thought about it before. Guilt washed over her, making her even more upset.
“Is it true?”
“I got checked at Zhou Chenghuan’s. It’s eight weeks along, still small, but everything looks healthy so far.”
Luo Hetu calculated in her head. Eight weeks.
The past month had been calm, with them busy dealing with external matters and Luo Hetu avoiding her. But a month and a half ago, they hadn’t been idle. Most of that time had been… intense.
She couldn’t even recall which specific time from eight weeks ago, whether they’d been drinking or taking any medication.
Her expression grew serious as she hooked her fingers around Cheng Youqing’s, cautiously asking, “Do you want it?”
The room fell silent again.
She explained, “I’m not being irresponsible. Your opinion comes first. If you want to keep it, I’ll take good care of you and be a proper alpha mom. If you don’t want it, I’ll go with you to take care of it.”
Cheng Youqing looked at her, tilting her head slightly. “You don’t seem very happy.”
Luo Hetu started to say she was happy but stopped short.
She wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“When an alpha learns an omega is carrying their child, they’d usually be over the moon, eager to announce it to the world. Alphas, unable to bear children themselves, have an instinct to spread their genes, hoping different omegas will carry them on. So, it’s rare for an alpha to not be excited about a pregnancy.”
Was that how it worked?
No wonder Cheng Youqing thought alphas were a despicable species.
It wasn’t much different from the worst traits of some men in the real world, just under a different name.
Luo Hetu touched Cheng Youqing’s hand. “More than being excited about a child, I care about you. I’m worried about whether we’ve done anything to hurt the baby, and even more worried about whether you’ll suffer during pregnancy or if childbirth will be painful. The child’s growing inside you, so it’s your call—keep it or not. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you and take care of you to the best of my ability.”
Cheng Youqing, her hand held by Luo Hetu, listened to her words. Her pale face, now rested, finally showed some color.
She hooked her fingers in Luo Hetu’s palm.
Luo Hetu shuffled closer on her knees, more cautious than ever. “I didn’t know earlier. I hope I didn’t bump your stomach.”
Cheng Youqing said, “Hmph, already fussing over her.”
Luo Hetu hugged her, her worries no lighter.
Cheng Youqing still hadn’t said whether she wanted the child.
She brought up the millet porridge and pickled vegetables Aunt Wang had prepared. Cheng Youqing ate a bowl, washed up, and went to bed. Luo Hetu held her, gently patting her back to lull her to sleep.
Cheng Youqing said, “You say you don’t care about the child, but you were never this gentle before.”
This was the second time tonight she’d brought up the child to tease her. A realization hit Luo Hetu—Cheng Youqing cared about her too.
She liked this side of Luo Hetu, so she was making note of her unusual behavior.
Luo Hetu kissed her forehead. “Before the child, what did you think we should be doing?”
Cheng Youqing scoffed. “Pheromone-crazed fool.”
“No way. Even if I’m crazy for pheromones, it’s only yours.”
“Where’d you learn to be so slick? I don’t mind you hanging out with your old delinquent friends—they’re decent enough and loyal—but don’t pick up their bad habits.”
Luo Hetu promised she wouldn’t. In truth, her old crew of delinquents wasn’t slick at all. The dozen or so of them were mostly dim-witted, barely clever, and only a few had partners.
She agreed obediently, and Cheng Youqing said no more, soon falling asleep.
Luo Hetu looked at her long lashes and the faint shadows under her eyes, thinking about how hard things might get if they had a child. Her arms tightened around her.
She thought it might disturb her or annoy her, but Cheng Youqing only frowned slightly and nestled closer.
Luo Hetu watched her, drifting into a half-sleep through the night.
The next day, Cheng Youqing got up for work as usual. Luo Hetu, worried, said, “Let me go back to being your bodyguard. You’re newly pregnant—you shouldn’t overwork. It’s better if I’m with you.”
Cheng Youqing replied, “See, it’s still about the child.”
Luo Hetu didn’t know what to say, feeling a bit wronged but staying silent.
Cheng Youqing, now dressed, saw her usual endearing expression and patted her head. “Give it a few days. You have your own things to deal with, and I haven’t decided yet. We’ll talk about it later.”
Luo Hetu went along with her.
After Cheng Youqing left, Luo Hetu went to Zhou Chenghuan’s hospital. Luckily, Dr. Zhou had no surgeries that morning. When Luo Hetu entered the office, Zhou Chenghuan flashed the same smile she’d had when Cheng Youqing called yesterday, ready to say “congratulations.”
But seeing Luo Hetu’s furrowed brows and troubled expression, Zhou Chenghuan’s face turned cold. “You’re not denying it’s your child, are you? Or do you not want it? Some alphas are all action and no accountability.”
Luo Hetu was furious. “Dr. Zhou, that’s insulting!”
In a world where alphas were already awful, calling her a deadbeat alpha was the worst curse she’d ever heard.
Dr. Zhou: …