Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 24

Qi Zi didn’t immediately grasp what Lu Luozhu was saying.

The knocking at the door continued, persistent but not intrusive.

Qi Zi: “What did you say?”

A slightly amused voice came from outside, “Your Majesty, your humble consort has come to attend to you. Would you kindly unlock the door?”

What on earth?

Qi Zi’s first thought was that she must be hallucinating from reading scripts too much. The next moment, she concluded that Lu Luozhu had finally lost her mind.

Lu Luozhu had always been a little odd, but lately, she had become increasingly erratic.

The knocking stopped, but Qi Zi knew the other woman was still standing outside.

She could almost smell the faint scent of bergamot pheromones seeping through the door crack, wrapping around her limbs.

Lu Luozhu had changed clothes—she was wrapped in the blanket Qi Zi often used, her moon-white silk pajamas glowing faintly in the dim hallway.

With a soft click, the lock turned.

The door swung open, revealing Qi Zi standing there with a displeased expression.

“What nonsense are you up to now? Get inside. Wandering the hallway dressed like that is utterly ridiculous.”

“My mistake.”

Lu Luozhu admitted her fault with good grace, placing the blanket and pillow on one side of the bed before bending down to tidy up her makeshift workspace.

Qi Zi fidgeted awkwardly. “…Who told you to come here?”

Lu Luozhu: “The doctor.”

Qi Zi stood by, watching helplessly as her personal space was forcibly invaded. The alpha had no qualms about placing her own pheromone-laced pillow right beside Qi Zi’s, making the once-spacious bed feel cramped with just two pillows.

Even if it was just an illusion, Qi Zi couldn’t shake the feeling that the room had suddenly shrunk. Just the sight of Lu Luozhu made it hard to breathe.

Lu Luozhu: “The doctor didn’t say it outright, but I gathered from the hints that if we don’t share a bed tonight, the funeral home’s van might pull up here tomorrow. By the day after, I’d inherit a hefty fortune. So unless Teacher Qi wants me to become a wealthy, pretty widow living off ill-gotten gains, you’d better sleep with me obediently.”

Qi Zi: “.”

The well-mannered Qi Zi let out a curse.

She spoke coldly, “Whether you’ll inherit my fortune the day after tomorrow is debatable, but I can guarantee you’ll be beaten within the next second.”

No sooner had she spoken than a pillow smacked Lu Luozhu’s back, sending her stumbling forward before she collapsed onto the bed in an undignified heap.

Lu Luozhu: “…”

With the lights off, the two lay close together. Qi Zi warned in a low voice, “Keep to yourself. No funny ideas.”

Apart from her sharp tongue, Lu Luozhu had always been well-behaved in action. Since her superior hadn’t asked to be marked, she wouldn’t recklessly bite someone’s neck.

The sanatorium was eerily quiet. Late at night, the distant rustling of trees in the wind could be heard. The person beside her breathed lightly, the faint scent of pear blossoms drifting from under the covers.

Lu Luozhu had expected to lie awake, but as she closed her eyes to rest, she fell into a deep, infant-like slumber.

Noticing the other’s breathing grow softer, Qi Zi opened her clear, alert eyes.

“Lu Luozhu?”

There was no response.

Qi Zi blinked and propped herself up to look at Lu Luozhu sleeping beside her, lying properly with hands folded over her abdomen, eyelashes fluttering lightly with each breath.

Asleep?

Wrapped in the blanket, Qi Zi quietly inched closer to Lu Luozhu.

Like a little bird afraid of the cold in winter, always wanting to huddle with other fluffy companions, shaking its puffed-up wings before tucking its head under them to sleep.

Qi Zi turned on her side, moving gently as she pulled Lu Luozhu into her arms.

“I really can’t figure you out.”

The young award-winning actress had achieved fame and fortune, earning more money than she could count. She would never again cry over missing out on a small cake, nor did she need someone to fight for a not-so-tasty treat on her behalf among other children.

The orphanage wasn’t the best environment—rows of small beds crammed into tight spaces, with up to fifty beds squeezed into a single room.

Lu Luozhu and Qi Zi’s beds were next to each other. As a child, Qi Zi was a restless sleeper, often pushing Lu Luozhu to the edge of the bed, leaving more space for herself to toss and turn.

When winter came and the thin blankets did little against the cold, the two children would snuggle together, holding each other for warmth.

And so, they spent their most innocent childhood years.

“Little Bamboo.”

Qi Zi sighed softly, her usually distant eyes softening with nostalgia.

…

Two leisurely days passed, and every morning when Lu Luozhu woke up, Qi Zi was already gone.

Soft sunlight seeped through the edges of the curtains. After changing her clothes and yawning, Lu Luozhu pushed open the door—only to find Qi Zi outside practicing Tai Chi.

Qi Zi moved through the slow, deliberate motions while Qian Qianqian briefed her on the latest happenings in the entertainment industry.

Lu Luozhu remarked, “With this kind of discipline, you could succeed at anything.”

Hearing the voice behind her, Qi Zi turned her head. “Morning.”

Qian Qianqian’s eyes widened in shock. “Madam, why are you coming out of Teacher Qi’s room?”

Lu Luozhu replied, “The Qing Dynasty fell ages ago. Are there still rules about concubines not being allowed to stay overnight by the emperor’s side?”

Qian Qianqian: “…”

After freshening up, Lu Luozhu sat inside sipping milk. By the time Qi Zi finished her Tai Chi, a faint sheen of sweat glistened on her fair skin, now flushed pink from the exercise.

Her breakfast was always light—hardly different from what a rabbit would eat.

Lu Luozhu often wanted to persuade Qi Zi to eat something heartier, but then she’d remember the price of that bowl of greens and think, maybe she didn’t need to eat that well.

After breakfast, Lu Luozhu checked her phone and saw a new WeChat message. She stood up. “I’ll be back tonight. Got things to do during the day.”

Qi Zi, sitting across from her sipping vegetable juice, lifted her gaze. “Where to?”

Lu Luozhu glanced down at the latest message from Qi Xin—they had exchanged contact info on set.

“Holy crap, sis, check the trending list! I made it to the hot searches! On my way to People’s Park, I saw a car swerve toward the greenbelt. I managed to save an old man who was about to get hit, and turns out the old dude’s a director! To repay me, he actually offered me a role in his new project???”

Lu Luozhu replied with two words: “Calm down.”

Qi Xin immediately fired back, “Sis, this isn’t about staying calm—the problem is, that old geezer has no money! He’s got a script but zero funding. He wants to repay my life-saving favor, but I have to find investors to make it happen??”

Reading this, Lu Luozhu couldn’t help but chuckle. She typed back, “Send me the address.”

Qi Zi watched coldly as Lu Luozhu chatted cheerfully with someone else. She took a graceful sip of her vegetable juice—only to see Lu Luozhu smile.

Qi Zi blew a string of bubbles in her green vegetable juice, like a fish blowing bubbles.

After replying to her last message, Lu Luozhu slipped her phone into her pocket. “How long will you be staying at the sanatorium?”

Qi Zi: “Two months.”

Seeing Lu Luozhu about to leave, Qi Zi called out from behind, “Wait.”

Lu Luozhu: “?”

Qi Zi set down the vegetable juice and wiped the green stain from her lips with a handkerchief. “Qianqian, go with her. I don’t need anyone staying with me.”

“I’ve ordered clothes and jewelry from the boutique. Pick them up for me when you have time.”

She could’ve had them delivered, but Qi Zi particularly enjoyed bossing her around.

Qian Qian, who had been replying to messages from the brand, suddenly looked up, eyeing Lu Luozhu warily—only for that wariness to shift into pity in an instant.

Whenever Teacher Qi’s pheromones acted up, her temper turned volatile. Who knew how much suffering the missus would endure in her room?

A sharp tongue was practically a given.

Lu Luozhu: “?”

In Qian Qian’s eyes, she saw something decidedly R-rated and niche.

……

Qi Xin stared speechlessly at Zhou Fan, whose forehead was scraped and wrapped in a pitiful bandage.

“Director Zhou?”

With black-framed glasses on his face, Zhou Fan sat awkwardly in the hospital’s IV room.

“I’m fine. If it weren’t for you, I’d be…”

Qi Xin wanted to say there was no need for such politeness—just sorting out the film investment would be repayment enough.

Zhou Fan: “If it weren’t for you, I’d already be in a little box by now.”

Qi Xin: “.”

Qi Xin thought, You’re really something, before turning to pay the medical bill for this so-called “great director.”

Yes, the great Director Zhou couldn’t even afford a 300-yuan medical fee.

The great Director Zhou also had nowhere to go, so he could only rest in the hospital’s 24-hour IV room.

The great Director Zhou had only one script to his name, and despite searching everywhere for investors, he’d found none.

Modern urban realism wasn’t popular in the industry. Investors preferred working with established big-name directors—even for realist films, they leaned toward love-centered plots. The suits were experts at stuffing refined themes into shoddy romantic shells, turning unique, soulful films into mass-produced, low-quality assembly-line products.

When Qi Xin returned from paying the bill, she saw the great Director Zhou nearly dozing off on the cramped IV chair.

She set the bag of medicine aside, feeling a sense of helpless deception.

No salary earned yet, but already 300 yuan down—including a 10-yuan registration fee.

The great Director Zhou didn’t even have health insurance.

Zhou Fan startled awake at the noise beside him, lifting his head groggily. “Has the investor arrived?”

Qi Xin was about to say Lu Luozhu still had a drive from the suburbs when a man even more disheveled than Director Zhou limped into the hospital, covered in bl00d. Other patients gave him a wide berth.

A trail of bloody footprints marked the pristine hospital floor.

The cleaning lady clutched her mop, too afraid to approach.

Zhou Fan: “Ah, the perpetrator’s here. I’ll sue him tomorrow.”

Qi Xin closed her eyes in despair.

She didn’t understand why Lu Luozhu had asked her to go to People’s Park that evening. Had Lu Luozhu somehow known a car would lose control and crash into the greenbelt? That without her, Director Zhou would’ve been severely injured?

Qi Xin was unaware of this, but fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long before Qian Qianqian’s black MPV pulled up at the entrance.

Qian Qianqian took a baseball cap from the storage compartment and placed it on Lu Luozhu’s head. “Madam, you should cover up a bit. A lot of people around here are staring at us.”

Lu Luozhu: “Probably because the car is black.”

Qian Qianqian: “The studio bought a white MPV last month.”

Lu Luozhu: “That would look even more like an ambulance.”

Qian Qianqian: “Then black is better.”

Lu Luozhu: “At least there’s no white curtain in the black car, and you’re not wearing white gloves, otherwise…”

Qian Qianqian closed her eyes in despair. “Enough. Stop talking.”

Before they even reached the infusion room, Lu Luozhu heard a man’s hoarse and bewildered voice from inside.

“Why aren’t you bothered that I’m suing the person responsible? I’m the one who got hurt, and your arm got scraped too. We should sue, sue them to death! After we win, we’ll have money to make our movie.”

Qi Xin: “…”

Have you lost your mind from poverty?

The infusion room was well-lit, with a floor-to-ceiling window offering a view of the street outside.

Qi Xin pointed at a black car outside and said, “Give it a rest. The person responsible is probably gone—the hearse is already here to pick them up.”

Qian Qianqian, who happened to overhear this: “…”

Seeing Lu Luozhu approach, Qi Xin pleaded, “Sis, QAQ.”

Lu Luozhu said sympathetically, “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Zhou Fan was ushered into the black van, while Qi Xin avoided Lu Luozhu’s gaze guiltily after getting in.

None of them noticed a phone in the infusion room slowly lifting and snapping a photo.

At the same time, a post appeared on a forum.

[Disgraced Celebrity Secretly Meets Mysterious Man and Woman—Is This the Collapse of Morality or the Distortion of Humanity?]

OP: Sorry for the clickbait title, but the girl looks like a minor character from a movie QZ starred in. She used to be a small-time internet celebrity. The woman in the baseball cap resembles LLZ, and the one with her arms crossed looks like a manager… Quietly munching on this juicy gossip.

“But seriously, if it’s a ‘secret meeting,’ who the heck holds one in a hospital?”

“Maybe they were in a car accident?”

“I just checked Weibo’s trending topics. There was a drunk driving accident near People’s Park yesterday evening. The driver veered into the greenbelt and almost hit someone, but a kind-hearted girl saved them. The timing matches up.”

“I saw that news too. The guy seems to be a director?? He won awards for two movies in Hong Kong before fading into obscurity.”

“I looked it up—his name is Zhou Fan. There were rumors that he refused to cast investors’ picks or change the script, so he couldn’t secure any funding afterward.”

“OMG, am I the only one who thinks the way Lu Luozhu touched Qi Xin’s hair was kinda intimate? If you’re a freeloader, at least have some professional ethics???”

“Hmm, not really intimate? Maybe it’s just me, but Lu Luozhu looked like she was petting a money tree (⊙ˍ⊙)”

“Cheating while Qi Zi’s away—how shameless.”

“Exactly! Instead of staying home to take care of the kid, Lu Luozhu’s out here flirting with other women. And if I’m not mistaken, the car keys in her hand belong to Qi Zi’s car. Ugh, this is heartbreaking.”

…

Lu Luozhu remained oblivious to the online discussions as she waved her hand to approve the investment.

Qian Qianqian’s pupils trembled at the amount. “Madam… did you take out another nude loan? Wait, no—nude loans couldn’t possibly cover this much.”

Lu Luozhu: ?

She thought to herself, This little mouth of yours sure knows how to talk.

Qi Xin held her breath. “You mean… you’ll provide a second round of funding?”

Lu Luozhu recalled that Li Ji Pastries would transfer a substantial sum next month. Thanks to Qi Zi’s free endorsement, the company no longer worried about broken capital chains or halted production lines, making Lu Luozhu one of its major shareholders.

Zhou Fan, his head wrapped in gauze, clutched the investment contract. “Am I dreaming? Director Lu really doesn’t mind me helming this project?”

She watched as the nearly six-foot-tall, scruffy-bearded man sobbed like a child.

After Lu Luozhu signed the contract, Director Zhou never again mentioned suing the hit-and-run driver.

Dropping several million in one go didn’t worry her—in the original novel, Zhou Fan’s lifelong dream was to make a film he was proud of. He’d do anything to keep directing.

A genius, but also an obsessive madman.

Qian Qianqian frowned. “A few million to make a movie? That’s pure fantasy. Do you have any idea how much actors cost?”

Lu Luozhu blinked at her.

Qian Qianqian shivered under the gaze.

Lu Luozhu mused, “We do need a lead with star power.”

Qi Xin alone wasn’t enough—they needed a heavyweight.

Lu Luozhu: “Qi Zi should have availability in two months, right?”

Qian Qianqian: “!!!!”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

She grabbed Lu Luozhu’s collar in a frenzy. “Madam, wake up! Do you know Qi Zi’s market value? Getting her to star in some no-name film? You might as well take out another nude loan—that’s more realistic!”

“No worries, I’ll seduce our sugar mommy and whisper in her ear,” Lu Luozhu coughed out between laughs. “She loves when I throw tantrums. If she refuses, I’ll sell private photos on Weibo—money’s money, right? We’ll use it to hire someone else.”

During the scuffle, the script fell. Lu Luozhu wheezed as she picked it up, flipping through pages that revealed a story about corrupt real estate developers cutting corners on construction, officials turning a blind eye, and a lone architect who stood against them—only to meet a tragic end in a fire, leaving their child to an orphanage and an unbroken cycle of misfortune.

In the original novel, Qi Zi’s involvement made the film a blockbuster, sweeping awards and earning her a grand slam.

Zhou Fan’s expression turned dead serious. “It’s based on true events. I’d film it even at a loss.”

Reading the lines, Lu Luozhu’s chest suddenly ached.

Heart acting up again?

She pressed a hand to it, the pain fading quickly. “It’ll be a hit. I never miss a chance to make money.”

Never one to miss a money-making opportunity, Lu Luozhu now had only 32.54 yuan left in her pocket.

Qian Qianqian couldn’t be bothered to speak with Lu Luozhu.

As for Qi Zi, even if she were to spank her wife, it would be completely justified.

Lu went to the luxury store to pick up the clothes and jewelry Qi Zi had ordered. Normally, these would be delivered by staff, but Qi Zi seemed to take great pleasure in ordering Lu around.

With some time left before evening, Lu returned home to check on the child and casually started a live stream.

“…Alright, alright, sis, do you remember you’re supposed to be a food blogger?”

“I want to see Ningning!!!! It’s been so long since we’ve seen our little Ningning… she’s gotten chubbier.”

“Can you really call it chubby when it’s just baby fat?”

“Aren’t you going to address the online rumors?”

The little one hugged her milk bottle with both hands, “Mommy, hold me, waaah.”

Lu Luozhu gently replied, “Mommy is making food for your mother right now.”

Ningning burst into tears, “Ningning doesn’t want to go to kindergarten quq”

Lu Luozhu: “If you don’t go to kindergarten, you won’t learn anything. Without knowledge, you won’t find dignified work and will end up like Mommy, living off someone else.”

A flood of question marks filled the chat.

“Wait sis, what are you telling the kid???”

“So you’re aware you’re a kept woman.”

“Folks, I spotted those luxury boxes piled in the corner… sob, I want that kind of sugar baby life too.”

“Lu Luozhu, are you even doing this sugar baby thing right? Step aside and let me show you how it’s done.”

During her recovery, Qi Zi needed nutritional supplements. Lu took the freshly delivered black-bone chicken from the fridge, expertly chopped it into pieces with a cleaver, shelled chestnuts, washed and cubed yam, and added pre-soaked wolfberries.

Her cooking movements flowed effortlessly. She cleaned a coconut, cracked open the top, and poured out the juice to use in the chicken soup.

Then she ladled the finished soup back into the coconut shell. The broth shone golden with a layer of oil, the chestnuts melted in the mouth, and the faint coconut aroma added a touch of sweetness to the already premium chicken.

Ningning clung to Lu’s leg while a kitten climbed up her back like a tree, successfully snagging a small piece of chestnut.

“…So the stepmom can actually cook?”

“The way this spoiled beauty rolls up her sleeves to cook is adorable… I’m getting fangirled, someone snap me out of it.”

“I tried Lu Luozhu’s recipe from before, and it turned out delicious.”

“If I were Qi Zi, I’d hug her from behind while she’s cooking and kiss her neck.”

“Girl upstairs, your panties just dropped.”

After packing all three dishes and soup into thermal containers, Lu approached the camera, sweeping her long hair back with a smile.

“Thank you to ‘Evil Stepmother Stay Away From Baby’ for the Eternal Love gift. You shouldn’t have.”

Every little bit counts—Lu didn’t mind being insulted by usernames.

While Lu streamed, Qian Qianqian expressionlessly set up a professional camera to record her cooking process. Hearing that Lu planned to post it online for potential sponsorships made Qian want to quit her job.

Lu didn’t linger on the chat. After putting Ningning to sleep, she unpacked Qi Zi’s jewelry and clothes, marveling:

“So beautiful. If I’d started selling myself from the Spring and Autumn period and saved every penny until now, I might have been able to afford this.”

The chat: …

Do you feel no shame at all?

The audience delighted in the celebrity’s lavish lifestyle, showering the stream with even more gifts.

Perhaps it was exhaustion from the day, or perhaps Zhou Fan’s script was written with such immersive realism—either way, Lu Luozhu felt that familiar pang in her chest again.

The well-known pain struck, drawing a stifled groan from her throat.

Her hands, which had been opening the box, paused as that familiar sense of weakness washed over her.

Qian Qianqian was filming establishing shots of the kitchen while Lu Luozhu, clutching her chest, slumped over the table covered in jewelry, trying to steady herself…

The livestream was still discussing high-end custom jewelry when no one noticed Lu Luozhu’s increasingly pale lips.

Her consciousness drifted further away as her cheek rested against an ice-cold diamond-encrusted necklace—one of only three in the world.

Her body temperature dropped, and her vision blurred until only dark spots remained.

Finally, her mind sank into darkness, her last thought being: Damn, even after transmigrating, my heart’s still crap.

In the livestream, a beautiful omega draped in a light wool shawl approached, placing her hands on the unconscious alpha before gently pulling her into an embrace amid the barrage of scrolling comments.

“Little Bamboo? Wake up.”

Her manager had said there were only 32.54 yuan left in her account—so how had she ended up falling asleep on a pile of jewelry?