Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 15

The needle of the inhibitor pierced her skin, and Lu Luozhu inwardly clicked her tongue.

Having lived in comfort since transmigrating into the novel, she had almost forgotten the days of daily IV drips during her hospital stays.

The cold inhibitor entered her body, circulating through her bloodstream, chilling every part it touched as if freezing into icy shards.

Lu Luozhu tilted her head back and exhaled sharply. In the mirror, her face bore a sickly flush, the pallor of her cheeks gradually replaced by a rosy hue, her eyes dark as lacquer.

Just beyond the door.

Qi Zi stood in the shadows, the light from the room casting a sharp line of contrast across her face.

She watched as the alpha inside nearly stumbled, then irritably ran a hand through her hair before turning away to undress and change into the pajamas Qi Zi had given her.

The omega clutched the clothes in her arms tighter and tighter, not even noticing the wrinkles forming on the freshly laundered and pressed coat.

Anyone could see that Lu Luozhu wasn’t feeling well.

Qi Zi’s breathing slowed, but her heartbeat raced. She pressed a hand to her chest, as if to muffle the sound before it could alert the alpha inside, who was now struggling with a stubborn tie.

Was she running a fever?

A fever coinciding with her rut?

Given her personality, why couldn’t she just act spoiled and ask for help?

The concentration of alpha pheromones in the room continued to rise. Thankfully, the child sleeping next door was still too young to sense alpha and omega pheromones, or they would’ve been overwhelmed.

Qi Zi covered her nose and mouth in distress.

The scent of bergamot seemed to take on a life of its own, enveloping the omega completely. The pheromones defied their owner’s will, clinging to the omega as if something unseen was courting her.

Lustful yet restrained.

Unaware of this, Lu Luozhu inside the room finally managed to tie the bow around her neck.

She walked to the mirror and picked up a tube of lipstick, applying it to her lips.

Her phone on the sink buzzed sharply. Lu Luozhu paused for two seconds before realizing someone was calling her.

The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.

She held the phone for another two seconds before her sluggish mind processed what was happening.

“Who is this?”

“How are you feeling? The crew said you didn’t go to the doctor for medicine. Not that I care, but I’d hate for you to die in the house next to mine—it’d be sad for the kid to lose a stepmother so soon.”

Lu Luozhu: “…”

An Song’s voice on the other end was neither loud nor soft, just enough to be heard by Qi Zi outside the door.

Qi Zi froze in place, standing in the darkness, her mind fixated on one word: “fever medicine.”

Lu Luozhu had a fever?

Was that why she hadn’t answered her calls?

Was that why her rut had come early—because her fever had triggered it?

The omega, usually aloof and untouchable, felt something stir inside her. Her heart clenched as if squeezed by an invisible hand. The draft in the hallway brushed against her skirt, sending a chill up her spine.

She wasn’t lying.

She really was suffering?

Lu Luozhu awkwardly pinned the phone between her ear and shoulder as she struggled to put on her shoes and socks.

“Thank you for your affection, superstar of the music scene, but I don’t need it right now. My Luanfeng Cheng’en car will be here to pick me up soon. If my boss finds out I’m getting too close to other women, I’ll lose my hard-earned wages. But if you’re still willing to show some kindness later, you could take me in for a while when I get kicked out of my house.”

An Song: “?”

The line fell silent for a long moment.

An Song cursed under her breath.

Qi Zi: “…”

What kind of nonsense was this?

The worse Lu Luozhu felt physically, the more outrageous her words became.

An Song was so angry she nearly hung up, but then she remembered this sharp-tongued yet fragile alpha and mustered a bit more patience.

It wasn’t that she cared about Lu Luozhu, nor was she trying to find Little Jasmine a good friend. She just couldn’t stand someone stealing her spotlight by being sick.

As Lu Luozhu was about to leave, a wave of dizziness hit her. The ceiling lights seemed to flip upside down, and the whole world felt like it had been tossed into a washing machine.

Her foot caught on a suitcase. Before she realized what was happening, she fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

The weakness from her fever and the suppressed discomfort of her rut suddenly overwhelmed her, crashing down like a tidal wave and drowning her already frail body.

A dull thud came through An Song’s phone. “Hey, what happened? I’m recording this, so don’t even think about blaming me.”

There was no response from Lu Luozhu.

An Song sensed something was wrong. “Lu Luozhu! Don’t you dare die on my phone!”

The alpha had tripped and now lay pitifully on the wooden floor, unable to get up.

At first, she was still somewhat conscious, but her body grew increasingly hot. Whether it was a reaction between the fever reducer and the suppressants, Lu Luozhu felt like she’d been thrown into a furnace, sweating profusely while a dull ache pulsed in her chest.

An Song kept calling out through the phone. Qi Zi bent down to pick it up. “I’m with Lu Luozhu. Don’t worry, and there’s no need to come over. Thanks for your concern—I’ll treat you to dinner after the show.”

The call ended.

An Song: “?”

Qi Zi? What was she doing there?

Wait, did “Luanfeng Cheng’en car” mean…?

Little Jasmine piped up, “Are we going to see stepmom, woof?”

An Song: “No, she’s not your stepmom.”

Little Jasmine: “Woof.”

An Song: “…”

You’ve been corrupted by Ningning, woof.

…

Back in the room.

Lu Luozhu lay motionless on the floor. Given her track record, she was probably faking it.

Qi Zi waited beside her for two minutes, watching as her breathing steadied and her body grew hotter.

The alpha’s pheromones were so thick they seemed to condense into droplets on the windows.

The scent of bergamot tormented Qi Zi’s rationality—this far exceeded the threshold of what an alpha could actively release.

“Lu Luozhu! Stop pretending. Wake up!”

On the floor, Lu Luozhu instinctively curled up, her forehead glistening with sweat—whether from cold or heat was unclear. Her lips, tinted with lipstick, exhaled hot breaths. One hand had braced her chest during the fall, while the other rested over her heart.

She looked pitiful and disheveled, a far cry from the sharp-tongued persona she usually projected.

At this moment, Qi Zi truly wished Lu Luozhu was just pretending.

Unfortunately, the person had already lost consciousness from the fall.

Lu Luozhu wasn’t particularly heavy. After Qi Zi carried her and placed her on the bed, her arms instinctively lifted and wrapped around Qi Zi, whose body temperature was slightly cooler.

“So hot… uncomfortable…”

The omega, forcibly pulled into the arms of an alpha struggling to control their pheromones, suddenly felt her legs go weak. The overwhelming scent made her unconsciously rub her thighs together.

A muffled voice came from below.

Her lips parted slightly, leaving a trail of red, plum-like marks along Qi Zi’s neck.

Qi Zi forgot to resist. She leaned in close to Lu Luozhu’s ear and whispered, “Do you want some water?”

This was her fault. She shouldn’t have doubted Lu Luozhu for not answering her calls, shouldn’t have questioned her in that icy tone, and certainly shouldn’t have suspected she was faking it when she collapsed on the floor.

Qi Zi lowered her gaze and held her even tighter.

“Little Bamboo…”

Lu Luozhu murmured in her delirium, “…Professor Qi, I’m sorry. Let me take today off—please don’t dock my perfect attendance bonus.”

Qi Zi: “…?”

Though barely conscious, Lu Luozhu remained remarkably focused.

“I didn’t take out any nude loans… Can you please not abandon me…?”

And if you really don’t want me anymore… could you at least give me severance pay before breaking up…?