Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 14

Lu Luozhu ultimately didn’t secure first place.

Ningning: “🥺”

Lu Luozhu stood under the sun, her body so cold she could barely speak.

If possible, she really wanted to go back immediately.

This stupid competition wasn’t worth it—she’d be better off returning to serve her sugar daddy properly. That would be far more worthwhile than participating in this contest.

An Song noticed her pale complexion and was about to mock her the moment she stepped onto the shore.

“I never thought you’d actually make it through. If it were me, I’d have jumped into the river by now. Even a lifebuoy would float faster than you.”

Normally, Lu Luozhu would have retorted with something shameless, but now…

An Song watched helplessly as Lu Luozhu’s foot slipped, sending her tumbling backward—

The live chat, which had been full of mocking comments just moments ago—!!!!!!

“No way, sis, weren’t you just slacking off?”

“I think Lu Luozhu’s condition is really off today. Is she sick?”

“Come on, Lu Luozhu’s always been a drama queen.”

“Zero credibility here. Is she trying to pin this on our An’an?”

“My heart aches for the baby. Ningning’s eyes look so pitiful 🥺”

“Exactly! An’an, push that wicked stepmom into the water already!”

As it turned out, An Song didn’t push her in.

Feeling the sudden weight against her, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Lu Luozhu.

Lu Luozhu was tall but surprisingly light—lighter than An Song herself.

Her breathing was scorching hot, and she looked utterly pitiful. The light makeup couldn’t hide the pallor of her face.

An Song hated being touched, but Lu Luozhu’s sudden collapse left her no choice. Despite the chat’s urging, she couldn’t bring herself to shove her into the water.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Stop faking it and get up.”

Though her tone was impatient, her actions were gentle. “I know you’re fine. Get up now, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. I’ll even tell my fans not to hate on you.”

Her voice was soft, meant only for Lu Luozhu’s ears.

Bai Rui, noticing the commotion, rushed over. “She’s sweating so much—is she running a fever? Call a doctor, quick!”

Ningning, clutching her little frog plushie, looked up in shock at her mother, who seemed even frailer than her.

Mom was unwell, but Ningning still wanted to win first place.

Tears welled up in her watery eyes as she whispered, barely louder than a kitten’s mewl,

“Mommy 🥺 It’s all Ningning’s fault for being too heavy 🥺”

The live chat gradually caught on that something was wrong.

“Sweetheart, you weigh nothing!”

“Lu Luozhu’s complexion doesn’t look fake… If she were acting, An’an would’ve lost her temper by now.”

“No one would actually risk their safety like this, right? One misstep and she could’ve fallen straight into the water—might’ve even hit her head on the boat.”

“Kinda digging the stepmom’s sickly look—delicate, helpless, totally dependent. No wonder Qi Zi likes her. I’m starting to like her too (cat nibbling paws).”

“Dammit, I’m unexpectedly becoming a fan.”

Lu Luozhu had blacked out for a moment when she fell. Now, as she opened her eyes, she found everyone gathered around her, the scene chaotic enough to resemble a boiling pot of porridge ready to be served.

Lu Luozhu: “Is it just me, or am I already dead and you’re all mourning at my funeral? Since the mood’s set, maybe I’ll lie here a little longer?”

As they spoke, Lu Luozhu looked down to see Ningning stuffing her favorite little frog plushie into her hand, as if silently saying, “Goodbye and good riddance.”

An Song: “…”

Bai Rui: “…”

The host hadn’t expected such an unexpected turn during the show. Just moments ago, they’d been sweating nervously, but now, hearing Lu Luozhu’s words…

Enough. Really enough.

Live stream comments: “Alright then, I shouldn’t have felt sorry for you.”

Sudden dizziness and a frail body were nothing unusual for Lu Luozhu—she rarely paid much attention to physical discomfort.

After thanking An Song for supporting her, Lu Luozhu asked the staff for a thermometer and a cup of hot water.

An Song muttered awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to help you. Who cares about your thanks?”

Lu Luozhu: Are you a grade-schooler?

The thermometer confirmed she had a low-grade fever, likely from catching a chill the night before.

The day’s boating had left her chest feeling tight, though thankfully without the sharp, stabbing pain that had plagued her in her past life.

She sat out the remaining competitions, and Ningning didn’t bring up the frog hotpot again.

Ningning obediently crouched beside Lu Luozhu, her eyes once again turning into teary “sunny-side-up eggs.”

Lu Luozhu: “No frog hotpot today.”

She had expected Ningning to throw a tantrum and had already prepared a way to placate her.

Instead, the little one nuzzled gently against her mother, resting her head on Lu Luozhu’s lap. “Froggies… we’ll have them later.”

Lu Luozhu blinked in surprise. “That’s it?”

The little otter rubbed her cheeks. “Mama and Mommy will take Ningning someday. All three of us together, okay?”

Lu Luozhu: “Okay.”

In the distance, the river murmured softly. The summer evening in this southern town carried its own unique tranquility. Above them, blooming roses sprawled across the walls like drifting pink clouds.

After taking medicine, Lu Luozhu grew drowsier.

She mustered her strength to return to the guesthouse and closed her eyes to rest.

When she woke again, it was already dusk.

Her body still ached, but it was better than during the morning’s activities.

Placing a hand over her steadily beating heart, Lu Luozhu exhaled slowly. Her muscles throbbed with fatigue, and her illness left her dizzy.

Her phone buzzed on the pillow—Qi Zi was calling.

There were already two missed calls from her.

Glancing at her meager three-digit bank balance, Lu Luozhu answered with a wry smile.

She lacked the energy to humor her patron, but her voice remained its usual calm, gentle self.

“Did you need something, Teacher Qi?”

Having just finished a long day of filming without catching the live stream, Qi Zi had changed out of costume and didn’t sound pleased.

“No replies, no answers—what attitude are you giving me now, Lu Luozhu?”

The guesthouse overlooked the river. Opening the sliding window revealed clear green water shimmering with silvery fish.

Lu Luozhu nearly explained her poor health but swallowed the words.

“My apologies, I’m not being difficult. I’ll come get the jacket tonight.”

Bosses only cared about results, not explanations—she’d been one herself and understood Qi Zi perfectly.

In the black sedan, Qi Zi paused, momentarily stunned.

She’d been waiting for Lu Luozhu to demand money as usual. For a moment, the omega wondered if she’d heard wrong.

Omega hugged the freshly washed coat in her arms, her displeasure dissipating the moment she heard Lu Luozhu’s voice, even giving way to a faint sense of self-reproach.

“You don’t need to come over.”

“Professor Qi, give me a chance, won’t you?” Lu Luozhu lay sprawled on the bed, feeling the breeze from outside brush against her skin, her voice laced with the lethargy and hoarseness of illness.

“I really didn’t mean to ignore your calls. But since it’s already happened, I won’t make excuses. Just let me make it up to you, okay?”

Okay… The slow, drawn-out tone at the end of the sentence, tinged with something almost teasing, made Qi Zi’s ears burn red instantly.

Was Lu Luozhu coaxing her?

How strange—someone like Lu Luozhu actually trying to coax her.

Qi Zi hastily hung up and told the driver to take the car to the side entrance of the guesthouse.

The long beep of the disconnected call echoed in Lu Luozhu’s ears. Her vision blurred slightly as she stared at her phone before finally turning it off and placing it face-down beside her pillow.

So hard to please.

Lu Luozhu lay there for another half-minute, watching the sky outside blaze with hues of pink and purple, the twilight draping over the white walls and gray-tiled buildings.

She walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Something strange was happening—her body, which should have been sensitive to the cold, now felt unbearably hot. Not the kind of heat from a fever, but something deeper, an impulse burning from within her bones.

A scorching wave rolled through her, searing away reason.

In the mirror, water droplets slid down Lu Luozhu’s face, her already pale complexion growing even more translucent.

Rut?

The word surfaced abruptly in the alpha’s mind.

Lu Luozhu rummaged through her toiletry bag for an inhibitor. Since transmigrating into this world, this was the first time she’d needed to use such a thing.

Outside the wooden door, Qi Zi stood holding folded clothes, watching as Lu Luozhu scrolled through something on her phone with one hand while mercilessly plunging the inhibitor’s needle into a vein in her other arm.

She didn’t seem afraid of pain—her movements precise, ruthless.

If an alpha was in rut, why didn’t she come to her?

Standing behind the door, Qi Zi’s heart twisted with complicated emotions. Why resort to an inhibitor before even seeking her out?

Did she really hate her that much?!