Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 18

Lu Luozhu had just returned to the capital when she was immediately picked up by the original host’s family upon exiting the airport.

Left with no choice, Lu Luozhu entrusted Ningning to the driver arranged by Qi Zi to take the child home.

Though the little one couldn’t bear to be separated from adults, she was already at an age where she understood reason. She didn’t throw a tantrum but quietly wiped away her tears.

The driver, heart aching, carefully secured the child in the car seat.

Lu Luozhu kissed Ningning’s forehead.

“Mommy will be back soon.”

Once inside the family’s car, the interior was filled with the scent of high-end incense.

The driver remained silent, and Lu Luozhu had no intention of striking up a conversation either. She pulled out her phone and opened the documents sent by the owner of Li Ji Bakery.

Her fingers traced the edges of the phone as she studied the old packaging of Li Ji Bakery, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Had she seen similar packaging before her transmigration?

Before crossing over, Lu Luozhu had undergone heart surgery, after which her memory had deteriorated. Perhaps the heart was also an organ capable of storing memories—when it malfunctioned, so did her recollections.

Shaking off the strange sensation in her mind, she vaguely recalled sharing similar pastries with a childhood playmate.

Who was that person?

Were they still alive? As the scenery outside the window blurred past, a trace of confusion flickered in Lu Luozhu’s eyes.

“Young Miss, you shouldn’t have gone off to film a variety show without permission. The Master and Madam are very upset,” the driver said in a stiff tone. “The public opinion about you online isn’t favorable, and it could affect the company’s stock price.”

Lu Luozhu: “A company’s stock price should be maintained by outstanding products, not by a minor celebrity like me dabbling in the entertainment industry for pocket money. If I alone could sway the stock price, I wouldn’t be filming variety shows—I’d be an internet troll instead.”

The driver: “…”

The driver knew the adopted daughter had always been spoiled and domineering, but after not seeing her for so long, she had grown even more venomous.

The car drove further into a secluded villa district. When Lu Luozhu stepped out, she was greeted by a mansion no less luxurious than Qi Zi’s.

Having owned a manor abroad in her past life, Lu Luozhu wasn’t the least bit impressed. She strode inside without waiting to be ushered in and casually settled onto the living room sofa.

Her adoptive parents had cut off all financial support, leaving her with less than three hundred yuan in her pocket. Yet, she carried herself with unshakable composure.

After waiting for about half an hour—long enough to finish one cup of tea and pour herself another—her nominal adoptive mother finally appeared.

At the top of the staircase stood a well-preserved noblewoman, her eyebrows sharply arched and thinly drawn, her lips pressed into a thin line. Behind her, a grayscale portrait of a young girl hung in the hallway, bearing a faint resemblance to the middle-aged woman before her.

Lu Luozhu froze momentarily at the sight of the photo, recalling that in the original novel, this wealthy couple had a deceased biological daughter who had died of heart disease.

A dull ache throbbed in Lu Luozhu’s chest as fragmented memories from her past life flashed through her mind. She found no familiarity in them, only the thought that the biological daughter had been rather plain-looking.

“Lu Luozhu, it seems you’ve forgotten your place,” Madam Liang descended the winding staircase, her gaze sharp as a hawk’s, pinning Lu Luozhu in place before dismissively looking away.

Her poise was effortlessly elegant, as if she had been born superior, genetically worlds apart from Lu Luozhu.

Madam Liang sneered, “Marrying some actress from the entertainment industry and becoming a stepmother—you really know how to disgrace the Lu family.”

She didn’t even bother to look at Lu Luozhu properly. “Your adoptive father has just built a new shopping mall. Since it’s opening soon, have Qi Zi make an appearance to boost its reputation.”

Lu Luozhu replied flatly, “Qi Zi is busy.”

Madam Liang’s slender brows twitched slightly as she shot Lu Luozhu a disdainful yet surprised glance. She knew her adoptive daughter’s temperament all too well—as long as she wasn’t given money, she would comply with any demand.

It had always been this way since childhood. After all, she was just an orphan with lowly bl00d, exuding poverty from head to toe. Even her only valuable asset—her body—had turned out to be less than ideal after the final medical examination.

Lu Luozhu chuckled. “My apologies, but an award-winning actress’s schedule isn’t something I can dictate. She’s worth far too much for someone as penniless as me to have any say.”

Madam Liang: “…”

Suppressed anger simmered in Madam Liang’s chest. “Lu Luozhu, is this how you speak to me?”

Her expression darkened, and for a fleeting moment, Lu Luozhu’s heart skipped a beat—some deep-seated wariness toward this woman surfacing in her mind.

But the hesitation lasted only half a second before Lu Luozhu set down her teacup, her smile beautiful yet devoid of warmth. “Mother overestimates my influence over Qi Zi. I’m nothing more than a pretty face with no substance. What kind of beauty hasn’t Qi Zi seen before? I’m merely one of the more passable ones.”

Madam Liang: “…”

The corner of her eye twitched.

Lu Luozhu brushed off nonexistent dust from her clothes and prepared to take her leave.

She wasn’t worried that the Lu family, with their real estate empire, could harm Qi Zi. Qi Zi was no pushover in the industry either. Despite being young, she had already claimed the title of award-winning actress. Even with minimal public exposure for over half a year, she held a formidable position in the entertainment world—no longer just a small-time artist but a stakeholder in multiple talent agencies.

Her sugar mommy was powerful, and Lu Luozhu could comfortably enjoy the perks of being a kept woman.

Madam Liang’s gaze grew increasingly venomous, as if staring at a dog that had dared to bare its fangs at its master.

Lu Luozhu didn’t humor her. “Why don’t you invite Qi Zi yourselves? Is the budget not enough?”

Madam Liang’s smile vanished entirely as she rebuked sharply, “Lu Luozhu, you’ve grown utterly disrespectful. Have you forgotten who took you out of that orphanage?”

Before leaving, Lu Luozhu stood by the brass double doors in her silk cheongsam, her smile gentler than the moonlight outside—yet her words were enough to infuriate anyone.

“Mother can’t expect obedience from someone who doesn’t even have three hundred yuan to her name. Nor can you demean Qi Zi as some mere actress while demanding she endorse your mall. As for the orphanage…”

She paused briefly. “Given your boundless kindness and generosity, the Buddha will surely reward your virtue by finding the mall a suitable spokesperson.”

With that, Lu Luozhu turned and walked out of the excessively gilded villa, using the last of her pocket money to hail a cab back to Qi Zi’s home.

In the car, she recalled how, in the original novel, the protagonist had grown up attending classes and living with the biological daughter of her adoptive parents. Once, during a game of hide-and-seek, the young heiress had been startled by her, prompting the adoptive mother to punish her by making her kneel outside.

Only after the family doctor confirmed the heiress was unharmed was the protagonist finally let off.

…

Under the moonlit night, Qi Zi sat on a plush rug, reading a picture book to Ningning.

A woman in professional attire approached, bent down, and whispered something in Qi Zi’s ear. Her expression visibly darkened.

“Shopping mall?” A cold, disdainful look flashed through Qi Zi’s eyes. “I’ll wait for her to tell me herself.”

Ningning sensed her mother’s foul mood and placed a tiny paw on Qi Zi’s arm.

“Mommy angwy?”

Qi Zi adjusted her expression. “Not angry. Just disgusted that someone would recognize thieves as parents just to live a comfortable life.”

Ningning the kitten tilted her head in confusion.

The adoptive parents’ home was far away. Lu Luozhu spent nearly two hundred yuan on the taxi ride back to Qi Zi’s place.

After getting out of the cab, she checked her phone balance and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at how broke she was.

Carrying a bag of pastries, she pushed open the door to find the mother and child curled up on a blanket, reading. Qi Zi, with her slender neck slightly arched, was softly reciting a short story in English, while the little one lay on her like a kitten.

The moment the door opened, Qi Zi shot her a cold glare.

Lu Luozhu was baffled by the hostility. “Have you eaten dinner? I bought some pastries for you to snack on.”

The old packaging of Li Ji Pastries hadn’t changed in over a decade. Qi Zi froze for a second at the sight of the oil-paper wrapping.

The omega hadn’t bothered to suppress her pheromones at home. Without a gland patch on the back of her neck, her slightly swollen scent gland emitted a faint pear blossom fragrance.

The icy beauty’s gaze swept over the pastry box, lingered for two seconds, then flicked back dismissively. “Don’t bother with flattery. If you have something to say, say it outright.”

The qipao hugged Lu Luozhu’s figure, accentuating her tall, well-proportioned frame. She wore the high heels Qi Zi had gifted her, and the alpha pheromones drifting around her carried an inexplicable air of dominance.

“How did you know I had something to say?”

A pang of bitterness struck Qi Zi’s heart. Of course.

Lu Luozhu slid the pastry box toward her. “Teacher Qi left without a word. I’ve been quite anxious these past two days.”

The alpha’s eyes were too bright—Qi Zi couldn’t ignore them. Her breathing hitched slightly.

“What exactly do you want to say?”

“I want to thank Teacher Qi for taking care of me through the night when I had a fever. I also want to apologize for missing our appointment because of it. To make up for it, I’m at your mercy.”

When others called her “Professor,” it was with respect and formality. But when Lu Luozhu said it, the title carried an unintended, almost flirtatious charm—though she remained oblivious, thinking it purely professional.

“At my… mercy?” Qi Zi was stunned. “You?”