Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 20

“Little Bamboo… don’t go.”

Lu Luozhu didn’t catch it clearly at first, so she leaned in closer, only to hear Qi Zi call out the name again in her sleep.

Was it someone’s name?

Zhu? Pig?

Lu Luozhu had no idea who Qi Zi was calling for. By the time she tilted her head to listen, Qi Zi had already stopped.

Beside her, Qi Zi was fast asleep. Her sleeping posture was impeccable—she wasn’t the type to toss and turn—but her one flaw was that she kept inching closer to Lu Luozhu.

Like a little fox digging a burrow, she nuzzled her head against Lu Luozhu’s thigh, pushing her toward the edge of the bed.

As if she absolutely had to cling to her.

Lu Luozhu retreated step by step, nearly tumbling off the bed.

“Qi Zi, settle down.”

Lu Luozhu moved to the other side of the bed, resting her head on Qi Zi’s pillow while Qi Zi ended up on the small pillow Lu Luozhu had brought.

She had only intended to come over to mark Qi Zi, whose pheromones were acting up, but she hadn’t expected they’d actually end up sharing a bed.

Surrounded by the omega’s pheromones, Lu Luozhu felt lightheaded. She stretched out an arm and pulled Qi Zi into her embrace.

“Be good.”

Whether Qi Zi understood her words or simply adored the alpha’s pheromones too much, she finally stopped squirming toward the edge of the bed. Instead, she turned over and wrapped her arms around Lu Luozhu, burying her face in her chest like a weary bird returning to its nest.

Lu Luozhu gently patted her back and hummed a lullaby.

That night, Qi Zi slept soundly. What Lu Luozhu didn’t know was that Qi Zi had always struggled with insomnia.

Every night, Qi Zi would lie alone in bed, staring at the ceiling in a drowsy haze, but the absence of a certain comforting presence left her nerves wound tight.

Sometimes, she’d stay awake the entire night, watching the sunrise with a heart that beat too fast from exhaustion.

But this night passed without dreams.

When Qi Zi opened her eyes, the other side of the bed was empty.

In its place was a steaming bowl of century egg and lean pork congee on the nightstand.

Oh, right. Yesterday, Lu Luozhu had mentioned wanting to become a food blogger.

So impulsive. She must be crazy.

Her alarm hadn’t gone off. When Qi Zi checked her phone, she realized she had overslept past her usual waking time.

The unusually restful sleep left her with a sense of unreality—and a faint trace of longing.

Qian Qianqian knocked on the door. “Qi Zi, you awake?”

Qi Zi stared blankly at the empty space beside her, vaguely remembering that there should have been another pillow there.

“Yeah, come in.”

Qian Qianqian pushed open the bedroom door and casually pulled up a chair. “Li’s Pastry Shop opens at nine. I really don’t get why someone of your status would go there for free. Do you love their pastries that much? Honestly, you’re impossible.”

Despite her complaints, Qian Qianqian efficiently ushered in the makeup artist to get Qi Zi ready, ensuring everything was perfectly arranged.

“Oh, by the way, a girl group has suddenly gone viral in the country. Did you hear?”

Qi Zi peeled open a gland patch and pressed it onto the scent gland at the back of her neck. “What?”

Qian Qianqian: “Not surprised you don’t know. They’re not in your circle. But one of their album tracks blew up. You might run into them while filming a show later.”

Qian Qian briefly introduced the members of the girl group. “The group is called Unicorn, and the leader is Xun Xun—a sweet-looking girl. I heard someone recently invested a few hundred thousand in them. It’s not a huge amount, but without that funding, they probably would’ve disbanded on the spot and never made it to their current popularity.”

Qi Zi closed her eyes as the makeup artist applied a thin layer of powder.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Qian Qian: “Oh, it has everything to do with you.”

Qi Zi: “?”

Qian Qian: “The money came from one of your cards.”

“I didn’t look into it myself. Your financial advisor mentioned it this morning, so I just found out.”

Qi Zi took a small sip of porridge. “…I didn’t know.”

Qian Qian: “Was the card stolen? Online fraud? Investing a few hundred thousand upfront to make a fortune later—this isn’t a crime, it’s practically your destined money magnet.”

The noise from Qian Qian gave Qi Zi a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and a vague figure surfaced in her mind.

“Probably Lu Luozhu. A blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse—just let her be.”

Qi Zi brushed off the topic lightly, tapping on her tablet to zoom in on a photo of Xun Xun.

The MV on the screen was paused, showing a girl with bright, expressive eyes who looked no older than eighteen. Her delicate face seemed tender enough to pinch water from, and her slightly curled long hair was tied into twin ponytails adorned with pink ribbons and tiny diamonds.

Like an overly well-behaved lop-eared rabbit.

Qi Zi remarked flatly, “She’s nothing special. How did she even get popular?”

Qian Qian: “Not pretty? She’s got great public appeal.”

Qi Zi’s gaze lingered on Xun Xun before she fell silent for a long moment. “…Should I try twin ponytails too?”

Qian Qian & Stylist: “?”

In the end, Qi Zi didn’t go for the twin ponytails. Straight, long black hair was a foolproof choice no matter the occasion.

Qi Zi boarded her van, heading to the venue for the new store opening. Meanwhile, the first episode of Baby, Charge Forward! Season 1 officially aired.

During the show’s promotion, most people had been skeptical. The moment they learned Lu Luozhu was participating, online backlash erupted overwhelmingly.

“Everyone else is bringing their real sisters or daughters, and here’s Lu Luozhu—a stepmom. Doesn’t she feel awkward??”

“Rumor has it she doesn’t get along with Ningning. Please don’t mistreat the kid—I can’t stand seeing that.”

“Can someone please rein in Lu Luozhu? Stop letting her wreak havoc in the entertainment industry.”

“Oh great, now she’s not acting anymore and jumping on the family variety show bandwagon. Truly a master at money-grabbing.”

In the first half of the episode, the barrage of criticism was relentless—until Lu Luozhu turned to An Song and said, “Stop scooting over. Half your butt’s hanging off the seat. If you fall into the aisle, in ten minutes, Weibo will be flooded with headlines like ‘Lu Luozhu suspected of bullying a veteran’ or ‘Lu Luozhu and her manager are on bad terms—she won’t even help take down the trending topics.’”

The live comments exploded with: ???

Do you even hear yourself right now?

“An Song looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

The screen was nearly drowned in a sea of question marks.

Netizens couldn’t believe someone would actually say something so blunt on a variety show.

“You’ve already said all the things we were going to criticize you for. What’s left for us to say?”

“What a vicious mouth… and yet, I kind of love it?”

Continuing to watch, netizens discovered that Lu Luozhu didn’t seem as vicious as she appeared—at least she was very patient with children.

Ningning was also adorable, ending every sentence with an “ao” sound, and the other kids would chime in with their own “ao” shouts.

When the audience saw Lu Luozhu stepping off the boat, she suddenly swayed, nearly falling into the water, but An Song reacted swiftly and caught her.

Viewers’ hearts leapt into their throats. Some believed Lu Luozhu was faking it, but most argued that instinctive reactions don’t lie—if she hadn’t been caught, her head might have smashed against the boat.

She could’ve ended up with a concussion.

Still, Lu Luozhu’s looks were undeniable. Her pale face carried an air of delicate fragility.

While the internet debated whether her stumble was real or staged, the woman at the center of the controversy was busy shopping at the market.

She had invested the money Qi Zi gave her into Unicorn’s new album, along with a few other scattered investments, leaving her with just over 100,000 yuan. She used some of it to order a necklace for her “patron sister.”

By next month, she’d receive her first investment returns.

Qian Qianqian was exasperated. “Madam, allow me to remind you—Teacher Qi will be staying at the sanatorium for a while. It’d be best if you behaved.”

Lu Luozhu picked out three pink-skinned tomatoes and placed them in her small basket. Her expression was gentle and warm, the only thing of value on her being the tiny diamond ring on her ring finger.

“Every day, I stay home to cook for Teacher Qi and even host cooking tutorials. If that doesn’t count as behaving, does this golden canary need to be locked in a basement, blindfolded and bound, before you’ll call it ‘behaving’?”